Mediaman Raratan

Evolutionary argument for why men are good at identifying cars

2010-03-03T19:03:00.000-08:00

Back in the day, the males of the tribe would go out and scout for food. If they could identify animals from far away, they could choose the best meals, and more importantly, know when to avoid predators. Hence, those males who did this best survived best.

Cars are like animals. Their shapes are distinctive, they move in unique ways, and some of them are predators. This is why men are more interested and generally better at identifying cars.

Just to allay some of the sexism denunciations, I'm not saying that identifying cars is a good or bad skill or that women shouldn't do it, I'm simply explaining the general disparity I've noticed between males and females re car identification.

My wife asks why women are better at identifying shoes and clothing. She's so sexist.

Analyzing Avatar: An ancient word, awesome movie, and advancing scientific reality.

2010-01-11T17:21:00.000-08:00

The movie Avatar is a sensational piece of entertainment, but it also offers a glimpse into real Communication research that will help us understand the impact of our current and future media landscape.

"Avatar" is 2000+ year old Sanskrit word which, in the religion of Hinduism, referred to the earthly (human) manifestation of a deity. This word entered modern use, referring to a person’s 3D representation on screen, in the 1985 online game Habitat (Castronova, 2002). However, the concept of an avatar as a highly malleable digital self-representation was not popularized until Stephenson's cyberpunk novel Snow Crash in the mid-nineties (Bailenson, Yee, Kim & Tecarro, 2008). Although the
concept has appeared repeatedly in literature, games, and movies since
before the word “avatar” became popular (e.g., Gibson's Neuromancer), the term has since expanded to include a variety of alternate embodied forms, from persistent virtual manifestations (e.g., Wachowskis' The Matrix), to robots (e.g., Rucker's Ware Trilogy), to biological beings (e.g., Morgan's Altered Carbon).

James Cameron's recently-released blockbuster hit, Avatar, follows in the line of this genre, telling the story of a character who transports his mind from one body to another, thereby immersing himself within a new environment. Although this sci-fi tale is wrought with beyond-our-grandkids’-lifetimes technology, there is an accessible reality to the avatars in Avatar. Researchers in the field of Communication have been studying this concept for over a decade, often using such sci-fi tales as a guide to important research questions (Bailenson, Yee, Kim & Tecarro, 2008). They have developed two relevant theoretical concepts, self-presence and physical presence, which can be examined within the context of the movie Avatar.

Self-presence essentially means embodiment in an alternate self, while physical presence essentially means immersion in an alternate environment. Avatar offers layers of self-presence and physical presence within both the story-line and the viewing experience.

The movie itself induces a high level of physical presence. Cameron's innovative 3D technique propels the images off the screen and into your lap (usually without abusing your startle reflex). Why go to Pandora when the flora and fauna come to you?

Further, the digitally-rendered and physically-filmed actors and objects are integrated seamlessly, at least to my untrained eye. Although I have never seen blue humanoids jumping from trees while shooting arrows, these actions are consistent with my visual expectations and thereby induce a feeling of physical presence. This effect is especially impressive on the non-human (Navi) actor's faces, who express emotion naturally without breaching the uncanny valley (note: this probably relates to social presence as well, but I won't get into that here).

Of course, the viewer's experience of physical presence is nothing compared to that of the human characters who transport their human minds into the Navi bodies (avatars). From a distant MRI-like chamber, they experience complete self-presence within this body and physical presence within the surrounding (often hostile) environment.

And the significance of these experiences extends beyond those moments during which they are connected to their avatars. After a few months of spending his daytime hours in his avatar, Jake Sully returns to his human body and narrates, "Everything is backwards now, like out there is real life and in here is the dream... I don't know who I am anymore." His frame of self-reference changes not only because of the technological experiences of self-presence and physical presence, but also because his (plot-driven) emotional experiences within the avatar are more valuable to him than those within his human body.

Going further, he realizes that all life forms on the planet (Pandora) are interconnected. This explains why the Navi can plug into the horses and flying banchees and then control these animals with their minds. This can be considered partial self-presence because the Navi are extending themselves into another body but are also in control of their own body. But it still represents a very high level of self-presence compared to the current video game character that we control with buttons and pointers.

And finally, after death, each living being's memories are reintegrated into the tree of souls. The substance of spirituality experiences a form of metaphysical presence within all life.

Although this last point is a bit of a stretch, all the other examples are clearly connected to the current theories of self-presence and physical presence. The scholars who develop these theories (including me) use current media technologies, such as video games, to examine whether the theories describe how people really use media. We send surveys to everyday players, run experiments in which people use mediated self-representations within virtual environments, and record various types of data, from behavioral metrics (e.g. how people interact with others in a game) to physiological information (e.g., heart rate, brain activity).

One goal for this research is to determine how to develop media that can induce the greatest levels of self-presence and physical presence. Another is to determine what effects these experiences have on users regarding learning, socialization, and health-related outcomes. If Jake Sully had not fully experienced self-presence or physical presence, would he have still been motivated to fight for the Navi against their militaristic oppressors? If a teenager plays an online game that induces a high level of self-presence or physical presence, is she more likely to build closer relationships with the friends she makes in the game? Do self-presence or physical presence improve the amount of math or science that students learn when they play
educational games? Do such experiences during exercise games compel players to exercise more frequently?

These are the types of questions that Communication scholars aim to answer through their research on self-presence, physical presence, and numerous other experiences during interactive media use. Although the movie Avatar is set far in the future, it highlights the importance of these questions in today’s media environments. Over 2000 years since the word “avatar” was coined, the concept has become an important
aspect of our real and virtual lives.

Rabindra (Robby) Ratan is a PhD Candidate at USC’s Annenberg School for Communication. As part of his dissertation work, he maintains www.self-presence.com.

