I am a geek that got Google Glasses yesterday, AMA...

Have you encountered anyone with a power level of over 9,000? And if so, were you afraid of it exploding once it got that point?

Yes. Terrified.

can you use V.A.T.S.?

S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn't allowed it yet.

How much better is skydiving now????

WAY BETTER!

How snug are they on your head? $1600 glasses plummeting to the ground makes my stomach cringe more than actual skydiving does.

Pretty snug, but still comfortable. They wouldn't fall off if upside down.

Thus might be the first AMA I've seen where every single question gets a reply.

How were you selected to get a pair? I see it was through work, but did you have to apply? Did Google reach out? I'm curious how that went down.

I signed up last year at Google I/O. Got an email last Friday that I could buy it. Called them up, scheduled an appointment and picked it up yesterday.

How many people have just stared at you in public with those things on? Are there any fun AR things yet?

A bunch of people stare. This may sound ridiculous, but last night, I kinda felt like celebs to with people staring all the time. A bunch of people came up to me and wanted to chat at dinner and a movie.

Haha thats awesome!

A few times, hard a hard time wiping the shiz eating grin off my face.

Would anything happen if someone went up to you and screamed "GOOGLE IMAGE SEARCH DIARRHEA OPEN RESULTS IN 9000 NEW TABS"?

ROTFLOL...

Yes?

No tabs, cards...

What are cards?

That's what they call the interface on Glass.

https://developers.google.com/glass/ui-guidelines

Actually, there is a cool little easter egg. If you go the licenses, there is a cool photosphere of the Glass team. You spin around and you can see the whole room/team.

The screen that you see, is it clear and easy to look at?

Do you have to LOOK at it to see it or is it just there?

Yeah, fairly clear. it took a little while to get used to it, but I can see it easily now. I have the tilt back turned on, so when I loop up at about 30° it will turn on. From there you can do voice control, or use the touchpad on the side. (You can also use the touchpad to turn it on.)

Thanks for the reply! Its definitely an interesting piece of kit.

I know right!

What other forms of control does it have? Can you say, connect to a Cellphone control App that gives you access to it?

The MyGlass app has a screen sharing tool. It lets you see what other people are looking at.

Does it requires a permission from other Glass users, though?

It only works with the Glass that is tethered to the phone.

Like in Portal!

YESH.

Yeah, I see what you see :) So you don't have to squint your eyes any bit to see the tiny screen properly?

Nope. You change what your eyes are focusing on, like looking at something close to looking at something further away.

[deleted]

Nope, not yet... :)

One person thought that it was recording video the whole time. Asked my wife about her thoughts about it in the bedroom...

If we had a portable device that could record video all day, while only needing to be charged once a day....

People are weird man. Our phones barely last a day and they're not even recording video constantly.

Agreed. I'm sure the day will come, not here yet tho.

I know very little about these glasses, what would you say are the main features? What's your favorite and least favorite thing about them?

Camera, that's my fav...

How do you take pictures? Do you have to say "Google (pause) Take picture"?

Ok glass, take a picture.

Do you have to start any voice command with "Ok glass"?

Yes.

Is it worth the money?

Good question. Work paid for it for me, but I would probably pay around $300 or so for my own version. $1500 is steep, but I doubt it will cost that much when finally released.

Where do you work? If you don't mind me asking.

I work at Make magazine.

How do they feel about you advertising this closed source product? Isn't Make all about the "buy it, open it up" ethos? Google Glass on the other hand expressly says that if you let someone else borrow your glasses they will brick them.

I'd say that I am hardly advertising it, more like a fan that is sharing my experience, both pros and cons. Following the Maker's Bill of Rights, I would say that this falls in line with most of the points. The case would snap open, there is a screw holding the main assembly onto the frame, and it draws power from a micro USB connection. As for software, there is an API, and plenty of documentation. For me, as a software guy, that's what I am looking for, and really happy with Google in how they document their products. Plus runs open source, Android software. What's not to like here? I signed a contract, that is what I agreed to do.

If Google Glass ends up becoming commonplace in our society, what are some basic etiquette tips that should be encouraged here in the beginning phases, i.e. privacy, recording rights, etc?

