Cyberspace: First Steps [Hardcover]

Michael Benedikt (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1991

Cyberspace, a term first coined by the writer William Gibson in his award-winning 1984 novel "Neuromancer", has been described as "an infinite artificial world where humans navigate in information-based space" and as "the ultimate computer-human interface". However one defines it, the "virtual reality" known as cyberspace is one of the most radically innovative of computer developments. These original contributions by leading thinkers in computer science, architecture, the visual arts, philosophy, anthropology, and industry, provide an insider's view of this new technology. "Cyberspace - First Steps" focuses on the theoretical and conceptual issues involved in the design, use, and effects of virtual environments, offering fictions, predictions, and proposals, forming a collective search for appropriate metaphors and possible structures that might provide the basis for future virtual worlds. Contributions discuss the philosophical basis for cyberspace in ancient thought, the relevance of the body in virtual realities, basic communications principles for cyberspace, the coming dematerialization of architecture, the logic of graphic representation into the third dimension, the design of a noncentralized system for multiparticipant cyberspaces and the ramifications of cybespace for future workplaces. The contributors to this volume are: Michael Benedikt; William Gibson, writer; David Tomas, University of Toronto; Nicole Stenger, MIT; Michael Heim; California State University, Long Beach; Allucquere Rosanne Stone, University of California, Santa Cruz and San Diego; Marcos Novak, Univesity of Texas and UCLA; Alan Wexelblat, Bull Worldwide Information Systems; Chip Morningstar, F.Randall Farmer, Lucasfilm Ltd; Carl Tollander; Autodesk, Inc; Tim McFadden, Altos Computer Systems; Meredith Bricken, University of Washington; Steve Pruitt, Tom Barrett, Texas Instruments and Electronic Data Systems; Wendy A. Kellog, John M. Carroll, John T. Richards, IBM.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Essays and musings on one of the most exciting, exotic, and least understood frontiers of computing... The descriptions offered in the book are compelling."
—Peter H. Lewis, The New York Times --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Michael Benedikt is Professor in the School of Architecture at the University of Texas at Austin. He has taught at the Graduate School of Design at Harvard and is CEO of Mental Technology, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 446 pages
• Publisher: Mit Pr (November 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 026202327X
• ISBN-13: 978-0262023276
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 7.2 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,284,211 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An essential text, May 29, 2010

By 

Pamela Lamora - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cyberspace: First Steps (Paperback)

an excellent text.Highly referred to by many of the other texts in my ongoing research of Anthropology of Cyberculture.Text was shipped quickly and in condition
as described.I would buy more texts from this seller without a problem.

5.0 out of 5 stars A required text, December 15, 2011

By 

Dr Guynup - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cyberspace: First Steps (Hardcover)

This is one of the earliest collections of articles on virtual worlds (in the context of the Internet) ever published. It is a must for anyone exploring or developing online virtual worlds because frankly so much history is lost on folks.