Introduction to Research Paper

How many stale Saturday nights have you spent in your house contemplating what to do? You would absolutely love to travel and sight-see all the luxurious locations that are temptingly televised on the tube, but you know the distance barrier sets a large wedge in that dream. You are famished for some entertainment, but considering that you are low on money, you would rather not engulf a huge expense at the end of the night. Even if you did have the money, however, you may still not have the physical or emotional ability to be involved in the type of entertainment opportunity that you have always desired to experience. In the virtual world of Second Life, an array of limitless options are available. So exactly what entertainment opportunities does Second Life have to offer, and how could these virtual sources bring about a variety of benefits to its viewers?

Research Paper Outline

Carrie Roberts
English Comp. II
Dr. Carter

Research Paper Outline

Research Question
What various entertainment opportunities does Second Life have to offer to its viewers that may otherwise present limitations in real life?

I. Entertainment with no financial barriers.
A. No worries of spending or losing real life money, or facing the consequences of
overspending or limitations of a low-paying job.
1. Everyone has an equal access to obtaining a job in Second Life if there a want.
for something that does cost SL money.
B. Ordinary, everyday entertainment opportunities are therefore easily accessible.
1. Sporting events, concerts, theatres productions, etc.
C. Entertainment for some may include sight-seeing.
1. Would be free from real life money and there are no transportation costs.
(Transition: Because financial barriers do not pose a problem for
traveling expenses, door is open to experience the creativity and activities
of various locations.)
II. Entertainment through world traveling (teleporting) is now possible for many
individuals thorough Second Life.
A. Experience the activities associated with different cultures and locations.
1. A Hawaiian Luau
B. Sight-See
1. Go to museums in different countries, cruises, worldwide famous monuments
(Transition: While some of these entertainment opportunities may be somehow
possible to certain individuals in real life, they may present a physical or emotional
barrier for others to overcome in real life.)
III. Second life may offer entertainment opportunities for
individuals who may be physically handicapped, or even to individuals who are
emotionally fearful of a certain activity.
A. If one has a physical disability, this may give them an opportunity to have a taste
of entertainment that they could never otherwise experience.
1. Horse back riding, scuba-diving, etc.
B. If someone has a major phobia of physically doing a specific activity in real life,
this may be an avenue for them to expand upon and “break out of their shell.”
1. Riding a roller-coaster, dancing in front of others, etc.
IV. The three main arguments justify the truth that through Second Life many
entertainment opportunities are made possible that would otherwise be hard
to experience and enjoy in real life.
A. No financial barriers of real life money
B. Advantages of “world traveling/teleporting.”
C. Allows opportunities for physically or emotionally enabled individuals

Research Question

My topic is entertainment in Second Life.

Research Question: What various entertainment opportunities does Second Life have to offer to its viewers that may be otherwise hard to experience in real life?

Peer meeting

On thurs. night, Elise, Kris and I met again at the Cross of Light and they actually were just finishing up a Bible study, which Kris had participated in. I did not know about it or I would have loved to join in. But other avatars were there and were talking to us about the church and that it was non-denominatinal and just wanted to show show people the love of God, that was pretty neat.

Peer meeting

On the thurs. the 12th Elise and I met at the Buddist temple and walked around a bit. It was hard to find notecards, but it was a very interesting place. The scenery was very pretty as there were many flowers and trees. There were many little statues around, especially of Budda.

Peer meeting

On tues. morning Elise, Kris, and I met at the Cross of Light Church and land and discussed some possible places that we could explore in the future. We also walked around the area. The Cross of Light church is very pretty and has beautiful stained glass. The surrounding area also has a pretty scenery, and actually has a stable nearby, and a ship by a surrounding water.

Intro to essay # 2 - Religion and Spirituality in Second Life

You say you are looking for comfort, a place of refuge, or maybe a sincere search for truth? While some individuals may try to satisfy emotions through money, work, relationships, or other aspects of life, others believe that we were meant to live for so much more. Many individuals are searching, and some of those searches are being explored on the grounds of the virtual environment of Second Life. I believe, however, this resource may not provide the best results for this soul quenching quest. For example, the reality of the religious regulations and rules associated with Hinduism may not be fully seen or displayed through a virtual environment. The true punishment system practiced by some religions may be hidden or not seen through a non-physical and non-threatening environment. Another concern is that the word “Christian” is used so often, that it may be hard for an individual to find the right virtual church without physically sitting down with the pastor and looking beyond the eyes and words of an avatar. In the virutal world of Second Life, an individual can be exposed to a variety of religions, such as Hinduism, Islam, or Christianity--however, being only exposed to this virutal environment may also coud the indvidual's perspective of the religion's true morals and authenticy.

