If a tree falls in the forest, and nobody is around to hear it, then does it make a sound?
You've most likely heard this age-old riddle before. The key to understanding it is recognizing what it's about -- the real question here is, "are events defined solely by their presence in human experience?". But what defines what a human experience is? Is the expression something that should be interpreted literally (in that all that is required is at least one human perceiving the event), or is it imperative that some record exists to document the event?
A question which follows in the same spirit, but perhaps which is more suited to the current day, is: if someone had a party, and nobody posted about it on Facebook, did it even happen?
With …show more content…
Technologies that provide an immersive experience can take this further and transport the user to a situation that would otherwise be inaccessible. For instance, the Oculus Rift is used to visually remove oneself from a particular setting and instantly travel to another. Used recreationally, this can imply a world of possibilities in the future of video games. Playing a game in which a virtual world responds to movement and interaction in a way that is almost indistinguishable from the real world can potentially transform it into an experience that is correspondingly similar to a real-world interaction or event. As someone who has personally been lucky enough to use an Oculus Rift, I can testify to exactly how disorienting, yet fascinating, it is to be provided with conflicting visual and physical stimuli. Simply combining the Rift with something to mimic a physical stimulus, such as a chair that can tilt and move, would allow one to almost fully disappear into a …show more content…
The possibilities for this sort of technology are essentially limitless; something like Google Glass might create an entirely new way of experiencing "boring" everyday activities. Instead of doing prior research on, say, a new restaurant one wants to visit, it would be possible to see reviews superimposed directly on one's field of vision upon looking at the actual building. It is already second nature for many of us to pull out a smartphone and conduct basic research on any topic that requires further clarification. Glass would simply eliminate the step of reaching for a device that exists in the physical
You've most likely heard this age-old riddle before. The key to understanding it is recognizing what it's about -- the real question here is, "are events defined solely by their presence in human experience?". But what defines what a human experience is? Is the expression something that should be interpreted literally (in that all that is required is at least one human perceiving the event), or is it imperative that some record exists to document the event?
A question which follows in the same spirit, but perhaps which is more suited to the current day, is: if someone had a party, and nobody posted about it on Facebook, did it even happen?
With …show more content…
Technologies that provide an immersive experience can take this further and transport the user to a situation that would otherwise be inaccessible. For instance, the Oculus Rift is used to visually remove oneself from a particular setting and instantly travel to another. Used recreationally, this can imply a world of possibilities in the future of video games. Playing a game in which a virtual world responds to movement and interaction in a way that is almost indistinguishable from the real world can potentially transform it into an experience that is correspondingly similar to a real-world interaction or event. As someone who has personally been lucky enough to use an Oculus Rift, I can testify to exactly how disorienting, yet fascinating, it is to be provided with conflicting visual and physical stimuli. Simply combining the Rift with something to mimic a physical stimulus, such as a chair that can tilt and move, would allow one to almost fully disappear into a …show more content…
The possibilities for this sort of technology are essentially limitless; something like Google Glass might create an entirely new way of experiencing "boring" everyday activities. Instead of doing prior research on, say, a new restaurant one wants to visit, it would be possible to see reviews superimposed directly on one's field of vision upon looking at the actual building. It is already second nature for many of us to pull out a smartphone and conduct basic research on any topic that requires further clarification. Glass would simply eliminate the step of reaching for a device that exists in the physical