8 ms·

Maybe because the biggest hurdle Google is trying to overcome with Glass is the the "fashion" side of it, which Steve Mann has not cracked in those 20 years and

Maybe because the biggest hurdle Google is trying to overcome with Glass is the the "fashion" side of it, which Steve Mann has not cracked in those 20 years and isn't going to if he has 20 years more. Also - does he really have so much experience with that tech? There seems to be some controversy around how much self-promotion he's doing via Wikipedia.

rasur 14y ago
You should read his book "Intelligent Image Processing" for a bit more information on what he's been doing in the area.
rdl 14y ago
I was an undergrad research assistant for him for a while in the mid-1990s. He's both self-promotional and has legitimately done all of the stuff he's promoting.
jessriedel 14y ago
Academics have been driven largely by hubris since time immemorial. It's a mistake to think that this conflicts in principle with a passion for the subject (all though in can in practice, of course). If you get rid of all the academics who made you nauseous with self-promotion, you'd pretty much just be left with Erdős and some teachers. Incidentally, for those who haven't read it, pg's analysis of the incredible technology of the Segway being completely trumped by human fashion is great: http://www.paulgraham.com/segway.html http://www.paulgraham.com/segway.html
- archangel_one 14y ago
  I'm not saying that self-promotion is entirely and absolutely bad. Just that the post I replied to seemed to think that Mann was the be-all and end-all of the field, and I'm not sure how much that was based off his own propaganda.
- javert 14y ago
  As a graduate student, I can tell you, what you are saying is just plain untrue. Surprisingly many professors I know seem to be genuinely motivated by what they see as a service to society. Typically, more through teaching than research. Yes, there are a few big jerks who are clearly driven by wanting to show off.
  - lutusp 14y ago
    > As a graduate student ... Implying an educated person. > ... I can tell you, what your [sic] saying is just plain untrue. Did that education include English literacy? s/your/you're/
    - javert 14y ago
      > Implying an educated person. I'm actually far more literate than most of my colleagues. Making this mistake honestly makes me want to harm myself.
  - shardling 14y ago
    Hmm, I wonder if maybe there's some correlation between academics the poster has heard of, and those that self-promote? :)
  - jessriedel 14y ago
    As a post-doc, I think you're deluding yourself or they're fooling you :)
    - javert 14y ago
      Becoming an academic in CS for the sake of showing off would be an extremely dumb move. You get paid less than your students after just a few years, and nobody knows about you except some small clique of international researchers. I do know of one or two in my area who seem this way, and I think they're very shallow people. And I know of some profs who are just kind of slackers. Maybe they though academia was something different than what it turned out to be. But most profs are smart enough to know what kind of life it is going in. (A modicum of intelligence and societal savvy are required to get the job.)
jessriedel 14y ago
Academics have been driven largely by hubris since time immemorial. It's a mistake to think that this conflicts in principle with a passion for the subject (all though in can in practice, of course). If you get rid of all the academics who made you nauseous with self-promotion, you'd pretty much just be left with Erdős and some teachers. Incidentally, for those who haven't read it, pg's analysis of the incredible technology of the Segway being completely trumped by human fashion is great: http://www.paulgraham.com/segway.html http://www.paulgraham.com/segway.html
hatcravat 14y ago
> Also - does he really have so much experience with that tech? Well, I, for one, was fascinated with wearable computers for a time after reading an article about Steve Mann (in MIT Technology Review, IIRC). That was about fifteen years ago. Based on my memory of that article, I'd say that 20 years is a bit of an understatement.

rasur 14y ago

You should read his book "Intelligent Image Processing" for a bit more information on what he's been doing in the area.

rdl 14y ago

I was an undergrad research assistant for him for a while in the mid-1990s. He's both self-promotional and has legitimately done all of the stuff he's promoting.

jessriedel 14y ago

Academics have been driven largely by hubris since time immemorial. It's a mistake to think that this conflicts in principle with a passion for the subject (all though in can in practice, of course). If you get rid of all the academics who made you nauseous with self-promotion, you'd pretty much just be left with Erdős and some teachers. Incidentally, for those who haven't read it, pg's analysis of the incredible technology of the Segway being completely trumped by human fashion is great: http://www.paulgraham.com/segway.html http://www.paulgraham.com/segway.html

archangel_one 14y ago
I'm not saying that self-promotion is entirely and absolutely bad. Just that the post I replied to seemed to think that Mann was the be-all and end-all of the field, and I'm not sure how much that was based off his own propaganda.
javert 14y ago
As a graduate student, I can tell you, what you are saying is just plain untrue. Surprisingly many professors I know seem to be genuinely motivated by what they see as a service to society. Typically, more through teaching than research. Yes, there are a few big jerks who are clearly driven by wanting to show off.
- lutusp 14y ago
  > As a graduate student ... Implying an educated person. > ... I can tell you, what your [sic] saying is just plain untrue. Did that education include English literacy? s/your/you're/
  - javert 14y ago
    > Implying an educated person. I'm actually far more literate than most of my colleagues. Making this mistake honestly makes me want to harm myself.
- shardling 14y ago
  Hmm, I wonder if maybe there's some correlation between academics the poster has heard of, and those that self-promote? :)
- jessriedel 14y ago
  As a post-doc, I think you're deluding yourself or they're fooling you :)
  - javert 14y ago
    Becoming an academic in CS for the sake of showing off would be an extremely dumb move. You get paid less than your students after just a few years, and nobody knows about you except some small clique of international researchers. I do know of one or two in my area who seem this way, and I think they're very shallow people. And I know of some profs who are just kind of slackers. Maybe they though academia was something different than what it turned out to be. But most profs are smart enough to know what kind of life it is going in. (A modicum of intelligence and societal savvy are required to get the job.)

jessriedel 14y ago

hatcravat 14y ago

> Also - does he really have so much experience with that tech? Well, I, for one, was fascinated with wearable computers for a time after reading an article about Steve Mann (in MIT Technology Review, IIRC). That was about fifteen years ago. Based on my memory of that article, I'd say that 20 years is a bit of an understatement.