The zero button mouse
A sudden temperature drop in Hades on 11 August 2005 signaled Apple's launch of a (gasp) two button mouse. Now Mac users can click twice as much. Aren't more clicks great? Maybe not...
At http://dontclick.it/ you can play with a world that doesn't need clicks. At first, the experience felt awkward. I had a nearly overwhelming urge to do something to the interface. Then zen set in, and I began to simply flow through the site.
Much of the text is static, but there are quite a few dynamic interfaces to discover, from site stats to video games. After a few minutes, I wished all sites worked so intuitively.
To me, the biggest idea here is that the interface is "attention" driven. As you pay attention to a resource by moving the mouse over it, that portion grows to takes over center screen, while the next natural navigation elements move to the visible periphery. I've always hated the Minority Report style futurist interfaces. What's the benefit of a virtual screen if you have to wave your non-virtual arms around to use it? Reach over there, grab that, pull it here, put it away again... klunky, tiresome, and uninspired.
As you use the dontclick.it imagine surfing with your eyes alone. We already have technology that can move a mouse cursor with the flick of an eye, but then the application expects a click. Some proposals suggest clenching a jaw, some require a thumb button, and some hypothesize a foot pedal.
Me, I want zero buttons. In a world with no clicks, you could surf at the speed of thought.