Jaron Lanier facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jaron Lanier
Lanier in 2010
Born	Jaron Zepel Lanier (1960-05-03) May 3, 1960 (age 65) New York City, U.S.
Education	New Mexico State University
Occupation	Computer scientist, composer, visual artist, author
Employer	Atari Advanced Network and Services VPL Research Internet2 Silicon Graphics Columbia University New York University San Francisco State University Dartmouth College University of Pennsylvania University of California, Berkeley Microsoft University of Southern California
Known for	Co-founder of Virtual reality

Jaron Lanier (born May 3, 1960) is an American computer scientist, artist, and composer. He is known as one of the people who helped create the field of virtual reality (VR). Along with Thomas G. Zimmerman, he started VPL Research in 1985. This was the first company to sell VR headsets and special gloves. Lanier has also worked for companies like Atari and Microsoft. He is also a talented musician and author.

Early Life and Learning

Jaron Lanier was born in New York City. He grew up in Mesilla, New Mexico. When he was nine years old, his mother died in a car accident. For a while, he lived in tents with his father. Later, they spent seven years building a special dome-shaped home that Jaron helped design.

When he was 13, Lanier was allowed to attend New Mexico State University. He took advanced classes there. He even received a grant to study math and learn computer programming. He also attended art school in New York for a time.

Starting Virtual Reality Companies

In the early 1980s, Lanier worked for Atari Inc.. There, he met Thomas Zimmerman, who invented the data glove. This glove lets you interact with virtual worlds. After Atari split into two companies, Lanier started his own projects.

In 1985, Lanier and Zimmerman founded VPL Research. This company focused on making virtual reality technology available to people. They were pioneers in selling VR goggles and wired gloves. VPL Research was very successful for a while. Later, in 1999, Sun Microsystems bought VPL's patents related to virtual reality.

Work with Internet2 and Microsoft

From 1997 to 2001, Lanier was a Chief Scientist at Advanced Network and Services. This group worked on Internet2, a very fast internet network for research. He led a project called the 'National Tele-immersion Initiative'. This project explored how to make it feel like people far apart were in the same room using advanced internet.

Later, from 2001 to 2004, he was a visiting scientist at Silicon Graphics. He worked on ways to improve telepresence and tele-immersion. Since 2006, he has worked at Microsoft. From 2009, he has been an Interdisciplinary Scientist at Microsoft Research.

Personal Life

Jaron Lanier is married to Lena, and they have a daughter.

Books and Ideas

Jaron Lanier has written several books about technology and its impact on people.

"One-Half of a Manifesto" (2000)

In this essay, Lanier shared his thoughts on the future of computers. He disagreed with the idea that computers would become super-intelligent and take over. He believes that humans are not just biological computers. He also thinks that computers won't easily replace people in most jobs. He pointed out that while computer power grows fast, software development is much slower.

Thinking Like an Octopus (2006)

Lanier has thought about how cephalopods, like octopuses and squids, communicate. These animals can change their skin color and texture. They can also change their body shapes. Lanier sees this as a direct way of showing thoughts. He calls this "post-symbolic communication."

Thoughts on Wikipedia and Online Groups (2006)

In his essay "Digital Maoism: The Hazards of the New Online Collectivism", Lanier talked about online groups. He criticized the idea that collective wisdom, like on Wikipedia, is always right. He felt that believing the internet itself has something to say makes people less important.

He worried that:

• Having one main source of information, like Wikipedia, might not be good.
• It can create a false sense of authority for information.
• The way wiki articles are written can remove the personal touch of the original author.
• Group writing might lead to ideas that are too common or controlled.
• Anonymous editors could secretly change information.
• This could lead to systems that control individuals, like in totalitarian societies.

Lanier believes that to find deep information, you often need to find work by one person. He thinks you need to sense the author's personality for language to have its full meaning.

You Are Not a Gadget (2010)

In this book, Lanier criticized the "hive mind" of Web 2.0, where many people contribute online. He called the open-source and open-content movements a form of "Digital Maoism." He argued that these trends can make new ideas less valuable. He also felt they praise the group more than the individual.

