Lost In Space - My Second Foray into SL

Lost in Space – My Second Foray into SL, written Friday 12 June 2009

Armed this time with microphone and headset, I logged in, saw the notification that d.i. was online, and found myself standing in front of the shopping area where I was last time I’d logged off. I didn’t see any classmates around, so I searched my notes, and typed “control shift home,” expecting to propel myself to the meeting site where d.i. and crew had gathered initially last week. I have that sequence coded as “emergency exit to safety.”

Within seconds, I knew whatever I had programmed into those key strokes wasn’t what I intended. I’d entered a private area and was immediately given 60 seconds to exit. What’s odd is that the experience of entering that unwelcome space evoked momentary anxiety. Typing as quickly as I could, I said I was looking for my classmates. I’m not one for details, so I will only be able to list events without a specific sequence.

- One female avatar seemed willing to help and asked a question about where I wanted to be.
- Immediately, another called that avatar’s name and said either “no!” or “don’t!” Her tone was emphatic.
- The leader who demanded that I leave immediately seemed to be male.
- The room was dark and devoid of objects I could see. I’m not certain whether that’s because it was “private” or not – perhaps they could see things I couldn’t. In any case, it was not a light, welcoming environment and was not something I would elect to create in cyberspace or in my own first life.
- I was ejected into space and ended up who knows where. Flying in the dark isn’t fun when you don’t know where you’re being sent.

I looked at my screen, noticed I had three SL windows open, and began closing out all but one.
Logging off was definitely something I was ready to do, and I reminded myself to see what the proper sequence is to leaving SL....I’d simply “quit” other times I’d been on the site.

Meanwhile (back at the ranch), d.i. knew I was returning to SL (we’d just gotten off a Skype call) and I’d been sent at least five invitations to teleport to the group. I finally saw an invitation to teleport and gladly accepted it. I find it interesting that being lost in a simulated world can be disconcerting. The reality is that I can simply exit the program if worse comes to worse, yet I was quite anxious to return to the group I’ve identified as friends through our Web 2.0 class.

Sooo, I’m finally with the group and we’re looking at ways to change the appearance of our avatars. I can see that this could take considerable planning and time. While I’m not mentally ready to deal with that, if I am going to spend any significant time in SL, I would change my appearance. I’d already recognized that d.i.’s avatar’s appearance was deliberate, that parallels between d.i. and icabad existed. Note: I was grateful later on when I was searching for the group that d.i. had that wonderful, light-emiting wand. I’m not vain, but admit readily that I’d spend a few real dollars to acquire SL dollars if the outfits could resemble options I like in first life: hiking stuff, a couple jazzy outfits (hey, d.i. did mention dancing in SL!)

Unlike the first SL excursion, I could speak on this visit, but remained frozen more than mobile for most of the night. If one gets points for needing to be teleported to the group numerous times in one evening, I win the award! (May I have that in SL currency, please?) I’d hear d.i.’s request, get ready to move, and literally be frozen in place. It’s probable that SL’s requirements for video cards exceed my laptop’s capabilities. I know that’s true for my PC and I’m prepared in the next few days to investigate getting a newer PC for summer use in Virginia.

When we were asked to search for Apollo’s Garden, I heard only a portion of d.i.’s request, but typed that into the search window in the upper right corner. Hmmm. Lots of options... I correctly guessed that we’d head for the no-nudity Apollo’s Garden and clicked on that. Arriving outside the garden, I meandered in and finally found the group. A frozen state does not promote enjoying Tai Chi. I wasn’t able to grab onto the balls of light that morphed one’s experience into that venue. I had no better luck with movement for the rest of the evening, but found it interesting that we could venture into art and photography galleries, into gardens, and see the Grand Canyon with a 360 degree panorama (well, make that 180 degrees since I couldn’t turn my head!) More teleporting...Jody and company are getting lots of experience in that exercise!

With the amount of tasks I want to finish for the course, navigating SL well isn’t at the top of my list, but it’s something I’ll explore more in the future. Having those experiences will allow me to understand what our adolescents are doing in space and to consider possibilities for myself and teaching, as well. I hear a new PC calling my name and have been advised that an Intel Core i7 is the only way to go! Now, if configuring the rest of the unit will be that easy...

Things to consider for future reference:
Use my digital recorder to record d.i.’s instructions. Hearing and doing at the same time work well to reinforce my learning.
Print out the commands and notes d.i.’s given to us; read carefully and practice.
Adjust whatever command I need to return to our playground so I can eject myself from undesired environments.
Review enough information so I can behave appropriately, follow the conventions in online environments.
See about putting a few $ into Avitar’s account so I can donate to areas I enjoy.
Read about SL so I can get tips for navigating and how SL might be used for education simulations. (I recall d.i. saying something about medical simulations, but my sound wasn’t crystal clear at that time, so I may not have the proper connotation here.)
Consider getting a Second Life for Dummies book. I still enjoy offline reading....haven’t strongly considered a Kindel for downloading books yet.

As I considered signing off with “Danger, Will Robinson!” I wondered how many will recognize that famous (or infamous) phrase.

Enjoy,
Anne