Sometimes I want to hide

Many times when I am in SL I am working. Usually I am trying to do 17 things at once because I have a deadline to meet. You see, time gets away from me and more often than not I am behind and scrambling to get things done.

I think it would be great if I could log in an not be visible to my friends list, the members of every group to which I belong and anyone who happens to look up my profile. I could log in, quietly get my work done and then be social when the writing is finished. Yes, I have an alt and I could pass all the notecards, LMs, invites I need to write my events posts to my alt, I suppose. But, it would be so much easier if I could just turn the IMs off and put my nose to the grindstone and crank it out.

Please go here and vote yes on the JIRA that asks LL to allow us to login as "invisible to all" from the login window. Thanks.

In the meantime if I am late answering your IM or I am short it is because I am working. I don't mean any disrespect, honestly.

On Personal Responsibility and Second Life

Here are today's (not very well though out) random observations, centering around the theme of personal responsibility.

Chicken drama - Sion Zaius built up one of the greatest pyramid schemes in SL. His own a bad policy combined with emotional lashing out may have crumbled this brilliant money making scheme.

I have no problem with Sion screwing up his own business - people make poor decisions and pay the price financially a lot. I do feel for the people who thought they could create their own business selling eggs and associated chickeny goods in the Sion aftermarket. The whole chicken empire always felt a bit shaky to me. It seemed inevitable that one way or another the Sion chicken party would be over. Perhaps it is over now or perhaps not. One thing is certain though -- people are distrustful of the future of the virtual chicken. Cluck, cluck.

***

I don't know Mystical Cookie personally but I have friends who live on her estate and who have been justifiably upset because of her mysterious disappearance. I fully support Mysti's right to personal privacy and I don't think she really owes the world an explanation for her 6 month absence from the grid. At the same time, I do think that a simple email could have saved many people great heartache.

I am happy Mysti has returned to the people who love her and to her very successful businesses. (I love my Mysti tool and look forward to future updates!) Still, Mysti's hiatus got me thinking about personal responsibility to others and how that sometimes can be in conflict with our own need for personal privacy.

***

What I wonder is how do people balance their own needs against those of their customers? How do business owners like Sion, Mysti and even Linden Lab think through the downstream impacts of their own actions? The events of this week reinforce that business owners act in ways that are self interested and customers sometimes suffer. This is not exactly surprising but it is a little disheartening.

The distance between avatar and human and the anonymous nature of our virtual lives inserts an added layer of complexity and uncertainty into business relationships. For me, things like mysterious 6 month disappearances serve to reinforce an uneasiness about some types of internet based relationships.

Who Creates Content?

I normally think of content creators as people who make things or provide services in SL for which I am willing to hand over Lindens. Lately I have been thinking that this is a very limiting way to talk about "content."

Certainly designers, builders, artists and musicians are content creators. Then again, people who stage events are content creators. So are those of us who write about our virtual lives as are those who photograph our world. Every single one of us who creates an avatar and spends time in world is creating the content of a virtual life. Community and friendships are what keep me coming back to SL and those things are the "content" I value most.

So who creates SL content? We all do.

Mixed Reality Montreal Musicians Meetup!

Montreal Musicians Meetup Streaming Schedule July 25th

All shows will be one hour in length and hosted by the musicians listed. The LM for the venue as well as the stream address are included just in case the sim fills up and you wish to listen on Winamp.

8:00am SLT Bosco Contantine
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sterling%20Vineyard/32/178/39
url: http://76.73.86.124:8104

8:30am SLT Wren Hartunian
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Xtream%20Hotspot/248/186/24
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Arctic%20Circle/8/208/24
url: http://76.73.78.244:8008

9:30am SLT Shannon O'Herlihy
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Nitida/239/102/228
url: http://76.73.86.124:8104

10:00am SLT JellyJellyJelly Benelli
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Sterling%20Vineyard/32/178/39
http://TheStreamteam1.serverroom.us:4166

11:00am SLT Loran Andretti
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Xtream%20Hotspot/248/186/24
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Arctic%20Circle/8/208/24
url: http://76.73.86.124:8104

11:30am SLT Mimi Carpenter
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Isere/192/146/351
http://TheStreamteam1.serverroom.us:4166

