tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50416248832467229732024-02-19T07:24:59.960-08:00In a Strange LandTravels in virtual worlds with an eye to the academic, inspiring, even inane.Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.comBlogger664125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-988434728082740162016-03-04T12:15:00.000-08:002016-03-04T16:49:47.526-08:00The Illusion Is Real To Me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhK4qo8yVLrqbujuSsZaeaKftyRqFDxlvIUQbhDjuSlUOyahRswLcc3ZXVbOKc2fPIN7kwXuNqdlWnzOtm0nmkY1bLtedqdthTHR_wdogievSrmBOQiHDZIXRbQnhxwh_PgcPCpRrAZzyb/s1600/zuckerberg+1984.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhK4qo8yVLrqbujuSsZaeaKftyRqFDxlvIUQbhDjuSlUOyahRswLcc3ZXVbOKc2fPIN7kwXuNqdlWnzOtm0nmkY1bLtedqdthTHR_wdogievSrmBOQiHDZIXRbQnhxwh_PgcPCpRrAZzyb/s400/zuckerberg+1984.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
This post began with some musings at Wagner James "Hamlet" Au's blog, <a href="http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/" target="_blank">New World Notes</a>. Au has also covered the utopians and skeptics of virtual reality in a piece at <i>Wired</i>, "<a href="http://www.wired.com/2016/02/vr-moral-imperative-or-opiate-of-masses/" target="_blank">VR Will Make Life Better--Or Just Be an Opiate For the Masses</a>." Some proponents of the Occulus Rift 3D viewer are claiming that a virtual world good enough is as good at the life we lead without goggles and a fast internet connection.<br />
<br />
Since this issue involves both of my blogs, I hope readers will excuse the cross-postings. I have also been thinking about how Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook is very much invested in Occulus tech and why the picture of him, striding among a crowd wearing Rifts, chills me to the bone.<br />
<br />
Here was my reply at New World Notes.<br />
<br />
Even a happy virtual life would neglect the agons of a happy real one.<br />
<br />
Yesterday I labored a few hours on a farm tractor I'm selling, checking for issues and eliminating possibilities in the electric system. I used a lot of stored knowledge in the wetware of my brain to trouble-shoot. I was in a place without reliable wireless, so double-checking hunches with the phone was not possible.<br />
<br />
Then I went to work on the fuel system, turning wrenches and skinning knuckles until I had the likely culprit. At night I went online, into a flat virtual community, to check my assumptions. This weekend I'll clean out the fuel tank, blow compressed air through all the fittings, and restart the old diesel.<br />
<br />
Simulating all that with an Occulus might eventually be possible. Doing so might even feed me if my virtual farm supplied RL income. But you know what?<br />
<br />
Virtual is still FAKE. Always will be until someone really does achieve the Singularity. Hence my consideration of SL and more advanced forms of virtual worlds as just something nice for entertainment, like a novel or film but more immersive.<br />
<br />
As for the possibility that our RL world is a Matrix? Let me quote a famous fake person, Conan the Barbarian. I only slay groundhogs and cold beers, but the rest is apt:<br />
<br />
"I know this: if life is illusion, then I am no less an illusion, and being thus, the illusion is real to me. I live, I burn with life, I love, I slay, and am content."Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-13965354295556899382015-11-19T11:45:00.000-08:002015-11-19T16:04:26.661-08:00Dutch Boy Running Out of Fingers at Linden Lab<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nnQAlOJhZCTCN7VL1aH_BK9888KFtFISK38EQc4drJ20-rhlF0tCp9MKsYSGjaJS5WZXQQsoHIrcBoer9gIKwrgu150oXFzCe3ksQKv6xDUNvQ7-QuUP99Gbh2US6sBqnQUZOKWdgGAr/s1600/table_007.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6nnQAlOJhZCTCN7VL1aH_BK9888KFtFISK38EQc4drJ20-rhlF0tCp9MKsYSGjaJS5WZXQQsoHIrcBoer9gIKwrgu150oXFzCe3ksQKv6xDUNvQ7-QuUP99Gbh2US6sBqnQUZOKWdgGAr/s400/table_007.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Location: Back at VWER Roundtable</b></div>
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How odd it feels to be blogging again, ever so briefly, about Second Life. I have returned to the virtual world for a couple of VWER meetings and am even considering updating Iggy's avatar shape and skin. His relatively new dreadlocks demand it!<br />
<br />
Yet following a post I spotted in New World Notes, about Linden Lab's <a href="http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2015/11/second-life-sim-loss-linden-lab.html" target="_blank">deciding to lower set-up fees for sims</a>, I thought my two cents might contribute to the debate.<br />
<br />
Second Life continues to lose sims at a stately pace. I wonder, as many SLers do, if the entire world is no more than a cash-cow for the Lab to milk until <a href="http://www.lindenlab.com/releases/linden-lab-invites-first-virtual-experience-creators-to-project-sansar-testing" target="_blank">Project Sansar</a> launches. Purportedly, it will:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"democratize virtual reality as a creative medium. It will empower
people to easily create, share, and monetize their own multi-user,
interactive virtual experiences, without requiring engineering
resources. The platform will enable professional-level quality and
performance with exceptional visual fidelity, 3D audio, and physics
simulation."</blockquote>
These promises are at odds. If Sansar lets us "easily" create such 3D content using our Occulus Rift headsets, it would require tools far simpler than Blender or Maya. Those high-end tools then put Sansar out of reach of many educators I know. Motion-sickness issues for the Rift may be easier to resolve than those about the tools needed for content creation. I reserve judgement on the "native building options" the Lab mentions. Perhaps in-world creation for ordinary mortals and student teams will endure, freed from the cumbersome permissions system that hamstrings SL team-builds.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, the Lab's original virtual world chugs along shedding 20-30 sims per week of landmass, rather like an iceberg drifting with the Gulf Stream. The Lindens do no, and probably can not, do the one thing that would democratize Second Life again: cut monthly tiers deeply for ordinary users.<br />
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Image of trends for private estates, from <a href="http://gridsurvey.com/" target="_blank">Gridsurvey.com </a></div>
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At $25 per month for a homestead and $50 for a full sim, I'd rent server space to make a roleplaying game from my twisted imagination. I could then take advantage of SL's rich marketplace, finely designed mesh avatars and other content. Linden Lab launched its <a href="https://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Experiences-in-Second-Life/ta-p/2744686" target="_blank">Experience Keys</a> program precisely for content like what I envision. Unlike 3D creations at Turbosquid, the SL marketplace offers content for pennies or just a few dollars. I could build the rest.<br />
<br />
I've no faith that the Lindens would do what it takes to get tiers lower, such as moving to a low-rent neighborhood far from San Francisco's posh restaurants and boutiques. I've no faith they'd focus more staff time on finding out what ordinary SLers, and not just their land-barons, need.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiME722UkLQF8MEewuEYdiPJf47p__FLcEPWHcwFaKge_lBPWlAsSirkJwxB_3WqOlu_f5LCUAGIIHIQ-sK1w15yso7Z3UiBPUXxABalw01aROpNpIANOtKoXgLmCQRYic0xrgNaAp73NB4/s1600/dutch-boy.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiME722UkLQF8MEewuEYdiPJf47p__FLcEPWHcwFaKge_lBPWlAsSirkJwxB_3WqOlu_f5LCUAGIIHIQ-sK1w15yso7Z3UiBPUXxABalw01aROpNpIANOtKoXgLmCQRYic0xrgNaAp73NB4/s1600/dutch-boy.png" /></a></div>
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It will be interesting to see what happens as Sansar launches. I fear that some SLers are so immersed in the world that they do not see the dyke cracking and the Dutch Boy trying every finger and toe he has to plug the leaks. Then, one day, comes the deluge.Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-313073081439175642015-03-05T12:28:00.002-08:002015-03-05T12:28:33.320-08:00VWBPE 2015: Staying the Course!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxg5lYBJjuDxb64ahdxQ_68F1XdO2S1gKIJFA4Di32U4G2CytjcWg1VqcCOWgwUztT-l8IE3wS-m-zjN78t2g-QCZmJKig8ZMlsSvTHw-Ds057pAA-FcWUfdrr7YfHEANzlMOE7VuCo9Ol/s1600/150305_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxg5lYBJjuDxb64ahdxQ_68F1XdO2S1gKIJFA4Di32U4G2CytjcWg1VqcCOWgwUztT-l8IE3wS-m-zjN78t2g-QCZmJKig8ZMlsSvTHw-Ds057pAA-FcWUfdrr7YfHEANzlMOE7VuCo9Ol/s1600/150305_002.jpg" height="240" width="400" /></a></div>
<b>Location: VWER Meeting</b><br />
<br />
I don't get Iggy into SL much any more, but I decided to pop in to hear about this year's <a href="http://vwbpe.org/" target="_blank">VWBPE</a> Conference, one I attended when I was more active in my use of virtual worlds.<br />
<br />
