#glassexploring

I've now had Glass for about a week and I've loved exploring both new and familiar places. It really does make me feel like an explorer, seeing things from a different perspective, and forcing more intense examination of the world around. It's amazing not only because of the hands free operation, but also because of the eye-level point of view image capture.

Discovery Park

Last weekend, we went on a family bike-hike to Discovery Park in Seattle, very near to where we live. It's really a spectacular park, with lots of different terrain, and the perfect environment to test out what Glass can do in different lighting conditions. We biked into the park and hiked down the unpaved trails all the way down to the beach. The weather was spectacular, reminding us of why we put up with all the gray drizzle for most of the year in the PNW. Tahoma (Mount Rainier) and the Olympics were both visible off in the distance.

Ballard Locks

Yesterday, we biked over to one of our favorite places in Seattle, the Ballard Locks. On the south side of this fully operational lock system that connects Lake Washington to the Puget Sound is a fish ladder that allows salmon to traverse the dam at the locks through a series of ascending levels, so that they can reach their spawning grounds in the freshwater tributaries East of Seattle. 
There's a viewing gallery where you can watch the fish negotiate this ladder, and yesterday, we caught the first glimpse of the Chinook run for the season (those are the "big ones" I marvel at in the video).

I really love this place, and it never disappoints, even when the salmon aren't running. Watching the boats move through the locks can entertain us for hours, and you can traverse the whole thing with your bike in tow, making a shortcut to all the great restaurants and other fun things in Ballard.





So, why is Glass better than just a good cell phone camera? It may not be evident in these pictures, but the freedom to use it and to see things you might have missed if you'd been fumbling for your phone or an SLR is really the key. It's effortless to use, and doesn't distract from walking or riding or having a conversation with other people. It certainly engages, and I'll have to devote another post to the interactions it has facilitated, but on the observation side, it's quite possibly the most exciting tool I've ever used.