No Linden...no problem.

Greetings all,

K.Rowe here with a look at Second Life. Very recently I had a conference call with the other members of the B.C team and was granted access to the B.C island; so in the weeks to come expect to see more entries on the overall progress of both projects. However all work and no play makes VR a boring place so I still intend to bring you some of the best SL has to offer. There’s a surprising amount of fun and highly interactive content in SL, and it all contains the unique spice that is the SL community. Some of these activities included guided tours, evenings spent fox-trotting in the local jazz club and even a skydiving session. The following are a few pictures from my various escapades in SL so please sit back and enjoy. Also at the end of this entry will be one of the interviews I promised from the half time show. The interview is with Electric Eyebeams ~SL name~ and his part in SL and the UK’s virtual education project.

The B.C island logo.

Playing the role of D.J at a local Latino music club.
It takes two to tango, and some mocap strings binded to your avatar as well...
Playing the piano at "Bogarts." One of my favorite hang out spots in S.L
"Use the force Luk...I mean Kamal..." "These aren't the VRML files your looking for."

That just about sums up a brief portion of what I have been up to in S.L thus far. The interview I promised is up next; so heres to hoping you enjoy it. Please note as well that there is heavy ~chat lingo~ in the conversation and I left the format as is so please post a comment if you need anything explained. Until next time, take care. I go forth now to patiently await my lawsuit from Lucas Arts.
========================================================================

14:34] MediaGridKamal Beck: first of all Eyebeams, thank you very much for sitting down and talking with me today.

[14:34] Eyebeams Electricteeth: NP MGKB

[14:35] MediaGridKamal Beck: So, as a starter. How long have you been in SL?

[14:35] Eyebeams Electricteeth: Only 3 weeks now but have had an av (another one) for over 2 years

[14:35] MediaGridKamal Beck: Wow...very impressive two years! So I’m assuming you’ve been in Sl since almost the beginning?

[14:36] Eyebeams Electricteeth: Only in so far as I downloaded the av - I did nothing with it

[14:36] Eyebeams Electricteeth: I didn't see the need until the Best Practices in Education in SL that's what drew me in

[14:37] MediaGridKamal Beck: Ah, that’s actually a very good lead into my next question. So you’re with the Education Uk program. Would you happen to know what started it and also how did you become interested and involved?

[14:38] Eyebeams Electricteeth: Well basically I blundered around the first time in SL in the conference - it was a bit of a culture shock but then I'm an early adopter and I'm used to those

[14:38] Eyebeams Electricteeth: I went to the Stateside EduIslands first

[14:39] Eyebeams Electricteeth: and then using the search facility came here

[14:39] Eyebeams Electricteeth: And as I knew some of the institutions I started to network

[14:39] Eyebeams Electricteeth: Talked with Chris Eggplant

[14:39] Eyebeams Electricteeth: and there was some synergy

[14:39] Eyebeams Electricteeth: So I took out office space because I needed a base

[14:41] MediaGridKamal Beck: Ah I see. Well I’ve got to let you know. As a complete stranger to SL talking to you first was actually a pleasant experience. Of course the tie and sparkly glasses helped as well

[14:41] Eyebeams Electricteeth: Well this persona evolved over time - at first I made the mistake of binding a giraffe figure to my av and I was probably one of the scariest figures around

[14:42] Eyebeams Electricteeth: Then I went completely black for a while and people said that was too much on the dark side no features at all

[14:42] Eyebeams Electricteeth: so I gradually evolved an av and will probably evolve again

[14:42] MediaGridKamal Beck: Lol, indeed. It seems evolving is a large part of second life.

[14:43] Eyebeams Electricteeth: I think several people have more of a "game" personality but also a business one

[14:43] Eyebeams Electricteeth: It's easy to switch

[14:44] Eyebeams Electricteeth: I am more concerned with RL issues in SL but with it segmented by "game" possibilities

[14:44] Eyebeams Electricteeth: augmented*

[14:44] MediaGridKamal Beck: Having said that; how persistent would you say the educational presence is here in Sl and what do people like you have in mind for its future growth and development?

