Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Teaser Tuesday (11 January)

It's teasin' Tuesday again, but this week I'm going to do something different. "What, cheat? You always do that." No, no.  Well, yes -- but not as much, and for a far nobler purpose than my own amusement. I'm going post a teaser from a single current read (as opposed to two or three), but pair it with a...similar quotation from a different book, for comparison's sake.

 ‎And the ad is no longer content to be passively observed. You no longer decode the ad, it decodes you. The latest digital billboards have concealed cameras and software that establish who is looking and display the appropriate ad -- so a young man will see a bimbo advertising beer and a middle-aged woman will get details of a pampering-day offer at a health spa. Eventually these billboards will be able to recognize individuals and personalize the offering -- seducing me with great 2-for-1 deals on Chinese poetry and hard-bop jazz.

The Age of Absurdity: Why Modern Life Makes it Hard to be Happy, Michael Foley

Interactive advertising panels, which were linked to the city's central database, contained sensors that detected the identichips of persons passing by on the street. The city's AI used the identichip codes to look up each citizen's purchasing history and economic profile, and it used that data to deliver targeted advertising tailored for maximum enticement. [..] In addition to being used for crass commercial profit, the system was a key tool of the BID, which used the network to monitor the movement and habits of Breen civilians and construct virtual models to suss out suspect behavior.

p. 120, Star Trek Typhon Pact: Zero Sum Game. David Mack. 
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20 comments:

  1. Calico CrazyJanuary 11, 2011 at 1:36 AM

    Just one word - SCARY. Definitely makes you stop and think. My teaser is up at Calico Contemplations.

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  2. OutiJanuary 11, 2011 at 1:52 AM

    Wow, this is freaking me out on so many levels. I just had a long discussion about my Saturday morning grocery shopping with ii and I'd be pretty mortified if I'd get suggestions and ads based on that shopping list. To come to think of it, my shopping is always pretty random so it might actually be rather hilarious to see what the "appropriate" ad for me would be.

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  3. MargJanuary 11, 2011 at 3:12 AM

    Fascinating parallels there! Thanks for some food for thought.

    Here is my teaser.

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  4. HarveeJanuary 11, 2011 at 5:23 AM

    What people will do to sell! Nice teasers. Here's mine.

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  5. AnonymousJanuary 11, 2011 at 5:49 AM

    While a great tool for the advertisers, I feel like this concept is always the turning point in all scifi books/movies where the reader/viewer gets the impression that things have the potential to go horribly wrong...eep! :O)

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  6. CyberKittenJanuary 11, 2011 at 6:06 AM

    Nice mix there....!

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  7. BelindaJanuary 11, 2011 at 7:01 AM

    Like always, great choices this week :) You can find my FEVERED teaser at The Bookish Snob

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  8. Laurel-Rain SnowJanuary 11, 2011 at 8:32 AM

    Ooh, very frightening...spooky, even.

    Here's mine:

    http://rainysnowday.wordpress.com/2011/01/11/teaser-tuesdays-jan-11/

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  9. jlshallJanuary 11, 2011 at 8:51 AM

    So Big Brother is an ad man! Well, I'm not too worried about all the targeted advertising - I'm pretty resistant. But I really don't like the idea of some government entity being able to track my every move. That definitely is frightening. But all too believable. Great teasers!

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  10. Mary GraceJanuary 11, 2011 at 10:15 AM

    Hmmm a very interesting read. Would definitely look into this. Here's my TT.

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  11. UnknownJanuary 11, 2011 at 10:34 AM

    Very interesting teasers...scary too...real life mimics fantasy/sci-fi, uh?!

    ~ Amy

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  12. Zakiya LadyWingsJanuary 11, 2011 at 10:42 AM

    CREEPY. That's the first word that came to mind. Next was APPEALING. Good comparison teasers!

    Happy Reading,
    Zakiya - My teasers this week

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  13. AnonymousJanuary 11, 2011 at 11:23 AM

    here's mine http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2011/01/teaser-tuesday-high-spirits-tale-of.html

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  14. UnknownJanuary 11, 2011 at 11:59 AM

    Ooo, reminds me of Minority Report, which had billboard ads that scanned your eyes and specialized everything to that person. Scary!

    My teaser is from The Anatomy of Ghosts:
    http://www.dorolerium.com/?p=2169

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  15. AprilJanuary 11, 2011 at 12:39 PM

    Wow, great teasers!!!
    Here is mine:
    http://www.cafeofdreamsbookreviews.com/2011/01/teaser-tuesday.html

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  16. StephenJanuary 11, 2011 at 3:14 PM

    @ Madeleine: Foley comments that he might have to start dressing in drag to fool the cameras. ;)


    @CyberKitten: Thought you'd appreciate it!

    @Amy: Too much for comfort! I don't like the idea of being monitored that way every time I go out. I'd rather live in the woods and catch fish or something. ;-)

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  17. Golden EagleJanuary 11, 2011 at 5:30 PM

    Great teasers. Creepy, but they were interesting to read. Thanks for sharing!

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  18. SunnyReadsJanuary 11, 2011 at 7:15 PM

    Great Tease!! Reminds me of the movie Minority Report!

    Here’s my tease:
    http://sunnyreads.blogspot.com/2011/01/teaser-tuesday-way-of-shadows-again.html

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  19. WendiJanuary 12, 2011 at 9:51 AM

    Very interesting and thought provoking. Thanks for the tease :) Here's my Teaser! ~ Wendi

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  20. Baley PetersenJanuary 14, 2011 at 3:57 PM

    Clever, posting two different passages that relate so well. Terrifying, the possibilities they illustrate.

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