. . . "Bill" would say, so as to divide up our tasks to better control them. As "Bill" morphs into Mr. Bill, sitting in a chair, rocking back and forth, sometimes moderately while at other times intensely, he types onto his monitor: ...



     Just think of this book that you have in your hands right now as CyberReader 98+. It will provide you with everything you could ever need or desire to begin thinking about the subjects of Cyberspace and Virtual Reality--the two main concepts that CR 98+ introduces and elaborates on. Though these concepts overlap, there are some distinguishing characteristics, which are made and elaborated on in chapter 1 of the readings. However, here's a very quick notion of how the two differ:

Cyberspace, according to William Gibson who coined the phrase, is "consensual hallucination" and Virtual Reality (VR), according to Jaron Lanier who coined the phrase, is "post-symbolic communication."

These phrases probably tell you at this point very little, but they will begin to tell you perhaps more and more of what the future holds for all of us as you proceed through the readings and make forays out on the World Wide Web (WWW or W3). And all with my help. Just follow my directions at the end of each chapter and you will take a step into a world that will transform you!

The purpose of CR 98+ is to introduce you to the crucial issues that are associated with each of these concepts, to introduce you specifically to a multifaceted set of "readings" on each topic, and to send you out to the WWW so as to discover more of that conversation but in a virtual community that grows by the thousands everyday.

Think of CR 98+ as your Gateway to Cyberspace. Or think of it as your book-to-human-to-computer interface. Think of it as sort of a "Holodeck" (as you might remember from "Star Trek: The Next Generation"), a library room of a book that you enter that leads you to virtuality and increases your virtuosity as a reader of actual books and a surfer of virtual ones.

*****

On deck, you will find seven chapters and three Appendices. You are presently in the Introduction. Before reading any of the chapters, you might want to read very carefully, if you have not already, V.V.'s Preface to CR 98+ and then read very quickly, if you wish, the Appendices, both of which will give you an additional sense of what to expect.

Here are the rooms:

Introduction: "Surf's (Still) Up?"
Ch. 1: CyberSpace and Virtual Reality
Ch. 2: Virtual Communities and Identities
Ch. 3: Freedom/Censorship
Ch. 4: Sexual Politics
Ch. 5: Virtual Books and Libraries
Ch. 6: CyberPunk/Cyborgs
Ch. 7: MUDs/MOOs
Appendix A: CyberSearch (The Search Engines)
Appendix B: Glossary of CyberTerms
Appendix C: Bibliography of CyberSpace

So this is pretty cool, huh? If it's a little intimidating, remember: Don't be afraid, for I am here to help. Just think of me as your friendly lifeguard making the superhighway safe for you and others. (Ooops, excuse my mixed metaphor!) So go ahead and paddle out because the surf's up and ready for you to enjoy.

     --"Bill" (8 - o



Introduction, CyberReader 2/e    CR 2/e HP