Arts, Science & Education
This beautiful space is a venue for real life artists. The detail, including the nature-inspired sound effects, are terrific. It's pleasant just to wander around, but there are also open-air art exhibits and resident artist studios. SL provides artists with a new venue for showcasing their RL art. (The art here can be purchased.)
This lush, watery alcove features poetry for sale. The average poem costs about 15 Linden dollars. SL also provides poets and writers with a new outlet for self-publishing.
There are several art galleries in SL, but Ars Virtua is one of the more interesting ones. The feel of the place is very different from The Bluffs. The colors, designs, and textures here are a bit edgier. The design of the space and some of the exhibits play with virtual possibilities and explore themes related to virtual interaction.
Without the physical constraints of the real world, SL architecture can look and "feel" very different than RL architecture. Check out some of the interesting structures at this location, home of the Second Life School of Architecture.
One of my favorite in-world locations, Spaceport Alpha features shuttles, rockets, a boat tour, a rocket ride, and lots of information about space exploration.
This site demonstrates the potential for new kinds of learning in Second Life. This interactive building tour was designed to teach students about schizophrenia. Make sure to wear the badge at the entrance and turn up the volume. Check out the UC Davis Virtual Hallucinations Web site for more information about the project.
If you’re really interested in finding out about libraries in SL, this is the place to begin. It’s worth exploring Info Island in its entirety.
