11 Myths about Google Glass and other Random Tidbits #throughglass

Oh, Google Glass, one of the more recent darlings of the tech world to come under public fire.  I would actually argue that Google Glass is fading out of the limelight, and drones are the current targets.  This is not uncommon when a new gadgets come out.  When the first iPhone came out in 2007, I received one as a gift.  The reaction to my spanking new iPhone in 2007 was actually much worse than the reaction I get with my Google Glass.  I was questioned repeatedly why I had to have such an expensive phone and why I couldn't live without checking my email. It was so bad I always had to preface pulling my phone out with "it was a gift."  My cell phone before that was a flip phone I got free with a $20 a month plan.  It didn't even have color, and I don't remember if I even had texting turned on.  It is probably hard to believe that people were so hostile about iPhones back in the day.  

Here's some Glass fun at Disney.  I wasn't the one doing the screaming.  I was mostly laughing. 

I've found the news coverage of Google Glass has been so dramaticized that it is comical. Please.  Do you need traffic that badly that you need to use fear and drama to get a click through?  Is everyone turning into the Onion or Buzzfeed?  Get a Glass first before you start speculating on what they can or cannot do. 
Here's some random tidbits about Google Glass before we jump into the myths. 

Tidbit1: You get a ton of selfies and really blurry pictures.  See below.  I used to never have photos of myself because I'm holding the camera.  Now that I let people play with my Glass, I have tons of accidental photos of myself demonstrating the camera function to others. I also have random photos of other people looking at my Glass when I'm demonstrating the camera feature. 

Tidbit 2: It is a great conversation starter.  Many people are genuinely interested in the Google Glass, and you can chat with random strangers about it.  It does take quite a bit of time, so if I'm in a rush, I keep it in my purse or hidden until I arrive at my location.

Tidbit 3: You get really good at being totally okay pretending not to hear when people are talking about you behind your back or your face.  Some people are not so subtle when they are alerting their friends that there is a Google Glass in person - and they are all too chicken to come up to talk to you about it.  If they make eye contact, sometimes I'll start the conversation.  But mostly, I generally ignore them. 

Tidbit 4: You wind up with a ton of photos of people you meet. It helps when you forget what they look like if you connect in the future.  This guy was interested in integrating Google Glass into their medical imaging research.  Now I will be able to remember what he looks like.  Win for me.


Tidbit 5: You can take photos without using your hands.  I find this really useful when handling the dogs.  Here's @Mousethedog at 12 years old at Meet the Breed at the Houston Reliant Show (above).  And here's a video of Mouse fetching a bumping at the lake filmed with Google Glass.

Here come the myths.

1. MYTH: That people are scared and fear for their privacy.  My experience having had Google Glass for nearly ten months in many different cities all over the United States (New Orleans, New York City, Atlanta, San Jose, and Austin to name a few) is that people are NOT scared.  99.99% of the people who see me with the Google Glass either don't care or they are curious.  If they aren't in one of the aforementioned categories, they are still polite and ask things like "I heard XYZ about Google Glass.  Is it true?" 

I have yet have anyone run away screaming in fear or becoming violent.  However, I am pretty intimidating in person with my mad ninja skills.  Perhaps people know better than to behave erratically around me. 
This brings me to a theory that someone with deep experience in the Bay area presented to me.  All the "stories" (more like telephone game hearsay) about hostility around Google Glass are only occurring in areas where gentrification has created severe tension with the tech community.  In these areas, the Google Glass (and probably a host of other physical cues) is like rubbing salt in the wounds of gentrification.  It isn't that residents of the area are fearful or hate Google Glass specifically, they have a problem with all things tech related.  Outside of these areas, there is little to no hostility towards Glass reported.  In conclusion: Dear blog writer who needs to jack up web traffic and the Google Glass seems like an easy target, Quit being such a drama queen and find a real story.  
 
Here's a video made with Google Glass and my iPhone at the Austin Food and Wine Festival in 2014.  Ming Tsai plays ping pong.  He's so Asian.  You already know. 

2. MYTH: It is dangerous to wear in public.  See myth 1.  I don't feel any more at risk when I do or don't wear it.  That said, I haven't worn it in the gentrifying places of the Bay Area.

