Human Computers
In The Inmates are Running the Asylum, Alan Cooper talks about the need to make computers more like people. This is, in general, a difficult and complex problem. I believe, however, that if a computer could gauge your openness to interruption, it could make specific changes to its behavior in ways that would mirror the response of a person.
For example, notification of available upgrades should be postponed until the user is open to distraction, as should requests for configuration, and even the assigning of file names. Programs are getting better about not interrupting us, but sometimes this means that important tasks are postponed indefinitely. If the computer were more human, it might ask us to deal with administrative details at scheduled times, or when we seem to have a few minutes free, the same way a co-worker or secretary might.
Probably the biggest interruption on the computer is instant messaging. A lot of people have talked about the need for a central console for all computer-based communication, so I'll just add a quick point. IM programs should show you who's messaging and (approximately) what they want without popping up a dialog box or flashing anything. This would allow you to finish your current thought in the same way as when a person walks up and waits for you to give him your attention.
The tought part is figuring out your current tolerance for interruption. Failing a good algorithm, a postonement ability should be added to more interactions. Right now, we're forced to deal with interruptions on the computer because we can't put them off. A person can always come back later, but we don't have the option to wait to name files, or to be reminded later about an email we need to answer. How about a word processor that always saves our documents and lets us name them when we want (or when we create them)? Or an email program that lets us ask it to resend us an email in an hour, or at the end of the day? Natural language understanding may be a long way off, but there are little things than could make computers more human now.