Mixed and augmented reality: “Scary and wondrous”
Vernor Vinge · 2009
Summary form only given. Mixed and augmented reality is the nature of the supporting infrastructure.Its current incarnation is cloud computing versus microcontrollers distributed throughout the environment.Ubiquity has always been a catchword of the distributed processing enthusiasts, and each new generation has pushed the idea beyond the horizons of the previous generation. Imagine an environment where most physical objects know where they are, what they are, and can (in principle) network with any other object. With this infrastructure, reality becomes its own database.Multiple consensual virtual environments are possible, each oriented to the needs of its constituency. If we also have open standards, then bottom-up social networks and even bottom-up advertising become possible.Then the physical world becomes much more like a software construct. The possibilities are both scary and wondrous.