I have had a couple of strange experiences with SL lately. I’ve noticed them and written them down but not posted them until now. I suppose I felt that they were pieces of a post but probably not a post in and of themselves. Not to mention, as singular events or thoughts, they don’t seem that extraordinary but put together there might be something there.
The first note is about death. As far as I can tell you can’t die in second life. So what kind of “life” is it really? You can shop and have sex so maybe this amounts to life for some people but for me without the possibility of death what is the value of the life? Maybe that’s just my mortal body talking. I guess this also keeps it from being lumped in with other games because there is no goal and no possibility of death. What if things could just degrade? Would that change the nature of the materiality here or even the economics?
The second note is about good and evil. I admit not all of the ideas in these notes are not just mine. Many are taken from conversations with people also skeptical of the SL experience. For instance, we have discussed evil. Is there evil in second life? Is there even really much possibility for it? So if you are seen as good in SL are you good or is it just relative? What would evil add to this utopia/dystopia? What about the concept of free will?
The next note relates to names. As you’ve probably noticed by now, both in my artwork and in these postings I am interested in the concept of naming. Is naming just a way of tying the notion of something to something else? Is it in that way a concept web but not really a name? Or is a name for convenience? By this I mean if we as a group (see Wittgenstein) agree on a name for a thing does that make it easier to talk about? In SL your name is over your head (no pun intended). When you walk around you can see other people’s names over their heads. It’s kind of strange really. I know in a chat-room seeing the name of the other people in the room makes sense. But in SL, an environment, why don’t I have to ask you your name like I would in the real world? Why am I not forced into that convention? What does it mean that others can see my name without my necessarily wanting them to? What does it mean that I could choose my first name but had to take my last from a list? How do the last names make it to the list and why was my real world last name not there?
Next, the cage experience was scary. The other night I was exploring another island and looking for how you can purchase a gesture to appear intoxicated. As I walked around this island I guess I must have gotten pushed or something because I ended up falling off this building but I wasn’t walking at that point. Then I landed and as I stood up this cage was coming on me. I was scared. At first I guess what little game playing experience I have came in and I thought I don’t want to be caged. This could be bad for game play so I teleported out of there. I think some part of me was scared on other levels and I found that interesting. Why did I care if my avatar was put in a cage?
The last note is about walking around in the real world after being in SL for a little while. One night a week or two ago I had been in SL for a couple of hours. I feel strange when I do spend time there because aside from my assigned project for this summer I just don’t really know what to do there. I think I would almost be more comfortable if it was a conventional game with goals. Since it is islands, I don’t even feel like I know how to head to the real world equivalent of a downtown to hangout. Anyway, I was walking home from school that night and there were very few people on campus. I noticed that much like riding on a boat I had this disorienting experience of not having my real world legs yet. When I would walk I would feel the jumpy movements of my avatar. When I would come to certain obstacles or get frustrated with walking I would have the urge to push the fly button. "..why walk when you can fly.." - Mary Chapin Carpenter. And when I saw people I wanted there conversations to just pop up on my screen along with their names. Strange. I laughed at all of this but wonder what happens to people that make SL a significant part of their lifestyle? Do these small changes affect them in bigger ways?
Well, that’s it for my small notes and this post.
It all adds up.
Another Before and After
VR: Daydreaming, recreation or our way further down the rabbit hole?
What is the true nature of our existence? Human beings have been speculating about this question probably since there were human beings. We have generated myths, religions, and philosophies and maybe now even games and virtual worlds in order to try and get at that answer.
The Hindus proclaim that our lives are "maya," which is a Sanskrit word meaning "illusion." Some have described the Hindu conception of the universe as “God playing hide-and-seek with Himself.”
Buddhism is slightly different from Hinduism in looking at this question. In Buddhist teaching, there is no fundamental reality at any level. So I guess even God playing hide-and-seek is illusion.
There is also a difference between the Eastern and Western religious view of this question. Western thinkers do not generally call into question the reality of the self. We are raised on the notion of the individual. In our case, the universe might be a dream or an illusion, but I the dreamer am real with my own individual soul.
The Gnostics, on the other hand, are said to have believed that Yahweh is in fact not really God but an evil deceiver who created the false reality of the material world within which we are imprisoned. They believe our souls contain sparks of light connecting us to the True God, and by obtaining mystical knowledge ("gnosis") we can transcend this false reality and reunite with Him.
So -- is this "reality" or is this some sort of dream or illusion? And if this isn’t reality then what is virtual reality? Will it help us answer this question?
