New World Notes

Fermilab/SLAC Magazine On Second Life's Large Hadron Collider-- And Linking It To The Real One

Last week I wrote about the brilliant machinima tribute to the Large Hadron Collider from Ryushimitsu Xingjian, the Resident who created his simulation in SL from photos of the LHC's ATLAS project.  (Click for a side-by-side comparison above.)  I found out later that I wasn't the only fan: so was David Harris, a physicist who's also the editor of Symmetry Magazine, a joint publication of the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center and Fermilab.  He actually attended the LHC's "first beam day" at CERN last September, and is thus able to compare Xingjian's efforts with the real thing: 

"Not everything is scientifically accurate," Harris writes, "but I can tell you from having been in the ATLAS cavern while it was being built, that this does a very good job of the look and feel of the real detector."  High praise.  Even more intriguing, he mentions that colleagues at Fermilab/SLAC had already considered creating a mixed reality LHC:

Wanted: Content Creation Talent Agents In Second Life

Where are the big three metaverse artist agencies?

I occasionally recommend talented Second Life creators to real world organizations in need of SL content, and wish I could do it more.  There's nothing cooler than getting to share my admiration of Second Life's teeming artistry and ambition with folks in the outside world.  Even better when those Residents are then able to earn a halfway decent income from those assignments.

Often, however, stumbling blocks immediately emerge.

Emergency Simulations: UK University Teaches Paramedic Class In Second Life, But Is SL Ready For It?

The woman with the appalling fashion sense is actually a virtual mannequin experiencing a drug overdose outside a nightclub; it's part of a paramedic simulation course recently created by the Faculty of Health and Social Care Sciences, developed by St George's, University of London and Kingston University.  Its purpose, reports Medical News Today, is to train paramedic students located across the country, who'd otherwise have to travel to a real world facility.  One cool feature: each week, the students are e-mailed a direct SLURL teleport to a new location and emergency situation.

Speaking of which, this SLURL link will take you to the University of London island in Second Life, so you can go through the long customized SL orientation process, and finally progress to the paramedic simulations itself.  In fact, the training in the user interface is so time-consuming, I wonder if this is an effective educational use of the medium. 

Last Week In New World Notes...

Is freebie content hurting the economy?  A passionate debate ensues... Are the Lindens keeping their promise to regulate excessive billboard advertising?  We go in-world to check... PARC Research reports on user collaboration and camera position in Second Life, with fascinating reader commentary... Vidal Tripsa plays and reviews SL's most popular sports fishing game... I learn how to send Plurks from within SL...  I ponder the market for the Lindens' new Immersive Workspaces...  If a panda builds a Large Hadron Collider in Second Life, will furries, flying penises be sucked into a metaverse black hole? 

Finally, the search is on for the most precious item in SL.  Suggest nominees here!

What's Second Life's Most Precious Item?

This is the Ananke Nereide Flying Submarine by Lylanna Dibou and Carrah Rossini, a full-featured steampunk-themed sub which sells for L$2499 (about $9.50, at current Linden Dollar-to-US Dollar exchange rates.)  It was suggested by Valentina Kendal in New World Notes' Open Forum search for SL's most precious item, as determined by its beauty, price, and other variables.

What's your nomination of SL's most precious item?  Go to the Open Forum, read the criteria, and post your suggestion in Comments.

Image: from the Ananke Nereide Flying Submarine's XStreetSL e-commerce listing.

Are Freebies Hurting The SL Economy? Round-Up Of Thoughts On An Over-Saturated Economy

One of the latest controversies roiling the Second Life commentariat is the role of freebies in the economy, those free or very low cost items that store owners give away, largely for promotional purposes.  (Ana Luetia has a round-up of opinions here.)  As the latest Linden figures suggest, the number of profitable SL businesses has decreased in the second quarter of this year, and some are pointing fingers at freebies, which contribute to an oversaturation of content, and a presumption among newbies that they should spend little or nothing on Second Life items. 

How A Sexy Avatar Inspired A Real Life Survivor

I've written about the Stanford study which suggests that people who control an attractive avatar feel more personally confident, after they log off.  Those are fascinating results from an academic standpoint, but CeNedra Rivera brings a personal depth to them in her most recent post.  As her avatar grows sexier (as evidenced by this beguiling pose she recently posted on her blog), she's become more sexy in the real world:

In the year since I’ve been in SL, I’ve actually gone on a few RL dates. That might not sound like a big deal, but it is for me. I find myself actively flirting back when banter starts with male colleagues or friends. Even when I go shopping I find myself at least trying on things I normally wouldn’t have.

It's an even bigger deal, when you remember Ms. Rivera's background before SL: she's a survivor of an abusive relationship, who now offers advice to women who find themselves in the same traumatic place she escaped from.  "For me," she wrote last month, "Second Life allows me to safely interact with people in ways I still can’t in my first life."  Now, it seems, her in-world identity has freed up her other self too.  (Image:  censtwocents.blogspot.com.)

Linden MMORPG? Exploring A New Linden Fantasy Land

Shortly after the Lindens announced the birth of a new city called Nautilus, Radar Masukami was there to investigate, returning with a photographic tour of the ancient, Atlantean metropolis.  It looks fairly impressive, though perhaps not as ambitious as similarly-themed Resident-run projects like Nick Lassard's Romenna.  Still, it's striking that the Lindens have created an area that so immediately encourages fantasy roleplaying.  What's next, Linden game masters? (Image: Radar.)

SL Medical Device As Teaching Tool-- And Fashion Accessory

As a way of raising awareness about diabetes, Noelyci Ingmann created a virtual replica of an insulin pump with a built-in 90 minute reminder to test the wearer's blood sugars.  "This is a teaching opportunity," he explained. "I hope this gives you a taste of what it means to be a Type 1 Diabetic."  To further promote it, he then launched an "Insulin Pump Hottie" photo spread, featuring babes of both genders showing off their pump as a fashion accessory-- thereby promoting awareness even further.  Depicted here: Ms. Mocksoup Graves, pump-bearing pole dancer. 

Left unanswered by this image: there's really an SL strip joint decorated with the Companion Cube from Portal?  (Image: www.ingmanndesign.com.)

Want To Become A Second Life DJ? Let OZ Show You How

Oliver "OZ" Szondi recently delivered an in-world lecture on becoming an SL-based DJ, and Hotspur O'Toole was there to take copious, illustrated notes, including reviews of audio streaming software packages, and some of Hotspur's own observations, such as:  "Almost all DJs I have spoken to who DJ for commercial purposes prefer to have TWO PCs... one for running SL, and one for the electronic music file library and DJ software."  I'm surprised, though I suppose I should be.  Read the rest here.