I also owe a huge debt of gratitude to my former ReadWriteStart partner-in-crime, Dana Oshiro, who literally (read: figuratively) showed me the ropes by taking me under her wing. Another shout-out certainly needs to go to Marshall, who has been a mentor to me in this business ever since I was a lowly research intern. He is a great friend, a strong leader, and yes, one monster of an editor. There are so many other thanks I owe to dozens of people, but I don’t want to go on for too long.

Earlier this week I accepted a full-time position with Layar – a company which specializes in augmented reality. I’ve researched and covered the area since my grad school days, experimenting with mobile app prototypes in the New Media Innovation Lab at ASU’s Cronkite School. Little did I know that our experiments would eventually lead to me writing RWW’s premium report on the subject and making a small name for myself in the community. For Layar, I will be serving the role of Web producer and copywriter, and I will be doing some social media stuff too. If you really want to, you can read the job description on the Layar home page.

But the “what” of the job may not be as intriguing as the “where.”

Layar is headquartered in Amsterdam. Yes, the Netherlands. That’s the office in the picture above. In a short time (probably in late October) I will be shipping off to Amsterdam to work with Layar. It’s a huge transition, and it’s a bit anxiety-inducing, but it’s going to be a blast and I’m so incredibly thrilled. My mom is freaking out, but I know it’s going to be a great time and a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I can’t turn down.

To my friends and family in the states, and particularly, Arizona – I’m going to miss you all terribly. I’ve told a few of you about my news already and some (including my Mom) are already planning your visits. Please, the more the merrier. I’m sure I’ll be in touch with many of you over the coming weeks, and we’ll celebrate accordingly, on more than one occasion, no doubt.

The timing of this feels very right for me. I’m about to turn 25, and while I’ve been hoping to move to San Francisco, the chance to travel abroad and experience Europe beyond the fenced-in school trip I took in high-school is incredible. Also, Dave Matthews Band is taking next year off, so I won’t miss any shows.

It’s going to be a crazy next few weeks, but it’s going to be a blast. I’m sure a bunch of you have questions so here’s a quick FAQ I’ve gathered from sharing my news with people thusfar.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• Amsterdam? Really? – Yes, really. This is no joke. I’m really moving to the Netherlands.
• Isn’t it cold there? – The temperature in Amsterdam gets down to around 30 F in the winter and around 80 F in the summer. It’s a big change from the 115 F summers in Phoenix, but hey I was born in Boston, I can handle a little cold. Yes, it snows there. And it’s wet and drizzly a lot too.
• Do you speak Dutch? – No. But from what I understand, most of the people there also speak English (and German and French). I’m looking forward to picking up bits and pieces as I immerse myself there and flexing my French chops (it’s been nearly 7 years since I’ve used it, yikes). Actually, part of the reason I was hired is because I’m a fluent English speaker (or so I’d like to believe).
• Do they have Chipotle in Amsterdam? – No. No Subway either. I’m going to die a little bit inside each day. But they do have McDonald’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Domino’s etc…
• When are you leaving? – Not certain yet, but probably around the end of October, or early November. It all depends on how long it takes to get all the visa/immigration stuff taken care of.
• What are you doing with all of your stuff? – I’m selling my car (2001 Ford Escort ZX2, 90k miles, cosmetic condition: fair). It won’t go for much, but it will be some nice change in my pocket. I am also looking to sell my 2008 24” iMac. If you’re interested in either let me know. Other stuff will be stored at my mom’s place pending my return to the states (whenever that is).
• How long will you be gone? – Again, uncertain. I could stay there for a while, or I may find myself back in the states if the company decides to open an office here. Anything is possible at this point, but for my mother’s sake I said I’d be back soon. In the meantime, I should be back for a few planned vacations (my father and my friend Marilyn are getting married in February and April respectively).
• Can I come visit? – Yes! Please do! In fact a few of you have already expressed interest. You’re welcome to stay with me at my Amsterdam apartment (I don’t know what the place will be like yet, but I’m sure we can figure something out). One at a time please. But in all seriousness, I’ll be quite lonely for a while, and likely homesick. Please come see me if you, I’d love it.

Photo by Flickr user digitalgold.

This short 1 minute video, however, is shot entirely in first-person point-of-view, as opposed to Nokia’s which switches back and forth between frist and third, which makes it feel more like a marking promo piece. This new video is almost like a movie trailer in that it is mysterious and dark.

Instead of a haptic feedback device, this newer video shows off the potential of using different sensors to track finger motions for navigation. It also seems like navigation can be performed with the eyes, but personally I don’t think this technology will ever become useful. Our eyes are too sporadic and shaky to produce a good navigation experience – unless, however, if the tracking of the eye’s isn’t 1-to-1, but rather uses an average of eye positions to determine what you really want to navigate to. I can imagine staring at a particular button for a half a second, or blinking while looking at it to navigate. That might work.

The other piece of technology in this video is what appears to be either the best HMD we could ever hope to see, or contact lenses with displays on them. This isn’t too far out of the realm of possibility as scientists recently managed to place a single pixel on a contact lens powered by RFID. Fun huh?

Either way, this stuff is many many years away, but it still makes me drool. Unless of course this is really just a concept video for a breed of human-like robots that will eventually take over the world (read: Skynet, HUAR, etc). That would suck. Here, just watch.