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Voices in Your Head
ceejayoz writes "MSNBC/Newsweek is running a story about a 'Hypersonic Sound System' that can 'can take an audio signal from virtually any source and convert it to an ultrasonic frequency that can be directed like a beam of light toward a target up to 100 yards away.' Sounds like something that advertisers will love - Minority Report just got a little closer." These guys (and the Audio Spotlight guys) have been hyping this technology for years with nothing much to show from it. But now, Newsweek promises, it's going to change the world as we hear it.
Now I can have information about increasing my penis 3 to 6 inches beamed directly into my head as I walk down the street. The very idea of pedestrian spam, spamming houses, cars, offices... give the advertisers military grade psychological warfare equipment and this will make email spam seem like well... something pretty damn trivial (drew a complete analogy blank there).
The day I get blasted with an add for Coke beamed directly into my head while walking down the street is the day I quit my job and start organizing consumer boycotts full time.
The real winner will be the engineer that develops a practical system to counter-act such a device. A small device such as a watch that can detect the signal and then send a destructive wave to cancel the signal would be good.
Even if you don't opt out, with 300 million people receiving over 100 direct audio marketing messages each day, you'd be more likely to get struck by lightning than injured by a "faulty" ad beam.
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On a more serious, but related and entirely factual note... while making a purchase at Barnes and Noble one day, the cashier asked if I would like to join their discount club (pay $xx per year in trade for a percentage discount and presumably a neverending stream of electronic and snail junk mail).
"No thank you," I told her. "I get enough junk mail as it is."
"Oh come on," she urged, waving my credit card in a way that scared me. "You could save five dollars right here on this purchase!"
"I said 'no.'"
"Personally I like receiving things in the mail. I know that may sound pathetic, but it makes me feel good because no one ever mails me stuff."
"Give me my card back."
"But I haven't rung your order up--"
"Give me my card back now or I'm calling the police. You have been insulting my intelligence for the last two minutes in an attempt to sell me something I have repeatedly stated I don't want and now you are holding my credit card hostage."
She just stared at me in disbelief until I pulled out my cell phone, at which point she handed my card back and I walked out -- leaving the books on the counter.
But you're stealing from the advertisers if you do that. It's theft. Your contract with the store when you walk in is that you're going to listen to the ads. Otherwise they couldn't sell as many things. Any time you don't listen to one of our advertisements you're actually tresspassing in the store.
(If that sounds familiar, you might be thinking of this article)
If you want to humiliate someone or win a great battle against indiscriminate or aggressive advertizing, try addressing yourself to the book company. The $8-an-hour clerk isn't responsible. Neither are the poor high school dropouts trying to sell you long distance service. Ask for a manager, and then explain to the manager that "suggestive selling" the membership was intrusive.
"Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
Congratulations, you're an ass. Y'know those clerks get bitched at for *not* being persistent with that stuff dont you? She was, in a roundabout way, doing her job
If you can't see the value in jet powered ants you should turn in your nerd card. - Dunbal (464142)