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Photos From Wearable Computer Fashion Show
Bud writes "Behind this URL you can find photos from the wearable computers fashion show at Internet World 99."
This is pretty disturbing. Definitely worth a good laugh or three. Then again... models ;)
The models! Whoa!
is it just me, or was this more of a fashion show
appealing to people who like the "futuristic" look?
I couldnt even see any displays in a lot of those
pictures =/
why cant they just show what some of these
wearables would look like when people wear normal
clothing?? (not that I didnt enjoy the models...
YUMMY)
A year spent in artificial intelligence is enough to make one believe in God.
Is there any information or links on the specification of any of these devices?
What do they do? How to program or develop applications for them?
How much RAM? What kind of processing power?
What kind of input? And what kind of output?
Why are there no photos demonstrating the usage of these devices?
Thanks for any information on this.
P.S. Being a toy/console/gadget coding geek I would like to know programming information for any of these silly toys.
Corrinne Yu
3D Game Engine Programmer
3D Realms/Apogee
Corrinne Yu
3D Game Engine Programmer
This should further reinforce the stereotype that geeks and nerds have no fashion sense.
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
Much Love,
"S"HM
*****
(I refuse to spellcheck out of contempt for your belief system)
Mmmmmm models..
:-)
Question: what was with the two tasty numbers in black swimsuits? It didn't have any commentary at the bottom of the picture, just some very nice pictures.
Also, those devices looked pretty stupid, except for the "SQUI" which looked interesting..
---
- Give a man a fire and he's warm for a day, but set him on fire and he's warm for the rest of his life.
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
on his shirt. Man, that guy's got ATTITUDE! Either that, or he's really hung over.
Or does the wearable stuff just not seem anywhere close to really functional. I mean, the map-necklace was interesting, but I don't think I want to be staring through the little hole while doing 65 on the interstate. It's not that it's a bad idea at all, but still I believe that technology is just frankly too big right now to make workable wearables. The stuff that's out there is still questionable, and I sure wouldn't want to wear it for 6-8 hours straight. Give me a wearable (The glasstron glasses are getting there) that I can walk up with negligible weight attached, and serial into a box so I can admin it with little effort. Xterm in a set of glasses and a Palm Pilot. I'd consider that really useful. It's not that I don't like new tech, but I just have to like really swift tech. Still looks like people carrying around rocks and boulders. Just my $.02
-What have you contributed lately?
If there are women like that wearing Hands Free Poultry Inspection Systems... I'm going to start spending more time at poultry farms!
When I go outside or travel I am usually happy to leave my computer behind. All this means is that you can look like a moron with a computer strapped to your waist. Not that getting a few e-mails is bad, but most phones do that already. We have the Palm VII, phones with web browsers, and pagers that send and recieve e-mail. Why do we need this wearable crap?
Or are they dry clean only?
I attend one of the schools where there is active research into wearable computers. After overhearing a discussion on the possibility of eye damage due to the amount of time spent closely viewing a computer screen with one eye, I am now very skeptical about wearable computers. I would hate for them to become like cell phones (y'know they might cause brain tumors but we've already gotten so used to using them it's hard to stop), the killer app that might actually kill you. I am now interested in how much research is done to see if potential eye damage is expected and if so how it will be combatted.
I for one know that with the amount of time I already spend in front of a computer risking carpal tunnel syndrome, it would be a real b*tch to add possible eye damage to my list of occupational hazards.
This one shows how ridiculous the fashion industry really is. Hell, I mean, I really enjoy watching beautiful women and girlies in pretty dresses and beach-outfits. Everything seems to fit on them, even all kinds of gears and goggles.
;(
That doesn't mean it's going to look like that on me!
But maybe... Just Maybe if I buy one of those devices, maybe I'll get the girl too.. d:)
- Steeltoe
http://www.debunkingskeptics.com/
it should be the GNU/Wearable Computer Fashion Show.
While the products make up the operational part of the fashion show, without the GNU tools, it would be incomplete.
Conscience is the inner voice which warns us that someone may be looking.
Conscience is the inner voice which warns us that someone may be looking.
-- H. L. Mencken
"Our latest model is sporting a new implant chip that gives him an electric shock everytime he has a negative thought", ZAP!! "Woah, looks like he was having a happy thought, dont worry we'll fix that bug by the days end". Look ma, i wanna be a borg! Trekkies eat your heart out. Wasnt there a report saying Internet Addiction was a P-R-O-B-L-E-M? With these things, you'll be sure to get NO LIFE. Come on, you guys make fun of MS being the end all borg and all but you drool all over the REAL deal. Just because you can wear it doesnt make it fashion, and i thought cell/speaker phones were annoying.
