Neuronet: ambitious vision or elaborate scam?
By John Pospisil
The International Association of Virtual Reality Technologies (IAVRT) has announced a new “first generation network created specifically for the transmission of real-time, virtual reality (VR) and gaming data”.
The only problem is that this newly created organisation doesn’t actually seem to have the money to build the network, but this isn’t stopping it from selling .vr and .cin domain names.
According to IAVRT, the network, called the Neuronet, will “evolve into the world’s first public network capable of meeting the data transmission requirements of emerging cinematic and immersive VR technologies. The Neuronet will be used for everything from gaming to entertainment to ‘v-business’, or virtual business.”
The organisation says much of the infrastructure and programming utilized to facilitate the Neuronet will be outsourced to telecommunications and virtual reality innovators.
Interestingly IAVRT is offering the pre-registration of Neuronet domain names, which it says will help fund the creation of the network.
A Sunrise period for holders of trademarks and other prior rights is being offered from February 5, 2007 to June 1, 2007 and domain name registration is open to everyone June 4, 2007. IAVRT does point out that Neuronet domains are not compatible with the Internet, nor will Internet domains be compatible with the Neuronet.
The organization says that the Internet was not designed to support the data transmission requirements of real-time VR data so the Neuronet is being created as a separate and distinct network.
What makes me a little concerned about this whole project is that the IAVRT site doesn’t list any staff names, though it does give an address in Vancouver, Canada. The organization doesn’t provide details of any existing members. The advisory board and committees don’t seem to have any members, either.
Also of concern is IAVRT’s terms-of-use disclaimer:
“The Material provided on this Website are for informational, educational and/or entertainment purposes only. IAVRT makes no warranties regarding the reliability, truthfulness, accuracy or completeness of any Materials.”
What the hell is that supposed to mean?
You would think that a new organization would make an attempt to establish its credibility and authenticity by providing real names and details of founding members, and would also be happy to stand by the content on its web site.
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January 9th, 2007
Before news agencies grab these stories and run with them they should verify what they are reporting isnt a scam.
Thanks for shining some Reality into the whole thing