Wheelies in the news again!

Translated version of http://www.ichduihr.de/?p=45

Check out this google-translated news article from Germany about Linda Mandlebaum's Wheelies club.

UPDATE: Thanks to the article's author, Tabea Schmitt, we now have a correctly translated copy of the article (printed below with permission).

Second Chance in Second Life

DJ Namav is dancing on the dancefloor. He is wearing a tight, multi-coloured shirt with a batik pattern over his washed-out jeans. He has smooth, black hair and wears a full beard – just like his Alter Ego in "real life“, Nick Dupree. In "real life“, Nick from Mobile, Alabama has muscular dystrophy and relies on a ventilator to breathe. He cannot move his body without help - except for his thumb. His thumb allows his avatar to dance in Second Life now, per mouse click.

Every Sunday, Namav spins his sets at “Wheelies” Club – the first virtual danceclub for people with disabilities. A camel is standing right next to him on the dancefloor. The camel is Namav´s permanent companion. “It collects tips,” he tells me.

Does that work?

“Yes, pretty good.”

Some of the guests at Wheelie´s come in a wheelchair. Others don´t. “It´s a matter of self-image,” says Simon Stevens, who founded the club in 2006. His avatar, Simon Walsh, was one of the first to appear in a wheelchair in Second Life. “I didn´t feel like representing someone other than myself. I have cerebral palsy in both worlds.”

New rules of the game

An avatar in a wheelchair? Simon broke a “taboo” in a world, where many want to be as perfect as possible: slim, sportive, sexy. His avatar took a piece of reality into the net – even if Simon Walsh was “still younger and smoother than Simon Stevens. And he´s not drooling…!”

There are daily events at the Wheelies - parties, discussions, story telling. Simon estimates the community to around 500 members worldwide: “Approximately 50 people come here a week. On big events, we full the sim!”

Second Life Chat:

Second Life chat with Simon Walsh and Namav Abramovic

[20:49] Tabiia: (have) you always used a wheelchair

[20:49] Tabiia: im second life, simon?

[20:49] Simon: yes….

[20:50] Simon, except when I swim

[20:50] Simon, then I (use a life jacket)

[20:49] Simon: namav how do you think about wheel chair?

[20:49] Namav: I sometimes take only one…

[20:51] Simon: (self image) is crucial.

[20:52] Simon: I have a (self image) from the "real" living

[20:52] Simon, that I also show in second life.

[20:52] Tabiia simon, second life is a "game"?

[20:52] Simon: (nnnnnooooooooooooooo)

[20:52] Simon: SECOND LIFE IS NOT A GAME.

[20:53] Tabiia: second life, you can define for me?

[20:53] Simon: it is a "complex phone call"

[20:53] Simon: a new form of media

[20:54] Simon, a social network.

[20:54] Simon: we are all "real" here

[20:54] Simon: (except) the kamel….

“Real life” strikes back

Simon put a lot of money into his virtual venue. The plot, the club, the DJs and live performers: everything costs money in Second Life, too. The club had to move to a new venue in March 2008 and is now enthroned in a virtual sky. This sky is owned by Polgara Paine.

In “real life”, Polgara Paine is called Lind H. Mandlebaum. She is an associate professor at Bowling Green State University where she teaches Special Education. “The Wheelies brings people together who need each other. It provides a social network for people with and without disbility. I won´t allow it to disappear.”

The party goes on

It has become late at the Wheelies. Polgara Paine comes over to the dancefloor to Simon and Namav: “I can´t keep my eyes open, I´m going to bed.” Simon is tired, too. In Britain, it´s five o´clock in the morning. “Good night, ya all!” Simon and Polgara disappear. But the party keeps going: Namav is explaining to a guest why his camel is not a dromedar. Other people around them are dancing. More people just arrived.

Quit - a new machinima by Anthony Fontana

I wanted to share with all of you the newest version of my machinima titled "Quit". In this work the avatar is given the controls to his own destiny, through the general UI controls we perhaps take for granted. The concept stems from how much we (the residents who populate virtual worlds) value our virtual lives which, in some regards, are not nearly as fragile as our own lives.

