Second Life, a ‘place’ to change your mind…

Inspire Space Park with avatar dancers

Second Life, a ‘place’ to change your mind in many ways and many times. Those of us who like exploring virtual worlds do so for many different reasons. Clearly some people allow themselves to be swept into the alternative reality afforded by the immersive experience, they might describe themselves as ‘living Second Life’. Meanwhile, others are drawn by the shifts in perception that a virtual world can generate. This line of thinking might be drawn on a continuum from the feeling aspect of experience to the thinking aspect. We virtual world travelers could all potentially position ourselves somewhere on this continuum. I would also factor into our elected position an elasticity; that is, we could each draw a bubble around ourselves that shows the degree that we move up and down our own selected reaches of the feeling/thinking virtual experience.

Some people happily spend their time in-world as their avatar projection of themselves interacting with other avatar projections. They all become players within their projected play, calibrating their  virtual relationships according to their agreed upon version of shared virtual reality. I would put these people and their avatars at the feeling end of the continuum. At the same time I would say they have powerful anchors that orient them to their location in a greater picture of space and time. That is,  travelers in virtual worlds know they are sitting at home watching their computer screen where they are also answering the phone, planning meals and reminding themselves to unload the washing machine.

Many people simply accept this is how they are within the virtual world as they access it from the physical world, they don’t ask deep philosophical questions they just ‘do it!’ Others find themselves having a different type of experience while hovering more towards the thinking end of the continuum. We self conscious ‘thinkers’ wander the virtual world, play with our avatars and interact with others in the 3D space but we constantly try to align everything so that it makes some kind of sense. We find that the hook that brings us back again and again is a question, actually it is more like a string of questions. Second Life is more of an experiment for those of us hooked on trying to figure out the virtual world experience. I would say it is a ‘Glass Bead Game’ for us, a virtual place where we can explore both ourselves and our understanding of reality. By that, I don’t mean virtual reality versus physical reality (virtual world v the so-called real world) I mean reality itself.

Inspire Space Park, Shinda. Second Life: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Shinda/73/197/1560/

Wind, water and Windlight – Glyph’s dancing strangers

Strangers Also Dance is an exhibition of the  ‘Interactive Work’ of  Glyph Graves and it finishes today (July 15, 2009). IBM provided the exhibition space on their public island IBM 2, and  Glyph took full advantage of the space generously given to him. He also took full advantage of  the Second Life elements of wind, water and Windlight.  It seemed particularly appropriate to don the gelatinous fronds of Flea Bussy’s jellyfish avatar to visit this fantastic exhibit. As I moved around the installation plants gently swayed towards my avatar or changed color, while others moved to the Second Life wind and water currents. There is strange atmosphere to the swamp with all these alien plants interacting to your avatar presence. The plant creatures summoned me to come close with hypnotic gestures and eventually I was drawn into a great moving light, or was it an organism? The creature of lights seemed to fly me through the air yet I emerged far below the sea. All wonderfully strange! For more images from the show visit the IBM Exhibition space on flickr where you can see Glyph Grave’s photos of his work.

Glyph's underwater anemones

A classic Glyph Graves creation

Jellyfish avatar gliding past the allographs

Small flying animal created by Griffin McAlpine and added by Glyph to his swamp exhibition

Jellyfish avatar (by Flea Bussy) swimming deep within Glyph's Dance With Strangers (background created by Miki Gymnast)

Wraith Dragons

Gravois Dragon by Wal Krugman

Visit WRAITH and Lady Dragoness at the Wraith Dragon Temple in Second Life to see some fantastic dragon statues.  I have featured my favorite here, the Gravois Dragon created by Wal Krugman.

Close up (showing teeth) of Gravois Dragon statue by Wal Krugman

There is much to see on the island with its landscape of  woods and clearings, gazebos, ruins and long arching foot bridges set against a backdrop of  mountains. You can wander around and see a considerable array of dragon statues.

Gravois Dragon statue ( Wal Krugman states that the statue will ' temp-rez on your land using one prim only'.)

The Lady Dragoness sells a natty line in crowns and coronets for ladies. I also saw a fine piece of  head gear for male avatars called the Dragon Warrior Helm (image below shows the display in the Lady Dragoness Sanctuary).

Dragon Warrior Helm available at the Lady Dragoness

I also discovered, while wandering the island, that Wal Krugman has created a line of wearable dragons that can perch on your avatar’s shoulder. I purchased one and now I  am waiting to see how my other pet dragon Spit Wrath deals with the company…

Spit Wrath on the left and new tiny gold dragon on the right. (That is a painting in the background not Wraith and Lady Dragoness island, though the island does resemble the painting in some respects.)