Now Your Plant Can Use Twitter

by Jordan Yerman | March 31, 2009 at 09:19 am
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If you thought people tweeting about what they had for breakfast was annoying, just wait until houseplants get in on the game. And they can indeed get in on the game, thanks to science.

We're talking about a device that measures moisture levels in soil. When the moisture level gets too high or too low, the device sends a message to Twitter.

Would you follow your plant? Would you retweet it? What if it were a really cool plant, like a Venus Flytrap?

(Edited to add: now your cat is using Twitter, too)

Researchers at New York University's interactive telecommunications program have come up with a device that allows plants to tell owners when they need water or if they've had too much via the social network blogging service Twitter.

"There's always a basic "I'm thirsty, could you please water me" message. But they also accelerate in terms of need, so there's an urgent message: "I'm desperately thirsty, please water me"," Hartman told Reuters.

Some of you probably already thought of a timer-based device for use in the fridge, to prevent your lunchmeat from becoming self-aware. While I don't know of an existing device, the plant-tweeter (tweeter-feeder?) could probably be hacked to attach to a power-outlet timer to achieve the same result.  Soon your plants, your TiVo, your fridge, and your washing machine could be in constant communication with you... hang on, the future is kind of lame sometimes.

Actually, just as a laugh, I may start tweeting stuff like "Current moisture level: 72%". Or not.

[Just to clarify: I actually think that non-sentient lifeforms tweeting is fascinating, setting aside for the moment the debate over what constitutes "sentient"]

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jazzyzazzy

ma house plants could do with that device,they just die on me. I talk to them sweetly a feed them regular and never over water them. Yet they keep on dying.

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First Flagged at 5:20 AM, Apr 7, 2009 by jazzyzazzy
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