This wasn't even close to the creativity of the real Natalie guy.
not even a good imitation.
You lame piece of shit, disconnect from the net and go back and play with your blocks.
Man, I fell sorry for those models. They were probably all very excited when their agents called and said that they got them a gig. And then it ended up as this. I bet when they started their modeling careers they envisioned walking down a runway for Gucci, Versaci, or at least Todd Oldman. If you look closely at the pictures you can see the exact time when the models now all their dreams are over.
Of course there SHOULD be a CD player/CDROM inside as well. And probably a GSM phone, too.
Moderate this down (-1, Wishful Thinking)
--
Industrial space for lease in Flatlandia.
well folks, this consolidates it. After seeing this my insomnia worsend 8 fold.
I'm not going to be able to sleep for at least 3 more years.
Even being a wearable enthusiast...
I'm like.... frightened.
Yeah right, beautiful women in skin-tight Matrix-esque Avenger-like black vinyl cat suits inspect poultry for a living. Maybe in your futurama fantasy world they do. Ouch. Like Vendela in that silver dress. This is a step up from her Hardee's commercials. I'm still looking for Angelina Jolie to be wearing the latest rubber outfit and portable computer(that you can't even see) for "high school lunch lady of the future"
Wait, was there something about portable computers I missed?
I could swear I saw that site get slashdotted right before my eyes; the first pix downloaded nice and fast, but their server ground to a halt even as I watched!
My favorite was that pink and orange Flash Gordon dress. I'll bet my older daughter would look great in one of those. Too bad I saw this too late for Christmas.
Also there were a few nice boots Nitrozac might want to check out. I mean even after 1/1/2000 when everything breaks, she'd still be able to use them as boots.
Yours WDK - Kiernan@concentric.net
Researchers in the lab are reportedly bumping up against physical limits, so frequently that it doesn't seem accidental. They hope many of the obstacles will turn out to be surmountable, though it will require a breakthrough to get beyond the current limit, the so-called "Moore's thong".
*grin*
Look at the article (or just the abstract if you're lazy) here.
"If one is really a superior person, the fact is likely to leak out without too much assistance" -- John Andrew Holmes
"Teeny weeny internet bikini"
"The Girls of the Internet. Oooh, I'd go online with them any day!!"
Pope
It doesn't mean much now, it's built for the future.
A big help! You could probably IPO on the basis of that idea.
Thank you for that wonderful excuse to look at beautiful, shapely women in nice, revealing clothing for work reasons.
:wq
After viewing the models, I expected one of them to wear something which read 1-8-0-0-c-a-l-l-a-t-t.
Did they let the undersexed designers of these devices meet the models? I would figure out how to cram a beowulf cluster into a bikini if it meant I could hang with Vendela.
Damn! I mean, there's only one OS to commit to. And with the advent of the Athlon, there's only one CPU. And with the GeForce 265, there's only one video card. And only one SB Live!...
...
Crap!
Now I have to worry about color coordinating my new PC to my suit?
"Honey, which PC goes better with pin-stripes?"
"Oooh, those ribbon cables really bring out the gleam of your FireWire ports."
"Don't you know you're no supposed to wear beige after Labor Day!?"
"Is that a joystick in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"
... and my personal favorite
"That Beowulf cluster would look great crumpled at the foot of my bed. How'sa 'bout it?"
-- What you do today will cost you a day of your life.
Agreed.
What happened to the wearable computers that were being worked on so feverantly a few years ago? I recall numerous ideas for incredably small displays mounted on glasses, or projected on the lenses, ect. I even saw a p-200 for sale w/ a cylindrical keyboard and available eye piece ( for ~$20,000 it was a _full_ computer ) I'd think these things have come a ways since then..
-Largos
uin: 4e8343
Have you ever wondered if the whole point of humanity is to be assimilated?
Hey baby, wanna get some of your friends over to my place for a Beowulf cluster? :)
- 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?).
- 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.
- 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?')
- Cesium-133 Timepeice Accuracy. It should know how to set its time/date from the Atomic Clock in Fort Collins, CO.
- 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!"
- 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.
