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Author Archives: Laskya Claren
A Paradise Happier Far: “Paradise Lost in Second Life” (Review)
Last Saturday, I was privileged to be invited to attend a preview performance of the Basilique Performing Arts Company‘s new dramatic adaptation of John Milton’s epic poem, Paradise Lost in Second Life. As what follows may seem tl;dr to some, I’ll begin … Continue reading
Striving with Paradise: A Look Ahead to “Paradise Lost in Second Life”
While it is undoubtedly true that there have been other poets in the language who are more revered or who have a higher profile in popular culture – Shakespeare, of course, is the obvious example – it is likely also … Continue reading
Whose Voice? Whose Issue? The Problems with SL Activism and One Billion Rising
Like many hundreds of other people, I made my way yesterday to the Second Life event observing One Billion Rising. The theme of OBR – an end to global misogyny and sexual violence – is one that has always been … Continue reading
The Singularity of Bryn Oh
[On Saturday, I was fortunate to be granted the opportunity, along with other bloggers in the Immersiva group, to attend a preview of Bryn Oh’s newest installation, The Singularity of Kumiko. The new exhibit opens to the public on 14 … Continue reading
“Why Is Your Avatar So Sexy?” Choice and the Two Cultures
“Why is your avatar so sexy?” A number of years ago, I was a participant in a virtual presentation in and about Second Life that was projected upon a large screen to a group of academics in RL. I myself … Continue reading
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Tagged avatars, Beauty, gender, Gracie Kendal, Kristine Schomaker, Second Life, Self-representation, sexuality, virtual art, Virtual reality, Virtual world
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Oculus Rift, High Fidelity, and the Limits of the Imagination
More than a few bloggers have been making much of a piece by Emma Green that appeared in The Atlantic on 27 December, 2013. The short article, “Making Virtual Reality Less Virtual” argues that both the new virtual reality headset … Continue reading
Can Lab Rats Even Read? Second Life and Academic Publication
There are many vexations in Second Life. Bots, lag, avatars loaded with too many burdensome attachments, and griefers, to name just a few. Among such everyday annoyances, at least for some residents, are students and researchers. It’s probably true that … Continue reading
My Hovercraft Is Full of Avatars
A key appeal of Second Life for me has always been the opportunity to meet new people from far-off places. If Second Life can be seen as a sort of the 3D social media platform (and there are, of course, … Continue reading
“Hope Tinged with Fear”: Pho Vinternatt’s “Dreams” (Review)
I love Second Life art; the visual arts are the form for which, I believe, the virtual world platform is best suited, and most easily adapted to produce some really innovative new approaches. I have no formal, and relatively little … Continue reading
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Tagged art, Dream, Dreams, Pho Vinternatt, Second Life, virtual art, Virtual reality, Virtual world
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Spies Also Only Dream
“Do you know what love is? I’ll tell you: it is whatever you can still betray.” (John le Carré, The Looking Glass War, 1965) Watching the response within Second Life to the revelation that the NSA, GCHQ, and possibly other agencies, have been “spying” … Continue reading
Through a Glass, Darkly 