28 Australian Tertiary Institutions in Joint Paper on Second Life
If you were in any doubt on the level of cooperation in Australia amongst educators, this may clarify it for you just a little: 28 Australian higher education institutions released a joint paper at the ascilite 2011 Conference between the 4th-7th of December at the University of Tasmania in Hobart.The paper, titled, "How are Australian higher education institutions contributing to change through innovative teaching and learning in virtual worlds?", was a … Read More
28 Australian Tertiary Institutions in Joint Paper on Second Life
If you were in any doubt on the level of cooperation in Australia amongst educators, this may clarify it for you just a little: 28 Australian higher education institutions released a joint paper at the ascilite 2011 Conference between the 4th-7th of December at the University of Tasmania in Hobart.The paper, titled, "How are Australian higher education institutions contributing to change through innovative teaching and learning in virtual worlds?", was a … Read More
Philip Rosedale spruiks new venture, talks down Second Life?
If you've followed the exploits of Linden Lab's former CEO and current Chairman over the past year or so, you'll know he's been off creating something new. The New York Times has run a profile on that venture, Coffee and Power. That venture seems interesting enough and leverages heavily the virtual currency model used for Second Life, in this case to purchase or receive payment for goods or services. It's very similar to a bunch of other services, though … Read More
Jibe platform walkthrough
I spent some time in recent weeks with John "Pathfinder" Lester, formerly of Linden Lab and now Director of Community Development at Reaction Grid. The purpose was for a walkthrough of the Jibe platform, which is a merger of Unity3D and other technologies to make a more comprehensive learning experience. I hooked up with John for a tour as I'm actively looking for a platform on which to base my upcoming research. To say the walkthrough was a revelation was … Read More
On the fly 3D surface reconstruction: KinectFusion
Microsoft's Kinect is rightfully getting a lot of attention from researchers. One snippet that caught my attention is a collaboration between Microsoft and a number of UK and Canada-based researchers. The result is KinectFusion. Have a look for yourself: The implications for virtual worlds are fairly obvious. The thing that particularly struck me is the dynamic capability of the approach even at this early stage - if something changes with the physical … Read More
Queensland Flood Relief in Second Life
Two years ago, a number of Second Life vendors got together to raise funds for the Victorian Bushfire victims. Thanks to another bunch of dedicated people, coordinated by Brisbane-based Kat Johnston, there are a range of things you can do to raise money for the Queensland Premier's Disaster Relief Appeal. It's all under the banner of Extend A Helping Hand (EAHH), and there's two large ways to make a difference: 1. Attend some of the great events planned, … Read More
Recent Stories
Jibe platform walkthrough
I spent some time in recent weeks with John "Pathfinder" Lester, formerly of Linden Lab and now Director of Community Development at Reaction Grid. The purpose was for a walkthrough of the Jibe platform, … [Read More...]
Channel 7 jumps on the Second Life bandwagon: 5 years late
You've got to love tabloid media. Hot on the heels of Tuesday's radio feature on Second Life, Channel 7's Sunrise program has run a story called "Second Life Controversy: Is the online community ruining … [Read More...]
Rod Humble (and I) talk SL on Australian radio about Second Life
An interesting morning, with Linden Lab CEO Rod Humble and myself being invited to appear on the Kyle and Jackie O show. For Australian readers, you've probably heard about Kyle Sandilands in particular, … [Read More...]
Linden Lab’s take on 2011… and 2012
Whilst catching up on news around the place, I noticed this post from Linden Lab CEO Rod Humble: As we head into the new year, I’d like to share some highlights from 2011, as well as a glimpse of … [Read More...]
2011 virtual worlds predictions review
Another year, another look back at predictions made a year ago. It's been quite a year in some ways and a little stagnant in others. More on that in reviewing the predictions, but first here's my hit … [Read More...]
We’re still here! A quick update
Just a quick note to update on three things: 1. Apologies for the less frequent posting over the past month or so - work and study have combined to limit my time. The frustrating thing is my study is … [Read More...]
Grand Finale: UWA 3D Open Art Challenge
Once again the University of Western Australia's Second Life presence has pulled off a brilliant Art Challenge, and for the second year in a row I've had the privilege of being a judge. This year there … [Read More...]
The Watch – virtual worlds in the news
1. Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) - Little big online world. "Sydney's Bubble Gum Interactive has built a colourful new online world for kids they describe as a "virtual playground". Screen Play recently … [Read More...]
Philip Rosedale spruiks new venture, talks down Second Life?
If you've followed the exploits of Linden Lab's former CEO and current Chairman over the past year or so, you'll know he's been off creating something new. The New York Times has run a profile on that … [Read More...]
’3D Virtual Campus Tours’ gains traction
I had a note from Andrew Hughes, Adjunct Instructor at the University of Cincinatti and head honcho of Designing Digitally Inc, on the success to date of their 3D Virtual Campus Tours product. Mirror … [Read More...]
Will Wright joins Linden Lab Board of Directors (and a quick Sims Social review)
I had to have a bit of a smile when I saw Tateru Nino's story on The Sims' creator Will Wright joining the Linden Lab board. Over the past week I've been playing The Sims Social, the Facebook-based … [Read More...]
The Watch – virtual worlds in the news
1. Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) - Study's the name of the game. "Inside a school laboratory, students gather around the bench for today's lesson: how to create a chemical reaction. Yet instead of … [Read More...]
On the fly 3D surface reconstruction: KinectFusion
Microsoft's Kinect is rightfully getting a lot of attention from researchers. One snippet that caught my attention is a collaboration between Microsoft and a number of UK and Canada-based researchers. … [Read More...]
Linden Lab CEO: enter the bot armies!
Linden Lab CEO Rod Humble has posted an update to Second Life residents on progress and future plans. Have a read for yourself in full here, but the most interesting part for me was this: Over the next … [Read More...]
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