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ME AND OPHELIA

Tuesday, January 17, 2006

 
ENVIRONMENT IN CRISIS:
"We Are Past the Point of No Return"

Via matthewgood:

The world has already passed the point of no return for climate change, and civilisation as we know it is now unlikely to survive, according to James Lovelock, the scientist and green guru who conceived the idea of Gaia - the Earth which keeps itself fit for life. - Independent

# posted by Ingrid @ 1/17/2006

Sunday, January 15, 2006

 
WELCOME TO SECOND LIFE
3-D virtual world with in-world currency, the Linden dollar

Read Welcome to Second Life by Dean Terry - copied here for future reference, incase the link breaks or site disappears.

Welcome to your Second Life, your new virtual world awaits you! The hope of a new life, free from all the real people you know and the sorry state of your own appearance. You can look like you've always wanted to look! Plus, no smells!

Oh, but wait. First this guy wants to put his hand in your pants.

And this is just what happened to a student of mine as he entered Second Life for the first time. Second Life is an online world that allows you to own virtual land and engage in various business and interpersonal activities: flirting, gambling, building things, groping, etc.

While I'm not opposed to groping in an of itself, and I'm certainly not against online worlds, this quite common event shows just how far these worlds still need to go.

In the near future most people will have multiple avatars in multiple, interconnected worlds engaged in all manner of activities - not just games and diversions.

And just as the pornography industry blazed many an Internet trail, so too will they work out the kinks (so to speak) in online worlds. In Second Life you can go to stripper bars and watch naked pixel women writhe before you in all their herky jerky, motion captured glory. If you give them Second Life currency, they will do other things for you.

One of the big problems with these worlds at the present time is that they are all privately owned, commercial ventures. Yes this will move the technology and the ecology of virtual culture forward, but certain areas will be ignored, such as shared spaces. The immersive digital commons.

For this we need an open-source movement in virtual worlds. One they are available, people will want virtual "rooms" and they will want to interconnect them, just the way they interconnect now with flickr and facebook, and all the other social software tools. People will connect their spaces organically, like the blogosphere, free from any overarching dictator - which is exactly how online worlds are governed now.

Once we have real public space in online worlds then we'll have an online world worth entering.
- - -

What is Second Life?

it is a 3-D virtual world entirely built and owned by its residents. Since opening to the public in 2003, it has grown explosively and today is inhabited by nearly 100,000 people from around the globe.

From the moment you enter the World you’ll discover a vast digital continent, teeming with people, entertainment, experiences and opportunity. Once you’ve explored a bit, perhaps you’ll find a perfect parcel of land to build your house or business.

You’ll also be surrounded by the Creations of your fellow residents. Because residents retain the rights to their digital creations, they can buy, sell and trade with other residents.

The Marketplace currently supports millions of US dollars in monthly transactions. This commerce is handled with the in-world currency, the Linden dollar, which can be converted to US dollars at several thriving online currency exchanges.

# posted by Ingrid @ 1/15/2006

Saturday, January 14, 2006

 
STARDUST HAS CAPTURED PRIMEVAL DUST
Ultimately, this is the stuff we are made of

A capsule containing dust from stars millions of light years away is set to land in the Utah desert on Sunday.

Members of the public are being asked to help study cosmic dust samples returned by the Stardust space mission.

Stardust's main mission was to chase a comet and capture material from its coma, the cloud of dust and gas that surrounds its nucleus.

But it also trapped a sprinkling of dust from the interstellar stream that flows through the Solar System.

The particles contain the heavy chemical elements that originated in stars.

"Ultimately, this is the stuff we are made of," said Dr Westphal.

"The fact that we really don't know what the typical interstellar grain looks like is outrageous - this is really a search for our own origins."

Read Recruits needed to sift stardust - BBC January 14, 2006.

# posted by Ingrid @ 1/14/2006

Thursday, January 12, 2006

 
CLIMATE CULPRIT FOR FROG DEATHS
Impact of climate change on biodiversity is staggering

This post ties in with ones from last year about mysterious mutations found in amphibians and the three headed frog discovered in Somerset, England.

According to a BBC report today, global warming may be responsible as perfect conditions are being created for the spread of a fungus that is deadly to amphibians.

So, I suppose mystery has been solved. But what are we doing to do about it? Not much I guess, until it is too late.

# posted by Ingrid @ 1/12/2006

Sunday, January 08, 2006

 
DIGIMOTION DIGITAL ALBUM
Digital album blogged

Note my latest entry at Sudan Watch: Digimotion Digital Album. Powerful stuff.

# posted by Ingrid @ 1/08/2006

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

 
CAN BLOGGERS CHANGE THE WORLD?
Debate, reader comments and forum

Today, a friend sent me this article from The Times Online Dec 23, 2005:

In 1999 there were some 50 bloggers on the web; today there are more than 23 million. In Iran, which seen a huge surge in this area, and where reformist newspapers have been closed down and many editors imprisoned, blogs offer a huge opportunity for dissent and discussion. On the other hand, many can be inaccurate, hysterical, or just plain boring. Do you read blogs? How important are they in keeping free speech alive - and can they change the world? Read the article and send us your views using the form below. Your replies will be posted here. Also: visit the Times Online weblogs. Full story.

# posted by Ingrid @ 1/03/2006