CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-19 02:51:10 (0 comments, 2 reshares, 35 +1s)

On Thursday I was at betaworks "BetaDay" and we did a Gillmor Gang there. Owner John Borthwick says it was the best Gillmor Gang he's been a part of. Me? I like debating Douglas Rushkoff but you already knew where I stood on Google Glass, right? 

2013-05-19 02:47:11 (24 comments, 19 reshares, 252 +1s)

More scenes from New York. This one was a protest rolling through New York's Chinatown. I shot several images on Google Glass and Google+ made the animated GIF.

2013-05-18 22:08:43 (74 comments, 25 reshares, 335 +1s)

Now that everyone makes fun of Google Glass, I'm noticing just how addicted we are to our mobile devices.

I've seen so many people bring Smartphones into bathrooms now that folks like +Nick Bilton make fun of Google Glass wearers in bathrooms ( http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/17/at-google-conference-even-cameras-in-the-bathroom/ ). We don't mind that you have a super high quality camera in your hand while in a bathroom, but damn it if you are wearing such a camera on your face!

Also, look at these people. All in dangerous areas staring down into their phones. 

What I also notice is that the press is totally treating Glass differently than the person on the street. 99% of the people I meet are absolutely excited about Glass.

Why? Because we're addicted to the Internet and we know it. 

So, instead of resisting we're excitedby ... more »

2013-05-18 21:22:18 (59 comments, 38 reshares, 501 +1s)

OK, these new things that Google+ does are pretty cool. I shot this on Google Glass in the Subway (I made several images of my son, Patrick) and it automatically joined them together into this animated GIF. 

It was unexpected and made me smile. Thanks Google!

2013-05-18 21:03:41 (3 comments, 8 reshares, 51 +1s)

2013-05-18 00:05:22 (148 comments, 196 reshares, 2243 +1s)

My son and I agree. The new World Trade Center rocks. Google Glass? The hit of the crowds in New York.

Our bartenders were just raving over them. A guy on the street stopped me and asked if I had Glass. "yep."

"Sick!"

Translation for those who don't understand youth language: "can I try them on pretty please?"

#throughglass of course!

2013-05-17 22:27:07 (65 comments, 28 reshares, 393 +1s)

"I love TWiT," our driver says, while showing us his podcasting app "PocketCasts." Says he has tried all the podcasting apps on his Android (Samsung Galaxy Note II).

Love meeting people from all walks of life who are into technology.

2013-05-17 22:11:19 (99 comments, 18 reshares, 274 +1s)

What is safer when crossing a street in New York? IPhone or Google Glass? I have been taking pictures of people with their smartphones on my Google Glass.

Notice where her eyes are: not on the street.

My eyes are always ahead and on the street. I find walking around with Google Glass is much safer than staring into my smartphone. Plus it is a lot nicer for seeing the sights around you.

We are in NY until Tuesday on vacation (my son, Patrick, is attending John Jay school here in the fall so we are getting him setup).

Where should I test out Glass in NYC?

2013-05-16 18:03:02 (14 comments, 3 reshares, 225 +1s)

Live from New York it is a special Gillmor Gang from BetaWorks Betaday. http://techcrunch.com/2013/05/16/gillmor-gang-live-05-16-13-tctv/ Starts shortly.

2013-05-16 13:38:10 (89 comments, 16 reshares, 197 +1s)

Are you a Glasshole?

I love that this term is sticking (even though I imagine Google isn't that happy with the term).

Why? Makes it easy to find my Flipboard magazine on Google Glass. 16,000 subscribers in less than a month.

Oh, and now I have a list of all the tech cynics to make fun of for the next decade.

But more seriously, the future has always been scary and this product certainly has more than its fair share of haters.

I have never seen a product cause emotion the way Glass does.

Every great push forward has had its haters (I still remember the Unix heads back in 1989 who told me that GUIs were for babies.

I can't remember when tech cynics were ever right. Can you?

Either way, I am a proud Glasshole and all this hate is doing is making me more excited about the future.

People only get pissed... more »

2013-05-16 03:40:52 (64 comments, 58 reshares, 262 +1s)

A new Google Glass competitor?

