The Guardian: The net shapes up to get physical

"...a web service called pachube.com, which enables people to connect their devices and share real-time sensor data with each other. "I compare it to YouTube, but rather than sharing videos you are sharing your sensor data," he says. "The point really is to facilitate interaction between these devices. To open up the protocol, if you like, so the machines can communicate with each other." Since then everything from iceberg weather stations to river height sensing equipment to general building management systems have been connected to the network by a set of enthusiasts eager to experiment."