Maybe you haven’t noticed, but the Cable TV industry is aggressively re-inventing and re-imagining itself. To paraphrase President John F. Kennedy, “Ask not what my multiplatform video provider can do for me, but what I can do for them?” Or more to the point, what should I expect when this business is changing so rapidly?
As we’ve just entered the teen years of this century, I wonder if our development and adoption of new cable TV technology during this decade will parallel the awkward teen years of my three sons. As we see innovations of the anywhere, anytime, any place and on any platform pervade and influence human behavior, I wonder if it can’t make our lives as parents easier and turn our teenagers into better citizens.
Right now, my boys are battling pimples and personal hygiene, learning to drive (giving their father a heart attack), and discovering that girls are rather … interesting. I’ve imagined a few possibilities and put together a short M2M* application wish list for all you engineering types out there to make my life as a parent easier during these difficult and awkward teen years:
1. M2M-enabled personal hygiene products From the toothbrush to the deodorant stick, I want to know if my kids are taking care of themselves. And my wife would appreciate if you would also throw an embedded module into the toilet seat, so we can track who left it up.
2. Dating sensor (similar to carbon dating, but more M2M-focused) that lets parents know when a daughter is kissing her date a little too long. This sensor could also tell the father where his daughter is currently located so he can show up and…well, we’ll just be glad that we aren’t the boyfriend, and it isn’t my daughter. As punishment, instead of grounding the kid, my M2M device would regulate my teen’s iPod music choices. Imagine if every time an expletive rap song was downloaded or played, it instantly switched to Mozart! That might be a tad punitive, but it wouldn’t get me reported to family services, right?
3. Mobile “experimental” breathalyzer that detects alcohol and any substances a teen might want to “experiment” with. I can call and tell my teenager to breathe into the breathalyzer and it will automatically recognize him, and email me the results. If he’s been drinking, I can remotely disable the starter in his car, go pick him up, and ground him for life. And speaking of driving … while there are already several excellent tracking and tracing applications that can monitor where and how well my sons are driving, I need an application for me! As the father/instructor in the passenger’s seat teaching his teen how to drive, no matter how hard I slam on that imaginary brake in the car, nothing happens!
4. The Robo Rooter Video Game Shooter I wish there was a device that would give me remotely controlled access to my sons’ consumer electronics games. This includes the Xbox (hello Microsoft, are you reading?), so at 4 a.m. when my teen is still playing Grand Theft Auto or Call of Duty 5, I can simply use my one-button control to turn the darn thing off, while still in my warm bed, and not have to get up and go to his room and ask, innocently of course, “What in blue blazes are you doing up this late on a school night?”
Of course, while these applications might all seem as wishful thinking and only slightly overbearing, I seriously expect M2M to play a significant role in the parenting of teenagers in our future. As M2M is already proving in several industries, people make positive behavioral changes when they are aware of their own habits and offered economic incentives. In the case of teenagers, the economic incentive could be their weekly allowance. The teen years are meant to be fun, full of exploration and yes, even challenging. During the teen years of this century, I expect M2M to spread throughout every vein of our society and become an everyday part of my corporate and personal life – although my teenage sons might wish otherwise!
~ By Bob Gold
*Machine-to-Machine (M2M) refers to technologies that allow both wireless and wired systems to communicate with other devices of the same ability. Special thanks to Bob Gold – WiCT NorCal’s Guest Writer for our September 2010 Newsletter. Bob Gold is President & Founder of Bob Gold & Associates, www.bobgoldpr.com