References:
Bailenson, J.N., Yee, N., Kim, A., & Tecarro, J (2008, in press).
Sciencepunk: The influence of informed science fiction on virtual
reality research. In, Margret Grebowicz, ed. The Joy of SF: Essays in
Science and Technology Studies. Open Court Publishing

Castronova, E. (2002). On virtual economies. CESifo Working Paper
Series No. 752. http://ssrn.com/abstract=338500

My new webicenter

2009-12-12T01:43:00.000-08:00

My sporadic postings on here are rarely on a topic that is consistent with my self-proclaimed media-man-ness. However, today I would like to shout to the world about how happy I am with my new webicenter, i.e., website. I used google sites, and it was sooooo easy compared to teaching myself how to fumble through a wysi(sometimes)wyg editor (been using komposer). Throughout the process, I found myself proclaiming aloud, numerous times, "I f-in love google!!" My wife knows about my google-rocks-the-world attitude, but she still gave me funny looks.

Anyway, my personal site (www.robbyratan.com) and the site dedicated to my dissertation research topic (www.self-presence.com) no longer look like I converted word docs to html and then pooped on them. Yay!

Are there subatomic particles in my head?

2009-09-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

The brain is (much much much)^1000ish faster/more powerful than our current computers. As computing technology advances, the size of the computational units shrink, thus allowing computers to be put into smaller and smaller devices. In order to reach the brain’s speed/computational power at a size that could fit in a human head, a computer would need to conduct computations at a (very very very)^2000ish small unit. Subatomic?

Are human brains like quantum computers?

Really small things - subatomic particles - are integral to the fabric of space/time and may also be to human consciousness. Perhaps this explains why quantum physics seems to match well with various “occult” phenomena - when the brain seems to transcend space/time (e.g., telepathy, out-of-body experiences, etc.).

Alas, we don’t have the measurement tools that would show us how this works. The tools that do exist (I think) are used for physics research to develop an understanding of our universe. They are pointed at space and particle colliders. Hopefully, someone will refine these tools and then point them at brains. This research - a convergence between physics and psychology/neuroscience/communication - may facilitate an understanding of the connection between human consciousness and quantum mechanics, or even an (unseen) connection between humans.

While I would love to contribute a communication psych perspective to such an endeavor, this type of research probably won't happen for a (very very very)^3000ish long time. I guess I should just focus on my dissertation.

Dissertation Prospectus Defense

2009-05-14T22:32:00.000-07:00

BORING ALERT, BORING ALERT - this posting is BORING, meant mostly to serve as a bookmark for this milestone and a (public) record of my thinking at this time. Only big nerds should read on.

Today I defended my dissertation prospectus and was given the green light to move ahead (though I already have some pilot data that supports my theoretical framework of self-presence). My prospectus outlines my plan to develop and validate the Self-Presence Questionnaire (SPQ). This will involve a survey-based study and a few experiments. My committee was supportive and gave me great guidance. The most important points are as follows:

1. Don't just validate the SPQ and theory, examine the effects of self-presence. I had planned to do this, but they want more emphasis on the latter.

2. Self-presence is not likely to influence cognitive load and learning (I was possibly going to focus on these points), so consider other effects. There are two on the table, health-related behavior and interpersonal relationships. The former is a hot topic - Exergaming - but I have more experience with the latter. Also, my pilot data suggests a relationship between self-presence and social presence, which bodes well for an inquiry into the latter. Maybe I'll try to combine these and look at social exergaming!

3. Most importantly, I need to articulate why I care about self-presence and why it matters. I need to show my passion for developing an understanding of how people are extended into their virtual self-representations. Is it because I think the concept of the modern cyborg is cool? I do ruv technology. Is it because I think that this phenomenon is integral to our relationships with technology and thus can be utilized to guide the development of better tools? Sounds good to me. Can self-presence be used to promote world peace and unity? Possibly, but it's a stretch. So is this blog posting.

End boring transmission.

If you made it this far and would like to become unbored, you can watch this short film called Validation. I promise it has nothing to do with statistics.

Finalist for favorite TA

2009-05-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

The Annenberg student body recent voted for favorite prof, TA and staffer. I was a finalist! I guess all the bribery paid off.

Here's the announcement:

ASCA announces its favorite professor, TA and staff person

The Annenberg Student Communication Association held its annual Favorite Professor, TA and Staff Person Awards Banquet on April 23 in the Annenberg West Wing Lobby. Nearly 300 undergraduate Communication students voted for this year's favorites.

This year's Favorite Professor was Stacy Smith. Ken Sereno and Josh Kun were Favorite Professor Finalists. Favorite TA honors went to Richard Lawrence. Finalists were Robby Ratan and D. Travers Scott. Favorite Staff Person was Maryann Wu. Finalists were Annie Mateen and Sarah Holdren.

El Cholo donated food for the event. The funds ASCA gathered from donations, along with the money that would have paid for the Mexican delicacies from El Cholo, was donated to Troy Camp-- a student run philanthropy that holds a summer camp and mentorship program for underprivileged children in the LA community. The event raised almost $650.

Evolutionary theory of masturbation

2009-05-02T13:59:00.000-07:00

I read this article for my qualifying exams:

Malamuth, N. (1996). Sexually explicit media, gender differences, and evolutionary theory. Journal of Communication, 46, 8-31.

and it explains why males and females prefer different types of sexually explicit media based on reasoning from evolutionary psychology. However, there is no explanation for why people like such media in the first place.

Given that people respond to mediated events as if those events were happening right then and there (Reeves and Nass, 1996), human predilection for consuming sexually explicit and then masturbating would seem to imply that we have evolved to enjoy watching other people have sex (in person!!).

That's just weird!

But actually it makes sense. 5,000 generations ago, our human ancestors lived in much smaller groups where the female to male ratios were more likely to be unbalanced. Also, they lived in places like caves and small huts that probably encouraged many people to sleep close together (safety from predators).

