title: Playing right: Some virtual wrongs are real wrongs

authors: Munn, Nicholas

abstract: Many computer games ask us to act in ways which would be morally unconscionable, were we to so act in the physical world. Within the game world, these actions are seen as unproblematic. As such, simple translations of concepts such as assault and murder from the physical to the virtual fail. Killing an opponent in World of Warcraft is not morally equivalent to killing someone in the physical world. However, this does not mean that virtual murder is impossible. Rather, the social reality of particular game-worlds is distinct from, but connected to, the social reality in which we operate in the physical world. In this paper, I examine the ways in which immoral conduct can occur in virtual environments. I discuss the particular problems of the ‘magic circle’ model of gaming in the context of online, massively interactive computer gaming as popularised by World of Warcraft, Rift, Aion. (Castronova 2005, Zimmerman 2012) The most important of these problems is perhaps the lack of distinction many participants in these worlds make between their avatars and themselves. (Lehdonvirta, 2010) This connection between the virtual and physical worlds enables us to generate a moral framework for guiding action within virtual worlds. With this background established, I argue that it is the subversion of game mechanics and intentions which generates the wrongness of particular types of action within virtual worlds.

text: Playing right: Some virtual wrongs are real wrongs Many computer games ask us to act in ways which would be morally unconscionable, were we to so act in the physical world. Within the game world, these actions are seen as unproblematic. As such, simple translations of concepts such as assault and murder from the physical to the virtual fail. Killing an opponent in World of Warcraft is not morally equivalent to killing someone in the physical world. However, this does not mean that virtual murder is impossible. Rather, the social reality of particular game-worlds is distinct from, but connected to, the social reality in which we operate in the physical world. In this paper, I examine the ways in which immoral conduct can occur in virtual environments. I discuss the particular problems of the ‘magic circle’ model of gaming in the context of online, massively interactive computer gaming as popularised by World of Warcraft, Rift, Aion. (Castronova 2005, Zimmerman 2012) The most important of these problems is perhaps the lack of distinction many participants in these worlds make between their avatars and themselves. (Lehdonvirta, 2010) This connection between the virtual and physical worlds enables us to generate a moral framework for guiding action within virtual worlds. With this background established, I argue that it is the subversion of game mechanics and intentions which generates the wrongness of particular types of action within virtual worlds.

year: 2019

title: Quantitative characterization of the multiscale mechanical properties of low-permeability sandstone roofs of coal seams based on nanoindentation and triaxial tests and its implications for CO2 geological sequestration

authors: Cao, F

abstract: Microstructural heterogeneity of low-permeability sandstone roofs of deep unmineable coal seams due to diagenesis significantly affects rock mechanical behavior, greatly impacting the sealing potential of in situ CO2 sequestration and the structural stability of the geological formation. However, little is known about how the microstructure of different mineral groups influences the multiscale mechanical behavior of deep sandstone. This study proposes a new method for quantitatively characterizing the multiscale mechanical properties of low-permeability sandstone and shows the mechanisms responsible for mechanical failure at the micro-, meso-, and macroscale. Triaxial compression tests and targeted nanoindentation tests were conducted to assess the micro- and macroscale mechanical properties of different types of sandstone. The micro- and macroscale experiments were coupled with numerical simulations of compression using a unified cohesive model based on Voronoi polygons to clarify the multiscale mechanical behavior. The results indicate that quartz, the primary mineral component of the sandstones examined, exhibits the strongest micromechanical properties, followed by feldspar, calcite, and clay minerals. Compared to polycrystalline quartz, monocrystalline quartz has a more stable microstructure and is mechanically stronger. The macro-mechanical properties of tight sandstone samples are weakened by increased microstructural inhomogeneity and larger grain size. This leads to a higher likelihood of splitting damage, characterized by a high degree of discrete and weak stress sensitivity. The major conclusion is that the positive rhythm lithofacies of medium-grained sandstone to siltstone are the most favorable for efficient CO2 sequestration in deep unmineable coal seams.

