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POPSThe New Socialism: Global Collectivist Society Is Coming Online From the article: "We underestimate the power of our tools to reshape our minds. Did we really believe we could collaboratively build and inhabit virtual worlds all day, every day, and not have it affect our perspective? The force of online socialism is growing. Its dynamic is spreading beyond electrons—perhaps into elections." Interesting thought.
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POPSWhat does it feel like to have too many arms? Interesting case reports, that expose some of the layers that compose what we call experience. questioning its basis has a fleeting sensation, like that water line that differentiates the sea from the beach.
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POPSFor the first time, everyone can see the whole world "Google Earth has introduced 21 layers of data from various organizations that provide information about specific ocean sites." I find this collaborative work inspiring, in relation to how humanity can unite in creating a win win situation for all.
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POPSPrivacy may be dead; what the Web knows about you A lot of the pressure that rises in this time is related to the privacy concept. The entanglement of human life and the Web is creating an interesting space in which human's identity is being decoded to bits of information, that become part of the virtual space which is the free flow of the web. As such the question of possession arises. Who owns my (a metaphor of course ;-) ) identity? or in different words, do my identity belong to me?
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POPSSuddenly a mundane interaction becomes memorable "I don't like heights," Feather said. "The first couple weeks I was here . . . I would get to the edge of some of these things, and my stomach would turn. Now I jump off . . . just because I can. You crash land, get up off our stomach and dust yourself off."
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POPSClassrooms will not look or be the same in the future "Unlike lectures, games can be adapted to the pace of the user," Mayo writes. "Games also simultaneously present information in multiple visual and auditory modes, which capitalizes on different learning styles." While no one is saying that an experience akin to Call of Duty or World of Warcraft will ever replace more traditional lessons, research into the effectiveness of video games as learning tools indicates that classrooms of the future will certainly include a virtual component.
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POPS"Hey Facebook, breast feeding is not obscene". though i do not understand why woman would like to publish photos of them breastfeeding, i most certainly do not agree a dumb to the letter policy that facebook is following. The web should stay open for different ways of expression even if some does not fully fall under ones description of tastefulness
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POPSLess killing, more kissing "Nintendo brought casual gaming mainstream with the Wii and DS consoles. Facebook games are of Nintendo quality but add the compelling social aspect of playing with your friends and family across the internet." "Games have been popular activities since the beginning of civilisation. began as a social activity, a form of play, interaction, connection and sharing. On Facebook they have come full circle, using the latest technologies to connect us with each other and have fun doing it."
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POPSWhy to remain the same? Maybe initiatives such as that will help put more people closer than the sense of alienation that exits these days.
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POPSAll there in my parallel universe another example from the article: "China, which is planning a series of different virtual worlds able to host not tens but hundreds of millions of avatars. The idea is to attract people (as avatars) from around the world to come and buy Chinese goods more cheaply from source. In this way they plan to capture the value added to a shirt that leaves a Chinese factory for a dollar but is sold in London for $20."
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POPSThe Internet of things In doing so, the internet of things promises to reshape our lives as fundamentally as the introduction of the railway, but with less public consent or even debate about its arrival. Before it does arrive, perhaps we could spare a moment to think what it might mean. As one day in the future you might even get assigned your own unique IP number. By then, of course, it will be too late to complain.
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POPSVirtual worlds carve out new path "The first step is to have virtual worlds as a common medium for ordinary people. It has to become far more ubiquitous, more like a toaster than a DVR," What virtual worlds do well is contextualise social encounters in a way that social networking cannot do, he thinks. "Without places it is hard to have activities. The bowling alley or the alcohol does not matter as much as the people but if you do not have the bowling alley or the alcohol it's just an empty room and no-one comes,"
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POPSGames and reality, Which affects which? on the other hand, "some biologists think the game could have educational value just by making users think about science, like an entertaining hook into evolutionary biology." "Ultimately, games are made to engage the people who play them. Provoking wonderment or debate is a good thing. Wright abstracts grandiose topics, and he does it well. Not enough game designers have the stones or the vision to try the same, which is why we get battered with endless versions of Madden NFL (also put out by Electronic Arts). In the end, that's also why Spore leaves such an impression. It's more than just fun. It's worth arguing about."
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POPSPervasive games The IPerG researchers’ experimental pervasive games range, for example, from Insectopia, a kind of treasure hunt in which participants roam around a city collecting virtual insects from Bluetooth devices, to Epidemic Menace, a whodunit in which players try to stop a scientist from spreading a virtual virus in a real-world setting.
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POPSLaw and Order in the virtual universes i think it is interesting the way a community is being built. from the article: "In 2006, Linden Lab, the creator of Second Life, canceled Marc Bragg's account for violating the world's policies on real estate deals. Bragg sued Linden, saying he legally owned the content he created in Second Life, including land and businesses. The suit was eventually settled, and Bragg's avatar was restored. Authorities also have intervened in crimes committed in online worlds. In the Netherlands, for example, a teenager was arrested for stealing more than $5,000 worth of virtual furniture in a world called Habbo. "This is such a nascent area when it comes to the law," said Sean F. Kane, a partner in the law firm Drakeford & Kane. "If a certain world allows you to be a thief, is it a crime or just an aspect of the game? Should real-world law apply?" there is much thinking to do, involved...
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POPSFuturistic Excavation However, Weyrich noted, Princeton's system will never replace the experience, contextual knowledge and "soft skills" that conservators and archaeologists bring to the table. "Reconstructing these frescoes is incredibly complex, given the condition of the fragments and the sheer number of fragments," said Weyrich. "The computer takes over the laborious parts of the process while leaving the important, intuitive decisions to the humans." i wonder when this will change as well.
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POPSAugmented Reality This is amazing. A real Sci-fi wet dreams... :) one day a good HD image will transcend the so called "real" one.
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POPSVirtual obesity Another example of the bluring of virtual-real. maybe one day it will be impossible to tell them apart :)
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POPSIf you can't play- outsource it. In fact, the trading of virtual property is so lucrative that some big online gaming companies have jumped into the business, creating their own online marketplaces. Other start-up companies are also rushing in, acting as international brokers to match buyers and sellers in different countries, and contracting out business to Chinese gold-farming factories. "We're like a stock exchange. You can buy and sell with us," says Alan Qiu, a founder of the Shanghai-based Ucdao.com. "We farm out the different jobs. Some people say, 'I want to get from Level 1 to 60,' so we find someone to do that."
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POPSVirtual into Reality American Cancer Society has an Expanding Role in the Second Life Community The Society has expandied its role in the SL community by establishing our own American Cancer Society Island. This virtual space serves a number of purposes including an interactive cancer information resource center, a venue for peer support groups, as well as a headquarters for in-world event planning. We are appreciative of all of the volunteers who have been busy planning events and making improvement to our island and we hope you will visit it soon.
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