Comments on: Idea generation: free with every pizza! http://cultureby.com/2005/10/_i_have_been_wo.html This Blog Sits At the Intersection of Anthropology and Economics Thu, 17 May 2012 21:10:32 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Peter http://cultureby.com/2005/10/_i_have_been_wo.html/comment-page-1#comment-5634 Peter Thu, 20 Oct 2005 14:12:36 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=847#comment-5634 I'm reminded of NYNEX's technical trial of interactive TV in New York City in the early 1990s. They took a camera into an apartment, filmed every room from every angle, cut the resulting film into short pieces, and then connected the whole deal to the phone network, so that a person dialing through his/her phone could appear to manipulate the camera through the apartment. (Dial 4 to move left, dial 5 to go straight on, etc). This was a tech trial, so they booked 15 minutes on a local cable channel in the early hours of Saturday mornings, and called the thing "Joe's Apartment". A viewer could dial in and contol the camera movements for 5 minutes. Before long, without any publicity at all, they had ratings in the hundreds of thousands! Turns out that lots of people, home from a late Friday night out, were hooked, all trying to get access to the camera control, and, when they failed, betting with friends on where the camera would move next. I can see the customers betting on the pizza van's movements also! I’m reminded of NYNEX’s technical trial of interactive TV in New York City in the early 1990s. They took a camera into an apartment, filmed every room from every angle, cut the resulting film into short pieces, and then connected the whole deal to the phone network, so that a person dialing through his/her phone could appear to manipulate the camera through the apartment. (Dial 4 to move left, dial 5 to go straight on, etc).

This was a tech trial, so they booked 15 minutes on a local cable channel in the early hours of Saturday mornings, and called the thing “Joe’s Apartment”. A viewer could dial in and contol the camera movements for 5 minutes. Before long, without any publicity at all, they had ratings in the hundreds of thousands! Turns out that lots of people, home from a late Friday night out, were hooked, all trying to get access to the camera control, and, when they failed, betting with friends on where the camera would move next.

I can see the customers betting on the pizza van’s movements also!

]]> By: brian http://cultureby.com/2005/10/_i_have_been_wo.html/comment-page-1#comment-5633 brian Thu, 20 Oct 2005 14:04:40 +0000 http://localhost/wp_culture/?p=847#comment-5633 lo-jack pizza? flighttracker (airline flights)? UPS package tracking? maps.google.com? In North America, I'm sure the next techno - logical step will be a service called "Chichi's Full Monty G-String Trackers" (bachelor/ette party outcall services tracking) ... When do the strippers arrive? um, let me check my blackberry link... lo-jack pizza? flighttracker (airline flights)? UPS package tracking? maps.google.com? In North America, I’m sure the next techno – logical step will be a service called “Chichi’s Full Monty G-String Trackers” (bachelor/ette party outcall services tracking) … When do the strippers arrive? um, let me check my blackberry link…

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