Of interest to the initial discussion topic:

http://google.github.io/physical-web/

What is this?
>
> The Physical Web is an approach to unleash the core superpower of the web:
> interaction on demand. People should be able to walk up to any smart device
> - a vending machine, a poster, a toy, a bus stop, a rental car - and not
> have to download an app first. Everything should be just a tap away.
>
> The Physical Web is not shipping yet nor is it a Google product. This is
> an early-stage experimental project and we're developing it out in the open
> as we do all things related to the web. This should only be of interest to
> developers looking to test out this feature and provide us feedback.
>


-- 
Tod Robbins
Digital Asset Manager, MLIS
todrobbins.com | @todrobbins <http://www.twitter.com/#!/todrobbins>