Orient Lodge - A literary outpost on the internet

Second Life Parallel Processes

Thu, 15 May 2008 12:59:09 -0400

I spend two days away from my computer and come back to over 2000 unread email messages and several interesting discussions. Last year, Gartner, “the world’s leading information technology research and advisory company”, predicted that 80 Percent of Active Internet Users Will Have A "Second Life" in the Virtual World by the End of 2011.

Not everyone is happy about the prospects of this. Rep. Mark Kirk of Illinois is pushing for legislation that would Ban 'Second Life' in schools and libraries. Needless to say, educators that use Second Life for pedagogical purposes in schools are not particularly supportive of the proposal and there has been a lot of discussion about this on the Second Life Educators list.

Meanwhile, on the Group Psychotherapy mailing list, there has been a backlash against the discussion about the therapeutic potential of virtual worlds. Some of it seems to be motivated by discomfort with Second Life. Some of this may be motivated by concerns about possible dangers to children in Second Life, particularly related to sexual content, that is the big concern of Rep. Kirk, it seems like other concerns are more prominent, such as people spending too much time in Second Life at the expense of face to face social interaction.

This concern sounds fairly similar to concerns about kids watching too much television, and it is interesting to note that one therapist talked about how one of his patients had increased time for Second Life by decreasing time watching television. From a McLuhanesque perspective, this is perhaps a positive step, since Second Life is much more immersive and interactive.

It may also be that some of the concern comes from a fear of the unknown. For many of people, Second Life is something they haven’t experienced. They’ve read about it in various places. They’ve read about the dangers of video games. Second Life and video games remain a foreign and threatening technology to them.

There is perhaps another underlying theme on the Group Psychotherapy list, the concern about ‘alternative therapies’. The discussion about therapy in Second Life often centers around art therapy or psychodrama. People aren’t sure what to make of alternative therapies.

Yet this ties into yet another parallel process. As I was driving by daughter home from college yesterday, she talked about what she wanted to do. She is a musician, an actress and an artist. She is interested in psychology and was very interested in alternative therapies.

One of my todo items for today, as I tried to dig through emails that have piled up was to ask friends on the group psychotherapy list for good material for my daughter to read to find out more about alternative therapies.

So, I’ve read through a bunch of emails, I have many more to go. Let’s see what the folks on the Group Psychotherapy list have to say.

What's Wrong with West Virginia?

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:38:31 -0400

Many of my online Obama supporters have been asking this question over the past few days, and I am sure are bound to be thinking this again today. Does Obama have a problem with poorer, less educated, white rural voters? What should be done?

Well, yesterday, I drove from Connecticut down to Virginia to pick up one of my daughters from college. I stopped in Martinsburg WV and spent a few hours canvassing for Obama. Martinsburg is in Berkeley County, part of the Washington DC exurbs. Obama did better in Berkeley County than just about any other county, with the exception of neighboring Jefferson County. Yet my experiences did not match those of the pundits.

I didn't see a poorer less educated rural white America. I saw a wild and wonder state that is part of the United States of America. To borrow the words from a famous speech,

Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters, the negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes.

Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America — there’s the United States of America.

The pundits, the pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them, too:

We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don’t like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the Red States.

We coach Little League in the Blue States and yes, we’ve got some gay friends in the Red States.

There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq.

(For those who don't recognize it, this is an excerpt from Sen. Obama's speech in 2004 to the Democratic National Convention.)

So, why did Clinton do so well in West Virginia? Let me offer a few thoughts. First, and I know that some of my online Obama supporting friends are going to jump down my throat on this, Sen. Clinton is not a bad person. I believe that she does care deeply about this country. I would gladly vote for her over any of the Republicans. More importantly, what is wrong with West Virginia is related to what is the matter with Kansas.

Thomas Frank explores What's the matter with Kansas in a book with that title. The key idea is that voters have been distracted by the wedge issues, abortion and gay marriage, by conservatives who are opposed to the key message of progressive Democrats, because they know that this key message is something they cannot stand against. What is this key message? Well, let's return to Sen. Obama's 2004 Democratic National Convention speech.

