HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: brucec@phoebus.labs.tek.com (Bruce Cohen)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: MISC: VR Discussion group in Portland, Oregon seeks new members
Date: 16 Apr 92 00:31:03 GMT
Organization: Software Technology Research Laboratory, Tektronix Inc.
Originator: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu



The Portland Area Virtual Environment Discussion group (PAVED) is
seeking new members.  PAVED is a small group of people who have
experience and/or education with virtual environments and/or its
enabling technologies and application areas.  PAVED meets
every two weeks or so to talk about issues related to virtual
environments.

The topics can cover a broad range, from applications of VR to social
and legal implications.  Meetings are held informally at a local pub in
the Beaverton / Tigard area, and usually consist of discussion of a
particular topic and/or review of papers.

If you are interested in joining PAVED, send email to
brucec@strl.labs.tek.com

--
"------------------------------------------------------------------------
The end cause ... is too often handed off as an afterthought to harried
interface designers who follow programmers around with virtual brooms
and pails." - Brenda Laurel in "Computers as Theatre"
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Speaker-to-managers, aka
Bruce Cohen, Software Technology Research Lab   email: brucec@strl.labs.tek.com
Tektronix Laboratories, Tektronix, Inc.         phone: (503)627-5241
M/S 50-662, P.O. Box 500, Beaverton, OR  97077
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
From: rmg53668@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Ryan M. Grant)
Subject: Re: TECH: Radiation
Originator: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Sat, 11 Apr 1992 02:42:57 GMT


TOBIAS@bonnie.physik.uni-stuttgart.de writes:

>> And small B&W CRTs are used in camcorder viewfinders: mine will put out 
>> only twice as much emissons: you don't see anyone trying to ban these
>> camcorder viewfinders, do you?

>Don`t know that. I don`t think that it`s very dangerous to use them
>in the normal way. But if you try to build up you own VR helmet (with
>CRTs) you will obviously spend a lot of time before the CRTs. And
>then I suppose it can be very dangerous. Because if it is bad for 
>you than the more it will be bad how longer you use the CRTs.

Gotta throw in a concerned "Yah" here.  Nobody holds their Watchmans two inces
from their face for hours on end.  "Normal use" has to effect the danger
ratings, and this doesnt appear to be normal use of a Watchman CRT.  Of course
this does not mean modified use has to be dangerous.

                        - Ryan Grant
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
From: James Gustave <speth@cats.UCSC.EDU>
Subject: ADMIN: of PowerGlove lists and FAQs
Originator: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu
Organization: University of California, Santa Cruz
Date: Sat, 11 Apr 1992 20:01:06 GMT




I have been having problems with the PowerGlove mailing list.  I've been
subscribed to it for months now, but recently I've seen a SHARP decrease in
the volume of postings.  So much, that I think now I must not be on the list
anymore.  I thought the way to get on the list was to send a message to
listserv@karazm.math.uh.edu with a message of:
subscribe glove-list your_name
Then to mail posts to glove-list@karazm.math.uh.edu.  Is this correct?
I tried posting tests, but never received them.

Also, I was wondering if the PowerGlove list is mentioned in the sci.v-w FAQ?
There seem to be a lot of people asking PowerGlove questions.  They should be
referred to the list and its archives, and I think the FAQ would be a good
way to do this.

Thanks.

-- 
Jim Speth
speth@cats.ucsc.edu

[Moderator (Mark): I haven't seen anything coming off the list lately, either.
        It *is* on the FAQ, which should be posted again quite soon.
        I'm working on an updated version, and will hopefully complete
        it and post tomorrow.]
From: jwtlai@jeeves.waterloo.edu (Jim W Lai)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Re: PHIL: Use of "VR" term
Date: 6 Apr 92 19:46:04 GMT
Organization: University of Waterloo
Originator: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu


In article <1992Apr5.180557.10458@u.washington.edu> lwl@eniac.seas.upenn.edu (Ly
dia Leong) writes:
>MUDders tend to use the term "VR" to refer to anything not "RL" (real life).
>It's the most convenient term to use, since the world of MUDs encompasses
>several different subgenres, and VR is easy to type, easy to remember, and
>has, within the MUD community, a commonly understood meaning.

