have been working for a while on something called "Project Glass".
What they have designed is a device called "Google Glass," which is a basically a set of lens-less glasses that take all the functions of a smartphone (search, photo, video, navigation, translation, etc) and - through a small transparent cube - overlay all that information and functionality into your field of vision, creating - for lack of a better term - an "augmented reality".
You know what... blah, blah, blah... just watch this:
Pretty cool, no?
Well, recently, they ran a promotion to select a small group (8000 users) to act as beta-testers for this device over the next year, prior to public release. You had to describe, in 50 words or less, how you would use them.
Maybe it was fate, given the fact that it came out of Google "X"... but guess which Legion Worlder was chosen as one of the 8000?
Given the fact that it's not, however, just a free giveaway - the beta testers have to actually pay for the device - I've been a bit undecided about whether to take them up on it. But... after mulling it over for a few days - and getting some advice from some of my friends (including a fellow Legion Worlder... thanks, Sharky!) - I've decided that, for the next year... I'm in.
I'm going to volunteer to be a cyborg.
I know this all sounds completely crazy, but the more I read about this project, the more I was convinced that this technology is going to - in probably less than a decade - completely make smartphones a thing of the past. The entire concept of divorcing information from a handheld device and instead integrating it into the world around you is such an exciting concept, that I really think it could revolutionize the way we live.
I absolutely want to be a part of it.
So, what was my winning suggestion? How did I tell them I would use it?
Stay tuned, Legion Worlders... if you think this is just another insane Exnihil thing, just wait until you see what I've got in mind.
Thanks, kenny! I'm going to play my cards close to my chest for a little bit until I find out exactly what the Terms and Services are - like if there is a non-disclosure agreement or whatever.
In the mean time, some of the names of the other winners (the ones who used Twitter to enter, as opposed to Google+ like I did) have started to come out. It's an interesting group. Some of my fellow cyborgs will include:
Neil Patrick Harris, Kevin Smith, Alyssa Milano, Newt Gingrich(!), Imogen Heap, Matisyahu, "Agent M" from marvel.com, and my absolute favorite entry... LeVar Burton, whose entry simply read, "#ifihadglass It would be a downgrade. -Geordi La Forge".
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I guess they want to put him to the test.