When Ugh and Narph are 5 feet away having sex before going to sleep, there's not much Drarg can do to avoid thinking about it. Drarg has no mate and would certainly prefer to be the one inseminating Narph, but he doesn't want to fight with Ugh, the best spear hunter in their tribe. What's a horny homosapien to do? DIY!

In other words, masturbation, prompted by the observation of fellow humans having sex, contributed to the survival of the group.

Then why the culturally evolved pressure to keep the topic of masturbation quiet and out of our hands? ;)

Well, I would argue that because we now live in much larger groups, female to male ratios are more likely to be balanced. Even in places where it isn't, we live in a globally connected transportation and communication network (think mail order brides). Thus, masturbation has lost it's function as a group maintenance tool. Instead, it just represents the wasted potential for procreation.

Although we have recently developed a global awareness of the over-population problem on our planet, there are many social institutions that seem to always encourage making more babies (e.g., Catholic Church) and thus discourage masturbation. This more-people-more-good tenet makes sense because it allows the given social institution to win more members (and wars). But I'm starting to digress.

Fundamental points:
1. The biologically evolved reason for masturbating while watching others have sex is group maintenance.
2. This biological mechanism no longer increases survival likelihood because we now live in large groups, but people are still biologically driven to watch porn and masturbate.
3. The more-people-more-good tenet was the underlying motivation for discouraging masturbation culturally.
4. Given that the more-people-more-good tenet is being called into question by our global overpopulation problem, perhaps masturbation should be openly encouraged once again as a means of ensuring human survival.

Note: the argument in #4 above can be applied to many politically sensitive topics, e.g., gay marriage, abortion, drug legalization. Please use only in appropriate circumstances ...which are likely to be quite rare.

A 1988 take on Mario

2009-04-15T10:56:00.000-07:00

I was there, but not aware.

Favorite line:
"Have you heard of Nintendo?"
"No, who is he?"

Finally Dissertating

2009-01-28T12:46:00.001-08:00

I passed my quals, and now I am A Big Dork (ABD).

Being A Big Dork means that I need to start working on my dissertation. The main focus will be my four-level framework of self-presence based on Damasio's 3-level conception of the self plus one level I added on my own. Here are the basics:

Proto Self-Presence: The extent to which a media tool is accepted as a familiar and stable augmentation of an individual's body schema.

Core Self-Presence: The extent to which mediated interactions cause emotional responses in individuals.

Extended Self-Presence: The extent to which individuals' mediated interactions are held in memory and thus influence their mediated identity.

Network Self-Presence: The extent to which individuals’ mediated identity is influenced by some mediated social network.

Now to turn this into a theory paper and submit it to a conference on Virtual Worlds (FaVE). I'm not sure I'm really ready to do this, but I'd like to go to Berlin this summer. :)

Intro to question about self and identity in CMC and Virtual Environment research

2008-12-06T10:47:00.000-08:00

I like this intro, now I have to write the essay...

Although the fields of Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) and Virtual Environment (VE) research examine many similar concepts, their theoretical foundations and methodological approaches are often quite disparate. Arguably, there is a need for convergence between these fields because the media of CMC increasingly resemble VEs. The current paper addresses one area in which such a convergence is possible, the study of the self within mediated experiences. Broadly, CMC research treats the “self” as a complex formulation of identity, be it accurate or imagined. Alternatively, most VE research treats the self primarily as a physical entity, focusing on its sensory and motor connections to the VE. Drawing from research in both fields, a theoretical framework of self-presence is offered that has the potential to facilitate a confluence of CMC and VE theory and methodology. Specifically, this framework incorporates the complexity of CMC’s approach to identity as well as the neurophysiologically-grounded approach to the experience of self. Within the scope of this framework, a discussion of potential effects of current changes in our media landscape leads to a series of research questions that could provide insight into such effects.

Your face: A new measure of video game effects

2008-12-03T08:21:00.000-08:00

This article about the Immersion Project describes a research dataset (also art collection) that is comprised of images of children's faces as they play videogames of varying violence. The article describes the project better than I can, but the takeaway point for me is that this is a creative measure of video game effects. If such facial expressions can be reliably (and automatically) coded by Ekman's Facial Action Coding System (FACS), maybe I can include a similar measure in my explorations of self-presence. Of course, psychophysiology has been wise to facial EMG measures to determine emotional valence for quite some time. But perhaps the FACS provides for a greater range of interpretations (i.e., not just positive/negative valence, but specification of the emotion). This is something to think about when I dig in for the dissertation, but right now I need to return to thinking about my quals (starting on Friday!!).

Here's the vid from the Immersion Project website:

...that is the question

2008-10-25T10:50:00.000-07:00

TO BE
to blog post
to twitter
to update facebook status
to post a youtube video
to put up a picasa album
to yelp a bizznass
to review this seller
to review that product
to C-list missed connections (or casual encounters ;)
to send spam
to extend information tendrils into your environment

or NOT TO BE
to watch tv
to listen to radio
to read the paper
to sit on the sidewalk and watch the world go by

Raratan's projects (still does not include crack)

2008-03-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

I just decided to link to Mediaman Raratan from my wedding blog, so perhaps I should post something new here. The Mediaman Raratan blog is vaguely focused on things that are directly or indirectly related to my research interests. Taking a step back, I'd like to list all of the many projects that are currently piled-high upon my plate:

Everquest 2 Projects: various projects (I'm involved in at least 3) that draw from a large dataset on EQ2 and examine relevant theories (e.g., Flow, Social Capital, Economics). This is why I've been playing EQ2. I'm at level 27 now!!

SIDE effects of Being a Gaymer: Surveys of gay and straight gamers about their gaming habits, feelings of community (online and offline) and self-reported willingness to stand up against homophobia while gaming - analysis based on SIDE theory.

Male Bodies in Video Games Project: a comparison of body dimensions between male video game characters and a military sample of men from 1988.

Communication and Psychophysiology - Class project: Putting together a brief survey of Communication research that has utilized psychophysiological methods.

