Daniel Engber: How the progress bar keeps you sane
דניאל אנגבר: איך מד ההתקדמות שומר עלייכם שפויים
Daniel Engber explores science and culture as an award-winning journalist for Radiolab, the New York Times, Slate and Wired, among others. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
and how many weeks a year
the Progress Bar]
על מד ההתקדמות ]
an indicator on a computer
inside the device.
for years is a horizontal bar.
הוא המד האופקי.
to pre-computer versions of this
לגרסת קדם המחשב של זה
a horizontal bar from left to right
מד אופקי משמאל לימין
they had completed at a factory.
הם השלימו במפעל.
to as "the software crisis,"
"משבר התוכנה",
were getting more complicated
had been prepared for,
indicators in different ways.
countdown clock,
from left to right on a screen.
a systematic survey of these things
לדברים האלה
the user's experience
לחקור את זה.
was giving you the accurate percent done.
that it was there at all.
made people feel better,
גרם לאנשים להרגיש טוב יותר,
about what this thing could do.
לגביי מה הדבר הזה יכול לעשות.
relax effectively.
to turn away from their machine
להתפנות מהמכשיר שלהם
of exactly the right duration.
"Oh, the progress bar is half done.
"הו, מד ההתקדמות התמלא בחצי.
to send this fax,"
לשלוח את הפקס הזה",
in a tractor beam,
בתוך קרן גוררת,
that you're seeing unfold in front of you:
מתפתח לפניכם:
waiting in frustration
בהמתנה בתסכול
about the progress bar
על מד ההתקדמות
about dulling the pain of waiting,
around with the psychology.
that just moves at a constant rate --
what's happening in the computer --
like it's slowing down.
trying to enhance it
לשפר אותו
more quickly than it really is,
ממה שהוא באמת,
like a burst of speed.
כמו התפרצות של מהירות.
"Oh! Something's really happening!"
"הו! משהו באמת קורה!"
של מד ההתקדמות
naturalistic growth of the progress bar
on the passage of time --
waiting for it to boil,
to make that less boring,
it mitigates the fear of death.
זה מקטין את הפחד מהמוות.
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Daniel Engber - JournalistDaniel Engber explores science and culture as an award-winning journalist for Radiolab, the New York Times, Slate and Wired, among others.
Why you should listen
Daniel Engber's scientific method of distracting free-throw shooters in the NBA appeared in the New York Times Magazine's "Year in Ideas" and his viral website, Crying While Eating, earned spots on "The Tonight Show," VH1 and National Public Radio. He studied literature at Harvard College and neuroscience at the University of California, San Francisco and has won several awards for his writing, including the National Academies of Science Communication Award in 2012.
Daniel Engber | Speaker | TED.com