When did the world become virtual? Was it with the invention of the Internet? Alternate worlds? Or has society always been virtual? Is the virtual in our minds, or do we need to access it through another platform? How do we know what is real?
It would seem that for most people the term 'virtual' is synonymous with the online environment and separate from "the real world". However, I don't believe the two are mutually exclusive. In the week two lecture, Andrew commented on how bizarre using a telephone was; that you would voluntarily hold a device to your ear so that someone could whisper into it. In the same vein, it would seem that the real and virtual worlds are constantly intertwined - if you are realistically texting someone whilst in bed, are you virtually in bed with them? Do you place equal value on the friends you make in 'real' and 'virtual' life? If you tweet to the friend sitting next to you in the lecture, are you both present in the real lecture world, the virtual twitter world, or do you have a foot in both?
The LA Times article demonstrates how the cross over between virtual and real worlds looks, in both the virtual and real world senses. The concept of real military machinery that is virtually controlled, rather than manually operated, by humans raises questions about the possibilities of virtual reality. The developing use of 3D printing is another example of the merging of virtual and real worlds as real 3D objects can be printed from virtual designs.
Around the world, technologies are being built which will minimise 'real' human involvement and maximise the cross over between realistic and virtual realities, as demonstrated in the Science Daily article. One of the most prominent examples of this (as shown in the video below) is the use of virtual technologies in cars, which aim to assist the driving process by recording frequently visited locations, warning you of hazards on the road and essentially driving the car for you;
Some of these possibilities seem quite close to eventuating, but Rome wasn't built in a day. Or was it?
References
Anon. (2011) ‘Monkeys ‘Move and Feel’ Virtual Objects Using Only Their Brains’, ScienceDaily, October 5, <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111005131648.htm>
Hennigan, W. J. (2012) ‘New drone has no pilot anywhere, so who’s accountable?’, Los Angeles Times, January 26, <http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-auto-drone-20120126,0,740306.story>
Howarth, B. (2012) '3D printing: saviour or piracy tool?', The Sydney Morning Herald, February 7, <http://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/business-it/3d-printing-saviour-or-piracy-tool-20120207-1r2mm.html>
No comments:
Post a Comment