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The honest truth is that since about 2007, the non-conformists are found just about everywhere but tech. It’s just how these things work. The newest ideas are

The honest truth is that since about 2007, the non-conformists are found just about everywhere but tech. It’s just how these things work. The newest ideas aren’t going to come from computer science or IT, they are going to come from outside those fields and then be adapted and monetized. That’s how it has always worked. The example I always like to go on and on about is AR. In 2023, augmented reality should have already been a dominant technology adopted by the mainstream. Yet, we don’t see anyone using it. This is because the people who worked on adoption failed to realize that functional fashion, in other words wearable computing, was the future, not ridiculous looking glasses. I should be able to grab a baseball cap, put it on my head, and have as much functionality as a mini PC or high end smartphone. Yet it doesn’t exist. I should be able to wear clothing with screens embedded in the sleeves, or projecting displays available on my wrist. Still don’t have it. Functional fashion and clothing have enormous tech potential, and we still don’t see much. Everyone needs clothing. All you need to do is make it useful.

jimbo9991 4y ago
The benefit of having something attached to your body vs taking a second longer to get from the phone in your pocket renders the value proposition of wearable tech pretty small in most cases. The easy sells have already mostly been made (apple watches) and are only slightly popular.
RangerScience 4y ago
One of the unexpected main issues with functional fashion AKA tech inside of clothes is simple: washing. Still wish it was more of a thing.
- bigDinosaur 4y ago
  I can't think of a single reason I'd want tech integrated with my clothes. What's a problem it could solve?
  - sammalloy 4y ago
    Well, you can look at how the health and fitness industry is currently using it for 3D body scans, and extrapolate from there. I’m interested in clothing that gives me feedback as to my vitals and health.
bbor 4y ago
Ok super curious. What does a computer in a baseball cap do, or look like? Is there a big battery pack on the back? Does it… does it talk?
- sammalloy 4y ago
  Good question, but I’m not talking about computers inside of hats, per se, I’m talking about using fashion design to guide usability and adoption rather than the other way around. In the example of the baseball cap, I want you to look at it as a blank platform. It’s unisex, it has wide use throughout modern culture and society, and is generally regarded as innocuous and informal, making it appropriate for many occasions, both indoors and outdoors. The baseball cap is simply the perfect medium in terms of its size and weight distribution, for an enormous number of add-on components which can interface with a wireless network or a smartphone device worn elsewhere. Examples include simple lights and projection displays on to external surfaces, and my personal favorite, the drop down HUD for AR from the bill. The bill itself is where the real action can take place, with snap on modular components depending on task. Whether I’m cooking in the kitchen, doing laundry, or just working out, the hat would give me more freedom to move around and it wouldn’t require me to wear glasses, which comes in handy for those of us who already do.
pharmakom 4y ago
Google and Levi made a smart jacket and it was kind of a flop.
- sammalloy 4y ago
  Thanks for that. I never heard of it before, so I took a look. First thing I noticed is that it seemed to be designed for women only, but I could be wrong. Second thing that popped out at me is why would I buy this? Looking at the product page, it seems to try and dumb down the tech and make it as utilitarian and pedestrian as possible. I think it’s a great idea, but terribly executed.
  - pharmakom 4y ago
    No idea. The Verge did a pretty good video review at the time.
Earw0rm 4y ago
Reality is already heavily augmented with any smartphone - what matters is not whether it's in your line of sight, but that there's in effect a constant high bandwidth flow of information between your consciousness and the net (or whatever is mediated by it). AR and smart clothing offer, for most people, only a fairly marginal advantage over connected watches/cars/phones/homes - and aren't without downsides (do I want all my coats to be smart? What if I'm going out in a t-shirt.. how does boring, necessary stuff like charging and laundry work?)
- sammalloy 4y ago
  I understand your perspective, but I feel this is more of a throwback to the old Star Trek paradigm of carrying tricorders and com devices rather than something like the Culture paradigm, where you have a basic terminal device if you need or desire it, but smaller, noninvasive tech for everything, with the neural lace the most invisible (but obviously embedded in your brain). For me personally, I want to see the hardware disappear and fade into the background. When I’m cooking, I want to see the recipes and instructions overlayed, and when I’m examining my car, I want to see diagnostics on top of my vision, and when I’m working out, I want to see my vitals. I don’t want to be looking at a watch, staring into glasses, or holding a device of any kind. I’m arguing that fashion designers can accomplish this task better than technologists alone. Clothing, love it or hate it, when done right, becomes somewhat invisible to those who wear it. It’s the perfect medium to make this happen. I’m sitting on a chair right now, looking down at my pants. This is empty, available real estate for display, one on each pant leg. I’m sorry if people find this ridiculous, but it just makes so much more sense to me than holding a device. It’s also perfect space for a split keyboard input, one half on each fabric of the pant leg. It would enable writers to compose just about anywhere, and it’s not unprecedented. On location news crews outside of their TV vans would use keyboards like this, strapped around their waist.
  - Earw0rm 4y ago
    Speaking of the Culture paradigm, could very much go for a drone. (I mean autonomous, self-recharging, etc., not the more-or-less manually controlled camera drones of today). Speech recognition and synthesis, and ChatGPT set up to respond with a suitably snarky persona. True vision overlays and suchlike still have some significant materials-science challenges, it's a lot more than just product design. Writers can already compose anywhere. Roll-up keyboards exist, as does voice dictation input. The ergonomics of tapping on pant legs don't seem to offer an advantage.
raspberry1337 4y ago
A smart baseball cap? Hell, you're thinking too small here, I want smart socks! And they can process sweat into battery!
- sammalloy 4y ago
  Sounds like slavery with extra steps! (sorry, had to)
tlb 4y ago
The fact that you can’t fit a useful AR system in stylish glasses is a technology problem. It’s really not that people working on it think is should look big and clunky as some kind of nerd fashion. They’re making them as small as they can and it will take a lot more R&D to get the processing and optics small enough to look cool.
- sammalloy 4y ago
  Make it a drop down clear flip screen in a baseball cap. Everyone will wear them. Not only does it look cool, it’s functional and efficient. Check out the Asian-style sun visor hats for related fashion styles similar to this idea.

jimbo9991 4y ago

The benefit of having something attached to your body vs taking a second longer to get from the phone in your pocket renders the value proposition of wearable tech pretty small in most cases. The easy sells have already mostly been made (apple watches) and are only slightly popular.

