In the Studio Today... Petition to Google: "Make Google Glass Unsinkable"

Tues - Wed July 30-31, 2013

I started a petition at Change.org with the goal of convincing Google that my beta-testing device should be replaced because I paid a lot of money for it, accidents happen, and I am providing valuable feedback and information to the project.  I think my journey with Glass can only help Google perfect their product and maybe even make it unsinkable.

Please help me out by signing if you believe replacing my lost Google Glass is the right thing to do, and if you think Google should make Glass "unsinkable" by offering a floatation device or modification to the product to help it float.

Thank you!

Click HERE or on the photo to sign the petition:

In the Studio Today... Manic Monday: Google Loses My Vote

Monday, July 29, 2013

Spent the day online, applying for jobs. I am a single-mom, looking to move out of my sons' father's home, and can't leave until I have a full-time position. I had been passing the time this summer (between applying for jobs) using Google Glass to create a series of videos, and I was really enjoying using the product for video and reference for my art.

Today is not a good day for Google in my mind. They have left a person who was really enjoying their product, so much so that she was practically an evangelist to all her friends, converting non-believers that this was a cool device. Today, they have a disappointed, former evangelist, turned quite negative. Here is what they sent me, after a 5 day wait, during which time they said they were going to try to see what they could offer me.

 -------------
Hello Colleen,

Thanks so much for your patience over these past few days. I'm really sorry to hear about you losing Glass at the beach! I heard back from the team, and at this time, we will allow you to repurchase Glass, but we won't be able to honor a replacement unless you have a device to swap with. If you have any questions, I'd be glad to help you out!

Thanks,

--Name Hidden--
Glass Guide
 -------------

Well, sadly, I am beginning to believe my friends that told me this was a bad deal in the first place. I pay $1,500. to shout to the world how great this device is, when my actual recommendations and use will determine the next device, which will be for sale at a much cheaper price point. Sounds ridiculous, right?

Well, from my end, I was excited because I love technology and in using it during the time I did so, I was able to connect with local friends, bike shops, business owners and people who love art in a way that I was not able to do so before. Basically, it provided me with more marketing power for my own art and business because it is brand new and very few have it right now. However, as Google Glass is released to more and more people, the videos produced saturate the market, and only the best videos and the best stories will be truly shared and cared about. It is one thing to "be the first", it is another to have a lasting impression on your audience.

My current impression is not good. In my heart, I know the kindest thing Google could have done for this mother of twins who had become a new evangelist of this product, with over 12 blog posts on it and 6 edited video projects... I think they could have offered me a better deal. When I picked up my Google Glass, I was employed as a contractor. The day after I got my Google Glass, the contractor let me go. My last week's pay from the part-time contract position went to pay for the Google Glass. Knowing that I was suddenly out of work, I could have returned my Google Glass, but I did not. Instead, I embarked on projects to share this new product with my community, family and friends.

Now, obviously, I can not turn in the product to Google if it fell in the water and was swept out into the Pacific/Bolinas Lagoon. However, I do have the cloth bag it came in, 2 visor shades that go with it, and the USB cable and charger that it goes with. I also have the Google+ account that all the photos and video on it were backed up to. If it ever were plugged in again, Google would see where the device was. They also have the ability to disable the account. So, why are they not able to provide another device, or a credit towards a future device, when I tested their product for a month and gave them lots of positive publicity and paid them $1,500.?

My answer: Times have changed. People really don't care about others any more, but only their product, profits, and being first.

When I read today in the NYTimes that Obama is worried about the increasing gap between the haves and the have nots, and our economy is not thriving, I wonder how a company like Google can feel good about themselves for letting a single-mom test a product at $1,500. and not help her when the product is lost by accident. This is the same thinking that came into play for me in the 1994 Northridge Earthquake. I was supposed to leave on a trip to Panama to assist a company in an educational study of the rainforest.  It was to be research for an animated film I was working on in graduate school. The money I used for the trip was my student loan money. The earthquake hit and the LA airport was closed.  I was unable to go on this trip, but they kept my money anyway and would not refund it, even though it was student loan money.  They had a clause about "Acts of God and Nature" and no refunds. I feel a little bit like this today. We invest our heart and money and time into things in life, and sometimes, they don't yield positive results. They leave us with a bad taste in our mouths, and we don't want to share the experience any longer.

