{"id":1137,"date":"2006-12-29T14:22:40","date_gmt":"2006-12-29T19:22:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.rebang.com\/?p=1137"},"modified":"2008-08-07T12:14:22","modified_gmt":"2008-08-07T16:14:22","slug":"questioning-neuronet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.rebang.com\/?p=1137","title":{"rendered":"Is Neuronet A Scam? {Update 12}"},"content":{"rendered":"

There’s a bit of press (hype?) making the rounds on something called Neuronet (Link<\/a> or maybe this Link<\/a>), a supposed plan for a fiber optic-based, virtual reality-centric network intended to be separate from what we now call the Internet. It would, according to the website, supposedly be “the first network designed from the ground up specifically for the transmission of real-time virtual reality data.” Considering that I’ve argued that the future of online Metaverse-style technology isn’t just 3D but a mashup of both 2D (websites) and 3D (virtual worlds), the exclusion of the current Internet rang alarm bells in my head. This doesn’t make sense to me, so I did a bit of digging.<\/p>\n

The obvious first step was to take a look at their site… actually sites. The first thing I noticed is a lack of substance to not just some, but all of the claims. There’s plenty of handwaving, but nothing that I couldn’t make up and post in a fictitious site in a day or two. It is, as the saying goes, a lot of talk with nothing to show (except the pretty website itself).<\/p>\n

Let’s examine some of what that talk is:<\/p>\n

  • “The Neuronet is sponsored by the International Association of Virtual Reality Technologies (IAVRT).<\/em>“<\/li>\n

    From what I can tell the “International Association of Virtual Reality Technologies” is nothing more than the website. A quick search indicates that their history appears to go back to when they registered the domain name… a whole month and a half ago. Unless of course you check the other<\/em> link I provided which is a duplicate site and goes back to March 2006 (maybe it had another name then, which would account for the switch from “iabit” to “iavrt”). That’s a frighteningly short time, all things considered.<\/p>\n

    Of additional interest is that both domain registrations are<\/p>\n

    – a) registered by Go Daddy which is, from my experience, one of the favored services for scammers and hackers, and<\/p>\n

    – b) devoid of organizational information so that there is apparently no public information provided when a WhoIs search is conducted.<\/p>\n

    Suspicious yet? I certainly am.<\/p>\n

  • “IAVRT is an international not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering scientific research and business development in the area of Virtual Reality (VR) technology for the benefit of society.<\/em>“<\/li>\n

    Now when I read that they’re an “international not-for-profit organization” that really piques my interest because “not-for-profit” is such a worthless tag. I can set up a non-profit too, and I’ll ensure the company never turns a profit by raising my own salary to prevent that from happening. So I dig a little deeper.<\/p>\n

    I’m not sure that there’s a registry for “international not-for-profit” organizations (you’d think there would be, but I’ve not yet been successful in finding one… though I’m trying and may have found it at UIA.org<\/a>, only I’m now waiting for my account to be activated to check on IAVRT’s non-profit status, assuming it’s registered and available to me).<\/p>\n

    Lacking any other ideas, I decided to determine something about their location, so I did a search using, among other entries, “280 Nelson St” Vancouver BC”<\/a>. That yielded some interesting bits such as the marijuana seed distributor apparently operating in the building. Of note was that there is both a Mailboxes Etc listed as a WiFi Hotspot and a fair number of what appear to me to be internet-only businesses run at that location; everything from what I suspect are earnest operations to questionable website-only redirection services. My guess is, based on the Google Map image of the location<\/a>, that this is a converted warehouse that’s home to any number of tiny, artsy, web-based operations nestled in among a few more traditional outfits. Additionally, there seemed to me to be a healthy web design and support community (e.g. Infectious<\/a>, Siberix<\/a>, PowrTools Software<\/a>, etc) at this location. That could easily explain the professional-looking site they have. In fact, it’s possible that IAVRT is nothing more than a front for a web-based outfit.<\/p>\n

    That last thought leads me to this comment on their Neuronet Domain Names Open Letter (Link)<\/a>:<\/p>\n

    Recognizing the considerable value of domain names in this new space, IAVRT will offer Neuronet domain names on a pre-registration basis in order to support the creation of the second generation Neuronet. It should be noted however, that Neuronet domains and their associated neurosites, will not become widely accessible to consumers until 2009 at the earliest.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Now I’m almost certain this is a scam. Pre-registrations for what? Heck, they may as well be leasing Mars condos, afaic. But at least this operation covers it ass:<\/p>\n

