Do you have a super-duper cell phone with a thousand functions that you don't know how to use? Is your home filled with digital displays blinking 12:00? In this hour, Ira talks with John Maeda, a designer and researcher at the MIT Media lab who believes in the value of simplicity. How can complicated technology be designed with humans in mind? We want to hear your ideas about simplicity, too - call in with examples of products, devices, and systems that you think are elegantly simple, or needlessly complex.

Plus, we'll look back on twenty-five years of computer viruses. In 1982, "Elk Cloner," the first known computer virus to spread in the wild, made its way from one Apple II computer to another, producing annoying poetry as it spread. We'll talk with computer security researcher Richard Ford about the history of computer viruses, and why it's been so hard to lock down systems against virus attacks. Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255 (2-3 Eastern). Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests:
Richard Ford
Director, Center for Security Science
Associate Professor, Computer Sciences
Florida Institute of Technology
Melbourne, Florida

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John Maeda
Author, "The Laws of Simplicity" (MIT Press, 2006)
Associate Director of Research, The Media Lab
E. Rudge and Nancy Allen Professor of Media Arts & Sciences
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Books/Articles Discussed:

"The Laws of Simplicity" by John Maeda. MIT Press, 2006.

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This segment produced by Charles Bergquist