There’s a moment when every good product makes the jump from the geek world to the mainstream world. A time in history where it goes from being something that only those who live and breath technology know about to truly living in the consciousness of the average man walking down the street. Today, Google Glass makes that jump after being parodied on America’s longest-running animated show, The Simpsons.
Known for taking popular culture and having a tongue-in-cheek swipe at it with a big Homer-like fist, The Simpsons has now taken Google Glass and placed in squarely in its sights, with everyone’s favorite yellow, bald and somewhat overweight cartoon character donning something rather Glass-like for an episode entitled "Specs and the City." In typical Homer fashion however, things don’t go what you would call ‘swimmingly’ for the hapless oaf, especially after finding out that The Simpsons residence is worth considerably less than that of their neighbors. It goes downhill from there.
This isn’t the first time that The Simpsons’ writers have taken a dig at popular technology trends. Apple in particular has been the butt of many jokes on the show over the years, and Google is also no stranger to finding itself in the middle of a storyline. This take on Glass will surely be the first time many viewers of The Simpsons have ever come across Google’s wearable technology though, and it certainly doesn’t make a good impression. While not explicitly a clone of Google’s Glass, it’s clear that it’s the search giant’s specs that The Simpsons based Homer’s new eyewear on. Hell, they even look like Glass thanks to that solid bar across the top of the lenses.
Google is currently working towards making Glass something that everyone can buy, gradually opening up its once very restrictive ordering process to friends of those already donning the specs. The Explorer program has seen Google+ in particular become home to a huge number of Glass-taken photos, a sure sign that usage has ramped up worldwide. A prohibitive price-tag aside, an appearance on The Simpsons, no matter how parodic, can only help raise awareness of the wearable technology that we’re all hoping will change our lives over the next ten years.
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