internet of things

[kalos]

hello!

we eventually developed technology so that we can transfer data fast and easily.

however, we haven't done anything to transfer things fast and easily.

imagine you are at home and you realized at 1am that your toothpaste finished
then you go to your computer and you order one from the supermarket website and...
in few seconds, a robot picks it up from the central warehouse of your city and places it in a network of tubes, which will eventually end up in your house!

or if you prefer transfer by air, a small unmanned aerial vehicle flies from the warehouse to your home and places the items you ordered in a specialized slot of your house!

how far are we from that?
is there any initiative that works towards that future?
shouldn't World Nations agree to develop that technology asap?
what are your thoughts?

thanks!

[IainB]

Yes, I think that one of the first actions of the New World Government that is just around the corner should be to make high speed automated or robot-controlled toothpaste delivery a maximum priority in the War Against Cavities - surely the greatest new threat to mankind and which will impact our children and their children for generations to come, and which causes disasters such as extreme weather conditions, rising sea-levels, escalating crime, and flat-chested women all around the world. Scientist have told us that we have until July 2015 at the very latest to do something about this before the potential for environmental catastrophe becomes irreversible and the CO2 emissions and bad breath from humanity's caries-causing bacteria reach deadly levels of toxicity and we all die a horrible death by halitosis.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Please send your donationcoder credits to me to enable my organisation (WAC or War Against Cavities) to fight this threat to all mankind, on your behalf. Remember: "It's For The Children.™"

[kalos]

hello!

we eventually developed technology so that we can transfer data fast and easily.

however, we haven't done anything to transfer things fast and easily.

imagine you are at home and you realized at 1am that your toothpaste finished
then you go to your computer and you order one from the supermarket website and...
in few seconds, a robot picks it up from the central warehouse of your city and places it in a network of tubes, which will eventually end up in your house!

or if you prefer transfer by air, a small unmanned aerial vehicle flies from the warehouse to your home and places the items you ordered in a specialized slot of your house!

how far are we from that?
is there any initiative that works towards that future?
shouldn't World Nations agree to develop that technology asap?
what are your thoughts?

thanks!

erm no, no need for that. There's been a solution for 100s of years, this is definately going too far...

what is the solution?

[tomos]

^ I'd say: the weekly shopping

[kalos]

^ I'd say: the weekly shopping

how much do you spent on weekly shopping? how much food you waste due to buying too much that will eventually expire since not consumed? how many times you wanted something and waited for it to go on weekend to the shop? etc etc etc! numerous inconveniences!

and ofcourse the web of things won't be limited to groceries! the applications are limitless!

[Renegade]

I've had a few IoT policy papers, key notes, presentations, internal documents, and technical specifications come across my desk for review.

It isn't going to end well.

The potential for good is huge, but that only expands the potential for abuse. And given how horrible the current surveillance state is, I can only see it ending in a nightmarish, dystopian hell.

One thing that you will find in the specs is that security is mentioned, but entirely absent. Now, there are reasons for that, but it is something to watch.

But aside from that, the smart home is entirely creepy. Do you want people to know when you flush the toilet? When you take a shower? How long you shower for? When you cook? What time you go to bed? What time you get up? Do you use the toilet in the middle of the night? How you rinse your dishes when you wash them (sink or tap)? All that information can be exposed. It's beyond creepy.

Throw in the "cashless society" and all of a sudden other electrical consumption can be tied to electric signatures from purchased devices in the home. Hair dryer, electric razor, lights, lava lamps, electric sex toys, battery rechargers, kitchen appliances, etc.

RFID chipped packaging? Read by garbage collectors? The applications are near endless.

I'm sure that there are smarter people than me that have already dreamed up even creepier things.

But everything is always packaged as "consumer convenience". Well, "safety" too... 6 of 1.