From: breeder@well.sf.ca.us (Dave Blackburn)
Subject: EVENT: Southern California VR SIG, Thursday night, Jan 21st
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1993



VIRTUAL REALITY
SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP
1300 STRAND, SUITE "A"
MANHATTAN BEACH, CA 90266
(310) 545-0369
E-Mail : breeder@well.sf.ca.us
 
The first meeting of the new year for the Virtual Reality SIG will be on
Thursday evening, January 21st, at 7:30 PM. The Electronic Cafe, located at
1649  18th St. in Santa Monica will again be the venue. From the 405, take
the 10 Fwy West to Cloverfield/26th St. Exit. Go Right (North) a few blocks
to Olympic Blvd, then left to 18th St. Go right on 18th and proceed to the
parking lot on the right at the end of the street. Park on either 18th or
Olympic if the lot is full.
 
Artist & Musician John Reiss will discuss "WHAT ARTISTS NEED TO INTEGRATE
VR INTO LIVE PERFORMANCES". John's Band, called "VIRTUAL REALITY", has used
The MANDALA Projection VR System during some of their live shows. John will
also show some video highlights of the bands past performances. To help him
illustrate this new technology, June Lavenberg & Brian Hanish have agreed
to bring their Amiga-Based MANDALA System for an audience-participation
interactive demo. The MANDALA System is not an immersive VR experience with
Head-Mounted-Displays and Wired Gloves. It is a projection VR system which
creates a responsive environment anyone can enter. Participants do not need
to wear any special electronic, sensor laden accessories to interact with
The MANDALA System.
 
When you step into the responsive environment, an RGB Video camera captures
your image and transports it into an interactive computer/video animation.
Manipulation of this virtual world occurs by controlling the movements of
your entire body, as you watch your projected image on screen in real time.
Collision detection algorithms in the software determine if any part of
your image "collides" with an interactive object in the scene. Play a
virtual drumset, ride a virtual Earth-Coaster, use your body as a
psychadelic paintbrush, or play virtual handball, with other players.
 
Joining us via videophones from Seattle Washington will be Dr. Robert
Jacobson, President & CEO of WORLDESIGN. This start-up VR consulting and
development firm is focusing on Information Engineering, and applications
of Virtual Worlds Technology. Dr. Jacobson was formerly the Associate
Director of the HUMAN INTERFACE TECHNOLOGY LAB, America's first institution
devoted strictly to Virtual Reality Research. Bob is also the co-moderator
of the new USENET Newsgroup called SCI.VIRTUAL-WORLDS.APPS . This newsgroup
will be in magazine format, and feature worldwide applications of VR.
 
Admission is only $5.00, and everyone is encouraged to bring a friend. CNN
is planning to film a piece for the news on the Electronic Cafe on Jan. 21,
so the VR SIG may be featured internationally. Mark your calendars for
Thursday, February 18th. We will have a special start time of 6:30 PM that
evening, and our special guest will be Brett Leonard, writer, director &
co-producer of "THE LAWNMOWER MAN". Brett will present a screening of the 2
hour & 20 minute Directors cut. We will also do a videophone hook-up with
The San Francisco VRGROUP, who will be joined by some folks from XAOS
Studios. XAOS created a lot of the Graphics for "The Lawnmower Man".