It is a quiet night as I sit at my computer in the Beachhouse, listening to the surf outside as I read comments from Nerd Beach. Suddenly several small figures spring to life beside me , while others are sprawled out with no sign of movement. Is it an invasion of Puppets from Outer Space? No, it just means that a few acquiantances are now online, perhaps wanting to exchange thoughts of the day.
Instant messaging is bigger now than ever before, and a lot of people keep in touch this way. Schulze & Webb is bringing you a new way to know when your friends are online. They are presenting Availabots, small figures that plug into an available USB port, and when your IM buddy is available, they stand up.
As expected, when the friend is not online they fall over, devoid of any life. If you ever had one of those string puppets where you push on the bottom then you are probably familiar with the action involved. You can have as many Availabots as you have USB ports, each storing the IM details of their virtual doppelganger. I guess this could open up another avenue of entertainment – Virtual Voodoo, anyone?
Aloha from the Beach,
greg
