A memorial service for beloved retired schoolteacher Doris Yandel, 88, was interrupted Saturday when the smart glasses worn by her great-nephew, Brent Hollis, 34, filled his field of vision with digital confetti and the words STEP KING as he walked to the podium to deliver the eulogy, the short walk having pushed him past his daily movement goal.
Witnesses say Mr. Hollis paused at the lectern, stared at something none of them could see, and whispered “no.” The glasses, the Lumen Frame 2 by Glimmerworks, mark milestones with a four-second celebration that cannot be skipped except by a gesture the company calls the double fist pump.
“He did it,” said one attendee. “In front of the casket. Twice, because the first one didn’t register. The sensor wants conviction.”
Mr. Hollis had worn the Frames to display his speaking notes, which worked as intended for four minutes. The glasses then began identifying mourners in the front row, floating small cards above their heads reading “SARA, 61. Mutual connections: 3. Last interaction: today.”
By the interment, the Frames had assembled the gathering into a highlight reel titled “Squad Goals,” scored to a royalty-free track the company describes as “uplifting, with tasteful drums.” Mr. Hollis has deleted it twice. It syncs back. Storage, unlike the moment, is unlimited at his tier.
Glimmerworks, which sells the Frames with the tagline “never miss a moment,” said in a statement that “joy is not always convenient,” and that milestone celebrations “honor the user’s journey wherever it leads, including, apparently, there.” The company said a Solemn Mode is planned for the fall and will be available to Lumen+ subscribers.
The family has been gracious. “Doris taught fourth grade for forty years. She had seen worse at assemblies,” said her niece, Carol Yandel-Ruiz. “But she would want the record to reflect that the confetti was not her idea.”
Mr. Hollis’s streak stands at 214 days. He is aware of that. He is aware of that at all times.