It is that fundamental belief, it is that fundamental belief, I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper that makes this country work. It’s what allows us to pursue our individual dreams and yet still come together as one American family.

What is wrong with West Virginia? What is the matter with Kansas? It is that we have lost this fundamental belief. Yet it is here that I diverge from the pundits and the bloggers. The problem isn't with the good people of West Virginia or the good people of Kansas. The problem is that the pundits, and the bloggers, have gotten caught up in the horserace and have forgotten to talk about our fundamental beliefs.

Yet as I walked around parts of Martinsburg, I found people that hold fast to this fundamental belief that we are our brother's keeper, that we aren't a Red America and a Blue America, we are a United States of America.

So, let me be bold, and perhaps offensive for a moment. The problem is not the good people of West Virginia or Kansas, the problem is every blogger that is pontificating online about West Virginia without having gone door to door to talk with people about being our brother's keeper, without having gone door to door to help us be one America.

And this is bigger than just the Presidential Election. Yes, I know that this is supposed to be the most important presidential election in a generation, but unless all of us work together to help perfect the vision of a more perfect union, of 'E pluribus unum. Out of many, one', then it may not matter who gets elected president.

Knocking on doors in West Virginia was very different than knocking on doors in New Hampshire. It was a beautiful warm sunny day. People here had not been contacted by campaigns and they were grateful that someone cared enough to come to their door and talk about our nation and who should lead it. I believe that the people I visited will be more involved in helping set our nation back on the right path.

So, I end this with a challenge. On May 20th, there will be a primary in Kentucky. Use this as an opportunity to get in touch with people there about our fundamental beliefs about being our brother's keeper. Help people across this great nation of ours become more involved in repairing the moral fabric of our country.

What's wrong with West Virginia is that we are not talking enough to all Americans.

Road Trip

Tue, 13 May 2008 05:54:00 -0400

In a few moments, I will hit the road on my way to Staunton, VA to pick up my middle daughter from college. It is about an eight hour drive.

On the way, I'll pass through Martinsburg, WV where I plan on stopping and doing a little get out the vote in today's West Virginia Primary.

So, I'll mostly be offline, although I hope to put up a few posts on Twitter, BrightKite, Utterz and/or Flickr and I hope to get at least limited access this evening.

Upcoming Conventions

Mon, 12 May 2008 12:54:02 -0400

Saturday was the Democratic State Convention in New Britain. I had family events to attend to and couldn’t attend. However, Christine Stuart has this report up on CT NewsJunkie.

Tonight will be the Democratic Congressional Seat conventions. I haven’t heard details about the conventions in the first and third congressional districts. It is clear who the nominees will be and the conventions are likely to be about as exciting as the State Convention was.

Over in the Fifth Congressional District, Chris Murphy’s convention is supposed to start this evening at 6:30 PM at Crosby High School, 300 Pierpont Road, Waterbury. In the Second Congressional District, Joe Courtney’s nominating convention will take place at UCONN Storrs Campus Rome Commons Ballroom, starting at 7 PM.

While I’ve received more emails about Courtney’s convention than I have of any of the other incumbents, the most buzz right now is about the Fourth Congressional District Convention, where Jim Himes is expected to receive the nomination. It is taking place at the Cesar Batalla School, 606 Howard Ave, in Bridgeport, also starting at 7 PM.

The Himes campaign also has an interesting idea, become a Virtual Delegate. You can donate and make a nominating speech. The event is also up on Facebook and there is an after party.

Since I’m driving to Virginia tomorrow, I’ll probably miss these conventions. However, there are plenty of other great conventions coming up. Later, I’ll post information about some of the State Senate Conventions that will happen next week.

Social Media Road Trip

Mon, 12 May 2008 11:04:03 -0400

Tomorrow, I’m driving down to Staunton, VA to pick up one of my daughters from college. On a good day, it is an eight-hour trip, it may be worse if I have to drive through a lot of rain tomorrow. A little later, I’m going to run over to the library to pick up some books on tape to listen on the way down. I’m checking various websites to get recommendations for good place to stop, stretch my legs, get a bit to eat, etc.

