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About this quote

What does it mean?
The Internet should be an invisible utility like air, working seamlessly until it fails.
In plain terms
The Internet should just work all the time without us noticing it.
What can you take from it?
Technology achieves true utility when it becomes seamless and invisible.

Where it applies

  • tech infrastructure
  • product design
  • daily life

Putting it to work

  • design seamless tech
  • prioritize reliability

Questions to consider

  • When is technology most useful?
  • Should we notice our tools?

Another view

Complex systems often require visible management or troubleshooting during failures.

More from Nicholas Negroponte

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  2. I've spent my whole life worrying about the human-computer interface, so I don't want to suggest that what we have today is even close to acceptable.

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  3. You can see the future best through peripheral vision.

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