Aries (March 21 to April 19): Upside down 9 of Cups (All that Glitters is not gold), the Fool (Self-explaining) and Death (An ending of some sort) --- Put your past mistakes behind you. You've made some dumb moves, now it's time to close the door on that self-doubt that resulted and open a door to the next chapter.
Taurus (April 20 to May 20): Upside down 5 of Cups (crying over spilled milk), King of Cups (someone established, with power willing to share) and the 2 of Wands (Moving forward) --- Don't hesitate to ask someone with power for help, despite previous fall-outs you may have had with them.
Gemini (May 21 to June 21): Upside down 7 of Pentacles (Lack of resources), upside down 5 of Pentacles (Goal in sight, but feeling blocked) and an upside down Magician ("miscast" spells) --- Plans made now will not stand on their own feet. Delay progress a month. The goal is sound and the steps to get there are good. Now's not the time to execute those steps though.
Cancer (June 22 to July 22): Upside down Queen of Pentacles (someone holding more than they deserve), Page of Swords ("attacking the problem head on"), and the Knight of Cups (Good intentions triumph) --- You know the difference between right and wrong, but zealotry will make more enemies than it will fix problems. Still, sometimes zealotry's needed to win.
Leo (July 23 to August 22): 10 of Swords (Betrayal, endings), Upside down Heirophant (Bad knowledge leading to a worse situation) and the Page of Wands upside down (a liar) --- don't trust everything you read or hear. Some of it may be just plain bad or come from sources with a subtle agenda.
Virgo (August 23 to September 22): Upside down Hanged Man (stagnation, total block), The High Priestess (Emotional power) and the 10 of Pentacles (people as a whole) --- You won't accomplish your goals on your own; people are not listening nor will they. Time to hire outside talent, even if it's on a very short term basis.
Libra (September 23 to October 22): Upside down Queen of Cups (Someone who acts good but is a black widow), Justice (teaching the Queen a lesson) and the 4 of Pentacles (Stubbornness, not listening to the universe) --- Someone in your circles is ignoring a lesson or is stubbornly getting in the way convinced they're in the right. They're not going to go away. Adapt rather than fight them off.
Scorpio (October 23 to November 21): Upside down Page of Cups (Brat), Queen of Swords (Someone ignoring the brat), 8 of Cups (Emptiness) --- A problem involving two people will burn out on its own. Don't go trying to fix what will properly end or you stand to be the next troublemaker.
Sagittarius (November 22 to December 22): Upside down Queen of Pentacles (someone who is too connected), the Star (opportunity rising), and the 7 of Wands --- Someone with a winner-take-all attitude's "time to shine" is rapidly approaching. They'll be so busy fighting to keep every step whether they got it legally or not that your plans are unaffected. Fly under the radar.
Capricorn (December 22 to January 19): Ace of Cups (Holy Grail), upside down 8 of Cups (Emptiness, no potential) and the King of Pentacles (Someone with a lot of riches/power/connections) --- You hold the "cup of bounty", but it will rapidly run dry. Enjoy it while it lasts before it passes into the hands of the lawful-but-undeserving.
Aquarius (January 20 to Febuary 18): Upside down 3 of Wands (Trojan horse), 9 of Wands (barriers), and the upside down Knight of Wands (Bad starts, slow progress) --- Trust yourself over others on the same life goal or path, though your own progress will be slow going for a while.
Pisces (Febuary 19 to March 20): Upside down Page of Pentacles (Bad spending), Upside down King of Pentacles (Worse spending), upside down Knight of Wands (near-no progress) --- stop spending your material resources. They're getting you nowhere. Back off on projects, use go-betweens or emotional resources instead.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Reader Submitted: My Journey in Second Life by Skylark Lefavre
Way back when I started on Second Life I was but just a newbie. Everything was new and fascinating. I saw a new world worth exploring, yet I knew how to do nothing. Someone I made friends with on a website got me to sign up for Second Life. I met him on my most favorite hangout then named Beat Island. This sim I remember was education and full of musical entertainment. My friend lived and worked here. It is here where my journey started.
I eventually caught up with my friend who is a New Zealander. I thought "how cool is this?" and after getting voice to work learned to build and move lickety-split. Still using the freebie white winged wolf angel av I picked up from Help Island, I looked for avatars different than I saw as mainstream. "What could these be called?" From time on furry websites I knew they were furry avs. I did a search and low and behold I found a place called Rocket City Furmeet.
Knowing this to be a real life furry convention center I thought "what the heck?" I walked into the structure and into the vendor room. Back then it was small and in the Second Life building instead of where it all is now. I found the Aventity vendor which back then they sold a few avs. I bought an orange fox after realising where to buy it from. I was still under the Linden Currency buying cap being new. Now I needed to wear it. How do I wear it? I wore it and dragged the contents from the box it was in to a new folder in the inventory. Then a resident says it's easier to use a sandbox. Hmm sandbox, well something to use for a later day. Well back then I didn't know it was inappropriate to not have clothes so I searched for clothes. I found Bare Rose in 2007. This was nice, good looking clothes at affordable prices. I bought as much as I could. Back then Bare Rose wasn't laggy not did it have the sheer volume of what it does today nor selection. I this time used a sandbox.
I hung out with my new friend and his friends which led me to a medieval RP sim called Alchera. This was a very noteworthy RP sim that had alot of possibilities had it not gone under with the time and rising costs of land. It was this magical place I met two other friends where all three would become my oldest and best friends. Later on I wanted a dragon av, and at the time I still had trouble purchasing Linden currency through lack of experience. I had purchased enough to get an Isle Of Wyrms Fire Wyrmling of what was then known as Xstreet, a Second Like marketplace offline of Second Life. Well I was proud of my new avatar. I wore it all over I even danced with a Second Life elf from another medieval RP sim called Avalon a sister island to Isle Of Wyrms. I became Dragon of the Mist with the help of someone I would know only for a short time and miss everyday. He was already a Dragon of the Mist there. We dated some hung around shopped for things teens liked like Superheros stuff. Me and him were flying in a sim that was a wasteland of rock and caverns that was supposed to be like the place bad people go when they do evil in life. Me and him flew around having fun we felt right at home. Two humans were on the ground below us. A New Chapter unfolds.
The two humans bought a sim it had a glorious mountain with a waterfall and grotto, there was a cave for me and my love. on the other side cottages. The two humans adopted us as Pet Rider Dragons . We were the first and last to be in this pet rider dragon group they called Climbing Rose Rider Dragons. Time passes, and two more were added to the group, our daughter and son dragon hatchlings. The RP fell apart misunderstandings and wrong assumptions led to the selling of the island and to the end of the RP. I was heartbroken. I had lost touch with my lover due to things beyond my control. My handler thought I wanted to quit.
I went to Exterminatus Labs and got me a Black Therion av and had Black Demon Rot Wings and an aqua Green gown, 'cause Avalon rules then were if you walked on two legs you wore clothes. I met a Portuguese elf that took me in as his dragon lady. I helped him with lots of things off of SL and been best friends with him. I left Avalon and headed to Isle Of Wyrms. This place was a place where I am accepted and loved. I learned important life lessons, and my first taste of keeping order to chaos was here. I bought me at their Cathedral a Storm Hatchling. I joined the group Hedgies Hatchlings and Tinies and became a Tiny. I later rented my first home in Hatchie Haven.
I lost contact with my Portuguese Elf friend but I met two other Portuguese kids. One loved me with a kind and happy heart. We went to a water sim that had a road. On the side was the entrance to a Water Dam. Inside there were freebie Transformer avies that transformed from the transformer movie. He got me a free black cat av from a sim that now is a werewolf RP store. Things changed though. The breakup and loss of my home and family and friends at the RP and a plethora of troubles associated with this first account. I made this account. This account became my primary. My journeys were not over. I had gotten more work hours and found a better way to buy currency and make currency. I knew how to do more. I started collecting avs and making cute and beautiful avatars. I met a horse avie and we hit it off. Thus a memory entails our meeting and a legacy never dies.
Me and my best friend forever and then my lover had an idea, a dream, a dream to bring something special to this virtual world. He was a crackpot telecommunications programmer. A Hatchling I had met that later created the Gadzoo line of furry avs helped build the final version of the building that started a legacy. My friend from Alchera was the DJ manager. I was the manager, but I preferred and was good mainly at hosting. Yes this was a club: Furry Desires. I was co-owner with it with my lover. We had a different way to do things. We never did adult themed things. We never allowed pole dancing, we never did event contests. The crowd we drew came for the music and a good time nothing more.
He lost his job and the payment for all the lots for the club, avatar mall, and other more adult themed items mall down the street was threatened. We sacrificed the malls but we never gave up. We payed monthly rent all on tips alone. I met up with the owner of a popular av making company and the owner came by in this small av and told me how much he enjoyed reading my notices to club gigs at Furry Desires. Well this was becoming a strain on the regulars. We shut Furry Desires down for a short time, sold the parcels. This would not be the end!.
My Lover was in a bad way and in poor health. We basically just parted without hatred anger or vengeful thought. Instead I did what I do a lot. I became best friends with him. Well I met a few others afterward I dated. I ended up in Wolf Valley. It was a little laggy and somethings like my diving Board and kiddie train I couldn't use. But my best times were spent renting there. I didn't know this, but the time I was there the one running the sim was teaching me how to be a sim admin which I will always be thankful to him for since later down the road I would be sim admin to three sims.
