2011.07.14 07:00 - Benefits of Second Life

The Guardian for this meeting was Storm Nordwind. The comments are by Storm Nordwind.

Storm Nordwind: Good morning Susan!
Storm Nordwind: A flying visit? :)
iwandertoo Resident: Hi Storm
iwandertoo Resident: Have just a little bit of time. How are you?
Storm Nordwind: I'm pretty good thank you. Always busy it seems! And yourself?
iwandertoo Resident: Busy as well but good.

Projects

iwandertoo Resident: How is the theatre project coming along?
Storm Nordwind: Oh it's full of people with creative ideas. If someone has one idea, it always seems to spark off two others!
iwandertoo Resident: a freedom of sorts
Storm Nordwind: :) I have to warn people against getting involved - because the chances are that they'll enjoy it so much they'll become addicted! ;)
iwandertoo Resident: yes, can see why.
iwandertoo Resident: balanced addiction required ?
iwandertoo Resident: i'm fairly one dimensional...understand that all too well

Openness

Storm Nordwind: Well I suspect that for many, SL provides the first opportunity they may have had for a long time where they can express themselves easily, but also openly without the fear of being shot down
iwandertoo Resident: yes, true.
Storm Nordwind: On the other hand, I suspect it's more the PaB culture that encourages the openness

Seeing the effects

iwandertoo Resident: you see the change in individuals?
Storm Nordwind: Yes. I've been here since the start of PaB, over three years ago, and (although people react in different ways) I've seen many that have become more open and relaxed
iwandertoo Resident: do you know if this happens fully in their life?
iwandertoo Resident: (in RL as well?)
Storm Nordwind: I know it has for some. I can't comment on everyone.

A potential practical use for Second Life

iwandertoo Resident: i wonder why SL isnt in every nursing home and pediatrics unit
Storm Nordwind: It seems to be an unusual environment. The effects seem to suffuse through to other areas of life
Storm Nordwind: Good question!
iwandertoo Resident: perhaps it is...but not sure why this wouldnt be provided to keep the mind of those suffering with limitations are still fully aware of how far their minds can take them
Storm Nordwind: Some nursing training schools use it of course, but I'm not aware of any from the patient side
Storm Nordwind: I do know of a hospital that is considering it
iwandertoo Resident: i have seen the training options and the consulting firms building these. there are so many life giving benevolent sims...just need a map of addresses for people to begin
--BELL--
Storm Nordwind: Yes! But training has a more tangible bottom line. The social effects may be more difficult to quantify on a balance sheet and therefore harder to win budgets for - especially in the current financial environment

How to do it?

iwandertoo Resident: the UI could be very simple. for those who cannot speak (maybe intubated) the use of their pointer finger to wander; for those that cannot see - voice directions and the mapping would be a musical, story telling experience or the voice chat sessions, and for others just a very simple controller.
Storm Nordwind: You realize you are giving yourself a project ;-))
iwandertoo Resident: i havent the intelligence for it
iwandertoo Resident: but the AI folks do...hoping they are using available pools of these people to begin building
iwandertoo Resident: there is a market
iwandertoo Resident: and from a psych perspective - tons of data to be had
Storm Nordwind: But you have the vision and the motivation and you could inspire others to do more detailed design and implement it
Storm Nordwind: Good morning Eliza!
iwandertoo Resident: waves to Eliza
Eliza Madrigal: Morning Storm! Hi there Susan :))
Storm Nordwind apologizes for the grass being soggy. He's just watered it :)
Eliza Madrigal: yes did feel a bit squishy as I walked over here in barefeet...
Eliza Madrigal: nice though, :::takes little grass pieces off her toes:::::
Storm Nordwind: Susan was sharing an inspiring idea for places such as nursing homes...
iwandertoo Resident: (sorry, need to go...)
Eliza Madrigal: thanks for the notecard Storm! This is fascinating
Storm Nordwind: See you again soon!
iwandertoo Resident: waves, best to both of you
Storm Nordwind: yu too!