Note that I do not advocate the MP3 player, etc. I think the wearable is more about control-- control of your financials (ala the new Wallet), control of your time (ala never worrying about what time it is), your style (ala don't be a fashion slave), where you want to go (ala I know how close I am to getting somewhere) and your stuff (ala CHANGE THE CHANNEL ALREADY! TURN OFF THAT TELETUBBY CRAP! ARRGGH!).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.
one word...bah!
God says it should be the God/Wearable Computer Fashion Show.
While the products make up the operation part of the fashion show, without the breasts, it wouldn't be complete.
"If one is really a superior person, the fact is likely to leak out without too much assistance" -- John Andrew Holmes
Obviously, they think computers make a great fashion accessory. What about the praticality and convenience of wearable computers? I realize it's a fashion show. But, it was so ridiculous. I also agree with an earlier post that this show perpetuates the myth that technically astute people are nothing but geeks and nerds who live in the land of sci-fi make-believe and lack fashion sense (ya, we all want to dress up in tin-foil and have tubes and wires all over the place like the Borg). Did anybody notice that much of the equipment needed to be carried by hand? Much of the equipment was about the size of a game console, which makes it totally impratical. The other thing was that some of the head-displays completely covered the eyes which would be kind of annoying to anybody who likes to look away from the screen occasionaly to see what's going on in the world. Whoever designed those clothes needs to lay off the hallucinagens.
OK...here's a question. Can anyone tell me why the doctor model (the one modeling the sensor glove) is also wearing one of those head mirror things? Personally, I haven't seen one of those since Quincy got cancelled.
I've seen this a couple of times before and could swear once it was from a link from a /. link.
Fashion, my foot. It's just the usual bunch of MIT people, one of whom happens to be a former model who understands PR and how to put together a press event, which when you think about it is itself a newsworthy development in the hardware arena. This ugly stuff and the company's ugly website got quite a bit of coverage back in October.
Quick, somebody hire an image consultant for Steve Mann.
I think the person who figures out how to integrate wearable PC's with the electronic dance music scene will create a new subculture. I'm thinking along the lines of S.R. Delany's cyberpunk book Dhalgren in which street gangs have wearable hologram devices that augment their appearence to huge psychedelic glowing creatures and such.
A wearble PC that could generate interactive visuals and chatting would be so cool! A virtual consensual hallucination (drug free) could be created that would really fit in well with techno and dancing.
Seeing those supermodels in bikinis and techware was pretty funny. But the borgish "ick-factor" was really absent in me when I looked at those pics. I can really see these things becoming all pervasive.
--->obqt
i'd definitely wear that
Was it just me or did anyone else find the model in the black suit with the banana strapped to her chest rather disturbing?
/. addiction forces them to drive off the side of the road. ;)
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
appealing to people who like the "futuristic" look?
I'm going to have to agree with you, for a couple o' reasons:
I figure, though, that it's up to the inventors what they want to put their efforts into researching/designing/building, but if it were up to me, I'd work on something else.. anything but this wearable stuff. I mean, it's nice and all that it can be done, but I've yet to see a good, practical, "fashionable" wearable. Of course I haven't seen them all, that's just my $0.02 worth. Thanks
Insert mind here.
I dunno - whenever I read about "Retinal Painting Displays" I am reminded of the episode of
Star Trek (tm) The Next Generation (tm) "The Game"
It's bad enough people drive now while gabbing on a cell phone...
First they burn books, then they burn people.
I saw the show while at InternetWorld. It was quite bizarre- in the middle of the downstairs 2nd-class booth space, there was a giant open area with a runway. The "company" sponsoring the show (InfoCharms) is a startup straight out of MIT that obviously hasn't hired any marketing people yet: the "booth" was littered with product concepts presented low-budget academia style.
/. already.
:-)
Besides a lot of skin, what was shown was a combination of bizarre fashion-industry interpretation of "futuristic" clothing with a definite retro spin, costumes from "futuristic" movies and tv shows, concept device mockups, and real wearable computers. The latter were few and far between, and nothing that hasn't been discussed to death on
The show was fun to watch, if only for seeing two amazingly different worlds colliding. The fashion people seemed to waver between excitement about being on the "leading edge" of something potentially huge and a patronizing smugness about bringing something hip to the poor, uncultured geek heathen. I think some of the attendees were genuinely interested in wearables, but the models definitely were a primary attraction. The pictures really don't do justice to the skimpiness of many of the women's outfits.
