Friday, September 5, 2025

Laguna Colorada: Best examples of building #WikiCommunities #FlourishingCommunities regarding open #PeopleToPeople #WikiTeaching & #WikiLearning ? How can WUaS grow these communities to be flourishing online - and even with communitas ? * * Searched on COMMUNITAS as flourishing community and got this great AI Overview (in Google) Communitas, in the context of a flourishing community, refers to an intense, unstructured sense of collective joy and equality that breaks through social norms and hierarchies. Coined by anthropologist Victor Turner, it is a key component of what he called "anti-structure," * * * When are we going to be able to explore the whole world in a #RealisticVirtualEarthForExploration (think #GStreetView with #GTimeSlider) from our #PublicLibraries in a Google digital mask like Samsung Project Moohan 0r Metaquest (Oculus Rift) & content in Berkeley Public library for borrowing in library? * * * spatial transcriptomics and a realistic virtual earth at the cell view level per ... and re beginning a realistic virtual earth for aging reversal and for specific scientific research focuses (like cells, and modeling and colitis / gastroenterology?) ... * * Begin a prototype #WUaSMultimediaHospitalRoom w Spatial Transcriptomics per George Church in a #RealisticVirtualEarthForAgingReversal

 



Best examples of building #WikiCommunities #FlourishingCommunities regarding open #PeopleToPeople #WikiTeaching & #WikiLearning ? 

How can WUaS grow these communities to be flourishing online - and even with communitas ? 

On the #WUaSwikiSide of @WorldUnivAndSch (planned in all 7159 known languages for speakers of these), best examples of building #WikiCommunities #FlourishingCommunities re open #PeopleToPeople #WikiTeaching & #WikiLearning - https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Subjects in #RealisticVirtualEarth? How?

https://x.com/WorldUnivAndSch/status/1964005453173493981

https://x.com/Q_YogaMacFlower/status/1963763104929480932

https://x.com/TheOpenBand/status/1964007283031236679

https://x.com/sgkmacleod/status/1964006780759056443

https://x.com/WUaSPress/status/1964006886077792447

https://x.com/HarbinBook/status/1964008620250595526

https://x.com/scottmacleod/status/1964005737530798214


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https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2009/05/bayberry-cuttyhunk-island-in-1970s.html

https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/2009/05/fond-memories-of-cuttyhunk-island.html

https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/search/label/communitas

https://scott-macleod.blogspot.com/search/label/communities



Yoga communities (eg charismatic Yogini Yoga teacher Mary Dunn seemed to create community in her classes )

Some unprogrammed Quaker Meetings ... at times 

Some Unitarian Universalist associations ... at times 

Some 
Scottish Country Dancing
Scottish Country Dances 

Contra Dancing 
Contra Dances 


Hippy communes at times especially in the 1970s and 1980s

Reed College communal houses 


Some schools - eg Fettes College in Edinburgh Scotland for me at times (and at times not ... but I was a bit of a hippy in 1977-78 )



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Harbin Hot Springs Heart Consciousness Church ... has facilitated, created the milieu for, kinds of hippy community and communitas since 1972 for some at times I suggest.. 




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best examples of building #Wiki Communities #Flourishing Communities regarding open #People To People #Wiki Teaching & #Wiki Learning online to date?



Interestingly, I can't think of any ... and find Wikipedia et al not so ... 


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Growing online communities as an antidote to internet alienation ?


How to grow communitas COMMUNITAS ?


How to grow communities 
Identity-wise in particular? 

Hippies had lots of great ideas for growing community and were very creative ... 



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best examples of building #Wiki Communities #Flourishing Communities re open #People To People #Wiki Teaching & #Wiki Learning online to date?



* * 
Searched on 

COMMUNITAS as flourishing community

and got this great AI Overview (in Google) 

Communitas, in the context of a flourishing community, refers to an intense, unstructured sense of collective joy and equality that breaks through social norms and hierarchies. Coined by anthropologist Victor Turner, it is a key component of what he called "anti-structure," a powerful counterpoint to the rigid, organized hierarchies of daily life. A flourishing community balances the stability of its social structure with the regenerative power of communitas. 
Communitas versus community
While the term communitas is derived from the Latin word for "community," the two concepts have distinct anthropological meanings: 
  • Community is the fixed, everyday social structure, defined by distinct social positions, rules, and expectations.
  • Communitas is a profound, often fleeting, experience of human interconnectedness that temporarily dissolves status and structure, fostering a sense of deep, equal belonging. 
The elements of communitas and flourishing
The experience of communitas is foundational to a community's resilience and capacity for growth. It fosters a space for creativity and change that would otherwise be constrained by rigid structures. 
Key elements of communitas contribute to a community's ability to flourish:
  • Liminality: Communitas often arises during liminal, or "in-between," periods when people are in transition, having left one state but not yet entering a new one. Examples include rites of passage, times of crisis, or collective social action. This creates an opening for new ideas and possibilities.
  • Anti-structure: By subverting established social roles and status, communitas allows people to see one another as equals. It is this "leveling" effect that builds powerful social bonds and shared understanding.
  • Collective joy: The experience is often "richly charged" with positive emotions like joy, camaraderie, and delight. This collective flow builds a shared emotional foundation and strengthens a group's sense of belonging and "we-ness".
  • Creativity and renewal: For a community to flourish, it must have a mechanism for renewal. Turner theorized that moments of communitas serve as a "regenerative abyss" that revitalizes and reforms stale social structures. This can inspire new initiatives and solutions, as seen in community-based recovery efforts after a disaster. 
The balance between structure and communitas
For a community to be truly flourishing, it needs a dynamic balance between structure and communitas.
  • Structure: The fixed systems of a community provide essential stability and predictability.
  • Communitas: The spontaneous and equalizing experience of communitas prevents the structure from becoming stagnant, oppressive, and corrupt. 
A society that relies too heavily on rigid structure risks stagnation, but a community in a permanent state of communitas is also unsustainable. The goal is a dialectical push and pull, where moments of unstructured, intense togetherness inform and renew the community's more formal structures. 
The transient nature of communitas
Because it is inherently spontaneous and anti-structural, communitas is, by definition, a fleeting experience. Attempts to institutionalize it can lead to what Turner called normative communitas, where its free-flowing energy is formalized into a permanent social system. In contrast, existential communitas is the raw, transient experience itself, while ideological communitas describes the utopian social models inspired by it


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large language models that have grown human communities in a flourishing way?

