Customized Computing

Does it sometimes seems like the computing these days knows a little too much about you? Is it really possible that we can all be reduced down to an algorithm? That is a rather disturbing thought. The other day when I picked up my phone, it seemed like that my day was planned to the minute. Even the news is very much customized. Your phone is constantly gathering what the app developing ones call signals. These could be your commuting habits, which the phone can glean from its internal GPS, often within a few feet. Your phone could also gather your meetings, your future trips, your friends and family, your favorite sports team, the type of news you usually read and even things like your heart rate. Things really get interesting when the apps that gather these signals start to be predictive. When that happens, your phone can start anticipating your needs, interests and habits and give you relevant information, apps and even coupons and ads.