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NEW WORLD NOTES


THE WORLD'S LONGEST-RUNNING METAVERSE NEWS AND CULTURE SITE. BY WAGNER JAMES AU,
AUTHOR OF "MAKING A METAVERSE THAT MATTERS"


TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2024


NICEAUNTIES IN THE AUNTIEVERSE: SINGAPORE ARTIST DELIGHTFULLY VISUALIZES HER
FAMILY & CULTURE THROUGH DALLE3 & OTHER AI PROGRAMS

My call for works of AI-based fine art came up with only a few scant examples
(besides Nettrice Gaskins), but this artist definitely qualifies: Niceaunties,
who expresses her family dynamics and Singapore/Chinese culture through various
artificial intelligence programs. Like the one above, "We Are Good":

"We are Good' is a story set in the Auntieverse about two solitary characters
who find companionship in each other. In a dense cityscape reminiscent of Hong
Kong, an encounter takes place between an auntie with a cat's face and a cat
with an auntie's face... The story explores themes of identity, connection, joy,
and comfort. This AI film was created, animated, and edited by Niceaunties in
the programmes Dalle3, Magnific.ai and Runwayml.

Having grown up among a large Chinese-American family on my dad's side in
Hawai'i, I instantly, deeply resonate with these images on a cultural level, and
they're just totally delightful.

More from the artist's website:  

Continue reading "Niceaunties in the Auntieverse: Singapore Artist Delightfully
Visualizes Her Family & Culture Through Dalle3 & Other AI Programs" »



Posted on Tuesday, February 20, 2024 at 04:35 PM in AI | Permalink | Comments
(0)

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STUNNING SECOND LIFE IMAGERY BY FLICKR ARTIST MINNOW

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital
painting

Minnow is someone I discovered recently while surfing faves. I’ve forgotten the
trail that led to Minnow, but it was a good one. I found several of the artists
whom I have featured this last month. 

This picture, though, was so arresting because it reminded me of a film I
watched with one of my sisters when I was a child. I mean, look at that scarf!
Thanks to my siblings, my head is cluttered with films I had no business
watching when I was young. So, “Femme Fatale” may usually refer to a woman who
kills others, but in this case I am pretty certain Minnow was thinking of the
tragic Isadora Duncan, the famous dancer who revolutionized dance. Minnow
provides credits in case you, too, want your avatar to risk a tragic accident. 

For more striking photos from Minnow, click here:

Continue reading "Stunning Second Life Imagery by Flickr Artist Minnow" »



Posted on Tuesday, February 20, 2024 at 12:02 PM in Cajsa's Choices, Flickr SL |
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TROUBLE POSTING A COMMENT IN CHROME HERE? TRY INCOGNITO MODE.

Some readers are having trouble posting comments in New World Notes, with some
comments flat-out disappearing after clicking the Post button. Not sure what
combination of settings is causing the problem, but Martin K. recommends posting
comments via Chrome's Incognito mode. 

So that's one potential workaround. If you've found others, dear reader, please
post them, well, in Comments. And apologies to everyone who's had problems like
this thanks to my wonderful, wonderful, wonderful blog service.



Posted on Tuesday, February 20, 2024 at 11:46 AM in NWN Site Info/Projects |
Permalink | Comments (2)

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2024


TOP 5 POSTS INCLUDING A LOOK AT META VR'S LITTLE-DISCUSSED ADVERTISING/AI
CLAUSES & A FINE ART CHALLENGE FOR GEN AI ADVOCATES

Above: From Meta VR's Terms of Service

 * Watch: Second Life Creator Transforms Empty Plot Into "Last Of Us But
   Magical" Town -- And Shares Tips For Other SL Creators
 * If Generative AI Is So Transformative, Where's All The AI-Based Fine Art?
 * Mixed Reality Project Uses Multiple Kinects To Convert People Into Volumetric
   Avatars And "Teleport" Them Into A Virtual World
 * In The Vision Pro Vs. Quest Debate, Don't Forget Real Price Considerations --
   Not To Mention Meta's Advertising & AI Clauses
 * In Case You Missed It, Saying "The Metaverse Is Dead" Is Officially Dead



Posted on Monday, February 19, 2024 at 01:08 PM in Weekly Recap | Permalink |
Comments (4)

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2024


WATCH: SECOND LIFE CREATOR TRANSFORMS EMPTY PLOT INTO "LAST OF US BUT MAGICAL"
TOWN -- AND SHARES TIPS FOR OTHER SL CREATORS

In this seven part (!) video series, veteran cyberpunk YouTuber Ayla Pants
(who's pretty damn charming and fun for a cyberpunk!) let's us watch her
transform a large and empty plot of land into a seriously moody and detailed
fantasy post-apocalyptic town -- "Last of Us, but with magic", as she puts it,
helpfully establishing the vibe.

