Augmented Reality: Enhanced Perception 242
Webratta writes: "Can you imagine wearing glasses or goggles that, when looking at a person, a built-in display would tell you everything you wanted to know about that person? According to an article in Popular Science the day of cyborg-like enhanced perception could be closer than we imagined. Just imagine the privacy concerns stemming from this..."
Re:Privacy issues - not necessarily (Score:3, Insightful)
Link it via bluetooth to your PDA and it could remind you of meetings that you're meant to have with the person you've just met face-to-face. You could conveniently re-schedule the meeting to have right now instead. I'd certainly like that, because countless times I've been too submersed in whatever project I'm working on to think about the more real-world things, and I often program things into the organizer on my phone to remind me to go and see someone, etc. This could pop-up a message in front of me saying "Reminder: You are to talk to this person about project xyz at some point today". Thinking of it this way, it could be good for members of the non-geek community who have problems with their memory too.
How to find a date... (Score:2, Insightful)
Thinking about it, this could create something of a Cupid's Arrow Effect. Say you are looking at someone in a room and the lights go out - instantly you end up targetted in their display.
Maybe a more reliable system would be needed, but it sure would be interesting.
otoh, how attractive can a person be wearing goggles?
TJ
Thoughts... (Score:2, Insightful)
I think a link to a personal datasource is the way to go, with various connections to trusted information providers. If the map company decides to put ads in its building descriptions, disconnect from their service and join with one who doesn't. You should be able to put on your goggles and see NOTHING AT ALL, and add only the stuff you want.
Personal datasources might link to other people's sources, in a kind of collaberative system that allows feedback ("you liked that bar? It SUCKED!") and filtering (browsing the world at +5 to avoid the trolls and goatse.cx).
In order to further clean up the datastream, rocksolid specs for different types of data should be established, probably using XML. No executables either, that way people can't stick Flash animations or viruses in their location descriptions.
I wonder if use of these kind of info-tools will result in weakened memory, sense of direction, etc... not to mention the social awkwardness of people staring off into space while they process the latest blip.
Oh, kinda off-topic: I googled and found what looks to be the full text of Virtual Light [lib.ru] by William Gibson.
I think the tail is wagging the dog here (Score:2, Insightful)
rant() {
I can't help but imagine somewhere some marketing wank telling the VP of R&D that he can convince people that we can't exist without some high-tech widget that humanity has existed tens of thousands of years without, and having convined us, make bank off it. Never in my life have I heard anyone musing "hmmm I wish I could walk around town with dorky looking goggles that would tell me everything about the people I look at. I already have a pair of glasses that tell me every thing I want to know about the people around me...they're Ray Bans, and they tell me nothing.
It just seems to me that in some cases, the tail is wagging the dog with this gadgetry. And that would be fine if the gadgets weren't forced down the throat of pop-culture to the point that is it impossible or at least extremely inconvenient to avoid participating.
}