The blog is finally up and running. Hope you will enjoy our blog, feel free to post comments
This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 14th, 2007 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
I submitted the following message to Linden Lab two months ago, and then again 3 weeks ago. Result: No reply. Please let me know who I might direct these suggestions to. Thank you. Aloha, -Peter Heffron (PS: I also have the below message in Word, if that is easier to read.)
———————————————
Peter Heffron
to contact@lindenlab.com
date Feb 9, 2007 3:09 PM
subject 2nd Life Natural Environment Ommission–
A Concern and An Opportunity
Aloha,
I am a newcomer to Second Life. It is an incredible concept/paradigm,
with great potential. We can be -and interact- pretty much as we wish,
and have fun and learn at the same time.
But there is a fundamental element missing from the current version of
Second Life: the natural ecology and related physics (or earth
dynamics) of the real world, and some sim-worlds. The present Second
Life consists only of social and economic activities. There are no
environmental activities and no environmental consequences (or
feedback) as a result of social and especially economic decisions in
Second Life.
One example: Where does the human waste produced by all those people
(Lindens)–go?
Ismail Serageldin of the World Bank wrote in 1996, “We require any
technical proposal that we will fund to be sustainable in economic,
environmental, and social terms.” He used a triangle to illustrate the
connections between these three elements. The triangle can be
distorted by, say, emphasizing economic development at environmental
expense (e.g., more coal-fired power plants causing air pollution,
global warming, etc.) to boost manufacturing capacity and temporarily
improve the economy, quality-of-life, etc.)–but there is no way to
disconnect the three triangle legs and ignore the links between the
social, economic, and environmental elements.
This may seem inconsequential, particularly since presumably one of
the big draws to Second Life is not having to worry about “real life”
(“First Life”) constraints. However a perverse effect of excluding
from Second Life the environmental leg of Serageldin’s triangle,
preceding, is likely to be that SL Residents will transfer their “just
do it” (i.e., with no environmental feedback) behavior to the real
world, which is already under great environmental stress, as we all
know.
This is partly a “Vision” thing (Linden Lab’s vision, and the Lindens’
vision), partly an ethical issue (acknowledging the importance/value
of the natural environment, even in a sim-world), and partly a
programming challenge (how to incorporate in Second Life system
dynamics, including feedback loops, stocks and flows, delays,
accumulations, etc., while keeping program overhead as low as
possible).
RECOMMENDATIONS
Please consider the following recommendations related to the above:
1. VISION: Organize a real and/or virtual visioning exercise for
everyone in the Second Life world community. Key questions to ask:
(a) What do you think the Second Life ‘world’ will look/be
like–socially, economically, and environmentally–in the year 2050 if
current trends continue? (Worst-case scenario.)
(b) What do you think the Second Life ‘world’ could ideally look/be
like–socially, economically, and environmentally–in the year 2050?
(Best-case/”ideal” scenario.)
(c) What social, economic, and environmental things would need to
happen to bridge the gap between your first (worst-case) and your
second (best-case) visions for the Second Life world?
(d) List several potential obstacles or constraints to achieving “c,”
above, and for each obstacle, one possible means of prevention or
mitigation.
(e) How could/should the Second Life platform be modified to
facilitate the actions listed in “c” above?
(f) Are you willing and able to contribute time, energy, financial
support to help make “c,” “d,” and or “e” -above- happen?
This would be a formal survey that would hopefully happen within the
next 6 months-or-so. It would ideally be in several of the most common
languages used in Second Life. I suggest approaching the renowned Pew
Research Center (www.people-press.org; tel: 202-293-3126) to help set
it up and interpret and report the results to the Second Life global
community. Perhaps in exchange for the PR they could receive, they
might do this for free or on a pro-bono basis. Otherwise there are
undoubtedly foundations that would fund this exercise, especially
given its “real world” as well as sim-world importance.
Linden Labs would of course need to assure all the Lindens that it
would do its best to implement the recommendations that came out of
the above exercise, and then show progress in doing so in a measurable
manner.
2. ETHICS: It is suggested that Linden Labs commit itself to creating
a loose framework for Second Life based on “Do No Harm,”
“Sustainability,” and “Human Rights” principles/charters, with the
rationale being that there is a presumed link between Second Life and
First Life behaviors (which impact the real world for better and
worse). This framework should be as transparent as possible and mimic
the real world in a manner that permits Lindens, within ‘reason’ or up
to a limit (another relative, subjective, constant challenge, I
realize) to explore, have fun, even do politically, socially, and
environmentally ‘incorrect’ activities, as long as their collective
behavior/choices, etc., have some effect on the Second Life world (as
they do in the real world).
