With the push to make everyday chores as simple as possible, technology is fast making even the newest products on the market obsolete. One sure sign that technology is raging out of control is virtual reality.

Virtual reality is fast becoming reality, and Iowa State students and faculty can witness this “reality” today and tomorrow just south of the Campanile.

“The 1995 Cutting Edge Tour” is hitting college campuses all over the United States and is making a two-day stop in Ames, showing off the latest technology.

“Iowa State will be the first school we will display at,” said Doug Diers, tour manager. Together with his brother, Diers started their own marketing firm and this is their initial marketing tour.

“Were originally from Carroll, that’s why we decided to start in Ames,” Diers said.

The tour will offer ISU an opportunity to take a break from the maddening pace that is the first day of class and enter TechWorld, an outdoor exhibit constructed to inform and entertain, and interact with the latest technological advances in virtual reality and computer hardware and software.

“It’s very exciting and very fun to mess around with,” Diers said. “It’ll be very interesting, not only to students and faculty but members of all ages.”

TechWorld allows students and faculty alike to experience various virtual reality products within the confines of campus. Contests will be held in conjunction with the numerous virtual reality simulations, and prizes will be awarded.

Among the prizes are T-shirts and subscriptions given by Hyundai and Rolling Stone magazine respectively. “Rolling Stone is a sponsor really to get their product name out there,” Diers said.

Engineering students take note: Texas Instruments will have an exhibit so that students can check out the latest graphing calculators.

“Texas Instruments will have several different calculators besides the TI92 graphing calculator,” Diers said. With the names we have, we’ll draw a crowd; it’ll be interesting to everyone.”

Computer science majors and all computer afficionados can check out IBM as they show off their latest personal and laptop computer models.

“We want people to walk away from the exhibit and have a feeling of what the future will hold,” Diers added.

The future is now and it’s located just South of the Campanile from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Tuesday.