qiufan chen was a tech entrepreneur in the vr field no less before writing a perfect novel for our present day. “waste tide” was released in china back in 2013 and just this year appeared in english as well as in german translation. the novel reads like a documentary with a james bond type international thriller…
Tag: second life
show #155: we are still here!
our live [unedited!!! with crashes and pauses and all issues] show from sl14b. our panel includes diana fire, cynimon catnap, darkstone aeon and a special appearance by filthy fluno. enjoy: without any further going on about sl14b let me just say = go there now & do not wait! we apologize to judy tyrer, ex-linden senior…
show #153: confessions of a [second] lifer: rai fargis
don’t let the title mislead you: this is not some exploitative show but simply commemorating a super special event = you meet someone in real life for the first time, someone you have previously only known by their avatar and interacted only in our beloved virtual world. happened to drax in vienna a few days…
show #152: mesh heads
we talk mesh heads, bento mesh heads, avatar identity and where the train is headed in second life and elsewhere >>> why do we enjoy playing dress up? is second life turning into zombie land like real life due to lifeless mesh barbies? you be the judge: more info on all we talks about…
show #150: sexual harassment at the [vr] workplace…
an allegation put forth by a former employee at silicon valley start-up upload vr of sexual harassment and gender discrimination and just a whole bunch of really awful behavior by the two co-founders [and other men] at the company shocked the emerging neo-vr movement possibly more than oculus’ co-founder palmer luckey’s supporting of donald trump’s…
show #149: talk to the troll
today on the show = a conversation with the sl troll lavender storydel [held at my home at escapades, hence the nice ocean sounds in the background]. were you ever interested to learn what drives a young person to creating a troll persona in sl and spend their weekends harassing [in this case] middle aged…
show #148: hifi is happening
today we are checking in with high fidelity >>> what is happening, where they at, etc? we learn that there is a feature where you can clone yourself multiple times and play back a recording of yourself and drive people quite mad. please enjoy this slightly avantgarde programming [and if you want to skip ahead…
show #147: fantasy faire 2017
the amazing fantasy faire – a relay for life fundraiser – is happening right now in second life & they have already raised over L$ 5 million to aid the american cancer society to find a cure for cancer. we discuss the connection of creativity, good causes, virtual worlds, we discuss how much more than…
show #146: social vr – facebook style
facebook has done it – with the help of many former lindens including jim purbick aka babbage linden to name just one random genius visionary sl resident – facebook aka the 500 pound gorilla has entered the social vr space. we discuss the implications with a panel of longtime second life enthusiasts: reading stuff and…
show #144: ebbe + drax on vr edu
today we remember riven homewood and play some tape from vwbpe 2017 conference: linden lab ceo ebbe altberg and yours truly on education in vr and how the future will be informed by the past [or something to that effect…]: and some more reading and more viewing material below: riven homewood remembered by her…
show 143: vr in germany [part 4:zdf digital]
a team of second life/sansar folks were in frankfurt while the american colleagues partied at svvr 2017 and our sl friends mingled in-world at vwbpe over discussions about education in vws…were we jealous that we could not be at these other events? no because it was super interesting to be here in germany, where things…
show #142: the trough
fascinating convo, all over the place in a good way, with larry rosenthal and maxwell graf. if you care about the past, present and future of vr you better listen all the way through: more stuff to feed your vr hungry mind: larry rosenthal is our guest! the hype cycle explained… our guest maxwell graf!…
show #141: rerun coz congratz!
we are so busy at the drax empire that we could not put together a fresh show for you guys this week but does it matter when we have such a terrific rerun with guest eric fassbender from atmosphaeres – makers of immersive audio/video? some more info: check out eric’s offerings below [licensing includes over…
show #140: gdc the week after
we talk with sam watts from makereal3d gdc, vrdc, looking from the outside [in this case brighton in the uk] in [the valley!] and of course we will dissect the official sansar promo video! enjoy: more stuff to read up on and look at while you listen: new sansar vid, this time it is OFFICIAL…
show #138: feed a smile
the madpea international food fair is happening until march 4th in sl & this is a fundraiser show: the goal is to rais 9 million linden dollars to rebuild a kitchen for the live & learn in kenya non-profit education center in nakuru, kenya. listen to brique topaz who has been running the show in…
show #136: selfhood in a virtual society
a long and in depth discussion about avatar representation and its implications in educating folks using a virtual world, how does this reverberate outside in the real world and why do these environments like second life not lose any validity in education just because we now have head-mounted displays sold at every best buy? all…
show #135: let’s make some nnoiz
just some awesome music this week – 2 hours of the finest of nnoiz Papp as drax is flying to turkey for the next sl documentary and jo is training in a secret 1920s fitness club to punch nazis. enjoy the show: some linkage: avatars against trump – a initiative from strawberry singh like the…
show #134: michelle on sundance vr
as we go to air the sundance film festival is about to conclude with one more day of parties, films and yes: vr! our guest today is a successful indie media maker/singer/gamer michelle osorio and she went there – as she has done for the past 15 years – and she puts in her two…
show #133: sansar anxiety [getting stronger…]
what do you fear about sansar, the next gen virtual world they are cooking up over at linden lab? and what are yout hopes? and why on earth do we host this show on a day where most people [especially americans] have enough anxiety about the future of the REAL world? enjoy this recording of our…
show #131: the state of the [virtual] world
our year end panel: 6 diverse members of the global sl family, talking over each other with drax rambling in between, ca 90 minutes: our christmas gift to faithful listeners! enjoy: now read on and happy holidays: our guest nadine artful our guest cube inada aka larry rosenthal oh my Gif. https://t.co/s75WJXaZHc — Larry Rosenthal…
show #130: vr in germany [part3: sara]
today we talk to next gen vr enthusiast sara lisa vogl from vr nerds about staying in vr for 48 hours, making lucid dreams virtually a reality & bringing ca-style vr hubs to amsterdam, berlin and god knows where next… that and jo and drax talk politics. what more/less do you want? enjoy: your weekly reading…
show #129: trump + vr = ?