Thesis Statement and topic for essay # 2

Topic: Religion and Spirituality

Thesis Statement: In the virual world of Second Life an individual can be exposed to a variety of religions, such as Buddism, Islam, or Chritianity--however, being soley exposed to this virutal exposure may also cloud the individual's perspective of the religion's true morals and authencity.

peer meeting

I did not realize until today that we were allowed to count the times we met up with our peers during class time as actual peer meetings. Every class period that we have left over time to explore SL Elise and I have been meeting up and have been visiting various different muesums and theatres, they are just not recorded. I hope we can still get credit for these, cause we met up a lot more than it appears!

peer meeting

Today during class time, Elise, Kris and me met at the Sistine Chapel that was re-created by Stan Frangible. It was a very neat recreation with various, and large tapestries. The resolution also seemed very clear, which made the pics much better to view. We also visited the Theatre Hoh also known as the Hosei Research Center, here you can find the Nagami Memorial Noh Theatre Research Institute of Hosei University Virtual Museum. Much of the writings were in Japanese.

peer meeting

Tonight Elise and I logged on together and teleported to the Seoraksan Artisti della Memoria Papper's Art Corner. This was an Italian art exhibition. There was a variety of art work displayed here, as well as a giant horse head! Unfortuanately, we did not see any other avatars there to talk to about the art exhibition. It also had boxes that could teleport to different locations, such as Upbar-Arena media art culture experience in Italy, as well as a place in Barcelona. It looked quite interesting.

peer meeting

Tonight Kris and I met at our home base in the virtual classroom. We talked about what we needed to add for the requirements for our intro, in order to make sure they were met. We also talked about topics and gave each other some tips before we actually published our posts for the intro.

Introduction

Would you say that you have a dreadfully dull and lifeless luxury life? Are you disappointed because you believe it is impossible to escape to past events in history that you have always wanted to experience? Or maybe you are discouraged because you don’t have the courage to swim with sharks through an abandoned shipwreck, or because you are too far away to even fantasize about seeing a live theatre production on Broadway. Believe it or not, second life offers a variety of these similar opportunities to its viewers. Second Life’s enormous assortment of artistry gives individuals the opportunity to explore an array of historical and educational features. The vast collection of museums found in Second Life opens doors of the past, present, and future to individuals. Many of the museums are very original and provide hands-on learning activities to provide entertainment, and more importantly a beneficial strength to the avatar’s knowledge and learning. The diversity of artwork found in Second Life is certainly not limited to museums. Artistry can also be viewed from the chair of a theater building, as there are many live productions put on by other avatars. Various exhibitions and art studios can also give an avatar the opportunity to show a piece of handiwork for others, from all around the world, to admire. Through museums, theatres, exhibitions, and art studios, Second Life can offer a unique genre of authentic artistry to its viewers,that they may otherwise never see.

First meeting

Today at about 9:00 p.m. Elise, Kris and Me (Kerri Mnemonic) met in the Harlem Virtual Classroom at our home base. We discussed our topics with each other. Elise and I are both doing the theatre, art, and art studios topic, while Kris is doing the religion one. We also shared our thesis statements with each other and gave each other tips on how we could improve them. We plan to meet again soon and teleport together to a destination to attain further research for our topics.

Topic and Thesis Statement

Topic: Theater, museums, and art studios in Second Life

Thesis Statement: Through museums, art studios, theaters, and exibitions, second life can offer a unique genre of authentic artistry to its viewers, that they may otherwise never see.

Introduction to Introductory Essay

Carrie Roberts
English Comp. II
MWF @ 8:00 am
Dr. Carter
Jan. 27, 2009

Introduction to Introductory Essay

When I was a little kid I always thought it would be so amazing to have the ability to instantly be in a desired location. No more long car rides, no more fighting with my brother and sister about who has to sit in the back seat--I could simply think of the place I wanted to go and be there in a microsecond. I would also be able to explore locations I had always dreamed about visiting, such as Australia, Africa, and Disney World. Even though this appetite for destination and discovery cannot be instantly met in our physical, every day world, there is a place where one can instantly arrive to a variety of locations for exploration, adventure, and research. It is found by simply stepping into Second Life, a computerized virtual reality. Can I now teleport you into my past second life experiences?