However, I am a positive person, and I am seeing a valuable moral to this story. There are companies that have bent over to help me and created a life-long customer. In the 80's, I was a local college student near a ski resort. I tore a ligament on the trail and was carried down at the beginning of the season. I wrote a note to the President of SugarLoaf(and sent him a drawing of the local ski town), and they gave me a free season pass for the following year.  I loved that mountain, but I loved it even more when they were kind. To this day, my family still visits there in the summers when they can. Companies like L.L.Bean, who always believe the customer is right, and take care of them are still the ones I gravitate towards. There was a sense of respect that made me feel important. I'm not having a great Monday, and let's just say that I haven't been made to feel very important in this process of Beta-testing. Now don't get me wrong, the Glass Support team has been terrific and helpful and always there, but I still don't feel like my experience has been valued for the real cost it was to me. I certainly could have charged a client $1,500. for 6 edited videos and 12 blog posts. When the cost of the product exceeds it's value, and the customer does not believe in the companies policies, the customer is temporarily lost.

The Art of Glass: Google Glass Lost at Sea, or "The New Beach Glass"

Wednesday July 24, 2013

Pretty large waves close to shore in Bolinas today, and they were unpredictable.

First, the good news.  It's really hard to feel bad right now when today was such a beautiful gift.  I watched my twin boys in their second day of surfing lessons with Natalie Pepper, of Spectrum Surf Camps in Bolinas.  Natalie has been the Resource Specialist at their local, Public School for many years now, and so she knows my sons unique behaviors quite well.  We were delighted to have a sunny day today, when yesterday was socked in with fog and quite cold.

I had taken some Google Glass videos from the beach yesterday and found that they were taken too far away to really show much of interest in the surfing lessons.  Today, I decided to put on my suit and get in the water with Natalie and the boys, in an effort to use Google Glass up close.  Having worn Glass in a Kayaking Video on Tomales Bay, I was feeling pretty confident about using it as I waded in the water with my sons.  I was in about two feet of water when I lost Glass in a wave that hit me from behind.  I can't even remember the exact series of events, but I remember falling left into the water as I was hit with the wave, and the glass fell off my face as my head was tipped down.  All I remember was coming up and watching wave after wave go forward and backward over the spot, and it was grey and brown and there was nothing at all for us to see.  My Google Glass was "Slate" in color, which is the light, silvery grey and blends in with sand, stone and water.  Natalie and I fished around with our feet, trying to find Glass, but the waves were spitting the rocks at my feet along the bottom.  A 6" crab had washed up on the shore moments ago, and it was heavy.  Large stones on the bottom were pushed quite far with each wave and the undertow.  I looked up the weight of Google Glass tonight and it is listed as weighing 1.28 ounces.  It really is incredibly light, but it does not float.

Site of the Lost Google Glass, just to the left of "The Groin".

I emailed my trusty Google Glass Support Team, who had never let me down before.  I have spent time online and on the phone with a few different Glass Support folks, and they are wonderful helpers.  We have always solved my issues and usually, quite quickly.  Their response today via email was very kind, and they were very sorry I had lost my Glass, and they were worried about me, asking if I was ok!  That was really nice.  I felt they had my best interest in mind.  I was asked to see if there was any way to find the Glass in the morning, when the tide was down (the surf instructor mentioned she could look on the beach in the morning).  I said we would try this, but I imagined the device would certainly be ruined after being submerged for so long.  After spending several hours looking for Glass while my sons continued to play on the beach, we packed up and drove the car around to the other end of the Beach, and I walked from one end to the opposite end where I'd lost the Glass.  I looked all along the shore and in rocks and crevices where it could have been caught (I'd hoped).  Unfortunately, my Google Glass was really lost at sea.

