I have two children: Rory (7) and Penelope (4). I also have several home computers, a laptop for work, an iPhone, a PSP,  Xbox 360, and a Wii. All of these these are linked together on a wireless network at home. By “these” I mean the devices and the kids. We also have a giant tub of legos. They are wire-less, many of them are connected, and as a set they are infinitely more stimulating than most of the games on the computers and consoles.

I’m a great supporter of my children embracing technology and exposing them to games. I am a greater supporter of my children embracing creativity. The puzzles in the games on the wii engage this part of the brain, but the infinite numbers of starships, racecars, buildings, lettersforms, and beasts contained in the lego tub spark those synapses in a way that I haven’t seen the computers or consoles manage, yet.

After watching David Merrill’s demonstration on his modular, computerized tiles — called Siftables — I see a new frontier of computing. In this computing world the human-machine interface is ALREADY intuitive. The user manipulates physical objects and builds with their hands — not by pushing keys and moving a mouse, but by stacking and arranging computing blocks. The entire experience is very… physical.

While playing Scrabble, I can stare at a rack of jumbled letters and never see a high-point play, but if I pick the tiles up and move them around on the table words magically appear. I’ve spent many hours staring at a blank board trying to solve a problem with new ideas, only to stand up and walk a few feet before ideas pour out, causing me to run back to the board to record them. I believe that combination of physical and mental activity is the key to creative thought. The Wii and iPhone have changed the way we interact with computers. Siftables take the lessons we have learned from Apple and Nintendo and roll them right back into kindergarten. Pouring content from one tile to the other, and then stacking them up or nudging them together to mix the information, this isn’t groundbreaking. It’s logical. How very “lego-like.”

Kids explore new experiences through a very pure and very simple logical lens. They don’t have the context that clouds that lens with cynicism, or closes the aperture with skepticism. They are inherently inquisitive and they explore without fear of failure. What better way to expose a child to computing and the immense amount of information in “the cloud” than letting them experiment by building and manipulating? These are very active pursuits and engage the mind more completely than passive browsing.

Merrill’s video is especially inspiring when it shows groups of children collaborating, exploring and discussing the activity — very different from the withdrawn experience we have all seen of small faces buried in a DS handheld or a PSP. All-in-all, Siftables are exciting. As a parent, I only hope they have rounded-off the sharp corners for less treacherous night-time trips across the living room floor. And that they can add a homing device so we can dig them out from between the cushions of the couch.

Scott Lange