Don't get too attached to that avatar of a punk rock angel you spent five hours designing in Second Life. According to Gartner, if you think you'll be doing work related tasks in virtual worlds in the coming years, chances are your employer is going to establish dress codes that governs how the avatar looks and behaves - and halo wearing flying rockers just won't cut it.Don't get too attached to that avatar of a punk rock angel you spent five hours... more
Companies such as IBM and Northrup Grumman have warmed to the idea of holding virtual meetings or training sessions on the web at considerable savings. Even the military and some police use it.
When American soldiers and police officers from across the U.S. want to learn how to operate Northrop Grumman Corp.'s Cutlass bomb disposal robot, they go to the military contractor's secure Space Park installation.
But they don't have to jump in a car or hop on a plane to get there. That's because Space Park exists only in cyberspace, or more specifically, in the computer-generated world called Second Life.
Virtual reality "is not a fly-by-night technology. It's not a passing fad," says Matt Furman, a Northrop Grumman software developer who helped build Space Park, where customers can spend hours training.
Launched in 2003, Second Life burst onto the scene as an escapist's three-dimensional domain where colorful avatars -- digital alter egos that users create -- could travel and socialize with other "residents." But it hasn't lived up to the early hype among consumers and marketers.
IBM is among the corporations that have used Second Life to create venues where employees can gather.
Second Life averages about one million monthly users, a small number compared with other online services like social-networking site Facebook Inc.
But Second Life is getting a renewed lease on life as a setting for trade shows, employee meetings and other corporate events for the likes of Northrop Grumman, Cigna Corp., Intel Corp. and Wells Fargo & Co.
Linden Research Inc., the San Francisco company behind Second Life, is targeting business users with new products and services, including a feature that will let users call into virtual meetings from their cellphones. It is also testing hardware that companies can plug into their computer networks to create private virtual venues.
Such uses are a departure from Second Life's initial corporate appeal. Initially Second Life attracted the likes of Nike Inc. and Coca-Cola Co., which saw the three-dimensional world as a digital marketing test bed.
Nissan Motor Co., for example, built a virtual vending machine that dispensed cars that avatars could test drive, or even fly. But interest began to wane, Nissan says, and it pulled out of Second Life last year. "There were a lot of things competing for our marketing dollars," a spokesman says.
The marketers are being replaced by corporations that are using Second Life to host virtual conferences for employees or business partners.
Few have jumped in as deeply as International Business Machines Corp. Last year, IBM hosted an annual gathering of its leading thinkers in Second Life. The October event would have otherwise been scaled back because of the recession.
The three-day event, which peaked at about 250 concurrent users, helped demonstrate the promise of virtual reality to many IBMers who were still doubtful, says Neil Katz, one of IBM's distinguished engineers.
"We turned hard skeptics into skeptics and skeptics into true believers," he says, noting the venues have since been used for other IBM events....Companies such as IBM and Northrup Grumman have warmed to the idea of holding virtual... more
"Discover Magazine reports that although medical simulations have been around for a long time, medical schools like Imperial College London are starting to use virtual hospitals in Second Life so students can learn their way around an O.R. before they enter the real thing. The students can also test their knowledge in the Virtual Respiratory Ward by interviewing patient avatars, ordering tests, diagnosing problems, and recommending treatment. 'The real innovation in SL clinical simulations is that they bring people together in a clinical space — you are standing next to an avatar who is a real patient, and the doctor avatar to your right is a resident at Massachusetts General Hospital and the nurse to your left is at the University of Pennsylvania hospital,' says John Lester, the Education and Healthcare Market Developer at Linden Labs. The most significant benefit of SL training may be the cost. Real-life training facilities require thousands, and sometimes millions of dollars to build and maintain, while SL simulation rooms can be created for minimal costs, and accessed from anywhere in the world for the price of an internet connection. SL can also expose students to situations that a standard academic program can't duplicate: 'You can take risks that aren't safe in the real world and teach more complex subjects in three dimensions,' says Colleen Lin. 'When you're resuscitating a dummy in real life, it looks like a dummy. But you can program an avatar to look like it's choking or having a heart attack, and it looks more real to the student responsible for resuscitating it.'""Discover Magazine reports that although medical simulations have been around for a... more
The Relay For Life is an annual fundraiser in support of cancer research. It happens in cyberspace too. The organizer for the Relay in the virtual world Second Life, Fayandria Foley previews the event starting July 18th.The Relay For Life is an annual fundraiser in support of cancer research. It happens... more
Facing real world debts, a trusted figure in a popular online game stole money from the virtual bank he ran and exchanged it for cash through the black market.