Tonight, I went online and found a few different accessories that you can add to glasses to make them float.  I have been a sailor and windsurfer in my past, and my sons have a brand of floating sunglasses from a sailing camp they attended last summer.  I have no idea why I thought I could just go in the surf with Google Glass and not have some form of safety necklace(like Croakies) or a floatable device.  Maybe since I'd never had the Glass fall off my face before and since I'd taken them kayaking in good weather... maybe I just thought there was no way this was going to happen.  Well, I am here to tell the rest of the Explorers to be more careful than I have been.  Maybe "Chums" neo-megafloat could work-- It is supposed to float things up to 3 oz., so Google Glass would certainly fall within this limit.  There are several other products that can float glasses or simply keep them on your face if you fall.  I guess I really wasn't thinking this was going to happen to me.  As I heard Natalie telling all the boys in the water today, "Never turn your back on the ocean", (sneaker waves are very dangerous), I felt like I had done just that.  I turned my back on the ocean to follow my son on his surfboard, and I wasn't paying attention to my own safety needs.  Although I wasn't hurt, I lost a very fun and expensive gift that I have been enjoying with my family since the day I picked it up.

In just about one month's time, I have written 12 blog posts about Google Glass, created 6 edited short video features with Google Glass on a local cycling shop and fundraising event, our local watershed, running, mt. biking, kayaking, creating an oil painting from a Google Glass video, and the most recent was of my son using Google Glass to explore a local skate park.  The next in my series was going to be on surfing lessons, and the last videos that autobacked up from my Glass device were taken on the sandy part of Bolinas Beach the day before I lost the Glass in the water.  I would say that in less than a month, Google Glass has consistently been a part of my life in that I have wanted to use it to take photos and record video due to its ease of use and simplicity in autobacking up the videos to the cloud, enabling me to edit them on my desktop computer or laptop.  It has been wonderful, and I will miss it very much.  I don't know what Google is going to do for me, if anything.  I am hoping that I will serve as a lesson to all the other users to be more careful, and maybe find a solution that will ensure Glass can float in the water.  Even when I was kayaking, there may have been a moment when I took the Glass off to put on a hat or fix my hair, or put on sunscreen.  Having a way to keep Glass afloat for even a few seconds could probably have saved this Glass from its demise.  I think it is worth the $9.99 investment in Chums megafloat or some other accessory to see if it would have saved my Explorer Edition.  I thought about hiding the fact that this happened to me, which is why I haven't tweeted or Facebooked or blogged this until late tonight... but in the end, I decided that it was more important to be honest and give other Explorers the chance to protect their investments and think more wisely than I have thus far.  In my excitement and enthusiasm for the new technology, I got carried away with fearless use of the product, which sadly ended in it's demise.

I am hoping that the money we paid for the device will cover a replacement product for continued testing, or maybe Google will trade me a new Glass for an oil painting inspired by my photos taken with Glass...  which was my original reason for wanting to try Google Glass.  I have in fact taken several photos of cyclists that I am definitely planning on painting.

Sea Monster at Bolinas Beach eats Google Glass, July 24, 2013

Do you think Google should give me a new Glass for continued testing?  Or, do I deserve 20 lashes with wet seaweed?  A friend said tonight that he knows the Pacific and with the undertow, he is sure it is way out deep by now and someday, someone will find it and say, "Look, it's the first wearable computer" and it will be worth millions.  Hmmm.... I wonder.

The Art of Glass: Kids and Glass

Monday July 22, 2013

Sunday was a fun afternoon with my son, Blake at the Mill Valley bike path and Skate Park.  He donned the Google Glass while riding his Razor scooter to share what it's like to be a kid with Google Glass.  Fun!  Enjoy!  If you want to know more about how kids like Google Glass, read my other post where a class of kids try Google Glass.


Skate Park Blake: A Google Glass Kid's Video from Colleen Proppé on Vimeo.

