Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Misanthrope's Delight

It has occurred to me that with a sophisticated enough version of Google Glass and a set of noise-canceling earphones, you could have a selective "Ignore" feature in real life.

Talk about your killer apps...

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16 comments:

TJIC said...

This is a major plot device of John C. Wright's first novel from ~15 years ago.

Baker M. Romeo said...

Skip the chump change, and replace the glass with an Oculus Rift - shut the whole world out all in one go!

Matt said...

That would be perfect for long plane flights.

fillyjonk said...

Wow. That might almost get me to consider buying one.

So much better than using it to be a creeper by looking up all the details you can find on some random Joe on the street.

Joel said...

Yeah, one of these days I'm gonna start an IV drip, pull down the goggles and just spend the rest of my life in the Metaverse.

Not today, though. Gotta wait till the idiots evolve. I'm sure it won't take long.

Drang said...

Add a droud...

AuricTech said...

Should some enterprising university offer degree programs in Misanthropology (the study of why people tend to be so stupid, especially in groups), you could expect immediate offers of tenured positions as Professor Emerita in the subject*.

When compared to various "[FITB] studies" programs, a degree in Misanthroplogy would be infinitely more valuable in the marketplace....

*Alas, as someone who has earned (at most) an MS degree in Misanthropology through life experience, I could expect no more than an adjunct professor's position.

Kristophr said...

With facial recognition software, you can give people e-bay type ratings, and set thresholds for dishonesty, sanity, and idiocy for people you want to be able to talk to you.

Errrrmmm ... why am I an everyone's /ignore list?

lelnet said...

I'd be perpetually bumping into people I couldn't see, is the problem.

And I'd be so happy that I wouldn't care about the bruises.

Might be a bad trade-off. Or it might not. :)

ASM826 said...

"This will feel...a little weird.

http://youtu.be/xOLvhdTUBXs

staghounds said...

Or just turn it upside down- http://www.forbes.com/pictures/egel45emjf/upside-down-goggles/

mikee said...

I'll stick with my Joo Janta 200 Super-Chromatic Peril Sensitive Sunglasses, at least until your idea is less expensive.

Barkeep! Another Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster!

NotClauswitz said...

If it only could make you invisible too...

Goober said...

Condition white, much?

Tam said...

Goober,

"Condition white, much?"

I said "selective ignore list". If you wanted to put people on your ignore list that you think are liable to cause you physical harm, I suppose you could knock yourself out, as it were. ;)

I'm talking about...

Say you're at the family reunion, and you can't goddam stand Uncle Fred and his made-up frickin' war stories. You put him on your ignore list.

Now there's an Uncle Fred-shaped gray blob moving around in your field of vision like bad special effects, and weird clipping effects whenever he talks, but you can still see and hear the rest of the room and everybody else in it just fine.

Does that make more sense?

markm said...

That depends on whether Uncle Fred is likely to attempt to cause physical harm when you ignore him. Especially after he hogs half the beer.