Slashdot Mirror

How many of us are going to be fooled by the coming wave of "geek chic" fashion design?

Seriously, if Info-Charms comes out with some ear-rings that have some useful gadget/feature I'd even get my ears pierced.

Mind you, all I'd like at the moment is a mixer for my MP3 player and mobile phone, so when I'm walking down the street listening to my music I don't have to rely on the vibrating alert to know that my phone's ringing. Aim big, start small.

I still prefer InfoCharms.

Here I have a whole bunch of links to further information about wearable computers and "enhanced reality" for anyone interested:

• A Brief History Of Wearable Computing
• Affective Computing
• BBC News: Japan Eyes Wearable PC
• Charmed Technology
• CNET.com: 10 Technologies That Will Take Over - #8
• CNN: Excuse Me, Is That A Monitor On Your Head?
• CNN: MIT 'Cyborgs' Bridge Gap Between Man And Machine
• CNN: Turn On, Jack In, And Geek Out With Wearable PC
• CNN: Wearable Systems May Cut Labor, Save Time
• CNN: Xybernaut Now Has Linux For Wearable PCs
• CNN Poll: Do You Want A Wearable Computer?
• Computer For The 21st Century, The
• ComputerWorld: Wearable Computers - Digitally Attired
• Context-Aware Computing
• CTHEORY: Body Delirium
• DisplayWear Incorporated
• Extreme Computing
• Handykey, Inc. Wearable Computing Page
• Houston Chronicle: Future Phones Home, The
• ICBorg
• Intelligent Information Filters And Enhanced Reality, by Alexander Chislenko
• ISWC- International Symposium on Wearable Computers
• Marvin Elizondo's Wearable Computing Page
• MicroOptical
• MIT-IDEO Wearables Intro
• NetWork Fusion: Armani, Karan, Xybernaut? 02/01/999
• PBS: Scientific American Frontiers Transcripts - Inventing The Future (Aired Fall 1996)
• PC World News: Wearable PC To Debut At Comdex
• PopSci.com Headlines: CyberFashions
• Slashdot Articles: Wearable PCs Under Linux
• Smart Rooms
• TechWearable
• TekGear
• Wearable Computer
• Wearable Computing Intro Page
• Wearable Computing Portal
• Wearable Computing Resource Page
• WearableGear.com
• Wearables Central
• Wearables WebCrawler Search Engine
• Wearables Webring
• WearableTech Corp.
• Wired News: Annotated Reality
• Wired News: Intel Chips In On Future Devices
• Wired News: Waiting For Wearable Wearables
• Wraith Projects
• Xybernaut

Impossible means no one's done it yet.

Actually, this one's not too bad. The one on the right, that is. I could imagine wearing something like that (under my sweater, at least, until it becomes fashionable for guys to wear necklaces like that), and using it for a bit of quick-access.

That assumes, of course, that there isn't a big, bulky back-end to it hiding somewhere behind her back...
--
- Sean

Personally, the whole show looks like the sort of thing Wired gets parodied for ("We're hip. We're with it. We get it! Really! Stop Laughing!"). Very few of those looked like anyone had done even basic UI thought - the very first picture has a wearable that is less convenient than a desktop PC! I was also disappointed to see that the designers still think people find the heavily drugged look appealing, too.

Regarding wearable devices for the computer display, a few questions:
1) Is it possible to make a display that is see-through (though perhaps darkened)? This way, you could see the information but also adjust your focus to see in front of you. It looked like one of the models might have something like this on.
2) Instead of a large headset or a targeting-device looking visor, could a display be packed into a simple monacle (ie. one of those round thingys you hold in place with your eye). The "chain" could carry the necessary information to the display. Such a thing might actually be subtle enough to be practical. Yeah, right.
3) Obviously, wearable displays bring up a number of UI issues. A lot of people seem to be focussing on voice interface, but that only seems right for text entry (if you've tried some of the original voice interfaces for Windows from 5 years ago, you'll know what I mean: "Open File", "Next Window"...) -- some sort of handheld pointer device seems necessary too. Either that, or something that responds to hand movement (or possibly eye movement, etc). What would work?
4) Finally, it seems that people might need to rething the GUI in general for wearable displays. Simply tossing up the standard windowed layout may not be best for mobile computing. And screen real-estate is also at a premium. What might be a better design.

Even given all this, I'm still concerned about trying to focus on something that's less than 2 inches from my eye...

