Monitor Fish

Rather than display information on a computer monitor, interrupting that information flow every so often with a relaxing aquarium screensaver, display information via an aquarium interface.

Genetically modify fish so that their schooling behavior -- movement as a group -- is influenced by concentrations of various chemicals. Different breeds of fish, of course, will respond to different attractant, repellant, or more complicatedly behavior-modifying chemicals. A computer will dynamically alter the concentrations and locations of the chemical cues, in such a way that the resultant fish behavior may be "read" by a human observer.

At the most basic, the speed, inter-fish distance, and location of schools within the fish tank give at least three axes of information per school of fish. From this "alphabet" more complicated messages can be composed.

With some training, a human observer will be able to grasp the state of complex systems -- much as certain gestalt information may be more readily "read" from a picture or other graphical display than from a textual representation. At the same time, the viewer will gain the aesthetic pleasure and peace of mind commonly associated with aquaria, real or virtual.

A further benefit can be that, that to the uninitiated, it will be "just" a fish tank, allowing for the monitoring of information in an unobtrusive, even circumspect way. Imagine a receptionist for a large firm, able to ascertain the availability and disposition of every member of the firm, while a guest in the reception area sees only the calming presence of the (to him meaningless) flitting of lovely tropical fish in the gently burbling office aquarium. If the kissing fish are in fact kissing, the partner the guest has asked for will see him; if the fighting fish are performing their pugnacious dance, the guest is to be told that Mr. So-and-so -- safely hidden in his office -- is out until we know not when.