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Euclideon Keeps On Keeping On

May 7, 2016 by 2 Comments

Long-term readers will know we’ve been following Bruce Dell and his company Euclideon for essentially the whole of their commercial life.

Here’s a very recent presentation from Bruce Dell on the upcoming launch of the Holoverse VR centre in Brisbane. It also has a useful interview section at the end. Have a watch:

The cynics still abound in regard to Euclideon and their claims, but it appears there’s ongoing progress and growth – whether they end up world dominators is far from certain, but I doubt anyone could argue they’re not trying damn hard to do something great.

What’s your take?

Filed Under: Australian News, Virtual Worlds Tagged With:

Euclideon Unveils Its Progress

September 25, 2014 by 4 Comments

It’s hard to believe it’s been just over three years since I had my first hands-on with Euclideon’s graphics technology. I was impressed back then and have been keeping in semi-regular touch with the team to see how thing’s are going. In the past fortnight they’ve released some pretty interesting updates on how they’re going.

Aside from showing off their work looks visually, they also allude to the fact that the tech is being used in the development of two games, that they’re launching a games division in 2015 and that they are willing to start talking with investors (big or small).

First, check out the introductory video that covers what the company have been doing to date and some initial examples:

Then have a look at the hi-res demo of their software at work:

And finally some pics to look at (click on each one for full detail):

As someone interested in the area, I find the level of detail stunning. I’ve also been amused over the past three years at the huge cohort of people who have written the tech off as unviable. There’s certainly still plenty of unanswered questions, but al the same it seems to me Euclideon might be forging ahead quite nicely.

What’s your take on it?

Filed Under: General News, Virtual Worlds Tagged With:

Use of the Virtual Environment for Learning: Upcoming Presentation

August 28, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Second_LifeWith thanks to Sarah Jones via the SL Health group:

The University of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing will present a program with Dr. Dee McGonigle (SL: Houstonccn) speaking on the topic “Use of the Virtual Environment for Learning”.

Date: Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Time: 2:00-3:15 pm SLT

Location: The UT Arlington Conference Center in Second Life, UTArlington III, SLURL: http://bit.ly/UTASLConferenceCenter

More information: http://www.uta.edu/secondlife/nursingce/

Dr. Dee McGonigle, PhD, RN, CNE, FAAN, ANEF, is a Professor and Chair of the Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) at Chamberlain College of Nursing. She is a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing and the NLN Academy of Nursing Education.

She co-founded the Online Journal of Nursing Informatics (OJNI) and was Editor in Chief from 1996 through 2013. She is an active researcher and through her grant writing, has received over $870,000 in funding. She is an active researcher, presents internationally and nationally, and co-authored two textbooks: Nursing Informatics and The Foundation of Knowledge, one of Jones & Bartlett’s best sellers and AJN’s 2010 Technology Book of the Year, Integrating Technology in Nursing Education: Tools for the Knowledge Era.

Dr. McGonigle has written more than 100 publications including work books, book chapters, and articles. She is a member of both the Informatics and Technology Expert Panel for the American Academy of Nursing and the Serious Gaming and Virtual Environments special interest group for the Society for Simulation in Healthcare. She is searching for a way to facilitate translation by helping those who know (researchers) and those who do (clinicians) communicate and share. Her current areas of interest are in the nursing informatics competencies and diffusion of innovative technologies, especially those impacting learning.

Filed Under: Non-Profit, Virtual Worlds

Second Life and Law Teaching

June 6, 2014 by 1 Comment

Another great initiative coming out of the University of Western Australia:

A Second Life machinima has been custom made for the first time for one of the major units for a degree programme at UWA with the efforts of UWA Associate Professor Natalie Skead, former champion of the international UWA film challenges, Laurina Hawks of Berlin, and UWA virtual worlds founder Jay Jay Jegathesan.

The brilliant short film (machinima) “Equity & Trusts: Estoppel Tutorial”, was created by Laurina based on a script written by Professor Skead for the LAWS5103 unit, Equity & Trusts, which is a 2nd Year compulsory postgraduate unit for the Juris Doctor (law degree). It was shown to students during tutorials that were a trigger for discussions on the Estoppel principle of law.

