A course by Downey on “Software Design” helped me to realize which improvements I need to apply to my “project-centered” teaching method. E.g. letting the students write a proper project proposal, mixing homework and lab work, and confining the project to the last 8 weeks of the semester. Lots to do…

Another book I am currently working through is Collective Intelligence by Toby Segaran – essentially on creating smart Web 2.0 applications. I would love to use this as the basis for a course on the same topic in our planned Masters study programme (“MIS Masters at the Berlin School of Economics” – here is the blog).

I am very excited about both teaching and writing right now!

I like to think of Harriet Tubman.
Harriet Tubman who carried a revolver,
who had a scar on her head from a rock thrown
by a slave-master (because she
talked back), and who

had a ransom on her head
of thousands of dollars and who
was never caught, and who
had no use for the law
when the law was wrong,
who defied the law. I like
to think of her.
I like to think of her especially when I think of the problem of feeding children.

I want them to think about Harriet Tubman,
and remember,
remember she was beat by a white man
and she lived
and she lived to redress her grievances,

and she lived in swamps
and wore the clothes of a man
bringing hundreds of fugitives from

slavery, and was never caught,
and led an army,
and won a battle,
and defied the laws
because the laws were wrong, I want men
to take us seriously I am tired wanting them to think
about right and wrong.
I want them to fear.
I want them to feel fear now
as I have felt suffering in the womb, and
I want them
to know
that there is always a time
there is always a time to make right
what is wrong,
there is always a time
for retribution
and that time
is beginning.

Having said that, I am not sure, this even is meant as a parody. It just comes across that way to me. Today, I stayed away from SL as such. Instead, to prepare for the coming term, I looked for a suitable tool to take screencasts. There are great guides out there already, and a bunch of useful tools – both for purchase and for free. In the end, I went with iShowU by Shinywhitebox, which seems to be a … [nostalgic music coming on] … New Zealand company … [nostalgic music fading]. I already made a few experimental movies from within SecondLife (or rather, filming the screen of SecondLife while being logged and moving around in there).

And by and by, I developed moviemaker fantasies: I even began writing a script for one of my avatars on there … no, I will not disclose his identity. But let me say this much: you will not, unless he opens his mouth, discover me!

On the more practical side, I need to make a movie (or perhaps simply use one of the available introductory clips on YouTube) of Second Life for an upcoming research meeting if I want to win a grant (many of the people in the audience will not even have heard of SL), and I must create a few tutorials for using the Wiki, which I had installed on my host server. Next thing I have to master is recording a voice-over for the movie. I am really quite excited about that … not too excited of course, lest I disturb the quiet mood of the Bath House

There is more to tell of my explorations into the virtual 3D world, or “metaverse”, as it is now called. One of my avatars is a young, sexy black woman, a vampyre actually. I really enjoyed shopping clothes … and “skin” for her (dark skin, shapely breasts, and all that). More than I ever enjoyed shopping IRL. This vampyre is mostly active in NOR, a dark Sim, or group of Sims (i.e. connected regions of virtual land), where avatars dressed and role-playing as supernaturals, undead, nekros, humans or demons haunt the city and kill each other in wars that they organise and conduct themselves (subject to a relatively strict regime of rules – and without the rules, it probably would not work either). The role-playing as a female in particular is very attractive … and often difficult. My other avatar (an older male) is easier to use and morph into.

Anyway, I am drifting through the virtual ocean quite happily, without paying too much attention to time and money spent (I am a land owner there, too), hoping – no, expecting – some valid return at some point. So far, I have never been disappointed by my intuition, which says “this is interesting and fun – pursue it”. At least some of the way. Who knows where it will get me in the end – where it will get us all in the end?

To wet your appetite – here is a completely different use of SecondLife that got nothing to do with socialising, role-playing, gaming or even programming – watch Ant life in SL.

I have got two very different classes in business information systems – both seem more difficult “to get”, but it always seems that way in the first 2 weeks. One currently holds over 90 students which is is a nightmare – at least for the kind of teaching I do, which tends to use group dynamics. But this comes close to talking at a large conference. I am sure it’ll all be only half as exciting and challenging in a few weeks time, but right now I am re-thinking didactic concepts.

Most exciting for me: I have chosen a new research area – I call it “aesthetics of information architectures” for lack of a better name. Looking for the “sublime” in IS. Already contacted a couple of MISQ (top tier magazine in my field) editors to get into the reviewer circle, which is arguably one of the better ways to get started (again). But the prospect of doing research once more is very stimulating!

The title of this blog: one of my (many) new favourite songs, Man Must Dance by Johnossi.