Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

A 33-Year-Old NPR Story Convinced Me Google Glass Will Stop Looking So Dorky

onthemedia.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 206 posts

Re: A 33-Year-Old NPR Story Convinced Me Google Glass Will Stop Looking So Dorky

#31

Post by chubot »

drcode wrote: post #7

Headphones are STILL smug and alientating. I wear them all the time because I like listening to music on the go. However, I still think, objectively speaking, they are silly and off-putting. Just because they are so common now doesn't mean we have to deny their intrinsic nature.

Right, headphones still aren't appropriate in many situations. You can wear them on the subway (although a pretty small minority of people do).

But try showing up to a meeting at work with headphones on. Or to a family gathering. You would instinctively take them off immediately.

The presence of headphones is still a social cue, and the presence of Glass will always be one too. It's not going to become just a neutral thing like wearing eyeglasses.

Re: A 33-Year-Old NPR Story Convinced Me Google Glass Will Stop Looking So Dorky

#34

Post by orr94 »

aresant wrote: post #6

I disagree that people will become comfortable with Google Glass - the primary negative reaction is the voyeuristic-rejection of having a camera always pointed at you (that may or may not be recording). To which the analogy vs. headphones is not relevant. I anticipate, however, that Google (or somebody) will find a way to make this product largely invisible to anybody but the wearer in the near term future. Through m…

> the primary negative reaction is the voyeuristic-rejection of having a camera always pointed at you (that may or may not be recording). To which the analogy vs. headphones is not relevant.

That isn't the theme of the article, though. The author was just addressing whether Google Glass would stop looking dorky, not whether we'd be comfortable with the voyeurism. So I think the analogy is valid, and I suspect will be proven true.

Re: A 33-Year-Old NPR Story Convinced Me Google Glass Will Stop Looking So Dorky

#35

Post by gammarator »

My speculation is that looking at someone wearing Glass messes with us on a deep-seated, perceptual level. Direct eye contact is a huge part of how humans communicate, and Glass interferes with that.

It's worse than eyeglasses or sunglasses, though, because it's asymmetric and offset, so it seems (to me) to trigger some kind of "deformity" cue.

If it really is violating our evolutionary preferences for symmetric faces and unobstructed eye contact, fashion won't be enough for it to catch on.

Re: A 33-Year-Old NPR Story Convinced Me Google Glass Will Stop Looking So Dorky

#36

Post by krapp »

sthomas1618 wrote: post #16
aresant wrote: post #6

I disagree that people will become comfortable with Google Glass - the primary negative reaction is the voyeuristic-rejection of having a camera always pointed at you (that may or may not be recording). To which the analogy vs. headphones is not relevant. I anticipate, however, that Google (or somebody) will find a way to make this product largely invisible to anybody but the wearer in the near term future. Through m…

I think that is a fair criticism of Google Glass. But I'm worried about my privacy in regards to governments, not fellow citizens. In fact, I think wearable computing like Google Glass could be a game changer in keeping governments accountable. It could be really convenient in recording what you believe to be police misconduct here in the States (instead of blatantly fumbling for your mobile). Or, provided it is affo…

But then again, there's a good chance governments will be using Glass to watch us us just as we use it to watch the watchers (and each other).

Re: A 33-Year-Old NPR Story Convinced Me Google Glass Will Stop Looking So Dorky

#37

Post by droithomme »

rld wrote: post #23
tikhonj wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And yet most people don't have that reaction to pervasive CCTV. Which, in some places, is virtually omnipresent and constantly recording. "Smile, you're on camera ☺" And many people have no qualms sharing pretty much everything on Facebook and the like. I don't know which way it will really go, but it is really not obvious a priori that everyone is that concerned about privacy, or that society will not adapt to make…

It's not the same to be observed by some invisible or unknown entity than to be observed directly by a person. Someone pointing a digital camera at a person is usually more disturbing than a CCTV camera doing the same thing. Also, Google Glass may be constantly recording in private places usually without CCTV: homes, dinner tables, meetings, etc.

