I finally started doing the volunteer work for LWB that I said I would do, which was creating a place in SL full of information about the group. Essentially, I'm supposed to build a virtual LWB pamphlet. I couldn't find the script I got for attaching notecards to objects, so I looked online about how to do it. I found a great tool for creating SL scripts at www.3greeneggs.com. It's as simple as can be. You tell the site what you want your script to do by checking off predetermined boxes and then the site creates the script. You then copy the script and paste it into the "New Script" area in the "Content" section of an object. Now your object will follow that script! It's as easy as that. You don't have to know anything about coding or how a script works or anything. Finding this out was very exciting for me. I love learning about stuff like this and feeling like I've got some control in the virtual world. Actually, before I created my script I put some effort into building an object for the first time. It was fun! I learned how to apply a texture, move the object, copy an object, and link copied objects. It was really great. I still have a lot more work to do in setting up the LWB area, but now that I am at least a little bit technically proficient I can get more creative. I don't have to just put a bunch of boxes on the ground and dump some notecards in them. It's funny how technical stuff like creating a script or copying an object is dull to talk about (which of my friends would be interested in hearing about how to copy a virtual box?), yet is fun to accomplish. No one wants to know how you learned to do an ollie on your skateboard, but everyone wants to see you do it. It's a great feeling to figure that stuff out though!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Technical Fun!
Well, after my long, rambling previous post I figured I should write a more concise one. I had some more technical things about SL I wanted to write about. I didn't think they would go very well with my talk about my feelings in the post below, plus it was long enough already.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Why do I love learning so much and where does the time go?
Well, well, well, look who finally came back. I guess history really does repeat itself, because it seems to take me forever to blog about anything. I'll do it right after I go on SL so I won't forget anything, I say to myself. But then I have to go to the bathroom, so I log off "for a few minutes, I swear" and decide I better have a snack as well. Then I figure I might as well watch t.v. while I eat because just sitting there chewing is boring. Before I know it it's midnight and I'm way too tired to blog at this point, so it's straight to bed for me. I'll do it tomorrow. Rinse and repeat. Before I know it three weeks have gone by and I haven't blogged a thing. Then when I finally get to it I blog for the entire opening paragraph about blogging! Enough already! Get to the SL experiences and simple insights. Fine, I'll do it now!
Since my last post a lot has happened. This is to be expected over a three week time period. The Falkland Islands War could have been fought a half-dozen times or a fruit fly could have lived its entire life in the time it takes me to write a new entry. I've attended a tour and a book club meeting or two since my last post and a presentation on disability that was really good (I also missed two presentations today, which was disappointing. I forgot they were happening and didn't check my email until it was too late). All of those things were pretty fun. However, it's really strange to be with other people in a virtual world. It's like being close and far away at the same time. Other people's avatars are right next to yours even though the people controlling them may be thousands of kilometers away. I feel sort of "spiritually close" to the other avatars. I don't mean this in a religious way. I mean that I can tell I'm interacting with another human being and we're taking part in a shared experience, so I'm "with" them. I'm "with" them because I'm communicating with them and experiencing the same thing as them. However, I don't get as strong a feeling of being "with" others as I do when they're physically present or even when I watch someone on t.v. I can't "feel" the other people's spirit as strongly online. By that I mean the experience of interacting with another human is somewhat muted and fuzzy. Typed chat doesn't come close to conveying all the information given by a physically present person. The environment itself, while it often mimics actual physical landscapes, is often surreal i.e. objects twirling in mid-air. This further adds to the disconnect I feel while interacting with people online. Avatars are often dressed in bizarre clothing or are not human at all, reinforcing this feeling of being removed from reality. When I'm typing to a robot wearing a dress amidst floating slot machines it's hard to take it seriously. All these things-the chat, the crazy locales and avatars-come between myself and the people I'm interacting with. They all serve to distort the interpersonal interactions. It's like having a person to talk to right in front of you and then putting several pillows in between the two of you and trying to talk through the pillows. The conversation gets muffled and less clear. I know there's a person there, it's just more difficult to interact with them.
