So, the Oculus Rift is actually coming. Are you excited? I'm not. In fact, I'm kinda worried.

I'll preface this by saying I'm a gamer, to some degree. I used to be a heavy gamer about 2-3 years ago, but now not so much. I stopped because of entheogens. They showed me I was playing too much. So I listened. I used to play League of Legends, and I stopped that entirely. It's a mind numbing game filled with toxic people. A huge portion of my mates play that game. They say "it's strategic, you have to train your reflexes". Yeah, my individual reflexes were fast when I used to play that game. But at what cost? Playing the same game, choosing the same pool of heroes, and buying the same items (not real money, for you old farts). It took its toll on me. And don't get me started on the community. There was a guy on my team who wished my mother died from cancer, just because I died once to the enemy team.

So now I only play a handful. GTA Online for shits and giggles with mates, and Path of Exile for its challenging creativity. And even then, not that often.

I want to mention something else here. I was invited to a storytelling conference by my university. I was the only science faculty representative. Every one else was either media or journalism. I initially thought they were going to talk about written media. Boy, was I wrong. Almost every one talked about virtual reality or augmented reality. They were talking about immersion, and engaging the viewer within the story. It sounds all well and good, but I'm always skeptical of "cutting-edge" technology, for fear of cutting myself. What's going to happen when everyone is wearing a Google Glass-esque contraption on their face? People will be too immersed in the virtual world (or the augmented world) that they'll lose the real world (or be jaded by the augmented one). Everyone is hooked in. We already have a more primitive version of that; social media. The way people are totally absorbed in their phones is astounding. When I studied in the university computer rooms, everyone was on facebook. Literally every one. So I made sure to keep an eye out over the duration of my study. I would glance around every 5 minutes. It did not change in 2 hours. Same thing happens on the train. The train line that I live on is one of the most beautiful journeys. Forests, rivers and nature reserves for most of the journey. Totally oblivious to the wonders out the window, people are staring into the little screen, with dead emotionless faces.

Humans need social interaction. Scrolling through that facebook homepage is not social interaction. Those that do actually talk to their friends only talk about trivial shit that is frankly a waste of time. I only use the facebook messenger to set up hangouts with mates, or for very brief interactions. Face to face contact is vital.

People want more immersion. They want immersive books, movies, TV shows, video games etc. Where does the boundary lie? The ultimate VR is what the Matrix is all about. Is that what we're striving for? Humanity is never satisfied with what they got, they always want more. Maybe I'm overthinking it, but the Matrix could be a possibility. Definitely not in our lifetimes.

Sorry for the rant, but this all fits in with VR (somehow). I've been told numerous times that I'm an old man in a young man's body. I know that this community is "different" from the rest of society, so you guys might share my sentiment. I do feel like I'm in the minority, though.

Great rant! When I first entered university I was quite perturbed with the staggering amount of people on their phones all of the time. It has not gotten better in my years here either, and as fresh crops of kids born later and later come to school, they are ever more immersed in their devices.

Futuristic uses of computing are one of my main interests, and of course a large part of this is integration of computers into our everyday lives. Currently, to use a mobile computing device in public, one has to physically take it out of his/her pocket and stare at it. This also serves as a convenient social crutch, which is why many people, even "the popular kids," commonly resort to it.

I do not mind as much when others (and myself) are actually typing on these tiny screens. Typing implies actual communication or at least some level of creativity. But unfortunately the majority of people prefer to scroll through feeds of next-to-meaningless content, absorbing it like the weird media sponges they are.

I want to say that in the future, when we'll all be wearing these devices on our heads, that things will be slightly better and more integrated into "normal" life. If the computer becomes a reality enhancer rather than a separate entity, it will be harder to look away from other people in the room, on the bus, etc. I will not be surprised if there are apps that give visual cues reminding users to communicate with others or pinging when someone is trying to make eye contact or talk with the wearer.

