What started as experimentation with medical devices and adaptive equipment in the mid 70’s evolved by the early 90’s into a general purpose Linux wearable. Daily use has lead to a life lived in an intimate relationship with machines and altered perceptions of just where I end and they begin.

A brief survey of the evolution of “Herbert” will followed by an examination of: - The way ubiquity effects how the computer is used - The hardware and software that make wearing a computer practical - The trade offs that help make it affordable A selection HMDs, input devices and vests will be available to see and time permitting, try.

URL’s on wearables

Homebuilt usb chorder

The software discussed (including speech)

I did not mention but should have: Sparkfun - A great place for sensors, accelerometers and all sorts of inexpensive cool gadjets to let your computer interact with the world around it.

Bookshare - They are one of several places that provide etext of books for folks with a documented reading impairment. They have many O’Reilly titles.