Independent Project

I have not updated my blog recently on my project but I have documented the entire process below. I also couldn't cut and paste from words so I uploaded it as image files.

Second Life Scavenger Hunt

1) I dressed Barnabee Humbridge in all white. I did this because it was the easiest for me to figure out and I also decided once I was done that he was from the future and based on all the futuristic movies, they all wear skin tight monochome suits.

2)Pathfinders Office in Linden Village. He was holding a book




3) Everything that I inspected was created by Edmund Faulkes







4) It is hard to see but I am standing at the base of the Effiel Tower






5) The region is rated PG. I was at 71,93,179 and I reached it by flying

6)The Book of Dublin. It was having trouble loading here but it looked like it was called the Blarney Stone

7)I went to Miami University. There was a sky diving machine thing that looked interesting.





8) I was standing on a larger record. The whole area was larger than my character so it made me look small.

9) There was a flying building which doesn't happen in real life. With a school like this, it would be able for thousands of people to participate from everywhere across the world.

10) I joined the Tropican Dance Club because it was the frist option when I typed in dance club for groups.

Synthetic Environments 4/3

In today's class we traveled to Philips' main gym to get a demonstration of the HIVE, the Huge Interactive Virtual Environment. We learned that Miami's HIVE is the largest interactive virtual environment in the world. We got a demonstration of the starting off with looking at the computer which was mounted on a back pack as well as the headset. After that we looked at how the camera based infrared sensors were able to track almost exact movement. Then we all took turns in the environment by walking around the gym collecting virtual Easter eggs. I had a great time doing this but what was also interesting was the fact that straight lines were hard to walk because the computer has a built in safe guard that alters the the world so that you do not run into the walls of the gym.

Synthetic Environments 4/1

Today we discussed the reading in class. Our main focus for class discussion started focusing around what our actual definition of virtual reality is. People started to give their definitions as well as myself giving mine which started with my story of putting on a headset and having a fully 3d environment and then discussing how video games today are also considered virtual reality due to the nature of a alternate world that we are able to interact with. Scott added onto my comment and said the thing that we were talking about but just missing a little was that virtual reality seems to have a need of the user to be able to interact with the alternate reality.

Second Life: Tutorial Island

Synthetic Environments 3/30

In today's class we got a basic background of virtual reality as well as a ted speech from the founder of Second Life. The most interesting thing to me about the history of the technology is how far it dates back to. The Worlds fair in New York was the first to show these immense projection technologies but it was the US military that seemed to be driving it to the next level. I never realized how much of a roll the military has in pushing these technologies with things like flight simulators and anti-aircraft gun training.

The second life presentation was also very interesting. He talked about what could be considered the human condition to always want a place where they can do and create anything. The dream of so many to start over on a different planet is in a way granted by Second Life's enormous ability to support user based content. It is not as inclusive as the holo-deck in Star Trek but at least it is a start.

Independent Project Discussion Day

Today we discussed our projects as a group. I then posted my idea which is also located on this blog. We were also asked to respond to our group member's posts on their blogs and the links are located here:

www.goughbw.blogspot.com
http://davida-119days.blogspot.com/