I eventually had some job hour cuts and had to sell all my parcels. Last I heard I rented just under the amount the gf of the one who was teaching me had and she had a good share of Wolf Valley rented. My second exposure to renting a home. I moved to Cape Suzette a Sunweavers sim owned by my now Second Life beloved mother owner of the Sunweaver Islands. Due to a failing economy in and off world, people could no longer afford rent. Before the final death of Cape Suzette, a place I wished I could have kept, I was lured to a place called Kitsuhana, Japanese Kitsune and forest themed. The owner there was fascinated with my landscaping talents and I made her Faerie Acre Forest. People came from all over Second Life to see it. With what I was taught I kept script lag down low while keeping it aesthetically pleasing with a faerie theme. I had finally found a place to set up my kiddie train and it worked the Christmas before I had to leave due to the owner selling off a big part iof it and my parcel was on the list of parcels to be sold.
I remet up with a person I met in Wolf Valley who had ventured to my giant 5 story castle. He is the owner of Mythica Woods. He asked me to adopt him, which I did. My Second Life Mother owns the homestead his place was on. So I became Estate Manger there. He asked me to make things. I far outdone myself in originality and creativity. I even created a community or mixed residents furry, neko, dragon, and human. Seeking a place I could call home I looked for a sim or part of a sim. I met a fur who later became my sister a pink bunny and fox mix or fennec. She took me in on her sim. I rented 1/5 of a sim on mainland. I had so many prims I didm't know what to do but build the first of the many space stations I would call home. I loved that place as well. The owner and the co-owner had a difference of opinion so I left that place before it wa shut down and moved to Mythica Woods. I finished most of my work there and kept everyone happy as I was the landlord as well and I made the rules on how to run it and I did banning, ejecting, and all that an officer and sim admin would do. Drama has followed me since I had a taste of running sims and my family had grown bigger. I got pulled into fights and war I didn't belong in and I got tired of it. Another life lesson learned, look out after yourself.
Well I sought a group access place or adult themed hideout for a home. I found it finally and no farther away from my Second Life mom's home. But along the way I met special people, been to special places, and found out things that will in turn allow me a more peaceful life in any life and last if not least a lover who I am now engaged to in real life I have been seeing 5 years. For me Second Life was more than a Virtual World. Its been a magical fairy tail full of memories I will never forget. Not everyone has had my luck or my kind of journey but there is no reason to give up hope of having it!
Cheers and hope your Second Life is as good as my own life.
Skylark Lefavre
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Best Viewer Apps for SL
Second Life Viewers are maturing rapidly and avatar users are choosing sides. I am decidedly multi-viewer. As an active user and teacher of several major viewers, I'll share some important news and insights. In my recent survey of 133 experienced Second Life (SL) users, the viewer market share breaks down like this:
56% use Phoenix Viewer @ PhoenixViewer.com
26% use Linden Lab's Viewer 2 @ SecondLife.com
3% use Other New Viewers (e.g. Imprudence/Kokua, Emergence, Ascent)
16% use Linden Lab's Viewer 1 and Miscellaneous
More surprisingly, SL ages appear to correlate with Viewer choice…
Phoenix users are mostly 1 to 4 years old in SL
Viewer 2 users are mostly less than 1 year old in SL
Viewer 1 users are mostly over 3 years old in SL
* Of course there were several outliers who don't fit these norms
Linden Lab (LL), the maker of Second Life, stopped development of Viewer 1 at version 1.23 in October 2009. LL launched Viewer 2 the same year, and offered the Viewer 1 code to 3rd party developers. First Emerald emerged as third party leader, which was replaced by the Phoenix project, which now dominates SL viewer market share.
When I announced this survey to some groups, people came forward to announce their Viewer 1 loyalty. Indeed, oldbie avatars (avis) are laggards, by and large, and even very old versions of Phoenix are being blocked from SL (156 and 168).
You see me in Phoenix Version 818 with all my glorious Heads Up Device (HUD) gadgetry in Picture 1. The pictures are all raw SL snapshots, un-retouched (i.e. a little dark), where I compare Viewer 2 and Phoenix for this story.
40 GROUPS NOW in SECOND LIFE: Here's How!!!
From time immemorial in SL, users were limited to 25 SL groups. Someone at LL made a ridiculous assumption that if we let people join too many groups, the resulting communications would overload the virtual world. Kind of like a nuclear chain reaction, we would collectively melt their server farm!!! LOL Finally LL came to it senses. Hee Hee!
If you are Viewer 2 user, you are already 40 groups capable. If you are in Phoenix, you may need to enable this feature, here's how: Enable the Advanced Menu by holding down CTRL and ALT… then press D. In Advanced > Show Debug Settings, then type "Phoenix40…" (auto-completes)… and click the TRUE radio button, then OK button. Done!
Viewer 2: Market Share by Default Downloads
If you don't have a desktop iMac and or a superwide HDTV 16:9 display, forget V2, Bada Bing! V2 has a right margin bar that takes up too much screen on ordinary computer displays, Picture 4.
Nevertheless, I have always liked the Viewer 2 (V2) interface, and declared that to M Linden (then LL CEO) while V2 approval ratings among SL users was only 3%. See my letter to M Linden on SL Newser: http://tiny.cc/udl6m
I suggested M dump Google… they were botching V2 search quite badly, the key feature that makes SL SL (e.g. Compare with OpenLife). Instead, LL drove Google very deeply into V2, to the extent that, it's fair to say: V2 IS SPYWARE. V2 requires full enabling of Google's Analytics, AdServices, AdWords, and LeadServices… otherwise the "action" buttons in search don't work at all: Teleport, IM, Profile, and Details. Why does Google need to know who's profile I'm opening? Groups I research? Where I'm going in SL? Or who I'm IMing? YIKES! See https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/WEB-2465
Remember… I like Viewer 2. Adding Phoenix to my SL quiver was hard for me in some ways. V2's groups list is awesome; I love the Favorites Landmark (LM) bar across the top (Picture 3); and the Instant Message (IM) icons are way cool… little caption bubbles pop up when a chat arrives.
In-World search in V2 actually works! Yay! But the user interface is very annoying, making you slowly reopen search numerous times, every time you TP. Slow Google-driven buttons… need to be re-started from scratch for your next search. For Event Search, your best bet in V2 is to click the Profile button then Notify, for a bunch of Events, before you TP. In Phoenix (after you TP), to use the next search result… Ctrl F, Click-Select an event, and Teleport. Dead simple and fast! Duh!
The surgery LL did on Group Notices, IM's and chat with Toast pop ups, Toast Time, Toast Fade time… is pretty ill-defined and unworkable for users. Either you go with their ADD-inducing 5 second defaults or… go with their ADD-inducing defaults… You Will Lose Settings with Every Viewer 2 Update!
Now, what really irks me is Viewer 2 lag. Clouding and Ruthing are a form of lag. I get serious Clouding most every time I log into Viewer 2, and seldom a problem in Phoenix. Viewers 2.4 and beyond significantly increased lag… I noticed instantly because I surf in SL, and I CAN'T SURF IN THE LATEST few V2 releases e.g. my SL Surfs Up iReport: http://slnewserplaces.blogspot.com/2010/12/dude-surfs-up-in-second-life.html.
This lag in LL's own viewer is a great irony, because the new CEO of LL is a video gamer guy.
For Clouding/Appearance fixes see my iReport: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-504314
And see this amazing Phoenix Wiki note… incredible De-Clouding advice! http://wiki.phoenixviewer.com/doku.php?id=bake_fail
Why Phoenix is Winning Market Share!
TA DA!!! PHOENIX OFFERS FREE LIVE TECHNICAL SUPPORT… In-World for their browser… delivered by Phoenix staff… through their SL group Phoenix Viewer Support. During peak SL hours, Phoenix has at least 2 dedicated staff answering your questions. This is an amazing feature because in my 3+ years in SL, I've never seen LL do direct technical support. Not even close.
If you are in Viewer 1 (or any non-V2), moving to Phoenix is dead easy. No learning curve, 95% upward compatible, you won't notice the difference. I assure you. I urge you NOT to stay on Viewer 1.23… since there are no code updates in years, the security/griefer situation will continue to deteriorate. The multitudes of V1.23 users are a juicy target! Oh Yeah! Don't get hacked silly, upgrade painlessly now!
Most features of Viewer 2 are available in Phoenix in some form. The Outfits folder was a great V2 innovation, fully available in Phoenix, and built into Appearance > Make Outfit. Your V2 outfits are already in Phoenix and work great!
Zoomable Mini-Map with mouse wheel! Great V2 feature! It's in Phoenix too! Yay! (Picture 2).
Favorites links… are an inventory folder in Phoenix. Often, I get annoyed with V2's way of splitting up inventory… into Places and Outfits and whatnot… Yikes! I'm in the WRONG V2 window again! But no, in Phoenix it's all in inventory and searchable without switching panes.
Phoenix let's you see which SL Viewer other people are using. Making this story possible! Hurrah! Look at avi name tags. Picture 2 shows many Phoenix cool cats hanging with a handful of Viewer 2 and miscellaneous avatars.
