2021 Welcome to the metaverse. Yes, it is already here. Been here for years. Usually called virtual worlds.

Welcome to the metaverse.  

Yes, it is already here.   

Been here for years.  

Usually called virtual worlds.

A demonstration of the metaverse that already exists.  Note that this video from the metaverse is dated 2016.

• Watch on YouTube

Two Gentlemen of Verona 

A project of Avatar Repertory Theater and New Media Arts Inc. , Live Theater Production in Second Life Virtual World.  Two Gentlemen of Verona is a comedy by William Shakespeare.

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• Metaverse (Wikipedia)
• Virtual World (Wikipedia)
• Articles in this blog about virtual worlds
• Virtual reality is not new and it is not expensive. The new and expensive: stereoscopic (VR) headsets.
• Note that our avatars walk and talk just as stage actors do.
• And we can make a video of the performance.

2021 VW: What does the metaverse look like? Since it is a simulated environment, we can make videos there. And we do. But you need to know where to look.

What does the metaverse look like?   

Since it is a simulated environment, we can make videos there.  

And we do.  But you need to know where to look.  

How to see the metaverse now.

• Watch on YouTube
• Siege of Bastogne

Where would you look?

• You would look on YouTube, of course.
• But if you search YouTube for metaverse, you get mostly talking heads.
• If you search for virtual worlds, you still get a lot of talking heads.
• Try Second Life.  You get a lot of videos from the metaverse.
• That's because Second Life has been an active part of the metaverse for a long time.
• Long enough for a lot of communities to develop.
• And that's the secret of the metaverse. 
• The metaverse is made out of communities, not headsets. 
• And here are examples of communities: of a comedy community:  
• Comedy (search) NSFW
• Oldest Vampire Community In Second life Transylvania
• Second Life - Beyou Friendly -West Summerside Residental Community - Explore with me !!
  
• Second Life Destinations - Motorcycle Clubs & Communities
  
• Second Life QuickTips - Connecting with Second Life Communities

2020 #VWEDU LIBR: Promo: Flipped webinar for educators in the metaverse. A distributed conference. Short presentations, followed by focused discussions. With plans for outreach.

Flipped webinar for educators in the metaverse.

A distributed conference.   

Short  presentations, followed by focused discussions.

With plans for outreach.

Overview of draft plans for a flipped webinar.

You can't find the front 

of the room

Flipping the webinar

• The plan is based on audience participation.
• Starts with "What do you want to know about?"
• Uses online tools to get questions from the audience.
• Uses online tools to present those questions to contributors.
• Uses online tools to show presentations offered by contributors.
• Meeting organizers select presentations for their meetings.
• Presentations run about 10 minutes, followed by a discussion period.
• Presentations and discussions may be live-streamed and saved as videos.
• These may also be converted to text and published as a blog.
• With some editing and referee work, the products might be published as proceedings of a distributed conference.

Benefits

• Efficient sharing of knowledge among online educators.
• Broadens the networking In the online professional learning community (PLC).
• Outreach from educators in virtual worlds to other online educators.
• Aggregated activity gets better visibility than individual activity.

2021 VW: A meeting in the Metaverse about the present and future of the Metaverse. How close are we to the ideal metaverse?

A meeting in the Metaverse 

about the present and future of the metaverse.  

How close are we to the ideal Metaverse?

About the present and future of the metaverse.  How close are we to the ideal Metaverse?

• Watch on YouTube.
• Participants: Shawn, Hairy, Amara, Lisa .and Selby.

"The Metaverse is a collective virtual shared space, created by the convergence of virtually enhanced physical reality and physically persistent virtual space,[1] including the sum of all virtual worlds, augmented reality, and the Internet. " --Wikipedia  

• Virtual worlds have been around to over 15 years.
• They have developed a large population and a lot of supporting technology.
• That population is interconnected in social media and registration in multiple worlds. 
• OpenSim worlds are interconnected by the Hypergrid.
• No travel: it is as near as your laptop.
• Infinite Metaverse Alliance 
• Virtual reality is not new and it is not expensive. The new and expensive: stereoscopic (VR) headsets.

2021 VW: Metaverse art: coping with Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS) . Art Made in Second Life - Tucker Stilley

Metaverse art: 

coping with Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS) . 

Art Made in Second Life - Tucker Stilley

Disabilities are left behind when you enter the metaverse.

• Watch on YouTube

Second Life Art #MadeinSL series continues with a focus on Tucker Stilley, who uses adaptive technology to continue making breathtaking art in #SecondLife - 20 years after being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS) - Learn more: https://second.life/cf081721.

The Cape Able Art Gallery is a beautiful, eclectic gallery hosting art exhibits by deaf and/or disabled artists. Exhibits change quarterly. Artists can be contacted privately for the sale of their works. Cape Able is a nonprofit, Virtual Ability Inc. owned region. Video Production Credits: Draxtor Despres

2021 VW: Nonprofits in the Metaverse. Remote collaboration, videos, remote meetings, get-acquainted interviews, learning to make videos. All powers of the metaverse.

Nonprofits in the Metaverse.  

Remote collaboration, videos, remote meetings,  

get-acquainted interviews, learning to make videos.  

All powers of the metaverse.

Some of the things we do in the Metaverse.

• Watch on YouTube

• The Nonprofit Commons in Second Life encourages members to share what they do through short interview videos. 
• Elli Pinion, Lissena (wisdomseeker), Thinkerer and Valibrarian share a quick glimpse into learning tools together. 
• See other NPC videos (machinima shot in a virtual world environment) on the NPC playlist here.

