Virtual Reality -- Jesse Papineau

I believe that with each new experience one is given/goes through, they will be able to take something away (be it an ideal, thought or new perspective) from it that will help them to succeed later in life. Virtual reality makes just about anything possible, not only to have fun with (imagine the VR Wii!) but also to give anyone who is looking for it something out of the ordinary realm of possibility. As for practical, useful applications of virtual reality, the Army could use it on their soldiers to train them and give them a very realistic simulation of a real war zone. It might be expensive (I'm not sure the actual cost of VR, I'd just think it must cost quite a bit), however any individual could potentially be given any experience that might be normally impossible for them to have. For example, a person who has never seen the Grand Canyon before (and also does not have the means to make it to Arizona) could go there in a virtual reality and see a gorgeous part of the world that they normally wouldn't have. It of course wouldn't be just like the real thing, but if you don't know any better (and the replica is convincing enough) then it might as well be.