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: Other
Catching up …
Almost three years to the day since my last post (have I really been out of SL that long?) and just two months short of three years since any of the authors posted here. Although I’m now sporadically back in … Continue reading
VEHICLEISTS VERSUS ARCHITECTURALISTS: AN ALLEGORY
‘VEHICLEISTS VERSUS ARCHITECTURALISTS’: AN ALLEGORY. When I read Henrick Bennetson’s essay ‘augmentation versus immersion’, I started playing around in my mind with an allegorical tale, involving two schools of thought developing around Legos. Imagine there was a group of people … Continue reading
Call for Papers: Digital Pathologies: Education and problematic computer behaviors
This morning I chanced upon the following Call for Papers (for a special issue of the Journal of Educational Computing Research) which may be of interest to some readers of this blog. The closing date for submission of manuscripts is … Continue reading
The Unlimited Dream Company now on Facebook
A quickie to announce that the Unlimited Dream Company is now also on Facebook, as a page: » http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Unlimited-Dream-Company/221021774580345 and as a group: » http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_206316539400769 I’d encourage anyone interested in avatar psychology, in-world identity and self-presentation, and in particular the … Continue reading
Total registered VW accounts top 1 billion
KZero recently published its Virtual Worlds 2011+ report with, in SlideShare, its Q1 2011 Virtual Worlds: Industry and User Data presentation showing that there are now more than one billion registered accounts in virtual worlds, doubling the figure of two … Continue reading
Slinki, Leary, God, and Acid
Thematically related to my earlier posting on SL in historical context, what follows is nonetheless, as much as anything else, a purely autobiographical reflection. Skip it if that’s not your cup of tea. By the age of 14 I pretty much … Continue reading
The Discourse of Deception
A little light-heartedness in an idle moment. Some amusing translations, culled from Picks of obvious cynics, of statements all too commonly found in avatar profiles: “I am new here” ==> “This is my alt” “No voice or pics or cam” … Continue reading
1000+ Avatars
I happened upon by chance a couple of days back an interesting Second Life art project and web site, 1000+ Avatars. Essentially a photographic project–the Los Angeles-based new media and performance artist, painter and art historian Kristine Schomaker (Gracie Kendal … Continue reading
Who are you?
Welcome to The Unlimited Dream Company! Please lie on the couch and relax: Dr Khoisan Fisher wants to ask you a few questions “I wonder if I’ve been changed in the night? Let me think: was I the same when … Continue reading
The Unlimited Dream Company 