*
"Titanaboa and Fireside Chat"
Saturday September 11
10 AM to 11 AM SL time
This is an abbreviated replay of June 5 presentation with a Fireside Chat attached.
The Science Behind Titanoboa
Dr. Alex Hastings
will lead part of the tour discussing the world of Titanoboa, 60
million years ago. How and why was the snake so big? What else lived in
those murky waters? Plus he’ll share what it was like finding Titanoboa
fossils in the Cerrejon coal mine.
Linda Kelley’s Ecosystem
Linda will talk a little about what it takes to bring fossils to life
and particularly building an ecosystem from what is shown and not shown
in the fossil records. For her this entailed doing a lot of literature
review and sussing out how all these things could plausibly fit
together. In addition to the fauna that shared space with the
Titanoboa, and the kinds of flora, this included reading about geologic
changes during that period and estimates of Paleocene weather.
Creating an Animated Animesh Titanoboa for Second Life
Dr. Greg Bollella will discuss the process for creating, texturing,
rigging, and animating an animesh object for Second Life. Most of the
presentation will be an overview of the processes with more detail for a
few very interesting techniques and observations. The workflow and
tool-chain are important and will be presented. The tools used were,
ZBrush, Maya, Photoshop, Substance Painter, and Substance Designer. Of
particular interest is that no images were used in creating the textures
for Titanoboa, only math!
For more on the event, Click Here.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/104/125/1114
* * * * *
"The Dynamic Geology of Asia-Oceania"
Saturday September 11
9 PM to 10 PM SL time
The dynamic geology of the Asia-Oceania region might be viewed as a
metaphor for the history of the area itself. While living in harmony
with earth, water, fire, and air during tranquil times, each generation
is reminded of the tension and power inherent in these elements, in the
form of earthquakes, violent seas, volcanoes, and typhoons, just as they
are aware of the tension and power of the human forces in the area.
While we will concentrate on geology this hour, it is difficult not
to look at geography as well, that is, the relationship of people to the
land. The Asia-Oceania region is a complex array of blends and
contrasts. Just as it hosts some of the oldest and youngest physical
features, plus the tallest and deepest points on Earth today, the land
was also host to some of the earliest and most recent human origins,
plus some of the oldest and youngest human cultures.
Join me as we explore the dynamic geology of the Asia-Oceania region,
the harmony and tensions inherent in the earth, water, fire, and air
that are influenced by it, and how this affects the lives of the people
who live there.
For more on the event, Click Here.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/67/129/32