Crystal comes from a Greek word meaning clear, ball comes from ball

capnoblivious posted a link to a Tazer combined with an MP3 player.

My first though was that I'm not surprised at all by this. I can see a trend developing with MP3 players where manufacturers are trying to build this capacity into everything - now it is phones, watches etc. Anything portable - handbags, clothes, wallets, earrings, cars, bikes you name it. I see it a bit like LCD digital watches a while back where in a few years they went form exclusive item to being so common that they were even being built into disposable pens. In that scenario, eventually, the novelty will wear off and the market will decide where it really wants these devices.

But then I had an attack of the Cory Doctorows. What if this heralds the next stage in smart devices. A lot of the chat around smart devices is that they provide supposedly useful info that they can share by wireless links. Useful in that it is about their primary function. So devices in stores can transmit stock level info or possibly sales or technical info to potential buyers. Appliances can indicate status - too hot, too cold, needing servicing, on fire and about to explode - that sort of thing. It is all available to you by your wireless link (whatever the next standard for that turns out to be).

But to be honest, this stuff may give the technology pundits thrills but as a concept it has not really grabbed the public imagination all that much. It is a bit boring actually - who cares about status reports and tech specs. But the market finds its own level. What if smart appliacances are delivering entertainment content. Any device that you interact with can have its own music or video storage that you can interact with via your personal wireless connection - to earphones or specs. Now when you go to the refrigerator, you can tap into your favourite snacking music background. When you go into a shop you can tap into a whole range of music that matches the products on display rather than having one choice broadcast at you. You car has your driving music set up waiting. Now for the personal stuff, perhaps it isn't a big deal because you could just select a setting on your normal player but it does open the potential for the situation soundtrack being available if you want to opt in. The one striking image I have in mind is that you go to the park and the park benches have an mp3 archive in them that you can access to get the birdsong that you want to hear or some other relaxing soundtracks selected as park appropriate.

Or not. What the hell do I know anyway. As the saying goes "live by the crystal ball and learn to eat ground glass".