Those Ads Are Watching You

It's just one of those things we read or hear about that really makes it seem like we are stepping into the future. Do you notice when you're searching online or are using GMail and ads show up on the side that are related to what you're looking for or are emailing about? Convenient, helpful and quite a bit scary.

Well this is where the virtual online world meets real life. Video ads in malls and what not can now have cameras hidden in them that are watching you. We have security cameras everywhere, big deal right? Well not only are they watching you, they are gathering information about you. This so-called "primitive" technology can determine your gender accurately 85-90% of the time, approximate age range and in some cases, your ethnicity. That means that companies can not only learn about who is passing their ad stations, but they can also show ads that are relevant to your demographic. As custom-fitted for you as their ads may seem, that just means that they have that much more information about you. The movie "Minority Report" shows a more advanced technology, eye-scanning cameras determine who you are and flash even more custom-fitted ads. That is in 2054 though, it's only 2009.

News Voices

Have you ever paid attention to how news reporters on TV sound? It is very dramatic, almost cinematic with its pauses, and it engages the viewers by keeping them in some sort of suspense wondering what's next or what happened. I'm not sure if it's overdone because some news is quite dramatic in itself, but some stories don't warrant that type of effect. I wonder if that says anything about our culture, one that is extremely interested in other peoples' lives and tragedies? I've always thought that clips and soundbites from long ago were strange in the way people spoke in the media, I'm quite sure those of tomorrow will feel the same about ours.

President Barack Obama

The Presidential Inauguration was yesterday and I was lucky enough to catch the main part of it before tuning in to the CNN/Facebook feed for the rest of the day. It was quite nerve-wrecking to be honest, especially when he chose to walk during the Inaugural Parade. For many reasons, being a fellow Punahou alum being one, it was a very prideful day. I followed this election closer than any before, and I think it's incredible that I have witnessed history in the making...and in a way that people haven't before. As my grandma oddly put it, "It was just...awesome," a word I don't think I've ever heard her use.

2009

It's crazy to me that we are already entering the last of the years with "00" in the middle, next year will be '10. It's not like nothing has happened since the Y2K scare, but it's amazing how time flies. I don't notice this on a day-to-day basis, but I do notice it when I travel home to Hawaii for the holidays. New Year's is a date we all take the time to think about the past and future, and I hope the future will be bright.