http://metaxlr8.net/index.php/site/index/ en metaxlr8@gmail.com Copyright 2008 2008-08-23T15:53:00+00:00 http://metaxlr8.net/index.php/site/fabbing_and_reprapping_to_matter_compiling/ http://metaxlr8.net/index.php/site/fabbing_and_reprapping_to_matter_compiling/#When:15:53:00Z In Neal Stephenson‘s The Diamond Age, a Matter Compiler (MC) is a consumer nanotechnology device that can be found in the homes of even very poor people, often in the kitchen. The MC fetches atoms and basic molecules from a Feed, analogous to today’s power network, and assembles whatever the user wishes including food and clothing. Advances in nanotechnology will develop Matter Compilers in the next few decades: on the website of K. Eric Drexler there is a Technology Roadmap for Productive Nanosystems and a video on Productive Nanosystems: From molecules to superproducts. The video (also on Youtube) shows the a future Matter Compiler (image above) and its internal molecular fabrication process to produce consumer goods (image below). This is a “simple” (!!!) Matter Compiler which does not use the full Drexlerian vision of self-replicating nanotechnology, described by Stephenson as a new, subversive “Seed” technology. Of course self-replicating nanotechnology, nanoscale assemblers able to produce zillions copies of themselves from raw materials in order to cooperatively complete a complex task, will be a very disruptive and subversive technology. In a 2006 article on Globalization and Open Source Nano Economy I argued that ”some of the problems of today’s globalized world could be eliminated or reduced by developing operational worldwide molecular design and manufacturing capabilities. Instead of shipping physical objects, their detailed design specification in a “Molecular Description Language” (MDL) will be transmitted over a global data grid evolved from today’s Internet and then physically “printed” by “nano printers” at remote sites. This would allow communities wishing to remain independent to retain their autonomy”. So I think Matter Compiling will have a huge importance, not only in scientific and technological terms, but also and especially in social and political terms. In fact, I like the concept so much because a) it’s cool, and b) it will facilitate the fragmentation of today’s world into basically autonomous local communities, each with the capacity to prosper and self-defend, and cooperating with other communities by choice instead of force. In such a world everyone would be free to join a community of like-minded people to pursue her own interests and favorite lifestyle. This is, I believe, a highly desirable outcome. In this follow-up article I wish to focus on current related developments in future consumer technology, things happening here and now that will take us closer to the Diamond Age of Matter Compiling. Fabbing, an open source version of industrial rapid prototyping and 3D printing technologies, is building a huge momentum and will change things. One of the best online sources of information on nanotechnology is the website of the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology. On the CRN blog CRN analysts have often written about today’s poor man’s primitive baby steps toward matter compiling. Positive Expectations, one of their recent professional-quality scenarios of a near-future world, is a roadmap: ”2008: ¡Fabbers Libre!  When the first “late beta” version of RepRap -the “replicating rapid-prototyper"- is released in early 2008, critics have a field day. It’s slow. It’s clumsy-looking. It can’t actually replicate itself without adding a few key commercial parts. But where critics see an ugly duckling, design students, DIY hackers, and open source enthusiasts see a swan-in-the-making. By the summer, dozens of novel fabber projects emerge (some forked from RepRap, but most based on original designs), and by the fall, some have actually produced devices that an adventurous home user could play with. Forward-looking strategists at mega-retailers and mass manufacturers feel a distinct chill run up their collective spine. The open fabber era had begun, and through the end of the decade, free and open source software hackers around the world turn their attention to hardware… By the time molecular manufacturing applications do mature at the nanoscale, Openfabs are a ubiquitous fact of global life. It’s not surprising, then, that the first atomically-precise devices are designed with Openfab-standard interconnects for integration into the existing open world standard for human-scale production infrastructures”. Not Drexlerian replicant assemblers and molecular manufacturing yet, but just wait one or two decades. And in the alternative scenario Presidential Commission on Molecular Manufacturing: Although these home fabbing devices were by no means molecular manufacturing systems, they relied on similar design philosophies. This similarity was underscored late in 2010 when updated versions of Nanoengineer appeared online, allowing