"Dive World":

I enjoyed being able to pick a “featured location,” as I would have loved this idea as a small child. I explored “Dive World,” which was an educational SIM. When I first arrived there I recognized the Discovery planet sign rotating before me. In “Dive World” one can learn how to scuba dive through a virtual reef or shipwreck. I also noticed that there is an aware program to help save underwater animals, and I believe that this is a large part of this SIM's objective, as well as exploring and researching the vast variety of underwater life. I did not see any avatars while I was there, but I did see a shark and tropical fish. It was a beautiful scenery and made me wish I could physically teleport there in order to escape this harsh winter!

"Info. Island":

When I first teleported to the SIM, “Info Island,” I really had no idea why this location had a name such as this. Through the objective and through different locations on the island, however, I quickly learned why this name was very well suited for this SIM. I learned that the objective was to assist and provide a variety of research and learning opportunities for all avatars, at a non-profit cost. The island is owned by a group of second life librarians, primarily one named Abbey Zenith. When I first teleported to this location, after stepping into a winter wonderland of Christmas trees covered with snow, I was greeted by the assistant librarian avatar, Abby Zenith, who provided me with a schedule of events. From the list of events I found some interesting opportunities that were formerly available at Info. Island. There was a “Alice in the Wonderland Series,” that had taken place on Jan. 15 from 4-5 p.m. in the Steelhead Hotel Ballroom, presented by the Steelhead Public Library. I thought it sounded interesting because I have always enjoyed the story of “Alice in the Wonderland,” and the description also said you get to “go down the rabbit hole and help solve a mystery,” which I thought sounded like a pretty fun experience. There was also a Weekly radio play broadcasting from Radio Riel on Jan. 15 from 7-8 p.m. It also sounded like a interesting entertainment opportunity as it provided a “thrilling hour of radio drama.” Its amazing how a computerized program can offer such a wide variety of resources and opportunities for all to enjoy.

Elise Mnemonic and I decided to teleport each other to “Info Island.”
Once we arrived there we met Tara Lee Mnemonic, another classmate of ours. Together we got a picture with the librarian, and then decided to explore the island and find a variety of locations. The first location we arrived at was the reading advisory corner, which was located in the “Alliance Virtual Library,” in Foster Building. There an avatar can find access to locating a much needed book for research. We received a note card that explained this information to us signed from a advisor named Cora. After leaving the library, and walking around for awhile and getting lost, we finally met up at “Peace Park.” Peace Park is a beautiful park with flowers, monuments, little chapels, and a fountain that is used for religious studies. Here we enjoyed the spring scenery and collected note cards that contained information about a variety of religions. Each religion had it’s own little area. Some of the religions included Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, and other religions around the world. After leaving the park, we then found our way to the “Stonewall Learning Center.” Here we found a variety of general resources and topics such as literature, Children’s literature, History & Biography, Libraries Archive, and even a Holocaust Memorial. It was very interesting to see all the different topics listed. The creativity only grew as our next stop was at the “Library Art Gallery.” Here avatars can showcase their artistic creations for display purposes only. After we left the art gallery we walked back to the Alliance Virtual Library. Here we met a reference librarian assistant named Peaches. He was a cute, little brown rabbit. We got a picture taken with him and he also explained to us that SIM stands for simulations, which is a location and we are called AV’s or avatars. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience at “Info Island,” and I am excited to learn more information, as I will continue to go there.

"Chakryn Forest":

I visited the "Chakryn Forest" and found it to be quite interesting. When I first teleported there, I was greeted to the sounds of rainforest birds, as well as rushing water in the background. The environment was of a dark forest but very green and alive. There were many trees, rocks and a lazy river. I saw a green frog, named Bettina Tizzy's Froggy Tip jar of whom Mari Teardrop was the last to donate a tip. I then ran into an avatar named Lingu Yue, a black wolf, who is in the above picture with me. I had a short conversation with him and asked him if he had been here before and he had been here a few times to relax. The environment did seem very easy going and relaxing, away from the hustle and bustle of a city. I believe that this is one of the purposes of this SIM to be able to just "get away," relax, and explore the outdoors. I enjoyed flying over the treetops and viewing all the well-landscaped scenery.

