Last week I mentioned a technology system that generated large maps of Second Life beyond that generated by the SL viewer. It's developed by a company called Mapus Novus, and as it turns out, they also sell mixed reality maps suitable for framing. Here's their terrain map of the Northern continents. Fairly cool, though I'd prefer to see a mixed reality map of the entire world, with landmarks and prime locations marked up. This despite the fact that virtual geography is functionally useless in a world where you can instantaneously teleport from one location to another, or via the Web by SLURL link; still seems to scratch a psychic itch. Image credit: www.mapusnovus.com.
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I'd love a "Where's Wally" world map of Second Life. :)
Posted by: Timeless Prototype | Monday, January 12, 2009 at 01:41 PM
Hamlet - why is this Mixed Reality? It's just a print out of SL grid - is your book Mixed Reality too? We have to be careful to not use these terms to describe anything that is exclusively not, inworld.
I believe true mixed reality is about parallel 'real time' activity in virtual world/s and real life AND where both can strongly influence the other (vs just watching a film together in SL or using SL to see RL weather data). I cover some Mixed Reality areas in this post and video (which although slightly tongue-in-cheek) here is a good compilation of more resonant environments.
You may notice I didn't put a framed print of a virtual world map in there :)
Posted by: Gary Hayes | Monday, January 12, 2009 at 02:46 PM
"I believe true mixed reality is about parallel 'real time' activity in virtual world/s and real life AND where both can strongly influence the other"
Well that's one definition, Gary; I'd call what you describe a mixed reality *event*. With maps, books, and other physical, non-metaverse objects, you have the real world strongly influencing the virtual world and vice versa, but on an asynchronous basis. I think that's just as important, if not more so, since temporal mixed reality events are so necessarily limited by audience attendance and, well, time.
Posted by: Hamlet Au | Monday, January 12, 2009 at 03:16 PM
Two Worlds, how does buying something have a negative effect on the economy?
Posted by: miketually Aeon | Tuesday, January 13, 2009 at 03:41 AM
Hamlet re: term Mixed Reality, I am still not convinced you/we should use it as a catch all for asynchronous reflections from the virtual to real and back again. Of course anything is going to have influence (a snapshot from SL put on flickr, or a blogpost IRL talking about an experience) but...calling everything moving between the worlds Mixed Reality is just going to make the term meaningless.
I have been talking about web 3.0 as being the live since early 06, the synchronous web and of course is one of the key components of why MMOs and SL are so compelling - real time social communication or co-creation. When you run real world activities over extended periods against the extended periods you are in world, and the two are linked, to me that is not a typical hour long SL meet/event but true on-going Mixed Reality.
OK, off to read your book and have a mixed reality experience flicking through the pages... :)
Posted by: Gary Hayes | Tuesday, January 13, 2009 at 05:24 AM
That's a good question, Mr. Aeon, but your interlocutor has crossed the line one last time and is permabanned.
Posted by: Hamlet Au | Tuesday, January 13, 2009 at 07:48 AM
I'm definitely open to other terminology, Gary. With this blog, I wanted a catch-all term for posts where the real world and/or other non-metaverse media was the prominent element, so they could fit into Mixed Reality Mondays.
Posted by: Hamlet Au | Tuesday, January 13, 2009 at 10:46 AM