I'm looking for investors to join me in a can't-miss scheme to fill a need that no one has ever recognized: the calibrated flag pole (pat. pend.). Let me explain.
The almost unbelievable capabilities of our computer culture give us the means to measure the popularity of individuals in our society at any given moment. Most of us have a popularity factor of zero because other people don't know us and don't care that they don't. But as time passes, some individuals begin to stand out from the herd and become recognized by large numbers of people who tend to make judgments about them. We call them "celebrities."
It's a fact that sooner or later everybody dies, and when they do, someone must make the decision: do we lower the flag to half-staff, or do we leave it up there? I say it is time to take it out of the hands of anonymous deciders and leverage Technology to reveal the the deceased person's PR (polling popularity rating). That is, an instant national Poll (P) of Americans, run through a sophisticated algorithm to arrive at the departed's total popularity rating (R) or PR. We the people would vote on whether and how much to lower the flag (in sadness), keep it as-is (signifying who cares?), or--here's my twist -- raise it even higher, proclaiming: "good riddance." This is where the calibrated flag pole comes in,
Every person at birth starts with a PR factor of 0. If the kid never makes a blip on the public radar, the flag stays at full mast. But say the kid grows up to become famous, then kicks the bucket; now his/her PR will dictate the movement of the flag on the pole, up or down. If it is up, a smaller pole rises out of the top of the main pole to accommodate the extra altitude. The calibrated flag pole lets us pin point the degree of downess (sadness) or upness (joy) we're feeling for the loss from the formula programmed into the polling exercise.. Example: Charles Manson would have gotten a maximum pole extension; Mr. Rogers, a half-staff or lower.
It's a bit complicated but if you're not too dim I think you can see how it works. When I've worked out a few minor details having to do with setting this idea into actual motion, I will let you know where and when to start sending serious money.