Taxonomy of Media Use: Analysis of 10 years of Communication journals to create a taxonomy of media use. This paper is 100+ pages and I've been struggling with it for quite awhile now. Too long to be a paper, too short for a book.

VHIL Second Life study: The VHIL lab at Stanford is conducting a ground-breaking research project on Second Life (among others). I can't describe it in detail here, but I helped them construct a Self-Presence scale for the study and I will be contributing to some of the data analysis.

Self-Presence and Racial Discrimination in Wii Avatars (Miis): My friends and colleagues at the University of Bern (Switzerland) are designing a study on the topics described in the title. I am helping with SP scale and will hopefully replicate the study in California.

Book Chapter on Classifying Serious Games - just finished, expecting publication within the year.

The Effect of Voice Agent Choice on Users’ Experiences in Business and Entertainment VUI Contexts: Presenting this paper at the International Communication Association conference in Montreal in May, 2008.

Quals: I'm planning to take my qualifying exams either at the end of 2008 or early 2009. Next task: assemble a 100+ item reading list.

Dissertation: Currently, I'm planning to do something related to Self-Presence in virtual worlds and online games. I would also like to find some way of relating this project to social network analysis and psychophysiology. Any ideas?

Website development: Turning my advisor's webpage into a research portal that would be accessible and informative for academics as well as *normal* people.

UpCode USA: This company is doing very cool things with 2D barcode technology. I'm helping out with a bit with their research and marketing. They're calling me their "Media Psychology and Research Specialist", or something like that.

Last and certainly not least (stressful): Wedding Planning!!

I told you my plate was piled high. ...I feel like a greedy (and probably rotund) kid at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Perhaps one day when I'm more accustomed to eating at nicer restaurants with large plates and small, artistically-arranged portions, I'll look back at this time and chuckle. Or perhaps I'll be twice as busy - squeezing two plates onto my little tray and piling them up like twin towers. Either way, if you have any ideas on how I can increase the rate at which I shove copious forkfuls into my face - or you would like me to slide a bit from my to your plate - please don't hesitate to holla.

Good thing I'm not studying crack

2008-01-17T11:22:00.000-08:00

My most recent research project is focused on the MMORPG Everquest 2, hence I have begun playing the game. If I'm going analyze data from the game, I should know the game well. This seems to be a fairly standard practice for most scientific endeavors. However, I realized yesterday that if I really want to understand the players of the game, I need to experience it as real players do. Unfortunately, according to some research and popular press, many of these real players are addicted to playing. So, I have made a conscious decision become addicted to Everquest 2.

I told my fiancee about this decision and she understood my motivation, but seemed a little concerned about my ability to cut myself off at the end of the research project. She is certainly justified in her concern. As an undergrad, I would often come home from a night of partying and play Counterstrike until the sunrise. Scratch that. Sometimes I would skip a night of partying to stay home and play Counterstrike until the sunrise. Luckily, as an undergrad I could afford to sleep through half of my classes. I have a feeling that my professors these days would not be so forgiving. But perhaps they will understand that I am just very dedicated to my research. Fat chance.

The downward spiral has already begun. Last night after working on a paper I had planned to play EQ2 before I went to sleep. Unfortunately, after finishing my work I realized that EQ2 had 2 hours of updates to download. So, I hit the hay, woke up at 3am and played until 5am. Is that normal?

I proposed in a rap

2007-11-27T11:17:00.000-08:00

This doesn't have much to do with media, besides that it was video-taped, but I thought I'd post it anyway.

Watch my proposal here.

television lover = poopy brain

2007-10-18T02:10:00.001-07:00

Since it's late and this person deserves to be berated, I would like to submit for your approval, the most revolting license plate I've seen all year.

Yes, I'm a communication scholar and a self-proclaimed technology-lover, but some technologies help you be smarter and others turn your brain into poop. This is an scientifically-proven fact - the more you love television, the greater the proportion of your head that is comprised of feces.

Playing on Virgin America

2007-10-18T01:33:00.000-07:00

I recently had the pleasure of flying Virgin America between LA and SF. WOW!

Not only were the seats leather, the lights pink/purple, and the staff fashionably clad, but the media experience was AWESOME!!

I don't have much time to describe all the fun I had in detail, so I'll let the pictures do the talking.

One interesting thing I'd like to point out is that they offered a game called "Mad Bomber".

My question: if I had started a chat room and asked the other passengers if they knew that I was the best Mad Bomber on the plane, would I be in jail right now?

Back to reality

2007-08-19T21:32:00.000-07:00

I recently spent a couple great months in the virtual world called summer vacation. It was an amazingly realistic environment - the people, the places, the parties - all of it seemed to happen to me as if I was really there. Furthermore, the world was rendered in a way that kept me from feeling any stress or anxiety. Visit some friends here, go sight-seeing and museum hopping there, relax and watch movies anywhere - it was as if I was free of all worldly responsibilities.

BOOM!! I was transported out of that virtual world, dropped into the cold bathtub of reality, still wearing my tennis shorts and a goofy this-can't-be-happening smile.

Anyway, I haven't posted in awhile because, as you can guess, there were few opportunities in my blissful virtual world to enter the lesser, responsibility-ridden digital virtual worlds. The simple purpose of this post is to bring back a souvenir from the former - an artifact I came across during one of my leisurely moments, enjoying a science fiction podcast (on Escapepod - my favorite SciFi source) - my newest near-favorite quote:

"We love television because television brings us a world in which television does not exist." Barbara Ehrenreich

We, of course, is our society, not me. I don't need TV to live in a world without TV *I profess unabashedly*. TV is a virtual world that I do not find to be so enriching, for various reasons. In my lovely summer world there was no TV. Actually, even in my reality there is no TV. That's not the point, though. The irony is that, according to Ehrenreich, all of us - the TV haters and lovers - in a way feel the same about TV.

