[-empyre-] Welcome Patrick Lichty

[Lichty, Patrick]

Conversations with Rod:
In talking with Rod about the reemergence of AR, we remarked that how a theory of AR seems to be inextricably linked to the technical capacity of the day.  For example, when Jaron Lanier was trying to champion VR as the next online medium, how could he know that the technology was really 20-30 years ahead of capacity?  Display technology was no way near what was needed, the head mounted display was more Ivan Sutherland than Vuzix, and there was just no infrastructure.  Now, almost everyone has a smart device of some sort that can support AR, the IT infrastructure is in place, and even with the new technologies. AR-ready videoglasses are available off the shelf for under $500.  This is similar to my rant against the CD-ROM in the 1980's - I thought it would never work because of price point, and I was terribly wrong.

So, is AR an emergent phenomenon, an outgrowth of exteant ideas and emergent technologies, or otherwise?