Concept Computer Based on a Tea Cup Design

webarnold writes "A new concept computer is being designed to look like a tea cup. Using holographic projectors, view your data inside the cup, 'spilled' onto the table, or transfer it to other Cup PC users by pouring data into their cup." Acceptance of something like this seems a bit far-fetched given current tech, but no nomad-space comparisons are being made.

Tech Support Nightmare

[pwnies]

Tech Support: Hi welcome to Cup Tech support, how can we assist you today? Luser: Yea my cup won't turn on. Tech Support: Is it fully charged sir? Luser: Yea its in the charging station right now. The ring around it is all red. Tech Support: K, I'm going to need you to bring up the diagnostic screen, it's the touch button at the bottom of the cup on the inside. Luser: Um... I can't reach there right now... Tech Support: Uhhhh may I ask why? Luser: Well the coffee in it is too hot and I'd burn my hand. Tech Support: ...Sir... you can't put coffee in your computer. Luser: It's ok, I didn't put any sugar in it so it wont get sticky or anything. Tech Support: No sir, you computer is broken. Go take it in to get it repaired. Luser: WHAT? Etc, etc.

Sooo

[Slimee]

What happens if you try and drink from your tea cup? Can we put alcohol in our teacups and mix data with booze? bring a whole new meaning to "sippin' on haterade"? Accidently lose all your files when you mistakenly pour a real beverage into your computer tea cup? And why would anyone want to pour data anywhere? What would happen if you dropped the cup? Would data just explode all over the floor? How do you clean up spilled data? Does one cry over spilled data, like they do over spilled milk?

I prefer my drag and drop just fine...let's stick with dragging files onto tabletops before we start spilling them all over the place

Last thing we need is some slashdotter accidently spilling his porn folder on the coffee table instead of his excel project.

I don't think people are quite ready for this one...

Designers having fun

[cowscows]

If you do any sort of design for a living, be it industrial, graphic, architectural, whatever; the reality of your job is that silly things like management, focus groups, budget, laws of physics, etc. keep you from being as creative as you'd like sometimes. To balance that out, it's not uncommon for design professionals to find other outlets in which to release that creativity, to let it thrive, if only for a moment, so that it doesn't completely shrivel up and die inside of them.

Half of those people work on little side projects like this. They know it's not really realistic or practical. It might not even be a particularly good idea, but it's something that's fun to let their brain chew on, and something that's fun to discuss with others.

The other half of those people go become college professors, and they use their students' projects to satisfy their creative urges, with the minor side-effect of not preparing those students at all for their future jobs. Then when the students have their big crits, the reviewers inevitably skewer them for not having any connection to reality.

But I'm not bitter about it. Nope.

Re:Infinite improbability machine created...

[ozmanjusri]

Something gives me good reason to believe this is a graphical artist's concept and nothing more.

It's one of the entries (#958) for Microsoft's NextGen PC Design [nextgendesigncomp.com] competition.

The Momenta [nextgendesigncomp.com], * inspired by movies like The Running Man and Wedlock is my personal favorite.

*C4 Optional

still waiting for the combination gun/usb drive

[Anonymous Coward]

Still waiting for the handgun/usb drive combo to cut down on gadgets