| "Just what do you think you're doing,
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| | yards.
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| Dave?" Those words, made famous by the
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| | At Randy Dean Construction in Wichita,
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| artificially intelligent computer HAL
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| | another interactive digital signage
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| 9000 in Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space
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| | system using a Keywest Technology digital
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| Odyssey" resound in my ears every time I
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| | signage controller, a touch-screen sensor
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| think about the topic of this week's
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| | interface from ELO and a 32in flat panel
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| article: virtual assistants.
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| | LCD greets potential buyers as they enter
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| For those of you too young to recall, HAL
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| | a model home. While Randy Dean's sales
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| was the artificially intelligent computer
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| | agent can answer the questions of one
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| aboard Discovery in the film that
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| | buyer, the interactive digital signage
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| attended to the myriad of details
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| | system can take other prospective buyers
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| requiring oversight as the ship's crew
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| | on full 360-degree virtual tours of all
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| made its way to Jupiter. Its seemingly
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| | Randy Dean homes, access and print floor
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| omnipresent red camera lens monitored all
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| | plans, examine the builder's home
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| ship activity.
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| | inventory and access the company's Web
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| With HAL's words still fresh in my
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| | site -all without taking the sales agent
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| memory, even after all of these years, it
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| | away from the prospective buyer.
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| is with a bit of personal trepidation
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| | Out-of-home media specialist DSX Media in
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| that I will discuss how digital signage
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| | Wichita designed and delivered both
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| can be used to add a virtual assistant to
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| | systems, including creating digital
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| any sales or marketing process. But don't
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| | signage content, interactive branching
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| worry, with this sort of application
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| | and delivering digital signage hardware
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| there's no danger of getting sucked out
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| | and software, touch-screen controller and
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| into the cold recesses of space.
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| | flat panel LCD screen. In the case of
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| As in "2001," the concept behind a
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| | Randy Dean Construction, DSX Media also
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| virtual assistant is simple: make a
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| | sold advertising contracts to aligned
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| complex process simple and manageable
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| | businesses like mortgage bankers and
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| through the use of an efficient,
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| | title companies so their commercial
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| "intelligent" computer. Putting that
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| | messages could be interwoven into a loop
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| concept into practice here on earth is
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| | of content that plays till the screen is
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| helping two Wichita, KS, area businesses
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| | touched.
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| extend their sales and marketing efforts
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| | While the specifics of both applications
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| and better serve their customers while
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| | differ, they share the concept of using
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| freeing up personnel for other critical
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| | interactive digital signage -a hybrid of
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| tasks.
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| | digital kiosk technology and conventional
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| At Walnut Valley Garden Center in
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| | linear digital signage pages- to boost
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| Andover, KS, outside Wichita, an
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| | both businesses' sales by in essence
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| elaborate, interactive digital signage
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| | projecting the presence of a virtual
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| setup helps customers determine how much
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| | sales assistant to answer many of the
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| product they'll need for a given
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| | questions consumers typically ask. Doing
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| landscaping or garden project by
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| | so elevates digital signage to a new
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| combining maps from Google Earth, a
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| | plateau, somewhere far beyond the role of
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| digital signage controller from Keywest
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| | an electronic equivalent of a printed
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| Technology and an Orion touch-screen LCD
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| | sign, where it becomes an integral part
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| panel with a data base of landscaping
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| | of an orchestrated sales process.
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| products that the store carries and their
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| | Like all analogies, the one between the
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| recommended coverage area.
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| | virtual assistants in Wichita and HAL
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| Customers simply type in their names and
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| | eventually falls apart. While the garden
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| addresses when using the system, and a
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| | center and homebuilder applications rely
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| map of their individual property is
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| | on some pretty specialized data bases to
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| summoned from Google Earth. By touching
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| | create content on the fly that's relevant
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| the screen to define the boundaries of
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| | to shoppers, neither uses artificial
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| their project, customers trigger a
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| | intelligence like the fictional HAL.
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| computer to determine the types of
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| | Still, the similarity in human-computer
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| products to use and how much they'll
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| | interaction, conjures up that all-seeing
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| need. For instance, by designating an
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| | red camera lens in my mind's eye.
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| area on the map, they can learn what type
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| | Which brings me back to where I started
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| of fertilizer they need for their lawn
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| | this article: "Just what do you think
|
| and how much to buy.
| |
| | you're doing, Dave?" Unlike "2001's"
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| For those who are new to gardening, the
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| | astronaut Dave Bowman, who disconnected
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| system cycles through digital signage
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| | the technology, my answer is to turn you
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| presentations encouraging them to touch
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| | on to the possibilities of using
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| the screen to select one of 12 different
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| | interactive digital signage to create
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| types of gardens. After settling on a
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| | virtual assistants like the ones at Randy
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| design, the system allows customers to
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| | Dean Construction and Walnut Valley
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| interact and tells them exactly what's
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| | Garden Center to boost your sales
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| needed -including plants, mulch and
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| | success.
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| rocks- to build a similar garden in their
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|