in our new beautiful authoritarian world how will the proliferation of vr tech impact our lives? come out of your dreamworld for just an hour and enjoy aral balkan give you a dose of real reality about big data and all that jazz: more to read now: our guest aral balkan from ind.ie –…
show #128: vr in germany [part2: mirek hancl]
dear listeners: as we are struggling to unplug from a world where trump is president-elect enjoy great food for thought from an inspiring educator who is not afraid of tech in the classroom: read on now: this is not a vr simulation: trump really is president and it is not palmer luckey’s fault [alone] This isn't…
show #127: vr in germany [part1: cospaces]
yes there is a vr startup in good ol’ germany [maybe even more than one?] and we visited their hq in munich. interesting to note that far away from silicon valley we find a ethos that is very reminiscent of the early second life promise… [btw if this topic is not enough sl = at…
show #126: space [the final frontier?]
a podcast accompanied by a video of a virtual non sl drax walking around a desert for 40 minutes – we know: you been waiting for this one so enjoy! and now for some reading material from the context department: black mirror on netflix = required viewing! below only a non-spoiler excerpt [and no: it…
show #121: leftovers (svvr 2016 part2)
so much fabulous “tape” was found two months after visiting svvr 2016 in san jose: a woman who was married in vr in the 90ties, a 360 video documentarian who went to chernobyl and a lot more. this is the last show before the summer break so here is a full dose of deep thought…
show #120: sex and virtuality
and here is the topic we avoided for 119 shows = sex in virtual worlds and vr! great guests from sl and REAL life: an interview with psychic reader and sex connosieur monavie voight starts at 9:41 & the conversation with vr porn star ela darling at 25:15. i highly recommend listening to the entire show though…
show #119: money money money
finally drax gets educated on money – be it virtual or real! and oh yes: we start with lindex troubles and end with gloebit solutions = an hour full of monetary theory [and solutions!]. enjoy: and links: lindex in trouble [but possibly out of trouble as we go to air!] our guest christopher colosi [formerly…
show #117: project alice, ginsu + kent
a shorter show because you guys got a longer one last week. sorry… but awesome “tape” from svvr 2016 = vr with haptics from noitom, ginsu yoon former linden with strong positive words on the future and vr philosopher kent bye offers even more insights than last time he was on the show. enjoy: more…
show #116: hifi revisited
fresh off of announcing public beta at svvr 2016 we discuss philip rosedale’s new world high fidelity vis-a-vis project sansar. that and the usual banter and 1920’s berlin subliminal ads… enjoy: and find below additional audio/visual linkage for further reading/marveling at: svvr 2016 keynotes: drax fave at svvr = noitom’s project alice [which he experienced…
show #115: lab chat numero three
and here is the lab chat audio from just an hour ago = the live show was very well attended to say the least. listen to ebbe, oz and troy spill beans on what is happening at linden: more info on the topics discussed: project bento project sansar and so much more f.e. elastic marketplace search…
show #114: ebbe (svvr 2016 part1)
svvr 2016 – the third installment of this conference – is concluding as this show goes to air: three days of the newest vr gear in the expo hall plus panels and talks about immersive storytelling, 360 video best practices and a fireside chat with palmer luckey. what more do you want? well, if you…
show #113: fantasy faire 2016
we all know it: second life has a lot of impact, be it for the creative individual that thrives making things or for large institutions which use the world to fundraise. today on the show: all about fantasy faire 2016 and how fantastic virtual creations can help battle cancer in the physical world! more info on…
show #112: the state of vr = ready for primetime? [pt2]
…and we continue taking stock of the vr “movement” as it stands today, of course from a sl vantage point. and that means: old grumpy pioneers complaining about new kids on the block. or not. judge for yourself: we discussed a lot of things and were generally all over the place [what’s new?] so here…
show #111: the state of vr = ready for primetime? [pt1]
our guests josh farkas and rob crasco discuss – when they get a word in edge-wise – what the state of consumer vr is in april 2016 vis-a-vis sl. enjoy: linkage below: our guests josh farkas from cubicle ninjas and roblem vr aka rob crasco fb will spy on you [when you wear oculus] and…
show #109: wainbrave bernal