SL creators watching closely will probably pick up some various tips and tricks,
while SL explorers will gain some appreciation for the challenges of creating a
great environment. As Ayla explains to me:

Continue reading "Watch: Second Life Creator Transforms Empty Plot Into "Last of
Us but Magical" Town -- And Shares Tips for Other SL Creators" »



Posted on Friday, February 16, 2024 at 04:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2024


IF GENERATIVE AI IS SO TRANSFORMATIVE, WHERE'S ALL THE AI-BASED FINE ART?

Right: Dr. Nettrice Gaskin's Deep Dream-driven portrait of Kendrick Lamar --
AI-based art that preceded Midjourney and other generative AI platforms.

Generative AI platforms like Stable Diffusion and Midjourney have been available
for general use for about 2-3 years, and in terms of content created, we're
seeing a cascade of imagery that mostly fit in these broad categories:

 * Decoration: Enhancements of existing images, as with this avatar
   realification project I mentioned recently.
 * Illustration: Pretty/dramatic images depicting a specific subject or theme.
   Basically, the kind of images you'd see, say, on the front of a record album
   or book cover, or to advertise a game. Like this image that a judge
   subsequently refused to allow the generator to claim a copyright on.
 * Mash-Up Memes: Leveraging the fact that Midjourney and other platforms have
   vacuumed up decades of existing popular culture, these are usually fun
   mash-up pictures/video of the "X meets Y" variety, like Star Wars meets The
   Simpsons, or Barbie meets Oppenheimer.

To be clear, these are all entertaining and occasionally valuable uses of gen AI
(assuming various lawsuits by artists are resolved.)

But there's one category of imagery that seems conspicuously missing: AI-based
fine art.

In other words, imagery which expresses something essential about the human
condition. I.E., images that you'd imagine seeing in a regular wing of the
Museum of Modern Art, not just a special one-off show about art and AI.

Where are they? It's quite possible I've missed some notable works, but I follow
this space pretty closely. 

Frankly, the only example I've personally come across are works by Afrofuturist
Dr. Nettrice Gaskins. Years before generative AI platforms even existed, she was
creating powerful images of Black artists using Deep Dream as a palette.

Dr. Gaskins sees her work as a continuation or an extension of hiphop culture.
As she's written: 

> The nature of the tool is to find new styles, new aesthetics in between
> existing ones, esp. for those of us who create or make images. Generative AI
> feels like sampling and remixing, two techniques from hip hop music production
> that I have some experience with or knowledge of. These techniques were part
> of a culture that was synonymous with grit, resilience and creativity.

The images she creates are beautiful (see above) -- but they also have something
relevant and important to say. As metaverse artist Jeff "AM Radio" Berg put it
to me, about her work:

Continue reading "If Generative AI is So Transformative, Where's All the
AI-Based Fine Art?" »



Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2024 at 04:26 PM in AI | Permalink | Comments
(0)

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MIXED REALITY PROJECT USES MULTIPLE KINECTS TO CONVERT PEOPLE INTO VOLUMETRIC
AVATARS AND "TELEPORT" THEM INTO A VIRTUAL WORLD

> JMoF2024で「3D動画技術でリアルのきぐるみをVRの世界とつなぐ企画」 きぐるMixedReality やったよ！！
> 今までにない試みでいろんな試行錯誤があったけど、VR世界からも一緒に盛り上がれて最高だった！！
> 
> 来て遊んでくれた方、本当にありがとうございました！！！！！#JMoF #VR_JMoF #Resonite
> pic.twitter.com/NZpRaZBcDU
> 
> — ととがんま (@totegamma) January 10, 2024



This demo video is somewhat confusing because just about everyone in it is a
furry and it's from a Japanese-language site, but it's a mixed reality project
that uses a battery of Kinect motion detectors to convert a real person into a
volumetric avatar and then "teleport" them into a virtual world. (Resonite, in
this case.)