However this is an optimistic, idealistic view of the situation. It is very possible that tech will allow us to further isolate ourselves from others, exactly the opposite outcome from what was intended with its implementation. We can already construct artificial realities with devices like the Oculus, and these sensory immersions will only become better with time, until we can construct near-perfect if not totally perfect fake "realities" for ourselves with novel technology.

Is this scary? Well, would George Washington find the Internet scary? This will be a large change for our society, but if people embrace this new way of life, there is nothing we can do to change it. Consider this: maybe there is reality in the virtual, where humans are not confined by social and physical constraints. What becomes more real, what we perceive, or what we create?

I dunno. I'm old school. I can be embracing of new technology. I love Tesla and Elon Musk. But things like VR are kinda scary to me.

When I was at that conference, there was one day specified for group work. We formed teams of 4-5 based on one concept, and we thought of ways to implement our ideas into the future. Some of the concepts were education, the corporate world, journalism etc. Since I was the only philosopher and scientist there, I was more than happy to join any group. I joined the journalism group, since my book focuses on communication.

The final task was to form one 3 minute story on how to get from where we are to the groups vision. All of my group members left due to life commitments, and I was the only one writing a story for our concept. Every other group presented a flowchart rather than a story. "First this happens, then this, then a little bit of this, and then this..." It was very specific and elaborate. Two things that never work in the real world when you're dealing with society. Instead, I wrote a mythological tale. When it was my turn to recite my story, I requested everyone to unleash their inner kindergarten kid and sit on the floor cross-legged. They all did gladly, and was quite amusing to see a suited up professor sitting like a 5 year old kid. This was my story:

"Even though our group was focused on journalism, I want to share a story with you. A story on the god of journalism, communication.

Imagine a time when you had nothing. No family, no friends, no home, no identity, no way of communicating with anyone. Nothing. The feeling of despair is overwhelming. Out of nowhere, a hand reaches out and pulls you into cyberspace, where there is an abundance of people, ideas, are and literature. A place where knowledge and wisdom are rulers of this paradise. A place where ideas are nurtured, grown and intertwined with the creations of other people, to create beautiful concoctions of art and science. No one felt left out, there was a place for everyone and every thing. True peace.

Nice, isn't it.

What do we have now? A gaggle of bumbling idiots, spewing vitriolic insults, under the guise of "opinions". A place where ideas were thrown from one home to another, like an abandoned puppy, not receiving the nourishment it deserves. A place where the trolls are kings, and where they belittle anyone who questions their integrity. A place filled with faceless entities, only illuminated by the dull glow emanating from their hands. Cold. Motionless. Lifeless.

In this dead global reverie, life seems to sprout from unexpected places. Some of the faceless entities start to stir. The form identities, only to be quashed by the omnipresent herd mentality. One day, the tree of life will erupt from the ground, basking the world in it's eternal light. This tree is named Empathy. And it's seed was Humanity."

I wrote this in 10 minutes, so didn't have time to write it well. It was heavily inspired by my trips with entheogens.

Nice story; you accurately allude to some of the frightening parts of the Internet. I remember reading somewhere how a large part of the Web is just pure pornography. And I imagine that pretty much the rest of it is not productive nor really helpful toward society. In fact, things learned, pushed, advertised and stumbled upon online hurt a lot of people and can lead to disastrous behaviors and attitudes toward others.

However, just like with firearms in the US, we are way past the point of no return. Barring some kind of major electrical failure, the Internet is here to stay; we need to analyze it so we have the proper tools moving forward. We must ask ourselves how everyone can better use this amazing technology to improve the world.

Unfortunately, as I have been thinking a lot about lately, there are a lot of really evil people, and the mask of anonymity the Internet provides just allows a ton of their horrible content to find its way online. So without some kind of major cultural change, yes, the Web will remain a scary place. But it is up to the peaceful folk to spread love and kindness and the educated to spread advanced, ethical, responsible technology.

There's a good chance that we already live in a virtual reality, it's only the computed constraints that make us believe that it's a material world. So no need to believe in the hype.


Well, that's why the Nexus has moderators and rules. Actually good ones. Time to build our gardens in VR. And by VR I mean reality.

