thrill known to mankind by entering the world of `virtual reality' is one step closer following the success of a new computer chip.

Alpha AXP has just been named in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's fastest computer chip, with a speed almost as quick as the speed of light.

As a result of its rapidity, the chip will bring to life concepts and possibilities that have, until now, been confined to the realms of science fiction.

Virtual reality is the ability to experience the world of the computer from "within''.

The possibilities are unlimited -- learner drivers could go out on the road, movie-goers could star in films, golfers could play any course they want, armchair soccer fans could play striker in a World Cup Final ... all without leaving the comfort of their own home.

Virtual reality can make any dream, fantasy or nightmare appear as if it's actually happening.

Unbelievable, though it may seem, this tiny chip, which is barely a quarter of an inch square, could ultimately trigger untold damage to Bermuda's tourism industry.

After all, why should anyone pay a fortune to vacation in Bermuda, take a chance on the weather, queue up to get on a golf course and receive poor service in a hotel when they can enter a perfect, if unreal, environment for probably less? This concept was explored several years ago in the movie `Total Recall', whose main character, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, paid for an imaginary trip to Mars.

Far-fetched though this may seem to some, there are plenty of people still alive who would once have laughed in the same manner at the thought of Man walking on the Moon.

The advantages of a "virtual reality'' vacation over a real one are overwhelming.

In the world of virtual reality, you are guaranteed perfect sunshine, or perfect snow, depending on your fancy, you are guaranteed to meet receptive, beautiful people and you can take part in any fantasy you desire.

Compare that with a visit to Bermuda this June when it rained virtually every day and, just in case you weren't already having a bad time, the Bermuda Industrial Union called an Island-wide the following month.

It would seem there would certainly be a much reduced need to travel for pleasure when you can go wherever you want whenever you want through simulated travel.

Alpha AXP is manufactured by one of the world's leading computer companies, Digital Equipment Corporation, which is represented in Bermuda by Business Systems Ltd.

Insurance company BF&M has stepped up its `please believe us' campaign to convince its customers that it really is a separate company in every way, completely and totally, honest, from the company it broke away from, Bermuda Fire and Marine Insurance.

BF&M has been sending out a pamphlet to all of its clients attempting to clear up the confusion, yet again, once and for all.

It might amuse readers to learn that, according to the company, BF&M "is not an abbreviation for anything''. Instead, "it is now simply a corporate identity, rather like IBM'', says the firm.

Legally, that may now be the case, but it is specious and insulting to the intelligence of the Island's residents to make out that the name BF&M does not stand for anything.

Everyone knows it was derived from Bermuda Fire and Marine Insurance, rather like everyone knows that IBM really stands for International Business Machines.

It would be reasonable to argue that the title BF&M, which is still the abbreviation many people use for Bermuda Fire and Marine Insurance, was bought by the break-away company because of its market value.

If BF&M really wants to avoid confusion, as it claims, there seems to be only one sensible course of action -- change the firm's name to something which does not start with the second, sixth and thirteenth letters of the alphabet.