While I certainly don’t endorse MTV or its gratuitous violence or sex, I was fascinated by a show I spotted while channel surfing. The premise of Control Freak (again, linked out of obligation, not endorsement) is a clever one. By putting control of what music videos are played under the control of viewers, MTV is boosting its revenues and reinforcing viewer loyalty.

For those who haven’t seen Control Freak, here’s a brief explanation of how it works. While a music video is playing on MTV2, visitors to the MTV web site are given the opportunity to choose one of three videos to watch next. Each choice’s popularity, along with the time remaining to vote, is displayed next to the video. After the video is complete, the next video – chosen by the audience – starts instantly.

It seems to me that this sort of “instant gratification” could be put to use by other television stations. I could imagine ‘Olelo, O’ahu’s public access cable channels, doing a “Viewer’s Choice” hour during prime time. It would be an effective promotional tool for public access, and all the needed equipment is probably in place – all it’d take is a little glue in the form of computer programming to integrate existing equipment together.

How about an interactive ad? Picture a minute-long spot during the Super Bowl or some other major television production. The company buying the $4 million ad (based on 2003 figures) would set up a funny scenario in 15 seconds, then offer the public the chance to choose the outcome.

Having only a 15 or 30-second window to vote would probably catch some people by surprise, but if ABC aired the game, as they did last year, they already would have the platform they need for this – Enhanced TV.

If I were a savvy marketing executive (which I’m not), I’d find a way to endear people to my ad. Letting them choose the ending seems like a good idea to me. It’s been done before (think Pepsi’s Britney Spears ad), but it’s an idea that can continue to be refined and sped up. People like instant results.

I’m back! The week or two off was good for me. Hopefully, it’ll help me focus and write more effectively. Please be patient with me; it’s likely you’ll see these mysterious, unexplained absences from time to time. I think in spurts.

Grid computing is the buzzword quickly circulating throughout the technology industry and the media. Basically, grid computing is the process of setting up a lot of small computers in a way that they can calculate a big problem by dividing it in smaller parts. This way, you can build a powerful supercomputer with inexpensive components. You can even use existing company computers or enlist the public for help, lowering the cost even more.

The possibilities are profound. The first public grid, SETI@home, was designed to search for radio signals that might be indicative for extraterrestrial life. I had participated in this a few weeks, until I stumbled on this convincing article from ChristianAnswers.net. Even so, the technology itself was fascinating. Because you could potentially get thousands of computers to donate their unused clock cycles, the potential for total processing power is astonishing. It could easily surpass my local supercomputer, the Maui High Performance Computing Center.

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Remember Johnny 5 from Short Circuit? It was the automated laser-armed U.S. military robot that got struck by lightning and turned into a peace-loving hunk of metal with the help of a lady named Stephanie.

Call me crazy, but I don’t think there’s that much hope for GLADIATOR. It was tested today at Schofield Barracks, and it doesn’t look very receptive toward the idea of peace. The video I saw showed it armed with about eight machine-gun turrets. It made short work of the target.

According to the UGV/S JPO, GLADIATOR is “a tele-operated/semi-autonomous ground vehicle for remoting combat tasks…” (emphasis mine).

I really don’t like the words “semi-autonomous” in that description. I don’t relish the idea of an armored vehicle with guns being given the ability to think for itself. That’s a little too futuristic for me.

I’m not worried about the machines rebelling against humanity or anything else silly like that. I just hope this trigger-happy robot can spot terrorists better than these guys. (I’m sure they’re just doing their jobs, but it doesn’t make sense to search elderly women just to be politically correct – I think the TSA is profiling and doing searches of the elderly in a misguided attempt to keep the anti-profilers, like me, happy.)

I think I want GLADIATOR disassembled.

(Photo courtesy UGV/S JPO.)