I bet you are asking "who is Recon?" and "why is Recon a competitor for Google Glass?" It's the company that makes the displays inside Oakley and Smith Micro's latest goggles.

But now Recon is showing off its next product, for this winter, wearable sports devices. AKA "Jet." http://jet.reconinstruments.com/

So, why should Recon be taken seriously? 

Well, first, Google Glass won't be out this year. But even taking that out of the equation Recon is going after two very fanatical audiences: snow sports and cyclists (both motor and pedal action). The athletes in both areas spend a lot keeping any edge possible. Plus they are one of the places "cool" culture comes from. What they choose is very important and could doom other competitors. 

I used Recon's tech onth... more »

2013-05-16 01:31:44 (154 comments, 9 reshares, 550 +1s)

Nice job Google+

I'm loving the new design so far. 

If you don't love it, complain here: :-)

2013-05-16 00:16:39 (69 comments, 38 reshares, 293 +1s)

Larry Page gave me heck about wearing Google Glass into the shower after I got to the microphones first this morning at the Google I/O 2013 keynote.

Me? I was shocked at what didn't come out.

No new news about Google Glass.
No new news about Android. Well, they did announce they have 900 million activations.
No major "blow your mind" demos and no one jumped out of any blimps the way they did last year.*

That said, the new voice search is quite nice, the new maps are much nicer, the Google+ improvements are awesome and should keep Mark Zuckerberg up at night for a few nights at least.

So, at the end of the day, a lot of new stuff important for Google and the industry but nothing really mind-blowing. *=yeah the voice search and photography improvements are pretty close to mind-blowing but, really, they didn't blow my mind but maybe... more »

2013-05-16 00:00:46 (16 comments, 47 reshares, 139 +1s)

A look at the best 3D printer company: Type A Machines

It's not me saying that Type A Machines has the best 3D printer in the midrange category, it's Make Magazine. Speaking of Make, this weekend is Maker Faire http://makerfaire.com/ at the San Mateo County Fairgrounds. If you never have been, I highly recommend it. Going there you can see tons of vendors like Type A Machines and meet lots of people passionate about making things. 

Learn more about Type A Machines at http://www.typeamachines.com/

The maker world has never been hotter and listening to Type A Machines CEO Kevin Rowney gets you into this manufacturing revolution. Watch the video here:

2013-05-15 19:20:27 (19 comments, 6 reshares, 217 +1s)

#throughglass

2013-05-15 20:37:14 (60 comments, 63 reshares, 504 +1s)

Wow +Vic Gundotra introduces new Google+. New desktop design, and dozens of new features. Nice to see Google+ getting a much needed upgrade.

2013-05-15 17:21:31 (14 comments, 5 reshares, 153 +1s)

Sitting next to +Rosa Golijan. She makes wearing Glass much cooler than I do.

So far at Google IO the new contextual APIs are the most exciting.

Oh, until they gave a Chrome Pixel to everyone.

2013-05-15 02:21:14 (10 comments, 15 reshares, 154 +1s)

#throughglass

2013-05-15 01:10:32 (15 comments, 8 reshares, 165 +1s)

#throughglass

2013-05-14 16:08:41 (5 comments, 1 reshares, 40 +1s)

Startups: only a few days left to enter this startup challenge. 

2013-05-14 04:21:48 (7 comments, 16 reshares, 55 +1s)

The company at Launch that got me to pull out my credit card

I was a judge at +Jason Calacanis's launch conference and this was the first company that got me to pull out my credit card and said "I want it."

What does it do? 

Lets marketing departments buy advertising and track its effectiveness much easier. 

Learn more in this video with cofounder and CEO Sahil Jain, or visit Adstage at: http://adstage.io

2013-05-14 04:14:43 (3 comments, 6 reshares, 25 +1s)

The latest startups from NewMe accelerator

The NewMe Accelerator helps women and minorities get businesses started, San Francisco style. They move a bunch of entrepreneurs to San Francisco, where they get mentorship, meet with investors and press, and get their companies started. Here +Angela Benton, head of NewMe, explains what NewMe is and introduces us to some of the best startups to come out of its 2013 spring program. Learn more at http://www.newmeaccelerator.com/

Oh, and careful ears will indeed notice that one of the startups started in jail. Great idea, too!

