Google Glass – Spare The Hate And Spoil The Promise

By Rob Patey, via the MaaSters Blog

It’s human nature to fear the unknown. While a few brave pioneers will valiantly traverse unchartered waters, as a whole our species will pick up pitchforks versus embracing that which is new and different. Case in point; Google Glass. The wearers already have derogatory terms in place, Tumblr sites are already showcasing demographic disparities in its wearers, and everyone has written off this moonshot project before it has even hit the Launchpad. I’m offering a different answer. Even if Google Glass sputters before it gets out the door; let’s look at the elements of this baby before we toss it out with the bathwater.

When Google Glass started hitting the streets recently, the Internet responded as it often does. Fear, chiding and a slew of puns have already become some of the top searches for life’s little Heads-up-Display (HUD).  I won’t say Google Glass is perfect, but show me any pioneering technology that hits a homerun on the first pitch? It took a few Apollo flights to get to the moon. The PC didn’t make it to every desk until long after its inception, and despite the information sharing benefits of social media there is still a wide world of naysayers who simply find it a waste of time. Sure Google Glass has some problems in functionality and design, but that’s today. Instead of simply writing off this technology I would like to play an optimistic game of “what if” to imagine what Google Glass could be.

Please log in or register below to read the full article.