Virtual RealismVirtual reality has introduced what is literally a new dimension of reality to daily life. But it is not without controversy. Indeed, some say that a collision is inevitable between those passionately involved in the computer industry and those increasingly alienated from (and often replaced by) its applications. Opinions range from the cyberpunk attitude of Wired magazine and Bill Gates's commercial optimism to the violent opposition of the Unabomber. Now, with Virtual Realism, readers have a thought-provoking guide to the "cyberspace backlash" debate and the implications of cyberspace for our culture. Michael Heim offers a comprehensive introduction to virtual reality and a provocative commentary on its present and future impact on our lives. Heim describes the fascinating and important industrial and military uses of virtual reality, as well as its artistic and entertainment applications. He argues that we must balance the idealist's enthusiasm for computerized life with the need to ground ourselves more deeply in primary reality. This "uneasy balance" he calls virtual realism. |
Contents
Confused about virtual reality? What is it? Heres a guide for complete beginners | 3 |
Illustrations | 33 |
Between the future shock of network idealists and the naïve realism of the Unabomber runs a middle path It is the peaceful road of virtual realism Te... | 33 |
Artists teach us how to marry technology with spirit PlaceHolder and the Virtual Dervish provide lessons in virtual realism What do you learn from s... | 51 |
Tunnel Or Spiral? Since the 1960s artistsfrom Glenn Gould to Jim Morrisonprepared us for digital interaction The same artists now help us understan... | 75 |
Survival dictates that we integrate information systems with planetary ecology Virtual Reality is already cleaning nuclear waste sites left by the Cold ... | 125 |
Does nature end where cyberspace begins? Or can we put nature into cyberspace? The author looks at the puzzle through some personal life history | 143 |
Why do alien intruders populate so many nightmares? What brings them to us? Consider these visitors our future selves summoning us from the nott... | 173 |
Notes on Artists and Works | 201 |
Chapter Notes | 205 |
Vocabulary of Virtual Realism | 209 |
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Common terms and phrases
adaptogen allows Alternate World apperception artificial artists audio awareness Banff become boomerang Brenda Laurel building CAVE Center Char Davies Clarence Major context create culture cyberspace dataglove desktop devices electronic ence engineers entities experience explore eyes feel film Glenn Gould Gould graphics Hanford hardware head-mounted display helmet human hypertext idealist images immersion InfoFCology inner input installation interactive Internet Jung kinesthetic light look machines means Metaphysics of Virtual monitor motion movement Myron Krueger naïve realists nature ontological OSMOSE perception peripheral Photo physical PlaceHolder primary body primary world projection psychic framework puter realism robotic Sara Roberts screen sense sensory shaman simulator sickness sound space structures teleoperation telepresence things tion traditional transhuman tual tunnel user's viewer virtual environment virtual reality virtual world vision visual VR system VRML