It seems like I react to email for a living. I don't want to read 100 emails a day. It leaves me little or no time to reflect on what is happening around me so I can act pro-actively - take initiatives that are in synch with my evolving overall worldview. I just want to know what I need to know and do what I need to do.
Specifically I want to be "in" the world again - to directly engage with reality in a natural way but with the power of information - as I see fit. I want augmented reality, but one that I can adjust or turn off. I realize the threshold for information is much higher the younger you are. Nevertheless, given the expected exponential increase in information access and computing power, we're going to need better and better user interfaces that bring what we need to the surface at the moment we need it...
Some of the better advances in user interface are coming from the Media Lab not surprisingly. Check out Pranav Mistry's Ted Talk.
While the Media Lab might be ahead on the user interface side, I'm betting the software functionality side is going to come from gaming. Here Will Wright is breaking new ground with Hive Mind and personal gaming using your own mood, real-time environment, data etc. to heighten your awareness of the real world while letting your trusted network of friends help you. As he says: "how do make a game that gets you more engaged in reality rather than distract you from it?"
Mark
Note: Here are 10 iPhone Apps in the direction of augmented reality