John Seely Brown, chief scientist at Xerox, says, don't forget that humans use computers. In an interview at Forbes.com, he talks about looking for ways that virtual connections can augment the physical connections that already exist.

We refer to changes we have to keep up with, things we don't want to give up, and forget that we are in charge not the technology. We should continue to use things that work well and adopt new technologies that allow us to do things we want to do but couldn't before or to do things in better, more useful ways.

ASAP: What's your favorite technology, and why do you use it?

Brown: My favorite technology is a very, very lightweight printer. It weighs about an ounce. It never runs out of batteries, even though it's portable. It prints at astounding resolution. Here, I'll give you one if you like. [He throws a pen down on the desk.] This is a beautiful example of friendly technology. I spend a lot of time finding good pens.