[Nottingham] [Talk] *TODAY* Wednesday 07/12/2011: Lights, Sound, Computer, Mind, Action! A Dream Within A Dream?

[Martin]

On 7 December 2011 01:45, Martin <martin at ml1.co.uk> wrote:
> Folks,
>
>  *TODAY* Wednesday 07/12/2011:
>
> Lights, Sound, Computer, Mind, Action!
> http://nlug.ml1.co.uk/2011/12/all-in-a-virtual-world/746
>
> For A Dream Within A Dream?
>
> Is all that we see or seem, but a dream within a dream?… Certainly
> seems so virtually…
>
> This ‘talk’ is going to be more of a video show and musical dance
> through alternate worlds and developments spanning a selection of
> virtual realms across the decades. Hopefully, all resolving into...

... quite a fun show.

I think that worked well, even without the hi-res versions. Good
enough for a respin?

I hope that gave a taste of the cross-over *in both directions*
between what we understand to be the real world, and the various
virtual realities that we construct and exercise via various
technology.

Next time would be with a more reliable memory stick, and with the
sound normalised to even out the levels better. Also, perhaps aim for
later in the year when it is a little warmer yet still dark enough to
appreciate the detail... Unless there is enough interest to book a
small cinema?...


A few things learnt from putting that not-so-little lot together are:

Video editing is hellish time consuming!

Once familiar with the source material, you've got to take advantage
of 'speeded up' playback or time skipping, rather than plod along at
'normal' time;

Multithreaded encoding is a must-have to bolt together the end result
in reasonable time;

A multi-core CPU helps also with that;

Memory sticks are rather slow and can even be too slow for playback
for hi-res work.

(And it doesn't help when FAT loses the hi-res files. I'm sure they
were less than 2GByte in size... The low-res backups were a good
idea!)



For those that missed it, we went on a voyage from the days of
Colossal Cave through a sampling of "Beyond The Mind's Eye" and
onwards through and behind some of the techniques and tech of various
virtual realities seen today. Quite interesting to recognise and note
the scenes or features parodied between films and virtual worlds.
Also, augmented vision where the virtual is superimposed upon the real
in the real world is going to be seen more and more...

Some links from our discussions are:


Colossal Cave Adventure
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossal_Cave_Adventure

"Graham Nelson's Inform Designer's Manual presents "Advent" as the
pioneer of the three-part structure typical of 1980s adventure games;
he identifies the "prologue" with the aboveground region of the game
"whose presence lends a much greater sense of claustrophobia and depth
to the underground bulk of the game", the transition to the middle
game as the "passage from the mundane to the fantastical", and the
endgame or "Master Game"."


[... An awful lot of stuff!... :-) ]


Matrix (Doctor Who)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matrix_%28Doctor_Who%29

"The Matrix is first introduced in the 1976 serial The Deadly
Assassin, twenty-three years before the release of the film The
Matrix, six years before William Gibson's 1982 "Burning Chrome" and
years before the advent of virtual reality in the 1980s. ..."


The Matrix: Visual effects
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix#Visual_effects

("The film [released 1999] depicts a future in which reality as
perceived by most humans is actually a simulated reality created
by...". Note also the rich and thoughtful philosophy and parodies deep
in the film and storyline.)


Avatar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar_%282009_film%29


Simulated reality
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simulated_reality


All good fun and a very good excuse to wake up at least one part of the pub!

Next is our 'Christmas' gathering on Wed 21/12/2011 at: Fat Cats, The
Chennai and then Malt Cross. Details to follow.


Cheers,
Martin