6 ms·

Google can't wait to usher in a future where people stay in their rooms and eat Soylent while being entertained and exercised by their VR-enabled computers.

jac_no_k 13y ago
Partly a reality for cyclists. http://www.tacx.com/en/products/trainers/i-genius-multiplayer http://www.tacx.com/en/products/trainers/i-genius-multiplaye... http://www.cycleops.com/en/products/software/virtual-training.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_soft.tpl&product_id=711&category_id=9 http://www.cycleops.com/en/products/software/virtual-trainin... http://www.minoura.jp/english/trainer-e/option-e/cogmon-e.html http://www.minoura.jp/english/trainer-e/option-e/cogmon-e.ht... Cycling on indoor trainers is boring without some sort of incentive.
- FPSDavid 13y ago
  iGenius + computer-controlled fan + Oculus Rift = give me NOW!
  - johnyzee 13y ago
    Seriously. With a proper cycle mount with force feedback and swaying you could get very close to a real experience.
  - sp332 13y ago
    I think Philips' amBX brand makes computer-controlled ambient lighting and fans. http://www.introversion.co.uk/defcon/exposure/pressreleases.html http://www.introversion.co.uk/defcon/exposure/pressreleases....
corysama 13y ago
You laugh. My first thought was how to get this mashed up with https://github.com/benvanik/vr.js https://github.com/benvanik/vr.js
- estel 13y ago
  There's already Streetview: http://oculusstreetview.eu.pn/?lat=25.196966&lng=55.273799000000054&q=3&s=false&heading=313.30393969683774 http://oculusstreetview.eu.pn/?lat=25.196966&lng=55.27379900...
Eliezer 13y ago
Yeah, I hate to be a Luddite but... this is just wrong, wrong, wrong. And I speak as someone who looks forward to Soylent.
afhof 13y ago
Arguably these are great advertisements for the places they represent. If you were choosing between places to travel to, I think this would be helpful.
enneff 13y ago
That's pretty short-sighted. Imagine if we had these kind of views of, say, the streets of London in 1900? This is worth doing for history's sake alone.
- coldtea 13y ago
  >Imagine if we had these kind of views of, say, the streets of London in 1900? This is worth doing for history's sake alone. For one, yeah, "what if" we had these kind of views for the streets of London in 1900? I doubt many would care, same as not many care for 1900 music, 1900 books, 1900 photographs and such. Some scholars maybe. Second, what the parent said goes beyond that. Essentially he says, the people of 2200 could have the streets of 2100 fully 3D imaged, but empty of life, with people of 2100 mostly staying at home and merely doing VR walks. Now this might sound far-fetched and implausible, but not much more than telling 1900 people that in 100 years there would be cities were people rarely walk in public to go about their business but mostly go around with their cars.
  - philbo 13y ago
    You think the only people interested in classical music and literature are "some scholars maybe"?
    - coldtea 13y ago
      No, some scholars and some outliers. Judging from sales numbers, 90% of the population could not care less.
      - enneff 13y ago
        10% of people is still 600 million people. That's more than the number of scientifically literate people. Is science therefore irrelevant? Why are you bothering to make this point?
        coldtea 13y ago
s_kilk 13y ago
You should check out a book called The Light Of Other Days, in which remote-viewing wormhole-cameras are invented and a situation similar to what you are describing plays out.
- benatkin 13y ago
  Thanks for the recommendation! I've not read that one yet, bit it sounds intriguing.
nazgulnarsil 13y ago
Check your bipedal privilege cis scum. No but seriously, every time you feel the urge to make a luddite point remember that there are disabled people who are getting a whole new lease on life via enabling technologies.
- lclarkmichalek 13y ago
  Or, you know, poor people. There is a very large cross section between people who have access to computers and people who do not have the means to be able to visit the places that Google has documented here.
- hvs 13y ago
  "Scum"? Trying to raise the level of discourse are we?
  - advicethrowaway 13y ago
    If you're wondering why you're being downvoted, google the phrase. It's a well known joke.
    - hvs 13y ago
      My sarcasm meter must've been on the fritz at the time.
mtgx 13y ago
I'm trying to decide whether you're making a positive point or a negative one.
jpswade 13y ago
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY5It0jnD6M http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY5It0jnD6M
VLM 13y ago
I use goog maps to plan hikes, to answer questions like "is this section of the trail kid / cub scout compatible"? Some trail sections are not. I can do a halfway good job with the satellite images and some topo knowledge but this new GOOG "streetview" trail UI is so close, yet so far from what I need. What I need is something like a youtube of a high speed (maybe 30 mph equiv?) run down the trail. I'm looking for stuff like hazards and issues. Like, oh, look, a swamp, either bug spray or forget it. Oh, look, a cliff, well thats very scenic but I'm not taking the kids there. Oh look, a whole field of poison ivy, best remember to corral the kids around there. Oh look, a blind corner and adjacent highway crossing, need to keep the kids under somewhat tighter control in that area. Oh look, picnic tables, guess where the kids are stopping to eat lunch? Another obvious problem is the county I live in has at least 100 miles of trails either cross country or in parks, and the Mighty GOOG has ... the grand canyon. Well thats nice but I'm hiking a short segment of the ice age trail this saturday, not the grand canyon. Someday the streetview-like trail tech will be useful to me, but for years I suspect it'll be merely aspirational. It would be like having streetview for streets... but only in Mountain View.
- eigenvector 13y ago
  Not to be snarky or anything, but have you tried calling the park office? US national park rangers, particularly in the parks with large backcountry area, are both very knowledgeable and very helpful.
  - VLM 13y ago
    That is good advice, but only works for national parks, and the closest one is 100s of miles away. There are not that many national parks east of the Mississippi. There are some, but its not like out west where it seems you throw a rock and it probably lands on a national park. On the other hand the city I live in has three separate rails-to-trails conversions within 2 miles of my house and a riverwalk. Every little county park seems to pride itself on having elaborate marked hiking trails. In a land with lots of rivers every "three taverns and a gas station" village hovel seems to have some kind of riverwalk, aside from the big one in my hometown. Just one of the state-level parks in my county has 29 miles of hiking trails. I wasn't kidding about just my little county (well, little county as in half the surface area of Rhode Island) having 100s of miles of hiking trails. I would like to hike a national park someday, but its so much easier (and cheaper!) to visit a local trail.

jac_no_k 13y ago

Partly a reality for cyclists. http://www.tacx.com/en/products/trainers/i-genius-multiplayer http://www.tacx.com/en/products/trainers/i-genius-multiplaye... http://www.cycleops.com/en/products/software/virtual-training.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_soft.tpl&product_id=711&category_id=9 http://www.cycleops.com/en/products/software/virtual-trainin... http://www.minoura.jp/english/trainer-e/option-e/cogmon-e.html http://www.minoura.jp/english/trainer-e/option-e/cogmon-e.ht... Cycling on indoor trainers is boring without some sort of incentive.

FPSDavid 13y ago
iGenius + computer-controlled fan + Oculus Rift = give me NOW!
- johnyzee 13y ago
  Seriously. With a proper cycle mount with force feedback and swaying you could get very close to a real experience.
- sp332 13y ago
  I think Philips' amBX brand makes computer-controlled ambient lighting and fans. http://www.introversion.co.uk/defcon/exposure/pressreleases.html http://www.introversion.co.uk/defcon/exposure/pressreleases....

corysama 13y ago

You laugh. My first thought was how to get this mashed up with https://github.com/benvanik/vr.js https://github.com/benvanik/vr.js

estel 13y ago
There's already Streetview: http://oculusstreetview.eu.pn/?lat=25.196966&lng=55.273799000000054&q=3&s=false&heading=313.30393969683774 http://oculusstreetview.eu.pn/?lat=25.196966&lng=55.27379900...

