Pointing

Episode #732

February 11, 2023

Ogg, Huff and five of their fellow hunters crouched in the brush at the edge of a clearing.

Ogg pointed into the clearing at a mammoth. The huge wooly creature shook his head, scattering the birds who were picking parasites from behind its ears. The animal bent its curved tusks toward the ground and began grazing on grass.

Huff nodded at Ogg and pointed to the other side of the clearing. He made a circular motion with his finger. Ogg moved to his right, running around the edge of the clearing. Two of the others followed Ogg and the other three circled to the left, spacing themselves around the clearing, surrounding the mammoth.

Huff stood, lifted his spear overhead, pointed it at the beast and shook it up and down in the signal to attack. All seven ran toward the animal, spears pointed at the prey. The mammoth swung to the right, then spun to the left. It let out a haunting yowl which sounded like a human groan. The groan turned to a scream as seven spears hit their marks. The animal fell to its front knees, thrashing tusks. Huff grabbed another spear from his quiver and jabbed it at his fellows. They followed his lead, lifting a second spear. As a team they charged the wounded elephant, pointed spears at vital organs and stabbed repeatedly.

The mammoth fell on its side, exposing more of its belly. The hunters’ aim was good. With a gurgling murmur the beast died.

Pointing is an essential tool of communication. It is commonly used to indicate one’s desire. A painter points his brush at the canvas.

Children point to the candy they want on the store shelf.

In a foreign country we point to ourselves and say our name and point to another to ask what their name is. 

In “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” Matthew is taken over by the alien pod people. He is no longer human. When he identifies his human friend as not infected, he points at her and screams an unearthly scream. Even aliens point.

I am sitting at my computer writing this bLog. I move the cursor with my mouse and point at Safari browser. The cursor is an extension of my hand and a prosthetic of my index finger. I click on the Safari icon. There is a shortcut to my WordPress website. Point, click, enter credentials, select security icons and I am in.

Pointing is always the first step of selection. I point at what I want, highlight it or click to an insertion point, then do what I want to do.

Pointing devices have not changed much over the years: a burnt stick to draw, a spear to kill, a pencil to write or a yard stick in the teacher’s hand to point out something on the chalk board.

Technology is evolving the stick into useful and virtual pointing devices. Today a speaker might use a laser pointer to point at something on a white board. We use a mouse or track pad to point the cursor at a computer icon. But even these electronic pointers are evolving.

Virtual reality gives the power to point back into the user’s hands. Moving my hands in VR moves the hands of my avatar. I can grasp, lift or point at something in my virtual world by moving my actual hands.

Neuralink company is creating a brain implant. The neural implant and electrode array is installed by a robot, connecting neural threads to different parts of the brain. Wireless charging and communication connects the brain directly to a computer. 

The future of pointing is to mentally indicate what you want. I might wonder “How do I say ‘What is your name?’ in Spanish.” The answer will simply occur to me, speaking to me in my brain: “¿Cómo te llamas?”

In front of my future computer screen, I will point at Amazon with the desire of my mind, “Open the Amazon app,” I think.
“Find the newest Andy Weir novel.”
“Read it to me.” 
Andy Weir’s voice will resonate in my brain.

What is the point of this bLog episode?
From spears to telepathy we have always pointed at what we want.

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