3. MYTH: That it looks through clothes.  First, some people look way better with clothes on.  No, it doesn't look through clothes.  Please put your pants back on.  No really, I don't want to see your reproductive organs ever.  Also, I didn't bring a magnifying glass.  No pun intended. 

4. MYTH: You're scanning my face for the FBI.  The Glass is almost always "off," much like your phone if you are not actively using it. It doesn't have enough storage to record video or take that photos nonstop, and it certainly doesn't have enough battery life to be scanning.  And quite frankly with the problems of big data, do you really think a government entity would know what to do with random blurry photos?

5a. MYTH: What are you looking at all the time?  Dead people.  Just kidding.  The answer is nothing.  It is almost always off unless I'm using it.  Remember that thing about short battery life?

5b. MYTH: You'll get pulled over for wearing Google Glass while driving. It is such a distraction because it is always on.  I don't wear Google Glass if I'm not actively using it.  It doesn't have much battery life when I'm using it for photos and videos.  Also, given there are just over 10,000 Google Glass owners (estimated as of Summer 2014) in the world and the Glass is almost always off, I have a hard time believing that Google Glass is more of a distraction than a phone.  Sure, people may get pulled over.  But the raw numbers are pretty low given there aren't even that many Glass owners in the world. 

6. MYTH: Do you get to download and watch pornographic movies?  See the references to storage and battery life.  And no, I wouldn't anyways.  The screen is too small. 

7a. MYTH: You work for Google.  No. I don't work for Google.  They couldn't afford me.   

7b. MYTH: My name is Google.  While I answer to many names, I don't answer to "Hey Google!"  

8. MYTH: You got it that day everyone got it (April 5th, 2014)?  No.  I got in late Oct. 2013.  Do I look like everyone else?  

9. MYTH: I can stop you Glasshole.  I'll just cut off your wifi access.  I only connect mine to wifi when I'm at home.  I can connect it to my phone via bluetooth.  It is such a pain to connect it to a wifi network that I do not do it outside of my home.  Also, I don't need wifi to use the video and camera function.  That is just about the lamest thing I have heard about Google Glass.  Perhaps the person should have learned how Google Glass connects to wifi before wasting their time trying to block it.  

10. MYTH: You're going to pirate movies at the theatre.  This one is beyond hilarious.  Again, I reference the storage space and the battery issue.  If you have ever seen a video recorded on Google Glass, it is very difficult to record things that are remotely discernable.  I've posted several for your entertainment pleasure.  Trying to record with Google Glass is like trying to get a non-blurry photo of yourself herding cats while riding on an angry rhinoceros.  I've gotten pretty good at it, but not for more than a few minutes at a time.  If someone is really interested in a recording a movie, Google Glass is probably the last device to be considered.

Here's an example of a blurry Glass photo.  Really?  You're going to pirate a movie like that?

1. RARELY DISCUSSED: People actually use them for good.  There are many ways Google Glass can be good.  I used it for recording adventures at Disney (see above). 
Using it to streamline employee training, specifically in the fast food industry : http://www.qsrmagazine.com/exclusives/sizing-google-glass
Taking sick kids to the Houston Zoo: http://mashable.com/2014/04/08/google-glass-sick-kids/
To track your fitness: http://venturebeat.com/2014/06/26/google-reveals-a-surprisingly-useful-non-awkward-use-for-glass-fitness-coach/
Healthcare: http://www.healthcare.philips.com/main/about/future-of-healthcare/
Another one on healthcare: http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-and-wireless/google-glass-gains-momentum-in-healthcare/d/d-id/1278648
And another on healthcare: http://www.ahier.net/2014/03/google-glass-in-medicine.html
 
Just for kicks, here's a video of a private ZZ Top concert in Austin #throughglass.

2014 Austin Food and Wine Festival Rock Your Taco

One of my favorite events from the Austin Food and Wine Festival is Rock Your Taco.  Here's some photos of the fun. 

