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Latest News
- Second Life Script Generator
Preview | Read more... - CSI game - first thoughts
Preview | Read more...Filed under: News, Mixed Reality, Great Builds, Arts and Culture
I'm quite a fan of 2 of the 3 CSI shows, and the games offered here (there should be more to come) work quite nicely. You do have to wonder if the shows would be as compelling if all the clues were highlighted when you arrived though. For those of us outside the US, the fact that one of the mysteries ties in directly to tonight's show might be a bit tricky unless we manage to download a copy of it from somewhere. Is CBS sure that's what it wants?
The game play uses video streaming to relay information about the clues and interviews with the suspects, but there is a text sidebar too for those, like me, that struggle to hear what's going on. The text is rather slow to load though, sadly.
It was a fun way to spend 20 minutes. I guess it will take longer than that for the expected hordes of newbie CSI fans though, as they also try to get used to moving around in SL. It will be interesting to see how many convert to long term users after this, but they will use a fair amount of SL skills, so they might.
I've never been to New York, but exploring New York virtually on this scale was fun!
Oh, if you use their viewer, you can't right click the CSI toolbar - but you can in a normal viewer. This is to stop newbies getting lost and detaching them by mistake according to one of their greeters, but it's annoying if you're used to SL.Permalink - Land of Lincoln to come to SL
Preview | Read more...Filed under: Educational, Teaching, Arts and Culture
Abraham Lincoln that is. The Alliance Libraries have secured funding for a "Land of Lincoln" immersive sim that will recreate Lincoln's birthplace, his Springfield house (please resist comments about Bart!) and will also look at his White House time.
This new area will run on a similar basis the Renaissance Island which looks at Tudor England, and is inhabited by volunteers who largely dress and talk in appropriate period style, as well as having the period setting. Land of Lincoln is still at the planning stage, if you would like to be involved please join the google group for discussion.Permalink - An Anthropologist's View of the Virtual Village
Preview | Read more...Filed under: Arts and Culture
As Akela previously indicated, a new book on Second Life's virtual community is scheduled to be published in the spring by Princeton University Press. U.C. Irvine Professor Tom Boellstorff presents "Coming of Age in Second Life: An Anthropologist Explores the Virtually Human". His experience in SL as avatar Tom Bukowski has culminated in a promising introduction to the culture developed in this novel space. Through the involvement of the community in preparing his book for print, he has shown an appreciation for the creativity of Second Life residents and displayed a deep respect for the existing social guidelines.
Read on to find out how the cover art for the book was chosen.In a considerate gesture, the presentation of Bukowski's work was outsourced to the community. Through a book cover contest, Bukowski offered people a chance to define for themselves the idea of "coming of age". Artists embraced his approach and nearly 200 entered the challenge. Linden dollar prizes were awarded to a popular vote choice, Morgan Kincess, and to the final winner, Aino Korhonen.
"Everyone agrees that there are subcultures, but people often hesitate to talk about cultures as a whole. Indonesia is so diverse, America is so diverse, etc., and it's true you have to be more humble and hesitant, but there are some common issues and overarching patterns too (alts, chat, IMs, land, community)", explains Bukowski. And perhaps this is exactly where Krohonen's visualization is key - coming of age is a process, an awareness of experience. The female avatar in her photo is captured undergoing a moment of clear reflection on the past and the future.
For those interested, there is a great interview with Tom, offered by the Second Life Herald.
Permalink - BloodSpell Launch Party in Second Life 10/21 11am PDT
Preview | Read more...Filed under: Events, Machinima, Arts and Culture, Live Performance
Hugh Hancock, coiner of the term "machinima", sent me this tidbit about his production company, Strange Company, premiering their feature film cut of their BloodSpell series. BloodSpell is a punk fantasy action-adventure movie filmed in NeverWinter Nights that has been written up by the BBC, the Guardian, Suicide Girls, Boing Boing, USA Today, and a slew of others. For those of you keeping tabs on machinima, there aren't many feature-length films produced in this medium.
That's why he's inviting everyone to be a part of the screening that will take place on Hathead Island on Sunday, October 21st, at 11am PDT, or 7pm GMT. There will be interviews, a special intro, and tons of awesome extras. After the screening, keep your eyes peeled for an interview here on Second Life Insider! Hope to see you there.
* I almost forgot to include a disclaimer about the violence that appears in this film. When I premiered the final episode of the series some time ago, many in the audience complained of the gore. Keep in mind that it's just pixels. If you have a strong stomach, come on over!