I’ll be heading out across I-76 and then down I-81. Do any of you have recommendations for places to stop and get some good local food or see some good local sights? Leave a comment here, or send me an email at aldon dot hynes at orient dash lodge dot com. Or, if you want to get in touch with me on the road, send me a direct message on Twitter. I don’t know if I’ll get much of a chance to use Twitter, BrightKite, Utterz, or other sites, but I’ll try.

Rainy days and Mondays

Mon, 12 May 2008 09:47:03 -0400

I sit down to try and get through some of the emails that have piled up I see a twitter message pop up from Andy Carvin. “Chinese media now saying up to 5,000 people killed in today's quake.” A few moments, he added “NPR's Melissa Block is in Chengdu, which was hit by the earthquake, along with a team from All Things Considered.”

I flip to Google News for more details. I read about tornados in Oklahoma killing 22, continued problems with the relief efforts in Myanmar where thousands have died from a cyclone. I read about wildfires raging in Florida and a volcano spewing ash in Chile.

Some of my conservative preacher friends might use this as a chance to talk about God’s retribution for whichever is their favorite sin du jour. If anything, it makes me think of two issues. We are called to be stewards of God’s creation, and I wonder if too many of us have forgotten that in lust for profit and power.

More importantly, we are called to love our neighbors as ourselves, something we need to do more of as we all work together when confronted by cyclones, volcanoes, earthquakes and fires.

On the radio, Steve Earle’s “Christmas in Washington” comes on. “So, come back Woody Guthrie, come back to us now… Come back Emma Goldman, rise up old Joe Hill”. Goldman’s famous line, “If I can't dance, I don't want to be in your revolution" comes to my mind, mixed together with the music of Steve Earle, Woody Guthrie and Joe Hill.

Yes, there are tribulations that people face on this rainy Monday morning in Connecticut. Some are man made, some are natural, but they all offer opportunities to gather together, to love our neighbors, to dance and to sing.

“So, come back Woody Guthrie…”

Happy Mother's Day

Sun, 11 May 2008 08:39:38 -0400

But I'm near the end and I just ain't got the time
And I'm wasted and I can't find my way home.

I’ve always loved those lyrics, but I must admit that I don’t remember ever being so wasted that I couldn’t find my way home. Yet that image of not finding ones way home remains with me. It sometimes shows up in my dreams.

The setting was some sort of mashup of Brooklyn, where I lived when I first got out of college and some aspects of a science fictional Japan. I wander past shops, try to find a subway line that goes the right way, follow avenues and look up streets, but everything seems to take me east instead of north.

This dream recurred the other night in a sleep made light by a crick in the neck. I woke up grumpy from lack of sleep and pondering what this means.

I’ve been receiving more emails about the old house. It sounds like the foreclosure is pretty much complete. We’ve moved to a nice small house that we are renting, and the kids have been spared most of the trauma of the move and foreclosure, yet I suspect that this may have fed into my dream. The house that had been my home for fifteen years is now no longer mine.

Yet it is also Mother’s Day, which is another aspect of what makes a house a home. Memory laden objects have been brought from the old house to the new house and Kim has done a great job in turning this house into a home.

So, perhaps there is something more to this effort to find my way home. Does it have to do with my work? My career? My writing?

Yesterday morning, a wood thrush hopped around on the old mountain laurel bush outside my office. On a branch above the wind chimes, he sang his song for me. I thought of Willie in Willie was Different, a children’s book by Norman Rockwell. I grew up not far from where Rockwell painted and his paintings always evoke some sense of home for me. My mother got us a copy of the book Willie was Different which I’ve read to my children.

Is this wood thrush pointing me the way home? Is the way home paved with blog posts, chapters for books and other writings? I don’t know.

But I do know that the heart and hearth of a home is kindled by a mother. So, to Kim, to my mother, to Kim’s mother in heaven, to all the work at home, stay at home, crazy moms, Happy Mother’s Day. May you, and your loved ones find your way home.

An idiot's guide to OpenSim

Sun, 11 May 2008 07:33:35 -0400

Over on the Second Life educators mailing list, a member asked for an 'Idiot's Guide to Second Life'. I wrote a reply there, which seemed like it might be a useful post here as well.

OpenSim is a project to create software so that others can create their own servers that run similar to Linden Lab's Second Life servers.

