Talking to My Coffee Pot...

... or my oven or my sprinklers or my central heating over the phone could be really convenient. Hey coffee pot! I'll be late getting home, so don't brew that pot until 10 p.m.. Oven! Preheat yourself to 400 when the coffee pot starts. Sprinklers! You've got the night off due to the rain. And central heating, please start heating the house to 70 degrees at 9:30, so it's nice and warm when I get home.

According to this National Public Radio story, more and more everyday devices will be hooked up to the Internet, and we will be able to direct them from our phones.