1501 ART Tutorial Task 4 Summary

We had a guest speaker for out lecture today. His name was Steve and he came to talk to us about Virtual Philosophy. I found this topic a little over whelming and farfetch for my knowlegde, yet here is what I seemed to gain from the lecture.

William Gibson:
William Gibson was an American born Canadian science fiction novelist who brought about the notion of the "cyber punk". In a time where punk music evolved (The Sex Pistols) in rejection to the new forms of "glam rock" (David Bowe), so to did science fiction evolve in rejection to the computing world. Gibson was at the head of this evolution in the late 70's and early 80's. His writings were generally futuristic stories about the influences of cyberspace and virtual reality.

Mnemonic:
The ability to remember data, such a numbers, speaches, music, through a series of practices.

Jonny Mnemonic:
During the lecture today, we viewed parts of the movie "Jonny Mnemonic" which was a tale based on one of the short stories written by Gibson. Johnny Mnemonic is an antihero who has lost all of his childhood memories in order to become a data courier. He has no recollection of his past because in order for him to be a courier he has undergone surgery to have a data storage system implanted in his head. The system allows him to store digital data too sensitive to risk transmission on computer networks. Jonny becomes at risk by the data that he carries in his head, none of which he has ever seen before. In the movie Jonny trys to find who put the data in his head through delving into virtual reality on the internet. Jonny hacks into the internet and more or less pulls it apart using goggles and remote hands. While made in the 80's this movie has a strong notion of how people saw virtual reality in the 80's a revolutionary idea for the new millenium.

Virtual Reality:
Virtual Reality is interactive sumulation of reality. It is a system that enables one or more users to move and react in a computer-simulated environment. Devices such as masked and gloves that link to a computer can allow users to delve into a parallel world of a digital 3rd dimension. These devices allow users to sense and manipulate virtual objects much as they would real objects. This natural style of interaction gives participants the feeling of being immersed in the simulated world. Mathematical models and computer programs create these digital 3d worlds.

Precursors to Virtual Reality:
- Telegraph
- Telephone
- Phonograph
- Radio
- Cinema
- Television

"Image-making, no matter how manipulative, doesn't replace reality;it becomes part of it."

Sidney Blumenthal The Permanent Campaign