Blogger Mix and Match

If you read a lot of SL blogs you probably have already heard about the Mix and Match some of us are doing. A large group of us submitted topics to Vint Falken and ArminasX Saiman who then mixed up the topics and the people and we are all writing for each other's blogs. I rarely participate in things like this mostly because I am always sure my work would not be up to the standard of the group. For some reason I was feeling adventurous and signed up. You can ready my post over on Danni Matzk's blog here.

So, I ask you, is it intimidating to have one of the organizers of this fun game be the person to post on my blog? A little, perhaps. More than anything I am flattered that Armin wrote the fun post below. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Visions of SL in Five Years

This is my entry into the first annual SL Blogger's Mix'n Match event. The random draw specified the topic, "Visions of SL in Five Years" as suggested by SL Blogger(s) Rik / Osiris Pfalz of Stories From Another Life, and further that my article be posted to Chestnut's blog right here.

You may not know me, but I usually write on my blog, Second Effects, typically about doing business in Second Life, but also about the deeper meaning of reality in our virtual world. I often think about this particular topic, and in fact recently started writing a series of articles entitled, "Second Life: 2015 AD" in which we follow a day in the life of an avatar years from now. I don't want to rewrite that post here, so I'm taking a completely different path.

For this article I managed to bend time and space to yank an avatar from late 2013 briefly into current day 2008 so that I might pose a series of critically important questions. While I must hide the avatar's answers due to timelord dimensional regulations against paradoxes, I am permitted write my reaction to them.

My Question: Is the Linden Dollar still the currency of virtual worlds? Or are there other currencies?
My Reaction to the answer: That many? Sheesh.

Q: Does the standard Second Life viewer finally run properly on a typical machine?
R: That's about what I figured.

Q: Is Philip's hair any better? The avatar's, I mean! His RL hair is just fine, or at least it was 5 years previously.
R: Hmph.

Q: When did the complaints about OpenSpace pricing cease? Or did they ever stop?
R: That long? OMG!

Q: Where is M Linden employed?
R: He's doing What!??? With who? OMG.

Q: Can we partner with multiple avatars? (No, that's not MY question, it's for someone else. Yeah!)
R: I see, except California, right?

Q: Is Obama on the grid?
R: Just Senator Eshi? Ok, got it.

Q: When did the Linden dollar meet par with the US$? Am I rich? Poor?
R: Sigh.

Q: Did freebies completely destroy the in-world economy?
R: Ok, Ok! Stop hitting me!

Q: Is Vint Falken's human still hawt at age 30?
R: I understand. When is the due date?

Q: How easy is it to buy skin, shape and hair that looks exactly like your RL counterpart? Can you look any famous person?
R: They COPYRIGHTED that? OMG.

Q: Who is the in-world Prime Minister of the Virtual Worlds Parliament?
R: I would never vote for a guy in a white suit like that!

Q: Can we buy cheap and effective (and robust) teledildonics equipment at Wal-Mart?
R: Oh boy oh boy oh boy! Er, um. Yes, I see.

Q: Does Second Life still have the largest grid? If not, whose grid is the largest?
R: But, but ... they make Hamburgers, for god's sake!

Q: Does Queen Haley rule TE?
R: Only the green parts? What?

Q: Who owns Linden Lab?
R: Yeah, that outfit buys EVERYTHING!

Q: How many cats does Crap Mariner have in 2013?
R: I guess in that case he'll need another 40 lbs of kitty litter,

Q: Will griefers go to prison?
R: You got to be kidding - a fenced-in, run-down trailer? That's the silliest thing I've ever heard!

Q: Did NBC pick up the "Dating Casino" game show?
R: Two Emmys? Wow! I suppose she'll be hosting the Academy Awards next year, Haha. Oh. Really? You're kidding me!

Q: What happens to me? Is there anything I should know about?
R: D'oh! (slaps side of head)

And with that, the unnamed avatar from the future suddenly disappeared into a twisty vortex leading back to the strange and unknowable virtual world of 2013.