There’s an amazing story in New Scientist about a new invention that lets you send a kiss to someone.  It looks like a Mr. Potato Head made out of silly putty and has a giant pair of wormy looking lips on it. it is called Kissinger.  It’s a messaging device complete with sensors and “actuators” (??).  When you kiss them, the shape changes and pressure you create on your Kissinger mouth are transmitted in real time to a fellow Kissinger’s mouth.  The device was created by a group called Lovotics in Singapore.  Aside from this seeming SO MUCH like the plot of the next Cronenberg movie, it is also an interesting business.  Robots/computers seem to be taking on a more personal role.  I can’t get over those weird new Siri ads, where people are speaking to Siri as if she were their friend and confident (also the John Malkovich one WILL GIVE YOU NIGHTMARES. you should only watch it with some fava beans and a nice Chianti. )  But it does seem like computers are starting to occupy a different, deeper role in our lives.  I have talked to people about the iPad/iPhone and why they love it so much, and an interesting point that came out is how a touch screen changes your relationship with a device and makes it much more intimate and personal, as opposed to a device which uses a keyboard and mouse. It’s the way you would interact with a person instead of the way you would interact with a tool.