Direct manipulation
Direct manipulation most generally means that one can manipulate the output of a thing generated by a computer program
not only by manipulating the code of that program but also by manipulating the outputted thing directly itself
in such a way that the performed changes flow back into the code.
Contents
Direct manipulation today and tomorrow
As of 2023 direct manipulation is usually referring to 2D or 2D graphics outputs on computer screens,
but in the context of future gemstone metamaterial technology it will apply to actual physical products too.
This will open up a whole new area of user interface design space.
We will not cut gemstone based metamaterials
Unlike today's materials like woods, plastics, metals, stones, glasses, ceramics, and whatnot
the diverse future gem-gum materials will almost always not be made to be
cuttable by saw, drillable by drillbits, machinable by lathes, or such.
This is because many base materials are too hard.
Well softer materials will be cuttable. But you can does not mean you should.
For those matrials soft enough to be cuttable the cut surfaces would be a mess at the nanoscale if not specially designed for self repair.
- internal nanmomachinery particles may get uncontrollably released (spill prevention)
- internal seals may be broken destroying more than just the cut surface (remotely similar to fruit browning when cut).
Natural and today artificial material are pretty much all manipulable only via direct manipulation.
It's so natural that we are not even thinking about this consciously.
Todays early emergnet programmable materials don't change that much yet.
But future gemstone based metamaterials will be more like materializable programs
if not designed such not allowing for any direct manipulation.
Heck, Not even disposal by burning. See: Diamondoid waste incineration
Rather all changes desired changes in form and shape of macroscale things
will need to be specified by by computer interface in one way or another.
Loss of control
Having a whole lot of indirection between computer interface and actual change of the physical things form shape or behaviour
can one leave at a feeling of and actual presence of loss of control.
See: Loss of control
Example
As a example imagine Upgraded street infrastructure.
A street that was already been upgraded from asphalt or concrete to ultra hyper cheap (as solar fueled self-growing) road surface gem-gum.
Workers opening up a patch of surface on a street to access installations below.
Direct manipulation would mean one can draw the spot to open up by pen (or even non-contact pointing by finger)
on the surface rather than virtually on a computer screen.
