Reality, Virtual or Otherwise
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, a word entered the public domain and tends to change meaning very rapidly, especially when commercial entities get ahold of it. 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 "world" I have explored for over 10 years. In my view, Second Life offers huge advantages over "VR". In fact, ...