Today, for your excitement and pleasure, I will be answering not one, BUT TWO! Questions!
Besides the obvious differences (such as ActiveWorlds is 3D and MSN isn't, etc) what are the qualitative differences between the regular IM program and a 3D environment?
A 3D environment is played much more like a game, such as the Sims, but more realistic in the fact you can "buy" and interact with your neighbours. In an IM program it is more reality based as there is no virtual world you inhabit like a 3D environment, and you react with people more on a realistic level rather than a gameplay level. IM programs are like a telephone or text messages in the way people communicate, whereas in a 3D environment is more like your standard virtual interactive game.
What is different about the kinds of socialising that happens in these spaces? Does the 3D aspect make much difference?
I think a 3D aspect makes a world of difference, literally. I think the 3D environment is more impersonal, due to the fact that people can interact with total strangers more than on IM. On IM programs such as MSN Messenger you need to know a person's email to contact them, and the person would have to accept the invitation to contact them. On the other hand a 3D Environment does not involve this personal aspect and people are free to talk to anyone.
Are there things that are possible in one space that are not possible in the other?
Yes, the opportunity for gameplay is not really possible on IM, unless you use the game function on MSN Messenger, which isn't really the same as a virtual world. There's also the chance to "be somebody else" in a virtual world, as the other players, if not playing with friends, have no idea who you are because you are playing with a username, not an email or real name in some cases.
Could you think of where this sort of application might lead us?
I could see the world becoming very impersonal if we all chat on a virtual world. I think in a way it's a form of escapism in many eyes from the turmoils and stresses of the real world. In that way this kind of environment can become addictive and maybe a 3D environment could lead people to not face reality at all and become in debt, or face other problems. The fact that you have to pay for some features is absolutely ridiculous, this may lead to these worlds becoming exclusive and expensive.
Okay, well that ended up being four questions. Oops.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Photoshopping Part Two.
Okay, well this week has certainly been a busy week. I crashed my car, cried alot about that because I am now in some serious debt to my parents. I also fell asleep while doing homework that day and woke up at 5pm in the afternoon and now I am seriously BEHIND in everything! Also, I have discovered Elliott Smith and he has forever changed my idea of music. I love his album XO, it's a masterpiece. It's full of melancholy yet hope and happiness, and I just adore it.
Anyway! to the whole Photoshopping thing. I really experimented with all the photos below. My first attempt at the whole photoshop experience was with my first picture, which represented friends (you can match the friends to the one I'm talking about :p) . I chose the picture of me dancing madly with the Physics extraordinare Mangers because it symbolises great times. Anyway, I basically just painted the background blue with the paint bucket thing because I really had no idea with the whole photoshop thing and hoped for the best. I think this photo is a crazy photo, hence why it needed a bright colour for the background, adding to the crazy time I had with Mangers.
The next one was the theme of Communication. I chose an old phone because to me, that is what communication is about. Receiving messages through voice or other. I got semi-advanced here in actually selecting an area where I would like the paint bucket to paint! OMG! yes, it is true, I am a photoshop geek now. Haha, well getting there. I think communication is seen as very girly and hence the pink.
With the news worthy photo I chose an image of some American reporter because media these days is mainly americanised. It's all about the American delivery I guess to people now. Somehow American news is seen as more "accurate" or whatever. I basically went crazy with this photo, layering it, using the lassoo tool to select her body and then transforming it by using copy and then some other thing (found it while using the right-click menu). I morphed it because I think the news at time can get crazy and "morphed" therefore I decided to go crazy with this photo.
For the next theme I chose a can of Vegemite, which is very Australian. I moved the can of Vegemite to the side and using the shape tool I drew some stars and painted the background blue. It was supposed to look like a Vegemite themed Australia flag but I never worked out how to draw Australian flag-looking stars. Plus, the Australian flag stars are white and mine are yellow. BUT! I guess it matches the colour of the Vegemite can.
For popular I decided to get an image of a Blackberry. Apparently the are all the rage and every second teenage show (*COUGH* The OC) uses one. This is why I chose it for the theme of "Popular". Anyhoo, this is my most advanced Photoshop picture. I firstly made many letter shapes with the autoshape tool and overlapped them, looking like this blackberry was very Popular. I then flattened the picture by clicking some thing that Adam showed me and it was very advanced. I then applied a filter or whatever to the Blackberry, making the blackberry seem a bit smudged. It makes the Blackberry look overused (well I wanted it to look that way anyway) and stressful just looking at it due to the amount of messages, adding to the Popular theme.
