The television show Star Trek:Next Generation gave us an imaginary glimpse of the future with a re-design of the toggle switches and twist knobs from the original series (which I still consider to be the real Trek, but I digress). The new styling came about just as computers were beginning their march across the homeplace in earnest, and it gave the new user base something to find in common with the show.
Now you can bring that futuristic Star Trek LCARS styling to your home with switch plates and covers that feature the Star Trek look. I am not sure if you will impress everyone with such a taste in decor, but for those who are a fan will no doubt take note. The covers are carefully labeled so that you will not get your EPS Conduit confused with your GNDN 8 lighting control. The switch plates go for about $17.99 each, and you can find them at ThinkGeek.
Now, if you want to really explore what the LCAR styling is about, and would like to see a sample of it in action, we suggest you go to the lcarsdeveloper web site and check it out for yourself. With Windows 8 having a focus on touch screens, the hardware in place to use such an interface may be rather commonplace soon. So there could be no telling where you may find an LCARS in the future. Perhaps your next fridge will feature an LCARS. Or maybe it would be right at home with your microwave – Scotty, beam that popcorn!
One thing interesting about the interface is that there is a standard being developed for colors, animations, layout, sounds, and more, something that might be missing in the real world. That is, if things keep going as they are, the interface might be a practical alternative to the non-standard solutions out there. Go Figure.
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