Hyperreality (mashable planet)

Kaye discusses virtual worlds in general & SL in particular. And she links to this very interesting MIT article on called Second Earth. Unlike Kaye, I never really been a gamer (apart from a brief Civ addiction* in the early 90s that almost cost me my degree) and I have been a bit wary of Second Life.

But the more I ponder analytics, the more I realise that visualisation is the key to wide-spread use / acceptance of these. We are seeing a massive explosion in visualisation technologies - in terms of development of new techniques, applications of these techniques to real-world issues and broad-based user interest. Sites like Many Eyes are an example of these.

I see three interlinked yet distinct tracks coming out of this:

1. Dataspace. William Gibson's cyberspace was not like the internet or the metaverse of SL. WG cyberspace is a completely artificial world. A 3D representation of data & its flows. The visualisation tools that make analytics accessible are the full-flowering of WG's vision - driven as much by Excel & ERP systems as HTTP. We'll begin with individual analytics visualisations and then move onto the collaborative kind.

2. Augmented reality. This is where the real world interfaces with VR - using data transmitted by mobile & embedded devices such as RFID. The world will become "chatty". It will both assist us and drive us nuts. The extent to which we can choose to participate in this noisy place (or shut it off) will be major lifestyle choice for us in the next 20 years.

3. Second earths. The metaverse that Kaye & the article discuss. Their impact will be like TV - making the world a suddenly smaller place. However, has TV made us any less selfish? Or more generous? I honestly don't know. Global visualisations may make us more aware of the environmental impact of our lives. Or may simply provide us with entertainment - anyone fancy a bet on the next species to become extinct?

*It was the God-like power of life & death over an entire world that got me. Now the megalomania only comes in brief bursts.