From pay-per-gaze to spray-on energy, the world seems to be changing at an ever-faster pace. Here are a few topics for discussion in the snack room this week:
Pay-Per-Gaze, the New Pay-Per-Click
Almost straight out of a sci-fi movie, Google’s new patent indicates that the company wants to develop pay-per-gaze advertising, most likely in conjunction with Google Glass, which is expected to release in 2014. (Although the patent doesn’t specifically mention Google Glass, it does describe a device that matches the product.) When a wearer directly looks at a real-world advertisement, the device tracks the information and charges the advertiser. Currently Google Glass does not support ads, but this is likely to change. And with all of Glass’s features, pay-per-click advertising doesn’t seem far-fetched. For more information, please read the full story on the The New York Times ("How Pay-Per-Gaze Advertising Could Work With Google Glass" by Nick Bilton and Claire Cain Miller).
Your Movie Bucket List, Personalized
Remember the days of DVDs and the Instant Queue? In an effort to make its streaming service more personalized, Netflix’s new feature, ‘My List,’ allows viewers to store movies they want to watch later. Unlike the Instant Queue, movie and show titles won’t be ordered by when they were added to the list but instead automatically by your ever-changing Netflix activities. You can explore the new feature on your Netflix account today or visit TechCrunch ("Netflix Introduces 'My List,' A Personalized Instant Queue For Users All Over The World" by Ryan Lawler).
Spray Tans? No, Spray Caffeine
Seeming to combine the ideas behind nicotine patches, breath spray and energy drinks, Thiel fellow Ben Yu and Deven Soni are interested in selling Sprayable Energy. In a process similar to the way nicotine patches work, the product is sprayed onto the skin, which then absorbs the caffeine. The consumer receives an energy boost anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes later. Yu and Soni hope to market Sprayable Energy toward, among others, people sensitive to traditional forms of caffeine. Read the full story on TechCrunch ("Thiel Fellow Launches A Topical Energy Spray For Absorbing Caffeine Through Your Skin" by Kim-Mai Cutler).
Though some of these ideas might seem bizarre, don’t forget that many criticized Apple when it first introduced the iPad. Who knows, spray caffeine may become the way of the future.