Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!usc!apple!well!hlr
From: hlr@well.UUCP (Howard Rheingold)
Newsgroups: news.groups
Subject: Re: CALL FOR DISCUSSION:  SCI.VIRTUAL-WORLDS
Keywords: cyberspace, virtual reality
Message-ID: <14721@well.UUCP>
Date: 25 Nov 89 05:48:34 GMT
References: <14547-repost@well.UUCP> <1989Nov16.161429.12549@talos.uucp> <1988@atanasoff.cs.iastate.edu> <14070@boulder.Colorado.EDU> <3057@com50.C2S.MN.ORG>
Reply-To: hlr@well.UUCP (Howard Rheingold)
Organization: Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, Sausalito, CA
Lines: 26

In article <3057@com50.C2S.MN.ORG> craig@com2serv.c2s.mn.org (Craig S. Wilson) writes:
>On a serious note, I would like to see at least two groups.  One for
>the technical discussions about communications, interfaces, computing
>resources, etc.

>The other group could concentrate on the psychological and moral
>aspects of a virtual reality.
>


One of the ideas that motivated us to call for the creation of this
forum is that technical discussions and psychological and moral aspects
of the technology should be brought together, not separated. Here is
an unprecedented opportunity to perform some technology forecasting
while the technology is still developing, rather than after the fact.
The cross-disciplinary nature of this field, and the potential for
poltical conflict, is evident in the problem of finding a name. I'd
like to see a place where the graphics wizards nd the hardware folks
and the issues-oriented people can mix it up, rather than retreating
into their specialties. Something new is aorning here, and I think it
will take many of us, looking from different perspectives, to discern
its shape.

-- 
              Howard Rheingold    hlr@well.sf.ca.us
              >>what it is is up to us<<