Category: Reviews

The Drax Files Radio Hour: augmented reality, harassment as humour, HTTP

Posted on by Inara Pey

radio-hourThe third broadcast from the attic studios of The Drax Files Radio Hour is now available, and includes another heady mix of news, views and interviews.

We have a look at coming out of the virtual closet, another poke at the issue of net neutrality, more rifting on the Rift, and a look into the Lab’s HTTP work with a chat with Monty Linden. Most notably of all, there’s news on Loki Eliot’s video, The Lost Virtual World, which he kindly allowed me to sneak peek last week, and  – buckle-in and hold tight – an interview with Esteban Winsmore.

Coming out the Virtual Closet

We’re all sensitive about the issue of privacy and identity – as any reference of Facebook tends to demonstrate – but how do we handle telling friends and family about virtual worlds? Do we tell others? How can we overcome any preconceptions about the platform and help people understand that we’re not lacking a life, but are augmenting our life, often very creatively? How do we explain SL to those who have never heard of it? How easy is it to be open with friends?

These questions are touched upon very broadly in the opening piece in the show, with Jo explaining that her use of SL through the 1920s Berlin Project makes it very easy to talk about the platform and  – while she doesn’t use this term – evangelise it to her friends, encouraging them to get involved. Eshi Otawara gives a more pragmatic response, her own discussions of SL with friends and colleagues being more driven by the questions they may ask.

This is really a quick scratch at the surface of this topic. The Drax Files Radio Hour blog is there for people to relate their own experiences, and the team can also be reached via Skype and in-world (see the blog for how) – so why not let them dig a little deeper by providing them with insight into your own experiences?

The Rift and Augmented Reality

The Oculus Rift once again gets spotlighted, this time with a video of some fascinating work by William Steptoe from the University College London. He’s been developing a set of stereo cameras for the headset to allow it to function as an augmented reality device. The video itself is just over 18 minutes long and delves into the technical aspects of the rig (including a MoCap set-up) as well an providing a demonstration of it in action, which is quite amazing. William also has further information on his work on his blog.

This work is fascinating as it again indicates the degree of cross-over between the Oculus Rift and Technical Illusion’s castAR system. While the former started as a VR system as is now being looked at for AR uses, castAR, which I’ve covered in a couple of reports, started as an AR system (albeit somewhat more basic than seen with William’s set-up), has more recently had a VR capability added to it by its designers.

The kind of augmented potential seen in this video is closer to where my own interest in systems like Oculus Rift and castAR lies, the entire concept of AR opening-up a whole range of opportunities and capabilities which perhaps exceed those of purely VR systems.

The castAR glasses are being designed to offer both AR and VR capabilities (image coutesy of Technical Illusions)
The castAR glasses are being designed to offer both AR and VR capabilities (image courtesy of Technical Illusions)

castAR is still in the earliest stages of development, and currently uses a reflective surface for project and feedback, but the potential for using a MoCap system (cost allowing!) is pretty clear.

The show also touches on the potential of EEG headsets such as the Emotiv,  all of which gets the imagination boggling as to where this all may lead. In the meantime, given the (understandable) coverage afforded the Rift in the show, it would be nice to see some thought given towards castAR.

Later in the show there is mention of an article in the Guardian newspaper on the potential of VR. There is a small risk here of engaging a new hype cycle where the media and VR is concerned (of which, more in a moment), but I have to say that taken together the Guardian article and William Steptoe’s work given me the excuse to splash Bruce Branit’s World Builder into another review!

Continue reading “The Drax Files Radio Hour: augmented reality, harassment as humour, HTTP” →

Loki’s The Lost Virtual World

Posted on by Inara Pey

Lokli Eliot pinged me earlier in January about a video he was putting together called The Lost Virtual World, which is an examination of Second Life, VR, the media’s falling in-and-out of love with both, and something of a historical look at Second Life’s (and Linden’s Lab’s) development. The formal announcement of the video’s realse came via Loki’s blog and episode 3 of The Drax Files Radio Hour.

Carefully complied from a range of videos and interviews, Loki’s piece, at 37 minutes in length is a goldmine of information, skillfully crafted to present a very clear message, encompassed, to a degree, in the opening titles.