What is my point in saying all of this? I am trying to express the feelings I have while interacting with others in a virtual world. It feels different, yet slightly familiar. I wasn't expecting that. I don't know what I was expecting, I think maybe I thought it would feel completely unreal. Interacting (I say interacting instead of communicating because part of the experience for me is walking and flying together with other avatars, not just talking) with others in a virtual world feels fairly strongly like an RL experience. For example, when gathering to meet for a virtual presentation I still like to sit my avatar down facing the "speaker" and I don't want to "talk" over them or make a scene. I think I'm carrying over RL social mores and norms into the virtual world, even though there are far fewer, if any, RL consequences. I think bringing my social norms and values to the virtual world gives it a feeling of familiarity to me. It seems like everyone else I've met in SL holds to most of these unspoken social norms as well. No one has talked over me or shot me with a virtual gun. I think this shared attitude about how to act and talk helps make me feel like I'm "with" real people. However, when I get too comfortable in SL and it feels like an RL scenario something will happen like someone moving jerkily because their internet connection is bad or there'll be an indecipherable chat message. Then I'll lose that feeling of "closeness" I have with the "people" I'm with and remember that I'm interacting with them through an avatar and a sometimes clunky and dense interface. We're back to talking through pillows instead of face-to-face. I guess I'm trying to say that while SL can be quite immersive, it also imparts strong feelings of alienation. I mean that in the truest sense of the word. It consistently reminds me that I am an alien in that place, whenever people teleport next to me, create materials out of nothing, or crash out of existence. I am not a virtual being and that is not my space. My avatar is not me. It is precisely that, an avatar. It is a tool that I can use to interact with others. I guess I was surprised at how well it can work sometimes.
Since my last post a lot has happened. This is to be expected over a three week time period. The Falkland Islands War could have been fought a half-dozen times or a fruit fly could have lived its entire life in the time it takes me to write a new entry. I've attended a tour and a book club meeting or two since my last post and a presentation on disability that was really good (I also missed two presentations today, which was disappointing. I forgot they were happening and didn't check my email until it was too late). All of those things were pretty fun. However, it's really strange to be with other people in a virtual world. It's like being close and far away at the same time. Other people's avatars are right next to yours even though the people controlling them may be thousands of kilometers away. I feel sort of "spiritually close" to the other avatars. I don't mean this in a religious way. I mean that I can tell I'm interacting with another human being and we're taking part in a shared experience, so I'm "with" them. I'm "with" them because I'm communicating with them and experiencing the same thing as them. However, I don't get as strong a feeling of being "with" others as I do when they're physically present or even when I watch someone on t.v. I can't "feel" the other people's spirit as strongly online. By that I mean the experience of interacting with another human is somewhat muted and fuzzy. Typed chat doesn't come close to conveying all the information given by a physically present person. The environment itself, while it often mimics actual physical landscapes, is often surreal i.e. objects twirling in mid-air. This further adds to the disconnect I feel while interacting with people online. Avatars are often dressed in bizarre clothing or are not human at all, reinforcing this feeling of being removed from reality. When I'm typing to a robot wearing a dress amidst floating slot machines it's hard to take it seriously. All these things-the chat, the crazy locales and avatars-come between myself and the people I'm interacting with. They all serve to distort the interpersonal interactions. It's like having a person to talk to right in front of you and then putting several pillows in between the two of you and trying to talk through the pillows. The conversation gets muffled and less clear. I know there's a person there, it's just more difficult to interact with them.
What is my point in saying all of this? I am trying to express the feelings I have while interacting with others in a virtual world. It feels different, yet slightly familiar. I wasn't expecting that. I don't know what I was expecting, I think maybe I thought it would feel completely unreal. Interacting (I say interacting instead of communicating because part of the experience for me is walking and flying together with other avatars, not just talking) with others in a virtual world feels fairly strongly like an RL experience. For example, when gathering to meet for a virtual presentation I still like to sit my avatar down facing the "speaker" and I don't want to "talk" over them or make a scene. I think I'm carrying over RL social mores and norms into the virtual world, even though there are far fewer, if any, RL consequences. I think bringing my social norms and values to the virtual world gives it a feeling of familiarity to me. It seems like everyone else I've met in SL holds to most of these unspoken social norms as well. No one has talked over me or shot me with a virtual gun. I think this shared attitude about how to act and talk helps make me feel like I'm "with" real people. However, when I get too comfortable in SL and it feels like an RL scenario something will happen like someone moving jerkily because their internet connection is bad or there'll be an indecipherable chat message. Then I'll lose that feeling of "closeness" I have with the "people" I'm with and remember that I'm interacting with them through an avatar and a sometimes clunky and dense interface. We're back to talking through pillows instead of face-to-face. I guess I'm trying to say that while SL can be quite immersive, it also imparts strong feelings of alienation. I mean that in the truest sense of the word. It consistently reminds me that I am an alien in that place, whenever people teleport next to me, create materials out of nothing, or crash out of existence. I am not a virtual being and that is not my space. My avatar is not me. It is precisely that, an avatar. It is a tool that I can use to interact with others. I guess I was surprised at how well it can work sometimes.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Meetings! Chat!
