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Google warns Glass wearers: Quit being 'CREEPY GLASSHOLES'

Ad king offers helpful dos and don'ts of geek-goggle etiquette

Google has updated its information website for its Glass Explorer programme to include a list of "dos and don'ts" for its head-mounted computers, including one rather unexpected admonition.

"[Don't] be creepy or rude," the last item on the list cautions, "(aka, a 'Glasshole')."

It's a surprising turn of phrase, coming from Google. The Chocolate Factory has been none too pleased with the popular nickname for wearers of its Android-powered specs – enough so that some Googlers have asked The Reg if it could please stop using "Glasshole" in headlines. [Hey, if the shoe fits – Ed.]

Now the online ad-slinger appears to be taking a different tack, by seeking to define just who counts as a Glasshole and who doesn't.

What the FAQ? Google tells users to not be creepy under the 'Don't' heading (click to enlarge)

In a nutshell, while Google would like its Glass Explorers to wear the computer tech as much as possible, they shouldn't be too pushy about it, especially when it comes to taking pictures or video of others.

"In places where cell phone cameras aren't allowed, the same rules will apply to Glass," the updated Glass Explorer website explains. "If you're asked to turn your phone off, turn Glass off as well. Breaking the rules or being rude will not get businesses excited about Glass and will ruin it for other Explorers."

There are some other don'ts, as well. Glass wearers are advised to use the specs only for short bursts of information, and to use devices with larger screens for activities that require concentrated attention.

"If you find yourself staring off into the prism for long periods of time you're probably looking pretty weird to the people around you," Google says.

Google also expects its Glass early adopters to act as a kind of ambassadors for the Explorer program. "Respect others and if they have questions about Glass don't get snappy," the site says. Instead, wearers should explain what Glass does when asked and even offer short demos, where appropriate.

Explorer program members also shouldn't wear Glass while playing high-impact sports like "water skiing, bull riding, or cage fighting," Google says – which is probably good advice, if a bit obvious.

Notably, however, the list includes no similar caution against wearing Glass while driving or operating other vehicles. Government officials in the US and the UK have called for new rules banning Glass from public roads, while others have suggested that the goggles fall under distracted-driving laws.

Yet in January, a California woman had a traffic citation dismissed after her attorney successfully argued that there was nothing illegal about driving while wearing Glass when it's switched off. Even so, here at Vulture Annex in San Francisco, your correspondent still thinks it was a Glasshole move. ®

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