Kurt Vonnegut Lives on in The Grid of Second Life
Posted in Fiction, Kwisatz Haderach, Language - Sound, Reading - Literature, Satire, Science, Second Life, Tribute, Video by wayne.porter on April 17th, 2007 Recently deceased, and one of my famous authors, Kurt Vonnegut lives on- at least for me- and damn is he funny! Odd to think of his recent death happening while i was unaware and pondering Asimov, Robotics, Nanontechnology and Engines of Creation. They were both humanists too- he and Isaac Asimov.
It is a bit surreal in the world of Second Life- he is hysterical- the quotes and quips are fantastic. Slaughterhouse Five is a must read…among others. This makes me so sad….he is gone, but he is so alive (verbally) and expressive in the metaverse.
So now I have to ask- what will be the effect on humanity if we interact in “avatar form” for long periods? After we die we leave “almost spectral” after images of ourselves? Think about that…for a moment…and reflect.
Back to Kurt Vonnegut. He even graded his own books…(Kwisatz Haderach Award)
In Chapter 18 of his book Palm Sunday “The Sexual Revolution,” Vonnegut states that the grades “do not place me in literary history” and that he is comparing “myself with myself.” The grades:
Player Piano: B
The Sirens of Titan: A
Mother Night: A
Cat’s Cradle: A-plus
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater: A
Slaughterhouse-Five: A-plus
Welcome to the Monkey House: B-minus
Happy Birthday, Wanda June: D
Breakfast of Champions: C
Slapstick: D
Jailbird: A
Palm Sunday: C
About Clip: the national, weekly public radio program The Infinite Mind made broadcast history as it aired a four-part special taped inside the three-dimensional virtual on-line community Second Life. Among those interviewed in front of a live virtual audience were author Kurt Vonnegut. This is a machinema video of Vonnegut’s interview taped inside Second Life, on the 16-acre virtual broadcast center built by Lichtenstein Creative Media, which produces the program. The host is John Hockenberry.
fiction Kwisatz Haderach Language & Sound Reading & Literature Satire Science Second Life Tribute Video
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Kurt’s avatar in Second Life also continues to exist, although without a pilot. It’s kind of a fascinating topic - similar to MySpace pages of deceased individuals.
What will happen to these phantom digital identities? In Second Life, Linden Lab doesn’t delete accounts just because someone dies.
Also, side-note, the broadcast center itself was built by Infinite Vision Media for LCMedia, and the broadcast of the four-part special was a joint project between the two.
Ron,
Dude this is very weird, I admit I am really fascinated by this whole physical death versus digital death- it is like a http://www.ThisisTrue.com story I think it goes far beyond empty myspace pages-
OK- I would volunteer to be Kurt for a day. Wonder if that is possible to work out with Linden Labs….oh man…it is like that book where people are being reskinned.
Thanks for note on LCMEdia, and IVM- do you have URLSs and know where the other videos might be?
e-mail me if you wish Ron…fascinating and thanks…wow.
[...] until the account or medium fades, for some time after our deaths. They can be quite awe-inspiring, like the Vonnegut video, or perhaps dark and sinister as Steve Rosenbaum noted in the Huffington Post piece regarding my [...]