
Editorial - The Virtual Word
by Dave Bealer

Virtual reality promises to be the hottest technology of 1994.  Don a
pair of goggles and a glove, and you can go anywhere the programmer's
warped imagination can take you.  To jaded generations reared on
television and video games, virtual reality promises the next level
of instant gratification.  Go anywhere; kill anyone or anything. 

The real surprise is that this is nothing new.  A special kind of
virtual reality has existed for centuries.  It requires no programs,
no microprocessors, no rubber chickens, not even any electricity.
The components of this ancient virtual reality machine are the
written word and the human imagination.  

This fact first occurred to me during my junior year of college.  My
roommate had been in the U.S. Navy.  He had been to many far corners
of the world that I will likely never see in person.  Despite this,
he once claimed that I was more well travelled than he was.  When
asked to support this preposterous claim, he pointed out that I was
always reading science fiction, fantasy and many other types of
novels (rather than doing my schoolwork, of course).

In a way my roommate was right.  I've been to all manner of fantastic
places, met amazing people, seen incredible things.  These tours
started at my convenience, proceeded at my own pace, and broke for
dinner when my mother called.  These excursions were led by legendary
guides such as Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert Heinlein, Anne McCaffrey,
Douglas Adams, and J.R.R. Tolkien. 

My roommate was always too busy to read much fiction, although I've
never had the nerve to ask just what was going on over on his side of
the room.  Whatever it was, not reading more fiction was his loss,
but his decision.  Truly tragic are those folks who cannot read at
all, people whose illiteracy bars them forever from the joy, the
splendor of a well crafted story.  These unfortunates can certainly
watch movies or television, but even Hollywood's most spectacular and
expensive special effects pale in comparison to the power of the
written word and the human imagination.

Some elements of fiction can never be adequately represented on the
screen, whether the screen is big or small, real or virtual.  For
instance, nobody could ever do complete justice to the scenes
involving the infinite improbability drive on the _Heart of Gold_ in
the _Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ books.  It just can't be done.

Computers and high-tech gadgetry promise to raise entertainment to
new levels, but we can't afford to forget how to read and interpret
stories (and information) ourselves.  We laugh at science fiction
tales of computers taking over the world, but if we lose the ability
to think for ourselves they just may do it some day.  If it really
happens, it will be far from funny.

As you read these words, rejoice in your ability to do so.  They can
be your passport to any place on Earth, to the stars, and beyond.  No
batteries or assembly required.                                 {RAH}
