Thinking about how our "normal" experience is deeply analogous (isomorphic) with virtual reality. We all have a different idea of what is going on "beneath the surface" but much of this depends on language. The "Matrix" idea is not as interesting as people think. In that fantasy people still have a real brain. Whether or not we actually do have a real brain or just an illusion of one seems to be hardly worth discussing. What is worth discussing is how interaction with the real world (or something!!) turns into the rich "gold standard" VR of everyday life.

This is an experimental blog post. The idea was to simply talk about a range of issues with the aim of creating a "mind map", then using the map to create traditional posts that are more structured and focused. But along the way, I wondered if I could post the original voice note So, to test this, click on the link below, which will show you a LINK to the audio Store that and play it. Your machine will probably have an app that plays audio. In my case, it's iTunes. This talk can be indexed just like a text essay. In the long run, the plan is to take notes on my own "rant" in mind map form (which can also be shown in the blog). A Random Talk

  Proust and the Squid is a classic analysis of reading. Reading is a learned activity that involves nested multi-tasking between  Character recognition Word recognition Sentence parsing  Context detection Imagination - the oldest form of Virtual Reality Criticism  Both Hawkins' Frame theory and Surfaces and Essences analogy-based theory is relevant. I lost the actual hard copy but finally remembered the title and bought the book for Kindle.

  Our ability to experience "virtual" worlds is not something new. Evolution has provided it as basic equipment along with our opposing thumbs. It's not a bug. It's a feature. On the most fundamental level, we are constantly experiencing the future and the past: the flow of time. This ability is essential to what we call purposeful behavior. We love to debate whether or not other animals have this ability and to what degree, but it's clear that we have it in spades. It is essential to who we are as humans. I am fascinated by how the brain produces the virtual world that we call "consciousness". It turns out to be quite a trick. Sense information arrives at different times. For example, sound and smell arrive with very little processing, but virtual information goes through massive complex analysis. Yet we experience it all at the "same time". We experience the decision to move after the brain has sent signals to move. Our experience slightly p...

DOROTHY, THIS IS NOT KANSAS ANYMORE The thinking behind this post started with a discussion about "Virtual Reality" (In Oculus / BigScreen) and widened almost out of control. There are so many issues it's hard to know where to start. As far as I know, the term "Virtual Reality" was coined by Jared Lanier  - a very smart guy who is still very much around. However, once it's out there, the word entered the public domain and tended to change meaning very rapidly, especially when commercial entities get ahold of it. There is now very little similarity between "VR" and what Lanier was thinking about. So, goodbye, for now, Jared. I will surrender to the common usage , more or less co-opted by the makers of "VR" headsets, so, when I talk about "VR" I am regrettably talking about what you experience with a headset, such as Oculus (the one I use). Sadly, this leaves me without a word for whatever is happening in Second Life - a "w...

 I promised to put up a few quick shots of Second Life for my VR friends who are enthusiastic about VR Chat. The VR Chat enthusiasts were talking about howVR Chat is "photorealistic". These examples show what that means in Second Life, along with Second Life's poses, dances etc. "Me" with a friend Close-up of Friend Here is the Flikr site of my oldest Second Life friend (over 10 years). She does choreography and movies in Second Life. Dancing in popular Blues Club - approximately 50 avatars in the scene. All custom avatars, dancing independently. This pushes the limit of Second Life's ability to deal with "lag". This ability seems to be far in advance of anything Oculus can serve up, especially when you consider that the entire environment is user-created, unlike the "canned" environments we encounter in Oculus VR. I will add more pictures and details, depending on the questions I get in VR.