The Moment We Have All Been Waiting For...

Upon first entering the House of Usher, I was unable to see my surroundings. Although I had taken the advice to set my environment settings to midnight, I was forced to change them back to midday. The Victorian dress attire was quite gorgeous and very designed extremely appropriately. I had had no trouble changing clothes nor locating the visitor’s center on Richmond Island. After entering into the House, I was greeted by both Roderick and Madeline, both of whom were designed exactly to how I imagined them to look like. Due to the slow Internet connection, there was a bit of a lag at the beginning. After the lag passed, Roderick took I, as well as the other avatars present, on a house tour.

We witnessed many of the rooms, and the first one contained the grand piano, and Roderick mentioned that he liked to nap in that room often. Next, we viewed the room where one could sit peacefully. At each location however, I noticed a lack of furniture, which personally, was a bit disappointing. I found that the furniture that was present really added to the aura of the room, and allowed me to make conjectures about what went on. However, I do realize that the House of Usher is still under renovation.

Roderick mentions that Madeline is feeling ill, so I questioned him about her illness. I even suggest that he call a doctor. Coincidently, this was my Usher Task; to find out more about why Roderick is so worried about the doctor. Roderick claims that her illness is a tragedy, but later he mentions that soon both of them will be in a better place as they will pass away. This seems to insinuate that he has pre-meditated their death. Further evidence of this story is demonstrated when Roderick mentions a dream that he had that is an exact replica of the Edgar Allen Poe story.

When I repeat my question regarding the doctor, Roderick exclaims that the doctor has come and gone. When I ask about his diagnosis, he replied that he adjusted Madeline’s dosage and says that she has acute maladies of soul and corpus/delecti. Having no clue what this diagnosis actually means, I ask, and get in response that he doesn’t know what it means either. Roderick quickly mentions that he lacks trust in the doctor. I press on and ask why he feels this way, and he response that he fears tat the doctor may want to take [Madeline] into the lab…. to teach. Given that I know the book, I know he is referring to the fact that doctors would use corpses to teach. The doctor is apparently interested in examining catalyses and has plays beyond medicine.

As the tour progresses, I am left alone with Roderick. When he mentions that Madeline is in her bedroom, I boldly ask him where his bedroom is, and if it is the same room. The reason being that the Edgar Allen Poe story suggested incest. Roderick defends himself by saying of course not, and that his sister is not concubine, but at times the two of them are as close as spouses. This metaphor made me very uneasy. After this moment, I decide to search the house for clues regarding the doctor. One of the clues I stumbled upon is a note about hypochondriacs. In addition, Roderick has seen Madeline writing secretly, which may allude to her mental state of mind.

My beta-test task was to address the issue of building the story up about the frightening doctor. First off, I think it is ideal to have a very fast Internet connection, as I know the lag on my end really dampened the story as I was frustrated and was not focusing completely on my task ahead. Besides adding furniture is would be wise to add more clues as those were fascinating and some of them gave me chills. The sound effects were great though in general. Overall, it comes down to the lack of props.

In conclusion, the House of Usher was a great learning experiences as well as all my other learning experiences in virtual worlds. This virtual reality is truly black and white when compared to the reality we live in every day. Thank you so much.

Why Romance?

And then he exclaims, “Here I one of your favorite romances. I will read, and you shall listen; - and so we will pass away this terrible night together,” (105). Amidst all the terror surrounding them, they decide to read a romance novel? Although understandably it makes sense to read something that might put one in a better mood, does this type of novel really mimic the coincidences that occur afterwards?

In other words, as Poe continues to describe the scenarios in this novel, it doesn’t appear to be a book with a happy ending, or a book that would lighten a mood. Why then not have the book only lying around be a scary book? If the book was intended to lighten the mood, then the book chosen does this injustice, and a happier novel should replace it.

Who Do I Communicate With?

One of the biggest problems facing Second Life is the sheer amount of people who participate. Typically, individuals join interactive social networks such as Second Life to meet others or to keep in touch with friends. Examples of this include Facebook, Myspace, or blogs. Due to the fact that Second Life doesn’t seem to be popular among the college age generation now, there are not many young users. This causes a problem as then the motivation to join this network is low. The motivation behind Second Life now is for educational purposes that are most likely a requirement.

Just like individuals often deny friend requests from people on Facebook that they are not familiar with, individuals are also confronted with unfamiliarity when talking to other avatars. The whole concept of not knowing who is actually behind an avatar can be a bit daunting. I feel that if young users joined to have fun and game together or learn together, then this interactive program would enjoy more success.

