video #2 (a work in progress)

d2 and i are still working on this one, but you can see we've made great strides since our first flick "the purple cow." i'll try uploading it here, but i am not very confident that it will work. so, here it is on youtube:

Don't be a blurker!

SL Movie 1 (after a week of trying)

Okay, so this week for me experimenting in SL movie making has been as frustrating for me as for everyone else. I could not seem to record anything from SL on my laptop but I am sure there is a good explanation. Today I finally downloaded SL to my PC and was able to record, though I couldn't record with SL I had to use Fraps. I don't know why. I spent the last 2 hours trying to post what I recorded here and to youtube but it wouldn't upload my video. I decided to edit my video on Windows movie maker and got it to post both here and at youtube. It is very rudimentary and I have a lot to learn, like getting rid of User Interface and the Fraps counter, but it's a start, right? Now if I could only figure out the storyline I want to use for my movie.

Windows Movie Maker

I had originally made a movie of my students, and realized I couldn't post it. So I made a video of my friends bachelorette party. Does anyone know how to add different music to different clips? I have been mucking around, and could only figure out how to use the same song?


Michelle - they told me that I could not upload my video and I had to contact support??
Blog Id:517971143593309179Video Id:54bc399704166688 Do you know what I did wrong when I tried to upload my video? I will keep trying!!

real life/second life

after posting our first video on youtube (see other post), we found this very amusing short piece. it will strike a chord with every new second life user!

more than one way to skin a cat...

i tried several times to upload our first attempt at machinima directly to this blog--unsuccessfully :-(

so, instead, i got a youtube account and uploaded it there. as i said before it is the antithesis of "polished" as a production, but at least we have our feet in the door, so to speak!

we will try again soon, this time remembering to turn off all the user interface menus first!

you can find the video at:

our marvelous video

Psychic Disequilibrium

I’ve been playing around on Second Life, watching machinima, and viewing videos on YouTube. I don’t know how or why to incorporate these into a movie. I can’t decide on my final project (although I have one good idea) because I don’t think I can produce something decent using Second Life or video game or anime footage. I am not familiar with the plots and visuals of the many episodes and I could spend the rest of my life searching for preexisting visuals out there in cyberspace. (And if I did find them, I don’t know how to capture and edit them.) I need to know much more about the content and how to manipulate the various technologies before I can move forward. When I speak to faculty members and students at my school about the above topics (thinking maybe we could collaborate on something) they are not familiar with what I’m talking about I’m usually excited by a challenge and having to generate ideas, but now I don’t feel at all in control of my narrative, creativity, progress, etc. – (way) out of my element, immobilized. In Sara B. Kajder’s article “Personal Narrative and Digital Storytelling” she quotes Adrienne Rich in describing how her students might feel: “when someone with authority of a teacher, say, describes the world and you are not in it, there is a moment of psychic disequilibrium, as if you looked into a mirror and saw nothing.” That’s a bit how I feel right now. Hopefully it’s the darkness before the storm (and/or the light?). Is anyone else having a similar experience, and how are you dealing with it?

On a practical note: Does anyone know where I can view interesting ways SL is being used out there (aside from just playing)? Also, other avatars are speaking to me in Spanish although I always click “I speak English.” Is there anything I can do about that? How can I make my own avatar talk?

Windows Movie Maker

Hi Everyone,

This is the video I started in class. I decided to play around a little more in Windows Movie Maker with the video effects. It took me awhile to upload it before I realized I had to save it in the proper format as a movie rather than just a file. I hope it works.

Jackie

making progress!

with the help of daughter2, we made a very crude movie tonight in about an hour. hopefully, it is showing up here!

as you can see, we made all sorts of mistakes, but i was determined to do SOMETHING to make me feel like i was making progress. i never figured out how to do the video capture within second life; this was captured with FRAPS.

it was hard to keep d2 away from the mouse and keyboard--she wanted to do ALL the editing!

Second Life

I had my first conversation with someone on Second Life tonight and I must admit, it was pretty weird. Something about it made me uncomfortable. I guess because I don't know who I am talking to. I can't figure out how to do much. Theresa...how did you drive a car?

Getting the Ball Rolling...

Christine and I met Monday to continue working on our video. We have a theme and found a lot of great picts. on Google Images, and some videos on YouTube. Thanks for all the tips from everyone on different topics so far. At first we were confused on how to put music from iTunes onto iVideo, but someone told us to burn the song onto a CD first, and then upload the song into iTunes via the CD, so hopefully that works out.

