
Preface
A few years ago, Neil Gershenfeld wrote a smart book called When
Things Start to Think. In it, he discussed a world in which everyday
objects and devices are endowed with computational power: in other
words, today. He talked about the implications of devices that exchange
information about our identities, abilities, and actions. It’s a good read,
but I think he got the title wrong. I would have called it When Things
Start to Gossip. Because let’s face it, even the most exciting thoughts
are worthwhile only once you start to talk to someone else about them.
This is a book about learning to make things that have computational
power talk to each other, and about giving people the ability to use
those things to communicate with each other.
Making Things Talk
MAKE: PROJECTS
Making_Things_Talk.indb 9 11/13/09 4:49 PM