Interesting Links for 21-02-2012

[andrewducker]

• Technological progress not slow or steady, but superexponential
  (tags: technology thefuture )
• Why not pipe the water from north to south England?
  (tags: water drought uk )
• Steam/Valve’s Gabe Newell talks wearable computers, why consoles should open up, and game ownership
  (tags: steam software computer_games copyright drm )
• Dutch

Comments

[danieldwilliam]

It is unclear to me how men not seeing the advert on Oxford Street will make them aware of gender discrimination.

[andrewducker]

They'll be aware that they're being discriminated against for being men!

Personally, I think it's a stroke of genius - very few people will see the actual ad, huge numbers more have heard about it via the free advertising it's getting on the news services.

[danieldwilliam]

Sorry, what I'm not clear about from the article is how I, approaching the advert as a man, will be aware that I am not seeing it in all its glory. What will I experience that will make me aware that, were I not a man (90% of the time) I would see something different / better?

[andrewducker]

I believe that you have to deliberately choose to interact with the billboard, and then it either plays its video, or tells you that if you want to know more you'll have to visit a website.

[danieldwilliam]

Ah, right.

and this is the point where it tells me that as I'm a man I can't see the content?

(Or rather, this is the point where it tells me that, according to the prevailing gender culture, it is broken.)

[alextfish]

That was my impression, yes. If you press the button and it thinks you're a man, it'll say "Sorry, you can't see this ad. Visit our website instead to learn more."

[danieldwilliam]

The responses to that will be interesting.

[tobyaw]

Anything that helps to hide adverts from me is a good thing.

Isn’t it discriminating against women by playing them an advert that men can avoid?

[simont]

Yes, I was thinking that sort of thing. And even for women, it apparently won't play them an advert unless they deliberately interact with it in some way.

A billboard which doesn't bother you unless you bother it first? Best kind!