Here's team Uchi, the 2012 and 2013 Rock Your Taco winners.  If you've had your head in the sand, you might also know that this team is working hard to open St. Philip.  I follow Kerstin, the blonde front and center next to Tyson, on Instagram, and her photos of St. Philip are to die for, repeatedly.  Keep and eye out for their opening in a few months. 

@Fedmanwalking and I had a nice long chat about John Currence of City Grocery in New Orleans.  And I will also sing the praises of Chef John.  His tacos were not over the top radical, but they had a well-executed familiar yet interesting component.  I actually had three servings of his tacos.  I'm guessing that be made tiny tweaks to make his taco really stand out.   I would have eaten more, but I had to save more for other tacos.

Chef Chris Sheppard offers me one of his tacos in a lettuce shell with cilantro and carrots for garnish.  Don't forget to congratulate Chef Chris on his recent James Beard nomination. 

Here's the winning taco from Richard Blais.  It was sweet, savory, and floral all at the same time.  If interesting is what you are looking for, this was the taco to get.  I heard that the servings ran out early.  If you didn't get to have one, trust me on interesting.  And that's interesting good!

And here's the man himself.  His taco and his service is always styling.  I'm not sure if there are any more of those shirts left, but I'd definitely wear it. 

This delicious bite was from Monica Pope.  It was Asian inspired flavors served in a butter lettuce shell.  Very tasty!

This was Tyson Cole's taco this year.  A puffy taco of wonderfulness. 

After the winner this year, Richard Blaise, was announce.  The volunteer culinary students wanted their photo taken with their the celebrities of the Austin Food and Wine Festival.  One students was so excited that she had to text a friend.  It probably started with "OMG!"

And here's another one of the students with Tim Love, Andrew Z., Graham Elliot, and Ming Tsai. 

2014 Austin Food and Wine Sips and Sweets Dessert Party

Sips and Sweets was another great additional to last year's line up of events.  I was very excited to see it come back.  Treat yourself to some dessert porn.  If you get excited by what you see, don't be shy.  These sweets came from Angel Begaye of TRACE,Janina O’Leary of LaV, Sandi Reinlie of Vespaio and Enoteca, and Erica Waksmunski of Congress and Second Bar + Kitchen. Kevin Dundon of Tourism Ireland also provided delicious treats, but you'll have to go a little further to enjoy his desserts.  

I'll let the pictures do the talking. 

2014 @AustinFoodWine Festival Overview

I've given this post some thought over the last week, and I'm still dealing with mixed feelings.  While I was out having fun at one of Austin's premiere festivals, many other people in Austin were grieving the loss of Kelly Wayne Noel who was killed by a drunk driver.  I've never met Kelly in person, but I consistently got retweet notifications from him with every post I submitted.  That retweet will serve as a painful reminder that life is too short as it is - don't be reckless and take one too soon.  Austin Bloggy wrote a beautiful tribute to Kelly.  Rest In Please.   Please enjoy whatever you do responsibly. 

Back to business, let's chat about the the Austin Food and Wine Festival. 2014's layout and offerings was very similar to 2013, with refinements to several of the events.  Vendors seemed to have kicked up their game a bit with Kim Crawford's Springy pink Ping Pong table and Jack Gilmore's fire truck.  Here's some scenes from the day time events. 

This beautiful watermelon was on display in the grand tasting.

And the beautiful Sandi Reinlie from Vespaio.  She brought with her some lovely panna cotta with her. 

And to my great delight, Jeni's Ice Cream is here in a GREAT way.  This is the Not Enough - salted caramel ice cream, pecans, and bittersweet chocolate.  The bittersweet chocolate was perfect - just a hair sweet and rich with favor.  You can find these ice creams at Royal Blue Grocery, or you can make the ice creams following her book.  I have experimented with the latter. 

Liquid nitrogen is always a party.  It is never a party unless there's liquid nitrogen!

And one of Austin's cutest couples, Philly, Uchi/Uchiko, and Callie Speer, Swift's Attic.  They are some of the top

Here's a tasty brisket bite from Kent Rathburn's Jasper.  It was served on an Asian style steamed bun with tangy, crunchy veggies.  Kent and his crew were sweet as you could be in Texas.  I'm glad to see him again. 

