If you read my blog at all then you know I’m infatuated with the concept of identity as it appears in virtual worlds and especially as it appears in Second Life. I recently developed an alt avatar to explore some of these concepts. The image above (click on it to see a larger image) shows […]
Can a game teach students how to write?
In a recent episode of dissertation-delaying procrastination I played a few flash games from Shockwave.com. Diner Dash II, Cake Mania and Carrie the Caregiver are basically the same game with different themes and graphics. All three require the player to attend to needy customers by accomplishing an increasingly […]
If you’ve followed techy news at all in the last week you’ve, no doubt, read a bit about the changes in the Facebook site, the security breach in the databases for SecondLife user information, and the latest debacle involving a fake personal ad on Craig’s List turned sex expose’. What do they all have in […]
NOTE: This blog post contains a spoiler for the plot of the new movie Pulse. Although, really folks, if you don’t see it you’re not missing anything.
I just spent eight dollars to see Pulse. Why?! It’s getting horrible reviews, has a vapid plotline, minimal acting and is completely shot with a dingy blue lense that […]
Yesterday BoingBoing posted an NPR interview with Cory Doctorow and Vernor Vinge about the technological singularity (listen here). The piece suggests that a technological singularity is on the horizon, one in which the human race will virtually become a new species, one which is bonded with technology in networked and augmented intelligence.
If you’ve read any […]
Epicurus. I know what you’re thinking. Epicurus was a Greek philosopher who encouraged folks to eat, drink, and be merry. That’s not really true. He’s been given a bad rap in modern times.
Certainly, if you think of Epicurean philosophy as hedonistic then applying it to SecondLife seems pretty easy. Everyone is beautiful; they can eat […]
Well I gave it a shot and I can’t believe the impact it had on me and the way I see my avatar as an extension of myself. First, even though it was my idea in the first place, I couldn’t believe how nervous this made me. I had time to do it but I […]
What an incredible conversation tonight! A dozen or so of us met at Trotsky’s (Rubaiyat Shatner’s place) and talked about identity issues. Folks who attended: Rubaiyat Shatner, Amy Freelunch, Lloud Laffer, Kate Spatula, Cyrus Huffhines, Alfie Eponym, Rand Mcnally, Farley Scarbrough, Milosun Czervik, Naiad Remblai, Audio Zenith, Danielle Damone, Claude Desmoulins, Corwin Carillon and a […]
I just listened to Joseph Jaffe’s Across the Sound podcast. It’s a new media marketing podcast but today’s episode is about identity and marketing and it’s absolutely fascinating (episode #38). Jaffe and Eric Norlin are interviewed about the problems with identity and internet marketing. It’s fantastic to see the issue of online identity discussed from […]
Extending the Psychosocial Moratorium and Transparent Translation of Semiotic Domains in SecondLife
Eric Erickson’s concept of the Psychosocial Moratorium has been used by Sherry Turkle, James Paul Gee and others to describe the suspension of responsibility and accountability that allows internet users to explore alternate identities without the repercussions and dangers one might face in real […]
John Paul Gee describes the relationship with one’s virtual and real self as a tripartite relationship consisting of:
1. The Real identity: who we are in the physical world. I am Sarah Robbins
2. The Virtual identity: who we are in the virtual space. I am Intellagirl
3. The Projected Identity: “Project” here is used in two ways. […]
Toward a Better Understanding of the Body in the Virtual Realm
I can distinctly remember back in 198*mumbles* when my body began to change. My legs got longer, my hips got a bit more ample, and then the whole breast thing happened. Of course, like any life-altering “you can’t go back no matter how much you […]
It may seem almost overly obvious to say that SecondLife is postmodern. It’s a virtual world. Enough said. Right? Well, not quite. So I’d like to explore it a bit.
What makes SecondLife postmodern? First, we should define postmodern. Through the lenses of Foucault, Lyotard, and Derrida, we can define postmodernism as a theory in which […]
You know you’ve spent too much time in SecondLife when…
You see a cute guy/gal at a bar and you want to right click on them to read their profile.
You stand naked in front of the mirror wishing there was a slider to reduce your belly.
You walk out of the mall, realize your car is at […]
Gorgias, a Sophist, believed that language had power: the power to move, the power to influence the will and the imagination, and the power to create understanding in an audience. As a Sophist, he believed that all arguments have multiple sides, that there was no one Truth, and that our interpretation of reality is subjective […]
Just a few observations about SecondLife that I want to mull over later but that I don’t want to forget.
1. Family: Because there is a set of standard last names to choose from when you create an account there are many people in the game who share your last name. Family? Distant relations? How could […]
You are currently browsing the archives for the Ponderings category.