

Ideal for Valentine's Day:  Lover's Cups from the MIT Media Lab - amichail
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pA1t0NCZhkQ

======
noonespecial
Kind of a low rent copy of the guy who linked the chair in his apt with the
chair at his place at the table at his parents house so when he sat at his
table, his place at his parents table would glow softly.

Anyone remember that? I googled and couldn't find it again. Seems a lot more
classy as well as being the obvious inspiration of this.

------
radu_floricica
I take it the negative opinions are majority here. I'm still very excited
about this. It's a completely new (and practical) way to bring technology into
one's environment. Assuming it it's well enough made, it's something that
people can forget it's even technology and simply use it. Like magic. It's not
a computer or a gadget. It's just a cup that happens to glow when the other
cup is used.

------
extension
I suppose you need to get a Lover's Cup data plan, for which you receive a
Lover's Cup bill every month, listing the time and duration of each drink, to
the second. Most Lover's Cups are carrier locked and come with a lengthy
contract, but you can shell out for a jailbroken Lover's Cup on eBay, or
jailbreak it yourself by hacking a firmware update.

How romantic.

------
jvdh
I really don't see why I would want to know that my significant other is
drinking. There are tons of other ways of communicating. This one is subtle,
I'll grant that, but it's a little too far out for me.

------
barmstrong
The girl looks incredibly unenthusiastic about this in the video, which I'm
guessing is highly representative of how it might work in real life :)

Sadly (for most HN readers), engineering is not the language of love...

~~~
jdoliner
Girls would be even more underwhelmed by this if engineering was the language
of love. These cups are the equivalent of "Roses are red\ violets are blue\
sugar is sweet\ and so are you."

------
jey
Why the hell does this arbitrary (and technically trivial) crap pass for an
MIT Media Lab project? I thought they were supposed to have standards? (Sorry
if I'm offensive, but... wtf?)

------
mattwdelong
That is just a good way to send mixed signals.

------
otto
Things like this completely devalue the MIT Media Lab to me. I can only hope
the creator did not receive a Masters for this.

------
greenlblue
Lame.

~~~
winter_blue
Totally agree with you.

These MIT students should be working on something more productive, more
innovative, they should be solving the world's problems; not working on things
that do little to benefit humanity.

------
tkahn6
Kinda sounds like entanglement.

