have never thought about it like that before. Thanks so much for the depth and understanding at which you covered the topic. it's a useful piece of information not only for me but for many others. have seen lots of this stuff (download mainly from http://www.picktorrent.com but this piece really gives food for thought

Sounds like a great opportunity for brands to expand their reach. If some entrepreneur could figure out a way to actually collect DNA samples through ads, it would revolutionize consumer content delivery. This could be done at bus stops, at the mall, etc. Kind of like real-world "cookies"

I've always said, "If they have to advertise it, it is probably no good." This bit of philosophy from the son of and former employee of a woman who owed and operated her own consumer research firm that worked for all the big ad agencies in New York.

I can remember sample boxes of detergent down in our garage with a knight in various locations on the box (so as to choose the location most appealing to consumers) and I can imagine him poking me with his lance saying, "Your clothes need washing, buddy, and I mean today!"

I realize now that my nightmare scenario is pretty much a subplot from The Minority Report as I checked out the synopsis online. In my self-righteous defense I mention that the last movie I saw at the theater was the release of Gremlins in 1984 and that I haven't had a television in 8 years, thus I consider myself twice-blessed.

After hearing this and your first segment on the NSA I thought if these new ad technologies ever are combined with our personal databases (a la Total Information Awareness) the results could be truly terrifying. Imagine walking into a drugstore only to be asked by a toothpaste tube what your current brand offers you that it can't. Walking through the candy section a box of chocolate samplers tells you that your girlfriend would appreciate buying it more than the candy bar you told her you'd bring her over the phone. You pass a row of magazines and the men's girly magazine shouts out that it knows you would rather read it than National Geographic because you've said so in a blog.
I guess we're safe for now. For now.

Hi-

I have learned just to IGNORE ads.

Advertisers pay for the placement and thus keep the paid entity in business but that doesn't mean that I have to read (or in this case listen) to them. If I do listen-as on the radio- the first thing I think is something like: "OK, you are telling me what you want me to know, what AREN'T you telling me?". Since they won't tell me that , if I bought whatever they were selling I might well end up being disappointed.

I have pretty much always been a 'jaded consumer", having learned the hard way.

Thank you,
Chuck