On March 8th, Chris Garvin’s class – Survey of Multimedia – will be discussing virtual reality, including versions of it like that of Second Life. Chris thought it might interest the 2nd Life Fellows so he’s inviting the fellows and anyone else who wishes to attend. The class starts at 4pm and is currently held in Room 1102 (Terra). If there’s a lot of interest, we’ll move to a larger room so please let Kim Thomas (ext 2014) know if you’re expecting to attend. The discussion is going to be based upon readings drawn from Multimedia: From Wagner to Virtual Reality (the expanded edition), pp 257-266, 272-299 and 352-269. We have copies of the readings in the Dean’s Office (Terra 1101), and the book is also on reserve in the library.
If we change the room number, we’ll let you know.
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7 comments:
Hoping to come...
I will attend Chris Garvin's class on March 8th.
Phantom Susanti
Today I received a post reporting on the surge of terrorism in 2nd Life.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070224/
tc_afp/usitinternetattacks;_ylt=
AngqvtUjyhrvgQpLPOn5XpDMWM0F
It's worth a look.
What’s appealing about 2nd Life is how it mirrors our world. It’s like being in a barber’s chair and seeing the bald spot we usually don’t get to see.
What’s struck me about 2nd Life as a business is how much it is like the Plymouth Bay Company, Hudson Bay Company, etc — proprietorships owned by stockholders and investors that invited colonists to come over and invest time and energy in building in this new world. You know how that ended up.
What’s intriguing about 2nd Life is that, from the start, it’s created an economic model that celebrates personal investments and “ownership.” That promises an explosive mix -- individualism /entreprenuership vs. ownership and corporate control.
The terrorism described above is an amusing example — no more than an episode in a game — of a bigger question, which will become more serious as more folks arrive in this new world and invest time/energy/resources in colonizing spaces like 2nd Life while the private investors at Linden attempt to keep control in order to get a return on their investment.
It’s going to be interesting and worth talking about.
Gee, we get to see the first 150 years of American history replayed in a condensed time frame. Isn’t technology great?
Neil (Obediah Gemini aka UArtsShepherd)
Neil,
As we have discussed before, it makes sense that SL reflects RL. But there are two different frameworks I can think of here: visual and ethical/self.
Visual: I am still disappointed by the visual SL being developed just like RL. I am waiting for the artists and architects to develop and implement a new paradigm (an overused word, but accurate for my point). For our UArts site, I do agree that our external view should look like our buildings and the Avenue of the Arts. This helps with our branding. But, I would love to see our internal presence be more creative. Why must our Library have bookshelfs? Our "elevators" could be open spaces inside our buildings that allow us access to any floor and a visual preview of the floor before we enter it. I am very creative financially (in the positive meaning of "creative"), but not visually. But I wait for those who are. Maybe that is how we can distinguish UArts in SL.
Ethical/Self: I find that I am very much myself in SL. Even though my avatar is very different than me visually, I react and speak to others just like I do in RL. I have concluded that I can't be other than who I am. I seen another SL blog that discusses this aspect of SL. What I do find very interesting is how people react to my avatar and how I react to other avatars. This is a very visual medium; very different than the AOL chat rooms. In the chat rooms, we were invisible, and engaged each other based on our written expressions. In SL, I have been approached very much based on my looks. And, I must admit that I am also first "attracted" visually to others. People do seem to move past these first visual cues, but we seem to first migrate toward those who have selected a similar exterior. I don't mean skin color. In fact, I created my avatar with olive skin; trying to look very much like I am from India or a similar area. I have not been able to dig down far enough into my psyche to know why I did this, but I do look very cool. I also have a set of ethereal-type wings, that draws a lot of attention. People react to me as being a warm, creative person; which is probably want I want to be seen as and want to be. I have had some very deep conversations is SL, meeting people for the first time; comforting them; seeking out their feelings. There is a freedom in SL that is harder to achieve in RL.
Well, those are just a few thoughts. I have not thought too much about the financial model of SL, but I have done so about the personal side. I find that much more interesting.
Phantom Susanti
To Phantom Susanti and all,
You raise some interesting questions.
Re: Visual Aesthetics.
I agree with you. SL is still a vague, cartoon imitation of reality, rather than being a truly creative space. I’m hoping that we’ll find a way to make a genuine contribution to this. If we can’t, then our claim that we’re a distinctly creative university is little more than swagger.
For me, what I’m beginning to think about is the way that 2nd Life can be used creatively to bend time and narrative structures. I know that I’ll not be able to add much in the way of the visual or performance aesthetic. I hope, though, that others will.
Re: Ethical/Self. Your observations about the ethical/psychological dimension of 2nd Life are profound. Having a 2nd self to project on is both liberating and difficult since our instincts are to repeat the public self we use. But as you suggest, a “mask” and persona have always served to allow us to play and reveal another self. (It’s Mardi Gras time in 2nd Life with the all liberties and released fantasies of a masked ball!) I’ve heard that there are psychologists and sociologists playing around in 2nd Life considering the very questions you raise. We should try to find a psychologist or sociologist who'll join us in 2nd Life.
Neil (UArts Shepherd aka Obediah Gemini)
It is cool to see some comments. I have found many locations that are creative with floating sky chambers and the better areas don't even bother with the image of stairs since it is far easier to just install a teleport beam. Indeed stairs and elevators are a nuisance when using an Avatar. As for the UofA presence...I like the idea of the outside being predictable, but the inside being very nouveau. As an outsider I find UofA to be very future oriented compared to other schools, and I think the interior must echo this. It is kind of like comparing the Jetsons to the Flintstones :). I am always a fan of form follows function, and I think it could be fun to evaluate how an Avatar is different from a human form in order to get to this point.
Concerning the economics... it is helpful for some people (especially architects) to build echoing RL because it offers income in both worlds. Right now, to invent something that is more sci-fi is harder to make money off of -- at least initially. It might be wise to look at services that 2nd Lifer's may need to be successful, just as we do in RL. I know fixing a new hairstyle is a bit tricky... Also, the whole persona thing is interesting as I'm meeting men which prefer walking around like women. One of the only non "hot" people I've met is a Zen gardener sporting an older man's skin and a pointed wicker hat. :)
Leslie - Lehlou Barrymore
I just wanted to say I thought Chris Garvin's class was great. As we discussed the zone of VR and simulation, I couldn't help but think that Chris was merely giving us all an edge to discover our own VR (not that I'm suggesting any metaphors here ;) ). It has also become apparent what my love of Star Wars, robots, technology and Zen are all based on. Do I have to go home, Dad??
Leslie - Lehlou Barrymore
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