Gregarius » The Metaverse Journal - Australia's Virtual World News Service

The Metaverse Journal - Australia's Virtual World News Service (25 unread)

Second Life’s greatest strengths are also its greatest weaknesses

Posted: January 30th, 2012, 11:35pm CET by Lowell Cremorne

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If I were to make a list of the top three things that are responsible for Second Life being as great as it is – and that is exactly what I’m doing today – it would read equally well as a list of things that hold Second Life back.
Via dwellonit.taterunino.net
LEGO Universe is shuts up shop

Posted: January 30th, 2012, 11:27pm CET by Lowell Cremorne
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The clock is chiming, and kids (and the young at heart) everywhere are asking for just a little more time with LEGO Universe. Unfortunately the struggling MMO has gotten no reprieve from the imaginary video game governor, and its servers will go offline tonight at midnight EST.
Via massively.joystiq.com
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Litigating Trademark And Copyright Cases In The Metaverse | The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel

Posted: January 28th, 2012, 11:03pm CET by Lowell Cremorne
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In Neal Stephenson’s 1992 science fiction novel, Snow Crash,[1] humans battle each other as avatars in the “Metaverse,” the collective product of online shared three‑dimensional space.[2] While Stephenson’s “Metaverse,” created by all virtual worlds as an augmented and enhanced physical reality and a physically persistent virtual space, does not exist today, millions of humans each year spend hours of their daily lives immersed in a three‑dimensional virtual world, fighting world wars, battling mythical creatures, living fantastic lives or running virtual businesses. Simply put, Stephenson’s science fiction view of future commerce in the Metaverse has become reality.As Stephenson envisioned, intellectual property is an important part of the virtual landscape. The current role of intellectual property in virtual reality demonstrates the promise and problematic nature of this new and different business world. This article will highlight some of the concerns and complexities that have been raised by recent cases of note regarding protecting one’s intellectual property in virtual worlds.[3]Recent cases, involving such diverse subjects as virtual art galleries,[4] sex toys,[5] stun guns,[6] strip clubs,[7] horses and bunnies,[8] and furniture,[9] highlight the legal issues and differences between virtual reality and real-life infringement cases. A review of these cases gives one insights with respect to protecting intellectual property assets in the world of avatars.
Via www.metrocorpcounsel.com
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- Podcast: “What Games Mean (And How They Mean It)”
Podcast: “What Games Mean (And How They Mean It)”

Posted: January 28th, 2012, 10:58pm CET by Lowell Cremorne
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Games are increasingly seen as a way to address human needs, from the intimate work of maintaining social relationships to the pragmatic benefits of games for learning, health, and social change. If we hope to design games that address these needs, we must understand how people create meaning with, through, and around games. How do specific game design decisions impact the way players think, feel, and behave? What kinds of imaginative and social affordances can games provide players? And what kinds of problems are most appropriate to solve with games in the first place? This talk explores the complex interaction between game design, user experience, and real-world problems through the lens of game-based research projects on discrimination, smoking, and history.
Via cms.mit.edu
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Brief exploration of creativity in virtual world of Second Life

Posted: January 25th, 2012, 10:07am CET by Lowell Cremorne
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As popular as social networking portal Facebook is these days, no amount of apps and widgets can remove the limitation of Facebook being a website. There are limited ways in how Facebook users can interact with each other as opposed to individuals who reside in multiuser virtual environments like Second Life. Shared space, collaborative environment, and room for user created content all facilitate creativity at the individual and group level that for Ward and Sonneborn (2011), researchers at University of Alabama and Syracuse University, is worth taking a peek at in order to further our understanding about the nature of creativity.
Via www.examiner.com
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Jibe platform walkthrough

Posted: January 24th, 2012, 7:33am CET by Lowell Cremorne
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I spent some time in recent weeks with John “Pathfinder” Lester, formerly of Linden Lab and now Director of Community Development at Reaction Grid. The purpose was for a walkthrough of the Jibe platform, which is a merger of Unity3D and other technologies to make a more comprehensive learning experience. I hooked up with John for a tour as I’m actively looking for a platform on which to base my upcoming research.

To say the walkthrough was a revelation was a bit of an understatement. I’d made the decision more than a year ago that I wouldn’t be using Second Life as the platform for my proposed simulation environment. My reasons for that are numerous but it basically came down to fine detail – I’ve seen a few demos of the Unity3D engine in action and for what I’m looking for it’s a markedly superior option, even factoring in Second Life’s potential development path over the coming 2-3 years. So, I was working under the assumption of a Unity3D only option – until I checked out Jibe.