the nano design software to be used with most home fabbers. Two social drivers proved to be key influences over the deployment and use of fabrication (and, eventually, proto-nanomanufacturing) systems. The first was a generational schism. Many of the initial fabbing enthusiasts came from the worlds of online gaming, virtual communities, and “DIY” artisans—three cohorts with strong Gen-X and Millennial participation. The norms and expectations of these groups, especially with regards to intellectual property and collaboration, alienated many in the traditional productive industries (and their political allies). As a result, the use of fabrication and digital manufacturing technologies took on a strong “underground” character. RepRap is short for Replicating Rapid-prototyper. It is a practical self-copying 3D printer - a self-replicating machine that will make plastic, ceramic, or metal parts, and is itself made from plastic parts, so it will be able to make copies of itself. You cannot go and buy (yet) a RepRap, but you can order many of the parts from a variety of suppliers and assemble one yourself by using the open source detailed DIY instructions available from the RepRap website. Another similar project is Fab@home: here the emphasis is not so much on self-replication, but rather on usability. See this page for a collection of videos showing RepRap machines in operation. As foreseen in the first CRN scenario quoted above, RepRap has achieved self-replication of a sort in 2008: on May 29 a parent RepRap machine, made on a conventional rapid prototyper, built the first complete working child RepRap machine. The child machine made its first successful grandchild part a few minutes later. The Guardian reports: ”Earlier this month at Cheltenham’s Science Festival, Bowyer and New Zealand scientist Vik Oliver unveiled a RepRap that had the majority of its working parts “printed out” from an earlier prototype. Although the RepRap was first assembled in 2006, this was the first time a parent and child machine had appeared side by side. Technically, the RepRap is a form of rapid prototyper, the kind used by designers and engineers to streamline everything from aircraft to hairdryers, but it’s easier to think of it as a printer of three-dimensional objects. Essentially, the RepRap works like the desktop printer you might have at home, but instead of printing on paper, the RepRap makes hard copy in three dimensions out of plastic from models designed on a computer”. The Guardian has been following the evolution of RepRap technology since the beginning and the Christmas 2006 edition, with an article titled Put your feet up, Santa, the Christmas machine has arrived, was very explicit on the disruptive potential of fabbing technology: ”It has been called the invention that will bring down global capitalism, start a second industrial revolution and save the environment - and it might just put Santa out of a job too. The “self-replicating rapid prototyper”, or RepRap for short, is a machine that literally prints 3D objects from a digital design. Its creators hope that in the future it will be a must-have mod con for every home”. Of course, it is self-replication of a sort. At this moment, not counting nuts and bolts RepRap can make 60% of its parts; the other parts are designed to be cheaply available everywhere. And of course, somebody must still assemble the parts into a working fabber (a few hours of work). But it is still self replication: as Prof. Adrian Bowyer explains in this very interesting video presentation, RepRaps will exist symbiotically with people, giving them goods in return for being helped to replicate (like flowers). Like it is often the case, here the important property of self-replication is not (yet) achieved by technology alone, but by the larger system of technology plus people. Self-replication will permit exponential growth and evolution by means of selective breeding, at a very low cost. RepRap and Fab@home are basically similar projects, and work together to achieve early interoperability. Over the next few years the evolution of fabbing technology will produce home fabbers able to print a wide and growing range of 3D objects using a wide and growing range of materials (ceramics, wax, metals...). RepRap and Fab@home are both Open Source projects, for “noble” reasons and also for practical reasons that, in the case of RepRap, are easy to see: if you try to sell a machine that can make copies of itself, you will only sell one! So how does one get a fabber? Two companies associated to the Fab@home project, Automated Creation Technologies and Koba Industries, ship DIY kits (think IKEA) that permit assembling a working unit in a few hours to a few days of work. Bits From Bytes sells RepRap parts and (partly) assembled working units. The RepRap Research Foundation (RRRF), established to promote research in self-replicating manufacturing systems and to distribute the results of that research freely to everybody using