Infinite Reality

The Hidden Blueprint of Our Virtual Lives

by Jim Blascovich, Jeremy Bailenson

On Sale: 02/14/2012

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Infinite Reality

The Hidden Blueprint of Our Virtual Lives

by Jim Blascovich, Jeremy Bailenson

On Sale: 02/14/2012

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Amazon Indigo

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About the Book

“Enough with speculation about our digital future. Infinite Reality is the straight dope on what is and isn’t happening to us right now, from two of the only scientists working on the boundaries between real life and its virtual extensions.”
—Douglas Rushkoff, author of Program or Be Programmed

Can our brains recognize where "reality" ends and "virtual" begins? Where will technology lead us in five, fifty, or five hundred years? An unrivaled guide to our digital future that has been cited by the Supreme Court, Infinite Reality is a mind-bending "journey through the virtual universe" (Wall Street Journal). Jim Blascovich and Jeremy Bailenson, two pioneering authorities, explore the profound potential of emerging technologies and reveal how our brains behave in digital worlds.

Along the way, Bailenson and Blascovich examine the timeless philosophical questions of the self and "reality" that arise through the digital experience; explain how virtual reality's latest and future forms—including immersive video games and social-networking sites—will soon be seamlessly integrated into our lives; show the many surprising practical applications of virtual reality, from education and medicine to sex and warfare; and probe further-off possibilities like "total personality downloads" that would allow your great-great-grandchildren to have a conversation with "you" a century or more after your death.

Equally fascinating, farsighted, and profound, Infinite Reality is an essential guide to our virtual future, where the experience of being human will be deeply transformed.

Critical Praise

“An exhilarating book ... Blascovich and Bailenson are ideally situated to write this guide to the new world ... Infinite Reality is a must-read for anyone who wants to prepare for the coming revolution.” — Los Angeles Times

“Read this book if you want to understand the future.” — JARON LANIER, author of You Are Not a Gadget

“Brilliant, farsighted, and fascinating, Infinite Reality is an essential guide to our futures.” — PHILIP ZIMBARDO, professor emeritus of psychology, Stanford University, and author of The Lucifer Effect

“Infinite Reality sends chills down the spine.” — MICHAEL S. GAZZANIGA, director of the SAGE Center for the Study of the Mind at the University of California, Santa Barbara