Once you fight your way past the bimbos and the crowd shot (is that Bill Gates?), some of the technical wear looks very functional. Check out the funding: "Carnegie Mellon devices funded and supported by: The Pennsylvania Infrastructure Technology Alliance, Sandbox Advanced Development, DARPA, and The Telxon Corporation." Nice cash flow there.

Ok. Granted the Hands Free Poultry Inspection System should be in a copy of Skin Two but take a look at that audience. These people do not get laid often enough

What depressed me the most was the complete lack of any links to the hardware in question (even most of my searches came up empty.)

I guess the term "Vaporware for the Vapid to Wear" finally applies.

Little to nothing about the technology and everything to do with the clothing. ("Mmmmm! Shiny!" - Homer Simpson)

Someone using the current technology hype to show off bad future fashions of the '70s.

"And remember my friends: Future events, such as these, will happen to YOU in the future!" - Criswell

None of these really show that much in terms of wearable computers, mostly just dumb looking shiny costumes

I have to agree with that. With some exceptions, these wearables are disappointingly bulky. More specifically, they look very much like the first-wave manifestation of this technology, in which it's more important to point out its toy value than its actual usefulness. I mean, fabric keyboards are cool, but it looks like this guy's carrying conventional keyboards in his pockets! Once wearable technology spreads beyond geeks and executives, or once time and habituation force us all to calm down, perhaps it will leave the conspicuous consumption phase and start to become ergonomic and natural-looking.

I guess looking like a Jetson is a step up from looking like a Borg, but I want my wearable devices to fit into my wardrobe, not become it.
__________

Check out the audience.

-=-=-=-=-

Well, I'm curious to know what is sticking out of this shiny happy person's bag. Is that a Banana 2000 I see?

{Insert banana joke of choice here...}

...anactofgod...

{I didn't know that bananas are used to inspect poultry. Poor chickens...}

Was it just me or did anyone else find the model in the black suit with the banana strapped to her chest rather disturbing?

I don't think the world is ready for wearable PC's just yet. Besides, as was stated in a previous post, we already have cell phones and palm pilots that recieve email or browse the web. Cell phones already cause enough car accidents as it is. Just think of all the slashdotters we might lose when their /. addiction forces them to drive off the side of the road. ;)

1. A lightweight operating system. Of course, that means running PalmOS. Sad to say, Linux doesn't have the applications for this kind of situation (yet?).
2. Cryptofinancial Privacy. Use iButton(s) to store things like private keys and other cryptofinancial information. For now, I'll have to be content with GNU Keyring on my Palm IIIx. Confinitiy's PayPal gets a poke in the eye until they get their act together and make a Linux installer for their Palm software.
   
   

   Regarding PayPal: I encourage everyone to open an account (it's free unless you want to use it, then you will have to put some money in it-- personally, I won't be putting any money into it until I can put the PayPal software into my Palm from my Linux box.) and then dropping them a note saying that you would like a Linux installer for the Palm software.

3. Real Style. Not look like something from Logan's Run. Technology is at its best when its subtle and unnoticable. A Palm device in your pocket or purse is pretty unnoticable (until you start using it, then the Unknowing clamor about it 'Ooh, what is that?')
4. Cesium-133 Timepeice Accuracy. It should know how to set its time/date from the Atomic Clock in Fort Collins, CO.
5. Where are ya?. If you're going to put in any kind of radio receiver, you might as well throw a GPS receiver in it so you don't get lost. Or, at the least, be really annoying when you can say "If we keep walking at this rate, we'll get to Fargo in 345 days, 6 minutes, 35 seconds!"
6. Remote control. A really strong IR transceiver for remote control applications. It would be really nice if I didn't have to get up off the couch to grab a remote. Cripes, I've got like 10 of them on the coffee table.

Otherwise, I think the show was mostly an opportunity to show off sexy-sexy models wearing either Goretex or shiny black vinyl. :)
_______
computers://use.urls. People use Networds.

To save you time, I have links to the only two pictures you really want to see

Pic One
Pic Two

None of these really show that much in terms of wearable computers, mostly just dumb looking shiny costumes, so you might as well just look at the two that show some skin and go back to coding :)

Finkployd

To save you time, I have links to the only two pictures you really want to see

Pic One
Pic Two

None of these really show that much in terms of wearable computers, mostly just dumb looking shiny costumes, so you might as well just look at the two that show some skin and go back to coding :)

Finkployd

caption:"Hands Free Poultry Inspection System: Food inspection workers need to make written reports without tying up their hands. Designed at the Georgia Tech Research Institute, this voice activated computer can allow poultry workers to create reports completely hands free. "

direct link