I spent this past weekend at a beach house with friends. My buddy Mark, brought along a handheld gadget called "20Q"... It's full name is actually "20 Questions Deluxe." It's a small electronic game with an LED screen that 98% of the time accurately guesses what you're thinking in only 20 questions.
The goal is to try to stump the toy by thinking of something it cannot guess.
Think of something... nearly anything... and 20Q will ask you a series of questions.
It starts by asking you: Animal, Vegetable, Mineral, Other or Unknown...
It then seems to ask you a series of random questions...
"Is it heavier than a pound of butter?"
"Is it bigger than a microwave?"
"Is it colorful?"
You answer YES, NO, SOMETIMES or UNKNOWN...
While you think its query is all over the board... little do you know it's getting closer and closer to the answer...
It has amazing accuracy... It's hard to believe that in only 20 questions the artificial intelligence can guess random things like bowling ball, light bulb, clock radio, file cabinet, handcuffs, and dozens of others...
Once in a while it may guess VERY close, but wrong... for example... I was answering questions for "banjo"... it came up with "guitar" (close, but technically incorrect)... so it asked about 5 more questions and thought I was thinking of a "piano."
Other words it had trouble with included... sand dollar and... certain body parts (but it may be programmed to NOT guess those).
It's VERY addictive. All weekend it had the eight of us baffled... One by one we would each try it to try to stump it. Time after time, it would guess right!
I'm getting one for myself, for my brother and for others. It's fascinating.
If you can't wait to get to the toy aisle to buy one... here's a similar on-line version hosted on 20q.net
I wonder if this type of technology could be used to predict the quality of service an applicant may provide when interviewing for a job? Could this technology be used by medical professionals to diagnose illnesses? Could it be programmed to help coach people and help them make critical decisions? Interesting...
You can buy 20Q Deluxe many places... I'd recommend UncleGames.com (that's where I swiped the image in this post from).
Visit the ThinkGeek for a great description of how the technology works.
I love this post! It affirms what I tell clients nearly every day; the power of the right question asked at the right time of the right person is amazing and very profitable! The technology of 20Q is cool enough, but the striking thing to me is that the skill of asking great questions remains unexplored. Maybe if we rediscovered the power of questions brands in general might be more compelling, relevant and engaging. I recommend Dorothy Leeds book The 7 Powers of Questions.
Posted by: Michael | February 28, 2005 at 10:28 PM
I won on my second try with 'pedometer'. Pretty scary anyway, are these guys the next google?
Posted by: Sam | March 03, 2005 at 09:25 PM
20Q is a great product worthy of the Brand Autopsy endorsement. I stumbled upon the little gizmo while Christmas shopping this past December. I purchased several.
I was skeptical, but when 20Q correctly "guessed" Aircraft Carrier, Dragon, and Scalpel in three consequetive games, I was sold.
Posted by: Troy Worman | March 06, 2005 at 01:39 AM