Common enough to have made it into the Hacker's Dictionary.
From: 71521.2515@CompuServe.COM (Murry Christensen)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Re: SOC: Sex & Violence in VR
Date: 9 Apr 92 13:50:47 GMT
Organization: University of Washington
Originator: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu


I have a theory (probably half-baked) that any given technology can not 
be considered to be really "socialized"--embedded in the society at a 
day-to-day level--until it gets used for things like casual amusement.
Examples might be pornographic videotapes re mass use of video recording 
technology, Pong re interactive graphics, hobbyist BBS systems re tele-
communications.
Seen this way it will precisely be at the moment that "virtual porn"
surfaces that we'll be able to say (if only in hindsight) that VR
technology made it in the real world?

   Murry Christensen 71521.2515@compuserve.com
From: dionf@ere.umontreal.ca (Dion Francois)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Re: TECH: Radiation
Date: 11 Apr 92 16:04:20 GMT
Article-I.D.: u.1992Apr12.001217.1343
Organization: Universite de Montreal
Originator: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu


In article <1992Apr11.030626.2729@u.washington.edu> rmg53668@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (R
yan M. Grant) writes:
>>Don`t know that. I don`t think that it`s very dangerous to use them
>>in the normal way. But if you try to build up you own VR helmet (with
>>CRTs) you will obviously spend a lot of time before the CRTs. And
>>then I suppose it can be very dangerous. Because if it is bad for 
>>you than the more it will be bad how longer you use the CRTs.
>
>Gotta throw in a concerned "Yah" here.  Nobody holds their Watchmans two inces
>from their face for hours on end.  "Normal use" has to effect the danger
>ratings, and this doesnt appear to be normal use of a Watchman CRT.  Of course
>this does not mean modified use has to be dangerous.
>
>                        - Ryan Grant

I checked yesterday (friday) the professionnal cameras that we have at
U de Montreal and they have fairly big TUBE viewfinders in COLOR. Some people
use this up to 3 hours a DAY. Some cameras are more than 10 years old. So,
i repeat: How come they have not been pulled out if the radiations are that
dangerous? Also, some of you are using 17" and 21" COLOR monitors at a distance
of 2 feets. The radiation is probably equal or even more than what Dave Stampe
is using: a small tube B&W.

And for those who dont want tubes: Citizen LCD monitors or there is also a
flexible plasma screen very light made in Sweden. Bytewide marketing was going
to import them, but at the end they would have sold them at around 2000$ each
because they couldn't get a good distribution price. They dropped the idea.
I know that somebody has imported them because last year i saw a screen like
that at Lavalin Inc ( now it has merged and the new group is called BNC/Lavalin)

Or maybe with a lot of leds and optic fibers? 8)

Ciao,

        Francois Dion
            '
From: samd@apple.com (Sam Dicker)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: PUBS:  Looking for Better than Life, Rudy Rucker, the God Game
Date: 16 Apr 92 21:25:56 GMT
Article-I.D.: u.1992Apr17.182149.12259
Organization: Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, CA
Originator: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu



My friend Karie (of *The Best Virtual Reality Stories* fame) is looking for:

RUDY RUCKER,  _Transreal_ or the short stories Pac-man or As Above So Below
GRANT NAYLOR, _Red Dwarf_ and _Better than Life_
         (published by some English publisher, not yet published in the U.S.)
ANDREW GREELY, *The God Game*, a short story

If you have any leads please send E-mail to: justin@cats.ucsc.edu

thanks,
Sam Dicker        samd@apple.com        (408) 974-6490 (voicemail)
---
From: franck@ug.cs.dal.ca (Glenn Franck)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Re: TECH: VR Studio Demo?
Date: 8 Apr 92 23:56:09 GMT
Article-I.D.: u.1992Apr9.065051.11040
Organization: Math, Stats & CS, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
Originator: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu


In article <1992Apr8.164858.2026@u.washington.edu> ml4477@csc.albany.edu 
        (   Sting   ) writes:
>
>In article <1992Apr7.201556.17352@u.washington.edu> cyclone@netcom.com 
>(Bill Sheppard) writes:
>up and down from a lower platform.  I have been trying to get on the platform
>so that I could go down to the lower platform and see what is down there.
>Also,   sometimes I can fly and sometimes I cannot,  whats up...?  If anyinfo
>is learned, please post or send me e-mail.   Thanks alot....
>
>

Not to use up too much bandwidth, I'll just say this:
I've been racking my brains trying to finish the demo, and I don't believe
you have to get on the moving platform, 'cause I don't think there's any-
thing at the bottom (I've tried everything to get on the platform, with no 
luck). Also, I've "flown" to the platform, and I haven't found anything.

