Want to get lots of hugs?

Hi Ya! Having a great day, I trust? Good to see you whatever you're up to. Help yourself to a refreshingly perky mug of coffee and a virtual muffin, why don't'cha? So my question for you today is, "Would you like to get a lot of hugs?" Let's face it, the world would be a much nicer place if everybody gave each other a hug now and then. Well, I won't hold my breath on that one but how about some social media hugs, eh?

Created by MIT student Melissa Chow, the “like-a-hug” jacket makes virtual experiences a bit more realistic, by inflating and giving you a hug whenever someone likes you on Facebook. Soon, real friends will probably be obsolete. Sorry, I don't think so, unless the jacket can somehow put a face to the hug...and maybe some audio as well. Phase 2 probably, eh?

Having people like you on Facebook is nice, but don’t you wish you could feel the love whenever they hit that “Like” button? Well, thanks to the innovative “like-a-hug” jacket, now you can. Inventor Melissa Chow, from the  Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), says it ”allows us to feel the warmth, encouragement, support, or love that we feel when we receive hugs”. The concept behind this Facebook jacket is fairly simple - air pockets inside the jacket inflate every time your smartphone sends a signal that a new “like”has been received. Better still, you can send hugs back to your friend by simply squeezing the jacket and deflating it.

I need to ponder this one a little. I am sure you and I could come up with some good suggestions. BTW...what does the jacket cost, I wonder? Perhaps we'll reach the point before long where purchase of a smartphone gets you a free jacket. Marketing strategy? Of course and why not. If the price is right, I'm sure it would sell. It certainly would in Japan! If you happen to see a price and where one can acquire said jacket, let me know, okay!

Just had a wild thought.  Not everyone lives in a climate where jackets are needed. How about us folks in the tropics? How about 'huggy underwear' so you can enjoy a little squeeze. Would work for women - not men. But maybe it's not a hug men get. It would be a .... (you tell me!). I can also conjure up images of hug-kinis or at least, I'd like to see them.

See ya, eh!

Bob