About this blog
If, as predicted by Ray Kurzweil and others, most interpersonal interactions will by mid-century occur in virtual environments, we need to understand the psychological and cultural implications for education, business, governance, and for society overall.Taking its title from the J.G. Ballard novel of that name, the Unlimited Dream Company is an in-world research and discussion group for those interested in the ways in which technology shapes psychology in virtual worlds--and, in particular, those who believe that immersive 3D worlds have become a medium par excellence for thought experiment and personal transformation, whether intended by its 'residents' or not.
You are encouraged to read the introductory statement and About page before reading individual articles.
This blog was launched on 28th December 2010.
Category Archives: Technology
Infinite Reality: Avatars, Eternal Life and New Worlds
On a busy day such as today I’ve little to say about this video other that “Watch it!” Absolutely fascinating, with respect both to emerging technologies and to social interacting in virtual environments.
WORDS AND MEMORIES: HOW THEY ELEVATE THE QUALITIES OF SL SEX.
WORDS AND MEMORIES: HOW THEY ELEVATE THE QUALITIES OF SL SEX. In the first article I wrote for this blog (Virtual Sex and the Gorilla), I tried to find answers to the following question: Why is it that sex in … Continue reading
UPLOADING: IT AIN’T IMMORTALITY, IT’S BUILDING A BUDDHA
UPLOADING: IT AIN’T IMMORTALITY, IT’S BUILDING A BUDDHA. Uploading is often seen as a form of immortality. The body may succumb to decay, but the mind–now independent of any one substrate–can copy/transfer itself to a replacement body. However, we know … Continue reading
LOVEGAME 4
“Once you’ve had a lover-robot you’ll never want a real man again”- Gigolo Joe. Technology is becoming ever more prevalent in human affairs. Social networking sites are increasingly seen as viable alternatives to singles bars as a way to meet … Continue reading
Augmentationism, Immersionism, and other theological dilemmas
The Lord’s Prayer I first heard the Second Life Lord’s Prayer in probably early-to-mid 2008 somewhere in, if my memory serves me well, the steampunk sims of Caledon. I was at that time curious as to why it was Philip … Continue reading
OBSOLETING THE UPLOAD DILEMMA
INTRODUCTION “Who are you”? is a question we like to ask on this blog. It also happens to be a question transhumanists like to explore. Nowhere is this more apparent than in discussions surrounding the concept of ‘mind uploading’. For … Continue reading
The Medium is the Message
My apologies: this is where I have to make a confession. I’ve always obdurately maintained that, for me, Second Life is nothing but a channel for communication, much as is a telephone or a Skype call. This has been a … Continue reading
The Technology of ‘Friendship’
So you’ve had your SL account a while, and have made a few friends. You log into Second Life, and you see in your Contacts window that one or more of your friends is online, though elsewhere in-world. You wait … Continue reading
“Where does the online world stop and the physical world begin?”
Buried in a comment to another post on this blog, the following reflections and questions by Extropia DaSilva deserve–no, demand–to be brought to the fore as, to my mind, perhaps the most interesting–and probably most important–questions it is possible to … Continue reading
The Pose Ball, the Animation, and the Intentional Stance
…or, Why, whatever you do, you’ll probably send completely the wrong message When we see a realistic human-like avatar, we unconsciously expect it to do similar things that a real human being would do. And we also read signals from … Continue reading
The Unlimited Dream Company 