If there's any piece of emerging technology that most closely resembles the cyberpunk imaginings of science-fiction writers, it's Google Glass. The product achieved a notable symbolic milestone this week when the creator of the cyberpunk genre, William Gibson, finally donned the futuristic gadget.
Gibson was headlining an event at the New York Public Library when an audience member offered to have the Neuromancer author wear it. Gibson, wearing a black shirt and jacket along with the austere headset, looks like he'd fit right in as a character in any one of many cyberpunk-inspired worlds that his landmark novel helped create.
Later, he tweeted about the experience:
I also got to try Google Glass, if only for a few seconds. Was faintly annoyed at just how interesting I found the experience.— William Gibson (@GreatDismal) April 20, 2013
He also responded to some questions from his followers about his take on Glass, and where he thinks the technology could go:
Expect Google Glass to be reworked into less obvious, more trad spectacles, sunglasses etc, for covert use. Should be relatively easy.— William Gibson (@GreatDismal) April 23, 2013
Sounds like the beginning of an idea for an as-yet-unwritten novel. Will Google Glass inspire a whole new generation of cyberpunk-themed works about wearable technology? It seems inevitable, although this time it won't be called science fiction, just everyday life.
