The International Toy Fair held earlier in the year in the USA saw some remarkable technology-powered toys on display.
One that caught the eye was this one – a life-size miniature Shetland pony called Butterscotch – made by toy makers Hasbro. Butterscotch can move her ears, open and close her eyes, move her head and respond to touch and voice.
Imagine a future where toys are so lifelike they become the preferred choice for a resource-depleted world. Those who remember the SciFi classic Blade Runner can picture where this can lead.
In a way, I guess, the web was built to foster anarchy.
At first it was about access anarchy – enabling uncontrollable pathways to form, to replace traditional 20th century communication lines if needed. Now, in the 21st century, it is about content anarchy – enabling uncontrollable bodies of content to form that challenge the traditional ways.
You Tube is an example of this.
Here you can upload your videos and share them freely with the world – millions of available viewers at last count and rising. Hundreds of thousands of videos are being added every day. It is a place where the exceptional and the excruciating sit side by side and dare you to be judgmental. It is a place where imagination and humour are unconstrained and challenge the norms. It is a place where peers determine the heroes and heroines of the hour, and of the minute. It is a place where you can glimpse the future of communication.
Content may be king … but in this world there is no single ruler.
Did you know – that a recent research highlights an interesting fact – women over 40 were among the most avid gamers. Nielsen//NetRatings reported that 35 to 49-year-old women spent the most time online at gaming sites in May 2004.