Enjoy these other videos I created using Google Glass:

• Mountain Biking Marin Headlands with Google Glass

• Kayaking with Google Glass

• Trail Running with Google Glass

• Mt. Biking with Google Glass

• Interview with Google Glass: 3 Ring Cycles, Bike Shop in San Anselmo

• My San Francisco Adventure to Pick up Google Glass

In the Studio Today: Woman Cyclist on Bridge

DETAIL: "Crossing the Chasm": Girl on Golden Gate Bridge

Tuesday July 16, 2013
Today, I decided to photograph and crop the painting I just finished of the cyclist on the Golden Gate Bridge, and provide another view of it for sale as a print and notecard.  Fine Art America online is a great little spot for prints and cards, and I've been using them for years now.  Here is the cropped, portrait version of the image.  Click the link below the photo to order as a print or card online.  My previous post shows the full painting, completed, that shows one of the bridge spans in a larger, landscape image.

In the Studio Today: Finishing the Golden Gate

Monday July 15, 2013

"Crossing the Chasm" updated version completed, 7/15/2013  o/c 18" x 24"

I spent the afternoon and evening adding details to this painting that I did in May, but never finished.  I was pretty embarassed when I showed this at the Marin Open Studios, unfinished.  I knew I needed another day to add the details, but I had been so busy back then that I just decided it was good enough.  It has been hiding in my closet until today, when I was able to spruce it up.  I think it's much more acceptable now, and will make a great gift for a cyclist.

I'm 45 this year, so this painting has significance with the speed limit sign.

In the Studio Today: The Art of Loss

Sunday  July 14, 2013
I apologize to those who are looking here for amazing Google Glass videos and paintings.  Today was not a day for either of these things.  I saw a beautiful wedding in the redwoods yesterday, but I also had one of my sons throw rocks at me and not behave well towards me at all.  I have a difficult relationship with my sons father that is not getting any easier.  I am in rough patch, trying to move on with my life, and I think all the emotions spilled out tonight when I watched something die.

Tonight I watched a lizard die.  It was perfectly still as I passed over it, but I noticed three tiny ants crawling over its back.  It’s head was up, and it had an alert pose, but it had some darkness around its mouth.  I had seen lizards freeze like this before, staying completely still to divert prey or something moving, but this one was different.  I took a stick and lifted him off the grey, powdery dirt trail, where he blended in completely.  As I moved him aside to the edge of the trail, he moved ever so slightly, and I saw his white belly was stained bluish green, like ink had bleed over him in patches.  His tail swooshed once in an S, as if the energy was passing from deep inside to the tip of his tail one last time.  Something came over me, and I airlifted the little guy on my helicopter stick, down the trail, he hung on to my stick for dear life with his left forearm for one last ride.  I turned left at where the trail opened towards the blue lake at sunset, and gently tossed him and stick into the water.  I watched as one tiny bubble came out of his lifeless body and rose to the top of the water.  He lay belly up on the shallow bottom and I cried.  The tears are still pouring out of me, more than thirty minutes later.

I have thought of every time I have watched something die that was not meant to die.  This little lizard was probably crushed by a jogger or a dog on the trail.  There was nothing wrong with him and no sign of malice from an animal or bird.  I remember in my teens, driving home from the movies late with my friend, Patty, and watching a raccoon that had been hit by a car flick it’s tail and limbs in the street one last time.  It was horrible to watch, and Patty and I felt sick for the rest of the night.  That image never has left me.

My first dog was killed by a speeding red monster truck right in front of my eyes in Tahoe, the same year my only husband left me.  I had to watch my amazing Border Collie, Wiley, pass away right before my eyes, loving him as if I was putting down an old dog, but he was only 5.  He was the smartest dog ever, and I fully believe he was autistic and this allowed his wild and magical talents.  He knew the name of every toy we had for him and could retrieve any one of 30 or more toys on command from his Radio Flyer wagon.   He would spin in circles when my friend Kate played flute; 10 times to the right, and then 10 times to the left, stopping occasionally to salivate and look dizzy.  He had such a sense of humor and he knew it.  He could also ease my heart to a stillness, just lying beside me and resting as if everything was perfect.  He was funny, brilliant and loving, but his last request to fetch a pine cone we were playing with across the street ended with him running back to me with it and being run over, right before my eyes.

