Comment by simonsarris | Hacker News Reader

Comment by simonsarris | Hacker News Reader

The article doesn't mention it, but here's the Penny Arcade[1] comic (from back in May) titled "Glasshole", which illustrates why many people are uncomfortable about Google Glass users:

http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2013/06/14

I don't think this list (never mind the tech-crunch article, the real list from Google is here[2]) really mitigates this fundamental issue.

> Be patient and explain that Glass has a lot of the same features as a mobile phone (camera, maps, email, etc.)

The problem remains that a person who holds a mobile phone up to their face (potentially recording what's straight ahead) is just called an asshole.

I imagine the majority of people think it is rude to hold up a video camera all of the time while in public/starbucks/supermarket, even if the camera is off (Importantly: It does not matter if the camera is on or cannot possibly be on. As if the median person could tell or know). People are uncomfortable being potentially recorded in their daily interactions. Nobody wants to feel stared down by a camera or recorded.

So I think "don't be rude" (from Google's list) isn't a very helpful tip. Wearing Google Glass in public is rude.

~~~

[1] Gabe from Penny Arcade recounts his experience:

> As I was walking in today I heard the front door open and I quickly slid my Glass down off my head and slung it around my neck. A woman passed me by and I gave her a polite smile. As I got inside the building I moved the Glass back up to my head but I realised the reason I took it off was because I didn’t want to be rude.

> I was not embarrassed or worried she would think I was a dork. I AM a dork! What I was worried about was being rude. I feel like walking around with a camera pointed at people even if it’s not recording is just not polite. It’s a very strange feeling that I’m only just now trying to get my head around. I think the technology is incredibly cool but I wonder if socially we are ready for Glass. I’m starting to think the Google Glass Explorer program might be less about testing hardware, and more about testing people.

from: http://www.penny-arcade.com/news/post/2013/06/12/google-glas...

[2] https://sites.google.com/site/glasscomms/glass-explorers

> Wearing Google Glass in public is rude

I don't think this is universally true. For instance, if someone was a tourist on vacation and they were using Glass to take a POV video of a moment of their trip, I wouldn't find that rude, as long as this was happening in a well-known public area where people are likely already recording videos with smartphones.

Basically, if you're doing something really unique in your life, and you want to capture a video of it for memories and sharing, I couldn't blame people for wearing Glass. Actually, it'd be superior to a smartphone for this purpose, as it inhibits interaction much less than holding a phone up in front of your face.

But in the majority of cases in normal life, yeah, I'd be bothered if I went out with a buddy and he was wearing Glass all night.

I think that Glass will reach an equilibrium where everyone around you assumes that if you're wearing it then you are actively using it for something. If they can deduce what your purpose is (e.g., tourist), then I don't think they'll be bothered. But if it's unclear why you're using Glass, I think it'll make people uncomfortable.

I've been wearing Glass inside and outside regularly since April last year. I've met one single person during that time who asked me to take it off - a CEO at a startup who said they had sensitive meetings going on in the office that couldn't be recorded. I've met one single person who acted like Glass was rude and said not to record him. I've met dozens and dozens of people who were super interested, wanted to know all about it, and wanted to try it on: http://neatocode.tumblr.com/post/50125618850/outside-glass-o...

Many even asked for pictures of themselves wearing it. This thing where you think it is rude and the public hates it? It's all in your head. If you have a friend with one, ask to wear it around a bit. You become a minor celebrity with people stopping you constantly, happily, wanting to know all about it.

Hi. I am the first person you have met that will politely ask you to remove your recording device in my presence.

Nice to meet you!

Do you ask people to take the batteries out of their cellphones?

If not, why not?

Because they don't point them at my face, constantly.

There's a mic, a wide angle lens, and an internet connection.

How do you know they're not constantly recording what you say?

Because they don't point it at my face, constantly.

You don't need to point a microphone at somebody's face to record them, nor do you need to point a camera lens at them to record them.

And they may well be doing that, and that would make them assholes.

What do you not get about this being subjective and based on cultural and behavioural expectations?

Jesus...

If they hold them up in my face (without a good reason such as me saying/doing something where recording/photos are plausible and expected), I'd ask them to put it away, and probably knock it out of their hand or walk away if they didn't within a reasonable timeframe.