Called Kiguru MixedReality. here's some (hopefully accurate) explanation
translated by DeepL:



Continue reading "Mixed Reality Project Uses Multiple Kinects to Convert People
Into Volumetric Avatars and "Teleport" Them into a Virtual World" »



Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2024 at 01:42 PM in Mixed Reality Projects |
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GILLIAN GALICIA CREATES GREAT SECOND LIFE PHOTOGRAPHS INSPIRED BY CLASSIC
PAINTINGS & SONGS

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital
painting

Gillian Galicia’s picture’s title, “I’m Half Sick of Shadows”, quotes an
important line from a poem by Tennyson, at the end of Part II of “The Lady of
Shallot”:

Or when the moon was overhead

Came two young lovers lately wed;

'I am half sick of shadows,' said

       The Lady of Shalott.

That last line inspired John William Waterhouse to paint the Lady of Tennyson's
poem in a red dress -- which is what links Gillian’s picture to Waterhouse’s
lovely painting (one of three inspired by the poem). 

For more of Gillian’s pics inspired by great art, click here:



Continue reading "Gillian Galicia Creates Great Second Life Photographs Inspired
by Classic Paintings & Songs" »



Posted on Thursday, February 15, 2024 at 12:38 PM in Cajsa's Choices | Permalink
| Comments (0)

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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024


IN THE VISION PRO VS. QUEST DEBATE, DON'T FORGET REAL PRICE CONSIDERATIONS --
NOT TO MENTION META'S ADVERTISING & AI CLAUSES

Above: From Meta VR's Terms of Service

Since Mark Zuckerberg is currently doing a viral comparison of the Apple Vision
Pro with his Meta Quest line (watch below), I checked in with VR expert Avi
Bar-Zeev, who recently tried to a side-by-side review of his own.

He hit some small problems on set-up, unfortunately:

"Sorry, I was unable to don the Meta Quest 3 consumer HMD due to their
enshitifying terms of service. I do not consent to having a company use my
personal information to target me or train their machine learning, to retain
personally identifying information indefinitely, and to force me to give up my
usual legal rights when I discover they did something against MY personal terms
of service."

Avi is referring to sections in Meta VR's Terms of Service which stipulate the
company's right to "provide you with offers and other promotions" and "use and
develop advanced technologies – like artificial intelligence and machine
learning systems – to enable us to offer a better and more useful service to
everyone who uses the Meta VR Products". (Screencapped above.)

Meta would no doubt argue that advertising and AI enable the company to make its
Quest headsets so much less expensive than Apple Vision Pro's $3500 price.

But there again, Avi says there's a catch to the cost comparisons -- especially
if you're concerned about privacy:

Continue reading "In the Vision Pro vs. Quest Debate, Don't Forget Real Price
Considerations -- Not to Mention Meta's Advertising & AI Clauses" »



Posted on Wednesday, February 14, 2024 at 02:40 PM in Virtual Reality |
Permalink | Comments (2)

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WHEN VIRTUAL LOVE BECOMES REAL (AND VICE VERSA): THREE CLASSIC NEW WORLD NOTES
POSTS FOR VALENTINE'S DAY

> "Falling for Eddie":
> 
> ... That's about when they decided to meet each other in person, and at this
> point, it's worth mentioning that Eddie Escher lives in England-- and
> Fallingwater Cellardoor lives on the East Coast. So Eddie's first flight out
> to Fallingwater was no small expense. And no small risk, if things didn't work
> as well in first life, as they did in-world.
> 
> "You want to know my bestest, favoritest happy memory from my life so far?"
> Eddie asks me later. "It was our first kiss, meeting for the first time in
> [the airport.] Seriously. Everything around us just melted away, man, for both
> of us. I have no idea how long we were standing there like that."

And read on update on their story here.

Two more after the break!

Continue reading "When Virtual Love Becomes Real (And Vice Versa): Three Classic
New World Notes Posts for Valentine's Day" »



Posted on Wednesday, February 14, 2024 at 01:54 PM in Sex and Romance |
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VALENTINE'S CELEBRATED ACROSS SECOND LIFE WITH SEXY, SASSY, SWEET IMAGERY

Today's Cajsa Lilliehook brought you by Dutchie Design, creator of the new
Bathroom Sink Vanity with PBR reflection -- free for subscribers all through
February! 

Riley Amore is literally getting carried away by her emotions. Is there a better
metaphor for Valentine’s Day?

Or so I thought. Then I read up close what her candy hearts said. Oh my.

Still, I love the idea of the metaphor and wondered what other mischief Second
Lifers dreamed up for the holiday.  

For more Valentine’s cheer across Second Life, click here:

Continue reading "Valentine's Celebrated Across Second Life With Sexy, Sassy,
Sweet Imagery" »