The annual New York Times Magazine "Year In Ideas" issue came out this past weekend. This year's collection was a bit slimmer than years past, probably more due to the magazine's cost cutting measures than a dearth of original thinking in 2009. Nevertheless, it's always an interesting list to peruse. Here are two entries I particularly enjoyed:
* The Google Algorithm as Extinction Model (illustration by Jan Kallwejt)
Scientists applied Google's patented PageRank algorithm to the ecosystem to rank the value of each species according to the effect its disappearance would have on the food web. As the article notes, "the world features countless interconnected systems ranging in size from the minuscule ... to the immense," and PageRank could theoretically be applied to map these as easily as it makes sense of the web.
* The Advertisement That Watches You (photo by Jung Von Matt)
Using embedded face recognition technology, a poster designed by German firm Jung Von Matt changed depending on whether someone was looking at it or not, a perfect fit for the piece's anti-domestic violence message: "It happens when nobody is watching." PSA's are all well and good, but the technology has now evolved to recognize gender which opens up infinite possibilities for customized advertisements.
Browse more ideas here: http://www.nytimes.com/projects/magazine/ideas/2009/