He criticized Wikipedia for its "mob rule" by anonymous editors. He also felt it sometimes bullied experts. Lanier also argued that open-source ideas might not create truly new things. For example, he said the open-source movement did not create the iPhone. He also believed that the open-source approach made it harder for regular people to earn money from creating content. Instead, wealth goes to a few "lords of the clouds."

Who Owns the Future? (2013)

In this book, Lanier discussed how many people are losing out in online economies. Companies get lots of valuable information from users for free. Lanier calls these companies "Siren Servers." They gather huge amounts of data without paying individuals for their contributions. This means wealth is held by the few who control these data centers.

He gave an example of Google's translation tool. It uses translations uploaded by people online. The people who did the original translations don't get paid. But Google benefits from more ads because it's a powerful Siren Server. He also noted that in 1988, Kodak had 140,000 employees. By 2012, Kodak went bankrupt, while free photo-sharing sites like Instagram had very few employees.

Lanier suggested a new way for the web to work. It would pay people for original content they post online.

Dawn of the New Everything (2017)

In this book, Lanier shared stories from his childhood and his journey into technology. He also explored virtual reality (VR). He talked about how VR can inspire people more than other technologies. He noted that older VR equipment might have helped users understand how they perceive things better.

Lanier explained that the best part of VR often happens right after you take off the headset. His lab would sometimes give visitors flowers after a VR demo. The visitors would see the flowers as if for the first time. He also showed how VR is used beyond games. It helps war veterans with PTSD, doctors perform surgeries, and paraplegics feel like they are flying. It's also used to design almost every vehicle made in the last 20 years.

Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now (2018)

In this book, Lanier expressed his concerns about social media. He argued that platforms like Twitter and Facebook make users less kind and more divided. He worried that relying on social media reduces people's ability to think deeply. He also felt that social media users become like automated parts of the platforms.

There Is No A.I. (2023)

In April 2023, Lanier wrote an article in The New Yorker about Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). He suggested that A.I. is not as intelligent as its name or popular culture makes it seem. He concluded that "People are the answer to the problems of bits."

Music

Lanier performing at the Garden of Memory Solstice Concert in June 2009

Jaron Lanier is also a talented musician. He has been involved in contemporary classical music since the late 1970s. He plays the piano and many non-Western instruments, especially wind and string instruments from Asia. He has one of the largest collections of rare instruments that are still played.

Lanier has performed with many famous artists. These include Philip Glass, Ornette Coleman, and George Clinton. He has also released music albums. His album Instruments of Change (1994) features Asian instruments like the khene and suling. He also helped compose the music for the film The Third Wave (2007).

Lanier also writes music for orchestras. He has created a ballet called "Earthquake!" and a symphony called Symphony for Amelia. He has used Virtual Reality in his musical performances with his band, Chromatophoria. They have toured around the world, including at the Montreux Jazz Festival. He uses virtual instruments and real instruments to control events in virtual worlds.

Awards

• Jill Watson Festival Across the Arts Wats:on? Award in 2001
• Finalist for the first Edge of Computation Award in 2005
• Honorary doctorate from New Jersey Institute of Technology in 2006
• IEEE Virtual Reality Career Award in 2009
• Named one of Time magazine's Time 100 most influential thinkers in 2010
• Honorary doctorate from Franklin and Marshall College in 2012
• Awarded the Goldsmith Book Prize for best trade book in 2014
• Peace Prize of the German Book Trade in 2014

Works

Western Classical Music

• Instruments of Change (1994)

Video Games

• Alien Garden (Atari 800, 1982)
• Moondust (C64, 1983)

Books

• Information Is an Alienated Experience (2006)
• You Are Not a Gadget: A Manifesto (2010)
• Who Owns the Future? (2013)
• Dawn of the New Everything: Encounters with Reality and Virtual Reality (2017)
• Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now (2018)

See also

In Spanish: Jaron Lanier para niños