Glimpses of Heaven, Visions of Hell

This is an examination of the most significant advance in applied technology since the invention of the micro-computer - virtual reality. Never has there been a technology so capable of deceit and abuse than that which is being developed in visual information technology systems today. The authors ask what virtual reality is and the effects it may have on our lives. They look at the technology, finance, designers, maufacturers and users; and at the consequences of VR in the workplace, in education, in military and medical establishments and on the wider shores of recreation. Written for the non-technical reader, the book aims to identify the positive and negative aspects of this new technology and the psychological, social and ethical questions that will arise from its development.