CONF: L.A.S.F.S. Virtual Reality Showcase
PCR VR Jon
sponsored by StarQuestTM Magazine
12828 Victory Blvd, #337
North Hollywood, CA 91606 USA
(818) 764-8494
INFORMATION SHEET
DATE: Saturday, April 1, 1995 from approximately 10 AM (registration
starts at 9 AM) to approximately 10 PM.
LOCATION: At the clubhouse of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society, at
11513 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood, CA 91601 USA. Off-site secured
parking will be arranged for those attending (exact details provided to
all registrants).
PURPOSES OF THIS EVENT:
1) To provide a low-cost program that will give participants a general
overview of what Virtual Reality is, and where the technology is going.
2) To provide an opportunity for participants to meet and hear from
significant people associated with the Virtual Reality industry and research
programs in the Los Angeles area, and to acquire vendor literature and other
documents provided by the Virtual Reality industry generally.
3) To raise money for the Building Fund of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy
Society, Inc., a non-profit literary society which provides a nurtering
environment for people with many diverse interests, including high
technology such as Virtual Reality. ALL FUNDS REALIZED IN EXCESS OF
OPERATING EXPENSES WILL BE DONATED TO THE L.A.S.F.S.
StarQuest Magazine is underwriting initial costs as a service to the science
fiction community. StarQuest Magazine is published by Weather Vane Press and
is not a publication of, or otherwise associated with, the Los Angeles
Science Fantasy Society, except by a common interest in science, technology
and speculative literature.
WHAT IS THE LOS ANGELES SCIENCE FANTASY SOCIETY?
The L.A.S.F.S. is the oldest science fiction fan club in this world. It was
established in 1934, and its membership has included such luminaries as
Robert A. Heinlein, Ray Bradbury, Forrest J. Ackerman and many other
well-known authors including Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle,Steven Barnes,
David Brin, and Barbara Hambly. It is organized as anon-profit literary and
educational corporation and is entirely supported by volunteer labor and
donations. It operates the largest circulating library of science fiction,
fantasy, and related literature in the world, sponsors an annual science
fiction convention in Los Angeles (LOSCONSM, over the Thanksgiving Day
weekend), and presents weekly programs, many of which emphasize the
literature and media of speculative fiction. Presentations are also given
about the space program and other high technology topics from time to time.
The club publishes, and updates at regular intervals, a Children's Reading
List of science fiction and fantasy books, which has been requested by more
than 2,000 librarians and educators in the USA and Canada.
It owns its own property, which is maintained by the membership and
through donations. Since the earthquake of Jan, 17, 1994, the club's
building fund has been depleted by a series of extraordinary expenses.
COST OF THE PROGRAM: $75.00 if paid in advance, $110.00 at the door.
Refreshments will be provided, as will vendor literature and other
give-aways. Equipment demonstrations will be provided by some speakers.
SPACE IS LIMITED!!! Only sixty paid admissions will be sold. We do not
have room for more people than that plus staff and anticipated media
attendance. This event will not be moved. We STRONGLY URGE anyone
interested in participating to make a paid reservation now. Due to the
small size of the clubhouse, there is an absolute limit on attendance.
Holding this event at another location would incur much higher costs and
probably raise less money for this non-profit corporation. It would be
necessary to charge three or four times the admission price if this event
were held at a hotel. A PRE-PAID admission, accepted by the V.R. Showcase
Administrator, is an absolute guarantee of a place at the event when it is
held. Your check or money order should be made out to "L.A.S.F.S.".
Cancellations can be made anytime before February 15, 1995. A processing
charge of $15.00 will be assessed for any cancellation. Memberships are
transferable upon notice (which must be received in writing no later than
March 15, 1995) to the V.R. Showcase Administrator. Naturally, all speakers
and staff will be admitted gratis, as will a few selected members of the
media. Again, because of the small size of the facility, we must
respectfully request that those covering the event contact us as soon as
possible. No more than 15 members of the Press can be accommodated at this
event. PRESS RESERVATIONS MUST BE MADE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE and we can not
admit more than one person per organization except for televison news crew
people. These can be accommodated for short periods of time only, and not
within the main meeting hall.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND THIS EVENT: Anyone with an interest in Virtual Reality who
has not attended a previous conference on this topic, or anyone interested
in Virtual Reality who wants the opportunity to network and interact with
other interested peers in the field. This includes students, teachers,
business executives, engineers, scientists, MIS managers, entertainment
industry writers, directors, producers and executives, military personnel,
advertising and marketing personnel, and anyone else who wants an overview
of this exciting new technology.
WHO IS SCHEDULED TO APPEAR: - Moderator: FRANCIS HAMIT, Author of VIRTUAL
REALITY AND THE EXPLORATION OF CYBERSPACE (SAMS 1993) and a Contributing
Editor for CyberEdge Journal, the leading newsletter on Virtual Reality.
Mr. Hamit is a regular contributor to Silicon Graphics World and Advanced
Imaging magazines, and writes for many other publications. He will
introduce the speakers and guide the program.
- Keynote Speaker: BOB LOWE, Deputy Chairman, SUPERSCAPE, Ltd. Mr. Lowe
is an experienced executive in the computer visualization field and the
executive in charge of Superscape's operations in the USA. Superscape is
an English firm that has developed PC-level Virtual Reality software that
has been adopted by major corporations for over 30 different applications.
Mr. Lowe will speak on the developing areas of Virtual Reality business
applications. He is our only out-of-town speaker at this point.
Other speakers and topics:
- DAVE VERSO, Chief Operating Officer, SimGraphics Engineering Corp., will
speak on the Industrial Uses of Virtual Reality.
