Avatar Psychology:

My Time in My SecondLife®

Course: PSY 499: Directed Reading or Research University of Hawaii, Spring 2009

Instructor: Dr. Leon James: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy/leon.html

Student Author: Antonio K. Bale Jr.

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First and foremost (yes, very cliché), I would like to state that this project has been very fun for me. I have explored a world that has been in existence for about six years. My objective was to observe and play with the functions of Second Life, to see how one would first start to learn this software. Dr. James wants to use the software in unison with his course on Avatar Psychology. I tried to make sure that I encountered issues that a normal player would. I hope that my experiences will help novice players understand the basics of their new lives online. I do want to mention that my computer did not meet the basic requirements to run this program. My video card was not powerful enough to render the 3D graphics smoothly. I would recommend that you make sure that your hardware is compatible with Second Life before you start. If your computer can barely handle the graphics, don’t worry too much as the software still works. You just have to get used to your avatar freezing every so often.

Part 1: Weekly Log

Thursday January 15, 2009

Getting started:

After registering, one can do listed a few options on the main panel on the bottom of the users screen. The beginning area is “Help Island,” where one can learn how to use and discover ways in which to use the Second-Life program.

1) Communicate: talk to other members by typing messages to each other. Members, most of whom are new, do not know what else to do so they ask each other the same questions.

a. What do I do?

b. How do I change my appearance?

c. What is the objective of this game/program?

d. How to I go elsewhere?

2) Fly: The ability to fly since there are no apparent vehicles in this world.

3) Snapshot: Take a photo of the scenery/make a screenshot to your hard drive, and can be viewed in your inventory

4) Search: Look for social groups from various different subjects. These groups include anything from politics to entertainment to sex.

5) Build: I have not been able to access this feature yet, but I am assuming that you obtain a job skill that requires you to build a dwelling structure.

6) Map: Self-explanatory

7) Mini-Map: Map’s default area in on the top right portion of the users screen

8) Inventory: Shows the type and amount of things the user has in his or her possession.

Right clicking on ones avatar brings up a circular menu with a list of options:

1) Go: Makes use of the mouse’s capabilities to move the avatar, similar to the arrow keys

2) Groups: Friends or groups to which your avatar belongs to/interacts with, sort of like a buddy-list

3) Profile: Avatars profile information. Information here can be altered so that other avatars can know about you/your avatar’s interests and pictures may be uploaded as well.

4) Appearance: change the appearance of your avatar by changing its body parts and shapes as well as clothing. A lot of time can be used tweaking the appearance and it seems to have an infinite amount of possibilities.

5) Take Off: The ability to take off clothing articles and to detach the avatar’s limbs

6) Gestures: sounds and speeches that ones avatar can use, ranging from a blow kiss, a chuckle, and sticking out the tongue.

7) Friends: Same menu that the groups tab is in.

8) Stand Up/Sit Down: The avatar can sit on and get up of the seat. If for instance a piano is sat upon, the avatar has a choice of whether to play it.

Monday January 26, 2009

Today I continued to figure out how to change my appearance. However with a slower computer, the changes and the program itself is responding very slowly. I was playing with the Search button and I was teleported to another place in the program. I am now in the Adam n Eve channel. I am trying to get back on Help Island but nobody is able to help me here. I am trying to use the search function to get back and learn more about the basics of this program. I was able to teleport back to help island using the search function. I tried getting a job but it is confusing. I have to register with programs in second life through my internet browser. I am not too sure if it is exactly safe to sign up for these sites, as it seems like a third party application. I applied for the application for earn2life.com I am using a HUD and I assume that the program will grant me offers to earn money in Second Life. So far, I have made $1 by clicking on a referral program. The HUD that I have is quite confusing. I have to delve more into the “job” market and figure the easiest/more sensible way to earn money through Second Life.

