Plato's Moose Cave

After reading all of these different passages on virtual reality, I find it interesting that VR hasn't affect popular culture yet. A lot of these scholars wrote about the uses and concerns of VR in the early 90s and over a decade later it still hasn't really come to fruition. The only thing I can think of that VR really has excelled in is with the medical fields.  With the way technology has advanced since the early 90s you would think that VR would have been one of the things to come out it. However, I feel like at this time no one is really interested in creating a virtual world to rival reality. 

In my opinion, the other mediums we have now (internet, television, etc) are already turning millions of people into couch potatoes. Society has made it so if you don't want to leave your house, or room for that matter, you don't have to. So if someone is already capable of furthering themselves from "reality," why would they want to go any farther. There are computer programs such as Second-Life, that make it possible to create a character of yourself and dive into other worlds. So this Cave that Plato suggests we live in is already there. People are able to enjoy the shadows with the mediums we already have without VR. 

I think that VR hasn't come to fruition yet because there are a lot of restrictions in its capabilities. Like Zettl points out, the motion and movement is limited through hand and head movements from a fixed place. With the Internet, you can move about anywhere in the world now. To have to stay in one area, such as your basement, or even worse a place outside of the home, would be extremely burdensome. I agree when he says, "we watch rather than enter the displayed environment."

In Living Color

More than ever, the Internet is attempting to create a “virtual reality” experience: from simply interacting with someone instantaneously through AIM or a social networking site, to Second Life. Second Life allows people to create an avatar and live, virtually, a second life. While some avatars represent the user and both their physical looks and their lifestyle, the site is actually created so people can live a life they only dreamed of. MTVs “True Life” featured a girl was extremely shy but wanted to be a singer. She used Second Life to put on concerts and gatherings so that she could perform without seeing a “real” audience and getting nervous.

The Internet has yet to offer a virtual reality experience (incorporating all five senses) on a fully public level. However, some have pushed for Digital Scent Technology, which:

“intends to change the interactive entertainment experience. The idea is to scent-enable movies, games, music, animation, or any digital media. Create a more immersive and captivating environment for your audience. Smell reaches out into a new, visceral dimension, transporting viewers, gamers, and music fans into the realm of the senses. Atmosphere, mood, emotion and characters can all be enhanced with scent.” (Learn more about this by clicking here)

I think this is an amazing invention and should be incorporated into computers, game systems, and televisions for daily use. I think that the additional sensation of smell would help advertisers attract costumers. Advertisers already attempt to draw in customers using sight and sound stimulation. Adding scent to a commercial, especially for food would certainly draw in more consumers.

Virtual Reality and Text

The reading for this week focused on different aspects of virtual reality. Chapter 7 specifically focuses on text in multimedia, internet, and the redefinition of the self. Most of virtual reality consists of graphics and a very limited amount of text. According to Bolter, "this new technology of representation is playing a role in the redefinition of self: It reenforces other popular and elite pressures to replace the autonomous ego as a cultural ideal." Moreover, the computer disrupts and destabilizes linear text, which has also been a feature of art throughout the 20th century (Bolter). Bolter explains that the media are means of representation and self-presentation. Thus, they call for a redefinition of the self.
With electronic technology there are two mediums of presentation and representation, namely, writing and visualization. While text in a book is stable and has one voice, electronic writing is unstable and polyvocal. More than one person can comment on electronic writing and make changes as often as he or she would like, Wikipedia is a prime example of this. Virtual reality, uses illusion to convince the viewer that he or she is occupying the same visual space as the objects in view (Bolter). However, virtual reality gives the viewer control of his or her own spatial perspective. VR gives the viewer more power in that the viewer becomes the director, the viewer can choose which direction he or she wants to explore the virtual space. When one goes to watch a movie, you watch the movie from the perspective it was filmed. With virtual reality, the viewer has the ability to pick the direction and perspective to examine the virtual space with. This enables the viewer to learn about different perspectives.
Essentially, one is experiencing the world as others do. The virtual self denies its own identity, and its separateness from others and the world. People learn through identification and empathy.