- DAVE BLACKBURN, Virtual Ventures, Inc., will speak upon Virtual Reality
Applications in Sports Entertainment. Mr. Blackburn is also the coordinator
for LA's VRSIG (Virtual Reality Special Interest Group).
- STEVE GLENN, Vice President, Entertainment Division, SimGraphics
Engineering, will speak upon Creating Virtual Characters, and other
entertainment uses of Virtual Reality. Mr. Glenn is one of the developers
of VActorTM, now widely used for real-time animation and virtual character
creation.
- DR. HARRY MURPHY, Professor, California State University, Northridge, will
speak on Virtual Reality and Persons with Disabilities, and other medical
applications of Virtual Reality. Dr. Murphy is Director of the CSUN Center
for Persons with Disabilities, and supervises two annual conferences on this
technology.
- JAMES McDONOUGH, Vice President, Illusion, Inc., will speak on the
Creation of SIMNET, and other military applications of Virtual Reality. Mr.
McDonough was one of the original developers of SIMNET, and also oversaw the
Virtual Reality recreations of the Battle of 73 Easting from the Gulf War.
- DAVID MITCHELL, Systems Operator of the DIASPAR Virtual Reality Network,
will speak on Telepresence Applications and demonstrate the Lunar
TeleOperation Module and other on-line Virtual Reality systems.
- JERRY ISDALE, Illusion, Inc., will speak on assembling low-cost
"garage"-level Virtual Reality systems. Mr. Isdale is a contributor to a
book on this subject, and a well-known expert on this kind of low-end
system.
- GREGORY PANOS, SophistiTech Research Corp., will give a presentation on
how Virtual Reality has been received and portrayed in American Popular
Culture. Mr. Panos publishes a sourcebook on Virtual Reality and speaks at
many conferences.
The above-named speakers have agreed verbally to make these
presentations. However, all are volunteering their time without
compensation and may be forced to withdraw due to unforeseen business or
personal conflicts. Other speakers may be added to the program.
On-site equipment demonstrations, literature handouts and other benefits
will be added as sponsors can be found for them. Some publications and
videos may be offered for sale at an additional price beyond the
registration fee.
L.A.S.F.S. and StarQuest Magazine reserve the absolute right to alter the
program of this event or to cancel it entirely should advanced registrations
be insufficient to accomplish the goals of this program. Participants
attend this event solely at their own risk. Neither L.A.S.F.S. nor
Starquest Magazine nor any of their officers, agents or employees accept any
responsibility for participants' liability in connection with this event.
TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS: If you are attending from out of town, your travel and
hotel expenses are your own responsibility. We recommend that those needing
travel arrangements and overnight accomodations in connection with this
event contact Richard Foss, Ladera Travel, 1-213-772-1511 to make
arrangements. Mr. Foss is a member of the L.A.S.F.S. and is familiar with
the most convenient accommodations that will meet your needs.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Francis Hamit, Moderator, or Leigh Strother-Vien,
V.R. Showcase Administrator, at (818) 764-8494.
REGISTRATION: can be accomplished by filling out and returning the following
form along with a check or money order made payable to "LASFS" for $75.00.
All registrations subject to approval and acceptance. First come, first
served. Reservations andpayments received in excess of the stated capacity
will be returned, and your name placed upon a waiting list. Should a
cancellation occur, persons on the waiting list will be notified in order.
MINORS: Persons under 18 must fill out and have a parent or guardian sign
the permission slip. Telephone number must be enclosed for verification
purposes. MINORS WILL BE CONSIDERED AND ADMITTED ON A CASE BY CASE BASIS
ONLY, AND THE DECISION OF THE SHOWCASE ADMINISTRATOR WILL BE FINAL IN ALL
INSTANCES.
TAX DEDUCTIONS: Your registration fee is given directly to a non-profit
corporation, and is a tax-deductible donation to the extent permitted by
law.
For particulars, please consult your attorney and/or tax accountant.
L.A.S.F.S. VIRTUAL REALITY SHOWCASE REGISTRATION
TO: LASFS VR Showcase Adminstrator
c/o StarQuest Magazine
12828 Victory Blvd, #337
North Hollywood, CA 91606 USA
Please reserve my place at the LASFS Virtual Reality Showcase on Saturday,
April 1, 1995. I understand that my participation is subject to your
acceptance, and that cancellation on my part must be made before February
15, 1995, and that there will be a $15.00 cancellation fee deducted from my
refund. Information will be sent to me at the appropriate time as to the
final program. All terms and conditions are as stated in the information
sheet, and are subject to change at any time without notice.
Enclosed is $75.00 in US funds by check or money order made payable to
"LASFS" (no cash please!).
NAME______________________________________________________
STREET_____________________________________________________
CITY______________________________ STATE/PROVINCE_________
TELEPHONE_____________________ FAX________________________
PERMISSION FOR MINORS:
I AM THE PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN FOR THE ABOVE-NAMED MINOR
AND HEREBY GIVE PERMISSION FOR HIM/HER TO ATTEND THIS EVENT AND
ACCEPT FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE WELFARE AND ACTIONS OF THIS CHILD.
I HEREBY RELEASE AND HOLD HARMLESS THE LOS ANGELES SCIENCE FANTASY
SOCIETY AND STARQUEST MAGAZINE, THEIR AGENTS, OFFICERS, PARTNERS,
EMPLOYEES OR ASSIGNS FOR ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR INJURY RESULTING
FROM THIS CHILD'S PARTICIPATION IN THIS EVENT.
MY NAME___________________________________________________
TELEPHONE________________________
LEGAL SIGNATURE__________________________________________
SIGNED THIS _____________DAY 0F ___________19_____
I cannot attend, but wish to help the L.A.S.F.S. anyway. Please accept my
enclosed donation for
$_______________ and apply it to your: [ ] building fund;[ ] library fund;
[ ] Children's Reading List expenses.