Here’s the video:

Filed Under: Law and virtual worlds, Virtual Worlds Tagged With: ,

Philip Rosedale Addresses Silicon Valley VR, Demos High Fidelity

May 20, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Philip Rosedale has delivered a pretty interesting presentation to the Silicon Valley Virtual Reality group. Aside from giving a decent demo of High Fidelity, Rosedale has a bunch of interesting points to make and even throws up a new definition of virtual reality:

Virtual Reality: A Sensory Experience in which the results of our actions are consistent with our past experiences

It’s an all-encomassing definition, but it’s one that works well in context of the other points he makes. Have a watch for yourself, but do note this is a pretty rough recording and apparently there will be a better version supplied down the track:

What’s your take? Would love to hear your comments.

Filed Under: General News, Virtual Worlds Tagged With: , ,

Relay for Life in Second Life 2014

May 4, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Events_ListThe Relay for Life event in Second Life has always been a highlight for me and it looks like this year’s is no different.

I’m always extremely impressed with the commitment that goes into organising this even each year and aside from all the great fundraising it does, it also challenges the stereotype of virtual worlds being ephemeral things without substance.

Here’s the latest info I’ve received from the organisers:

 

REGISTER TODAY AND BE PART OF HISTORY-MAKING!

Want to be a part of the largest fundraising movement on the grid?

There’s still time to form a team and join Relay For Life of Second Life as we Relay across the grid raising funds in support of the American Cancer Society.

You may register at www.relayforlifeofsecondlife.org by clicking the orange register button and following the on screen instructions. Won’t you come Relay with us?

We began with the 2014 Kick Off Party on March 8. Teams continue to fundraise through July by holding fun-filled events. The Relay For Life of Second Life finishes with the official overnight Relay on July 19-20. During that weekend, team members gather at their Team Campsites, walk the

Relay Track, enjoy live music, participate in fun events, and explore the many Relay Sims as the event runs overnight and into the next morning.

In 2013, there were 200 RFL of SL Teams which participated in the largest virtual fundraising walk in the world and together raised $393,000 US dollars. For more information about registering a team, or assistance forming a team, please contact Gem Sunkiller at gemsunkiller@gmail.com.

Relay For Life of Second Life is an annual activity that takes place in Second Life in July each year. Volunteers form or join teams to have fun while fundraising and raising awareness from March through mid-July. In July, teams build campsites and walk a track, just like in a real world Relay.

Over the last nine years, Relay For Life of Second Life has raised more than $2 million for cancer research and is the largest charity event in the virtual worlds. Several thousand volunteers from more than 80 countries participate each year, truly making it a global event.

The Relay For Life of Second Life wiki details the history of Relay For Life of Second Life. Relay For Life is the signature fundraising event of the American Cancer Society.

There are many ways to get involved in Relay For Life of Second Life and another way to show your support is through sponsorships. Relay For Life of Second Life is proud to have the following as premier sponsors: RGF Estates, Roses & Thorns Skins Inc., Wild Kajaera and United Realms of the Archipelago. Other sponsorships are available; please contact the PR/Outreach Division more details.

Another way to get involved is through rezzing Relay For Life event boards at your establishment or land. Contact Serina Juran for details.

Keep up with the news on Relay For Life of Second Life through it’s website, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and Tumblr pages:
http://relayforlifeofsecondlife.org/
https://twitter.com/RelayForLife_SL
http://facebook.com/rflofsl
http://www.tumblr.com/blog/relayforlife-sl

Also for those interested, here’s the proposed schedule for the real itself:

Saturday, July 13, 2013
10:00 AM Opening Ceremony
11:00 AM Survivor/Caregiver – CELEBRATE
12:30 PM Teams Lap
2:00 PM Round Up Western
3:00 PM Walking with our Breedable Friends
4:00 PM Fabulous Fifties
5:00 PM Purple Passion
6:00 PM Beach Party
7:00 PM Musicians For Relay
8:00 PM Bald is Beautiful!
9:00 PM Luminaria Ceremony – REMEMBER
10:00 PM Silly Shoes
11:00 PM Sci Fi
MIDNIGHT PJ Party

