No, I don't mean someone who blogs about plants, I mean a plant that blogs, literally. Midori-san (translates to Mr./Ms. Green) is a succulent plant with the scientific name Hoya kerii that's owned by Kamakura, Japan's bowls Donburi Café. The plant uses an interface system developed by IT company KAYAC Co., Ltd. that lets plants like Midori-san blog about their condition. So how can the system tell the plant's condition anyway? Plants have weak bioelectric currents flowing on the surface of their leaves that rise or fluctuate depending on their environmental conditions. The system measures this current and uses an algorithm to translate the language from plant to human.
For a week now, Midori-san has been blogging its ambient temperature, weather, and lighting along with a self-portrait and even a Japanese plant-themed pun joke. If you want to show Midori-san some long-distance loving, just click on the widget after the jump, input your name, and a fluorescent light will shine on the plant--you will even be shown a real-time image of Midori-san. According to PinkTentacle, KAYAC hopes this project would "inspire people to think about the environment in new ways."
October 21, 2008 11:40 AM
Okay, don't smoke this plant, got it.
October 21, 2008 10:14 PM
Too bad I don't understand Japanese. I always enjoy conversing with a nice plant!