Contrary to popular belief, there is no direct relationship between Australian and American laws. Australians are not afforded all the protections that the American people have access to by law, although in some circumstances Australian society works as though those protections existed. Americans are protected from governmental censorship by the First Amendment to their … [Read more...] about Will Internet censorship soon include Virtual World censorship?
Pride and Prejudice
Since virtual environments started getting noticed by the early adopters, there has been some discussion about social mores in and out of virtual environments. In particular this applies to users trying out avatars of a different gender, race, or overall look, to their regular atomic world selves. Educators and academics in general have noted students and other users … [Read more...] about Pride and Prejudice
AVWW Doggie Bag
A big thanks to Feldpsar Epstein for attending the real-world AVWW event last weekend. What follows are some of the highlights from her perspective. We'd also love to hear your thoughts. The Australian Virtual Worlds Workshop, Friday 28 November and Saturday 29 November 2008, held at Swinburne University, Hawthorn Campus, was a bit of a mixed bag. I present here some of my … [Read more...] about AVWW Doggie Bag
Who’s your Daddy?
US Congressman Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) would like to be your parent. At least, he would like to act as though he was your parent. Starting back in May 2008, Kirk has been singling out Second Life for special attention: he would like legislation to be introduced that prevents children from accessing Second Life- both the Teen Grid and the Main Grid (he makes no distinction), … [Read more...] about Who’s your Daddy?
Avatar: representation, communication, experience
“Virtual Worlds Research: Consumer Behavior in Virtual Worlds” Vol. 1. No. 2 ISSN: 1941-8477 November 2008 Symbolic and Experiential Consumption of Body in Virtual Worlds: from (Dis)Embodiment to Symembodiment Source This experiment focused on the corporeal body (real, physical or atomic embodiment), and the virtual body (digital, non-corporeal embodiment), also called … [Read more...] about Avatar: representation, communication, experience