Hey HN,

Stumbled upon a cool ArcGIS story map the other day, showing novelists as pins around the Caribbean. Got me thinking – isn't this a refreshing way to explore data?

Back in the '90s, we had all these quirky and diverse interfaces: Clippy, virtual desktops, Flash interfaces, pen tablets. I think Carmen Sandiago, and the encarta encyclopedia epitomize this era. There was an explosion of HCI. It was a fascinating time to use computers as a child. Seems like we’ve settled into a more standardized UI/UX groove these days, primarily driven by the ad and surveillance economy. Some that I remember: 1. Diverse input methods: The god glove from Black&white. Remember when you could navigate your PC with Dragon NaturallySpeaking? 2. Interactive interfaces: Flash videos with links in the video. 3. Personalized helpers: Clippy had personality. What happened to interfaces with character? 4. Visual tools for everything: Timelines, maps, you name it. There were so many creative ways to visualize data.

Any thing you miss or think we should bring back? Or any new paradigms that have caught your eye?