When learning to speak in public, there were two words I was told to avoid at all costs, STUFF and THINGS. But when learning of the Internet Protocol for Smart Objects Alliance and their "Internet of Things", I think that they chose their words well.

I have compiled a very long list of smart objects that can be included in buildings, hotels and the gaming floor ("Asset") to make them "Smart". The more smart objects that get included, we have seen the Asset become exponentially smarter and more valuable to both the owner and the user. It can be a smart soap dispenser that tell you when they are low, Smart Phones to purchase products and open doors or smart cameras that can tell you when lines are long at a front desk or checkout counter allowing you to react to a possible bad service experience with more people or a change in a digital signage to direct people to someplace less busy to conduct their transaction.

One of Merriam Websters Dictionary definitions to Intelligence is "the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate one's environment."  It is this intelligence we seek when thinking to communicate to our Internet of Things.