Today’s news featured a story about Intel releasing developments toward making shap-shifting, programmable matter.  They’ve already found some success, and expect improvements and advancements to continue to the point where, per the example given in the article on ZDNet, cell phones could take the shape of thumb drives or wrist watches when in standby mode to make them most convenient to stow, or perhaps even fashionable to wear.

Alright, so it’s doubtful that we’ll go so far as to turning our cellphones into living creatures (though wouldn’t it be a fun and easy way to have a pet?  Just kidding!), so it’s unlikely that any hats will become rabbits, but as the article points out, is this really any different from magic?

What would change, for the internet, and for internet marketing if and when this technology, or magic, becomes available to the average consumer?  Most noticeably, if we thought we were all available now, this would put our availability to shame.  Imagine taking a call from your sunglasses, or checking your email from your bracelet.

The development of this programmable matter is right up there with the metamaterials used in the first successful cloaking device developed about a week and a half ago.  We may not be able to take a bit of a branch, and, waving it about like Harry Potter and his friends, produce magic…but who needs a wand when you can program matter?