And in the Chef Showcase, Lawrence Kocurek presented a lovely croque-monsieur.  If you've had this tasty morsel, you'll know why I'm a strong advocate of Chef Kocurek's charcuterie.  You can visit him at Trace at the W Hotel. 

And prior to the festival this year, Cupcake Vineyards hosted an event with Chefs Monica Pope, Jason Dady, and Stephanie Izard.  Here's Monica Pope and crew. 

And here's Jason Dady's banh mi sandwiches. 

2014 Austin Food and Wine Interviews with Pichet Ong, Graham Elliot, Jon and Vinny

Follows is the last set of interviews from the 2013 Austin Food and Wine Festival.  I asked the following chefs, How do you define a food destination?  How does Austin stack up?

 

 Pichet Ong: "Austin is already on par with other food cities.  There are all these new restaurants.  A town that has amazing local food is a food city.  Austin has always been a food city, even before the restaurant scene. Barbecue was a destination here.  Every town has a unique style of food. Austin had that even before any of the new restaurant were established.  And with Austin being a college town, meaning many young people come here, and they stay.  It is a basic ground for innovation. “

Pichet and I trying out Ramen Tastuya. 

Graham Elliot (below, picture with Andrew Zimmern) thoughts on a food city is that it needs to offer something else besides food.  “Chicago has music and architecture, and it is a beautiful big metropolitan city.  Austin is known for music.  How do you capitalize on that and make it a real food and music experience?  Like during SXSW, is every band paired with a chef?  It feels like there is more of a disconnect.” I wholeheartedly agree with Graham.  We do have many activities and festivals here, but they are kind of off doing their own thing.  Combining forces with other industries can mean even bigger and better things for Austin as a community. 

 

Andrew Zimmern with Graham Elliot and Merlin Verrier at the Food Republic interviews. 
 

Jon and Vinny from Animal in LA say: "Food city has good food.  “*And they laughed*  Not any one restaurant or diversity. .  ...[it has] more than one specific style of food that is good in that town So for here, like barbecue, there’s like 20 good barbecue restaurants here.  People who are passionate about food  people, who are enthusiastic about food....[are critical]."

Jon and Vinny at the 2013 Austin Food and Wine Festival.

2014 Austin Food and Wine Interviews with Andrew Zimmern, Chris Sheppard, and Sarah Grueneberg

The next set of interviews are quite interesting and diverse.  I asked the following chefs, How do you define a food destination?  How does Austin stack up?

 

Andrew Zimmern said that Austin’s food scene is already out of control, in a good way.  “There’s so much good food in this town.  There’s certain cities in the world that being experienced at is okay by the consumer.  You have so many artists, bands, and college students.  Those are typically groups of people who don’t mind being experimented at.  Snooty 50 year old suburban folks in Midwestern cities don’t like being experimented at.  San Francisco is the only big city in America that its okay.  Even in New York, they don’t like that.  In New York, you have to be good right out of the box.  It is so competitive.  Here, you can not be good and still be successful.”

Andrew Zimmern with Graham Elliot and Merlin Verrier at the Food Republic interviews.  
 

In short, Austin is special.  It is a great place for entrepreneurs and creative types to master their art and build a large audience.  That is quite an interesting perspective.  Austinites are okay with experiments, or dishes that don't wow. 

Chris Sheppard with Jamie Zelko.

 

Chris Sheppard of Underbelly says it comes down to "chefs doing what they want to do...... and people and communities feeding what they want to do.  They don’t care what I want to do.  They are feeling their communities.  What they want to cooking for their people."

 

Sarah Grueneberg with her crew at the 2013 Austin Food and Wine Festival Rock Your Taco. 

I really love Sarah Grueneberg.  She's from a small coastal town in Texas too, and it is exciting to see someone from I could identify with become a huge star. Sarah Grueneberg's definition of a food destination is "A town with that’s full of chefs and restaurants searching for great products and cooking foods they like.  They cook what they want to cook.  I want to see that.  I want to see what style the chefs are trying to show.”  If chefs are a little too out there with their dishes, they can try small plates or send experimental dishes to tables who have already order some pretty solid classic dishes.  Go out there and describe it.  It is about trusting the chef.  For diners, I think when they have lived with a chef on television, they are more willing to trust the new chefs.  They will be more willing to try things like sweetbreads."

