How To Make Plants Talk To You - Garden Plants and Gardening Forum

smgardener · 02-25-2008, 07:42 AM

I just saw an article on slashdot that highlights a How To from Make magazine on adding sensors to your plants so they can email you and twitter you.

This seems a bit over the top and complex right now, but maybe someday will be sprinkling seed-sized computers in when we plants that give us real-time feedback on the soil and water?

From Botanicalls

Quote:

Botanicalls Twitter answers the question: What's up with your plant? It offers a connection to your leafy pal via online Twitter status updates that reach you anywhere in the world. When your plant needs water, it will post to let you know, and send its thanks when you show it love.

Twitter is social software that asks a simple question: What are you doing?

Botanicalls is a system that was developed to allow plants to place phone calls for human help. When a plant on the Botanicalls network needs water, it can call a person and ask for exactly what it needs. When people phone the plants, the plants orient callers to their habits and characteristics.

lulugardens · 02-26-2008, 11:33 AM

How very futuristic.... It's hard to believe that the average home gardener (whose not a tech geek) would ever go for this kind of thing. But hey, who knows? Maybe this is just right for all those folks who think they can't keep a houseplant alive and don't know how and when to water. It will be interesting to see what kinds of changes come in the future.

gbronner · 03-29-2008, 05:02 AM

Twitter is social software that asks a simple question: What are you doing?

What an interesting question.

What a better question would be for those who have developed this Botanicalls don't you think that having too much time on your hands may lead to a deterioration of you ability to clearly distinguish what is important?

One other thought when you are out for dinner with friends and you cell phone rings is it impolite to excuse yourself so that you can take a call from your house plant?

Just one more thought once word gets out that your house plants call you on your cell phone do you think it may reflect on your ability to get other people to be seen with you in public?

I guess you could turn off your email alerts so you would not get them over the phone while busy.

Durgan · 03-30-2008, 06:40 AM

Living all my life with both feet on the ground. I dismiss this nonsense immediately. The whole coincept rates right up there with leprecons, moisture meters, and other superstitions.

View Poll Results: When do you think you'll be mixing electronics into your compost?
Never	6	85.71%
I'm trying build this 'twitter' thing right now!	1	14.29%
Once plants evolve cellular antennae	0	0%
In 20 years, we'll wonder how we ever got by with this	1	14.29%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 7. You may not vote on this poll

03-29-2008, 05:02 AM	#3
gbronner Green Gardener Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Crest Hill, Illinois Posts: 19 Blog Entries: 5	Twitter is social software that asks a simple question: What are you doing? What an interesting question. What a better question would be for those who have developed this Botanicalls don't you think that having too much time on your hands may lead to a deterioration of you ability to clearly distinguish what is important? One other thought when you are out for dinner with friends and you cell phone rings is it impolite to excuse yourself so that you can take a call from your house plant? Just one more thought once word gets out that your house plants call you on your cell phone do you think it may reflect on your ability to get other people to be seen with you in public? I guess you could turn off your email alerts so you would not get them over the phone while busy. __________________ Please stop by and visit my home page for some of the greatest gardening links resources and articles! http://www.glenns-garden.com Last edited by gbronner; 03-29-2008 at 05:06 AM. Reason: clarification

03-30-2008, 06:40 AM	#4
Durgan Green Thumb Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Brantford, ON, Canada Posts: 77	Living all my life with both feet on the ground. I dismiss this nonsense immediately. The whole coincept rates right up there with leprecons, moisture meters, and other superstitions. __________________ Durgan Zone 5B http://eesoos.notlong.com

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02-26-2008, 11:33 AM	#2
lulugardens Green Thumb Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 36 Blog Entries: 6 Images: 3	How very futuristic.... It's hard to believe that the average home gardener (whose not a tech geek) would ever go for this kind of thing. But hey, who knows? Maybe this is just right for all those folks who think they can't keep a houseplant alive and don't know how and when to water. It will be interesting to see what kinds of changes come in the future.