Most people would agree that watching television in excess ends up numbing the mind. Most people would also agree that reading a good book has the effect of expanding the mind. The reason for this lies in the vector-raster dichotomy: a book (vector) forces a person to think, while television (raster) discourages it.¹

From ancient times to the present, the human experience has alternated between raster and vector cognition. The natural world is characteristically raster. By inventing books, humans introduced a fundamental vector experience into everyday life [1]. Later, television had the effect of returning a substantial portion of the human cognitive experience to raster form [2]. More recently, the worldwide web returned human cognition to vectors (text) [3], only to be followed by the latest technological innovation: online videos [4].

Vectors are mind-expanding; however, raster remains popular. While vectors cater to the human mind's longing to carve its own niche, raster reflects the mind's natural instinct. In the real world, raster cannot be defeated; it must be acknowledged and circumscribed so that it does not take over eventually. Thus, the rationale for intelligent video.

Intelligent video contains a balanced set of raster and vector components. A comprehensive intelligent video features a combination of six distinct modes of expression: (1) video clips, (2) voice-over recordings, (3) background music, (4) script (text, or vectors), (5) still images, with the judicious use of the Ken Burns effect, and (6) animation. The video provides dynamic content. The voice captures the audience. The music entertains and softens the message. The script drives home a point, argument, or lesson. The still images provide legacy or current raster information. The animation provides virtual live motion to round up the experience.

Given the prevalence of the World Wide Web in the contemporary human experience, intelligent video is poised to become the medium of choice in online entertainment and education. Thus, vectors will rise again to challenge raster for a share of the human cognitive experience.