text: Quantitative characterization of the multiscale mechanical properties of low-permeability sandstone roofs of coal seams based on nanoindentation and triaxial tests and its implications for CO2 geological sequestration Microstructural heterogeneity of low-permeability sandstone roofs of deep unmineable coal seams due to diagenesis significantly affects rock mechanical behavior, greatly impacting the sealing potential of in situ CO2 sequestration and the structural stability of the geological formation. However, little is known about how the microstructure of different mineral groups influences the multiscale mechanical behavior of deep sandstone. This study proposes a new method for quantitatively characterizing the multiscale mechanical properties of low-permeability sandstone and shows the mechanisms responsible for mechanical failure at the micro-, meso-, and macroscale. Triaxial compression tests and targeted nanoindentation tests were conducted to assess the micro- and macroscale mechanical properties of different types of sandstone. The micro- and macroscale experiments were coupled with numerical simulations of compression using a unified cohesive model based on Voronoi polygons to clarify the multiscale mechanical behavior. The results indicate that quartz, the primary mineral component of the sandstones examined, exhibits the strongest micromechanical properties, followed by feldspar, calcite, and clay minerals. Compared to polycrystalline quartz, monocrystalline quartz has a more stable microstructure and is mechanically stronger. The macro-mechanical properties of tight sandstone samples are weakened by increased microstructural inhomogeneity and larger grain size. This leads to a higher likelihood of splitting damage, characterized by a high degree of discrete and weak stress sensitivity. The major conclusion is that the positive rhythm lithofacies of medium-grained sandstone to siltstone are the most favorable for efficient CO2 sequestration in deep unmineable coal seams.

year: 2025

title: Ue Waerea

authors: Tuaupiki, Jackie Whetumarama

subjects: Waerea

abstract: Mai i Mōkau ki Tāmaki, Mangatoatoa, Pare-Waikato, Pare-Hauraki, Te Kaokaoroa o Pātetere, ko te whakapono, nā Tāwhaki i piki te poutama ki te tāhuhu matapu, ka riro mai i a ia ngā kete o te wānanga. E kīngia ai, ko te pūtake tērā o te mātauranga Māori. Hei tā Wiri (2001), nā te mātauranga Māori, ko te mātauranga Māori ā-waha. Nāna, ko te waiata. Nā te waiata, ko te karakia. Kei raro i te karakia, ko te takere kaupapa tēnei, ko te waerea. Ko te whāinga o tēnei tuhituhinga, he rangahau i ngā pūtake o te waerea me te āta titiro ki ngā kaupapa kei a ia me tōna kawe i roto i aua kaupapa i ngā wā o mua, ā, nō nāianei hoki. Ko te waerea te pane o ngā karakia Māori ki roto o Tainui, otirā, ki roto i ngētehi o ngā whakaritenga, ā, ka tirohia ngēnei whakaritenga e rere ai te waerea, pēnei i te tomo whare, i te tomo urupā, i te takahi whare, i te whakamānu waka me te maha o ngā mahi a te ao Māori ki roto o Tainui.

text: Ue Waerea Mai i Mōkau ki Tāmaki, Mangatoatoa, Pare-Waikato, Pare-Hauraki, Te Kaokaoroa o Pātetere, ko te whakapono, nā Tāwhaki i piki te poutama ki te tāhuhu matapu, ka riro mai i a ia ngā kete o te wānanga. E kīngia ai, ko te pūtake tērā o te mātauranga Māori. Hei tā Wiri (2001), nā te mātauranga Māori, ko te mātauranga Māori ā-waha. Nāna, ko te waiata. Nā te waiata, ko te karakia. Kei raro i te karakia, ko te takere kaupapa tēnei, ko te waerea. Ko te whāinga o tēnei tuhituhinga, he rangahau i ngā pūtake o te waerea me te āta titiro ki ngā kaupapa kei a ia me tōna kawe i roto i aua kaupapa i ngā wā o mua, ā, nō nāianei hoki. Ko te waerea te pane o ngā karakia Māori ki roto o Tainui, otirā, ki roto i ngētehi o ngā whakaritenga, ā, ka tirohia ngēnei whakaritenga e rere ai te waerea, pēnei i te tomo whare, i te tomo urupā, i te takahi whare, i te whakamānu waka me te maha o ngā mahi a te ao Māori ki roto o Tainui.

year: 2011-04