Lauren, I watched your video and it is so cute! Great work!
I am planning my wedding right now and found this blog spot so helpful. The woman who runs it must be a wedding planner or photographer...anyways, she has so many cool ideas, pictures, articles, etc. Here is the link.....
http://thepreppywedding.blogspot.com/
Pass it along to anyone you know who would find it helpful! Good luck with the projects everyone!

A quick HTML lesson

Okay, now that you're all happily video making (well, more or less happily!), it's time for a quick tutorial in some HTML coding (HTML = "hypertext markup language"--it's the code your internet browser reads to display links, images, text, etc.).

From this point on, I want you all to make the fabulous links you're finding "live"--that is, click-through-able. And here's how you do it:
http://www.pageresource.com/html/linking.htm

Pay careful attention to absolutely everything in the code string--you need to include the quote marks and greater-then and lesser-than signs exactly as shown on this page.

To change font styles, use the codes described here:
http://www.pageresource.com/html/textags.htm

To change font size and color, use these codes:
http://www.pageresource.com/html/fonthelp.htm

Happy tinkering with your text!

cool sites to explain wikis and bookmark pages

My professor in another Grad class posted these on blackboard and I thought they would be perfect for this class. Check them out....they are only a few minutes long each

http://www.commoncraft.com/video-wikis-plain-english

http://www.commoncraft.com/bookmarking-plain-english

http://www.commoncraft.com/rss_plain_english

Second Life = Movie

Has anyone made a movie using Second Life? Rachel, Theresa, Kelly and I figured out how to take snapshots and email them to ourselves. Has anyone used these in a movie? Can you do moving images as well?

Check out MTV Hits Channel 139!

Hi Everyone!
I'm not sure if you will get this quick enough, but on MTV Hits (which is a channel I have through Comcast Digital Cable) they are playing animation music videos. I thought you might be interested in tuning in, considering this is something similar to what we are doing in class. It is really cool to see how they utilize the animation and how it pertains to the lyrics of the song. Enjoy!

If At First You Don't Succeed...

It's me again. Here is my second attempt at this video. Hope it works!

Mucking Around & Still Lost

Hi All!!
We (Rachel, Theresa, Kelly & Lauren) have been sitting here since 4pm (it is now 7pm). We have some concepts in mind but we need to know how to import videos from youtube (how to save and edit them without the rest of the page being saved). Does anyone know how to add dialogue (speech bubbles) to a movie? For example, we may want to have music playing and add dialogue through bubbles or something similar. We have been playing around in Second Life and Movie Maker and we're still quite lost. Any ideas? Any help?

Michelle- are we still having that extra Saturday class?

Lauren, Rachel, Kelly, Theresa

I created two different movies and uploaded them to youtube, I used the same song Innes used for the movie she showed in class! I created it for my dad's birthday, he loves it.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_41K3hPExI

SPORE

Check out this video about this new game that will be coming out in March called Spore.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8372603330420559198

It actually involves creating creatures from the cellular level up! I'm fascinated by the science side of it - Thinking of how the different designs of the creatures may effect their survival. What a great learning tool something like this could be!

Windows Movie Maker and Itunes

Hi,
Does anyone know how to add itunes music to a video? I keep trying and it isn't working? Can anyone help me?

Ready to Quit

I attempted to watch my movie and most of the pictures I imported are gone! I spent hours making the movie. I saved it, watched it, and when I went back later there were missing pictures. What did I do wrong? Somebody help!

A Little Success At Last

I finally successfully downloaded Windows Movie Maker and created my first movie. I was unable to do it in class last week so I needed to try it at home. It's fun! I have never even made a video let alone attach it to a blog but I'm going to give it a try. Did it work?

Virtual Traditional Indian Dancing

Just thought I would share an interesting siting I had tonight. I went to an Indian Electronica event at the Rubin Museum of art. While the DJ mixed the music there was a digital women/avatar being projected onto the wall doing traditional Indian dancing. Curiously enough, upon investigating this I discovered that the word avatar is also a word from within Hindu philosphy. In that case, an avatar is the incarnation of a higher being. Something to chew on/mull over!

Interesting Article

http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=online&s=kennedy120804
Here is an article I found about second life. It is a little outdated but has some interesting points and explainations of cool uses for the program.

