Embodied souls: Life Lessons: Shopping

Days saved: 1 (good); communication malfunctions: 1 (bad)

As regular readers will know, am one of coorganisers on regular Thursday meeting of SL educators i.e. Virtual Worlds Education Roundtable. In VWER we
a) discuss hot topics of day or
b) listen to someone talking about hot topic of day or
c) reassure each other that is really cool to be a SL educator: latter achieved by talking about same old same old viz. why don’t people “get” SL, why doesn’t SL fix group chat, will SL disappear when SL 2.0 comes along, what are good examples of teaching./assessing/learning/research in/about SL or
d) tell each other what the weather’s like where we are.**

Most exciting VWER recently was 3 weeks ago when Kali and I had a 2-avatars-1-voice experience, that was nearly a 2-avatars-no-voice-at-all experience. Kali was due to interview 3 v.v. interesting people but sadly had SL voice problems, which is not total bar to interviewing but using text chat tends to make things slower. Also more difficult to manage voiced people if YOU are in chat, not that would want to imply that any speakers would be in need of managing, cough.

Anyway was emailed earlier in day by Kali saying her SL voice was kaput, and could she skype and speak via my avatar. I said no problem, obs. However was busy day and when had seen last student out of RL office felt was in need of some play and rest and so checked out whether kittycats needed feeding and then took opportunity to finally tp into The Arcade (see 1st pic) and scope up umpteen gatcha items that will doubtless sit unused in inventory for forseeable future (except for peacock shown in 2nd pic, cute or what).

As sidenote, am now on constant lookout for new items of food for SL cat cafes (see yummy 3rd pic), unfortunately whilst have increasing cornucopia of exquisitely fashioned cupcakes, steak dinners, pretzels, fruit plates etc. is also rise in % of SL food that simply sits there and looks ornamental, rather than giving portion of said food on click. Would not want clients of the Yoshikawa chain of cat cafes clicking madly on array of coffee and cakes in vain hope of obtaining something to drop into inventory and ADD (here’s me stuffing face with pixel muffin etc. etc.).

Think should be some kind of SL food standards authority decreeing that only allowed to call something “SL food” if can actually eat it. Perhaps non-edible SL food could be called food sculpture, equivalent of RL food being made of plaster or plastic.

To return to the VWER meeting. Whilst was technically free for hour and a bit before VWER meeting, was indulging in SL wandering around and random thoughts as above, so was less than half hour before VWER meeting before tp-ed into the VWER auditorium to say hi and work out the voice thing.

Now must confess that had engaged zero brain cells in thinking this through, but had vague consciousness there was something wrong with arrangements that had been made. When using SL listen via headphones and speak via USB mic. Kali was going to skype and then was expecting to speak via me. How was the sound to go from my ears into SL?
Think now that must have had unquestioning faith in Kali’s ability to manage magic mind transfer, though suppose if she could do that would not have had the voice problem in the first place. Magic mind transfer would solve SL’s frequent voice problems at a stroke though could also cause embarrasment when one forgot to turn off mind transfer and broadcast all sorts of unsuitable things to assembled avatars. Although forgetting to turn mic off can also be embarrassment as I and others have found out hard way, thus does experience teach us life lessons.

Well, to cut long tedious story short was some fruitless inteplay as start time of VWER session approached and indeed was upon us, before realised that headphones were the problem. Essential element for the thing to work was placing microphone next to speakers that had sound coming out of them. Once this was realised, twas but a moment’s work to turn on speakers and so forth and away we went with efficient and effective interviewing process.

Sat in audience being Kali’s dummy and reminding people periodically that was not her. If had put more effort into whole thing could in fact have put notice over head saying KALI IS SPEAKING THROUGH SHEILA but there you go, most people probably didn’t even notice.
So what life lessons come out of THIS experience?

1) Do not go shopping when should be preparing for serious professional event
2) Test things out more than 10 mins before intending to use them if do not want to appear idiot
3) Apply simple questions such as “Is this going to work”?

In fact can dispose of first 2 points, since if apply item 3) will swiftly emerge whether or not there’s time to go shopping or whether need to be
• squinting at incomprehensible Windows control panel
• pulling jack plugs in and out
• checking and unchecking boxes in SL preferences
• deciding which of the unlikely sounding audio device names listed on the pull down menu is the one that is the actual name of the audio device you have plugged in and therefore want to activate

Final life lesson is that if have ace people (i.e. me and Kali) trying to cobble together a solution then solution will be duly cobbled and no-one else will be aware was problem in first place.