Phoenix has many "beyond Viewer 1" extensions… Some are integrated into familiar SL controls… but many are in the new Phoenix menu and the new Phoenix tab on Ctrl P Preferences. Fun to explore… no worries, the good olde features are just where you expect!
Bottom Line: What to Do?
If you are on Viewer 1, upgrade to Phoenix. If you are on Viewer 2 and don't mind the avi clouding and lag… you are cool and should stay. Enjoy your SL! Otherwise migrate to Phoenix and join Phoenix Viewer Support SL group! You can't go wrong!
And join my classes, I re-start teaching in February, every Saturday and Sunday at 6:30am SLT (US Pacific). All at our remodeled way-cool campus in SL: Dream Seeker (206, 132, 22)
For more info, download my free SL book, links in this iReport: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-518024
ABOUT SECOND LIFE GADGETS & HUDS (Pictures 1 and 3)
SL, like Dog years, feel like 7X faster than RL years. In my decades in SL, I've accumulated over 22,000 items. Omg! Most oldbies use a lot of HUDs and attachments as shown in any Picture 1 and 3. All this stuff is pretty easy to find in the SL Search classified ads, or just ask any SL help group.
Starting from Mini-Map upper left, and going clockwise, you see HUDDLES EZ Animator. I have this one setup to do modeling poses, but it's main function is to animate dances and invite friends to sync dance. Buy the deluxe model because it's copyable.
Top center is the free Simbolics Translator. Does dozens of languages, translating both directions. You also have built in Google translator in Ctrl P Prefs, Chat tab, but that translation is only 1 way :-(. Ferd's free translator is also great and does 3 or more languages at once.
Just under Group Notices in Picture 1 is the JLU signal HUD. This is anti-griefer panic button that summons the super-hero-clad Justice League Unlimited experts to your location. It's the 911 of SL for fighting griefers!
The Pink button next to the chat window is Musyume-AO from MAMESANDO Rings (Japanese AO seller). Gotta love those way-cool AOs to get some 'tude in ur avi postures!
Above the chat window is Avatar Online Tracker. I find SL's online friends notification to be way laggy and annoying. This great device helps me track online status of anybody, especially useful for iReporters and event promoters for finding people online they want to meet!
P.S. I only specialize in the features of SL that enable fun. I would love to have an open discussion (i.e. public SL meeting) with people who are truly knowledgeable about SL techno stuff.
P.P.S. Viewer 2.4+ very important… (otherwise it's DOA)… Advanced Menu > Show Debug Options, then in the box type adminmenu, set the radio button to True and OK. Then… Advanced > Show Develop Menu and Develop > Show Admin Menu. Now you can ALWAYS FLY real high (fixes loads of SL problems) and work round the SL music failure bug… Essential for true SL fun lovers! See Chapter 2 of my free SL book for more info: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-518024
P.P.P.S. The next version of Phoenix is FIRESTORM... and the next Imprudence viewer is Kokua... the new new thangs! Get the buzz on the SL group Phoenix Viewer Support! It's cool to people-watch the SL support fun! Go Figure!
P.P.P.P.S. The 10 thousand odd members of the Phoenix Viewer Support group make it an amazing forum... SL's true Towne Square... A recent interaction really "made my day"... someone asked sincerely... if we could help her friend who was lagged and clouded and having tremendous SL problems... Whirly Fizzle promptly offered this sage advice... "If boobs are not jiggling... go to edit... prefs.... Phoenix..page 2... effects,,, make sure boobs are enabled & set numbers to 100, 15, 100, 16, 1 (if you have low fps you need max/min vel at 100/1). If still no jiggle go to advanced... debug settings..... PhoenixBreastPhysicsToggle...set to FALSE, then back to TRUE" LOL LMAO!!!, used with Whirly's permission!
(originally on CNN)
Any1 Gynoid
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Future Medicine in Second Life
Despite heavy RL snow, eager college students flock to first-day nursing classes at Second Life's UNCP Campus (Picture 1). Telecommuting and virtually present for class, these students are starting an intense learning experience: 12 hour days in Second Life, rehearsing every conceivable future medical situation they will encounter in real life (RL). During my visit to the SL Hospital for Nursing, coeds entirely new to Second Life (SL) were having a wonderful time modeling their virtual nursing uniforms and learning to navigate virtual life.University of North Carolina at Pembroke (UNCP), an innovator in Second Life (SL) education, has a sprawling SL campus built entirely by new media Professor Anthony Curtis. As Stone Semyorka in SL (Picture 2), Dr. Curtis constructed 50 buildings at many elevations over 2 SL regions, and engages numerous students and faculty from journalism, art, library science, education, astronomy, environmental science, and now the Hospital for Nursing (Picture 3).
Each year, Dr. Curtis hosts the Teaching and Learning with Technology Conference (TLTC), drawing over 1000 participants in this entirely SL-based academic symposium. On his extensive UNCP in SL web, Dr. Curtis explains his SL activities and about UNCP, a public state university with about 7000 RL students and a large nursing program.
Surprisingly, there are almost 1000 universities engaged in SL, some with massive footprints, dozens of sims. Imagine... projects like UNCP in SL X 1000! Of course many are young programs, and very few are likely to compare with what UNCP has achieved in only 3 years in SL. Virtual education is an exciting endeavor, with new possibilities, and enthusiastic faculty and students fearlessly immersing themselves in virtual worlds.
Second Life and Internet Resources:
UNCP in SL Hospital for Nursing, visit in SL: Dasom (118, 240, 1101)
SL Hospital for Nursing and SL UNCP on the web: http://www.uncp.edu/home/acurtis/NewMedia/SecondLife/HospitalForNursing.html
UNCP Nursing Department RL website: http://www.uncp.edu/nursing/
Dr. Curtis' Faculty Home Page: http://www.uncp.edu/home/acurtis
About Teaching and Learning with Technology Conferences (TLTC): http://conference.unctlt.org/ (This message from Dr. Curtis)
The 2011 UNC Teaching and Learning with Technology Conference will be April 12-14 in Second Life. Theme: "Learning Forward: Teaching Technologies for Engaged Learners."
Held since 2000 about effective use of technology and learning environments face-to-face and online, the TLTC has topics of interest to education professionals regardless of grade level or geographic location, from effective practices to emerging technologies. We anticipate participation by faculty and staff from UNC system, NC community colleges, other private colleges and K-12 educators from anywhere in North Carolina and beyond.
Watch for registration and proposal deadlines on the web http://conference.unctlt.org/. Registration is free. TLT Conference is hosted by UNC-Pembroke. Presentations will be primarily on the NC Education islands funded by the community college system. I hope you will want to present or view presentations. Please send me any any questions and feel free to share this announcement. Thanks!
(Originally posted on CNN)Any1 Gynoid
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Another Look at Inworldz
The first time I took a look at one of the alternative virtual worlds some friends were talking about, Inworldz, the results were disappointing, not able to stay on longer than a minute before crashing. After a while, I checked again, finding both Inworldz had done some updates. As before, Inworldz’ own viewer didn’t work for me. But the Imprudence did, and this time it stayed on. I was able to go about the Inworldz entry sim, called “Inworldz Desert Island.”
Starting out, I was in a bald, female avie with red pants and shoeless. Fortunately, I was able to create some clothes, with a little help from a texture package on me, so was soon able to upgrade my look from newbie to newcomer. Looking around, I found a freebie place aimed at male avatars, Man Icons at (82, 215, 22). For the women, there is The Feminine Coil at (145, 211, 22). I found a few gestures, male skins, of which I chose a dark tone, and hair pieces. Not exactly my familiar foxy self, but still a couple steps up from where I started.The place certainly looked like the Second Life grid, at least with this Imprudence viewer. Checking the map, it did look a little different. There were a few times it crashed again, notably when I tried to get the profile of someone else. So perhaps there are no profiles here.
Finding an Inworldz guide in the shop, I took a look at the notecards for other places. A few places were definitely aimed at the adult crowd. But there were plenty of others. The ROMA group from SL had a presence here, as did the tinies of Ragalan Shire.But further exploring in Inworldz will wait for another day. I’l look again soon. Sooner if someone can tell me how I can be my familiar self here.
Bixyl Shuftan.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Poetry - Christmas Notes to a Once Husband
Pale sun
lights the waning December afternoon,
presents bought, but still unwrapped...
The house is for sale,
by either the bank or the tax man...
Your oldest girl just turned 35...
I know you never liked the season,
in fact, you were Mr. Bah Humbug himself...
we suffered somewhat from that.
My children and I are all together this holiday season,
it has been a long time...
You will be missed by some,
others, not
My hope is, that wherever your soul is
You will at last enjoy this season
of good tidings and good will
and accept it for what it is
Rest in peace my once husband.
Shellie Sands
Monday, December 20, 2010
The “Cataclysm” Continues in Azeroth
This should be my last “Warcraft” article for a while. It’s not every day they make a major update. Though there have been a lot of changes here.
Besides the wolflike Worgen for the Alliance, Goblins are now available as player characters for the Horde side. Small and quick, they are higher in agility and intelligence, have a bonus in attack and casting speed, and those choosing alchemy as a profession start out at 15. From their gadgets, they’re able to do a Rocket Jump and Rocket Barage. And reflecting their background as moneymakers, are able to receive the best discount regardless of faction standing and able to call up access to their banks wherever they are.
The beginning quest chain for the Goblins explains how his/her cartel, the Bildgewater Cartel, got into the Horde. Instead of am unknown, the player starts out as an up and coming businessman/businesswoman on the cartel’s island city of Kazan. As you go about your business, including a ride on a hot rod, Deathwing, the main villain of the game expansion, shows up, and sets off the volcano. You gather your life savings (and then some), in order to get a seat on the Trade Prince’s yacht, but he double crosses you and makes you his slave. However, the ship gets caught in a storm and wrecked. So you get a chance to prove to your fellow Goblins you can be the hero who can get them out of their mess.
The beginning Goblin quest chain is longer than that of the Worgen's, the 100 Quests achievement reached along the way. But it’s packed full of chuckles as you face down funny-looking pygmies, “Oomie goomie goomie!”, who want to sacrifice your friends to their turtle god. Fortunately, you have your Goblin gadgets to get you through, from rocket boots to weed-wackers, but with little to no safety features, there’s always that chance something can go wrong. Along the way, you meet up with a group of Orcs, and everyone decides it’s best to cooperate in order to get off the island. You also run into the most well-known Orc, Warchief Thrall. Players who take up Goblin characters hear from him that he’s placing another Orc in charge of the Horde. This explains why Thrall’s nowhere to be seen in Orgrimmar these days.
But “Cataclysm” is much more than two new races available for play. Flight is now available in the “classic” continents of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, at least for those Level 60 and over. I’ve heard some wonder if this takes away from some of the experience, but most seem happy with it, the popular gathering places at Ogrimmar and Stormwind filled with flapping mounts as players happily show them off.
You’re going to need your flying license. New areas are now open in these two continents that would otherwise be inaccessible. New quests, monsters, and enemies await. These are more dangerous than previous areas, and your level cap has been raised to 85 to keep up. And with these new levels, new weapons and armor are available. Profession levels have also been raised from 450 to 525, the new rank of proficiency called “Illustrious Grand Master.” And with them, new materials to make high level armor, weapons, potions, etc.
And there’s a new Secondary Profession available, Archeology. Players go around Azeroth digging up artifacts at dig sites recently unearthed by the Cataclysm. After getting the skill from a trainer (the one in Stormwind named Harrison Jones, an obvious take on Indiana Jones), players go to dig sites, and survey them for archeology fragments. A survey site with a red light means you’re far away from your find. A yellow light a fair distance, and a green light means you’re close. One can gather fragments from a site three times, and then it closes while somewhere else on the continent another opens. Four dig sites are open at any one time, and contain artifacts from one of the races, such as Elven or Troll, or fossils.
Once enough fragments are gathered, then can be combined to make artifacts. Your first ones will be common and not worth much, such as common vases and trilobite fossils, . But as you continue to come across artifacts, more valuable ones will appear. Finding fragments will level your Archeology skill for a while, but eventually you level just by combining them into artifacts. But finding the fragments will still get you experience points, which can help out characters that haven’t quite reached Level 80 yet.
While a way to enjoy WoW between questing, some players have their doubts on how valuable this profession is. One guide I came across suggested truly epic items were few and far between. But as a Worgen I saw one Alliance character on a fossilized skeleton mount. A prize from archeology? Maybe.
Another new feature is guild advancement. Guilds can advance with 25 levels of progression, done through the accomplishments of it’s individual players through quests, battleground victories, etc. Each new level brings perks, such as bonus experience from quests and clobbering monsters, faster mount speeds, etc. There are two new Player vs Player battlegrounds, Twin Peaks and Gilneas.
And of course there are the jokes. The Worgen and Goblins have their own special jokes, such as “Since the change, I prefer my meat rare,” and, “When in doubt, blow it up.” Perhaps it’s the perception of this player, but the game designers seem to be getting a little brave on occasion with the humor. One of the female Goblin jokes is a vieled bondage crack, and in one of the lady Worgen jokes, a supposed listener confuses what she actually means by a “bone.” The slightly riskee humor continues to the new quests, in one the player delivering a shipment of crab meat to a lady sailor and being told a subtle STD joke. And it's not just the jokes where the off-color remarks appear. In one of the new low-level quests, the new Orc Warchief insults the Undead queen by calling her a rhymes-with-witch. Blizzard must think their audience is getting older.
Some are probably asking “why just raise the new top level to 85 instead of 90?” Despite being around for several years, World of Warcraft is still successfully at keeping a large audience, and will probably remain so for some time as long as Blizzard continues to be good at giving the players a great game. Someone thought they would keep their lead for at least 20 years. Most likely it won't be that long (in my opinion), but although some people still talk about a potential “WoW killer,” more game developers admit Warcraft will not be going away anytime soon. Instead of being knocked off it’s number one spot by a new hot game, most likely it’s position will be chipped away over time as players’ tastes change and new technical developments allow for stunning new games.
And of course some players would prefer to be in a smaller game where they can meet up with the administrators and content developers, and maybe even contribute to developing in the tools of the game, such as the roleplays and combat RPs in Second Life.
World of Warcraft may be the McDonalds of online games, to paraphrase Eurogamer writer Robert Purchase, but most would prefer to dine elsewhere on occasion as well, and some never get a taste for it to begin with.
Sources: WoWwiki, Eurogamer,net, Massively
Bixyl Shuftan
Besides the wolflike Worgen for the Alliance, Goblins are now available as player characters for the Horde side. Small and quick, they are higher in agility and intelligence, have a bonus in attack and casting speed, and those choosing alchemy as a profession start out at 15. From their gadgets, they’re able to do a Rocket Jump and Rocket Barage. And reflecting their background as moneymakers, are able to receive the best discount regardless of faction standing and able to call up access to their banks wherever they are.
The beginning quest chain for the Goblins explains how his/her cartel, the Bildgewater Cartel, got into the Horde. Instead of am unknown, the player starts out as an up and coming businessman/businesswoman on the cartel’s island city of Kazan. As you go about your business, including a ride on a hot rod, Deathwing, the main villain of the game expansion, shows up, and sets off the volcano. You gather your life savings (and then some), in order to get a seat on the Trade Prince’s yacht, but he double crosses you and makes you his slave. However, the ship gets caught in a storm and wrecked. So you get a chance to prove to your fellow Goblins you can be the hero who can get them out of their mess.
The beginning Goblin quest chain is longer than that of the Worgen's, the 100 Quests achievement reached along the way. But it’s packed full of chuckles as you face down funny-looking pygmies, “Oomie goomie goomie!”, who want to sacrifice your friends to their turtle god. Fortunately, you have your Goblin gadgets to get you through, from rocket boots to weed-wackers, but with little to no safety features, there’s always that chance something can go wrong. Along the way, you meet up with a group of Orcs, and everyone decides it’s best to cooperate in order to get off the island. You also run into the most well-known Orc, Warchief Thrall. Players who take up Goblin characters hear from him that he’s placing another Orc in charge of the Horde. This explains why Thrall’s nowhere to be seen in Orgrimmar these days.
But “Cataclysm” is much more than two new races available for play. Flight is now available in the “classic” continents of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms, at least for those Level 60 and over. I’ve heard some wonder if this takes away from some of the experience, but most seem happy with it, the popular gathering places at Ogrimmar and Stormwind filled with flapping mounts as players happily show them off.You’re going to need your flying license. New areas are now open in these two continents that would otherwise be inaccessible. New quests, monsters, and enemies await. These are more dangerous than previous areas, and your level cap has been raised to 85 to keep up. And with these new levels, new weapons and armor are available. Profession levels have also been raised from 450 to 525, the new rank of proficiency called “Illustrious Grand Master.” And with them, new materials to make high level armor, weapons, potions, etc.
And there’s a new Secondary Profession available, Archeology. Players go around Azeroth digging up artifacts at dig sites recently unearthed by the Cataclysm. After getting the skill from a trainer (the one in Stormwind named Harrison Jones, an obvious take on Indiana Jones), players go to dig sites, and survey them for archeology fragments. A survey site with a red light means you’re far away from your find. A yellow light a fair distance, and a green light means you’re close. One can gather fragments from a site three times, and then it closes while somewhere else on the continent another opens. Four dig sites are open at any one time, and contain artifacts from one of the races, such as Elven or Troll, or fossils.
Once enough fragments are gathered, then can be combined to make artifacts. Your first ones will be common and not worth much, such as common vases and trilobite fossils, . But as you continue to come across artifacts, more valuable ones will appear. Finding fragments will level your Archeology skill for a while, but eventually you level just by combining them into artifacts. But finding the fragments will still get you experience points, which can help out characters that haven’t quite reached Level 80 yet.While a way to enjoy WoW between questing, some players have their doubts on how valuable this profession is. One guide I came across suggested truly epic items were few and far between. But as a Worgen I saw one Alliance character on a fossilized skeleton mount. A prize from archeology? Maybe.
Another new feature is guild advancement. Guilds can advance with 25 levels of progression, done through the accomplishments of it’s individual players through quests, battleground victories, etc. Each new level brings perks, such as bonus experience from quests and clobbering monsters, faster mount speeds, etc. There are two new Player vs Player battlegrounds, Twin Peaks and Gilneas.
