1) Explain what Gelber means by “disguised affirmation”.
Gelber’s term “disguised affirmation” explains the behavior of replicating the positive intrinsic feelings generated by accomplishing work through leisure activities. Taken literally, the term means just that - “affirmation,” or a positive statement or truth, “disguised” by the process of work or the action peformed in a hobby or leisurely activity. Disguised affirmation provides us with a way to feel as though we have accomplished something important or positive, a sense of fulfillment and self-value.

2) Give an example of “flow” within the context of leisure or labor.
Flow is described by Gelber as a “transcendent experience” which occurs when people engage in self-directed activities that optimally use all of their skills to the fullest. Flow is a positive state of being which helps a person accomplish the task at hand. In the context of labor, I have experienced a flow-like state in my work as a computer support technician. This type of work is typically performed by one person, with a well-defined goal in mind, i.e., returning a computer to a specific state of proper functioning. I often find that while working on repairs, I am in a state where I can effectively “tune out” other activity in the room and focus entirely on the task at hand. In this state, I feel that I can function “automatically,” without much guidance, in order to achieve my goal. I don’t need to pause and consider what steps to take next, because I already have some predefined mental concept of how to achieve an end result and the steps can only flow in one logical order. One specific example of working in this state would be “imaging” the lecture hall computers, which is a process by which the computers are all formatted and “cleaned” to a newly-installed state. Following this process, certain settings need to be applied in a specific order and certain software needs to be added to certain rooms. The process becomes automatic through my knowledge of computers and my knowledge of the desired end result.

3) After reading Gelber’s text, can Second Life be considered a “hobby”? why or why not?
I feel that Second Life’s categorization as a hobby depends primarily on the way it is being used. Since Second Life has no defined end result, its use is entirely dependent on the desires of the user. If a user chooses to use Second Life solely as a business endeavor, with only the intent of making money, then it might be considered work. If they choose to use it because the action brings them some type of pleasure, then it might be considered a hobby. As the uses of the system vary and change exponentially, so too must its definition as a “hobby” or “work” activity.

4) What do you think would be a good class project to create in Second Life?
I think it would be interesting to try and create, distribute, and promote (and potentially find some way to track or follow the use of within the Second Life world) a unique “fad” item. In the real world, items like iPods and other gadgets are incredibly popular, but it’s hard to think of an object that would be as useful or necessary in the virtual world. These types of items are often seen as status symbols, and I think it would be interesting to find out what could be considered a “status” symbol in a world that doesn’t always (and doesn’t need to) obey the “rules” of what is true and logical. What would the value of such an item be? Who would buy it? Why?