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 The Panelists I’m excited to attend HigherEdCamp Philly this Saturday, from 8:30am until 5pm. I will be hosting a session from 12pm – 1pm, joined by Frank Taney of Buchanan, Ingersoll, & Rooney, and Neil Kleinman, Dean of the College of Media & Communication at the University of the Arts. We will be leading an interactive discussion on legal issues in the new media era. Topics we will discuss, among others, include:
What constitutes fair use of new media in academia?
What changes in perception of fair use have occurred with the modern technology available?
How does one properly cite new media such as blogs, wikis, and social networks?
How do you protect your content and intellectual property in the era of easy plagiarism?
What mechanisms are there for sharing your content?
We encourage audience participation and would love to see you there. We hope you’ll join us in posing the questions that we all face in the new era of modern academia. And after all, how often do you get a chance to ask questions to an attorney… for free?
 OpenSim: Getting it Right, Again Adam Frisby has just announced on his blog that OpenSim is being integrated with the Facebook-like open-source social networking web app, elgg. I’ve been asking for a similar feature like this from Linden Lab for years: I’ve always hated the fixed-size search window for finding things like groups, profiles, and more. See Adam’s blog entry for some screen shots to get a better idea.
This has so many benefits. I outlined to Linden Lab years ago that one of their problems are the proprietary GUI widgets they use within the viewer. Getting rid of interfaces like the profile window and the search and replacing them with a web browser driven equivalent would make new users feel much more comfortable with the interface right off the bat, especially if it look similar to popular social networking applications and search tools. Additionally, people could choose whether they prefer to use the internal Mozilla browser in the viewer, or choose to launch their default browser externally. Imagine that: having the viewer on one monitor, with multiple windows for search, groups, friends online, and more on another monitor (or two). For those of us who use multiple monitors, we’re well aware of the increase in productivity which occurs when you use more than one.
It also has the benefit of productivity by being able to access your data and communicate with people from computers with a web browser, that may not have a viewer (Second Life or other) installed. A great move by the OpenSim team, and I can’t wait to see it in action.
 Wharton Computing and the Philadelphia Future Salon are proud to present an event, in conjunction with the Wharton Learning Lab’s Evolution of Learning Symposium: Virtual Worlds in Academia: Beyond the Hyperbole. The panel is free for anyone to attend, and we encourage people attending the symposium in the morning to join us after lunch. A hands-on demonstration will follow, in which people are encouraged to give some projects a test drive!
Location: Jon M. Huntsman Hall, The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, 3730 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. ROOM: 340
Date & Time: Wednesday, May 13th, 2pm – 4pm
More details after the jump.
Continue reading Virtual Worlds in Academia: Beyond the Hyperbole
Friend of Peregrine Salon Dave Konopka has announced that HigherEdCamp Philly Registration is Open:
HigherEdCamp Philly registration officially opens today. Registration is completely free. Space is limited though, so register early before spaces fill up.
Follow this link to register now: http://tr.im/higheredcampregister
HigherEdCamp is a free one day un-conference connecting communities involved in higher education technology. It’s about innovating education through an understanding of emerging technologies, adoption of open standards, and participation in evolving communication channels. It will take place on Saturday June 6th at the University of Pennsylvania. Don’t miss this opportunity to share knowledge and network with folks from colleges and universities all over the Philadelphia area.
HigherEdCamp Philly
When: Saturday June 6, 2009 9am-5pm
Where: University of Pennsylvania campus, Philadelphia, PA
Web: http://higheredphilly.com
Twitter: http://twitter/higheredphilly
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=47018734774
 As many of you know, I’ve started working for the Wharton School of Business for the past few months. Here in Wharton Computing, we have an entire department, the Learning Lab, dedicated to innovations in technology and education. This year, they’re hosting The Wharton Evolution of Learning Symposium. The price is quite affordable, so I thought I’d pass this along. The people running it are top notch. Feel free to contact me – or the Learning Lab – with any questions you may have. If you are going to attend, be sure to get in touch so we can meet up for a bite to eat! Here are the details:
Whispered about in private conversations among faculty,administrators, and students…
Written about in the Chronicle of Higher Education and the New York Times…
Considered every day by people who work in and care about what’s happening at colleges and universities….people like you.
But now it’s time to get together and talk about it out loud: the need to face and embrace the reality of rethinking the state of higher education.
On May 13, 2009, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania is sponsoring a half-day, reasonably priced symposium on campus to consider the Evolution of Learning. Join best-selling author Daniel Pink (A Whole New Mind) and a panel of forward-thinking educators for a
discussion of how we can rise to the challenges facing higher education today.
Visit the symposium website for details, registration, and the opportunity to be part of the solution: http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/learningandtechnology.
We hope to see you there!
Sincerely,
The Learning Lab Team
Wharton Computing
University of Pennsylvania
 We’re pleased to announce the return of the Philadelphia Future Salon, on Wednesday, April 8nd, 2009 at 6pm. Please note, we’re still meeting at the offices of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney, but they have moved to Liberty Two!
The Topic:
Innovation, Philanthropy, and the Future of Health Care
This presentation will discuss a number of projects supported by the Pioneer Portfolio of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, one of the largest philanthropies in the US. The Pioneer Portfolio seeks to fund innovative and unconventional projects that might produce breakthroughs which could dramatically improve health and health care. The presentation will also present a window on some underlying conditions and trends that could have longer-term influence on how we pursue health and deliver health care.
Leading the discussion is Paul Tarini, a Team Director of the Pioneer Portfolio at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The event will take place at the offices of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, Two Liberty Place, Suite 3200, 50 S. 16th Street, on April 2nd, 2009. Please register in advance by sending your name to Frank Taney at francis.taney {@} bipc [dawt] com so he can provide your name to building security. The event starts at 6pm.
