Dance Your Pain Away – Agnetha Fältskog
It’s finally happened. There’s a new ABBA song to get excited about. Well not quite, but read on… (or just read the title) So as a life long ABBA fan, it can be a pleasure and a pain. With only a…
I think one of the catches with the introduction of Google Glass is that it's a shift in paradigms. People that are hostile towards Google Glass are uncomfortable with the lack of identification to a similar device. I bet that 99% of the people you know still refer to their smartphone as their "phone". The telephone has been around for over 100 years. People are comfortable with the concept of a phone. The phone allows them to communicate. And though the methods vary, people still communicate on their phone. Granted, one of the least common activities on today's smartphone is probably the actual phone call, but people still see it as a communications device when in reality, it's a computer. That thing we call a phone is a real, live, fully functional computer and it is capable of much more than an old Princess Phone ever dreamed of doing.
People are used to glasses being used to see things, and that's it. They're not used to glasses being used as a communications or computing device. Glasses are used to improve eyesight. This shift in paradigm is making people uneasy. There's no "oh, it's a phone!" type identification going on. The baseline is missing.
While there is a lot of FUD out there about Google Glass (for example, Google Glass in its default configuration will not allow the user to take a photo simply by winking, despite what others are screaming from roof tops, you have to add that functionality to the device), I do get that people are concerned about folks recording a moment they shouldn't be recording. That problem exists all over the place today. Where there's a phone, there's a camera. Where there's a phone, the potential of a recording device exists. Where there's a public street, the possibility of a surveillance device exists. One quick side note, I find it weird when articles talk about things such as "privacy in public spaces." When did we expect to be incognito in public?
This is where society is going to have to set etiquette standards on the proper use of Google Glass and other wearable technology. As technology evolves, an "all or nothing" approach is going to get us nowhere. If you don't like the technology, don't use it? If you're uncomfortable with the technology that's being used by someone near you, politely say to them, "would you mind taking your glasses off?", with the same approach and social grace as if you were walking up to a person in a restaurant and asking them to speak softer on their phone. I really believe that there is a common ground where Google Glass can exist in public. It's called having faith in our fellow human beings. Innocent until proven guilty.
Society has adapted to technology just as quickly as technology has adapted to society over the years. I don't believe folks really tolerate the person screaming into their bluetooth earpiece whilst waiting in line for movie tickets. Looks, stares, glares and comments usually get the hint across. Callers have a responsibility of being respectful of those around them. Etiquette needs to be established. Technology shouldn't be banished. If people can't figure out etiquette then I believe we have a bigger problem in society today.
That all being said, Glass wears should be respectful of those around them. Wearing Google Glass in public in not unlike any other situation — betamax cameras at tourist traps, phones in theatres, etc. Societal pressure will lead where one can or cannot use Google Glass. Respect. It's not a difficult concept.
Remember that though something may be different and outside your comfort zone, it doesn't mean that it is wicked scary and must be stopped at once. Don't be afraid to think outside the box and maybe build a new one in the process.
So a couple of weeks ago Earl and I were at the local casino for dinner and drinks and we decided to spend a little bit of gambling money while we were there. Earl went to do his thing in the Poker Room, so I took $40 and popped it into a nickel machine. Technically, I didn’t put the money in the machine because at Turning Stone you can’t do that; you put the money onto a card and then you pop the card into the machine and it keeps your balance. It’s kind of like an instant ATM card.
I think I’m digressing.
So I put $40 into the “Wheel of Fortune” game and a few minutes later my card balance was up to $360. It was at that moment that I decided to yank that card out of the machine and grab the cash from the nice lady in the cage.
Never one to let money just sit around when it could be used for some cool toy, then next morning I placed an order for a little gadget I’ve had my eye on for a while. Said gadget arrived today.
Introducing, The Brydge.
I’m a happy geek!
From unboxing to first use took less than five minutes. The only thing I had to do was swap out the shims on the hinge from iPad 2 mode to iPad 3/4 mode. These little rubberized guys hold my iPad in as snug as a bug and a rug. The hinges can take the iPad down to almost flat and with a hearty yank, I’m able to pull the iPad off the keyboard if I want to use it the way Steve intended.