2013-05-14 03:35:46 (286 comments, 681 reshares, 1662 +1s)

New keyboard "pops" off of glass screen

If the next iPhone has this I might just give up my Android (which has a much better keyboard than an iPhone has).

Tactus shows me how its new keyboard works (it pops off the glass). Really awesome engineering and I dig into it here (it won all sorts of awards at CES earlier this year). Learn more about this technology here: http://www.tactustechnology.com/

2013-05-14 03:21:20 (16 comments, 8 reshares, 142 +1s)

The BBC shoots my Glass

The media attention continues to focus on Google Glass, particularly this week, as many of the world's top tech journalists attend the Google IO event.

This is BBC's +Rory Cellan-Jones shooting me for an upcoming piece on Glass (they will be at Google tomorrow).

Don't worry, they didn't shoot me in the shower.

Glass trivia: many of the scenes shown taken by Glass at last year's Google IO demo were shot at the Half Moon Bay Ritz which is where I took the BBC film crew this afternoon for a stunning sunset. 

Questions Glass explorers are still being asked? Privacy? Freaky factor, er, what's the "fashion cost"? What is it good for? Can I try it?

Here's a photo of Rory that I shot on my Glass. Nice quality! #throughglass  

2013-05-13 22:59:16 (4 comments, 2 reshares, 25 +1s)

2013-05-11 19:50:34 (8 comments, 31 reshares, 142 +1s)

A look at CubeSat (small, disruptive satellites) at SRI

Sneak peek at our SRI visit (birthplace of Internet, the Mouse, SIRI, Nuance, HDTV, and more)

Early next week we'll have a whole article and tons of video up on The Next Web about our visit to SRI, which is the most important research lab in Silicon Valley (SRI has brought us tons of innovations from the mouse to SIRI). 

Here's just a piece of our tour where we get a closer look at SRI's Cubesats. These are small boxes which can launch small satellites. This dramatically lowers the costs of getting experiments and other instruments into space. 

Take a look and get ready for a ton of other mind-blowing things from SRI.

More on SRI's Space programs: http://www.sri.com/research-development/earth-space#top

More on SRI: http://www.sri.com

2013-05-11 08:18:12 (24 comments, 19 reshares, 86 +1s)

2013-05-11 00:16:31 (11 comments, 5 reshares, 115 +1s)

About to get onstage at the MamaBear Conference. http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/20/live-from-the-first-ever-mamabear-family-conference/ watch live here.

2013-05-10 16:06:23 (9 comments, 21 reshares, 106 +1s)

The Age of Context, my keynote at The Next Web

Here's some of what +shel israel and I are seeing as we write our book, The Age of Context, which will come out in October 2013. 

I cover a lot of ground here with many products discussed.

Are we missing anything? Help us improve our book!

2013-05-09 16:57:16 (70 comments, 28 reshares, 110 +1s)

Why Flipboard and Prismatic are about to go to war

I spent a bunch of time earlier this week at +Prismatic http://getprismatic.com/ . They have the best noise filters for news apps I've ever seen. Totally algorithmic.

+Flipboard, on the other hand, is taking a human+algorithmic approach. Their magazines are absolutely awesome, and very popular. Since launching their magazine feature about five weeks ago more than 700,000 magazines have been created and the ones I have created are growing VERY fast. (And those numbers are only on iOS -- Flipboard just released this feature this morning onto Android, with Web coming later in the year).

Why are these two startups doomed to go to war? Because, really, we don't need all that many ways to read news. One of these two approaches will win. So far my money is on Flipboard, but Prismatic has something very prized in San... more »

2013-05-07 23:29:53 (44 comments, 30 reshares, 166 +1s)

This startup helps me pay my bills

This year is all about finding new, more productive ways to live, and one thing that always bugs me is the flow of bills my wife and I have to deal with. So, we're now using Check, an app that helps you stay on top of your bills. Get it at http://check.me (formerly named Pageonce). Here's the COO, Steve Schultz, showing me the app and explaining how secure it is and how it works.

