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

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

#141

Post by 7952 »

resu_nimda wrote: post #44

I am actually pretty shocked at the responses here on HN, of all places. Not because, as technologists we should all automatically love any new technology, but because, as technologists we should have perspective on its inexorable march. How many times have we laughed at definitive statements, pontificating on this or that newfangled thing, that were proven to be wildly off-the-mark only a few years later? How many t…

I agree with the need for perspective. Sixty years ago people thought that kitchens would have a robot to do the cooking for you but instead we got microwave ovens and ready meals. You get the same effect (easy meals) just through a different mechanism. The important things is solving a particular problem or need; not the actual technology. In that sense Google Now is the pivotal technology for Google, not glass.

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

#142

Post by gaius »

resu_nimda wrote: post #44

I am actually pretty shocked at the responses here on HN, of all places. Not because, as technologists we should all automatically love any new technology, but because, as technologists we should have perspective on its inexorable march. How many times have we laughed at definitive statements, pontificating on this or that newfangled thing, that were proven to be wildly off-the-mark only a few years later? How many t…

You can already see it with the kids.

We are into the realm of game theory here. You can say "I don't care if my embarrassing photos/controversial opinions/whatever are public" only if everyone agrees the same thing at the same time. Because otherwise, you will find yourself competing with someone whose aren't public, in front of someone who does care. That might be a manager, it might be the electorate.

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

#143

Post by Cthulhu_ »

I disagree on the comparison, tbh. Headphones is a purely personal experience; when you see it, you know that person is enjoying some private time, isolating himself from the busy / noisy outside world, or just being a douche. They don't cause uproar because, even if they look silly or make you look silly or like an audiophile (depending on make and model), it's something they do for themselves.

Wearing Glass, on the other hand, is pretty much saying "I AM GOING TO RECORD ALL THE THINGS!". Actually, nevermind; if Glass did not have a camera but was just a heads-up display of sorts, nobody would care. All of the controversy surrounding Glass is about the camera, not about what the original concept was, a heads-up display.

tl;dr: the comparison makes if Glass was just a heads-up display for personal information purposes, but it doesn't because it has a camera.

Picture headphones with a camera.

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

#144

Post by Avshalom »

gfodor wrote: post #76
resu_nimda wrote: post #44

I am actually pretty shocked at the responses here on HN, of all places. Not because, as technologists we should all automatically love any new technology, but because, as technologists we should have perspective on its inexorable march. How many times have we laughed at definitive statements, pontificating on this or that newfangled thing, that were proven to be wildly off-the-mark only a few years later? How many t…

A lot of people who knew the iPhone and iPad were going to be huge also think Glass is doomed for the consumer market. Sometimes the way you look matters. See: the Segway. It's a threshold. Did headphones really make you look as dorky as the Segway does to your contemporaries? Doubtful. Does Glass? I think it comes close.

Segways did not fail because they made you look dorky. They failed because they were an extremely expensive toy that didn't solve anyone's problems and were bulky enough that they made new problems when people tried to use them.

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

#145

Post by trumbitta2 »

Avshalom wrote: post #144
gfodor wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of people who knew the iPhone and iPad were going to be huge also think Glass is doomed for the consumer market. Sometimes the way you look matters. See: the Segway. It's a threshold. Did headphones really make you look as dorky as the Segway does to your contemporaries? Doubtful. Does Glass? I think it comes close.

Segways did not fail because they made you look dorky. They failed because they were an extremely expensive toy that didn't solve anyone's problems and were bulky enough that they made new problems when people tried to use them.

Also, the stick.

To me, Segway with stick = http://s3.amazonaws.com/rapgenius/Y810072B.jpg

Segway without stick = http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/TkyLnWm1iCs/maxresdefault.jpg

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

#146

Post by coldtea »

Raphael wrote: post #139
stormbrew wrote: post #124

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is the best predictor, obviously, but I'm saying that doesn't really mean much. Fashion is fickle. And the thing is, above and beyond that, 10 years from now the tech that's evolved from Glass will look about as much like Glass as the iphone looks like my first touchscreen phone (behold: http://img.engadget.com/common/images/3060000000053553.JPG?0... )

Bingo. The first consumer computer glasses may not be a mass hit. But persistence, innovation, tweaking, and competition will sooner or later hit on a design that sells.

