The Click Heard Round the World

Defining virtual worlds - help!

I am working on a short definition of virtual worlds for an educational audience.  Here's what I have so far:

In a nutshell, virtual worlds are computer-generated, persistent, three-dimensional, multi-user spaces, where people interact with each other and the environment through their "avatars." Some examples of virtual worlds are Second Life, Whyville, World of Warcraft and Webkins. These three-dimensional environments often mimic characteristics of the real world, including having land, water, space, gravity, buildings and even weather.  Virtual worlds are populated by "avatars" which are controlled by human users, as well as non-player characters or "bots," which are controlled by software.  Different virtual worlds have different features and emphases, including the ability for users to communicate with each other using voice, to create objects and structures, to buy and sell goods and services, and to share video and audio content with each other.  Although often compared to video games, virtual worlds aren't necessarily games with explicit ways of "winning" or points to accumulate. 

A number of educational institutions are exploring the potential of virtual worlds as a new medium for education. Among the unique affordances of virtual worlds are: their capacity to facilitate engaging and immersive experiences, the ability for educators and students to be distributed anywhere in the world, the sense of "presence" and versimillitude, and the possibility of simulating phenomena and experiences that would be difficult or prohibitively expensive to do in the real world.

Did I miss anything important?  Is there anything incorrect or obtuse in this that bears unpacking?

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UPDATE 5/1/08: Rafi sent me Giff Constable's much more elegant and parsimonious definition of virtual worlds that totally pwns mine:

Virtual worlds are online environments that have game-like immersion and social media functionality without overarching game-like goals or rules. The core value is a sense of presence with others at the same time and in the same place.

Nice!

Cherry Blossoms at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens

My friends Swifty, Rafi, Jessica and I converged on the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens very early this morning to catch the magnificent cherry blossoms in peak bloom, before the madding crowds converge this weekend for the Sakura Matsuri festival.   It was a lot colder and rainier than we would have liked. But nonetheless it was awesome being in the gardens nearly alone, wandering among the wonderful pink blossoms everywhere.

Here is the link to the rest of my pictures.  And be sure and check out Swifty's and Rafi's photos as well.

Internship Notice: USC virtual paid internships available

Shawna at the USC Network Culture Project sent around a call for interested students to participate in a paid summer internship in Second Life.  Sounds like a great opportunity for an undergrad or graduate student interested in virtual worlds:

The USC Network Culture Project at the Annenberg School for Communication is accepting applications for undergraduate or graduate students interested in a paid research internship. Responsibilities include observing habits and activities in Second Life and require diligent note-taking about the experience. Please encourage students who you know to be competent in Second Life to apply—they must be comfortable with talking to other residents and moving around in world. Students will spend 15 hours per week both in-world interacting with and interviewing a specific group of selected residents and then writing field notes. A USC doctoral student will oversee and train the students on observational techniques.

To apply, please have the student write a 350-word description of their qualifications and include a glowing letter of recommendation from you. We are looking for highly reliable, self-directed students who can commit to 15 hours per week between June 10th and June 30th and who might be interested with continuing past that time. We require mandatory attendance for group meetings in Second Life every Tuesday from 10am - 11am PST. In addition to the educational and professional experience, we are offering $10 per hour.

Send applications to shawnake@usc.edu before May 16th, 2008.

Non-profits in SL: Glitteractica & Randall Moss speaking at Metanomics today

My friend Glitteractica Cookie of Techsoup.org (pictured above) and Randall Moss of the American Cancer Society will be speaking today at the popular "Metanomics" talk show in Second Life from 11-12PM PST. The event will take place on Muse Arena on Muse Isle, and filmed and streamed live on SLCN.tv. 

Check the full event entry for additional locations and background on the discussion.

Dino5: Hip-hop for babies

Check out this ill video for the kid's hip-hop group the Dino5. This is some serious mad cuteness.  Almost makes me wish I had a kid to play this for him / her.  Ah hell, I'll just get it for myself.

Dino5 features :

• MC T-Rex : aka the incomparable Chali 2na of Jurassic 5!
• Tracy Triceratops: performed by Lady Bug Mecca of Digable Planets!
• Billy Brontosaurus: played by Wordsworth
• and Teo Pteradactyl: aka Scratch from The Roots!

I love that these amazing hip-hop talents have lent their skills to creating hip-hop for a younger set.  So stinking cute.

Thanks to Snora for turning me onto this!

Atalanta hip-hop band AFAR performing free concert at Lincoln Center this Saturday!

For the past few months I've had in frequent rotation on my iTunes the album by Atlanta-based hip-hop band AFAR. As far as I'm concerned, AFAR has got the complete package with tight melodies, clever MCing, driving beats, and live instrumentation. They even have a political conscience -- check this song they did on the world water crisis called "Stand Up, Act Now!"

So I'm excited that the band is performing this Saturday, May 3, at Dizzy's Club at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Starting at 1pm, the gig is FREE to the public, first-come-first-served.  Dizzy's is a pretty tiny space, so it will fill up fast.

Check out their Myspace to check em out, then purchase their album on CDbaby. You're welcome.

Second Life Real Estate people wanted

I have a friend who writes for a New York newspaper looking for people who work in Second Life real estate (ideally in the New York-area) to interview this week for an article. 

If you are interested and available, contact me at rik @rikomatic.com.  Thanks, kids!

Brooklyn Museum's Japan obsession?

So I just found out that the May 3rd "First Saturday" program at the Brooklyn Museum will again focus on the arts and culture of Japan.  This immediately follows their April "First Saturday" program, which also focused on Japan, particularly anime art.  So Brooklyn Museum has chosen to focus on Japan for two months in a row during their extremely popular First Saturday series. This is in addition to their enormous exhibit featuring the Japanese pop artist Takashi Murakami.

Now I'm not haterating.  I love Japan and its culture, arts and wacky pop sensibility.  But why should one culture -- among the thousands of other ones in the world that could be featured -- get so much love from a city-sponsored institution?  It doesn't really make any sense to me. Color me confused and annoyed.

"The Trade Show": international justice and art as political expression

Last night I serendipitously encountered this performance art piece in the Arts District of Chicago called “The Tradeshow.”  A moving and critical artistic commentary on the garment industry, it provided unexpected closure to the international justice conference I had been at for the past two days at DePaul University. 

"Justice for Darfur" campaign focuses on arresting 2 Sudanese indicted by ICC

Today the "Justice for Darfur" campaign launched with a bold call for the international community to arrest two Sudanese leaders accused of masterminding the devastation of Darfur.  The coalition is composed of 29 human rights groups from around the world, including some of the most prominent international organizations such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the Coalition for the ICC.  From their press release:

The ICC has been investigating crimes in the region following a decision three years ago by the UN Security Council to refer to it the situation in Darfur. One year ago – on April 27, 2007 – the ICC issued two arrest warrants against Sudan’s former State Minister of the Interior Ahmad Harun and “Janjaweed” leader Ali Kushayb for 51 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Today the two men – who face charges of persecution, rape, and killing of civilians in four West Darfur villages – remain at large. 

The campaign has two main calls for action:

1. Urges the UN Security Council to pass a resolution calling on Sudan to cooperate fully with the ICC and immediately arrest Harun and Kushayb and surrender them to the court.
2. Calls on states and regional organizations – including the European Union – to press Sudan to cooperate with the ICC and comply with the warrants. 

See their website at http://www.justice4darfur.org.