SunOS man pages: A womanwriter's Perspective

I have very fond memories of my paternal grandfather. We called him Pappy. When I was little, he would read me stories and take my brothers and me to play miniature golf. He always took movies of us at Christmas. Once, when I was older, he took me to The Steel Pier in Atlantic City to see the diving horses.

Yes, Pappy was my grand dad, but he was also an intelligent and very wise man. He started off running a candy store and put himself through law school, all the time working to support his young family. He had a long career as an attorney. In his later years, he and my grandmother traveled the world. They were very enlightened, progressive, and interesting people.

Yet, I remember, as Pappy aged, he got grumpier. He lost his patience sometimes, especially when the world didn't work in the way to which he'd become accustomed. For my progressive grand dad, change become difficult. Of the many memories that I have of Pappy, talking about the changes in the world and his growing frustration and inability to understand them are fresh and vivid. They rival the memories of the miniature golf games and even the diving horses. I've always been an analytical kind of gal, so that stuff means a lot to me. I feel so fortunate to remember.

When I happen upon an article such as the one in yesterday's New York Times, I am reminded of of my grandfather, Pappy. I deemed the article so weird that even I had a hard time putting it into perspective. What would Pappy think of this article portraying the world almost 30 years later?

Check it out, in yesterday's New York Times, The Job Interview, Starring Your Avatar. The New York Times was one of Pappy's favorite newpapers. If Pappy were still alive, he'd for sure have read the article. But, let's forget Pappy for just a minute.

The article begins:

"As far as job interviews go, my recent meeting with Sandy Gould was anything but ordinary."

Moving right along, the article describes an actual job interview that took place in Second Life. Think about it. It takes avatar creation and fashion to a whole new level. Everyone in the real world gives at least a little thought to dressing appropriately for a job interview. In real life, you have many years to develop and refine your style for a variety of occasions, job interviews being one of them. Getting up to business avatar speed is a whole new thing. At least at this point, most of us haven't had the benefit of years of studying avatar fashion.

Then, there's what I call, "avatar behavior." Maybe my expectations are too high? After all, in real life, I collect etiquette books. But, I do believe if my avatar is going to go out in the virtual world, she needs to have a minimum level of appropriate behavior and social graces. Then again, in real life, I've always had high expectations. I've been told that I should relax my standards for the virtual world. This is not easy for me.

The article goes on to talk about Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVEs), and the fact that some employers have acquired (think: "bought") virtual space, called "islands," in the virtual world. Such companies are using their islands for "real world" meetings, including recruiting job candidates.

Shedding a bit of perspective on Sun Microsystem's Second Life presence, our facilities include six islands, some of which are "private," for employees only, and some of which are "public," where we host events. I've not heard of Sun doing job interviews in Second Life, but I know we hosted an Eco-Summit there a while back. I've heard that Sun's Second Life facilities are better than most. Compared to several other Second Life establishments that I've visited, I'd agree with that assessment.

Getting back to the job interview ... Picture the venue: a Second Life Beach, two avatars sitting on chaise lounges, the waves crashing, crabs skittering in the sand. The interviewer, Mr. Gould, wearing a Superman costume. In response to a question about overcoming professional challenges, the interviewee performing a hula dance. For the curious, I note that this interview was not for the position of a hula dancer. At the end of the interview, the avatars shook hands, and Mr. Gould flew away.

In my real life, I've interviewed for many a job, but none of my interviews have been anything like that one. And, when I hear of Second Life job fairs, that include employers such as Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Verizon Communications, and Sodexho, a food and facilities management services company, I get just a little bit perplexed. And scared.

And grumpy. Just like Pappy would have been. The basic problem is that Pappy was well into his 70s when he got that way. I'm much younger than that and still in the work force. I can't afford to let change pass me by.

So what do I do? I continue to learn about virtual realities and look for opportunities for corporations to best function in them. I wonder about new methods for documentation deliveries and monetization in the virtual world. I take note of where one can acquire free Second Life business clothes for avatars, in case I ever need them.

And in the meantime, my avatar spends a lot of time on the Sun islands, staring out at the Second Life ocean, thinking about things that she never dreamed of. Of course, all this is happening inside of a cartoon head that may or may not be capable of dreaming. My avatar exists in a world that the woman behind her would have never dreamed up, much less imagined that she'd be part of. It's all part of my strange new reality.

Pappy would not have understood this new reality, and chances are it would have made him very grumpy. But he'd have been really proud that his only grand daughter was traveling to new places. After all, when Pappy was my age, he really loved to travel.