In 2002, Steven Spielberg’s hugely successful film Minority Report set imaginations alight, showing a glimpse of what the world could be like in the not-too-distant future.
Its plot revolved around a special police unit named ‘PreCrime’ which would predict when a murder was about to take place, giving police a chance to capture the potential criminal before they could commit the act. Yet for many, by far the most intriguing ‘invention’ in Minority Report intrusively made itself known as Tom Cruise’s character strolled through a mall. “John Anderton!” an advertisement yelled. “You could use a Guinness right about now!” As Anderton walked on, his world was a blur of noise and distraction emanating from adverts all over the room.
By Dave Lee for BBC News Technology, February 28,2011