12:30pm SLT Maximillion Kleene
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Wichi/90/219/22
url: http://76.73.86.124:8104

1;00pm SLT Tamra Sands
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Nitida/239/102/228
http://TheStreamteam1.serverroom.us:4166

4:00pm SLT Mash Rhodes
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Isere/192/146/351
url: http://76.73.86.124:8104

4:30pm SLT Montrealer Moody
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Tanglewood/233/216/21
http://TheStreamteam1.serverroom.us:4166

5:30pm SLT FunkyFreddy Republic
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Xtream%20Hotspot/248/186/24
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Arctic%20Circle/8/208/24
url: http://76.73.86.124:8104

6:00pm SLT Jase Branner
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Wichi/90/219/22
http://TheStreamteam1.serverroom.us:4166

7:00pm SLT Montian Gilruth
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Xtream%20Hotspot/248/186/24
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Arctic%20Circle/8/208/24
url: http://76.73.86.124:8104

7:30pm SLT Norris Shepherd
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Wichi/90/219/22
http://TheStreamteam1.serverroom.us:4166

Off the grid fun! My trip to Eastern Europe

The one advantage of a window seat is being able to take the obligatory photo of NYC from the plane. (This is a photo heavy post. Click through for larger views of the pictures.)

Ukraine is a really interesting place and I enjoyed my time there. There is something amazingly wonderful about seeing this country in the early years of its democratic development. We visited historic places, observed an open air mass in the shadow of the golden domes of the Ukrainian Orthodox church, climbed around in underground caves which housed the preserved bodies of priests, we visited synagogues that dated back hundreds of years, walked through the ruins of a castle and listened to a man play the balalaika in a park. We were lucky enough to spend time with local people some of whom are supportive of the Ukraine joining the European Union and others who think Ukraine would be better off if it returned to its roots with Russia. It was an enlightening visit that gave me a lot to think about.

I have hundreds of images to sort and edit so I am picked a few random photos to share here. These images are not the best but please bear in mind they are straight out of the camera with no post processing at all.







We left Ukraine and crossed the border into Poland. The border crossing took over 3 hours, which apparently is considered to be an easy crossing. We heard stories from people who said it took them 7 hours. Apparently there is a lot of smuggling and the border is a very serious, sort of frightening place.

On the way to Krakow we visited the secret death camp at Belzec, a place where 500,000 people were gassed by the Nazis. Most of these people were Jews but gypsies, mentally ill people, gay people and many others were also killed at this place. People were marched off train cars, stripped of clothing and property and then were sent straight to the gas chambers. After they were gassed the bodies were burned on huge pyres. The memorial on the site is a moving work of art that conjures up images of what it must have been like for the people to march from the trains to the chambers. We don't know for sure but it is likely that Belzec is the spot where much of my family died. It is impossible for me to describe what I felt when I was there. I am still trying to figure it out.

We spent a few days in Krakow which is an amazing city. There is great art, much history to explore, free music everywhere and the food was unbelievably good. Where else can you get reindeer perogi while sitting on a huge square where there are street mimes performing next to Polish kids doing hip hop? Seriously.

Anyway, here are a few more pictures.




It was great to be off the grid for a while. I am happy to be back with things to think about and memories to savor. It is probably going to take me a few days to get back in the swing of things, judging by my inability to get off the couch today. Jetlag is the price you pay for a lifetime of memories I guess.

One Important Thing Before I Go

I got a note from my friend White Lebed about an exhibit she is curating called Soleil at AngelGate. White always pulls together great art so please make sure you go to enjoy the opening party and the fantastic art.

When: Opening Party July 11th at 10am

Music: 10am Improvisation by AldoManutio Abruzzo
11am Rock covers and original songs by Edward Kyomoon

Where: http://slurl.com/secondlife/AngelGate/89/98/651

From White's Notecard:

Almost every art work you will see is new and not seen before. Most were created specifically for the show. The artists were asked to make art reflecting all possible intepretations of the theme, "the Soleil". You will see many intersting and unique artworks that this theme has inspired. The level of creativity of our artists is amazing. There are many names you will already know - they have participated in many events around the grid and are regular exhibitors at Angelgate shows. You will also have a chance to discover some new artists making their debute in the SL art scene and some very rare exhibiting artists.