Friday January 30, 2009

I encountered a warning that I was in a restricted area either in the game or in the system, but I do not know which. I did not know how I entered the restricted area, as the game must have glitches because I went into a solid wall. I was told to leave the area within 15 seconds but I did not know how. I was “force” out of the area. It seems that I am able to fly and enter buildings without the use of doors. I do think that it is a system loading error. I tried to do the same with natural land features such as mountains but with no luck. I notice with a slower computer that when teleporting to another “world” or area, the building loads in sections, sometimes spawning me into places that I am not allowed in. I am currently in Rebelz Xtreme, a nightclub. I notice in order to communicate with the controls of the area (e.g., dancing) you have to choose a style of dancing, like an earlier incident where I was able to use an elevator (even though I can fly). I was walking around and dancing, another user somehow whipped my avatar and sexual moaning started blaring from my speakers! It was quite embarrassing as I am doing this research in a family house. Anyway, as I walk around the club I see avatars making out, and another one doing a type of strip tease. My controls seemed not to communicate well with my avatar as sometimes my avatar continues to walk without my discretion. I teleported to another place, a clothing store, that I found using the search button. The place is the Bape Media Center. The store itself mocks its real life counterpart (The Bape Store) almost identically. I personally am a fan of this clothing line and I think that I need to make money in SL so I can purchase clothing from this store as I want my avatar to look as good as I do! I guess the more in-depth you go in this game, more and more you need a job in order to make money and indeed live a second life.

Monday February 2, 2009

Virtual Ability Island is more like its own continent; the area is very huge. I went to the Orientation Center first. I followed some instructions and discovered some abilities such as jumping (page-up or e key) and crouching (page-down or c key). I then practiced chatting with Bob the Chatting Monkey. Bob is an AI built into the game to answer questions that the user may have. It is a decent application as it engaged in a full conversation with me. However, when I asked it for money it would refuse to give me any. This is the first place that first-time users should go to in order to figure out the basics of SL. Unfortunately, this area was not known to me when I first started, but it is a learning experience both on and off this area. This area is great, I went to the area where they show how to change the appearance of your avatar and they have options for clothing and accessories that you do not have to buy! It is like a gift shop, they have all types of clothing for any occasion varying from t-shirts to tuxedos to a wolf-suit. Yes an actual wolf-suit. After that area, they have other starter gifts such as furniture, plants gadgets, buildings and even more clothing to give you more possibilities in SL. Oh I even picked up an X-Men style wheelchair, I don’t know if I’ll use it, but it was free so I got it.

Wednesday February 11, 2009

Logging on to SL, I noticed that they offer services for Valentines Day. It is odd to me that this company and its members take their actions in SL as they would in the real world. There was not much more I could do on Virtual Ability Island so I travelled to Games Garden. I want to experience how to play games in SL; however, I was not able to find any games there. I asked the people around and they said that there were not any games there. I then travelled to Aazy’s Palace, a place ranked top in the search button for gaming. I should have gone here first. Aazy’s Palace is terrible. You have to pay to play most of the games, and the ones that are free, do not really work. This has the player play games in the third person, and players are unable to see the lettering on the boards of the machines. This place is a rip-off. All I wanted to do was play a little bit of checkers or chess, but there is not anyone here to play me. I travelled to Hawaii and went to Tiki Lounge and Tiki Tattoo. The description of the place is more of a culmination of all Polynesia rather than just Hawaii itself. The site looks like that TV show Survivor. There were only a few people here, and I have tried communicating with them but they spoke Spanish. Today was not really a productive day in SL. Hopefully my next entry would become more useful.

Friday February 19, 2009

I chose to leave a group named Rebelz Xtreme because they have been sending me many emails, which were annoying. Today I started my adventure by searching movies. I ended up with a few results, some of which were X-rated, but I opted for the drive-in theatre. The place is called Amity Island (a play on a movie named Amityville) and the theatre is named Second Cinema. There are vending machines that dispense beer, soft drinks, snacks and popcorn. I chose to have a Heineken. I tried to figure out how to drink it; however, by attaching it to my hand I am wearing it as if it was a watch. I had no idea that I was able to watch an actual movie! I began watching ‘National Lampoon’s Vacation,’ the one that they go to Wally World. I stopped watching the film because the display was small and I did not want to spend my day watching this movie. Adjacent to the drive-in is a retro 50’s style diner. Right next to the drive-in is an actual movie theatre. I did not bother seeing what was playing; I assume it was the same movie. Adjacent to that is a horror museum with pictures of monsters and special effects, like fog. They have a shop that contains many freebies (clothes, skins, hair, tattoos, etc.) for both men and women. Lastly, they have a vintage/retro store with items that you can purchase for you to wear or put in your house (assuming you have a job in SL and bought property).

