I wonder if the CIA has heard about these guys...

Recently, I noticed all the commercials for the SMS directory service KGB (supposedly an acronym for Knowledge Generation Bureau.) The idea is that you send them a text message containing your question or point of curiosity, and they respond with a text message containing the answer to your question. You wind up one fact smarter and 99 cents poorer.

I decided to test out this service and ask them a question to which I already knew the answer. I asked “What is a granfalloon?” I got a confirmation message, saying that they were researching the answer. 2 minutes later, I was given the answer, “A granfalloon, in the fictional religion of Bokononism (created by Kurt Vonnegut in his 1963 novel Cat’s Cradle), is defined as a ‘false karass’” I was impressed.

As a self-proclaimed denizen of the digital age, I should have no qualms with readily accessible information, but something irks me about this service. First, I know I’m not the only one who remembers that Russia’s Committee for Governmental Security (founded in 1954) was called the KGB. What if it’s a front? Am I supposed to let these guys just hear my deepest (or most recent) curiosities? What if they’re creating a psychological profile of populations? Wait…Are they even our enemy any longer? Maybe I should ask them that.

Second, what’s wrong with popping on the internet on your phone and finding your answer yourself? If you’re going to pay a buck for an answer, you might as well get an internet plan and ask all the questions you damn well please. It would seem some sort of cost/time analysis is in order. It did take me about 5 minutes to find the same answer, given the benefit that I knew the avenues I would have to search to find the answer. The big thing about this is that these guy probably just sit around and Google the answer as I would have. A cool product, but I think it’s a bit overpriced for the convenience.

Sorry about the hiatus. I have been very busy. I was planning on posting this long ago (hence the date maybe,) and I had a draft of it, but a LOT of business came up. I shan’t bore you with the details. That’s for tomorrow’s “Update” post (for anyone who is still reading.) Thanks for following, anyone who is still out there!

-The0