When Miniaturization Matters

Yes, miniaturization is a word according to Dictionary.com (planned or made on a greatly reduced scale). I've been moaning for a long time about the miniaturization of cell phones (too small for my fat thumb and my aging eyes). I don't want to return to the original cell phone that probably should have been called the shoe box phone, but I would like to go back a few years. I've been complaining about small monitors (anything less than 17 inches seems cramped for my multiple-open-program thinking and writing). Ultimately, however, I have lots of choices.

I met a boy last Friday who gave me a different perspective on miniaturization. A second grader, he has cerebral palsy, and is unable to speak or type with his hands. His mother set up his communication device, a Mercury, and this young fellow began talking away through his device. Initially I couldn't figure out how he was doing so---he didn't have anything obvious attached to his head, he wasn't using his hands. His mother pointed out a small dot attached to his glasses, a HeadMouse. I remember long metal headsticks, penlight size optical pointers on the sides of heads, helmets with various attachments. That a 9-year-old boy can operate a computer with something that can hardly be seen, and consequently look and act more like other kids in his classroom, is progress.

So, as in other aspects of life, size matters, and bigger isn't always better. TTFN.