So I've been ruminating lately about Augmented Reality since the new iPhone has the Compass feature that, combined with their camera, can allow you to map out information in 3-D in real time. You essentially pan your camera from left to right and pop-ups tell you information about the places within your close proximity. It could be restaurants, bank ATM's etc, which can eventually be linked to other geo-tagged information people may have left about that particular place ("this ATM stole my card!")
What I'm intrigued by is how, combined with search/organizational technology via the semantic web, when you or I scroll our 8th generation iPhone or 7th gen Android from left to right we'll see, "John, you'd love this restaurant for their vegeterian curry" or "John, your friend Jason is buying a book at this Barnes & Noble right now" or whatever. Meaning we'll eventually have a system for organizing our data that is utterly specific and controlled how we want it. We'll have privacy settings, preference filters, etc and because of how we interact with our social networks we'll also be able to get the benefits of "communal filtering" so that if I have the same movie tastes as my buddy, I will only get movie theatre recs for theatres in my area playing just the movies I want to see.
So all of that blows my mind and I'm not sure how much of it can really happen or is just something I think will happen. (Although I'm pretty sure it will). Here's a new layer I'm thinking would be pretty extraordinary--Augmented Morality. Probably not the best term and it sounds a bit like a Vatican version of Second Life. But it seems to me that once AR really takes hold and I hold up my phone to look around, messages may pop up for me (even through filters) that would have to do with emotional filters versus simply location and status information.
Here's an example. I'm at Jury Duty today and heard about an amazing program called CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). When kids go from foster home to foster home, if they can have a CASA volunteer to watch out for their special interests, they'll know that at least one person cares for them on a regular, ongoing basis. This person interviews their doctor, families, etc so they can represent the child in court and be the True North that helps guide them into a steady home. Watching the video on these kids is heartbreaking, especially as a dad.
So I'm wondering if I can eventually 'wear' an Augmented Reality signboard as I walk through Manhattan letting people know things like, "Do you have a heart to help foster kids find a good home?" Of course, you're thinking everyone will also wear signs that say, "Do you know you can get your penis enlarged?" But work with me here--the point is that once these technologies get nuanced to the point they will be fairly soon, perhaps these layers or maps can avoid certain types of spam filters to help kids in need or other organizations by breaking through our busy lives and mapping a spot in our hearts.
I'm up for helping with that anyway. Not to be a downer, but seeing the video made me wonder what life would be like for my kids if my/their circumstances would have been different. So if I can geek my way into helping kids in the future somehow I'm up for it.
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