Second Life: A New Way of Looking at Things

According to Thornburg, a disruptive technology is a technology that has the same functionality of an existing technology, but functions so much more effectively it replaces the other technology. Philip Rosedale , one of the founders of Second Life, describes some of the differences between the virtual world of Second Life and the internet. As Rosedale describes it, the internet is links information by text to text. The virtual world of Second Life uses symbols that are easily understood by all. Rosedale uses the example of the work “chair” which is expressed differently in different languages which can lead to confusion or loss of meaning. However when you see a three dimensional chair it is evident to anyone what the object is. (Unless, I suppose, the individual viewing it is from another planet and has no idea what the function of a chair is.) In this sense Second Life surpasses the internet in terms of communicating concepts and ideas. Having said this, I don’t think that Second Life fully fits the definition of a disruptive technology. The internet is still a strong force in today’s society, but Second Life has the potential to displace the internet as a means of communicating ideas and promoting social interactions. At the present time I don’t believe the internet is in danger of being totally replaced by a virtual world such as Second Life.

Second Life is a very interesting and fascinating technology that allows the user to move about in a three dimensional world that can seem very real. It is so real that a friend of mine uses it to show undergraduate psychology students the unreal world of schizophrenic dissociation from reality. It would take something even more powerful and realistic to replace it. I believe the technology that could replace it is a truly three dimensional world that engages all the senses, much like the holodeck of the Star Trek movies and shows. I don’t believe this will happen anytime soon, so for now I think Second Life is secure in its place as the leader in virtual worlds.

Second Life has implications that can be of great benefit to society. It bypasses the need to use the symbolisms carried by words to explain concepts. It is much easier to look at an object and see what it is than it is to read about it and build your own image of it in your mind, that might not necessarily be the same construct in another person’s mind. Second Life has the potential to improve understanding among people of various backgrounds. As Rosedale describes, Second Life also opens up many ways of exploring the universe around us. Computer analogs of real-life events or objects could be used to create tangible objects that can be explored up close and in person. I guess that if it can be imagined, it can be created in a virtual world.


References

Rosedale, P. (2008). Second Life [Video]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/the_inspiration_of_second_life.html.

Thornburg, D. (2009). Disruptive technologies [Podcast]. In Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer) Emerging and future technology.

Re-"Kindling" The Private Library: A Rhyme of History

Many public libraries as we know them today arose from the private libraries of wealthy individuals. Only the wealthy could afford to amass any number of books. It was the establishment of free public libraries that made books available to the common man. In a way the advent of electronic books have taken us back into time, only with the difference that you do not need to be wealthy to afford a good library. The electronic reader has evened the playing field. Now it is possible for the average person to afford the same kind of collection that only the wealthy of times past could afford.

The Kindle reader is an example of such an electronic reader. If you go to the Official Kindle Website you can see the wide variety of books that are available. One advantage of an electronic reader is that there are no late fees. Once a book is downloaded, it is yours to keep. An electronic reader is also portable. The user can take the entire collection with them where ever they are going. There are some disadvantages to using an electronic book reader to store your private library. It might not be possible to find the book you want available in an eBook format. And on occasion there can other bumps in the road, such as the recent controversy when Amazon deleted a book because of copyright problems from the Kindles of readers who had already paid for it. One personal disadvantage is that an electronic reader library does not provide the same sensory stimulus you get when you enter a library as well as the feel of holding a book in your hand and turning the pages.

Smart Objects Tetrad

The term “Smart Object” refers to a physical object that carries a means of identifying the object and information about the object electronically. One example of a smart object is my passport which has a small chip embedded in it that carries information about my identity. This makes it much easier to validate my citizenship when involved in international travel. Retailers use similar chips to track inventory or register purchases. There are many more examples.


The following is my tetrad for smart objects:


Enhances: Smart objects make it easier to keep track of where objects are located. Not only can objects be found easily, it is also possible to know how the relative positions of numerous objects.

Obsoletes: Smart objects greatly reduce or eliminate the need to manually enter information in order to manage an inventory or keep track of where things are.

Rekindles: Smart objects can rekindle a sense of knowing what you own as well as where everything you own is located as well. In ages past it was easy to keep track of personal belongings. Most people did not have as many possessions so it was easy to know where everything is. Smart objects could rekindle this sense of knowing where everything you own is located as well as what you own.

Reverses: Smart objects could reverse personal privacy. Smart chips make it possible to track where an individual is at any given time. Smart chips also make it possible to track an individual’s purchase patterns. Retailers could use this information to tailor advertisements.



Follow this link to the 2009 Horizon Report on smart objects for additional information and resources.