"Beckenbach":
“Beckenbach,” was quite the opposite of the forest, as it provided a gothic environment and a uneasy sense of welcome. The first building I entered was an empty, abandoned house that was only accompanied by a sleeping dog. There appeared to be blood on the carpet, which gave me a hint to scram! At Beckenbach it is often night, which brings about a party, entertainment environment. I could easily see that this was Beckenbach’s objective as it contains a dance floor, a bar, a club called “Chu’s Crib,” and a motorcycle shop, called “Chuwinn Bicycles.” I saw no avatars present at the time of my stay. I personally felt very uncomfortable at this location as I understood it was a very promiscuous environment and as I saw noted that it had a shopping center with “urban filth,” rated as mature content.

"Themiskyra":

“Themiskyra,” was unlike any other location I had previously teleported to. It is a very beautiful, mid-evil looking village with many cottages, that are all very uniquely different on the inside. One cottage had a beautiful art pictures displayed on the wall that were very detailed. I thought it interesting that there were signs posted that said, “If doors are closed, please don’t go in homes without permission.” I believe the objective of this SIM is to sell any avatar a home in a quite, peaceful, and historical village. I also believe it is to provide Queen Xanth with a village of people, as her castle is located in this location. I visited her castle and explored the many rooms, finding a grand staircase on the lower level, but mostly empty dungeons on the upper level. The queen is the owner and constructor of “Themiskyra,” and her name is Queen Surina Skallagrimson. I was a bit disappointed as I saw no other avatars. I actually took a picture with a really pretty pink tree in front of a little cottage because it fascinated me that even though computerized, the scenery is so unique and creative and that not every house and yard is the same. I also took a picture in the castle with the grand stair case, because I was fascinated by the fact that I was in a castle!

I enjoyed visiting a variety of locations that were only available to me through the technology of virtual teleporting. I am excited to learn more about the Second Life program, animations, and locations and how they can provide me with a new discovery and exploration of knowledge and research. I can only imagine what the past pioneers of America would think if they only knew, literally, how far technology would one day take us.

"Let Me Introduce my Second Self"

Has a part deep down inside of you ever desired to do something out of the ordinary that you thought was absolutely impossible? Maybe you wanted the ability to fly so that you could glide over treetops and buildings and avoid the noisy traffic and chaos. Maybe it was to have the power to instantly disappear to a unknown location in order to quickly dismiss yourself from a quite sticky situation. Well I am pleased to introduce you to my second self, who is enabled to do all of these things and so much more. Her name is Kerri Mnemonic.

When Kerri Mnemonic was first created, she appeared in an ordinary pink dress with white dots. Her brown hair was also tied up in a neatly positioned pony tail. She looked just like every other newly created mnemonic female figure. I knew I wanted her to change her appearance because as she represents me, I did not want to just look like a clone or "another" mnemonic. I also wanted to change her clothing apparel because a pink dress is not my type of casual wear. So, I modified her clothing appearance to long green slacks, and a blue/green plaid shirt. I really like the color green, so I wanted to make sure and include it on her. Blue seemed to also match well with the green slacks--as it is of course important for a girl's outfit to match!

I did not really ask anyone else of for an opinion of how my avatar looks, because I do not want to worry about what others think of my appearance, as long as I am pleased with it. Plus, I want my avatar to reflect my personal taste. I am generally happy with how my avatar currently looks but I would like to eventually change the hair to a little more on the blond side, as my true hair color is a dark blond. I believe I am currently not able to do this because of lack of funds, as I have not yet received any money, and possibly because of lack of skills or lack of functionality in the program. While I want to have a fairly constant appearance look to my avatar, I would not mind changing the hair or outfit every once in a while just for a change, as I like different varieties of outfits and colors.

It is very interesting how every location has its own sounds, features, and information cards that make it what it is. I think that meeting new people and gaining research and information in different locations will enhance my learning experience. I think it will also be a neat experience and opportunity to not only focus on my own appearance, and how it relates to myself, but also see how every person in my class wants to be viewed and how every individual appearance in some way reflects a unique personality.

The first journal entry!

Hi everyone!
This is my first entry. I can't think of much to say but that I am excited to get to know everyone and curious to learn more about the second life program.