Newest discoveries in SL

Well I have been busy in second life these past couple of weeks. I found a very cool sim called "light tunnel" Its so cool you get in this tea cup (sorta like from disney land.) and go through this tunnel of lights. they are set up in patterns like a marsh and a plain and stars and then just random lights but it is extremely cool. I wanted to show you guys it durning class but I forgot. :o( 

yeah so any way I have been busy though updating my avatar keeping up with some friends I made during my time in sl and you know just having fun. Any way I haven't really done anything else aside from partying in sl for a while. A couple of my friends in there have become very close to my avatar. but that is for another blog entierly.

Shoveling time for Godzilla

Well It has finally happened folks. I am back home for the christmas week and it's the first time that I get to flex my ultimate muscles and shovel snow. I have been longing to shovel snow for the longest time because while being on campus and not having to shovel snow is fine. I have been shoveling snow for a greater portion of my life and during this time of the year I start to feel a great desire to shovel snow and put it in it's place. I become very OCD about shoveling snow in fact. So much that I refuse to use a normal shovel and I won touch a snow blower. I like my shovel because it is aptly called "the snow plow" it has an extended blade that is wider then a normal shovel and is basic in design but very effective because of the range that it has. I can't help but pity those who dont use the shovel that I do. I am not saying that they are stupid but they are doing more work then needed.  Regardless I have to say that the amount of lifting that I do now is little to none. Mainly because I just push every thing around. 

      Godzilla.

first friend.

My First friend is one who is still there. looking back we met in class and from there we have become kind of close. I cant go into to much detail of our relationship nor can I give the sex of said friend. It is only the feelings that I can state and still keep the identity of said person is that this perticular friend is a very unique indivugal who knows what excite and compell them and what will annoy the hell out of them.It isnt a thing that should be said but one cant really describe ones friends in secret with out revealing who they really are. but so far I am doing good to keep it a secret. but regardless I can say no more with out the aid of a revlation or looking in a dictionary. I am just to lazy for that and well I can say much more. Any way next week I am thinking of just doing a random blog. anyway Donut Look over this blog and see if you can figure it out. The next time you see me let me know who you think it is. 

 Godzilla

I forgot what my blog posting was suppose to be about (FFS)

So I'm blogging about Secondlife since that was one of our main focuses this semester. Secondlife is a confusing world to me, honestly. I think its genius what Linden Labs did to create such a realistic environment. Not only that, They created a virtual market. A market in which Big time corporations are taking an advantage of. Not only does this help or economy, Linden Labs is making a fortune. Its amazing that people can take something into nothing in Secondlife and make a whole city with it.

Secondlife is something i probably wont use in my future often but i find it very interesting and will continue to look into it and study it. Through virtual worlds there is great possibilities in our future market.

nautilus

One of the coolest places in Nautilus for me is The Market, a place where LDPW(Linden Department of Public Works) placed a nice selection of quality freebies. These freebies helped the people of Nautilus to keep the theme of Nautilus going. The theme is some what like Atlantis. Nautilus has some what of a Mediterranean and fantasy style mixed together.

Nautilus is known for its structures and sculptures. They cover the mainland of Nautilus. Through the heart of the city, a huge trench full of water flows to the ocean. Massive doors cover parts of the trenches to created some kind of effect of stabilization in the environment.

There are many more things in Nautilus, so i recommend going there on your own to experience it at the full effect.

Something I've Learned

Something i learned... I've been introduced to the study of new worlds, virtual worlds. Such as Video games, the Internet, Second life and other virtual environments. I learned of the term virtual identity and what it means. Virtual identity is created by the human user that acts as an block between the actual person and virtual person that other users see on their computer screens. Through virtual identity people can change there appearance, there personality, there sex, anything you can think of can be changed through virtual identity. People do this because they want to be someone different and this kind of behavior is accepted in virtual worlds.

I also learned basic concepts to higher education. For instance, proper citation and formats.

Nautiulus.

This sim in second life was a very interesting place to visit. The area was full of things that look to be from a lost civilzation, possible from the oceans. This place was a very large place that randomly apeared one day on Second Life. The land is un editable, but has more then the normal allowed items on it. The area aprears to be an "island" circled by sand beachers. There are docks and a raised city in the area aswell. The area also had some old time harbor near the sea. The zone looked very nice and seems to be a fun place to explore due to its secretive nature.

What ive learned this semester?

This being my first semester of College, I have learned a great many things. I have learned in this class many things about the virtual world around me and how it relates to the real world. I have learned how many important buisnesses use this world for money makeing reasons and how they improve the lifestyle of employes via online worlds. I have learned how many online games are not just games, but rather foundations for players creativity. Many examples of this come from Second Life. I have also learned how many of the real world elements are still true in virtual worlds. I have learned that leardership can be a part of a online group of people just like in everyday life. Most importantly, I learned that online worlds can be a great source of friends and socialization.

Counter-Strike: FTW

If you ever heard of Counter-strike or at least half life then you know that counter-strike has the highest game play in the world. Counter-strike in my book is one of the best first person shooters ever created. Counter strike is known for its quality of game play.