open-source licensing, will distribute non-profit “starter kits” at cost to any member requesting them so that those members may build the hardware needed to do their research. The RRRF Board of Directors is chaired by the RepRap inventor Adrian Bowyer who in the background page describes the aim of the project as ”I have no need to buy a spare part for my broken vacuum cleaner when I can download one from the Web; indeed, I can download the entire vacuum cleaner. The self-copying rapid-prototyping machine will allow people to manufacture for themselves many of the things they want, including the machine that does the manufacturing”, and the resulting impact on the economy as ”Darwinian Marxism”! Bowyer thinks that parts of the Marxist analysis of the economy are basically correct, but the “solution” proposed by Marxism have caused far too much unhappiness and bloodshed, and thinks disruptive technologies like fabbing can be the basis of better solutions. Another Board member runs a New Zealand company aptly named Diamond Age Solutions Ltd. The Diamond Age of Matter Compiling is, evidently, the planned end point of this new technology revolution. How can today’s first clumsy experiments evolve into the future over reaching technology envisaged by Stephenson? I see a powerful combination of three trends: Trend 1: BIG government projects - Nanotechnology will, of course, continue to advance in big government, industrial and military labs with more and more funding. Only a few weeks ago research in diamond mechanosynthesis (DMS), building diamond nanostructures atom by atom using scanning probe microscopy, received a major boost with a $3 million grant from the U.K. Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, awarded to Professor Philip Moriarty at the University of Nottingham for a “Digital Matter” project. This project and many related advances are covered by the Nanofactory Collaboration website. Examples of diamondoid materials are carbon nanotubes or fullerenes, several strong covalent ceramics such as silicon carbide, silicon nitride, and boron nitride, and a few very stiff ionic ceramics such as sapphire (monocrystalline aluminum oxide) that can be covalently bonded to pure covalent structures such as diamond. The Nanofactory Collaboration website has many illustrations and videos (including the Productive Nanosystems video mentioned above, made by Lizard Fire Studios), and a “vintage” (1998) video presentation of an early nanofactory conceptual design, made by E-spaces (Philippe Van Nedervelde). From the Nanofactory Collaboration website: ”The nanofactory is a molecular manufacturing system employing controlled molecular assembly that will make possible the creation of fundamentally novel products having the intricate complexity currently found only in biological systems, but operating with greater speed, power, reliability, and, most importantly, entirely under human control. Molecular manufacturing has the potential to be extremely clean, efficient, and inexpensive. The principal output of the first commercial nanofactory will be macroscale quantities of molecularly precise diamondoid products. These products may include nanocomputers, medical nanorobots, products having diverse aerospace and defense applications, devices for cheap energy production and environmental remediation, and a cornucopia of new and improved consumer products”. This is an example of government funded but not military “big” nanotechnology project. I am not sure I want to know too much on big defense related nanotechnology projects, I can imagine that military groups are spending a lot of money on nanotech all over the world. Trend 2: migration to the consumer technology market - Big government projects produce important advances that, at some point, find their way to the consumer technology market. This happened, for example, in the field of Virtual Reality. The first advances in VR technology were developed for military applications like training and combat simulators, and costed a lot of money. Then they found their way to the consumer, specifically to advanced videogames for PCs and consoles. Today, the consumer technology market has taken the lead, and cheap consumer products like the Crysis video-game are better, in many respects, than dedicated systems developed for military applications. This has happened because the video-gaming market can provide more development money than a government, and much faster, and also because it is able to attract smarter and much more creative young engineers who would not be happy in a dull government research environment. I expect the same to happen in nanotechnology. At some point, powerful nanofactories will be installed by industry and begin producing this “cornucopia of new and improved consumer products”. Private investors and the stock market will replace government agencies as the primary funding sources for new advances, and of course consumers will vote for the best products with their