Google Launches Lively, an Avatar Based 3D World

[pico]

In essence - ravelinks could have a window somewhere on the site into the '3d avatar world' and you could maximize it and it's as if youre 3rd person view of your character and other people are chatting and socializing.

I think it could take off, and make forums like this a bit more personal. Im down for trying it out, if its great, we should bring it up to the admins to implement.

**

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

Be who you want on the web pages you visit
7/08/2008 02:02:00 PM
Posted by Niniane Wang, Engineering Manager

A while ago, I looked around the social web and wished that it could be less static. Sure, you can leave a comment on a blog or write a text blurb on your social networking profile. But what if you want to express yourself in a more fun way, with 3D graphics and real-time avatar interactions? I started asking this question as a 20% project, and I'm excited to announce today's release of Lively by Google - a 3D virtual experience that is the newest addition to Google Labs.

The Lively team wants to help people experience another dimension of the web. We hope you will use the product to express yourself with and without words, and to do this in the places you already visit on the web.

If you enter a Lively room embedded on your favorite blog or website, you can immediately get a sense of the room creator's interests, just by looking at the furniture and environment they chose. You can also express your own personality by customizing your avatar's look, showing people who you are without having to say a word. Of course, you can chat with each other, and you can also interact through animated actions. In our user research, we’ve been amazed at how much more poignant it is to receive an animated hug than seeing the text “[[hug]]”.

Prior to this release, we worked closely with Arizona State University. Based on feedback from ASU students and with help from the Google Desktop team, we added support for playing YouTube videos in virtual TVs and showing photos in virtual picture frames inside our rooms. Better yet, the gadgets you have in your Lively rooms can also run on your desktop.

To learn more about Lively, please visit [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]. We’re eager to hear your feedback. Maybe we'll bump into you in one of our rooms!



[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Psilo]

Holy shit, GOOGLE!
GOOGLE!

Should make a room "So Cal Rave" or something really combining like that! I will get the cool people of each board to hang out.

I dont even know what this is yet lolz, lemme read.


EDIT: LOL I READ, LETS MAKE A RAVE ROOM AND THROW A FATTY ONLINE RAVE.
omg so ridiculous already

[Fizzy]

the internet needs to stop trying to be real life, smilies suffice! text hugs suffice! if i wanted to go chill with you guys, i would do it. i foresee a near total replacement of real life human interaction in the future, and i don't like it!

[Psilo]

Originally Posted by Fizzy

the internet needs to stop trying to be real life, smilies suffice! text hugs suffice! if i wanted to go chill with you guys, i would do it. i foresee a near total replacement of real life human interaction in the future, and i don't like it!

Oh there will for sure be a total replacement in the far-future.
In the near-future there will only be a semi-replacement.

We can not try to prevent it or fight it. We HAVE to roll with it and make the best of it.
As soon as nano-technology (implants) are perfected, the world is going to go through a massive change. We have to be ready for it....




anyway, p.s. I cant chill with you cause Im like 110 miles away. That sucks.
Msgboards and chat are the only ways I can "talk to a lot of you that I want to talk to".

[Fizzy]

Originally Posted by Psilo

Oh there will for sure be a total replacement in the far-future.
In the near-future there will only be a semi-replacement.

We can not try to prevent it or fight it. We HAVE to roll with it and make the best of it.
As soon as nano-technology (implants) are perfected, the world is going to go through a massive change. We have to be ready for it....

anyway, p.s. I cant chill with you cause Im like 110 miles away. That sucks.
Msgboards and chat are the only ways I can "talk to a lot of you that I want to talk to".

*sigh* i suppose i am destined to be old fashioned. (look at me, sticking to the old forum ways and calling myself old fashioned ). i'd just rather have a real hug or a promise of a hug rather than a fake e-hug from some computer generated character that is only an approximation of who i want to be talking to.

[pico]

Originally Posted by psilo

holy shit, google!
Google!

Should make a room "so cal rave" or something really combining like that! I will get the cool people of each board to hang out.

I dont even know what this is yet lolz, lemme read.


Edit: Lol i read, lets make a rave room and throw a fatty online rave.
Omg so ridiculous already

yes!!!! We have to do it now. We have fanatical support from psilo.

Originally Posted by Fizzy

*sigh* i suppose i am destined to be old fashioned. (look at me, sticking to the old forum ways and calling myself old fashioned ). i'd just rather have a real hug or a promise of a hug rather than a fake e-hug from some computer generated character that is only an approximation of who i want to be talking to.

This wouldnt make the internet more like real life - it would make it that much more fun when we dont have the ability to hang out.

I think it would be beneficial to our group.

I also think psilo's anti-christ avatar would be fun to look at.

Originally Posted by Psilo

anyway, p.s. I cant chill with you cause Im like 110 miles away. That sucks.
Msgboards and chat are the only ways I can "talk to a lot of you that I want to talk to".

Same here, thats also why i like this new tech.

[Psilo]

Originally Posted by Fizzy

*sigh* i suppose i am destined to be old fashioned. (look at me, sticking to the old forum ways and calling myself old fashioned ). i'd just rather have a real hug or a promise of a hug rather than a fake e-hug from some computer generated character that is only an approximation of who i want to be talking to.

Totally, I fully know where you're coming from.

check this one out though... think about THIS...