[14:45] Eyebeams Electricteeth: Well in the UK I can see it is really just emergent and there are a few Universities around the world and a few private institutions but it is very early days yet probably an education gold rush

[14:45] Eyebeams Electricteeth: with all the qualities of a boom town

[14:45] Eyebeams Electricteeth: qualities*

[14:45] Eyebeams Electricteeth: :)

[14:46] Eyebeams Electricteeth: and the pitfalls

[14:46] Eyebeams Electricteeth: I think that it has amazing potential to pull together many disenfranchised groups

[14:46] Eyebeams Electricteeth: providing they get access

[14:47] Eyebeams Electricteeth: the disabled, disaffected learners, the elderly, people with young babies who have little time in RL for learning - I could go on

[14:47] Eyebeams Electricteeth: The concept of "virtual space" to do synchronous activities is quite an interesting now

[14:47] Eyebeams Electricteeth: one and worth mainstreaming

[14:48] Eyebeams Electricteeth: Because with the introduction of ubiquitous technologies

[14:48] Eyebeams Electricteeth: then ubiquity in terms of place and connectivity becomes trivial

[14:48] Eyebeams Electricteeth: and RL space is less top the fore

[14:48] Eyebeams Electricteeth: if personalized

[14:48] Eyebeams Electricteeth: so where you are in Real Space is no longer as important

[14:48] Eyebeams Electricteeth: as who you are with

[14:49] Eyebeams Electricteeth: and whom you engage with

[14:49] Eyebeams Electricteeth: and about what

[14:50] MediaGridKamal Beck: Very nice. As someone who participated in ~virtual~ class's I can truly see where your coming from. And having never considered some of those possibilities it definitely brings new insight.

[14:50] MediaGridKamal Beck: As you may have already know I’m helping to spearhead the Boston College presence in second life. Do you have any words of wisdom for me and colleagues?

[14:51] Eyebeams Electricteeth: Yes try to make the experience as fun as possible

[14:51] Eyebeams Electricteeth: I have a few issues with instructional design

[14:51] Eyebeams Electricteeth: as I regard that as too linear

[14:51] Eyebeams Electricteeth: also don't just do glorified chat

[14:51] Eyebeams Electricteeth: Do Stuff that you can do in SL that you can't do elsewhere

[14:52] Eyebeams Electricteeth: For example it's great to use whiteboards and polling machines

[14:52] Eyebeams Electricteeth: but what if you had a giant twister board and everyone voted using twister poses :)

[14:52] Eyebeams Electricteeth: I think every learning opportunity should be collaborative

[14:53] Eyebeams Electricteeth: should*

[14:53] MediaGridKamal Beck: Lol, I agree, or rather. I concur!

[14:54] Eyebeams Electricteeth: I think outlining courses are good but very soon people get the low level skills and thenthe challenge is to give value added that good teachers can give in the Rl

[14:54] Eyebeams Electricteeth: So having someone type a lecture at you here is just as boring as if you were in the real world

[14:55] MediaGridKamal Beck: Of course there will be new skills to obtain and challenges to overcome. What challenges have you run into thus far and what skills do you feel are necessary?

[14:55] Eyebeams Electricteeth: There are no "dynamic" teaching aids in SL . No equivalent of a chalkboard that I have seen

[14:55] Eyebeams Electricteeth: I*

[14:56] Eyebeams Electricteeth: No way to react quickly other than with type

[14:56] Eyebeams Electricteeth: or poses

[14:57] MediaGridKamal Beck: I see, so creativity. Is that an important requirement for any one working in SL?

[14:57] Eyebeams Electricteeth: I think creativity is vital - otherwise it is going to be a very dull

[14:58] Eyebeams Electricteeth: If you can walk around inside an atom or fly through the solar system or look at the structure of DNA by walking around it you should be able to do so

[14:59] Eyebeams Electricteeth: SL is far too text based for me at present and I'd like to see more interfaces between SL and the outside world and vice versa

[14:59] Eyebeams Electricteeth: With the advent of Location Aware Devices this will come

[15:00] MediaGridKamal Beck: Ah, another fantastic lead off...your pretty good at this eyebeams. In regards to Sl's interface. Do you believe the learning curve to be an obstacle as well? And how do you expect it you improve; and how would you like it to improve?