Orientation Island...Second Life

Hi,
I finally played second life. I figured out how to edit appearance and drive the car. (It took me about an hour of playing around to do that.) Did anyone get off of the orientation island, and if so can you offer any help!

Thanks!!

Second Life

Okay everyone. I finally downloaded second life and quick time today on my computer. I started to just walk around a little bit but I feel like I have no idea what I am doing. Is there a particular place to start if you are a beginner? I went into one area that was suppose to be a tutorial but it was not much help to me. Did anyone find a particular place that is helpful?

keep vid ?

Does anyone remember how to convert the .flv file to a movie file?
I downloaded a movie and can not remember
thanks

Second Life

I finally figured out how to play Second Life. I downloaded it successfully at last and got to play for a little while the other day. I can see how people can enjoy it. I still need to figure out the details but it's going well :)

International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Arrrr. Ahoy me hearties!

Don't forget today in our part of the northern hemisphere it's the all-important "Talk Like a Pirate Day!"

http://www.talklikeapirate.com/

http://www.boingboing.net/2007/09/14/web-zen-arrgh-tis-pi.html

Creating a Comical Music Video in Flash and Fireworks

Tonight I tried creating a comical music video, I'm rather happy with my results....I read an article and it gave me some great ideas and tips...check it out
http://www.communitymx.com/content/article.cfm?cid=20926

Music to add to movies

Hey,

I have trying to add some music to movie maker but everything I have is protected. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can either "get around" the protected file or any other ideas thanks.

Will

We didn't start the fire

I was sent a link to this site the other day.
http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~yeli23/Flash/Fire.html

Thought it might be a good example of an interesting music video.
I really enjoyed it and actually learned something from it. Not sure I ever really heard all the lyrics til watching this video. What do you think?

google doc

Hey everyone,

I am a commuter and work with a desktop at home. I uploaded a bunch of my papers and documents to Google docs. Now I can access them when I am on MSU campus and it is great for group work. If anyone else uses a desktop pc, I would strongly suggest that you use Google docs. It is also a great way to back-up papers and projects if or when your computer gets a virus. Google notebook is also cool, its similar to Google docs but you can save URLs. If you go to Google just type in Google docs or Google notebook. I also started my movie and being a PC person enjoy working on Windows Movie Maker better. Is anyone else finding it a bit easier to nav through?

Playing to Learn

There's an interesting article in the Sept 07 issue of School Library Journal entitled 'Gaming Advocacy: New ways librarians can support learning and literacy," which sheds some light on the educational value of gaming. The article focuses on "what it means to play as an alternative system of learning" and discusses some concepts that have been brought up in class, such as "mashing up" media content, connecting within a participatory culture, navigating across different types of media, collaborative role-playing games, etc. There are several good ideas for incorporating games into the classroom with websites. If you don't have access to SLJ you might be able to get the article online at www.slj.com or through the EBSCO host.

i movie ?

Ok, spent all day working on a movie and I love I movie...i guess u have to be a mac person. I however was a bit frustrated with the transitions that program allows...I really liked the ones innes used in her video. Is anyone using i-moive and if so am I missing a sopt where you can add in effects...like photoshop has?

Wireless Help!!!

Hi,
I've had a wireless router for over 3 years, and 2 weeks ago I started disconnecting every 10 minutes. I called Dell and they walked me through upgrading my drivers (I had no idea how to do that without them), and I bought and reconnected a new router and called Linksys and comcast. It seems no one can help me!!! Does anyone know anything about them?? I don't know what else to try. I'm ready to just get a modem put in my bedroom as well because I just can't take this anymore!! Any help will be so greatly appreciated!!!
Thanks

add-ons for movie maker

Hi everyone. After searching all the current and past download updates for windows Movie Maker I disappointingly found no free upgrades to improve on transitions and effects. But, I did find a site were you could purchase them.: http://www.pixelan.com/mm/intro.htm

trouble with scenemaker...

hi! tonight i tried scenemaker:
www.scenemaker.net
you're supposed to be able to capture other videos from the internet and be able to clip parts of them. I couldn't get it to grab anything!! has anyone else been able to get scenemaker to work?
Thanks

How To Make Videos Using MSPaint and Windows Movie Maker

A tutorial that tells you how to make videos using MSPaint and Windows Movie Maker. I made my first movie with movement....it took some time, but it was rather fun! I watched the guy on the video, and I made it along with him....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmDtvgqF6as

milk and cookies anyone?