I don’t like untimely deaths, and I definitely do not like watching death in animals or people.  I was in the nursing program for a year at College of Marin.  I saw a few people pass away on my shifts, and I saw families loving their close relatives who were on respite.  It is not my forté to deal with death, nor has it been my strength to get over my marriage that ended in an untimely way twelve years ago.  Just as I have suffered, watching the last moments of life bubble out of these creatures and my best canine friends, I have suffered watching my last efforts to connect or reconnect with my first husband, who left when I had an affair with a teacher I was taking night lessons with.  A teacher who gave me wine at night while teaching me and later told me he was inviting high school-aged girls that “looked just like me” into his house the way he did with me.  It was a creepy and awkward thing that happened and there may have even been possible criminal actions.  I will never know the truth, but I will always have to suffer the consequence, that I lost my best friend and have watched my own, ailing brain try to ask him to converse with me for twelve years, hoping that one day he will not really be dead and that the last bubble of air is not gone. 

Maybe someday he will get it, that he still meant everything to me and that I am still the same person.  I had kids, I went on, but I have never loved anyone else.  I had a partner that has helped me raise my twins, but there is no love here and I am working to move on.  I am fighting against the ants that walk over me, trying to prevent being left in the dirt, still and blue.  I want to leap across the trail, vibrant and into the tall grasses and run with my lizard friends once again.   I am tired of being alone in my mind and I don’t want to die with just a small white bubble released and my white belly up to the sky.

I wonder if the lizard felt the last moment, floating down slowly and weightlessly towards the soft bottom.  I wonder if the bubble was a sigh of relief and peace.  I want to think that I helped him pass on in a better way than being eaten alive by the ants.

Maybe our ex-husbands and wives can find a way to help us feel better than just dismissing us and never speaking to us again.  I guess I feel like I’ve been imprisoned for twelve years since he left, and I haven’t been able to feel real again.  Most people tell me it will come with a new love in a new time.  When my sons are older and I have a way to date freely again.  Other people just don’t talk to me about love.  I enjoy other people’s weddings and commitments to each other, their happy families and appreciate that others have real love that has not died.  They all give me hope that it is out there and if I am still here, there will be moments of love to live for.  There is time to help others, give and teach my sons, walk with my dog who doesn’t think about the lizard.  There is plenty of positive distraction in the world to help me pass the time from loss to love.  I am trying, and I don’t want to hurt anyone.  I am here to be a positive role model for my sons and a supportive friend to all.  I also want my ex to know that he is still loved, and his choice to be with someone else is absolutely wonderful and fine too.  I just have a wish that we could all get along and at least communicate again.  My brain is aching with the pain that my only best friend that was not a canine is still out there, living his life, and I don’t get even a word of recognition once in a while.  It’s a huge bummer, and I think this is the hardest road I’ve had to travel.  Living with someone that is not the right person has been very hard, but it is something I know has an ending and there will be a different future.  Living every day, not knowing if I will ever hear from my old friend… this is probably worse than watching innocent animals die.  It really sucks.

Well, I feel better just saying it.  You know?  I am thinking a lizard painting is in order soon, and maybe a couple dog paintings as well.  It will help keep their spirits alive and my heart from aching.

The Art of Glass: Google Glass Painting Video

Saturday, July 13, 2013

My original tweet to Google was that "If I had Glass".... I would use it to record bikes while out riding to get new images for my paintings... or this was the essence of the concept. I wanted to get unique angles that I normally can not get from a bike. So far, I have some pretty nice photos and video that have been inspired by my bike rides with Glass. I will post a few below, along with this short Vimeo video, showing my process painting from the Google Glass video. You may view the full video of the mountain bike ride and painting in my previous post.

The Art of Glass: Google Glass to Oil Painting

Friday evening  |  July 12, 2013

"Celia on the Rocks" 5" x 5" oil on canvas, ©2013 C.Proppé

The Google Glass video I uploaded to Vimeo today (Mountain Biking Marin) is part of my process to document cyclists and bikes for reference for my oil paintings.  Tonight, I was inspired by a friend and amazing painter, Kanna Aoki, to paint something small from my work.  I knew I was going to do this, but Kanna gave me the extra push on Facebook today.  Thank you, Kanna, for getting me going.  It's hard to just start painting sometimes!  This is a tiny, 5" x 5" oil painting of Mt. Bike rider, Celia Graterol from the beginning of the video.  I took photos to document the process with Google Glass, but I'm having trouble uploading them tonight.  It used to do it automatically, but for some reason, my Glass is FULL and I can't empty it! (eek!... I guess it's not so bad to have a Glass that's full... that's supposed to be a positive thing, right? ;)