Eliezer 13y ago

Yeah, I hate to be a Luddite but... this is just wrong, wrong, wrong. And I speak as someone who looks forward to Soylent.

afhof 13y ago

Arguably these are great advertisements for the places they represent. If you were choosing between places to travel to, I think this would be helpful.

enneff 13y ago

That's pretty short-sighted. Imagine if we had these kind of views of, say, the streets of London in 1900? This is worth doing for history's sake alone.

coldtea 13y ago
>Imagine if we had these kind of views of, say, the streets of London in 1900? This is worth doing for history's sake alone. For one, yeah, "what if" we had these kind of views for the streets of London in 1900? I doubt many would care, same as not many care for 1900 music, 1900 books, 1900 photographs and such. Some scholars maybe. Second, what the parent said goes beyond that. Essentially he says, the people of 2200 could have the streets of 2100 fully 3D imaged, but empty of life, with people of 2100 mostly staying at home and merely doing VR walks. Now this might sound far-fetched and implausible, but not much more than telling 1900 people that in 100 years there would be cities were people rarely walk in public to go about their business but mostly go around with their cars.
- philbo 13y ago
  You think the only people interested in classical music and literature are "some scholars maybe"?
  - coldtea 13y ago
    No, some scholars and some outliers. Judging from sales numbers, 90% of the population could not care less.
    - enneff 13y ago
      10% of people is still 600 million people. That's more than the number of scientifically literate people. Is science therefore irrelevant? Why are you bothering to make this point?
      - coldtea 13y ago

s_kilk 13y ago

You should check out a book called The Light Of Other Days, in which remote-viewing wormhole-cameras are invented and a situation similar to what you are describing plays out.

benatkin 13y ago
Thanks for the recommendation! I've not read that one yet, bit it sounds intriguing.

nazgulnarsil 13y ago

Check your bipedal privilege cis scum. No but seriously, every time you feel the urge to make a luddite point remember that there are disabled people who are getting a whole new lease on life via enabling technologies.

lclarkmichalek 13y ago
Or, you know, poor people. There is a very large cross section between people who have access to computers and people who do not have the means to be able to visit the places that Google has documented here.
hvs 13y ago
"Scum"? Trying to raise the level of discourse are we?
- advicethrowaway 13y ago
  If you're wondering why you're being downvoted, google the phrase. It's a well known joke.
  - hvs 13y ago
    My sarcasm meter must've been on the fritz at the time.

mtgx 13y ago

I'm trying to decide whether you're making a positive point or a negative one.

jpswade 13y ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY5It0jnD6M http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY5It0jnD6M

VLM 13y ago

I use goog maps to plan hikes, to answer questions like "is this section of the trail kid / cub scout compatible"? Some trail sections are not. I can do a halfway good job with the satellite images and some topo knowledge but this new GOOG "streetview" trail UI is so close, yet so far from what I need. What I need is something like a youtube of a high speed (maybe 30 mph equiv?) run down the trail. I'm looking for stuff like hazards and issues. Like, oh, look, a swamp, either bug spray or forget it. Oh, look, a cliff, well thats very scenic but I'm not taking the kids there. Oh look, a whole field of poison ivy, best remember to corral the kids around there. Oh look, a blind corner and adjacent highway crossing, need to keep the kids under somewhat tighter control in that area. Oh look, picnic tables, guess where the kids are stopping to eat lunch? Another obvious problem is the county I live in has at least 100 miles of trails either cross country or in parks, and the Mighty GOOG has ... the grand canyon. Well thats nice but I'm hiking a short segment of the ice age trail this saturday, not the grand canyon. Someday the streetview-like trail tech will be useful to me, but for years I suspect it'll be merely aspirational. It would be like having streetview for streets... but only in Mountain View.

eigenvector 13y ago
Not to be snarky or anything, but have you tried calling the park office? US national park rangers, particularly in the parks with large backcountry area, are both very knowledgeable and very helpful.
- VLM 13y ago
  That is good advice, but only works for national parks, and the closest one is 100s of miles away. There are not that many national parks east of the Mississippi. There are some, but its not like out west where it seems you throw a rock and it probably lands on a national park. On the other hand the city I live in has three separate rails-to-trails conversions within 2 miles of my house and a riverwalk. Every little county park seems to pride itself on having elaborate marked hiking trails. In a land with lots of rivers every "three taverns and a gas station" village hovel seems to have some kind of riverwalk, aside from the big one in my hometown. Just one of the state-level parks in my county has 29 miles of hiking trails. I wasn't kidding about just my little county (well, little county as in half the surface area of Rhode Island) having 100s of miles of hiking trails. I would like to hike a national park someday, but its so much easier (and cheaper!) to visit a local trail.