From: rick@xing.unocal.com (Richard Ottolini)
Subject: Critique of ABC VR segment
Date: Fri, 20 Sep 1991 16:15:08 GMT
Organization: Unocal Corporation, Anaheim, California



On Thurs 9/19 ABC's Prime Time had a 15 minute presentation of virtual reality.
Topics covered include:

	NASA's Ames Martian telepresence
	UNC's architecture tour
	Virtual surgery (who?)
	E&S flight simulators
	The British firm making VR systems (name?)
	" games: a two-people chase game and race car game
	film clips of fantastic worlds from '91 SIGGRAPH
	the question of virtual sex

(I may have forgotten a few things.)

Notably absent was VPL.  Who ignored whom?
Could someone say more about this British firm and what they are selling?

I thought it was a respectable presentation, in fact one of the best I've seen.
I will use the videotape to train management in my company when they get
confused about VR.

They showed a fair cross-section of projects.  They did not over-hype the
subject.  The graphics came off well.  I was little concerned some viewers
will confuse the film clip non-interactive graphics with the capabality of 
current interactive VR systems.  I can see Prime Time's point of view that 
fantastic worlds are part of VR, even if they aren't always interactive, and 
the excellent graphics of these improved the TV show.