X-Message-Number: 11697
From: 
Date: Fri, 7 May 1999 20:15:02 -0500 (CDT)
Subject: Reprise: Virtual Reality is already here.

Let me try again.

In Messsage #1686, Thomas Donaldson wrote:

>"But my major problem with the notion of a virtual person in a virtual
>world is that it is so blithely assumed that a virtual world can be made
>that would be good enough to come anywhere close to reality. I find that
>close to totally out of the question."

Tonight, when you dream, you are doing this already.  If you become fully 
conscious in that dream (what is called "lucid dreaming") you will be "IN" a 
reality just as vivid, colorful, sensuous and "real" as this one.  Again, 
this is not speculation.  It is fact.  And I am NOT exaggerating!

Thomas Donaldson continued, 
>"As I've said before, just how are
>we to do that unless we understand reality --- which so far we do not,
>not as completely as we'd need to to make such virtual worlds."

We human beings either (1) are ALREADY fully capable of creating seamless VR 
worlds in dreams or (2) we are doing something pretty strange at night we 
call "dreaming"!

My point is this.

Extend your biplogical life.  

Stop aging.

Use cryonics if you goof up.

Now, do you still have a biological body?  Probably.

Can we then (or sooner) possible learn to tap into our ALREADY PRESENT 
VIRTUAL REALITY GENERATOR (the wetware dream generator)?  

For over thirty years we have been able to get non-invasive readouts on the 
EEG and twenty years ago we learned to entrain brainwave states without 
surgery.  If doesn't seem too strange to suppose we will continue to 
approach the day when you can place a helmet on your head, punch a button 
and be totally operating in an externally-entrained lucid dream condition, 
what you are refering to as "virtual reality".

If so, shelve your effort to make VR worlds with computers.

The one between you ears is online already.

Instead, ACCESS IT!

-George Smith
CI member
"My future can beat up your future!"

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