Make an InfoMate a DIY Ambient Orb

The InfoMate is a device that provides visual / auditory / sensory / etc. information relating to the status of various “tasks.” The tasks may range from checking email or stock quotes, to motion detectors, remote control of the coffee pot, to snail mail checkers. The InfoMate “end device” is artwork: a picture, a sculpture, or other object that integrates the electronics in such a way that it is not obviously an electronic device. The InfoMate is essentially the poor man’s Ambient Orb. Unlike the Orb, it requires a PC and internet connection to work. Link.