The Fourth of October, Two Thousand Thirteen

I remember sometime earlier this year, I was driving to work on 280 and saw my first Google driverless car.  I couldn’t see what the driver was doing… I think his eyes were open.  Needless to say, I gave that Prius a wide berth.  It would be just like an Instagranny to rear end a Google Chaffeur.

It felt like something I should’ve written down so that sometime in my golden years, I could sit my little grandchild down and say in my rickety little grandma voice, “Sonny, it was the fifth of February, two thousand thirteen when I saw my very first self-driving horseless carriage.  A Tuesday I believe.”

I screwed-up once, but not again.

This past Friday, October fourth, I was waiting for Caltrain… regrettably it’s just your average choo-choo.  Made in Japan.  Older than me.  Does not travel at hypersonic speeds; when a young man materializes before me, wearing some unusual eyewear.

To my untrained Instagranny eye, it appears to be that new-fangled Google Glass.  Hmmm.

We board the train and Google Glass sits down across the aisle, facing me.  I think I’ll engage him in some old-fashioned conversation.

“Excuse me young man.  What are you wearing right now?”  (It sounded less creepy old lady in person.)

“Uh, Google Glass.”

And we proceed to talk for several minutes about how he has access to the latest futuristic technology and how it works.  Apparently no one can get their grubby antiquated hands on these bad boys till Christmas.  And, it turns out he’s fourteen years old.  I presume he’s some sort of coding protégé.

He sets me straight.  He is doing an internship with a software company to provide feedback on their app marketing campaign, which will be available via these LeVar Burton spectacles, presumably this holiday shopping season.  Kids these days.

I probably talked for five minutes with Sergey.  Actually, I didn’t ask his name.  He was adorable and prone to blushing and probably would have given me his screen name… DarkMoon?  Let’s just call him Sergey.  So, in that time, Sergey took my picture and recorded a ten second video of me.  All I heard him say was “Go-go-gadget!  Or go glass.” The train is noisy— I’m not entirely sure.

And then he evaporated at Palo Alto.  Like all boys from the future are prone to do.  But not before I shook my pocketbook at him and insisted he delete that video.

I really should have gotten a picture of him for my blog.  I’m sure I totally would have, if I was wearing the latest Google trifocals.  Only 77 shopping days left.