ISBN 0-12-745045-9 (US hbk, 1993)

Contributors;
Foreword by Pat Cadigan;
Preface by Alan Wexelblat;

Part I: Softwhere in Computer Science

Chapter 1
Artificial Realities as Data Visualization Environments: Problems and Prospects by Thomas Erickson
Chapter 2
The Reality of Cooperation: Virtual Reality and CSCW by Alan Wexelblat
Chapter 3
Information Management Using Virtual Reality-Based Visualizations by Kim Michael Fairchild
Part II: Softwhere in the Arts
Chapter 4
Writing Cyberspace: Literacy in the Age of Simulacra by Stuart Moulthrop
Chapter 5
The Creator's Toolbox by Brian R.Gardner
Chapter 6
Full-Body Unencumbered Immersion in Virtual Worlds by Susan Wyshynski and Vincent John Vincent
Part III: Softwhere in the World
Chapter 7
An Easy Entry Artificial Reality by Myron W.Krueger
Chapter 8
Virtual Reality and Planetary Exploration by Michael W.McGreevy
Chapter 9
Summer Students in Virtual Reality: A Pilot Study on Educational Applications of Virtual Reality Technology by Meredith Bricken and Chris M.Byrne
Chapter 10
Visualization of Information Flows: Virtual Reality as an Organizational Modeling Technique by Charles Grantham
Index

"The ability of computers to store and manipulate vast amounts of data has made it possible to create worlds of pure information, drastically redefining the human-computer interface. Virtual or artificial reality, a new area of computer science with seemingly unlimited potential, is a way of using the computer to create an alternative information environment, or cyberspace. It seeks ultimately to eradicate the barriers between human and machine, creating environments where users can 'live' while accomplishing their tasks.

"Virtual Reality: Applications and Explorations collects original essays, including contributions from leaders in the field, that illustrate the potentially powerful applications of virtual reality in business, science, and the arts. These essays examine a broad range of practical applications of virtual reality, from entertainment and corporate planning to teleconferencing and computer-supported cooperative work. Researchers at the forefront of work in this area explain the capabilities of some present systems and outline the even more compelling possibilities they envision for the future. Ranging from advanced interfaces for education to visualization of scientific data for simulated space exploration, the essays make clear the diverse ways that virtual environments can be useful as tools and suggest exciting directions for the future." [jacket blurb, US hbk, 1993]

Recommended.

Alan Wexelblat Homepage
(biography and more info... impressive... check this guy out)

UCIrvine Bookweb
(contains additional book details)

To reach the author himself, e-mail:

wex@media.mit.edu