It happened in EVE Online, where more than 300,000 subscribers pay US$15 a month to play. They gain wealth through hard work, manipulating the market, or killing rivals in a distant future where humans have colonized the stars in an online game similar to World of Warcraft and Second Life.Facing real world debts, a trusted figure in a popular online game stole money from... more
The Australian Minister for Censorship has confirmed that online adult games including Second Life will be banned in Australia under new rules.
No more virtual dingos stealing babies down under then? Streuth!The Australian Minister for Censorship has confirmed that online adult games including... more
150 year old Bryant & Stratton College will host the first, fully online, live Second Life graduation ceremony on June 10, 2009 http://online.bryantstratton.edu/slgraduation/.150 year old Bryant & Stratton College will host the first, fully online, live Second... more
Back in March, Second Life operators Linden Lab announced plans to create a new segregated area for adult content in their popular virtual world.
Later this year they will create a standalone "continent" for adult content, and members who don't purchase private "land" will be asked to migrate there if they wish to partake in adult-related activities. Second Life is an 18+ environment already, but stricter age verification policies will be put in place. You'll need a "verified" account, either through credit card information or through Linden Labs' filtering system, to get into the adult "continent." Linden Lab is still in the process of figuring out specifics for the migration to this porn island of sorts, and will publish guidelines later this quarter.
Users will also be able to filter their in-world search results according to maturity and content preferences; only users with verified accounts will be able to access search listings with adult keywords.
The default rating for all accounts will be mature unless a user takes action to be designated adult or PG. Linden said Second Life "continues to be an 18+ environment."Back in March, Second Life operators Linden Lab announced plans to create a new... more
Back in March, Second Life operators Linden Lab announced plans to create a new segregated area for adult content in their popular virtual world.
Later this year they will create a standalone "continent" for adult content, and members who don't purchase private "land" will be asked to migrate there if they wish to partake in adult-related activities. Second Life is an 18+ environment already, but stricter age verification policies will be put in place. You'll need a "verified" account, either through credit card information or through Linden Labs' filtering system, to get into the adult "continent." Linden Lab is still in the process of figuring out specifics for the migration to this porn island of sorts, and will publish guidelines later this quarter.
Users will also be able to filter their in-world search results according to maturity and content preferences; only users with verified accounts will be able to access search listings with adult keywords.
The default rating for all accounts will be mature unless a user takes action to be designated adult or PG. Linden said Second Life "continues to be an 18+ environment."Back in March, Second Life operators Linden Lab announced plans to create a new... more
Interesting story of a geeky couple who met four years ago on Second Life. Lillie lives in California; Hawkins in Wales. Both are single parents. Neither has much money. Lillie, 39, is divorced, with three children, and she moved back into her parents' home last year so she could finish her college degree. Hawkins, 43, is unmarried and has two kids, including an autistic son.
They had a digital wedding, but didn't get to meet until two years after that wedding. Fortunately they found each other attractive in real life but neither of the two can live togethe because of visa issues and not wanting to uproot their children.
Will Second Life be enough to keep them together? Can long distance relationships ever work for this length of time?Interesting story of a geeky couple who met four years ago on Second Life. Lillie... more
OK so you don't actually get a degree that is in the subject area of Second Life but Manchester Metropolitan University will be delivering part of their film and media degree through the medium of Second Life using interactive training tools.
Hmm, I guess it would be slightly more interesting that sitting through some of the lectures I had to sit through at uni. But how distracting would it be? Will they be taking an interactive register? Wouldn't it just be easy to log in, walk off and leave the thing running while you crawl back into bed?OK so you don't actually get a degree that is in the subject area of Second Life but... more
Conosci Second Life? Ci hai mai vissuto per un po'? Regalatemi la vostra opinione, vi basta un solo secondo e un click.Conosci Second Life? Ci hai mai vissuto per un po'? Regalatemi la vostra opinione, vi... more
Target Women is a recurring segment on Current TV's weekly television show, infoMania. In each episode of Target Women, Sarah Haskins takes a look at the often-ridiculous way the media reaches out to women.
infoMania is a half-hour satirical news show that airs on Current TV. The show puts a comedic spin on the 24-hour chaos and information overload brought about by the constant bombardment of the media. Hosted by Conor Knighton and co-starring Brett Erlich, Sarah Haskins, Ben Hoffman, and Sergio Cilli, the show airs on Thursdays at 10 pm Eastern and Pacific Times and can be found online at http://current.com/infomania. And make sure to check out our facebook profile for special features at http://infomaniafacebook.com.Sarah takes a look back at some of her favorite Target Women pods.
For more Sarah... more
Abbiamo chiesto al visionario regista Neupaul Palen di illustrare la propria estetica e la conseguente esperienza artistica realizzata in Second Life con un video e una auto-presentazione. Ed ecco quello che Neupaul ci ha fatto avere.
