Virtual reality melds the boundless imagination of humans with the speedy functions of computers.
Discusses the technical development of virtual reality and explains its present uses and future possibilities.
Synopsis
Virtual reality melds the boundless imagination of humans with the speedy functions of computers.
School Library Journal
Gr 6 UpAn informative and thought-provoking offering. Grounding virtual reality in the history of storytelling and computers, Weiss catalogs the necessary equipment for full or partial VR experiences. She explores the many beneficial uses of VR, such as visualizing the stock market or enabling stroke victims to communicate. She then clearly demonstrates how VR development is driven primarily by applications designed solely for entertainment. One of the book's strengths is its positive and negative presentation of each application of VR, e.g., assisting police in reconstructing crime scenes and swaying juries using a subjective view of events. Unfamiliar terms are defined in context; a full-color photograph introduces each of the seven chapters. With many references to Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, the last chapter focuses on the Internet, virtual communities, and privacy issues and governmental control. Weiss overstates the effect of Internet communication on former House Speaker Thomas Foley's re-election bid, and one can detect her misgivings about entertainment VR. However, the text's strengths far outweigh its minor problems. This title is useful and interesting for both reports and general reading.Shannon VanHemert, Memphis/
Gr 6 UpAn informative and thought-provoking offering. Grounding virtual reality in the history of storytelling and computers, Weiss catalogs the necessary equipment for full or partial VR experiences. She explores the many beneficial uses of VR, such as visualizing the stock market or enabling stroke victims to communicate. She then clearly demonstrates how VR development is driven primarily by applications designed solely for entertainment. One of the book's strengths is its positive and negative presentation of each application of VR, e.g., assisting police in reconstructing crime scenes and swaying juries using a subjective view of events. Unfamiliar terms are defined in context; a full-color photograph introduces each of the seven chapters. With many references to Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, the last chapter focuses on the Internet, virtual communities, and privacy issues and governmental control. Weiss overstates the effect of Internet communication on former House Speaker Thomas Foley's re-election bid, and one can detect her misgivings about entertainment VR. However, the text's strengths far outweigh its minor problems. This title is useful and interesting for both reports and general reading.Shannon VanHemert, Memphis/
