The Ambient Orb now has a cousin, the Ambient Beacon Weather Forecasting Station. The original orb changes colors to reflect changes in any information available on the wireless Ambient Network. Presently you can track stock prices, pollen counts, news "probability", or someone's presence on Instant Messenger. The Ambient Beacon is a dedicated weather crystal ball, connected to the National Weather Service. The information is updated to the Beacon every fifteen minutes and in case of weather emergencies such as snow, the device will flash.
Okay...this thing looks kind of cool, but I'm trying to figure out how it's really useful. Not only are weather reports blaring from the radio and tv and Internet, but from most of my wireless apps like Vindigo too. I am inundated with "accuweather" reports all day long. You almost can't go 15 minutes without hearing a weather update. Uh oh, 13 minutes until the next update, surely I can't open the door and step outside.
The Ambient Network is expanding, and may eventually turn the Orb into more than a mod lava lamp.