And of course there are the jokes. The Worgen and Goblins have their own special jokes, such as “Since the change, I prefer my meat rare,” and, “When in doubt, blow it up.” Perhaps it’s the perception of this player, but the game designers seem to be getting a little brave on occasion with the humor. One of the female Goblin jokes is a vieled bondage crack, and in one of the lady Worgen jokes, a supposed listener confuses what she actually means by a “bone.” The slightly riskee humor continues to the new quests, in one the player delivering a shipment of crab meat to a lady sailor and being told a subtle STD joke. And it's not just the jokes where the off-color remarks appear. In one of the new low-level quests, the new Orc Warchief insults the Undead queen by calling her a rhymes-with-witch. Blizzard must think their audience is getting older.
Some are probably asking “why just raise the new top level to 85 instead of 90?” Despite being around for several years, World of Warcraft is still successfully at keeping a large audience, and will probably remain so for some time as long as Blizzard continues to be good at giving the players a great game. Someone thought they would keep their lead for at least 20 years. Most likely it won't be that long (in my opinion), but although some people still talk about a potential “WoW killer,” more game developers admit Warcraft will not be going away anytime soon. Instead of being knocked off it’s number one spot by a new hot game, most likely it’s position will be chipped away over time as players’ tastes change and new technical developments allow for stunning new games.
And of course some players would prefer to be in a smaller game where they can meet up with the administrators and content developers, and maybe even contribute to developing in the tools of the game, such as the roleplays and combat RPs in Second Life.
World of Warcraft may be the McDonalds of online games, to paraphrase Eurogamer writer Robert Purchase, but most would prefer to dine elsewhere on occasion as well, and some never get a taste for it to begin with.
Sources: WoWwiki, Eurogamer,net, Massively
Bixyl Shuftan
Thursday, December 9, 2010
The Creative Christmas Hunt
If you’re a creator or builder, or have ever wanted to try your hand at it, you need to check out the Creative Christmas Hunt. The Hunt is going on now through December 22. This Hunt is unique because the prizes are Christmas-themed gifts you can use to create your own special items. Everything comes with full permissions, but you have to agree to not re-sell or give away the item directly. You must use the item to make something, which you are free to give away or sell.The Hunt starts at Christmas Lane, located at Saint Pierre at (41, 104, 22). Follow the path to hunt for the small green tree that will contain the prize and a landmark for the next location. Nearly 100 stores are participating, which is amazing. Not only will you find a wide variety of items, but you’ll probably visit some locations that are new to you. I know I did.
I liked the textures best, but there are also wreaths, a toy train, trees, ornaments, holly, and many other items. The picture shows me with only a tiny sample of the goodies I have collected. Best of all, many of the participants wrote out directions so you can learn.
There have been a few glitches along the way: stores that were not quite ready or landmarks that didn’t get you to the correct spot. Mandi Blanco, the Hunt coordinator, has been quick to fix things, or at least send out notices to alert participants and offer advice. But the problems have been minor, especially when compared to the valuable prizes and information that has been donated.
Some of the shops have put their trees in easy and obvious spots. Others have been much harder to find. I skipped a few, but I was able to find almost all of the items. A few places give out hints, which is helpful. Usually I think the thrill of the hunt is the most fun, and the prize is secondary. But with the CCH, the prizes are the greatest. It’s a perfect way to learn how to make things without investing a lot of Lindens.
In fact, I think I’ll stop writing and start making things now.
Grey Lupindo
Saturday, December 4, 2010
SL Poetry by Shellie Sands
I curse you!
I loathed you so I left
Now I curse you cause you're dead!
You left me with the fallout, the expense, the children to deal with
I hope you are in a better place and
I hope there is someone wherever you are
to welcome you
and love you
But LET them love you!
Shed those negative thoughts, feelings
let the negative things in your body float away
Give it up!
RIP William
Shellie Sands
Shellie Sands
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Gaming Hall Owner Says Linden Lab is Banning “Autoplay” Feature
I was contacted by a friend this week, whom had gotten into the Zyngo business. He told me he had a “huge” story concerning gaming in Second Life, “in a nut shell, Zyngo went to an online configuration and now LL is using said online config info with the consent of the maker to bust game places that have not updated to the new rules. ... nasty story really. ... big customers of Zyngo have been forced to take off autoplay as they are high profile. Low profile places have not gotten notice, not made changes yet. As a nasty side effect of the online configuration, unintended but not surprising, the owner of the licence server can ’out’ people who have not turned off auto or done what LL has said to do, and is ratting out the little guys to save big customers and also earn brownie points with LL.”He later wrote some more information on a notecard. While I don’t usually post anonymous comments, I know the person well enough to know he is sincere in his observations and comments.
Big game halls are going under quickly after LL handed down a ban on auto play (where the game will place the numbers for you), and the devil/angel feature, ( I will touch on this later).
One big hall owner selling off their games was quoted "it is just not worth it, the hassle, players do not play Zyngo (one of SL's most popular games) without autoplay" . Many other games are in operation in SL, and many need to be adjusted, this is all to boost the skill component of the games played for money in world. Game halls wishing to sell Zyngo in this current market can expect to get just 500L a game, this is a transfer no copy game with a license, new they are 2400L.
With all the updates and changes, warnings from the creator group of Zyngo have been coming fast and furious, this has added to the paranoia as this game uses an online configuration where anyone with web privileges can see/change your settings, and trust me in this environment you do NOT want Big Brother watching you.
Now for what LL is doing about the skill element, I personally do not think it is a bad thing, however it does stand to reason that not just the devil has to go but ANY free points that do not have a skill component directly attached to them, (you could have a game where 400% of your score comes from a random symbol, with no player action attached), these points currently come in many forms.
2X,3X or any other X: This is a hidden symbol that is randomly uncovered , it normally doubles your points but it can do much more, with no intentional skill attached, yes a player is trying to uncover a number and the side effect is the 2X, but the player is not skillfully or knowingly uncovering that symbol, the random 2X is just as decisive to the game as angels and devils and currently the way most games are set up, it is a total accident when you get it.
Diamonds/Angels: Any free points that take no action on the players part, these are NOT legal by any skill game standard. These types of points influence the main skill component of the game. Bonus rounds: Some games at the end you have a bonus round, in most cases this is just a random click on the players part and it totally decides the outcome, if these points in any way are used to decide the skill component, again they are not lawful by any set of skill game rules I can find.
Thanks for your time.
Sorry I wish I could pen my name to this piece but Big Brother really IS watching.
He told me when word of this goes around, he may take a hit in the short run, but should avoid trouble if Linden Labs reverses its ban.
Bixyl Shuftan
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Bryn Oh’s “Standby”
Virtual artist Bryn Oh recently completed the third part of her “Rabbicorn” story: “Standby.” Like "The Rabicorn" last year, it is made up of a series of displays of sculptures, each with a poem describing it’s part of the story.
“Standby is the third and final part to the Rabbicorn story,” Bryn wrote in a notecard,”I strongly suggest you watch these two machinima if you are unfamiliar with the story. Better yet would be to go through the builds themselves. I have put both the Rabbicorn story and the Daughter of Gears physical builds on Immersiva, (202, 146, 1151). I have also written up both on my blog where you can watch the machinima if you prefer to do it that way.”
Also in the notecard, Bryn Oh described herself as “a metaverse artist who is meant to exist only online. She is a concept, a pixel character who inhabits the virtual world of Second Life. The idea is to see if a virtual identity can succeed within the real world of flesh and blood artists.” Her blog describes the real-life artist as a Toronto oil painter.
I went to the location of the Standby exhibit, the entrance leading to an abandoned theater. Getting past that, I ran into the introduction of Standby, and found Bryn there, chatting with a few friends who came by. “The whole presentation is fantastic,” she was told, “Thank you for putting it together. I loved it very much.” She turned to me after some time with her friends, “This is my final part to the story,” she told me. I asked her if she planned this while doing the earlier Rabbicorn story, or did it come after? “No,” she told me, “this was all planned a few years ago when I did the ‘Daughter of Gears.’ “ She explained building all of the displays, “took about two months and ... 14,996 prims. The poems took a few months as well ... This is a special build for me. I wanted to be sure it was exactly how I wanted it.”
“Artistically, it is the most advanced,” Bryn explained, “and uses most of the unique traits of Second Life as an art medium. The scope of it is far more than anything i have done before. It began in 2008, where most of my builds are generally one-offs, though they are connected to this story but satelite builds.”
The story, through the exhibits, describes the Daughter of Gears and the Rabicorn, the best of friends, going out to to explore. Each one has a teleport to the next., progressing the story. The final scenes are a touching show of friendship.
.: I fell in love one afternoon
.: and wrote your name on a white balloon
.: I set it free to fly above
.: and dreamt it was a flying dove
Well-detailed, the exhibition can only be described as must-see by those interested in the art scene in Second Life.
"Standby" is located at IBM Exhibit A at (210, 209, 20). You can first check the Youtube trailer Here.