[15:01] Eyebeams Electricteeth: It should improve - in fact the more Open Source SL goes the better .

[15:01] Eyebeams Electricteeth: I'd like to see the initial learning curve reduced and made trivial with smart tutors or av to guide you

[15:01] Eyebeams Electricteeth: more bots

[15:01] Eyebeams Electricteeth: at first perhaps

[15:02] Eyebeams Electricteeth: Going into the browser and onto mobile devices would be good

[15:02] Eyebeams Electricteeth: as would the ability to put it on your own server

[15:02] Eyebeams Electricteeth: and bespoke it entirely

[15:03] MediaGridKamal Beck: Interesting that you should mention server privatization that leads me to one of my final and probably most controversial question.

[15:04] MediaGridKamal Beck: Many educators turn their back on Sl because of the bad press it's been getting. With its more lucrative and adult oriented content. How do you feel about this press and what would you do to make SL safer?

[15:05] Eyebeams Electricteeth: Well it's an adult world - deal with it - that's for starters but there are ways to lock down and sanitize the experience but then I think people would miss out on the cultural diversity - after all everything that happens here happens in real life - with Teens it is different there need to be spaces that are safe and secure

[15:06] Eyebeams Electricteeth: It's exactly the same argument you would have for networked communities - and in Real Life there are acceptable use policies

[15:06] Eyebeams Electricteeth: to deal with REAL LIFE infringements

[15:07] Eyebeams Electricteeth: it shouldn't be so different

[15:07] Eyebeams Electricteeth: Cyber bullying greifing here is bad yes at times

[15:07] Eyebeams Electricteeth: but safe spaces are available

[15:07] Eyebeams Electricteeth: as it becomes mainstream access may well be an issue

[15:07] Eyebeams Electricteeth: access

[15:07] Eyebeams Electricteeth: just as it is in RL

[15:07] Eyebeams Electricteeth: I guess

[15:08] Eyebeams Electricteeth: but smart protocols rather than moral panics are the way to deal with that

[15:08] Eyebeams Electricteeth: than moral*

[15:08] MediaGridKamal Beck: Very well said

[15:08] MediaGridKamal Beck: Mister Eyebeams its been a pleasure sitting and having this chat with you today.

[15:09] Eyebeams Electricteeth: NP MGKB

[15:09] Eyebeams Electricteeth: :)

[15:09] Eyebeams Electricteeth: Happy to share

[15:09] MediaGridKamal Beck: lol I hope in future as my experiences progress I can have more serious discussions with you.

[15:10] Eyebeams Electricteeth: Oh yes I do have a verbose button I think I need some scripting to deal with that

[15:10] Eyebeams Electricteeth: ;)

[15:10] MediaGridKamal Beck: Lol, indeed. Again thanks allot, and I won’t change this convo at all...besides correcting the typos.

[15:10] Eyebeams Electricteeth: NP go d it :)

[15:11] Eyebeams Electricteeth: Now I have to go RL calls

[15:11] MediaGridKamal Beck: lol awesome. Expect the post up by Monday

[15:11] Eyebeams Electricteeth: Cheers

[15:11] MediaGridKamal Beck: indeed. Peace

UTBETA

Building the Iphone Ver. 1.0A.
===============================================

The first step in building our Iphone is to obtain reference materials and edit our images so that the 3D model creation software, in this case "Auto Desk 3Ds Max" can create a texture map.
http://nct.digitalriver.com/fulfill/0049.050/download/2007-e7ac219caa969bbd0686a48e713bf443-3 -URL link to download a 30 day free trial.



Now that we have our textures saved as TGA files we can create our polygon mesh and add the texture to it. This is done in 3Ds max by using the cube primitive and correcting its dimensions. Please note that Unreal will only accept textures at certain dimensions, I used 256X512.


