From: edlantz@aol.com (Edlantz)
Subject: Re: TECH: Virtual worlds with alternative physics and/or
Date: 28 Mar 1996 20:19:45 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)


From: edlantz@aol.com (Edlantz)

John Costella <jpc@physics.unimelb.EDU.AU> writes:

(snip)
> --- we were starting to talk about warped space, wormholes, 
> non-standard gravity, and that sort of thing, which you succinctly call 
> the "carnival ride" :-). Except in theme parks, they are probably best 
> avoided.

Why?  Why not use imaginative metaphors to accomplish mundane tasks?
You've probably seen those memory courses that allow people to greatly
improve their memorization by associating mundane facts with absurd or
hilarious images.  Metaphors, I think, give us the same effect.  Warp
drive through a database, for instance, could allow rapid scanning of
thumbnail drawings or summarized text.  The higher the warp speed, the
greater the decimation of the data and the faster it "flys" by.
Flying too close to a pre-established "wormhole" could pull us into
another database.  Sure, you could call it "fast preview" and
"database link" or something.  But remember, we are in a virtual world
where "anything" is possible.  Why not make it fun?  Also, the
metaphor of navigating through space could exploit mental cognitive
mapping/spatial perception.  Perhaps this would increase ones ability
to deal with very large databases or netscapes which would otherwise
overwhelm us.

I understand your concern that alternate physics could be too wierd to
adapt to.  But consider the many cases where we are "victimized" by
physics.  Problem: objects fall when we don't want them to.  Solution:
allow the user to "turn off" gravity for that object.  Problem: We are
having difficulty finding an object which is obscured by walls or
other objects.  Solution: variable depth x-ray vision.  Problem: a
novice user is having difficulty manipulating objects.  Solution: dial
in reduced gravity for the entire environment.

Note that we must first be able to accurately model physics in order
to violate it.  I do not mean to say that the modelling of physics is
a waste of time.  It is essential.  But we should feel free to violate
the laws of physics in a controlled manner when it suits us.

Vic said that (snip)
>I have
> probed integrated circuits using micromanipulators and high power
> microscopes.  Those devices definitely provide an altered sense of the
> physical reality and are most helpful in their applications.

As we use VR more and more imaginatively, I believe that we will one
day perform many otherwise mundane tasks with great interest because
of the user interface.  Rather than a simple mapping of scale as with
the micromanipulator, increasingly complex mappings could allow us to
acheive results that would otherwise be impossible or incredibly
boring.  Exaggerations of scale, color, mass, importance, movement,
etc. are simple devices which can be used.  Personalization is also a
key device.  For making a mundane object or device into an agent
capable of dialogue would certainly spice things up.  These things
more readily implemented in virtual environments than any other
workspace.

Ed

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