%Gallery-8887%Permalink - Thursday's Fictions
Preview | Read more...Filed under: Entertainment, News, Exploration, Mixed Reality, Great Builds, Arts and Culture
When awoman named Thursday finds out she is going to be reincarnated as Tuesday, her attempt to cheat the cycle of reincarnation unleashes a terrible beauty that leaves the other days of the week in turmoil.
Thursday's Fictions, a 52 minute surreal dance fantasy film with Edwardian Gothic stylings, has won three awards, has been a finalist for four more (and the book for the Kenneth Slessor Prize), and is tonight a finalist for "Best Experimental" at the 2007 Enhance TV ATOM Awards, taking place in the Plaza Ballroom, Regent Theatre, Collins St in Melbourne, Australia.
Thursday's Fictions is not only available on DVD (USA, Australia/NZ, UK/Europe/Asia) - you can experience some of the magic in Second Life as well, as constructed by The Project Factory's Gary Hazlitt. There is also a trailer to whet your appetite for the experience, though it may not be suitable for work, including artistically contextualised partial nudity.
The still image you see above doesn't do the place justice. Turn the sound on, and walk through the place. Experience it first-hand and in motion.
Read - Diesel Sweeties Loves SL! Or, No, Wait ...
Preview | Read more...Filed under: Arts and Culture, Op/Ed
In the mode of 'Any publicity is good publicity', we have popular webcomic Diesel Sweeties throwing out the standard poke at SL involving Furry sex. Fortunately, the character who said it gets his in the end, so I feel avenged (and I've never liked that guy anyway). But it does make me wonder. I've never seen a reference to There.com or Active Worlds or Kaneva in a webcomic. So is it actually true that if you're big enough to lampoon, you've arrived? Is there a way to take that happily?Read - Literature of the Progressive Era contest and Halloween learning experience
Preview | Read more...Filed under: Entertainment, Educational, Events, Teaching, Arts and Culture
Literature Alive! (disclosure: I am an owner of this group and have been involved in these developments) is running two events over the next few days.
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On Saturday at 8am SL Time students from De Sales University will be judged on their material for the "Literature of the Progressive Era" display in a funfair on land contributed by Finger Lakes Community College. From tomorrow you can judge which of the elements you find meets the criteria best - you are not judging the build (most of it is bought from in-world or created by people other than the students), but the content in terms of how well it teaches you about the era in question - a era of significant social change. You have the chance to vote for the best group, who will win a RL cash prize and leave feedback for the groups via an anonymous web-form.
Literature Alive! has also converted the British Gothic Literature classroom into a haunted house, with some help (and extra prims for a while) from out hostess, the Alliance Library, on Eduisland 3. As well as giving you the chance to learn more about gothic literature and the British authors, there is a hidden red cauldron. Find this to win a small L$ prize. There are other games and activites too, and no commercial activity, just fun for Halloween. - Slovenia's Triglav Exhibit
Preview | Read more...Filed under: Arts and Culture
The rhetoric of Art is fascinating to me, and always a little beyond my understanding. My understanding of the Triglav exhibit is imperfect at best, but it centers around the three instances of the depiction of a three-headed being, itself a commentary upon Slovenia's Mount Triglav, which translates as 'three heads'.
You can find the explication of the 'controversies and problems' of this exhibit at its site, but more to the point, Noema, the digital art gallery, has created an area in SL that provides several photos of the Triglav exhibit, as well as old black-and-white footage of a showing in actual Slovenia itself. Go with a friend, and discuss among yourselves what it all means. Like all good art, it inspires and provokes.
(Thanks, Juli!)Read - Zak Claxton is Like the Hurricane
Preview | Read more...Filed under: Arts and Culture
Zak Claxton was a man with a lot of space on his hands, and nothing to do with it all. Exploring in-world a bit, he discovered there was no Neil Young-related content, so he made it his mission to develop some. The result is as you see in this gallery: the Neil Young Archive, a gorgeous homey build featuring information about the Canadian American and all of his musical endeavors.
The Archive features every album cover of every group Neil's ever been in, as well as faithful replicas of his instruments, and a stage upon which Zak and friends play Neil's music. Zak writes "It's not the most impressive build in SL; hell, it's probably not the best build in my sim. But from fans of Neil Young, I've received boatloads of compliments. Because of the parcel being featured on several Neil Young fan sites, I've had 10-20 people join SL specifically to check it out and hang out there." You couldn't ask for more than that. Go check the place out!
(Thanks, Zak!)
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