USPTO Issues Gift Delivery Patent To Amazon
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Dancing Your Way Through Email

Too Much Free Time

from the exercise-and-deleting-spam,-all-in-one dept

Wed, Mar 1st 2006 2:16am — Mike Masnick
Microsoft is known for some of the more wacky random projects folks come up with inside that are never meant to see the light of day. Remember the iLoo? That kicked up such a storm that Microsoft eventually had to pretend it was an April Fool's joke that came out in May, before admitting that it was a real project. Along those lines, it appears that some researchers have had some fun creating a new email interface using a "Dance, Dance Revolution" game foot pad. Yes, that's right. You dance through your email box and stamp out spam for real. This is only one of the projects from the "Step User Interface Project Group" which is working on step-based interfaces for other applications as well. It may not be quite as ridiculous an idea as it sounds initially -- what with so much effort being put into getting young people to exercise more, even when in front of a computer. It certainly seems likely to work up more of a sweat than the treadmill desk we heard about last year.
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  1. identicon
    Adam, 1 Mar 2006 @ 5:55am

    one potential

    Perhaps this sort of interface could also be useful for people with certain handicaps or ailments who can control their feet better than their hands/arms. It could be neat for kids as well.

    [ link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    dani, 1 Mar 2006 @ 6:09am

    Re: one potential

    sounds fun...if you have nothing better to do that is. I think I'll stick with the workout DVDs.

    I wonder if they build them sturdy enough to handle my 3 little ones "dancing"?

    [ link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    El Oreo, 1 Mar 2006 @ 8:38am

    Fun

    lolz this looks like fun. I could see myself doing it since it sounds completly crazy and fun and a bit healthy, but more fun and crazy.

    [ link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Wade, 1 Mar 2006 @ 9:06am

    Potential

    It's good to see that tech dirt readers are a bit more sane than /.ers. If you read the article, this is being developed specifically for those that don't have use of their arms. I say good for microsoft for trying to make technology available to everyone.

    [ link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 1 Mar 2006 @ 9:41am

    No Subject Given

    I think a mouse-like navigation footpad makes alot of sense. Being able to script some routine mouse clicks to a footpad would make my day alot easier and reduce the chance of an RSI.

    [ link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    George, 1 Mar 2006 @ 1:58pm

    No Subject Given

    it would be sad if getting exercise meant checking your e-mail. Sounds a bit ridiculous for a general consumer, and even a bit ridiculous for handicapped people.

    [ link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Chris, 3 Mar 2006 @ 7:39pm

    stupid

    yah and i can stick a stick up my ass and bang away at a drum with my ass - but why the hell would i want to - stupid stupid stupid

    [ link to this | view in thread ]


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