wallets. Stephenson’s Feed technology, a supply network of molecular materials for consumer nanofactories, operating like a gas or water supply network with dedicated pipes reaching everywhere, may also find its way to the market. But perhaps it is more likely that, at least in an initial phase, materials for nanofactories will be sold in stores. So far, this is a standard technology development model, with the public sector providing an initial boost and the commercial sector taking the lead after a while. But I think in this case things will be made more interesting by the third trend: Trend 3: OS-P2Pization - A relatively recent phenomenon is that important technologies are developed spontaneously by interest groups of citizens all over the world with P2P, Open Source development models that bypass both national governments and large corporations. This is, I think, one of the most promising developments of our age. The Open Source development began in the software sector (Apache, Linux, Wikipedia...) and is now penetrating other sectors as well. RepRap and Fab@home are two really excellent examples of OS hardware design and development. I think as advances in nanotechnology are developed by the public, military and commercial sectors, they will find their way to fabbing communities and to the street which, in its Gibsonian way, finds its own uses for technology. Fabbing will provide a clear evolutionary path toward Matter Compiling by showing the feasibility and convenience of “printing” physical objects from digital design specifications distributed over the Internet. The sophistication of home fabbing technology, and that of the objects and goods it permits producing, will increase until open fabbing will begin integrating nanotechnology components. At that point, the Open Source, P2P Diamond Age of Matter Compiling will begin. Open Source development has an exponential growth pattern, very slow at the beginning until a critical mass of managers, developers and assets is achieved, but very fast after that point until it becomes so fast that no centralized development model can compete. The current evolution of virtual world technology provides an example: first, large and often classified projects funded by the public sector; then innovative commercial consumer products like Second Life based on previous advances; and eventually, Open Source projects like OpenSim and open standards. I think the convergence of nanotechnology and OS hardware fabbing will follow this pattern. And when practical Matter Compiling is achieved, instead of shipping physical objects, their detailed design specification in a “Molecular Description Language” (MDL) will be transmitted over a global data grid evolved from today’s Internet and then physically “printed” by open nano fabbers at remote sites. The current file formats used by the fabbing community are the most likely candidates to evolve in the MDL. An important feature of Open Nano Fabbing, or Matter Compiling, perhaps the most important, will be that it will permit reducing the power monopoly of national governments and large corporations, and give more power back to individuals, local communities, and global distributed interest groups. In my opinion this will make our planet, and tomorrow our solar system and beyond, a much better place. Views 2008-08-23T15:53:00+00:00 http://metaxlr8.net/index.php/site/metaxlr8_park_2_open_in_second_life/ http://metaxlr8.net/index.php/site/metaxlr8_park_2_open_in_second_life/#When:10:49:00Z The island metaXLR8 Park 2, part of the metaXLR8 Park in Second Life, is an exclusive Second Life office park with 16 partly pre-built parcels to rent. It has a clean simplified reality design optimized for both performance and ease of use, especially friendly for newcomers to Second Life and casual visitors. If your company, college, organization or interest group needs a turnkey solution to experiment with Second Life and virtual worlds before making significant commitments, and if your target audience includes people not very familiar with SL and virtual worlds, metaXLR8 Park 2 is for you. Every parcel comes with all elements and services needed to host meetings with voice, Power Point, streaming music and streaming video. Teleport to region metaXLR8 Park 2 to visit. Note that the design is professional but deliberately basic and functional, and the zoning rules are strict (example: floating objects are not allowed) - if you prefer a more creative style and wish more freedom, metaXLR8 Park 2 may not be the most suitable location for you. Contact us for alternatives in this case. News 2008-08-19T10:49:00+00:00 http://metaxlr8.net/index.php/site/webflock_easy_virtual_worldlets_in_the_browser/ http://metaxlr8.net/index.php/site/webflock_easy_virtual_worldlets_in_the_browser/#When:04:01:01Z WebFlock is an application for private-labeled, Web-based virtual experiences. Developed by the Electric Sheep Company of New York City, WebFlock provides a visually immersive environment