Wednesday February 25, 2009

I left my Adam & Eve group because their updates were getting annoying. I joined the Avatar Psychology Group, which Dr. James instructed me to do so. I am now the third member of this group! I teleported to Brodie’s Ranch because I wanted to see some musical instruments and a music studio so I could play some music. It was funny that when I arrived, it is an actual ranch with a bull in the pen named Black Bart. I was able to ride the bull, but only lasted 6.3 seconds. The buildings/houses resemble homes built in the countryside, almost country music-like with bullhorns on the walls with fireplaces. I found the studio in the basement, the walls have posters of musicians and there was a big flat-screen television hanging on the wall. In order for me to use the studio, I needed to pay L$1000, which I do not have. My balance is still only L$1. I then decided to explore the rest of the town. It was as if I was in the Wild West, the buildings designs are like those of that era, the fashion and the activities are more country-like. This was too “Country” for me. Fortunately, there were a few modern buildings, some with a boxing bag and other amenities.

Thursday March 5, 2009

Dr. James had given me the following instructions:

First with your Web browser, explore the new SL search database at sloog.org See how it works. It is neat and useful. Uses the tags that people assign to places they go to in SL.

Next use this slurl with your Web browser to teleport in world to the UH Student Union in SL (have your SL browser going). When you teleport there you will find instructions on how to get sloog for your avatar so you can go around using it and tagging the places you see. It will automatically be added to the database on the Web, and you will be able to see there from the Search at sloog.org

Here is the slurl for the in-world UH Student Union place:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Infotainment%20Island/94/30/31

Once you've got it, start using it by taking the places and avatars you see. Write in your journal how all this comes out with you.

The tagging of these areas are places for other users to find that either have a similar interest in the areas functionality and/or item descriptions. At first, I typed in ‘Mexico’ and got a result of a place with a Mayan/Aztec temple in the picture. I travelled there and rode on a butterfly for an audio tour about ancient Mexico and its people. After that was over, I followed my instructions to find and teleport to LIS Student Union. I flew around the area looking for a help section but I could only find a library. I joined the sloog group through the search function. I ran into a person named ’50 Winx’ and they too were trying to figure out how to get sloog for their HUD, and they have been trying for a few weeks. I then used the search function at the sloog website and found the F.A.Q. (frequently asked questions) link. It directed me to Mosi-Mosi offices, here are the instructions:

Go in-world to Mosi-Mosi offices and find the Sloog stand, just click on it to request a copy. A notecard will be given to you with some information on how to use it, and a pop-up dialog will appear offering you the Sloog HUD. Just accept, find the Sloog HUD in your inventory (it’s named “Sloog HUD version XX”, where XX can be any number), right click it and choose “Wear”. Alternatively, you can choose “Attach to HUD/Whatever” to place the user interface somewhere else in your screen.

The place (Mosi-Mosi) was a weird one. The landscape was landless; a lake of purple water, and it had a big dome that housed the HUD. I followed the instructions and went back to the UH area but I had no response in the use of the sloog HUD. After about 20 minutes playing around with it, I decided to quit because it was frustrating me that I could not get it to work. I hope that I will have better luck in figuring it out by next update.

Thursday March 12, 2009

Yesterday, I finished watching an episode of the new ‘Knight Rider’ series. They made mention of Second Life as one of the characters’ recreational activities, and that he had an avatar with the car, K.I.T.T., somewhere in-game. I then set out to find a few more television shows that made mention or used second life in an episode. I came across the show ‘Big Brother,’ in where they choose contestants in SL and have them in an online version of the show. Another show that I came across with a SL reference was Crime Scene Investigators (CSI), where they have done two episodes around the death of a SL user. After these findings, I set out to find out about these particular shows in SL.