Here is the list of the artists and the artworks (in the order they appear from the bottom up)

GARY KOHIME - The Future of Color
SPIRAL WALCHER - Beyone Violet Symphony
COLEMARIE SOLEIL - The Watcher, Where are You
SAIWUN YOSHIKAWA - 3 Strip_Multi_15/15/2009_sou
SPECIAL JEWELL - Terra Egypta 2, Terra Egypta 3, Terra Egypta 4, Terra Egypta 1
PIXELS SIDEWAYS - AG-F-Summer in the City - Pixel
FILTHY FLUNO - Filthy Complete, #1/3 AngelGate
CORCOSMAN VOOM - In The Sunshine In The Rain
MORGANA NAGORSKI - Glowing, Alone, Wearing Violator, She Hasn't Come Out To Play For Such A Long Time, Feathered
XENOPHILE NEUROCAM - Xenophile Neurocam - dendrite.potential
POID MAHOVLICH - Solen til jorden
BF2 SHEPHERD - Isis Egyptian Goddess WW Fountains
BLUNT FHANG - 1-09-08m black
CHARLES ROSENTHAL - Soleil Charles Rosenthal v.2
JIMMY DEBRUYERE - Polished Fish
FEATHERS BOA - Sand, Sea, Sun (3D)
YABUSAKA LOON - Sculpture " Yin Yang"
NESSUNO MYOO - MechanicalKnight
WHITE LEBED - If an Art Gallery could dream about a summer vacation...
SUNN THUNDERS - Fusion Sculpture, 6/2009
ARTISTIDE DESPRES - Soleil d'Or
ZHORA MAYNARD - Mirror by Zhora Maynard
SASUN STEINBECK - Texture Picker 1 Prim, Morph Sculpture v14
ALIZARIN GOLDFLAKE - Sunrise Sunset
KOLOR FALL - Chromosphere
DOROTHY URVILAN - "Take me back to the garden of love"
TALIA TOKUGAWA - Soleil Renaissance
SOROR NISHI - sorors branch
UB YIFU - Sun's birth
SHELLINA WINKLER - DAWN AND SUNSET - DAWN, SAWN AND SUNSET - SUNSET
SOLKIDE AUER - Mi ritorni in mente.
SAPPHORIA SHILOVA - "can only dream of Soleil", "worship the idea of Soleil", "C'est Moi Soleil"
OBERON ONMURA - Heat
MISO SUSANOWA - The Alchemist's Table
STARHEART ERDHEIN - Star Portal, Wings of Promise, Chariot of Ra
ADAM RAMONA - Stella Sonice
GLYPH GRAVES - Memories of Summer

When you arrive using the landmark above you will see the first floor filled with art work. On this floor and above many of the art sculptures are interactive - they react to avatar presence by making sounds or rezzing something as part of the presentation. Consider walking closer - if you just cam around you will give you only part of the effect our artists have created.

After you examine the first floor, please walk up the staircase. Each step has an art work made by the artist whose name you see on the step. Clicking on a step will give you information, bio, and artists' statements.

Once you reach the top of the stairs you will enter our Events area. This is where the Opening Event will be held on July 11th. This is a very unusual event area - the whole room is designed specifically for this show by one of the most acclaimed SL artists, Glyph Graves. He is well known for making beautiful, vibrant, unusual installations. For the Soleil he created not just a room - it is a different world. Again, I strongly suggest walking in as opposed to camming up - you will see how being inside affects your mood and feelings.

To emphasise this effect, during the opening, July 11th, we will enjoy a very special performance by AldoManutio Abruzzo, an amazing professional musician (Dennis Moser in RL) known for his music improvisations. He visited the events area and agreed that this wonderful art installation will inspire him to play something special - his music will be the 37th art piece of the show, only existing for one hour. He is generously donating his peformance to AngelGate Arts to support the future of creating art events like the Soleil.

The opening celebration will be continuted by another live music performance. Edward Kyomoon sings rock music and love songs ranging from the 60's to the present, covering bands and artists such as the Doors, Pink Floyd, Blue October, Snow Patrol and Nine Inch Naiils. He also shares his own original music. He will perform from 11AM till Noon. His concert is another generous donation to support Angelgate non-profit organization art programs .