for social interaction, media consumption and game play. Key benefits include: Fun social interaction combined with content, game play, and/or events; Greater time-on-site and user engagement; A brand-owned, customized and focused user experience; Easy to use and accessible to anyone running Flash in the Web browser. In the pictures, one of Electric Sheep managers is explaining me some key features of the platform. WebFlock runs in any browser with the Flash plugin. Since the Flash plugin is installed on almost all browsers, this effectively means that WebFlock runs in the browser without needing any download and installation. WebFlock is very easy to use, much easier than other 3D environments, as it pragmatically avoids “difficult” user interface elements. If my grandmother were alive, she would learn how to use WebFlock in a couple of minutes. This is not a general purpose platform for every conceivable VR application or a competitor to rich VR environments or 3D business applications, but rather a lean, fit for purpose tool for creating branded multiuser virtual worldlets that run in the browser and can be integrated into any website. For example a 3D reception and product information area, or a rich community site for chatting over pictures, art and video. A WebFlock environment can be fully customized with standard commercial 3D design tools. Flash video from any source can be streamed to WebFlock, and the second picture demonstrates the integration of Flash casual games. In collaboration with the Electric Sheep Company, we at metafuturing will offer our clients full consulting, design, development, hosting and installation services for this new light, fast, accessible and easy 3D environment. Contact us to discover how you can easily integrate 3D worldlets in your web presence. Views 2008-08-15T04:01:01+00:00 http://metaxlr8.net/index.php/site/first_teleport_to_the_metaxlr8_opensim/ http://metaxlr8.net/index.php/site/first_teleport_to_the_metaxlr8_opensim/#When:15:58:00Z I am participating in the Open Grid Public Beta. The picture above shows my avatar after his first teleport from the Linden test grid to the metaXLR8 OpenSim. Our OpenSim runs on our Debian server. I am documenting the installation and testing work in this notebook. In the picture below I am chatting and building with the first visitor to our sim. This is certainly part of the future of the Second Life (tm) platform and the metaverse. It is still very alpha, but I have been very impressed by the dedication, creativity and dynamism of the OpenSim development community and am sure that with the support of Linden Lab, IBM, Microsoft etc. the OpenSim platform will mature very fast. News 2008-08-10T15:58:00+00:00 http://metaxlr8.net/index.php/site/the_metaverse_meetup_comes_to_madrid_second_life_opensim_croquet_flash_vr/ http://metaxlr8.net/index.php/site/the_metaverse_meetup_comes_to_madrid_second_life_opensim_croquet_flash_vr/#When:08:02:00Z The Metaverse Meetup is ”a worldwide alliance for enthusiasts, professionals, critics and journalists interested in meeting around the globe to discuss virtual worlds”. The description of the first Metaverse Meetup group in New York is more explicit: ”Ever combined the Web, real life(tm), Second Life, World of Warcraft, Google Earth, Nintendo, Facebook and the unfolding human experience into a single thought (which you then Twittered over your iPhone)? Working on an art or web or game or virtual world project? Have an avatar? Are an avatar? Think video games can save the world or that the world is already a video game? (Or think that’s the worst thing you’ve ever heard?) Does Snow Crash ring any bells even if you’re way too cool to find it fascinating in public? Move over Bay Area. Fans of history and the future who are interested in the march of the web into the world and the world into the web unite and make New York the world Metaverse capital! Meeting monthly for dinner, drinks, talks, networking, workshopping, fun, scheming, and events. People actively working on or especially interested in creative, mixed-reality, social web, video game, virtual world, mapping, simulation, or 3D projects highly encouraged. If that all sounds better than bad you’ll probably enjoy the Metaverse Roadmap Overview foresight and research report”. The last Metaverse Meetup in New York has been covered by Tish Shute of Ugotrade in ”Metaverse Meetup: OpenSim and Virtual Worlds Interoperability”. There is a video coverage: “Here is the video of our last Metaverse Meetup: OpenSim & Virtual Worlds Interoperability 7.23.08 (from Vimeo). The video of this landmark event was produced thanks to the awesome Annie Ok, Artist, Creative Director, Curator, Video Director, Metaverse Evangelist/Consultant, Co-Organizer of Metaverse Meetup”. We have taken the initiative to organize the Metaverse Meetup Madrid. Starting in September and in collaboration with other events organizers here in Madrid and in the global Metaverse Meetup Alliance, we will cover the