To loosen mental constraints around language a little bit:
How you push-data-out doesn’t need an obvious or direct map to how you pull-data-in.
This is already true in the usual cases:
Ears don’t speak and mouths don’t hear (but they’re either writing to or reading from air pressure directly).
Pens don’t read and eyes don’t write (but they’re working with the same low-level-language of “how stuff looks”).
I’d like to show that there can be a more obvious difference between how we generate symbols and how we receive symbols.
Examples:
A common game mechanic allows players to quickly select from a radial menu (button-down, mouse-movement, button-up) and other-players in game will just see the emote/chat/effect.
Edit: E.g. bees! I don’t think we’re going to get anywhere trying to use pheromones, but KatjaGrace already mentioned dancing as communication.
While the meaning that’s communicated by humans isn’t very large it’s also not completely absent. Plenty of people who are socially anxious use a lot of deodorant to override their body saying “get away from me”.
To loosen mental constraints around language a little bit: How you push-data-out doesn’t need an obvious or direct map to how you pull-data-in. This is already true in the usual cases: Ears don’t speak and mouths don’t hear (but they’re either writing to or reading from air pressure directly). Pens don’t read and eyes don’t write (but they’re working with the same low-level-language of “how stuff looks”).
I’d like to show that there can be a more obvious difference between how we generate symbols and how we receive symbols. Examples:
A common game mechanic allows players to quickly select from a radial menu (button-down, mouse-movement, button-up) and other-players in game will just see the emote/chat/effect.
The tribes ascent VGS system, navigation to select output, https://tribes.fandom.com/wiki/Voice_Game_System
Non-human communication and signaling could also be a source of inspiration.
Edit: E.g. bees! I don’t think we’re going to get anywhere trying to use pheromones, but KatjaGrace already mentioned dancing as communication.
While the meaning that’s communicated by humans isn’t very large it’s also not completely absent. Plenty of people who are socially anxious use a lot of deodorant to override their body saying “get away from me”.