2013-05-07 21:13:01 (4 comments, 9 reshares, 61 +1s)

The Science of Photography

We had a technical issue, but should be back now here: 

http://youtu.be/t222tH_28M4 

2013-05-07 21:08:09 (4 comments, 13 reshares, 43 +1s)

It's Your Turn to Change the World - +Google Science Fair today!

Join me live for this free educational event Very Soon...  here's the event: "The Science of Photography" at http://goo.gl/GbOfc - I'll be interviewed by +Robert Scoble   

2013-05-06 23:54:14 (84 comments, 15 reshares, 199 +1s)

Hah, PR dude Jonathon Hirshon doesn't want his photo on the Internet so he showed up today with a device to foil my Google Glass. He is founder of Horizon PR and he doesn't have photos of him online. http://www.horizonpr.com/2.php has info about him. One of the best PR people in the industry. Businessweek called him the Silicon Valley Guru.

2013-05-07 21:45:39 (52 comments, 26 reshares, 299 +1s)

App needed for Glass: Wine and Food

What is it like getting drunk with Google Glass? This weekend we went up to Napa to see with Vintank CEO +Paul Mabray and +Angelica deVere  and friends +Aaron Strout and +Melanie Strout, +Chris Heuer and +Kristie Wells, +Derek Overbey and +Jennifer Overbey. Vintank is a startup that monitors social media for wineries (anytime you say "wine" on Twitter, for instance, you are being tracked by Vintank).

One thing, I want an app for cataloging the wine I drank. I took several photos. Something like +delectable on the iPhone. This is the frustrating part of being an early Glass Explorer. No apps and all around me I see things I want to do with Glass.

Anyone working on any apps for Glass?

Oh, and getting drunk with Glass is just like getting drunk without. Except it's a little less dangerous because youaren... more »

2013-05-15 00:14:13 (70 comments, 48 reshares, 405 +1s)

"Sir, during the concert you have to take that off"

On Friday night we went to the Bonobo concert at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco. Of course I wore my Google Glass. 

They didn't stop me at the door.
The woman checking tickets didn't stop me.

So I wormed my way down to the front row where I stayed the entire time. Two feet in front of me was a security guard. He didn't say anything during the first act, but at the end of the second act he leaned over and said "during the concert you'll need to take those off."

I asked him if he was going to take away everyone's smartphone. "No," he answered, "we don't care about those as long as they don't record the show." 

That gave me my chance. "I won't record with these, do you want to see how they work?" ... more »

2013-05-06 00:37:12 (17 comments, 7 reshares, 154 +1s)

#throughglass

2013-05-05 22:19:23 (23 comments, 21 reshares, 109 +1s)

#throughglass TWiT's audience as viewed through my Glass. Watch us debat at http://live.twit.tv

2013-05-05 22:00:07 (21 comments, 8 reshares, 135 +1s)

Getting ready to record http://live.twit.tv with Leo Laporte. Of course we'll talk about Google Glass (Engadget and PC World journalists will be on too). #throughglass

Right now +Leo Laporte is doing "This Week in YouTube" with +Lamarr Wilson Great to see Lamarr doing this show with Leo.

By the way, Leo has an active chat room. I'll be watching the chat and participating there during the show, but will check here too.

2013-05-04 16:37:19 (30 comments, 36 reshares, 153 +1s)

Audio listening of the future

I wish you could hear these. Dysonics added a sensor and some audio processing to a standard pair of headphones and totally changed music for me forever. Why? Now the band is in one place, and the soundstage has been extended. Awesome.

Take a look at the listening experience of the future: http://www.rondomotion.com/kickstarter/ 

2013-05-03 23:18:17 (26 comments, 40 reshares, 124 +1s)

"Most people hate change."

2013-05-03 18:07:07 (18 comments, 9 reshares, 141 +1s)

The new batch of 500 Startups

Yesterday I visited 500 Startups. It's amazing how many countries are represented here. 

I needed to share these photos so I could get the names of everyone down. 

More later on the companies I liked. 

Always inspired by visiting +500px. +Dave McClure  is finding entrepreneurs the other VCs are totally missing but it comes at a cost: the dude flies around the world more often than anyone I know. I'm getting to the point where I don't like getting on planes, missing my family, etc, and I'm only doing 80,000 miles a year. Dave easily does four times that. 

