The Planning Lab

How to connect everything to everything else

You've probably seen the twittering cat door, the twittering office chair and the twittering bakery. These lovely examples have one thing in common: they all use home-made devices that connect to Twitter. And while these application may seem like novelty, I do think they represent something something brilliant: off-the-shelf technology that allows anything to be part of the internet. 

Standardised low-tech means one thing: it's cheap and simple enough to be spread widely across the whole physical world (see previous post). 

A simple schematic shows how this works: most pieces of the puzzle exist today – the only missing link are standardised input-output devices and a community for developing plugins. And instead of using twitter as a frontend interface it can be used it as a backend dataflow that allows for interfaces to be built on top. 

The perspective here is not technical (since everything is based on existing ones), but from a user-perspective with one thing in mind: how technology can be packaged for maximum dissemination.

Does this make any sense? 

And btw, I'm not a techie, so my apologies for getting nomenclatures mixed up.

How to connect everything to everything else

You've probably seen the twittering cat door, the twittering office chair and the twittering bakery. These lovely examples have one thing in common: they all use home-made devices that connect to Twitter. And while these application may seem like novelty, I do think they represent something something brilliant: off-the-shelf technology that allows anything to be part of the internet. 

Standardised low-tech means one thing: it's cheap and simple enough to be spread widely across the whole physical world (see previous post). 

A simple schematic shows how this works: most pieces of the puzzle exist today – the only missing link are standardised input-output devices and a community for developing plugins. And instead of using twitter as a frontend interface it can be used it as a backend dataflow that allows for interfaces to be built on top. 

The perspective here is not technical (since everything is based on existing ones), but from a user-perspective with one thing in mind: how technology can be packaged for maximum dissemination.

Does this make any sense? 

And btw, I'm not a techie, so my apologies for getting nomenclatures mixed up.

Geekipedia

For those who aren't up-to-date with what Fake Steve Jobs, Googleverse, Web 3.0 and Mashups really mean, the last issue of Wired magazine comes with a fantastic blue booklet called Geekipedia.

Geekipedia online version

Geekipedia

For those who aren't up-to-date with what Fake Steve Jobs, Googleverse, Web 3.0 and Mashups really mean, the last issue of Wired magazine comes with a fantastic blue booklet called Geekipedia.

Geekipedia online version

The Sustainability Lab part 4: power down your PC

Making your computer consume less energy is a no-brainer. There are three things that you can do:

1. Energy management. Adjust the sleep-time for your screen, harddrive and system.

2. Screen saver. A nice screen-saver like Pixel Breaker makes it less annoying everytime your computer goes idle.

3. Shut down after work. Many people, especially at the office, leave their computers on all the time. Sometimes by habit, sometimes for system backup reasons. At our office, we have set the backup schedule to run during office hours instead.

Part 1: The principle
Part 2: Less sparkling water
Part 3: White glow

The Sustainability Lab part 4: power down your PC

Making your computer consume less energy is a no-brainer. There are three things that you can do:

1. Energy management. Adjust the sleep-time for your screen, harddrive and system.

2. Screen saver. A nice screen-saver like Pixel Breaker makes it less annoying everytime your computer goes idle.

3. Shut down after work. Many people, especially at the office, leave their computers on all the time. Sometimes by habit, sometimes for system backup reasons. At our office, we have set the backup schedule to run during office hours instead.

Part 1: The principle
Part 2: Less sparkling water
Part 3: White glow

Nice interview with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates

Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg from Wall Street Journal interview Steve Jobs and Bill Gates at the D5 conference. It's really worth watching!

Link

Nice interview with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates

Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg from Wall Street Journal interview Steve Jobs and Bill Gates at the D5 conference. It's really worth watching!

Link