my second so-called life : weak 5

From what little I'd seen of it, I was not disposed to take SL seriously. Having reviewed the 3 recommended videos, plus another from Ohio State that showed up in YouTube, I'm less interested than ever. I've also read an article in my SLIS alumni newsletter.

All I want to say is, if this is the best that it's adherents and fans have got to show for themselves, then I'm ready to write it off. (Seeing librarians dance is bad enough but seeing their avatars "dance" will put me off dancing for awhile.) There is something so sad, I'm afraid of laughing, but it looks like a renaissance faire for anime' fans. I can't help but think I have better things to do with my time (and I watch a lot of sitcoms and browse eBay auctions).

My objection isn't about techn0logy but about the inept application of technology. I keep thinking of the doctor in "Star Trek: Voyager." He's a holographic creation, meaning he is a visual manifestation of a computer system. Yet, in repeated episodes, this computer avatar sits down at computer console to type at the keyboard and review information on the screen. He's a computer: whatever he knows the compute knows and whatever the computer knows he knows. He doesn't need to type!

I kept thinking of this while watching a demonstration of SL where one avatar needed to be in a particular virtual space in order to rendevous with another. They had to "look around" to see if they could "see" the other. Both avatars are computer manifestations. Why such a strict adherence to physical metaphors, esp. in a world where avatars fly and teleport to locations?

Similarly, information is re-rendered in physical containers, with virtual books put in trunks and you need to be in physical proximity to find out what is in them. Why? Why create a virtual world that mimics the physical one -- particularly the least useful ones -- and subsequently limits it?

When I eventually get involved in a virtual world it will be one that has transcended the physical metaphor to a significant extent. Until then, I'm fine with my so-called first life.