Ground level construction begins

Vidal started working on the ground level building yesterday. It's going to be set up as a multi-use space including small social gatherings, art exhibitions and sea-side hanging out with a view of the Central Nexus. It was fun going back and forth with ideas and seeing them take shape physically.

Botgirl Island

I've just moved to a new location in Extropia. My long-awaited (oh, maybe a couple of months) custom-built residence has broken ground! Here are some shots of the newly terraformed island, along with the tower shell. A ground level gallery, landscaping, interior finishing and furnishings will follow. It's all being created by my dear friend, the talented Vidal Tripsa (that's her next to me in the last photo.)

The singularity revealed

From the human point of view this change will be a throwing away of all the previous rules, perhaps in the blink of an eye, an exponential runaway beyond any hope of control. Verner Vinge

Botgirl moves to Extropia

I purchased a sweet parcel in Extropia. Vidal Tripsa brilliant builder, architect and living-doll was kind enough to loan me a house to use until she finishes designing and building the super-secret project that will one day be the futuristic home-of-my-dreams. (No pressure Vidal.)

Although the dwelling is a work in progress for her, it's a beautiful and happy place even in an unfinished state. After positioning the building, I ran out for a few essentials such as art, and then added some movie posters and a bed from inventory. In honor of Harper's birthday, these images are posted here with no retouching other than cropping.

Dr. Avatar I presume? Anthropologist sheds light on Second Life natives in new book and upcoming Extropia Salon

"Coming of Age in Second Life" author Tom Boellstorff will be featured in this Thursday's Sophrosyne's Salon at 10 am in Extropia. The anthropologist studied Second Life for two and a half years through his ethnographic-collecting avatar Tom Bukowski (who will be appearing in lieu of Mr. Boellstorff at the Salon.)

This book is chock-full of the kind of meaty research I've been craving. It is a goldmine of fascinating narrative accounts informed by well-reasoned and insightful analysis. It sheds light on culture, psychology, community and the possible future.

Here are a few tidbits from the introduction:

• "[in virtual worlds] our humanity is thrown off balance, considered anew, and reconfigured through transformed possibilities for place-making, subjectivity and community.

• "...online worlds are [not] spaces in which we simply work out offline issues and once sorted, happily leave....What happens in virtual worlds often is just as real, just as meaningful, to participants."

• "The gap between virtual and actual self could reverberate into everyday practices of identification and interaction."
  

I'm looking forward to meeting Mr. Bukowski in the virtual flesh tomorrow. The event is open to the public, so teleport on down for what will likely be an intriguing discussion.

Botgirl whispers: Hey, Sophrosyne. Now that I'm an Extropia citizen, do I get some kind of special seating?

Transhumanism: Road to utopia or Narcissism 3.0?

Since my decision to move to Extropia, I've been giving the idea of transhumanism more thought. My decision to move there was not based on the any particular philosophy, but rather my fondness and respect for Extropians I've met, recommendations from non-Extropians and the consistently interesting events hosted on the sim. Nevertheless, since I'm about to be situated in the international and inter-world hub for positive post-biological futurism, I thought I would share just a few initial thoughts:

• It seems to me that transhumanism without some sort of psychologically corrective practice will just extend the human ego into new narcissistic realms. That's why I was happy to learn of the upcoming Future of Religion/Religions of the Future Conference hosted by Extropia. I am very interested in exploring the potential for non-religious psychological practice.
  

• I wonder how the role playing aspects of Extropia impact its potential to chart a realistic near-future. From my very limited experience, it seems the RP aspects of Extropia are more a matter of style than lifestyle as compared to other SL cultures such as the Goreans.
  

• My guess is that the messy work of active VW collaboration within a virtual-world-based community will produce the most valuable results. The trick I think is balancing the need for like-minded collaboration with an openness to thoughtful questioning, ongoing course-corrections and intellectual honesty. I like the example of the Dalai Lama, who told Carl Sagan,"If science can disprove reincarnation, Tibetan Buddhism would abandon reincarnation."
  

That's all I have for now. Comments would be greatly appreciated!