I do, however, love SciFi podcasts. I feel like the short-story form complements the genre very well. There is enough space to get the new sciency idea out, but not too much room that it becomes muddled in a complicated plot. Further, consuming SciFi is kind of like research for me. It gives me ideas about technology and psychological approaches to media. And most of all, listening to podcasts is a great way to pass the time on a long drive. So, thanks EscapePod! You were a wonderful complement to my virtual summer world and you've given me something to keep me smiling through reality.

If anyone is interested in the particular story I was listening to, it was called Eight Episodes and it's a very well written tale about the power of virtual worlds. Stephen Eley, the podcast's daddy, reads the Ehrenreich quote at the end.

but she means nothing to me ...she's just an avatar

2007-06-01T11:35:00.001-07:00

An interesting article from MSNBC, Is a virtual affair real-world infidelity?, takes up the issue of whether virtual infidelity is RL cheating. The story describes an affair between two female avatars who were most likely married men in RL. Is this cheating? If so, does it matter that it's a 3d virtual world (with sex animations) or would such an affair be similarly wrong if facilitated by another medium?

According to the MSNBC.com/iVillage Lust, Love and Loyalty survey, 53 percent of men and 73 percent of women think it's cheating to send a sexually flirtatious e-mail to a co-worker. Further, 57 percent of men and 77 percent of women think online talk or “Webcamming” is cheating. Unfortunately, the survey did not ask about SL sex.

The other day I was in SL asking random people their opinions on this matter. The majority said that such a relationship would be cheating, though some did say it would be okay as long as your RL partner knew about it and approved. Well, of course! Some people have "open" relationships in RL, don't they? The only difference is level physical engagement, right? One way to test this would be to compare people's opinions about RL infidelity and virtual infidelity. I would hypothesize that more people are down with the latter than the former and if you're down with the former you're more likely to be down with the latter. In this world of STDs and psychopaths, it's probably safer to spread your virtual seed anyway.

And on a completely different note, if the two married men weilding female avatars knew that the other was actually a man in RL, does that make them lesbians in SL and gay in RL?

Virtual-Self dependent memory

2007-04-29T11:03:00.000-07:00

I would really love some feedback on this thought.

General Preamble:
I have been thinking about memory. It's often assumed to be infallible - if it weren't then how could we believe that our conception of reality is really real? But, of course, memories fade, our minds play tricks, and confabulation happens. So, I believe that one of the major purposes of technology is to improve our feeble human memory device. Perhaps this is something that I will work toward with my research.

Specific Preamble:
It has been shown (source?) that when something is learned in a particular context, it is more easily recalled in that context. For example, if I learn math in a classroom, I am likely to do better on a math test in that classroom than in the library (all other factors, like noise, lighting, etc., remaining constant).

Question:
Is it possible that the same applies for the context of virtual self? In other words, if I learn something as a particular self (e.g., using my dolphin avatar in SL), will I recall it more easily when I am acting as that particular self than another (e.g., my pirate avatar)?

Meta-Question:
Does it make sense to ask this question or is virtual-self really just a context like a classroom?

Mind Readers

2007-04-05T23:15:00.000-07:00

I had no idea this technology was so close to market. These devices rely on EEG readers and can be worn dry (no gel), according to an article from the Economist. Apparently, the neuroksy device only uses 1 electrode and will cost about $20. While much of the media hype is geared toward using these things to control other media/technology (e.g., games, software) with your mind, I think they are going to be extremely useful for less conscious activities, such as making sure you are paying attention at critical moments while driving. While most of my research so far has been focused on virtual as opposed to augmented reality, I think this is an area that I would like to pursue.

more virtual identity humor

2007-03-25T16:32:00.000-07:00

This video highlights some of the humorous (and scary) ways that facebookers use and abuse the technology. The "Facebook Stalker" is humorous because of the way that he confuses, transposes and violates his crush's real and virtual identities. If the facebook stalker was not using this digital one-stop-stalking-shop (e.g., using the phonebook, old year books, etc.), I imagine that we would be more frightened that tickled. Yet, the facebook allows (encourages) people to reveal so much information about themselves that it's hard to blame the facebook stalker for being a creep. We laugh because this act of stalking, which was previously rare and looked down upon in the status quo, is now becoming the norm of a generation. Thanks facebook!

Virtual Heart Break

2007-03-02T11:25:00.000-08:00

This video is quite funny and pertinent to my ongoing discussion about emotions experienced in RL vs. virtual environments.

"If This is Second Life Why is My Heart Breaking in Real Life"

I love that the women speak in TTS (text-to-speech). I guess now that SL is going to allow voice-communication, audiences may expect more expressive voice-acting in such videos - perhaps in real-time SL as well. I wonder if someone will offer voice-filters to maintain some of the anonymity afforded by texting.

But back to the main point - these women are heartbroken - in real and second life! But what if this were a para-authentic event (i.e., the same people who were dating in SL were dating in RL)? What if this guy was two (three)-timing these women in RL and SL? They would be even more heart-broken, right? What if he were faithful in RL but cheating in SL? I think they would be less heart-broken than in the previous condition. Now, what if he were faithful in SL but cheating in RL? Would his faithfulness in SL even matter? Probably not - unless the women ascribed more importance to their SL than RL relationships. This is not such a profound assertion, but perhaps it will lead to some better thoughts later. For now, it leads me back to my sea of email - the tides are rising, I'm hypothesizing.

Wheelies - In Second Life, not on motorcycle

2007-02-21T22:01:00.000-08:00

This is a great story about a dance club in SL for RL disabled people to kick it, literally ...hmmm, well, at least virtually ;).

This brings me back to the question of whether emotions experienced in virtual spaces can be more intense or important than those experienced in RL. Perhaps we experience emotions during para-authentic virtual events - virtual events which have RL corollaries (e.g., my virtual motorcycle) - differently than we experience emotions during completely artificial virtual events. This seems obvious - someone who doesn't have a motorcycle in RL experiences a virtual motorcycle in a very different way than I do. Do they love it more or less than I do?

