HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: shags@bnr.ca (Pat O'Shaughnessey P855)
Subject: CyberEdge Journal?
Organization: Bell-Northern Research, BNR-RTP 
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 16:47:38 GMT

Anyone ever read CyberEdge Journal?  Is it any good, and if so, how do I 
get a subscription?

Thanks in advance,
shags

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pat O'Shaughnessey                    | internet: shags@bnr.ca
BNR INC.                              | phone:    (919) 991-4172
35 Davis Drive                        | fax:      (919) 991-7792
P.O. Box 13478                        | Opinions expressed are not those  
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-3478 | of BNR INC.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

-- 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Pat O'Shaughnessey                    | internet: shags@bnr.ca                  	  
BNR INC.                              | phone:    (919) 991-4172
35 Davis Drive                        | fax:      (919) 991-7792
P.O. Box 13478                        | Opinions expressed are not those  
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709-3478 | of BNR INC.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: jon@vector0.SAC.CA.US (Dazed N. Confused)
Newsgroups: alt.cyberspace
Subject: Re: New senses and Geordi's Eyes
Date: 22 Nov 92 19:05:55 GMT
Organization: Vector Zero

jnewman@hamp.hampshire.edu writes:

>                                                                visually (one
> the most sensitive and accurate senses we have available)

     But who's to say that grafting a dog's nose onto your face won't
gradually enhance the smelling capacity of the brain?  The brain is
continually maturing.  Those with handicaps have their other senses
enhanced as the brain learns to cope.  Just because eyes, today, are
our "best" sense doesn't mean something else can't well be.
     Say start a colony of people with dog noses.  Let them reproduce,
it shouldn't take more than 3 generations before you've got some real
hefty smell-sense growing in the brain.  The same goes for other senses,
especially hearing.  Ears can be trained to take in huge amounts of
information; I remember an old teacher talking about smokejumping
days of Korea, how his helicopter headphones had one ear of constant
weather reports and the other ear of field reports.  He processed
it all depending on which ear the language was coming from.
     "Sensitive and accurate" is based on the brain, so therefore if
you enhance your senses externally, your brain should be able to cope.

     It'd be good to mention the differences between male and female
here, too.  Women see many more colors than men do: is this due to mental
or sensory differences?  If you stuck owl eyes in your sockets, would
you even be able to handle the input?  Perhaps patients would go through
weeks or months of psychotic perception and would want to kill themselves
in order to get rid of "the pain" of the input.

     [It could be like trying to run a 12 Mhz 286 at 20 Mhz..  It's
just not rated for the speed and will eventually fry.  So what bandwidth
is the brain rated at?]

--Jon

   jon@vector0.SAC.CA.US                     Life is like a kiwi.
   citrus.SAC.CA.US!vector0!jon
From: DRASCH@auvm.american.edu
Newsgroups: alt.cyberspace
Subject: Assistance Needed
Date: 17 Nov 92 01:00:39 GMT
Organization: The American University - University Computing Center

I am reading Michael Benedikt's article: "Cyberspace: Some Proposals."  In the
article Benedikt coins and defines the term, "The princple of scale."  Benedikt
defines the term as, "the maximum (Space) velocity of user motion in cyberspace
is an inverse, monotonic function of the complexity of the world visible
to him."

My problem is with the range of vision, is it possible for the eye and brain to
actually process all of this information.  Or is Benedikt saying that by this
time the brain will be enhanced with other processors.  Kinda of like Jordy's
visor in StarTrek The New Generation.

I fact, wouldn't that be the ultimate VR Screen.  Have direct connections into
the optical nerves?  My problem again is with sensory overload of the brain.
Now if the Visor has preprocessors that would que and buffer information to the
brain.  Then I could see Benedikt's point.

Or then again, maybe I'm way off base?
From: v067rcyf@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (AARDVARK)
Newsgroups: alt.cyberspace
Subject: Re: Virtuality
Date: 20 Nov 92 02:14:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <1eh3vcINNr2k@travis.csd.harris.com>, kbeal@amber (Ken Beal) writes...
>[Headers mangled by previous poster.]
> 
>Kenneth Tolman (tolman%asylum.cs.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu) wrote:
>: Did anybody else get to play Virtuality, if so what did you think of it? I mean
>: >the one that is touring various malls now. I got to play it a couple times in
>: >West Virginia and enjoyed myself. The only things that seem to put a damper on
>: >the fun were a few technical problems with the gear (out of focus headgear,
>: >only 3 min. worth of playing time, etc.-which could be easily taken care of
>: >with a little patience on the presenters side).
> 
>Does anybody know where they're touring?  Is there someplace I can call
>(Virtuality headquarters?) to get this info?  Thanks!

