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What Happens When Virtual Becomes Real?

In the early 1990s, Yale professor David Gelernter published "Mirror Worlds," which basically predicted that mankind would create a super-accurate digital version of reality. Two decades later, The Economist believes we're well on our way, but without any 'real' or 'virtual' grasp of the highly-profound implications. "The real and the digital worlds are converging, thanks to a proliferation of connected sensors and cameras, ubiquitous wireless networks, communications standards and the activities of humans themselves," The Economist writes.

"This convergence may not be instantly discernible, because it is happening in many places at once and is often not understood for what it is ... But it is spreading everywhere and has developed a language all of its own." Of particular note, more than any single factor, The Economist suggests that smartphones and "apps" are chiefly responsible for accelerating the convergence of the physical and the digital worlds. Not only are smartphones superb measuring devices, but they are where the virtual and the real meet most directly and merge into a new "augmented" reality.

Read the whole story at Economist »

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