Freedom in a virtual world

Eliza Madrigal: Bye Susan, wonderful brainstorming and nice to see you!
Eliza Madrigal: It really IS a good idea
Storm Nordwind: yes it is!
Storm Nordwind: In a way it's a very obvious one that may somehow have been missed.
Storm Nordwind: But the best ideas are often like that!
Eliza Madrigal: So agree!
Eliza Madrigal: whenever I have a bit of a cold, or some issue, there is still a lot of freedom to be found in SL...
Storm Nordwind: yes!
Eliza Madrigal: even if just for a moment here or there
Storm Nordwind: One of my daughters had a friend who could not get out to socialize, nor could she entertain in her tiny place. So when her birthday came, her friends threw a party for her in SL :)
Eliza Madrigal: !! Love that

Needs, luxuries and budgets

Eliza Madrigal: Imagine all the creative minds in some of these care facilities...
Storm Nordwind: Yes! People who are aware of the real needs
Storm Nordwind: But budget is still a problem at the moment
Eliza Madrigal: of course... always
Storm Nordwind: Amazingly such things are still seen as exotic and luxuries
Eliza Madrigal: and moreso now... yet really, what something like SL provides is so vast for so little
Storm Nordwind: Yet the psychological effect is so great
Storm Nordwind: yes!
Eliza Madrigal: exactly!
Storm Nordwind: And there is the mumbling in the halls of the accountants that (say) OpenSim would be cheaper (though it often isn't) and no decision ever gets made
Eliza Madrigal: not sure how to get to decisiveness in these matters
Eliza Madrigal: with so many chatterers, hah
Storm Nordwind: :)

Nursing experience

Eliza Madrigal: My mom is a nurse, and when she still lived in Miami I'd go to visit some of her patients (she worked in care homes off and on)... met some fascinating people who had 'spurts' of energy
Storm Nordwind nods
--BELL--
Storm Nordwind: It's getting the people involved, involved (so to speak)
Eliza Madrigal: they couldn't get out for hours, but the 30 minutes they could engage at a time, were often so fun... thinking of one lady who lifted her skirt slightly to show me her tatoo from her flapper days :))
Storm Nordwind: Haha! Great :) Though a decidated professional may not feel they have the time to "experiment". I expect it will be a slow grassroots growth in the same way other technology has taken a while to be first accepted and then used.
Eliza Madrigal: you're right... it often takes someone with a big drive to push something through to materialization and get others on board
Eliza Madrigal: to make it easy and compelling
Eliza Madrigal: think the theater is a great example
Storm Nordwind: I hope so!

News from other virtual worlds?

Eliza Madrigal: You know more about the workings of OpenSim and those things... anything new to report/advances?
Storm Nordwind: I'm sure there are - but I only update myself every 6-12 months on these things. I'm happy to let others have the fun of being pioneers and smooth the way for simple users like me :)
Eliza Madrigal: hah... not sure where that places me if you are a simple user
Storm Nordwind: You are a powerhouse of inspiring enthusiasm and genuine warmth :)
Eliza Madrigal: :)) thank you my friend... you make that sound very useful
Storm Nordwind: :)) I just do stuff. You make it have relevance and meaning and seem worthwhile.
Eliza Madrigal: it *is* worthwhile... maybe hm... I'm a good 'obvious stater'

Effects of television.

Eliza Madrigal: :) In any event... during a cold or some such one also peruses television....
Eliza Madrigal: and that cannot be a good outlet for creative minds in care facilities
Storm Nordwind: Or any minds, from what little I have seen!
Eliza Madrigal: so hard to find something substantive... though there is a bit
Eliza Madrigal: but it is mostly draining, rather than energizing... lots of made up dramas with no real catharsis
Storm Nordwind: In the US the chaff/wheat ratio is particularly daunting. This moment will not come again, and I can better use it for enjoyment or productivity in many other ways
Eliza Madrigal: 'this moment' yes, that's what seems lost there

Escape

Storm Nordwind: But many are happy to escape "this moment" because they either find it painful or do not yet know how to make this moment worthwhile for themselves.
Eliza Madrigal: would be hard to be 'on the spot' all the time...
Eliza Madrigal: or maybe that's a false idea
Storm Nordwind: "on the spot"?
Eliza Madrigal: yes, in the moment, 'live' as we are now :)
Storm Nordwind: Ah
Eliza Madrigal: 'on'
Storm Nordwind: Well many find no incentive to do so, and so haven't explored it

