Tateru's Monday Reality Mix

Cell games - exploring the interior of a Eukaryote cell.

Tateru Nino's weekly take on mixed reality...

The Gene Pool in Second Life takes the microscopic and submicroscopic and uses the virtual world to allow us to see and to interact, and with a little luck, to understand. Along with getting our feet wet there, we'll be stopping in to see Accuweather's new home in Second Life, and rounding up the recent mixed reality happenings, all after the fold.

Mixed Reality Science

The Gene Pool in Immaculate (direct link) is the brainchild of Second Life Resident Max Chatnoir. A small campus of science, it contains information on genes, genetics and cell machinery, also interactive and non-interactive displays and games.

Bacteriology displays, lab rats and fruit flies complement displays of RNA and chromosomes.

Chatnoir has been self funding the project for two years, learning the skills she needs, and obtaining help and assistance from other Second Lifers to bring the facility to fruition. Elizabeth Gloucester, and Apaul Balut have become energetic and inventive members of Chatnoir's team.

Recently students from Texas Wesleyan university in Fort Worth got their first look at the Gene Pool in Second Life thanks to computer hardware upgrades at the campus. The students certainly seemed to enjoy their experience, though Chatnoir remembers that it was a learning experience for everyone. "One thing I learned is that you can't have fifteen students all doing the same thing at the same time. In an open environment like this, you can't really structure a continuous progression, although I try to link up related things."

Fruit and flowers, flies, genome exhibits, a wealth of displays, informational text and some fun quizzes! There's far more than you can absorb in a single visit. Much of it is very accessible, and Second Life makes it yet more accessible, but there is certainly enough advanced material here as well to satisfy the experienced biology student or keen hobbyist.

I can hardly wait to have the time to go back.

Mixed Reality Shorts

• Machinima: Xerox Gets a Second Life - Xerox CTO Dr. Sophie Vandebroek, speaks about Second Life in this Second Life machinima (youtube).
• Ordering pizza just about anywhere, from Second Life and paid in Linden Dollars. Right now, though, little more than a press release.
• The International Spaceflight Museum in Second Life is expanding, with the grand opening week starting next Friday.
• CFP: Learning and Research In Second Life pre-conference workshop calls for papers/participation for this October event in Vancouver.
• The NOAA's Earth Research Laboratory launches a series of interactive exhibits on their island (direct link) to demonstrate global warming, tsunamis and more.
• VISA Europe prepares to launch in Second Life. Not yet open to the public.

Mixed Reality Weather

The plywood groundhog is one of the more detailed features.

Well, with the Weather Channel more or less owning the Mixed Reality side of the metrics consistently, it's not terribly surprising to see another player in that space. Enter Accuweather.

Accuweather launched in Second Life on Friday evening. You'd be hard pressed to tell today, though-- their location in Second Life (direct link) is presently unlisted. The site itself is simple. A few prims and some groundhog based gift-bags (the whole groundhog thing might be very confusing for those of you outside the USA and Canada, but there is a myth linking groundhogs to the weather).

The whole thing feels a bit premature. The site itself appears to be little more than an animated 3D billboard, flanked by some plywood groundhogs. Apparently Accuweather has things planned, but those plans are not yet ready.

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Got a mixed reality tip for Tateru?  E-mail her at [email protected].  And visit her blog.

Comments

[rikomatic]

Also, this week the Austrian city of Salzburg (home of Mozart) launches an SL version.

[Quirky]

Chart. Where is the chart? I want my mixed reality metrics chart.

[Hamlet Au]

Tat and I are re-architecting it as we speak, going for more concrete metrics.

[Starr Sonic]

Hi Tat

The launch event for the Accuweather personal weather thingo was pretty cool. The Second Life Cable Network (SLCN) was there filming it so check it out on our website www.slcn.tv

You set the zip code for your area and the weather then follows you around.... and you can also set the weather for your land.