Virtually Real

Virtual reality and online teaching—what do these two have in common? I’ve been looking at a new communication technology and what I’ve found is both exciting and for me a little weird. I’m talking about virtual reality. The biggest thing in virtual reality today is Second Life (SL), a world where people create avatars who may or may not look like their real life creators. Second Life allows people to buy land, do volunteer work, and sell sex, to name a few possibilities. There are Second Life journalists, athletes, and entrepreneurs. What is most remarkable about this virtual world is it can become a dynamic training arena for professors and their students. Many universities have bought land and set up campuses where professors teach online classes. Students come in and join their avatar professor and have real time discussions.

Speculation has it that SL may become a replacement for Facebook and MySpace. I can see this happening because the ability of avatars to interact opens many new possibilities, but then I also can see where deception might come into play. Not everyone looks like the avatar they’ve created, and online interactions can be disturbing, to say the least. Most avatars are young, thin, and good looking; not a true reflection of the real people behind the virtual person. Still, I can see virtual realities like Second Life changing the way people communicate in positive ways. For example, Linden Lab’s Torley Wong has Asbergers. He was uncomfortable trying to read gestures in regular conversation, but found virtual conversation relaxing and much more fulfilling.

These virtual worlds hold much promise for education. Second Life was launched in 2003 by Linden Labs out of San Francisco. The main goal of Second Life was to promote teaching. But this virtual world is also changing in unpredictable ways. For instance, some argue that SL has become one big advertisement for major corporations. Coca Cola, Microsoft, Sears, Nissan, and Rueters have all set up islands. Islands cost up to $1,600. These regions can have waterfalls, sandy beaches, high rises or whatever the owner wants. In Second Life’s estimated 9.6 million inhabitants the real world can see the potential of using the virtual world to spread their advertising word.

Commercialization is a big problem with virtual worlds like Second Life. If huge corporations overwhelm the inhabitants with their marketing goals, then the mission of teaching will be pushed aside. With such an innovative way to create virtual classrooms, though, my hope is that those taking online classes will be so enthralled with the real time action that the Fortune 500 companies can do their thing without corrupting virtual classrooms.

The potential of becoming addicted to these worlds is another possible problem. Obsession with make believe is unhealthy in some ways. Physically, people can become overweight and lethargic if they spend too much time in front of a computer screen. Mentally, they might become reclusive and withdrawn. Second Life has gambling haunts where people lose real money. Virtual sex can be orchestrated by anyone. No one is checking ID’s when you get your free account. And a recent report on TechCrunch has SL answering for virtual pedophilia. Second Life’s “pure uncensored freedom” is causing a stir in the UK and abroad with a secret world called “wonderland.” This virtual playground allows visitors to have sex with children. Nothing is good about this and Second Life will have to take action in order keep the positive aspects of the rest of its communities from being dragged down by this black spot.

Despite all of these concerns, I also see the advantages of virtual worlds. With individuals connecting from the UK, Europe, Japan, and the US this strange new world can be a training ground for universities and a catalyst for up and coming journalists, entrepreneurs, and artists. We should continue to focus on these spaces as opportunities for expanding education. We should also find ways of integrating legitimate business activities in these worlds, providing they don’t overwhelm the spaces with commercialism. And we should continue to see these spaces as worlds where creativity can flower. As in any world, unsavory types abound, but, as virtual worlds continue to evolve, writers, bloggers, and even intellectuals can transform these spaces into something truly positive.

Online Research Sources:

Second Life the official website. If you want to know what Second Life is, and how to play, just click below.
http://secondlife.com/

Second Life’s Official Blog is quite interesting. All kinds of information, questions, and answers are here for the curious. Also there are reports of incapacitated Second Life areas. This site is priceless for anyone wanting to know more about SL, and it is updated often.
http://blog.secondlife.com/

Making a living in the virtual world, (Oct. 25, 2007). This article from the Baltimore Sun shows us how people are making a real living in a virtual world. From small businesses to heavyweights like Toyota and Coca Cola, the possibilities are endless or virtually endless. This is a good site for business as well as technology.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bal-bz.secondlife25oct25,0,1046432.story