Probably.

** NB VWER is one of fave things in SLife so all this tongue in cheek ahem ahem

Carriages at 9.30

Big fluffy ballgowns owned in SL: numerous (good); Pet peacocks owned in SL: 1 (v. pink); RL dress code conundrums: 1 (bad)

In RL have gained university award for TEACHING EXCELLENCE which is obviously v.v. good. Various benefits including RL dosh (no lindens, although perhaps could CONVERT some to lindens) to spend on teaching and learning, which apparently can include swanning off to conferences to work v.v. hard and not do any lazing around AT ALL, ahem. Additionally get given certificate and shake hand of v. important university person on graduation day, plus go to DINNER with other awardees and get to shake hand of v. important university person again.

As is way nowadays all this communicated via email, and in particular emailed invite for dinner has been perplexing somewhat in that there is severe lack of instructions about how to dress, but however fulsome timetable which finishes "Carriages at 9.30".

Now "Carriages at 9.30" conjures up images of laughing Edwardian aristos sweeping out of mansions and saying "Home, James", somewhat in manner of Downton Abbey, or alternatively dramatisations of the complete works of Trollope with flighty young debutantes flicking their fans at their caddish suitors. Does not conjure up visions of senior lecturers earnestly debating merits of constructivist vs. construuctionist pedagogy whilst trying to pick the edible bits out of a dinner supplied by WeAreUniversityCatering.

Is difficult to tell whether the use of "Carriages at 9.30" is: a) Cut and paste hangover from previous invitation to rather more upmarket do for potential donors to university funds; b) Post-modernist sardonic jeu d'esprit, indicating that of course one will be departing on foot or on eco-friendly bicycles; c) indication that one is expected to come in white tie and tails (men) or full blown ball gown inc. tiara (women).

At any rate, as usual, is lot simpler in SL. If one finds oneself inappropriately garbed in SL (e.g. dressed as an elm tree, and it turns out that "smart casual" was in order), then one click and a few blurred glimpses of half-rezzed mesh and there you are changed into what's needful. Also, you can bring a choice of carriages folded up in your inventory, and add ornamental pets for added pezaz.
Therefore decided to exorcise worries about correct RL dress tomorrow at physical world dinner (and, incidently, procrastinate over marking**), by rehearsing in SL.

Thus you see
(1) Arriving at steps of venue - as usual am a little behind everyone else - but being early is SO unfashionable
(2) Adjusting pet peacock before entering the stately pile
(3) A pause in the festivities as we are encouraged to pose on the battlements
(4) Wandering round after dinner; am glad have left own peacock indoors as this one seems a little agressive
(5) Carriages at 9.30: appear to have to drive own carriage, my dear, one simply can't get the staff nowadays.

** marking, or dressing up in a ballgown and driving round in a carriage, no contest really.

Outdated, disabled

Kittycats disabled: three (v.bad)

Was going to blog something completely different, but when happened to go into common room today, discovered poor Naomi immobile with her face to the wall, with the words "OUTDATED! Disabled!" over her head. Clicking her just resulted in her ID being chatted out. TOOK her and went to common room where, as I feared, both Silky and Qulit were similarly affected.
They all just lay or sat there, and would not communicate, move, play or cuddle. Most distressing.

I googled around and discovered that there had been an update a few weeks ago, which evidently I had missed. However, normally, it just says "update me" above their heads, and you can interact with a menu to get them updated.
After some fruitless scanning of the Kittycats website forum, teleported to the Kittycats sim, where I discovered a customer support person, Straykitten, standing near the door by a display of kittycats scratching posts.

After some conversation, Straykitten lent me a kittycats 1.8 updater, which I took home and rezzed near the kittycats, but it was all to no avail, the updater couldn't detect the kittycats, and the kittycats couldn't detect the updater. I took the updater back to Straykitten and he said that the only option was to file a ticket on the kittycats website. This I duly did.

