Here's my favorite part of the article and subarticles from USA Today, 5/19/99:
Up close, oh so personal
In Austin, Texas, Brian Park is building prototypes of a viewing chair he calls the Flostation.
''It's the ultimate couch potato chair,'' Park said.
The chair looks like something out of Star Trek. The viewing dome, which sits over the head, provides a 180-degree image. It is designed to be used with high definition TV.
''For baseball in particular, it would be great,'' Park said. ''It is completely immersive. ... You get a very high quality image with depth.''
Here's another tech possibility.
''There's no reason for an umpire to call balls and strikes,'' said Peter Titlelbaum, assistant professor of health and sports science at the University of Dayton. ''Let's have a real, computer-generated strike zone.''
You can hear it now in some 21st-century ballyard: Unplug the ump! |
