General News
The Watch – virtual worlds in the news
July 26, 2010 · View Comments
1. Escapist Magazine (USA) – Women Beat Men in Virtual Shopping Habits. “The shopping habits of women compared to men in virtual worlds may reflect those stereotypically seen in the real world. I’m not being sexist here: Ask 100 women if they like to shop or not and I bet you’d get a lot of positive responses. At the least, I don’t think it’s crazy to say that women like to generally shop more than men. According to a new survey, the same might be true in the worlds of virtual online games.” 2. Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) – Want eternal life?... [Read the full story]
Australian News
Have your say on the internet filter: it’s delayed but not forgotten
July 13, 2010 · View Comments
Sorry, this is really for Australian readers only: a large number of Australian media sites are running a common poll on the proposed internet filter. Sure, it’s a very simple question, and there’ll no doubt be some debate over its wording, but it really has one intention: to get a idea of wider community perceptions of the issue. The majority of the tech community are arguably against the filter, but it goes without saying that’s a specialised cohort of people. So if you have an opinion, or have family / friends to whom tech primarily means the microwave they heat their cup... [Read the full story]
Business
Opportunity cost: not to be underestimated
July 7, 2010 · View Comments
Here’s a true story: Like a lot of players, I have a Level 2 character in World of Warcraft that exists purely as a banking / auction house conduit (bank alt). I have another character that is leveling one of their professions and they needed a particular item sold for a measly one silver, 18 copper from one of the vendors right across from the auction house where my bank alt hangs out. 42 virtual steps in fact (yes I counted). It occurred to me to check the auction house to see if anyone was entrepreneurial enough to be selling that same item on the auction house for a mark-up. Sure enough,... [Read the full story]
Education
Body image study: last chance for participation
May 18, 2010 · Comments Off
Back in January we promoted a study being undertaken by Doctorate student Jon-Paul Cacioli on body image in virtual worlds (the study participants need to be aged 18 or over and be male). Click here for the survey link The response over recent months has been good be Jon-Paul needs a few more people to take part in the survey: We have introduced an amazon gift voucher of $100 which will be randomly drawn from all participants who entered after data analysis is complete. If individuals have already entered prior to the prize they can email me at jcaci@deakin.edu.au and I will add them to the draw. Thanks... [Read the full story]
Health
Merged realities – events and issues for virtual worlds
May 21, 2010 · Comments Off
1. Car manufacturer Ford has started using a virtual human to improve the ergonomics of its manufacturing plants. 2. In a month’s time, Second Life’s 7th Birthday celebrations kick off. 3. I hadn’t stumbled across the world of Tinier Me until received a press release from their PR company announcing the debut of “popular Japanese anime character, Gloomy Bear”. Now you know. 4. Crisp Thinking, the company behind the NetModerator platform for MMOs / virtual worlds, has announced multi-language support with the addition of French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch and... [Read the full story]
Op-ed
True names: identity, safety and Blizzard’s Real ID
July 8, 2010 · View Comments
Identity is a perennial sort of a topic, and Activision-Blizzard’s Real ID programme has brought it back into the limelight. Unless you’ve been hanging out under a rock (which would, you know, be fine – especially from a sun-protection perspective) you’ve probably heard about A-B’s programme which is the first phase of tagging your time in Blizzard games (like World of Warcraft and Starcraft II) and supporting services, with your first and last name. It’s rolling out initially to the forums and to some in-game communications. Quite what Phase 2 is, is not yet clear. One can only speculate... [Read the full story]
Australian News
Have your say on the internet filter: it’s delayed but not forgotten
Sorry, this is really for Australian readers only: a large number of Australian media sites are running a common poll on the proposed internet filter. Sure, it’s a very simple question, and there’ll no doubt be some debate over its wording, but it really has one intention: to get a idea of wider community...
[Continue reading: Have your say on the internet filter: it’s delayed but not forgotten]
Susa Bubble: saving the art from censorship
You may have seen a story on New World Notes today about the removal of an installation from the 7th birthday celebrations for Second Life. First, some context. The installation is titled Susa Bubble, and it looks like this: (You can check it out for yourself in-world or you can view a higher-res pic here) The creator,...
[Continue reading: Susa Bubble: saving the art from censorship]
Government and virtual worlds: Australia on the catch-up
The issue of virtual worlds getting on a government’s policy agenda is something we’ve examined pretty closely, and like most of you reading this, it can get frustrating sometimes seeing the pace at which change is occurring. In recent days I was again struck on the world leadership role the United States...
[Continue reading: Government and virtual worlds: Australia on the catch-up]
Body image study: last chance for participation
Back in January we promoted a study being undertaken by Doctorate student Jon-Paul Cacioli on body image in virtual worlds (the study participants need to be aged 18 or over and be male). Click here for the survey link The response over recent months has been good be Jon-Paul needs a few more people to take part in...
[Continue reading: Body image study: last chance for participation]
Immersion and the Conceptual Hump
I’m obviously biased in my assessment of Tateru Nino: she is a contributing writer for this publication and I’m already convinced she’s one of the world’s best virtual worlds observers. Articles like this one are why I believe that. It’s a superb piece on immersion and how that can be...
[Continue reading: Immersion and the Conceptual Hump]
UWA Art Competition: April Winners
The relentless creative behemoth that is the University of Western Australia’s 3D Art & Design Challenge continues its journey, with another large number of entries and interesting judging results. The full results can be read below, but the other noteworthy aspects are the creation of the UWA-BOSL Amphitheatre,...
