A Cursor Story

Chapter 11: Susan's Lab

Awasthy recalled

Awasthy fixed his eyes on the horizon in front of him. His voice became heavier. He went into deep thoughts recollecting his days when he used to work with Susan. His eyes continued to remain fixated beyond the horizon.

A group of researchers is working on methods of advanced human-computer interactions in a giant laboratory. Susan Kar has a team of six scientists working with her. Susan Kar is a middle-aged lady, a child prodigy. She was having white-colored hair with slightly wrinkled skin, face long as her sentences but eyes small with slightly curved black eyebrows.

Susan Kar was about to start her inaugural address to her team. She from time to time delivers addresses divided into two categories i.e. Long addresses which are meant for all her team members to keep them motivated and Short addressed which is only for team members when they meet her individually. While the Long addresses are two-way mode of communication, Short addresses are only one-way mode of communication she tells (read yells) and her team members have to listen. Today it was her Long address:

'Dear team members, this group wanted to overcome the limits of traditional keyboard-mouse based interaction to a system where the computer itself reads the state of mind of the user, interprets it to perform tasks accordingly. Similarly for the output instead of a command-based system a graphical interface with human-face could be used who can talk to the user much in the same way as humans interact with each other in their day to day conversations. The computer will know about what the user wants and most of the tasks the computer should be able to do on its own. It is going to be the next technological revolution. It could probably reshape the relationship of mankind with machines. Is there anyone of you who can help us achieve our dream.'

Susan placed both her hands on her waist pressing the formal white shirt. Team members replied that they are with her. Everyone applauds and the address ends.

Awasthy blinked for a moment, adjusted him in the seat and continued:

Susan Kar is sitting in her office at Bell labs. The office is bigger than everyone else's on her team. The big table is adorned with a glass top lying in the center of her office room. Bits of papers which are slid below the glass appeared floating due to its high refractive index. The dustbin underneath the table has been filled with shards of research papers Susan did not find worthy of her recommendation. The white colored door is as expressionless as her face. She is going through the latest clips of Google news on her computer sipping her lemon tea.

'So hot..,' she tells herself. She browses through the news items thinking about why there is nothing great in the news section. Everything in the news section is nothing but the same old thing taken over from the recent tweets of rich and powerful people. Susan is no less than disturbed with a knock at the door.

It is Ramesh Awasthy, a young member of her team. An Indian ex-pat who has come to the USA for Ph.D. and then remained there ever since. A tall dark handsome guy with an accent that everyone recognizes as Americanized Indian while others recognize as Indianized American. Dressed in his crispy formals Awasthy checked whether his white shirt is tucked in his black pants properly, indentations of his hair have not changed since he stood up from his seat.

'Come in.'

Awasthy enters into the office of Susan Kar. Before Awasthy says anything Susan asks about his progress.

'What's exactly you did in the last few weeks?'

'I made a new type of cursor. A computer cursor which can speak .. not only speak but understand and perform.'

'What all can it understand and what can it do?'

'Everything .. everything that a normal human being can do. It understands language and converse with the user. Once it is given the needed administrator privileges it can perform whatever tasks the user wants. Most tasks it can perform without the user even instructing about it. Very similar to what you said in your Long address.'