[iDC] Anyone using SL

[Jean Burgess]

Hello all,

Can you indulge me in doing a quick and unscientific survey?

How many of you know any SL users who you did not first encounter in  
SL, and who are not primarily in some way professionally interested in  
the potential, uses or implications of SL (e.g. for education,  
marketing, research)?

Because for whatever reason, I don't know anyone who fits that  
description, several years on. Wondering if my experience is unusual  
or not, before taking the next step in logic...

Best
Jean

On 07/01/2010, at 7:50, Alan Sondheim <sondheim at panix.com> wrote:

>
>
> Hi - I just want to point out that uploading textures and movements  
> etc. is extremely easy in SL, as is creation - I could literally  
> show you in five minutes! As far as 'our sense of ourselves' is  
> concerned - you can either think of being in SL as an interactive  
> (cinematic) diegetic - or spend a while there; like driving a car it  
> takes a bit of time to feel comfortable. It's a lot easier than a  
> MOO. What some of us are interested in, by the, _is_ the feeling of  
> the real (however defined, that's a long story) in SL - if we want  
> just straightforward fantasy, we can run to Avatar (instead of  
> running an avatar (sorry)).
>
> - Alan
>
>
> On Wed, 6 Jan 2010, Cynthia Beth Rubin wrote:
>
>> HI All
>
> At the recent DAC conference (Digital Art and Culture), Sneha  
> Veeragoudar Harrell and D. Fox Harrell gave a great paper on some of  
> the issues surrounding SL. (Exploring the Potential of Computational  
> Self-
> Representations for Enabling Learning: Examining At-risk Youthsʼ Dev 
> elopment of  Mathematical/Computational Agency)
>
> Although they are specifically addressing the issues of "at risk"  
> teenagers using Teen Second Life (TSL) the concerns that raised by  
> Sneha and Fox pertain to all of us.  The teens in their study were  
> uncomfortable taking on new identifies, especially when those  
> identifies fit certain stereotypes.
>
> SL is a strange paradox in that it tries to mimic the real world in  
> many ways, but forces us to enter this world by giving up the one  
> thing that gives us grounding: our sense of ourselves.  While no  
> doubt many people welcome this, I am among those who find this  
> bizarre and less than appealing.  We do not all want avatars - we  
> want other means to break into new experience that SL almost offers,  
> but not quite. What I want from SL, or any VR experience, is a lack  
> of reality in the world itself, while keeping a sense of myself.  I  
> want the opposite of SL.  And I want an easy interface to be able to  
> creative rather than just experiential, which includes being able to  
> easily import fanciful colors, textures and 3D forms built in  
> whatever software works for my own creativity.
>
> This is reminiscent of the history of so much software.  Developers  
> begin with a narrow focus - remember the early digital imaging  
> software when "PhotoMac" and "Photoshop" were supposedly only for  
> manipulating photographs, with great color control but no layers, no  
> easy interface for creativity.  All of that was left to "Pixel  
> Paint" and "Studio/8" , which had layers from the start, as well as  
> opacity changes (even in 8 bit) and all kinds of interesting tools  
> to prompt creative play.  Eventually the behemoth Adobe bought up or  
> drowned out every one else (but Painter), and the success of Adobe  
> Photoshop is that it promotes creativity and invention while still  
> providing the basic tools for those who just want to crop their  
> photos.
>
> I am guilty of not exploring the creativity within SL - and I do  
> understand that there are workarounds, but it is my understanding is  
> that constructing in SL is cumbersome.  I have other things to do  
> while I wait for a desktop VR interface that will fit into my  
> ongoing workflow.  And this includes one in which I can really share  
> and communicate with others - in whatever form they choose to  
> present themselves.
>
>
> Cynthia Beth Rubin
> http://CBRubin.net
>
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> ==
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> webpage http://www.alansondheim.org sondheimat gmail.com, panix.com
> ==
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