I found a funny website....the videos are cool and it gave me some good ideas
http://www.milkandcookies.com

Replay Converter

Okay, while "mucking around" I downloaded some software from keepvid. To convert your flv files, if you click on the convert link on keepvid.com it sends you to another site to download the software to convert your files from .flv to .wmv or .abi or whatever you need. Here is a direct link to the converter site: http://www.applian.com/replay-converter/index_keepvid.php?src=KeepvidConvert. This will only allow you to convert thirty seconds for free. So, if the portion of a video you want to use is after the :30 second mark it will not be the best quality. You can purchase the software download to be able to convert all videos from the site for $29.99, i think. I haven't bought it yet. Also, keepvid.com has a download for a player to play the videos you capture. You can access this by clicking on the play icon at keepvid or clicking this link: http://applian.com/flvplayer/?src=KeepvidPlay. Now if I could only figure out how to keep myself from freezing up in Second Life I'd be in business.

looking for resources

Hey does anyone know of GOOD websites that will allow you to search for lyrics of songs and maybe search for a specific subject in a song?

What about the little ones?

Hello everyone! Sorry it took so long to post. I have a million ideas swimming around in my head and for the first time in a long time, I have really had to "stretch my mind" as I began to explore the links and sites suggested for this class. As I start to learn more about machinima, blogs, second life, etc. I couldn't help but wonder how my second grade students might be participating in these "new literacies" so I did some exploring and found an interesting article:

http://www.contentmatters.info/content_matters/2007/04/webkinz_social_.html

Turns out that webkinz and club penguin, which my students talk about all the time is really just kid-friendly version of second life!

Lost found the formula

My first thought as I read "Searching for the Origami Unicorn" was of my co-teacher. Each morning after a new episode of Lost she could be found on the computer checking out blogs to see what other people had to say about the show. I am sure if like Lost had other medias like The Matrix she would searching that out too. As I continued to read the parallels between The Matrix and Lost were startling; The Matrix references Alice in Wonderland and Lost references The Wizard of Oz, the use of numbers as a clue, backgrounds containing... It had me thinking is Lost just copying the successful formula of The Matrix? Should we be on the lookout for Lost the game, Lost the comic, Lost animated short or is it already out there?

Saturday tasks

Our second class focuses on the "technical stuff" of video editing. Because we have a wide range of experiences with using computers and different software in our group, I'm going to let you pick and choose from the tasks below to best suit your own needs or interests. These tasks are simply starting points, and you're free to move well beyond them.

By the end of this class, you should have created a very short movie using either Windows Media Maker (PC) or iMovie (Mac) to stitch together photos you've taken or found online, video clips you've created or found online, Google Earth clips created using Google Earth in combination with Fraps, or clips filmed within Second Life. Your short video must include a title screen and a closing screen. If you have time, muck around with adding a sound track, too. the movieyou make doesn't have to have anything to do with your final intended product.

1. Second Life machinima

• Open the Second Life client on your desktop (it looks like a blue-green hand icon). If you're working at home, download the client onto your harddrive (PC and Mac) here: http://www.secondlife.com


• Register a new account with Second Life if you haven't had a chance to yet, or login. Complete the newbie tutorial.


• View some Second Life machinima here: http://www.machinima.com/films.php?engine=10


• Explore the inbuilt video camera functions inside Second Life by exploring the different menus etc. Ply with camera angles and point-of-view orientations.


• Play around with bringing a favourite poem to life using Second Life sets and characters (e.g., “Silver Bells and Golden Spurs”)


• Or, play around with creating a music video set within Second Life or with creating a movie trailer for some as yet-unproduced film, based on bringing together recognizable characters or storylines from extant films (or other sources)

Public access places within Second Life you can visit:

• Help Island


• New Citizen’s Plaza


• Laguna Beach


• Frisch (186,160,68)


• Paris 1900


• ABC Island


• Leda 210, 28, 54 (free stuff available in Yadni’s Junkyard)


• Caledon (Victorian themed)


• Roma


• The Sistine Chapel, on Vassar Island


• Alliance Second Life Library


• SploLand


• Edgar Allen Poe

Role-playing areas in second Life (compiled by Gary Hayes, www.lamp.edu.au)

• Sigil - Wild west roleplaying at Sigil (141,137,28)


• Star Trek - RolePlay meeting area at Yulmu (213,72,79). Main RP area at Galaxy (165,89,103)


• Star Wars - A wide range of (mostly scheduled, join the various SW groups) RP groups across several sims and builds. Main headquarters at Starfleet Sector001 (62,193,21)


• Roleplay alley - Alston (196,11,501) - very poor design, a mix of spaces, good for groups to go cause hardly anyone around most of the time...