Whew! Been a long time since my last post. I have several reasons for that, which I will get to in a second. I guess I'll get to them now. Well, that sentence took a second anyway. I was absent from SL for almost 3 weeks and it's been over 3 weeks since my last post. I can't believe it's been that long.
The reasons I've been absent are numerous in amount. 1. I got a volunteer job in a RL library, which took up a lot of time. 2. I house-sat for for 2 weeks for some people. 3. My RL GF surprised me by coming back for reading week early, so we spent a lot of time together. Hmm, I don't know why I'm making all these excuses. Discount this part of the post entirely.
Onto SL matters. Since my last post, I've learned and got a buttload of stuff. Really valuable stuff. I learned how to stop moving (I was stuck in an animation loop for a looonnng time. Thanks Teachergirl Razor!). I learned how to chat to people, got build and group permission, got 200 Lindens, got a volunteer position in SL with LWB, went to my first group meeting in SL and participated in an HP discussion, and got the information about how to display LWB in SL. It's a lot to take in.
It seems like every time I go on SL I learn a ton of new stuff and have a bunch of new experiences. I love this stage of learning new things. Growth is exponential and every session is full of new things. My next goal is get the LWB section on SL up and running. I've received a bunch of stuff from them in an email and I'm going to get some more. The next step is to put it up on SL. It'll be fun learning how to do that and setting up a virtual space. I think being a virtual librarian or at least a virtual custodian of information will be fun.
The meeting about Harry Potter was pretty fun. It was kind of difficult to track all the conversations. I couldn't really take it too seriously either. I was in a pretty goofy mood and it's pretty easy to be annoying online. Hopefully I didn't annoy anyone too much. If I did, all apologies!
The reasons I've been absent are numerous in amount. 1. I got a volunteer job in a RL library, which took up a lot of time. 2. I house-sat for for 2 weeks for some people. 3. My RL GF surprised me by coming back for reading week early, so we spent a lot of time together. Hmm, I don't know why I'm making all these excuses. Discount this part of the post entirely.
Onto SL matters. Since my last post, I've learned and got a buttload of stuff. Really valuable stuff. I learned how to stop moving (I was stuck in an animation loop for a looonnng time. Thanks Teachergirl Razor!). I learned how to chat to people, got build and group permission, got 200 Lindens, got a volunteer position in SL with LWB, went to my first group meeting in SL and participated in an HP discussion, and got the information about how to display LWB in SL. It's a lot to take in.
It seems like every time I go on SL I learn a ton of new stuff and have a bunch of new experiences. I love this stage of learning new things. Growth is exponential and every session is full of new things. My next goal is get the LWB section on SL up and running. I've received a bunch of stuff from them in an email and I'm going to get some more. The next step is to put it up on SL. It'll be fun learning how to do that and setting up a virtual space. I think being a virtual librarian or at least a virtual custodian of information will be fun.
The meeting about Harry Potter was pretty fun. It was kind of difficult to track all the conversations. I couldn't really take it too seriously either. I was in a pretty goofy mood and it's pretty easy to be annoying online. Hopefully I didn't annoy anyone too much. If I did, all apologies!
Friday, September 30, 2011
Chapter One
Well, I read chapter one of "Coming of Age". Here are my thoughts:
1) It was difficult to read. The guy who wrote it was obviously really smart and I had to go over many of his sentences multiple times. He used a lot of big words and figuring out what his different definitions meant took me a long time. I'm sure I've forgotten most of them already and would have to re-read them another 4 times to understand them again. It was also difficult to read because even when I made the pages the maximum size the font was still really small. However, I found a workaround: leaning in really close to my monitor and squinting. I actually got used to it pretty quickly and then reading it wasn't too terrible. If I looked away for a second though it became hard to read again.
