I have been involved in 2 abstractions over the past 2 days. I have spent more time in Second Life, and I have been active in the markets; spending 8 hours at a time “researching”. In the real world, the season is turning to spring. The sun was out today; a rare occurrence these days. I mention the weather because my experience on my computer has been very engaging. So much so that when I leave it, and move about physical spaces, my mind tends to overlay the movements and tone of the programmed life in Second Life, onto these spaces. The movements of my avatar, in Second Life, are compared to the way humans move here. My dreams even contained Second life spaces and navigation. It is odd. The feeling of the sun on my face has become meaningful…
I like Second Life. There are many beautiful spaces that have been created, and I have just scratched the surface. I still feel vulnerable in the environment because I do not know the nuances of the interface or scripting capabilities that other “residents” know.
Although I find it enjoyable to move through and interact with simulations of places in the real world, part of me still wishes that a new, programmed world, would not need to imitate, but could base forms in the space on other criteria. Although, at the same time, the idealized forms of Second Life are gratifying. But my sense is, that once you saw everything there was to see, then it just becomes a more layered albeit richer communication technology. But if instead, the landscape where one interacted required you to develop new linguistic codes, (new words and symbols), for the things encountered, then it would be even more engaging as you would be asked to learn a new language, as you do when you go to a new country, or when you enter your life as a newborn.
One interesting location being developed includes several data visualization projects, by Melanie Swan and her developers. In particular, a 3D interactive object, (a graph on oil consumption), which allows your avatar to stand on a rectilinear surface, with other avatars if you like, and then pick and choose data to be displayed. Doing so generates square “rods” across the surface. The graph is based on Cartesian coordinates. You can choose a country from the X axis perimeter, or an amount of oil consumption from the Y axis perimeter. This data, then grows across the surface. There were 2 of us on the grid, so with each of us choosing, it became interesting how the graph controlled our movement. For me, the data behind the graph was less interesting than building these physical forms which impacted us socially. But I also liked knowing that there was real data behind the forms, and I believe once the newness of the form wore off, I would start to think more about oil consumption. Also. the deep blue rectilinear surface, with it’s surface of ridges, gave you a sense, that it was a material surface, and even that it was smooth but also composed of barriers, (the oil consumption).
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