The Art of Glass: Mountain Biking Marin

Mountain Biking Marin with Google Glass from Colleen Proppé on Vimeo.
A Google Glass visit with the Founder of Mountain Biking Marin, Celia Graterol. Mountain Biking Marin offers guided bike tours and corporate trips to ride the best mountain bike trails around the San Francisco Bay Area + Tahoe, as well as customized mountain bike skill clinics.

Wed - Friday July 10-12, 2013

Founder + Instructor, Celia Graterol of "Mountain Biking Marin"

This week, I had the pleasure of riding my bike alongside(well, behind) a former US National Downhill Champ in Mountain Bike Racing.  Celia Graterol is a resident of Mill Valley, and married to the marvelous, "Sally around the Bay".  Sally walked my dog, Mesa, while I followed Celia through shin-scratching chaparral and marveled at her goat-like prowess on rocks that dropped off into the fog.  I have had my days with such rocks, but I am ten years rusty from raising twins... so, Celia is very impressive, also being a mommy and three years my elder.  She is fun and inspiring, and knows all the best legal trails and deer paths in Marin and Tahoe.  She also is known for bringing her Ukelele along on rides, and being from Brazil, she can sing a mean Mariachi tune that will warm your heart after a Summer ride through "Carl the Fog".  Celia founded Mountain Biking Marin in 2002, where she has many instructors who assist her in corporate mountain bike rides, group lessons, clinics and individual instruction.  Check them out!  They have a new website in the works but for now, you can find them here.

The Art of Glass: Kayaking with Google Glass

Kayaking Inverness with Google Glass from Colleen Proppé on Vimeo.

July 3-5th, 2013

I took a two day trip to Inverness to take my dog away from the fireworks.  She is terribly afraid of them, and I can't stand to see her suffer.  Good excuse to escape the 96 degrees it was in San Anselmo, and venture out to Inverness, where it was only 76 degrees with a great breeze off the water.  Tomales Bay Resort has wifi all over the large property, and they have several dog friendly rooms.  Mine had a kitchen too, all for less than you might pay for one night in the city.  You can use the money you save to reserve a kayak next door at Blue Waters.  Tomales Bay Resort will even book your kayak trip for you! A great escape from the hot suburbs of Marin during a heat wave.  If you have questions, ask me in the comments.  I've lived in Marin for 18 years now, and this is one of my favorite places to escape to.

Photo taken with Google Glass, beta.  July 4, 2013  Tomales Bay, Inverness

The Wreck of the Old Point Reyes, Inverness.   24" x 36" o/c available

Enjoy these other videos I created using Google Glass:

• Trail Running with Google Glass

• Mt. Biking with Google Glass

• Interview with Google Glass: 3 Ring Cycles, Bike Shop in San Anselmo

• Kids, Word on the Street, and Google Glass

• My San Francisco Adventure to Pick up Google Glass

The Art of Glass: The Wreck of the Old Pt. Reyes (iPhone vs Glass)

July 3, 2013

I've escaped with my dog who hates fireworks, and we are out in Pt. Reyes, testing Google Glass as a camera vs the iPhone.  A local friend of mine asked what is the difference... so I am going to try to shed some light on this question.

First of all the, the Glass camera is definitely not made for macro or close up images and it does not zoom.  You have to physically move your head in as close as possible to something to get it close in the photo, or you can snap the entire, wide angle shot and crop out the desired image later.

Secondly, you can't actually focus where you want to take the photo at all.  When you ask Glass to take a photo(or used the button on the arm to take a photo with out speaking), it takes it with a wide angle, wherever you are looking.  There is no way to get specific about what you are photographing-- it takes everything it sees within the frame.