In my opinion, both are equally disturbing. CCTV often though we don't notice, don't have a choice, or can't as easily express, "WTF is your problem" towards the obnoxious person recording us without consent and clearing exactly what they plan to do with these recordings. When buying stuff at the store, the store does not offer my the option of consent regarding their ubiquitous camera systems. However, the hope is that the camera systems in this context will not be used to exploit, ridicule, or manipulate my very thoughts. With a person I am interacting with, the odds are not as good, but consent of interaction is also easier to withdraw without seriously affecting my ability to survive. I can choose to interact with people who aren't constantly recording me, if I prefer.

Myself I like making field recordings of nature sounds. I've noticed though that a lot of people are concerned when I pull out my Zoom field recorder and start recording them during conversations. They generally don't like it. I don't blame them. I don't like it either. So I either record discretely (which is illegal in many states) or not at all. I don't blame them for not wanting me to record their private conversations though, because their concerns and their desires to have a private conversation are completely legitimate.

Re: A 33-Year-Old NPR Story Convinced Me Google Glass Will Stop Looking So Dorky

#38

Post by jimmytucson »

zacinbusiness wrote: post #26

I believe the idea that these technologies is alienating is false. There are some people (such as myself) who simply do not wish to engage with their fellow passengers on a train or airplane. So, if someone politely speaks to me then I am forced to either a: engage with them (there's no harm in doing so, but I simply don't want to), or b: come up with some sort of way out of the conversation and hope to not appear ru…

    > I believe the idea that these technologies is alienating is false.
You know, there's one side to "alienating" where the world shuts you out. But I think it's fair to say when people talk about headphones or Google Glass, they also mean you shutting out the world. You're describing a scenario where headphones basically make it harder for people to interact with you (correct me if I'm wrong), or make it easier for you to avoid that interaction. So I think these people are right in their sentiment that it makes the ocean between us a little deeper and wider but maybe the use of the word "alienating" is not quite right.

Does that make sense?

Re: A 33-Year-Old NPR Story Convinced Me Google Glass Will Stop Looking So Dorky

#39

Post by maldeh »

tikhonj wrote: post #15
aresant wrote: post #6

I disagree that people will become comfortable with Google Glass - the primary negative reaction is the voyeuristic-rejection of having a camera always pointed at you (that may or may not be recording). To which the analogy vs. headphones is not relevant. I anticipate, however, that Google (or somebody) will find a way to make this product largely invisible to anybody but the wearer in the near term future. Through m…

And yet most people don't have that reaction to pervasive CCTV. Which, in some places, is virtually omnipresent and constantly recording. "Smile, you're on camera ☺" And many people have no qualms sharing pretty much everything on Facebook and the like. I don't know which way it will really go, but it is really not obvious a priori that everyone is that concerned about privacy, or that society will not adapt to make…

CCTVs are accompanied with the assumption that some authoritarian figure is responsible for the recordings, and will follow reasonable and legal guidelines to distributing the feed. Even IP Cameras with live streams to the internet are subject to township / state / federal laws and cannot record near bathrooms, hotel rooms or anywhere where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy.

A closer analogy to Google Glass might be handycams and smartphones, and these face plenty of pushback even without the always-on criterion.

Re: A 33-Year-Old NPR Story Convinced Me Google Glass Will Stop Looking So Dorky

#40

Post by sillysaurus2 »

aresant wrote: post #6

I disagree that people will become comfortable with Google Glass - the primary negative reaction is the voyeuristic-rejection of having a camera always pointed at you (that may or may not be recording). To which the analogy vs. headphones is not relevant. I anticipate, however, that Google (or somebody) will find a way to make this product largely invisible to anybody but the wearer in the near term future. Through m…

the primary negative reaction is the voyeuristic-rejection of having a camera always pointed at you (that may or may not be recording)

Google should put an LED light on Glass that turns on whenever it's recording, just like MacBooks.

Post reply on HN