Posts Written by Alan Levine

Foul Whisperings, Strange Matters: Get Inside MacBeth’s Head

published by Alan Levine Oct 8, 2008 09:56am
We've done enough teasing leading up to this, so it is time to unveil the new sim NMC Virtual Worlds has been working on. You are invited this Saturday, October 11 at 5:00 PM PDT (check local time) for the launch of Virtual MacBeth or Foul Whisperings, Strange Matters: You can find Virtual MacBeth at: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Macbeth/44/54/54 Virtual Macbeth is an island in Second Life which is dedicated to the exploration, adaptation and performance of Shakespeare's Macbeth. The island was designed by Angela Thomas ... more...

Escaping the Red Room

published by Alan Levine Oct 8, 2008 12:49am
I am sensing I am near the end of my exploration of this radical new NMC project. I have been all round this place that seems so far from 4 sided prim rooms in Second Life... it seems... alive. Today, I found myself in this murky red room, that I could not really find the edges. It had a sense of being almost womb like, yet was far from having a nurturing sense. The upper edges have some almost disturbing ... more...

Heard a Noise Above

published by Alan Levine Oct 4, 2008 04:24pm
I was wandering in this place, being drawn to the glow of strong daylight pouring in from above. Being cautious of climbing the stairs, as I almost expect to get trapped on some Escher-like endless set of steps, I am wondering about faint sounds emitting from above. The exploration here continues as I seek out who resides here. It is as if someone is here that I never see, and I wander places thinking are they just rooms or something more? ... more...

Spill The Wine

published by Alan Levine Oct 3, 2008 03:06pm
The new place of mystery shows sign of celebration, perhaps? Maybe the music playing is Eric Burdon and the Animals? Like everything in this place, there is more than just meets the eye, this new build by NMC Virtual Worlds will tease your senses. But it is more- there is embedded meaning here, not the kind where you click and it is dumped on you via a big fat note card. Like a well crafted film, everything in this places has ... more...

Someone Offers You Two Paths

published by Alan Levine Oct 1, 2008 06:00am
You enter a place of deep mystery, of sight and sound-- no it is not the Twilight Zone, but a new exciting build from NMC that will take you on an experience in Second Life like no other. Rather than marveling at a "build" or pretty textures you will lose yourself in an adventure as you enter someone else's mind... So maybe it is a Frostian choice of roads not taken, but is that path through the woods tranquil and full ... more...

An Invitation to Visit University of the Pacific

published by Alan Levine Sep 5, 2008 11:16am
One of our NMC Virtual Worlds projects this year was construction of the virtual campus for the University of the Pacific which included a mixture of replication of campus structures, such as Burns Tower, and creation of new spaces which only exist on the virtual campus. Since the ribbons were cut May 7, 2008, faculty and staff at the University have been busy using the space and developing new applications for therr virtual learning space. They are inviting you to ... more...

Ball State Digital Artists Showcased on NMC’s Ars Simulacra

published by Alan Levine Aug 21, 2008 10:46am
Imagine flying over a pyramid shaped boat as a variety of tones from the engine combine to create a melody. That is just what visitors will get when they interact with the new virtual art collection created by Ball State University faculty in Second Life. John Fillwalk, Ball State associate professor of art, and director of the Institute for Digital Intermedia Arts and Animation (IDIAA), is the lead artist on a project that will be showcased in Second Life beginning Sunday, ... more...

Just Wait Until We Have Avatars Like Emily

published by Alan Levine Aug 21, 2008 07:31am
So you think your avatar is pretty lifelike? Are you ready to cross the uncanny valley? Meet Emily. The TimesOnline in the UK reports on Lifelike animation heralds new era for computer games. Image Metrics, a company that specializes in realistic facial animations (they also do the animations in Grand Theft Auto), have notched up the realism of computer generated characters. Emily started with a video of an employee just talking: then recreated the gestures, movement by movement, in a model. ... more...

50 Virtual Worlds in 7 Minutes

published by Alan Levine Aug 6, 2008 02:12pm
We all know there are places beyond Second Life... but did you imagine there were fifty active virtual world spaces? Gary Hayes, Director of the Laboratory for Advanced Media Production in Sydney, has just released his 2008 Metaverse Tour Video: The Social Virtual World’s A Stage : I am doing a commercial report and curriculum development on the evolving range of social virtual worlds and have recently ventured into fifty of them to review and sample the culture, creative, business and educational ... more...

Second Life Communication via iPhone

published by Alan Levine Aug 6, 2008 12:37pm
It's not exactly as the headlines bill "Second Life on your iPhone", but the AjaxLife client for Second Life- which allows chat, IM to and from your iDevice does now work, see the announcement: AjaxLife is now available for the iPhone and iPod touch! It’s currently about where AjaxLife itself was just over a year or so ago - you can chat to people, IM those on your friend list (online or offline this time ’round), and receive IMs from arbitrary ... more...