Front cover image for Virtual Realism

Virtual Realism

Virtual Realism is an art form and a way of living with technology. To explain it, Michael Heim draws on a hypertext of topics, from answering machines to interactive art, from engineering to television programmes, from the meaning of UFOs to the Internet. The technology of virtual reality brought a new dimension to culture with its virtual offices and cyberspace friendships - but few agree on its merits. Opinions range from the Unabomber's Luddite activism to Wired's cyberpunk attitude to Bill Gate's commercial optimism. Virtual Realism guides readers through the debate and suggests ways of harmonizing computers with culture. Exploring a wide-range of virtual reality technologies, from a tour of a virtual art gallery to the heads-up-displays used by military pilots, Michael Heim shares the discoveries he has made over several years in the studios of VR designers. Always suggesting a harmony of technology with lifestyle, the result is an illuminating look at the meaning and value of human life in the age of cyberculture
eBook, English, 1998
Oxford University Press, USA, 1998
Electronic resource
1 online resource (264)
9781280655159, 9780195350098, 1280655151, 019535009X
748538898
Cover
Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
146; VR10158; Confused about virtual reality63; What is it63; Here39;s a guide for complete beginners46;
Virtual Realism58; Between the future shock of network idealists and the na239;ve realism of the Unabomber runs a middle path46; It is the peaceful road of virtual realism46; Ten signposts mark the way46;
346; The Art of Virtual Reality58; Artists teach us how to marry technology with spirit46; PlaceHolder and the Virtual Dervish provide lessons in virtual realism46; What do you learn from spending six hours in a headmounted display63; Here39;s a report46;
446; Interactive Design58; Tunnel Or Spiral63; Since the 1960s44; artists8212;from Glenn Gould to Jim Morrison8212;prepared us for digital interaction46; The same artists now help us understand how to build holistic virtual worlds46;
546; InfoEcology58; Survival dictates that we integrate information systems with planetary ecology46; Virtual Reality is already cleaning nuclear waste sites left by the Cold War46; One engineering project adds photogrammetry to virtual realism46;
646; Nature and Cyberspace58; Does nature end where cyberspace begins63; Or can we put nature into cyberspace63; The author looks at the puzzle through some personal life history46;
746; AWS and UFOs58; Why do alien intruders populate so many nightmares63; What brings them to us63; Consider these visitors our future selves44; summoning us from the not45;too45;distant technological future46;
Notes on Artists and Works
Chapter Notes
Vocabulary of Virtual Realism
Suggested Reading
Index
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Illustrations
Last Page
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