The proliferation of MP3's has made computers more like items of consumer electronics. Yet mundane features of consumer devices are still absent from our computers. Noone in this day and age thinks they need to get up to change the channels on their TV, so why should controlling an application like iTunes require actually touching a keyboard or mouse. The solution for the computer-- just as it was for the television-- is having a remote control.
Using today's automation technology, we offer this solution.
Dave stands across the room and decides he wants music to play.
He points the initiator and presses a button, sending a message to his computer's mouse.
The mouse opens MPW... and makes a menu selection.
The menu selection from MPW spawns a program in a second robot. This robot heads off toward the Tune Server.
When it arrives, it cues the music Dave wanted.
Happy with a job well done, it dances briefly before coming to a halt.
* * *
Dave developed and programmed the robot mouse, setup MPW to spawn the second robot's behaviour, providing equipment, and generally was really on top of things.
Mike wrote the driving and key-pressing algorithm for the second robot.
P.D. wrote the second robot's dance and insisted that its armature should have orange dragon wings.
* * *
The song is Destroy Mass Media by Kompressor-- available at mp3.com