So what is it? I’ll quote the official blurb as it summarises it pretty well:

The Jibe platform is an extensible architecture that uses a middleware abstraction layer to communicate with multiple backend systems (currently SmartFox & Photon) and frontends (currently Unity3D)

For the layperson, it means that aside from the 3D environment you’re interacting with, Jibe can bring in data from other systems. Whether it’s web content, 3D or other graphical content, it can be integrated into the viewing experience. Here’s a graphic demonstrating it:

(Click on the picture for full size)

For the educator / clinician wanting to create an immersive and realistic simulation, all this is essentially technical information that doesn’t need to be known. Which leads me to what impressed most with Jibe: the interface itself. Although I’d argue the overall browsing interface could do with some input from a designer (read: it’s not pretty), it does intrinsically work and removes a lot of the downsides research to date has shown about using Second Life or OpenSim on its own. Let’s use an example:

(Click here for the full size version)

What you’re seeing here is my avatar standing in front of a model of a virus. In this case it’s the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). I can rotate the virus, check out all it’s aspects and when clicking on it, related information (in this case simple Wikipedia entry on HIV) opens in the same browser window I’m using. Obviously it doesn’t have to be Wikipedia – the sky’s the limit. Above the Unity window are a bunch of social media buttons allowing you to share information you’re interacting with.

If you refer to the Jibe graphic further above, remember that essentially anything can be bolted into the Jibe platform. If I were to use this platform I’d be looking at some sort of database connection that allowed me to have common clinical pathways viewed step by step as an avatar completes the task. You can also choose to have key content networked or local, meaning you could ‘phase’content for people progressing through the simulation at different paces. It’s all doable, it just takes time to set-up. As far as creating content, any pre-fab stuff from the Unity3D store can be pulled into Jibe.

If you’re interested in finding out more, this introduction to Jibe is useful. As far as pricing goes, check out the ReactionGrid Shop for options.

After spending around an hour being shown around Jibe, it really struck me how far advanced it was as a tool for educators compared to Second Life in particular. That statement is very dependent on the type of education occurring, but for more intricate work, the Unity3D interface combined with the use of well recognised standards for better interoperability, makes Jibe a very tasty option indeed.
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Is OpenSim usage falling?

Posted: January 21st, 2012, 11:30pm CET by Lowell Cremorne
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Today, Hamlet Au wrote a column suggesting that the OpenSim user base is shrinking — and used Hypergrid Business numbers to support his position.The short answer to his question is: No, OpenSim usage is not falling, and the numbers do not support this. In fact, it is growing quite well.The reason being — the numbers Au is citing aren’t the full numbers, not even for the top 40 largest grids. In particular, InWorldz has only released its active user numbers once, last month, when it was at 4,500 active users. And New World Grid, one of the largest grids, stopped reporting active user numbers this fall.Assuming that both have been growing steadily, in line with the growth on other grids — and in line with their region growth — that would show a very different picture.
Via www.hypergridbusiness.com
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This is how an augmented-reality Love Plus date feels like

Posted: January 21st, 2012, 8:49am CET by Lowell Cremorne
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One of the new functions in upcoming 3DS love-sim New Love Plus is something called Dokodemo Date, or Date Anywhere.This augmented-reality (AR) feature takes a photo of your physical surroundings with the 3DS’s back-facing lenses, analyses the data, before inserting your chosen virtual girlfriend right into the shot, where they’ll animate and play around in 3D space.
Via sgcafe.com
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OpenSim vs Second Life vs Minecraft

Posted: January 20th, 2012, 1:47pm CET by Lowell Cremorne
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It is hard to know what is happening with user numbers in Second Life. From my empirical experience I would say they are growing because I meet so many new people now, but it is hard to find real numbers to back up that opinion. What I do think is coming clear is the nature of OpenSim and the reasons for the popularity of Second Life.
Via blog.nalates.net
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Channel 7 jumps on the Second Life bandwagon: 5 years late

Posted: January 20th, 2012, 9:59am CET by Lowell Cremorne
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You’ve got to love tabloid media. Hot on the heels of Tuesday’s radio feature on Second Life, Channel 7′s Sunrise program has run a story called “Second Life Controversy: Is the online community ruining our reality?”.

No, you haven’t missed anything, this is the same ‘controversy’ that got so much media attention during 2006. There’s no new issue that’s led to this media coverage – it’s just the sad reality that someone on the Sunrise show was listening to the radio on Tuesday and decided they’d better do a story.

Now before you think I’m sounding too cynical, I do have to give credit to Sunrise for attempting some balance. Psychologist Les Posen is given some good airtime to give an overview of some of the great work going on in Second Life. Rhett Woods from Linden Lab doesn’t get much chance to say anything really aside from emphasising the creative basis of SL. Anyway, have a look for yourself:

Given this same mainstream media focus has been going on for over five years now, you have to wonder when things will move to a more nuanced perspective?