SL AI

Wired News - AP News: "TROY, N.Y. (AP) -- Edd Hifeng barely merits a second glance in 'Second Life.' A steel-gray robot with lanky limbs and linebacker shoulders, he looks like a typical avatar in the popular virtual world.

But Edd is different."

Read more here.

Environmental Disaster Hits BGSU Virtual Campus, Faculty Member Saves the Day

(Bowling Green, OH) – On Tuesday, April 22nd the Bowling Green State University Virtual Campus in Second Life® held a "Birth/ Earth Day Celebration" in commemoration of the first birthday of the virtual island. The celebration included poetry readings, live DJs, art exhibition openings, and an Earth Day scavenger hunt. During the scavenger hunt, the island was devastated by the effects of global climate change. In the past week, factories emitting black smoke appeared around the island. The sandbox, an open area for building objects, transformed into a paved parking lot full of cars. The island, unable to sustain the polluting effects of these new additions, began to change. The water levels rose and covered 80% of the island flooding the classrooms, Writing Center, Performance Center and Zen Garden. The trees on the island turned brown and died. The grassy areas became an arid wasteland and turned brown. Icebergs carrying stranded polar bears appeared around the island. This catastrophic event complicated the Earth Day scavenger hunt and made it extremely difficult for the participants to find the hidden clues. The scavenger hunt contestants were asked to find 10 items that contained clues on what they could do to prevent global climate change in the real world.

Despite the challenging environment and the difficulty of finding the clues, there emerged a winner. Linda Mandlebaum, BGSU Professor in the Department of Intervention Services, collected the 10 items and answered the five questions correctly. As the participants discovered the various clues on how to save the earth, the environmental damage began to reverse itself. The water receded, the trees turned green, and the parking lot disappeared. Dr. Mandlebaum won 2,000 Linden dollars for being the first to “save the island.” She donated her winnings to Wheelies, a center for disabled residents in Second Life.

The Birth/Earth Day Celebration was simultaneously broadcast on a large projection screen in the lobby of the Bowen Thompson Student Union on the BGSU campus and in Second Life on the virtual campus. Barbara Toth, director of the BGSU Writing Center hosted the poetry readings. The art exhibitions included an installation artwork by Jeff Lovett, a visiting artist from Ohio University, and work by graduate students from the Digital Arts division of the School of Art. The live music was performed by DJ What the Bleep, a TCOM student and VCT student, DJ PsysiX. The event was coordinated by Anthony Fontana and Bonnie Mitchell, both professors in the School of Art, with the help of the Ohio Learning Network Second Life Learning Community members at BGSU and Second Life student assistants.

Second Life streaming to your mobile phone by Vollee

Vollee has registration available for free beta at http://www.volee.com/secondlife

Poetry Reading

There were several faculty and students who gathered with Second Life residents to share poetry in the new BGSU Writing Center on Friday April 11th.

The event, which coincided with a writing consultation on the lower level, used voice chat and notecards (text documents) to deliver the poems.

One of the things we learned from this reading, was to keep in mind the distance between events when coordinating multiple events that will use voice or local chat.

There will be another poetry reading and open mic before the end of April. Please refer to the BGSU Second Life calendar or Facebook group for details.

Wheelies

"Wheelies: Under new management" from SLNN.com

Simon Walsh, founder of Wheelies Nightclub, announced Sunday that he was resigning his role as overall manager of Wheelies Nightclub. Wheelies Nightclub has been an important fixture in Second Life for many, one that Mr. Walsh has worked tirelessly to build.

Our very own, Polgara Paine has become the Director of Wheelies.

Ms. Paine has been active in Second Life since May 2005. She is a professor of special education at the School of Intervention Services at Bowling Green State University. During the transition, Wheelies will continue at a temporary location. Moving forward, Ms. Paine intends to establish a board of directors and to raise funds to make Wheelies sustainable on a long-term basis. The first fundraising event is scheduled to take place on March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day as part of a grand opening of their new space.