Sunday, July 14, 2013
1:00 AM Holiday Splendor
2:00 AM Fantasy and Fairy Tales
3:00 AM Crazy Hats
4:00 AM Movie and Cartoon Magic
5:00 AM Heroes
6:00 AM FIGHT BACK
7:00 AM International Lap
8:00 AM Coffee and Donuts – Breakfast Time!
9:00 AM Formal Hour
10:00 AM Closing Ceremonies
11:00 AM Victory Lap! – Walk the track and meet the Relay Committee.
Celebrate YOUR Relay. Take THAT, Cancer!
12:30 PM RAFFLE Draw!
1:00 PM SILENT AUCTION Closes!
2:00 PM Enjoy Walking the Track and Visiting the Builds

Filed Under: General News, Non-Profit, Virtual Worlds Tagged With:

3rd Annual Mental Health Symposium in Second Life

April 19, 2014 by 1 Comment

Second_LifeVirtual Ability have another great event planned for late next week – here’s the full press release:

Virtual World Conference Supports Quality of Life in Mental Health

Virtual Ability, Inc. announces the third annual Mental Health Symposium to be held Saturday, April 26th, 7:00 am PDT/SLT to 5:00 pm PDT/SLT in Second Life®. The theme of this year’s conference is “Quality of Life.”

The World Health Organization defines quality of life as an individual’s “perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, standards and concerns.”

Quality of life is important to us all, but may be more difficult to attain for those with mental health issues. Overall quality of life is affected by psychological state, physical health, level of independence, social relationships, personal values and beliefs, and the relationship of all of these to the person’s environment.

Symposium presentations include (in alphabetical order):
• Hillary Bogner, MD, University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, will offer insights from her research on depression among older adults.
• Colleen Crary, Executive Director of Fearless Nation, Inc., will share lessons from adversity for creating a vibrant life.
• Dick Dillon, CEO of Innovaision, LLC, shares surprising information about why some recovering addicts become “weller than well.”
• Teresa Goddard, Senior Consultant with the Job Accommodation Network, will inform us about attaining employment equality through accommodation and self-advocacy.
• Dr. Christine Karper and Michelle Stone, members of the American Counseling Association’s Cyber Task Force, will talk about the role of counseling and virtual service delivery.
• Dr. Jacquelyn Ford Morie, University of Southern California, will describe the use of virtual worlds as healing spaces for veterans.
• Dr. Nicolas Rüsch, of the University of Ulm, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, will explain the results of his research on well-being among persons at risk of psychosis, focusing particularly on shame and stigma.

Alice Krueger, president of Virtual Ability, Inc., stated: “I am pleased to see an increasing focus on quality of life in mental health care in recent years, since many persons with mental health diagnoses struggle with these issues. The Symposium’s international presenters are acknowledged experts in their fields. I will be interested to hear what they have to say on these important topics. Please join us on April 26 to learn more from a variety of exciting speakers!”

All sessions, done in voice and text simultaneously, will take place at The Sojourner Auditorium on Virtual Ability Island within Second Life®:
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Virtual%20Ability/53/172/23

The full schedule of presentations is posted at http://www.virtualability.org/conferences/mh-symposium/mh-symposium-2014/.

About Virtual Ability, Inc.
Virtual Ability, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation based in Denver, Colorado, dedicated to enabling people with a wide range of disabilities by providing a supporting environment for them to enter and thrive in on-line virtual worlds like Second Life®.

For more information on Virtual Ability, Inc., including the benefits of virtual worlds for people with disabilities, please see www.VirtualAbility.org.

For further information, please contact:
Alice Krueger, President
Virtual Ability, Inc.
Office: (303) 400-3306
akrueger@VirtualAbility.org

If you have any interest in mental health issues, this should be a great day.

