I can’t believe it is Friday already, which I suppose is a good sign. I’ve been busy and somehow lost a day, thinking it was only Thursday when I woke up this morning. It is rainy, but we have had some sunny days. These systems keep coming through, like buses, one after another. Some bring rain, or wind, cold mornings, and bright sunshine. The garden is popping with buds, spring flowers, dwarf Iris, daffodils, crocuses, and snowdrops. There’s even some blossom appearing on trees, we’re ready for warmer weather.
This week I wrote, met with people, and caught up on some reading. My foot is still hurting a little bit, months now, from my accident, especially when I’ve been sitting for long periods, so I have to get up regularly. I’m just about settling into a rhythm.
This is probably a good thing.
Stephan
Spaces to Connect
Most deaths are spoken about prematurely, but this year has seen a shift in thinking in VR, and I’m feeling slightly wrong-footed by it. I’ve been teaching with these technologies for the past five years, helping students and teachers to develop new ways to tell stories. One of the first apps that provided a window on the world through VR was VRSE, a content channel with documentaries, films, and interviews, which became Within, and this year has changed again into Supernatural, a fitness platform, and merged with Meta, yes - sucked in by Zuckerberg’s everything bagel. An archive of videos still exists, and many of the creators now provide content to Meta Quest TV, which going by all the 1-star reviews on its site, hasn’t exactly been a success.
This week, preparing for a talk, I added Within to the growing list of VR apps and platforms that no longer exist, and I have to admit that it is a bit depressing. Mobile VR has gone completely now that everything is headset-based, with the cheapest being around $400. Gone, too, is Google Cardboard, an incredibly cheap and accessible way to introduce new people to virtual reality and the apps that it uses. You can’t now create 360 photo spheres in Google Street View, a fun exercise I used to do with classes; instead, you can upload 360 photos and videos to the new Street View Studio.
There are now two dominant platforms, Meta’s walled garden, and Steam, just about hanging in there. Things are changing within these platforms, too. Social spaces like ALT-Space VR have closed, although developers are making new games and other experiences. Big tech companies are laying people off, especially those working on VR. Even Disney is closing its metaverse division.
Yes, I get it, headsets are getting better and better, and haptic technology and good speakers provide a much more immersive experience than a phone and cardboard box. Still, there’s almost no way that I can run a workshop for a school or community group without bringing them to my room, with all the headsets that we have. Getting younger students on board won’t be easy without enabling them to experience some of the thrills of 360 videos without an expensive headset.
Life Lessons
We had a scary incident in Pittsburgh on Tuesday. Just a few days after the murders in Nashville, the high school behind my office received a call that there was an active shooter. We were asked to shelter in place, and as I was in an office with a colleague, we shut the door, chatted more, and sat quietly on our laptops, waiting. It soon became clear that this was one of several hoax calls that were being made nationwide, praying on the nervousness and tension that always exists those days after a mass shooting. Students were shaken up, and the whole day was deeply unsettling.
For the first time in ages, I checked Twitter for updates. I should have known better. People were making false statements, claiming speculation as fact, blaming, and shouting in CAPS. What a shower. I’ve written about America’s lethal obsession with guns and the politicians who refuse to do anything. Guns are now the leading cause of death for children in the US, more than car accidents and cancer.
I also wanted to recognize that yesterday was International Transgender Day of Visibility. Given that almost all of us know someone in our lives that is transgender, we should be doing more to recognize the harm that is being done to trans people throughout the world, in some countries where there is no recognition at all, where people are imprisoned, and murdered; to portrayals in the media, culture-war bigotry, and an increase in discriminatory bills that are essentially attempting to wipe trans people from roles in everyday life. There is information here and here, and I hope that his week you might donate or support, in other ways, organizations that are standing up for trans rights.
Lost and Found
I had a few good listening experiences this week. The first was Short Cuts, a fantastic episode called On Wheels that included sounds from a skate park, a piece of music comprised solely of instruments attached to a bicycle wheel, and a journey through the Scottish landscape. I should say, too, the website for the show includes some short animations inspired by stories, a shortcuts mixtape, some of Josie Long’s comics and drawings, and a photo gallery.
The second podcast, produced by Falling Tree Productions, was an episode of Between the Ears called “Deep Listening in Japan,” which explored the world of music cafés. I sent it to some of my colleagues teaching Japanese Studies and received this wonderful reply.
“Japanese people are very detail-oriented, can see this mentality and how we set up a sound system. You have to be really precise and listen very deeply. That’s how you find a beautiful sound.” That’s true! The show brought back days gone by when I was a frequent customer of several classical music cafés in Tokyo in the 1980s.
I’ve frequented a few cafés that are also record stores, but never this sort of place, where you can go and spend time and listen to new music and drink a cup of coffee. There are jazz, classical, and more modern flavors, some strictly no talking, some bubbling with conversation. It sounds lovely.
I received my invitation to Adobe’s new podcast tools. These look pretty simple to use, speak, edit the transcript, and download the final result. In many ways, it reminds me of Anchor (which was bought by Spotify), who also wanted to be a one-stop app for production. I might use this with my students, although a free, open-source alternative would be better.
Thank you
Let’s hope the rain lets up so we can play sports over the weekend. The girls’ rugby team I helped coach won their first game last Sunday while I was with my U12s playing footy. I am so proud of them, it is a new sport for the community, and many had not even seen a game before coming to their first practice. We’ve eased them into contact, learning how to tackle safely, and they’re passing the ball well. It is quite a technical sport; there are so many rules that you need to listen carefully to the referee for guidance. The team is getting there, I can’t wait to see how they get on in their next games.
In the meantime, I’m looking forward to a few trips. I booked some tickets for a music gig, and I have a couple of new books on order to try and help me get away from my phone, which, I have to admit, is too easily absorbing. I got time to start the Drawing with the Right Side of the Brain workbook. I’ll skip past the neuro-myth, although you see right and left as an analogy; to agree that when drawing, to disregard what you see in your mind’s eye and draw what you see in reality. Some of the exercises were quite fun. There’s a video here (quite long) if you’re interested in finding out more.
I hope that you’re all well. Thank you for your comments and notes.
See you next week.