Don't be a dick.

How fragile are they? Main thing I've been wondering. Closer to sunglasses or regular glasses?

Nicer then any pair of sunglasses I've ever had. Titanium frames, twist/bendable and go right back to the right shape.

I broke a pair of titanium frames once. I "slipped and fell on them".

No, I was showing that they don't break. Don't tell anyone that, though.

Yeah, I'm sure they could break, but pretty solid.

Plain titanium doesn't do that. Do you mean "nickel titanium"? I had a pair of NiTi frames, they were awesome.

Sorry, not a chemist, or mechanical engineer. They told me titanium.

What's the most "OH SNAP" characteristic of the glasses? where did you use it? please say x-ray vision!

As soon as you put it on, you can see the screen. That's really wild. People really don't expect to see anything.

What do you mean exactly by this? Like you can see the HUD in your vision?

Well, you can see the heads up display, it's pretty awesome.

The screen is the thing over your right eye? Is it not too small? How comfortable is it to look at it?

And is it possible to use it with that over either of your eyes, or is it fixed over the right?

It looks as big as a cell phone being held at arms length. Small, yet plenty readable,

I just held out my phone at arms length

Yeah, now imagine looking through your phone...

Yeah, has to be used over your right eye.

What is something you absolutely want to do while wearing the glasses that you haven't done before?

Been pretty to get video of playing with my kids in the first person.

You just sold me on these! Awesome idea!

Yeah, pretty awesome. Keeping it out of their dirty paws, that's been the trick.

I myself already wear glasses, do they currently feature an actual pair of glasses built in? Perhaps transition lenses also for those who want non prescription sunglasses?

Not yet. Probably soon.

What, in your opinion, is the best thing about Google Glasses? Do you think it will be common for people to wear them in the future?

It's really cool to be able to get photos and video really easily, and then sharing is a total breeze. As soon as you can hook it up to FB/Twitter, that'll be really cool.

How do the Glasses connect to the Internet? WHERE'S THE BIG MODEM PORT

You plug the SCSI port into the modem. From there AOL connects using your home phone line.

In reality tho, they have wifi/bluetooth. They can be tethered to your phone or connect to local wifi.

Dumb question, but can you get these as prescription glasses? I don't need glasses, but my brother has terrible vision, so is this practical for him?

Nope, kinda tricky. I would assume that that would be an option in the future though.

So is there any capability to customize Glass's user interface? Can you specifically designate its "on" function or its "take-a-photo" function?

Some people have hacked it. There is another launcher that you can run. If you hack it.

Do you think the glass will replace any of our gadgets? If yes which one/ones?

No, just add to how we use them.

can you see video on the piece of glass? Is there any color on what pops up on the screen. Other than pictures and videos, does it really seem like a worthy purchase?

Mine has a slight red tint. Might be from the orange frame.

but it isn't like google glass has the capability project youtube videos?

Not yet. I think an app is coming.

How is the battary life of the glasses? How frequently do you charge them?

Not great, but not terrible either. About 4-6 hours of heavy use. I could probably string it out to a full day when the newness wears off.

Is it difficult not being able to manually request something and only being able To use voice command?

The side acts as a touchpad. If you want to search or something you would need to use voice. All of the other functions work from the touchpad.

Would you wear these while driving/ riding a motorbike?

Is the HUD instrusive, and can it be turned off? I think these could be awesome for filming while riding :D

Yes, did it all day yesterday. Here is a video driving through Chinatown in SF.

https://plus.google.com/104275277001090822077/posts/BPuWHwL4x8g

"post could not be found" =/

Will open something up soon.

What is your favorite feature, and is there any dangerous, or uncomfortable design flaws that you've found?

I really like the camera/sharing abilities. I have been taking a ton of pictures/sharing them. Pretty cool...

does glass only work if it's connected to your phone? does it have its own 4G connection? If so, what carrier?

It can be run over bluetooth to a phone, or use the onboard wifi.

Since you got them has anything changed?

Nope, but I hear an update is coming tomorrow.

Do you get dizzy using it? I feel like it would kinda mess up your focus.

