[ih] Early IoT: anyone remember The Internet Toaster and Crane? :D

[Miles Fidelman]

On 7/9/20 4:05 AM, Lars Brinkhoff via Internet-history wrote:

> How about Arpanet of Things?
>
> Danny Hillis connected elevator buttons to MIT's Chaosnet, and by
> extension Arpanet.  Users could type a special key combination on their
> keyboards to call the elevator to Tech Square floors 8 or 9.  Another
> key would buzz open the door to the machine room on the 9th floor.
> Source code for this is available.

A fraternity brother.  I'm reminded that some of the folks who strung 
the wires talked rather proudly about it being a "black bag job," 
carried out with the stealth of a special forces operation, and things 
like covering the wires with grease to make them look like they'd always 
been there.

And then there was the Fresh Pond traffic camera, at BBN - I can't 
remember who's office it was in, but it was down the hall from mine, at 
one time.  (Why is it that I've managed to have front row seats for some 
of these things, but managed to miss the direct action.  Same again for 
the MIT Blackjack Team - classmates, neighbors, close, but no cigar.  
Sigh...)

Miles Fidelman

-- 
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice.
In practice, there is.  .... Yogi Berra

Theory is when you know everything but nothing works.
Practice is when everything works but no one knows why.
In our lab, theory and practice are combined:
nothing works and no one knows why.  ... unknown