THE PROBLEM's ACTUALITE

      If a pupil in school will make some mistakes in facts while writing the composition, he or she will probably get a third or even second in literature. A student of college in the same situation is risking to get "fail" or "insufficient" while being examinee. But a journalist... journalist can write all he or she wants - all one he or she will get fee and this screw might be not so poor, if the edition has 5 or 6 zeros in the figures of its readers and subscribers.

      What is the poor reader to do, if he or she is thoroughly enlightened on the subject, more competent, than a journalist, but wants to find some new information? (This situation is typical for Timothy Dalton's admirers and the journalists, working in this field!)

THE BRAVE DECISION

      The Russian-German joint venture "Opto-Ceis", created on the base of world-famous concern "Karl Ceis" and Russian firm "Optics", began output of a new production - so-called "rose-coloured glasses". These ones give the readers the way to avoid the feeling of stress or alarm reaction while finding gross errors and inexactnesses in the articles from newspapers and magazines.

      For example, you are opening newspaper "Comsomolskaya Pravda", �52 (22517), March 23-30, 2001 and in a briefest article "Our girls do not take stars from the sky (they are no conjurers - Note of K.E.). There are a lot of stars on the Earth!", written by Alexander Maximov, on page 5 read:

     ""Comsomolka" (This is a nickname of this newspaper - Note of K.E.) has already written in details about the story of "Cinderella" from Saransk Oksana Tchernuha. We remind you, that the beauty from Mordovia "run out" James Bond - actor Tiomothy Dalton. Last year she produced an heir to him - the son Alexander. By the way, until this moment "agent 007" thoroughly hid away his wife from Russia. Even his colleagues, who worked with him, for example, actor Oleg Vidov, did not know about Oksana."

      In the rose-coloured glasses this text will look like this:

     ""Comsomolka" has alreafy written about the story of Oksana Tchernuha, the young girl from Saransk. We remind you, that the beauty from Mordovia got married British actor Timothy Dalton, who played a part of James Bond. In 1997 his son Alexander was born. By the way, until this moment Timothy, like his famous personage, "agent 007", thoroughly hid away his backstage life. For example, even working with him Oleg Vidov did not know about Russian girl-friend of Timothy Dalton."

      We asked the chief of the Marketing department in "Opto-Ceis" Svetlana Scratch-Surface to tell us about the principles of the new device operation. This is her story:

      A bantam-weight video-camera, installed over the bridge of the rose-coloured glasses, send the image to a portable computer, which is working in "waiting" regime until the moment the observed "picture" will be identified by means of computer programmes as text.

      Signal about the appearance of the text in the eyeshot of video-camera is moving to the unit of control and recognition of the Language and Subject. Today our device can work with texts, written in 7 languages - Russian, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.

      The subject is describing with the help of database of factual data on plug-in CD. I should say, that Timothy Dalton's admirers have scored, because this project was inspired by his fan Antony Infrequent. Due to his insistence and Knowledge, of course, the database about Timothy Dalton's creativity was done almost the first together with CD about Russian school of Figure Scating, an epoch of Perestroika in Russia and TV-Channel NTV. (Now we are working hard to increase the number of subjects and invite the specialists in different fields to take part in this extremely interesting business!)

      If the language and the subject satisfy computer's tunings, the former one appreciates the degree of the accordance between the information from video-camera and the prototype in the datebase, and if it is needed correct it, giving the control signal to the special screens, which, moving down, replace the usual glasses, showing the user revised text. In the next time the usual glasses (to be more accurately - only its lens!) take its place behind the video-camera."

THE EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW with the CHIEF of the PROJECT

      In the Institute of Artificial Intellect's Problems we are talking to the Chief of the unique project "The Rose-coloured Glasses" a doctor of technical sciences, professor V.V.Vidal-Razumovsky.

      Our correspondent (O.K.): Vitaly Vsevolodovich! What was a way to check the glassaes in practice? Are there some limitations to use them? I mean, for example, will it be possible to use these glasses, if someone has problems with the eyesight?

      V.V.Vidal-Razumovsky (V.R.): It was a very long spadework. We examined tens of people with good eyesight and with different deviances. This is why the image you see on your screens is usually corrected in accordance with the individual peculiarities of the user, to be mo accurate - of his every eye. So the image you see on your screens is completely the same you watch through your usual lens. User begins his work with the device with this special tuning.

      O.C.: Vitaly Vsevolodovich! What is the way to solve the problem of conformance the information in databases on CDs to the real events? The information ages very fast!

      (V.R.): First of all, if the information changes, the journalists need a time to know about it. That's why there is a delay always. So we share CDs with the constant databases.
      For those, who wishes to use only the last data, we can offer (certainly, for additional payment!) rewritable CDs with the ability to connect to our Internet server.

      O.C.: In this case it will be easier to buy CD or to become a subscriber of your system and always use only data you have, than read newspapers!

      (V.R.): I do not think so. First of all, to read these CDs you need the special programme, which is now hidden from users. Secondly, and it's the main thing, a naked outline of facts is very boresome reading. We are waiting for not only "naked facts" in these publications, we are waiting for new intonations, moods, images. We only help the readers, correcting the blunders in the factual data and trying not to change the author's style.

