I wonder if I’m the only one that has visions of Phantasm when they watch this video.  The technology is fascinating, but there’s something about the eerie way they move together that creeps me out.

My favorite Dr. Suess book performed by people straight out of his imagination.

A couple of years ago, when practically no one knew what augmented reality was, I put together a prediction about the future of augmented vision.  A recent development from the leader in augmented vision, Vuzix, made me realize my prediction might not be far off.

Engadget recently reported about the state of Vuzix’s AR vision line (taken from the floor of CES 2012.)

The end result is that Vuzix is promising a $350-600 AR vision line available in 2013.  This model is built off their military line used for creating the next generation of super-soldier.

So how well am I doing on my prediction?  Back in early 2009 I put together this info-graphic to show when we’d be seeing real augmented vision.

Some of the predictions are moving along and others are lagging.  It appears that AR glasses might be closer than I first thought, thanks to DARPA funding.  It’s still too early to tell how widespread usage might be or what could be done with them, but it’s still interesting to watch how my fictional worlds of The Digital Sea and Gamers might come to pass.  Hopefully, leveraging the wonders of Moore’s Law, we see them sooner rather than later.

I don’t know Professor Khan.  Not personally, anyway.

But he’s had a profound affect on my kids lives.  Heck, I wish he’d been around when I was a kid.

So if you don’t know him, you should.

You see, he created a university of learning for kids online.  Not only that but he’s done it for free and raised millions of dollars so it can stay free and keep improving.  In fact, he’s attracted donors like Bill Gates.

Yeah, that guy.

You see, Khan’s idea was that classroom time should be about working on the struggle points with the teacher.  Using the teacher as a tutor rather than lecturing you like your dad after you spilled the milk.  Did you ever listen to your Dad’s lectures?  Yeah, I didn’t either.

Khan created these informative lectures about school topics so kids could watch them the night before class, stopping and rewinding when they needed to without fear of retribution (ever interrupt a teacher for a question in the middle of a lecture? Hmm…we’ll leave that one alone.)

Using Khan’s videos, kids can show up to class all ready to work and all at the same place.  So teachers aren’t “teaching to the worst student.”  He calls it flipping the classroom.

The other innovation of Khan’s is to use the things in gaming that addict us like badges and trophies.  These little things give kids constant positive feedback.  How many of us have stayed awake until 2am playing “one more game” of Angry Birds trying to make the next level.  Yeah, learning can be like that.

Flashback to my school years.  I got in trouble, a lot.  I mean A LOT.  School was boring for a hyper boy with too many thoughts in his head.  Khan could have saved me a lot of detention.

Thankfully, Khan Academy exists for my kids.  That’s why he’s the second most important person for my kids education.

Who’s the first?

My wife.

She gave up a career and a large portion of her sanity to be a home schooling mom.  When the school system failed our children, she took the reins and never looked back.  If you’d met our children, you’d know how good she is at her job (and it’s the most important job!)

But not every parent can afford to take off work to home school.  That’s where Khan comes in.  Games are a central part of how we learn.  It’s wired into our brains.  Using the “addictive” qualities of games can help kids learn.  Trust me, I know about “addictive qualities.”  I’m a gamer.  I write novels about gaming and how amazing technology changes our lives.

My kids are gamers, too.  Khan gamers.  Just the other day my son was doing math at8pm. 8pm!  He was excited about doing math problems and just couldn’t stop.

People say the education system is broken.  It is.  But systems are made of people and those people are us.  If we approach teaching our children like Khan and my wife, then it won’t be broken for long.

For me, the Charlie Brown Christmas is how I picture the holidays.  It doesn’t matter if your tree is a twig with a few ornaments or if your holiday dinner is toast and candy.  All that matters is that you’re spending time with your friends and family.

So in honor of the Charlie Brown Christmas tree, I’m offering a couple of my novels, Gamers and The Digital Sea, for peanuts!  Have a wonderful holiday season!

The Digital Sea ($0.99) – Amazon / Barnes & Noble

Gamers ($0.99) – Amazon / Barnes & Noble

The second book in the Gamers trilogy — Frags — is now available just in time for the holidays.  If you haven’t read the first book in the Gamers trilogy, go pick up a copy now at your favorite retailer.  The trilogy has been compared to a cross between the Hunger Games and the Uglies trilogy by many reviewers and readers.

When the Frags escape to the Freelands, they find freedom has its own challenges.

Without the familiar rules of LifeGame, Gabby and the Frags stumble from one dangerous Freeland to the next, while conflict in the group threatens to split them up. As the trail to Zaela becomes confused by the looming war, Gabby must reinvent herself or never see her best friend again.

The novel can be purchased by e-book at Amazon, B&N and Smashwords for $4.99, or as a paperback for $13.99.

In my Gamers trilogy people use auto-driving FunCars to get around while playing augmented reality games along the way.  The cars can be customized to look like anything you want them to.  The Toyota Fun-Vii concept video seems like a trailer right out of a Gamers movie.

I’m please to announce the second book in The Digital Sea trilogy — The Godhead Machine.  This one takes up a couple of years after the first book, when life has seemingly settled down for our favorite heroine Zel Aurora.  Here’s the back cover blurb:

When religions spread like computer viruses, even atheists have to take notice.

An old enemy seizes control of the newly expanded Wiki-religion to create a new world order.  To stop him, Zel must join forces with a mega-celebrity doing penance and an orphan girl out for revenge.  However, mired on a thawing city in Greenland, she cannot just use her considerable powers to bend reality and fix the problem.  Instead, she must turn her greatest weakness – understanding people – into a strength or doom the planet to endless religious war.

The novel can be purchased by e-book at Amazon, B&N and Smashwords for $4.99, or as a paperback for $14.95.

For those that haven’t been paying attention to the wider world, Anne McCaffery, beloved author of the Dragonriders of Pern series died yesterday.  I grew up reading her work.  Hell, I didn’t just read them, I devoured them over and over again.  I even got the Dragonriders boardgame, which was surpringly fun.

Her books touched me like few others.  Dragonriders of Pern.  The Crystal Singer.  The Ship Who Sang.  Anne was a major part of my childhood and probably part of the reason why I’m a writer.

I’d hoped to one day meet her at a convention and tell her how much her books meant to me, but now that she’s gone I’ll try to give the best and maybe only tribute I can to her now and say, “Thank you.”

I’ll miss you Anne.

Mmm…art.  The best art is the kind you can stare at while it memorizes you.  Enjoy.

Dev Harlan – “Parmenides I”, 2011 from Dev Harlan on Vimeo.