Filed Under: General News, Non-Profit, Virtual Worlds Tagged With: ,

Linden Lab CEO departs

January 25, 2014 by 1 Comment
Rod Humble leaves Linden Lab

Isle of Mousai, Ancient Alexandria

It’s all a bit unofficial yet, but as Daniel Voyager has posted (via Jo Yardley), Rod Humble appears to have finished up at Linden Lab. It’s hard to be surprised when any CEO calls it quits after a tenure of three years or so, but it’s interesting Linden Lab themselves have had nothing to say as yet.

I had the opportunity to share a radio spot with Rod 2 years back, and on that and in other interactions he’s always been more than polite, and I hope he picks up something fulfilling down the track. It’s also well worth having a look back at Tateru Nino’s interview with Rod Humble from February 2011.

Anyone want to guess a replacement?

Filed Under: General News, Virtual Worlds Tagged With: ,

Second Life: What Makes Us Human Competition

January 14, 2014 by Leave a Comment
What Makes Us Human posterThe dynamos at Uni of Western Australia have launched another great competition for content creators in Second Life. Having had the pleasure of judging some of UWA’s great art / sculpture competitions in previous years, I have no doubt this one will be another cracker. Here’s the full details via the UWA in SL blog:
A UWA 3D Creation Challenge:
What Makes us Human?
 
UWA Encourages you to Create a Model, Animation, or Simulation that reflects What Makes Us Human at a Cellular, Organ or System Level
December 1st 2013 – February 28th 2014
Prize pool: L$268,750
Open to Everyone
You be the teacher!
Models that simulate and models that stimulate! Your models can be interactive!Imagine riding a blood corpuscle through a three storey high heart, watching from “inside” the brain as an aneurysm bursts (a “stroke”).
OVERVIEW
“What Makes Us Human?” is an event run by UWA and sponsored by the School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology as well as the School of Physics. We encourage you to create a model, animation or simulation that reflects what makes us human at a cellular, organ, or system level. We encourage you to create fairly accurate or representative creations or models that can be used for teaching. The aim is to enable others to learn anatomical, histological, developmental and/or physiological concepts about the human body from your work.
Entries can be submitted anytime between the 1st of December 2013 and the 28th of February 2014. Entries should have no more than 300 prims. There is no limit on the number of entries you can submit. Entries will be displayed at the UWA Virtual Gallery.
HOW TO ENTER:
Fill out the Creator’s Notecard form (available from the entry drop box, or create a new notecard with your name, the title and description of your entry, a bried bio (optional) and your rl city location (optional)) and include it with your entry. Be sure to include your name and the name of your entry in the filename of the notecard.

Place the model in the contest entry receiver at UWA Gallery HERE http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/UWA/64/132/250:

  • Select your item from inventory while holding down the CTRL key
  • Drag the file from your inventory to the contest entry billboard prim.
  • The outline of the billboard should turn red. You may then release your mouse button and your entry will be deposited.
  • Do the same with your Creator’s Notecard.
  • Mod/copy perms are appreciated, so entries can be displayed via temporary rezzers. This will allow for a greater number of prims/land impact for individual entries, if mod is not possible copy is adequate
If you have problems with the receiver drop the model into the inventory of FreeWee Ling (UWA Curator of Arts) or Jayjay Zifanwe (Jay Jay Jegathesan: UWA in Second Life Founder & Lead) along with a note card stating the name of the model/animation/simulation and the creator.
SUGGESTIONS
Histology (convey the microscopic structure of human tissues)
Nervous System: What are the various representations of different types of neurons?
Integumentary System: What are the structural differences between the layers of epidermis (skin)?
Muscular System: Examine structural differences and/or similarities between skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscle cells.
Anatomy (convey the gross structure of human body parts) & Histology
Embryology & Foetology: What are various stages of embryonic and foetal development? Perhaps look at the transformation from embryo to foetus.
Anatomy
Skeletal System: What are the components of the human skeleton?
Present the anatomy of various types of joints.
Physiology (convey the processes that enable the human body and its components to function):
Nervous System: What are some of the neural pathways that enable us to perform day to day cognitive and motor functions?
Circulatory System: How does blood circulate through our body to meet the metabolic needs and maintain the normal function of cells/organs/and bodily systems.
Anatomy & Physiology
Circulatory System: How does the heart operate, and what are its different chambers and valves?
Histology, anatomy, and physiology are disciplines that go hand in hand. It is only natural that you may construct entries that draw on more than one of these disciplines in order to facilitate the learning of concepts.
Furthermore, you could also think outside the box. You can portray/convey the difference between normal features and functioning, and the abnormal or dysfunctional.
Other topics could include representations of anatomy, physiology and histology pertaining to the following systems:Digestive, Endocrine, Exocrine, Immune,  Lymphatic, Reproductive, Respiratory, Urinary, Visual
PRIZES:*
1st L$81,250 (~$330 USD)
2nd  L$62,500 (~$255 USD)
3rd  L$37,500 (~$150 USD)
4th  L$18,750 (~$75 USD)
5th  L$12,500 (~$50 USD)
Anatomy Special Prize: L$18,750 (~$75 USD)
Histology Special Prize: L$18,750 (~$75 USD)
Physiology Special prize: L$18,750 (~$75 USD)
Total Prize Pool = L$268,750 (~$1,090 USD)
*(Prizes will be awarded in Linden Dollars. US Dollar equivalents are shown for reference.)

