Virtual reality

Lots to catch up on, but this little article from the IEEE Spectrum is interesting. It's written by someone who admits that he made his money getting technology to make things more efficient. Now, he's reflecting on some of the lingering effects that may not be all good.

   http://spectrum.ieee.org/consumer-electronics/gadgets/virtual-reality-is-addictive-and-unhealthy

Somehow, expecting business to have a social conscience is a fool's dream. As we all know, there has been a bifurcation twixt elite and serf, covered here and the related blogs several times, that manifests itself as a gigantic gap between those who have and those who do not have (or have not so much).

But, that's a side issue, for this post. Yes, there is an appeal brought about by those little things (darlings that they are) that allow access (ubiquitously and without cessation) to that which is a mere web, yet it appears to be an endless reality. For some, it's about as close to abstraction as they're going to get. Hence, the pull.

If we taught people how to handle abstractions better, there would be less problem. But, we'll get to that. You see, the interloper is mathematics of the elite whereas it ought to be the purveyor of truth, accessible to all.

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Elsewhere, there was a mention of Facebook being a metaphor. Actually, it represents this problem from several sides.

The reality is that this overlay being built (of which current technology is only providing a glimmer) upon our casual reality will continue to be and to grow in size and complexity. The elite/serf split has been made worse by that which was done early. It's imperative that we understand better the dynamics so as to make less certain the dire straits for the masses that are inevitable given current thrusts.

Remarks:

08/22/2012 --

Modified: 08/22/2012