Above (click here for a larger image) is an illustration of what might be referred to as 'mixed reality', a reality in which the distinction between the informational models, traces and shadows of the world (as found on the internet) and the world itself (physical phenomena) begins to erode. What does it feel like when information begins to be layered over our phenomenal experience of the world? Smart phones are getting more and more applications that blend these realms. Their abilities to be located spatially using gps, to record light using their 'camera' chips, and also record sound greatly increase their usefulness at linking up things in the physical world with things in the digital domain.
A San Francisco based subsidiary of Yahoo! called Fire Eagle offers a service that seems to epitomize this sort of blending. Either you intentionally input your spatial location into their system or you set up some device associated with you (like your smart phone) to do this automatically. Once your location is registered in their system, it updates the applications you have decided to use (on your smartphone or your laptop, etc.) which allows them to provide you with the sort of spatially-appropriate information that you are interested in. As of right now Fire Eagle has 61 such applications available for download from their 'gallery', mostly for social-networking purposes, tourism, etc.
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