If you want to levitate, press the 'b' key, and that seems to remove the
gravity restrictions. Now, the button that would formerly stand you up now
raises you (there is a limit as to how high you can go). Makes a big differ-
ence.

So far, I've gotten the 5 bars, and gotten underwater, but have no idea
where to go when I'm there!

There are also a few other things I've discovered, but not to spoil the game
for other adventurers, I'll save them (E-mail me for more info - I can always
post in the future).

(P.S. I was going to mail this directly, but there seems to be much interest
in this game - glad I'm not the only one!)

(P.P.S. Isn't there a new version of this demo/game coming out in the next
week or so?)

 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
  Glenn Franck        |      "Everybody's got to deviate from the norm."      
  franck@ug.cs.dal.ca |                            - N. Peart, RUSH           
  franck@ac.dal.ca    |=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
  Don't take life too seriously. After all, you'll never get out of it alive! 
 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
From: cdshaw@cs.ualberta.ca (Chris Shaw)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: TECH: Free Virtual Reality Software: The MR Toolkit
Date: 14 Apr 92 11:43:34 GMT
Organization: University of Alberta
Originator: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu





                        A N N O U N C I N G

                    The MR Toolkit Version 1.1


The MR Toolkit is a subroutine library that supports the development
of Virtual Reality user interfaces and other forms of three dimensional
user interfaces. The MR Toolkit provides support for various devices,
such as the Polhemus Isotrak digitizer, VPL DataGlove, VPL EyePhone and
sound synthesis equipment, that are commonly used in VR systems. 

The MR Toolkit also supports the distribution of the user interface
over multiple workstations, data distributed over several workstations,
numerous interaction techniques, physical and virtual geometry management,
and real-time performance analysis tools. The current version of the
MR Toolkit is callable from C and FORTRAN programs on SGI and DEC 
workstations. Some elements of the MR Toolkit will also run on other 
UNIX platforms.

The toolkit is available at no cost to licenced academic and research
institutions. To get version 1.1 of the MR toolkit, you must sign
the licence form and mail it back to the University of Alberta.
The person signing it should be a full-time employee of your
organization, with a title such as Professor, Director, Manager, etc.



If you are interested in the MR Toolkit, you can either ftp the PostScript
copy of the licence from

     menaik.cs.ualberta.ca ... Address:  129.128.4.241

     cd pub/graphics  and get the file "licence.ps"

Or, you can email Dani Beaubien at dani@cs.UAlberta.ca, and he will
email you the PostScript licence form.


Mail the signed licence form to:

    Professor Mark Green
    Department of Computing Science
    615 General Services Building
    University of Alberta
    Edmonton, Alberta
    Canada
    T6G 2H1

The MR Toolkit is distributed by blind FTP, so please include your email
address in the licence form so we can tell you how to get the MR Toolkit.



NOTE: If you have the MR Toolkit already, you will soon receive a mail
message indicating how & where to get the new version.
 
--
Chris Shaw               University of Alberta
cdshaw@cs.UAlberta.ca    CatchPhrase: Bogus as HELL !
From: evilted%vesta.unm.edu@lynx.unm.edu (The Semi-Christ)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Re: PHIL: sci.virtual-worlds.mud
Date: 15 Apr 92 04:29:03 GMT
Organization: Me
Originator: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu


Just for the record, I am currently working on a 3d walk-thru
type of "virtual reality" (buzzword..ugh) that will be networked thru
MUDs. It's on X-windows and I plan to support 1-8 display planes.
(realistic shading [hopefully], hidden surface removal, etc.)
It's still far from completion, tho. I will make numerous postings to the
appropriate groups when it's ready.
(So you won't be wearing a helmet. Use your imagination. :) )
I recently saw the VRS demo...it'll be much like that, but not true 3d.
I'm having to take some shortcuts to keep a reasonable update speed.
(X-windows can be SLOW!) Anyway, just so you know it (will) exist(s).

