Second Life - wimbledon

I must prefix this by saying - I do have friends, a family and proper real world interests.

That said - I have been exploring Second Life for a couple of days (my new MacBook runs the software so much better than my old Vaio) - and among some other interesting things I read about this: Second life at wimbledon on a blog kept by one of the IBM staffers.

I chatted to him (in Second Life - or SL) this evening (if you follow the above link he is in the picture on the left and looks like a Predator in SL). He describes himself as a metaverse evangelist, and I believe that is actually his job title at IBM (I kid you not). He also turned out to be a really nice guy who was only to happy to spend time talking to an idiot who was having trouble grasping the concept of what they were doing - despite the fact that he is basically a Predator.

Basically they have linked up Hawkeye (not the bloke from MASH, but the camera/software system that follows the trajectory of the ball) to a simulation in Second Life.

It doesn’t actually work brilliantly (not when I’ve been there anyway) - but it does work sometimes, and they are constantly developing it. You can even see a screen (in SL) displaying the control room in IBM where they are controlling the tennis/SL feed and their avatars in SL. It is, to put it mildly - a head fuck.

Below is a picture of my avatar hovering above the IBM Second Life representation of Wimbledon center court.

Written by exmonkey on June 29th, 2007 with 7 comments.
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7 comments

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gilesbooth
#1. June 29th, 2007, at 11:17 PM.

Help is at hand. (Quick I’ll distract him with a shiny new gizmo, and you stuff the tranquiliser jab in…)

Kojak
#2. June 30th, 2007, at 11:35 AM.

I see you’ve got hair in Second Life… Goth hair.

exmonkey
#3. June 30th, 2007, at 5:25 PM.

I may look like a Chelsea supporter - but inside I am a goth. Just as, I imagine, inside you are a Channel Five presenter.

gilesbooth
#4. June 30th, 2007, at 10:56 PM.

Listen mate, Bela Lugosi’s dead. Let it go.

Sigmund
#5. June 30th, 2007, at 11:33 PM.

That’s just plain “Five” to you, shoe gazer.

Day
#6. July 2nd, 2007, at 3:35 PM.

Interesting sentiment toward streaming video of people controlling SL (:

Ally
#7. July 19th, 2007, at 6:53 AM.

I had to stop playing second life after about twenty four hours - if I’d gone on I wouldn’t have actually had time to do all the things I need to do in my first life, I found it really addictive .