"Thin Slice" Awareness:
For this exercise, I chose to observe and note my awareness while interaction with my computer. Since this is a piece of technology I frequently use, I can imagine that I usually block out my perceptions of this object--concentrating more on what I'm using the object for.
I pay particularly close attention to where my body comes into direct contact with the computer. I realize that, for the most part, I don't actually touch it. My under forearms are resting on the desk while my fingers float about the keys. Even that contact is fairly quick. If I'm reading something on the screen, my hands naturally move away from it--usually supporting my head so that I can comfortably lean to the side.
I habitually pay so much attention on the visuals of my screen rather than what I'm actually doing to the computer. I rarely take into account that this is a machine that processes information. All I seem to see is an "end result"--and so that's what I always demand from it. If the computer is going slow, or not doing what I want it to, only then do I start paying attention to peripheral information. Is it over heated? Is it plugged in to the wall? Is it making odd noises that it isn't supposed to make?
It seems my interactions with this object are all "frustration-based"--and that I become more aware and open to information when I perceive that there is a problem. I may only notice that my computer isn't plugged in until the "DANGER LOW BATTERY" message appears. With this fact in mind, I realize that I will only understand the innerworkings of a computer, or any electronics, when their is something wrong.
To tell the truth, I think we barely notice many things we interact with unless there is a problem to shift us into a new perspective.
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