2014 Austin Food and Wine Interviews with Jason Dady, Christina Tosi, Barton Seaver, and Tim Brynes

Here’s part two of the Chef Interviews.  We explore what Jason Dady, Christina Tosi, Barton Seaver, and Tim Brynes think about food communities.  

 

Chef Jason has been a regular in the Austin food scene since 2001, participating in the Hill Country Wine and Food Festival and Chefs Under Fire events.  He’s seen the changes from Austin, and he’s almost close enough that we might as well call him a local.

Emily of Defining Delicious with Chef Jason Dady.
 

Chef Jason Dady credits the food portion to Tyson Cole.  He says “Chef Tyson showcases as a whole what Texas has to offer.  You know what? Listen,  I’m going to do Japanese food, and it is going to be the best @#^@# food in the country, and by doing that and envisioning that he kinda shed this cloak over Texas [that it was just Southwestern steak and cowboy cooking].  We’re not JUST cooking this type of food.  Tyson is just awesome. He’s the Godfather of the New Texas cooking - it means do what you want, cook what you want, and people will buy into it.  Austin has no rules.  You really get to write whatever you want.  Do what you like.“  Chef Dady adds that the other Godfathers of Texas Cooking, Stephen Pyles, Dean Fearings and Robert Del Grande were responsible for putting Texas out before Tyson came along with a different style of food.  
 

Christina Tosi says “My impression of Austin is a little more ahead of the food scene even in parts of New York.  There are parts of New York where there is a momentum in small artisan and craft made foods - where people are really focusing on a specific type of food, like chocolate or ice cream.  I feel in some way that there’s a bigger sense of momentum in Austin.  Food city is where people eat local - where local artisans are celebrated is the best.”

Christina pictured with Paul Qui
 

Barton Seaver’s take on what makes a food city is: "A food city is a populous that demands that all food is made with an attention to method.  I say method is more than anything else is important - well executed. because if you look at any other city  If you look at any other food city, New York or any city in Italy, any level of food you visit is well executed……. it comes down to the expertise and method of the chefs and the populous expectations.  People know know what a balanced meal is.  That is what elevates the common element of food.  A food city is not defined by white table restaurants.  It is defined by the level of cooking in its Chinese food restaurants and the taco joints. " 

Barton Seaver's 2014 Austin Food and Wine Festival demonstration. 
 

Tim Brynes of Smoke in Dallas says that a food city is a community involved situation - the biggest part about cooking is family cooking.  "We’re all about nurturing community and hospitality.  How do you build a food community?  Sometimes it is an economic.  It sometimes happens at home.  Look at the big church functions.  People are doing cool stuff. For me, sometimes the small cities are where it is at.  Sometime these little towns have been doing it for generations.  If you look at the circle of commerce, and that’s how they do it. It is cool to join Austin’s food scene.  It would be nice for all the cities to join together and work together."  

Tim and his oysters.  Yum!
 

2014 Austin Food and Wine Festival Interview with Larry Perdido

During the 2013 Austin Food and Wine Festival, I sought out to interview chefs - who did not reside in Austin.  I wanted opinions of food leaders about how Austin was stacking up as a food city.  You might have noticed that Austin has changed drastically.  All the locals know that things have changed, but what we don’t have are some outside perspectives.   In order to get a more well-rounded view of Austin, I interviewed non-local chefs during the Austin Food and Wine Festival.  I wanted to know what make a city a food destination and what their impressions were on Austin’s food industry evolution. 

Hoover Alexander of Hoover's. 

Before we jump into non-local chefs, I have a few wise words from Larry Perdido.  Austin has a handful of what I call “godfathers of the food scene.”  They were there in the very beginning, before the zygote of Austin’s current food scene had even developed.  They are still here, in that omnipresent “I’m watching and guiding you” kind of state, in a good way of course.  Other godfathers include Harvey Harris of Siena, Jack Gilmore of Z’Tejas and Jack Allen’s Kitchen, Michael Vilim of Mirabelle, Hoover Alexander from Hoover’s, and Charles Mays of Cafe Josie.  

