Slide 21 of 29
Notes:
Example change: ”By 2010, we talk to our computers, they talk back, and recognize us via biometrics.”
- working – and education – environments noisier;
- nobody needs to remember passwords anymore;
- precipitous drop in incidence of work-related carpal tunnel syndrome;
- market emerges for ”great voice” modules to personalize computer speech.
The previous page includes the possible secondary and tertiary impacts for ”working – and education – environments noisier.” Let’s choose two more primary effects and explore some possible secondary effects:
- precipitous drop in incidence of work-related carpal tunnel syndrome:
- increase in worker productivity;
- decline in workers’ compensation costs;
- collapse of keyboard wrist rest market.
- market emerges for ”great voice” modules to personalize computer speech:
- hot new licensing endeavor for popular actors and singers – sideline for radio personalities and politicians with great voices as well;
- teenages pirate great voices from DVDs of favourite movies and tv shows, and ”napsterize” them:
- underground ”baseball card” trading culture develops of popular voice modules;
- storm of court cases and Congressional hearings on issue:
- new laws making individuals the sole owners of their own biometrics;
- emerging trend of visitors preferring to converse with their friends’ answering machines and homes rather than the people themselves – the house computer has a pleasant voice, is unfailingly polite, and listens really well.