Or you know, it's a bad idea, and we'll find something else to replace it, like bionic eyes or 3D sensors.

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

#147

Post by baldfat »

Avshalom wrote: post #144
gfodor wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of people who knew the iPhone and iPad were going to be huge also think Glass is doomed for the consumer market. Sometimes the way you look matters. See: the Segway. It's a threshold. Did headphones really make you look as dorky as the Segway does to your contemporaries? Doubtful. Does Glass? I think it comes close.

Segways did not fail because they made you look dorky. They failed because they were an extremely expensive toy that didn't solve anyone's problems and were bulky enough that they made new problems when people tried to use them.

Segways solved problems:

Does your job require walking around on a flat service all day? Segway for Mall Cops.

Do you want people who have a hard time walking for a few miles so they can do a tourist tour? Segway for tourist.

That's about it from me.

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

#148

Post by iancarroll »

baldfat wrote: post #147
Avshalom wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Segways did not fail because they made you look dorky. They failed because they were an extremely expensive toy that didn't solve anyone's problems and were bulky enough that they made new problems when people tried to use them.

Segways solved problems: Does your job require walking around on a flat service all day? Segway for Mall Cops. Do you want people who have a hard time walking for a few miles so they can do a tourist tour? Segway for tourist. That's about it from me.

Those markets are not large enough to sustain a product like the Segway.

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

#149

Post by codingdave »

I think the analogy with headphones is accurate, but the article missed something important"

Headphones in public are absolutely considered obnoxious. Old folk like me do think they look silly, and we do think it says something negative about people who cannot live without pervasive music in their lives.

The attitudes from 33 Years ago have not changed. But the youth just don't notice (or don't care) that us older folk still think that.

EDIT: Now you kids get off my lawn!

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

#150

Post by corresation »

wpietri wrote: post #79
corresation wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Remember how douchey the bluetooth headset people were? ... but the kids wearing large, crappy headphones in other environments (e.g. at meals) are kind of pathetic. Isn't this really judgmental? Doesn't this say more about you than about them? I'm completely serious. I do not judge people on the tools they use in their life that is of no consequence to me. The same holds for Google Glass -- it is somewhat perverse,…

The whole point of fashion is to shape how people judge you. If most people weren't affected by it, it wouldn't exist. So if it says something about him, it's only that he's human.

Outside of the notion that you can be judgmental about a person ("douche", "pathetic") based upon the tools they use -- conflating wearing a fedora with using a piece of technology -- fashion largely concerns itself with the inconsequential, and in almost all industries and applications follows a far second behind function.

Now someone might point to some freakish catwalk outfit and some bizarro shoes, but those have negligible relevance to the normal world. We're talking about average people in the average world.

I drive a large vehicle because I have a large family and live in a rural area. I picked this model because it looks nice, having fulfilled all of the necessary functions. Some other people live in the city and drive tiny but stylish vehicles, their necessity for function far different.

I have a really fast smartphone that has great apps and great integration. I chose the one that is gold and has a nice logo.

I have an amazing burr coffee grinder that makes perfect grinds and keeps some in an airtight container. It also happens to look really nice on my counter top.

Fashion follows. It does not lead. It will always be contorted around the former.

And people wore headphones because they liked having mobile music without disturbing others. People wore bluetooth headsets because they had jobs and roles that demanded significant voice traffic (as an aside, they declined because voice traffic declined, not because a bunch of people so insecure that they need to bring other people down called them names). And people will wear wearables and smartwatches and so on because it provides value in their life. And fashion will follow, and there will come a time when people will try to make it the bees knees of trendiness.

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