From: John Costella <jpc@physics.unimelb.EDU.AU>
Subject: Re: TECH: Virtual worlds with alternative physics and/or
Date: Thu, 28 Mar 1996 15:29:51 +1100 (EETDT)


> Alternative physics need not be a carnival ride.  I believe the
> original post mentioned making things easier for the user.  I have
> probed integrated circuits using micromanipulators and high power
> microscopes.  Those devices definitely provide an altered sense of the
> physical reality and are most helpful in their applications.  Similar
> environments could be useful in VR, particularly if the user had
> limited physical capabilities in RL, such as a restricted or poorly
> controlled movement.

Agreed, Vic. A microscope or micromanipulator essentially provides a
change of scale, which we can't do in Real Reality, but which is not
too weird to adapt to --- space is still flat, etc. Extending a user's
physical capabilities is also an excellent goal.

Where I came in may not have been the original post --- we were
starting to talk about warped space, wormholes, non-standard gravity,
and that sort of thing, which you succinctly call the "carnival ride"
:-). Except in theme parks, they are probably best avoided.

=====================================================================
Dr John P. Costella    School of Physics, The University of Melbourne
mailto:jpc@physics.unimelb.edu.au   http://www.ph.unimelb.edu.au/~jpc
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