pix from Weds class paper presentations

as viewed from the International Space Station (it’s roomier than you’d think, but smells really bad)

SL Reuters quotes Sphere

always happy to provide a kicker

http://secondlife.reuters.com/stories/2006/11/29/anshe-chung-battles-pr-hype-with-some-of-her-own/

what’s a plog?

Your Amazon.com Plog is a personalized web log that appears on your customer home page. Every person’s Plog is different (hence the name) and just like a blog, your Plog is sorted in reverse chronological order. Each post also gives you the opportunity to provide feedback to the sender as to whether you liked the post or not. This feedback loop means your Plog becomes even more relevant and interesting over time. Your Plog will appear if you are logged into our web site and is visible only to you.

Authors with at least one book for sale on Amazon.com are eligible to participate in AmazonConnect. To learn more about the program and to sign up, visit www.amazon.com/connect.
 

context, not content, is king

http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/why-aggregation-context-and-not-necessarily-content-are-king-in-entertainme/

WSJ on in-text ads

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB116412309878729621-1Vl6e6UkSwyCzXv5Dq5__HvQncY_20071126.html?mod=tff_main_tff_top

GQ’s avatars we love

http://men.style.com/news/going_out/112706

sphere’s house raising fete

adobe house by raziel vesperia, builder extraordinaire; enjoying the view with maxiwaxi

Q&A with Prof Erde

Now that this has published in the SLED Picayune issue #13, guess I can post here:

