Computer Applications - Week 08

• Virtual Worlds conference and Expo 2008 - Los Angeles, Sept 3-4 2008
  http://www.virtualworldsexpo.com/

• Reality, only better - Superimposing computer graphics on the real world, instead of displaying them on screens, has many potential uses
  http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10202623
   

• Getting serious - virtual worlds are being put to serious real-world uses - and are starting to encounter some real-world problems
  
  http://www.economist.com/science/tq/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10202591
   
• Global sales of virtual goods in MMORPGs (online multiuser games) surpassed $100 mln in 2004
  http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996601
   

• Internet/Computer addiction? - probably just "modern life" (a story about people who spend most of their waking lives in online games)
  http://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=1603466&page=1&ad=true&ad=true
   

• Second Life improves real-life social skills
  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080717210838.htm
   

• Sales of 'virtual goods' in Multiuser Online Role-Playing Games top $100 million
  http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996601
   

• Auctions of online game players
  http://www.playerauctions.com/
   
• Here's a link to the world expert in game economies, Edward Castronova
  http://mypage.iu.edu/~castro/home.html
   
• Ebay game currency/virtual product auctions:
  http://listings.ebay.com/pool3/plistings/list/all/category1654/
   
• Online game currency exchanges
  http://news.com.com/Virtual+gamings+elusive+exchange+rates/2100-1043_3-5820137.html
   
• Current stats - game currencies (note the devaluation of game currency relative to US dollar)
  http://www.gameusd.com/news0730.htm
   
• Second Life - Business Week cover story
  http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_18/b3982001.htm
   
• Making a living in Second Life
  http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,70153-0.html?tw=wn_culture_1
   
• Second Life bans unregulated banks
  http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/68f0b87e-bf1d-11dc-8c61-0000779fd2ac.html
   
• Real people get married online in "Second Life"
  http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060213-6173.html
  "...Soon, the couple began to court. They borrowed some friends' private resort--a digital property in "Second Life"--and spent a virtual romantic evening together...We took a date wandering around their lovely gardens and had nice walks through the wooded areas," he said. "There were sunken galleons, and they'd even set out virtual food for us: a candlelit dinner on the veranda..."
  

  Connect "vibrating devices" to Second Life - Teledildonics
  http://www.secondlifeherald.com/slh/2005/07/teledildonics_c.html

  
  More on Teledildonics and Bluedildonics
  "...Taking cybersex to another level, teledildonics are computer-controlled sex toys programmed by an individual to perform acts or controlled by a partner at a remote location using the Internet. Another innovation, bluedildonics, takes a major jump from reaching out and touching someone via phone sex using blue tooth technology to manipulate toys by means of text messaging"
  http://www.haber27.com/news_detail.php?id=12075

  
  Scripts and direct input for teledildonics (for the tinkerers among you)
  http://www.slashdong.org/content/projects/freesex_network/freesex_network_sex_and_second_life_version_10-000327.php 
   

• Emotional support groups in Second Life
  "...because it's a dream realm, hopefulness abounds. Nowhere is that truer than in Second Life's support groups, which help people cope with everything from cancer, depression, bipolar disorder and autism, to caretaker stress. There are more than 70 such groups, according to Second Life's Health Support Coalition. Most are secular. While a few groups are facilitated by associations such as the American Cancer Society, peers run most...One of the most beloved community members in Second Life was The Sojourner, a multiple stroke survivor who created the "Shockproof Dreams" sim for stroke victims, people with autism and Asperger's syndrome
  http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/11/LVL211GP5C.DTL
   
• Virtual Worlds Examples (there are the websites where you register, NOT the virtual world)
  • Adult/teen virtual worlds
    • Google Lively - (IMVU 3D chat knockoff)
      http://www.lively.com
    • Hangout
    • http://www.hangout.net
    • There
    • http://www.there.com
    • Kaneva
    • http://www.kaneva.com
    • Twinity
    • http://www.twinity.com
    • Google Earth
    • http://earth.google.com
    • Multiverse
      http://www.multiverse.net
    • Second Life home page
      http://secondlife.com/
    • Nexton/Maplestory (Korean)
    • http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_13/b4027047.htm?campaign_id=rss_daily
  • "Kid Worlds
    • Club Penguin (Disney)
    • http://www.clubpenguin.com
    • Pixie Hollow (Disney, great software)
    • http://www.pixiehollow.com
    • Cyworld (Korean)
    • http://www.cyworld.com
    • Stardoll (sells branded virtual clothes)
    • http://www.stardoll.com \
    • Zwinky (sells virtual branded clothes)
       
• Design companies in Second Life
  • Electric Sheep
  • http://www.electricsheepcompany.com
  • Millions of Us
  • http://www.millionsofus.com
     
• Second Life Machinima
  http://secondlife.com/showcase/media.php
   
• Fur Nation largest group in Second Life
  http://www.furnation.com/
  hmmm...http://www.hardcorefur.com/
   
• Phony kids, virtual kiddie porn common in Second Life
  http://news.com.com/2100-1043_3-6060132.html?part=rss&tag=6060132&subj=news
   
• Homeland Security comes to Second Life
  "...The Synthetic Environments for Emergency Response Simulation (SEERS) project aims to provide cost effective mission rehearsal and virtual prototyping tools for the emergency response community..."
  http://secondlife.blogs.com/nwn/2005/10/homeland_securi.html
   
• 101 uses for Second Life in a college classroom
  http://trumpy.cs.elon.edu/metaverse/gst364Win2005/handout.html
   
• Business lessons from World of Warcraft
  http://news.com.com/2061-10797_3-6048770.html?part=rss&tag=6048770&subj=news
   
• City of Heroes sued over costume use
  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6870901/page/2/ 
   
• Crime wave in Second Life (formerly "Alphaville") - the dark side of digital utopia
  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/3334923.stm
   
•  The Second Life Herald (virtual newspaper for Second Life)
  http://alphavilleherald.com/
   
• The Metaverse Messanger (PDF) newspaper for SL
  http://www.metaversemessenger.com/index2.htm