Original post is here:
http://www.internetevolution.com/messages.asp?piddl_msgthreadid=229093&piddl_msgid=195928#msg_195928

Yes! The Internet of Things! This is the substance of Web 3.0. This is where Internet Evolution is going!

Making things connect is what I do, what I have done for a decade. Now that 32 bit embedded CPU’s can cost as little as candy in a vending machine or be as powerful as a desktop (Intel Atom) we have the hardware we need. The gating factor has been software- specifically middleware for embedded devices.

We are getting there. Fortunately, the cloud is ready with Service Oriented Architecture. The internet of things is huge. You probably have two or three computers. You have dozens of ‘things’ that could/should/will connect. Each of these ‘things’ could have vital data, but the data is vital only at certain moments. Devices need to ‘publish’ events and cloud services need to ‘subscribe’ as needed.

Here are some quotes about the Internet of things
L.V.Gerstner – IBM
"...a billion people interacting with a million e-businesses with a trillion intelligent devices interconnected ..."

Paul Otellini- CEO Intel
“The pervasive internet will bring us the tools we need when we need them by proactively anticipating what we need”

Roberto Siagri-CEO Eurotech
“ An embedded computer system is typically any microprocessor-based device that encapsulates a basic process knowledge. Consequence: IT integration is at best an effort in hindsight and at worst ignored altogether. Pervasive Computing provides technology and infrastructure to enable the process knowledge and associated parameters to be distributed within the enterprise. Consequence: IT integration becomes native capability of the system.”

Kevin Dallas, general manager of Windows Embedded
“Smart, connected, service oriented devices”

In in the end, it was said in the beginning by the inventor of the concept-
Mark Weiser, chief scientist at Xerox PARC
Principles describing ubiquitous computing:

• The purpose of a computer is to help you do something else.
• The best computer is a quiet, invisible servant.
• The more you can do by intuition the smarter you are; the computer should extend your unconscious.
• Technology should create calm- "that which informs but doesn't demand our focus or attention."
  

Lawrence Ricci
www.EmbeddedInsider.com