Sure, that is a low bar to jump over; but I said I was being optimistic, not enthusiastic.

Nasus Dumart with guest lecturer, Hiro Pendragon
(image by nasus.dumart)

Hiro Pendragon appeared at Molaskey’s Pub as guest lecturer last night, and he did not let me down. Actually, I learned several helpful bits. According to Hiro:

• educators always pay
• in Second Life “the user is part of a story” (and, in fact, his company “focuses on the storytelling element to drive the whole design”)
• much of their success is due to the fact that they invest “a *LOT* of time researching the technology”

But, the single most striking lesson for me came by way of demonstration…

Recently, I have spent many hours revising the design of an object, the iDP-Voyager, to create a more useful interactive display panel than its predecessor. The project has become one of passion: More features due to changes in LSL since the original version, enhanced usability given a greater understanding of the platform and the users, user-friendly due to a hard-won intention to market objects, and well-documented (of course). This object deletes content to ready itself for your next set or presentation; it speeds up, slows down, even hangs around ’til you’re gone and deletes itself; it slices, it dices…

Crap’s key (image by isfullofcrap)

And then, I am sitting there at Molaskey’s Pub, watching the chat roll by, wondering how Crap winds that key sticking out his back…and Mr. Pendragon rezzes a plywood cube, re-sizes it to an appropriate aspect ratio for images (“This was my first creation in SL…”)…and begins to illustrate his presentation by dragging images from Inventory onto that plywood prim.

No buttons or menus; no dialog boxes or listeners, no lengthy instructional notecard with highly verbose directions including a URL for a wiki support page or email needed. Just sort your pics in a folder, then drag each image onto a prim.

He turned a plain ol’ box into an effective multimedia tool.

It is said that the great ones make it look easy. Well, that was great.

Running checkbox in script-edit view

I have begun to develop a series of scripts to introduce various effects to new users. These scripts can be placed in a default prim which becomes an interactive, instructional object. They are a series in that each script (or possibly group of scripts) will build upon what was presented in the previous script (or group of scripts).

I had worked on a similar project back in my first year as an avatar.

A major priority back then was to create an extremely low-prim object. This resulted in objects that might have the user toggling the “Running” checkbox (see image) in the script-edit panel to advance the lessons; or, any one object might have multiple scripts… or rezz other objects for demonstration. The scripting and comments needed to manage those behaviours sat right next to bits that were the meat of the lesson; and, the comments in those scripts were often instructing the user to look at one script first and then another, or toggle checkboxes to activate a script. It just became too clunky.

This new approach places scripts in separate objects. Each script can now be written with clear instructional content (read: extensive commenting), without the distraction and clutter found in the previous project.

On reflection, my own drive to develop low-prim objects in SL might have been unnecessary or extreme, restricting the design in an artificial way; but, it took OpenSim’s abundant elbow room to bring me back to a project that probably has value.

TextureDrawing Example

I implemented the example script for TextureDrawing in ReactionGrid’s OpenSim. This function allows the display of text on a prim’s surface. Font resolution is crisp (see image) and some styles can be applied to the text (font size, decoration and color all applied in object in background). I modified the example script to receive a string from public chat, edit into display-size chunks (lines), and draw onto prim surface.

Next, we poll a file on an external server to retrieve text submitted via website.

Logged in during a first Reaction Grid OpenSim visit by some students who happen to live in Boston; captured a bit of video. There were a few glitches as we are in the early days of the OpenSim platform. The group will be working on two group projects in the coming weeks; the design of a cell model, and a human anatomy design.

An entire region to work with, what a world!

Along with making videos and viewing the basic GIMP tutorials, I have recently been building regularly. After two years of working on scripts, primarily, it is good to stretch the platform competencies. But here, I must digress:

Today’s building project (image) reminded me of some poor criticism of Wikipedia that I recently read. I am not a fanatic jumping to the defense of a favorite site, though I am a recovering Wikipediaholic. I often find criticism of the pedia to be well considered. And, as with any social entity, criticism should be tolerated if not indulged. Some criciticism (a recent example) can inform the discussion within the Wikipedia community about the content. No, I am referring to the weak sort of “Wikipedia is lame” comments; as though by simply questioning accuracy or authority you can cast doubt on its utitlity. (Are there some folks who hit the back button at first site of the Wikepedia logo – figuratively thumbing their nose at the site?)

For those who are skeptical about any particular Wikipedia entry:

If you doubt it, keep looking.
If it is wrong, change it.

I typically look for Wikipedia hits in my Google results…which happened again today.

So, how does one make a fairly regular hexagon? Open up your trig notes and start from one side.

Wikipedia works for me.

I look forward to the demo video showing this game in action:

Household Chores: Broom Breeze By: Wesley Wiebe
The object of the game is to sweep the floor clean of debris.

But, until then, will be happy to come across bits like this (~2min):

Student Seating Object

I received an email today describing preliminary approval for my bid on a new Socializing Seating Object. The object may be developed for use by the Skoolaborate group, with participating schools across Australia and the Orient, Europe and America where students are helping each other to learn their respective languages.

Although teleconferencing has been used in education for years, the advent of virtual world technology may enhance the experience…but how?

“…an increased sense of presence in the virtual world leads to better comprehension and retention of information if the technology is being used for training purposes, and trainees are happier with the process.”
Mitzi Montoya – in a news release about VW research at NCSU