User:Techfy/sandbox

Spimes are characteristic entities of the Internet of Things. They are essentially virtual master objects that can, at various times, have physical incarnations of itself. An object is considered a Spime when all of its essential information is stored in the cloud. Spimes are the next generation of hyperlinked objects. Depending on context, the term “Spime” can refer to both - the archetype, as designed by the developer, or a user specific instance of it. The definition of a Spime is somewhat ambiguous, since different sources have slightly different views.

Origin
The term “Spime" for this concept was coined by author Bruce Sterling. It is a contraction of “space” and “time” which derives from his thought about a Spime being an “object precisely localized in time and space [...] always associated with a history.” The term was probably first used in a large public forum by Sterling at SIGGRAPH Los Angeles, August 2004. The idea was further expanded upon in his book Shaping Things. Later on the term has been adopted by industry members world-wide.

Cloud centered
The master data of Spime is stored in the cloud, this includes but is not limited to the original specificiations and all customization, made by both, the user and the spime's own adaptivity, (e.g., tracking of user activity). A physical device associated with a spime must be completely replicable solely based on the cloud data.

Secondly, Spimes must always be unique and identifiable to a specific user. Before being linked to a user, an archetype Spime contains only the specifications, by which a physical instance can be manufactured and/or a local software instance downloaded.[XXXXXXXXXXXXX] Identifiability applies also to physical incarnations, meaning they must be inserted with a RFID chip, or some other way of digitally identifying them.

Spiminess can be perceived as a continuous slider. The more characteristic features a product possesses, the more of a Spime it is. Products that fulfil no more than these requirements are sometimes referred to as Protospimes. (e.g., Netflix)

Transparency
Spime data would be transparent to the user. In practice, this would mean that when purchasing an object, you could read its RFID, and gain direct access to the cloud data, the Spime. For example, in case of a food Spime, you could check location of cultivation, transportation method, packaging date, packaging material, preservatives used, recommended recipes, etc.

Interactivity
Spimes often are seen as interactive objects. The interaction can happen by HID-like capabilities, voice command or the device can respond to changes which it detects about its surroundings.[XXXXXXXXXXXXX] For example, a light bulb Spime could obey voice commands, and it could be automated in such a way, that the lights would dim if appropriate brightness was coming through the windows.

Adaptivity
When a user acquires a Spime, it starts gathering data about its surroundings, including user specific usage information. Each Spime starts transforming in its own way to adapt to its user’s needs. Spimes may monitor raw measurements, but also intelligently recognize patterns from the data. The light bulb Spime could track its user’s sleeping patterns, and start dimming the lights when user’s bedtime is approaching.

Physical instances
In case of a physical object oriented Spime, one of the envisioned features is the possibility to rapidly construct a physical incarnation based on the virtual representations. Cloud data would include design specifications, for example in the form of Computer Aided Design.[XXXXXXXXXXXXX] The vision is that in the future, all physical objects would be available virtually on the internet. Users could print the items they purchased with their own [3D printers],[XXXXXXXXXXXXX] or get them printed in the local shop. Ideally, material costs would be very low, so that the real value would not be stored in the physical instance, but in the design itself. This would also allow users to create multiple instances of the same Spime.[XXXXXXXXXXXXX]

Spimes will also have a profound effect in the manufacturing industry as more and more mundane physical objects are spimified. Many current products will gradually become services, as people use and perceive their Spimes as the true merchandise. This will also lighten the burden of materiality, since possessions can be discarded and replace at a low cost.

Efficiency and recyclability
The Spime concept would be environmentally friendly, since all items would be produced locally, cutting out a large share of shipping.[XXXXXXXXXXXXX] Spimes would also include all history data for the entire existence of the object, from its virtual representation through its manufacture, its ownership history, its physical location, until its eventual obsolescence and breaking-down back into raw material to be used for new instantiations of objects. If recorded, the lifetime of the object can be archived, and searched for. This would effectively be a Cradle-to-cradle design, an efficient, waste free system.

Connectivity
Ability to link a physical incarnation with its virtual representation, the Spime, is a fundamental feature. Machine-to-Machine, M2M, is considered an integral part of the Internet of Things. Spimes could take it even further in the future. Connectivity would not be limited to being between the same type of devices. Instead, all kinds of devices would be universally connected to the cloud, linked to all the information available on the Semantic Web. Cloud would also supply tremendous processing power, providing detailed analysis of big data. A user could also allow his Spimes to share the private information they've collected, to better serve him.

Example
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Similar terms

 * Hyperlinked object
 * Blogject
 * Everyware

Related terms

 * Internet of Things
 * Semantic Web
 * Ambient intelligence
 * Big data
 * Machine-to-machine
 * Web 2.0
 * Cradle to Cradle Design
 * Cyberspace
 * Augmented Reality
 * Hyperreality