From: farrellj@pinetree.org (farrellj) Subject: Re: SCI: Where does immersive VR start? Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1993 17:07:28 -0400 Organization: Gordon's Pinetree * Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Ben Delaney writes: > I object STRONGLY to calling books, movies, telephone conversations, > etc, Virtual Reality. To do so muddies the language and makes it more > difficult to discuss legitimate new ideas. > > Virtual Reality requires a computer. That's it! > > We already have names for these other experiences: reverie, day > dreaming, trance, etc. Keeping the language clear helps to think > clearly. I would say that "virtual reality" needs a medium to operate upon...for example, if you had called my place about a month ago voice-wise, you would have entered a virtual reality where I was at a party, answering the phone, and then making you listen to The Shuffle Daemons play "Cheese on Bread" live. Admittedly it was a very static and primitive "virtual reality" but it did the trick. In this example, it was the voice line that was the "medium" of the virtual reality. With most commen comcepts of what VR is, cyberspace is the medium. It can range from a very lo-rez experience (like this conversation we are having) to very hi-rez (like having a pair of Onyx SGI machines hooked together via their Data-bus)...but it is still a VR existing on a cyberspace medium. ttyl Farrell -- Internet: farrellj@pinetree.org (farrellj) UUCP: pinetree!farrellj Gordon's Pinetree -- Ottawa, ON, Canada -- +1 613 526 0702 -- v.32bis/v.42bis