Tom mentions cutting and pasting, and I know exactly what he means, because I’ve wibbled about it here before.

Whenever I select a chunk of text (or a picture, URL, whatever) and then use ctrl+C (or apple+C if I’m using my Mac) or ctrl+x, I’m acutely aware of an almost physical sensation of “holding” the thing, feeling the need to put it down, having it almost physically in my hand, being unable to concentrate properly until it’s no longer in my grasp. I am carrying it, and I need to put it somewhere.

This happens especially when I “hold onto” the item for a long period of time, or across applications. Perhaps this is related to only being able to hold one thing at a time on the clipboard; perhaps it’s related to a (sometimes genuine) fear that my computer could crash at the most inopportune moment; or perhaps it’s related to a human need to physically embody virtual acts. I’m carrying it in my head as an unfinished task, and I need to complete it before I can move on.

Using a computer is a physical act - it requires dexterity, co-ordination and physicality. Yet computers are supposed to eliminate redundant mental & physical actions. So why does my body attempt to translate the virtual back into the physical - a sort of technological embodiment? Does my body remember the physical sensation of holding an item, and transfer this feeling to the virtual environment, though my mind has since forgotten? Is this a female thing, to do with spatiality and memory? Or is this something to do with the need to (physically) understand the virtual actions of the user interface?

I’ve been using computers for well over 15 years now, and this sensation does not get any less as time passes. Weird. I think my Megware needs updating.

What do you think? Is there a physical (embodied) aspect to Human-Computer Interaction? And do you hold your breath when an actor on screen goes under water?