User:Kendal/notes

The Lifecycle of Software Objects

Page 2

"Can you meet me in Data Earth?" "social continents" "virtual living room"

Meeting in a virtual world replicating the space in real life.

Page 3

"These aren't the idealized pets marketed to people who can't commit to a real animal; they lack the picture-perfect cuteness, and their movements are too awkward. Neither do they look like inhabitants of Data Earth's biomes"

References to the uncanny valley, the space between reality and fiction. The uncomfortable but delicate balance.

Page 6

"design a body that manifests the digients' gestures in a way that people can relate to"

Hinting to the need to design something that already exists in order to feel relatable.

Page 7

"If they look like cartoons, no one will take them seriously. Conversely, if they look too much like real animals, their facial expressions and ability to speak become disconcerting. It's a delicate balancing act"

Uncanny valley and the need for it to be at least slightly real.

Page 10

""Everyone here thinks of the digients as animals," she says. "The thing is, the digients don't behave like any real animal. They've got this non-animal quality to them, so it feels like we're dressing them in circus costumes when we try to make them look like monkeys or pandas."

Why do we feel the need to base something off of reality when we have the ability to design anything? Is it a way to feel comfortable?

Page 24

"The information packet from SaruMech had warned about this; a metal and plastic chassis conducts sound in a way that avatars in Data Earth don't.Jax looks up to face Ana, and she marvels at the sight of him. She knows that he's not really in the body - Jax's code is still being run on the network, and this robot is just a fancy peripheral - but the illusion is perfect. And even after all their interaction in Data Earth, it's thrilling to have Jax stand in front of her and look her in the eye."

What is the difference between the virtual and the physical? Is it something that requires the senses? The first difference noted were the sounds, textures, and tactile experience.

Page 27

'There were many reasons Blue Gamma targeted the virtual realm instead of the real one - lower cost, ease of social networking - but one was the risk of property damage; they couldn't sell a pet that might tear down your actual Venetian blinds or make mayonnaise castles on your actual rug."

What are the benefits of making something virtual? ease of anonymity? less risk?

Page 28

"Surfaces in Data Earth have a lot of visual detail, but no tactile qualities beyond a coefficient of friction; very few players use controllers that convey tactition; so most vendors don't bother implementing texture for their environmental surfaces. Now that the digients can feel surfaces in the real world, they find novelty in the simplest things." "boundaries of the physicality"

Designing differences in virtual & physical space

Page 35 & 40

"Some volunteers have begun maintaining rescue shelters, accepting unwanted digients in hopes of matching them with new owners. These volunteers practice a variety of strategies; some keep the digients running without interruption"

"the shelters essentially become digient warehouses."

"The customer base has stabilized to a small community of hardcore digient owners, and they don't generate enough revenue to keep Blue Gamma afloat. The company will release a no-fee version of the food-dispensing software so those who want to can keep their digients running as long as they like, but otherwise, the customers are on their own."

Reminds me of when a technology is no longer supported, usually a group of die-hard fans take it upon themselves to keep it running, this often happens with social platforms. The comment about ending up as warehouses echoes the idea that these things remain left, untouched & ultimately abandoned.