Only about 10 minutes later, I was delighted to have a new, Updated Naomi dropped on me by Kitten Longmeadow. I rezzed her next to the inert Naomi, so I could take a picture (you see the new Naomi on the right), and then moved Outdated Naomi quietly and with dignity into the Trash folder of my inventory.

Apparently Quilt was no-transfer, so for reasons that I'm sure were very sound, some other avatar was going to have to drop Quilt to me. I took a couple of snaps of me and Naomi reunited (similar to the last pic here) and sent one to Kitten (lol).

The question remains of what to do with Silky, who belongs to Dimitrova. Dimitrova could go through the same process, but, at the moment, feel rather large amount of apathy.

Was quite upset about losing all kittycats, but somehow saving two kittycats almost seems like enough, especially considering the ongoing cost of kittycats food (85 Linden per month per cat). Hmm. In black and white that seems rather callous, and Silky is very cute. On the other hand, Silky could just sit quiet on a plinth for all SL eternity without costing another linden, which does have its up side.

Bye-bye Screenr, hello fraps

No. of videos which failed to publish on Screenr: 5 (bad); No. of minutes it took to to buy fraps and download it: 10 (good); No. of minutes it took to work out how to record a video in fraps: 5 (v. good); No. of minutes it took to work out how to edit and save a video use Windows Movie Maker: about 60 (bad)
Relationship with Screenr somewhat under strain. Had been using it happily to record video in SL. Can only do 5 minutes, but in some ways that is opportunity rather than constraint, as they say.

However, had something of a SL-fest on Saturday (after 9 days away from SL) looking round Homes and Gardens expo, doing some dancing to virtual Albannach, and fitting in some photo shooting for the 52 weeks of colour. Attempted to capture some of this for posterity, and was successful with Albannach vid, but film of Homes expo persistently failed to publish, so had to rerecord it (see above, it ends with me purchasing the Julia Hathor enchanted moon grotto, but that's another story).
After this was downhill all the way, as tried to record one vid of the Spring Home that am about to delete on Infolit iSchool, and another of the greenhouse on Noyo (which was going to dismantle, but doing the tour reminded me how much I like it, so it stays). In end recorded tour of greenhouse 3 times, each time attempting to publish it endless (well, not literally) times, v. frustrating.
Thus purchase of fraps today. Downside is that it captures the whole screen, rather than allowing you to frame the part you want. Upside is that it records inworld sounds and is simply toggled on and off with the F9 key.

In heady rapture proceeded to record 3 tours had failed with before: the 2 mentioned above plus a broomstick tour round Infolit (since am just clearing out the cherry trees and installing summer), which had tried to record on Thursday. Also recorded art installation by Pixels Sideways and a brief cherry blossom idyll. Files run beautifully on my computer, but are huge, and as want to share some of these with world have to fiddle around with them in Windows Movie Maker. This is in fact why have never bought fraps until now, as see this is dreadful slippery slope towards yet more late nights playing with pixelated technology. Edited 2 videos and uploaded them to Youtube (where resolution seems pretty low grade, or could be way Movie Maker Saved the project, the saving options seem somewhat obscure to me, having been user-friendly-fied to point where not clear what is actually going on).
Anyway, above you should see the greenhouse tour.
My, I do sound twee.

The day is done

Events organised: 4 (good); Events taking place: 4 (good); No. of lines types into ISTE IM rather than local chat: 12 (approx) (bad)

Had long day in SL, since today was the information literacy mini-festival. List of things done includes:

- Presentation slides converted into jpegs, renamed, uploaded to SL and copied into presenter: 26 (actually uploaded them twice, so is 2x26, since first time forgot to make thge jpgs full perms and this was quicker than changing 26 permissions by hand)
- Customised teleporters created (with links to 4 venues and 1 tour site): 1
- Boards with notecard containing programme: 1
- Customised teleporters and notecard boards placed: 6 of each, at actual venues, and 2 key landing points
- Notecards created for own presentations: 2
- Posters created with weblinks: 2
- No. of notices and IMs sent out advertising events: lots

- Time spent deciding on conference outfit: suprisingly little, which is perhaps why ended up with something of a Scottish Widows look.

Anyway all was ready by 7am SL time which is when own presentation on "Information Literacy for 21st century Life" started. Had also had nice conversation with someone who was at the INFORUM conference but who hadn't talked to in RL. Audience included people from good number of countries including Italy, Poland, USA, UK and Czech Republic.

