[ljm]

They're not so different from the old bash.org quotes (as in hunter2) or the old b3ta ones. It's just classic internet culture.

I think this particular one satirizes a patent Microsoft filed showing how to detect how many people are watching a TV (via the Kinect).

[duskwuff]

There's also some inspiration taken from Sony's patent "System for converting television commercials into interactive networked video games":

https://patents.google.com/patent/US8246454B2/en

(Note in particular "SAY MCDONALDS TO END COMMERCIAL" in Figure 9.)