Here's to the Google Glass Explorers

My name is Bob, and I’m addicted to gadgets.

It started when I was young and my Uncle Frank purchased what might have been the first commercial pocket calculator with an LED display. I don’t know what he paid for it, but judging from Aunt Helen’s reaction, it was not cheap.

Still, Uncle Frank was silly with excitement and fearlessly in love with this new technology. He took me aside and explained about transistors and miniaturization. We solved impossible division problems with ridiculous ease. Then he punched in “.7734” and held the device upside down so that the numbers read, “HELL.O” – thus performing the world’s first calculator word trick.

Yesterday, I thought fondly of my late uncle as I decided against taking up Google on its offer of buying Google Glass for $1,500. For one thing, that’s a “7734” of a lot of money. Also -- as I joked on Twitter – given my wife’s healthy love of privacy, the resulting divorce would probably make such a purchase even more cost-prohibitive.

But I’m not a Google Glass Explorer hater. I admire people who try new things and share their excitement and their successes. I’m a technology optimist and believe that many new applications have great potential for good. The company I work for believes this too.

As Uncle Frank might say today: “OK Glass… Send a message to Bob that he hasn’t seen anything yet.”