We don't often talk about the human cost of startups, but there is one. Often you have to sacrifice a lot to get your dreams to come true, or even put your dreams in play. 

Are you ready for the sacrifice? These folks were, theymoved... more »

2013-05-03 16:26:16 (87 comments, 18 reshares, 107 +1s)

Can Scoble kill Google Glass?

Wired yesterday claimed I could kill Google Glass before it ever gets off the ground. Article linked here: http://www.wired.com/business/2013/05/inherent-dorkiness-of-google-glass/

That is an awful lot of power to give one guy. 

But, let's be objective here. A great product can survive all PR abuse. Google Glass is a great product. Why do I know that? Because yesterday I was at 500 Startups and let everyone try them on. Every single person, even the skeptics, smiled when putting it on. 

I haven't seen a product do that since the iPod. 

A bunch of us are talking about this over on on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RobertScoble/posts/10151578092299655

In 30 minutes I'll be talking with the Geeks at +Betaworks about Glass (the folks who bought Digg and Instapaper) and we're sharingit l... more »

2013-05-03 16:06:27 (32 comments, 24 reshares, 169 +1s)

Taking my Google Glass to the secretive home of Siri

SRI. In this set of buildings in Menlo Park, the mouse was invented. Also, many many other things, from robotic surgery equipment, to Nuance, speech-to-voice, to HDTV, to SIRI. The building we started in was one of the first two nodes on the Internet.

Very few people get tours here, particularly while wearing Google Glass. Cameras usually aren't allowed into the research labs here, and, in past years, many of the labs were locked inside bank-vault-like rooms (we walked into some of those, where the cubesat project now sits). Yes, the cold war is over, but this place still has lots of secrets. In some places we were asked not to make videos or photos. 

Much of the work here is done for military or government customers. There's a whole bunch of work done on explosions, how things break, for instance. Last... more »

2013-05-01 15:51:39 (128 comments, 92 reshares, 321 +1s)

Did Privacy Advocates Overplay Their Hand with Google Glass?

Privacy advocates are really going nuts. One, this morning, wished I would die (over on Twitter, seriously). Why? They are apoplectic about the future that Google Glass will bring.

In talking to lots of big audiences last week I have come to the conclusion that privacy advocates have overplayed their hand and when everyone else gets Google Glass next year these privacy advocates will end up looking like fools. 

Why?

They think we're going to follow them into bathrooms and record "their junk." That's why my bathroom posts got so much play in the press. Really?  You think that? If I wanted to do that I'd rather use my new Android phone, which has a much better camera and, um, can be more easily aimed without grabbing attention. The microphone on my iPhone is better, too, andv... more »

2013-05-01 02:23:59 (91 comments, 65 reshares, 278 +1s)

Can Comcast keep Apple from taking over your TV? This new box says yes

Comcast just installed a new X1 DVR in my house. Why? Because the back end is running on OpenStack and they wanted me to play with it first. Here's a demo video: http://corporate.comcast.com/comcast-voices/comcasts-x1-platform-powered-by-openstack

Some first reactions.

1. It's WAY sharper than my older box.
2. It's WAY faster than my older box.
3. It's WAY easier to navigate.
4. It's WAY easier to search for videos, movies, etc.
5. It's WAY faster and easier and more rewarding to browse through movies, shows, etc.

This upgrade is HIGHLY recommended. I can't say this enough. It's so much better than my old box it isn't even funny. 

The fact that its backend is running on +OpenStack (open source cloud software running onCo... more »

2013-04-30 23:15:24 (50 comments, 31 reshares, 301 +1s)

#throughglass a sign on the bathroom at Rackspace SF. Hah!

2013-04-30 20:25:49 (34 comments, 31 reshares, 157 +1s)

#throughglass

2013-04-30 19:23:28 (145 comments, 138 reshares, 432 +1s)

Driving with Google Glass. How safe is it?

2013-04-30 19:19:14 (16 comments, 3 reshares, 56 +1s)

#throughglass +Rocky Barbanica in front of our new Newtek Tricaster. Rocky has been my producer for six years. Pretty crazy.