Coming Soon: Software That Tells You Not to Believe Everything You Read

There is some new software being developed that fascinates me as a publisher, a writer and a reader. It was developed by computer scientists at Intel and is called the Dispute Finder. It's a program designed to keep you from believing everything read online. The program scans what you're looking at online and then shows you an article or blog that presents a trusted, opposing point of view. The aim is to present you with all sides of an issue, even if you didn't know there was another side.

The possibilities of this program are endless for everyone, especially for the publishing industry. I can foresee powerful usage by journalists, writers and editors doing hard research and also the general public who may simply be cruising the Web merely for information, ideas or fun. In a strange way it's like your parent looking over your shoulder and saying, "Bo, you shouldn't believe everything you read."

This is just a small part of the "software as concierge" theory that I have been espousing for decades—a program that is your true friend, your tutor, your mentor, your guardian, your day-timer, and a dozen other roles that strengthen your interaction with the virtual and the real world and the society you live in. Are there "Big Brother" aspects to this theory? Possibly. But I would suggest we are three-quarters of the way there already. The Internet already knows everything about you. So, perhaps your only real protector will be your electronic concierge, who knows more about the process and you than you do.