Bryn O's blog is located here: http://www.brynoh.blogspot.com/
Bixyl Shuftan
“Standby is the third and final part to the Rabbicorn story,” Bryn wrote in a notecard,”I strongly suggest you watch these two machinima if you are unfamiliar with the story. Better yet would be to go through the builds themselves. I have put both the Rabbicorn story and the Daughter of Gears physical builds on Immersiva, (202, 146, 1151). I have also written up both on my blog where you can watch the machinima if you prefer to do it that way.”Also in the notecard, Bryn Oh described herself as “a metaverse artist who is meant to exist only online. She is a concept, a pixel character who inhabits the virtual world of Second Life. The idea is to see if a virtual identity can succeed within the real world of flesh and blood artists.” Her blog describes the real-life artist as a Toronto oil painter.
I went to the location of the Standby exhibit, the entrance leading to an abandoned theater. Getting past that, I ran into the introduction of Standby, and found Bryn there, chatting with a few friends who came by. “The whole presentation is fantastic,” she was told, “Thank you for putting it together. I loved it very much.” She turned to me after some time with her friends, “This is my final part to the story,” she told me. I asked her if she planned this while doing the earlier Rabbicorn story, or did it come after? “No,” she told me, “this was all planned a few years ago when I did the ‘Daughter of Gears.’ “ She explained building all of the displays, “took about two months and ... 14,996 prims. The poems took a few months as well ... This is a special build for me. I wanted to be sure it was exactly how I wanted it.”“Artistically, it is the most advanced,” Bryn explained, “and uses most of the unique traits of Second Life as an art medium. The scope of it is far more than anything i have done before. It began in 2008, where most of my builds are generally one-offs, though they are connected to this story but satelite builds.”
The story, through the exhibits, describes the Daughter of Gears and the Rabicorn, the best of friends, going out to to explore. Each one has a teleport to the next., progressing the story. The final scenes are a touching show of friendship..: I fell in love one afternoon
.: and wrote your name on a white balloon
.: I set it free to fly above
.: and dreamt it was a flying dove
Well-detailed, the exhibition can only be described as must-see by those interested in the art scene in Second Life.
"Standby" is located at IBM Exhibit A at (210, 209, 20). You can first check the Youtube trailer Here.
Bryn O's blog is located here: http://www.brynoh.blogspot.com/
Bixyl Shuftan
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Real Memories Brought to Virtual Life
A swirling vortex of textures, colors and shapes danced before him, teasing him with a semblance of order and familiarity, before morphing once again into a jumbled mass of code in search of form. “Still rezzing,” a familiar voice reassured him, “give it a minute.”
Slowly, the spectrum of visualizations began making sense. First a house…then a yard…a dog in the backyard slowly came into focus. “I hate this lag!” He shouted, but did not type. Something though became oddly familiar to him; the station wagon in the driveway, the open wheat field across the street, standing sentinel between the neighborhood and the major interstate visible a half mile away. Then, like an unprepared boxer taking one full force to the gut, it hit him. He spoke underneath his breath, not sure who he was asking, “I’m home?”
“I know this house. It’s...my…home.” His voiced trailed off. He’s sat unmoving – stunned - as if having seen and felt a ghost of a long dead friend brushing past him, disbelieving with his mind what was obvious to his eyes. The entire neighborhood – the one he grew up in - slowly materializing in front of him, with the clarity and detail of a high-resolution perfectly preserved digital image, but with life, movement and increasing emotion.
His boyhood friends, calling his name, riding their bikes in the street in front of the lower-middle class home in which he, his younger brother and three sisters grew up. Details long ago forgotten appeared exactly as he had once known them to be; the untrimmed hedge in front of his bedroom window, the large red-painted wooden fence at the side of the house that he would often rappel from; the shed, rusty and near collapse in the backyard slowly squeaking at the suggestion of each lovely summer’s breeze, and the majestic Pecan tree, towering over the home of his childhood - exactly…exactly, as it was years ago. “But, it’s impossible,” he whispers. “Welcome home, John. It’s good to see you again,” his older sister’s comforting voice again came through his earphones. He shuddered with emotion.
-BREAK-
She continued to sob violently in front of her laptop screen. A torrent of salty tears spilling across her face. Her husband rushed across the room towards her, expecting to find some horrific detail in an email from her sister, or something so utterly and globally tragic in the news that would cause this kind of devastating emotional reaction from his wife. He wasn’t expecting what he saw on her screen. He stared…in disbelief. Seconds passed, then he uttered, “Turn it off.” “Baby, just turn it off…”
“No! Don’t touch it!” her shaking voice shattering the stillness of their quiet evening, enough to wake the children. “It’s her!” “Oh my God, Allen…it’s Mom.” He saw it too, frozen at the sight of the frighteningly accurate and lifelike image of her mother, dead now 5 years, but…alive now, on the computer screen and looking directly at them. Shifting her gaze, as if with consciousness from her daughter to her son-in-law, and then back again; she stared past the computer screen, fixing her gaze upon her daughter. Her mother’s eyes now – as they always were - full of life, joy, glistening, blinking, looking with seemingly genuine emotion at her daughter, who continued to weep. “Jeannine… it’s me, Princess. It’s me…” the avatar whispered.
Across the globe, people are having very similar, emotionally charged experiences. The catalyst: The new Memory Augmented Reality Module (M.A.R.M.), which became available in the U.S. just one week ago. Available only through licensed online virtual communities, including SL, the units and related software sell for approximately $1,500 U.S. per unit. The experiences promised and delivered have been nothing short of stunning, surpassing the hype and advertising, pushing demand far beyond the ability to manufacture the units and creating a backlog estimated to reach at least 6 months into the future.
The advances in what is now commonly referred to as “mind mapping,” via the science of Neuroinformatics, has finally bridged the divide between human brain memory, processes and analytical thinking and the technology utilized to structure and operate virtual and augmented realities. The first consumer driven application, M.A.R.M., despite the surrounding ethical controversy, has been nothing short of a cataclysmic event in the evolution of the human brain and its fusion with today’s technology.
Linden Lab, the pioneer in this newly christened M.A.R.M. technology, has been beta testing the software and equipment for nearly 2 years. While all publicly released findings of the clinical trials demonstrate the technology as being “safe” for the general population, the emotional impact and experiences being reported by some of its users appears to have been grossly underestimated, and the duration of the emotional side effects, misjudged. Sales of the units were recently halted due to reports from across the county of users experiencing anxiety disorders, generalized depression and conditions replicating PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). These reports notwithstanding, demand for the units continues to grow almost exponentially, with backorders in the tens of thousands.
The most recent and tragic incident involved Seattle, WA resident, Nora Taylor, a 38 year old mother of three, who after completing the 24-hour mind mapping base-line process, began to utilize the M.A.R.M. device to recreate her childhood environments, friends and family. These simulations being made possible by importing the memory data mined, cataloged and translated into readable code into the SL data base, where a personalized region was then created based on these inputs.
The ensuing 36 hours for Nora Taylor can only be described as heartrending, as she rekindled old friendships, and reunited with relatives long since deceased, “losing herself,” as described by her husband, Jeff Taylor, “within the virtual recreation of her past life.” Upon returning from a business trip, finding their children uncared for and unfed, and his wife in a coma-like nirvana, Jeff promptly phoned 911 for emergency assistance. While the children have since fully recovered, sadly Nora Taylor died 2 days later while suffering from psychiatrically-induced catatonia.
Dr. Alred Russo with the National Institute of Mental Health, NIHM, stated that in extreme cases, involving already unstable, highly emotional or hypersensitive individuals, a real danger may in fact exist. “The virtual recreation of past real-life environments, and the sight of highly detailed recreations (avatars) of friends and family created via the improved 3-D imagery of SL, can be overpoweringly real, particularly when combined with the strength of real life memories and emotions.” He goes on, “The users’ brain can become so overwhelmed with sensory and emotional stimuli, that this virtual world and real life can become indistinguishable.”
Sales of M.A.R.M. products are expected to resume by next week – albeit with revised warnings and cautions. M.A.R.M. software and hardware may be purchased directly from Linden Lab, the official vendor of the M.A.R.M. Experience © in Second Life.
Latest version of Mind Mapping Hardware, M.A.R.M. ©
FoxM Ember
Sunday, November 14, 2010
SL Poetry - Intimate Moments and Thoughts of Us
A time to lay together
when comfort envelops us
like a soft, warm blanket.
The times are few and far between
but we relish them
like good food or fine wine.
Such hope laced with
trepidation;
such joy laced with
fear...
The joy courts uncertainty,
The fear carries sorrow.
The dam will break,
and every hope, dream and fear I have
will go crashing downstream
as rapids over jagged rock
magnificent in their freedom
and the truth will be revealed.
Shellie Sands
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Reader Submitted: If Shakespeare Did Second Life
All the grid’s a stage,
And all the avatars merely players:
They have they logins and their crashes;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the island,
Begging for help all creatures around
And then the very first teleport, with Linden skin
And plasteline hair, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to camp, and then the lover,
Dancing like Astaire, with a freebe plant
Worn to his mistress’ glory. Then a trader
Full of strange oaths and all dressed in gold,
Jealous in profit, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the empty mall. And then the shop owner.
