For years, people have anticipated a wave of automated agents that monitor the Net, alerting you to topics of interest. To some degree, this concept is alive. Google Alerts keeps tabs on selected topics; Amazon and Tivo mine their huge databases with collaborative filtering technology to offer suggestions of products and broadcasts which you might enjoy.
Likewise, successful mobile locative platforms will understand the nuances of their host user. Software will observe the way we behave and will adapt to our lifestyles, potentially interacting with trusted services around us:
- When I go to the theatre, I would expect my cell phone to turn to silent mode (but only when the production begins)
- If I tend to stream Jazz radio, I would welcome a message that indicates that a show is scheduled this evening in my neighbourhood
- Is traffic at a snarl this morning? Would public transport get me to work quicker (or is someone trying to organize a last minute carpool so that I can use the carpool lane?
Software platforms will fail if they implement a "measurability policy" that feels intrusive. Like the Internet, people will provide a certain quality of information in exchange for a useful service.
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