    In the future, Neuronet domain names may rival or exceed the value of Internet domain names, but until the Neuronet is mass-market accessible, investing in Neuronet domains should be considered speculative.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Interesting how the beginning of the letter starts with declarative statements such as “In 2007, the International Association of Virtual Reality Technologies (IAVRT) will<\/strong> launch the Neuronet to facilitate the global transmission of immersive virtual reality (VR) data.<\/em>” or “Ultimately, the Neuronet will<\/strong> be able to provide mass-market VR and gaming connectivity on a global scale.<\/em>” and the not-IF-but-“When<\/strong> that occurs, a tipping point will be reached that will in many ways mirror that of the Internet.<\/em>“, but then gives us the whole “it’s all speculative” spiel.<\/p>\n

    Now that I feel like I have a real sense of what’s going on I go back to my hunch that this is a web developer with a get-rich-quick scheme. The best lead I had was the “iavrt” = “iabit” thing, so I do a quick search on “iabit” itself and find something interesting: a link to a press page on that domain that isn’t IAVRT (Link)<\/a>. And that webpage takes me to this page for an outfit called Stay Sane Communications (Link)<\/a> (registration at Go Daddy, of course), which is – you guessed it – a web development house based in Vancouver B.C. (and probably now at the location on Nelson Street). From there I get some names that are almost certainly behind IAVRT. The first is Simmons (Link)<\/a>. From her bio:<\/p>\n

    After graduating from Concordia University, Montreal in 1991 Simmons moved to the west coast and began working as a technologist.
    \n…
    \nWhen Simmons is not working on technology projects, Susan can be found kayaking to scenic islands within British Columbia’s coastal waterways. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    The other is Pederson (Link)<\/a>. From his bio:<\/p>\n

    Pedersen is well established as an industry innovator and skilled project planner in Canada and Argentina. His roots are in traditional graphic design, desktop publishing, and print.
    \n…
    \nHe participated in the development of one of the first Flash based sites on the Internet and developed the first 3D photo web sites using Quick Time VR and VRML technologies.
    \n…
    \nEiler has taught as…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Now the picture starts to clear a bit.<\/p>\n

    This appears to be a two-person operation, Susan Simmons and Eiler Pederson, with roots in multimedia and some ties to vr. And while their bios aren’t bad, they’re a long way from what I’d want to be reading before I started sending money for anything connected to IAVRT.<\/p>\n

    The idea has some merit, but until I see a name with a real reputation attached to this operation, I’ll give it little more credence than the hardluck-story-pot-of-gold emails I get from Africa.<\/p>\n

    via 3pointD<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

    {Update 1:<\/strong> I see C|Net hasn’t learned much from the recent Second Life media-hype fiasco. Writer Stephen Shankland has posted a glowing story about IAVRT with the bold headline “Virtual reality to get its own network” (Link)<\/a> but doesn’t appear to me to have any more information than what’s provided on that website. Too funny.}<\/p>\n

    {Update 2:<\/strong> To make it easier to see the link between Stay Sane and IAVRT, here are the links of interest:<\/p>\n

    http:\/\/www.iavrt.com {Note 16Apr2008:<\/strong> this now goes to inappropriate adult content}
    \n    http:\/\/www.iavrt.org<\/a>
    \n    http:\/\/www.iabit.com<\/a>
    \n    http:\/\/www.iabit.org<\/a>
    \n    http:\/\/www.iabit.org\/press<\/a><\/p>\n

    The first four all have the same IAVRT homepage and the last one leads you to Stay Sane’s information.}<\/p>\n

    {Update 3:<\/strong> I’ve been corresponding with C|Net on this and was just informed that they reached an individual who is lending his – and someone else’s – name to this effort. I don’t recall having heard of the person to whom they spoke, so at this stage I’ll remain skeptical. At the very least, as I told C|Net, the manner in which this is being handled is lacking in clarity. This may not be a scam as I suspected, but I’ll keep my skeptic’s hat on for now. It still looks to me like they’re raising money for something that’s incredibly risky and not beyond criticism.}<\/p>\n

    {Update 4:<\/strong> It appears that the C|Net article has been updated. They really should tag it with “update” or do something to alert people to that fact. Anyway, here’s some additional info from that article:<\/p>\n

    “The first-generation network is strictly an R&D network and will function as a sort of sandbox for virtual reality and gaming innovators around the world to develop new applications for a second generation network,” IAVRT co-founder Chistopher Scully said in an e-mail. No services yet are signed up to use the network, he added.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    –<\/p>\n

    Scully didn’t name any of the organization’s backers or members in his e-mail, but said Mychilo Cline, author of a virtual reality book, is on the group’s advisory board.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    –<\/p>\n

    However, some bloggers aren’t convinced the Neuronet is real. One is 3D designer Sven Johnson, who opined on his blog Thursday, “I’m almost certain this is a scam.” He was alarmed by the lack of identified IAVRT backers and the possibility that Neuronet is a “get-rich-quick scheme” funded by domain name sales.<\/p>\n