From Virtual World to Virtual World...

After experiencing such a diverse virtual world such as Second Life, I find myself disappointed in the virtual world of Heritage Key. Given that this world is substantially smaller in size, I wouldn’t expect as much lagging when teleporting or when graphics are trying to become clearer. Unfortunately though, these graphics never reach their full clarification as I have often received messages warning me that my graphics card is incompatible with the program.

Besides technical issues, it is hard to fully personalize your avatar. As strange as this may sound, I often feel “naked” when walking around. The clothes on my avatar seem to resemble the tightness of spandex and really outline the curves and lines of the female body. After picking out new clothes, this effect still occurred, and the choices to actually customize my avatar were limited. Coming from Second Life, I now feel the need to have my avatar resemble and represent me; but was unable to do so in Heritage Key.

In terms of finding places to go, I am impressed at the neat educational destinations such as King Tuts Tomb, but feel that traveling is very inefficient. Often times, I am unsure of where I will be teleporting when I enter what appears to be a portal. I would encourage Heritage Key to make this aspect more clear and accessible. However, once I navigated to King Tuts Tomb, I was in utter fascination at all the paintings.

Overall, Heritage Key provides great educational resources, but the technical part of the virtual world really needs to be more extensively developed.

Dancing Anyone?

Ryan and I embarked on our adventure in Second Life and went to Burning Life on Saturday. We first attended a techno dance club entitled Nlight Noonan, which proved to be a bit scary. Never having had audio on when others communicated in the chat box, ghost-sounding voices pronounced their words. Not only did the sound of the words come as a surprise, but also what the avatars both said and how they dressed.

The majority of the avatars at this club talked in a very sexual manner often using profanity with one another. Some avatars were even scantly clothed. This was a part of Second Life that I had never witnessed. After reading the directions on how to dance, I still could not figure it out as I could not locate a dancing ball. On the contrary though, I was successful in walking around without bumping into anyone.

Next, Ryan and I decided to go to a party at the Wormhole (?) and this was a much more successful adventure. The theme at this dance was Star Trek, so it was interesting to see what the other avatars were wearing. After I was still unable to find the dancing ball, I built up the courage to just ask. To my surprise, the avatars were kind to me as a newbie, and told me how to dance. I was shocked to see my avatar dance, as the moves seemed quite risqué!

Overall, I learned how to dance, and learned that there is much diversity in Second Life. The type of avatars you come across really does depend on your location.

What Defines Society?

Society consists of all the individuals that make up a community. These individuals differ in race, views, appearance, and background. However, morals can corrupt this society, or cause it to have flaws. It is these flaws that have a negative effect on particular individuals.

Insecurity often leads individuals to follow the norm of society. This “norm” however is based on corrupt morals. Certain individuals who possess self-confidence often act or dress a certain way. When these confident individuals look down on others, who possess a lower self-confidence, the people who have this lower self-confidence often conform or change in order to be accepted by this confident individual. When all these people conform, they form what is known as the “norm.” Morally, if you are happy with your decisions, you should not feel the pressure to conform to be accepted. It is through derogatory glances or excluding individuals that these confident people gain the power to lead the norm.

I consider this a “flaw” of society. Individuals like those who decide to dress differently in Second Life, feel uncomfortable expressing their true self in reality. They feel uncomfortable because those in the “norm” treat them in a negative way. This is a flaw because I feel that in a community, everyone should be accepted regardless of how they choose to express themselves, given that this expression is safe. Thus, when everyone does not feel comfortable expressing himself or herself because of this norm, this is the “flaw of society.”

Embarking on a New Adventure...

Deciding to be courageous and adventurous, Ryan and I have chosen NliughtN Nootan, a techno themed dance to attend this Saturday at 2:00 SLT.

I am extremely excited to attend this event as I hope to interact with many avatars. After having a positive experience with the avatars at Luskwood, I am anxious to see how the avatars at a dance differ. I am a bit nervous as I am unsure of how to dance well, but I love techno music so hopefully if all else fails, I can at least stand and listen.

Before I embark on this new adventure however, I will be walking around Second Life to practice walking normally before attending Burning Life. Recently, I find it hard to navigate and walk in a straight line without walking into anyone. I definitely need to solve this problem, as I don’t want to look too much like a newbie when I walk in!