Low point was start. Whereas in RL when giving presentation have some moments to gather thoughts and ready self for speech, in this case was worrying til last moment about whether everyone had found the venue, could get notecard etc. etc. Anyway, introduced self and mini-conference in text chat, but had been rattling on for some time when had gentle IM which alerted me to fact that had been typing away into the ISTE group chat, rather than local chat. Mortification. ISTE has about 5000 members so that is a lot of potential spam, although at least at that time of day there are fewer people inworld.

Anyway, things could only brighten up after that. Was basically giving this presentation, minus a few slides to make sure it was within time, and it seemed to go ok. Afterwards some people continued on to Sakura House where talked about some other sessions at the 2 RL conferences had been at.

Pi Illios' health literacy sessions (in Spanish at 9am and in English at noon) were successes: I joined in the English language one only, since my Spanish is confined to words like "Hola" "Gracias" and "Merluza a la plancha" (grilled hake), though I also know the Spanish for information literacy.

Relaxed at end of day by sitting in my 60s home, buying some parasols (from a gatcha, so cheap) and posing in one of AM Radio's installations. Finally did some tidying up on Infolit and changed the advertising board for the next multi-event, on 19 June. So soon will be hey ho for another round of advertising and goody bags. Have already collected something that gives you a wearable balloon in the shape of a cherry blossom, sure that will go down a treat with delegates.

Found (sort of)

Posts rediscovered: 63 (good); Of these, posts actually visible on blog: 0 (bad)

Seems to be some magic in writing about problems on this blog, since as soon as had done so, was able to access iheartsl.com posts in editable form on Wordpress. However, if want to use them in some way, will still have to get them out of the iheartsl blog and into another one. Immediately created another blog on Wordpress in vain hope that option would pop up enabling one to transfer posts from one to the other in an easy click. Know is EXPORT function but think it applies to whole blog

At any rate, have not time to puzzle that out today. Will have another look when current work-related frenzy is past ... which will be ... not any time this week (teaching! more teaching! marking! finishing a paper! being internal examiner in a viva! and so forth) ... but will fit it in somehow.

In the meantime, this is the information-literacy-skydeck that students will be using in 7 days time. It features one 7 Pillars of IL wheel per group. Spent most of Friday night converting Educational Informatics Village into this.

Reflecting on glitches

Shapes lost by Linden Labs: 1 (v.v. bad); Times trapped under umbrella: 1 (OK); Times part of land unexpectedly disappeared then unexpectedly reappeared: 1 (fortuitous)
Talked to yet another person in RL who was sceptical about SL because they found it difficult, kept bumping into things etc. Ruminated today on how you *keep* bumping into things in SL, but suppose difference is you get to know:
a) bumping into things is ok;
b) how to get out of places when you are stuck;
c) when you do, and do not, need to worry when strange things happen.

For example: when I teleport in somewhere and find myself about 10 feet off the ground unable to move and with my arms and legs waving - know that this is usually because there are loads of people tp-ing to the same spot and I'm stuck on the top of someone's (currently invisible) head. Normally if you just wait they will move and you can proceed as normal, or at least you need to wait til things rez and you can see what the problem is. Glitches over the past days include:

1. My shape disappeared from the Database. I noticed this 20 mins before giving a presentation on Thursday and it did not exactly reduce the mild sense of panic I already had. Had noticed a message about something not being found in the database but simply clicked it away and it was only when I cammed out to see the poster I was preparing I suddenly realise my feet were larger than my shoes (see first pic) and my hands were like dinnerplates. A quick inspection proved that other parts of the Yoshikawa Shape were also different. Attempts to Wear "My Body Small Feet" failed miserably and so had to disappear underwater for a quick slider session, reducing (e.g. foot size) and increasing (e.g. body fat) various aspects of appearance.

My Body Small Feet is still Absent Without Official Leave. This is indeed Worrying as perhaps is sign that having reached 25,000 items my inventory will go AWOL piece by piece ... on the other hand is problem (apparently) with central database rather than actual inventory. Not sure which is worst.

2. When trying out a new DSN gift, namely parasol table and stools, placed stool too near table so that, on standing up, was catapulted onto table under parasol and trapped (see pic). This is one of those situations where one's Virtual Literacy skills come into play, since know now that easiest thing to do is to find something to sit on (in this case, stool) and then sit on it.

