Introducing myself - John Prototype

To get this blog rolling, I'm going to start by introducing myself.  My real-world name is John Lester, and I run BrainTalk Communities.  In the virtual world of Second Life, I go by the name John Prototype.  That's a pic of my avatar to the left.  Yes, my avatar looks very similar to me in "real life," but not everyone creates an avatar that looks like them.  Everyone has the freedom to create an avatar that looks however they want.  Some people even make avatars that look like animals!  In my pic there, I'm wearing an official "Project Brigadoon" T-shirt.  In Second Life, you can create clothes and upload images from your PC to use as textures.

I have been involved in creating and managing online communities since 1993 when I started BrainTalk, a project originally based out of Massachusetts General Hospital (where I work as the Information Technology Director for the Neurology Department). Braintalk is an Internet-based online self-help support environment providing online resources for patients and caregivers to find and communicate with each other around the world. 

In 2004, I started a non-profit organization called BrainTalk Communities Inc. The fundamental mission of Braintalk Communities is to foster online communities of self-help support groups, giving patients and caregivers the ability to communicate with each other using a variety of Internet technologies such as web-based bulletin boards, chatrooms, and new virtual-world environments.

Brigadoon is our private virtual island in Second Life, and I'm the owner/manager/janitor. :)  All the members of Brigadoon are free to build whatever they like on the island.  Most people have built homes and beautiful gardens, and we also have a number of meeting spaces where we gather and sit around and socialize.  Here are some photos of a a few group gatherings.

 

The island of Brigadoon is accessible only to members of project Brigadoon.  The idea is to create a private haven where people dealing with Asperger's/Autism can practice their socialization skills in an  environment where everyone knows everyone else.  People dealing with Asperger's/Autism sometimes have real difficulty dealing with social situations, and they are often filled with great creative ideas.  Brigadoon gives them a place to meet other people also dealing with Asperger's/Autism, a place to socialize with each other, and a place to build and create their own word filled with wonder and beauty.

The island of Brigadoon is about 16 acres large.  Here are some panoramic shots of the whole island.  In some of these pictures you'll see me sitting on or inside what looks like a Greek Temple.  I build that myself as a fun meeting space on Brigadoon.  The mosaics you see in the temple are real photos of real mosasics I found on a museum website.  I uploaded them from my computer into Second Life and used them as textures for the temple. 

                        

Finally, here is a picture of the first thing built on Brigadoon.  It's a stone monument with an embedded plaque commemorating the creation of the Island.

I will let the other members of Brigadoon introduce themselves on their own and let them share additional images of the amazing things they have created.  All the members of Brigadoon can use this Blog however they like, to share with the general public their experiences and thoughts about Brigadoon, Second Life, Asperger's/Autism, or anything else that comes to mind.  I will be posting my thoughts as well here.  Please check back again soon!