From Alice in Wonderland, by way of the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas,  the video flows gracefully into interviews featuring noted faces behind the development of SL, and touching upon some of the highs and low of the platform, the controversies which have courted it (witness Philip Rosedale’s public declaration on the subject of land “ownership” in Second Life – wonder if the company still rues the day he uttered those words?). At the same time it casts a wider net over the past, present and future of VR as whole and offers succinct précis of the media’s love affair with both.

The beauty of this piece is that while there is a carefully structured narrative throughout, it is also presented largely free from any bias an audio track might otherwise supply; even the on-screen text restricts itself to factual comments, rather than attempting to steer the viewer’s thoughts. This allows each clip to speak for itself while also building on the central theme. This in turn deepens aspects of the video’s impact, particularly in the clips featuring events and faces from SL’s past. Recalling those events from SL’s history and seeing faces now long departed from this virtual realm evokes very personal memories, which further help the video resonate more personally than might otherwise be the case.

And because of this, I’m going to stop here and not analyse things further, as I don’t want my own thoughts intruding into yours as you watch the film. Instead I’ll say only this: get yourself a drink, settle comfortably in your chair, and enjoy.

(And a very nice use of elements of the TRON soundtracks as well!)

To infinity …

Posted on by Inara Pey
Infinity Space
Infinity Space

A new installation by Betty Tureaud opens on Friday January 24th in Southern Cross, and it’s an excellent example of depth perception.

Infinity Space comprises a huge, multi-hued horizontal space overlaid with two grids, one above the visitor’s head and one below their feet, all of which recedes infinitely into the distance no matter where you stand – or how far you walk.

Infinitiy Sace
Infinitiy Sace

While it sounds a simple idea, the execution is highly effective; some of the prims used in the installation are phantom extenders, so you can reach the edge of the region and still appear to keep on walking (albeit it with a slight bouncing off the region boundary), while the parallel lines of the grid stretch away in front of you forever converging without ever touching, enticing you to try to keep on following them. This optical effect can be enhanced by operating in Mouselook – which is really the best way to appreciate the build.

Infinity Space
Infinity Space

There is also a little band of floating pyramids circling around the build, offering visitors a ride which lifts the experience even more. Just click on one of the small poseballs scattered around the arrival point and you’ll be delivered, seated, to one of the moving pyramids. Once there, slip into Mouselook. The effect now borders on the hypnotic as the colours above and below the grid flow and change and the grid slowly appears to rotate, the axes interchanging. Riding in this way immediately put me in mind of part of astronaut Dave Bowman’s trip through the stargate in Kubrick’s seminal 2001: a Space Odyssey, such is the effect – at least in part.

The installation opens at 14:00 on Friday January 24th with a performance by Ultraviolet Alter.

Infinity Space
Infinity Space

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Discovering an island of muses in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

Isle of Mousai, January 2014Isle of Mousai, Ancient Alexandria

Isle of Mousai. is a recently opened music venue in Second Life; however, anyone visiting it who has been to Hesperia of Templemore  (a place I’ve been to a number of times, but have yet to blog about) may well  get an odd feeling of déjà vu. There is a certain something about the one that does put you in mind of the other, albeit perhaps in something of a subtle way; the design of the some of the stage areas, the use of statues, the presence of balloons and dirigibles floating overhead.

Isle of Mousai, January 2014Isle of Mousai, Ancient Alexandria (Flickr)

There’s nothing sinister in these similarities; rather they are clues that both Hesperia of Templemore and Isle of Mousai are the work of Luis Lockjaw. However, this should not to be taken to means they are clones of one another; far from it. Mousai very much has a look and feel which is unique and very different to that of Templemore.  It’s not so urbanised in appearance, for one thing, and it has a broader spread of architectural styles, some of which give it a whimsical feel. And while the various styles are distinct, the overall design of the region, which includes the clever use of elevation by way of hills and small escarpments, allows them flow together via the footpaths, tracks and steps which connect them.

Isle of Mousai, January 2014Isle of Mousai, Ancient Alexandria (Flickr)

The primary aim of the region is to provide a venue – or venues – for live music and DJs; however, there is much here to attract the casual visitor, the explorer and those wishing to share a little space with friends. Take the little hilltop open-air theatre, for example, complete with a sheet hanging from a line as the screen; it offers a convivial spot to sit and chat with friends. Elsewhere there are little places to sit on your own or with a close friend, all of them charmingly presented to those wandering the paths and trails.

