As a “welcome back to work” gift this morning, I find that all our elevators at ISI have been equipped with TV screens courtesy the “Captivate Network“. Ugh.
“Captivate”, oh so aptly and ironically named. They’re basically small TV screens that deliver, via wireless update, “quality programming” (news, weather, stock quotes, advertisements) to riders of the elevator.
I’m annoyed by it, but I’m not entirely sure which part of the situation makes me the most annoyed. Is it that I don’t want to be advertised to? I think it’s something deeper. Captivate intrudes upon one of the last bastions of silence in my information-overloaded world: that minute-long hiatus that is an elevator ride. I have enough damned data in my life. Let me have a moment or two of peace and quiet! Only a moment or two!
The Captivate Network is, needless to say, not-easily-opt-outable. No off switch, always on, 24 hours a day. I can turn my back to the screen, but it’s still there (and, data is saccarine and tempting–even though I know I don’t want it, it’s hard not to watch).
The installation has spurred a flurry of emails on the ISI listserv, and many, many complaints to Trizec (the landlord company for our building). Trizec replied that the network rollout was a nation-wide choice–and that, strangely, our building is the first instance where they have recieved any negative feedback (I can’t believe that we were the only ones to complain. They must have expected the techie crowd here at ISI to love access to Yet Another Data Feed. Paradoxically, this has not been the case… perhaps we, as information scientists, are more sensitive to information pollution). And, bad news… given the fact that it’s a nation-wide rollout, they can do nothing to remove or disable the screens.
If I was more than a lowly PhD student researcher, I would do more to protest this. As it is, I have no voice. A few unknown co-workers have been taping over the screens with paper, but the covering is removed soon enough, and is being replaced more and more infrequently… It’s only a matter of time, I guess, before these screens become an everyday part of life. And I rue that day.
3 Comments
Am sure you noted the changes in the stations of Taipei’s underground system… We are moving one step closer to the nightmare scenario as portrayed in Minority Report. I totally empathise with you, but then again, I’m a semi-information scientist (with the science side taken out).
get over it. quit crying. buy something and shut up.
Hehe, thanks “Your Mom”. I think that’s the best comment i’ve EVER received on my blog. You brightened my day.