Submitted by Mary Harrsch on Thu, 03/18/2010 - 12:59
Virtual Çatalhöyük is one of the most well-researched and painstakingly executed ancient world reconstructions in Second Life. But with the rent due, and funding tight, can the researchers keep the environment alive? I spoke to creator Colleen Morgan about the problems of creating reconstructions for high-rent platforms.
Submitted by Meral Crifasi on Fri, 03/12/2010 - 13:13
At Heritage Key Virtual we have a calendar full of live events and guided tours to give you and your friends the best experience. We are always adding something new to our events schedule, and we also we have new games and quests at the Valley of the Kings - with even more to follow soon. This weekend we have a packed schedule for you, starting with some live music on Friday night, followed by a Virtual Skills workshop all day on Saturday and Sunday.
Friday Night: Live Music From Thumper Boucher
The live music events start today at 7pm London Time with Thumper Boucher live at Valley of the Kings. THUMPER BOUCHER is unique artist blending brilliant song-writing with amazing visuals. He's a must-see in a virtual environment.
The famous monument represents the Augustan golden age of the early empire and was excavated from several metres under Rome's busy main shopping street, via del Corso, during Italy's Fascist era in the 1930s. The fragments were reassembled and finally housed in a wooden structure in piazza Augusto Imperatore.
Filmed in association with University of Wales’ Institute of Digital Learning (IDL), it examined the Gwent roots of the legendary British monarch of round table fame – both the real figure, who may have been a 5th or 6th century local warlord, and the mythical Arthur championed in countless folk tales.
Highlighted Quote:
"The Stonehenge bluestones clearly came from west Wales – I don’t hear any question about that. At the very least there’s that Welsh connection, and there could be more."
Museums from Italy, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece have joined hands - and virtual artefacts - to create the first 'Virtual Museum of European Roots'. They have put their most treasured objects online in 3D for visitors to explore in several thematic routes, as they are guided through European prehistoric culture and heritage. For museum professionals, there are e-courses, training them in the skills needed for establishing and managing a virtual museum.
It’s lonely out here in Tibet. The sun is shining down over a mountain and for miles around there is not a soul in sight. The sky is clear and at my feet I can see six layers of brown stones, about the size of baseballs, piled up by an unknown people.
These stone piles dot the landscape – only a few feet away I can see a pile of them shaped into what looks like a house with two or three rooms.
No, I’m not in Tibet. I’m also not reading an archaeological report, or even a looking at a virtual reconstruction. I’m immersed in a photographic panorama of an actual site in Tibet. The objects are real and were shot by a photographer – Tito Dupret – who was actually there.
Highlighted Quote:
“This will be the beginning of a new era to express these fabulous pictures and sites around the world.”
Saudi Arabia inaugurated its King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) last week. This new campus - holding just 400 students - on the Red Sea contains some very impressive visualisation facilities at KAUST which were prototyped in Calit2's VirtuLab at UC San Diego.
Archaeologist Tom Levy - Professor at the University of California and Associate Director of Calit2’s Center of Interdisciplinary Science for Art, Architecture and Archaeology (CISA3) - demonstrated how he can use CORNEA and the StarCAVE to explore a 3,000-year-old dig site in southern Jordan, complete with sound effects that imitate the actual sound of descending deep into an excavated shaft where the archaeologist found artifacts (represented in CORNEA at the precise geographic locations and depths where they were excavated). These are my two favourite videos from the 'displays and VR systems for archaeology' demonstration.
Hi. I'm one of the builders of King Tut Virtual. My job is taking historical sites and artefacts and reproducing them in an immersive environment that you can explore. This artificial world is only one aspect of Heritage-Key's large multi-faceted online presence. As virtual worlds are a bit novel, I've been asked to explain what we did, how we achieved it, and tell you a bit about the rationale of our approach. More general information about the virtual world is covered in other articles.
Back in August, I covered the news that Electronic Arts is to release the latest in their popular The Sims games - The Sims 3: World Adventures. Speculating on what may be offered in their foray into Egypt, the games publishing giant has been steadily releasing small details to whet our appetites! They're still a little late (and not as factually correct - but this is just a game!) as we launched our King Tut Virtual exhibit many months ago, but no harm in a little fun, right?
A Scottish castle – ransacked by government soldiers after the Battle of Culloden – has been rebuilt in the online virtual reality domain Second Life. Virtual reality “tours” are now being offered of Invergarry Castle, in Glengarry in the Highlands, which has been cloned in two different forms – the intact 1740 version, and the modern ruined remains, which are in such a state of disrepair they’re almost inaccessible.
The project is a publicity initiative by the My Glengarry Conservation Trust – an organisation who are attempting to raise money for the preservation of the Glengarry area, by selling off legal deeds to plots of land which can be zoomed in on in high quality detail through the trust’s website. The virtual models were constructed using the original plans of the building, dating from 1700 (when it was rebuilt after previously being sacked by Oliver Cromwell in 1654), together with a photo archive.
Normally as white as a bleached bone, the 
Museums from Italy, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece have joined hands - and virtual artefacts - to create the first 'Virtual Museum of European Roots'. They have put their most treasured objects online in 3D for visitors to explore in several thematic routes, as they are guided through European prehistoric culture and heritage. For museum professionals, there are e-courses, training them in the skills needed for establishing and managing a virtual museum.
Saudi Arabia inaugurated its King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) last week. This new campus - holding just 400 students - on the Red Sea contains some very impressive visualisation facilities at KAUST which were prototyped in Calit2's VirtuLab at UC San Diego.
Back in August, 
