Book Reading #45 - Things That Make Us Smart

Chapter 3: The Power of Representation
Summary:
There are two types of "worlds:" the represented world- that which is being represented (aka the real world), and the representing world- symbols or models to represent the real, represented world. "It is things that make us smart," as Norman says, because writing and reading and "cognitive artifacts" are what make us smart. Socrates was against using books because he thought it would eliminate reflective thought, but this did not turn out to be the case until recently. Objects must be represented in appropriate ways. An example is how prescriptions for drugs are very difficult to read because they're not written in a matrix form. Another example Norman used was an addition game compared to tic tac toe. Even though they are essentially the same game, without proper representation, the addition game is difficult to comprehend. 
Chapter 4: Fitting the Artifact to the Person
Summary:
How we fit or represent an artifact is a key point as well. Digital and analog interfaces each have their own pros and cons, and neither is altogether better. The design of things also needs to lend itself to the use of artifacts. Norman uses three different versions of the "Tower of Hanoi" problem to show that the design can lend itself to make the problem easier: each version required a different number of rules. Graphs are also another source of misleading of information, or altogether incorrect, if the wrong type of graphs and/or labels are used. The two types of representation are surface and internal representation, and surface representation is the one that is concerning to the public because that is where they see the cognitive artifacts. 
Discussion:
I somewhat enjoyed the third chapter. I think he brings up very good points, such as the numerical system comparisons. However, I was always taught that order does matter for Roman numbers, like IV is 4, not 6. I didn't like how Norman said we are not really learning or knowing information if we are reading it. I disagree because that would ignore the function of cuing: we could see a simple phrase that would aid our recollection of a larger bit of information. I thought the fourth chapter was altogether pretty boring, as I found myself struggling to follow along with his explanations. He is very long winded, and I'm not sure there is a good enough connection between the title of the chapter and the topics he discusses.