Universe Hopping for Avatars comes from Digital Trends online journal. Oct. 10, 2007. This is a tech intensive sight with a blog for interested tech users. This is definitely a site for those who want to stay updated on the latest technology.
http://news.digitaltrends.com/news/story/14437/universe-hopping_for_avatars

SiliconRepublic.com. This is an Irish technology online journal with interesting information about Second Life as well as articles on new technology like teleporting. The article I found was Second Life: Live and Unplugged written Oct. 24, 2007. This article goes into SL as a tourist destination.
http://www.siliconrepublic.com/news/news.nv?storyid=single9483

My Virtual Life, written May 6, 2000 for BusinessWeek’s online journal is an informative article about Second Life as well as other virtual online worlds, such as World of Warcraft. This site details the successful real estate career of Second Lifer, Anshe Chung whose land and monetary holdings are worth $250,000 American dollars. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_18/b3982001.htm

Here are online UNC library sources that I also used which anyone with an ONYEN can access:

Foster, Andrea L. “The Death of a Virtual Campus (Linden Lab deletes Woodbury University from Second Life).” (July 13, 2007). Academic OneFile. Gale. Univ of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. 27 Oct. 2007

Biever, Celeste. “Let’s meet tomorrow in Second Life: the web has levelled the playing field for people with autism, giving them a bigger, broader audience.” (June 30, 2007): 26(2). Academic OneFile. Gale. Univ of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. 27 Oct. 2007 For more science news and comments see http://www.newscientist.com.

Lush, Cosmo. “The promise of real profits from a weird virtual world.” Spectator. (Nov 11, 2006):Academic OneFile. Gale. Univ of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. 27 Oct. 2007.

“The Strange World of 3-D E-Commerce.” (Oct 24, 2007). Academic OneFile. Gale. Univ of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. 27 Oct. 2007.

Last, Jonathan V. “The avatars are coming.” (Oct 1, 2007). Academic OneFile. Gale. Univ of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. 27 Oct. 2007.

 

Another blog-Write for Freedom

Another great blog (there are many from this class) is Write for Freedom. After so much repression of the press in Burma and watching the junta squash freedom of speech, I feel this blog is timely and important. I read this blog, connected to the links and articles, and began to see how journalists in Africa must face death most every day when they confront warfare, terrorists and exploiters. While their reporting gives us a glimpse of the hardships the native people face, it is hard to imagine, and fully understand the sacrifice these journalists make when telling the world the truth about what is going on in their country.

 

Looking at the Middle of Nowhere

As I was reading another classmate’s blog Middle of Nowhere I found the information not only important for travelers going to other parts of the world but also for those of us here at home. Chapel Hill hosts many international families and individuals. It helps all of us when we know the proper etiquette when interacting with other cultures. I for one don’t want to offend someone from another country, especially when they are visitors here. I also want to know how to act when I’m traveling through Europe or any other part of the world. I love the links on this site and will refer to them often. Thanks, Jessica

 

Choosing What You Know

I think for many people, (and I am one of them) we are creatures of habit. When it came to choosing sites for The Write Reason I went with what I know. PETA always has informed (if somewhat biased) sites. In Defense of Animals has international as well as national news, as does Defenders of Wildlife. Factory Farming is a constant regarding good information. These sites link to many other lesser known sites. I also used Google. I searched through the image, product, and news links to find audio and video blogs. Then I used the UNC library database Lexus/Nexus which is a source I have used before for research. I also get newletters from many organizations that relate to animal cruelty. To sum up my research and filtering efforts, I would say that my search started mostly with what I know.

 

Responding to Feeding Blackmail

In our online journalism class, which is focusing on the internet, blogging, and global communication, we are reading blogs created by our classmates and making comments. Today I wanted to comment on Feeding Blackmail. This site has given me a vast amount of information about healthy foods, nutrition, organic products, and the overwhelming use of pesticides used to grow our food. I like how Marcie has used the Best/Worst list to give us the best sites to read. She has also used interesting images in her design and postings. Here is a link to her site Feeding Blackmail.

 

Fact vs. Fiction

How can you tell fact from fiction on weblogs? It can be quite difficult sometimes, especially if your blog addresses a specific forum where you believe wholeheartedly in your argument. Most webpages I found back up my ideas on animal cruelty in the agri-farming and agri-business world. The Write Reason was produced to influence better health through better food. Finding sites that agree with my view wasn’t hard.