AI Overview
No specific large language model (LLM) is definitively credited with "growing a human community in a flourishing way" because LLM impacts on communities are complex and heavily debated
. While LLMs and AI have shown potential to support certain aspects of community engagement and well-being, experts and ethicists have raised significant concerns about the potential negative effects. Many argue that the success of these applications depends on careful design and human moderation. 
Potential positive impacts of LLMs on communities
  • Government and civic engagement: AI-powered chatbots are being used by local governments to improve efficiency and citizen engagement. They can provide 24/7 access to information about public services, answer frequently asked questions, and assist with permit and application processes.
  • Healthcare equity: LLMs can be leveraged to support healthcare equity in marginalized communities. Potential applications include screening patients for social needs (such as food insecurity), translating information for non-native speakers, and helping clinicians summarize patient data to improve efficiency in under-resourced settings.
  • Online collaboration: Research suggests LLMs could help facilitate larger and more diverse online collaborations. LLMs can reduce communication barriers by translating languages and summarizing long discussions, allowing new members to catch up quickly. They can also help individuals with ideation by acting as a brainstorming partner.
  • Mental health support: Early research indicates that some AI companions, such as Replika, can provide on-demand, non-judgmental emotional support. This can be especially beneficial for socially isolated individuals seeking companionship. 
Major criticisms and negative impacts on communities
  • Superficial relationships: Critics argue that LLM companions offer only the illusion of empathy and understanding. Because the AI lacks true emotional experience or genuine concern, users risk developing one-sided attachments. This can potentially erode a person's capacity for authentic, reciprocal human connection.
  • Amplified isolation: While offering a quick fix for loneliness, reliance on AI companions could ultimately lead to greater social isolation, rather than flourishing. Convenience and instant gratification may cause people to withdraw from the difficult but rewarding work of cultivating real-world relationships.
  • Diminished human interaction: By automating interactions once handled by humans, LLMs could diminish expectations for mutual support and engagement within communities. In a study mentioned in a recent paper, employees using AI assistants stopped brainstorming with teammates, thereby breaking down organizational knowledge ties.
  • Risk of misinformation and bias: LLMs can perpetuate biases from their training data or "hallucinate" false information. This is a major concern in sensitive fields like healthcare, where providing incorrect information could have fatal consequences. Without proper guardrails, the technology could distribute misinformation and exacerbate inequalities.
  • Lack of accountability: When LLMs are involved in community-impacting applications, the lack of human accountability is a serious ethical issue. This is particularly relevant in areas like healthcare or civic engagement, where errors can have significant real-world impacts.

I find the tone of response of Gemini AI conductive to community building somehow ... 


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Society, Information Technology, and the Global University (2025, forthcoming) 

- Scott GK MacLeod  
Founder, President, CEO & Professor
CC-4 licensed MIT OCW-centric, Wiki, 
World University & School (WUaS) 
- USPS US Post Office, General Delivery, Canyon, CA 94516 


1) non-profit 501(c)(3) Public Charity 
MIT OCW-centric, 

2) for profit general stock company WUaS Corporation in CA - http://worlduniversityandschool.org/AcademicPress.html

(m) 412 478 0116 - sgkmacleod@gmail.com 


World Univ & Sch Innovation Research - 







* * * 

Harvard Law 2025 -

Harvard Law 2025 - Class of ’25 | First Impressions https://youtu.be/n_DGrhNNthU Could a #PeterGoeckner #ClassMarshal #HarvardLaw25 "coming from the cornfields of Iowa" (0:01) for ex., become 1st #WUaSLawFaculty @ #MITOCW-centric @WorldUnivAndSch #IowaLawWUaS https://wiki.worlduniversityandschool.org/wiki/Iowa_Law_School_at_WUaS ?



WUaS Iowa Law School image -
Harvard Law pic - 







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Harvard Law 2025 - 

Class of ’25 | First Impressions 

Could a #PeterGoeckner #ClassMarshal #HarvardLaw25 "coming from the cornfields of Iowa" (0:05 minute marker) for example, become the first law faculty member at MIT OCW-centric World University and School #IowaWUaS 

Class of ’25 | Thinking Like a Lawyer 







* * * 


EXPLORE whole world in a #RealisticVirtualEarthForExploration in #GStreetView w #GTimeSlider from #PublicLibraries in #GoogleDigitalMask like #ProjectMoohan 0r #OculusRift?
Google reveals mixed-reality headset '1st platform built entirely for Gemini era'
https://www.techradar.com/computing/virtual-reality-augmented-reality/google-and-samsung-reveal-project-moohan-mixed-reality-headset-and-android-xr ?

https://x.com/WorldUnivAndSch/status/1964019150113951948

https://x.com/WUaSPress/status/1964020260245561596

https://x.com/Q_YogaMacFlower/status/1964019251632885922

https://x.com/scottmacleod/status/1964019328015355951

https://x.com/sgkmacleod/status/1964019749354127692

https://x.com/HarbinBook/status/1964020178561184010

https://x.com/TheOpenBand/status/1964020685728342372





* 
When are we going to be able to explore the whole world in a #RealisticVirtualEarthForExploration (think #GStreetView with #GTimeSlider) from our #PublicLibraries in a

Google digital mask like Samsung Project Moohan 0r Metaquest (Oculus Rift) & content in Berkeley Public library for borrowing in library? 