Colour plays an important role here as well, especially if you take the time to twiddle with your windlight defaults a little. If you do the results can be quite stunning whether you simply want to sit and enjoy them while exploring or if you’re into SL photography.

Isle of Mousai, January 2014Isle of Mousai, Ancient Alexandria (Flickr)

I will get around to blogging about Hesperia of Templemore; right now I’m waiting for the snow there to melt, as I’m pretty sure  that many of those on the North American continent have had more than their fill of wintry scenes already.  In the meantime, if you’ve not dropped into Isle of Mousai, do make a note in your diary to do so, it’s a visual treat!

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Isle of Mousai, January 2014Isle of Mousai, Ancient Alexandria (Flickr)

Of Montagues and Capulets and dances of desire

Posted on by Inara Pey
"O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name;" - Roemo+Juliet, the Basilique Performing Arts Company
“O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name;” – Romeo+Juliet, the Basilique Performing Arts Company

I’ve recently blogged a few times about the Basilique Performing Arts Company’s productions, both the upcoming  Paradise Lost and the current Romeo + Juliet. The latter is now into its final run for the current season, having just four more presentations to go during January and February. Lauded and acclaimed since opening in April 2013, this really is a show not to be missed, and I do encourage anyone who has not seen it to take advantage of the remaining four show dates and attend a performance; you will not be disappointed.

A love-struck romeo - Romeo+Juliet, the Basilique Performing Arts Company
A love-struck Romeo – Romeo+Juliet, the Basilique Performing Arts Company

Those familiar with the filmography of Baz Luhrmann may spot from the production’s title that it carries something of a hat-tip towards his 1996 cinematic piece starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Clare Danes. However, this isn’t merely a transcribing of Luhrmann’s cult classic; this production more than stands on its own as a slick and creative retelling of the tale of tragic love and star cross’d lovers.

With a costume style carrying a distinctly mid-1940s USA look, complete with sharp suits, fedoras, brogues and automatic handguns but with a distinctly renaissance-inspired feel to the sets, the production has been beautiful conceived and directed by Canary Beck (who is also the narrator) and produced by Harvey Crabsticks. Dance and music lay at the heart of the production, the latter from the likes of Nat King Cole, Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman, Michael Buble, Jack Black, Carl Douglas, Moby, Duran Duran, The Indigo Girls, and Queen.

Unrequited love: : Paris dances with Juliet, Romeo+Juliet. the Basilique Performing Arts Company
Unrequited love: : Paris dances with Juliet, Romeo+Juliet. the Basilique Performing Arts Company

This eclectic soundtrack brilliantly enhances each scene, bringing to each a sense of mood which is very cleverly conceived and, in places, not a little mischievous.  At the start of the performance, for example, Mercutio, standing-in for Benvolio,  has his view that love is a simple matter of sexual appetite engagingly underlined in the opening number, Straighten-up and Fly Right as he seeks to lift the spirits of a downcast Romeo. Later, his showdown with Tybalt is played-out to Carl Davis’ Kung-Fu Fighting, which, despite the tragic outcomes of that confrontation and the one which immediately follows it, again underlines Mercutio’s irreverent outlook on life.

One also cannot mention the music within the play without mention of the choreography. This is simply exquisite, the dances clearly conceived and executed to suit the numbers to which they are danced, further lifting Romeo+Juliet into the realm of the extraordinary. Through the combination of dance and the accompanying soundtrack, the audience experiences the range of emotions reflected in the tale, such as both the passion Juliet and Romeo feel for one another, and the pain of unrequited love Paris feels towards Juliet. In the case of Paris in particular, the use of music and dance further serves to make him more of a sympathetic character than perhaps the original play allows.

Romeo and Paris confront one another outside the tomb where Juliet lay - Romeo+Juliet, the Basilique Performing Arts Company
Romeo and Paris confront one another outside the tomb where Juliet lay – Romeo+Juliet, the Basilique Performing Arts Company

The nods towards Luhrmann’s film are not limited to the name of this production, either, but are cleverly carried through several scenes. Note Juliet’s costume for the Capulet feast, for example, and the use of television sets between each set, which are reminiscent of Luhrmann’s use of news broadcasts to convey the broader strife between the two families. Other motifs from the film are also used with great effect in the production, most notably, perhaps, during Act V.

