Wireless wearables are becoming more of a reality as scientists like Gerd Korteum use them and develop more
advanced technology in that field. While these computers that can be worn on your clothing are being used to download
music in Korteum’s lab at Lancaster University in England, they have great potential to be used in a wide range of
people, for example a crowd. The computers are just like Personal Digital Assistants. The computer interacts with
others around it. Korteum’s is programmed to look to see if the other wearable’s owner is one whose music interests he
trusts. From there the computer runs through the other’s music list, and downloads the music that it does not have
already downloaded in its memory. However, this is not nearly perfect. First, how do you know who to put your trust in?
You could agree with someone on one band, singer, or song, but disagree with him or her about everything else.
Secondly, say you were trying to sell an old car. You would program your wearable to look for someone else’s wearable
that has been programmed to look for opportunities in buying an old car. However, someone could pretend to be looking
for a car, and in reality is just a burglar trying find some unsuspecting person’s phone number, name and/or address so
that they could break in. Hopefully there would be only a few who would misuse their wearables (as these might soon
become popular and inexpensive), if any at all. There are also advantages to using a wireless wearable. First, before
the Internet communities were defined by physical proximity-how close you were to someone (physically). Even though
you may know people you pass everyday at the Metro or on the street by name, do you really know them? Of course you
do not. Perhaps they would be interested in you as opposed to your car. Maybe half the women or men you walk by
everyday are interested in you, but do not know how to say anything. This is actually quite possible. With wearables, they
could program theirs to find a man or woman with the same interests as yours, and you could meet that way. Of course,
that would be a risky business, too. On the Internet no one knows if that is really your picture, but at least with the
clip-on computers a person can get a good look at the real you when their computer lets them know that someone with
the same hobbies as themselves has just walked by.
Importance
The wireless, wearable computers may become very important to people everywhere. People might sell their cars
faster, be back on the road to romance, or just have more music downloaded. Selling and buying things more promptly
might help businesses and the country’s economy. Well, it might do something that earth shaking, but it might help.
Unemployment would also decrease because if you are without a job, just program your computer to tell others your skills and demands, and the president of a very large company might walk by, and, though in a bad mood for having to fire someone for being careless, actually hire you. Or someone, who is just looking to earn some extra cash, might run into someone who needs their car washed, house painted, gutters cleaned, or lawn mowed. This would be a better alternative to walking around with a sign telling people that they will do odd jobs for a little pocket change. If you go up to complete strangers and ask them if they are interested in a car, people would think you are crazy, or get your address and steal the car. When a wearable is doing it for you, no one is crazy. No one but the mad scientists who came up with such a great idea, that is.
 |
 |