Vacation

I have been scrambling around trying to get ready to leave on vacation. I have about a million and one RL obligations I need to take care of, including everything from packing, leaving cooked meals so my kids don't starve because my husband would feed them frozen pizza every day, to getting a bunch of shots that I am told will protect me from serious illnesses but in the short term have succeeded in making me feel like -- haha-- typhoid Mary. On top of everything else it seems clear from the pain in my head I have a brutal sinus infection so off to the Doctor for the 3rd time in a week. Let me tell you, this overseas vacation is starting to feel like work.

In any case, I will be away. Far away. In a place where they use the Cyrillic alphabet and I will be unable to read street signs or restaurant menus. At least I had the typhoid shot so I can go to the market and point to fruit to eat. My sister and cousin will be with me so we will bond over being strangers in our ancestral homeland.

I will be bringing a netbook to keep in touch with the office but I have no idea if I will have reliable internet service. I will likely not be inworld but I will be checking email a little if I can. See you all in about 2 weeks.

NoH8 by Trace Osterham

Taken by Trace Osterham for the NOH8 SL Campaign. When re-posting this image, please always link back to www.noh8sl.com. Go see the entire exhibit. Teleport from here.

Open This End -- A Virtual Art Experience

The other evening I got an invite to check out Open This End which is a gallery housing everything from SL photography to large scale interactive art pieces. This is going to be something of a drive by post as I am getting ready to go hiking today, but I did want to encourage people to visit.

I love to be able to play with art. For some reason knocking prims about and watching them react to what I do makes me smile every time.



I did not have time to get through everything there is to see at Open This End so I will be returning. I also did not have time to take down the name of the artists so I could attribute all of the wonderful work I am posting to tempt you. I apologize but sometimes the outdoors calls and today is such a day.

Happy 4th of July to those of you who celebrate.

Explore Lollygagger Lane and Participate in the 'Into the Wild Hunt'

Do you ever get sick of the ubiquitous SL palm tree beach? Do you ever think "If I see one more shop, club, fantasy garden, or dang chicken coop or I am going to scream." No? I guess it is just me then.

Anyway, Lollygagger Lane is a great place to visit if you have a sense of humor and want to explore the grittier side of SL. Wander around and you will find funky shopping, off the wall freebies, dancing, places to hang out with the friendly and interesting people who live and play here. Don't piss them off because I have a feeling they know something about dark magic. Not too sure about that, but it is a good idea to be respectful anywhere you go, right?


The textures and builds at Lollygagger Lane are first rate, if a little run down. There are shops where you can buy much of what you see. A word to the wise -- be careful where you sit.


If you are a Zyngo fan you can play here. It looked like there were some sweet payouts too.


The Lollygaggers will be sponsoring a fun hunt and I wanted you all to know about it. The hunt is called Into the Wild and is inspired by the Chris McCandless story. (If you have not read Into the Wild by Jon Krakaur I encourage you to do so. ) Here is the notecard the Lollygaggers sent me:

HELP! Bertha the Blow up Doll and Baltoro Haystack had a falling out. In her drunken state she hopped in the bus, hot wired it and drove off DRUNK! We do not condone drinking and driving. But that is besides the point. Baltoro's home and free sex is gone.

We need your help in locating the bus. What is in it for you, you might be asking right about now.

Well, there are 21 items to find that are located around the grid (freebies). These items will have clues to the next location of the next item and finally to the location of the bus.

The first three people to find all the items and will receive a cash reward for finding the bus and the rest of you get some pretty nice freebies that we made especifically for this. That is right, new freebies, never before seen in SL!

The items you find you put in the content folder of the backpack that you will have to find in the beginning of the hunt on lollygagger lane.

1st place - 3500 lindens
2nd place 1000 lindens
3rd place - 500 lindens
142nd placed person to complete the hunt will receive 2400 lindens.

After a week we will announce the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners as well as the 142nd person.

The Hunt begins on July 8th at 12 Noon SL TIME (PST)


Sincerely,

The Lollygaggers

Lollygagger Lane is a great place to explore and you can get there by clicking here.