New Device: Glass

When first watching the video “A Day Made of Glass” I was pretty blown away. This is the kind of stuff that we only see in the movies. I feel like I saw of some this similar technology in scenes from Iron Man and The Jetsons. Seriously, it’s the kind of technology that science fictions writers could only dream about. 

A Day Made of Glass 1

A Day Made of Glass 2

Now, this isn’t necessarily a device in and of itself, but almost a new way of viewing living.  It is a concept that is pretty revolutionary concept. Imagine a house, a store, an organization that has access to this technology. How would things be completely changed? How would it change advertising, medicine, and even movie nights with the family? Well, in a lot of ways perhaps. It would change the way that people would interact with the world and their surroundings.

Imagine connectivity on your mobile device and in your surroundings. Imagine further the integration of your device with your surroundings. Almost every surface becomes a possible screen, a possible way to gather information. Even in nature, the transparent nature of this glass opens up many possibilities and the ability to superimpose other images onto surroundings creating an immersive experience wherever you are.

Convergence
In responding to consumer values, this technology creates access points in almost every setting, home, work, stores, even in intimate places such as a bathroom. It is very useful in that information and connection can be achieved wherever you look. One thing that did occur to me, however, was that people who have lost the ability to see would be very disadvantaged if the world was “made of glass.”

Consumerism
In regards to consumerism, since the product is glass, it is very adaptable and can become whatever a user would desire it to be as far as color and appearance is concerned. Hearken back to the point in the second video where the little girls in the car completely change the layout of the dashboard to become a little more “fun” for them. The convenience of this product is astounding. As I have mentioned over and over, this literally makes everything a workable surface. Your device is everywhere and can integrate with many, many different surfaces.

Interactivity
Addressing interactivity, as I mentioned the glass can be made to accommodate all sorts of styles, although the styles are more digital than they are physical, meaning, industries that produce phone covers may go out of business unless the new style becomes something becomes something that is transparent and you can stick to your glass.

Regarding control, it appears that there is a great amount of control over your environment; although I don’t know what would happen if someone was to hack into the glass and project images or different programs. I think of hacktivists and the destruction that could be done as far as propaganda and safety is concerned. The security of this device is a bit questionable because at this point, literally, people could watch every move you make. They could follow you from your bedroom, to your bathroom, to work, to the store, and back home. For some people that might be a little disconcerting. If such were possible, there would need to be some serious firewalling and security measures taken to ensure that this is does not happen.

Technological Determinism
In terms of technological determinism, although I don’t necessarily believe that technology influences how the future plays out, this particular technology would do a number of things to change the world as we now experience it. First, as seen, there would be unlimited amounts of information being streamed for us to see. Weather, news, messages, there would be almost no escape. Second, there would unlimited connectivity. Wherever you go you could be connected, not just by text, but actual images. I think this would lead to further convergence, to where technology would become more and more invisible, meaning it would just be a part of our daily lives.

In agreeing with technological determinism it would completely shift the way that we humans think about being connected, not only to others, but also with our surroundings. Being in nature might actually be a scary thing for some people, because you wouldn’t be able to control your surroundings.

Market Paradigm Shifts
This technology/device would completely change the market. There would be less of a focus in developing physical innovations, as far as devices are concerned, and more of an influx of new and exciting ways to utilize this unlimited connectivity and unlimited interaction with environment. I think of the “Skyview” app that was shared in class, and try to imagine that type of technology, but happening in a classroom ceiling, happening in nature, or anywhere for that matter. We could even over lay past events literally where they happened and watch them play out.

Conclusion
I know I have raved about this technology, but there is no denying that its development would change the way that we interact with our environment and open up Pandora’s Box regarding new innovations, but also the severity of computer crimes. Privacy would be a thing of the past in a world made of glass.

On a more serious note, it would change corporate advertising and the focus of how to get people’s attention. Also, with the increased ability to connect with people and display capabilities medicine would change and even the way we communicate would be different.

So this would be my recommendation as far as new devices are concerned. I recommend looking into this market, because if this does happen the way that Corning has proposed it will, it will literally be a game changer in terms of connectivity and introduce a new screen for us to view information on. The new screen wouldn’t be limited to devices or things separate from your environment, the new screen would be the environment itself.