The only thing that I have a slight struggle with is the size of the right shift key. If you have ever had the privilege of seeing me type in person, I am a really fast typist. Back in my heyday I could crack 100-105 WPM in typing competitions. Because of this, I’m really fussy about keyboards. The tactile response of The Brydge keyboard is amazing, but because the right-shift key is half the normal width of a regular right-shift key, I’m finding myself moving the cursor up a line instead of shifting the next key on more than one occasion. This is something that I will eventually get used to, after all, I’ve only had the keyboard out and functional for less than two hours, but my point is that it does take some getting used to. Other than that, I feel like I’m full speed on this keyboard, though it is slightly smaller than your average keyboard.
All in all, I wouldn’t say that this is a “must have” for the iPad but I would say that it’s pretty dang nice. If you’re looking for something that has the portability of the MacBook Air but still has all the goodies of the iPad, The Brydge is a nice companion to the full-sized iPad.
/geek-mode-off
I'm such a geek.
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Yesterday I mentioned Google Now and the upcoming Google Glass that will be hitting the consumer market next year. If you’re not following along with my posts on a regular basis, Google Now is a predictive tool that takes all of the personal information you’ve given Google and suggests various things, like restaurants in the area you might like, traffic details for your commute home, the scores of your favorite teams, etc. I think it’s pretty nifty software and I am very impressed by it. Google Glass is a wearable device that ties to your smartphone and affords you much of the same information as well as giving you the capability of taking a photo or a video (and a bunch of other things) right from these “eyeglasses”. It’s pretty magical; all you have to do is say “OK Glass, take a picture” and it takes a picture at whatever the glasses are pointed at.
There is a concern that Google Glass is going to invade our privacy even more by capturing people and the like in everyday use without the “target” knowing it.
I kind of get that, but here’s the deal. Google Glass doesn’t take a picture without the photographer speaking out loud. You’re going to hear someone say “OK Glass, take a photo” or “OK Glass, take a video”. (Google Glass takes only 10 seconds of video at a time). I can point to THOUSANDS of “sneaky pics” scattered all over the internet where people are doing there normal, everyday thing in public and someone has captured the moment on a smartphone (Droid, iPhone, whatever) without the person knowing it. It’s commonplace. Because of the voice commanded interface, Google Glass is less likely to be used for this type of activity.
Do I like the invasion of technology into our lives this way? Yes and no. I like the fact that we’ve come up with tech that does all of this predictive stuff and that we are able to connect with others anywhere in the world with ease. I’m sorry, but that ability makes me feel more connected and human with my fellow human beings. Perhaps if we were more connected with one another we’d be less likely to kill each other. As I typed that last sentence I had to rethink it because in reality, there are times when I see what other, random people do and I just think they’re outrageously and hideously stupid, but that’s a whole additional blog entry.
The fact of the matter is, being in public is no longer confined to the walls of the space you’re currently in. Do I think a person should wear their Google Glass to the bathroom? That’s just tacky, just like the folks that carry on phone conversations in the bathroom.
Paradigms are shifting and I really think there’s going to be a disconnect between the old school and the new way. If people remembered to be respectful with their use of new technology, there wouldn’t be an issue. It’s not the technology that’s the problem, it’s the people using it. And they only way we’re going to get better at that is by educating others and adjusting our social behaviors.
My, we’ve come along way with privacy concerns since the days where my social security number was printed on thousands of receipts when I was a cashier at a now defunct department store chain. Let’s talk about that sometime!
For those of you that are still whipped up about the death of Google Reader (I am still quite angry about it, don’t mess with my geek tools), my buddy Erik has found a fantastic solution that works brilliantly. It’s the bees’ knees.
Chances are that if you’re reading this blog, you’re probably reading a feed of it, whether it be via a Twitter link, via Facebook or Google+ or by what is called an RSS feed. Many folks that follow blogs and the like via RSS use a service from Google called Google Reader.
Google announced today that they’re sunsetting their Google Reader service.
In the interest of trying not to use salty language, I won’t type what I said when I found this out. To say this is disappointing would be accurate. There are worse things in the world, but I keep up on all those blogs in the right hand margin via the Google Reader service. Using Google Reader, and apps that use the API, I am able to keep up on news from many sources and I’m also able to read the blog entries of many fellow bloggers that sit down and take the time to write out their thoughts in spurts that are longer than 140 characters.
By the way, I added a new blog to the blog roll today. Hello Tom Whittaker!
I’m bummed (but not about Tom’s blog).
Since Google has randomly decided to end support for Google Reader, and judging by the outrage on Twitter and the like, I’m not the only person that’s bummed, I begin to wonder what other services Google might kill in the future. Tired of supporting Gmail? Kill it.
