Research Paper Introduction

            Since the birth of the human race, man has pondered the mysteries of life. We have asked ourselves many questions like why are we here? Where did we come from before we were born? What is beyond our world, and the universe that surrounds us, and is there someone or some thing that created it all in the blink of an eye? To answer these questions we have created systems of values, morals and doctrines. These values, morals and doctrines might then be compiled into a common system of beliefs called religion. The more people that agree with a particular religion, the bigger that religion’s following might become. The result can be anywhere from a weekly meeting of ten friends that discuss their views on the mysteries of life to a televised event with thousands of members and the power and money to double their congregation in one year. There are probably as many different religions as there are possible shades of any given color. When most of us think of going to church we often picture ourselves in an elaborate building made of stone with beautiful stain glass windows. We see ourselves worshiping our chosen God along side those we have come to know that live in our community. What if there was a place that a person could not only worship ten different Gods, but they could do it with ten different people from ten different cultures all in one day? How could this be possible? Second Life is a virtual environment where people from all around the world can interact with one another in real time by simply logging onto their computers. Religion in Second Life can be found in many different forms and the ways in which people practice those religions are quite possibly as infinite as the mysteries that we created religion for in the first place. 

Research Question Outline

Introduction

 

-Discuss the origin of mans question for his own creation.

- Discuss what religion is.

- Discuss how religion came to become a part of our society.

-Discuss the diversity of cultures and religions.

-Relate diversity and practices for religion to Second Life.

 

Body

Religion 1

- Describe the church or place where people worship that religion.

-Discuss how that religion is practiced.

-Describe/discuss the people that worship at this particular church/religion.

-Discuss any rules, conversations/interviews, eccentricities involved with the religion.

-Discuss anything that may be of particular interest that may have been unforeseen in this outline.

Religion 2

- Describe the church or place where people worship that religion.

-Discuss how that religion is practiced.

-Describe/discuss the people that worship at this particular church/religion.

-Discuss any rules, conversations/interviews, eccentricities involved with the religion.

-Discuss anything that may be of particular interest that may have been unforeseen in this outline.

 

Religion 3

- Describe the church or place where people worship that religion.

-Discuss how that religion is practiced.

-Describe/discuss the people that worship at this particular church/religion.

-Discuss any rules, conversations/interviews, eccentricities involved with the religion.

-Discuss anything that may be of particular interest that may have been unforeseen in this outline.

Religion 4

- Describe the church or place where people worship that religion.

-Discuss how that religion is practiced.

-Describe/discuss the people that worship at this particular church/religion.

-Discuss any rules, conversations/interviews, eccentricities involved with the religion.

-Discuss anything that may be of particular interest that may have been unforeseen in this outline.

Religion 5

- Describe the church or place where people worship that religion.

-Discuss how that religion is practiced.

-Describe/discuss the people that worship at this particular church/religion.

-Discuss any rules, conversations/interviews, eccentricities involved with the religion.

-Discuss anything that may be of particular interest that may have been unforeseen in this outline.

Conclusion

-Relate back to the mysteries of life as it pertains to religion and mans quest to uncover the truth.

-Incorporate the intro and the body of the paper into the conclusion in an interesting and unique way while transitioning into the ending.

-Answer the research question. 

Research Paper Topic/Question

 Research Topic: Religion

Research Question: What kinds of religions can be found in Second Life and how are those religions practiced?

Introduction Essay #2

The subject of entertainment can mean many different things for people. Some personally experienced forms of entertainment like extreme sports such as bungee jumping, and skydiving, are sought out by those that feel repeatedly inclined to experiencing a body pumped up on adrenaline. Others find that the comforts of home infused with the action and excitement of their favorite sports team on television is a great way to find happiness in times of leisure. Another form of entertainment that may not be as well known or familiar to most people is the virtual world of Second Life. Second life is a one-stop shop for almost any form of entertainment that can be imagined. Since Second Life is a virtual world, the possibilities for realizing a persons idea for entertainment as it exist in their imagination, can now be found with the simple click of a button on the keyboard of a computer. Some examples of such that might be worth exploring are music, water sports, and martial arts.