2) The main thing I took away from this reading was that I don't know anything about anthropology and that it's a lot more complicated than I would have thought. Har har, just kidding. I know EVERYTHING about anthropology. Anyhoo, from this reading I learned that there are a lot of issues and angles involved in Second Life. It seems like an enormous topic. It shouldn't be too difficult to find something to suggest a research topic for.
3) I actually learned a lot about how to do things in Second Life. I didn't know about using Ctrl-F to find whatever you're looking for in the world and teleport to it. I didn't know about using Ctrl-M to look at the map and find people and places to go to. It was actually really helpful. This speaks more to my ignorance than it does to the usefulness of the chapter, but I digress.
4) I liked how he talked about how SL was analogous to actual life in that both places have real societies and relationships; the difference is that in SL people can create different personas and occupations for themselves and impact society and their relationships differently than they do in the actual world. SL is affected by the same human society as actual life, but the society can be different because people choose to be different online than in actual life. I think that was the gist of what he was saying. I may be wrong. Feel free to correct me! I don't want to be wrong.
1) It was difficult to read. The guy who wrote it was obviously really smart and I had to go over many of his sentences multiple times. He used a lot of big words and figuring out what his different definitions meant took me a long time. I'm sure I've forgotten most of them already and would have to re-read them another 4 times to understand them again. It was also difficult to read because even when I made the pages the maximum size the font was still really small. However, I found a workaround: leaning in really close to my monitor and squinting. I actually got used to it pretty quickly and then reading it wasn't too terrible. If I looked away for a second though it became hard to read again.
2) The main thing I took away from this reading was that I don't know anything about anthropology and that it's a lot more complicated than I would have thought. Har har, just kidding. I know EVERYTHING about anthropology. Anyhoo, from this reading I learned that there are a lot of issues and angles involved in Second Life. It seems like an enormous topic. It shouldn't be too difficult to find something to suggest a research topic for.
3) I actually learned a lot about how to do things in Second Life. I didn't know about using Ctrl-F to find whatever you're looking for in the world and teleport to it. I didn't know about using Ctrl-M to look at the map and find people and places to go to. It was actually really helpful. This speaks more to my ignorance than it does to the usefulness of the chapter, but I digress.
4) I liked how he talked about how SL was analogous to actual life in that both places have real societies and relationships; the difference is that in SL people can create different personas and occupations for themselves and impact society and their relationships differently than they do in the actual world. SL is affected by the same human society as actual life, but the society can be different because people choose to be different online than in actual life. I think that was the gist of what he was saying. I may be wrong. Feel free to correct me! I don't want to be wrong.
Monday, September 19, 2011
Getting stronger!!
Huzzah! Went on Second Life today because I thought we were supposed to show up during office hours on Monday sometime between 12-2. No one was at the purple Western platform. I then went back and checked my email to see if we were actually supposed to meet then. I couldn't find any such email that said we were required to. I'm sure I saw one though...
Anyway, that doesn't matter (I think). I started trying to edit my avatar's appearance. I had been wildly unsuccessful at this previously. The only thing I could do was change my overall appearance from a pink unicorn pegasus to a man. I couldn't figure out how to edit any details though, like clothes. This was important to me, because my guy was wearing an unflattering skirt. Plus, I want to be in complete control, dag nab it. So, today I started messing around with my appearance again and this time I figured out how to change some things. I tried on some new outfits, changed their color and texture, took off individual pieces of clothing, it was great! As I write this, it sounds sad that I'm so pumped about learning to dress myself, but it was very frustrating not to be able to do it before. I figured out how to do it gradually. It all came about when I clicked on the popcorn machine and it said "right-click to wear me." I then started right-clicking on it and myself I think and eventually I found out how to change clothes. Hopefully I can remember how the next time I want to change pants. Fingers crossed.
Also, I finally found the items in my inventory! I started collecting stuff, like the course outline, the sweatshirt box, and so on from my first time on the Western platform, but I couldn't find it in my inventory. Today I did! And, with the power of right-clicking, I was able to actually do something with my items! Hurray! This is making me way more happy than it should. If I described this to anyone in the real world they would think I was a mental patient. I put my popcorn in my hand, my sweatshirt box on my head, and viewed the first chapter of that book we have to read. It was a day of monumental achievement. Next up, I need to learn how to build things. I tried once, but it said I couldn't build because I didn't own the land or something. I thought I was in the practice building area by the purple platform, so I don't know why it didn't work. I'll try again later. If it's anything like the clothes, somehow I'll figure it out! Calloo callay, good work brain!