Typically, people running OpenSim set up a grid, similar to the Main Grid, the Teen Grid or the Beta Grids that Linden Lab runs.

Some example grids like this are:

Central Grid has about 20 regions and about 1,400 active members. They are focusing hard on the business community.

OpenLife has nearly 200 regions and a population of over 20,000. They support the RealXtend viewer.

OSGrid claims 240 Regions and 2400 active users. They are running as a non-profit.

When you use a Second Life client, you can specify a parameter to get your client to connect to one of these other grids. (e.g.
"C:\Program Files\SecondLife\SecondLife.exe" -multiple -loginuri http://osgrid.org:8002 )

If you have a reason to, you could create your own Grid that you control, e.g.

Orient Lodge Grid

In the old days of MOOs, this was a common thing. People would set up their own MOOs for their universities, or any other place they wanted. I ran LogMoo, which is actually still sitting around in mothballs. When I get a better Internet Connection, I may bring back LogMoo and perhaps setup LogGrid.

As a general rule, there is essentially no connectivity between grids. Just as it is at best very difficult to move stuff from TeenGrid to the MainGrid, etc., it is very difficult to move stuff to the any of the OpenSim based grids.

There are a few interesting exceptions.

SecondInventory now supports OpenSim. What this means in theory as that you can create something on one grid, say the Main Grid, or an OpenSim grid, and then restore it to other grids. I've had limited success with that, that it looks very promising.

For communications between grids, there has been some work done on using IRC channels so that a space in the main grid could listen and/or talk on an IRC channel and a space in an OpenSim grid could listen and/or talk on the same IRC channel. I've heard this discussed, but I don't know anyone who has done this in practice. I think this fits in nicely with the talk about Twitter as well.

The folks at Central Grid have been working hard to get currency working in OpenSim, including working with a company to do intergrid currency exchange. I believe it is still in development, and it raises a lot of issues. Most notably, some of the folks behind Central Grid have been accused of being scammers on the Second Life main grid and people have expressed skepticism about financial transactions on any OpenSim grid.

It is also possible to run a portion of OpenSim so that you run just a region and that region becomes part of another groups grid. Some of the OpenSim grids discussed above have been exploring allowing remote regions to be part of their grid. I'm not sure how well that has worked yet. You can also run a region without it being part of a grid. I've done that from my laptop when I wanted to have a small Second Life environment that I could bring with me.

As a final note, Open Sim is still in early development. Unless you are pretty geeky and like playing things that might break even more frequently than the Linden Lab Main Grid, you might want to leave Open Sim to others. I'm a hard core geek, so I love OpenSim.

Okay. Perhaps that was a little bit longer and geekier than a true idiots guide to Open Sim, but I hope it is helpful.

EntreCard, Technorati and RSS feeds

Sat, 10 May 2008 19:00:08 -0400

Pinay Mommy Online is looking to build out a 100 EntreCard drop list. It looks like an interesting project to build links back to her blog, as well as provide links to other blogs and find a set of blogs worth reading and dropping EntreCards on.

She says that what she is specifically looking for is “mommy bloggers, digital scrappers, money making blogs and blogs that talks about page rank and SEO”. While I read a fair amount of mommy blogs, I’m a daddy blogger. I do talk about page rank, SEO, and even making money from time to time, but I suspect I may not be her target demographic.

Nonetheless, I’m going to highlight her project, and if she, or any of her readers chose to read me regularly, that would be nice. Random Thoughts expands on this and talks about the three criteria to make this successful, an EntreCard account, a Technorati account and an RSS feed.

The idea is that you should drop cards on people’s EntreCard accounts, add them as a Technorati favorite and then subscribe to their RSS feed with your favorite feed reader.

So, my EntreCard account is here. If you use EntreCard, please drop a card on my widget on the right, add me to your favorites and if you’re interested, set up an advertisement. I generally approve most advertisements, but if the ad wouldn’t look good on my site, I might end up not approving it.

My Technorati account can be found here. It points to Orient Lodge, Twitter and a few other sites that I have. Adding me as a favorite on Technorati would be greatly appreciated.

For my RSS feed, the best feed to use is probably this. Adding it to any feed reader you have would also be greatly appreciated.