Virtual reality has the ability to provide people with different perspectives, and learn through identification and empathy. People are active participants of what is going on in the virtual space, and they can choose whichever direction they want to go in. Virtual reality, can be a powerful learning tool, if used in the right way. Hypothetically speaking if medical students used virtual reality to practice their surgeries and procedures on, they would be able to experience the consequences of their actions, without actually harming someone if something did go wrong.

The other two chapters analyzed virtual reality in different ways. Chapter 5 mentioned three dimensional representation, motion and sound, and explained how virtual reality displays use these elements to enhance the presentation of virtual space. Additionally, this chapter explained some of the concerns with virtual reality, including extreme human behavior, lack of accountability, and the question of escaping our environment. Chapter 6 describes virtual reality as the ultimate in intrapersonal communication, and thus capable of further driving Western humanity further inward. The virtual scene allows a person to be on the inside looking around, rather than being on the outside looking in. With virtual reality, the person must decide to look one way or another, and his or her actions determine the potential and subsequent paths ot follow. One concern mentioned is that people begin to think that the drama in virtual reality is drama that resembles life. The distinction between fantasy and reality becomes blurred as participants engage in virtual reality.

Moose Can Take Virtual Classes Too

Virtual reality is something that never really took off for some reason. I remember my first interaction with a virtual reality simulator down the shore. It was a virtual roller coaster that swayed back and forth in an effort to make you feel like you're actually on a roller coaster.  I remember when I got out of the machine I thought that it wasn't anything special. Since then technology has evolved but I virtual reality never caught on. 

I found Patkin's idea to create Virtual Organizations very fascinating.  The idea of creating this internship game for students could in fact be very helpful. I'm currently on my third internship and I feel like a program like this could have definitely prepared me for everything I've experienced thus far. I had no idea what to expect the first day I interned at Capitol Records two years ago.   

I agree with Patkin when she says that "Interactivity is the critical element in computer media." While being in this virtual reality can be good practice for real life situations, it's critical to try and create human interaction during the process. I see the computer as a way to practice interacting with people in real life. When you're in front of a computer talking to someone else you have more freedom to express yourself.  These types of programs can be helpful because the fear of screwing up isn't as serious.  If you mess up a press release there are consequences in this Virtual Organization, but they're not necessarily real.  It's when you're working for an actual company that this fear can consume you and possibly hinder your performance.  I wish that colleges would look into this technology to try and prepare students for the real world. 

I'm still not sure how I would feel about taking an online course. I have friends that take them at large state school's and they say they enjoy them because they can do the work when they're able to. Dr. Levinson does a good job of looking at the pros and cons of this style of education. I definitely agree with him that these types of courses can be helpful to students, but I'm just not sure if I'd be interested. 

One of the appeals that I didn't think of until Levinson brought it up was the amount of writing involved. He says, "the online class requires actual writing by students if they are to have an online identity and role in the course. Thus, a highly significant subsidiary benefit of taking any online course is that it sharpens the student's writing ability." In a traditional classroom setting, there's going to be more communication through speaking your thoughts rather than writing them. I'm always looking to work on my writing skills so that would definitely be an advantage of an online course. 

I'm more of an old-school learner. The only way I can comprehend what the teacher is saying is by taking notes. I find that I have a better chance of recognition  when I do this.  I also have a hard time reading and fully comprehending text on a computer screen.  Most times I have to print the documents out and read them. My generation has a problem with is too much multi-tasking. One of the problems I could see with taking online courses is not being fully into the discussions and reading because I'll have my music blasting, television on, and I may even be instant messaging friends. When I'm in a classroom I'm stripped from most of those capabilities and I can focus more on what is being taught and discussed. 

