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.