In line with Alan’s recent post on Twittering to machines in your home, I’ve come across an interesting story on plants that tweet. With Botanicall’s, your household plants can remind you (through twitter) when they need watering… and they’ll thank you when you do.
Messages your plant will send you include:
- “Water me, please.” when the soil gets too dry
- “URGENT! Water me!” if you choose to ignore the previous message
- “Thank you for watering me.” after you perform your duties as a responsible plant owner
- “You overwatered me.” when you go a little overboard
The device comes with a built-in internet jack and prongs you stick in the soil to monitor moisture levels. You then subscribe to your plant’s twitter feed (the username and login info. comes on the package) and it will update you when it needs some TLC. The kit comes unassembled, so you’ll get to break out your trusty soldering iron and build your own translation circuit.
This wonderful gizmo can be yours for only $99.99! A bit pricey if you ask me, but perhaps I’m not a dedicated plant-lover (although dedicated horticulturists probably wouldn’t need this gadget).
A lot pricey if you ask me.
Brilliant! Soon our refrigerators will be tweeting us a list of groceries needed. Even better, it will tweet the grocery store and have them delivered. This is what the web is made for!
[...] Wikinomics: Keep your plants healthy (or alive) with Twitter’s help: The perfect way for your spouse or partner to make sure they get back from a vacation to find all their beloved greenery hasn’t withered away. For $99 , a plant can send you Tweets such as “Water me, please!”. [...]
Seems very cute, but it also may be the beggining of a very deep transition to real time interaction between you and your context. Or it may not.
What I want is a Twitter coffee machine!