I’m still getting used to this blogging thing. Everyone has such nice and detailed posts (some with pictures!). I never know where to begin, so let’s segway into the most recent development: coding.
We started our first coding session this morning and will continue after today’s blog time. Honestly, I’m pretty intimidated. Even though my major is Software Engineering, I have yet to take any coding classes (my first one will be this fall). I wish I knew what all the symbols and shorthand meant. But, I’m a beginner, so I’m not supposed to know yet, right? Maybe I’ll make myself a little glossary to start learning the terms better.
What else is new…? We got a tour of the VRAC and some of the current projects going on. I was super excited to finally be able to try out different VR headsets. My favorite demonstration was the aircraft carrier “tour”. It felt the most immersive and had an open world exploration feel to it. It’s incredible to think that our research team will be creating something just like it.
*checking the calendar* Weekend activities! We went to an escape room in Des Moines and got bikes to borrow over the summer. The escape room was pretty neat. It was my first time participating in one. It wasn’t quite what I expected, but there were some neat elements like the bookcase being a secret door. I am happy to have a bike now. It gives me another transportation option. The bike I received is very nice. It came with a very useful little basket, bike lock, and helmet. I haven’t ridden it yet because I wanted to double check the bike routes. There are certain spots on campus where you can’t ride on the sidewalk (“walk your wheels”), and other spots have dedicated bike lanes. Anyways, it will certainly be faster and more enjoyable than walking.
We had our first research team meeting of the week today. We now have a Slack channel and Box set up. Our first tasks are to read some papers and start getting game ideas to help influence how we set up our virtual community. I am excited to be able to get back into VR and play around.
It was also my first time going to an escape room, and I found it to be pretty fun. The bookshelves being secret doors was definitely a highlight and using the light to find hidden text was really cool. I’m glad we were given bikes. I also noticed the sign “walk your wheels”, but I think I found a route from the apartments to the office where we’re allowed to keep riding our bikes. If you’re still looking for a route, I’ll make sure to share the one I found.