We hope to see you there, and feel free to spread the word.
A student at the University of Pennsylvania, my alma mater and employer, has been working on a fascinating study on self perception using Second Life avatars. In the study, she takes mug shots of various subjects: a front shot, as well as a side shot. She then asks the subject to create an avatar to look like themselves in the picture. For a differing perspective, she then also asks a male and female observer to create avatars based on the picture.
In the survey, you are asked questions about who created each avatar, and accuracy levels. You can help by taking the survey here:
Survey: Face Perception
It will take about half an hour. I took and and found it fascinating. Please note, that subjects were only afforded the Second Life slider controls, and were not given options for things like prim hair or attachments. This kept the study well controlled and balanced, and I must admit, I chuckled once or twice when remembering that was how we all looked back when SL launched in 2003!
 Echo Omega: One of the Original Second Life Marketing Campaigns, circa 2004. I’m some what guilty here: I have been focusing a lot more on other technologies lately, such as the OpenSim and realXtend platforms. That doesn’t mean that Second Life is anywhere close to dead. Many media outlets (I’m looking at you, hacks at ValleyWag) have been gleefully reporting that the virtual world is on life support, because a few corporations with a sense of self-importance have left, who had no real idea on how to engage the community.
None of these “reporters” did any semblance of home work, and went straight for sensationalism. Here are some facts to refute them:
(1) The amount of active users has grown by 25% since September, 2008 and March, 2009.
(2) The total number avatars created since it came out of beta in June, 2003, has eclipsed 16 million.
(3) Unlike some “web 2.0″ companies that are still media darlings, like Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter, Linden Lab / Second Life are a profitable enterprise. Yes, they’re the only one of those four making money.
(4) The average number of concurrent users logged into Second Life at any given time is 70,000 (note: that includes “bot users”, avatars that are programmed for various purposes; think “non-player characters” in traditional games; Linden Lab estimates 10-15% of users are “bots”).
(5) Residents spent 41.5 million hours in Second Life in January, 2009, compared to 28.3 million hours in January, 2008.
(6) Over US $1,300,000.00 (yes, that’s United States dollars) changes hands daily through Second Life’s microcurrency, the Linden dollar.
(7) A rich array of innovative educational programs exist in Second Life.
(8) In February, 2009, over 64,000 Second Life users made a profit during the month. Of that group, over 200 made a profit of over US$5000, just under 1000 made between US$1000 and US$5000, and just under 4000 made between US$100 and US$1000.
Back to the corporations that have left; many of them, such as American Apparel (a brand I don’t care for) and Armani (a brand I really like) had the same problem. They thought the strength of their brand was enough to carry them in a virtual world. The attitude that being so cool in real life that it will carry you in a virtual world is a common misconception. Both American Apparel and Armani built exact replicas of their flagship stores in Second Life (how boring and predictable), and did not engage the community at all. “If you build it, they will come” does not apply in Second Life, no matter how good your image is in meat space.
I find it amazing that the death knell is being sounded, when only a few self-important companies have left Second Life. These were purely P.R. campaigns to get a press release, projects that were run by traditional marketing departments without any attempt to understand the new space. The fact that they failed is hardly a shock to anyone who has been watching virtual worlds closely. Their failure, however, is hardly reflective of a failure of Second Life or virtual worlds in general.
So I got a call on my mobile phone today. It was an automated text-to-speech voice telling me my MasterCard had been canceled for online purchases. It then provided me with a 1-800 number to call to reactivate. Naturally, I was suspicious, and wasn’t about to provide any information, except to my bank directly.
It turns out that the 1-800 number just played an advertisement for 30 seconds about refinancing my mortgage, and hung up! I’m guessing there are also people using this scheme to try to get your personal information.
So, if you get a call like this, make sure that it is from a person. Your credit card company or bank won’t use an automated system, and they’ll call you about suspicious charges if they’re happening. Additionally, only ever call the 1-800 number on the back of your card to discuss matters about the account.
I may be a day late and a dollar short, but I witnessed my second favorite writer on television with one of my favorite TV personalities.
Anyone who didn’t see Gaiman and Colbert missed a tete a tete of two of the greatest minds and wits of our generation.
Enjoy!
 One of the best parties of the year! Registration for the 2009 Second Life Community Convention is now open. You can register here.
I’ve got to say, I’m impressed – prices are down significantly, which will hopefully make it easier for people to come in this economy. From the SLCC web site:
- If you want to pay $135.00, you need to be one of the first 200 people to buy a ticket.
- If you think $150.00 is a good price, be sure to register/pay by April 30th.
- How about $175.00? Register/pay between May 1st and July 31st.
- OK, so if you joined the party late, that’s completely OK! You’re welcome to register/pay $200.00 between August 1st and August 13th.
- And for those that like to live on the edge and/or enjoy the spontaneity of life, we offer you admission for $225.00 at the door!
 Happy Pi Day! C-Net has a story today that Washington has declared today “National Pi Day” (you see, it is 3/14, after all). Here’s a quote:
The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday approved a resolution introduced two days earlier that designates March 14, 2009 (3/14, get it?) as National Pi Day. It urges schools to take the opportunity to teach their students about Pi and “engage them about the study of mathematics.”
Backing the measure is a collection of technology and engineering groups, including the Association for Competitive Technology, the American Chemical Society, the Biotechnology Industry Organization, IEEE, TechAmerica, and TechNet.
Celebrate today by doing some math, or perhaps renting Darren Aronofsky’s first major hit film of the same name.
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