In a high prim suit with custom-made skin,
With eyes severe and shape of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the low prim avatar, like noob
With no overrider and no group tag on side
His youthfull HUD, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shape, and his big manly voice
Turning again towards newbe simple chat
And mistakes in his type. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second ALT and mere oblivion
Sans land, sans friends, sans groups, sans everything
Jacek Shuftan
And all the avatars merely players:
They have they logins and their crashes;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the island,
Begging for help all creatures around
And then the very first teleport, with Linden skin
And plasteline hair, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to camp, and then the lover,
Dancing like Astaire, with a freebe plant
Worn to his mistress’ glory. Then a trader
Full of strange oaths and all dressed in gold,
Jealous in profit, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the empty mall. And then the shop owner.
In a high prim suit with custom-made skin,
With eyes severe and shape of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the low prim avatar, like noob
With no overrider and no group tag on side
His youthfull HUD, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shape, and his big manly voice
Turning again towards newbe simple chat
And mistakes in his type. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second ALT and mere oblivion
Sans land, sans friends, sans groups, sans everything
Jacek Shuftan
Sunday, October 10, 2010
SL Poetry - Life Cycle
the old tall oak
stands firm in its roots
it has stood there for many years
wind blows, rustling its leaves
still green leaves
splashed against
a perfect cerulean sky
on an october afternoon
an idyllic scene
it welcomes the birds that come
and perch on its branches
each day
the birds convene
they chatter back and forth
the tree smiles
it loves them like children
and the birds have had their meeting
they fly of in a gathered flock
as though children of the wind
And the tree smiles once again
and bids them farewell ...for today
They will be back tomorrow
and the cycle will repeat
Shellie Sands
stands firm in its roots
it has stood there for many years
wind blows, rustling its leaves
still green leaves
splashed against
a perfect cerulean sky
on an october afternoon
an idyllic scene
it welcomes the birds that come
and perch on its branches
each day
the birds convene
they chatter back and forth
the tree smiles
it loves them like children
and the birds have had their meeting
they fly of in a gathered flock
as though children of the wind
And the tree smiles once again
and bids them farewell ...for today
They will be back tomorrow
and the cycle will repeat
Shellie Sands
Saturday, October 9, 2010
SL Viewers: What's the Deal, What do I Use, and Why
I was recently asked which Second Life viewers am I using. I decided to answer that in a note since it's sorta a long answer and it turned into an article.
I use two different computers when on Secondlife or other 3d platforms like ReactionGrid. They are both Windows based systems. One is a desktop HP with an AMD processor that was bought in 2006 but has upgraded hardware and many software tweaks to personalize and speed up processing. It has an NVidia graphics (9600) card and a Soundblaster Live sound card as well as 4 gigs of memory. My laptop is a Toshiba Satellite that I hook up to 32" monitor. The processor is about a year old and it has no extras but 2 gigs of memory. The laptop is what I use most for 3d platforms due to the processor being newer, which cuts down on lag
Everyone has their priorities when seeking a viewer. Gamers look for fast rezzing and stability as well as those little extra features that tickle their fancy. Builders and designers look for features beyond the norm but my main focus when reviewing is what the average user is looking for and that's fast rezzing and stability (crashes). Many do not realize that a computer's processor is what matters in order to have the best online experience with any 3d platform, not a video card (unless you're a gamer) but the processor. The more updated it is, the better your experience because you won't lag, you can take advantage of many viewer features and your graphics will leave you in awe.
I will not substitute stability and fast rezzing for anything else. If a viewer does not offer a step up process for rezzing, I know to lower, then gradually increase my distance for faster rezzing. I'm typically on high or ultra viewing but also lower it for rezzing when first entering a sim.
I use Snowglobe for shopping, riding my chopper and sometimes exploring because it's the fastest rezzing & most stable viewer. I use my Mystitools radar when viewer does not offer one like Snowglobe but a few sims disable or make radar scanning sleep due to lag contribution, which is a minor deficit with Snowglobe.
Snowglobe viewer http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Snowglobe
Ascent is one of my favorite viewers for clubbing because it has built in radar and the combined features of many viewers, yet is not as fast in rezzing as Snowglobe, if it was I'd stick with Ascent as my favorite viewer because it has all the features I want and more. Ascent Viewer http://viewerdirectory.secondlife.com/listing/show/listing_id/208
Imprudence and Phoenix, I use just to keep updated on their development and sometimes for building/teraforming, depending on my needs at the time. I do notice that both are slow at rezzing more than Snowglobe, especially with other avatars. I have to speed up avatar rezzing by switching my groups tag (this really works) but it still takes longer with Imprudence. I do notice that Phoenix is a little better than Imprudence with rezzing. A few of these new viewers share the previous Emerald viewer code but with small code changes like GUI.
Imprudence Viewer http://viewerdirectory.secondlife.com/listing/show/listing_id/184
Phoenix Viewer http://viewerdirectory.secondlife.com/listing/show/listing_id/209
As for other viewers, I used them for review/article purposes only and they have not impressed me. There is a new viewer out called The Dolphin Viewer, which is based on Snowglobe 1.5 source. It contains many fixes and enhancements for explorers they claim but I have yet to review this one but will soon. Dolphin Viewer info here http://dolphinviewer.eregion.de/download-and-install/
I'll restate that I do not trust any developer ever associated with the recently ceased Emerald project because I know their history and I'm not referring to the recent Emerald Gate but things before that, except for LordGregGreg Back. He had started his own project with the Emergence Viewer and I'm not sure what's up with that project but it seems kinda dead. I do suggest not using a viewer that isn't updated periodically. Greg has recently teamed up (again) with previous Emerald developers after having left them in the past due to creative differences, legalities and abuse (he stood up for himself and users, then resigned). I do wonder about the current Phoenix team (ex emerald + new developers) because their credibility is shot to say the least. If you want to risk your computer and your privacy then use Phoenix. The risk is much less now that the development team "should" be working with full disclosure (transparency). Linden Labs waited too long and gave them too much opportunity before they disqualified Emerald and the team, so I really don't trust Linden Labs in regards to monitoring 3rd party viewers. Linden Labs is accountable by US law to keep it's users safe from privacy invasion and infiltration but they've proven they take that too lightly in the past. Emergence Viewer http://viewerdirectory.secondlife.com/listing/show/listing_id/203
There is a viewer that is impresive and that's Kirstens, which is a high end viewer meant to be used for in dept photography and Machinima. It requires more computer resources than any other viewer and a technical savy user. If you can handle this viewer, I suggest you go for it but keep in mind, if you are not the above average user, stay away from it but it's well worth it if you can. The graphics alone will blow you away. Kirstens Viewer http://viewerdirectory.secondlife.com/listing/show/listing_id/116
I wish all the viewers had integrated multi media like LL viewer 2.0 for many reasons, that offer numerous benefits for advertising, education and avatar appearance. I am looking forward to the release of Snowstorm, which is a open source project with LL. It's sort of an upgrade of Snowglobe, which was the first open source project between LL and open source developers but with a GUI we are used to. Snowstorm will have features integrated from other favorite viewers as well as new additions and hopefully multi-media. Snowstorm viewer Wiki page http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Snowstorm_Project
(important) I just manually updated my viewers. Keep in mind that most don't have automatic updates and with all the new viewers out and LL constant updates, I suggest checking for viewer updates at least twice monthly. Check your viewer's version and the web sites current downloadable version.
- Linden Labs 3rd Party Viewer Directory http://viewerdirectory.secondlife.com/
- Linden Labs Wiki list of 3rd party viewers (not all are on the advertised list, nor is this list updated) http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Downloads
My favorites are in this order:
1. Snowglobe
2. Ascent
3. Phoenix
3. Kirstens
4. Imprudence
5. LL Viewer2.0
SammanthaS Nightfire
Friday, October 8, 2010
Amaretto Horses
I was out looking for a park the other day when I found myself in the middle of a herd of horses. They were near the path leading to Artis Natur, located at Reveleations (121/156/29). I must have arrived at dinner time because the horses were all whinnying and restless. When I spotted their owner, Freyja Nemeth, I decided to postpone my hike in order to talk to her.Freyja Nemeth and her partner, Ran Garrigus, have been raising Amaretto horses for about 3 weeks. The Amaretto horses have only been available for about a month, so Nemeth and Garrigus have gotten in on the ground floor of this newest addition to breedable SL animals. Between them they own about 22 horses.
Prior to raising horses, Nemeth raised Ozimal bunnies. The horses, she explained, are more complex, and serious breeders keep track of bloodlines and traits in order to try to breed more exotic horses. “Each horse has two genes for each trait,” she said, “so once you start breeding them, that's when you can get out rare coats that sell for lots of money. For example, a starter horse might be a golden Palomino. Some hidden traits are coats like Red Arabians or Silver/Black Mustangs. And they can also get special eyes like Diamond or Opal or upright or long manes instead of normal manes.”
The Amaretto horses vary widely in price. If purchased as a pack of 1 male and 3 females, the cost is about $3000L. At the auction houses or from private sellers, the cost can range from as low as $200L to as high $80,000L. Rare stallions have been known to cause bidding wars at the auctions, she said.
Her dapple grey, “Prosperina”, was a special limited edition horse and very pretty. Nemeth also has a foal who was born with aquamarine eyes, another special trait. The foal was just hours old when I saw her, but she’ll be mature in 7 days and be able to breed in about 4 months.
The horses can also be ridden, and Nemeth assured me they were gentle. She hopped up on “Branwen” to show me how the horses move. Because they are worn, they can be ridden in any location, which is a plus. Like RL horses, however, these SL horses must be fed and cared for on a regular basis. If they aren’t cared for and fed, they can get sick, which means vet bills, medicine, etc. Horse food costs about $200L/month. Saddles, bridles, and other accessories are also available.
