Gadgetopia

Seafaring the Smart Way: Yes, folks, if you’re short of friends, you can call a buoy. Or you can just go here and see the data in real-time.

“Maine mariners can use their cell phones to dial up one of a dozen ‘smart buoys’ in the Gulf of Maine to get an up-to-the-minute report on exactly what’s happening on the water.

The buoys, part of an experimental open-source ocean observation system called GoMOOS (Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System), are fitted with a bevy of sensors that record and report wind speed, wave activity, visibility, air temperature, water temperatures at various depths, water salinity and more. When a buoy is called, a computerized voice reads off the latest data to the caller.”

“Who are you talking to, young lady? Buoys? When I was a girl, we didn’t call buoys, we waited for them to call us…”