I'm a big fan of Lois McMaster Bujold and Suzanne Vega. I would like to know when the artist releases new stuff. (For those who don't know, the first is a novelist and the second is a singer-songwriter.)
There are many interesting things, and information about them is everywhere on the Internet. My interests also show up in (usually very short) articles in newspapers and the evening news.
Like most people, I have a network of friends and family who have similar interests, or at least know them. They tell me when they realize one of my favorite topics is making news. Some of my friends are on the same mailing lists as I am and post information to them.
But all this seems arbitrary. Well, my favorite bands come to town and I don't know about them until someone mentions them after they're gone. Or, like it happened before, a friend works as a roadie for a band I love and tells me how awful they are. (What would you say then? "Well, I'd appreciate it if you smuggled me, wouldn't you?")
There's a lot of information out there, and the Internet has access to most of it. It is something that allows you to sift through the internet, TV news, newspapers and magazines all over the world and find something that interests you.
It's a boring job, so don't demand it. This requires devices capable of processing and displaying vast amounts of data.
Sounds like a computer program.
Wouldn't it be great if your computer could do all of the following?
You could receive news programs about places and things that interest you. When Lois McMaster Bujold releases a new novel, mine will include either fantasy or sci-fi.In that case, unless your interests match mine, your breaking news does not do this.
It's like having a devoted friend who knows your tastes and has all the resources of the BBC and the United Press.
Once you start receiving personalized messages, everyone will start seeing them again.
Television news services are now under pressure. They need to earn their reputation by reporting brutal murders rather than reporting the true fact that murder rates are steadily declining. It's scary enough without it.
If computers filtered news about things people were interested in, reporters and news editors would return to targeting interesting topics instead of scary ones.
There are many problems in the world. It's nice to have something to look up the internet or news service for a solution to a problem.
Literally everyone. Simply cut-and-paste scary news reports into the 'solution window' of this bespoke new program to rule out substances from blackmail and find solutions.
We may run out of gas in 3 years. So how can we survive without gasoline to fuel trucks to transport our groceries? How can we grow food without tractors and combines?
Antibiotic use, overuse, and abuse lead to antibiotic-resistant strains.