The more salient question is how the disabled person who tends to avoid RL dance clubs feels in the virtual dance club. It seems obvious that they enjoy it more than RL dance clubs. But if they don't go to RL dance clubs, then is the virtual dance club a para-authentic or artificial virtual event. Further, do they enjoy the virtual dance club more or less than I do?

More thoughts for the eventual dissertation? I have a feeling that if I contemplated this for awhile longer I could come up with a theoretical framework to organize how we experience emotion in virtual environments depending on whether it is an artificial or para-authentic event. But I've got more short-term thinking to get back to.

----UPDATE----
After reading this posting, Simon sent me an email saying he doesn't like RL dance clubs but dancing in SL makes him feel great. He also offered me an interview, which I will most likely follow up on when I have an official (IRB sanctioned) research project.

Beatbox Chef Cooks up a Storm

2007-02-21T22:00:00.000-08:00

This is another posting that may or may not relate to media or technology. Regardless, the chef boxes a succulent beat to titillate your hip-hauditory taste buds.

Valentars Day

2007-02-12T00:10:00.000-08:00

Okay, it's a stupid subject, but since feb 14 is my bday I have poetic license.

Anyway, I was recently talking with a fellow rider about how some stuff, like my motorcycle, is real and other stuff, like my Second Life motorcycle, is virtual. Not hard to grasp, right? But what about feelings? The exhilarating feeling of accelerating past a line of cars at an intersection and then tucking deep into a turn is real. The feeling induced by watching my avatar do it in Second Life is less real - or at least less exhilarating. Not hard to grasp either. But what about my feeling of love for my real motorcycle and virtual motorcycle? Can the two be equal? Can the latter be greater? Are virtual emotions different than real ones in any way?

I'm not sure, but I want to think about this more. Maybe I'll design a study or write a dissertation. ;) In the meantime, I am happy to connect this thought to a recent portion of an article in the New York Times about Vday.

Online communities like SecondLife allow members to create animated versions of themselves called avatars that can go on dates, fly, carouse, even engage in prostitution. Theodora Stites wrote vividly in this space about how she conducts much of her romantic life this way and confessed to enlarging her avatar’s chest and perfecting its features to attract suitable male avatars.

You might assume that on SecondLife you are protected from the emotional upheaval of real relationships because the animated couplings tend to be, well, fake. But here’s the catch: They’re not fake. It’s still you behind the screen and you who is being accepted or rejected, with all the attendant joy and pain. As Theodora explained, “I’ve found that I act much as I do in real life, and my SecondLife relationships tend to fail the same way my real-life relationships do.”

The question of whether I would love a virtual girlfriend or virtual motorcycle more is still open as well.

Extreme Pogo

2007-02-09T16:15:00.000-08:00

In addition to communication, I am big fan of transportation. In many ways the two are intrinsically linked - communication is virtual transportation. Hmm, maybe I should write a dissertation about that.

Anyway, this video has nothing to do with media except that it's on youtube. I came across it when my roommate's friend stopped by and remarked that my motorized scooter (it's a Bladez Elite 250 - a little electric lazy mobile which haven't used it in awhile) looked like a pogo stick. Next thing we were exploring the vurtego website and watching people do crazy things with powerful sticks on youtube.

It's fun to watch, but I still prefer wheels. Speaking of lil' boyz pushing big wheels, check out a silly cartoon video of my newest favorite pop-hop song, "The way I live", by Baby Boy Da Prince.

From SL pic sharing - to - I want to work at LL!!

2007-02-08T21:17:00.000-08:00

Snapzilla, a website for sharing photos from Second Life, is one of the many cool things I learned about during my interview at Linden Lab this Monday. Why would they give an internship to someone as clearly ignorant about SL as I am? Well, I'm an overworked PhD student with a passion for the metaverse. Although I don't spend much time in it, I have faith that metaverse will make the real world a better place. But doesn't that mean I have blind faith? Well, I would argue that faith must be blind in some regard in order to be faith at all. Anyway, I promised I'd read some blogs and spend more time in-world before my start date - if I am fortunate enough to have a start date.

Nicktropolis is coming - tomorrow

2007-01-29T19:35:00.000-08:00

Virtual worlds seem to be springing up all over the place. Can Second Life handle the competition? I hope so. And then I hope they all merge into one beautiful unified mega-virtual universe.

Here's an article about Nicktropolis, a virtual world for kids and predators.

And in a completely unrelated story, click here to make a mii on your PC (I played the wii today. Thanks Anna for the link!)

2.5 weeks till my birthday

2007-01-28T14:35:00.000-08:00

Friends, parents, countrymen,

The time has come yet again to pool your wealth and give me stuff. The Scientific American article "20 Hottest Gadgets From the Consumer Electronics Show" is a great place to start for ideas.

Scientific American: 20 Hottest Gadgets From the Consumer Electronics Show
New ideas and fresh takes on old favorites--
Click here to launch the gallery

Or, you could just get me a ticket to space on Virgin Galactic.
http://www.virgingalactic.com/htmlsite/index.htm

Or how about a sexy android to give me back massages while I procrastinate writing my papers by posting on this blog?

http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.php?id=40329&adid=news

I WANT A PONY!!!

ENV, the Hy-Bike

2007-01-25T18:04:00.000-08:00

Britain’s Intelligent Energy recently unleashed the world's first fuel cell motorcycle. Yes, it's pretty - but it's also pretty slow, though apparently it can still pop wheelies.

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.01/play.html?pg=5

Chatting with the a&&#@%$ who stole my friend's identity

2007-01-17T22:59:00.000-08:00

The chat started out fine. She said hi and I gave her an update on my life. Then she asked me for my skype account info, which made me suspicious, so I asked her an identifying question (her former roommate's last name - which now I realize could have been found easily in the archived emails). When she avoided the answer, I realized that my friend's gmail account had been stolen. I proceeded to chat with the thief.