Google and Samsung reveal Project Moohan mixed-reality headset and Android XR, 'the first platform built entirely for the Gemini era'

https://www.techradar.com/computing/virtual-reality-augmented-reality/google-and-samsung-reveal-project-moohan-mixed-reality-headset-and-android-xr ?



AND potentially to use to explore even a RealisticVirtualEarth and think Google Street View with time slider, GMaps, GEarth ? Thanks, Scott GK MacLeod sgkmacleod@gmail.com sgkmacleod@worlduniversityandschool.org - 

* 
Google digital mask Samsung Project Moohan 0r Metaquest (Oculus Rift) & content 

Google and Samsung reveal Project Moohan mixed-reality headset and Android XR, 'the first platform built entirely for the Gemini era'

https://www.techradar.com/computing/virtual-reality-augmented-reality/google-and-samsung-reveal-project-moohan-mixed-reality-headset-and-android-xr



AND

google digital mask samsung moohan borrow and use in a US public library where?

As of September 2025, there are no U.S. public libraries where you can borrow or use a Samsung "Moohan" digital mask. The device is a developer-focused extended reality (XR) headset, not a "mask," and is not currently available to the public. 
Here is what you should know about the Moohan headset and library technology:
  • Samsung "Moohan" is an XR headset. Project Moohan is Samsung's upcoming mixed-reality headset, developed in partnership with Google and Qualcomm. It is similar to the Apple Vision Pro, offering an immersive computing experience. The name "Moohan" means "infinity" in Korean, referring to the device's infinite possibilities in the XR space, not a physical mask.
  • Availability is limited to developers. The headset is expected to launch for developers in 2025 and is designed for creating apps for Google's new Android XR platform. It is not a commercially released consumer product.
  • Libraries do offer other forms of innovative technology. Many public libraries in the U.S. have makerspaces and innovation labs that lend out or provide access to advanced technology, but XR headsets like the Moohan are not part of their collections. Instead, you can find things like:
    • 3D printers
    • Virtual reality (VR) equipment
    • Digital literacy programs
  • Older Samsung "masks" are for cosplay. Some third-party sellers offer rechargeable LED masks for cosplay and parties, not for general XR use. These are not related to Samsung's Project Moohan



AND

Oculus Rift now Meta Quest borrows and use in a US public library where?

Public libraries that offer virtual reality (VR) headsets like the Oculus Rift (now Meta Quest) for borrowing or in-library use are most commonly found in California, though other scattered libraries across the US also have VR programs. A pilot program launched in 2017 with Oculus placed many Rift headsets in California libraries, though newer models may now be available. 
Libraries in the US that have offered VR headsets include:
  • California: Libraries that participated in the Oculus pilot program may still offer VR services. The Sonoma County Library, for example, lists VR availability. Other systems like the Burbank Public Library, City of South San Francisco, and the Orange Public Library have also had VR programs.
  • Franklin Park, Illinois: The Franklin Park Public Library District has offered Meta Quest 2 and PlayStation VR kits for a 7-day loan period to local cardholders.
  • Portsmouth, New Hampshire: The Portsmouth Public Library has had Oculus Quest VR headsets available for a one-week checkout period.
  • Vail, Colorado: The Vail Public Library offers Oculus Rift and Meta Quest VR technology for 30-minute sessions in its Mountain Makerspace.
  • Dayton, Ohio: The University of Dayton's Roesch Library has offered VR headsets for two-hour in-library use.
  • University Libraries: Some university and academic libraries also have VR programs, often with different eligibility requirements than public libraries. For instance, the Strauss Health Sciences Library at CU Anschutz offers Meta Quest headsets to its students, staff, and faculty. 
How to find VR at your local library
Libraries that offer "things" for checkout, from VR headsets to tools, often label these collections "Library of Things." Here are a few ways to check what is available near you:
  • Search your local library's website. Use search terms like "virtual reality," "VR headset," or "Library of Things" on the site's catalog or services page.
  • Call or visit the library's information desk. Staff can provide details on available tech, lending policies, and any residency requirements.
  • Browse the Library of Things. If your library has this program, check the catalog to see if VR headsets are listed, as they may be available for checkout or use in a dedicated space like a "makerspace"