Are Virtual Worlds Necessary in Today's World?

After talking about visiting numerous places in Second Life, and feeling this sense of emptiness around me, I decided to search for hangouts. I first came across a hangout called Luskwood. Upon teleporting there I was interested to see many avatars dressed as animals. I discussed with them that I was exploring this virtual world for a college English class. They didn’t mind my asking them questions such as why they chose to dress like they did.

Earlier, I had made a claim that I had not understood why people chose to engage in Second Life, I didn’t understand its benefits. However, Topher and Nekorina clarified why they joined this community:

Topher Delcon: Its a chance to be whatever you want to be and try out things you cant do in the real world. I’m a human all day long in real life, why not be something else when I’m relaxing online.

Nekorina Bourjade: sees Life as a learning experience, and trying new things is the way to know whether you like it or not, also on SL you can be true to your inner self which is the Self you don’t really show in the real world.

I never thought about this virtual world as a place to try new things, or to explore your inner self. This idea that you can be “true” to your inner self really illustrates the flaws of society. Here, people don’t feel like they have to “mask” their inner self as society typically tries to conform individuals to thinking and acting a certain way. However, one must consider the virtual “mask” that is displayed in Second Life. Although these avatars can be true to themselves in terms of personality, dress, and actions, they do not reveal their true names. One must question then where the middle ground is between a virtual reality and an actual reality. It is plausible that one day people will feel comfortable displaying their true self without feeling pressure from society? Or will mankind always need this sort of program to alleviate pressure that others feel from society?

I found all this fascinating, and plan to explore Second Life further. One of the avatars offered to take me to a human avatar dancing club to show me what it is like. I am very excited to see how this experience not only changes the way I view Second Life, but how it affects my original claim. Below, I am pictured with the avatars that so kindly answered my questions.

What is the Motivation?

In a virtual world a person can create an avatar that dresses, acts and says things differently from their reality self. However, some create avatars and use them to teach classes in this virtual world. They can attend class in the attire they desire and can teach either strictly or leniently. What is the motivation behind being a teacher in this virtual world? If one was interested in teaching why choose a virtual world instead of the real world? In fact, if this was to make money on the side, how does ones time equate to linden dollars?

I am curious to know why individuals find teaching in a virtual world fulfilling. After all, they may have students that decide to never show up. I feel that there would be much inconsistency in a class in Second Life. On the student perspective, how can one know if that teacher is knowledgeable on the subject matter? Does Second Life screen these classes?

Although seemingly off topic, this relates to many aspects of Second Life. Although I find the aspect of teaching in this virtual world a bit obscure, I wonder what the motivation is behind others to wander in Second Life. Other than this educational purpose, why walk around? When going on the scavenger hunt I found many locations often deserted. This feeling of emptiness was present. Possibly the motivation behind these avatars is the same as those of the teacher avatars. Maybe both feel that they will benefit from the relationships of others they meet. I will attempt to figure out the cause by trying to interact with more avatars as I have yet to see any.

Citations, Citations, Citations

Picture Taken From: http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/ait/credit.html


While reading Hjortshoj’s chapter on citing sources, in the book “The Transition to College Writing,” I found his comparison of conversations to papers to be fascinating. Hjortshoj mentions that subconsciously we constantly cite sources while telling stories by explaining who said what. However, when it comes to citing sources in an academic paper, we find it difficult.

One of the main reasons I struggle with citing sources in an academic paper is that I find that each professor or teacher has a different standard or level of citations that they require. For example, if I am writing a paper on one individual book, some professors require that you create a works cited page to include that book, and others do not. Also, some professors are stricter about how many citations you include.

In high school I had trouble properly distinguishing my thoughts from others in paragraphs when I had sentences where both thoughts were intertwined into one sentence. Often I would just put my citation at the end of the paragraph, and my grade would not suffer any consequences. Hjortshoj, however, discusses in his ‘Misconceptions of Reference and Documentation’ chapter about how this habit of citation is incorrect. I feel that as I write more here at Richmond, I will be rapidly fixing this habit as it is considered plagiarism.

One major difference between Richmond and high school is that the punishments for plagiarism, even if unintentional, are much harsher. I will be proofreading my papers multiple times for not only errors now, but for also correct citations.

In Search for New Places...

