Personalized Serial

What happens when you spend years invested in a TV serial and then over time it changes? This happens all the time with any show that has been on the air for a while. Actors may decide to leave the show; characters may be added. Over time, the show begins to look very different, often becoming a much less watchable version of itself.

Maybe you quit watching the show. Or maybe you keep watching for the few storylines or characters in which you are still interested. I’m sure there are plenty of times when people may start watching a new show and automatically have only one character or storyline that appeals to them.

Currently, the only thing that exists to deal with this is the fast-forward button on your DVR remote. Something that should exist is a system where viewers can further customize their TV watching experience. There should be some device or system that can digitally record only the scenes related to the storylines or characters we really care about. Such a device would allow viewers to cut down on how much time they spend watching TV while increasing the amount of time they actually enjoy watching TV. In addition, it might be able to somehow communicate with the networks or producers to let them know which storylines and characters appeal most to viewers.

Personalization is a huge trend right now online (seriously, google it). And it'sspilling over into many other realms. Why shouldn't TV be one of them? Surely advertisers could use this technology somehow too.

What shows would you like to personalize? Are there any shows that already get the fast-forward treatment from you? Is there any other thing that exists already that addresses this issue?



*Thanks Rachel Quinley for this inspiration*

More Effective Bullshit Meter

Many people swear to the existence of something called gaydar, which I understand to be some sort of gauge of the sexuality of others. By 2010, I think we all know that the idea of such a device is pretty much bogus. That is to say that it does not exist in a tangible way that any can be practically used and sold commercially (this seems like the kind of thing SkyMall would sell exclusively). I have reservations with the idea of such a thing existing even in a non-tangible form, but when it comes right down to it, gaydar is probably something that just shouldn't exist anyway. People should be allowed to come to terms with their sexuality and allow others to do the same without some sort of gauge or meter doing it for them.

There is, however, another person-rating device that I think would be invaluable: a BS-meter. Let me explain what I mean by BS by giving a few examples. When a person talks about himself too much and his story has many inconsistencies, he is probably full of BS. When a politician promises anything, you can probably assume it’s BS. Any get rich quick scheme is very likely to be BS.

Those are just simple examples with clear-cut cases of BS. Even with those clear illustrations of BS, many people are still fooled. Many people even believe they have a well-tuned inner sense of what is BS and what is not. But all of us are fooled from time to time. We are fooled by that politician who promises something we want to believe in or by that ‘fool-proof’ scheme for abundant riches because we desperately desire the cash.

This would be the sales pitch for anyone who could develop a more effective ‘BS Meter.’ I think the SkyMall catalog could make a killing off of something like that. I think people could buy several of them. I would put one near the TV, so it could detect BS in the news media. I would have another on me at all times (maybe in the form of a key chain?) to decipher my daily interactions with people. This would dramatically improve my life.

As with any of my ideas, I welcome comments telling me if this already exists and where I can find it.