Companies like Facebook and Twitter have redefined social interaction. But what if “machines” like automobiles, bicycles, health monitors, appliances, instruments, and anything else you can connect to the Internet, could all become members of your social network, collect data you care about, and feed it back to you at just the right time? Nike+ is already doing this for your body, but every major industry, from healthcare to cars to home construction, is now building sensors and digital co...

Over the past five years, our online interactions and connections have formed the backbone of companies like Facebook and Twitter and have defined whole new categories of social interaction. But where is it written that only humans can be social? What if machines like cars, bikes, health monitors, appliances, ATMs, and kiosks could all become members of your social network, and give you important information about whats happening in your car, your home, and your body? What if the next Face...