With our model created we now need to export it into a file format Unreal will understand. This is accomplished by using the Actor X plug-in found at this site http://udn.epicgames.com/Two/ActorX.html. They're a few settings that must be modified before we can correctly export our model.
1) An output folder must be selected.
2) The app will look for skin geometry. Deselect this option and instead select "all textured". Now hit Save Mesh.
3) Now we must create a script template. The class will be "Iphone" and the base will be "Actor", now deselect assume pcx textures and head up to the animation section.
4) Even though our object isn�t going to be animated we are still required to enter animation variables before we can save our script. For the Animations Sequences Name we can enter "Temp" and for the range enter 0-10. Now select digest animation, once this is done select the Animation Manager and move temp over to the Output Package.
5) Now create your script by scrolling down.
6) Check your output folder. It should contain Iphone.PSK, Iphone.TGA and Iphone.uc. Create three new subfolders inside your Output folder labeled classes, textures and models. The .TGA goes into textures, the .PSK goes into models and the .uc goes into classes.

Our model is now fully exported and ready to be coded for use in UT.
===============================================
Editing UT script.
First download and install ConTEXT, this program is used to open .uc files and gives you the ability to read and edit them. Use it to open Iphone.uc and edit it using the example shown below.

//===============================================================================
// [Iphone]
//===============================================================================

class Iphone extends Actor;
#exec MESH MODELIMPORT MESH=IphoneMesh MODELFILE=models\Iphone.PSK LODSTYLE=10
#exec MESH ORIGIN MESH=IphoneMesh X=0 Y=0 Z=0 YAW=0 PITCH=0 ROLL=0
#exec ANIM IMPORT ANIM=IphoneAnims ANIMFILE=models\.PSA COMPRESS=1 MAXKEYS=999999 IMPORTSEQS=1
#exec MESHMAP SCALE MESHMAP=IphoneMesh X=1.0 Y=1.0 Z=1.0
#exec MESH DEFAULTANIM MESH=IphoneMesh ANIM=IphoneAnims

// Digest and compress the animation data. Must come after the sequence declarations.
// 'VERBOSE' gives more debugging info in UCC.log
#exec ANIM DIGEST ANIM=IphoneAnims USERAWINFO VERBOSE

#EXEC TEXTURE IMPORT NAME=IphoneTex0 FILE=TEXTURES\apple_iphone_1.tga GROUP=Skins

#EXEC MESHMAP SETTEXTURE MESHMAP=IphoneMesh NUM=0 TEXTURE=IphoneTex0

// Original material [0] is [02 - Default] SkinIndex: 0 Bitmap: apple_iphone_1.tga Path: C:\Documents and Settings\Kamal.O.Rowe\Desktop


defaultproperties
{
Mesh=IphoneMesh
DrawType=DT_Mesh
bStatic=False
}


Please not that included in my script is a line for sound, you can ignore this, unlike UT 2003; UT 2004 uses a custom sound format that doesn�t support .wav. Save your changes and copy your output folder into the UT 2004 root folder. E.G, C:\UT2004.
===============================================
Adding Iphone To UT.
Now that we have our model finished and scripted we have to add it into UT using UCC.exe and by adding a command line to UT2004.ini.


Once located open the .ini file with notepad. This will allow us to read and edit the file. Hold CTRL+F and in the search field type EDITP. Scroll to the very end of the EDIT PACKAGE list and add the following package.
Edit Packages=Iphone ~Always! Make a copy of your ini before editing~

Save and close the .ini. It's now time to make UT import our iPhone. To do this we have to run CMD as explained in the previous post. The command typed will be dependant on where you installed your copy of unreal but the format remains the same.
X:\UT2004\System\UCC.exe make, X= the drive letter, \UT2004| may be \Program Files\UT2004\. The rest of the command will remain the same.

UCC should now check all installed components and give zero errors. If an error occurs please check your folder locations and Iphone script.


If everything goes smoothly you should have a file named Iphone.U in the system folder.

===============================================
Using The Iphone.
This is the last step, and the easiest. Simply run UT2004 and start a death match. Remove bots if necessary and use the "~" key to drop down the console. In the console type "summon iphone.iphone" and your new iphone should spawn into the world giving you +10 health every time you bump into it. Please not that the iphone like all Items in the game isn�t solid and will allow you to pass right through it. It also isn�t coded to be picked up.