Tetris is a game, therefore I chose it for the theme Games. I didn't do much on this picture, I didn't really know how to add to the theme of games. I basically smudged alot of the picture, deleted some with the eraser tool and copied some and made a layer on the game.
Paris Hilton. She is clearly a celebrity, some may argue though. I selected her face with the lassoo tool and applied some weird paint thing to her face, applying more attention to her face in a humorous way. I then drew love hearts with the autoshape tool because EVERYONE LOVES CELEBRITIES!
That is all in my Photoshopping adventure. I am now going to return to the land of CATCHING UP ON HOMEWORK!! Fun fun.
Sources:
1. Friends- This was taken on my Motorola V3x camera phone.
2. Communication: http://www.peterme.com/images/dfp_500telephone.jpg
3. News-worthy: http://www.jokesandhumor.com/jokes/pictures/newsworthy.jpg
4. Australian: http://www.souvenirsaustralia.com/images/vegemite%20115gm.jpg
5. Popular: http://www.utexas.edu/its/blackberry/images/blackberry.gif
6. Games: http://socialfiction.org/img/tetris_big.gif
7. Celebrity: http://www.biosstars.us/p/paris_hilton/2006/Paris%20Hilton001.jpg
Anyway! to the whole Photoshopping thing. I really experimented with all the photos below. My first attempt at the whole photoshop experience was with my first picture, which represented friends (you can match the friends to the one I'm talking about :p) . I chose the picture of me dancing madly with the Physics extraordinare Mangers because it symbolises great times. Anyway, I basically just painted the background blue with the paint bucket thing because I really had no idea with the whole photoshop thing and hoped for the best. I think this photo is a crazy photo, hence why it needed a bright colour for the background, adding to the crazy time I had with Mangers.
The next one was the theme of Communication. I chose an old phone because to me, that is what communication is about. Receiving messages through voice or other. I got semi-advanced here in actually selecting an area where I would like the paint bucket to paint! OMG! yes, it is true, I am a photoshop geek now. Haha, well getting there. I think communication is seen as very girly and hence the pink.
With the news worthy photo I chose an image of some American reporter because media these days is mainly americanised. It's all about the American delivery I guess to people now. Somehow American news is seen as more "accurate" or whatever. I basically went crazy with this photo, layering it, using the lassoo tool to select her body and then transforming it by using copy and then some other thing (found it while using the right-click menu). I morphed it because I think the news at time can get crazy and "morphed" therefore I decided to go crazy with this photo.
For the next theme I chose a can of Vegemite, which is very Australian. I moved the can of Vegemite to the side and using the shape tool I drew some stars and painted the background blue. It was supposed to look like a Vegemite themed Australia flag but I never worked out how to draw Australian flag-looking stars. Plus, the Australian flag stars are white and mine are yellow. BUT! I guess it matches the colour of the Vegemite can.
For popular I decided to get an image of a Blackberry. Apparently the are all the rage and every second teenage show (*COUGH* The OC) uses one. This is why I chose it for the theme of "Popular". Anyhoo, this is my most advanced Photoshop picture. I firstly made many letter shapes with the autoshape tool and overlapped them, looking like this blackberry was very Popular. I then flattened the picture by clicking some thing that Adam showed me and it was very advanced. I then applied a filter or whatever to the Blackberry, making the blackberry seem a bit smudged. It makes the Blackberry look overused (well I wanted it to look that way anyway) and stressful just looking at it due to the amount of messages, adding to the Popular theme.
Tetris is a game, therefore I chose it for the theme Games. I didn't do much on this picture, I didn't really know how to add to the theme of games. I basically smudged alot of the picture, deleted some with the eraser tool and copied some and made a layer on the game.
Paris Hilton. She is clearly a celebrity, some may argue though. I selected her face with the lassoo tool and applied some weird paint thing to her face, applying more attention to her face in a humorous way. I then drew love hearts with the autoshape tool because EVERYONE LOVES CELEBRITIES!
That is all in my Photoshopping adventure. I am now going to return to the land of CATCHING UP ON HOMEWORK!! Fun fun.
Sources:
1. Friends- This was taken on my Motorola V3x camera phone.
2. Communication: http://www.peterme.com/images/dfp_500telephone.jpg
3. News-worthy: http://www.jokesandhumor.com/jokes/pictures/newsworthy.jpg
4. Australian: http://www.souvenirsaustralia.com/images/vegemite%20115gm.jpg
5. Popular: http://www.utexas.edu/its/blackberry/images/blackberry.gif
6. Games: http://socialfiction.org/img/tetris_big.gif
7. Celebrity: http://www.biosstars.us/p/paris_hilton/2006/Paris%20Hilton001.jpg
Thursday, April 19, 2007
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