This year's <a href="http://vwbpe.org/conference/vwbpe-2015-calendar" target="_blank">conference sessions</a> look really interesting. Sadly, I'll miss it, since I'm going to be participating virtually, via Skype, in the CCCC 2015 Conference for writing teachers that week.<br />
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There's some irony there: me presenting via my RL self about work done a few years back in a virtual world. I would love to attend the SL conference, too, but I'd need a clone.<br />
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The resilience of VWBPE is timely. Just this week, I was at an academic meeting where an article was mentioned by a colleague. The source? Journal of Virtual Worlds Research.<br />
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It's an indication that these worlds are getting closer to that academic mainstream, for scholarship if not for widespread use. Perhaps that will follow.Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-86565389374844502892014-04-29T10:41:00.001-07:002014-04-29T11:03:49.762-07:00How Embrace Second Life's Inner Niche? Ask the Crawl-Space Dude<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizwAqx9qMXLVJJdPWe35F7RGb74lWYZhVBi9XHR1GrAPj8PZXD0rDX4k9NLd5VVvNQ5yu_1YrzDHDy9_eiOXLjT4edlbOGoPCPdJZDgmq7sHREJMsUqerffeU94KUGUUrPMRFtzOc8lEkg/s1600/Crawl-space-inside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizwAqx9qMXLVJJdPWe35F7RGb74lWYZhVBi9XHR1GrAPj8PZXD0rDX4k9NLd5VVvNQ5yu_1YrzDHDy9_eiOXLjT4edlbOGoPCPdJZDgmq7sHREJMsUqerffeU94KUGUUrPMRFtzOc8lEkg/s1600/Crawl-space-inside.jpg" height="315" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Location: Study-Break From Grading Finals, Butt in Chair</b><br />
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The <a href="http://www.gridsurvey.com/" target="_blank">numbers are trending back down</a> for the number of private regions in Second Life. I cannot speculate about the temporary rebound we were seeing for a few weeks, but soon SL's region count will be lower than its ebb in February 2014.<br />
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Let's assume, for a moment, that the venture with OnLive's SL Go client, the coming of the Savior called Occulus Rift (praised be His Holy Name), other improvements by Linden Lab, and other efforts by the newly hired CEO do not stem the ebbing tide. What then?<br />
<br />
I agree with a remark made at <i>New World Notes</i> by <a href="http://ccslfashionista.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">CronoCloud Creeggan</a>: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span id="comment-6a00d8341bf74053ef01a511ac2ca9970c-content">Nothing
wrong with being a niche. We live in a finite world, the myth that
growth is infinite and can continue forever and that triple digit yearly
growth is required for 'success' has got to go. There's nothing wrong
with finding a niche market and making steady money off of it, year in
and out.</span></blockquote>
<span id="comment-6a00d8341bf74053ef01a511ac2ca9970c-content">Other than the limited-population OpenSim Grids or walled gardens like InWorldz and Avination, who DOES what Second Life does? Activeworlds? PC Only. IMVU? Just a chat room with avatars. Cloud Party? Gone. High Fidelity? Still mostly a gleam in Philip Rosedale's eye. Unity 3D? Beyond the scope of most faculty and hobbyist developers.</span><br />
<br />
<span id="comment-6a00d8341bf74053ef01a511ac2ca9970c-content">Garry's Mod? Exactly how much technical knowledge does one need to run that thing?</span><br />
<span id="comment-6a00d8341bf74053ef01a511ac2ca9970c-content"><br /></span>
<span id="comment-6a00d8341bf74053ef01a511ac2ca9970c-content">Let me know what else does what SL does: a sandbox for user-generated content that purports to be a metaverse. I'm waiting.</span><br />
<span id="comment-6a00d8341bf74053ef01a511ac2ca9970c-content"><br /></span>
<span id="comment-6a00d8341bf74053ef01a511ac2ca9970c-content">That's the brilliance of finding a niche. If only Linden Lab would exploit that. Others do.</span><br />
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<span id="comment-6a00d8341bf74053ef01a511ac2ca9970c-content">In renovating a house currently, I found myself completely unwilling to undertake needed work in the crawl space. I have done such work before personally, raking out ruts, putting in a vapor barrier, sealing around wires and pipes, installing subfloor insulation. Most HVAC and plumbing companies--mainstream all--would not touch my latest crawl space for a price I can afford.</span><br />
<span id="comment-6a00d8341bf74053ef01a511ac2ca9970c-content"><br />Enter a local firm called CrawlSpace Ace, whose owner told me that they found a profitable niche, dirty work to be sure, and cornered the market. They do not want for business. <a href="http://www.nachi.org/forum/f13/tight-crawl-spaces-1466/" target="_blank">Read this thread</a> for contractors to see why, but read it during the daylight hours. You won't sleep well otherwise.</span><br />
<span id="comment-6a00d8341bf74053ef01a511ac2ca9970c-content"><br /></span>
<span id="comment-6a00d8341bf74053ef01a511ac2ca9970c-content">So what would Linden Lab have to do to think like a crawl-space contractor? The improvements listed early in this post would help. Then they must retain the loyalists. Eventually, they have to lower tier. </span><br />
<span id="comment-6a00d8341bf74053ef01a511ac2ca9970c-content"><br /></span>
<span id="comment-6a00d8341bf74053ef01a511ac2ca9970c-content">All that has been said. Yet if a crawl-space contractor can make a go of it, an IT firm in The Bay Area certainly can. We are still waiting.</span>Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-9364761651822511702014-03-07T08:59:00.000-08:002014-03-07T09:10:06.180-08:00SL Go Road Trip: A "Five-Star Flight to Somalia"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_f_YMyV5WrRnaMj3Ti92ln2jCZYwZo4H3o9I6F7GmmDadLN-BZCp5GnvcJ83Lot5t4MsBNxzr4prKeTAmauOdxU6TGD2Qd5PxLCgcOtH7_02eh-JxPXHsACuSbxVpYPaXvXHJej22IdLB/s1600/road+trip+fail_003.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_f_YMyV5WrRnaMj3Ti92ln2jCZYwZo4H3o9I6F7GmmDadLN-BZCp5GnvcJ83Lot5t4MsBNxzr4prKeTAmauOdxU6TGD2Qd5PxLCgcOtH7_02eh-JxPXHsACuSbxVpYPaXvXHJej22IdLB/s1600/road+trip+fail_003.jpg" height="243" width="400" /></a></div>
<b>Location: OnLive with SL Go</b><br />
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I didn't even get photos with it, so my Firestorm shots will have to suffice. Today I thought I'd do a comparison test with Linden Lab's OnLive-based client, SL Go and my regular Firestorm client.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2014/03/hands-on-with-sl-go.html" target="_blank">Iris Ophelia had great luck </a>walking around and taking photos with SL Go. Iggy, however, wants to drive a CAR and cross sims, not be a fashionista. That should work in a driving game, so in this newly gamified SL, why the heck not?<br />
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First I logged in with Firestorm and tried, twice, to get my car across some sims. Here's the first attempt:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4MiSrVbww71l5NBep09ocWCvQfAxptQ-TgoOcVj-KMPDVqRvEBi-0LNoa_MXFBQk8HarQfXc6tnMaxSqg3vvBXuXETnoAq8iXM903vzManbkLo8OlmnBaRrgAV_ZTHBWb7RtE1BBZoxJe/s1600/road+trip+fail_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4MiSrVbww71l5NBep09ocWCvQfAxptQ-TgoOcVj-KMPDVqRvEBi-0LNoa_MXFBQk8HarQfXc6tnMaxSqg3vvBXuXETnoAq8iXM903vzManbkLo8OlmnBaRrgAV_ZTHBWb7RtE1BBZoxJe/s1600/road+trip+fail_001.jpg" height="243" width="400" /> </a></div>
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Yes, readers, that was fun. And familiar.</div>
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I relogged and went back to the rezz spot by Linden Highway 7A to try try again. This time, things worked rather nicely! I had some rubber-banding when crossing sims, but no outright failures or crashes. I even got a few glam shots with draw-distance set to 256 meters on my viewer.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5_D6jaEsxW1Otg0TAC-Xga1uUUBv5GPr1eiE9iOUa6-jUMdWb1p_iU4DoQ7298VlEzEqQEuM3cCt6-DPX7ZPHvmqsUfa9OZ2Bhlj2KjZ7ajS5Req40fjXQaMpbiKX33WNeWzgura-udT/s1600/road+trip+fail_005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ5_D6jaEsxW1Otg0TAC-Xga1uUUBv5GPr1eiE9iOUa6-jUMdWb1p_iU4DoQ7298VlEzEqQEuM3cCt6-DPX7ZPHvmqsUfa9OZ2Bhlj2KjZ7ajS5Req40fjXQaMpbiKX33WNeWzgura-udT/s1600/road+trip+fail_005.jpg" height="243" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJ6M9popPLBOFAua7o6Q7EcaX8X9f12V_msQwdtCu1RQ4Knx5Jy19f-JdKwPZKw-QNc8HOeGBCybO_N49336iATrglH3UT6-oo9lZElSlVQULr6d6H8rwyGVuNMbVJgA22IWkUdeK9mJa/s1600/road+trip+fail_006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiJ6M9popPLBOFAua7o6Q7EcaX8X9f12V_msQwdtCu1RQ4Knx5Jy19f-JdKwPZKw-QNc8HOeGBCybO_N49336iATrglH3UT6-oo9lZElSlVQULr6d6H8rwyGVuNMbVJgA22IWkUdeK9mJa/s1600/road+trip+fail_006.jpg" height="243" width="400" /> </a></div>
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Not bad for third gear in the GTO, which would have been almost racing velocity back in the olden days. I figured "if it's THIS good with Firestorm, I need to try SL GO and burn through my free 20 minutes."</div>
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Fumbling along after installing OnLive, I found SL Go with some difficulty in the "My Games" section and logged in. More fumbling, all of my own doing, ensued as I navigated the client.</div>
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Then I tried to rezz the car and "jump in" as the pie menu commands.</div>
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I was standing in space, high above SL, unable to teleport. My friend Grizzla IMed to ask if I'd tried SL Go. My reply, about the client and Linden Lab, remains unprintable.</div>
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<br /></div>
This new experience would lure me at 99 cents an hour for a bit of gaming-style driving across SL's increasingly empty mainland, when and if SL Go works on my favored rig. Right now, $3 an hour is too steep though it could be an important new revenue stream for Linden Lab. I will try again on my Macbook Pro (their highest end model) and later with iOS when they release that client. But color me dubious, if not gone.<br />
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In the end, on both log ins I saw scads of abandoned mainland and a few green dots. Linden Lab has needed something like SL Go for a long time. But the time for it may have passed. SL Go did deliver nice graphics during the three minutes before I crashed. </div>
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But the core technologies of Second Life are antique. As a commenter at New World Notes so aptly put it, SL Go reminds him of taking a five-star flight to Somalia.</div>
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<br />Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-70139595780636015532014-02-27T12:50:00.001-08:002014-02-27T12:55:30.451-08:00Private Estates Climb in Second Life<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDh-ygbkNMMQgpq_Ah-czr0x9LlFsiVEDrXQAoU_GrNDZwQsFrhG7YmqiqPCffd1bSbd2EYGIXwYEdbXvFCwR0d1bDrBbamsypSNHPD5hYJw2_FeR76eVdka4MlJFwvP0U4m4xmRPeRMzF/s1600/bourbon1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDh-ygbkNMMQgpq_Ah-czr0x9LlFsiVEDrXQAoU_GrNDZwQsFrhG7YmqiqPCffd1bSbd2EYGIXwYEdbXvFCwR0d1bDrBbamsypSNHPD5hYJw2_FeR76eVdka4MlJFwvP0U4m4xmRPeRMzF/s1600/bourbon1.jpg" height="268" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Location: Thinking about a new SL Road Trip</b><br />
<br />
I admit that I have had a morbid interest in watching the slow decline in the number of private estates in Second Life, using <a href="http://www.gridsurvey.com/" target="_blank">Grid Survey</a> as my point of reference.<br />
<br />
For the first time in a LONG time, the number of private estates has risen. One week does not a trend make, but a net gain of 16 regions sticks right out.<br />
<br />
Have a few folks who hold land in the virtual world, sensing a new direction by Linden Lab's newly annointed CEO, decided to expand their considerable investment? Or is this mere chance?<br />
<br />
If we do see an upward trend in region numbers, then many prognosticators, myself included will have to revise a few ideas.Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-35266640270565378282014-01-25T17:05:00.000-08:002014-01-26T14:36:46.318-08:00Cloud Party, We Barely Knew You<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW3mgdvGS8hLJrlMizJC5UIaSpAVUCs_jkww9KL_b7S9IfNqpFsWbFIYNvnClFKsIOGITrmyu-UlZn_12IlrtvSMYknKu1zUTq_7fEI5LiKz3NBopSXnAo5CtB10SLVSNXHRNMHdIJYU4i/s1600/Joeshouse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW3mgdvGS8hLJrlMizJC5UIaSpAVUCs_jkww9KL_b7S9IfNqpFsWbFIYNvnClFKsIOGITrmyu-UlZn_12IlrtvSMYknKu1zUTq_7fEI5LiKz3NBopSXnAo5CtB10SLVSNXHRNMHdIJYU4i/s1600/Joeshouse.jpg" height="285" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>Location: Prognosticator's Chair</b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b><br /></b></div>
I never spent much time in Cloud Party, though Cyn Skyberg did reach out for a phone interview about the potential of the virtual world for education.<br />
<br />
I was my usual glum self about the future of user-generated virtual worlds: I told Cyn that if CP didn't run on mobile devices well, my students would roll their eyes and say "oh please. More busy work." If they could, however, explore the richness of a virtual world between texts and status updates (he says with a smirk) they might not savage me in class evaluations.<br />
<br />
Despite my glumness, I still think the technology has a future, and Cloud Party impressed me. Now Yahoo <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2014/01/24/yahoo-acquires-will-shut-down-browser-based-virtual-world-gaming-startup-cloud-party/" target="_blank">has bought the company and will shut it down</a>.<br />
<br />
My glumness about virtual worlds also has a note of regret: I liked Cloud Party's browser-based world and freedom, as in Second Life, for normal humans without skills with Maya or Blender to make content.<br />
<br />
What Yahoo does with the Cloud Party team remains to be seen. Yahoo is trying to survive in a hostile environment dominated by Facebook, Google, and Twitter as places where users spend lots of time finding or sharing content. Perhaps Yahoo will launch games through its portal as Facebook has done well (including Cloud Party).<br />
<br />
What an interesting week in the otherwise moribund world of user-generated virtual worlds. With Rod Humble leaving Linden Lab as CEO and Cloud Party running down the curtain, we'll see what comes next. Philip Rosedale has not, apparently, given up on the technology. His High Fidelity project looks like a reboot of SL's utopian promise.<br />
<br />
So accuse me of wanting to believe. I don't need virtual worlds to socialize, but they rock for building simulations and DIY roleplaying. Here's to someone getting it right and making it a popular way to spend time!Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-90111508057547054572013-10-17T12:27:00.000-07:002013-10-17T12:28:04.070-07:00Some Numbers to Ponder<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYcNnzdewMDTC-n_5QipctU6YuJZJOJoi1PcIB6krSmbdITZYWyKx8qDSpWkPF80obl3kH55C2bdDWa8jb9qkw3BQS1K9rNnIkirLgFmePsgQ1p_Rq5G7lbAIElMiEnPk7e1m-2nOLHIT0/s1600/stats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYcNnzdewMDTC-n_5QipctU6YuJZJOJoi1PcIB6krSmbdITZYWyKx8qDSpWkPF80obl3kH55C2bdDWa8jb9qkw3BQS1K9rNnIkirLgFmePsgQ1p_Rq5G7lbAIElMiEnPk7e1m-2nOLHIT0/s320/stats.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Though I did get an A+ in the one statistics class I was forced to take (and perversely, enjoyed immensely) I'm no number-cruncher.<br />
<br />
So I "ran a few numbers" today, while watching<a href="http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2013/10/second-life-tos-protest-copybot.html" target="_blank"> the verbal pie-fight at NWN</a> about the Linden Lab terms of service and how it might be influencing content creators. It would seem to me that a better test of Linden Lab's success or failure would be how many new content-creators are coming into the platform. A few high-level departures now won't do much, in terms of establishing a trend.<br />
<br />
There is a clear trend to ponder in SL. I pulled these figures from <a href="http://gridsurvey.com/" target="_blank">Grid Survey's</a> rankings of private estates in-world:<br />
<br />
<b>Date/ Number of private estates / Change from previous entry</b><br />
<br />
10-18-10 / 24791<br />
10-31-11 / 24432 / -359 regions<br />
10-14-12 / 21504 / -2928 regions<br />
10-13-13 / 19582 / -1922 regions<br />
<br />
I suppose there's comfort in the smaller decline from 2012 to 2013. What does the overall trend portend? At some point, there will come a tipping point. What the Lindens do when their world is no longer profitable enough to satisfy their Board remains as mysterious as anything else that comes from their offices.<br />
<br />Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-35163325030075898562013-09-26T18:40:00.000-07:002013-09-26T18:44:41.088-07:00Linden TOS = Theft?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdH71Y4VcF5Mw6hF4Yw5Ny9rHDsIpeX46q1A6LpYayvyDafSRCwZreEp6H-YTTAHFDEe7GdYsaqeVoWGqjsyqU0moF73Lxrd5v0YMiY42T27g70ULY_jzeV3ANVkVdVr9QfKTA8B2_pds/s1600/130926_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzdH71Y4VcF5Mw6hF4Yw5Ny9rHDsIpeX46q1A6LpYayvyDafSRCwZreEp6H-YTTAHFDEe7GdYsaqeVoWGqjsyqU0moF73Lxrd5v0YMiY42T27g70ULY_jzeV3ANVkVdVr9QfKTA8B2_pds/s400/130926_001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b>Location: State of Shock</b><br />
<br />
The new Linden Terms of Service raised many hackles at today's VWER meeting, which I agreed to host as Kali was away.<br />
<br />
Note the clauses here:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"you agree to grant to Linden Lab, the non-exclusive, unrestricted,
unconditional, unlimited, worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual, and
cost-free right and license to use, copy, record, distribute, reproduce,
disclose, <b>sell, re-sell, sublicense (through multiple levels), modify</b>,
display, publicly perform, transmit, publish, broadcast, translate, make
derivative works of, and <b>otherwise exploit in any manner whatsoever</b>,
all or any portion of your User Content"</blockquote>
I'm glad I'm done teaching with Second Life. Never again. And the Lindens must have good lawyers. Vassar still has content there; the new TOS means that Lindens could use Vassar's logo or re-sell it, if one applies the TOS literally.<br />
<br />
Yet another reason to set up one's own grid and distribute the work under a Creative-Commons license. Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-40650898342002238182013-08-28T11:16:00.003-07:002013-08-28T11:16:51.724-07:00VWER Educators Discuss the Linden Discount<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRQEBa7d_FCRC9KtBq8t9Fa71uAE6dCiKp9aIpuaAertT2jmSPLXhJN9K0f9Bci-cAAUPrzu00Qve5qZcNoLjpb5zeGsYOw4LvB5RavxwGRUuZbPL-h04X_vdU-myuDja79MVct9vtnRK3/s1600/130817_005.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRQEBa7d_FCRC9KtBq8t9Fa71uAE6dCiKp9aIpuaAertT2jmSPLXhJN9K0f9Bci-cAAUPrzu00Qve5qZcNoLjpb5zeGsYOw4LvB5RavxwGRUuZbPL-h04X_vdU-myuDja79MVct9vtnRK3/s400/130817_005.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b>Location: Back in Second Life, Briefly</b><br />
<br />
On August 15, I guest moderated the VWER meeting and decided it was time to chat about the new tier discount in SL, to see what others think or are doing.<br />
<br />
The complete transcript of our meeting <a href="http://www.vwer.org/2013/08/15/august-15-2013-the-new-edu-discount-and-your-second-life/" target="_blank">can be found here</a>. Meanwhile, it's safe to say that a few "wants" emerged from our meeting, even as Linden Lab reinstates its discount:<br />
<ul>
<li><b>An educational continent: </b>this was on the Linden radar in 2010, before the company suddenly fired its staff who supported education. We'd get a lot of synergy from proximity, and we'd also be able to rent parcels smaller than an entire sim, in a setting with others like us.</li>
<li><b>Linden staff tasked to support education:</b> As in "full-time and on-call." The software vendors I deal with, as I pay them far less annually than what we'd pay in discounted Linden tier, have these helpers by the phone during US business hours. Many at the VWER meeting felt that Linden Lab could afford concierge service for education, too. </li>
<li><b>An educational portal online: </b>It's just an embarrassment to show educators and administrators the socially focused SL Web site, let alone the racy content of Marketplace. We need something that looks like education, not reality TV.</li>
<li><b>Fixing permissions for group builds:</b> We need a new level of permissions so that student builders (who graduate) can not only transfer content to a team but cede "Creator" setting so the content can be exported, backed up, and linked for builds. While we are at it, how about some off-world backups of the IP we create?</li>
</ul>
Great ideas, all. I am not holding my breath.<br />
<br />
Though I personally think it's too late to bring education back to SL, or even reversing the continuing loss of land-mass in the once popular virtual world, if the Lindens are serious about it, these steps would help. There are other choices out there beyond OpenSim; Educators now can <a href="http://becunningandfulloftricks.com/2013/08/15/how-to-convert-a-prim-based-object-in-second-life-or-opensim-into-a-mesh-object-on-your-hard-drive-using-the-singularity-viewer/" target="_blank">export virtual-worlds content to worlds employing Unity 3D content</a>.Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-37769632012035567542013-08-06T11:43:00.001-07:002013-08-06T11:44:54.429-07:00What Rod Humble Saw<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEApSkhYaH_u4gBEeS9-1UBghODfExkTP4l6GJ-PK40FOIa0Xa6QTOJV4tXvwbNgSvS25FgbvEdiT76ivhg5xlfqepIrWlmabcMgKiLOdTc_HW0shir0j6Y7qLTmGwziKE4Iz4RbIIWcf/s1600/rodandpappy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEEApSkhYaH_u4gBEeS9-1UBghODfExkTP4l6GJ-PK40FOIa0Xa6QTOJV4tXvwbNgSvS25FgbvEdiT76ivhg5xlfqepIrWlmabcMgKiLOdTc_HW0shir0j6Y7qLTmGwziKE4Iz4RbIIWcf/s400/rodandpappy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b>Location: Linden Lab Secret Facility</b><br />
<br />
Now we
know the CEO's experience with the Oculus Rift. I think the new-projects
team went right out to <a href="http://www.vesuvio.com/" target="_blank">Vesuvio</a> and got plastered.<br />
<br />Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-38642785718105263062013-07-15T11:24:00.002-07:002013-07-15T11:47:44.094-07:00Usher 2013: What the Students Would Change<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghilxgKnUkNxIDCKzCXkHVzGxbi8OtlCiaU6LJ6du2CzwGN27SxcRwv0qLlOhsSO2r-aiNvuO-7gXZFahhyBbTimfrf774ZuN1U7Xm5SQzG09s9m-6sV_3P-4pLdRLO72CpVXbIC5840Tq/s1600/usher+2013+d_002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghilxgKnUkNxIDCKzCXkHVzGxbi8OtlCiaU6LJ6du2CzwGN27SxcRwv0qLlOhsSO2r-aiNvuO-7gXZFahhyBbTimfrf774ZuN1U7Xm5SQzG09s9m-6sV_3P-4pLdRLO72CpVXbIC5840Tq/s400/usher+2013+d_002.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b>Location: Pushing back from keyboard</b><br />
<br />
<b>Note:</b> To my readers who have followed the blog, it will go fairly quiet now, with perhaps an occasional post from time to time. I'm not in-world enough in SL or OpenSim to justify more, and my other writing beckons.<br />
<br />
Thanks for all your comments and ideas over the years.<br />
<br />
My students had a lot to say about my final experiment with virtual worlds. I'd suggest these critical remarks, following what they liked, may help others playing with interactive fiction using virtual worlds or other technologies.<br />
<br />
As you read them, you'll notice conflicting desires. I suspect the most popular sort of interactive literary experience will steer between constraint and complete freedom. I'll leave that up to others to try. <br />
<br />
<b>Too Much or Too Little Freedom?</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Although the freedom of virtual simulation enables a more personal experience with the story, the freedom is to the detriment of the author’s intent. By providing so much freedom in the story, the meaning behind the story gets lost. In addition, the agency given to the avatars permits characters to get lost, die, or make another mistake that removes them from the storyline.
</li>
<li>One thing that was detrimental about having so much freedom was the fact that we could go anywhere we wanted even when we were not supposed to. There were several times that I ended up In a room I wasn’t supposed to find, or followed Madeline upstairs when she was trying to do something secretively. That may have been a glitch in the software, or we may have just been too clever, but it made the experience a little confusing.
</li>
<li>Having read the story prior to the interactive experience, I felt that the simulation lacked depth because it did not hold the same meaning that Poe intended it to, which I find to be an injustice to the great author. In fact, the storyline in my experience not only lacked depth but also action because most of the simulation was dialogue among the avatars. Though the conflict in Poe’s story involves a live burial and revenge, the conflict in my simulation simply had to do with Madeline’s doctor not being exactly who Roderick thought he was. This ultimately led the online story to not be extremely engaging.
</li>
<li>Even though the story was quite interesting, the final outcome was limited – Madeline either lives or dies. A simulation of a story with broader plot and more characters might also result in better experience. </li>
<li>If I could fix anything about the way this final was conducted, I would make the simulation contain more action. We reached a certain point where I got bored with the large amount of conversation and the lack of more engaging activity. Maybe in the future, this final exam simulation could contain a battle of some sort. The characters could fight a ghost trying to attack them or a doctor trying to take Madeline away for experimenting, or have some other type of fun and unexpected action-based conflict.
</li>
</ul>
<b>The Setting </b><br />
<ul>
<li>I thought the setting could have been improved. The House of Usher is supposed to be a scary place, however the larger, open rooms, bright Victorian furniture, and wider hallways failed to frighten. I would have liked to see the house’s hallways and rooms more damp, dark, and crowded. This virtual house also wasn’t as effective as Poe’s writing because a depiction of the setting makes it evident that Poe’s descriptions are now clichéd. </li>
</ul>
<b>Adding Interaction and Giving Out the Clues:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>More accessible clues would have certainly been helpful: perhaps hints to secrets hidden around the house or scavenger hunt-type clues. At a certain point during the simulation, I felt stuck given the information that I currently had and was not sure how to proceed—notes that led me to specific locations would have helped keep me on the move. In addition to this, interactive items would have been more than welcome and probably a lot of fun. I felt useless in the crypt when I was being shot at by the doctor and did not have a weapon. The ability to use objects, especially weapons, would definitely have made me feel more integrated into the story. The more that a character can physically do, the more lifelike a simulation feels.
</li>
<li> I also think that searching for clues and interacting with the house could have been a bigger component. Speaking with the actors playing Roderick and Madeleine was an important and interesting part of the experience, but got a little repetitive and boring during the first half of the simulation.</li>
<li>I think that the clues that we found were not really helpful in the simulation because they did not really direct us to a solution in any way. There were also too many of them that did not pertain to the plot. Instead Roderick and Madeline could give us clues to help us find the Easter eggs within the simulation
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<b>Final Top-Hat Tip</b><br />
<br />
One sad coda to my work of 6 years with virtual worlds: not a single
student mentioned the Usher project in their formal class evaluations.
In fact, I believe that the time spent preparing for Usher hurt my other teaching, and thus my evaluations overall.<br />
<br />
It
will be a long time, if ever, that I use this technology with undergraduates. I don't expect SL to thrive again in the way that it was thriving when this blog began, in its original format, in 2007. That said, I wish those in SL's niche-universe good luck. If something like SL becomes popular with the somewhat jaded and very careerist students I
teach, I'll give it another go. <br />
<br />
Until then, so long and thanks for all the prims. Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-64669594743583678942013-05-24T10:35:00.001-07:002013-05-24T10:37:57.069-07:00House of Usher 2013: What the Students Liked<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmagknO4jZFpnJAdj0Yiz077tusDoknkyRvUGkvxgEgPpw2HoJWi8h7lSZsKSaH-Bdd4qcu5TukVFUyHR3xT_-IbG0t25g7YXe4LLFdXupCxer0QuJ_ym8hOecWFBeuYF15aFvJY0TUAIo/s1600/usher+2013+c_001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmagknO4jZFpnJAdj0Yiz077tusDoknkyRvUGkvxgEgPpw2HoJWi8h7lSZsKSaH-Bdd4qcu5TukVFUyHR3xT_-IbG0t25g7YXe4LLFdXupCxer0QuJ_ym8hOecWFBeuYF15aFvJY0TUAIo/s400/usher+2013+c_001.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<b>Location: Far from virtual worlds</b><br />
<br />
For what will most likely be my final teaching experience with virtual worlds, I tried to add depth as requested by the last group, in Spring 2011. Notably, I added more clues, plus a real-life scavenger hunt / mystery on campus. Second, I added a combat system and some dangers to the House of Usher.<br />
<br />
I want to share the experiences and advice of the class this year, but I will do so in two posts.<br />
<br />
First, what students had to say went well. Each bullet point comes from a different student.<br />
<br />
As others with more support and energy than I have build virtual-worlds simulations, I hope this feedback will guide them. It was fun, but, frankly, too much work give how my job is structured. I doubt I would take on a project like this again, if I had to build it all from scratch.<br />
<br />
Be that as it may, thanks to my actor-volunteers and students. <br />
<br />
<b>Immersion:</b><br />
<ul>
<li>I felt that speaking on the screen, rather than with our
mouths made the simulation more immersive. It made the simulation feel a little
more game-like and controlled. Though we could say whatever we wanted, we had
to be careful with our words, because it was up to the reader entirely to
decide the tone of our words.
</li>
<li>Unlike the short story, the simulation did also provide me with an extra way to see into the characters’ minds: diary entries and notes. One particular example of this is a note written by Madeline, which states, “I do not think that Roderick is correct in providing me with Laudanum. I fear that it will not assist me with this malady of walking about at night. I would prefer to lock my door." In reading this, my player discovered a distrust of Roderick that Madeline does not make public. Playing as a character in a simulation allows for more direct access to the other characters themselves, though it remains impossible to fully delve inside of their minds.</li>
<li>The amount of detail that went into the virtual house eased the immersion into the world of Poe. Because of the elaborate design of the virtual world, I was able to notice any important hint or clue that could help me with my task. For example, by reading the letters and journals that Madeline and Roderick wrote, I gained a lot of information about their respective illnesses and Madeline’s doctor. In addition to the copious amount of detail that the virtual setting offered, it also allowed me to create my own story.</li>
<li>I was sucked into the recreation of the Fall of the House of Usher to
the degree that it felt ‘abnormal’ being in the real world. There were
many factors that allowed for such an amazing experience. To begin with,
the ‘cast’ of the story in the virtual world was dressed in authentic
looking attire which one might have worn during the 19th century. Other
than a few slipups, the characters conversed (through chat) in a manner
similar to what one might expect from the people of the era. </li>
</ul>
<b>Simulation Vs. Media With Deterministic Endings</b><br />
<ul>
<li>For the vast majority of us who read stories or watch movies for fun today, these art works are onetime thing – rarely do we watch a movie or read a story again. Developing simulation for movies and stories might change this. If a story is, for instance, simulated with multiple outcomes, the audience will try and change the end of the story from the original work, possibly to avoid a danger their favorite character faces in the original story. This might require more than a single attempt.</li>
<li>This technique of storytelling has been employed in many video games over the years. In the <i>Mass Effect</i> trilogy for example the players actions could change the outcome and would be carried over three games something not possible in a two hour movie or even a long book. The atmosphere of the original [story] is kept in the simulation along with the added mystery of the final outcome.</li>
<li>What I found impressive in the simulation was its small details. For instance, you need to say a password as the code to open the door in crypt. Though this advanced technology was not available at that time, it was particularly interesting when you typed in the password in the chat column and the door opened. You could virtually sit down, drink absinthe, and light a candle. The horrific sound tracks in the game really exaggerated the melancholy and dark atmosphere, which is something the film and original novel did not have.</li>
<li>In “The Fall of the House of Usher” there was a lot of mystery surrounding the characters. Roderick’s actions were completely unexplained and readers finished the story with more questions than they started with. The interactive experience gave some insight into why the characters acted in certain ways. Unlike a movie, the student is not watching one person’s interpretation of a story. Instead, the student’s interpretation is combined . . . . with the teacher’s interpretation.</li>
</ul>
<b>Augmented Reality: The Egg-Hunt
</b><br />
<ul>
<li>I believe that the scavenger hunt that we went on to get the eggs added to the experience of the final by adding the mystery or giving an insight into what we would see in the final. The hunt could be considered the prologue to the final.</li>
</ul>
Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-50711335885377447992013-05-12T18:01:00.003-07:002013-05-12T18:03:22.131-07:00Commencement 2013: The Avatars Walk!<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/8631863038/" title="University of Richmond, Richmond, VA. by Boston Public Library, on Flickr"><img alt="University of Richmond, Richmond, VA." height="320" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8119/8631863038_60097e5f52.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<b>Location: Robins Center, University of Richmond</b><br />
<br />
<i>image credit: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/boston_public_library/8631863038/" target="_blank">Boston Public Library</a> at Flickr </i><b><br /></b><br />
<br />
I have reflected here before <a href="http://iggyo.blogspot.com/2010/05/college-commencement-virtual-world-ends.html" target="_blank">on the temporary and invented community that a college campus provides</a>. <br />
<br />
Today, my last group to use Second Life for an entire semester graduated. As a commencement marshal, I got to be up near the stage to help seat, direct, and congratulate our newest alumni. It's bittersweet to see them leave, as they were curious and interested students.<br />
<br />
When I took my favorite walk of the year, from the ceremony back to my office to hang up my cap and gown, I thought about how time passes. Today was wistful and perfect day, with light cloud, cool breezes, but warm-enough
sun to remind us it is Spring in Virginia, the best time of all here. One colleague nearing retirement said to me "the years pass at first like telephone poles from a car window, then the pickets of a fence, then railroad ties."<br />
<br />
As is always the case, the campus is boisterous near the basketball gym where the thousands of parents, staff, and students gather after the last diploma has been conferred. My walk in my academic robes takes me, in stages, further and further from those happy sounds and into the clear light of a quiet May afternoon. Soon the brick buildings--our campus looks like Hogwarts--loom in the clear daylight as if they'd been there for centuries. Eventually all sounds, save those of Nature, are muted.<br />
<br />
It's a ritual I never miss each year.<br />
<br />
Next month, I'm going to return to my own alma mater's 30th reunion, partly because of the mark the education there left on me.<br />
<br />
Thirty years! <br />
<br />
Yes, in time in all becomes a blur. I suspect we'll all look back on the early days of virtual worlds that way, too, and say "that only seems like yesterday!" Moreover, I hope my students recall the strange experience of exploring SL as a possible future for communications, as they struggled to master the art of writing in academic settings.Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-48328739282205122412013-05-07T06:31:00.002-07:002013-05-07T06:58:02.661-07:00Deformed: Virtual Worlds & 1970s Computing History<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nmc-campus/3087552494/" title="Mother of All Demos by NMC Second Life, on Flickr"><img alt="Mother of All Demos" height="364" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3206/3087552494_e3127e3dd0.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<b>Location: Watching Douglas Engelbart's "The Mother of all Demos"</b><br />
<br />
<i>image credit: New Media Consortium <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/nmc-campus/3087552494/" target="_blank">at Flickr </a></i><br />
<br />
Many of us who have dabbled with virtual worlds have wondered how they could form a constellation of networked systems, in much the same way as the Internet's servers do today. Whatever the fate of this niche technology called virtual worlds, from
the failure to run on mobile devices to the inherent boom-bust cycle of
<i>Second Life</i>'s particular brand, the road not taken always beckons.<br />
<br />
There is an historical precedent here, and it's one that has a happy
ending. Could the same be true for virtual worlds?<br />
<br />
<b>Today's Internet: Clarke's Law in Action </b><br />
<br />
For a moment, consider the complex and delicate magic that occurs whenever we use the Internet. My university server talks fine to Google, for work such as the just-completed Usher project. Whenever the Outlook mail client randomly eats student file attachments sent to me, I smile. Ah, Microsoft's wonderfully Byzantine and wonderfully doomed, technology, eating even its own Word files. Cue Apple and Google, as the Ottomans on the horizon, slowly gobbling up a once mighty empire. Good riddance.<br />
<br />
Then, because of the lack of monopoly that Microsoft coveted and almost got, I have the students try, try again with Gmail. Excede's servers send me the results and, once I type, transmit my thoughts--profound or inane--from home travel via satellite to Google. When I send notice of this post to interested folks at Twitter or Facebook, the servers hosting that data all "talk" to one another.<br />
<br />
<b>Types of Gardens and a World-Wide Web, 1975?</b><br />
<br />
Compare that to virtual worlds technology, ostensibly part of the Internet since that is how we access it. <i>Second Life</i>, <i>InWorldz</i>, and many others that share core technologies could, in theory, speak to each other. Had development not branched off as it has done, Linden Lab and a few other grids might have pioneered a system for avatars and inventory to travel from world to world. That happens with OpenSim Hypergridding, a technology that John Lester promoted, before his work for Reaction Grid turned to Jibe-based 3D worlds. But "interoperability" died years ago at Linden Lab, and it seems unlikely to return.<br />
<br />
It's curious, this set of walled gardens. If today the Internet resembles Borges Garden of Forking Paths, Virtual Worlds resemble something else: the road taken in the 1970s toward personal computing.<br />
<br />
I realized that while reading John Markoff's <i>What the Dormouse Said</i>, a history of early computing got influenced by the American Counterculture:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When personal computing finally blossomed in Silicon Valley in the mid-seventies, it did so largely without the history and research that had gone before it. As a consequence, the personal-computer industry would be deformed for years, creating a world of isolated desktop boxes, in contrast to the communities of shared information that had been pioneered in the sixties and early seventies. (179)</blockquote>
The Internet did not begin with Al Gore, whatever he may have claimed. It did not begin in Jobs' family garage and with Steve Wozniak's brilliant hardware hacks. It did not begin at Xerox PARC with the Alto. The personal computer with a GUI and mouse? Yes, we can credit or blame Xerox and Apple for that.<br />
<br />
But years before, nearly every element of the modern Internet would have been possible with the Augment system, developed under the leadership of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Engelbart" target="_blank">Douglas Engelbart</a>. Yet that development stalled and ended, a revolution stillborn. I think we can see an analogue for what is going on, at this cultural moment, with user-generated virtual worlds.<br />
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<i>Engelbart's Mouse</i> </div>
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<br /></div>
Want to see what might have been for the Internet? I am convinced that had something like Augment been made less opaque for casual users, we'd have had an academic, and perhaps consumer Internet in 1975. Engelbart gave a show-stopper of a demo in 1968, with mouse, text-editing with clipboard and copy/paste, multiple files, graphics on screen, electronic mail, hyperlinks tagged to graphics, and remote visitors via a network. You can see what he was doing with Augment at <a href="http://sloan.stanford.edu/mousesite/1968Demo.html" target="_blank">these videos</a> from Stanford.<br />
<br />
The reasons for Augment's failure are complex; Markoff's book does justice both to the creator's vision and his ultimate failure to produce a widely adapted product. What happened, however, for consumers was the emergence of walled gardens and proprietary systems from Apple, Microsoft, Digital, Tandy, and other competitors forgotten except by historians of technology.<br />
<br />
When the Internet emerged, it came late to a culture of desktop boxes that could not, generally, talk to one another.<br />
<br />
What if the personal computer revolution had <i>begun </i>with networking? And similarly...<br />
<br />
<b>What if Virtual Worlds Had Begun with Interoperability?</b><br />
<br />
I'm writing an article about one group of USENET hobbyists who have made the jump to Facebook, because the old .alt group proved too chaotic and full of spammers, trolls, and other bottom feeders. They also made the leap because, frankly, .jpgs and text import and export well between applications. Text did in Engelbart's day.<br />
<br />
Little aside from these, plus Collada files and some other graphic formats, can move between different virtual worlds. Standards for inventories, for avatar meshes, and for "land" templates are different. In this technology landscape, OpenSim grids serve as today's Augment. Managing a bunch of avatars and a region in OS is hard to master, not stable in my experience except in the hands of a pro, but interoperable. Running an entire campus-hosted grid would be lovely, but it's beyond my time or expertise to learn. <br />
<br />
Other products with potential beyond SL's technology, such Unity 3D and Jibe, produce elegant worlds, but they don't talk to other worlds and expert designers need to craft objects. They do offer vast potential, <a href="http://www.hypergridbusiness.com/2012/02/opensim-founder-goes-for-unity/" target="_blank">according to OpenSim pioneer Adam Frisby</a>, for scaling, running on mobile devices, and improved grahics.<br />
<br />
That sounds great until one considers faculty skills-sets and what it takes to build with Unity or Jibe. As noted before in this blog, developing for these platforms may be within reach for architecture and engineering students, but at my university, it's challenge enough to get students to juggle multiple e-mail accounts and embed files from YouTube into their blog posts. We faculty lack time and incentives to do more with them, let alone learn 3D applications such as Maya or Blender. Yet nearly all of us at my school have created content, mostly with text and images and sometimes digital video, and shared it on the Internet.<br />
<br />
For all its limitations and toxicity as a brand, <i>Second Life</i> and,
lets amateurs with a copy of Photoshop build easily. I'm told that Cloud
Party does too, and I will soon try again with Cloud Party's latest
build tools. Scripting remains something for those not faint of heart
and projects to make visual scripting tools, such as MIT's <a href="http://web.mit.edu/%7Eeric_r/Public/S4SL/" target="_blank">Scratch for SL</a>, remain as stillborn as Augment.<br />
<br />
<b>What it will Take to be Disruptive</b><br />
<br />
Here comes a sweeping generalization, and I'm ready to fall on this sword if some wise person can prove me wrong. Virtual worlds will never be a disruptive technology, in Tim Wu's sense of the term, until they become an interoperable and popular tool for everyday life, as the Web and e-mail have become.<br />
<br />
Had virtual worlds begun with a series of collaborative academic ventures rooted in common standards, rather than a group of for-profit start-ups from The Valley, we might have that disruption and a 3D Web today. Then the profits would follow, because in 1968, who could have foreseen eBay or Amazon or Facebook?<br />
<br />
Right now, however, it's still 1968 and we've all seen the potential of a disruptive technology, as those who watched Engelbart's presentation did.<br />
<br />
So today, who will build the 3D Web?<br />
<br />
<br />Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-13957046329588831852013-05-03T07:52:00.002-07:002013-05-03T07:55:14.803-07:00The Silence of the Blogs<b>Location: Blogroll</b><br />
<br />
It's not just this blog that has become quieter. I've noted that Lalo Telling, Tateru Nino, and several other writers who focused primarily on virtual worlds have dropped off my radar. Tateru tweets, and some others post far less frequently than even a year ago.<br />
<br />
Is that merely the drift of writers' interest away from virtual worlds? Or has blogging about this topic, generally, ebbed as interest and land-mass in Second Life have ebbed?<br />
<br />
Did some in education who were grad students stop blogging as their career needs became a necessary priority?<br />
<br />
There are clearly more blogs I should follow. After posting a first draft of this post, I did a quick Google Search and found that <a href="http://danielvoyager.wordpress.com/2012/12/15/lalo-telling-has-passed-away-in-real-life/" target="_blank">Daniel Voyager noted, in December last year</a>, that Lalo's real-life typist passed away. Pity. He was a gifted writer. <br />
<br />
One thing for certain: it's gotten a lot quieter around here.<br />
Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-70742611884687604852013-05-01T05:31:00.001-07:002013-05-01T05:48:41.073-07:00Leaving Las Vegas: 6 Years in Virtual Worlds, Farewell<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/35059420@N03/8681704234/" title="VWER 25 April 2013 by Iggy Onomatopoeia, on Flickr"><img alt="VWER 25 April 2013" height="298" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8406/8681704234_80ec46c2cd.jpg" width="500" /></a><br />
<b>Location: Grading Finals </b><br />
<br />
During the Spring Semester of 2007, this fool rushed into Second Life, something he felt would not only change education but the world beyond. Virtual worlds looked like a utopian technology with lots of zealous folks ready to evangelize the masses.<br />
<br />
Six years later, grading what may be my last-ever student projects about virtual worlds and somewhat wiser, this educated fool wonders why SL did not change the world or even higher ed. I've written elsewhere <a href="http://www.vwer.org/2011/01/14/a-failure-to-disrupt-why-second-life-failed/" target="_blank">about why SL failed to become that "3D Web" of yore</a>. Meanwhile, the bandwagon has moved on, the cheerleaders yelling "hurrah!"and "higher education will never be the same!" for MOOCs.<br />
<br />
I'll sum up what I've learned about utopian narratives and would-be transformative technologies here, based on not only the last 6 but the last 25 years of studying and writing professionally about technological change, especially that which generates legions of enthusiasts.<br />
<ol>
<li>Look past the message to the messenger</li>
<li>Wait for results unless you are an entrepreneur or venture capitalist</li>
<li>Be a trailing-edger</li>
<li>Find community locally, not just online</li>
<li>Consider what students have in their hands</li>
</ol>
<b>Lesson one: Look past the message to the messenger</b><br />
<br />
I first head about Second Life in a story from <i>Wired</i>. That is not a sedate or juried publication; it's the <i>Popular Mechanics </i>of the digital era. Ever the sucker for flying cars and moon bases, I decided "I need to get in early with this technology," not considering that one company, with a closed platform not built for education, held the cards. I trusted the vision of Magic Koolaid provider, Philip Rosedale. Linden Lab's corporate culture and Rosedale's wandering vision both disappointed this educator, along with many colleagues.<br />
<br />
Who is pushing MOOCs today? College faculty members? Technologists who embrace the new without considering pedagogy of large classes with little or no contact with faculty? Right-wing lawmakers eager to dilute the power of those "tenured radicals" supposedly in charge of Higher Ed? Boards of Visitors eager to promote a school "brand" without a clear sense of what it will do to curriculum, staffing, or the long-term value of that "brand"?<br />
<br />
Ask yourself, and take a deep breath before jumping on the band wagon. <br />
<br />
I do wish I'd looked past the euphoria about virtual worlds in 2007 to see who was cheering most loudly. <br />
<br />
<b>Lesson Two: Wait for results, unless you are an entrepreneur or venture capitalist</b><br />
<br />
I was not in virtual worlds for the money. As noted just now, I wanted to be in on "the next Web," as many were then pitching SL. In 1993, when I first saw a moving weather-pattern on the Mosaic browser in Dickie and Cindy Selfe's lab at Michigan Tech, I knew I was seeing something historic. In 2007 I thought so again, without applying the very critical-thinking skills I teach my students.<br />
<br />
From 2003-06 or so, it made sense for venture capitalists to take a bet on this new technology. It might have become the next Web. Educators, however, need to always place sound pedagogy ahead of tech, which is a suspicious I have about the euphoria over MOOCs at the moment. I saw that same brand of enthusiasm for MOOs in the late 80s and early 90s, <a href="http://iggyo.blogspot.com/2011/04/literary-hypertext-rediscovered.html" target="_blank">literary hypertext</a> a bit later, glove-and-goggle VR from the 80s to the present, and of course, virtual worlds.<br />
<br />
While one might reasonably claim that virtual worlds are going to become significant culturally, I'd suspect lots of Magic-Koolaid drinking by an educator who claimed SL will ever again be more than a niche-product in years to come. AJ Kelton of VWER rightly called SL "The AOL of virtual worlds" to the disdain of several Linden Lab staff. AJ was correct, and the Lab staff in question now work elsewhere, after being fired during the first stages of Second Life's ongoing and palpable decline.<br />
<br />
Bottom line for me: waiting to see if SL lived up to its hype would have cost me nothing in 2007, and would have saved me time. Had I first taken a class in-world in 2009, I'd have been ready for the myriad frustrations and technical issues that bedeviled a product that seemed very much in Beta up to that point. <br />
<br />
<b>Lesson Three: Be a trailing-edger</b><br />
<br />
During the summer I spent with the Selfes and their grad students at Michigan Tech, Richard "Dickie" Selfe, co-founder of that school's CCLI humanities lab, along with wife and fellow scholar Cynthia Selfe, once told me only to adopt trailing-edge tech for teaching and learning. The Selfes were among a group of 1980s pioneers with personal computing in the classroom, and Dickie's lab at MTU was a playful space, with stuffed animals, a coffee machine, snacks, and weekend gaming sessions with <i>Doom</i> and similar titles. I'm sure that at Ohio State they continue this practice, so influential to young scholars of writing pedagogy in writing-intensive curricula.<br />
<br />
At every step, while the Selfes liberally experimented with leading-and-bleeding-edge applications, in the classroom they proceeded more carefully with undergraduates. The older technologies were stable, easier to support, and grounded in best practices for teaching.<br />
<br />
My experiences in 2007-8 in SL, and then in 2011 with OpenSim's Jokaydia Grid, taught me the dangers of being on the bleeding edge. My students and I bled. Only Jokay's personal help saved the final exam in 2011, but it left a bitter taste in my mouth for teaching with OpenSim. As for SL, only by 2009 was it stable enough for a class to appreciate. That class was, ironically, my last one to focus on the technology, rather than using it for a single project. <br />
<br />
Today, SL as a product is fairly stable, and critical and scholarly work about virtual worlds has emerged to guide our pedagogy. One would be far better off starting today as a SLer with students, given these two changes. Those on the bleeding edge, however, get cut by it.<br />
<br />
<b>Lesson Four: Find community locally, not just online</b><br />
<br />
My years with the <a href="http://vwer.org/" target="_blank">Virtual Worlds Education Roundtable</a> have been good ones, and I cherish the faculty contacts I have made there. That said, the weekly meetings and constant advice did not compensate for a lack of interest in virtual worlds on my campus. With other innovations, from our Writing Consultants program to First-Year Seminars, we meet in person and I have lunch with folks in the flesh. There is no substitute.<br />
<br />
Our technologists all had avatars before I did, but they never convinced more than a handful of faculty to try SL. The learning curve, the oddness of avatar-based education on a residential campus, and the lack of incentives for faculty all worked against us.<br />
<br />
In the end, SL was an experiment that failed at Richmond. When Linden Lab renewed the 50% discount for education (if you ask the right person!) we declined. Why spend even $150 monthly for a product that might be used once every few years by one faculty member? Meanwhile, our technologists have other more tasks, from supporting Blackboard and other meat-and-drink software to new initiatives with mobile apps.<br />
<br />
Mobile may turn out to be the "new shiny object" for education, but it's not a niche application for students. As for MOOCs? I will wait to see comparative studies of students' learning outcomes in them and outside them. That should have been done for virtual worlds. <br />
<br />
<b>Lesson Five: Consider what students have in their hands</b><br />
<br />
The transition to smart phones as students' primary communications tools has changed everything for us. While laptops abound, students use them like big phones: never plugging in the AC adapters, perching them in nooks where Millennnials gather to collaborate, plastering them with stickers to personalize them. I suspect that with a better keyboard, students would do their content creation on fast tablets, since we have ubiquitous and fast wireless everywhere on campus.<br />
<br />
None of that I could have foreseen in 2007, since I did not even slow down enough to consider how poorly SL would run on many laptops, especially those not hard-wired to an Ethernet port or plugged into a AC outlet.<br />
<br />
Even with desktop connections, students loathe SL's lag. I saw that last week in the finals. Perhaps server-side baking from Linden Lab will make SL run better on what my students still use for content creation--laptops--though not on phones, where virtual worlds simply cannot display with any sort of grandeur.<br />
<br />
But by then, Iggy will have left the virtual building.<br />
<br />
<b>Coda:</b> <br />
<br />
I'm thankful for an experiment of six years, even if the experiment failed. At least virtual worlds generated two publications for me, as well as <a href="http://www.igi-global.com/publish/call-for-papers/call-details/888" target="_blank">a forthcoming anthology I'm co-editing</a> with some chapters about virtual worlds. I don't write the rules, but publications and teaching evaluations are the currency of academia, despite the best wishes of utopians that it be otherwise.<br />
<br />
It is always possible that my teaching load will shift again, and my Chair and Department will call on me to teach my course about the history, culture, and future of Cyberspace. In such an event, Iggy and his students will be back. Look out. Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-31043696237402826212013-04-24T11:42:00.001-07:002013-04-24T11:42:58.362-07:00Finale for Usher & Teaching in Virtual Worlds?<br />
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<br />
<b>Location: Virtual House of Usher</b><br />
<br />
Is it to be "that's all, folks," in the immortal words of Porky Pig? In twenty minutes, I start what may be my last-ever work with students inside a virtual world.<br />
<br />
We'll see what the future brings, but for now, I'm betting on the Pig. Here's the final scoreboard from the students. Three students not only found eggs but solved the quest therein. Nicely done, Gunters! Divij in particular came on strong with his work to lift the curse from his "bad egg."<br />
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<br />Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-13094817488429324562013-04-22T18:50:00.003-07:002013-04-22T18:50:54.578-07:00What Happens When You Listen to Students' Requests About SL<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Location: Dead</b><br />
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They wanted a combat system and "consequences" at the House of Usher.<br />
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And they got me killed. For THEIR final exams!<br />
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The dog did it. The students' avatars toast my demise with Absinthe.Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-62494236380745542372013-04-22T05:49:00.000-07:002013-04-22T05:49:39.995-07:00Usher Egg-Hunt Finale<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Location: Very Close to Egg #5</b><br />
<br />
No one found that clue, but otherwise, we have winners and a new scoreboard. I am mystified that none of the quests in the five eggs that were located have been done.<br />
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As for the online egg-hunt. The Haikus came in with ferocity, and all of them followed the 5-7-5 rhythm for the poems. All of them were very creative and made me laugh, so all our haiku writers got an extra point.<br />
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For the cheesiest line in <i>Ready Player One, </i>Beaumont wins for this one:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Some time later, she leaned over and kissed me. It felt just like all those songs and poems promised it would." (Cline 372) </blockquote>
I suppose Cline was being ironic, and Wade is a horny teenaged boy who has really fallen hard for Art3mis. But that cheese-factor here earns five wedges of Gorgonzola. <br />
<br />
Both Leah and Rayna submitted interesting analyses of Poe's descriptive language, in comments both interesting and economical. I do like the sense of decline and decay that Leah sniffs out:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The mood of the house of the fall of usher is definitely a mood of
suspenseful caveat. From the beginning of the stories description of the
house being decrepit, just barely holding itself together, the story is
being set up for the house to crumble. Also the fact that the story
begins with Roderick in a similar state as the house (mentally and
physically) from the start, the reader knows that Roderick is unstable,
and that he’s going to go over the edge at some point in time during the
story, we just don’t know exactly when. Also the story of the dragon at
the end is a definite give-away of the suspenseful nature of this
story. As he reads the book, all of the actions and sounds from the
story play out, but slowly. First he hears a sound, but he’s unsure if
he made it up or not, then the situation escalates to Roderick speaking
to himself and the door being banged down, and then Madelyn finally
coming in. these are all very suspenseful parts of a very suspenseful
tail, and the warning in the story is unclear, but I feel that it is
definitely foreboding of something.</blockquote>
Good job, Gunters. Now on to my swan-song teaching with <i>Second Life</i>'s simulation of Usher, for the foreseeable future. Traditional papers are a lot less work, but not nearly as fun. Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-72635647095234802242013-04-20T18:09:00.001-07:002013-04-21T17:32:42.283-07:00Online Easter-Eggs for Usher Finals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Location: Place where brains get wracked</b><br />
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Score updates are shown. If you have gotten an egg, it's time to e-mail me the solutions to the riddles they contain. I'll bestow a key icon (like those in <i>Ready Player One</i>) beside your scores above once you have reached that point. Divij, this can be your Art3mis moment--get me that Pet-Peeve violation and you'll vault upward and bask in the glory of a key beside your name.<br />
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Now on to NEW clues!<br />
<br />
I am having a devil of a time coming up with more riddles, tasks, and such for the Virtual House of Usher Final Exams. But three ideas struck me as interesting, given the tales we have read and and simulation itself. So here we go. You students must reply in the comments section with your answer.<br />
<br />
My judgement will be subjective and as capricious as the contents of Roderick Usher's addled mind. Each of these could earn you one extra point. Here we go: you tasks, Gunters! Be sure you are logged in with your Google account to reply, or at least put your name into the answer.<br />
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<ol>
<li>Poe was a master of descriptive language. I want you to re-read "The Fall of the House of Usher" and in a comment of NO MORE THAN 300 words (no easy task!) make the best argument you can for the mood of the story, using the adjectives--and no other parts of speech--that Poe employs. +1 point to winner (not your team). If you win, I'll give you a hint about Usher.</li>
<li>Our classmate Carly (now basking in one extra point) called <i>Ready Player One</i> "cheesy." That is, itself, a fine adjective of its own. So let's have fun with Cline's book. He's a geek like me and can take the abuse. We will have a contest to find the cheesiest sentence in his entire novel. Post your nominations in the comments. Keep in mind that it must be a serious and not ironic sentence. You must do research, but as Wade reminds us (in a sentence that is not at all cheesy) research is easy if you have no life. +1 point to finder (not your team). If you win, I'll give you a hint about Usher.</li>
<li>There have been speculations since the time of Poe's death about his abuse of the opiate Laudanum. We have some clues about it in the House of Usher, in fact. I don't know that Poe ever drank <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe" target="_blank">Absinthe</a>, but we put a tray of the drink in the House, too. Your task: write a haiku (using formal haiku form) in honor of either drink. +1 point to finder (not your team). If you win, I'll give you a hint about Usher. If you manage to Google and steal someone else's haiku, AND I find out, you'll lose your point...and one more! </li>
</ol>
<b>Note well: </b>all Gunters who want credit for any of these three tasks must turn in their comment to this blog by MIDNIGHT Sunday. Cue the fiendish laughter.Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-54587432024379918812013-04-19T08:26:00.002-07:002013-04-19T09:48:59.327-07:00Usher Scoreboard Update #2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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All is not glum for Divij. He must do the following and he'll easily vault back up the scoreboard:</div>
<br />
<b>His quest:</b> +2 points if you can violate a dozen of <a href="http://writing2.richmond.edu/writing/wweb/peeves.html" target="_blank">Dr. Essid’s Pet Peeves</a> in no more than 6 sentences. The paragraph must follow the last paragraph about Sir Ethelred did The Fall of the House of Usher. Show it to Dr. Essid before you visit Roderick and Madeline. If you read your paragraph to Roderick Usher when you are alone with him, he’ll reveal a secret to you and and only you.
Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-35295455877814294752013-04-19T07:46:00.000-07:002013-04-19T07:46:06.537-07:00Usher Scoreboard Update #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-11211145532765038462013-04-19T05:50:00.000-07:002013-04-19T05:50:48.176-07:00Two More Hidden Clues for the Egg Hunters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Location: Undisclosed</b><br />
<br />
Here are two final clues for the FYS 100 students' hunts. Since the House of Usher is full of clues (see image above), it is fun to hide a few in the physical world. Rumors abound that two of yesterday's eggs have been found. I will post a score-board here as soon as I hear back from the lucky "Gunters."<br />
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Note that over the weekend, I'll have more posted that will not involve a physical egg but a hunt through the work of Ernest Cline and Edgar Allan Poe.<br />
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<b>Clue #5:</b> “Begin at an arcade you should know well by now. You will see us, since George did not chop us down. A week or two ago, we were in the fullness of our springtime beauty. Now we are like the others, except that one of us hides an egg.”<br />
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<b>Clue #6:</b> “What’s in my pocket? Everyone asks me but I never answer them. But if you follow my nose to the center, then turn right and think about Christmas greenery mentioned in a carol, you might find a clue!”Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5041624883246722973.post-74665958135469432042013-04-18T13:10:00.002-07:002013-04-18T13:10:34.510-07:00Let the House of Usher "Egg" Hunt Begin!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Location: Undisclosed Location</b><br />
<br />
For the House of Usher simulation, we've always included clues in the virtual House itself. Now for what may be the finale for the project, at least in my courses, I've put some real-life clues here and there on our campus. I suppose this is what game-theorists call (awkwardly) "gamification" in classes.<br />
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Students will hunt campus for the clues, the first four of which appear here. If they find a light bulb they get a point and a quest that will help them in the Usher simulation.<br />
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Even before we read Ernest Cline's light-hearted cyberpunk (that's not a typo) novel <i>Ready Player One</i>, I was calling them "Easter Eggs," in honor of the little gifts that coders leave in games.<br />
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In Cline's novel, those seeking the eggs became "Gunters." Alas, the craft store was all out of plastic eggs. They had little containers shaped like plastic light-bulbs for the clues, an appropriate metaphor.<br />
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Here are the first four clues, Gunters!<br />
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<ol>
<li>“Above the Court of the Five Lions, and in a place of honors, there is an egg with a song to awaken the dead”</li>
<li>“Climb many stairs to go to a room of Gargoyles. A treasure is there and a magical word”</li>
<li>“In the Jungle, the mighty jungle....” If you can finish this sentence, you may well find an egg to help you on your quest.</li>
<li>“Do not go here to kiss, the legend says, unless you intend to marry him or her. Look carefully, and below the surface for the egg.”</li>
</ol>
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<br />
More on the way! Happy Hunting!
Iggy Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10834075825456226770noreply@blogger.com0