Pierced Glasses: Minimalist Eyewear Since 1840

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Discussion Overview

The thread discusses the concept of Pierced Glasses, a minimalist eyewear design proposed by James Sooy and Oliver Gibson, which involves piercing the skin above the bridge of the nose to attach glasses using rare Earth magnets. The discussion explores reactions to the design, its practicality, and potential risks associated with the piercing.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express strong disapproval of the Pierced Glasses concept, labeling it as the "worst commercial product ever invented" and unmarketable.
  • Concerns are raised about the safety of having rare Earth magnets in the nose, particularly regarding MRI risks and potential health complications like cellulitis or meningitis.
  • Others humorously suggest extreme alternatives, such as bolting the glasses to the bone or making exaggerated claims about the benefits of rare Earth magnets.
  • Several participants share personal experiences with vision issues, including the need for reading glasses and frustrations with traditional eyewear.
  • Some participants mention alternatives to pierced glasses, such as contact lenses, indicating a preference for non-invasive solutions.
  • There are playful exchanges about the absurdity of the design and its implications, including humorous remarks about the practicality of wearing such glasses.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally disagree on the viability and safety of the Pierced Glasses concept, with no consensus reached regarding its practicality or marketability.

Contextual Notes

Participants express varying levels of concern about health risks associated with the piercing and the use of magnets, but these concerns are not resolved. The discussion also reflects personal preferences and experiences with vision correction methods.

Math Is Hard
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Would you wear these?
James Sooy and Oliver Gibson have come up with Pierced Glasses - the most minimalist eyewear since the Pince-nez glasses that clip onto your nose was invented in the 1840's.

Here's the step-by-step:

Get pierced - an internally-threaded barbell that goes through the skin above the bridge of your nose
-Use a tabletop mill to cut the L-shaped metal pieces that screw onto the barbell
-Attach rare Earth magnets to the glasses; these hold the glasses on.
-Don't get rid of the bridge pieces; they let the lenses sit on your nose and take the actual weight of the lenses.
http://www.livescience.com/images/060522_pglassesA_03.jpg
http://www.livescience.com/scienceoffiction/060522_pierce_glasses.html
A little "cyber" for my tastes, but I think it could catch on here in L.A. There are a lot of people who walk around with a cellphone strapped to the ear.
 
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no no no no no no no
 
C'mon, Pengwuino. These would be cute on you. Come here - let me pierce your beak. It won't hurt, I promise.
 
It would be very tragic if that person were to unwittingly get an MRI with those rare Earth magnets in their nose... :rolleyes:
 
By the way, this is the worst commercial product ever invented, and it is completely unmarketable. I'd pick ordinary, "inconvenient" glasses over this horror, any day.
 
Rach3 said:
By the way, this is the worst commercial product ever invented, and it is completely unmarketable. I'd pick ordinary, "inconvenient" glasses over this horror, any day.

Come to California. Nothing is unmarketable in this literal human wasteland.
 
I looks like the sides of the bridge of his nose is redder than the rest, and the left side swollen.

I have to wear reading glasses now, which I find irritating. I do not like to wear them continually.
 
Oh, no, no, no.
 
Why not just bolt it to the bone?

I'd hate it if'n the glasses got snagged on a sweater or something.
 
  • #10
Rach3 said:
By the way, this is the worst commercial product ever invented, and it is completely unmarketable.
Unmarketable ?? Didn't you know those rare Earth magnets get rid of sinuses, improve your vision and sharpen your mind, to say nothing about making you sexually irresistible ?

And once you've gotten used to breathing liquid nitrogen, you can do all those cool levitation demos on the tip of your nose. How neat would that be ?
 
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  • #11
Astronuc said:
I have to wear reading glasses now, which I find irritating. I do not like to wear them continually.

I just bought my first pair last week. :cry: :cry: :cry:

I have had 20/15 vision in both eyes since my late teens... this sucks.
 
  • #12
The risk for cellulitis that could lead to menengitis is WAY TOO HIGH to do that!
 
  • #13
Ivan Seeking said:
I just bought my first pair last week. :cry: :cry: :cry:

I have had 20/15 vision in both eyes since my late teens... this sucks.
Tell me about it. My distance vision is fine, but its basically 30-45 cm (12-18 inches) where I need reading glasses - for reading papers and the computer screen. The eyes are simply less flexible by the time someone reaches about 50. :biggrin:

I've already lost one pair. Left it somewhere in the boarding area at an airport just before I caught a late night flight from west to east coast. So now I have 4 pair.
 
  • #14
minimalist eyeware
Their called contacts. I wear gas-perm hard lenses (corrected vision is a bit better than 20/15). I use reading glasses in addition for close up work.
 
  • #15
I you take my glasses and turn them backwards it also serves as a telescope.
 
  • #16
NO...
 
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  • #17
Aiieeee!

Rach3 said:
It would be very tragic if that person were to unwittingly get an MRI with those rare Earth magnets in their nose... :rolleyes:
The magnets are actually in the glasses, not the piercing. Besides, yeah, they remove piercings before MRIs.

Chi Meson said:
Why not just bolt it to the bone?
I'd hate it if'n the glasses got snagged on a sweater or something.
Which is why they're only attached with magnets...

Gokul43201 said:
Didn't you know those rare Earth magnets get rid of sinuses...
Yeah, I had a rare Earth magnet once. Now I have no sinuses. :smile:

Jeff Reid said:
Their called contacts. I wear gas-perm hard lenses
Ouuuuuch! I have dents in my car's hood from my fist, parked on the side of the highway, throwing myself around from the stabbing pain of a microscopic piece of dust under a hard lens. :eek:
 
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