Alphabet changes color of communication

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To be sure, Freedman doesn't have any expectations of Kromofons becoming the standard alphabet anytime soon. In fact, he has said that it could take 100 years. But he clearly believes that the language presents nearly endless applications.

To begin with, he thinks that the potential to embed messages in color images means that animation is a natural medium for Kromofons.

For example, he foresees things like video lyrics designed to play on video iPods, so that as the lyrics come through the earphones, colors simultaneously flash across the screen, spelling out the words.

Or dancers in a ballet could wear outfits that change color in different lighting to represent different messages depending on the storyline.

Or the colors could be used in nail polishes so that kids could spell out secret messages that they hope their parents and teachers can't read.

Of course, Bennett says, if that comes to pass, don't look for the adults to stay in the dark for too long.

"If kids start reading and producing this code," Bennett said, "the adults will want to pick it up pretty quick to figure out what (is being) said."

Still, Janson thinks Kromofons have much more application for children than for adults.

"Since (Kromofons are) just a color system, they can be used to design almost anything," Janson said. "You find kids writing messages to each other in different designs. And some of the designs that I've seen reproductions of are dazzling. They're not like any children's designs I've ever seen. Most children's designs tend to follow certain patterns for their age group. You can almost tell by the way a drawing or a picture looks how old the kid is."

But, Janson added, when he's looked at children's designs using Kromofons, "I've not been able to tell how old any of these kids were. And it turns out they were much younger than I thought."

That's why Janson came up with the term, "a new operating system for the mind," that Freedman has adopted for Kromofons. Janson said he hasn't received any money for any advice or consultation, however.

"The more I've used it, the more I find myself thinking in completely different thought patterns than I normally do," Janson said.

Janson said he has long suffered from attention deficit disorder and dyslexia, but the way he reads Kromofons doesn't seem to be affected.

"Because Kromofons are essentially abstract shapes with colors, and they have no inherent meaning, someone who has ADD or is dyslexic finds that it is much easier to use Kromofons than letters because letters are always very literal," Janson said. "And though each color has a letter attached to it, when one is reading in Kromofons, one actually completes the meaning of the word intuitively without having to spell it out."

For now, Kromofons will grow slowly, with a small number of adults interacting with the system via Kmail, as well as a Microsoft Word plug-in that allows users to type Kromofons in Word.

But the biggest hope for it being a transformative technology, Janson said, is for more and more kids to enjoy using Kromofons and to keep on doing so.

"I think it is going to take a generation," Janson said, "but I do think it will happen, because it is fundamentally a really good idea."

[treads0322]

...but is it practical?

It's an interesting idea, but its use away from the computer seems pretty limited, since it would require you to have a set of 26 crayons/markers/pens available anytime you wanted to write a note, and switch implements constantly. Or you could have a multi-color click pen the size of your arm.

[Fireweaver]

Not Practical

It is completely impractical.
I see this being of use to help teach kids to learn the regular alphabet somehow, but there are so many reasons that our current, simple letters are more useful and versatile.
As someone with an art degree and is well-versed in colors I can verify that most of the people I know don't make a ton of distinction between the colors they view. Most people lump all shades and varients of color into the basic color palette you'd find in a box of 12 crayons.

And even if you actually know both systems, is reading colors faster? Are there any real advantages?

[ac5501]

And for Color Blind People

I guess were not going to be able to read any more.

[mjconver]

And other languages?

Indeed, like 5-8% of males, I'm red-green colorblind, so I can't distinguish many letters.

And what about to colors for Russian? And Japanese? Sorry folks, this is a solution looking for a problem. Remember Esperanto?

[Dogaroo]

..or if you have synesthesia?

So, what if you already see letters & numbers as colours, and your colours don't match this new alphabet?
The comment about dropping acid might have a bit of truth to it. While synesthesia is a bona fide neurological condition, it can also occur with LSD usage.

[ithinktfiam]

Sounds like someone who had too much fun in the 60's

I've been in technology for decades, marketing even before that (helping my parents with a PR company during high school) and having studied linguistics. I don't see any special need for what he describes and he certainly didn't give any real examples of "a new way to think" in the article. Meanwhile, what's ADD have to do with it? I have it and the relationship doesn't make sense.

I just think he's someone who thought up a fun idea while in an altered state and, as with most brownie eaters, thinks the idea was much more clever than it is.

[wildchild_plasma_gyro]

35 years and he reinvents english

What a waste!

[HikingStick]

Color blindness, and monitor age, and sun fade?

I hope this guy enjoys his 15 minutes of fame. In addition to this being unreadable by the color blind (a large percentage of men), what happens when his color words are projected or presented on a monitor with color registration that doesn't match the original machine? I statment like "Buy this product" could be read as "Your mother..." (you get the picture). In print, colors fade when exposed to sunlight. Other comments have also noted that this is designed for English only. Because US Federal disability rules already prohibit color from carrying meaning in software development (if that software is to comply with the ADA/accessibility provisions), I don't see how they will make an exception for an alphabet that is entirely based on color.

[hacksider]

Try writing using 20+ color pens!

Hahaha, this article makes me laugh! I just cant write on the paper handling too many pens!

[Get_Bent]

What color is "This idea sucks"?

"the color alphabet he invented as a 19-year-old at Mardi Gras in 1972"

Dropped a little acid, did we? That explains a lot....

[whereami804]

hah!

This has to be the funniest response to a C-NET story I have ever read. Thanks for making my day.

[TucsonAlexAZ]

A mind is a terrible thing to waste

His time could have been better spent on something useful. All this is going to do is create more conspiracy theories, ie. decipher Van Gogh Starry Night and its really telling us how the world will end.