With this ethic and framework, Lindens could, for example, be informed
automatically on a monthly basis, that the social, economic, and
environmental ‘health’ of the Second Life world is “x,” “y,” and “z.”
This could be a simple bar chart based on a 1 to 100 index, or better,
it could be a graph showing cumulative trends over time. This way
individual Lindens would not be flagged, but the collective effects of
the overall population on its environment would be made known.
3. PROGRAMMING: I would think the Sim City programmers could assist
with the above. One approach could be to address the preceding as a
pilot project. Linden Labs would buy/create an island (“Sustainability
Island”?) where the above could be tested over a year-or-so before
being applied to the whole model. Lindens with specific sustainability
skills and interests could be recruited to live and work on said
island. This would be run as a project, with a vision, mission,
operational plan, benchmarks, indicators, a project manager, etc.
A good real life island model to base this on could be New Zealand,
which is one of the few countries with a “Green”–or
sustainability–plan. Hawaii Island, where I live, is another possible
real life model. Hawaii Island is unique in that it represents most of
the world’s biomes. At the same time there is very little
sustainability consciousness/action in Hawaii.
4. OTHER IDEAS
a. Linden Labs could impose a small sustainability “tax” on all
Lindens. The purpose of this tax would be to pay for incentives to use
renewable energy, composting toilets, “green buildings,” etc., as well
as demonstrations and training in more sustainable approaches. The
debate, etc., that would likely ensue would have an intrinsic value in
raising awareness and in making Second Life more interesting, etc.
b. An annual award could be given to the most sustainable/eco-friendly
community based on international standards, “SMART Growth” principles,
etc.
c. Linden Dollars could be replaced by “Emdollars” (EM$) or
equivalent. EM$ incorporate nature’s contribution to economic
activities, which US$ and Linden Dollars do not. For more information
on this concept and all of the above, please see the book “A
Prosperous Way Down,” by Howard and Elizabeth Odum, 2001. ISBN
0-87081-610-1.
For an overview of the principles/imperatives discussed above, please
see “Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update,” by Meadows, Meadows, and
Randers, 2004. ISBN 1-931-498-58-X.
If additional information or clarifications are desired, please let me know.
Thank you for considering these ideas and suggestions.
We are two Master candidates, Grith and Torunn, from the IT-University of Copenhagen.
This blog was designed to share and discuss our thoughts about the topic of our Master’s Thesis and the process we went through during the Thesis-period.
We invite you to take part in this experience even though the thesis period is finished:-)
Our supervisors are Mads Vangkilde and Stine Gotved.
February 27, 2007 at 9:21 am
I submitted the following message to Linden Lab two months ago, and then again 3 weeks ago. Result: No reply. Please let me know who I might direct these suggestions to. Thank you. Aloha, -Peter Heffron (PS: I also have the below message in Word, if that is easier to read.)
———————————————
Peter Heffron
to contact@lindenlab.com
date Feb 9, 2007 3:09 PM
subject 2nd Life Natural Environment Ommission–
A Concern and An Opportunity
Aloha,
I am a newcomer to Second Life. It is an incredible concept/paradigm,
with great potential. We can be -and interact- pretty much as we wish,
and have fun and learn at the same time.
But there is a fundamental element missing from the current version of
Second Life: the natural ecology and related physics (or earth
dynamics) of the real world, and some sim-worlds. The present Second
Life consists only of social and economic activities. There are no
environmental activities and no environmental consequences (or
feedback) as a result of social and especially economic decisions in
Second Life.
One example: Where does the human waste produced by all those people
(Lindens)–go?
Ismail Serageldin of the World Bank wrote in 1996, “We require any
technical proposal that we will fund to be sustainable in economic,
environmental, and social terms.” He used a triangle to illustrate the
connections between these three elements. The triangle can be
distorted by, say, emphasizing economic development at environmental
expense (e.g., more coal-fired power plants causing air pollution,
global warming, etc.) to boost manufacturing capacity and temporarily
improve the economy, quality-of-life, etc.)–but there is no way to
disconnect the three triangle legs and ignore the links between the
social, economic, and environmental elements.
This may seem inconsequential, particularly since presumably one of
the big draws to Second Life is not having to worry about “real life”
(“First Life”) constraints. However a perverse effect of excluding
from Second Life the environmental leg of Serageldin’s triangle,
preceding, is likely to be that SL Residents will transfer their “just
do it” (i.e., with no environmental feedback) behavior to the real
world, which is already under great environmental stress, as we all
know.
This is partly a “Vision” thing (Linden Lab’s vision, and the Lindens’
vision), partly an ethical issue (acknowledging the importance/value
of the natural environment, even in a sim-world), and partly a
programming challenge (how to incorporate in Second Life system
dynamics, including feedback loops, stocks and flows, delays,
accumulations, etc., while keeping program overhead as low as
possible).