Anyway, that doesn't matter (I think). I started trying to edit my avatar's appearance. I had been wildly unsuccessful at this previously. The only thing I could do was change my overall appearance from a pink unicorn pegasus to a man. I couldn't figure out how to edit any details though, like clothes. This was important to me, because my guy was wearing an unflattering skirt. Plus, I want to be in complete control, dag nab it. So, today I started messing around with my appearance again and this time I figured out how to change some things. I tried on some new outfits, changed their color and texture, took off individual pieces of clothing, it was great! As I write this, it sounds sad that I'm so pumped about learning to dress myself, but it was very frustrating not to be able to do it before. I figured out how to do it gradually. It all came about when I clicked on the popcorn machine and it said "right-click to wear me." I then started right-clicking on it and myself I think and eventually I found out how to change clothes. Hopefully I can remember how the next time I want to change pants. Fingers crossed.
Also, I finally found the items in my inventory! I started collecting stuff, like the course outline, the sweatshirt box, and so on from my first time on the Western platform, but I couldn't find it in my inventory. Today I did! And, with the power of right-clicking, I was able to actually do something with my items! Hurray! This is making me way more happy than it should. If I described this to anyone in the real world they would think I was a mental patient. I put my popcorn in my hand, my sweatshirt box on my head, and viewed the first chapter of that book we have to read. It was a day of monumental achievement. Next up, I need to learn how to build things. I tried once, but it said I couldn't build because I didn't own the land or something. I thought I was in the practice building area by the purple platform, so I don't know why it didn't work. I'll try again later. If it's anything like the clothes, somehow I'll figure it out! Calloo callay, good work brain!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Initial Second Life Experiences
My initial experiences with Second Life have been mostly pleasant and straightforward, although there have been a few frustrating and confusing moments. First off, when I registered for the class I was interested in taking part in an online world, as I have never really done this in an open-world setting. I have played some games online, but none that offer the experience of moving around an enormous environment and interacting with it in many different ways. The online environments that I have taken part in have always involved set goals and limited interactivity (i.e. attempting to kill some or all of the other inhabitants). I was and am interested to see what it's like to be in a virtual environment that isn't a non-stop murderfest. Will I find it boring? Will there be interesting things to do? What types of people play these games? I have an inkling that it's not the same jerky adolescents you find in other types of online environments.
Installing and running SL was really easy. Everything appears to be compatible with my computer. Going through the tutorial on basic actions was also simple. After that, I ran into a few problems. When I tried to teleport to the class platform it didn't take me there. I also didn't see anyone else to talk to. I thought SL would be teeming with people, like being downtown in a busy city. That doesn't seem to be the case. I probably don't know where to go to meet people though. The next time I started up SL I was teleported to the class platform no problem. I don't know why it worked this time. That kind of bugs me. Also, my character moved really slowly and kept freezing up. Maybe my connection was bad. I'm hoping that's all it was. I realized during my second time in SL that there was a lot of stuff I didn't know how to do, like put on the librarian shirt I got from the platform. I'm pretty sure I got the shirt. I said to take it. When I looked in clothing though, I couldn't find it. I'm sure by spending more time in SL I will learn how to do everything. It's just frustrating learning it on my own. I wish I knew someone who could physically be with me and show me the ropes. That would make it so much easier.
Installing and running SL was really easy. Everything appears to be compatible with my computer. Going through the tutorial on basic actions was also simple. After that, I ran into a few problems. When I tried to teleport to the class platform it didn't take me there. I also didn't see anyone else to talk to. I thought SL would be teeming with people, like being downtown in a busy city. That doesn't seem to be the case. I probably don't know where to go to meet people though. The next time I started up SL I was teleported to the class platform no problem. I don't know why it worked this time. That kind of bugs me. Also, my character moved really slowly and kept freezing up. Maybe my connection was bad. I'm hoping that's all it was. I realized during my second time in SL that there was a lot of stuff I didn't know how to do, like put on the librarian shirt I got from the platform. I'm pretty sure I got the shirt. I said to take it. When I looked in clothing though, I couldn't find it. I'm sure by spending more time in SL I will learn how to do everything. It's just frustrating learning it on my own. I wish I knew someone who could physically be with me and show me the ropes. That would make it so much easier.
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