There is counter-terrorist and terrorist. The objective of the game is to defeat the other team. By doing so, first of all, you need to choose a team. (Counter-terrorist or terrorist) Depending on which side you choose determines what your objective is. If you choose CT side then your objective is to defend the bombsite. Your only goal as CT is to take out the other team, but if the bomb gets planted then your objective changes. Your goal is to defuse the bomb. If you select Terrorist side your objectives are to eliminate the other team and/or plant the bomb.

The game is complex in it self. There is alot to know to become "pro" at the game. You need to have discipline and coordination skills. You have to have a skilled hand so you can aim accurately.
You have to know the maps. There is a wide selection of maps that get played alot. Players tend to memorized that map because it is important in a Counter-strike match.

N64 Mario Kart

A classic game that is much loved by all who play. Nintendo 64's Mario Kart was released June 17, 1996. A game targeted to all ages is still played today. When I walk through St. Cloud State dorm rooms i see at least 2 dorm rooms per floor that have it. Many college students play Mario Kart. When i first came to college i was suprized that so many people own Mario Kart. Because of the phanomeon i became to love the game again. The game offers 8 different mario charectors to choose from. The player can choose from 16 different maps. You can eaither chooes race or VS a race type.

For the games time the graphics are exceedinly impressive. The game play is addicting and brings a social environment when played with others.

The release of Diablo 3

There has been a lot of speculation and controversy over the release of Diablo 3. Over the last two years Diablo 3 forums have arisen all over the Internet. Now for the people that don't know what Diablo 3 is, im here to tell you. The Diablo series has been around the mid 90's. Blizzard released the first Diablo game on November 30, 1996. Diablo is a Massive-multi online role playing game. The point of the game is to complete quests, find and trade for good items, and reach the highest level, which is lvl 80. Since the first diablo game was released blizzard came out with second one to the series. Diablo 2 was released June 29, 2000. D2 had a massive change in the game. The graphics where insanely better and the game play was just generally better. After d2 was released in 2000 the release, Diablo 2 Lord of Destruction was released. The expansion added a whole new set of quests and better items. The expansion also added to races of characters.

There is still no official release date for diablo 3. You can be updated through duggaming.com

Xbox 360 users and the new interface

Just last month, Microsoft released a new interface for the Xbox 360. It has a smooth interface that grabs the users attention. All options are devided up into sections which are easy to use. There is a new option realesed that allows you to pick and customize Avatars. After the avatar update, statistics showed a one day 650% increase in sales.

Larry Hyrb, Director of Programming for Xbox live stated, "it's harder to parse the source for this, as the user interface has improved overall, but Hyrb also notes that the number of new friends added per member has risen by 33%."

Ive really like the new update to the Xbox and think it was a great idea to do.

Late post #1: Singapore Funds Kalypso for Virtual Worlds Research

Kalypso Agency is located in both Connecticut and Singapore. The company is a virtual worlds market research company. Just recently the Kalypso agency has recieved funds through Singapore's Interactive Digital Media Office and the i.JAM initiative. The funds are to promote breakthrough products in the IDM space. Kalypso, which focuses on Second Life, is shooting to combine behavioral data with marketing metrics to help businesses track virtual world efforts. Its said that the company is tied to a program called Co-Space, "a five-hundred million doller fund from IDM to promote mixed reality and mirror world applications in Singapore."

Its said "We are delighted to receive the support of the Singapore government for our market research initiatives in the virtual world," stated Kalypso Co-Founder Nicholas Cameron. "There are more than sixty virtual worlds now and there is a fundamental need for quality marketing research, as this medium continues to grow." [via MRWeb.com]

Something I've Learned...

What is something I learned? Well, I wouldn’t limit down to one thing. I would say I leaned to look around and appreciate the world around me as a player in a game, instead of letting it just past me by as I rush to accomplish a mission or quest, or in a more social virtual world, to meet someone. I’ve also added a lot of screenshots these past few months because of this new found curiosity. I’ll add them when an area interests me and makes me think ‘wow, the developer took some time here’. I also learned about Second Life, I had no knowledge of it before I came to the class and got to add a new virtual world to my list of things tried. The class made me want to go back to other virtual worlds I had long since abandoned, and take another look at them. I got to explore my interests a little bit more and then write a little bit about my findings. It was nice to be able to look at things from a different point of view then I usually take. Overall, I found the class to be rewarding, and I enjoyed taking it. So thanks Prof. Twombly. =)

Guild Wars Geography (Another Late Post...)

