Matrix Ships

Ever wonder about practical applications for a Matrix? On the surface it seems like a terrible idea- enslaving people as batteries and feeding a fake reality into their brains. But what about benevolent and useful applications, with voluntary participants? First thing I thought about was Matrix Ships, for interplanetary expeditions. One of the biggest problems facing humanity on a 50+ year journey is keeping occupied in the small confines of a ship. Nowhere to get away, trapped in a tin can for decades at a time. And how to educate the children? Because there would have to be children - by the time the ship reached its destination, the original settlers would be too old to work.

So multifold purpose: Entertainment on the voyage for the originals, and a way of educating the children so they understand what trees, grass, sky etc actually are.

And bringing that concept to the classroom right here on Earth - we are already on the way with MMORPG's and other online applications like Second Life. The next generation is already growing up online, why would it be a problem to take the next logical step and transmit the data directly into the brain?

In concept, The Matrix seems like it would be quite the useful tool.