It was harder to find anti-animal, anit-activist sites. But they are there. So, just because a site agrees with my point of view, does it make it truthful? I had to research many different sites to find the answer. If I found at least five to six sites that backed up a claim, then I felt I could use it as fact. If a government or professional site backed up a claim, I again felt comfortable using that site. However, I couldn’t trust big business sites because they are trying to sell their ideas and products. Often, and this goes along with the slaughter of horses and the sale of horse meat, I found these sites focusing, not on the animal itself but on the commodity. The bottom line was the amount of profit to be made. Where there is a demand then someone will fill it no matter if it is selling horsemeat or arms smuggling. Weblogs that condoned eating horse meat were not numerous, but I did read interesting arguments. I still think it stinks to eat a horse, but look north to Canada, they love it.

 

How to Choose

This week’s class assignment was to find the best and worst sites for our personal blog research. The initial criteria I used for filtering these sites changed somewhat as I searched. I would normally trust information from the big sites such as, CNN, BBC, and New York Times. I did find lots of useful blogs and webpages on these major online newspapers.

But what I found on the lesser known sites was surprising. As I searched, I discovered so many webpages and blogs with valid information and resources. I learned that like the major sites, many of the smaller information webpages link to even more valuable sites. Even though these sites might be obscure their content is often trustworthy. For instance these two sites: Habitat for Horses and Chowhound, led me to arguements and opinions that I can blog about and link to. After quite a lot of reading and researching, I’ve found that even those that tend to disagree with the slant of my blog offer valuable ideas and issues to address.

 

Welcome

How can a carnivore reconcile her love for animals and her love for epicurean delights? Why do I buy only cruelty-free products and then feel comfortable having London Broil for dinner? These are the kinds of questions I hope to explore at The Write Reason. I want to teach people about making decisions based on personal preferences, but with a conscience. There are many issues that ask us to make such decisions daily. We can make choices about open/free range, cruelty-free methods in our food supply; the unnecessary use of hormones and antibiotics in animals destined for the table; and reform of slaughterhouses to make them cleaner, less horrifying places for animals and humans. These issues raise numerous questions:

• How does media coverage affect animal/health decisions?
• What roles do organizations like PETA play in affecting change?
• What are the relationships between animal welfare and human health and well-being?
• What impacts do economics and international commerce have on animal/human health and welfare?

These questions call for not only research, but also activism and education. For instance, most people in the United States would never dream of eating horse meat. However, U.S. horses are slaughtered by the thousands, sent to Europe and Asia, and often passed off as beef. The Write Reason is aimed at those who might not be aware of these issues, at those who want to address animal welfare, and those who simply want to live a healthier life.

There are a number of key terms that come up in thinking about these issues: animal cruelty, slaughter, horses, cosmetics, byproducts, diseases, the meat-packing industry, hormones and antibiotics, international consumerism.

Web sites that will prove helpful in exploring these issues include:

PETA www.peta.org
PETA is an international organization focused on animal rights and the elimination of cruelty toward animals. They also promote strictly vegetarian and vegan diets.

ANIMALRIGHTSMEDIA www.animalrightsmedia.com
This site is a clearinghouse of many different sites detailing pros and cons relating to lab animal research, cosmetics and animal testing, hunting, and endangered species.

DEFENDERS OF WILDLIFE www.defenders.org/programs_and_policy/
This site is focused on preserving our nation’s wild furred animals and has become globally involved in the task of educating the public about the need to reform wildlife trade.

THE FINAL NAIL www.finalnail.com
I’ve added this site because it gives lists of slaughterhouses, fur farms, and kennels who supply animal testing laboratories. This site is helpful in finding links for further research.

ANIMALCONCERNS.ORG www.animalconcerns.org
This is another site leading to information, articles, and sources relating to the well-being of animals.

Veganoutreach.org www.veganoutreach.org
A very informative site providing undercover research into slaughterhouses, factory farming, and behind-the-scenes cruelty in our food supply. This site promotes a strict vegetarian diet.

FactoryFarming.Com www.factoryfarming.com
This is one of the most informative sites where links take you directly to articles and research on the perils of factory farming.

www.dawnwatch.com
This site was created by Karen Dawn, a reporter, working for animal liberation.