most interesting developments in Second Life (tm), Opensim, Open Croquet, Qwaq Forums, Wonderland, the new generation of VR-worlds-in-a-browser powered by 3D Flash, Lively, Chinese VR worlds and other new directions in the metaverse, and write reports on this blog and our blog in Spanish. We will also organize mixed-reality events (meetings in RL open to remote participants from the metaverse, and vice versa). In the picture, a virtual meeting point for Metaverse Meetup Madrid in metaXLR8 Park in Second Life. Metaverse Meetup Madrid Metaverse Meetup Madrid @ meetup.com Metaverse Meetup Madrid @ Facebook Metaverse Meetup Alliance News 2008-08-09T08:02:00+00:00 http://metaxlr8.net/index.php/site/information_week_qwaq_brings_virtual_reality_to_enterprise_collaboration/ http://metaxlr8.net/index.php/site/information_week_qwaq_brings_virtual_reality_to_enterprise_collaboration/#When:07:59:01Z Information Week: Qwaq Brings Virtual Reality To Enterprise Collaboration: “Qwaq nails the trifecta of hip IT technologies: It’s a software-as-a-service offering that combines enterprise collaboration with an interface like Second Life. Users create avatars and meet in a virtual 3-D environment to share and edit documents and use corporate applications… Qwaq augments enterprise collaboration with Qwaq Forums, 3-D virtual environments that let avatars interact with co-workers, create and edit documents, and use applications. CEO Nuyens says 3-D is more than just slick graphics. “The fact that you give a team a place that exists is extremely significant. You get social transactions. It builds trust among team members.” Qwaq lets you upload, share, and edit documents, such as Word files or PowerPoint slides, with co-workers. It also lets you run applications inside Qwaq Forums. For example, doctors in different locations could use a medical imaging application inside a Forum. Users also can launch Firefox in a Forum to browse the Web. Qwaq offers a SaaS option or an appliance deployed behind your enterprise firewall. The appliance version is required if you want to run applications inside a Forum”. News 2008-08-09T07:59:01+00:00 http://metaxlr8.net/index.php/site/in_nano_veritas/ http://metaxlr8.net/index.php/site/in_nano_veritas/#When:16:38:00Z I will give a talk on nanotechnology at the In Nano Veritas conference of the THINK BIG - MEDEF Summer University, on August 28. I plan to focus on the mid / long term impact of nanotechnology and its migration from military and industrial megalabs to a grassroots social technology, as outlined in my article on Globalization and Open Source Nano Economy: ”Some of the problems of today’s globalized world could be eliminated or reduced by developing operational worldwide molecular design and manufacturing capabilities. Instead of shipping physical objects, their detailed design specification in a “Molecular Description Language” (MDL) will be transmitted over a global data grid evolved from today’s Internet and then physically “printed” by “nano printers” at remote sites. This would allow communities wishing to remain independent to retain their autonomy”. I think matter compiling will have a huge importance, not only in scientific and technological terms, but also and especially in social and political terms. I will discuss current related developments in future consumer technology, things happening here and now that will take us closer to the diamond age of matter compiling. One of the best online sources of information on nanotechnology is the website of the Center for Responsible Nanotechnology. On the CRN blog CRN analysts have often written about today’s poor man’s primitive baby steps toward matter compiling. Positive Expectations, one of their recent professional-quality scenarios of a near-future world, is a roadmap: ”2008: ¡Fabbers Libre!  When the first “late beta” version of RepRap -the “replicating rapid-prototyper"- is released in early 2008, critics have a field day. It’s slow. It’s clumsy-looking. It can’t actually replicate itself without adding a few key commercial parts. But where critics see an ugly duckling, design students, DIY hackers, and open source enthusiasts see a swan-in-the-making. By the summer, dozens of novel fabber projects emerge (some forked from RepRap, but most based on original designs), and by the fall, some have actually produced devices that an adventurous home user could play with. Forward-looking strategists at mega-retailers and mass manufacturers feel a distinct chill run up their collective spine. The open fabber era had begun, and through the end of the decade, free and open source software hackers around the world turn their attention to hardware… By the time molecular manufacturing applications do mature at the nanoscale, Openfabs are a ubiquitous fact of global life. It’s not surprising, then, that the first atomically-precise devices are designed with Openfab-standard interconnects for integration into the existing open world standard for human-scale production