WHAT IS SECOND LIFE?
Second Life is a commercial software package that is similar to an online
massively multiplayer fantasy game, except that there are no rules or
scores. Its metaphor, then, is a fantasy world. You are represented in this
world, by an "avatar" or creature of your own specification. You control the
behavior of this avatar, and other participants see and hear the behavior.
If all goes well it provides a somewhat idiosyncratic form of video
conferencing.
Participation is free, though the hosts of the service sell various
upgrades. Permanent virtual property is such an upgrade and I am paying for
that; it gives us a meeting "place". This is a cost to me and not to other
participants.
Installation on Mac or Windows is straightforward. You will need a modern
machine, a high speed internet connection, and modest audio and video
capability. Go to SecondLife.com and install the client. You can do this
independently of whether you choose to participate in my journal club.
WHAT IS A JOURNAL CLUB?
It is a group that decides to keep up with the primary scientific literature
on a certain topic. Every week a speaker volunteers, reads a paper that has
been agreed upon by the group (usually at the end of the previous session)
and any important antecedent literature. The presenter should endeavor to do
such things as 1) place the paper in context 2) explain the reasoning in
detail, including a good faith effort to follow through any mathematics 3)
identify any new results 4) express an opinion as to whether the results are
compelling and important. Typically the level of presentation will be beyond
the inaccessible to an undergraduate or a bachelor's degree holder.
STATUS
Three people have expressed interest, including James Annan who can be
relied upon to keep us honest. That isn't enough to start pulling it
together but it's enough to indicate there might be further interest. So I
am not giving up as yet. Please let me know if you are interested, and
please pass this on to others who might be. Again, the topic is paleoclimate
and climate dynamics, with a focus on the quaternary on the 10 KA to 100 KA
time scale. Climatologists who live in places with a small climate community
are the main intended target audience.
mt
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