design / research
serial consign
a machine for broadcasting
So apparently twitter is where I find all my inspiration now. Yesterday Burak Arikan shared a link on an interesting use of said microblogging platform that deserves mention. Andy Stanford-Clark, a "Master Inventor" for IBM has wired his home automation system to post updates to twitter. Earlier this year the net was abuzz with news of pothos the plant that posted to twitter when it was thirsty for water (see the MAKE post on that project) and now we have an example of an object/entity broadcasting information about a variety of states.
As illustrated by the screen capture above, Andy's house posts data about water and power usage, telecommunications and temperature updates and also issues status reports pertaining to lighting and security systems. The architectural implications of this type of ambient intelligence aggregation are quite clear but what really interests me is the idea of objects using the same networks as people to communicate. I wonder if Andy's house ever asks Andy to come home because it is lonely?
Take a look at the twitter account of Andy's house to get better acquainted with this unique undertaking.
Nice headline
Nice headline!
Tweetjects
Thanks. I think what makes this interesting, is not just reporting data, but conveying it in a way that is "twitter worthy", i.e. interesting, not-too-chatty, useful, and possibly even witty at times.
While we're far from a Turing Test for tweetjects (objects that twitter), there is certainly an "art" to the way data is conveyed as information in this context.
And, in response to your rhetorical question, no, the house doesn't twitter me to come home, but it *does* direct message me with additional information which I don't want on the timeline, e.g. the name of the person that's calling me on the phone.
@pico_blvd, @wilshire_blvd
Our dear blogger actually requested that I make twitter accounts for our kittens so he could see what they were up to when he went to work. I wish they were automatic. Do I describe what they're doing (sitting in the window watching traffic) or what they're actually saying (mew mew) or what they're saying to Greg (hi hi hi hi hi hi hi!)? I felt kinda bad when I started putting words into Wilshire's mouth in LOLcat-speak. She's way too smart to talk like that.