Thanks to the Internet, it has never been so easy to become the person of your wildest dreams. Immersive 3D worlds such as Second Life and THERE.com provide an escape route from the ordinary, into a virtual world where you have the power to mould your life in any way you please. Forget about walking, wheelchair users can fly. Pensioners wipe away the pains of age, discovering youthful exuberance and making young friends once more. No wonder it has become harder than ever to honestly answer the question: who am I? In Being Virtual, Davey Winder looks at how an increasing number of us are living part-real, part-virtual lives, and how it affects who we are. He looks at the opportunities and dangers that a virtual identity offers us, how we juggle our real and online lives, and what happens when one spills over into the other... He uses his own personal experiences to bring the issues to life, and backs them up with the real-life stories of others and testimony from the experts. Along the way, he looks at some fascinating questions such as: Are you a virtual liar? What happens when our virtual and real worlds collide? Why will you talk to anyone online, but nobody on the train to work? Why do so many middle-aged men transform into teenage girls online? Is it possible to have any secrets in such a connected world? Being Virtual gives a glimpse into the future of human identity, and is a must-read for anyone who uses the Internet to enhance - or escape from - their 'ordinary' life. About the author Davey Winder has been a freelance journalist for 16 years, and is Contributing Editor of the best-selling IT magazine, PC Pro. He has picked up many awards including Technology Journalist of the Year and IT Security Journalist of the Year. A founder member of the Internet Society of England and author of more than 20 books, his blog can be found at: http://happygeeknewmedia.blogspot.com/

Examining the cultural and social impact of new digital technologies, Levy tackles the concept of "the virtual," clearly defining it alongside "the real," "the actual," and "the possible." He shows how the body, the text, and the economy, are made virtual. He then reveals how the Internet and web sites are now transforming the virtual into a "collective intelligence" linked to digital communication. Though Levy agrees with many contemporary philosophers of science that these changes are producing a cultural revolution, he is uniquely optimistic. Allaying the fears of those who think technology will dehumanize society, he demonstrates how the virtual has always been an enduring component of the human mind.

This book focuses on the recent developments of virtual reality (VR) and immersive technologies, what effect they are having on our modern, digitised society and explores how current developments and advancements in this field are leading to a virtual revolution. Using Ivan Sutherland's ‘The Ultimate Display’ and Moore’s law as a springboard, the author discusses both popular scientific and technological accounts of the past, present and possible futures of VR, looking at current research trends, developments, challenges and ethical considerations to the coming age of differing realities. Being Really Virtual is for researchers, designers and developers of VR and immersive technologies and anyone with an interest in the exponential rise of such technologies and how they are changing the very way we perceive, interact and communicate within our digital society.

A leading philosopher takes a mind-bending journey through virtual worlds, illuminating the nature of reality and our place within it. Virtual reality is genuine reality; that’s the central thesis of Reality+. In a highly original work of “technophilosophy,” David J. Chalmers gives a compelling analysis of our technological future. He argues that virtual worlds are not second-class worlds, and that we can live a meaningful life in virtual reality. We may even be in a virtual world already. Along the way, Chalmers conducts a grand tour of big ideas in philosophy and science. He uses virtual reality technology to offer a new perspective on long-established philosophical questions. How do we know that there’s an external world? Is there a god? What is the nature of reality? What’s the relation between mind and body? How can we lead a good life? All of these questions are illuminated or transformed by Chalmers’ mind-bending analysis. Studded with illustrations that bring philosophical issues to life, Reality+ is a major statement that will shape discussion of philosophy, science, and technology for years to come.

Whether you're an executive assistant with an entrepreneurial spirit, a small business owner looking for a change, or someone who has dreamed of running a successful business from home, this book is for you! Professional Virtual Assistant Alyssa Gregory shares her expert tips, tools and secrets to help you:* Take a realistic look at virtual assistance* Discover your marketable skills* Identify your ideal client* Market yourself on a budget* Balance work and familyNot only does this book provide realistic advice, but it also includes a comprehensive VA Resource Toolkit with recommended business tools, websites, books and services. PLUS, by registering your book at www.vasecretsrevealed.com, you'll gain access to: checklists, worksheets and sample documents; an "Ask Alyssa" tool; answers to frequently asked questions; and much more!

Some day it’s going to happen: You’re going to find yourself on stage, wearing tights, and saying things in iambic pentameter. Face it, you’re in a Shakespeare play, and that means it’s a pretty good bet you’re going to DIE. The Bard is out for blood, but this play is here to stop him! How could Romeo and Juliet survive? Julius Caesar? A nameless soldier in Henry the Fifth? What if King Lear had an emotional support llama and didn’t need to make terrible mistakes? Join us in discovering how a dozen of Shakespeare’s plays could’ve turned out differently! If only they listened… (If you loved 10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse, read this guide immediately.) A live stage version of the play is also available. Comedy One-act. 30-60 minutes (Length of the play: This show is approximately one hour long. To cut it into a shorter one-act, simply remove one or more of the sections.) 10-50+ actors, gender flexible

Please don't read this book in order. We created this compilation to serve as a just-in-time reference guide that you could turn to when you needed to increase engagement. Each chapter stands on its own, and you have the freedom to jump around. In fact, you'll get the most out of this book if you:1) Start at the table of contents.2) Find a topic you are most curious about.3) Read only that chapter. 4) Put the book down and experiment with what you've learned.After adapting to a remote work environment, online teaching, virtual training and distance learning during the pandemic, we all discovered some things we loved and some things we loathed. Being able to switch back and forth from virtual to in-person environments can give us all more flexibility. When done well, it can be more inclusive. Moving forward, organizations that are great at both will rise to the top. Will and I firmly believe that genuine connections, high engagement and fantastic collaboration are all still perfectly possible when remote.Each chapter of the book is based on a video from our YouTube channel dedicated to helping leaders and educators make connection easy. If you don't feel like reading, take out your phone and scan the QR code to make the chapter come to life! You'll find the main channel page, where videos are neatly sorted by topic: You may also notice that almost every chapter and video title is a question. That's because each one of the 200+ videos on our channel is a response to a question that a leader or educator has asked. For example, a participant once stuck around on Zoom after I finished leading a workshop on the "5 Ingredients for Virtual Engagement." After everybody else clicked "leave meeting," they whispered, "OK, so this is amazing, but how do you engage somebody when attendance is mandatory?" Two weeks later, we released a video tutorial answering that very question.