• Elbow Room - Mare - always folk around, bar atmosphere, more social than rp, but many do the 'cheers' thing (personal RP)


• Phasma (47,217,138)

2. Video edited remix films

• Using Windows Movie Maker for PC (download free here) or iMovie (on Macs), experiment with creating your own video remix using extant video clips


• Online film resources include: Youtube.com, Google Video, Break.com, Veoh, Blip.tv


• Many online videos can be saved to your harddrive using Video Downloader or Keep Vid. You will also find you may need to convert some of the resulting file formats in order to be able to use them with your video editing software (e.g., Windows Movie Makers prefer to use all *.avi or *.wmv files; iMovies prefers *.mov files). We'll cross that bridge on an as-needed basis, okay (so email or Skype me if you get stuck).


• Create your own live-action video footage using your mobile phone, digital camera or video camera


• Remix involves bringing two different things together to create something “new”. So, if using your own family video footage, you might choose a favorite song to synch with the footage. If wanting to use White Stripe’s “I Can Tell That We Are Gonna Be Friends”, for example, you might want to find animated clips that logically “match” the song in some way, then weave these together in your video editing software.

3. Fraps/iShowU and Google Earth films

• Although most Google Earth movies are made using Google Earth Pro (the not-free version) and an inbuilt filming function, movies can still be made using screen capture video software like Fraps and iShowU—along with video editing software like Movie Maker or iMovie


• Experiment with making a movie using Google Earth as your main resource. If you're working at home, you’ll need to register and download the client software at: http://earth.google.com. Otherwise, open the client on your desktop--its icon looks a bit like a blue and white beachball.


• A free copy of iShowU (for Macs only) can be downloaded here


• A free version of Fraps (for PCs only) can be downloaded here (the free version lets you film in 30-second chunks only)


• You’ll find a tutorial on making movies with Google Earth here. work through this to help get you started.


• Remember to focus on narrative. In the past, people i've worked with have chosen to represent their escape from one country and their immigration to a new one; to create a chronologically ordered tour of their favourite cricket grounds as a child; or to riff on the "Are You My Mother?" storyline using a popular meme; and so on. So, you might take the song “Workin’ 9 to 5” and recreate your day, moving from where you live to work and then wherever in synch with, say, the chorus of the song for starters.

Additional, more or less free, practical resources, tools, and software etc.

• Animation: http://alice.org


• Scene Maker (online application): http://www.scenemaker.net (requires free registration)


• Stop motion software for Mac: iStopMotion. Offers a free limited-time demo version for downloading.


• Phade's Guide to Good Anime Music Videos


• Online video capture application: Video Downloader

Transmedia Storytelling

I also just finished reading the "Searching for the Origami Unicorn" article and I truly enjoyed it. Even though I am not a fan of The Matrix, I was very intrigued by the concept (hope I using that word correctly!) of Transmedia Storytelling. I think it is fascinating to see how many people and ideas go into the process and its results. There has been a tremendous shift in Hollywood Storytelling and I feel this article did an awesome job portraying it. I must say that I am a fan of tradtional story structures, and tend to steer away from movies such as the Matrix, X-Men, etc. because of their complicated plots , however this article made me think differently about these types of movies and the reasoning behind them.
After reading the article, I decided to explore the Wikipedia website ( for the first time!) and search Transmedia Storytelling. I enjoyed reading the examples they provided and exploring the external links related to transmedia storytelling. I really never ever thought I would be interested in this topic - but hey what do you know, it has caught my interest! Here are the sites I found! Have fun exploring! Technology Review Article about Transmedia Storytelling
Transmedia Storytelling Defined on Project New Media Literacy
Henry Jenkins Blog: Transmedia Storytelling 101
Storygeek Blog Archive: "Heroes, Transmedia Storytelling and a twist"

Hey everyone

I finished up the article "Searching for the Origami Unicorn" and thought it was a great reading. I was and still am a huge fan of the Matrix Trilogy however, never viewed anything other than the movies. I went out and rented the game from blockbuster and played it for a few hours. I was impressed on how many connections and missing parts of the movie was filled in by the game. Anyone else that loved the movie, I would highly recommend this game.

