"Virtual Worlds and Augmented Reality"
While imagining the future of virtual reality in online setting is exciting to think about, imagining the possibilities of virtual reality technology physically augmenting our lives is much more interesting. We are really already in the preliminary stages of this phenomenon with the introduction of the Iphone and other portable devices like the Blackberry. Our Iphones can give us directions to restaurants, access the internet from the palm of your hand, and utilize a plethora of useful applications. Now imagine the utility of an Iphone in the form of goggles or sunglasses. When you look around you would receive instant visual information about the people and locations around you. You could tell who was married without even looking for a ring or how the sushi from the venue across the street rates. Augmented reality is a term that really doesn't do it justice.
Charles Stross's novel Halting State shows a scene 12 years in the future where two people experience the sensation of being lost for the first time in their lives when they are forced to turn off their mobile computers. It offers a glimpse into the world that is most likely to come. While the technology is exciting, I hope we do not become too dependent on the future style of living.