11
Fri, Oct
6 New Articles

Real Dangers in a Virtual Life

Commentary
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

My, my. Haven't we evolved? Who would have imagined participating in a traditional outdoor sporting activity, like tennis, without being required to subject oneself to the discomforting breezes, pesky sunshine, and bothersome birdsong of the actual outdoors? Or who would have imagined literally going through the motions of bowling without experiencing all the potential discomfort associated with hurling the awful, muscle-straining weight of an actual bowling ball?

Perhaps you've seen the ads: a multicultural group of twenty-somethings, clothes and living space oozing self-satisfied hipness and faces practically bursting with rapture as their "racquet" hands—empty but for a white implement the size of a TV remote—swat at the sterile air. They, of course, are playing virtual tennis.

Staring intently at the TV in front of him and being careful not to spill his wine spritzer, one hipster, with a subtle wrist flick, sends his TV-screen stand-in sprinting the full length of the baseline to launch a screaming cross-court forehand winner. He of the on-the-money wrist flick takes full athletic credit, of course, pumping his fist in celebration of the wicked, computer-animated shot as his indefatigable other self—no doubt taking illegal supplements in the form of RAM—quickly sets up for the next point. Yippee. Welcome to the Wii generation. No effort required.

This reminds me of a quote from Max Renn, a cable TV operator played by James Woods in the 1983 cult film Videodrome, which contemplated the blurring of the line between video entertainment and reality. "Why do it for real? It's easier and safer to fake it."

But it's not risk-free—not at all. The laundry list of insidious Wii-related maladies is enough to make even a hardened virtual Wimbledon crowd avert their virtual eyes in horror and seek sanctuary in the nearest virtual corporate tent. Among the disclaimers on the "Warnings" page, we learn that Wii players risk crippling physical injuries one normally associates with tennis, like...ahem...carpal tunnel syndrome and varying degrees of...ahem...eyestrain. The game producers also warn of downright spooky impairments, like "loss of awareness," "disorientation," and "convulsions."

Ah, the dirty little secrets on the "Warnings" page: That's where one will find the true state of the Wii generation, its underbelly, far different from the carefully crafted images Madison Avenue conjures. On the "Warnings" page, we discover that for each well-adjusted gamer in an ad, there are potentially thousands of unwashed, pasty-skinned ghouls with a distant look in their blood-red eyes running into walls, babbling nonsense, and giggling at their eviction notices.

And those are the lucky ones. We've no choice but to conclude from the "Warnings" page that a less-fortunate percentage of the hardcore Wii "playaz" can count on ending their marathon sessions convulsing in pools of their own filth, mentally decimated.

Nothing as benign as tennis elbow here, no sirree. We're talking absolute physical and psychological meltdown, an outcome as disturbing as it is predictable.

In fact, it's where we're all heading, to one extent or another. Technological evolution is making us ever more sedentary and our experiences ever more vicarious. The video gaming industry takes it to the extreme, of course, but many of us—in our jobs and our recreation—keep ourselves contained within familiar walls, pecking at computer keyboards or gripping remotes for hours on end, either communicating to an unseen world via email or sending our minds to gallivant in one of the limitless alternative realities available to us through the Internet, TV, or video games.

The evolution of our bodies and brains can't possible keep pace: New versions of human biology aren't released every year or even every five thousand years. Even the Wii generation is essentially just a differently dressed version of the papyrus generation. So our primitive bodies and minds rebel against the onslaught, spawning an array of sometimes bothersome and sometimes alarming physical and psychological ailments. Sometimes our eyes hurt. Sometimes we convulse!

I'm thinking that might be a signal for all of us—not just the gamers of the world—to take a step back and ease off the gas pedal for awhile. Maybe we should all try swinging a real tennis racquet in the sunshine this week. Maybe we should take a chance on whiffing on the ball entirely. It might get embarrassing, and it might be a game your virtual self wouldn't even recognize, but at least the only convulsions you'll see will be those of your opponent...as he doubles over laughing.

"Your reality is already HALF hallucination. If you're not careful, it will become TOTAL hallucination. You'll have to learn to live in a very strange new world."

—Brian O'Blivion, Videodrome

Michael Stuhlreyer is a business writer, a graphic designer, and president of Stuhlreyer Business Instruments, LLC., a Nashville-based firm specializing in the creation of marketing and sales support materials, as well as articles, case studies, and product profiles for technology companies. Contact Mike at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit his Web site, www.bizinstruments.com.

MIKE STUHLREYER

Michael Stuhlreyer is a business writer and graphic designer specializing in the creation of marketing and sales support materials, as well as articles, case studies, white papers, and product profiles for technology companies. Contact Mike at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit his Web site, www.bizinstruments.com.

BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: