Final Project!

look at the video below to see my avatar doing a back flip!

Final blog post for the final!

I am going to continue my first idea of comparing and contrasting second life to real life for Wednesday. My first thoughts on Second Life were to stereotype it, and make assumptions about how ridiculous and unnecessary it is. However, as I continue and travel around Second Life, I find that it is actually very appealing and interesting. For example, one of my favorite things to do with my friends is to go to coffee shops, and around school I have not found a coffee shop. Yet on second life, I simply typed into the search-bar "cafe" and up came multiple different coffee shops in which I can "teleport" to. Which made me wonder, is Second Life really a scary thing for the future? Or can it be used for great things in the future?

TED talks uses images

1. Isaac Mizhrahi, "Fashion and Creativity" He uses an on-gong slide show of great pictures, and uses the images as he talks. He also utilizes personal photos of job, and the photos are fun and interesting. http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/isaac_mizrahi_on_fashion_and_creativity.html

2. David Griffin, "How photography connects us" He has intense photos, very artistic photos. He also has meaningful photos, such as an Afghan refugee. http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/david_griffin_on_how_photography_connects.html

3. Theo Jansen, "Creates new creatures" He takes normal every day items (plastic tubes and lemonade bottles) and creates something great. Shows how a collection of things can make one great thing do something fantastic. http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/theo_jansen_creates_new_creatures.html

4. James Burchfield, "Plays (invisible) turntables" He does not say anything, but takes his talent and makes the listener actually listen and be amazed. He also acts as if he is playing with actual turn tables, but everything is an act, all he uses is his mouth. http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/james_burchfield_plays_invisible_turntables.html

5. Beau Lotto, "Optical Illusions show how we see" Takes fun optical illusions and almost plays a mind game with the audience - very interactive. http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/beau_lotto_optical_illusions_show_how_we_see.html

Final project idea

As of right now, I am planning on talking about second life, and actually seeing if real life vs. virtual life is better, or if for the future can benefit us. A question I would like to try to answer is - "Are 'second life' and other virtual worlds almost a necessity for our society?" Since we are becoming more technologically advanced, and more people are turning to virtual worlds such as World of Warcraft and Second Life to occupy their time, should we all join it too? Will our world be half real and half virtual? And if it is, is that really a bad thing?

All you need to know about Flickr!

Flickr proves to be very successful in utilizing the sites objects to bring people together. People have connected through photos for many years, starting with the photo album. It is only normal to move the "paper" of photo albums onto the web. Flickr does a wonderful job of making it accessible to anyone and everyone who has 1 photo or over 100 photos. It is also great to have people comment on the photos, so the artist can see people's opinions of their photo-art, or what their friends thought of their weekend. I also enjoyed putting pictures of my dogs and paintings up - it made a personal connection with me as well. Well done, Flicker!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5L7IlUK7xw

Social Objects

Social objects bring people together, and Social media helps people unite with their similar interests. It is interesting to be able to go online and either blog or comment on something interests you, or something that you feel very passionate about.

For example, in Engeström's blog, his social object was the controversial Motrin Ad. I watched the ad on YouTube, and personally did not find anything too harsh or personal in it. I viewed it as a way to try to relate their product with mothers and their babies. You can then see an upset mother's YouTube response to the ad, and more people who put up a video of how they feel about the ad. It is very interesting to be able to see everyone's opinions for one 30 second commercial. Before YouTube and other social media outlets, a social object would not be able to be discussed as quickly and as publicly.