Sphere Gasser: welcome, Professor Erde!
Professor Erde: Hey how are you?
SG: fine, thank you for coming today
Professor Erde: My pleasure.
Professor Erde: Just got out of a thesis defense.
SG: i’m interviewing you for the SLED Picayune here in Lafitte’s
Blacksmith Shop Bar in New Orleans.
SG: would you like something to drink?
Professor Erde: Whatever you’re having…
Professor Erde accepted your inventory offer.
Professor Erde: So, what would you like to talk about?
SG: just a few questions. as i did not see a profile on you what would
you like to share about your background and/or bio?
Professor Erde: Sorry, yes.
Professor Erde: Need to get that profile up.
Professor Erde: I am the oldest newbie in Second life.
SG: lol
Professor Erde: I joined a long time ago.
Professor Erde: Well, not that long.
Professor Erde: But before the million-avatar march.
Professor Erde: Actually, I suspect that you can date avatars by their surname.
Professor Erde: But I haven’t found a list that does that.
SG: Erde is very old, at least in Wagnerian terms
Professor Erde: Hah! Yes, but as a surname, very new.
Professor Erde: I joined at the beginning of the school year in order
to use this avatar for my…
Professor Erde: more institutional self.
SG: have you been teaching in SL, other than the one class of ours?
Professor Erde: No! This was my first time trying to have a class in SL.
Professor Erde: I’ve participated in research group meetings, and the like.
Professor Erde: But not actually brought a class in.
Professor Erde: When I did it this semester, it was with some trepidation.
Professor Erde: Because of earlier experiences with virtual worlds and classes.
SG: what got you into SL in the first place?
Professor Erde: I think I see this as the kind of thing I was always
most interested in when it came to computers.
Professor Erde: I’ll admit, the scene in the Black Sun, really
resonated with me.
Professor Erde: As it did for many people here, I suspect.
Professor Erde: And a lot of people, like myself, have just been
waiting for the bandwidth and computer power
Professor Erde: to make that really happen.
SG: Black Sun?
Professor Erde: Sorry. It was a bar, not too unlike this one.
Professor Erde: In Stephenson’s Snow Crash.
SG: ah. so do you use the Educational facilities in SL, the Library
for instance?
Professor Erde: I’ve really only started on them.
SG: what do you think are the strenghts and the weaknesses of SL
education, briefly?
Professor Erde: Particularly on the tool side, it strikes me
that–like other tech–it’s tempting to put the tech before the horse.
Professor Erde: Or something like that.
SG: lol
Professor Erde: Or, to use one of my least favorite Comm profs, I
think we are suffering from rear-view thinking.
You: hmmm
Professor Erde: We assuming that SL classes should look like FL classes.
Professor Erde: Just like we assumed the automobile would be a
horseless carriage.
Professor Erde: I think the best sort of class to teach in SL is a class on SL.
Professor Erde: Or, more broadly, on virtual environments.
Professor Erde: I can certainly see teaching a political theory
course, or a bio course…
Professor Erde: perhaps with a bit of work.
Professor Erde: But, you have to admit, from a practical perspective,
it feels a bit like chat++.
Professor Erde: The environment sometimes superfluous.
Professor Erde: But moving the classroom here (which is sort of what
we tried to do) doesn’t work.
SG: i actually enjoy being able to sit here and watch the fire while i
chat. i think it’s much more interesting than staring at an AIM box
Professor Erde: I guess.
Professor Erde: And I suppose we share that experience.
SG: you’ve heard about the Shakespeare project. that should be a great
educational tool
Professor Erde: Yes, I think engaging in it as a role.
Professor Erde: As a social simulation.
Professor Erde: Has real promise.
Professor Erde: I think that’s one area where you really can make use
of it being more than a chat.
Professor Erde: But a lot of the discussion on SLED revolves around
things like how to import powerpoint.
Professor Erde: And that doesn’t make a lot of sense.
SG: so how could SL be strengthened as an educational tool, do you think?
Professor Erde: Improvements:
Professor Erde: I don’t think there are specific educational improvements.
Professor Erde: I think they are improvements for everyone.
Professor Erde: Actually, let me back up for a second.
Professor Erde: In terms of *institutions* being involved, SL needs to
be rock solid.
Professor Erde: We need to know that it’s going to be there in three
weeks, and in six months.
Professor Erde: We need to know that students will continue to have access.
Professor Erde: We can be relatively certain that, for example, Google
is not going anywhere in the short term.
SG: but isn’t google like flash cards compared to SL?
Professor Erde: OK, not Google then: You Tube.
Professor Erde: I don’t know what YouTube’s uptime is, but it feels like 100%
SG: i’m not sure that will ever be possible in SL
Professor Erde: I don’t know.
SG: we may have to allow grey goo to enroll in the courses
Professor Erde: Yeah. I mean, I would have had grey goo problems had I
taught the whole course here this semester.
Professor Erde: I’m still planning on it for next year. But by then I
really hope things will have shaped up.
Professor Erde: But beyond that stability, I think we need to just
keep moving toward fidelity.
Professor Erde: I want voice ASAP.
Professor Erde: Right now, folks are working around (Skype) or doing similar.
SG: the headset is very fashionable
Professor Erde: Or the beta plugin (forgetting the name).
Professor Erde: But we need voice in here sooner, not later.
SG: Garbo talks!
Professor Erde: And I am enthusiastic about open sourcing the interface.
Professor Erde: We really need to be able to plug our VR gear into this thing.
Professor Erde: I want to be able to point and move and have this
relatively well reflected in-world.
Professor Erde: The future is in haptics!
SG: well, thanks for your time. would you like to submit a headshot or
shall i take a snap?
Professor Erde: Snap now, and if you don’t need to file until
tomorrow, maybe I can send an update?
Professor Erde: I need a remodel anyway.
SG: oh, avis are too obsessed with looks!
Professor Erde: Anything I should check out in the neighborhood?
SG: oh, it’s lovely here. cafe du monde, jackson square. bourbon
street. armstrong park.
Professor Erde: I’ll have a little stroll around then. See if I can
find someone to give me a bit of a remake
SG: i appreciate your time. have a great thanksgiving!
Professor Erde: You too! See you RL-side.

SMS false alarm on tsunami

i meant to post this last week. interesting consequence of SMS usage in Philippines

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061116/wl_nm/weather_philippines_tsunami_dc_1

omigod it’s WebClenz for real!

http://www.reputationdefender.com/