Second Life:Imaging Virtual Place (part 1)

Richard Smyth, Ph.D.Invent-L Conference 2007: Imaging PlaceUniversity of Florida24 February 2007

Outline of Presentation

I. Mystory/History: How I Came Here/Returned Here

II. Deconstruction vs. “Reconstruction”: Metaphorical Concepts of Space and Topological Alternatives

III. Summary of Research Interests

Mystory/Choragraphy:Multidimensional Expression

wabi-sabi : wide image :: outline : argument

wabi-sabi has six parts: three each for tenor and vehicle of a metaphor

the “need to fill in each slot locates some dimensions of thought and feeling that you might have overlooked…” (Ulmer 2003, 277)

Time Line (1-D)

lphaetic

Literacy1100 B.C.E.

Printing Press1447 C.E.

Peter Ramus1515-1572

1820

1901

1927

1984

Time Square (2-D)

Time Cube (3-D)

Aest

heti

c

Temporal

Mne

mon

ic

Part I

Mystory/History:How I Came to Be Here/Return Here

10.5.06 (Temporal Axis)

Craig Freeman/JC Fremont introduces Smyth to Second Life

Abaris Brautigan is born

Abaris Brautigan as default avatar pictured camping at Mooaleo

10.12.06 (Aesthetic Axis)

Smyth/Brautigan quoted in slatenight.com Nomad Scholar finds home in SL

Abaris Brautigan (before he edited self) pictured here horning in on interview (Witte/Dena)

08.01.94 (Mnemonic Axis)

Under director Greg Ulmer, Smyth finishes dissertation “Renaissance Mnemonics, Poststructuralism, and the Rhetoric of Hypertext Composition”

He graduates from University of Florida (aka “The Florida School of Applied Grammatology”) with Ph.D. in English

8.27.94 (Mnemonic Axis)

Craig Saper confers his Bachelors Degree upon Smythin Florida School graduation ceremony that has yet tobecome a tradition.

10.19.06 (Temporal Axis)

Abaris creates Second Life group for electrate collaboration: the TGC

Access group info by double-clicking group name in profile.

TGC Group Insignia/Significance

Squares represent juxtaposed pixels Pixels = next generation of

juxtologic: multidimensional “Pixels are the movable type of the

future.” (Stafford 288)

colon = pointsANALOGIC

equal sign = linesLOGIC

? = squaresJUXTOLOGIC

How to Display Group Title

Right-click on avatar, select Groups, then select group in list for display and click ACTIVATE button

10.22.06 (Aesthetic Axis)

Abaris Brautigan edits his self-image at SL replica of Stonehenge

Right-click on avatar and choose “Appearance” to change self-image.

Spring 1997 (Mnemonic Axis)

Students read children’s allegory The Phantom Tollbooth as model for project

Assignment: students collaborate to build an allegorical, educational environment in a M.O.O. for a 5th grade class to experience

Students had to work out overall content and how each group would fit in and interconnect to the whole.

10.29.06 (Temporal Axis)

Abaris Brautigan works on electracy display at

Parvenu Towers (6th floor)

Residual literacy in the new medium: a book and a computer terminal with websites.

11.1.06 (Aesthetic Axis)

Stephanie Hermes/Tripp creates the FRE t-shirt

Abaris Brautigan never takes it off

11.6.06 (Aesthetic Axis)

Smyth submits late abstract to the Craigs Freeman/Saper

Informs Saper that his BA degree held hostage

As a result of this act of blackmail, Smyth’s abstract is accepted.

TMI (Mnemonic Axis)

5.19.84—married as sophomore 6.12.84—admitted to Smyth County

Hospital for mental breakdown during trip to NC

5/1994—Ulmer publishes review of Genetis: A Rhizography in PMC

6/1994—returns to NC to finish dissertation after wife leaves with children

Mapping These Points You Get…

Representation of a Klein Bottle, a 3-D version of a Moebius strip, immersed in 3-D space.

Contact

Richard Smyth, Ph.D.rsmyth64@yahoo.comhttp://www.anabiosispress.org/rsmyth