Microsoft Patents Virtual Handshakes, Hugs 87
theodp writes "'It can be tough to stay connected over long distances,' writes GeekWire's Todd Bishop. 'Yes, there's phone calls, texting, Facebook, Twitter, IM, video chatting and everything else. But what if you could give virtual hugs to each other using battery-powered, Internet-enabled pillows?' That — and more — is covered by Microsoft's newly-awarded patent on Force-Feedback Within Telepresence, the idea of using interactive, connected devices to bring physical interactions to long-distance communications. Readers of Ted Nelson's 1975 Computer Lib/Dream Machines can only imagine the interesting possibilities for Skype!"
been done in cyberspace for over a century (Score:5, Insightful)
Cyberspace a hundred years ago included newspapers, telegrams and postal mail. Of course we gave virtual hugs and kisses with letters and telegrams: XX OO XXX OO
Re:been done in cyberspace for over a century (Score:4, Insightful)
This year's winner of the Darwin award.
Send semen filled cookies to a bunch of soldiers deployed in Afghanistan. No chance at all of them being impossibly pissed off, statistically one of them being mentally unbalanced due to the stress of war, and no chance at all of them being angry enough to seek revenge.
All of them stateside at some point, with expensive military training, access to weapons, and a reason to come find you and beat the living shit out of you.
Not to mention, as a whole, soliders seem to be the most homophobic. Personal opinion, I might be wrong.
Ohhhh, and soliders tend to have solider friends. Some of them might be stateside already.
Hehehe Hhehehe Heheheh........
Yes. Sleep soundly. Nothing to worry about at all.