Welsh mathematician walks in cyberspace

Abstract

This talk examines some models of 'space' and things in space drawing from diverse areas: mathematics (my first love), architecture, cognition as well as those developed specifically for VR; and shows how these impact and inform virtual space. Also important is the human geography of virtual space and the Internet which has been particularly important to me recently with my company hat on – mapping the interrelationships between communities of users and service providers in the Internet (we call it market ecology). This is in turn related to recommender systems, virtual communities and e-commerce. Models of 'space' from physics are not the same as those from our day-to-day experience, and neither has stayed constant through time. cyberspace challenges these models more fundamentally still, not just virtual reality, but all forms of mixed reality, mobile and ubiquitous computing. By understanding some of these models of space we may be able to better understand and better design the space of tomorrow.