At 12:32 PM 12/3/96 +0900, you wrote:
>CC: [log in to unmask]
>In-reply-to:
<[log in to unmask]> (message
from Pioneer Joel on Mon, 2 Dec 1996 19:01:24 -0700)
>Subject: Re: virtual reality in a museum setting (fwd)
>

>What do you 3-D VR whizzes think?  Is it too "retro" to sit here and issue
warnings about putting the cart before the horse at this point?  I hope
there are always "pioneers" out there opening up new frontiers, but I also
hope some folks stay behind and keep civilization going.
>
        I pretty much agree with you, if a museum thinks buying the latest
high tech will keep them at the forefront of things and draw the visitors,
it has already lost the plot. It is the content that brings em in and the
tech stuff only works if it delivers good content. Museums can't keep up
with the constant upgrade needed to stay cutting edge, and to be truthful,
probably don't need to, there is always a games arcade/ sell through kit or
whatever which will get to the market faster than the museum, so theres no
point in trying to compete on hardware, especially if the things that do
make a museum unique are being neglected. If the tools do the job - use
them, I ran an excellent program looking at genetic traits (How Many Are
Like Me - some of you probably know it) on an old BBC micro (early 80's UK
computer) and it worked fine, did what it should, did it fast and the
visitors liked it - it's still there and does not need a pentium upgrade to
keep the visitors happy.
IAN SIMMONS

- A mind stretched by new ideas never returns to the same shape

                                        - RALPH WALDO EMERSON