From: strength@milton.u.washington.edu (Julian Bleecker)
Subject: Re: CULTURE: Movies other than Lawnmower Man...and that too!
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 01:37:43 GMT
Organization: University of Washington, Seattle



mango@esd.sgi.com writes:

>        I dont think we should overlook one of the best VR films in my
>        opinion and that is BRAINSTORM. Direct feed to your brain. Emotions,
>        respiration the whole nine yards. It is a interesting concept being
>        able to record and reproduce your thoughts as well as others, and
>        then being able to share the same sensory experience. A little far
>        fetched maybe but so was TV 100 years ago.


Recent reports would indicate that `reading' thought patterns (albeit
broad patterns) is happening now.  See for example the latest
Scientific American or the report in Nature by some University of
Washington professors doing work on this sort of thing.

In the spirit of the `movies' thread, consider the not so hard sci-fi,
but quasi-cyberpunkish *Until The End of The World* by Wim Wender (out
of the theaters now and not in video unfortunately.)  In Until.. a
well-intentioned scientist develops a technology that allows one to
record on video tape one's *dreams* which can then be played back on
palm-sized HDTV video units in an eerily pixelated impressionistic
rendering of what you dreamed.  Fascinating, compelling and all that.
But it turns out to be so powerful and moving that the few who try it
start going a little bonkers.  Anyway, the spooks catch on and kidnap
the scientist and all of his gear for whatever black purpose they have
in mind.

Seeing this reminded me of an essay in a journal called ETC. about the
possibilities of using VR to build and experience one's dreams
(self-help psychoanalysis?) in order to more fully understand the
implications.  Wender is clearly skeptical about such possibilities.

Julian