Contest Entry Rules (ESSENTIALS):
  • By submitting an entry, you agree to allow the University of Western Australia to use your model/animation/simulation for teaching and learning purposes, and for promotion of UWA’s programs.
  • Maximum land impact for any entry is 300. Mod/Copy perms are appreciated so we can rez/remove entries on demand, however, if mod is not possible, copy is appreciated.
  • Size is not technically limited, but may not interfere with other exhibits or activities on the sim.
  • Script lag, light or particle emitters, or sounds should be confined to the area of the entry.
  • Contact FreeWee Ling, curator, regarding any special requirements such as orientation, media parcels, environmental needs, etc.
  • We encourage the submission of all-original work. If any component of your entry is the result of rendering work that has originated from another author, whether or not it is under copyright, you must have permission to use it and acknowledge the original author of the component.
Judging Panel:
Professor Stuart Bunt (Anatomy)
Professor Geoff Meyer (Histology)
Assistant Professor Gavin Pinniger (Physiology)
Jay Jay Jegathesan (Founder & Lead – UWA in Second Life)
FreeWee Ling (UWA Second Life Curator & Designer)
Teresa Clune (UWA APHB Contest Administrator)
ENTRIES CLOSE FEBRUARY 28th 2014
Cranial nerve models, like the one pictured in the competition poster, can be viewed at the University of Kentucky’s Cranial Nerve Skywalk in Second Life. To teleport there, click HERE.
Filed Under: Australian News, User-generated, Virtual Worlds Tagged With: ,

Calling Second Life Educators and Students: Research Study

November 18, 2013 by 1 Comment

Second_LifeCall all educators or students working in Second Life, consider taking part in a research survey:

My name is Christine Mark and I am working on my dissertation for my PhD in Instructional Technology from The University of Southern Mississippi. My dissertation is entitled The Rise and Fall of Second Life as an Educational Platform. This study seeks to find the reasons why Second Life did not become the dominant course delivery method as was predicted in 2009. This study will further the research on 3D Online Immersive Environments by analyzing what happened and by giving higher education administrators, instructors, and course designers guidance when trying new technologies in the future, including 3D Environments.

This study seeks to gather the opinions of students, instructors, and instructional designers who have taken, taught, or designed a course in Second Life. I am asking your help in gathering this information. Please take the survey and forward the link to your students who have taken courses in Second Life as well as any others you may know (students, instructors, or designers) who could provide information.

The survey should take about 15 minutes and I am offering a chance to win one of 30 $10 iTunes gift cards for participating. As you know, gathering research information requires the cooperation of many others who have a desire to make things better. I would also be glad to share my findings with you if you are interested. The link to the survey is:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CLMSecondLifeResearch2013

Thank you for helping with this research. If I can ever assist you in any way with your research please let me know.

Christine Mark
Doctoral Student
The University of Southern Mississippi
Email: Christine.mark@usm.edu

Filed Under: Virtual Worlds

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