[Continue reading: UWA Art Competition: April Winners]
ME/CFS Awareness Art Exhibition
In late March we profiled some work being done by Australians in regards to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS). That work has continued, with the launch of an art exhibition occurring this Wednesday May 12th, 6-8pm SL time (11am – 1pm Thursday 13th AEST). All the works exhibited are...
[Continue reading: ME/CFS Awareness Art Exhibition]
UWA Art: March winners and a three-year continuation
The University of Western Australia continues its 3D Art and Design Challenge, announcing the March winners. All those details are replicated in full below thanks to the indefatigable Jayjay Zifanwe and the UWA in SL blog. What’s even more impressive is the announcement that the UWA have agreed to fund the monthly...
[Continue reading: UWA Art: March winners and a three-year continuation]
Educators and Second Life: local research
Between August 2009 and February this year, Holmesglen’s Kenneth Rankin (SL: Ken001 Silverfall) undertook some research in Second Life as part of his Master of Education studies at the University of Southern Queensland. It’s a fascinating snapshot on the state of play in regards to educators and Second...
[Continue reading: Educators and Second Life: local research]
Murdoch University: ME/CFS Support in Second Life
This story appeared originally on Metaverse Health. In recent weeks, thanks to a health professional colleague, I became aware of a research project underway at Murdoch University, looking at the use of virtual worlds as a support mechanism for people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)....
[Continue reading: Murdoch University: ME/CFS Support in Second Life]
Crime and virtual worlds: the Australian take
Earlier this month, the Australian Institute of Criminology (AIC) released an issues paper titled Crime risks of three-dimensional virtual environments. Written by Deakin University’s Ian Warren and Darren Palmer, its focus is identifying the potential harms of 3D virtual environments, discussing best governance...
[Continue reading: Crime and virtual worlds: the Australian take]
Linden Lab CEO’s art show in Second Life: UWA scores again
Linden Lab CEO Mark Kingdon / M Linden isn’t the sort of guy associated heavily with Second Life’s burgeoning art scene. So it’s a little surprising to find out he’s about to have his first art exhibition. What’s less surprising, at least to me, is that the exhibition will be occurring...
[Continue reading: Linden Lab CEO’s art show in Second Life: UWA scores again]Read More Posts From Australian News »
Profile
Interview – Zak Claxton, Second Life musician
Zak Claxton is one of many Second Life musicians who have built up a loyal following....
Interview – Evelyn McElhinney, Glasgow Caledonian University
(This story appeared earlier today over at Metaverse Health). Coming from a nursing...
Interview – Simon Newstead, CEO of Frenzoo
Back in May, we covered Frenzoo, a fashion-centric world with a lot of promise. Since...
Interview – Denise Wood, University of South Australia
Denise Wood (SL: Denlee Wobbit) is Senior Lecturer in the Bachelor of Media Arts...
Interview – JaNa KYoMooN, Second Life musician
JaNa KYoMooN, the avatar used by Jan Pulsford, is a musician I’ve known since...
Interview – Kyle Gomboy, CEO of ReactionGrid
ReactionGrid is one of the OpenSim-based grids that’s been making an impact...
Burlesque in Second Life: flirty, not dirty
ok – can you tell me a little about yourself – what got you into burlesque? Lowell...
Interview: Andrew Campbell – Director of Prometheus Research Team, University of Sydney
(Published earlier today on Metaverse Health) Over the past couple of years I’ve...
Interview – Prof. Young Choi and Dr. Thomas Furness, HIT Lab Australia
In 2008, with not a lot of fanfare, the Human Interface Technology Laboratory Australia...
Interview – DeeAnna Nagel and Kate Anthony, Online Therapy Institute
DeeAnna Nagel and Kate Anthony are psychotherapists and founders of the Online Therapy...
Interview – Raph Koster, Co-founder and President, Metaplace
If the virtual worlds industry has elder statesmen, Raph Koster is definitely one...
Interview – Lee Hopkins, Business Communicator and PhD Student (Part 2)
Continuing on with our discussion (Part 1 can be found here), we discuss brand identity...
Read More Posts From Profile »
Op-ed
True names: identity, safety and Blizzard’s Real ID
Identity is a perennial sort of a topic, and Activision-Blizzard’s Real ID programme...
Opportunity cost: not to be underestimated
Here’s a true story: Like a lot of players, I have a Level 2 character in World...
Linden Lab remove CEO: Rosedale returns
As mentioned briefly last night, the rumours were flying about a change in CEO at...
Three reasons social gaming on Facebook is declining
Over the past couple of weeks there’s been some focus on the fact that Zynga,...
Going mainstream means letting in the weirdos
Second Life’s generally considered to be a bit of a weird place. A lot of virtual...
Linden Lab announce Viewer 2.1: voice morphing now available
First – some cynicism on what is otherwise a noteworthy announcement. It’s...
Linden Lab announce plans for layoff-funded Second Life in-browser
Linden Lab have now formalised the announcement on staff cuts – not that there’s...
Linden Lab staff reductions: the picture painted
As she is wont to do, Tateru Nino has come up with another great story, albeit a...
Government and virtual worlds: Australia on the catch-up
The issue of virtual worlds getting on a government’s policy agenda is something...
Immersion and the Conceptual Hump
I’m obviously biased in my assessment of Tateru Nino: she is a contributing...
Alice has a dollar. A virtual economic failure
Alice and Bob are participants in an economy. Alice has a dollar. Alice gives the...
It’s safe to say that one of the most discussed areas of virtual environments...
Read More Posts From Op-ed »
Sponsors
