Inkanta
Group: Admins
Posts: 1453
Joined: Feb. 2000 |
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Posted: Jan. 20 2010, 08:09 |
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I just lost my entire post about this, and now am running out of time-how frustrating. Really frustrating. Here is the abridged version.
www.secondlife.com --it is a virtual world--a multi user virtual environment-- imagined and designed by the residents. It is not a game, though there are games within it. I have stopped using "real" world, btw--physical world and virtual world--it's all real. Memories of SL are like any other.
Colleges and universities are increasingly using SL for distance learning. Everything that exists in the physical world has a counterpart in SL, and then some! I gave a talk at the Unitarian Church recently about religion and spirituality in SL, for instance. The platform was developed by Linden Lab, which makes its money by selling space to residents. SL is free until you want to own land. Many people who inhabit SL do not own land--I think there are many more free accounts than paying ones.
SL has a huge learning curve, so it is a good idea to get going with it a few days in advance of wanting to attend something.
First, go to the website and create an avatar, which is how you'll get around inworld. Choose your name carefully, because it is the one thing that you can't ever change. You have to sign up at the website. Then, download the software, which is where you'll log in from, as opposed to the website.
The other major problem with SL is that it is bandwidth intensive and requires a fairly robust computer. Even my older (i.e. 2004) laptop can run it, but the new netbooks are very problematic. The Asus Eee and the new Samsungs may be ok--one of my daughters just got the latter and we'll see. If it's not running well, stuff doesn't rez (i.e., come into sharp focus, materialize--your avatar may be a ball of light instead of a "person" for instance). Here is a glossary of terms: http://secondedition.wordpress.com/sl-glossary/.
Music is HUGE in SL. When you come inworld on Saturday, after the hour-long Mike Oldfield meet-up, we can go to Renaissance Island for an Early Music concert, which will be performed by students of their resident musician, who teaches at a conservatory in Switzerland in the physical world. He streams both music and video, so you can actually watch them play and interact with them from anywhere in the physical world. He is frustrated at the moment--has been performing in SL for years. His frustration is that the richness of SL's events is not being accessed by the "person on the street" in the physical world. He is absolutely right.
After the concert, I think that one of the DJs will be spinning music at the Subterranea, the best prog rock place in all of SL. It is also one of the friendliest places in SL. It's owner and at least one of the DJs are tubular.net members (here, on this forum). Another tubular.net member composed/arranged music for a dancer who choreographed an Earth Day performance. It was the most fantastic thing I've ever seen--the entire computer screen explored with color and the music was fantastic. Sometimes the owner of the Subterranea streams his own music from his home studio--hope another set is coming up soon!!! 
Please note that when you first come into SL, there is a certain amount of culture shock. You'll be on Orientation Island or Help Island. Spend time there, collecting stuff, learning the basics. Don't worry about changing your appearance--lots of time to do that, and new avatars look a lot better than they used to, anyway! When you leave the help area, it's often very lonely--and that's when many decide SL is too boring, stupid, etc. It's good to have events to go to, where you can meet other people. IM Morrighan Heron for help.
BTW--you'll need to make sure that your video and sound are working. There are lots of SL tutorials on YouTube.
Finally--ppl coming inworld need to read the Linden Lab Community standards. I think those are also on the website. All sims pretty much adhere to them. It's also a good way to start to learn about the SL culture, though there are so many cultures and microcultures within. A sociological/anthropological/psychological goldmine!
Wow--guess I blithered on longer than I thought I would!
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"No such thing as destiny; only choices exist." From: Moongarden's "Solaris."
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