Like Kathy Acker, I got some of this from another source. To see that for yourself go to: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Urban-Legends-3056/Matrix-movie-1.htm
VR Conspiracy theories (Read at your own risk)
Occasionally I find it interesting to “google” the things I am wondering about. So the other day I searched for “virtual reality conspiracy theory”. I got 1,570,000 hits. The very first one had an interesting title, “The Future History of the World…” and a site name of http://www.heaven-or-hell-its-your-choice.com/alien-computer.htm. How could I resist?
Apparently this page is a preview of a new E-book that the site owner tells us is, “endorsed by some of the smartest people on the planet.” This was getting better all the time! As if that wasn’t convincing enough, we find the author telling us right off the bat that he is “totally sane.” Wow! What more do you need for the ingredients of a good conspiracy theory but the introduction of “I’m not crazy”?
Let’s start reading. At first glance some things here do sound interesting. Like the concept that humans can, “…manipulate and build structures at the same level that biological systems operate.” Not something I as a nonscientist can verify but it does sound interesting doesn’t it? Sounds like a concept ripe with possibilities to me. It also makes the author sound like he knows what he’s talking about which is also good. Let’s go on.
Now that we know our author is smart and sane and that his book is endorsed by the smart we are ready to get into the good stuff. Shortly, we are warned that we are headed for disaster with our use of nanotechnology and virtual reality (VR). VR is a part of that disaster by coming into every home. According to our conspiracy theorist, the danger here is that we will become accustomed to communicating with non-real people. By doing this, the author thinks that soon we will be unable to distinguish artificially intelligent virtual people from real people. The author must think we are not as smart of sane as him. Not to mention, having worked on some AI communication recently, I think this might be a little while off. Let’s keep going anyway and see where this theory is taking us.
Apparently our conspiracy theorist also believes that beyond communication we will also get used to seeing creatures that look strange. I wonder if he’s heard of Halloween or Hollywood? Anyway, apparently this will pave the way for aliens to introduce and integrate themselves slowly into our society. Nanotechnology, VR and Aliens oh my! What more could we ask for in a good conspiracy theory? Wink, wink. Now we just need to involve the world governments and I think we’re set.
Speaking of governments, on the plus side our theorist seems to also think that VR would make world peace a possibility. This is an unusual twist on the usual gloom and doom I’ve seen in the conspiracy theory field. We may have found ourselves a conspiracy theory optimist! His theory for world peace is as follows: if my VR best friend lives in Russia or the Middle East than I don’t want to nuke those countries anymore so we become one big happy online family. I’m not sure he’s seen the news lately but I’m pretty sure my not wanting to nuke a country doesn’t really matter. Following his logic we need to get the president and congress to play second life and make friends with more people. Until then I think we should all be practicing with our headsets our virtual performances of “Kum bi ya” just in case he’s right. See you on SL, my foreign friend (or alien?).
Compare - This is why I hate my avatar!
Is there something too reassuring about today’s technology?
I am certainly not anti-technology. In fact, for the most part I enjoy it. The potential problem I see is in the way it is evolving. It is becoming cheaper and more readily available. This seems good when we think about the hard work people have done to get computer access to everyone. For instance, many public schools and libraries have raised money to make multiple computers with internet access available. Some communities are working to make free community wide wireless internet access available. I even heard a conversation recently in which someone asked, “Did those wind-up laptops ever make it to Africa?”
To get your own laptop, you can you go to your local department store (Wal-Mart) and pick one up for a reasonable price. Not only will it be affordable but it will be ready for you to use right “out of the box!” I wonder though if, like socialism, this idea of everything for the masses is better on paper than in reality or virtual reality. Especially since a lot of the motivation for this has been more about profit and capitalism than good-will towards your fellow human/avatar. This seems to be one of the philosophical questions at the heart of technology’s use by a society. I mean without the personal computer and the notions it brought into all our homes, things would no doubt be different. What would those differences be?
Beyond pricing, and since technology is another product to be bought and sold, the design aspects are changing as well. We can’t deny it is having an impact on what looks appealing to us an what doesn’t. Disposability is also no longer taboo. This has an effect on the materials things are made out of and the quality put into them. If I know that when the next version of something comes out you will want to “upgrade” I can make it with less quality and cheaper materials. This shift in our relationship to the concept of disposeabiltiy is, in my opinion, part of the reason why we are seeing more and more uses for plastic. It is also contributing to outsourcing and more things labeled “made in china”.
The other idea that has tagged along as technology has evolved and become more widely available is size. Unlike other areas of our lives, small is in! The smaller and more functions the better. We want our cellphones to do more than make calls. We want our cars equipped with DVD players to entertain the kids. We want our laptops lighter and faster and able to support us in all our multimedia adventures. Even our household appliances are seeing changes. Look at your programmable self-grinding coffee pot for example.