Also since have editing skills, could move stool backwards so didn't get trapped again. In early days would have wasted time struggling this way and that. Associated is the "when it's very laggy rez a box, sit on it and move that around" solution (see also: jumping from pose stand to pose stand to move in a crowded fashion store)

3. Teleported home to create poster during Educators Coop retreat (see last post) to find that the bit of my land that is in another sim had disappeared. In fact the sims on BOTH sides had disappeared. However, since this is mainland & my payments are up to date, did not panic. Instead took the opportunity to take mirror-water reflection of the land that HADN'T disappeared (see third picture), so actually saw it as happy chance.
Opened Map to see whether the sims were offline, but there they were, as usual, and when teleported to the land-on-other-sim - everything was as normal. Odd.
Perhaps this is actually example where should be panicing - is this the beginning of the end? The whole of the mainland flickering in and out of existence? But seems more likely that it is glitchy business-as-usual.

Travel

Conferences announced: 1 (good); Interest so far: 0 (bad); SL gurus contacted who expressed desire to meet in RL: 1 (good)

In RL am now on other side of world, vis Australia, which takes rather longer to get to in RL than in SL i.e. approx 24 hours longer. However is worth it terms of hello sky, hello beach, hello sun, hello Aussie wine effect. Excuse for Australian jaunt are numerous conferences and while over here will also be attempting to lead conference track in SL on 26th June, when in RL will be based in Sydney.

This will be no prob at all if interest is at current level i.e. none. However, there is a week to go and have only just announced it, plus realise that email for registration got mangled in copying and pasting so no wonder if mailbox not overflowing. As part of attempt to gain Peace of Mind while in Sydney contacted well known SL guru, but seems that state of SL awareness amongst computing services at her uni is almost as bad as at mine. Hey ho. Hotel is supposed to have internet access plus have just splashed out on new shiny laptop with Nvidia 8600 graphic card

You start to worry when...

1. Browsing for clothes in RL you think "that would look good on me in Second Life"

2. Shopping in Marks & Spencers, you have the urge to right click on a dress and select BUY

3. You have to remind yourself that in RL putting that dress in your shopping cart is not going to cost you $400 Linden dollars, but rather £50 i.e. $25,000 Linden dollars

4. You suddenly realise that you have probably spent $25,000 Linden dollars on stuff in SL in only 2 months. Mostly on clothes.

Like those in the picture. Isn't the outfit cute? And the crochet top was so cheap! Only $50 Linden. I think it tones really nicely with the skirt (and so on, and so on)

Preparing to launch

Colleagues guided into SL: 1 (good); Bears created: 1 (good); Photo panel prepared: 1 (good); New hair ornaments purchased: 6 (bad); Wedding dresses bought: 1 (v. bad); No. of times disappeared completely in limbo: 1 (v. v. bad)

Frantic preparations in train for launch of Centre for Information Literacy Research at 5.30 SL time (1.30 pm UK time). The location of CILR office is http://slurl.com/secondlife/Eduserv%20Island/
200/240/43/?title=CILR%20Office i.e. Eduserv Island 200 240 43 - so feel free to come along and join the jollifications.

AF should be there to receive thanks, also several colleagues promise to be inworld and IH & CH. Have Modified virtual teddy bear found in gianormous gift pack so now is different colour and with cute ears (IMHO). Anyway, will reveal all at opening. Also have found script for getting photos to cycle through in a frame so have loaded that with pics of me & 2 colleagues. V. arty I think.

Have put up loads of balloons, apologised to AF for excess prims, prepared extra food and drink, updated notecards.... so hope is not disaster e.g. completely mistaking time. Have last minute dither about what to wear to launch and made v. bad purchase of what is actually wedding dress and although v. lovely is not v. suitable in particular because so huge & fluffy scarcely any room for other avatars in office. Current choice is therefore butterfly dress.

Worst experience of evening was when shopping and suddenly found self in inky limbo (see first pic.) unable to move and then UNABLE TO SEE SELF at all. Was as though avatar completely vanished, not at all what you want when about to have major professional event, so was v. relieved when self reappeared after logging out and back in. 2nd photo show self in short skirted outfit that have decided not to wear to launch.