Topic / Thesis Statement

Topic: Entertainment within second life.

Thesis Statement:  Entertainment can be experienced within second life in a variety of ways such as music, water sports, and martial arts.

Swedish Connection Extra Credit

We were supposed to meet on Wednesday at 11:00, however, when I got out of class at 10:50, I found that my car had been towed!  I didn't get home until 11:30.  I did make contact with my buddies via email. I explained to them what had happened, and they understood.  We scheduled a new meeting time for Monday because there were no more possibilities for this week that would work for any of us.

Swedish Connection Extra Credit

I met with my new friends.  We went to Pattaya Island which was the first place of interest listed under sadomasochism. The girls and I had a bit of a time communicating because they are not as experienced as I am.  We eventually went back to Kamimo Island so we could get to know one another better and I showed them some things to make their SL a little easier.   I enjoyed talking with them and learning about their lives.

Swedish Connection Extra Credit

I met with my new Swedish connection buddies.  There are three of them.  Two are actually from Russia, and the other is from Holland.  We have agreed to meet on Monday in order to get better acquainted and to go "in world" for a bit.

Short Essay Introduction

When it comes to sex, human beings have quite the imagination. Whether someone has just met another for the first time or is about to celebrate their thirtieth wedding anniversary, at some point lovers may decide to explore one another's sexual fantasies. Some people may express their sexuality in ways that many consider to be immoral, highly adventurous, or just plain weird. What if there was a place where one could experience sex in a way that is completely uninhibited? What if people could explore the pleasures of the flesh in an environment free of judgment, and to a great degree, free of consequences? In the virtual world of second life, sexuality may be experienced through a variety of different ways, some of which are: traditional monogamous relationships, sadomasochism, and bestiality. What is important to remember is that no matter how weird, kinky, or traditional one is with his or her sexuality, second life has a place for everyone to experience what is usually kept behind closed doors.

Topic & Thesis Statement

Topic: Sexuality within second life.

Thesis: Sexuality within second life may be experienced with animals, fetishes,  such as sadomasochism, and as monogamous relationships.

Exploration Assignment

Like most people, I have often wondered what it would be like if I was able to go anywhere in the World. Where would I go? What would I do when I got there? How would I survive or make money? Well, as it turns out, modern technology has the perfect program for such a hankering and it is called Second Life.

My first stop was a dance club I found on Second Life’s Featured Locations list. With a name like Bad Girls, how could a guy go wrong? Bad Girls promotes itself as one of the hottest dance clubs in SL. Upon entering the dance club it became apparent that this place was swingin in more ways than one. If there was a dress code its only requirement was that everyone should leave all clothing at the door. I found a cool dance to animate my avatar with. It can only be described as a cross between break dancing and a rat with his foot caught in a mousetrap. I didn’t make much contact with anyone other then some exchanged gyration. There was too much chatter to focus in on anyone in particular, so I just danced for a while and then I left.

InfoIsland seems to be a wealth of information. When my partner and I arrived, we headed for the information center. It was similar to a real library; it had computers, reference, and links to programs such as Earth Google. There was an area with Obama featured and we took a picture with him. Great smile on a great man!

Here we are with the librarian.
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We went to Bradley University and took a picture in front of a snowman.

The visual atmosphere at Bradley was very bright and Sparkling to the eye. Eikos commonwealth is a place where like-minded people can start a community, and Eduisiland is a place where your kids can

Chakryn Forest is a place not unlike what one might expect to see in a fairy tale. It is a vast expanse of beautiful trees and mountains. The audio is very peaceful and consists of whippoorwills singing, bubbling brooks, the song of insects, and the occasional squall of an eagle. The first person I happened to meet was a bit standoffish, and was not interested in any interaction with me. I happened upon a husband and wife that we’re from France. They said they were there just relaxing and taking in the scenery. I wonder if they were husband and wife in real life of just within SL? Either way, they seemed to want to be alone, so I told them a joke and took flight. I explored the tops of the mountains and walked around a bit.

