Virtual environments and interactivity: windows to the future

Abstract

I really apologize. I promised everyone I would come out wearing the data suit, but it just slipped my mind and I never got around to it. Actually Marvin Minsky was saying that the thing to do would be to come out with nothing on because that would be the perfect interface to the computer. So I kind of shunned the whole thing off at that point.We just heard Nicholas Negroponte ask us -- "how do we communicate with computers?" Well, that's why this panel is here today. We'll be discussing virtual environments and interactivity with some of the people who have been doing a lot of work in this field. I was interviewing a lot of people last night at the parties about virtual environments and I realized that everyone has their own idea of what their virtual environment will be. Some want to interact more, others less. Some want little people running around on the screen bringing them all sorts of messages or images. We'll be hearing about a lot of different types of interactivity on our panel today.I'd like to point out that Margaret's slide should also include the MIT Media Lab as well as UNC.I'm going to show some tapes and do some talking later on so I'd like start of by introducing Jaron Lanier. He's the guy with the dreadlocks you've seen at the Silicon Graphics booth. He has an amazing collection of musical instruments from all over the world and when he plays them, he transports you to other times and other places. He's a designer of programming languages and he started VPL, the company that brought you the glove, Jaron.