-- 
evilted@vesta.unm.edu    booga Don't labor under a misconception--    booga
AKBAR! =IC:D~       c ,  booga                      vote pro-choice.  booga
JEFF!  =IC:D~    --v#`'  boogaboogaboogaboogaboogaboogaboogaboogaboogabooga
                   <`\   booga                Life is fun.            booga
From: 76130.2225@CompuServe.COM (John Eagan)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: ADMIN: Copyrighted Material (Was Re: TECH: Lawnmower Man Graphics)
Date: 16 Apr 92 08:36:28 GMT
Organization: University of Washington
Originator: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu



092133@adpdp2.lanl.gov (092133) (whoever that is!) writes:

> <report on Xaos and "Lawnmower Man">

I don't want to raise too much of a fuss, but this report is lifted
virtually verbatum from a March 22,1992 Associated Press article. I
personally like seeing the attention to Xaos, who do good work, and am
for the dissemination of information, but this is copyrighted stuff.

I compile sci-vw traffic, dumped to my CompuServe mailbox, and upload it
to the library of the Virtual Reality section of the Computer Art forum on
CIS (with permission of the moderators of sci-vw). The operating rules of
CompuServe are very strict about uploads of copyrighted material except by
the owner of the material or those who have permission of the owner of the
copyright. The CIS Graphics Forums administrators and staff take great
care in making sure that these rules regarding intellectual property
rights are maintained, and I am responsible for making sure that nothing I
contribute to the forum violates copyright, even to the extent of removing
sci-vw posts which are not explicitly copyrighted, but contain a request
by the person posting the message to not distribute the post elsewhere.

In short, if I hadn't already read the AP wire service article through
the AP Online service on CIS, and recognized it here, and had then
included the sci-vw post in the library compilations, I would be in
potential DEEP DOODOO! The same would be true of anyone else distributing
the sci-vw traffic elsewhere. For that matter, Bob and Mark could find
themselves with lawyer-type humans jumping on them. 

 
******************************************************************
*John Eagan                         "humans is funny critters.." *
*VR section leader                                   -me         *
*Computer Art Forum                                              *
*CompuServe                                                      *
*compuserve:76130,2225                                           *
*internet:76130.2225@compuserve.com                              *
******************************************************************


[MODERATOR'S NOTES:  Publishers of copyrighted material seldom press the
case with those who post snippets online; most are not even aware of the
net's existence.  But John is right:  don't post whole articles unless
you have written permission.  Fair use (e.g., per reviews) means a short
excerpt with attribution. -- Bob Jacobson]
From: tom@genie.slhs.udel.edu (tom)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: CONF: Artificial Life III
Date: 15 Apr 92 23:09:44 GMT
Organization: University of Washington
Originator: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu



                            Artificial Life III
                                
                             June 15-19, 1992
                            Santa Fe New Mexico
                                
                    <<<<<<<< SHORT ANNOUNCEMENT >>>>>>>>
                                
                          Details available via ftp
                                

  The Third Artificial Life Workshop will be held in Santa Fe, New Mexico
June 15-19, 1992. The workshop is sponsored by the Santa Fe Institute, Los
Alamos National Laboratory, and Apple Computer (* see note below).

  The details on this workshop can be obtained via FTP from host "santafe.edu".
Login as "anonymous" and type your home login@host as password. Cd to the 
"pub" directory, and then to the "Artificial-Life-III" directory. Get the
"README" file for a list of available information, or simply get the file
"alifeiii.packet" for a text version of the announcement brochure containing
most of the relevant information plus conference and hotel registration forms.

  There is a file labeled "current.schedule" which will be updated periodically
and will always contain the most recent version of the conference schedule.

NOTE: Longer announcement to net will follow....

  This short announcement to the net will be followed by another message 
labeled "Artificial Life III (Long)", which will contain the alifeiii.packet
file described above, so if you ftp'd that file, don't bother to read the long
announcement.

Queries can be directed to: alife@santafe.edu.

Chris Langton
Conference Organizer

Santa Fe Institute                      Phone: (505) 984-8800
1660 Old Pecos Trail                    FAX:   (505) 
Santa Fe, New Mexico USA
87501

* NOTE: We strongly encourage further corporate sponsorship. Corporate
        sponsors get free booth space, free registrations, and
        several other benefits. Please contact me at the above address
        to receive a packet of information about corporate sponsorship
        of the Alife III workshop.
From: merce@xenitec.on.ca (Jim Mercer)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: SOC: dance bar in LA with VR rooms?
Date: 8 Apr 92 02:27:33 GMT
Organization: Ed (the iguana) Memorial Society
Originator: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu


i attended a dance party in Toronto Canada, where they had some VR
demonstrations and hands on stuff.

one of the things was the "Mandela" software on an amiga with a video
camera and a big screen TV.  i thought it was cool. (obviously i'm not
well versed in VR).

anyways, someone mentioned that there was a club in Los Angeles that had
side-rooms with similar hands-on stuff.