The text of our chat is below. The comments I'm inserting now are in bold/CAPS. For most of the conversation I was on the phone with my friend (who had not been able to access her email for 3 days) and I submitted the incident to google immediately. This makes me want to join some sort of policing agency. Crime sucks.

NAMES HAVE BEEN CHANGED SO THAT, WELL, YOU KNOW

11:53 PM Jessie: hey
me: hiya. I went to Beard Poppa's tonight (in LA) and thought of you!
11:54 PM Jessie: really
tell me what happened
11:55 PM me: at BP's? ...well, I ordered a milk tea cream puff. it wasn't as good as vanilla, but still yummy.
how are you!?!?
Jessie: wow
Jessie: I`m doing great here....what about you
11:56 PM me: first semester went well. My favorite recent research topic is the virtual world Second Life. I'm also doing a study on the Nintendo Wii
Jessie: really...
me: But the bummer is that 3 of my potential advisors are leaving USC
Jessie: so how is your lady
HMM ...GOOD GUESS
me: she's well.
I'm going to see her this weekend
11:57 PM Jesse: post to her my greetings ok
WEIRD GRAMMAR - FIRST MAJOR CLUE
me: We're still surviving the long distance
furshur
how's John?
Jessie: she`s doing great
SECOND CLUE
11:58 PM me: she?
Jessie: lol
me: :)
11:59 PM Jessie: Robby do u have skype account?
me: yup. I think I'm rratan
wanna talk talk?
Jessie: sure
12:00 AM can u lend me some few minutes
wanna have some few talks
HAHA - THIRD CLUE - BUT THE FUNNY PART IS THAT I THOUGHT SHE MEANT GIVE HER SOME TIME AND PERHAPS ADVICE, NOT "LEND" HER MINUTES LITERALLY
me: furshur - I hope your grammar is better in person ;)
12:01 AM Jessie: yup
Ratan can u help me out?
FORTH CLUE - NOBODY CALLS ME RATAN
12:02 AM wanna talk talk
me: okay - what's your skype name?
12:03 AM Jessie: dont have one ratan....would like you to lend me yours
FIFTH CLUE THAT BROKE THE CAMEL'S BACK
12:05 AM me: hey, quick question... I forget Della's last name and I wanted to send her an invitation to my party. Can you remind me?
Jessie: same here lol
I CAUGHT YOU!!!
me: that's funny
I'll have to ask Della
12:06 AM Jessie: yup...very very funny
my memories
12:08 AM ratan are u gonna help out
I'VE EDITED SOME OF THE FOLLOWING TO BE SUITABLE FOR ALL AUDIENCES - I WAS A LITTLE HEATED WHEN I FIRST REALIZED WHAT WAS GOING ON
12:09 AM me: Look you f****** a******. You stole my friend's gmail account. Tell me who you are!!!
Jessie: am Robby
12:10 AM me: Tell me who you are NOW!!!
12:11 AM Jessie: why u wanna me
12:12 AM talk
me: I want you to give my friend her gmail password back
Jessie: really
me: don't you feel bad. Stealing her identity is f***** up.
12:13 AM Just to get a skype account?
Jessie: yup
me: how did you get it?
Jessie: if you guys help me out am gonna release
12:14 AM me: how did you get the password?
Jessie: brb
me: how did you get the password?
12:15 AM F*** Y**!!!
12:16 AM Jessie: hey dont try to insult me ok
12:17 AM or u gonna loose your mail toooooo
me: ok, fine
Jessie: i promose you
me: But give me her password back ...please
I GOT A LITTLE SPOOKED - SO I TURNED ON A SECOND FIREWALL
Jessie: i will at the write time
12:18 AM me: she's already in contact with google
Jessie: so?
me: so they'll change the password and give it bck to her
Jessie: i have about 1000`s of google mail and password ok
THIS IS WAY SCARY ...IS IT THE TRUTH? IF SO, HOW?
12:19 AM hey stop talking s*** or u gonna loose your email ok
you must know that we live 2gether tooo
me: listen man, I'm not trying to talk s***. I just want you to give my friend her gmail too.
12:20 AM Jessie: u wont believe it when u recognise me
me: Oh ... you and I live together?
THAT'S INTERESTING. MY ONE ROOMMATE IS JUST LEARNING HOW TO USE EMAIL - I DOUBT SHE'S STEALING ACCOUNTS. MY OTHER ROOMMATE IS A GERMAN SHEPPARD. YOU'RE RIGHT, I WOULDN'T BELIEVE IT WHEN I "RECOGNISE" YOU USING YOUR PAWS ON A KEYBOARD TO MAKE FAKE THREATS ...ALL YOU WOULD NEED TO DO TO SCARE ME IS GROWL!!!
Jessie: we know each other.....lol
12:21 AM u very close to me ok........so you beware of what you say ok
me: are you threatening me?
I WONDER IF I COULD PRESS CHARGES?
Jessie: i aint
only telling you what u should know
12:23 AM so ratan what are u saying
take my regards to williams ok
me: i'm saying, can you please tell me the current password so I can send it to her so she can get back into her email
12:24 AM Jessie: ok
i will if you answer me correctly
12:25 AM what does she needs it for
I NEEDED A BREAK
12:26 AM Jessie: waiting 4 an answer
12:27 AM guess u re busy
12:28 AM am very naughty dont u c
12:32 AM brb
12:46 AM me: you still there?
12:48 AM Jessie: think so
12:50 AM me: well, my friend needs her account so that she can do her work. she's a social worker - someone who helps people, not someone who takes advantage of them like you. With your computer skills you could probably get a very well paying job. But I'm sure you enjoy the thrill. In a way I understand where you're coming from - needing a thrill - but I still would never put people through the pain that you do. Anyway, I gotta sleep and wake up for class. good luck not going to jail. If your heart softens and you want to send me her password, I would appreciate it
12:51 AM Jessie: ok thanks
gudnite

I HAD TO END WITH AN EVANGELICAL RANT. NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT THIS PERSON WASN'T EVEN WORTH THE RANT. I JUST HOPE THAT GOOGLE AND THE PROPER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES CAN FIGHT THIS TYPE OF CRIME. OF COURSE, THERE ARE WORSE THINGS HAPPENING OUT IN THE WORLD AND I'M FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO NOT HAVE TO ENDURE THEM REGULARLY, BUT THIS TYPE OF INCIDENT HELPS ME REMEMBER THAT ANY ACT THAT INTENTIONALL HARMS ANOTHER PERSON SHOULD BE PUNISHED. WHEN I'M DONE WITH THE PHD, MAYBE I SHOULD SIGN UP FOR SOME INTERNATIONAL ANTI-CYBER-TERRORISM/CRIME AGENCY.

