TVSquad

Is it really a big surprise that television advertising isn't as effective as it used to be? As TV watchers -- okay, we're uber-watchers -- we know that with DVRs and TiVos we're zooming through ads, or we're channel surfing in between segments of our favorite shows, or renting/buying content in formats that allow us to avoid commercials altogether. Now, according to the Association of National Advertisers and Forrester Research's TV & Technology Survey, we learn that six out of 10 marketers believe that TV advertising has become less effective in the past two years. And it's getting worse.

A new generation of people with myopia (nearsightedness) are about to be created.

According to our friends at engadget Sony and Swedish telecommunications giant Ericsson are teaming up to get television shows and channels on their mobile sets. In fact, according to Per Nordlof, Ericsson's director of Product Strategy, the two companies want to have a third of all cell phone users watching TV on their handsets by 2008. In order to accomplish this task, the corporate duo (not to be confused with the Dynamic Duo) are working on a number of solutions. One way is to transmit clips from your living room TV directly to a handset. Hmm, didn't The Riddler try to do something like that in Batman Forever (well, it was transmitting TV signals directly to one's brain. I'm trying to make a funny here, folks!).

It's great that the corporate world is moving ahead with the integration of technologies, but I wonder if it should be at the cost of more people needing glasses. Hmm, maybe this is a whole conspiracy between the telecommunications industry and opticians across the globe.

I'll try my best to avoid any jokes involving "hands free" phone accessories here. At any rate, I think we can all agree that there isn't nearly enough pornography. Thankfully, we may soon be able to get it on our cellphones as well. The trend is already taking off in Europe, but cellphone makers in the US have so far refused. However, like anything else that can generate money, it might not take much to convince them. Currently ratings are being drafted for mobile content that would label inappropriate content (that seems a little too convenient, but whatever). In the meantime, companies have formed for the soul purpose of providing either pornographic images or video to mobile phone users. Personally, I like to use my phone to talk to my friends and family, but I guess I'm just weird that way.