Spirituality and SL - want to talk about it?
February 7, 2007
Linden Labs have put out the call for anyone interested in speaking to the media about how SL plays a role for them spiritually. Read their blog post for details and email catherine@lindenlab.com if you’re interestd. At SLOz we’re also interested in that aspect so if you wanted an aussie religious / spiritual event covered, let us know.
Popularity: 12% [?]
RMIT Island Under Construction
February 7, 2007
RMIT University, Melbourne have embarked on a construction project in SL that allows people to drop in and view their progress from a lookout area that affords a view across their island.
The contruction zone of RMIT Island is off limits to people apart from a small square atop a hill. From there visitors can see how things are going or relax in a deckchair watching some old 1930s style cartoons.
This quirky little piece of interest is probably a result of the makeup of the team that is putting the RMIT sim together. A mix of students from the faculties of:
School of Architecture and Design
School of Creative Media
School of Property, Construction and Project Management
The in-world contact is John Guffey and no doubt he will be able to answer further questions but I think the ability to drop in and watch progress may be even more revealing than a straight up Q & A from him.
With the growing number of universities from Australia embarking upon, dare I say it, “campuses”, in SL, and already conducting lessons in-world, education is about to embark upon an incredibly transformational journey.
Popularity: 5% [?]
Haptic or just plain bizarre?
February 7, 2007
As explained in a Times Online article, haptic interfaces bring sensation to virtual experiences. This means that we may soon have devices that allow you to feel the hand of the avatar you are shaking. It seems an obvious flow on from the visual and aural experience SL currently is.
There are obvious benefits, particularly for those with particular disabilities. However, such interfaces will bring a whole range of challenges as well. We’ve discussed the issue of addiction previously, and it’s arguable that haptic devices are only going to exacerbate the issue for the percentage of users who find the whole SL experience immersive anyway.
Popularity: 8% [?]
Email and IM changes in SL
February 6, 2007
In their latest blog posting, Linden Labs have described an upgrade to their IM to Email system which will decrease load whilst increasing the time you can reply to an IM offline from three days to five days.
An embarrassing admission: I actually didn’t realise you could reply to an IM received via email and have it convert back to an IM for the original sender…
Popularity: 8% [?]
Celebrities in Second Life - why?
February 5, 2007
With the growing focus on Second Life, the issue of celebrity is starting to rear its head more often. And like real-life, celebrity is a fascinating and complex issue. Some people admire the achievements of some who become ‘famous’. Others enjoy celebrity-watching as a blood sport and some find it all pointless. Whatever the perspective, celebrity is a reality in SL.
The first type of celebrity in SL is the real-world replica. Adopted Australian Ben Folds performed in October 2005, with Suzanne Vega one of the first ‘big names’ in-world, with Duran Duran the first well-known band. Actors, politicians and other well-known individuals have also made the jump and the momentum is only going to grow.
The second type of celebrity is the ‘home-grown in SL’ type. Anshe Chung is an obvious example, some of the Linden staff are others. Being instantly accessible in-world via IM or groups makes managing the attention a very interesting proposition. With either type of SL celebrity, the question is - why? Why does it look like an ‘elite’ is going to develop in SL - is it just a sociological reality that can’t be avoided?
Popularity: 13% [?]
SL’s Healthinfo Island
February 4, 2007
Healthinfo Island is an impressive community effort on the part of health librarians and it offers two services - a consumer health library and a medical library for health professionals. Both are run by specialist health librarians, Namro Orman and Carolina Keats.
When describing the Consumer Health Library, Keats says “the building is deliberately non-tech, home-like and the doors never close. It’s meant to be welcoming - I think lots about what’s welcoming, non-institutional, and about fostering trust”.
The library, although comprehensive, is always evolving, with new initiatives in development.
“One.. initiative, just in early days, is to encourage the development and identification of assistive technologies so that people with disabilities can come to SL, interact,’ Keats continued
The array of health information on offer is enormous, but approachable through use of everyday objects and environments.
‘if I could give a sort of high-level picture of what we’re about - we’re about supporting SL groups and individuals with quality health information, to empower them as health consumers,” Keats said.
“I’ll be going out to folks, finding out about information needs - and hope to enlist them in collaborative events, like health fairs. There are many healthcare-associated people in SL, so I want to connect with them, too. We are looking for people to help create content in health & wellness subject areas”.
If you’re looking for health information for a family member or friend, or a health professional after research findings, Healthinfo island should be your first stop in-world
Popularity: 5% [?]
Australian part of photo exhibit at gallery launch
February 3, 2007
At SLOz we’ve managed to avoid self-promotion, but for no good reason we’re going to breach the rule to let you know that yours truly has four photos on exhibit at the Coyote launch commencing at 9am Eastern Australian Time, Sunday 4th February.
Come say hi 
Popularity: 7% [?]