Over to you: would love to hear your thoughts.
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Academic Research Paper on OpenSim Community

Posted: January 17th, 2012, 7:00am CET by Lowell Cremorne

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Robin Teigland, Paul Di Gangi, and Zeynep Yetis recently finished an academic paper based on their research of the OpenSim Community. Below is the abstract. If you have any questions about their research, please do not hesistate to contact them.Setting the Stage: Exploring Sustainability of a Private-collective Community
Abstract
While the nature of the firm has long been established as the dominant form of organizing for value creation, emergent forms of organizing such as the private-collective community model have recently gained attention from researchers and practitioners. Little is known about how such communities, where private goods from stakeholders are shared and freely distributed among a public collective, sustain themselves. The purpose of this research is to examine how the resources, stakeholders, and overarching network structure in which these are embedded influence the sustainability of the community. Using semi-structured interviews, archival data, and social network analysis, we explore these items in detail and provide initial findings from an ongoing research study of the OpenSim community. We conclude with future directions, expected contributions, and the limitations of this line of research.

Via nordicworlds.net
Rod Humble (and I) talk SL on Australian radio about Second Life

Posted: January 16th, 2012, 10:36pm CET by Lowell Cremorne

Enclosure: [download]
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An interesting morning, with Linden Lab CEO Rod Humble and myself being invited to appear on the Kyle and Jackie O show.

For Australian readers, you’ve probably heard about Kyle Sandilands in particular, so I went into the interview with eyes wide open on how balanced the interview would be.

As expected it was a predictable angle, paraphrased as “Hey, look at those freaky people who give up their life to go into Second Life”. That said, Kyle Sandilands was the comparative voice of reason out of the two hosts, at least keeping an open mind.

It’s worth a listen to hear how Linden Lab’s CEO deals with a tabloid approach to Second Life. Not surprisingly the piece opens with Sissy, a self-proclaimed SL addict. Have a listen for yourself and here’s a link to 2Day FM’s podcast of 17th January. It did make the cut – as predicted, sex pose balls make for good listening in the tabloid world.
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3D GUI for iOS Devices on the way

Posted: January 13th, 2012, 11:41am CET by Lowell Cremorne
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On January 12, 2012, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals an exciting new 3D GUI for iOS mobile devices. The new UI will work with proximity sensor arrays and will respond to hovering gestures. The Crazy Ones in Cupertino have been working on advanced 3D GUIs for some time now. We first learned of a major 3D GUI project back in 2009 that involved using head tracking technology. Then in early 2010 we learned of Apple’s first project relating to a 3D GUI for iOS devices. Later that year Apple 3D multifunctional widgets and over time revealed advanced 3D and hovering based gesturing for CAD users on an iPad. With twenty times the GPU power coming to iOS devices over the next year, Apple appears to paving the way for a new 3D GUI for mobile devices in the not-too-distant future.
Via www.patentlyapple.com
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Trying on your clothes for Virtual Size

Posted: January 11th, 2012, 3:47am CET by Lowell Cremorne
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Online shoppers may be able to buy clothes in their pajamas, but they never know just how well those purchases will actually fit.That problem may soon be history — thanks to a breakthrough piece of augmented reality technology from Bodymetrics.The company has partnered with PrimeSense on a 3D body-mapping product to be revealed this week at CES 2012. The product uses PrimeSense 3D sensors, much like those used for Microsoft Kinect, to scan a user’s height and waist size, as well as the other shapes and curves that make a body unique. After creating an account, users will be able to virtually try on clothes from partner retailers to get a true sense of how potential purchases fit.The 3D body-mapping will be available for preview at CES, but Bodymetrics is still fine-tuning its business model — including its final price, which the company said will be approximately $150.
Via mashable.com
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Court Rules That Rights Belong to Bethesda

Posted: January 10th, 2012, 5:07am CET by Lowell Cremorne

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The following is a selection from the Press Release surrounding the court’s ruling that Bethesda (makers of Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls series) and ZeniMax Media have reclaimed sole rights to create a Fallout IP MMO. No longer will Interplay be able to create an online game based on the Fallout IP, as that right now exclusively lies in ZeniMax and Bethesda’s hands. Whether that means we’ll actually be seeing a Bethesda Fallout Online anytime real soon is another story, but come on… that’s kind of the point, right?
Via www.mmorpg.com
American Library Association’s SL Island Closes

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 11:58am CET by Lowell Cremorne

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Libraries, librarians and library associations have historically been some of the most active nonprofit groups in Second Life, establishing an entire archipelago of library-related islands during their heyday. The American Library Association is one of the most prestigious and well-known library associations, and so their island closing is a major loss to the virtual world.See their blog for some history and background on ALA’s activities in Second Life. We’ll approach them for a comment on why they decided to close the island after all these years.
Via www.betterverse.org
Game companies raise $1.54B in 2011

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 11:49am CET by Lowell Cremorne