The horses were fascinating, so I decided to visit a couple of auction houses. The first, Herdy's Auction Barn, located at Nantes (56, 117, 23), was packed with residents and horses. I just missed the live auction, but there were silent auctions going on continually. Owners place their horses in the stalls that line the barn, set a minimum bid, and wait for auction fever to hit. "Beck", a silver Arabian female had almost 3 hours remaining on her auction. A resident named A. Lupindo (a distant cousin maybe?) had bid $10,000L, but he or she had been outbid. When I left, the high bid was $12,500L.
At Red Barn Horses, located at Lighthouse Oasis (196, 121, 301), horses filled a couple of barns and row and after row of outside corrals. Auctions are held every morning there. Signs were posted to explain the rules and how the auctions work, which was helpful.
For more information about Amaretto horses, check out http://amarettobreedables.com But if horses and bunnies aren’t your thing, just wait. The rumor around SL is that kittens are one the way.
Grey Lupindo
Sunday, October 3, 2010
SL Fiction: Walk Into the Water
He walked toward their beach house, the one he and Deborah had worked so hard to get. It was still hard to believe, after all the years of work, of saving and planning that they had finally made their dream a reality. The house on the beach, the 42 foot schooner moored to the dock, everything was perfect. Deborah, his true love and wife of 19 years, by his side, fulfilling everything he could have ever desired in a partner. He had never before been this content with his life. “Surfing,” he though to himself, “I think I’ll go surfing today.”
The sounds of the waves licking at the pier were in perfect sync with the gulls singing overhead. The breeze, out of the west, was soft and gentle on his face. He loved the smell of the salty air, it reminded him of family vacations at the coast when he was a child. But the coast where he and his parents would trek to during the hot Texas summers was nothing like this. Here, the sand wasn’t gray, but white, and delicate and pristine; the water not the sea green of the gulf, but a beautiful azure blue ocean, clear and crystalline.
He scooped his feet through the soft clean sand as he walked, relishing the sensations. He wanted the passing of time to freeze at this very moment, to seal and preserve forever this feeling, this moment, this wonderful sense of contentment. He would be happy to live in this moment and in this place for the rest of his life. “Heaven…this must be what Heaven is like,” he mused.
“Dad?” it was his daughter.
“Good Morning, Princess!”
Heather was almost 15 now, and had been begging to start driving lessons this summer, but the thought of her behind the wheel terrified him. In fact, the thought of driving period – had become unnerving to him. Maybe it was old age creeping in, or the increasingly dimming memory of hectic city driving, exchanged now for their life here on the island, where walking, biking and sailing were the only needed modes of transportation. The thought of Heather going away to college, and having to drive the treacherous highways, cars and trucks recklessly flying by and at her at breakneck speeds…he shivered.
“Princess, I’ve been thinking…about the driving lessons. I think, maybe, we should wait a little bit…maybe another year before…”
“Mom!” she shouted. “Why do we always have to remind him? Every time! It’s getting old.”
“Dad, walk into the water with me.” She waded out into the ocean defiantly, and then suddenly dropped under the surface.
“Heather!” He ran in, small explosions of foamy water flying out from under his feet, until she popped back up.
“Heather, that’s not funny! You scared the heck out of me.” They walked slowly back to shore, his arm wrapped around her shoulder.
“Dad, look.” she spoke softly now.
“What?” a smile returning to his face.
“Your pants, your shoes, your socks…see? See them? Geez.”
“Hey, I like these pants! And these are the shoes that…” he stopped.
“Dry? I’m…dry. But…”
Deborah’s voice broke into the growing awkward silence, “It’s the software glitch, Honey, we should have it fixed soon, I told you that already. You need to be patient, and stop shutting down at night like I told you. Now go get ready for school and let me talk with you dad.”
Deborah was now beside him, looking amazing. She always looked amazing. She was wearing a yellow sundress and sandals, and like the sun itself, radiated warmth and beauty from her hair, her eyes, her fingers. She was gorgeous, her long auburn hair waving gently with the ocean breeze. She rarely wore makeup or jewelry; she didn’t need it, and he loved that about her.
Still, after 19 years, there wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t remind himself how lucky he was to have won her heart. He could have easily become one of those sad middle-aged men he used to see on business trips; unhappy with their spouse, pitifully and always unsuccessfully seeking illicit happiness with a waitress or a stranger in hotel lounges. They reminded him of desperate salmon, fighting the ruthless currents of time and reality, looking for a one night spawn.
“Software glitch…Deb, What are you talking about?” he chuckled, waiting for the joke.
“John, the upgrades should be available within a month or two, until then I’ll keep trying to make sure Heather doesn’t shut down at night unless…oh, wow, this is…” there was a disquieting despair creeping into her words. “I hate to keep having to tell you.”
“Tell me what? Deb, what is it?” his brow furrowed by his sincere confusion.
“John, once the upgrades come, you’ll be able to remember everything from the previous sessions. It’s just that, for now I have to tell you every…”
“Sessions? Deb, what’s going on? Where did Heather go? Tell me what?!” His frustration always seemed to reach a new high each time she went through this. It concerned her that it was beginning to turn to anger. She didn’t want Heather to see him like this, to spoil her memories of him.
“Heather had to sign out, she’ll be late for school again. She’ll be back online later.” she sighed.
“Deb…I don’t understand…”
“John…Baby, try to remember…the accident.”
“Accident?” his voice trembled.
“Yes, Baby. Six months ago. Try to remember, John. I hate this. They said that the AI interface-software-patch-thingy would fix this. What a waste of money. I should have just waited for the upgrade, but they said the patch would allow you uninterrupted access to the MARM data, without rebooting, but…
“Wait! MARM? The ‘MARM’ data? That was the mind and memory mapping program we did together in June. I…I remember. Memory, augmented…reality…module. MARM, that’s right isn’t it?”
“Good, baby. Yes, that’s right. That’s good. We did the baseline mind mapping together, the whole family. John…do you remember…the accident?” she waited.
“Rain,” he felt the blood drain from his face. “It was raining and I was late. The meeting in Portland,” his mind raced backwards. “I…I wanted to drive instead of flying. But…oh…” he felt sick. “God…please help me.”
“It’s OK, John. It’s over now.”
“No! I remember now, spinning out of control and…the truck, the semi…it was just there, in front of me, barreling at…me. Then…” he stopped as his mind replayed the sound of metal twisting, steel scraping against steel, glass shattering. He heard himself screaming, and then, the sickening smell of gasoline, of smoke, of intolerable heat, singeing his nostrils. He started to weep.
“I know baby. I know it’s hard, John, but it’s over now.”
“But,” he looked over his body; his perfect body, without scar, without blemish. He was lean and muscular and…perfect. “But, I…”
“John, your mind mapping data…your thoughts, your memories, your emotions…the essence of who you were…you’re still here. We created this sim, Heather and I, from the data you uploaded, so we could be together, and…”
“Were? I…I’m…” he stopped himself from saying the inevitable. Then silence. She knew it usually took him about 30 seconds from this point. She waited.
“I died? I’m dead? God, please help me…I died. This isn’t real? This isn’t real.”
“Baby, it is real. It is you. Don’t lose control, don’t let go of that thought, stay with me. John, everything that made you a person, everything that made you who you were is still here. You’re here. We can still be together.” she tried to reassure him, but she didn’t know what “being together” meant anymore.
“But, Deb, it’s not real, this isn’t real - none of it. The beach, our home…it’s…what is it…a simulation? This is all virtual…I’m not real…I’m…a program? I’m a damn software program?!”
“No. John it’s more than that, a lot more.”
“Dear God…help me.” his plea was desperate and sincere. Then, as if in answer, there was a sound, a cry…a baby.
“John, I’m so sorry, but I have to run. I have to get the baby ready, and my small group meeting at church is in 20 minutes, then I’m supposed to run over to see your mom, and..”
“Baby…our baby?”
“John, I can’t do this again now. We’ll talk later, ok? I’ll be home about three-thirty. We’ll do something fun. Hang gliding or dancing at that weird Jazz club you like.”
“But…we had our baby? I don’t…”
“John, I have to shut down the computer again. I’m so sorry, but the cleaning people will be here today, and I don’t want the computer on when they’re around. So, I need to shut down, ok?”
“Wait. Shut down? What happens when you shut down?” he felt all of his breath being sucked out of him, gasping for air, for clarity, for…hope. He was terrified.
“Nothing happens, Baby. Just sleep. Go to sleep, and we’ll be together before you know it.”
“Deborah…I love you.” he heard his voice crack under the strain.
“I love you too, John. I miss you so much.”
“But, I’m right here…right?”
“Sleep, Baby,” she whispered.
The tears started to flow down her face now, the salty pools already blurring her vision of him. She forced herself to reach for the mouse. She’d already learned to do it quickly. Not to listen at this point, to go into autopilot. She clicked START, SHUT DOWN. Open programs began to close, the sequence would only take 30 seconds.
“God, please help me,” he whispered. He closed his eyes and began to pray.
By FoxM Ember
Originaly printed in Second Life Newspaper
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