Discussion

This AdvertisingAge article reports Neil Dessau, the senior VP-chief marketing officer of AMD, recently said the worlds of film and video games are about to fuse. From the article: "It's possible to have a video game of "The Godfather" with a character that looks like Marlon Brando. And soon it will be just as possible for Marlon Brando to star in a new film.

This Northlands Newscenter article reports a controversy is brewing over the army combat simulator which will be showcased at the Duluth Air Show. From the article: "The Duluth Air Show doesn't start until next Saturday, but controversy surrounding the event has already taken flight.

It involves a realistic combat simulator used by military recruiters that will be showcased at the Airshow. As Joel Runck explains, the U-S Army is taking the world of virtual reality to a whole new level.

"It's not the same as plopping a couple quarters into a game," said David Boe, Duluth Air and Aviation Expo, public relations director.

It's called the Virtual Army Experience. According to the U-S Army, the technology creates a life-sized combat zone.

This Daily Trojan article takes a look at the significance and possibilities of virtual immersion. From the article: "Engaging in a virtual reality simulation or experiencing a 360-degree film, immersion is surrounding yourself inside a medium. The applications of immersion are diverse, varying from artistic to therapeutic to journalistic.

Five accomplished guests in very distinct fields met last Wednesday at the USC Gerontology Center to share their opinions about immersion and its significance.

The guests discussed topics such as panoramic movie maps and immersion in nature, briefly touching on the psychological questions raised by the subject.

This BBC News article reports Ray Kurzweil predicts computers the size of blood cells will create fully immersive virtual realities by 2033. From the article: "Exponential growth in processing power and the shrinking of technology would see the development of microscopic computers, he said.

"We will see a billion-fold increase in the price-performance of computers in the next 25 years," he said.

"Virtual will compete with reality," he told the Game Developers Conference.

Pea-sized computer

Mr Kurzweil said it was possible to accurately predict the growth and change in computing power by looking at how it had developed over the last 50 years.

"There will be a 100,000-fold shrinking of computer technology over the next 25 years," he said.

This Baseline article looks at how learning the personal, behavioral traits of multiple, online personas will be important to the future of business-to-consumer strategies and practices. From the article: "Bill is a gear head.

If you want to sell a car to Bill—a professional in his early 40s—you need to come at him specs first. Don’t talk to him about cup holders and fold-down rear seats. When you find Bill, a.k.a. TrakBurner115, in the Edmund’s CarSpace.com forums, talk to him about horsepower and foot-pounds of torque. Talk to him about how many other car enthusiasts are salivating for the same vehicle.

Stone is a head banger.

This eFluxMedia article reports a new study concluded that outdoor activities are being replaced by the virtual reality. From the article: "According to the findings of the study conducted by Oliver Pergams, visiting research assistant professor of biological sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago, people prefer to spend more time online or watching their favorite shows in the tube.

"There's a real and fundamental shift away from nature - certainly here [in the United States] and possibly in other countries," said Oliver Pergams

This is not the first time when Pergams has investigated the decline of the outdoor activities in people’s preferences.

This NewScientist Blogs article reports a New Zealand scientist is saying that physicists should seriously explore the idea that the universe is a giant virtual reality simulation. From the article: "Brian Whitworth at Massey University says that it is perfectly reasonable to conjecture that "the world is an information simulation running on a three-dimensional space-time screen". Deciding whether or not this is true is a matter for science to resolve.

This BBC News article reports Edward Castronova, an Associate Professor in the Department of Telecommunications at Indiana University, said the appeal of online virtual worlds such as Second Life is such that it may trigger an exodus of people seeking to "disappear from reality". From the article: "Virtual worlds have seen huge growth since they became mainstream in the early years of this decade, developing out of Massive Multiplayer Role-Playing Games.

And the online economies in some match those of real world countries.

Their draw is such that they could have a profound effect on some parts of society, Edward Castronova, Associate Professor in the Department of Telecommunications at Indiana University, told BBC World Service's Digital Planet programme.

This Virtual reality and head-mounted displays blog post compare the vision test requirements for driving with the specifications of current HMDs. From the post: "I received a letter from the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration that my driver's license needs to be renewed. This happens once every five years, and also is a nice reminder that my birthday is coming up.

Checking the MVA site to determine the closest location and list of required documents, I also saw the vision test requirements. Take a look at these requirements from the Web site:

To qualify for an unrestricted driver’s license, the State of Maryland requires drivers to have:

• Binocular vision
• Visual acuity (Snellen) of at least 20/40 in each eye
• A continuous field of vision of at least 140 degrees

Three articles (1, 2, 3) based on a 40-minute interview with Ray Kurzweil are available on ComputerWorld. It talks about the singularity, pervasive computing, augmented reality, storage as a philosophical issue, exponential growth" of computational power, portable computing, virtual reality, immortality, and strong vs. narrow AI. From the first article: "Ray Kurzweil is a futurist and author whose book The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology (Viking Adult, 2005) predicts advances in computing technologies and biological research over the next four decades, culminating in the merger of biological and nonbiological intelligence.