OK, I’m stealing the title from a subject that has a passing relationship with this post. The Internet of Things refers to the networked interconnection of everyday objects, made possible by relatively new technologies such as built-in sensors and wifi. One day my fridge will talk to the Internet without needing me as the conduit and it will all seem perfectly normal. Hecks, maybe even the car will get involved and go pick-up supplies whilst I’m at work.
In the meantime, there’s a simpler version emerging where the sensors are strictly human – peer-to-peer renting of ‘things’.
Clive Thompson has a great article in Wired describing an emerging market place made possible by the Internet. We all have lots of items in our homes that we use only occasionally. If somebody nearby needs a drill for one task, do they buy/rent from a shop or rent/borrow from a neighbour? If the neighbour can’t help, maybe they’ve got a ‘friend’ (<- you can see where this is going 😉 ) who can help. Yes, one service even enables you to share a car not with a stranger, but with a friend of a friend through Facebook Connect.
Read the article for all the details – Clive Thompson on Peer-to-Peer Renting – Wired, Sept 2010
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