I heard the IBM workers in Italy are out on strike over a pay dispute and manning the picket line in the streets of Second Life.
Eager to see the unionised workers of RSU (Rappresentanza Sindacale Unitaria) IBM Vimercate, I hurried to every location listed as IBM and haunted the plaza in IBM Italia hoping to hear the chant of “One av out, all avs out”.
Alas, not one striker, no picket line, no eternal flame in a kerosine tin. Nothing. Not even a placard.
I fear it’s a giant leg-pull.
With blatant disregard for the niceties of language the two Voice camps are labelled “Augmentationists” and “Immersionists”.
Immersionists are those who want to live a parallel Second Life completely separated from RL while augmentists are those who want to use Second Life as a means to enhance their RL.
I don’t have anything against immersionists refusing to use Voice nor do I believe personal revelation is a marker of authenticity.
Ultimately, this is about intimacy — how much of ourselves we’re willing to give away to stranger
So who cares? If you don’t like it, don’t use it.
There’s always voice morphing software. Over at Screaming Bee you can get some delightful Furry voices.
Well, I did it. Only way to find out is to do it. I married a couple yesterday using Voice.
Mind you, I had some trepidations about using Voice. Can I work it? Will they understand me? Will I sound really awful?
Once the couple had recovered from their surprise at my ‘cool accent‘ (and gave me some unexpected praise for my ‘intimate’ voice) it all went down surprisingly well. A surprise for me at any rate.