>Kenneth L. Beal, Jr. 

I seem to recall the article in M2K having a little follow-up piece
with the phone number:
                           1-800-ILLUSION
if i recall correctly
and we're both speaking of
the Virtuality that has
Dactyl Nightmare
and M2K isn't made up
of post-useful lunatics...

disregard
                  ---------------------aardvark (rising)
Newsgroups: alt.cyberspace
From: jonathan@rahul.net (Jonathan Heiliger)
Subject: Re: Macintosh VR
Organization: a2i network
Date: Sun, 15 Nov 1992 17:49:05 GMT

In article <74097@apple.Apple.COM> billc@Apple.COM (Bill Cockayne) writes:

>As for forgetting the Mac, you seem to forget that one of the Macintosh
>computers is presently the FASTEST pc on the market (yes it blows 586 machines
>away) (oh yeah, don't compare a pc running DOS to a Mac, DOS is outdated).

   Not really.  A 68040 doesn't even come close to Intel's 486/66MHz DX chip 
which is in a public/beta stage.  The Plantim will most definately beat away 
the 68040, even after the accerlation.  That was Apple's mistake to not make 
any higher end machines but to attempt to steal the 386 market away instead.
 


 
-- 
Jonathan Heiliger ........ Electric Power Research Institute
Internet: -/- jonathan@rahul.net -/- flix@mecca.epri.com -/-
Telephone <*> (415) 855-2888

Newsgroups: alt.cyberspace
From: tww2568@venus.tamu.edu (WEEKS, THOMAS WILLIAM)
Subject: VR Game
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    
Organization: Texas A&M University, Academic Computing Services
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 1992 18:04:00 GMT

Did the game appear to use CRT Head Mount Display?  If so, did it seem to
flocker slightly..

If not... Did it appear to be back lit LCD? If so, how was the refresh rate?

Thomas Weeks
From: led@korova.freeside.com (Led Zeppelin)
Newsgroups: alt.cyberspace
Subject: VR
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 92 10:27:44 CST
Organization: VHF void tube of the mind (713) 492-2783

For anybody in houston, at Dave and Busters they just got a Virtual 
Reality game, call " Lawnmower Man" ...   it's 4 bucks for 4 minutes ... 
truly awesome ...

**************************************************************************
        the official "i CANT BELIEVE its not a REAL POLITICIAN!!"
                                headquarters
me@korova.freeside.com  *this human form/where i wuz born/ yep yep*
From: un040367@wvnvms.wvnet.edu
Newsgroups: alt.cyberspace
Subject: Virtuality
Date: 19 Nov 92 05:43:33 GMT
Organization: West Virginia Network for Educational Telecomputing

Did anybody else get to play Virtuality, if so what did you think of it? I mean
the one that is touring various malls now. I got to play it a couple times in
West Virginia and enjoyed myself. The only things that seem to put a damper on
the fun were a few technical problems with the gear (out of focus headgear,
only 3 min. worth of playing time, etc.-which could be easily taken care of
with a little patience on the presenters side). It was s nice electronic buzz
for me---oh the radiation I love it! Anybody else know of anyother Virtual
games floating around publicly? 
 
Arial
Organization: The American University - University Computing Center
Date: Tue, 17 Nov 1992 21:18:08 EST
From: <DRASCH@auvm.american.edu>
Newsgroups: alt.cyberspace
Subject: Re: Assistance Needed
 <BxvMzD.n3v@acsu.buffalo.edu>

Send forth no flames.  I think that you've got some good ideas.
Or as the ad would say: "you have a loose interpretation of the
original.