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Game fundings destroyed the record book for fundings this year as 145 companies raised more than $1.540 billion in 2011, not counting initial public offerings.In 2011, games took center stage. Game investment changed fundamentally during the year, as investors shifted their money into social, mobile and online games as they chased after users who were embracing the newest platforms for games.The total game investment number is up more than 47 percent from the $1.05 billion raised by 91 companies a year ago, based on VentureBeat’s own research. By comparison, 115 game companies raised a total of $663.1 million in 2009. And in 2008, 112 game companies raised $936.8 million.
Via venturebeat.com
Open Metaverse Currency and grids rise in 2011

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 11:46am CET by Lowell Cremorne
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The OMC, or Open Metaverse Currency, is a virtual currency from Austria-based VirWoX that can be used to buy and sell virtual goods on OpenSim grids.The OMC is fully convertible, and can be bought and sold for US dollars, British pounds, Euros, and Swiss francs, and can also be traded for Second Life ‘s Linden dollars. The OMC has an exchange rate of around 270 OMC to US $1.The OMC isn’t transferred from grid to grid — instead, it’s kept in an online VirWoX account, requiring each transaction made inside a virtual world to be verified on their website. The status bar on the top of the viewers will show your current OMC currency balance if you are on an OMC enabled grid. A recent innovation — Pocket Money — allows hypergrid travelers to keep a portion of their balance in a fast-access account, allowing in-world purchases to be made without a second confirmation step.
Via www.hypergridbusiness.com
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“Levitating” Residence | OpenSim Creations

Posted: January 8th, 2012, 11:42am CET by Lowell Cremorne

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Via opensim-creations.com
Quick stat: Top 15 Virtual Worlds

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 1:06pm CET by Lowell Cremorne
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Via www.kzero.co.uk
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Virtual World registered accounts reach 1.7bn in Q4 2011 | KZero Worldswide

Posted: January 6th, 2012, 12:12pm CET by Lowell Cremorne
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Strong growth in the virtual worlds sector throughout 2011 saw total cumulative registered accounts reach 1,772m at the end of Q4 2011. This growth was driven by booming user bases from worlds such as Poptropica, Habbo, Moshi Monsters, Stardoll and Club Penguin.Encouragingly, whilst the top-tier larger worlds (with over 50m registered users) continue to attract users and leverage their brands, mid-tier worlds (10m to 50m registered users) such as Bin Weevils, Wizard 101, Minecraft, Meez and Fantage also posted positive increases.
Via www.kzero.co.uk
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Qarl’s parametric mesh deformer on display, feedback sought

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 10:15pm CET by Lowell Cremorne

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Yesterday (and I nearly missed it), Karl Stiefvater put up a preliminary look at the crowd-funded parametric mesh deformer. “I should specify immediately that it’s not done,” said Stiefvater, “but the heavy-lifting part of it is.”
Via dwellonit.taterunino.net
CAT UDC Blog: Second Life to vAcamedia: The Future of Virtual Worlds for Distance Learning

Posted: January 2nd, 2012, 9:09am CET by Lowell Cremorne
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Beginning around 2005 Colleges and Universities around the country became increasingly interested in the learning opportunities offered by the 3d Virtual World Second Life. Colleges and Universities around the country from Texas State Technical College which developed an online associate’s degree program, to Ivy’s like Harvard, flocked to Second Life to develop virtual campuses and classrooms. At the University of the District of Columbia, the Administration of Justice program created a Second Life Virtual World to simulate investigation scenes.
Via cat-udc.blogspot.com
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Invoked computing: you really can use a banana as a telephone

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 11:51pm CET by Lowell Cremorne
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Alvaro Cassinelli is an assistant professor at the Ishikawa-Oku lab at the University of Tokyo. He and his partner, Alexis Zerroug, have created a multi-modal, spatial augmented reality, a system that instantaneously changes household objects into communication devices. The effect, known as “invoked computing”, is a process that has enabled Cassinelli to transform a discarded pizza box into a laptop computer and a banana into a telephone. The idea won the grand prize at Laval Virtual, an international conference and exhibition on virtual reality and converging technologies.
Via www.guardian.co.uk
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Virtual Combat IED Simulation

Posted: January 1st, 2012, 7:13am CET by Lowell Cremorne
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The Raytheon team of Reston Virginia along with other technology giants involved in Virtual Combat Simulation, successfully designed a portable, fully immersive, IED training platform using commercially available, off-the-shelf components. The Virtual IED Combat Simulator provides accurate, real-time, live-Soldier simulations for training exercises. Their configuration is flexible. Due to this, individuals, teams and full units are able to be trained simultaneously. As part of the IED Defeat Task Force, Raytheon Chairman and CEO William H. Swanson stated, “The task force’s goal is to identify and field technology and training solutions designed to defeat IEDs.. The task force’s goal is to identify and field technology and training solutions designed to defeat IEDs.”
Via www.examiner.com
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