Friday, April 6, 2012

An Open Letter to Google's Project Glass and Google [x]


Prototype Headwear via Google's Project Glass

Dear Project Glass and Google [x];

     This is very interesting but be prepared for unintended consequences in regards to our day to day experience with the glass wear computing technology.  It's already difficult to talk with people gazing into their smart phones, tablets, iPads etc. and carry on a focused conversation of any kind.  With such heads up glass displays imagine talking with someone who has one?  I would only think this would be more distracting.  Even if they're there in front of you are they really "There"? Maybe halfway there?  Or just kinda "There".
     I can imagine someone asking a question in the live and the answer popping up on the screen in front of someone's eyes.  Or they ask it out loud to the "device" they're wearing in mid conversation and then they "know it" with out really "thinking" and using their own experience any more or for that matter "understanding" the content.
     We're  just stepping that much closer to being intelligent machines rather and moving away from our humanness.  Our intrinsic value at that point lies in the questions we can ask and be able to critically think and reflect about and use the information before us on the heads up screen. It's a slippery slope where being clear about why and how this technology can better humankind trumps developing the cool next killer intelligent eye wear.
     Project Glass please take care and focus on answering these larger questions and show us by your field research how these glasses can help further our abilities to communicate and understand one another, solve tough world problems such war, poverty, famine, climate change etc...
     A next step is implanting chips into our heads where we just "think" our questions, answers and impulses with our minds. And then at that point we have truly crossed a line into being adaptive human machines.  Talking could become more optional.
     That said, with all of these caveats your developments are exciting but please take care and think this through completely as you can before releasing it on to our world.  If you need help tackling these difficult questions feel free to seek me out.  It's really important stuff.

Thanks, Steve

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