As Second Life teleported my avatar to Dublin, I was anxious to see all that the city had to offer. However, upon my arrival, I did not come across one person, and was shocked at how Second Life portrayed the environment. I stepped inside a club expecting to see others dancing, but failed to see anyone at this location. On my walk towards this club, there were numerous ships with smoke gushing out of them (refer to Dublin Ships picture). On the contrary, Dublin today is very environmentally aware and its inhabitants breathe some of the freshest cleanest air in the world. Second Life seemed to be depicting Dublin as it may have been in the 1980’s. Regardless of this minor disappointment, I found the streets to be quite elegant and they were exactly how I pictured the streets to be. Near the town center there were giraffes, which I found quite interesting (refer to the Dublin Town Center picture).





My next stop on my scavenger hunt was at Epiphany Island. The church that was first visible appeared very realistic, especially due to the fact that the windows were stained glass (refer to Epiphany Church picture). While walking through the church I noticed a donation box that flashed green and red. Here, I learned how to donate money towards the church, which I then proceeded to do. Being able to donate Linden money in Second Life showed me that along with the education component, there also existed a community component. Also displayed on tables in the church were upcoming events and times where you could worship. The above picture, entitled “Epiphany Island Church” shows how realistic this church appears. In addition, the scenery and landscaping of this island was fantastic (refer to Epiphany Island Landscape picture).



Lastly, I ventured over to Mexico where I was met with many contrasting colors and a rather open community. The picture entitled “Mexico” shows how the sign with these letters greatly contrasts with the colors of the floor, thus, making it the center of focus. As I walked around, I was able to go to houses and walk inside of them, which was a new experience for me. Previously, I had attempted to do this in search of people at Epiphany Island, but was unfortunately met with all locked doors. Although no one lived at these homes, I walked inside of them admiring the architecture. Against my will, I did indeed have an uncanny moment as I looked over at the ocean. The ocean incorporated white caps, which caused the water to look like the waves were both real and moving. As I look at my future in Second Life, I am anxious to visit many more of these fascinating places, and hopefully, will have the opportunity to interact with other avatars.

The Beginning of My Virtual World Experience...

Jamey Wonder. “Creative, intelligent, and unconventional” are the words most associated with the name Jamey according to quickbabynames.com. It is these specific words that I, myself, strive to have as adjectives that describe my personality; therefore I chose the name Jamey as my first name. Determined to not follow the herd, I strive to be different and always have a curious mind. Based on this, the last name Wonder fit my persona like a glove. Not only do I wonder about what lies ahead, but also how Second Life can change my perspective on education. Keeping an open mind, I am trying to refrain from making any unsupported claims regarding the avatars in SL.

That being said, I don’t wish to portray myself as someone else. This is illustrated by how I have chosen my attire and physical features. Although poor in Linden money, I have purchased free clothes as well as hair that are as close to my tastes and looks as possible. When interacting with other avatars in SL, I plan to talk how I normally would in reality.

It is in reality that your actions affect your reputation, and it is these actions that those surrounding you judge you by. In this virtual world, no one knows who you are in real life; therefore, you can choose to act differently. This not only applies to me, but all the other numerous avatars. Being in a virtual reality with others who may or may not be representing their true self makes me a bit nervous. Will others in SL try to portray themselves as someone who is consistently correct and object my ideas? Or will others be friendly and outgoing? These are the questions I ask myself as I join the virtual world known as Second Life.

The Discovery

Writing papers in high school resembled more of a chore for me than an actual writing process. After carefully figuring out the teacher's grading techniques, I would create a template or plan on how to easily achieve an A. For some teachers, this meant simply figuring out their opinion on the matter, and formulating my argument around this view. I discovered that when I agreed with teachers like this, my grade reflected that. Other teachers, however, created complicated rubrics and expected a thesis with a deep meaning. In this scenario, I would simply make sure everything on the rubric was satisfied, and that I had a far-fetched idea in order to achieve a good grade. This plan typically worked. I have always been a first draft person, but typically write my body paragraphs before my intro/thesis.

After reading parts of Hjortshoj's Book, The Transition to College Writing, I realized that maybe writing a few drafts would help my writing. I tried this method for my first larger discussion response and received an 80. Although above the median grade, I felt that writing in Richmond would be a lot more difficult then I originally perceived. I am really going to need to write multiple drafts far in advance to allow myself time to make edits and changes. After Essid's comment regarding grades, I found myself realizing that college writing will be a huge time commitment. Merely checking off the rubric will only allow me to obtain a grade of C. It is going to take much more thought to achieve that high grade I desire.