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EPCOT and Small Computers
In my last two SoftSide columns, I discussed Walt Disney's new EPCOT park, near Disney World, in Florida. I enjoyed writing the EPCOT articles, but one nagging question remained. Nowhere had I seen any mention of personal computers at EPCOT. Had Disney's showcase of the future skipped over one of the biggest revolutions in American life?
To answer that question, I resorted to that old-fashioned instrument, the telephone. I called Suzanne McGovern, a public relations specialist at EPCOT, and asked her if EPCOT had any personal computers. Suzanne's response was, "We don't use personal computers." "But," I said, "personal computers are hot. They're the wave of the future. EPCOT is a park whose theme is the future. Why don't you use personal computers?"
There are two reasons. First, 35,000 to 40,000 people move through the park every day. There isn't time for people to sit down at a personal computer and operate it. Personal computers would clog up the high-speed flow of people through the park's pavilions. Second, according to Suzanne, "personal computers might put people off." In her opinion, most adults are still uncomfortable operating personal computers — especially computers with keyboards.
"We wanted to make our computers as user-friendly as possible," Suzanne told me. "We found we could do this with advanced terminals connected to large computers. The Bell System performed most of the work for us in this area."
I worried that EPCOT' s dependence on large computers, their emphasis on efficiency and on "keeping the people moving" might prevent park visitors from interacting with computers. According to Suzanne, however, this is not a problem. EPCOT may not have any personal computers, but it offers plenty of opportunities for personal interaction with computers.
For example, in the main information center, the Bell System has a group of terminals with touch-sensitive display screens. Visitors to the center can interact with the computer by pressing spots on a grid displayed on the computer's screen.
Elsewhere, in the CommuniCore pavilion, adults and kids can play the "Computer Coaster" game. Without a keyboard, they can instruct the computer to build and run a roller coaster. They are advised if their cars are too heavy, if their track is too steep, or if their cars are moving too fast.
Computer terminals are scattered all over the park. With them, visitors play games or access electronic databases. You can play demographer on the U.S. census game, or airplane czar on the airlines game. At American Express's Travel Port pavilion, a computer tells you about interesting places to visit all over the world. A computer at the Energy Exchange pavilion helps you save energy in your home. A computerized "Amazing Microchip Game" lets you probe some of the secrets of integrated circuit miniaturization.
EPCOT designers are committed to making their computers user-friendly, and have gone out of their way to avoid keyboards. For example, the Information Age display at the Future Com pavilion has a voice-activated computer. Kids interact with it via a computerized robot named Smart- 1. To operate Smart-1, kids don a telephone headset. They talk to the robot and it talks back. Smart-1 even plays games.
EPCOT has one keyboard-operated computer, named Phaser. Phaser tries hard to avoid intimidating you. When you type something on its keyboard, Phaser repeats each word in a very friendly voice.