a show about how vr was hyped in 1989, a show with a sl pioneer and his idea on learning in virtual environments, a show that is great and pretty much an hour long. take a listen [and sorry for the mediocre audio – was a noisy recording venue]: reading material below: our guest wainbrave…
show #108: rainbows end
a podcast about a book discussion held in a virtual world where at least on participant had a oculus rift dk2 on his head = how much more transmedia can you get? i know…it gets old…here is the show: some added links: our guests frans charming and pham neutra justin esparza took the above pics…
show #106: the full monty drax
we are going into serious over-time today with an edited version of drax appearance on “the real virtual show” hosted by malia probst, talking sl and how sl is important for the advent of consumer vr… …and we address the recent bans of prominent content creators in sl, with more in depth discussion to follow…
show #105: gamer motivation demystified
fascinating talk this week with nick yee, psychologist and researcher of why gamers [and slers] do what they do! you want to know why you are in sl? jump to the main interview at 26min to get the answer or get the whole awesome hour from the top: and below for the people who like…
show #104: got vision?
again a show with some perspective [if we may claim so ourselves]: tony walsh, game designer and vw pioneer, and jacki morie, the original gangsta goddess of vr! enjoy: and don’t forget to read and comment: our guests tony walsh from phantom compass [& his sl centric blog clickable culture] + below: how we met…
show #103: project bento
we are back with weekly shows that feature jo and a healthy balance of vr and sl [and more!]. today? all about flying pigs and new skeletons [out of the closet!] = enjoy: and now read and watch and smile: our guests aki shichiroji, medhue simoni and mahadma amazon lumberyard – a competitor for sansar?…
show #101: lab chat returns
and here we are in 2016 with a brand new lab chat, co-moderated by our own jo yardley: enjoy and comment aplenty. we will be back in full force and non-stopping attitude with fresh programming on february 5th [yes i will bring back many many interviews from sundance 2016 but we won’t ignore second life…
show #100: one-hun-dred
we made it to show 100 just before the end of 2015 = special live to tape program with the folks from firestorm, talking about the gateway testing and their orientation experience …of course a couple of special linden guests talking about the future of the sl avatar. fun fun fun at year’s end, enjoy!…
show #98: qarl is back!
former linden lab star qarl [creator of sculpties among many other things] is back outside of vr and all that but nonetheless mind-boggling stuff = an ai paint engine. enjoy the conversation and share your thoughts on the end of all human art: the origin of pikazo = neural networks! [and an interesting motherboard article on…
show #97: lab chat response
a brief show in response to the emotionally charged comment threads which started after the first lab chat broadcast…who would have expected that a few were of the nasty kind? enjoy out post mortem analysis: and just handful of links this week as we are out the door already: ciaran laval is writing on the…
show #95: lab chat
we are broadcasting the premiere of a new show on this show to simply show that sl is vr and sl culture is alive and well. enjoy and congrats to jo, saffia and ebbe for an engaging conversation: and if you want to get your questions in for the next show, keep watching the forums, read…
show #94: what happened in dublin…
back from the dublin web summit, where vr was just one tiny portion of this gigantic and [for exhibitors] pricey pitch-fest. while many “solutions” of the alpha crowd seem anachronistic and in the worst case bizarre, there were fabulous panels, great guinness and free wifi on the public bus. there was also, ebbe linden, a…
show #93: the vr crossroads
are you gleaning from the title that today we have a show where two concerned parents spend 30+ minutes complaining about “the kids today with their hmds…”? you gleaned wrong: we talk saturated media environments and the pros and cons of vr with reuben steiger, who was right there even way before sl even started….
show #91: celia pearce on everything!!
celia pearce teaches game design and game history, she is a pirate in second life, wrote books on play and digital communities & of course co-founded the indiecade festival which is going on in los angeles right as we are posting this very show. enjoy a candid conversation with an important thinker in the space of…
show #88: oc2
we talk oculus connect analysis = so many revelations about what they are working on. will they be the standard system for vr development or is there space for other hmds? what does watching major studio fare in vr have to do with democratization of creativity? guests joyce bettencourt and luann phillips have a lot…
the drax files radio hour 