"Mi chiamo Paolo Palmacci: Neupaul Palen in Second Life. Alla fine del 2007, ho progettato e realizzato il Second/Aria/Mente Art Studios.
Nato nell’ambito di uno studio universitario, Second/Aria/Mente è stato concepito (sin dalla definizione del concept) come un’architettura/strumento attraverso la quale porre in atto una forte e decisa analisi critica del medium utilizzato in quanto ritengo utopico (quando non inficiante) considerare il proprio operato svincolato dal contesto/interfaccia nel quale si estrinseca e prende forma.(...)Abbiamo chiesto al visionario regista Neupaul Palen di illustrare la propria estetica... more
http://www.susyspecchi.splinder.com/
Un breve docu/mentario di un anno di scorribande performative di Neupaul Palen in Second Life.http://www.susyspecchi.splinder.com/
Un breve docu/mentario di un anno di scorribande... more
http://www.susyspecchi.splinder.com/
L'Italia è al 40° posto (...dopo Cile, Benin e Namibia…) della classifica mondiale 2008 relativa alla libertà di stampa pubblicata da Reporters Sans Frontières.
Comunque non è assolutamente facile fare della buona disinformazione…ci vuole molta molta fantasia. Quella richiesta da un mondo virtuale...? :-)
Regia, Riprese e Montaggio: Paolo Palmacci aka Neupaul Palenhttp://www.susyspecchi.splinder.com/
L'Italia è al 40° posto (...dopo Cile, Benin e... more
http://www.susyspecchi.splinder.com/
Kublai, Second Life:
Installazione ideata e realizzata da Neupaul Palen
Riprese e Montaggio (Video ed Audio): Neupaul Palen
Abbiamo tentato, anche questa volta, di realizzare un'installazione semplice e intuitiva.
Ebbene, speriamo di non esserci riusciti solo in parte:) Chiediamo venia se per noi semplicità non deve essere mai sinonimo di banalità.
SL richiede un'attività a tutti noi, un necessario interagire con il mondo che ci circonda al fine di goderne appieno le possibilità espressive.
Questa installazione può essere vissuta, e non semplicemente "visitata", su vari livelli: terra-aria-in piedi-seduti e tutti quelli che vi vengono in mente. Le immagini, i suoni, le parole si materializzano improvvisamente, quindi, non preoccupatevi: questo non dipende dalla grid, nè dallo stato del vostro software.
Quello che abbiamo cercato di fare è rappresentare con pochi prims e in uno spazio ristretto, l'essenza del nostro lavoro artistico. Impresa non facile, da cui l'apparente caos che potrebbe materializzarsi a un primo approccio.
Se non siete facilmente impressionabili e non credete ai fantasmi, fate qualche giro in più dopo il primo, soffermatevi in vari punti, sedetevi sulle sedie che troverete sulle vostre teste e usate a vostro piacimento il camera controls.... Da mesi ormai stiamo allestendo la nostra personale, siamo stremati, sfiniti, dimagriti e smunti, ma non appena ne verremo fuori, spargeremo la voce:-)
We tried, as always, to make a simple, intuitive, installation.
Forgive us: in our opinion, simplicity doesn't mean banality.
So we hope to did not succeed, just for a little bit :)
However SL need activity, it is necessary to have interactions with the world that sourrounds us to be able to enjoy completely his expressive potential.
This exhbition could be lived, not simply visited, at different levels: earth, air, standing, sitting, and in all the ways you feel possible. Pictures, sounds, words, are materializing suddenly, so, please, do not worry: it is not a grid malfunction, neither your software status.
We have just tried to symbolize here, with few prims and in a little space, the meaning of our artistic work. Really not easy, so here is to you the chaos! But Chaos is Freedom's Mother...
If you aren't too sensitive and if you don't believe in ghosts, look around more times, try to stay, sit on the chairs on your head... We are setting up our own exhibition in Second/aria/mente: we are just tired, we lost weight, we look wan, but we'll survive and we'll let you know about it:-)
Kublai - Il Porto dei Creativi (Slurl)
Il social network di Kubai
(Kublai è un progetto pilota promosso dal Laboratorio per le politiche di sviluppo del Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico)http://www.susyspecchi.splinder.com/
Kublai, Second Life:
Installazione ideata e... more
http://www.susyspecchi.splinder.com/
10-Noi vogliamo distruggere i musei, le biblioteche, le accademie d'ogni specie e combattere contro il moralismo, (...) e contro ogni viltà opportunistica o utilitaria (F. Marinetti, 1909)http://www.susyspecchi.splinder.com/
10-Noi vogliamo distruggere i musei, le... more
