“Wearing it in public has, however, often brought me grief—usually from people objecting to what they think is a head-mounted video recorder.”

I think there is a shift in the public mindset about public and sometimes private spaces being under constant video surveillance. I am conscious of this every time I walk by one of my neighbors’ homes as many are using doorbell cameras, or other similar security systems facing the street. Practically every store and train station has multiple cameras.

In some countries the cameras are even more pervasive. For instance, the PRC government has gone full Big Brother, using cameras and facial recognition to track and control behavior.

Moreover, not only does every adult and many children carry a high-quality video camera in their pocket, they are becoming more comfortable using them to take video of what they’re seeing around them.

For these reasons, I believe if Google Glass were released today instead of 10 years ago, the reaction would be less hostile. I would be curious to know the author’s recent experience wearing DIY headsets and the public’s reactions/suspicions regarding video recording.