RangerScience 4y ago

One of the unexpected main issues with functional fashion AKA tech inside of clothes is simple: washing. Still wish it was more of a thing.

bigDinosaur 4y ago
I can't think of a single reason I'd want tech integrated with my clothes. What's a problem it could solve?
- sammalloy 4y ago
  Well, you can look at how the health and fitness industry is currently using it for 3D body scans, and extrapolate from there. I’m interested in clothing that gives me feedback as to my vitals and health.

bbor 4y ago

Ok super curious. What does a computer in a baseball cap do, or look like? Is there a big battery pack on the back? Does it… does it talk?

sammalloy 4y ago
Good question, but I’m not talking about computers inside of hats, per se, I’m talking about using fashion design to guide usability and adoption rather than the other way around. In the example of the baseball cap, I want you to look at it as a blank platform. It’s unisex, it has wide use throughout modern culture and society, and is generally regarded as innocuous and informal, making it appropriate for many occasions, both indoors and outdoors. The baseball cap is simply the perfect medium in terms of its size and weight distribution, for an enormous number of add-on components which can interface with a wireless network or a smartphone device worn elsewhere. Examples include simple lights and projection displays on to external surfaces, and my personal favorite, the drop down HUD for AR from the bill. The bill itself is where the real action can take place, with snap on modular components depending on task. Whether I’m cooking in the kitchen, doing laundry, or just working out, the hat would give me more freedom to move around and it wouldn’t require me to wear glasses, which comes in handy for those of us who already do.

pharmakom 4y ago

Google and Levi made a smart jacket and it was kind of a flop.

sammalloy 4y ago
Thanks for that. I never heard of it before, so I took a look. First thing I noticed is that it seemed to be designed for women only, but I could be wrong. Second thing that popped out at me is why would I buy this? Looking at the product page, it seems to try and dumb down the tech and make it as utilitarian and pedestrian as possible. I think it’s a great idea, but terribly executed.
- pharmakom 4y ago
  No idea. The Verge did a pretty good video review at the time.

Earw0rm 4y ago

Reality is already heavily augmented with any smartphone - what matters is not whether it's in your line of sight, but that there's in effect a constant high bandwidth flow of information between your consciousness and the net (or whatever is mediated by it). AR and smart clothing offer, for most people, only a fairly marginal advantage over connected watches/cars/phones/homes - and aren't without downsides (do I want all my coats to be smart? What if I'm going out in a t-shirt.. how does boring, necessary stuff like charging and laundry work?)

sammalloy 4y ago
I understand your perspective, but I feel this is more of a throwback to the old Star Trek paradigm of carrying tricorders and com devices rather than something like the Culture paradigm, where you have a basic terminal device if you need or desire it, but smaller, noninvasive tech for everything, with the neural lace the most invisible (but obviously embedded in your brain). For me personally, I want to see the hardware disappear and fade into the background. When I’m cooking, I want to see the recipes and instructions overlayed, and when I’m examining my car, I want to see diagnostics on top of my vision, and when I’m working out, I want to see my vitals. I don’t want to be looking at a watch, staring into glasses, or holding a device of any kind. I’m arguing that fashion designers can accomplish this task better than technologists alone. Clothing, love it or hate it, when done right, becomes somewhat invisible to those who wear it. It’s the perfect medium to make this happen. I’m sitting on a chair right now, looking down at my pants. This is empty, available real estate for display, one on each pant leg. I’m sorry if people find this ridiculous, but it just makes so much more sense to me than holding a device. It’s also perfect space for a split keyboard input, one half on each fabric of the pant leg. It would enable writers to compose just about anywhere, and it’s not unprecedented. On location news crews outside of their TV vans would use keyboards like this, strapped around their waist.
- Earw0rm 4y ago
  Speaking of the Culture paradigm, could very much go for a drone. (I mean autonomous, self-recharging, etc., not the more-or-less manually controlled camera drones of today). Speech recognition and synthesis, and ChatGPT set up to respond with a suitably snarky persona. True vision overlays and suchlike still have some significant materials-science challenges, it's a lot more than just product design. Writers can already compose anywhere. Roll-up keyboards exist, as does voice dictation input. The ergonomics of tapping on pant legs don't seem to offer an advantage.

raspberry1337 4y ago

A smart baseball cap? Hell, you're thinking too small here, I want smart socks! And they can process sweat into battery!

sammalloy 4y ago
Sounds like slavery with extra steps! (sorry, had to)

tlb 4y ago

The fact that you can’t fit a useful AR system in stylish glasses is a technology problem. It’s really not that people working on it think is should look big and clunky as some kind of nerd fashion. They’re making them as small as they can and it will take a lot more R&D to get the processing and optics small enough to look cool.

sammalloy 4y ago
Make it a drop down clear flip screen in a baseball cap. Everyone will wear them. Not only does it look cool, it’s functional and efficient. Check out the Asian-style sun visor hats for related fashion styles similar to this idea.