Tired of supporting Blogger? Kill it. (That’d be hard for many bloggers, including the very popular Joe.My.God..
Tired of supporting Google Wallet? Kill it.
They’ve done the same thing with countless other products and quite frankly, Google is just erratic enough to make me stay solidly in the Apple/iOS walled garden. Apple might be thought of as evil by some, but at least their evilness is complete and solid.
Google’s mantra has always been “Do No Evil.” I hope that someday they live up that mantra. Because right now they’re failing at it.
So this is my first time publishing a blog post using in flight WiFi. I’m kind of excited about it. I’m flying Delta today and I’m finding this plane (CRJ700) to be quite comfortable, especially when compared to the Dash-8s I usually fly out of SYR.
I’m such a geek.
I’m a tech snob. This isn’t something to be described as a negative aspect of my personality, it’s actually something that I’m kind of proud of. With technology where it is today, I think that the right tools are available to do what the masses need to do. I also fully believe that if you’re going to embrace technology, you need to do it properly, with the best tools you can get your hands on. This is something that has taken me years to realize; saving money isn’t going to save you money in the long run.
About a year ago, when I found out that I was going to be on a more frequent work on-call rotation, it was suggested that I finally get a company mobile phone. I took this advice and filled out the appropriate forms and waited for the red tape to unwind itself a bit. Our company is aligned with AT&T, so I knew that my smartphone choices would be different than what I was familiar with on Verizon. I was fairly surprised when I was told that I couldn’t have a smartphone of anytime, but rather I had two or three choices of flip phones to choose from.
Oh joy.
I ended up getting some Samsung flip phone that is so poorly designed that I have never used it. I have never given out my company mobile number to anyone, not even to the company. Instead, I opted to get a Google Voice number, which I can then direct anywhere I want to direct it.
Now, I’m not wasting company funds. When I am officially on-call, the Google Voice number is directed to my personal iPhone and to the piece of crap Samsung flip phone. The latter direction is just so that I have something audible to startle me awake should I get a call in the middle of the night. The piece of crap Samsung flip phone sits on my nightstand and does nothing even mobile related. The moment I am officially off-call I power down the phone and shove it away in a drawer.
The piece of crap Samsung flip phone doesn’t hold a charge for longer than 24 hours. It beeps and burps and chirps randomly at all hours of the night. I don’t know if it’s some sort of audible notification stating, “my battery is charged!” or what but it’s annoying. If I pick up the phone like you’re going to make or answer a call, I always hit the PTT button on the side by mistake which throws the phone into some sort of warning notification hell telling me that my PTT is going to charge me something. I don’t even know what my PTT Is. There is a constant notification on my screen stating that I missed a call on the 29th of December, even though I have pecked at the keyboard to get beyond this notification countless times. And did I mention that my iPhone has a better battery life than this thing?
The folks at work were kind enough to provide me with a holster to carry the phone on my belt. Sorry ma’am, but if I’m going to carry a holster that size on my belt, it’s going to have a Glock in it and people are going to be impressed, not laughing uproariously at me.
Through casual observation at work, I have noticed that most of the folks that you would think have a company cell phone actually carry a personal smartphone instead, with their company number forwarded to their personal phone. Most of the time the personal device of choice is an iPhone. Smart choices for smart people!
Flip phones were quaint back in their day but it’s time to move on. I don’t care if it’s an iPhone or an Android device, but in today’s business world where you need to be connected, you need to have a device that isn’t on the cheap and is going to do the job properly. Especially when you’re part of the telecommunications world.
Guess what I’m not packing with me for my business trip today.
So I wiped out my Flickr account earlier this week. Before I did to, I remembered to back up all my photos and save them to my primary desktop computer, an iMac running iPhoto.
It was at this moment that I remembered that I had wiped out my iMac a few months ago and had never loaded my photos back into iPhoto.
I then panicked, thinking I had lost all of my photographs of the last ten years. It turns out I had saved everything on an old hard drive. I restored my iPhoto library successfully but all of this panic was a stark reminder that I need to get a backup solution back in place for our various computer systems. I checked with the budget department and was approved to purchase a Time Capsule for our Macinhouse. Off to the Apple store tomorrow!
I’m such a geek. And as a reminder of this, here is a restored picture of me from 2009 playing the part of Mr. Telephone Man.
Just a guy with a husband. We’ve been together 28 years and he still makes me see fireworks on a daily basis. Hiker. Storm Chaser. Private Pilot. Tech Guy. Hackerish.
Weird? Eccentric!