I'm sure it was a great show, but let's get real! Once these wearable designers from MIT, Carnegie Mellon, and Georgia Tech start hitting the streets with these designs, like the real streets of the college campuses we'll be able to see how successful they are for the public at large. It was helpful to see some real-world uses for these devices as shown for use in poultry factories and the battlefield. I'm sure Mr. Purdue couldn't be happier.
Every time I visit the campus of Stanford it's cell phone city, especially near the B-school, I'm sure some of these designs would be a hit there.
I'd like to enter my own designs, too. Guys wearing tee-shirts and shorts, and women wearing bikini bras and thongs (you know, the kind Bill Clinton likes).
'Nuff said.
I am a poultry inspector by trade, and I'd have to say that I am TRULY excited about the prospect of wearing a skin-tight vinal suit to work each day. Oh yeah....the computer is cool too.
These quotes are from the abstract:
"The goal of this review is to provide biomedical
researchers a brief overview of the existing
RF radiation-cancer studies."
"The epidemiological evidence for an association
between RF radiation and cancer is found to be
weak and inconsistent, the laboratory studies
generally do not suggest that cell phone RF
radiation has genotoxic or epigenetic activity,
and a cell phone RF radiation-cancer connection
is found to be physically implausible. Overall,
the existing evidence for a causal relationship
between RF radiation from cell phones and cancer
is found to be weak to nonexistent."
If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, where does the road paved with evil intentions lead to?
At least 4 of the people that started Infocharms are my close friends, so they've been pretty good about sharing what's going on with the company.
Obviously, the InternetWorld show was pure media exposure. I know it, you know it, and they know it. But the "normal" press and media don't. What they're trying to do is get Wearables to the point where cellphones, Walkmans, and police radios are: simply an inobtrusive part of your garb. Remember that Sony, Panasonic, et al. do this EXACT SAME THING every time they roll out some new gadget - it goes to some electronics show, worn by some under-nourished girl or an over-pumped dude wearing clothes you'll never see on the street. It's all about hype.
Remember folks, these are supposed to be specialized devices. Just as you don't expect your Walkman to be a full-blown AV rig, your Wearable isn't going to be the place you do all your coding at. Instead, they're specific-purpose devices. Infocharms hopes to be like one of those mobile-accessory sites, where you shop at their site for any one of a bunch of specialized computers that are no bigger than a walkman. Good goal, the problem right now for them is execution and marketing (as someone pointed out). Yeah, they do need to work on that a bit...
Also, I have had discussions about the possible eye-strain for the PrivateEye and other viewers. The general concensus is that you don't use them enough to cause problems (even Thad, who has worn that thing for almost 8 years straight, probably doesn't actually look at it for more than an agregate of 1 hour/day. And he's an extreme example.). The even better news is that the follow-on displays, which are generally embedded in your glasses like a HUD, or painted directly onto your retina with a laser, are no more of a problem than a CRT. Obviously, you shouldn't spend many long hours with your eyes at a single focal point. But with wearables, you'd be really hard-pressed to do this at all, whereas with CRTs....
Oh, and in case anyone who knows is reading this, I still think the first picture looks like Dana, don't you? Hi Dana! :-)
-Erik
There are always four sides to every story: your side, their side, the truth, and what really happened.
"With this device, under development at Georgia Tech, a cancer specialist can gather data using a sensor glove."
And then this image. Notice if you will, the part of the "doctor's" hand covered by the glove.
Think about it...
-=-=-=-=-
-=-=-=-=-
My mom's going to kick you in the face!
Check out the audience.
Hands in my pocket
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
"Trademarks are the heraldry of the new feudalism."
A couple of the devices are actually good ideas (most aren't). But if there was ever a good way to make sure a product will never have a prayer of hitting the market, it's to put it on a model. Nothing ever modelled (sp?) in those freak shows would ever be bought by any decent human being. The most extreme case: if you ever wanted to make sure nobody ever imitated a piece of clothing you design, have Cher wear it to the Oscars. Guaranteed. (you may now moderate this to -100)
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.
No Zen is good zen
for me, this is only and truly wearable PC: www.onhandpc.com
--
jaime g. wong
webmaster of the guidelight project
http://www.guidelight.f2s.com
Whoa.
Whenever I see tech like this, I try to picture it at the ubiquitous level - the point at which it becomes real - and therefore the real societal consequences. The glamour is diversionary, and obscures the truth. Like what kinda wearable computer will your average, mulletted, acne ridden guy who drives a '70 Malibu in Nebraska have - will he able to access Megadeth MP3s to blare out of speakers hidden in his shoes? Anyone with answers, please share. All this stuff is too Sony R&D. I want to see the Bruce Springsteen equivalent.