However, after reading the while article, I understand Benedikt's premise.
Now if we can extend the principle of spacial architecture to multimedia.
If the only method of access via a Head Mounted Display, or would a internal
CODEC give you the vision, but not the response time.  In other words could a
mouse and a CODEC work as well as a HMD?  Wouldn't some tasks like simple
extended visits be possible with less sophisticated hardware?  See we have
a society that is now built on human differences.  Will cyberspace allow for
variance?  Or will the guy with the 4 CRAY's in his home dominate?  If he does,
what will be the recourse....interesting.   Good Flame material!
Newsgroups: alt.cyberspace
Subject: Re: Macintosh VR
From: Macbeth@cardinal.sc107.wesleyan.edu (Macbeth)
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 16:00:55 GMT
 <Macbeth.20.722363269@cardinal.sc107.wesleyan.edu> <1emkscINNdlh@cat.cis.Brown.EDU>
Organization: Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT USA

In article <1emkscINNdlh@cat.cis.Brown.EDU> ST102172@brownvm.brown.edu (Eric the Fruitbat) writes:
>Subject: Re: Macintosh VR
>From: ST102172@brownvm.brown.edu (Eric the Fruitbat)
>Date: Sat, 21 Nov 1992 19:39:20 EST

>>In article <84081@ut-emx.uucp> mustang@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Paul Christopher

>[Lengthy discussion of why PCs are better than Macs for VR deleted]

>>Of course it is a superior platform. Still doesn't even come close to
>>workstation level, though!

>[Lengthy discussion of why Amigas are better than the others deleted]

>>                                      For the price of an Amiga 4000 you can
>>buy a SUN SparcStation Classic with 16 MB RAM, 207 MB HDD, 3.5" HD, and 15"
>>1024 X 768 monitor.

>If you'll forgive a little geeking out, IMHO the biggest advantage to using
>graphic workstation technology a la Sun or IRIS is hardware framebuffer
>technology, an absolute *must* in dealing with graphics at the kind of level
>we're talking about.  I've never seen nor heard of, for instance, an external
>FB for Macintosh, and the slowness of Intel's microprocessors relative to
>SPARC et al. makes IBMs a poor cousin in that department.

EXACTLY!

						Greetings,

						Macbeth
From: profesor@bigwpi.WPI.EDU (Matthew E Cross)
Newsgroups: alt.cyberspace,wpi.test
Subject: Re: Macintosh VR
Date: 16 Nov 1992 15:34:10 GMT
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
NNTP-Posting-Host: bigwpi.wpi.edu

In article <1992Nov15.144638@IASTATE.EDU> joebg@IASTATE.EDU (umbra) writes:
>In article <BxI98H.7st@news.iastate.edu>, argent@iastate.edu (Christopher L
>Jorgensen) writes:
>> -- 
>
>
>excuse my friend he's mute

No, no, no - the REAL mute is at WPI... ;)
-- 
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| What's red and invisible?              |      profesor@wpi.wpi.edu          |
|                                        +------------------------------------+
|                   No tomatoes.         |    Make love, not War...           |
From: tww2568@venus.tamu.edu (WEEKS, THOMAS WILLIAM)
Newsgroups: alt.cyberspace
Subject: A 4000 grapics correction
Date: 23 Nov 1992 11:57 CST
Organization: Texas A&M University, Academic Computing Services
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: venus.tamu.edu
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41    

CORRECTION: The A4000 will do 260,000 colors on screen from 16.7M at up to
1280x1024 at 30 frames per second.... 

is that too 'pass-ay' 4 ya?

oh yea.. not to mention built in hardware multitasking (somehting OS2 & Windows NT
NT & Mac all lack) sprite capabilities and stero sound ...

And all without having to buy a Local/EISA bus VGA card and sound blaster pro!

Thomas Weeks
Organization: Penn State University
Date: Thu, 19 Nov 1992 21:35:23 EST
From: <TXK9@psuvm.psu.edu>
Newsgroups: alt.cyberspace
Subject: Re: Virtuality
 <1eh3vcINNr2k@travis.csd.harris.com>


I heard they are at the Mall close to downtown St.Louis, Missouri.
Kesh
From: v067rcyf@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (AARDVARK)
Newsgroups: alt.cyberspace
Subject: Re: Assistance Needed
Date: 17 Nov 92 20:16:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

In article <92321.200039DRASCH@auvm.american.edu>, DRASCH@auvm.american.edu writes...
>I am reading Michael Benedikt's article: "Cyberspace: Some Proposals."  In the
>article Benedikt coins and defines the term, "The princple of scale."  Benedikt
>defines the term as, "the maximum (Space) velocity of user motion in cyberspace
>is an inverse, monotonic function of the complexity of the world visible
>to him."

i may be way off, but i think he is talking of lag time,
the more complex the view, the longer it takes the computer
to create it...
the less to see and construct, the faster you go.

