time travel, parallel universes, and other useful illusions
A new study has linked out-of-body experiences with inner ear disorders, according to Live Science. The study, which looked at over 200 patients suffering various ear problems, found “a significantly higher occurrence of OBE in patients with dizziness…than in healthy participants.” Their dizziness was related to “peripheral vestibular disorders,” or dysfunctions of the inner ear.
At Pax Prime 2012, Dr. Jeff Norris of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory gave a surprisingly emotional presentation, during which he shared his view of how space exploration may look in the future. He spoke of real-life holodecks and robotic avatars — a future in which we’ll all play a role in exploring other worlds.
Here’s a very cool video featuring Disney animator Glen Keane. Keane is best known for his work on character animation for the films The Little Mermaid (he designed and animated Ariel), Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and others. In the video, he shows off an interesting new virtual reality tool that allows him to “step …
Continue reading “Artists Can Now “Step Into” Their Drawings With Virtual Reality”
I’ve often wondered how, if at all, computer simulations could be used for time travel. Thinking back to Bostrom’s and Tipler’s posthuman simulations of the universe, if we were ever able to simulate the world in such a way — especially something comparable to The Matrix — that would open up a number of strange …
Continue reading “Can We Time Travel Using Computer Simulations?”
Imagine if we could throw away the controllers of old and instead plug ourselves into a game console. We’d experience the sights, smells, and other sensations of a virtual world as though they were actually real. Granted, I’m not sure I’d personally want to experience half of what goes on in certain video games, but …
