Questionably Fabulous

I read an incredibly disturbing article yesterday (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/27/AR2009072702901.html).  A school in Virginia has implemented a new security system to keep the kids safe…  Its unbelievable to me…  They are reading the kids’ vein patterns.  Um, yea, that is right up there with retina scans!  What is this?  Mission Impossible?  I’m baffled. 

I am not a parent, but I can for sure say that when I become one I will wholeheartedly want to keep my children as safe as possible.  But there is just something inherently creepy about reading someone’s vein patterns. 

Did anyone see the movie Minority Report?  This, ironically (maybe its not irony, maybe its just weird) is another Tom Cruise movie (crazy!) like Mission Impossible but whatever, I digress…  The point is that in Minority Report Tom Cruise gets new eyes so that when his eyes were scanned for identification purposes he wouldn’t be recognized.  In this movie there is a scene that seems also eerily familiar…  I’ve been having déjà vous for a while now at work.   When Tom’s character walks by a Gap (or Gap-like store) they read his eyes and then can tell what types of clothing he’d be interested in purchasing.  Why does this give me the hee-bee-gee-bees? 

While I’d like to believe that I am “a writier” or a blogger” I’m not.  I mean, I wanna be and you people reading this can help make that happen by reading me all the time and telling your friends about me (ok, shamless plug, come on AC, get to the point)…  The honest truth is that I sell advertising.  And one of the new things I’m selling is called Behavioral Targeting.  When you shop for things online or do research online or read blogs (like mine, woo-hoo) or go to Facebook or are interested in news or finance etc…  Yea, all of that is freaking logged!  Your server (AOL, Yahoo!, Google, MSN etc) is keeping track of all of that.  And now my company will sell you ad space that is delivered only to those who actually would be interested in your product or service.  Isn’t that incredible?  I think its genius from an Account Executive (fancy smancy for sales rep) perspective.  I mean, there I was, engaged and looking at bridesmaid dresses online – all of a sudden there were ads for bridal gowns and ceremony sites and djs etc.  Very cool stuff.

Except, how creepy is that?  It’s like a virtual stalker really!  Technology can now pre-determine what I’d be interested in, what my hobbies are, where I’d like to vacation, what my body size is, who I want to read about…  this might all too much. 

And now they are scanning kids for vein patters?  Will they be able to track that and someday when you walk through the airport they’ll be able to determine your entire life history? 

UM – SAY WHAT?!  Damn the man!  Dude.