Back to my comment about the 'far-future'. Lets say, in 150 years or so, or whatever number you wanna use... we are so advanced, that you will be able to put some sort of equipment on your head (or simply just "switch on" electrodes in your brain), and you are instantly transformed, as well as every sensory organ you have, to a place of virtual reality.

In that place, every SINGLE thing is the same as real life. You can touch, taste, feel, and smell other people.. and there is absolutely no difference between "it" and real life, and you can switch "it" off at any time.


With that in mind, can you now come up with a reason that real life would be better than virtual real life?

*We could instantly go to raves. And it would be the same. No more driving to LA. No more crime... And we can take drugs and it will replicate real drugs.
*We could hang out in any environment we wanted. Want to create an island and come drive a boat around with me in the caribbean? Lets fucking do it. Want to see Alaska? "Well I got this new module from Google (lol) that is an exact landscape representation of the state.. lets go find some seals to play with."
*People could even have sex with others without fear of STD's and then INSTANTLY leave their house (holy fuck thats awesome LOL LOL).


Wow im blowing my own mind right now just thinking about it, RAVE!

[pico]

Originally Posted by Psilo

Totally, I fully know where you're coming from.

check this one out though... think about THIS...


Back to my comment about the 'far-future'. Lets say, in 150 years or so, or whatever number you wanna use... we are so advanced, that you will be able to put some sort of equipment on your head (or simply just "switch on" electrodes in your brain), and you are instantly transformed, as well as every sensory organ you have, to a place of virtual reality.

In that place, every SINGLE thing is the same as real life. You can touch, taste, feel, and smell other people.. and there is absolutely no difference between "it" and real life, and you can switch "it" off at any time.


With that in mind, can you now come up with a reason that real life would be better than virtual real life?

*We could instantly go to raves. And it would be the same. No more driving to LA. No more crime... And we can take drugs and it will replicate real drugs.
*We could hang out in any environment we wanted. Want to create an island and come drive a boat around with me in the caribbean? Lets fucking do it. Want to see Alaska? "Well I got this new module from Google (lol) that is an exact landscape representation of the state.. lets go find some seals to play with."
*People could even have sex with others without fear of STD's and then INSTANTLY leave their house (holy fuck thats awesome LOL LOL).


Wow im blowing my own mind right now just thinking about it, RAVE!

Very nice, thank you for highlighting the meaning of vr better than i could ever.



PS
You could have sex with a girl pedobear.

[Fizzy]

Originally Posted by Psilo

Totally, I fully know where you're coming from.

check this one out though... think about THIS...


Back to my comment about the 'far-future'. Lets say, in 150 years or so, or whatever number you wanna use... we are so advanced, that you will be able to put some sort of equipment on your head (or simply just "switch on" electrodes in your brain), and you are instantly transformed, as well as every sensory organ you have, to a place of virtual reality.

In that place, every SINGLE thing is the same as real life. You can touch, taste, feel, and smell other people.. and there is absolutely no difference between "it" and real life, and you can switch "it" off at any time.


With that in mind, can you now come up with a reason that real life would be better than virtual real life?

*We could instantly go to raves. And it would be the same.
*We could hang out in any environment we wanted. Want to create an island and come drive a boat around with me in the caribbean? Lets fucking do it. Want to see Alaska? Well I got this new module from Google (lol) that is an exact landscape representation of the state.. lets go find some seals to play with.
*People could even have sex with others without fear of STD's and then INSTANTLY leave their house (holy fuck thats awesome LOL LOL).


Wow im blowing my own mind right now just thinking about it, RAVE!

haha that would be fantastic, i agree. but like i said, i am VERY old fashioned.

it will be just like reality in every sense, yes, but the fact that it ISN'T would bother me a lot. i just think that most strong emotions and relationships are best left experienced naturally, otherwise we'll be stuck in a world similar to Huxley's feelies.

I want to be able to miss you guys, not have the opportunity to see you guys whenever I please because everything would eventually just lose its value.

[Psilo]

Originally Posted by pico

You could have sex with a girl pedobear.

Oh man I would totally try and have sex with every hot girl I know, friend or otherwise,

"Hey baby its just virtual reality. come into my virtual room, I swear you can leave at any time you want"

oh fuck why cant that be true

Originally Posted by Fizzy

haha that would be fantastic, i agree. but like i said, i am VERY old fashioned.

it will be just like reality in every sense, yes, but the fact that it ISN'T would bother me a lot. i just think that most strong emotions and relationships are best left experienced naturally, otherwise we'll be stuck in a world similar to Huxley's feelies.

I want to be able to miss you guys, not have the opportunity to see you guys whenever I please because everything would eventually just lose its value.

haha yeah.. exactly, thats kinda how I think too. "Just the fact that it isnt". Thats why im totally glad im living when I am.. right now.. I like to think about both sides though. I think if there was that option It would be cool, for umm, reasons stated above in this post

[Fizzy]

you all are skanky hahahha.

[pico]

Originally Posted by Psilo

Oh man I would totally try and have sex with every hot girl I know, friend or otherwise,

"Hey baby its just virtual reality. come into my virtual room, I swear you can leave at any time you want"

oh fuck why cant that be true

q. f. e.

I dont know how people would ever view sex. I mean, it would still be very personal, so i dont think people would become totally open.

People today arent totally open to sex, even though there is protection that virtually removes all chances of most stds. Why would the future be any different?