Smartphone addition only compares to VR addiction in the way that it is an addiction. Our culture encourages addictions, so that's why people will get addicted to VR. It's not the fault of a new technology emerging.

I'm happy for the elderly who will get at least some virtual mobility.

Also happy that VR porn is not far away.

It's already there.

Tried it on the DK1 and its lame in my opinion. What they need is real volumetric video and that is still in its infant stages. Also, nausea is not helping.

Very sad the rift costs 800$ in europe btw. I was planning on getting one.

I'm not a fan of porn, so I'm not concerned. As for the price: it sure will drop. Once HTC's Vive will enter the market and bankrupt early adopters are forced to sell their kits on eBay you'll get it much cheaper.

Lucid dreaming is still the most detailed, immersive, realistic VR experience (or is it a reality experience?) you can have.

And it's free!

Hey obli from reading your previous posts over the years i can understand why you would be interested in VR porn. As far as i remember (and i am sure that you will correct me if i am wrong) you are having trouble getting a partner and so are happy to go the VR route if available.

If you cant get a lay due to social anxiety/depression or some such problem, and therefore are happy to put up with the VR route, why dont you take up Ufostrahlen"s hypothesis that we are already living in a VR world and go and and get a real (or vr according to Ufostrahlen) partner. If you look at it that way, you can apply the same rules to a "real" partner as you would a "VR" partner. Ie not worry so much about it, because none of it is real anyway.

Forgive me if i am jumping the gun on why you may want Vr porn as i only have my own experiences to make sense of things and therefore came to my conclusions. I dont know you well enough to make a 100 per cent correct statement about your personal life. Which i guess is a downside to communication through computers, whether it be porn or social networking. In real life people are more 3 dimensional and a life spent on the computer doesnt prepare us for the true intricacies (sometimes good , sometimes bad) of really knowing a person.

I'd certainly be interested in VR porn, but for $600.00 no thanks. I've seen some cool stuff, Half-Life 2 looks like a lot of fun with VR - lobbing grenades behind you and such. Elite looks cool too, but I already know that game is shallow and boring as fuck. I'm going to wait for the tech to improve, support base to grow and the cost to come down. I also have an inkling that the Vive will be a better product, so really there is no question that the Rift is out of the question for me.

The spice will always be the best VR. I think I once saw Azeroth though the eyes of the spice, though psychedelics almost always make me completely uninterested in video games, while on them and for a few days afterwards.

No worries man, i appreciate the sympathy. Of course it will never be the real deal and i would not see it as a substitute. Still, its an interesting development especially for those who are undersexed

VR porn

yessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

Dear Op, you are regurgitating the same rant prohibitionists use against us psychedelic users. Yes, many online games are immensely toxic and mind-numbing. Game addiction exists. Still, technology is not the thing to blame. And try to be less judgmental of humans, despite your subjective experience, you're not the only smart person in a world of idiots, you know.

I am aware, however I am not smart. I never blame technology, it's just that there is a huge potential for abuse. I'm just very skeptical of VR. I guess the only immersion I want is either in the real world or through psychedelia. I do not, I repeat, I do not want the world to be the way I want it. I am just an outsider making some comments.

I reserve judgement when I observe humans. They are complicated organisms, and they do what they do for a reason. All I do is observe.

For anyone interested in checking this out on the cheap, install Google Glass on your phone and pick up a ~$20 headset from Amazon. The phone goes into the headset and there are apps and videos for the phone. Not a ton of content out there yet, but you can go on rollercoasters, visit CGI insane asylums, watch concerts, all for free. It's early technology, but very cool.

I picked up a Homido goggle (google cardboard like kickstarter project) yesterday. It's indeed early tech, motion is lagging and the pixel grid is clearly visible. For now it's a good way to get a glimpse for what's coming. This tech will evolve like television did. It's a new dimension. The applications for VR are vast.
For the good or bad ... ? That's up to us consumers I think.

It is absolutely not comparable to a Rift...

edit: But then 100° FOV for google cardboard is nice