Bryce Gilmore from Barely Swine and his father, Jack Gilmore from Jack Allen's. 
 

Larry is currently the owner of Moonshine and the wildly popular HopDoddy Restaurants.  He hails from Houston with mentorship under the highly regarded Monica Pope.  Larry moved to Austin to raise his kids, and back then, it was a “chicken fried steak town.”  You had Threadgill’s, Hoover’s,, Good Eats Cafe, and NightHawk.  

 

Larry Perdido with a mud bug. 

During my interview with Larry, one thing became abundantly clear, this man is like CEO, operations, economist, culinary extraordinaire, and big thinker rolled into one.  Austinites are very lucky to have him shepherding our food community! I asked Larry about his thoughts on why Austin became so focused on food.  

“Whole Foods and Central Market.  Just having those grocery stores and farmers markets over the past 15 years has raised awareness of what we should be doing in the kitchen.  There’s a different level of consciousness with food now. ”

 

I would certainly agree. Having access to interesting ingredients and like minded people to nurture our curiosity and interest in food from a nutritional, artistic, creative, social, and economic perspective has certainly made it front of mind for Austinites.  Whole Foods and Central Market furthered the access to ingredients, led the charge with their cooking class offerings, and well-versed associates who were also food fanciers.  

Chef Monica Pope from Sparrow in Houston, TX.
 

I asked Larry what ingredients were required to be a food city - what led Austin to their success?  
 

“Austin didn’t get notoriety until we get our first food and wine award.  It was the social media aspect that allowed us to be on the map.  Tyson Cole has really put Austin on the map in terms of getting us there via social media.  It was also an explosion of SXSW and ACL Festival, it has really made Austin a great place to come and visit and to do some cool stuff.  We’re also on the leading edge of the food truck scene - Bryce with Odd Duck and Franklin’s BBQ.  It seems like the whole social media and the influx of the other cultural events has made Austin a good spot to eat.”

Classis dishes from Moonshine Cafe.

That’s right.  Paradigm shifting chefs + social media + remarkable food being served out of trucks and trailers + mass influx of visitors to Austin festivals were critical ingredients in putting Austin on the map.  

Soul cooking from Hoover's.
 

So what is Larry’s advice to others wanting to start a food community and restaurant scene?

“Monica Pope, in Houston, taught me is that you have to support your local farmers.  She did a good job of galvanizing those local farmers by visiting the markets.  She really started the movement.  It has to start with the markets and grow outward.”

 

Larry’s favorite regional food city isn’t too far away from Houston or Austin for that matter.  New Orleans is Larry’s go to city.  He says, “I’m an old soul.  I have that kindred spirit with everyone there.  You can tell you are in a food loving city, no one asks ‘what are you doing?;’ they ask ‘where are you eating?’”

Oysters at John Besh's Luke in New Orleans. 

A big thanks to Larry for kicking off the 2014 Austin Food and Wine Festival with a historical view of Austin’s food scene.

Qui-pping is real, Qui Austin at the @AustinFoodWine Festival

Our hometown hero, Paul Qui, Top Chef Winner, and overall cool dude, is working hard on opening his new restaurant, Qui Austin.  Punny enough, he gave a presentation at the Austin Food and Wine Festival called Qui Ingredients.  For the presentation, he talked cheese.  And more cheese.  And how to make a fondue with really expensive cheese. 

Items to eat with the fondue.

Chef Tim Dornon is at the stove, starting the fondue made with a mushroom broth base. 

This is an awesome photo.  Chef Tim's glasses are fogged up.

Chef Paul talks about his inspiration for dishes. When asked what he always has in the kitchen, Chef Paul answered: citrus, fats, and vinegars.  With those three ingredients, just throw in some salt and textures and you have the makings of a tasty dish. 

Paul Kiry from Antonelli's Cheese says "Then there was CHEESE!"

The team chilling out at the Taste of Texas event on Friday night. The prepared an amazing kimchi grilled brie sandwich with apples.