I'd do the same for google glasses.

If your response to a camera is violence, the problem lies with you, not the owner of the camera. I dearly hope you actually follow through on your violent threats one day, so that you can spend some time in jail gaining some perspective.

Unfortunately for glassholes, I live somewhere where that would be considered an acceptable response to being filmed without consent.

I don't believe there is any first-world nation where such behavior would not be considered criminal, so I can't see that being "unfortunate" for anyone wealthy enough to have Glass in the first place. Enjoy your shithole, I guess?

Criminal? To knock a camera out of someone's hand if they refuae to stop filming you?

Not likely to get much in the way of a prosecution out of that in most of Europe.

Would that be why there are no paparazzi in Europe? Oh wait...

Papparazzi would most likely sue at that point, not a criminal charge. A random glasshole on the street is unlikely to find a lot of sympathy from the police.

I didn't realize Europe was so much more violent than the US. I'll be sure to steer clear of that barbaric continent.

Cool, one less glasshole.

People aren’t going to ask you to take it off. They’re just going to silently decide that you’re an asshole.

Just like those jerks talking on cellphones in public in the 90s.

I won't ask you to remove it. I'll just avoid you.

I haven't really thought about it until this article but wearing glass while talking to someone might be about as rude as wearing dark tinted sunglasses and talking to someone while swiping around on your phone.

If its sunny out you can generally get away with it, but most the time even outside, unless its a close friend, I'll raise my glasses so I can make eye contact. Having glass in between you might be a thing for good or maybe we'll get past it. Time will tell.

I think we'll eventually get over it, but that is what we're up against for now.

I've probably been up close with thirty glassholes in the last year. Never, not even once, have I indicated to any of them what I thought about their rudeness. The closest I've come was just silently removing myself from the situation. It's very hard to believe that this possibility has not occurred to you.

When someone does not create a confrontation scene, it does not mean that he approves...

Only a very small minority of people will actually come and break your glasses, so yes, you can get away with it being a glasshole, most of the time.

And that arrogance will make people to think bad about you, you are not being polite.

Another comment already made this point, but I'm pretty sure most people found it rude and just didn't want to say anything. This weekend I met/saw at least 5 people with Glass on. I didn't tell them to take it off, I just avoided them. You should consider this as a strong possibility.

I think that in the Penny Arcade comic, the captions should be switched.

What you're actually doing is wearing Glass and enjoying dinner per the first frame - but what everyone (at least the PA authors) thinks you're doing is what's indicated in the second frame.

It works both ways.

>I imagine the majority of people think it is rude to hold up a video camera all of the time while in public/starbucks/supermarket, even if the camera is off (Importantly: It does not matter if the camera is on or cannot possibly be on. As if the median person could tell or know). People are uncomfortable being potentially recorded in their daily interactions. Nobody wants to feel stared down by a camera or recorded.

On a related (and slightly funny) note: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym7x7twSoqc

Imagine these reactions when wearing Google Glass and then you'll know why it might not be such a great idea to use one.

"I imagine the majority of people think it is rude to hold up a video camera all of the time while in public/starbucks/supermarket, even if the camera is off"

The problem is that there is no way to know when the camera is on and off, (like a hardware led) so you have to assume that the camera is always on.

If video thing is so uncomfortable/confusing, a simple solution could be to add a simple LED indicating if camera is on or off. Apart from that I don't think there is anything else major that would annoy people around you.

I wonder if Google not equipping Glass with an indicator LED to tell whether it's recording was an omission on their part or a deliberate design choice they made for some reason (which then misfired).

Probably on the behalf of the NSA wanting remote access to them.

The problem is culturally people treat a camera lens like an eye, and studies show that merely seeing a picture of an eye or a camera causes people to act like they're being surveilled (signs with eyes on them and a message are obeyed more often).

So you're always going to have a problem pointing a lens at someone, no matter what indicators are there.

I suspect the innovation needed here is mechanical - Google should try adding a mechanically driven shutter to the camera, so when it's off, the lens is covered. I would bet strongly that that would solve 95% of people's problem with Google Glass.

Because glassholes really couldn't tape over that, right?

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