2016.05.14 19:00 - Avatar as a tool for communication

The Guardian for this meeting was stevenaia Michinaga. The comments are by stevenaia Michinaga.

Blue and another, who requested to be removed from the log, joined us this evening. I left in the spaces where the comments were removed.

Bleu Oleander: hiya steve

stevenaia Michinaga: hi Bleu
stevenaia Michinaga: slow night, never know what the wind will blow in
Bleu Oleander: no visitors tonight?
stevenaia Michinaga: not yet
stevenaia Michinaga: sometimes they show up late after looking around a bit
stevenaia Michinaga: how are things with you?
Bleu Oleander: pretty good
Bleu Oleander: today is the first hot day in a long time
stevenaia Michinaga: I've already received a few responses from my email
Bleu Oleander: so summer is here :)
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
Bleu Oleander: oh great
stevenaia Michinaga: we had summer for a day, then it went cold (and wet) again
Bleu Oleander: for us it's probably here to stay for a while!

--BELL--

Bleu Oleander: that's nice that Adams is doing a museum
stevenaia Michinaga: he has put his retirement to good use
Bleu Oleander: :)
stevenaia Michinaga: nice to have a place to focus your interests
Bleu Oleander: yes!
Bleu Oleander: hi XX
stevenaia Michinaga: Evening XX, welcome
XX

stevenaia Michinaga: nice to see you again
stevenaia Michinaga: I apologize if you were here last week as I was away w/o a replacement
stevenaia Michinaga: I seemed to have fallen asleep :)
XX
stevenaia Michinaga: I find it easier to clear my mind in the evening, perhaps we can can do a simple observational exercise during the next break, an observer's view of yourself? where you are the observer
stevenaia Michinaga: you up for it?
Bleu Oleander: sure
XX

stevenaia Michinaga: feel like Alice's Restaurant song waiting for the refrain to come around...
Bleu Oleander: :)
XX

stevenaia Michinaga: a historical reference
stevenaia Michinaga: you have to know the song
stevenaia Michinaga: (on You tube, perhaps)
stevenaia Michinaga: by Arlo Guthrie
XX

--BELL--

stevenaia Michinaga: I am the guardian tonight
XX

stevenaia Michinaga: I am here to mind the recorder and post the log
stevenaia Michinaga: keeper of the words, you might say
Bleu Oleander: did you observe yourselves?
stevenaia Michinaga: it's jsut a title the group uses
stevenaia Michinaga: I felt it would be easier thank it was, trying to exit ones self
stevenaia Michinaga: than
stevenaia Michinaga: felt like a fish swiming around myself
Bleu Oleander: it was interesting as soon as you suggested that I felt that I always am myself observing myself
stevenaia Michinaga: but didn;t have time to really see what I was wiming around
stevenaia Michinaga: *swiming
stevenaia Michinaga: can you say more Bleu
stevenaia Michinaga: what do you see
Bleu Oleander: having an avatar seems to split the self in a way
Bleu Oleander: i'm always observing that self from my rl self
Bleu Oleander: never really thought about it that way before
stevenaia Michinaga: hmm, good point, I only see my (RL) self but in SL you are right, you are always seeing your avatar
Bleu Oleander: what might be harder to do, is to observe your rl self observing your sl self
stevenaia Michinaga: that is almost what we are doing now
Bleu Oleander: yes :)
stevenaia Michinaga: as our typist speaks for the avatar
stevenaia Michinaga: but it makes for a good prop of sorts
Bleu Oleander: it does
Bleu Oleander: do you think of your avatar as a tool for communication or something different?
XX

stevenaia Michinaga: I see it as my version of myself as a puppet/tool
stevenaia Michinaga: but much better looking
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
Bleu Oleander: lol
stevenaia Michinaga: I care more of my avatar's looks than I do of my own
Bleu Oleander: it feels a bit more involved than a tool like a phone or a typewriter
Bleu Oleander: really?
stevenaia Michinaga: I dropped self-image in RL, thank god my spouse dressed me when things get out of control
Bleu Oleander: ha ha!
stevenaia Michinaga: like... not going out of the house looking like that!
Bleu Oleander: hehe
Bleu Oleander: avatars can get away with more
stevenaia Michinaga: so let's try..."observe your rl self observing your sl self"
Bleu Oleander: ok

--BELL--

Bleu Oleander: interesting ... the exercise flattened my sl experience
Bleu Oleander: I became much more aware of my rl self
stevenaia Michinaga: I felt a more direct connection connection, like seeing me looking through my avatar's eyes
stevenaia Michinaga: yes
Bleu Oleander: I noticed my shadow on the wall, and my reflection in my computer screen
stevenaia Michinaga: I became aware of my relationship with my avatar by the observations of the two from my outside point of view
stevenaia Michinaga: (had my eyes closed)
stevenaia Michinaga: XX? any thoughts?
XX
stevenaia Michinaga: smiles, waves to your grandmother
stevenaia Michinaga: always wondered what my mother would think of here
XX

stevenaia Michinaga: hard enough to explain this place to friends
stevenaia Michinaga: if you aren't yourself here, who are you?
XX

Bleu Oleander: I think we have an sl self or two
XX

Bleu Oleander: that's not quite the same as our rl selves
Bleu Oleander: have you had more than one avatar XX?
XX

Bleu Oleander: lol
Bleu Oleander: "if you did" would they all feel different to you?
XX

Bleu Oleander: what is simple for you?
XX
Bleu Oleander listens
stevenaia Michinaga: 3?
XX

stevenaia Michinaga: :)
XX

stevenaia Michinaga: what are the three?
XX

Bleu Oleander: you do that every day?
XX

Bleu Oleander: nice
XX

Bleu Oleander: you must have a lot of friends!
XX

stevenaia Michinaga: smiles
XX

Bleu Oleander: that must have been very hard
stevenaia Michinaga: I have know a few where the love in SL became a marriage in RL
Bleu Oleander: I knew someone that happened to

--BELL--

PERSONAL COMMENTS DELETED BY REQUEST