> 
>My problem is with the range of vision, is it possible for the eye and brain to
>actually process all of this information.  Or is Benedikt saying that by this
>time the brain will be enhanced with other processors.  Kinda of like Jordy's
>visor in StarTrek The New Generation.

every day the eye is bombarded with gajillions of bits of info,
which is projected onto the retina,
for the brain to process and comprehend...
i think the brain will accept cyberspace as something
fresh off the optic nerve and deal with it as such,
ignoring anything that's overwhelming,
since it's not designed process anything other
than what the eye gives it.

> 
>I fact, wouldn't that be the ultimate VR Screen.  Have direct connections into
>the optical nerves?  My problem again is with sensory overload of the brain.
>Now if the Visor has preprocessors that would que and buffer information to the
>brain.  Then I could see Benedikt's point.

i seem to recall hearing about some recent technology
where an optic nerve of a blind person
was stimulated electronically, bypassing the eye
and allowing the person to "see".

> 
>Or then again, maybe I'm way off base?
                                       if so, who's on first?

open for flaming....i've got lots-o-extra asbestos

-------------------aardvark
Newsgroups: alt.cyberspace
From: matrix@well.sf.ca.us (Frank Dunn)
Subject: NEW BOOK ON VIRTUAL REALITY, FOREWORD BY JARON LANIER
Organization: Matrix Information Services
Date: Tue, 24 Nov 1992 01:49:55 GMT




There is a new book available on the topic of VR.



       SILICON MIRAGE: THE ART AND SCIENCE OF VIRTUAL REALITY
            by Steven Aukstakalnis and David Blatner

   FOREWORD BY JARON LANIER, FOUNDER AND CHIEF SCIENTIST, VPL RESEARCH.




The first two paragraphs of the Foreword read as follows:


"Reading this book is a delight for me because it fills a suprisingly
long-standing gap in the literature of virtual reality. For the
enormous amount of interest and activity that virtual reality has 
inspired over the last few years, it is absolutely remarkable that I 
have had no book to recommend to people who come to me with the simple
question, 'What can I read to understand what this is all about?' I
feel that now there is such a book, and you are holding it in your hands.

Silicon Mirage is organized around the human sense organs, and this is
entirely appropriate. Virtual reality is distinct from other 
configurations of computer technology in that it places the human being
in the center. When we work with virtual reality systems, we begin with 
the question, "What, exactly, is a human body and how might we design
a machine that will most comfortably suit the natural modes of 
perception and action of a person?" So I am delighted to see an 
exposition that starts with the human body and nervous system and treats
the virtual reality equipment as transient attempts to mirror that
biological invarient."
----

In a clear, easy to understand style, Silicon Mirage covers everything
from the underlying mechanisms of sight, hearing and the sense of touch,
through the design of head-mounted displays, binaural 3-D sound, and
tactile/force feedback devices. There are also chapters on the human 
factors considerations of immersive VR systems, applications from a 
broad cross-section of industries and more.


SILICON MIRAGE: THE ART AND SCIENCE OF VIRTUAL REALITY
by Aukstakalnis and Blatner

328 pgs, 120+ photos and illus, 4 pgs. color plates, pub Nov. 1992
by Peachpit Press (ISBN 0-938151-82-7).

PRICE: $15.00

Available at bookstores across N. America the day after Thanksgiving
or immed. by sending a check or money order for $15.00 + $5 for 
P/H to:


Matrix Information Services
Book Dept. 
18560 Bungalow Drive
Lathrup Village, MI 48076
(313) 559-1526
(313) 559-1436 (Fax)
matrix@well.sf.ca.us
From: cstadba@csv.warwick.ac.uk (Mr C D Ward)
Newsgroups: alt.cyberspace
Subject: Re: Macintosh VR
Date: 21 Nov 1992 16:56:26 -0000
Organization: Computing Services, University of Warwick, UK
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: clover.csv.warwick.ac.uk


|> forget part one, shell out the extra bucks and buy an Amiga 4000.. the graphics
|> speed stomps anything but high-end (expensive) boards, it has the superior
|> processor (IMO), the OS is supportive to applications (it has true multitasking,
|> something both previous platforms lack), it may not be as friendly as a Mac, but
|> it provides much more power and control. Programming is a shear joy with the
|> latest generation of compilers (use C and recode the guts as necessary). 
|> As for price, it goes for ~ 2500 last time I checked.. I think the extra cost
|> is worth it.

I have seen the A4000 selling for 2100 pounds in the UK inc VAT.

When somebody finally gets around to putting a CD-ROM in the A4000, will
this be an advantage for VR, ie greater storage space, so bigger areas to
move in, or will it all just boil down to pure processor power.