RECOMMENDATIONS
Please consider the following recommendations related to the above:
1. VISION: Organize a real and/or virtual visioning exercise for
everyone in the Second Life world community. Key questions to ask:
(a) What do you think the Second Life ‘world’ will look/be
like–socially, economically, and environmentally–in the year 2050 if
current trends continue? (Worst-case scenario.)
(b) What do you think the Second Life ‘world’ could ideally look/be
like–socially, economically, and environmentally–in the year 2050?
(Best-case/”ideal” scenario.)
(c) What social, economic, and environmental things would need to
happen to bridge the gap between your first (worst-case) and your
second (best-case) visions for the Second Life world?
(d) List several potential obstacles or constraints to achieving “c,”
above, and for each obstacle, one possible means of prevention or
mitigation.
(e) How could/should the Second Life platform be modified to
facilitate the actions listed in “c” above?
(f) Are you willing and able to contribute time, energy, financial
support to help make “c,” “d,” and or “e” -above- happen?
This would be a formal survey that would hopefully happen within the
next 6 months-or-so. It would ideally be in several of the most common
languages used in Second Life. I suggest approaching the renowned Pew
Research Center (www.people-press.org; tel: 202-293-3126) to help set
it up and interpret and report the results to the Second Life global
community. Perhaps in exchange for the PR they could receive, they
might do this for free or on a pro-bono basis. Otherwise there are
undoubtedly foundations that would fund this exercise, especially
given its “real world” as well as sim-world importance.
Linden Labs would of course need to assure all the Lindens that it
would do its best to implement the recommendations that came out of
the above exercise, and then show progress in doing so in a measurable
manner.
2. ETHICS: It is suggested that Linden Labs commit itself to creating
a loose framework for Second Life based on “Do No Harm,”
“Sustainability,” and “Human Rights” principles/charters, with the
rationale being that there is a presumed link between Second Life and
First Life behaviors (which impact the real world for better and
worse). This framework should be as transparent as possible and mimic
the real world in a manner that permits Lindens, within ‘reason’ or up
to a limit (another relative, subjective, constant challenge, I
realize) to explore, have fun, even do politically, socially, and
environmentally ‘incorrect’ activities, as long as their collective
behavior/choices, etc., have some effect on the Second Life world (as
they do in the real world).
With this ethic and framework, Lindens could, for example, be informed
automatically on a monthly basis, that the social, economic, and
environmental ‘health’ of the Second Life world is “x,” “y,” and “z.”
This could be a simple bar chart based on a 1 to 100 index, or better,
it could be a graph showing cumulative trends over time. This way
individual Lindens would not be flagged, but the collective effects of
the overall population on its environment would be made known.
3. PROGRAMMING: I would think the Sim City programmers could assist
with the above. One approach could be to address the preceding as a
pilot project. Linden Labs would buy/create an island (“Sustainability
Island”?) where the above could be tested over a year-or-so before
being applied to the whole model. Lindens with specific sustainability
skills and interests could be recruited to live and work on said
island. This would be run as a project, with a vision, mission,
operational plan, benchmarks, indicators, a project manager, etc.
A good real life island model to base this on could be New Zealand,
which is one of the few countries with a “Green”–or
sustainability–plan. Hawaii Island, where I live, is another possible
real life model. Hawaii Island is unique in that it represents most of
the world’s biomes. At the same time there is very little
sustainability consciousness/action in Hawaii.
4. OTHER IDEAS
a. Linden Labs could impose a small sustainability “tax” on all
Lindens. The purpose of this tax would be to pay for incentives to use
renewable energy, composting toilets, “green buildings,” etc., as well
as demonstrations and training in more sustainable approaches. The
debate, etc., that would likely ensue would have an intrinsic value in
raising awareness and in making Second Life more interesting, etc.
b. An annual award could be given to the most sustainable/eco-friendly
community based on international standards, “SMART Growth” principles,
etc.
c. Linden Dollars could be replaced by “Emdollars” (EM$) or
equivalent. EM$ incorporate nature’s contribution to economic
activities, which US$ and Linden Dollars do not. For more information
on this concept and all of the above, please see the book “A
Prosperous Way Down,” by Howard and Elizabeth Odum, 2001. ISBN
0-87081-610-1.
For an overview of the principles/imperatives discussed above, please
see “Limits to Growth: The 30-Year Update,” by Meadows, Meadows, and
Randers, 2004. ISBN 1-931-498-58-X.
If additional information or clarifications are desired, please let me know.
Thank you for considering these ideas and suggestions.
Aloha,
Peter Heffron
Best Practice Planning
Hilo, Hawaii