infrastructures”. Not Drexlerian replicant assemblers and molecular manufacturing yet, but just wait one or two decades. Voire en Grand - Think Big In Nano Veritas August 28, 2008, 15h - 17.30 What if one of the solutions to see big lays in the infinitely small? What is nanotechnology? Which areas, which applications? What costs? What risks? Between science and fiction, where is our future? Does Europe have the wish and the means to become a leader in this area? In the quest for the Grail, are patents sufficient? From the lab to the table, will nanotechnology invade the food industry? What about cosmetics, computers, medicine, military? Will nanotechnology wchange the economic rules? Privilege of large enterprises or fertile ground for SMEs? After the digital divide, the nanotechnology gap? After the nuclear deterrence, the invention of nanotechnology deterrence? Should we trivialize the use of nanotechnology? What about ethics? How to manage the development of artificial intelligence? Will synthetic brains ensure they survival of the human species? Are we sorcerer’s apprentices? Speakers: Claude Birraux, deputy of Haute-Savoie, President of the Parliamentary Office for the evaluation of scientific and technological choices Jean-Frederic Clerc, director of CEA-DPSE Christian Colette, director of R & D of Arkéma Benedict Croguennec, project manager at AFNOR Alain Fontaine, director of the NEEL institute, director of research at CNRS Grenoble Alain Grimfeld, president of the National Consultative Ethics Committee Paul Jacquet, director general of INP France Paul Lannoye, co-founder of Grappe ASBL Jean-Claude Mialocq, researcher in molecular chemistry, CEA Giulio Prisco, director of metafuturing SL Moderator: Jacques Hebert, journalist and communications consultant. News 2008-08-08T16:38:00+00:00 http://metaxlr8.net/index.php/site/icommons_is_proud_to_announce_the_isummit_08_in_second_life/ http://metaxlr8.net/index.php/site/icommons_is_proud_to_announce_the_isummit_08_in_second_life/#When:16:14:03Z iCommons is proud to announce the iSummit ‘08 in Second Life This year, the iSummit ‘08 takes place in Sapporo, Japan and is complemented by a parallel series of events in Second Life on Japan Sapporo island, which takes advantage of the virtual world’s characteristics of bridging space, and time. With iCommons’ annual iSummit quickly approaching, the preparations are being finalised on Japan Sapporo island in Second Life as well. Following on the success of the Second Life edition of iSummit ‘07, the 2008 edition of the event strengthens its presence with the development of an entire island dedicated to the City of Sapporo, representing its culture, and values, and giving breathing space to the residents who want to get involved with the conference. Please click on the following slurl to visit the island: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Japan%20Sapporo/128/160/22/ The iSummit ‘08 in Second Life is coordinated by David Orban, aka Davidorban Agnon, a long term resident, and virtual worlds visionary. “Free culture can flourish in online worlds, where the digital expression finds home in a social, and collaborative environment, which reverberates with true human emotion,” said David Orban during the preparations of iSummit ‘08. “To celebrate the iSummit, we will launch a contest among Second Life residents to build a dynamic, interactive three-dimensional version of the iSummit logo, one which will best represent the iSummit’s values in the online worlds,” he added. One of the first series of events for iSummit ‘08 in Second Life will be the streaming of the keynote speeches from Sapporo, and the delivery of Jimmy Wales’ keynote within Second Life, transmitted simultaneously to the live physical audience as well. “I am very glad to see the Second Life portion of the iSummit grow,” said Anna Berthold of iCommons, “with this series of initiatives that involve the residents in a more interactive fashion, we’re looking forward to extending beyond what we’ve previously done in Second Life.” As it often happens with events that attract a wide audience, it could very well be that Japan Sapporo island is going to be filled with visitors. For this reason, an innovative SL2SL streaming solution has been set up, which enables participating lands to host windows to Japan Sapporo, and let their residents and visitors participate in Jimmy Wales’ keynote, and other important iSummit events. Information about satellite locations, as well as programme details for the iSummit in Second Life will be posted on the iSummit website as they are confirmed. The isummit stream will be also hosted at SL-Transhumanists @ Extropia Core (image above) and the conference centre of the virtual Ibiza (a good reproduction of a brickspace concerence centre in Ibiza, image below) for a Spanish speaking audience (SLURL). In both locations there will be a chat bridge to relay questions from the audience to the speakers. About iCommons Founded in 2005 and based in Johannesburg, South Africa, iCommons is an international non-profit organisation that works to grow the digital commons by providing a platform for international collaboration among commons-based communities.  “Our vision is of a world where there is widespread participation in global innovation, digital culture and knowledge-building initiatives based on equitable access to technology, education, science and culture,” said Heather Ford, Executive Director of iCommons, “- a world where people are using the organising power of technologies and the spirit of the commons to work together to solve crucial global challenges.” iCommons hosts the annual iSummit to bring together open education, access to knowledge, free software, open access publishing and free culture communities from around the world to share best practices and discuss strategies towards the growth and enlivening of a global digital commons. The iSummit is an annual exploration of the emerging opportunities for co-ownership, co-creation and widespread distribution and sharing of knowledge, culture and creativity in the digital age. For press related inquiries about the iSummit ‘08, please contact Stephanie Traynor, stephanie ‘at icommons ‘dot’ org For information about iSummit ‘08 in Second Life, please contact David Orban, david ‘at’ davidorban ‘dot’ com News 2008-07-24T16:14:03+00:00 http://metaxlr8.net/index.php/site/google_lively_more_thoughts/ http://metaxlr8.net/index.php/site/google_lively_more_thoughts/#When:17:40:00Z I have reported on my first splash in Google Lively in Google Lively - first test. Since then I have been reading a lot (as expected, both positive and negative comments) and playing with it some more. In the picture above, two of my avatars rest after setting up and decorating a Lively room. I was running both sessions on the same PC and watching each screen updating about one second after changes in the other. Lively is a very preliminary product - well, it is called a beta. It does not have some necessary features yet, but I am sure they are working at the next bunch of features. The interface is different from most VR worlds - basically you do everything with the mouse, and it took me a few minutes to understand that you are supposed to move your character by dragging it with the mouse. You learn the basics in a few minutes by trying. Actually I asked people without experience in VR worlds to try, and they got it fast (less things to unlearn). I now like the interface very much, like most interfaces by Google. It is easy and fast. Of course I miss a Mac version, but they say it is coming. I do not see Lively as a Second Life killer. Also, it does not seem aimed at videogamers (Crysis, Half Life...) or MMO users (WoW, Entropia...). Rather, it permits developing light VR microworlds that can be embedded in a web page - a 3D chatroom for a blog, or a customer service VR microsite for a business. The download is a 10M plugin that autoinstalls for IE and Firefox. Given that Lively is very easy to install and use, and in view of the fact that they will be able to leverage the huge user base of other Google services, I have no doubts that Lively will attract large numbers of users and will become the standard first introduction to the concept of metaverse. Who remembers Usenet? (It was the thing now known as Google Groups). Since the main impact of Lively will be making the metaverse very user friendly and with a very large entry level user base, I think its launch is very good news for the industry. Also, once Lively will make micro VR worlds much more popular, many firms will ask for similar services on their own websites without the Google branding (and probably ads). This will boost the request for similar microworlds based on, for example, multiuser 3D Flash and X3D technologies. Views 2008-07-14T17:40:00+00:00 http://metaxlr8.net/index.php/site/seminar_on_education_in_vr_qwaq_forum_the_metaverse_for_business_collaborat/ http://metaxlr8.net/index.php/site/seminar_on_education_in_vr_qwaq_forum_the_metaverse_for_business_collaborat/#When:18:46:00Z On Tuesday, July 15, Innovex 4G will give a presentation on Qwaq Forum, the metaverse for business collaboration and education, at the Seminar on Education in Virtual Worlds in Zaragoza, Spain. Innovex 4G is an authorized distributor of Qwaq Forums for Spain. This will be the first official presentation (as we say in Spanish, “la puesta de largo") entirely dedicated to Qwaq Forums to Spanish business and academy. See also our article in Spanish. In the pictures and the video clips, some of the new features introduced by the most recent release (1.1.80): realistic 3D avatars in casual and business attire, webcam videoconferencing, and screen sharing (image below: a very useful feature, especially when one has to show content only available on the local system, for example licensed software applications). Video presentation: Quick Time streaming (.mov) Flash streaming (.flv) News 2008-07-13T18:46:00+00:00