In the power stakes the A4000 is good because the processor board can be
taken out, as it just slots in. This has been done so that when the 68060
comes out they will just be able to stick it on a board and plug it in the
processor socket. (I say 060 because I heard somwhere that Motorola have
scrapped the 050???)

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Chris Ward                + Tries hard, fails to achieve the low standards he
cstadba@csv.warwick.ac.uk + sets himself, works well with a broom.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: mute@pitt.WPI.EDU (The Amazing Immolating Man)
Newsgroups: alt.cyberspace,wpi.test
Subject: Re: Macintosh VR
Date: 16 Nov 1992 19:15:49 GMT
Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
NNTP-Posting-Host: pitt.wpi.edu

In article <1e8f1iINNptu@bigboote.WPI.EDU> profesor@bigwpi.WPI.EDU (Matthew E Cross) writes:
>In article <1992Nov15.144638@IASTATE.EDU> joebg@IASTATE.EDU (umbra) writes:
>
>No, no, no - the REAL mute is at WPI... ;)

""

Josh
-- 
             Money spine paper lung Kidney bingos organ fun   Wire
                                         - mute@wpi.wpi.edu   Joshua Brandt -
From: kbeal@amber (Ken Beal)
Newsgroups: alt.cyberspace
Subject: Re: Virtuality
Date: 19 Nov 1992 22:20:28 GMT
Organization: Harris CSD, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
NNTP-Posting-Host: amber.ssd.csd.harris.com
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]

[Headers mangled by previous poster.]

Kenneth Tolman (tolman%asylum.cs.utah.edu@cs.utah.edu) wrote:
: Did anybody else get to play Virtuality, if so what did you think of it? I mean
: >the one that is touring various malls now. I got to play it a couple times in
: >West Virginia and enjoyed myself. The only things that seem to put a damper on
: >the fun were a few technical problems with the gear (out of focus headgear,
: >only 3 min. worth of playing time, etc.-which could be easily taken care of
: >with a little patience on the presenters side).

Does anybody know where they're touring?  Is there someplace I can call
(Virtuality headquarters?) to get this info?  Thanks!

--
Kenneth L. Beal, Jr.  kbeal@amber.ssd.csd.harris.com | Use OS/2 2.0! :-) often.
"I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous!" - MST3k  | Learn.  Keep moving.
"Street person my responsibility." - Indigo Girls    | Better yourself.
The opinions expressed above are shared.  The preceding sentence is false.
Organization: University of Maine System
Date: Saturday, 21 Nov 1992 02:13:17 EST
From: <IO92668@MAINE.MAINE.EDU>
Newsgroups: alt.cyberspace
Subject: Re: Macintosh VR

You both are wrong!  I am an avid Mac user but have come to terms with
all of our futures pc-wise.  UNIX will become THE operating system
for ALL platforms eventually.  The Reduced Instruction Set Chip will also
be powering the heart of most systems.  All currently familiar operating
systems will become shells sitting on top of the UNIX system.
(For those of us who don't want to convert.)

When RISC processors become available to everyone on every platform, then
you will see where VR has been taking us.


Has it ever occured to anyone out there that VR might the beginning of
the next evolutionary stage of our planet?  Think about it.

VR may be a STEP on a staircase to something even bigger, but it might
not be better.
Newsgroups: alt.cyberspace
From: jnewman@hamp.hampshire.edu
Subject: New senses and Geordi's eyes
Organization: Hampshire College
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 18:30:26 GMT

jon@vector0.SAC.CA.US writes:
>But who's to say that grafting a dog's nose onto your face won't
gradually enhance the smelling capacity of the brain?  The brain is
>continually maturing.

Well, even ignoring the fact that it would need to be genetic rather than just
a graft, the brain evolved a certain way.  This is because it has been most 
feasible for us to use our sense of sight up until this time.  Of course, were
we adapted our senses or were given new senses, such as being able to smell 
that well, then we would eventually learn to use them.  I used sight as an 
example because it *is* our most used and best adapted sense.

If owl eyes were put into our sockets, we would need the software to deal with 
that. (Wetware?)  However, our minds are fully capable of integrating new ideas
and thoughts that we have not had before-we can do that with senses, too, 
I am sure.  If our minds are so busy as is claimed, we would not be able to
absorb new  concepts.  Of course, the argument can be had that we make 
connections, not new ideas, but we could link those things together.  New
sensesw could be "grafted" onto the old untiul they were strong enough to 
be used in concert with the others.