I searched for ‘Knight Rider’ but only came with fan groups, there was no results anywhere for the alleged avatar and car. I then set out for a search for ‘Big Brother’ and got a result of another group. The group was small; only three people were signed up for them. I was not intrigued to sign up for that group, as I like to teleport to different places and explore them. Lastly, I search for CSI and there was an actual place! I teleported there but the area was weird. The area is a flying scaffold with tunnels and platforms that lead in a big square, somewhat reminiscent of some international space stations that are in movies. Each platform contains a mini homage to some episodes (e.g., The Zodiac Killer) or some aspect of the show (the ballistics machine). The weird thing about this place is that they had a Stargate (A prop from a movie that has little or no correlation to the actual show). I tagged a few items there using sloog. Surprisingly, they had a dance studio on the rooftop.

Thursday March 19, 2009

Today’s adventure in SL begins with a program update. The update is supposed to fix bugs and glitches in game. I am not sure how it will affect my experience because my computer barely qualifies for the minimum system requirements for SL. I began to think to myself, “Are there places that have adult material?” I know the internet is the most powerful tool for finding such things but I wanted to see if they had any in SL. I started at SUNLAND Italian nude beach. There were avatars having sex and many different settings in which to have it. I explored the area more and there was a castle with restricted access. I tagged the places with sloog, but I forgot which names I gave it. I also went to another place, a strip bar, but no one was available. I tagged the area with the areas scenery. I decided to go to the Nike store to see if they had any nice pairs of shoes in SL. In reality, shoe collecting is one of my hobbies, and I wanted to see if they had what we call “heat” (very eye-catching and sometimes rare and exclusive shoes). Unfortunately, they only have two types of shoes, one for men and one for women, but they do come in many different colors. I then went to a club where I could earn money sitting down, so I decided to try it out. Unfortunately, I didn’t see how long I was to sit there because another avatar was blocking the text. I sat there for about 20 minutes, and then I decided enough was enough. As I got up, I saw that the text said 60 minutes. That is too long to stay in one area for $1 in SL. I tagged the area (Free money, club, dance, camping, skins, and advertisement) with sloog. I stopped for the day as I have been playing for 2 hours now.

Thursday March 26, 2009

Today is another attempt to gain money in Second Life. I am still in the last area that I reported last week, and I found an application called Camp Ma$ter, which pays out L$1 per every half-hour that you are within 90 meters from the machine. Another one is called Camp Ma$ter 2.0, which pays L$1 every 25 minutes, but I have to answer a question every time. I logged into the two machines just to see if I could gain money faster. I figure that it would be a good time for me to change the appearance of my avatar. I chose to upgrade my wardrobe to a nice black suit. I clicked on a computer in-game, which led me to this webpage:

http://job-island.com/?name=Keala%20Kamala&info=9e94771b-8482-48da-897d-40b348c8d83f_77f44248-bfa1-4db8-8f6b-d246148c9cb4

It gave me one free L$1, and offered me to sign up for real life offers so that I could earn more money in SL. I refused to join these websites because I do not want spam in my email and I do not want to give my personal information to these websites, as they do not look too credible. As I was earning money and looking online, my SL program crashed and I restarted the program. To my surprise, I made L$3, so I now have a total of L$4. I think that earning money this way is a real waste of time and I don’t see why people would play this program to do those things, especially getting a job in SL. I would rather make money in real life. Update: I played again later on today, and made a little more money in the same place, doing the same things. I now have L$11.

Friday, April 3, 2009

One of the many interests people have is superheroes. I am a fan of Marvel Comics so I decided to look for a place that has these heroes, or costumes that resemble the heroes. The place named Mutant Lives. Upon discovering the costumes I liked, I noticed that there is virtually no way that I am going to be able to afford them. The cheapest costume, Wolverine, that I wanted was L$1500. I then headed to Las Vegas for a strip club. You know, what ever happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas ha-ha-ha. Unfortunately, the place was empty. There was a club Rehab-X, which is supposed to resemble the actual Rehab pool party at the Hard Rock Café in real Las Vegas. This session was turning into a real disappointment, as I have not found anything interesting and worth tagging. I still felt a bit like a bad-boy so I decided to search for a place with racing. The top result was “CARDUCCI Guns Weapons Motorcycles Cars Bikes Combat Bikers” to which I though would be amusing. Unfortunately, like most things in Second Life, you need a lot of money in order to obtain material things unless they are free. I tagged the area with sloog as “Bikes, Bikers, guns and ammo.” Each time I play SL, I feel as if I do in real life with the money problem. Every activity that I have had interests in, require a lot of money to do. I also went to Sleek Beach Club to mingle with some other SL users. I am trying to gain a lot of interaction with people, but the places that I’ve been to do not as if newbie’s interacting with them. Sadly, today’s journey ended with me exercising within Sleek because I wanted to see the actions that my avatar did through various workouts.