I can see the appeal of taking online courses.  It enables anyone around the world to enroll into the University of their choice without having to move or uproot themselves from their comfortable environment.  It also helps that the course takes a shorter period of time, normally 2 months instead of 3 or 4. 

My favorite quote from this reading is from Edmund Carpenter, "Electricity makes angels of us all--not angels in the Sunday school sense of being good for having wings, but spirit freed from flesh, capable of instant transportation anywhere." This totally encompasses the idea of the internet today and it's great ability. 

Listen To Your Friends - New Found Glory 

Reading # 2 - Virtual Reality & Flaming

The second reading was about virtual reality, as well as e-mail messages and flaming. The first two chapters focused on virtual reality and how it can enhance a student's classroom experience. Through virtual reality students can engage in various scenarios that mimic real life experiences. In this aspect, the concept of learning through virtual reality seems possible. The classroom can provide students an active way of learning the material taught. The same goes for online education because online classes can spark discussions among students who may be hesitant to participate in class. Additionally, online classes cross barriers of time and geography allowing students from all across the world to communicate and learn from each other. However, for some subject, namely the sciences, students need a practical application of what they learned in the classroom, and thus online education would not work very well for them. Even though learning through virtual reality has its benefits, what happens when people cannot distinguish between the virtual and the actual? If a student was doing mock interviews in a virtual reality setting, one could assume he or she would be well prepared for the real interview. But what if the student was more relaxed in the virtual environment, knowing that it is not real. While teaching through virtual reality may have its benefits, it also has its pitfalls.


In the reading, flaming has several definitions. While all of them are in one way or another different from each other, they are also quite similar. Essentially, flaming involves some sort of emotional outburst, and is more often than not, a negative one. A few explanations for flaming were provided, but I think all of them are equally important. The internet allows anonymity which results in a reduced self awareness and thus users believe it is okay to behave as they please because the norms of social settings do not apply online. Also, because online communication does not involve a physical presence it is impersonal and people do not have a sense of social presence. Even though flaming seems to be a result of the lack of social presence, one would think people would be a little careful about what they say online because they cannot properly interpret what others are saying due to a lack of physical presence. But then again, that might be the same reason to misinterpret a message and start flaming.

"In this reality, to which every computer is a window...."

Communication, to me, is a form of survival. We, as humans, must be able to exchange thoughts and ideas in order to progress as people. Nowadays, we use cyberspace more frequently to communicate with others outside of our social network, but it was not until the mid-19th century that we could communicate instantaneously with the use of the telegraph. As time passes, we keep evolving; new ideas arise, people change, and our forms of communications are becoming more and more advanced (I only wish I was able to know what our next step would be towards enhancing communication that much further), but for now we have our beloved "cyberspace". I take the internet for granted to be honest. I am so used to being able to connect with one of my peers at the drop of a hat that I did not realize the actual steps that were taken in order to get where we are now! (I believe this excerpt from the reading talks about life from and after the mid-19th century) :

"Telecommunications continued to evolve and grow with the development of the telephone, radio, and television, and innovations such as cable television, satellite communications, and fax machines".

As we evolved as people, so did our meanings of the term "cyberspace". The term evolved due to it's growing popularity starting with the term's originator, William Gibson (1984). His idea of cyberspace was used in a much more science-fiction novel sense while others began to take the term seriously, including Michael Benedikt in 1991. Benedikt described cyberspace like a global network of information. After reading this, I believed his idea's were really ahead of his time. Yes, I read that his concept remains unrealized and unreal, but that isn't my point. The point is that without communication, these two people would have never even heard of each other, nor would have come up with such a concept, or any concept for that matter.

Okay, Okay! I know you guys are probably getting sick of reading the facts, but this is what I really enjoyed about the reading. I love learning about the past and how we got to where we are today. These two people (Gibson and Benedikt) were really the first to give cyberspace any meaning, and that is what I found to be the most interesting part.

In conclusion, if we don't know or understand our past then we will never be able to predict what the future may hold.