Ira Glass on War Reenactors and more

Here is a link to an episode of This America Life dealing with "Simulated Worlds." The episode begins with clips from a documentary on Civil War reenactors, which you can hear even if you only listen to the first few minutes. Their remarks have lots to say about history, authenticity, and performance. After this, Umberto Eco's Travels in Hyperreality guides an audio tour, so there is some interesting theoretical framing as the show visits wax museums, dinosaur exhibits, medieval times dinners, and even the simulated world of NPR's Morning Edition.