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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.
Off-topic, but...
I just saw Minority Report last night. While it would make sense that you'd only hear the advertising directed at you, I got the impression that wasn't the case. You could hear the "voice advertising" at the Gap store talking to the next customer that came in and Tom Cruise gave the customer a weird look for his choice of previous purchases.
The kind of "advertising" shown in Minority Report would be both annoying and an invasion of privacy since it appeared everyone could hear your name and/or whatever "customized message" the advertiser wanted you to hear.
I often wonder which will happen first: A "Minority Report" style advertising world where we're (even more) saturated with messages, or a world where the advertising world realizes that they've already reached saturation, the laws of diminishing returns have set in, and prodicing more intrusive advertisements in larger quantities only diminishes the consumers' response to such messages as they automatically "tune them out."
but anyway... i'm reminded of this eerie scene from a well known sci-fi novel:
Trumpets blared.
"Denham's Dentrifice."
Shut up, thought Montag. Consider the lilies of the field.
"Denham's Dentifrice."
They toil not-
"Denham's--"
Consider the lilies of the field, shut up, shut up.
"Dentifrice ! "
He tore the book open and flicked the pages and felt them as if he were blind, he picked at the shape of the individual letters, not blinking.
"Denham's. Spelled : D-E.N "
They toil not, neither do they . . .
A fierce whisper of hot sand through empty sieve.
"Denham's does it!"
Consider the lilies, the lilies, the lilies...
"Denham's dental detergent."
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" It was a plea, a cry so terrible that Montag found himself on his feet, the shocked inhabitants of the loud car staring, moving back from this man with the insane, gorged face, the gibbering, dry mouth, the flapping book in his fist.
headphones.
/. a while back. That might have been HP, with the smart card/radio(?) badges you wore around the office...
Now to get around the stupid slashcode I'll blather on about nothing for a few lines. How about we couple this to the tracking tech that was on
Sure your boss will tell you it's all for efficiency. It'll be quieter in the office, no more broadcast pages, everyone will have their electronic dog collar on. "You have a call on line 4". At least until managment turns the real efficiency program on.
Joe Worker hanging out at the water cooler talking to Peggy Receptionist for a couple of minutes. At 2 minutes one second: "Your yearly review is in 23 days Joe Worker, your truency with Miss Receptionist has been noted in your HR file. This is your 3 notice this week Mr. Worker" This in your bosses voice.
Live the fantasy.
Glen: "I wish to God that somebody would do something to block out the voices in my head for five minutes. Voices that scream over and over; 'Why do they come to me to die? Why do they come to me to die?"
Wayne: "Okay..."
As they so often are, /.'s summary of the article is ambiguous where it matters most. You can shoot an ultrasonic signal at my head, but will I hear it? Is that what the article is about?
Donate background CPU time to fight cancer.
God I'd have fun saying that to people as they're walking down the street.
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