March 28, 2009: Tomorrow's Spam

Augmented reality -- the overlay of computer information onto real-world objects -- is quickly becoming a reality. See, for instance, Wikitude: an app for Google's Android platform that gives you information on over 350,000 points of interest as you look at them through the phone's camera screen. SF writers have been talking about this technology for years -- our own Transhuman Space, for example, or the more recent Shadowrun Fourth Edition.

Recently, Transhuman Space: Toxic Memes author Jamais Cascio posted an essay on an unintended consequence of AR -- the very necessary spam blockers may create a dangerously narrow world view. It's a good read for anyone running a near-future game, or planning on being around in the near-future.

-- Paul Chapman