Category: News-Opinion

The sixth episode of The Drax Files Radio Hour  is intriguingly entitled the “reality of the virtuality”. This is presumably a reference to the core of the show, in which the inter-relationship between our real and virtual activities are examined, firstly through a look at One Billion Rising, which features an interview with Saffia Widdershins, followed by a discussion with Peter Ludlow (Urizenus Sklar in SL), looking at issues of trolling, griefing, governance and human nature within virtual environments.

Note that timestamps are given in braces within the text, and refer to the recording available here.

The show opens with a look back to the (in?)famous IBM / Linden Lab experiment in teleporting between Second Life and OpenSim. The video and discussion which follows is more a of preview of the show’s planned expansion into more coverage of OpenSim in future broadcasts rather than a detailed discussion of the attempt itself, although one of the “gridnauts” from that experiment will be featured in an upcoming interview.

Fitted Mesh is covered, unsuprisingly, given the announcement that the code and updated avatar skeleton are now a part of the official SL release viewer. Opinions are gathered from designers Eboni Khan [6:56] and Shai Delacroix [10:38], both of whom make some valid points, although I think Shai is perhaps a little too critical of the Lab when she refers back to the initial blog post on Fitted Mesh made in 2013 as if it were a part of the announcement made this week.

Getting new users into SL is touched upon [14:33], with reference to the Lab’s new CEO Tweeting (prior to joining the company) that he’d signed-up, gone through the initial experience and had not enjoyed it.

The new user experience is something we all have opinions on, and while it is likely to be a controversial statement to make, I’m actually not entirely convinced that established users in SL have any better idea as to what is required than does the Lab, in that the knowledge we’ve acquired over time perhaps unduly filters our perceptions as to what is actually needed. While this may sound counter-intuitive, it is something I’ll eventually get around to explaining in a blog post which is (again) waiting in the wings.

But that said, I do agree something needs to be done in order to ensure more people can enter SL, get a hold of the essentials (especially finding things that interest them and connecting with people), because it is retained, engaged users who will give rise to growth in Second life, not more (or even necessarily cheaper) land.

Turning to VR, mention is made [17:00] of the Sixsense MakeVR / Stem systems to manipulate prims using hand-held controllers (which can also be combined with headsets like Oculus Rift).

The Fin, a wearable ring for gesture-based control of smart devices using bluetooth connectivity, is also touched upon [19:37]. A video is available on the radio hour’s blog page.

Saffia Widdershins is interviewed [21:49] about One Billion Rising, a world-wide event to raise awareness of the extent of violence inflicted upon women, and which is supported from within Second Life. The interview is far-ranging while also clearly focused, with Saffia once again demonstrating why she is the ideal spokesperson on this topic.

Similarly, the interview with Peter Ludlow [31:36] makes interesting listening. Founder of the Alphaville Herald (originally for the Alphaville city in the Sims Online, hence the name, prior to a migration to second Life), Ludlow is a journalist and philosopher in real life and provides some insights into griefing and trolling.

In particular, he offers-up an opinion on the likes of Esteban and those of his ilk which is sure to find favour among many (myself included) in reference to their attempts to justify their actions in terms of “I’m just showing what’s already there” – which runs in something of a parallel to the “other” mentality to which Saffia refers in her discussion with Drax, while being far more passive / aggressive in approach.

There is much food for thought in the chat with Mr. Ludlow on the topics of griefing and governance (and self-governance), and he makes some very valid points, underlining the inherent issues common to virtual communities – including that of vigilantism. The historical context he gives to the issues make fascinating listening, particularly with reference to how different organisations have approached and dealt with matters.

Equally, his comments on freedom of expression (and the illusion thereof) within the Internet and the web make interesting listening, albeit perhaps uncomfortable to some on several levels, particularly when coupled to his earlier comments on people’s need for tools to resolve issues.

Feedback

Another interesting show in which the main interviews again shine and provide much for contemplation and reflection, as indicated above. Both deserve to be listened-to carefully. The opening touches nicely on the plans to expand the show into looking at the broader “metaverse”, presenting a suitable teaser / reflection.

When “tuning-in”, do make sure you catch the opening announcements, rather than jumping to any of the time-stamps. There’s a giveaway this week, with the opportunity to claim a couples dance system from Humanoid animations valued at L$3,200. All you have to do is answer the question asked in the opening segment of the show and e-mail your answer to the show before Friday 21st February.