Pondex was a bit of a weird place. When I arrived there I saw the grim reaper and some people that looked like they were into the war and weapons deal. I moved around a bit and decided to go into this bathroom. It had blood splatters on the wall and excrement for paint in certain places. Quite a few people were actually here but not so much the type for conversation. I do not understand what everyone is doing in these places. I asked someone if they would like to go exploring with me, and they were not interested. Maybe it’s the purple suit. I did manage to find a jet ski. It was not easy to control, and a bit boring by myself. I did meet someone from Tokyo Japan. That was cool. I used to live in Japan, but that is about all we had in common.

When I arrived in Themiskyra I was surrounded by architecture that resembled what I would imagine to be that of an old town in Ireland. There was a castle up on a mountain that was next to a couple of waterfalls. I went to the top and found a lonesome crow. I noticed a couple of cots to relax on, so I gave my fingers a rest and chilled out for a bit. I noticed that when my avatar is put to relaxation mode, the sounds change too.
I found a papasan chair next to a fireplace and a nice area rug. When I was a boy I always wanted to have a house that was on top of a mountain. Sometimes when I meditate in real life, I sit in this wonderful papasan chair within my mind. When I saw this particular place on top of this mountain, I immediately took a shine to it. The place is called Castle Myrina.

My avatar's charisma

When I first saw my avatar I must say that I was impressed. I have experienced other computer programs that allow the user to manipulate their appearance, but SL has a myriad of options when creating a look that is truly unique. One of the first things that I noticed was the option to pick my own gender. I definitely played around with the idea of being that which I am not, (a female) but once I saw that I could change it up at a later time I decided on choosing my real life gender as a male.

I found that there are about 6 different options for each segment of the body. For example, I was able to elongate my forehead, square off my jaw, and fatten or thin out any area of the face. I decided to try to get as close to my real appearance as possible, with a few here and there’s to mix it up. One of the here and there’s to speak of was that I added a little muscle to my avatar because. I did this because I have recently (within the last 5 years) realized that I am the creator of the greatest vision for the grandest version I could ever hold about who I am. Why not create my avatar to look like what I am currently trying to achieve for myself in real life? I consider this to be a virtual affirmation of some sort.

One of the coolest things about SL is that many of the so-called blunders made by an inexperienced beginner often become perfect opportunities for SL enhancement. I searched everywhere for something cool to wear. I had my mind set on something that might be worn by an old kung fu master in hopes that I might find an old long white beard and some Asian eyes to go with the clothes. With no money and just about as much experience, it soon became apparent that, for the time being, I would be happy enough with whatever I could find. I managed to pick up some free stuff, which allowed me to get out of the… “Look at me, I am the new guy clothes” and into something a little more to my liking. I made a few adjustments to the shirt and pants and was willing to settle with those until I figured out where to get something different.

This would be a good time to throw in that blunder I was talking about. I was “in world” somewhere when I happened upon some people that were vampires. I was recently made into a vampire, but I had to leave just as the guy who bit me was explaining how to use all my vampire stuff. So I asked if anyone could help me out with the logistics of my vampire apparatus. Someone there was more than happy to do that for me, and half way through the tutorial, I lost all of my clothes! So I was standing there naked with everyone laughing, (not sure if that was with me, or at me) and I see that someone has sent me some clothes to put on. What I got was a bright purple suit that looks to be some kind of suede. I believe it is called a professional suit. I call it the leisurely Latin lover suit.

Poetry in one sentence or less

The cracks in the walk and the tick of the tock, rollin like an ocean wave, bigger than a tidal wave.