      O.C.: Is it possible to use "The Rose-coloured glasses" while reading the materials from the Internet?

      (V.R.): Conceptually - yes, though it is not necessary for you to do it, because for a long time we use for this purpose our already not so young Software Product. We called it "The Third Eye". We didn't advertise it before, because it was supposed to be used in the developing of Software for our "Rose-coloured glasses". Now we canceled all the limitation to spread it.
      This programme works on all the models of IBM PC, under Windows-98 and higher versions, under Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator no less than version 4.0. The icon of "The Third Eye" is constantly placed in the upper left corner of the screen of your computer. You ought only to click on this icon - and our "Eye" will check the propriety of factual data in it and will ask you, in what form do you want it to show the resukts of rectification: in the form of a font of extended type and chosen by user colour, cursive or the text on the chosen background. Simultaneously computer calculates statistics of errors and appreciates the work of author, using the "5-marks" system and the method for senior school.
      We do hope, our products - "The Third Eye" and "The Rose-coloured glasses" will be used not only the readers, but the journalists too.

      O.C.: If the journalists will use your invention, they will stop making mistakes - and your device will not be needed for readers. Are you afraid, this situation will come true?

      (V.R.): We will be happy to know about it, because we have a new idea and good beginning for another one!
      I will tell you in secret, that today we are busy with the development of "The Rose-coloured TV-set". Now it can already fill up promo-pauses with the inserts from the same film or teleview, were the promotion is done. The next our step will be to find the effective rules for transforming the plots of the eventless, bromidic, cruel films in accordanse with the user's demands, who will control the whole film as he or she wants.

      O.C.: If you will change the movies' plots, probably, studios will be indignant at your piratical behaviour! Isn't it?

      (V.R.): Contrariwise! Studios are interested in getting maximum gainings. Our devise allowed viewers to correct the failed projects without any serious paymaent. I'll tell you in secret, we have already applied our algorithms to transform some films during their splicing. And I must say without false modesty, that we have saved them, really, it's true.

      �.�.: Thank you, very much, Vitaly Vsevolodovich! What would you like to wish our readers in a conclusion of our chat?

      (V.R.): I wish everyone to be always in a good mood only and do hope, that our "Rose-coloured glasses" will help you to save it! We also are ready to give this unique device as a prize to someone, who will be first in finding all the mistakes from our text example - the article "Mordovian Mother-in-law for James Bond", published in newspaper "Gizn" (The Life) � 1 on October 23, 2000.

      We thank Vitaly Vsevolodovich for his detailed description of his projects and remind our readers, that prices for programme "The Third Eye" and device "The Rose-coloured glasses" are still advantageous - $59 for "Eye" and $499 - for the device, including portable video-camera and contemporary "notebook".

THE FIRST REACTION

      The interest of the audience to the problem of rose-coloured glasses exceeded our expectations, because we have got the first response, when the material was under page proofs. It was the one from our "Human Rights" organization "Green Mind". This is the text they sent us:

      "Our very being was revolted, when we hjave got this new about the beginning of the production and share "The Rose-coloured glasses"! This is a return to the Past, the attemot to plant the most agressive precensorship from the ones having been ever in the world! This is an attentate (!) upon the creative person and freedom of word for Journalist, the alpha and omega of all freedoms and the only achievement after a long time of fighting for a new human!

      Our organization spend indignation meetings:
on April 1, 2001 - in Moscow, in the Pushkin's Square,
on April 8, 2001 - in London, in Hyde Park,
on April 22, 2001 - in New-York, under the Freedom monument.

      All the meetings will take place at 12 a.m. of the local time

      Remember! Will we live in a free world without the fetters of an accursed precensorship or not, depends on everyone of us! "

      Chairman of the Executive Committee of "Green Mind" - Michael Utinsky, 1.04.2001

     

      We wanted to know the opinion of those, who has already bought the unique device and can appreciate, is this new helpful or not.

      In the office of company "Opto-Ceis" we have got some phone numbers of those first buyers, who has already got a help of their "Hot-line".

      There are the words of Natalia Breachy, who is a user of "The Third Eye" and "The Rose-coloured Glasses" during almost three weeks:

      "Until the moment I have bought these things I was unhappy often, I felt disbelief to our press. It seemed to me, if I have found some mistakes in one article, that what is their amount in the others? The same? Or may be even more? Should I believe the information from our newspapers? I have got a poor appetite, absence of dream. I became bad-tempered and it would be a reason of the problems with my husband!

      Now everything was changed! I take every newspaper in my hands or "go" to the Internet with the sureness, because I know, that either "Glasses" or "Eye" would not betray me!

      And else: many yopung girls are diffident about using "The Rose-coloured Glasses" because of the salience on the forehead - the video-camera. Firstly I was afraid to be looking fun too. But now it seems to me, that this "Eye" imparts piquancy to my image and I do not want to return in the Past!"

     

      Dear friends! Guess our test and win "The Rose-coloured Glasses" for your happiness!

      K.E. - 1.04.2001