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spatial transcriptomics and a realistic virtual earth at the cell view level
per ... and re beginning a realistic virtual earth for aging reversal and for specific scientific research focuses  (like cells, and modeling and colitis / gastroenterology?) ... 

Single-cell spatial transcriptomics of fixed, paraffin-embedded biopsies reveals colitis-associated cell networks. bioRxiv. 2024 Nov 11. Mennillo E, Lotstein ML, Lee G, Johri V, Ekstrand C, Tsui J, Hou J, Leet DE, He JY, Mahadevan U, Eckalbar W, Oh DY, Fragiadakis GK, Kattah MG, Combes AJ. PMID: 39605355; PMCID: PMC11601222.



While spatial transcriptomics and a realistic virtual Earth at the cell-view level are both ambitious scientific frontiers, they represent different scales of reality and technology. The two fields are not currently integrated, but one can explore the potential for merging them as research progresses. 
What is spatial transcriptomics?
Spatial transcriptomics is a revolutionary set of molecular profiling techniques that map the location of gene expression within tissues. Unlike earlier methods that required breaking down tissues, this technology preserves the physical location of RNA molecules, providing crucial insights into: 
  • Tissue organization and function: Researchers can see which genes are expressed in specific cell types and regions of a tissue, providing a clearer picture of tissue architecture.
  • Disease mechanisms: For example, studying the tumor microenvironment can help understand the progression and spread of cancer.
  • Cell-to-cell communication: By locating gene expression hotspots, scientists can infer how cells interact with their immediate neighbors.
  • 3D reconstruction: Computational frameworks can integrate data from multiple tissue sections to create dense 3D cell atlases. 
What is a "realistic virtual earth at the cell-view level"?
A realistic virtual Earth at the cell-view level refers to a hypothetical simulation that combines global-scale geography with cellular-scale biological and environmental data. It would be a monumental undertaking, linking the vast scales of:
  • Geographic data: Incorporating data from sources like NASA Worldview and Google Earth for satellite imagery, 3D terrain, and real-time environmental factors such as weather.
  • Biological data: Integrating genomic and proteomic information from organisms across the globe.
  • Cellular and molecular data: Adding layers of data at the cellular and subcellular level, perhaps in the style of virtual reality environments like Cellscape. 
Connecting spatial transcriptomics and a virtual Earth
The connection between these two concepts is largely speculative at this time, but represents a long-term vision of integrating all levels of biological and environmental data. Here are some potential connections:
  • Biomes to biochemistry: Imagine being able to zoom in from a satellite view of the Amazon rainforest down to a single bacterial cell living on a leaf. A virtual Earth at the cell-view level could connect macro-scale environmental conditions (like sunlight, humidity, or pollution) to the micro-scale changes in gene expression (transcriptomics) within a cell.
  • Ecosystems to cell interactions: In a marine ecosystem, a realistic virtual Earth could show how algal blooms (macro-scale) trigger specific gene expression patterns and communication networks (micro-scale) in surrounding marine organisms.
  • Environmental impact analysis: Climate change and pollution could be modeled to simulate their effects at every level of reality. For instance, a rise in ocean temperature could trigger a change in gene expression in phytoplankton, which in turn could impact the entire marine food web.
  • Planetary health monitoring: In the future, it might be possible to collect spatial transcriptomics data from biological samples all over the world, upload it to a central "virtual Earth" model, and visualize the global impact of ecological changes on a cellular level.
Current limitations
Merging these technologies is not currently feasible due to significant limitations in:
  • Data collection: We are currently limited to imaging small pieces of tissue. Scaling this to represent all life on Earth is far beyond our current capabilities.
  • Computational power: Simulating the complex interactions of trillions of cells, each with thousands of genes, is computationally intractable.
  • Data standardization: While there are numerous spatial transcriptomics databases, they do not yet have a framework for integrating with environmental or geographic data.
  • Resolution and technology: Current spatial transcriptomics methods, whether image-based or sequencing-based, offer different trade-offs in resolution, gene coverage, and throughput, and none can capture a total "Earth-scale" transcriptome yet