Also I found this to link the article even more to some transmedia issues......

http://youtube.com/watch?v=RpmG8O1xlOc

lost with out a computer

Ok, so needles to say it has been a very stressful four days. My computer desides to act up right after class on Sat. Go figure. Well with ne computer in hand..off I go. And success Michele, we saved everything!!!! and yes I learned my lesson (back it up) :)
Ok so lots of ideas running around my head since sat. Just don't know how to accomplish them ... feel excited though!!
I spent alot of time on you tube after class and searched Harry Potter. Here are some link in case anyone would like to check it out. One is just funny "kind of catchy:
and the other one is like the anime video Michele showed in class, just not as precisely done!
Have fun!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx1XIm6q4r4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ul1X_A_iWtE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8mvrFHcgsc

Naruto

Hi all,
I wrote down the term Naruto when Michelle mentioned it in class. Today I heard a few students talking about it, and asked them what it was. I felt so out of the loop, so I googled it and found out that it is an anime and manga series created by Masashi Kishimoto centered around a loud, hyperactive, young ninja who is in a constant search for both approval and recognition, and with a great aspiration to become Hokage.So many of the students are interested in it, so I figured I should check into it? One of the students told me to check out this web-site;http://www.narutofan.com/. I figured we should know what our students are interested in. Does anyone have any ideas on how to incorporate this into a lesson plan for 3rd graders?
Thanks!!!

Millennials

Today I read an article that helps supply some meaning as to why I am finding current magazines, web sites, and media rather busy from my baby boomer generation perspective; whereas you millennials find it stimulating and enjoyable. You can find it under Keeping Current in School Library Media Activities Monthly (Sept. 2007, pgs. 57-58). The article was entitled "Millennials: Deal with Them! Part 1" by Stephen Abram. In essence, it has to do with eye tracking. "Boomers have a typical page scanning pattern that differs from GenX." Eyeballs and this tracking mechanism apparently have an advantage in the virtual world. I found this out when I signed up and tried to play Second Life. It was most interesting. In any case it convinced me that I need to take a conscious new approach to my video plans and try to appeal your more confident and talented generation.

Also, regarding Web 2.0 free on line education resources : "Creative Commons" (http://creativecommons.org) and "Curriki" (www.curriki.org). I believe Michele might of said something about this but I failed to jot it down.

Last thing: Could anyone explain, "What are federated searches and open URL resolvers?"

Machinima

If you go on www.machinima.com click on the question mark that says What is Machinima. It gives a nice overview of what it actually is. Machinima came from the words machine and cinema. This helped me to understand the history of machinima as well as what it entails.

Channel 7

HI Everyone! If anyone is interetsed there is a show called i-Caught on Channel 7 right now (until 10pm) about YouTube and other similar sites. It might be helpful (it is for me). Also, I took a RISK :) and signed up for Second Life. I think I downloaded it a few times but now I can't find it on my computer. Did anyone else try it? Enjoy the show!

Better Late Than Never

I finally got back to the blog after much password confusion on Saturday. There was also a mixup (in my mind) over blogs from previous classes I've taken. I'm much calmer now and able to function. Like others in the class I felt overwhelmed and somewhat fearful by the end of Saturday's class, but as Michele said, there is nothing we will be asked to do that a 7-year-old can't do. I hope she's right! I look forward to working with all of you.

even in the funnies...

I felt so hip reading the Sunday comics yesterday--Doonesbury featured Second Life:

http://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/2007/09/09/

and Dilbert (sorry no link!) mentioned folksonomies!

BTW, this is ME in Second Life

Ten Tips on Creating Machinima in Second Life

FOUND THIS TODAY WHEN I WAS TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHAT A MACHINIMA WAS! HOPE IT HELPS..TRACI:)..

Machinima is the art of making real movies in virtual worlds. Movies made in Second Life use the world's building, scripting, and avatar customization tools, working in real-time collaboration with people around the globe.

You can use Second Life as your own virtual back lot, soundstage, choreography studio, costume and prop repository, and special effects house. Eric Linden, Linden Lab's machinima expert extraordinaire, gives ten tips for creating machinima in Second Life.

Set up screen capture software. I recommend downloading FRAPS to capture your footage. FRAPS captures very clean footage while maintaining the best possible frame rates.