    Scully denied that position: “I can assure you the network is not a scam. Funds raised from the sale of network domain names will offset the considerable costs associated with the creation of the network.” <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    A shame they didn’t properly identify me; real product development and virtual development – including things such as experience design, market research and branding – go a bit further than “3D designer”, which is just one of the things I do. Oh well.<\/p>\n

    Okay, so who exactly is Christopher Scully and why should I, or anyone, trust him? It’s been a while since I’ve read any books on virtual reality, so his name isn’t ringing any bells for me.<\/p>\n

    Regardless, if nothing else, the manner in which this has been handled so far would give me serious pause as to how they would handle things in the future. As someone with a stake in the future of virtual worlds, I’d be happy to be wrong.}<\/p>\n

    {Update 5:<\/strong> I just took a quick look at Slashdot to read some of the comments about IAVRT (Link)<\/a>. Some funny stuff over there.}<\/p>\n

    {Update 6:<\/strong> Caught a comment over on Slashdot<\/a> where ortholattice<\/a> made an interesting discovery: “iabit” stands for (get this) – International Association of Brain Interface Technologies. From an earlier press release by IABIT (Link)<\/a>:<\/p>\n

    Vancouver, Canada \u00e2\u20ac\u201c The International Association of Brain Interface Technologies (IABIT) is pleased to announce a US$10 million fund for the study and advancement of Brain Interface (BI) technology. The fund will issue one US$500,000 grant and two US$250,000 grants each year for ten years beginning in 2007.<\/p>\n

    Brain Interface refers collectively to the disciplines known as Brain Machine Interface (BMI), Brain Computer Interface (BCI), Direct Brain Interface (DBI), and Adaptive Brain Interface (ABI). BI is technology through which computers interface directly with the brain. In the field of medicine, the technology being developed promises miraculous advances that will someday enable persons with spinal cord injuries to regain mobility, blind persons to regain vision and deaf persons to regain the ability to hear. While medical applications are at the forefront of BI research, other commercial applications abound. Over the next decade, BMI technology is expected to revolutionize the video gaming, film & television, medical, and defense industries to name a few.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    This just keeps getting better and better.}<\/p>\n

    {Update 7:<\/strong> This will probably be the last, or next-to-last, blog post update. For anyone finding this interesting, alarming, amusing, or any\/all of the above, check the comments (which I hope stay spam-free for a bit). There’s plenty of new information popping up in them, especially in regards to someone named Nigel Malkin (thanks to “romem”). Best to just read those.}<\/p>\n

    {Update 8<\/strong>: I was beginning to tire of this thing (hence my last update) but instead it appears it’s re-energized by a threatening email coming from someone claiming to be Christopher Scully. You can read that on my follow-up post – reLink<\/a>}<\/p>\n

    {Update 9<\/strong>: Just as an aside, Engadget has picked up on this story. That alone isn’t especially worth noting here; however, the number of people copying the article, shoving it onto spamblogs and tracking back to this post in order to get some ad revenue is … depressing. What a bunch of lowlife’s to rip off someone else in this manner.<\/p>\n

    The piece written by Donald Melanson didn’t track back here, so I took the first rip-off and turned it into one. The rest will be checked and deleted. And I’m especially glad to see that Melanson got it right:<\/p>\n

    The reBang weblog in particular has been doing lots of digging into the legitimacy of the group, and while not turning up anything conclusive, it has led to a wide range of speculation, even including remote possilibility that it’s all an elaborate Alternate Reality Game (ARG).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    Worth reading in its entirely, so head over to Engadget (Link)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    {Update 10<\/strong>: I never expected this would take off. If I had, I’d have posted a simple list of updateable links. Oh well. In any event, Ars Technica has picked this one up (Link)<\/a>. I enjoy that site and their readers’ comments, so you might want to peek in yourself.}<\/p>\n

    {Update 11<\/strong>: Broadband Reports has a short blurb on this story, “The Virtual Reality Network That’s Virtual” (Link)<\/a>. Hey, at least my post title is a question. These guys must want to get sued.}<\/p>\n

    {Update 12<\/strong>: Someone whom I suspect is Susan Simmons from Stay Sane Communications has posted a comment that might be of interest. Or not.}<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    There’s a bit of press (hype?) making the rounds on something called Neuronet (Link or maybe this Link), a supposed plan for a fiber optic-based, virtual reality-centric network intended to be separate from what we now call the Internet. It … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-administrative"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.rebang.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.rebang.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.rebang.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.rebang.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.rebang.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1137"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.rebang.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1137\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.rebang.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.rebang.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.rebang.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}