I will check out various blog that are participating, drop some cards, add some favorites, and perhaps even get into some interesting discussions.

I know that some people don’t like that I use Drupal here for my blog, which has a completely separate comment system from the big ones, and you have to register here. Yet, registering and adding a comment would be appreciated, or sending me a note at aldon dot hynes at orient dash lodge dot com would also nice.

Finally, if you join, add a link back to my blog, as well as to Pinay Mommy Online and Random Thoughts. I hope a bunch of EntreCarders participate.

Update:
Here is a list of participants:

=====================
PEXLINKS TRIPLE LOVE PARTICIPANTS

=====================

Pregnant Alpacas

Sat, 10 May 2008 15:54:02 -0400

Baby alpacas are expected at Alpaca Hill Farm in Seymour, CT in a couple of weeks.

Alpaca Hill Farm has a small shop on their farm which we stopped at just before Christmas last year. We had a great discussion with the owners and they mentioned that they had some alpacas that were do sometime in the spring and we might want to stop by in May to see some baby alpacas.

Well, as Fiona and I were out doing errands today, we drove past the farm, and I thought, let’s stop by, see if anyone is there, and if so, if there are any new alpacas. It was a beautiful spring day, and Eileen Warner was sitting on the deck. She told us that the alpacas are due in about two weeks, so they are planning on having an open house, hopefully sometime around mid June.

As we were chatting, Tom Warner showed up with three recently shorn male alpacas in his trailer. It is striking how small a newly shorn alpaca looks. Tom and Eileen led them into the field as Fiona and I watched and patted the herd dog. The new alpacas got to know their new surroundings as they glanced warily at the dog, curiously at the ducks, and even more curiously at the alpacas they will be living with.

We look forward to a chance to see some baby alpacas in the next month or two.

Gary Hart Speaks in Hartford

Fri, 09 May 2008 17:40:09 -0400

Former U.S. Senator, Former Presidential Candidate and Author Gary Hart addressed a group of lawyers, legislators, candidates and activists this afternoon at the offices of Shipman and Goodwin in downtown Hartford this afternoon. Prior to Sen. Hart’s presentation, people gathered, shared sandwiches and discussions about the legislative session that has just ended. Folks more often seen wearing T-Shirts supporting one candidate or another put on their suits to join the discussion.

The event was sponsored by The Connecticut Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society and the Council for a Livable World.

Sen. Hart started off by acknowledging that the priorities for a new administration would be a long and complex agenda, and he chose to focus on two key themes, security and the restoration of constitutional government in our county. The next president should start off his or her administration with a televised speech to the nation about the importance of our constitution and the checks and balances it is supposed to afford us. The next president should talk about why an independent judiciary is so important and about the dangers of the unitary executive theory that has been espoused by members of the current administration.

State Legislative Races

Thu, 08 May 2008 15:19:49 -0400

(Originally posted as a comment on MyLeftNutmeg)

Quick random comments: (More to follow when I have a chance).

I met both Michael Renzullo and Matt Brennan at the Northwest Leadership Breakfast at Audrey Blondin’s a few weeks ago. Matt ran for State Senate last time around, and with almost no funding got a third of the vote. He believes that with a level playing field, he can defeat the incumbent. Mike Renzullo has been running a strong campaign, doing a nice job of tying it into service politics, such as participating in Earth Day and the MS Walk in Litchfield. They are both great candidates and are actively trying to raise funds to qualify for the CT Clean Election program

While we are talking Clean Elections and the State Senate races, it is worth noting that John Hartwell has met is goal of qualifying for clean election funding. Martin Goldberg has been working hard on qualifying, as has, I am told, Art House who has an exploratory committee set up for his run in the 8th Senate District. Latest rumors are that Frank Farricker who ran for State Senate last time in the 36th District isn’t planning give it another shot with Bill Nickerson retiring. If the Democrats field a good candidate this could be another interesting race to watch.

Digital Campfires

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:19:15 -0400

As the glow of pixels from my computer flickers I think of campfires long ago. My memories of them are sweet, but hazy, perhaps like the smoke that rose from them. As important as the smoke, flames and embers were, what stays with me is the singing, the friendly discussions, and perhaps a ghost story or two.