All told, the Basilique Performing Arts Company’s Romeo+Juliet is a remarkable piece which substantially raises the bar for performance art and drama in Second Life. Aso noted at the top of this article, if you’ve not already seen it, I cannot recommend it highly enough nor urge you strongly enough to make sure you do. Full kudos to all involved.

"O my love! my wife! Death, that hath suck'd the honey of thy breath, Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty" - Remeo+Juliet the Basilique Performing Arts Company
“O my love! my wife! Death, that hath suck’d the honey of thy breath, Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty” – Romeo+Juliet the Basilique Performing Arts Company

The last four presentations for the current run of the production will be:

  • Saturday, January 25th, 13:00
  • Saturday, February 1st, 13:00
  • Saturday, February 8th, 13:00
  • Friday, February 14th, 13:00

All performances take place at The Basilique Playhouse. Please refer to my earlier article on the production for notes on how to enjoy it to the fullest.

A Sneak Preview

Paradise LostFollowing the performance of Romeo+Juliet on Sunday January 19th, Canary and Harvey generously invited me backstage to the rehearsals area for the Company’s upcoming new production Paradise Lost: The story of Adam and Eve’s original sin, which opens in Spring 2014, and which currently has an open casting call for a number of roles.

While backstage, I was privileged to see a performance of three scenes from the new production. Sadly – although fully understandably – I was asked not to take any pictures while the cast were performing, so I cannot visually share just how impressive Paradise Lost will be. However, I can say, with hand firmly on heart, that the production further builds on the incredible work that has gone into Romeo+Juliet, and promises to be something extraordinarily special in Second Life when the curtain rises this spring.

It is evident that considerable effort has been put into refining and improving the techniques used within Romeo+Juliet, and an enormous amount of care and attention has again been put into developing choreography which carefully and precisely matches Mozart’s Requiem. This will definitely not be a production to miss, and I’m already keenly anticipating its opening.

Seeking respite in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

inimist, January 2014Binemist, January 2014 – click for full size

I first visited Binemist back in September 2013, and I make no apologies for returning to it so soon. For one thing, a lot has changed within the region since that first visit;  for another, Bine Rodenberger is a woman after my own heart, with a love of water, trees, music and art, so I’m naturally attracted to her builds.

Recently given a make-over, Binimist is now predominantly a water-themed region although, as Bine herself says, “I do also love trees, so it is a water SIM with patches of lots of trees.” This is intended to be a place of calm and peace, and the balance of water, trees, artefacts and art, combined with an excellent music stream, achieves precisely that.

inimist, January 2014Binemist, January 2014 – click for full size

There are still elements here that will be familiar to those who have visited the region in its past incarnations – the church still sits atop the cliffs, reached by a winding wooden stairway, and the lighthouse still keeps a sweeping vigil from the south-east corner of the region while pieces from a number of noted SL artists lay beneath its watchful, ever-turning eye, acting a focal points for exploration and contemplation.

There is a low-lying island to one side of the region, where a small copse partially hides a little cottage. Not far from this sits a small cafe complete with flooded patio seating front and rear.  The trees Bine mentions form a small wood towards the centre of the region, from which flooded, tree-line paths twist and loop, leading one past yet more pieces of art and to places to dance and enjoy the company of others.

inimist, January 2014Binemist, January 2014 – click for full size

As a place of quiet contemplation, either when on your own or with a loved one, or as a place to simply dance and relax with a friend or friends, Binimist is up there with the best SL can offer. As such, it serves as a perfect getaway when you simply need a little refuge from the toil of real life – or indeed, Second Life. I know I could happily while away many an hour, both wandering and admiring Bine’s design for the region and the art she’s put out for people to enjoy – and simply sitting and listening to the music stream.

Definitely not a place to be missed, whether you’re new to Binemist or a returning traveller; and if you enjoy your visit – which you will – please consider dropping a donation at the landing point to keep this beautiful region running.

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