For dolly shots, contact Alt-Zoom Studios to get their free, scripted camera object. This is currently the best-scripted camera in Second Life, and will give you the ability to capture smooth camera moves.

Try to isolate your action in a way that prevents extraneous background objects and scripts from coming into view. This will help you maintain a more consistent frame rate ? especially if there is a lot of action in the scene.

Try capturing in Mouselook Mode. You can get smoother camera movements this way.

Try to capture footage in a larger format than what you plan to deliver it in. For example, I always capture at 640x480 when I know my output is going to be 320x240. You?ll maintain higher quality throughout the editing process this way.

Try to limit the number of actors in any given scene. Having a lot of avatars within a scene ? especially if they are all using unique animations or have a lot of attachments ? will reduce your frame rate.

Always capture several frames in front of and at the end of your action. This helps greatly when you?re editing scenes together.

Try not to move the camera too fast; this can be confusing for the audience and disrupts continuity.

Try several views of the same action sequence. Capture more than you think you?ll need. You can always delete. This will allow you to make more creative decisions when you?re editing.

Hide the Second Life UI (Ctrl+Alt+1) when capturing.

so far, so good...

So, i started my own blog last night specifically for my double entry journal (not sure if I want to share that one...) After thinking for a while about a project theme, today I went on youtube to see what's on there related to sudoku. Wouldn't you know, it there's a ton of stuff there already, some of it pretty hilarious:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkKCcMF6cYQ

Then I watched a music video my daughter made this summer (age 12), so I thought I'd try that. Several hours later I have a whole minute's worth of video, still very crude, but FUN! If I can put it on a DVD I'll bring it for class next week...

I'm still looking for something exotic that I can put on my cat to post to stuff on my cat.com-- so hard to think of something that 400 other people haven't already thought of!

Innes

Second Life

Hi! Did anyone register into Second Life? Are we supposed to do that at home or in class?

Hello everyone! This is Bailey (my username is lifeisgood.) Dr. Knobel...thank you for sending me the link to the class blog. I used to have a blog, and look forward to getting back into using one on a regular basis. See you all next weekend!

Hacking from Montreal

Couldn't resist hacking your blog from Montreal and wishing you all the best for the course.

Hi everyone!

Sorry it took me so long to send a post...for some reason, my computer was running slow yesterday!

NYTIMES Article on Second Life

Hey everyone,
There is an article in the Business section of today's "Times" about Second Life. Here is the link to view it online: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/09/business/yourmoney/09second.html?_r=1&ref=business&oref=slogin
The article focuses on how the SL community has come to mirror the commercial consumerism found in "real" life and how some people have begun to make money in Second Life.

The purpose of this blog is just because I needed to see that I could go back into our site to experiment with creating and posting blogs. You know the old adage (dating myself) "practice makes perfect." Well, I will settle for "practice makes comfort." Sorry, nothing clever or creative here.
I thought I could also share my calming local walk in the woodlands by my house with you to help restore a bit of serenity for us all.

Kid for rent?

I think I may need someone to loan/rent me a seven year old to help me with all of this.

YEAH

Yeah I created an account....Got through the first class and I am still breathing....I think we are all going to have a lot of fun...Good Luck Everyone

First Entry!

Wow I am extremely overwhelmed! Good luck everyone!

Hi Everyone!!!!!!!!

oh my!

This is shattering my nerves! : -(

Mass Confusion

Wow! This is extremely overwhelming but quite interesting as well! Good luck everyone!

Hello All!

Hello everyone! Looking forward to getting more comfortable with all this stuff!!

First Post!!

Hi Everyone,

I am a little nervous about getting started, but I am anxious to learn!!

first one-right out the gate

Ok a bit overwhelmed? anyone else? lol. OMG but I know we will get through it! BREATH!! :)

Looking forward to learning about technology in this class.

Here Goes Nothing

This is all extremely new to me! I am slightly frightened but looking forward to learning about the different kinds of literacies.

First Post

Hello all! This is my first test post! YAY!

This blog

I think this is going to be an interesting and hopefully helpful blog for everyone.

First Day Jitters

Hey everyone,
I have to admit I am a little nervous about having to create my own video in all of these strange (to me) formats. I suppose it is like learning a new language, huh? I will probably be one of those people yelling out for help, albeit at the last moment probably.

Welcome to our class blog!

Welcome to our new literacies "cool stuff" blog.