“Sing around the campfire, join the Camp Fire Girls.” The song comes to my mind from my childhood. I stop by the Camp Fire USA website, and read a little bit of their history.

1910
First meetings of Camp Fire Girls are held in Vermont. Dr. Gulick chooses the name "Camp Fire" because campfires were the origin of the first communities and domestic life. Once people learned to make and control fire, they could develop and nurture a sense of community.

So, what are the digital campfires that are the origin of our digital communities? What are the songs we are learning and the behavioral expectations that are being form around these campfires? What does it take to gain a seat around the campfire?

On Tuesday night, I listened to Twitter. Friends that I’ve met from various online grassroots political campaigns, along with various online media personalities twittered about the election returns as Kim and Fiona watch American Idol in the next room.

In the morning, I put up my Wordless Wednesday post. Wordless Wednesday is another digital campfire. There are pictures of young children playing with their fathers, pictures of flowers and birds and trips to exotic places. There is a sense of orderly subdivisions, a touch of home schooling, a love of crafts and weekly attendance at church.

From the Wordless Wednesday digital campfire, I ambled over to the Second Life Educators (SLED) Mailing list campfire. As with many of the campfires I visit, I feel a little bit like an interloper. I am not a professional educator.

The discussion continues there about ‘digital natives’; who coined the phrase, if it is has any applicability to what they do, and so on. It seems like the general response is, “I have a bunch of students who are the same age as digital natives are supposed to be, and they don’t know how to use computers very well, so I don’t think digital natives exist”.

Yet there are some interesting comments that appear. One person spoke about being bored with Second Life, yet gladly spend hours in guild chat in World of Warcraft. The comment seems to reflect power of the campfire. For the commenter, the community around the guild chat campfire is more appealing than some of the campfires in Second Life. Yet for others on the list, the campfires in Second Life are more compelling.

The Group Psychotherapy mailing list has been having a related discussion. They understand the importance of groups, of communities around campfires helping individuals figure out how to act in society and confront various issues. Many members are interested in the digital campfires of Second life, but don’t have the time to go explore them. Those that have approached the digital campfires of Second Life have come back with fascinating reports of their experiences and what they have learned from them.

As the interloper, I visit many of these communities, yet one that has particularly jumped out at me is the community of interlopers. This is a loosely organized community. You see members in various places. Some of them visit Wordless Wednesday. They participate in BlogExplosion, MyBlogLog, and increasingly in EntreCard. They wander around, visit different websites, leave comments, EntreCards, their image in recent reader widgets, and other markers of their visits.

There are many things that motivate these digital nomads. Many are trying to build traffic to their own sites, often out of some desire to monetize their content or social capital. Yet their focus remains on building up the communities that they are part of.

Each of these communities is so different, and yet so similar. I wish that people from the different communities would connect with one another. My political activist friends need to listen to and connect better with my Wordless Wednesday friends. My friends on the SLED list could learn so much from my friends in Group Psychotherapy, and I can learn so much from all of them.

Wordless Wednesday

Wed, 07 May 2008 08:39:56 -0400

Statue Cleaning, originally uploaded by Aldon.

Political Dreams

Wed, 07 May 2008 08:26:16 -0400

I stayed up too late watching election returns last and my sleep was filled with weird political dreams. An old friend of mine had sent an email to some of his friends. This is a person that I’ve known since the Dean campaign and who has been highly active in every presidential campaign since Adlai Stevenson. While it was intended just for his small circle of friends, it somehow went viral as the best analysis of the 2008 Presidential Season. It did talk about how it was time for Sen. Clinton to end her campaign, and was roundly attacked by Clinton supporters and praised by Obama supporters, even though my friend was trying to be neutral and object concerning the two campaigns.

The assistant priest at our church, a woman from England, received a copy of the letter and talked about it in terms of conflict within the Anglican communion about the role of women and homosexuals in the church and how the media in both cases are focusing on surface issues, male and female, black and white, straight and gay, and not on substantive issues like world hunger or global warming.

There was one other person, not a big name in the national media, but a person who is very influential within the circles they move, who also had comments about the email, but I forget who that was.