VRML, Pesce and the contradictions of cyberspace (excerpt)

Rhizomistas:

Recently thinking about VRML. Did some info-hunting and turned up a number
of essays by Mark Pesce.

Found myself wondering why the obsession to reproduce the Earth as we know
it…

…wondering why we need a 3-D representation of something [Internet] that is
already an abstraction. Do we need a further abstraction from it?

…wondering if people were trying to conceive of new types of spaces that
might be created with VRML.

The contradiction of wanting individuals to be free while highly controlling the
space where that freedom occurs is tense, but perhaps expected.