512 Pixels

The Verge has a great video of Joshua Topolsky trying out Google’s smartglasses. Here’s a bit from Steve Lee, Glass’ Product Director.

People want to be connected, and technology has enabled that. But a problem is that the technology creates distraction and takes you out of the moment.

[…]

How do we solve that problem? How do we get technology out of the way when you’re doing activities, but have it there when you need it?

At this point, Topolsky asks if this is a way to combat people glancing down at their phones all the time. Google’s answer?

A key part to us solving that problem is bringing technology closer to your senses.

That’s a big, bold statement, but Google’s project is big and bold. Here’s Topolsky:

The screen is not disruptive, you do not feel burdened by it. It is there and then it is gone. It’s not shocking. It’s not jarring. It’s just this new thing in your field of vision. And it’s actually pretty cool.

That’s good to hear. Two days ago, I wrote this:

The beauty of the iPhone is that you can leave it in your pocket.

Maybe Glass being off is like having your phone in your pocket after all, but I can’t reconcile having technology so close and so transparent at the same time.

But maybe I’m already too old to think this sort of thing is cool, or that it will work. There’s no doubt in my mind that Google Glass is pushing some serious boundaries, but I’m not sure what they’re pushing against is something I want moved.

Earlier today, Google took the wraps off the Chromebook Pixel, a notebook with a 12.85-inch, Retina-quality touch display, 1TB of cloud storage (for three years) and optional LTE.

Google touts its Chrome OS as the way forward:

Pixel boots-up in seconds and stays fast, requires almost zero setup or maintenance, and comes with virus protection built-in. Best of all, it stays up to date with seamless updates every few weeks.

At $1200, this machine flies in the face of previous statements made by Eric Schmidt. I guess since netbooks died out, Google decided to copy the MacBook Air, right down to the chiclet backlit keyboard, glass trackpad and its “machined anodized aluminum alloy” chassis.

And what does the company think this notebook is best for?

On the Chromebook Pixel, your favorite Google products – like YouTube, Gmail, Hangouts and Drive – shine.

You know what else Google products “shine” on? Any. Other. Notebook.

I really think Chrome OS is a cool idea, but this just seems silly. I have no doubt the company will push this product, but the software doesn’t seem to justify the hardware Google’s thrown at it.

Linus Edwards has complied a list of doozies.

With myself being ensconced in a fugue state, Myke and I address a grab-bag of topics ranging from Lenovo Thinkpads to Google Glasses and iPhone Homescreens.

This episode is brought to you by: Squarespace, the secret behind exceptional websites. Go to squarespace.com/70decibels to start your free trial and use the offer code 70decibels2 at checkout to get 10% off your first order.

This morning, Google rolled out a new webpage for its Glass project, which includes this video of people using the product.

Google Glass is insanely interesting to me, but that’s not to say I’d be interested in owning a pair of the $1500 smartglasses.

The idea of having an ever-connected device seeing what you see is about as from-the-future as you can get, but I’m not sure I’d want Google being in between me and what I’m seeing. The beauty of the iPhone is that you can leave it in your pocket.

Jim Dalrymple:

Apple on Tuesday admitted to being the victim of a hacker attack by the same people that went after Facebook last week. Apple said it is taking steps to help its customers, including releasing an updated Java malware removal tool.

The first comment on Jim’s post is awesome.

Also awesome? That Apple looks out for its customers, even though the issue is with Java, and not OS X itself.

Treehouse is a better way to learn technology. library of step-by-step video courses and training exercises will give you a wide range of competitive, in-demand technology skills that will help you land your next dream job or build your startup idea. No experience? No problem!

Learn to build websites, create iPhone and Android apps, code with Ruby on Rails and PHP, or start a business. Start learning today, and get 1 month free.

Sponsorship by The Syndicate.

Jim Grey:

Car logotypes are meant to convey something about the automobile to which they are attached.

Benj Edwards pours one out for a bunch of forgotten Macs.

Thomas Brand:

Most people have a mix of natural abilities, but the gifts we call superpowers often are tempered through training and experience. That is the case for me. My superpowers come as the result of a disease. I am legally blind. […] When it comes to superpowers I am gifted. I have three. LHON might have taken some of my vision, but in return it left me with heightened abilities I would easily trade for the chance to drive a car, or read a classroom blackboard.

Thomas lists his excellent memory, hearing and an ease with public speaking as the powers he’s been granted from battling with his vision. Having spent a good amount of time with Thomas on two occasions, I can say that he is spot-on with his self-assessment.

I couldn’t help but think of my son Josiah reading Thomas’ article this evening.

When Josiah was diagnosed with brain cancer, the doctors told us that he may be blind in one eye, and probably would never walk or use his left arm.

While his vision is impaired slightly (it’s easy to sneak up on him due to his lack of peripheral vision on the left side), he spends his days running up and down the hallway in our house, laughing and singing with his little sister, with just a hint of a limp. While his left arm (and especially hand) are weak, through years of physical and occupational therapy, he’s gained lots of movement and strength.

What Josiah may lack he makes up for in attitude and spirit. He’s kind, funny and out-going. He wants to be in your lap if you’re sitting down, but won’t be content until he’s made you laugh.

I don’t know if Josiah will ever be able to drive or play basketball or swim. But I don’t care, because he — like Thomas — is a super hero.

Jordan Golson at MacRumors:

New iMac models on the Apple Online Store list a lead time of several weeks to get delivered, while the refurbished models claim to ship in 1–3 days, with $200 and $230 discounts on the low- and high-end 21" models respectively.

If you need an iMac now, this is the way to go.

Bryan Bishop:

The Computer Science Museum is offering the source code for Photoshop 1.0.1 for the Mac with Adobe’s blessing. It’s for non-commercial use, though it’s not something you’re going to be able to run out of the gate — aside from operating system and architecture issues, the MacApp libraries that were licensed from Apple at the time are not included. It consists of about 128,000 lines of code, the majority of which were written in the Pascal programming language.

Mmhmm, Pascal…

Speaking of Photoshop, don’t miss Paul Miller’s look at the apps’ development over the years.