** http://www.nkhumanrights.or.kr/ ** Human rights in North Korea. 1 million estimated dead from starvation.
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...
Because we're cyborgs. We wear silicone in our eyes to enhance our vision. We determine the pace of our day by worn microprocessors. We take drugs to fight off the body's natural compliance to entropy. Clothing offers a large surface - albeit flat - in which to thread a microprocessor system, and thereby allow true portability of the extensions of certain criteria intelligence computers afford. Just as watches or glasses improve our vision, computers hidden in clothing will enhance our memory, our ability to deal with foreign languages, spatial sense, etc. I for one, would much rather prefer not having to lug around a heavy laptop everywhere I go. I want to show a new video I've shot to someone - I download it into my shirt, show up at the conference relaxed and hands free, and plug it into their system for viewing on a monitor of some sort. Fine. These things will become ubiquitous - just you wait and see. The funny thing is - how is someone who needs a wearable computer going to get around the need to wear a 2 ghz processor woven into a single shirt every day. They'll get pretty stinky soon, don't you think? The fashion implications have been avoided, really.
** http://www.nkhumanrights.or.kr/ ** Human rights in North Korea. 1 million estimated dead from starvation.
Or just free advertising?
Is it just me, or wouldn't that "fabric keyboard" do a hell of a lot more good on the SLEEVE of the jacket where the wearer can see it, rather than on the CHEST? (Of course, if one of the female models were wearing the jacket, I wouldn't mind typing a bit on it myself...)
Wow, a nerds paridise. Beautiful woman wearing exspensive technology.
-D0n'+ h$+3 M3 b3C0u5e 1'M 4 1337 Hax0R!-
In what way? The only things I was disturbed by was that the technology shown wasn't anywhere near state-of-the-art and that I can't go and buy such a device for myself right now at a reasonable price. Clearly to truly be extensions of human capacity the machines have to become more portable and/or ubiquitous. Ultimately we will have chips wired into ourselves. It is only a matter of time. Personally I need a device yesterday that is always present and can access the WEB, take notes, offer reminders, bring up stuff to read and/or work on and so on. Something that doesn't require lugging around a backpack full of stuff. Or tying up the hands. Sign me up for the beta models!
I am also quite excited that some of the notion of wearable computers and it being chic to have such is going more mainstream. In 5 years I doubt you will find many professional people who don't own a wearable.
I'm certain these specific wearable PCs will catch on with the public as much as the quasi-futuristic fashions do.
What a beatiful parallel! A handful of pictures shows you how impractical and almost insane today's futurist mania has gotten in both fashion and tech.
What could be farther from the everyman or everywoman than high-tech and high-fashion?
"They say it can be proven that in many cases nothing is better than 'Moore's Thong'," I winced to myself as the founder of Intel twirled before me wearing naught but a cheesecutter. And knowing, yea, loathing what lay ahead, still I found myself screaming, "TAKE IT OFF, PLEASE, nothing would be better than that thong!"
He smiled at me and said, "you want that I 86 it?"
...when suddenly I awoke. Luckily, it had all been a dream.
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.
If you are interested reading about a company that in the business of creating *real* wearable computers, check out xybernaut. They are even marketing Linux capable versions.
...anactofgod...
{Xybernaut + Linux + Bluetooth + Beowulf...hmmmm...}
---anactofgod---
"Equal opportunity swindling - *that* is the true test of a sustainable democracy."
Clothiers generally haven't had a great performance history in the stock market -- look at Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, for example. However, with the current linux craze, perhaps they just need to slap on an embedded device and watch the greenbacks roll in.... ;-)
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
It's a fine line between trolling and karma-whoring... and I think I just crossed it.
- Sean
If the staff had portable computers, if those portable computers had wireless data access and if we had a paperless office (too many ifs, but you get the idea) then staff could again actually achieve something for most of their calls outside the office. This is why we need wearables. Once Bluetooth hits, I'm there - mobile, Palm, headset, all wireless connected. Will call you from the future to tell you how it goes ;)
There's an excellent technological analogue to wearable computers, and that's wearable clothes. What a brilliant solution it is; allowing people to work more flexibly and reliably in a number of environments. I'm sure the original shirt/robe prototype looked rather clunky and useless too ...
idon't know if theidea will ever take off........ ....but man those models could give a dog a bone..
