Virtual Realism by Michael Heim
Virtual Realism is an art form and a way of living with technology. To explain it, Michael Heim draws on a hypertext of topics, from answering machines to interactive art, from engineering to television programmes, from the meaning of UFOs to the Internet. The technology of virtual reality brought a new dimension to culture with its virtual offices and cyberspace friendships - but few agree on its merits. Opinions range from the Unabomber's Luddite activism to Wired's cyberpunk attitude to Bill Gate's commercial optimism. Virtual Realism guides readers through the debate and suggests ways of harmonizing computers with culture. Exploring a wide-range of virtual reality technologies, from a tour of a virtual art gallery to the heads-up-displays used by military pilots, Michael Heim shares the discoveries he has made over several years in the studios of VR designers. Always suggesting a harmony of technology with lifestyle, the result is an illuminating look at the meaning and value of human life in the age of cyberculture.
A pleasant, easily readable account of several applications of computer technology to create experiential art and one or two useful tools* The Washington Post Book World *
Michael Heim is lecturer at the California State University Extension, Long Beach. He is the author of the award-winning The Metaphysics of Virtual Reality (OUP, 1993) and the ground-breaking Electric Language (1987).
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780195138740 |
| ISBN 10 | 0195138740 |
| Title | Virtual Realism |
| Author | Michael Heim |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press Inc |
| Year published | 2000-04-20 |
| Number of pages | 264 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |