Understanding Virtual Worlds http://9scape.com and other things that connect us Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:23:53 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.3 en One Step Toward Interoperable Virtual Worlds http://9scape.com/2008/06/15/one-step-toward-interoperable-virtual-worlds/ http://9scape.com/2008/06/15/one-step-toward-interoperable-virtual-worlds/#comments Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:23:53 +0000 admin http://9scape.com/2008/06/15/one-step-toward-interoperable-virtual-worlds/ Linden Labs has successfully moved an SL avatar to OpenSim according to a post made earlier this month by Zha Ewery. Although the news was kept pretty low key, I can’t help but think this is the equivalent of what the first steps on the moon are for virtual worlds… being able to move from one platform to another.

Will it be common place, one day, for avatars to take vacations to grids on other platforms, or meet up with a friend on a different system? It is interesting to think about, and while I’m sure not everyone would have a need to do so, I can imagine many reasons when it would be desirable to be able to move so freely across worlds.

No Tags]]> http://9scape.com/2008/06/15/one-step-toward-interoperable-virtual-worlds/feed/ Introduction to Second Life for GEO 493 http://9scape.com/2008/04/04/introduction-to-second-life-for-geo-493/ http://9scape.com/2008/04/04/introduction-to-second-life-for-geo-493/#comments Fri, 04 Apr 2008 18:02:34 +0000 admin http://9scape.com/2008/04/04/introduction-to-second-life-for-geo-493/ Below are the presentation and links mentioned in my visit to John Bailey’s GEO 493 class:

Screenshot of the slideshow

The Presentation Images
http://9scape.com/slpres/demo.html

A Few Destinations:
Orange:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Orange%204/21/227/46
Vernian Sea (Airship Tower):
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Vernian%20Sea/204/65/106/
Sweden’s Virtual Embassy:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/swedish%20institute/70/212/30
GeoGlobe:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Commonwealth%20Island/193/83/315
Sculptie Earth:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Areumdeuli/111/121/214/
Top 20 List of Educational Locations in Second Life:
http://www.simteach.com/wiki/index.php?title=Top_20_Educational_Locations_in_Second_Life

Learn To Build and Script:
Torley’s Video Tutorials:
http://www.youtube.com/user/Torley
Linden Scripting Language (LSL) Wiki:
http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/LSL_Portal
Learn to Do Stuff in Second Life With Tutorials:
http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Video_Tutorials

Links & Inspired Reading
The Congressional Committee Meeting on Virtual Worlds:
http://energycommerce.house.gov/cmte_mtgs/110-ti-hrg.040108.VirtualWorlds.shtml
Digital Urban Blog:
http://digitalurban.blogspot.com/
UgoTrade Blog:
http://www.ugotrade.com
Not Possible in Real Life Blog:
http://npirl.blogspot.com

No Tags]]> http://9scape.com/2008/04/04/introduction-to-second-life-for-geo-493/feed/ A Virtual World Metblog http://9scape.com/2008/03/12/a-virtual-world-metblog/ http://9scape.com/2008/03/12/a-virtual-world-metblog/#comments Wed, 12 Mar 2008 22:33:13 +0000 admin http://9scape.com/2008/03/12/a-virtual-world-metblog/ There’s a lot of buzz right now about Metblogs, a collection of city-centric blogs from around the world, running off of the WordPress Multi-user platform. It is a great looking site, but more than that I like that they have included a blog about Azeroth, a place in WoW. I almost missed the link, but if you look at the Metblog map, there is a sign on the right that says Other Lands. Clicking that will display the link to the Azeroth blog.

screenshot of the Metblogs site

No Tags]]> http://9scape.com/2008/03/12/a-virtual-world-metblog/feed/ Presentation about Second Life Using Stixy http://9scape.com/2008/03/07/presentations-using-stixy/ http://9scape.com/2008/03/07/presentations-using-stixy/#comments Fri, 07 Mar 2008 15:40:11 +0000 admin http://9scape.com/2008/03/07/presentations-using-stixy/ Yesterday I gave a couple of small presentations about Second Life to small groups using Stixy instead of PowerPoint.There wasn’t a lot of time to prepare for these, so I collected images, some were mine and some I found on Flickr, included the proper attribution to the photos and was finished.

Unfortunately, for both presentations I ran into issues flashing my screen to the overhead projector and had to run it is if it were a second monitor. This created some navigation challenges during the presentation, but I thought it was an interesting way to approach the need for overhead display. Personally, I liked being able to see the rest of the images and I felt it gave me some “peripheral vision” as I talked. IT was nice to be able to move things around as I talked too. I’m not sure if the audiences cared either way in the end, though. During one of the presentations the display was way too dark and for the other I had to stand in a terrible location that didn’t allow me to see the screen very well. Those things may have made more of an impact than anything else. I will try this again though.

The presentation is available on Stixy if you’re curious. A note: I did have backup material with me just in case access to the internet wasn’t available during the presentations.

Second Life Presentation Using Stixy

No Tags]]> http://9scape.com/2008/03/07/presentations-using-stixy/feed/ The Iditarod in Second Life http://9scape.com/2008/03/04/the-iditarod-in-second-life/ http://9scape.com/2008/03/04/the-iditarod-in-second-life/#comments Tue, 04 Mar 2008 15:55:18 +0000 admin http://9scape.com/2008/03/04/the-iditarod-in-second-life/ The Iditarod is a huge event here in Alaska and the race kicked off this year just a couple of days ago on 01 March. The race was also commemorated in Second Life with a Virtual Iditarod. I wasn’t able to log onto over the weekend to attend the event, but Anchorage’s own Aliza Sherman was there and wrote about the experience for SLNN and on her own blog.

Virtual Iditarod in Second Life

I’m curious to see what sort of activities they have planned for the end of the race. The event as a whole didn’t seemed to be hyped up very much (in SL), but now that I know what’s going on I’m sure I know of a few University folks with SL accounts that will want to stop in and see the sim, particularly if the Anchorage Convention and Visitor’s Bureau has something bigger planned.

If nothing else, I’ll at least go back and donate some Linden Dollars to the ACVB. I saw that the proceeds from the dog sled sale go to them, but I didn’t see a place to leave any larger donations. Maybe I’ll just have a lot of sleds in my inventory for a bit.

Virtual Iditarod in Second Life

No Tags]]> http://9scape.com/2008/03/04/the-iditarod-in-second-life/feed/ Lip Sync Voice Chat for Your SL Avatar? http://9scape.com/2008/02/27/lip-sync-voice-chat-for-your-sl-avatar/ http://9scape.com/2008/02/27/lip-sync-voice-chat-for-your-sl-avatar/#comments Wed, 27 Feb 2008 20:00:37 +0000 admin bugssecondlifevoice http://9scape.com/2008/02/27/lip-sync-voice-chat-for-your-sl-avatar/ If possible, this is something that would make SL a little less creepy. Links to more info at:
The SL Wiki
The SL Beta bug tracker wiki

, , ]]> http://9scape.com/2008/02/27/lip-sync-voice-chat-for-your-sl-avatar/feed/ Searching the Internet of Things: Overlay Concept http://9scape.com/2008/02/25/searching-the-internet-of-things-overlay-concept/ http://9scape.com/2008/02/25/searching-the-internet-of-things-overlay-concept/#comments Mon, 25 Feb 2008 23:28:58 +0000 admin http://9scape.com/2008/02/25/searching-the-internet-of-things-overlay-concept/ Designer Mac Funamizu has come up with an elegant conceptual solution for searching the environment that surrounds us. Beyond searching by text as we have become accustomed to with services like Google, the device searches by scanning an object from the environment itself. Imagine being able to search for things you have no reference for, items which you can only conjure vague descriptions for using text.

It can be easy to dismiss a device like this with arguments of complexity and scale, but it was equally as far-fetched to imagine even 20 years ago the advances we have made in computing to date.

Mac Funamizu's web site

No Tags]]> http://9scape.com/2008/02/25/searching-the-internet-of-things-overlay-concept/feed/ Streaming Video from a Nokia N800 http://9scape.com/2008/02/23/streaming-video-from-a-nokia-n800/ http://9scape.com/2008/02/23/streaming-video-from-a-nokia-n800/#comments Sun, 24 Feb 2008 02:34:30 +0000 admin http://9scape.com/2008/02/23/streaming-video-from-a-nokia-n800/ There is an interesting write up on how to stream video taken on a Nokia N800 into Second Life here. It would be an odd circumstance that I would need to do this, but it is certainly good to know it is possible.

No Tags]]> http://9scape.com/2008/02/23/streaming-video-from-a-nokia-n800/feed/ MMO for Kids Teaches Environmental Strategies? http://9scape.com/2008/02/15/mmo-for-kids-teaches-environmental-strategies/ http://9scape.com/2008/02/15/mmo-for-kids-teaches-environmental-strategies/#comments Fri, 15 Feb 2008 17:44:42 +0000 admin http://9scape.com/2008/02/15/mmo-for-kids-teaches-environmental-strategies/ Leigh Alexander of Worlds in Motion writes about an MMO IBM is launching the first quarter of this year, which will have kids staving off planetary ecological disaster by employing wind, solar, and water power strategies.

No Tags]]> http://9scape.com/2008/02/15/mmo-for-kids-teaches-environmental-strategies/feed/ New Theme, More Posts? http://9scape.com/2008/02/14/new-theme-more-posts/ http://9scape.com/2008/02/14/new-theme-more-posts/#comments Fri, 15 Feb 2008 01:41:07 +0000 admin http://9scape.com/2008/02/14/new-theme-more-posts/ We’ll see if the correlation holds true. Kinda like when you were little and got new sneakers - because they made you run faster, right? My intent is to start posting more here again.

No Tags]]> http://9scape.com/2008/02/14/new-theme-more-posts/feed/