The Metaverse Blogger

On October 31, 2009, Microsoft will be shutting down its Second Life operations to head for greener pastures on the ReactionGrid. ReactionGrid is an OpenSim, completely disconnected from Second Life’s grid, which is most likely what has drawn Microsoft to it. Microsoft released a case study, detailing the reasons for it’s move to the ReactionGrid, some of which being that the grid has already integrated a lot of Microsoft’s key tools into the environment.

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The University of Texas Initiates a System-Wide Rollout into Second Life:
Sixteen Campuses will Serve as Virtual Learning Model for Other Statewide Systems

Today, Linden Lab, the Makers of Second Life and Second Life Work are announcing the first statewide rollout of a virtual learning environment in the world.  The Transforming Undergraduate Education Program, at the University of Texas System, recently awarded a grant to fund the initiation of a pioneering statewide virtual learning community of students, faculty, researchers and administrators in Second Life, that offers an innovative, low-cost approach to undergraduate instruction.

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As it turns out, it seems that most of us have all become obsessed with some social media outlet or another. I too, have fallen. While I don’t use Twitter to let Metaversians stalk my every move in my personal life, you’re more than welcome to do so in regards to the Metaverse Blogger. As I blog and updated various aspects of the site, I’ll share the news with you via Twitter, if you so desire. Follow me!

I Think Not

It’s been a long time since the first virtual worlds began opening their doors to the well receptive “masses” back around the distant year of 1996, with platforms like Worlds.com, Active Worlds, and Blaxxun making a few small waves. Over the years, Activeworlds and it’s predecessors (more recently SecondLife, IMVU, There, etc) have become synonymous in the industry for being the leaders of the virtual environment endeavor. When virtual worlds first made their appearances, the idea of logging into a spatial virtual environment that you could move around in was so novel that games like 3D chess, checkers, bingo, etc all seemed like worthy pursuits when supplemented with the limitless potential for 3D exploration within hundreds of different worlds.

SWCity, an environment in Active Worlds that allows users to be a part of a larger community around them.

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Warner Bros 3D Cinema experience from ExitReality on Vimeo.

Back in May, ExitReality announced that Warner Bros. Entertainment would be taking advantage of their software that allows “any” website to become a 3D virtual environment. The gig is simple: give visitors to the newly revamped WB.com the chance to login to a 3D cinema and virtual environment, wander around, chat, make friends, and watch movies on the virtual screen. The 3D Cinema idea comes in light of Warner Bros. Entertainment overhauling their website “WB.com” (you can read more about the over haul here) to include a more cinematic experience where users can view all kinds of media, from TV shows, to movies and trailers. Now, instead of simply watching content on a flat website, users have the option of “teleporting” into the 3D virtual environment to hang out with friends while watching their content.

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