You’re not cool enough for Google to notice you, but perhaps you’ve had your eye on a certain piece of eyewear for a little while.

You might have been wondering to yourself, “How do I buy myself a Google Glass device, anyway?”

The good news is that the veil of exclusivity is gone. On Tuesday, the company transitioned its much-talked-about headset to an open beta. Short version: If you have $1,500 burning a hole in your pocket, you can now become a Glass Explorer—as long as the product is still in stock.

According to ZDNet, the sale—which followed a similar one-day sale last month—is a lead-up to a planned mass-market launch of the devices, which have drawn excitement and criticism in varying degrees.

But nonetheless, one space that’s gotten more than a bit of excitement about the devices is the event space, where some associations have tested the devices themselves. If you’re curious about what you might be getting into, check out our first-person trial of a Glass device from last year.

“Permission is Critical”

Know Your Audience — How a Simple Request Missed the Mark; Further Soured Perception. http://t.co/fqx7PFcpPF #assnchat

— Steve Drake (@SteveDrake) May 14, 2014

In case you missed our piece from yesterday about Canada’s forthcoming anti-spam law, the short version of the story is this: The onus is on the marketer to get express consent from Canadians before sending them marketing messages.

That’s now going to be the law in Canada, but as the Agricultural Retailers Association’s Brian M. Reuwee explains, that’s simply just good manners. In a guest post over at the SCD Group’s blog, Reuwee explains how a journalist frustrated members of his association with a story, then that same journalist sent him an email asking for help with a personal interest of his.

“Do you think you’re not a spammer because you’re an association and you’re only emailing your members? Wrong,” he writes. “If it’s unwelcome, it’s spam. Ask your stakeholders if they want to receive your emails first. Build a relationship, then make the ask.”

It might not be the law of the land, but good practice is simply good practice. (ht @SteveDrake)

Other Things of Note

You’re a travel pro and probably know a thing or two about packing for a business trip, but for your members who don’t, this handy website might help them out a ton.

If that “culture of accountability” you have is just creating endless finger-pointing, it might be worth considering a “culture of self-accountability,” CMSWire contributor Stephen Fishman suggests.

The enterprise is learning to let go of Windows XP, according to TechCrunch, which cites a study saying that the platform has dipped below 10 percent market share at enterprise firms.

Want to engage young volunteers? It might benefit your organization, but VolunteerMatch’s Shari Ilsen notes that there are certainly downsides.

(photo by Ted Eytan/Flickr)