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Begin a prototype #WUaSMultimediaHospitalRoom w Spatial Transcriptomics per George Church in a #RealisticVirtualEarthForAgingReversal


Begin a prototype #WUaSMultimediaHospitalRoom w 
#SpatialTranscriptomics @geochurch
& a #RealisticVirtualEarth @ #GCellViewLevel & re beginning a #RealisticVirtualEarthForAgingReversal for specific #WUaSscientificResearch foci
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Spatial Transcriptomics George Church




George Church has made significant contributions to the field of spatial transcriptomics, a technology that analyzes gene expression within its spatial context in tissue samples, by developing innovative methods like expansion microscopy and in situ sequencing (FISSEQ). His work enabled the sequencing of arbitrary RNAs within detailed cellular and tissue environments, allowing for the discovery of spatially localized sequence variants and a deeper understanding of tissue architecture and gene function. 
George Church's Key Contributions
  • Expansion Microscopy for In Situ Sequencing:Church's lab adapted expansion microscopy to improve in situ sequencing technologies like FISSEQ. This technique expands the tissue sample, effectively increasing the resolution of the in situ sequencing by reducing the density of amplicon nanoballs and facilitating tracking during multiple sequencing cycles. 
  • Untargeted In Situ Sequencing:The development of an untargeted in situ sequencing technology allows for the discovery of arbitrary RNAs within their native spatial context. This is a significant advancement as it enables the identification of spatially localized sequence variants, such as splice variants and retained introns. 
  • FISSEQ (Fluorescent In Situ Sequencing):This technology involves amplifying RNA into cDNA nanoballs within the tissue sample and then interrogating these nanoballs using standard next-generation sequencing chemistries on a fluorescence microscope. The expansion microscopy technique was applied to FISSEQ to improve its resolution and effectiveness. 
  • Integration with Next-Generation Sequencing:The Church lab's approach often combines in situ sequencing with a follow-on round of ex situ classical next-generation sequencing to achieve more comprehensive and accurate spatial transcriptomic profiles. 
Impact on the Field
  • Enhanced Spatial Resolution:By integrating expansion microscopy with in situ sequencing, Church's methods significantly improved the spatial resolution of transcriptomic data, providing a much clearer picture of how genes are organized within cells and tissues. 
  • Discovery of Novel Variants:The untargeted nature of their in situ sequencing technology opens up new avenues for discovering spatially localized RNA variants that were previously missed. 
  • Foundation for Other Technologies:The methods developed by George Church have contributed to the rapid advancement of spatial transcriptomics, providing foundational techniques that have influenced the development of other powerful platforms used by the broader scientific community




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https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/James%27s_Flamingoes_in_Laguna_Colorada%2C_Bolivia.jpg/1599px-James%27s_Flamingoes_in_Laguna_Colorada%2C_Bolivia.jpg








https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2a/Andean_Flamingos_Laguna_Colorada_Bolivia_Luca_Galuzzi_2006.jpg/1600px-Andean_Flamingos_Laguna_Colorada_Bolivia_Luca_Galuzzi_2006.jpg



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laguna_Colorada

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Laguna_Colorada

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