Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!decwrl!ogicse!blake!milton!sitting!wex@harvard.harvard.edu From: sitting!wex@harvard.harvard.edu (Buckaroo Banzai) Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds Subject: Re: Wearing your computer Message-ID: Date: 14 Mar 90 19:09:59 GMT References: <2194@milton.acs.washington.edu> <1990Mar12.001845.15336@uunet!unhd> Sender: hlab@milton.acs.washington.edu Organization: Bull Worldwide Information Systems Lines: 49 Approved: hitl@hardy.u.washington.edu In-Reply-To: jwn712@uunet!unhd's message of 12 Mar 90 00:18:45 GMT In article <1990Mar12.001845.15336@uunet!unhd> jwn712@uunet!unhd (Jason W Nyberg) writes: I think that in the near future we will be putting the glasses ON to talk to someone. And, given mans addiction to gadgets, i dont think we'll complain too much. I would like to see some evidence of that. Telecommuting and teleconferencing have been virtual no-ops from the word go. Videophones have been around forever and they still haven't caught on. I'm as much of a technophile as anyone else around here, but I want to put some "real reality" into the thinking. [I said:] >Let me explain where I'm coming from. I'm really a collaborative-work >specialist. As such, I believe that the vast majority of tasks involve >interaction. VR will eventually be the ultimate medium for cooperative I think youre right here. Imagine... you can make someone see what you want them to see. Great for advertising and dating, huh? The idea of "making" someone see something is a real worry. Not to mention tricking someone into seeing something. We have this problem today in simple overheads. By putting the right technical jargon and enough numbers into my slides, I can convince my bosses (and certainly the non-technical salespeople) of anything I want. If the information comes from (or appears to come from) a computer, it's given still more import. What was that about "any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from a rigged demo"? Anyway, back to the main topic: >work, but as long as I have to put physical equipment between myself and my >partners I may be hindering my task rather than helping it. What, like a telephone? Yes, exactly. I hate that thing. I *never* call people when I say I will and I don't like being called when I'm working. I refuse to use the voice mail system here at Bull. The problem is that it's a barrier between me and the other person. I *much* prefer to send email which, although it requires more work, is integrated with the way I normally do things in the day. -- --Alan Wexelblat internet: wex@pws.bull.com Bull Worldwide Information Systems Usenet: spdcc.com!know!wex phone: (508) 671-7485 Adapt, adopt, improvise!