In Japan, the WIDE (Widely Integrated Distributed Environment) Project, a group researching operating systems and telecommunications technologies in order to develop new computer environments, approached various companies in Japan to see if they were interested in participating in IWE '96. Over 30 corporations expressed interest and the Japan IWE '96 Committee was established with Jun Murai, a representative of the WIDE Project, as its chairman.

For staffing details, please see the Staff Page. sensorium is created and operated by Project Taos and other organizations, with production support provided by Dai Nippon Printing.

For example, in Japan when we use the expression, "He has good sense (taste)" we often refer to an output of some kind. However, this only refers to the output from his experiencing the world. For instance, his drawings are in good taste, or his sense of fashion is excellent, or his business sense is good. As a result, the possibilities or potential of the internet are our possibilities or potential. Therefore, if the world that we produce lacks vitality, it must be because that we are not experiencing or sensing the world in an active and positive manner.

As a tool via the Net, sensorium is designed to expand the meaning of the term "sense," from various viewpoints. The true capabilities of the Net do not just lie in mundane scenarios, such as virtual shopping at home, transmitting information or as a medium for expression, but rather to help us sense such aspects of human activity as how and what we eat, the air we breathe, what are the relationships that we share with our family, other people and creatures. We hope that the Net allows the audience to see the more important things in our lives.

At the beginning, we would like to explore the possibilities of the Internet as a tool to sense the world. We will pursue this goal throughout 1996.

• Comment from Jun Murai, chairman of the IWE '96 Committee
• Comment from Shin'ichi Takemura, sensorium producer (long text)

• Have you checked in by typing your name and location in the area provided at the left of the frame? There, the names of people and where they are from are indicated in real time. You are now already a part of the contents of sensorium. If you have not checked in, please do so right now!
  After you check in, our Pocket Park function enables you to chat with other viewers of sensorium. The function can also be used as a bulletin board. To access Pocket Park, please click the icon in the left corner.

  
  

• On the comments page, you can leave your opinions and impressions for the staff of sensorium to read and get back to you on.

  

• You can also link your own (or any other home page) with sensorium. It does not need to be yours. If you have any favorite sites, please let us know. However, whether a site is accepted or not depends upon whether it possesses a commonality with sensorium.

• Please try to create your own home page showing what you experience in your daily life.
  It could be going for a walk, daily evening meals, or driftwood you picked up on the beach--anything you like. If you make a home page, please let us know on the comments page, and create a link between sensorium and the site. Let's make a "sensing corridor" on the Internet. We are waiting for your participation.Or, if you have plans to do something with us, your ideas are also welcome.

sensorium is updated every two weeks, coinciding with the new and full moons. So, the easiest way of knowing when sensorium is being updated is to view the moon. (The sensorium staff view the night sky to "sense" an approaching deadline!) We also send a brief newsletter to those who have registered their name and e-mail address on the days we update the contents. If you do not have an address, please keep up with sensorium's progress by watching the phases of the moon.

To apply for the newsletter, please fill in your e-mail address and click on "submit."
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