By Jonathan Kimak
Designer Haishu Zhang has created a good listener, a little device called “Sweety” that will listen to you, no matter what you say and shows you calming graphic patterns while you do it. There’s not a lot of info out there on exactly how the thing works, what purpose it serves other than listening to you or even why someone thought this was worth creating.
The only thing I can think of for it’s use is that it’s essentially an advanced stress ball that you can squeeze to relieve stress and talk to when you’re feeling lonely. So unlike the crazy people that talk and sing to their plants you could go one step further and talk to an inanimate object. Of course talking to Sweety because you are lonely seems like it would just alienate you further from humanity.
Of course there is a cheaper alternative to talking to an ounce of rubber, namely talking to real people, even if it’s over the internet and contains a lot of frownicons.
Paint it red and throw a couple eyeballs in there, and voila! It’s Kenny!
At least if it chirped and whined as you talked you could call these gadgets cheap therapists.
LoL. It seems to substitute a lover’s role.
Why do I find myself wanting one of these? It sounds relaxing. But seriously, they already came out with “virtual girlfriend.”