With that said, I am still getting amazing reactions when I post photos to Facebook and Twitter.  People are stunned with the quality of the Glass images.  There is an auto enhancement feature that happens with Google Glass which really helps improve a standard image.  I believe this is part of Google+ auto enhancements to images.  It's not just an HDR but it also corrects for saturation and really seems to do great things to most images.  You can turn off auto-enhancement on any photo once you are seeing it in Google+.  Have a look... below.  Click the images to see them larger.  Then read my personal comments at the bottom of this post.

iPhone Photo - Unprocessed:

Google Glass Photo:  Unprocessed (but using automatic enhancement)

iPhone Photo:  Unprocessed

Location	38.098, -122.851
Date taken	7/3/13, 3:54 PM
Dimensions	2048 x 1536
File name	IMG_3824.JPG
File size	1005.16K
Camera	iPhone 4S
Focal Length	4.28mm
Exposure	1/1151
F Number	f/2.4
ISO	50
Camera make	Apple
Flash	Not used

Google Glass Photo:  Unprocessed (uses Google + autoenhancement)

Location	Add a location
Date taken	7/3/13, 3:54 PM
Dimensions	2528 x 1856
File name	20130703_155409_214.jpg
File size	1.64M
Camera	Glass 1
Focal Length	2.95mm
Exposure	1/1112
F Number	f/2.48
ISO	60
Camera make	Google
Flash	Not used

My personal opinion on the question is that the difference is that instead of looking through a camera when you take a video or take a photo, you are actually just doing what you want to do and seeing what you would see if you were "being present" in the moment.  This is HUGE for parents watching a child's dance recital or something in which you personally want to be present and witness the dance but not be seeing it through a view finder.  I really like wearing Glass and having the hands free experience for many reasons.  I love that it auto uploads to Google + and I never have to plug in my camera to get the photos off of it.  I am still not happy with the fact that the caption for Twitter is not working from my Glass(meaning, the photos post with no information from me and they just say, "I just shared a photo #throughglass), but alas... this is a Google and an Android world right now.  iPhone app is taking a backseat in this new technology right now, but I know it is coming.  Update:  Google tells me 7/5/2013 today that Twitter needs to update their app so it will work with Glass.  Hmm.... Can't we all just work together on this new technology, folks? ;)

I will also say that if I really need something taken and tweeted that instant, or sent via email to my family right away, I am definitely going to use my iPhone.  However, if I just want to be out enjoying the day and the scenery with my dog, and not having to pull out the camera every five seconds, I love having a button on my "glasses" that will snap a photo whenever I want one.  It's not the speaking part I love so much right now, but being able to take videos, photos and let them auto-upload and I don't have to think about them until I want to.  If I do want to look at them, I can see them through Glass, but I don't have to.  My other favorite thing is hearing the NYTimes breaking news "Read Aloud" to me via Glass.  That is absolutely amazing.  I only wish it could read longer news articles as well.  Eventually, I imagine, right...?  

Now, I'm off to the beach.  Happy Fourth of July, all!  Oh... ps... If you want to buy a print of my 2008 painting of this boat, please click here.  I will have to paint it again.  It's a lot of fun to paint and has so much texture and color.  Find it behind the Inverness Grocery Store, in Inverness, California.

The Art of Glass: Running with Glass - Day 6

Day 6 with Google Glass, a set on Flickr.

Monday July 1, 2013

Today, I tested Glass while trail running up and downhill. These are some photos from 6pm in the summer. Glass does a nice job with scenery and wide angles. Glass has a harder time with close up images, like the 2 lizards pictured in the last photo here.  The explorer version currently does NOT have a "zoom" feature for the camera, so you can only take wide angle shots, and that is it. It relies on you being able to go in and crop what you want to share later. Hopefully, Google will come up with a zoom feature for the future versions.

Here is the video of my run!  Music: Sigur Ros. All images via Google Glass. Click the X box on the annoying Google pop up ads to get rid of them.

Enjoy these other videos I created using Google Glass:

• Kayaking with Google Glass

• Mt. Biking with Google Glass

• Interview with Google Glass: 3 Ring Cycles, Bike Shop in San Anselmo

• Kids, Word on the Street, and Google Glass

• My San Francisco Adventure to Pick up Google Glass