Welcome friends and family

2007-01-16T17:44:00.000-08:00

Hi to everyone who's looking at the blog because you received the link in an email from me. Thanks for checking it out!

There's just a few postings below. Let me know what you think. Hopefully I can juggle this hobby with my research and classes. :)

I have a thing for quotes

2007-01-16T17:26:00.000-08:00

This has nothing to do with technology, but I read it in the foreward of a book about serious video games ("Serious Games" by D Michael and S Chen).

"Work and play are words used to describe the same thing under differing conditions"
- Mark Twain

This explains why I'm doing this PhD program! It also explains the whole user-created content craze. That Mark Twain was so sharp!

More Mark Twain quotes:

http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Mark_Twain/

Robots - what will we call them?

2007-01-16T10:51:00.001-08:00

Below is a link to the article "A Robot in Every Home" by Bill Gates in the Jan 2007 issue of Scientific American. In addition to comparing the robotics industry to the computer industry 30ish years ago and speculating about the near-term future of the robotics industry, he raises an interesting point about what "robot" really means.

"In fact, as mobile peripheral devices become more and more common, it may be increasingly difficult to say exactly what a robot is. Because the new machines will be so specialized and ubiquitous--and look so little like the two-legged automatons of science fiction--we probably will not even call them robots."

How about we then call them "ARTs"? ...Anthropomorphized Robotic Thingy's!

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa006&articleID=9312A198-E7F2-99DF-31DA639D6C4BA567&pageNumber=1&catID=2

The expanding metaverse

2007-01-15T13:28:00.000-08:00

How could I have started a tech blog and not yet posted about Second Life (which has been my significant research interest for the past few months)!? Perhaps I've been too focused on SL to think of it as something new.

Regardless, the metaverse is expanding. Recently, Linden Lab has open-sourced the SL client code. As the metaverse becomes increasingly similar to the internet, will the internet start feeling like using the dewey decimal system?

This move makes SL even more user-creatable, kind of like the irobot create. I wonder if I could get link an irobot create to my SL avatar...

Official posting here:
http://blog.secondlife.com/2007/01/08/embracing-the-inevitable/

Good synopsis article here:
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/01/08/second-life-goes-open-source-should-it-be-non-profit-too/

In related but slightly older news, google will be jumping into the metaverse as well (surprised?). Cory Ondrejka, CTO and early developer of SL, has written about the inevitable need for interoperability between virtual worlds. The open-source SL client makes this possible ...or Google could just buy them for a billion.

http://money.cnn.com/2006/05/11/technology/business2_futureboy_0511/index.htm

Last and probably least, here's a cool article about how companies should approach using Second Life to market their products.

http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/13152.asp

Burger King video games - yummy!

2007-01-13T12:53:00.000-08:00

Obese American kids really need to be playing video games sponsored by Burger King (that feature the regal BK mascot) while muchin on a whoppers and sippin on soda.

I wonder if Nintendo would have let BK put these games out for the wii.

http://www.bkgamer.com/

Apparently, the fat kids love 'em. Over 2 million sold so far.

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6163522.html

I am currently working on a research project on serious games. Here are some links to some healthier alternatives that are currently available.

http://www.archimageonline.com

http://www.mypyramid.gov/kids/kids_game.html

http://www.overtimefitness.com (not a game, but a gym in Mountain View CA for teens where exercise and gaming are combined).

Hella Sand at 4:14 am

2007-01-13T04:14:00.000-08:00

I return home from a rare night and early morning of unrelenting indulgence in the present.

When I used to stay up this late as an undergrad I would play games that were much more violent. Tonight, I settled for some sand (can't wait to upgrade from dial-up). Hella it, in fact.

http://www.addictinggames.com/hellofsandfallinggame.html
/

oh man - it's 4:56 now. too much fun

Robo-rights, coming to a nation near you

2007-01-11T15:03:00.000-08:00

According to some futurist-types in the UK, robots could be granted rights before my grandkids get drunk for the first time ...legally. (In case not funny: I am 24 y/o, w/o children).

"The research suggests that at some point in the next 20 to 50 years robots could be granted rights.

If this happened, the report says, the robots would have certain responsibilities such as voting, the obligation to pay taxes, and perhaps serving compulsory military service."

Full story here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6200005.stm/

The wobots are coming! ...a couple links to irobot create sites

2007-01-10T15:24:00.000-08:00

Somebody, please build me a fembot!!

http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/08/irobot-releases-create-specs-pricing/

http://store.irobot.com/shop/index.jsp?categoryId=2597845

http://www.irobot.com/create/explore/

the iPhone - the newest Apple cyclone

2007-01-10T15:10:00.000-08:00

What better way to start this media-oriented blog than with links to iphone-related sites? (it was announced yesterday at macworld)

http://www.apple.com/iphone/

http://appleiphone.blogspot.com/

http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/09/the-apple-iphone/

I'm in class so I can't comment much ...but my first thought: does it have a voice-activated taser gun?

Second thought: Second Life on the iPhone as I drive to campus (on autopilot). Did I mention that I rove technorogy?