Today it struck me again how much context we assume in even the simplest every day actions.

Every computer kid today knows how to press Ctrl-Alt-Del (it’s the key combo that used to reset computers and that is nowadays used  to login to a Windows 7 machine).

But reading the cryptic Ctrl-Alt-Del expression, assumes a lot of intrinsic knowledge from the reader: First there are the acronyms, Ctrl for the Control key on the keyboard, many times there are two…, Alt for Alternate key, again, there are two, and finally the Delete button, placed at various locations on different keyboards.

We also assume by convention that you press them in the correct order left to right, or nothing will happen, i.e. if you press Del first.

Then we imply that you hold the keys down after pressing them in the correct order, or again: nothing would happen.

All this application of inherent knowledge in the reading context happens in a split second – Hundreds of times every day. And eventually, after many repetitions  it becomes a blind motor skill, with the translation of the action shorted out by muscle memory.

The cognitive performance on the way to that state is truly stunning. This becomes very apparent when you try to explain this either to an adult who has never operated a computer, or when you teach a kid about the ways how computers work.