You can check out pictures of a "bagable" wearable webcam here here, and also and informative video on turning a laptop into a wearable.
Am I the only one who thought of a "exotic dancers" with computer chips covering the important parts of their breasts (instead of stars or whatever)?
dragonhawk@iname.microsoft.com
I do not like Microsoft. Remove them from my email address.
on number 3... you can see her nipples!!!!!!! wow! buy me one!
i can see her nipples!
I'm one of the producers of the Unwired World show. After reading these Slashdot comments, I was surprised to see how similar many of them were - in mean-spirited attempt to be clever - to the final episode of Seinfeld, which I saw on television tonight. So many insults and absurd conjectures from people who imagine themselves to be part of something useful. Here are a few facts: InfoCharms' producers arranged the fashion show in order to give recognition to dozens of designers and develops who otherwise would not be able to get credit or attention. We negotiated the booth space, then invited many companies, individuals, and universities to participate. Phone.com, Nokia, Ericsson, and Motorola didn't bother to reply. Some places, like MIT, Carnegie-Mellon, Georgia Tech, and the University of Rochester did reply, and were given free booth space to explain their work.
The focus on the poultry inspection system reflects the nitpicking by chickens on these threads. It was set up to avoid getting chicken grease on the many paper forms that the US Dept. of Agriculture requires inspectors to fill out. Do you have a problem with that? We hired a professional fashion show producer to do the show, and she did not want to have a rubber chicken in the show. The banana was handy, and pretty much everyone outside slashdot understood that it was an inspection system. For what it's worth, the show will be done at each Internet World. If you actually want to understand why, read the book The Experience Economy - all the other stuff, other than the people who mentioned knowing Thad, is off base.
Thad Starner once told me that two uniformed military men on their way to a meeting at Georgia Tech about wearables saw him walk by with his little MicroOptical display on his glasses and said, within earshot, "What the f*ck was that?" People get insulted (beaten up, etc.) every day for being different. Just look at the comment about the 'scary' audience, which in that photo happened to include a fat black person and some Asians. No one commented - I guess Slashdot is one of the few places that joking about people's color, race or weight is still okay. How does this relate to the show? Simple: having wearables associated with fashion reduces the likelihood of 'geek' or 'freak' insults that will be hurled at the first people brave enough to start wearing computers in clubs, offices, shopping, or anywhere. If Slashdot people are willing to vomit all this negativity, just think about the real world. The fear of the new or the outsider has been present throughout history, and our shows may make a positive difference. Any better ideas on how to reduce the stigma of wearables than a show open to over 80 different designers of devices and clothes in two shows? I'm all ears.
IBM, Nokia, Philips, Motorola, and many others are coming out with wearables. InfoCharms fashion shows are one way for us to use ingenuity instead of television advertising to be able to break through the 'freedom of the press - as long as you own the press' barriers. We haven't raised any outside funding, and have broken even in our first two quarters on sponsorships for the fashion shows. We have no sales or marketing people in the company, and are committed to open source software. If we get marginalized by a large company, then there will be that much less choice, innovation, and incentive for innovative applications of open source developers. As one who has lived in India and seen people die in front of my eyes, I have developed a deep commitment to bringing the Internet to the whole world, including the poorest. Only 3% of the world's population has access to the Internet. Wearables, produced in sufficient quantity, and with a few peripherals like solar powered battery rechargers, are more appropriate for people who don't have electrical outlets, or the money to have a different system at home, work, and in the car. If the wealthy countries will pay extra for fashion (and they do, as Nokia has proven), then the developing world can be subsidized. These are my motivations for doing wearables shows. What are yours in trashing them?
We just need wearable supermodels.
After writing what I did, I thought about it for a while, and then read this reply.
Real estate is more of a cut-throat, live-on-commission, always-having-to-work job. But it is almost instantly gratifying and correlated to the pay you receive and the time you put in -- Lawyers, doctors, etc, (read: professions that consumers want instant-access to).
I see that happening, but I also see my worst fear happening: sitting on the beach on a Sunday morning on Oahu, then getting paged in my eyeball by my job telling me that I have to work on my vacation.
The flip side is, however, more attractive...
I'm sitting on the beach on a Sunday morning on Oahu, I get paged in my eye telling me to fix something at my job on the mainland and I never once ever see the office. The beach is my office, and I'm never cooped up in a cube ever again.
Talk about a paradox.
-m