[TotallyMadeUpName]

Black & white writing is so passe

"Freedman pointed out that for the entire history of the written word, humans have been reading in black and white."

As this is a problem why? Unless the only way you "write" is with a color-coded keyboard on a computer, there is no workable application for this that people would adopt enmasse. Why on earth does he think this will someday become prevalent?

[sovapid]

But how will this affect Second Life

Well, this story has replaced Second Life as the "Stupidest Thing Covered by Cnet".

:)

[Louis610]

Funny!

That was a funny comment. You made me laugh out loud, thanks!

[Siegfried Schtauffen]

Best comment on CNET for a long time (NT)

NT means no text

[Louis610]

Esparantorrific idea!

Great comments! Let's see...color blindness, wavering monitors, fading from the sun acid in New Orleans, inventor has ADD, Second Life, 26 colored pens, conspiracy theories...thanks for the laughs!

[Burnsie001]

What about case and about special characters

26 lower case letters
26 UPPER case letters
30 special characters !@#$%^&*()_+-={}[]\|:";'?,./

You would need 82 different colours. You may be able to reduce that by making the capitals a different size. Then you could reduce it further by adding a shape to the colours. square for the first half of the alphabet and round for the second half. Indeed, if you made all the letters different shapes, you could reduce that to just one colour.

Oh yeah, we did that already.

[derfdricks]

will it be faster?

I'm really interested to find out if you'd be able to process blocks of color faster than you would symbols. colors seem easier to recognize and process... i.e. reading a sign from a distance. i might not be able to make out a letter, but i'd be able to make out a color.

[A. N. Alias]

A solution looking for a problem

This is what comes out once the basic human needs of shelter, nourishment and reproduction have been satisfied.

[kromofons]

From the Inventor

I love the comments, what use is it ?

We (KromoSapiens) have been using it in stain glass, art, jewelry, fashion, signs, rugs, furniture, even body painting at Mardi Gras, Fantasy Fest, and on Ozzfest for years.

And spreading it by word of mouth.
We just weren't ready to tell the world,
until there were easy tools for its use.


I am also very colorblind myself.
That is why it works.
It needed a colorblind eye.

So, the next time you look at a comic book,
check out the backgrounds,
when you see a billboard with large blocks of color, in the design,
or even the 4 color squares at the bottom of
some very popular TV shows,

you have to now wonder,
am I missing something ?

Something that may have been there
for a long time already.

May I suggest a few more uses for those that think it such a lame idea. There are places that letters just don't seem to fit right and colors are already being used.

Automotive Pinstriping, for that matter NASCAR car-ads are hard to read in letters at 200+ miles but colors ? Balloons for your next party, Floral Pattern Landscaping, Hot Air Balloons, Light Shows for concerts, Laser painting of the clouds, and my all time favorite - Read my Lips(tick) !

I am sure if you look around you at this very moment you will see Kromofons in use, you just did not notice it before.

So before you dismiss an idea, that in 5 minutes you could not have given much thought to. Try opening your mind just a little. After all, that is the purpose of the exercise to begin with.

Oh, and as far as the punctuation goes, we are not getting rid of any thing, we are adding to the possibilities. Use the current punctuation as you see fit, or create new forms of punctuation, or expression, by shaping the words, sentences and even the entire page.

The standard alphabet as we know it had no punctuation for about the first 400 years of its use. In fact, there were times when it was written in a continuus flow - right to left, then left to right, then right to left.

And we have not even begun the discussion of its impact on Comic Books, Graphic Novels, Cartoons, and Animation in general, let alone the new mediums of expression that KF can spring firth by combining it with these other mediums.

Open your mind. Try actually reading it, and you will find it WILL CHANGE the way that you think, not what you think about, but the WAY that you think.

And wait until your first dream, in it.
LOOKOUT !

I guess that is it for now.

Thanks for listening,
[e-mail]

[rakeonrake]

Encryption

If you were to change the colors around that corresponded to the letters, this would make a great encryption system. As long as the other party had the "key" to the color codes, I would think it would be very difficult to crack by a third party.

Interesting Stuff Kromofons.

[mwh1950]

synaesthesia

my daughter already has colours asigned to days and months, and I know lots of people have colours attached in their perception to letters and numbers too. how will this work with them?

[kromofons]

The Effect of Kromofons on Synaesthesia

Unknown exactly, fMRI studies are needed.

Unknown as a group, as it is so uniquely individualized. No two people report the same synth effects.

For the individuals we have encountered so far, they had little trouble making the dimensional shift from shape to color.

After almost every University Lecture on Kromofons, at different schools, and in different disciplines, I am always amazed at the number of students who report the most amazing combination of sensual perceptions. In Med School, we are taught that it is extremely rare, if it is mentioned at all.

But I can tell you from anectdotal evidence that it is running about 1 in 30. That is not rare at all !

There is a wonderful book by the Russian Psychologist Dr Luria, called The Mnemenist (sp??)

The effect KROMOFONS will have on your daughter ? That is yet to be determined, but you are encouraged to contact me directly here at the Kromofons Interdimensional Research Institute, we would be happy to follow up and send you what ever materials you may need that we can develop to help her reading skills, or just for entertainment and personal use.

BUT, it is clear that it WILL have a most definite effect !

Her age and reading level would be good to know as well.

Sorry I can't give you a better answer. One thing we can theorize, it will do her no harm, and in fact may aid in concentration skills.

But, let's explore together.

Thanks,
Lee
[e-mail]