Unsurprisingly, the fifth broadcast from the attic-over-the-former-post-office-next-door-to-the-police-station studios of The Drax Files Radio Hour focuses on the announcement of Mr. Ebbe Altberg as Linden Lab’s new CEO (profile here,  for those wanting background info).

As well as this, the show takes a fascinating look back at the teen grid through the eyes of two people directly involved in it throughout most of its lifespan, and pokes at Project Spark for the Xbox and Windows 8 (and a few other things).

Communications forms a central theme of the coverage of Mr. Altberg’s appointment as the Lab’s new CEO. Hardly surprising, given it has been at the heart of the vast majority of Tweets and blog posts about his imminent arrival at Battery Street.

Robin Harper, formerly Robin Linden, provides insight into what has contributed to Second Life’s longevity, and offers words of advice for Mr. Altberg. I confess, I’m not entirely comfortable with all that is said, particularly with analogies between the CEO and a “mayor” of Second Life.

But overall, in terms of communications, I agree with sentiments, and very much hope that one of the first tasks Mr. Altberg will try to tackle is the complete reticence within the Lab for broad-based, pro-active and consistent communications with the Second Life user base.

As Vic Mornington points-out in his comments on the show, Mr. Altberg doesn’t have to do it all himself (although the occasional update blog post from him would be nice), just so long as an individual (or team) is put in place to ensure communications are used as an effective, positive and informative means of engagement, one which can go an awfully long way towards preventing upsets, misunderstandings and even miscommunications (which have been somewhat prevalent of late).

Mr. Altberg’s lack of experience (or possible lack thereof in terms of in-depth exposure to VWs and games) has already been pointed to as a “negative”, and the show touches on this. My own feeling is that judges based on his past experience are premature, and I can only again agree with Canary Beck’s comments.   A nice excerpt from an interview with Frank Zappa certainly reminds us that “corporate types” are not necessarily out-of-their-depth just because we perceive them as “not understanding” something.

Elsewhere in the show, Drax (rightly) pokes at Mitch Wagner for referring to Second Life in somewhat derogatory terms which have little to do with the subject on which he is writing.  True, SL didn’t achieve the dizzying heights which it was expected to reach (heights heavily over-hyped by the media as much as anyone else, I might add), but that’s no reason to take a swipe at it in the tone taken. It’s a shame, as I’ve said before,  that noted journalists and commentators prefer to fall back on cliché rather than exercise their grey cells when visiting the subject.

Project Spark for the Xbox One gets a mention. This is a digital canvas on which users can create games, movies and other experiences, either from scratch or using pre-defined levels for the Xbox and Windows 8. As well as providing the ability to create original content, users can download  other user-generated content and mix it into their own work. It offers an interesting on mixing creativity with gaming, and could be one to watch.

The interview with Mike Mikula is a fascinating piece on a number of levels: history of the teen grid, the accidental wonder of “early” Second Life, the issues of copybotting, and the painful realities that can accompany the transition from teens to adulthood aren’t only confined to real life.

Similarly, Barry Joseph offers a unique and informative look at Second Life, past and present, the teen grid and the work of Global Kids within SL.

For me, one of the most fascinating elements of Mr. Joseph’s comments are on the psychological aspect of engaging with Second Life, and he uses his son’s use of Minecraft as an example, noting that his son initially played that game in its creative mode, with all the resources he needed but quickly switched to using the survival mode, in which resources must be acquired. He goes on:

There was something that motivated him to find value in creating and finding things. There is nothing in Second Life that is structured in the same way from a psychological perspective, from a motivational perspective, that helps users engage in the space and find meaning in it. Its magical promise has always been that you can do anything, but i think that’s always been a heavy burden to lift.

Interesting food for thought, particularly when it comes to his follow-on comments about the manner in which young people are being taught today. As i commented on the show’s blog page, there’s enough in this interview for an entire programme.

Feedback

Another well-balanced, informative piece, particularly with regards to the interviews with Mike Mikula and Barry Joseph – both of which really should be listened-to even if you’re not that interested in thoughts and feedback concerning LL’s new CEO.

Announcement

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