Potential addiction to games

Eliza Madrigal: yes... you know I have a friend who was addicted to games for a while, and she's terrified of SL because she knows she'd like it
Eliza Madrigal: she compares the way she got lost there
--BELL--
Storm Nordwind: I'd chuckle but I understand both the sadness and the acute self-awareness in that. But at least she would socialize and perhaps find others who could remind her of balance
Eliza Madrigal: I so agree, she is such a wonderful, social person and would enjoy so many things here
Eliza Madrigal: but also feel for her hesitation
Storm Nordwind: Yes. But there is a difference. I have at times been addicted to the Civilization games. And the time I spend on SL activites is probably more greater but much more productive.
Eliza Madrigal: exactly!
Eliza Madrigal: its a funny line though
Eliza Madrigal: I used to play tetris for hours with my kids... hah.. and harvest moon, when they were younger
Eliza Madrigal: it was still 'good' time in many ways, but hm... again, didn't have the quality of engagement
Storm Nordwind: Right.
Eliza Madrigal: Hi Yaku :))
Yakuzza Lethecus: good morning you two
Storm Nordwind: I also used to play board games a lot. Even got the equivalent of a high world ranking in one. Spent at least 2 hours a day on it. But for what?
Storm Nordwind: Hi Yaku!
Eliza Madrigal: hard to say! a thought hard to articulate is that sometimes we are learning many things and sort of building them... but they come to life at a different time... that would be the live moment
Storm Nordwind: Sure :)
Storm Nordwind: We polymaths are difficult to live with ;-)
Eliza Madrigal: heheh
Eliza Madrigal wonders what Michele would say
Storm Nordwind chuckles

Games and communities

Yakuzza Lethecus: Games can provide communities, actually i don´t know why i like to play the games that i like to play, i have a few things how i rationalize but some aren´t even valid lately
Yakuzza Lethecus: like i used to play a strategiegame only in multiplayer, lately i do that without friends and without voice and if i play with friends only in german lately, that was different 1-2 years ago
Eliza Madrigal: you use those forums for learning language, which seems a positive aim, like sneaking up
Yakuzza Lethecus: *improving at least some things through synergetic effects was one thing to rationalize
Yakuzza Lethecus: yes, spoken english really improved through the clan´s i´ve been in contact in the past, different ppl united in something kinda silly
Eliza Madrigal: yes :))
Eliza Madrigal: there is power in silly, hehe
Storm Nordwind: Yes

Comparing two ancient games

Eliza Madrigal: was considering that the chessboard in a recent dream, and my son emerging from it with a wise woman, was sort of like the transition we're making from Chess to Go, at home
Storm Nordwind: That's a real good metaphor - like the transition from being clever to being wise
Eliza Madrigal: !
Eliza Madrigal: yes the strategic dualism into more hm...
Eliza Madrigal: well how would you describe the different sort of outlook of Go?
--BELL--
Storm Nordwind: In Go, you are not out to win in the same way, which is often to "crush", as you do in Chess. You must coexist with your opponent and acknowledge that they will have space. And you need to use both sides of your brain fully to play well.
Eliza Madrigal: mmm, yes, wonderful
Eliza Madrigal: parallels some of the recent conversations *about* conversation, too, re arguments!
Storm Nordwind: Even chess games where one person looks for a slight advantage, or just holds out with a stonewall to a draw, have very different attitude to Go
Eliza Madrigal: very much so, though of course I'm still in early early stages
Eliza Madrigal: it is more creative spacially
Eliza Madrigal: flowy

Time to go

Eliza Madrigal: Thanks so much, Storm and Yaku... feeling inspired to switch gearsnow :)
Storm Nordwind: yay!
Eliza Madrigal: Have a wonderful day!! Bye for now, Namaste
Yakuzza Lethecus: bye eliza
Storm Nordwind: Bye for now!
Yakuzza Lethecus: have a good day
Yakuzza Lethecus: and have a good day storm
Storm Nordwind: you too!