NEOSVR is likely going down soon, fallen victim to some bitcoin piracy scheme, among other complications. For a while it looked like the installations I have created in NEOS VR could be at risk. Among those installations are the Poetrix interface that was developed using a quantum computer and uses machine learning to write original poems based on its knowledge of my lyrics; and underworld – an underwater space that houses twin cyber whales who use machine learning to compose and sing unique whale songs modelled after one of my compositions.
Each leaf and bubble was hand built with NEOS tools and lots of talented folx helped me to create the tech behind these virtual beings/entities. That’s why I was so happy to learn that all NEOS builds can be seamlessly transferred into the brand new platform Resonite. Resonite is the successor to NEOS VR, and has been built by talented creators under the guidance of the same mad genius responsible for the NEOS interface, Tomáš “Frooxius” Mariančík. Like NEOS, Resonite is fully customizable, free, user friendly, with an interface that is familiar to NEOS users. I effortlessly transferred all of my assets and builds–including avatars, scripts, and media files–with the click of one button. Apart from the fact that this is amazing, the builds look brighter, shinier, and even more clear.
Today my whales successfully migrated from NEOS VR to Resonite–but almost losing them has brought up many questions around working in these digital spaces. The volatility of online and VR platforms has real implications for those of us who populate, investigate, utilize, and interrogate these spaces. It brings up many issues around impermanence, obsolescence, and documentation, and these are areas I hope to explore more deeply in my future work. In the meantime, I’m going to spend time visiting and tweaking my “new” installations in Resonite, while thinking about what it all means.
Visit my newly migrated installations will be searchable soon in Resonite.
Images from NEOS build of the “under world” whale watching installation.
(EDITED October 9, 2023)
