Don’t Jump Johnny  

Google posted a concept video today showing off its Google Glass project. 

Basically a set of glasses that project a heads-up display into your eye holes, the whole thing is very…Google. The video is cleanly shot and edited and on-message and what nerd hasn’t dreamed of having access to a HUD overlaying the world with information.

But there are two main issues that I see with Glass. First, it’s yet another concept from Google that seems to exist purely for PR purposes, perhaps to distract you from the fact that it was paid for with text ads for Cialis. Real artists ship, concept artists, apparently, work for Google.

The second is the fact that it’s solving the wrong problem. Helping human beings access information based on location and context is admirable. But shoving that information to the forefront of a person’s consciousness is probably not the bet way to go about it.

Yes, performing the actions you see in the video without the use of your hands is cool, but in the process it’s burning up copious amounts of the very finite store of cognitive power that most of us possess. People can barely use their smartphones without smashing into one another on the sidewalk or in traffic. The logistics of a bunch of people wearing AR goggles is depressing.

Just from my anecdotal experiences with ‘regular’ people and technology, there is likely only a handful of people in ten thousand that will ever have the aptitude to wear and use a system like this. Even if it does make it to market in its current form, which I doubt, the market will be miniscule.

The idea of the glasses has me excited. But the fact that Google is behind it gives me little faith that the project will ever deliver something as clean and focused as its  concept video, that is usable by mortals.

Also, who didn’t think the guy was going to jump when he went up to the roof? Don’t jump Johnny, just take the glasses off.