Very nice article that concisely encapsulates a trend that has been annoying me for 30 years. I have to day that I find it pretty depressing when UI design from the late 80's ends up vastly more functional than current interfaces. They absolutely don't look like they're out of a Hollywood movie, but the amount of cognitive effort to use an 80's interface was vastly lower. (And being a troglodyte that barely appreciates the aesthetics, the new pretty interfaces buy me almost nothing.)