Joseph Naughton, a mathematician and computer specialist at the University of Pittsburgh, suggested a system that would store a consumer’s profile—data about his occupation and Interests—in a central computer. Machines would then scan newspapers, magazines, video tapes, films and other material, match them against the individual’s interest profile, and instantaneously notify him when something appears that concerns him. The system could be hitched to facsimile machines and TV transmitters that would actually display or print out the material in his own living room.
