Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!agate!eos!eugene
From: eugene@eos.UUCP (Eugene Miya)
Newsgroups: comp.cog-eng
Subject: Re: Cross-linguistic issues in the design of Icons
Keywords: interfaces, icons, cross-linguistic issues, Spanish
Message-ID: <4795@eos.UUCP>
Date: 21 Aug 89 22:41:58 GMT
References: <9268@cs.Buffalo.EDU> <1985@softway.oz> <6531@stiatl.UUCP>
Reply-To: eugene@eos.UUCP (Eugene Miya)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Calif.
Lines: 33

In article <6531@stiatl.UUCP> tom@stiatl.UUCP (Tom Wiencko) writes:
>The folks who sent out out Galactic calling card (was it Voyager?) fought
>with this idea, and came up with symbols they felt would be as universal
>as possible.  They were visual in nature (thus arguably could be called 
>icons) as well as physical representations of sound (in the form of some
>sort of a phonograph record).  It is interesting to note, however, that
>even on this planet many, many people who saw these symbols and heard
>the recording could not figure out what was being communicated.  (Carl Sagan,
>if you or any of your students, or anyone else who worked on this project
>are listening, this would be a good time to get your two cents in).
>Comments?

Rightfully, it should be noted that Pioneers 10 and 11 had the first
"calling cards."  They consisted of simple plaques: Man, Woman
(both naked), solar system, a "pulsar" map, hydrogen molecule, etc.
If you could only image the uproar by Christian groups, feminists,
and lawyers ("Purient interest," "Sexist," "How do you know they aren't
hostile?").

See the book Murmurs from Earth by Sagan et al. for discussion on
earthly icons.  Carl read netnews? Ha!  Also, if you know a better way,
there are a lot of people interested in knowing.  (Short of clothed
human icons, Paul Conrad of the LA Times did a good one).

Another gross generalization from

--eugene miya, NASA Ames Research Center, eugene@aurora.arc.nasa.gov
  resident cynic at the Rock of Ages Home for Retired Hackers:
  Ex-Voyager Program member
  "You trust the `reply' command with all those different mailers out there?"
  "If my mail does not reach you, please accept my apology."
  {ncar,decwrl,hplabs,uunet}!ames!eugene
  				Live free or die.