The breathless enthusiasm for Google Glass among certain circles, and phrases like "wearable, context aware, augmented reality is our future" reminds me of the

The breathless enthusiasm for Google Glass among certain circles, and phrases like "wearable, context aware, augmented reality is our future" reminds me of the videophone mania of the 20th century. The videophone was "just ten years in the future," every year, at least since the 1950s. We were all going to give up voice calls and replace them with video calls, any day now. In reality, it took over sixty years before practical two-way video calling became commonplace, in the form of things like Skype or FaceTime. Even now, video calls are by and large relegated to fairly specific work purposes and a fraction of personal communications. Something like Google Glass will be a reality at some point. What's not going to happen, though, is a world with everyone walking around wearing head-mounted augmented reality gear everywhere they go in some Vernor Vinge-inspired nootopia. At least not in this decade. I'm sure it's "just ten years away," though.