Thursday April 9, 2009

Today’s quest started with searching for Japan. I scrolled down and saw ‘Japan Resort.’ The place sounded interesting, but it was empty. The island is in the shape of a starfish, which was the only interesting thing there. I then went to Tahiti, and tagged it with sloog using the following words: “Tahiti, Bora Bora, Free stuff, nothingness.” I was able to get some free clothing, skins, shoes, and hair. I then edited my appearance using my newfound attire. I search for Hawaii, and my first result was ‘Hawaii Kai.’ The houses mimic those that are on/near the lagoon in reality. I went into this person’s home and they were upset that I was in there. I didn’t care because it’s not as they could do something about it. I started to dance towards the person and they were getting upset. I bugged the hell out of that person that they left their own home. It was time to explore another area, maybe one that could be of interest I went to Fort Sierra Military Base to see if there is any military action in this place. I was trying to find a job as an assassin, but I could not find the person I needed to see in order to do so. After 15 minutes of trying, I gave up and decided to call it a day.

Thursday April 16, 2009

Today’s episode begins with a search for Gotham City. I got the idea while watching cartoon network. In Gotham, I find that the area is for RP (role-playing) users. I interacted with some of the DC Comics Villains such as Bane and the Riddler. They both explained to me the purpose of Gotham and the concept of RP. It is when they are voted into and committed to their roles in Second Life. These characters get together and come up with different scenarios. They then explain and their character would/could do in such situations. They build a story, more of an episode, to the legacy that is Batman and Gotham City. I looked around for the bat cave but I was unsuccessful. Gotham was full of detail, and my computer could not handle/render those graphics smoothly which resulted in my avatar freezing and jumping around the screen.

I then travelled back to where my Second Life journey first started, Help Island. Many things have changed in this world. First off, the Second Life Mentor is a cool looking dinosaur and there are users there that are better dress than those when I first started. They added a new area called “Freebies” where they provide alternative clothing, outfits and transportation to first-time users. Help Island now has a concept of time (day and night) and has many users that like to share their experiences. I had a conversation with someone named Jade, and she was quite interested in my name. Nothing much came from that conversation, only details on the origins of my name.

Saturday April 25, 2009

I logged in to today’s session (re-spawned back to my last place, Help Island) with a bunch of people talking. I could actually hear conversations through my speakers. I was surprised that I had a HUD option for a job promoter. I wear the HUD and I gain $L 1 for everyone who clicks on my avatar. It gives me a better opportunity to make money and to meet new friends. I saw this alien thing, called ‘Digital God.’ I clicked on it because it had a chair icon above it (indicating that it can be sat on) and it deformed my avatar. There was one user, sly Chrome, who hassled me for trying to ride it. I didn’t understand why this type of behavior would be condoned on Help Island. My avatar was ‘deformed’ due to a type of beam. Users instructed me to reboot the program to change myself back. I did so and all I got from everybody was more hassles. I continued to ask questions about the previous dilemma but everyone kept giving me stupid answers and belittled my intelligence on Second Life. I then found out the reason why I been attacked. The thing I tried to sit on was actually an avatar. The avatar retaliated against me for doing something to his avatar. I also saw a 50-foot Minotaur walking around Help Island. I wondered how that user was able to get that costume. I then tried to change my appearance with some new gear but my avatar bugged out. My hair and clothing were messed up and my avatar kept switching outfits automatically. I tried to change them back and had only partial success. My clothes were back to normal but my head was bald and I could not edit it. I went back to the Flashbacks club to earn more money but I could not find my membership to attach to my HUD. I was unable to regain my membership by rejoining the group but the program would not allow me to do so. I was told that I cant register for a group that I’m already registered for. I did not cancel my membership either. After an hour of trying to figure out the problem, I decided to call it a day. I will upload this file to my website and do the self witnessing report for this entry tomorrow because I am too frustrated to work on this right now. I need a stronger computer to enjoy this program (as I have been saying for a while now).