Nope. Not staring at it constantly tho.

does the glass have google goggles feature ?

Nope, not yet. I here an update is coming tomorrow to bring some new features.

Does it bother you that someone could hack into your glasses and then know exactly what you are doing at any moment?

Does it distract you from being present with the people you are around?

No, I don't live my life in fear like that...

And, distracting like any new gadget I suppose.

How were you able to get one?

How do you plan to use it?

How have you used it so far, and how has it affected your life?

How were you able to get one?

I signed up last year at Google I/O.

How do you plan to use it?

Skydiving, trapeze acts, etc... ;)

How have you used it so far, and how has it affected your life?

Driving, taking pictures, etc. It's been pretty cool so far.

Blue pill or red pill?

Red pill.

Real question now. What is your favorite feature of the glasses?

Also, do you think these will lead to over-surveillance within society? As in, every little thing somebody does can and will be recorded by somebody for personal or legal use.

EDIT: I grammar good.

Camera is my favorite. Hoping for a Twitter/FB bridge...

Do they currently work on iphone? Is a app they sync to?

If you enable Bluetooth tethering, they just act like another phone/device.

Also, they'll also work on wifi by themselves. You don't need to be tethered to a phone.

Are you doing this AMA via Google Glass?

Nope. Via my laptop.

did you test doing a hangout with the glasses ? how it was ?

Yep, worked pretty well. Doing some more tomorrow too.

So are you a programmer?

How is the quality of video recording? How many hours? Sure beats the quality of dash cams I presume.

I was wondering how awesome it would be as a cop that I would be able to record pulling people over, fights with suspects and do searches via face recognition if they had a outstanding warrant (murder, most wanted etc). I think being able to record gives a cop more accountability instead of unleashing a firestorm.

Pretty good.

I'd just get a GoPro if that's what you want.

Are you allowed to let other people wear them?

Yeah, I've let at least 20+ people try it on.

Do you prefer apples or oranges?

Golden retrievers.

[deleted]

Nope, said elsewhere that I work for MAKE magazine. I am developer, pretty open with the privacy.

Why is that kid in the background of your picture wearing a green shirt?

Compliments his eye color.

I have to wear an eyepatch but my eyes are green. People make fun of me when I wear a green shirt, they say, "Look at the pirate in the green shirt!".

I think the parrot on your shoulder is a dead giveaway.

What do they do?

How much do they cost?

Cost $1500. $1631 with tax.

What is your middle name?

md5 hash: edfdc0fa5e2ae6e3c6d7156f3b2ce00c

do u have a gf?

I have a wife. She's like a gf, but she loves me unconditionally.

unconditionally you say

Yes, to have, and to cherish.

how long have you been together? when did you realize she was the one?

Eight years, and after about four months of dating.

Are they that noticeable on your face?

Yes, they are bright orange. Very noticeable. :)

What's your YouTube channel?

I work at MAKE magazine. Our Youtube channel.

It takes about 15 years to discover what heath effects are caused by new things (chemicals, CRT screens, cell phones, etc). Any concerns about having a radiation device strapped next to your brain all day?

Nope.

What are the three best things about Google Glass? What are the three worst things about Google Glass?

Good things:

1. Love having a camera so easily accessible. And hands free
2. Google now integration is really nice. Love having email/sports scores, driving directions just a swipe away.
3. Sharing photos/videos is really easy.

Worst Things

1. I would love to be able to share to Facebook/Twitter.
2. I know that the camera is small, and strapped to my face, but we are so spoiled with fairly decent cell phone cameras, that it would be great if there was better low light resolution.
3. Placing calls is limited to only ten people. (I hear this is changing...)

And one more...

It's ok that right now you can only share to G+, but it would be great if you could share to public/all circles. Right now you can only share to one circle at a time.

Can you have lenses put into the frames? I.e. if you are short sighted you can have google glass with your prescription lenses as well?

I'm sure that something will work eventually. Nothing right now.

What is so great about it? People are mostly telling about the camera, but you could like... buy a camera or use your phone..

Both of those take using my hands...

What is the sole purpose of this impressive device OP? and Does it have X-ray vision?

Hands free interface to Google services that are output to a heads up display.