Hyperland, a BBC Documentary

Not sure how many of you have seen the 1990 BBC documentary called Hyperland.  It was written by Douglas Adams, the author of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and features him, as well as Tom Baker, from Doctor Who.  Baker plays the role of a “virtual butler” who tries to guide Adams through the global network.  It was interesting to see some of the concepts they were discussing and how some of it has become the norm today.  Featured were touch screens, a “help” desk by way of the virtual butler, interactive storytelling, virtual reality, hyperlinks, etc.  I’m pretty sure we didn’t have access to any of this back in 1990 (gees, sounds soooooo long ago!), and yet most of it is so commonplace today.

It really is a fascinating film to watch precisely because most of it has come to pass – we’re there now.  Back then, it could have been perceived as farfetched and hyped up, although much of it was probably already in the works but just not fully developed. 

Wikipedia is just one of many examples of today that illustrate what Hyperland was showcasing.  There are many hyperlinks to all kinds of related material that can be accessed with the press of a button/key whether it’s by mouse or touchscreen.

The segment on virtual reality was pretty fascinating.  It showcased a huuuuuuge contraption on someone’s head and he was wearing a special glove wired to the contraption (I think it was actually a computer).  As he moved his hand, what he was seeing on the screen was moving too.

Probably the most fascinating part was towards the end when they were discussing the possibility to reinvent ourselves on the computer.  We already do that too.  With the advent of mediums like FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram, Second Life, etc, people are reinventing themselves all the time. 

I think we’re there!

If you haven’t seen the film, please take the time to check it out.  It’s fascinating to see how we’ve come!!  Here’s the link