Wednesday April 29, 2009

Today’s adventure starts with a search for Brazil. I went into the region only to find it bare and almost empty. There was a cabin there but nothing exciting. I tagged it with the terms ‘nothingness, empty, Brazil.’ I entered Los Angeles with the same results. I then tried for New York City. I took a taxi cab ride throughout the city. A simulation operated the cab, where it would tell me a bunch of facts about the city in SL. There were many people, the most I have seen through my experiences with SL. They have memorials to the World Trade Center and the fire station that assisted in the rescuing of some people. I was informed of the shops that they had and other tours they offer, including one to the statue of liberty. My taxi drove past a freebie store, and that is where I got out. I like to get stuff that is free and practical for me to use within this game. I’m sure that those who enjoy this game for fun will agree with me that holding down a job in Second Life is very non-productive because I think it takes the fun out of being in another life. However, some will disagree with me by saying that they do a job in Second Life that they cannot or would not be doing in real life. Anyway, back on track, I received a bunch of stuff such as clothing, a BMX bike, some new skins, and some accessories such as a Tiki bar. I took a stroll through central park and found a dance club/room in the middle of the park. I observed the scene for a while and all people seem to do is yell throughout their dancing. I found it very annoying so I left the area. I dug through a trashcan because the trashcan whispered to me. I am not crazy, there was an option that I could do so because the trashcan ‘spoke’ to me with a message. I thought it was hilarious.

Friday May 8, 2009

The search for something different was at hand today. I search for ‘Tokyo’ and my first hit was the Panda Mart. The mini-map displayed many people here, and the description of the place said that there would be many ways to win free $L. They have game machines that bear the name “Wyld.” I tried to understand the game but it does not make sense to me. I tried it a few times, still with no understanding of these games. I’m wondering why they don’t have any real games here. I stopped playing after 20 minutes. Next, I headed to LIS Career Fair and Library Fair as Dr. James had instructed me. There were roughly around 20 avatars dancing and I joined in the fun. I asked around if anyone knew who Dr. James was, and what the purpose of the career fair. I got only one answer as everyone were focusing on dancing and having a good time.

Monday May 11, 2009

I started the day with a search for a comedy club. There was nobody in that area, but there were people across different parts of that land. I went to a boutique that sold skins, clothing and other things for your avatar. I noticed that there were a lot of skins for naked ladies and some for naked men. I have yet to get deep into the Second Life community to fully understand the psychology of why people want to dress themselves up or pretend to look a certain way. I bought some demo skins to understand its purpose. I tried both male and female skins to see the changes to my male avatar. The things that change are the skin tones and the definition of the body. Your avatar’s face doesn’t change much, unless you use the skin of the opposite sex. My avatar bore makeup and a more feminine look when I use the female skin. The changes can truly be seen only when your avatar is naked, and all demo skins have the words “demo” throughout said skins. I changed my avatar back into its original skin and put my clothes back on. My last journey, in honor of the new movie, was a trip to Trek Works, a Star Trek store. I am not a fan of the series but I have seen many shows and I have seen many ads and previews regarding the movie so I figured that I would try a search in SL. There were vehicles and clothing for sale that are like those in the original series and (maybe) those that are in the movie.

Part 2: Self Witnessing Reports

Thursday April 16, 2009 4:15 PM

Episode 1: Gotham City, the Dark Knight’s domain.

1. Noticing: I notice that everywhere I teleport, there is not much people that area. I think that either I log into Second Life at the slowest times, or the domains I visit tend not have much people. I have always had the hope of being in a popular area with loads of people

2. Appraising: What made me first notice incident was the popularity of Batman and Gotham City. Furthermore, because Second Life is a worldwide game that has been around for quite some time now, I assumed that there would be many users over the years.