Life in the metaverse

• Comedy VIEW FULL PLAYLIST
• Virtual Worlds VIEW FULL PLAYLIST
• Web-worlds VIEW FULL PLAYLIST

Metaverse overview

• Virtual world blogs
• Top 80 Virtual Reality Blogs and Websites in 2021

2021 WW Moon colony and Pompeii in the metaverse School in a laptop. Student-built places for learning in the metaverse.

Moon colony and Pompeii in the metaverse

School in a laptop.

Student-built places for learning in the metaverse.

A look at part of the metaverse that runs in your browser.

• Watch on YouTube
• Speaker: William Schmactenberg, retired high school teacher, Virginia

Go there

• 3DWebWorldz 
• https://3dwebworldz.com/ 
• Go to the Welcome Center first.  Learn how to walk and teleport 
• How to (manual):    
• https://3dwebworldz.com/manuals/ 
• The dings tell you that someone has just arrived in the place.
• That's so you can welcome them if you want.

Sites visited

• Excursion : Early Cretaceous Dinosaurs
• Excursion : Moon Colony 2024
• Excursion: Natural History Museum
• Student Project: Pompeii
• 3DWebWorldz Tour for the Virtual World Education Roundtable

2021 Creativity with Marly. Report from the Metaverse. Virtual Worlds Education Roundtable (VWER), regular Thursday meeting

Creativity with Marly.  

Report from the Metaverse.   

Virtual Worlds Education Roundtable (VWER), 

regular Thursday meeting

Creativity in the metaverse.

• Creativity with Marly

Other reports of Marly's work in the Metaverse

• Invitation to Visions of Self Workshop by Marly Milena
• Symbolic Modeling Training in Second Life: by Marly Milena, Octagon:Creative Exploration
• Using Arts Processes for Learning in Second Life
• Marly Milena Music Library at the Community Virtual Library: Grand Opening Tour: Collaboration in the digital worlds
• BENEATH THE WAVES in a virtual world. An exploration of our less conscious realms (invited article)
• TRAINING: SYMBOLIC MODELING FOR PERSONAL/PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Invited post by Marly Milena
• ONE-OF-A-KIND TRAINING IN SECOND LIFE--Marly Milena
• Symbolic Modeling (SymMod): a discovery and learning approach. A training course in a virtual world
• Inspiration Island: Virtual Worlds are about people. A visit and some featured activities.
• CVL and ISTE Creative Improvisation: Art, Music and Poetry

Metaverse features

• Seventeen educators from America and Europe.
• Gathered in one place.  Travel time, one minute or less,  Travel cost: nothing
• Then we all went to another place.  Travel: same as above.
• We talked and shared pictures.
• We did not exchange germs.

2021 VW: Meetings in the Metaverse. No travel time. No travel cost. No facility cost. No sharing of germs.

Meetings in the Metaverse.  

No travel time.  No travel cost.  

No facility cost. No sharing of germs.

Watch a real meeting about how the metaverse can support meetings

• Watch on YouTube

Why?

• No travel time.  No travel cost.  No facility cost.
• No sharing of germs.  Not affected by lockdowns.
• Maybe the relevant question is "Why not?"

Where?

• 3DWebWorldz
• https://3dwebworldz.com/

The meeting software

• Jitsi (Wikipedia)
• Jitsi
• https://jitsi.org/
• Want to Ditch Zoom? Jitsi Offers an Open-Source Alternative
• https://www.wired.com/story/zoom-jitsi-offers-open-source-alternative-zoom/

2021 Comedy: the Catboy Players in the metaverse. Some Thursday nights around 6 pm--Right after the game show.

Comedy: the Catboy Players in the metaverse.

Some Thursday nights around 6 pm--

Right after the game show.

Spring-summer collection of comedy by the Catboy players : WyNott,  Catboy, Amouretta, Jamie,

• Watch on YouTube

• Occasional comedy (NSFW)
• Time: Thursdays, 6 pm California time.
• Place:  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Chodron/86/46/42
• Our Comedy Channel
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGw_HANVLFY&list=PLmXCeJpxLXokSPNK_UVR1rS9qHSfJJsNM
• JOKE BANK - POPULAR JOKES
• Joke search

2021 Working remotely during the pandemic. The people of the digital generation have been doing that for years, long before the pandemic.

Working remotely during the pandemic.  

The people of the digital generation have been doing that for years, 

long before the pandemic.

We describe some of our work practices that arose during our team interaction in the virtual world we design for. 

• Watch on YouTube

2021 #VWEDU: NonProfit Commons in SL (in the Metaverse). CVL Collection Highlight: Grant Resources. A bit like a webinar, only free, on video, and without registration.

NonProfit Commons in SL (in the Metaverse).   

CVL Collection Highlight: Grant Resources.  

A bit like a webinar, only free, on video, and without registration.

Alyse Dunavant-Jones, Assistant Director of The Community Virtual Library, shares a presentation on grants at the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life.

• Watch on YouTube
• Links after the break
• What we do in the Metaverse

2021 Elder voices, an interview with Dr. Kara Bennett. Designing exhibits in a virtual museum setting. A story-telling community

Elder voices, an interview with Dr. Kara Bennett.  

Designing exhibits in a virtual museum setting.  

A story-telling community

Dr. Kara Bennett shares her work in virtual worlds with Lissena (Lynne Berrett) at the Nonprofit Commons in Second Life.

• Watch on YouTube