Tweeting Plants
WorldChanging Team, 25 Sep 09
By EJ Hurst.
Finally, a truly useful tweet! I use Twitter as part of my marketing responsibilities but I must say, I have been slow to warm to this use of technology. A recent discovery has re-inspired me.
Sadly, the plants in our office often have to resort to dropping leaves onto our keyboards in order to attract attention to the increasingly desert-like conditions in their pots. But help is at hand, and from Twitter, no less.
Today I met Pothos on Twitter. Pothos is a plant in New York City. Thanks to Botanicalls, the very clever technology developed by NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Program, Pothos plant can send messages via Twitter requesting to be watered, or advising of over watering. I guess it would be beneficial for a human in the same vicinity of the plant to follow it, but once that is accomplished, the plant can communicate its need for a cold one as needed.
In this humorous presentation on the Ignite Show, Kati London explains some even more broad-reaching applications for this technology.
Video Credit: O'Reilly Ignite Show
This article originally appeared on New Society Publishers' blog, Word Out! The Blog to Build a New Society.
Cool. A rare example of technology, surprisingly, connecting us to natural processes. See the short article in Orion magazine on the same topic: http://www.orionmagazine.org/index.php/articles/article/5018/
Posted by: Scott Gast on 25 Sep 09
This is ridiculous. Living without conscience is lazy. If you cannot remember a simple thing like watering a plant, you have problems. I suggest cognitive therapy.
The energy usage and lifecycle of this product is irresponsible.
I have a plant called an orchid cactus. It is great since it is "unkillable". Overwater, underwater, no problem. I have left one for 9 months unwatered to see its limits and it did great.
Get better plants. Think better.... be greener.
Posted by: Graham Chivers on 26 Sep 09
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