The New York Times’s Nick Bilton brings up one of the potential downsides of wearable tech (other than it looks goofy as hell):
In 1946, a new advertising campaign appeared in magazines with a picture of a doctor in a lab coat holding a
cigarette and the slogan, “More doctors smoke Camels than any other
cigarette.” No, this wasn’t a spoof. Back then, doctors were not aware
that smoking could cause cancer, heart disease and lung disease.In
a similar vein, some researchers and consumers are now asking whether
wearable computers will be considered harmful in several decades’ time.We
have long suspected that cellphones, which give off low levels of
radiation, could lead to brain tumors, cancer, disturbed blood rhythms
and other health problems if held too close to the body for extended
periods.
The conclusion of a World Health Organization panel in a 2011 review of studies was that cell phone technology was “possibly carcinogenic.” Not damning, but not encouraging, either. Just keep your wearable tech out of your “T-Zone.”
-Pete