second life: imaging virtual place part1
DESCRIPTION
Part 1 of a presentation delivered in Gainesville, FL at the IMAGING PLACE conference February 2007TRANSCRIPT
Second Life:Imaging Virtual Place (part 1)
Richard Smyth, Ph.D.Invent-L Conference 2007: Imaging PlaceUniversity of Florida24 February 2007
Outline of Presentation
I. Mystory/History: How I Came Here/Returned Here
II. Deconstruction vs. “Reconstruction”: Metaphorical Concepts of Space and Topological Alternatives
III. Summary of Research Interests
Mystory/Choragraphy:Multidimensional Expression
wabi-sabi : wide image :: outline : argument
wabi-sabi has six parts: three each for tenor and vehicle of a metaphor
the “need to fill in each slot locates some dimensions of thought and feeling that you might have overlooked…” (Ulmer 2003, 277)
Time Line (1-D)
lphaetic
Literacy1100 B.C.E.
Printing Press1447 C.E.
Peter Ramus1515-1572
1820
1901
1927
1984
Time Square (2-D)
Time Cube (3-D)
Aest
heti
c
Temporal
Mne
mon
ic
Part I
Mystory/History:How I Came to Be Here/Return Here
10.5.06 (Temporal Axis)
Craig Freeman/JC Fremont introduces Smyth to Second Life
Abaris Brautigan is born
Abaris Brautigan as default avatar pictured camping at Mooaleo
10.12.06 (Aesthetic Axis)
Smyth/Brautigan quoted in slatenight.com Nomad Scholar finds home in SL
Abaris Brautigan (before he edited self) pictured here horning in on interview (Witte/Dena)
08.01.94 (Mnemonic Axis)
Under director Greg Ulmer, Smyth finishes dissertation “Renaissance Mnemonics, Poststructuralism, and the Rhetoric of Hypertext Composition”
He graduates from University of Florida (aka “The Florida School of Applied Grammatology”) with Ph.D. in English
8.27.94 (Mnemonic Axis)
Craig Saper confers his Bachelors Degree upon Smythin Florida School graduation ceremony that has yet tobecome a tradition.
10.19.06 (Temporal Axis)
Abaris creates Second Life group for electrate collaboration: the TGC
Access group info by double-clicking group name in profile.
TGC Group Insignia/Significance
Squares represent juxtaposed pixels Pixels = next generation of
juxtologic: multidimensional “Pixels are the movable type of the
future.” (Stafford 288)
colon = pointsANALOGIC
equal sign = linesLOGIC
? = squaresJUXTOLOGIC
How to Display Group Title
Right-click on avatar, select Groups, then select group in list for display and click ACTIVATE button
10.22.06 (Aesthetic Axis)
Abaris Brautigan edits his self-image at SL replica of Stonehenge
Right-click on avatar and choose “Appearance” to change self-image.
Spring 1997 (Mnemonic Axis)
Students read children’s allegory The Phantom Tollbooth as model for project
Assignment: students collaborate to build an allegorical, educational environment in a M.O.O. for a 5th grade class to experience
Students had to work out overall content and how each group would fit in and interconnect to the whole.
10.29.06 (Temporal Axis)
Abaris Brautigan works on electracy display at
Parvenu Towers (6th floor)
Residual literacy in the new medium: a book and a computer terminal with websites.
11.1.06 (Aesthetic Axis)
Stephanie Hermes/Tripp creates the FRE t-shirt
Abaris Brautigan never takes it off
11.6.06 (Aesthetic Axis)
Smyth submits late abstract to the Craigs Freeman/Saper
Informs Saper that his BA degree held hostage
As a result of this act of blackmail, Smyth’s abstract is accepted.
TMI (Mnemonic Axis)
5.19.84—married as sophomore 6.12.84—admitted to Smyth County
Hospital for mental breakdown during trip to NC
5/1994—Ulmer publishes review of Genetis: A Rhizography in PMC
6/1994—returns to NC to finish dissertation after wife leaves with children
Mapping These Points You Get…
Representation of a Klein Bottle, a 3-D version of a Moebius strip, immersed in 3-D space.
