Friday 20 June 2003

Pic of the day: I was walking along the road, listening to the victory theme from Master of Magic. Then I took my earplugs out and I could hear birds singing in the trees. Which is the better world?

Virtual worlds of senses

Some Buddhist philosophers think that each of us lives in a separate universe, and is responsible for everything that happens in our world. I think that is hardly the case - yet. Perhaps some day computers will be so advanced that each of us can have a virtual world to rule. But even then, I think multi-player worlds will be popular. That's just the kind of creatures we are.

Of course, with virtual reality shared worlds, we would not all "live" in the same world. We would gather in different realities, depending on our shared interest, the choice of our friends, advertising and sheer luck. Then again, is that not so already? Certainly when I read a socialist newspaper and a capitalist one, I can wonder whether they live in the same world. And when you read articles by creationists and conventional scientists on the same event, there is a distinct feeling that one of them is not of this world.

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It may seem unlikely that we will withdraw into virtual worlds, but then again remember Walkman. (Walkman and Discman are trademarks and belong to Sony.) When these gadgets were introduced, it became possible to live in a private world of sound. There was no ethical or philosophical debate that I can remember. Well, apart from the possible dangers to hearing and to traffic security.

Did the Walkman make us asocial, cold and uncaring, removed from our fellow man? Well, there may be those who say these things are typical of our generation; but I have yet to hear anyone point to the introduction of portable music as a reason. It seems to be a general agreement that it doesn't matter that we live in different worlds of sound as long as we can come out of them to communicate when needed. And as long as we share the visual world. But, it may be next.

The technology already exists to make wearable monitors ... goggles or even reasonably fashionable "shades" with a semi-transparent computer screen on. As you adjust the transparency, you may more or less tune out the outer world in order to get a good look at your virtual monitor; or you can give priority to the outer world when needed. So far these gadgets only exist as very expensive prototypes, and it is possible that they will never become a mass market product. After all, it is far more distracting to watch television than listen to radio while you work or drive or take a walk. And if you can only use them at home, they are hardly worth the money.

Still, the fact remain that we have managed to create our own world of sound, and other senses might follow. What about smell? With most people working in cities, the local smell is hardly worth writing home about. It should be feasible by now to have nose plugs that filter out smog and dust, and filter in the smell of pine forest, spring blossoms, mountain waterfalls or for that matter massaging oils.

I was about to list taste nest, but then I realized that we have already personalized it. There are so many chewing gums, lozenges and other taste accessories, there is no reason to spend the day tasteless.

In the tactile department, we have got vibrating cell phones and moving joysticks. I hear that engineers are working on gloves that will give tactile feedback so that you can grab virtual objects and feel that you hold them. This could be a successor to the computer mouse, I guess, when Windows are replaced with Doors to virtual rooms. But again, it may not be something you wear all day long, unless you also got the monitor goggles.

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In conclusion, I don't think we move into virtual reality by one day lying down in a tank with electrodes in our brains or some such. I think we are already partway in, as we already live in personal worlds of sound and taste. Perhaps in the near future (if any) we will live in a world that blends physical and virtual elements. If the day is too gray, we may be able to sharpen the colors. If we are traveling, we may be able to get up a map and a pointer: You are here. If we have friends in the area, they will show up on the map as colored dots. And while sitting on the train, we can watch a movie. We will not withdraw from the world, we will just improve on it without actually improving it.