3. Value Attaching: I think that first time users would have a better understanding of Second Life if they could interact more with helpful people. I am surprised that many people are quick to judge someone as a n00b (meaning newbie) if they ask any questions. Although there were only about 4-5 people roaming around Gotham City, they were very helpful answering my questions about their city and what they do.

On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the greatest):

Worried what others would think: 3

Urgency: 7

Level of understanding: 9

Friendliness: 9

4. Intending: The intention that I am forming from this evaluation is the learning of a new world and the understanding of people in that area. I have the desire to make sure that I follow the rules and understand the way things are in that area. I do intend to comply with those rules, and help anyone who lacks the understanding (is a n00b) of said area.

5. Planning: I do not intend to do something about this any time soon. I do not have any strategy on how to proceed with doing so. I will however, maybe find a solution to this when I finaly upgrade my computer, or have a machine that is capable of running Second Life smoothly.

6. Executing: Basically I don’t know any hotkeys to make my experiences easier. I use only the arrow keys for movements and I look for freebies. I sometimes like to change my outfit to match the area. In the case of Gotham City, a suit was appropriate. I use the chat and search functions (along with my browser to view Second Life blogs) to find out new information and answers to my questions.

Saturday April 25, 2009 1:48 PM

Episode 2: The Digital God

1. Noticing: After re-spawning to my last location, I noticed a creature thing called “Digital God.’ It deformed my avatar and made it virtually impossible to change it back without rebooting the program. (More can be read about it from my log of this day)

2. Appraising: I saw a chair atop of the head of the “Digital God” and thought that it would be appropriate to ride it, not realizing or knowing that it was another avatar.

3. Value Attaching: Everyone that witnessed this action were name-calling and stating how much of a newbie I was. I didn’t understand such actions as I was in the place where all newbie’s first experience.

Embarrassing: 10

Urgency: 7

Humility: 9

Friendliness: 1

4. Intending: I want to never make the mistake to ride another avatar. It makes you look like a newbie and makes you look like an ass. It shows the rest of the SL community that you don’t know or don’t care about their rules.

5. Planning: I will read the note cards and be aware of my surroundings when I enter an area, whether foreign or visited.

6. Executing: I will read the names (if any) of the types of creatures I see. I will attempt a conversation in order to see if they are indeed another avatar or a part of the area that I have travelled.

Friday May 8, 2009 2:45 PM

Episode 3: Ignore My Question, Ignore Me

1. Noticing: When I went to the LIS career fair (as Dr. James had instructed me) and I saw where everyone was dancing.

2. Appraising: I asked questions regarding the career fair and if anyone knew Dr. James.

3. Value Attaching: Nobody responded to my question and continued dancing.

Embarrassing: 8

Friendliness: 4

Appreciativeness: 3

Being Valued: 3

4. Intending: Asking a group of people a question makes users feel less likely to answer that question. I will attempt to contact some individuals personally.

5. Planning: I will try and ask others through private messaging if anyone has the answer to my question.

6. Executing: The same way my plan describes is the way I will execute my plan.

Monday May 11, 2009 2:59 PM

Episode 4: The Last Journey (for Class)

1. Noticing: When I tried on a female skin on a man, the overall structure of the man stayed, and parts such as breasts took on a male structure.

2. Appraising: Different skin tones and types of skin will react different depending on how ones avatar is made.

3. Value Attaching: This was a mere experiment to see if and how an avatar would respond to the opposite sexes body types. My interest in this was due to an episode of CSI that I was watching at the same time I was playing Second Life. The episode dealt with a dead transvestite.

Urgency: 6

Awareness: 8

Helpfulness: 8

4. Intending: I intend not to place a woman’s body on a male structure. It makes the avatar look very odd and depending on the way one creates the body type of their avatar, the skins chosen to fit that avatar will determine how ones avatar adapts to it.

5. Planning: My plan is to make sure that certain body modifications are not to be on my avatar.

6. Executing: I intend to purge my inventory of junk that do not fit with my avatar and other things that are useless to me.

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