Half Time Show

Greetings all,

K.Rowe here with an update on the major posts I've got planned in the coming week. I'd like to thank Eyebeams, Blu and Sandry for taking the time to sit down and have some interviews with me. As part of my Second Life! The In's and outs series. ~No...I just made that up but it does sound cool.~ The interviews do help to give people unbiased info and opinions on whats going on in and around second life.
My first interview was with Eyebeams, a member of the Educational Uk team. Here's a breif preview.
[14:35] Eyebeams Electricteeth: Only 3 weeks now but have had an av (another one) for over 2 years [14:35] MediaGridKamal Beck: Wow...very impressive two years! So I'm assuming you've been in Sl since almost the begining? [14:36] Eyebeams Electricteeth: Only in so far as I downloaded the av - I did nothing with it [14:36] Eyebeams Electricteeth: I didn't see the need until the Best Practices in Education in SL that's what drew me in [14:37] MediaGridKamal Beck: Ah, thats actually a very good lead into my next question. So your with the Education Uk program. Would you happen to know what started it and also how did you become interested and involved? [14:38] Eyebeams Electricteeth: Well basically I blundered around the first time in SL in the conference - it was a bit of a culture shock but then I'm an early adopter and I'm used to those [14:38] Eyebeams Electricteeth: I went to the Stateside EduIslands first [14:39] Eyebeams Electricteeth: and then using the search facility came here [14:39] Eyebeams Electricteeth: here* [14:39] Eyebeams Electricteeth: And as I knew some of the institutions I started to network [14:39] Eyebeams Electricteeth: Talked with Chris Eggplant [14:39] Eyebeams Electricteeth: and there was some synergy [14:39] Eyebeams Electricteeth: So I took out office space because I needed a base [14:41] MediaGridKamal Beck: Ah I see. Well Ive got to let you know. As a complete stranger to SL talking to you first was actually a pleasant experience. Of course the tie and starkly glasses helped as well

Please note that this is just the sample and I hope to edit the conversation so that it is a bit more visually pleasing. My next interview was with two up and coming business owners in SL. Sandry in purple and Blu in red. They provided a really down to earth look at SL and taught me a valuable lesson. Never judge a book by its cover; these high fashion ladies know how to relax and have a good conversation. Here is a snip it of the unedited convo.
[16:30] You: Ah I see. Lol well thats maybe the most entertaing join up story I've heard.
[16:31] You: So I'm assuming you've both spent alot of time in SL. To you, what is there to love, what is there to dislike and what would you like to see change in sl? Heck...if you could; what would you change yourself?
[16:32] Blu Sparkle: well...
[16:32] Blu Sparkle: :)
[16:32] Blu Sparkle: there are many facets of this world as there are in RL
[16:33] Blu Sparkle: I choose to "play" SL very close to how I live my RL
[16:33] Blu Sparkle: I don't participate in the seedy side
[16:33] Blu Sparkle: if I could change RL, I would change that
[16:33] Blu Sparkle: the "greedy", "anything for a buck" kind of attitude
[16:33] Blu Sparkle: but
[16:34] Blu Sparkle: I do find a genuine tolerance for all types of people here that is not necessarily present in RL
[16:34] Blu Sparkle: we seem to be more quick to judge in RL
[16:34] Blu Sparkle: here, it is more of a "play it how you want to" sort of atmosphere
[16:35] You: Very interesting. You do make a good point; and again have expressed a very unique point of view.
[16:35] You: What about you Sandry?
[16:36] Sandry Logan: i love the whole deal.... there is so much scope for creation and i see it as a place of opportunity
[16:36] Sandry Logan: for once i am in the middle of something as it happens... rather than a couple of years behind it
As you can see they both had very unique point of views. Trust me when I saw you wont want to miss either of the interviews. Hopefully in the weeks to come I can spend some one on one time with other members of SL.

Thats it for this halftime show. Please come back in a few days to read those interviews and more of my exploits in the world of SL. Until then I leave you with these images.
SL...wish you were here!
KungFu By Moon Light....~perhaps a new form of art...~

My avatars new look.~Kudos to my friend val for taking me item hunting and for bashing my fashion sence...purples the new black I swear it!~