I'm gonna be in LA the week of April 21st, and i would very much like to
check this place out.

can anyone tell me it's name, location and phone number?

please email.  jim@lsuc.on.ca

thanx.

-- 
[ Jim Mercer   ( merce@xenitec.on.ca ||  jim@lsuc.on.ca )     +1 519 893-6085 ]
[                Are there any middle-aged mutant ninja turtles?              ]
[        Unix Systems Facilitator for the Law Society of Upper Canada         ]
[                Disclaimer! I don't need no stinking Disclaimer!             ]
From: 092133@adpdp2.lanl.gov (092133)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Looking for VR in LA
Date: 6 Apr 92 20:41:00 GMT
Article-I.D.: u.1992Apr8.162653.166
Organization: Los Alamos National Laboratory, EMVAX
Originator: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu


Is there anywhere in the Los Angeles area one can experience VR - any
application.  For roadshows, the time frame is the end of April/first of May.
Thank you.

Send responses to my EM address:

palmer_mary_m@allin1.adpdp2.lanl.gov
From: srcguard@src.dec.com-THE-PUNISHER
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: PHILOSOPHY: THE PUNISHER ASKETH: VR 4/15/92
Date: 16 Apr 92 00:11:19 GMT
Organization: DEC Systems Research Center
Originator: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu



        Greetings and Salutations,

                I don't know if my last posting was sent, but I 
                recently requested the "generic" form of
                Virtual Reality, that basically has the same
                effect, but easy to get parts and a good price
                to pay.   

                        Consider it a challenge.
                HOW CAN YOU SIMPLIFY VIRTUAL REALITY?


[MODERATOR'S NOTE:  Good question. |-<  Bob Jacobson]
From: stevey@cs.washington.edu (Stephen Yegge)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Re: Sex & Violence in VR
Date: 9 Apr 92 20:32:14 GMT
Organization: Computer Science & Engineering Dept., Univ. of Washington, Seattle
Originator: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu


tmaddox@milton.u.washington.edu (Tom Maddox) writes:
:
        [Large amounts of un-needed quotes deleted by moderator(Mark) ]
: 
:         I find very amusing the notion that anyone would feel moral outrage 
: about vr research going into virtual sex, given the equanimity with which 
: AI and vr researchers in particular have taken military money.
: 
:        "Sure, I'm a serious researcher.  I do Death Machine Simulations--
:no sex, no sirree because that would be *dirty*."
:
:        In fact, those serious researchers will respond to institutional needs
:(killing, commanding, controlling, for instance; healing also, to be sure), not
:to our individual human ones, because institutions pay the freight on research.
: 
:        Folks out in the Gibsonian "Street," however, will undoubtedly put the
:technologies thus developed to new and innaresting uses; as I've said, I believ
e
:vr porn will be one of them.
: 
: 
: -- 
:                                 Tom Maddox
:                         tmaddox@u.washington.edu
:                 "Writing is reading and reading is writing."
:                                 A. S. Byatt


And let's not forget games.  People will fork out astonishing amounts of
money to kill a dragon in 'real life' :)  I have a feeling that the
entertainment market will be doing a great deal of the funding for VR
research, in a sense.  Don't you agree?


Steve Yegge
stevey@cs.washington.edu

BTW, has anyone on this group played Ultima Underworld?  Sheesh, I'm having
NIGHTMARES about it already...closest thing to VR *I've* every come across.
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
From: lee@sol.cs.wmich.edu (Fook Heng Lee)
Subject: TECH: Graphics in Lawnmower Man??
Originator: hlab@milton.u.washington.edu
Organization: Western Michigan Univ. Comp. Sci. Dept.
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 01:08:46 GMT


Hi,
   I just watched the movie : Th LawnMower man  and I was very amazed
by its computer graphics. Does anybody has any idea on what computer
system and software was used to develope the graphics in the movie?


Just Curious,

Fook-Heng Lee
Western Michigan University.

[Moderator(Mark): There has been some talk of it lately in comp.graphics--
        XAOS did some of the work, and it was most likely Silicon Graphics
        hardware.  Software?  Proprietary, would be my guess.  Comments? ]
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds