John King didn't spend decades covering politics for the Associated Press and CNN to become famous as (a) the "map guy" or (b) the "wall magician." But that's exactly what's happening during the 2008 race for the White House.
On Jan. 8, the day of the New Hampshire primary and with less than 10 minutes of practice, King touched, squeezed, waved and plucked numbers, symbols and graphs on an 81- by 48-inch screen that looked more like an overgrown iPhone than a TV monitor.
"I was a little cautious at first, but as the night went on, I practiced when other people were talking," King said. "Pretty soon I started punching up different counties."
The primary launched King's magic-wall career and left viewers gasping as maps, pie charts and scenarios flew into motion with the touch of a finger. It wasn't long before he was flinging both arms around like a crazed maestro.
The wall and King returned to dazzle during the Super Tuesday primaries in February and every primary contest since. The mesmerizing monster was geared up and ready to go again for the recent Pennsylvania primary.
"The point I make is: It's a tool, not a toy," King said. "I'm an old AP wire guy. I've had fits and starts, hemming and hawing about all the bells and whistles of television. I was skeptical at first, but this is a great tool. People remember it, and to me that's heartwarming."
What exactly is this wondrous new technology and how much did it cost? It's the Perceptive Pixel Multi-Touch Screen, designed by Jeff Han and more commonly used to present data for defense, finance and other government areas.
CNN's Washington bureau chief David Bohrman saw a demonstration of the magic wall, which is actually a customized self-contained computer, at a conference and wondered if it could be adapted for use on TV. Clearly it could. The network will not reveal the price tag, but it's bound to be many thousands of dollars.