(Screenshot: An example of being limited by the depth of the water, I can't go much further then that in the water, keeping me a distance from the wall)

So in Guild Wars there isn’t a measurement of geography per say, but there seems to be some sort of system. And the areas that a player explores depend on the expansion they own. In Factions the player will start out Ascalon City, and there’s a gate leading to Ascalon Academy, but that’s closed out until further in the game. A lot of the areas are gained by the player ‘walking’ around and exploring areas. As they do that, they can find outposts or cities that are unlocked on the full screen map. Besides, traveling by foot, the player can travel by clicking an outpost, point, or city/town, on the map and be ‘teleported’ there. Each city has its own surrounding explorable area. The cities act of safe places or rest areas as there isn’t combat there, it’s also where people can meet up and form parties for areas outside the outposts. That’s another thing; the areas outside the cities don’t have other players running around, unless they’ve joined the players’ party. The cliffs and hills are kind of like obstacles, unless the player can find some sort of path, up or through them, most of the paths lead the player around, causing them to explore more. Also the terrain changes as the player advances in the game, for example, Pre-Searing Ascalon kingdom, is different from Post-Searing Ascalon. In Post-Searing Ascalon everything is sort of charred and dead looking, and much of the water has a ‘tar’ effect on the player, making them slower in the water then on land. Water is also used to limit the player, the water usually is shallow enough so the player isn’t submerged, and the deeper parts are inaccessible. The ground is sometimes used to hide monsters/opponents, for example to scorpion like devourers, many of them are hidden in the ground and are triggered to come up and out when the player comes closer. I’m sure there is more to the geography, but this is a basic sum from the top of my head.

Nautilus (Another Late Post)

My first visit to Nautilus was with the class, we sort of just explored, and I listened to conversation to find which places to visit. Including that large crystal that had a life meter. But, it’s been awhile since then, so I decided to go on my own so I could make this posting. I decided to look around one of the areas of Nautilus called Elissa or something similar, I can’t really remember the name at this moment. Anyways, what first caught my eye was a rather large chess set. And oddly thought of ‘wizards’ chess’ from the Harry Potter series. This made laugh a little bit, because I’m a fan of Harry Potter and of course that’s what I would think of. =) Anyways after messing around with the chess board a little while, I continued to explore the sim. There were a lot homes there, and pieces of land for sale. There were also a few shops, and freebies too. It’s interesting to see what this place is becoming. There are even items under the water, and it seems a lot of the time this part of the sims is ignored. So here’s to watching for what Nautilus will develop into. I almost feel as if I should discover a lighthouse one of these times.

Article Response-Untapped Market (Late Post#3)

I believe the article makes a lot of good points when it comes to immersive workspaces in SL. It talks about only importing “PowerPoint presentations” or “existing content”, rather than taking advantage of the possibilities Second Life has to offer. Even though the article’s author is speaking against the immersive workplaces, they make sure to mention that they can’t fully make an opinion or at least it’s difficult to, without more information or a demo. I have to agree with that. Without being informed to an extent someone is comfortable with, it’s hard to come up with an opinion. I think the author did a good job of saying their views with the information provided and it seems to be a well-written article. Maybe I’m not making any sense, but this is my response to the article. They also mention that there are businesses that already use Second Life for the purpose of the workspaces, but many these businesses have employees that are already knowledgeable in Second Life and “past the learning curve”. This response may not make any sense, but it’s a collection of my reactions, and my mind sometimes works all over the place. And that’s basically it.

SL Politics (Late Topic Post #2)

I never realized how many political sims there were in Second Life, whether they be official or not. I visited both a McCain and an Obama one. They seemed a little plain, but both offered the same things. One could find information about the candidate, including links to speeches about their views. Many of the sims also offered Pro-canidate items for avatars in SL to show their views. Among the official sims were many unofficial sims. These sometimes included ones that had places for both candidates, but these were rare as most sims were biased. And though many of the unofficial sims were more decorative then the official, they many times offered less information. One sim in particular, though I can’t remember the location, had an object that linked to the Obama webpage and that was it. The rest of the location just contained Pro-Obama products for sale, many of which were not free. Now, I suppose that was good for the user who already knew about the candidates, or for someone who didn’t care to know, but it didn’t have much work put into it information wise. A user looking for information would be much better going to an official sim to seek the information they desired. All and all, I think Second Life is an effective way of presenting political information, as long as the sim focuses mainly on that. 

ok mabey that last one wasn't the last one.

*walks back into the room* 

   Before you say/think anything I am coming back because I figured that it will be a good place to write about random things that happen to me...besides I kind of like being free to write about what ever I want. Now freed from my previous restraints with only writing about virtual worlds. I suppose I can write about my friends and random things like that.....speaking of which I suppose I could talk about my friends for a while..........Lets see where to start.......

    Well let me start off by saying that my friends are always on my mind...It is a concept that I picked up when I was a kid by watching anime like Dragon ball Z and Gundam wing and in general cartoons like Angry Beavers and KAblam....ahh the good old days...any way I get most of my concepts and ideas on friendship. Like loyalty and honor and some how from watching hours and hours and hours of these cartoons I was able to learn how to read people to a certain degree and I can usually make pretty accurate assumpations about how they will recact towards somethings. There is an unfortunate down side to this as I have trouble reading myself and as such when I go over board and I wont know about it until they snap on me and then I get angry about that and then a fight starts. Its really unfortunate because I have never been any good at reading emotions. I can read peoples actions but not the emotions underlying that action until I have known them for at least a year or I have gone through a very hard time and bonded with them over something.  Any way I will tell you about them in more details as the need arisies but no names will be used....and Donut I dont know if you are going to follow this but if you do then be prepared to discover just how logicial I can be....