Everyday, the dining staff interface with the cash register. The cash register is operated by a touch screen, and has a swipe card reader that records information from our ID cards. The first thing I notice as the dining staff interface with the cash register is how hard each of them are tapping their fingers on the touch screen. It appears that the touch screen is not very sensitive. This kind of rough treatment is harmful both for the person using the machine and for the machine. Moreover, the use of touch screens is also unhygienic and unfitting for a setting where food is being prepared and served. I think that perhaps the input method of the cash register can be improved. For example, each item in the dining hall could have a barcode which can be scanned by the register. That barcode can even contain information other than cost, such as the nutritional value of the food or the origin of the ingredients. A different input method could utilize a camera that can recognize which food items are on a person’s plate—although the efficiency of this method depends heavily on the accuracy of the camera. Another thing I realize is that the sometimes the card reader cannot read the ID card, depending on how fast it is swiped. A contactless reader would be more efficient because there are less ways to touch a card than to swipe one, eliminating chances of bad input.
Author: Jiwon Shin
Through Glass
A house without any windows would feel suffocating. It’s not really the issue of having enough light. Even if you had enough artificial lighting inside the house to make it seem like you are outside in the broad daylight, it would still feel too enclosed. Windows provide a way for people to continue to stay connected to the outside world while being able to enjoy the comfort of being indoors. Even though you wouldn’t continuously stare out of the window, being aware of the fact that it is possible to do so is weirdly comforting. Whatever you see through your window, a simple glance over it helps you stay relative to the environment that you are currently in, both in physical space and time. It provides an important connection to the outside world that are necessary for people to carry out daily activities.
A window also provides an interface for people standing outside of its attached architectural structure. Windows offer a means to get a glimpse of lives of strangers. It’s really hard not to unconsciously stare into windows of buildings when walking down the street, and sometimes what we see tend to spawn our imagination about the probable occupants of the space. For example, every time I pass by the house with a huge disco ball hanging from the ceiling in my neighborhood I can’t help but smile, trying to imagine what kind of a person the resident would be. Even if the blinds are drawn of the window, it still says something about the owner of the space behind the walls (maybe that they are not big fans of too much sun?).
A window is a very unique structure offering different experiences depending on which side you are looking through it.