At the recent SLDevU conference in London, I understood the vision behind the online virtual world, Second Life, to a much deeper level: a platform for the 3D Internet – a richer, more compelling and more collaborative space for information and communication than our current, flat-screen Web.

Created by visionary programmers and inhabited by curious explorers, soul seekers, revellers, entrepreneurs and a frenzy of big-bucks brands, I wonder if we could turn this new Frontierland into something greater than our First Life?…

Second Life is often cited as being just another Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplay Game. But its founders have no such idea in mind. No, not a game, but a virtual universe in which all the lands, buildings, clothes and all manner of wild and wonderful objects are sculpted and scripted by the residents. People conduct business and engage in the marketplace for very real money. They congregate and communicate in ways never previously possible…

Information from our more familiar, 2D websites streams in and out of the Second Life world, interacting with its residents. Now you can watch a YouTube video together with people in different countries. You could be in the crowd at a concert of your favourite band, without ever travelling. You can work with colleagues and hold business meetings in your new virtual office.

What possibilities of open-mindedness and self-exploration could this unique experience offer? If travel expands the mind, Second Life is like moving to Mars! Certainly, the space is permeated by all the familiar messages from dollar-hungry ‘lifestyle’ brands and the heady hedonism of clubs and consumerism. We know these too well, but is there something else in there, something to touch the core of one’s being: meaningful communication, heartfelt connection, depth and learning or spiritual discovery?

We see a rare opportunity, where the citizens of this New World can be instrumental in creating the society of their dreams – and in the relative safety of a virtual space. Can we rise to the challenge and even create a catalyst for transforming the very Real World all around us?…

Links:

• Virtual Reality in Second Life & Beyond
• Second Life Resource for Educators
• Making a Living in Second Life
• Guide to Jobs in Second Life

I’ve been playing with artwork for a new Dharmasphere logo. You can find the results in this interactive animation… but you’ll have to be clever and work out how to find it! :)

What do you think?

07-07-2005. Manchester, UK.
It was the day of the recent London bombings and I was wandering a little aimlessly through the city centre, on my way to the recording studios. A strangely ethereal sound came wafting over the hustle and bustle of the square and I was drawn to come closer.

Jali Nyonkoling Kuyateh from the Gambia was sat, busking with his kora. He’s currently living in Manchester, singing his songs and trying to earn some money. He said he wants to make a CD, but doesn’t know who can help him. So he decided to sit on the pavement of Piccadilly, waiting for someone to arrive.

It reminded me a little of the Buddha – sat determined under a tree, unwilling to move until he gained either enlightenment or death.

See the whole set of photos.

Multimedia Files
AUDIO: “A Song” (2 mins):
• MP3 Audio (media page)

VIDEO: “Jali & The Kora” (2 mins):
• QuickTime7 Movie (media page)
• Windows Media Video (media page)

Recent events have demonstrated the power of grassroots journalism. The recent bombs in London were followed by a wave of media from independent citizens. Before the first TV crews had arrived, passersby were recording and documenting the events, and blogging on their sites, uploading photos to Flickr, commenting on news websites…

According to blog tracking service, Technorati, there were more than 1,300 posts about the blasts by 1015 GMT.
(BBC)

Wikipedia’s community had built a detailed article on the attacks within hours.

The media companies were quick to respond. The proportion of “amateur mobile video” used to report the London blasts on mainstream TV and internet was unprecedented.

Dan Gillmor, founder of Grassroots Media, which promotes what it calls “citizen journalism,” said witnesses’ photos and online accounts would reshape the role of traditional news media over time. As more and more photographs and blogs go online with major events, Mr. Gillmor said, the mainstream news media should search those postings and point their readers to the best ones.
(NY Times)

News and images of the Asian tsunami, the US elections, Live8 & G8 have all spread quickly through grassroots journalism. At a time when media corporations are merging and swelling like never before, this New Broadcasting – distributed and empowered and at a wireless hub near you – could be just the answer we need.

I’ve been experimenting with interlinking photos to allow a user to navigate around a scene.

If you click on the photo above, you can then navigate around the Yellow Wall using the links within the image notes. The whole photoset is then interlinked with the nearest photoset.

I want to expand this concept by telling a piece of a story with each photo (see work in progress). The user can reconstruct the story from whichever angle interests them. Kind of like “Choose Your Own Ending”, but more like “Choose Your Own Everything”.

The studios previously won a webby award for their movie “The Meatrix”, about the meat industry.

They are a talented bunch, using their time and skills for promoting ethical causes through multimedia. In their words:

We know we could be using our talents to sell cheeseburgers or sneakers, but we feel that an inherent part of creativity is the creation of something positive and meaningful.

I see they are also making a $15,000 grant to assist an ethical organisation communicate their message through the Web. Hmmm…

Here are some more of their activist movies.