To meet our “needs”, the manufacturers have had to make the technology more “user friendly”. So, in an effort to appeal to the masses, the technology has become smarter allowing us to be dumber. Despite all of this, it looks like we are still a long way away from the Jetsons. Will our overly “user friendly” products keep us from striving to reach our Jetsonian dreams? This dumbing down is not just with computers. Let’s take another look at Second Life.
You log on and get an avatar and are dropped onto “Orientation Island.” There you are taught the basic workings of how to be a part of this place. I am told that “Orientation Island” didn’t always exist or you could get off much easier in the past. In theory, I think this place is a good idea. As a newb, I didn’t just automatically know how to do things there. But does it dumb down the experience of just having to ask or figure it out? And what kind of experience did it offer? I thought it was kind of lame and frustrating. Not exactly begging me to want to spend much more time or any money. I’m persisting with my exploration for university credits and artistic reasons. I wouldn’t say at this point I get the same enjoyment or needs met there as other people I know.
As for profit, to alter your avatar far beyond what was given to you, expect to spend some money. Will the money I spend make me feel like I need to spend more time there to get my money’s worth? I mean I haven’t been there for long but it looks like to fit in will require some cash. I am still asking myself how bad do I want nipples?
Businesses are also creating a presence there for profit reasons. Second Life users are almost like a captive test market. Universities are building their own spaces for educational purposes. They also want to appeal to their students or potential students (customers) as well. I also hear SL is big among libraries and they even discussed this at some big librarians conference! But despite all the money you spend, there isn’t much difference in SL. At least I haven’t seen the same difference you see in your day to day real world wanderings. Those flaws that make us unique and beautiful seem to be for the most part missing. I wonder how the SL experience differed when you still had to pay to get an account?
There is no doubt in my mind that this “user friendly” requirement has compressed our differences. Not just our differences in user ability or economic standing but difference like virtual appearance. You are suddenly interacting with virtual people in a place where everyone looks like a model and probably not much like themselves. In this way, I wonder how the soothing quality of technology is effecting us beyond the ideas I have presented here. Is this easy technology effecting our notions of difference, aesthetics, identity, and the body?
Mow the lawn yourself.
“By the turn of the millennium a technology known as VIRTUAL REALITY will be in widespread use. It will allow you to enter computer generated artificial worlds as unlimited as the imagination itself. Its creators foresee millions of positive uses - while others fear it as a new form of mind control...” opening lines from the movie, “The Lawnmower Man”
This past week I watched “The Lawnmower Man.” I read on the back cover that it had to do with virtual reality. I thought it might help with my second life research so I rented the movie. It left me wondering where are my helmets and goggles?
It’s an interesting film. For 1992 the special effects were pretty impressive. For 2007 they were kind of sad. It asks the same questions so many science fiction movies do. Namely, what happens when technology gets into the hands of bad people (governments usually) or gets taken too far?
It’s the typical American fear film. You know the theme. Sing along, “One day technology will be our undoing.” Yes boys and girls, we will do it to ourselves. I guess our puritan heritage still leaves us wanting to crave in moderation. It’s the old, “Let me flagellate myself while I camp out for my new iPhone” mentality.
I also noticed the rampant use of drugs paired with VR in the film. I wonder if second life could get away with selling some type of “experience enhancement” vitamin supplements or something? Maybe they could just include it free with the helmet. Now I will have to figure out a way to determine if second life is making me smarter. Since everyone knows telepathy is a sign of intelligence, telepathy would be a sure sign. Um, yeah.
The movie is like VR meets Of Mice and Men with a bit of superhero comic elements thrown in for good measure. It’s the story of a mentally disabled lawnmower man, Jobe, who gains great mental abilities such as telepathy through the use of VR and the VR drugs. But like any good superhero film, it all goes terribly wrong. Jobe gains too much power and is now a threat to everyone. And like Frankenstein, he is even a threat to the man that “created” him. Anyone notice the links to religion in this movie yet?
Jobe sees himself as a conduit channeling all the ancient wisdom like that of the alchemists. He wants to take over all the computer networks. It was hard not to laugh when all the phones were ringing in the end. It made me nostalgic for that dial-up modem sound. Despite its best efforts this movie did not make me afraid of second life. Not any more afraid than I was anyways. I mean I can’t even get my avatar to look like me. What do I have to fear? And from what I’ve seen so far, the biggest threat is that in a place where people could be or make anything it depressingly looks very much like the world we already live in. It amazes me that there isn’t more flying sex going on! But that’s another post.
