virtual reminders

Wired News: Gizmo Puts Cards on the Table

Researchers in Dublin, Ireland, have developed a way to help people who are far away from their loved ones feel a little closer, using a pair of kitchen tables equipped with radio tag readers, projectors and computers running on Linux and Macintosh operating systems.

The kitchen table is the holding place for keys, wallets and pocketbooks at the end of the day. It’s also the place where many families gather for meals and coffee breaks. By allowing distant friends and family members to participate in these activities, albeit virtually, researchers at MIT Media Lab Europe say they can provide an added sense of context for those who are communicating.

I can’t get this story out of my head. This came out around the same time David Pogue was extolling the virtues of iSight and iChat . . . .

Only connect . . . . we keep finding more ways to do just that, and that can’t be bad.