tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833882.post115143072627117411..comments2024-01-29T05:11:29.607-05:00Comments on Helene Blowers |: 2nd Life TourUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833882.post-1151447963944832552006-06-27T18:39:00.000-04:002006-06-27T18:39:00.000-04:00I still can't get over how much Second Life remind...I still can't get over how much Second Life reminds me of The Street in Neal Stevenson's syberpunk novel Snow Crash. They have the same concept of IP real estate, the same identification between avatar and user, and a lot of the same features and functions.<BR/><BR/>Of course, The Street was based in part on the old Comodore 64 "Habitat" environment, a fascinating community in its own right.<BR/><BR/>There's more on Habitat (in fact, an essay on cyberspace from 1990 - practically prehistory in terms of the Internet) here:<BR/><BR/>http://www.fudco.com/chip/lessons.htmlIanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00942482459228462106noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7833882.post-1151445516064714812006-06-27T17:58:00.000-04:002006-06-27T17:58:00.000-04:00What is fascinating about the whole Second Life pr...What is fascinating about the whole Second Life project to me is actually how it is being put together administratively. It is no easy task to assemble volunteers in this manner to offer a service that is unlike a typical library structure. Most of our institutions are ultimately funded and coordinated in a localized manner with various forms of accountability to be maintained. The whole Second Life Library initiative is assembled in a way that won't necessarily work at least ultimately for a localized audience with its various accountabilities, etc. Why should one library, library system or state library fund a service, collection and/or the labor to serve people outside of the municipality, region, state or university? Yet, why would one want to build a service, collection, etc. that could be used by the world, but only limit it to a city, region or state within SL? Unlike, Amazon, Microsoft, Harvard or other corporate and/or institutional perspectives it presents an interesting dilemma that I sense is a bit of foretelling about convergence for libraries, library services and missions. Second Life is such a provocative place and idea with many applications to RL, but wrestling with the thought that guides it underneath is also an exciting trip.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com