World of SL

The Daleks

2008-05-12T04:32:26+00:00

*grumble* What is it now? Daleks? Oh great. Fine fine fine... I'll handle it... Okay, boys, let's just have a little robot y robot discussion here, okay? Yeah, you've had your day, exterminate this and exterminate that, but have you really managed to exterminate much besides opportunities to take over the universe? You guys really, really suck at this business of conquest. I'm thinking it's that prune-boy Davros. What you need, hear me out here, is a new leader. Someone that thinks like you. Knows what you've gone through. A robot, perhaps? I wouldn't mind submitting my own grid-conquest credentials if you wanted to review them, perhaps sit down and lay out a 13-step plan for obliterating all organic life on the grid, and so on. And unlike me, well, you have no covetous streak towards shoe shopping. Although with all those tits on your shell there, I guess you'll be burning up the registers at Last Call. But that's besides the point... how about we meet for lunch back at the clocktower at 2PM SLT, go over a few things, compare goals, and perhaps we can come to some kind of arrangement. Maybe I can get you some better medical... I won't bother with dental, since you don't have teeth, but perhaps extended warranties and on-site service through Dell? Would that make you guys happier? I thought so. Okay, well, I gotta go... yeah, yeah... Daphne says there's some great boots for 100L a pair and I just gotta see.

David and Kim's awesome wedding dance!

2008-05-12T03:12:02+00:00

Here's some not-very-clear video of my friends David "ShortyDave" Jacoby and Kim Frey during their beautiful wedding dance. They were wedded in a lovely multi-cultural ceremony this past Friday in Manhattan. I'm so honored I got to share this special moment with them. I love all the little moments in their dancing when their individual personalities come out.

The band is the amazing Paul Tillotson Love Trio performing "You Are My Sunshine."

Fox Noise Channel - At it Again

2008-05-12T02:46:49+00:00

Rupert Murdoch, owner of Fox Noise is a lying jackass and is damaging humanity with false news that is broadcast nationally and internationally. 110% of the time Fox Noise is lying, so anything they report on Fox Noise is NOT TRUTH. Fox Noise is fictional news designed to make rich white conservatives richer.

EDIT: those bitches on Fox Noise can't even get their embed video code right....
here's the link to the video.

I think the funniest line in the video: "You, as the participant can CHOOSE to get raped"

----
From www.Your2ndPlace.com
by Ciaran Laval on Sun, 05/11/2008 - 13:55. SecondLife
"Fox news are carrying a story about the dangers of Second Life for children.
The headline "Does the Internet site Second Life pose a risk for kids?".
Here's a tip for Fox news and Mark Kirk who wants to issue a warning. Second Life main grid is 18+.... READ MORE "

VOGART Red Jacquard Skirt

2008-05-12T01:30:33+00:00

Today i was running around the beautiful Costa Rica sims with exploding volcanoes and thunderstorms and being thoroughly impressed by the quality build. I started the day dressed for cooler climes - with this stunningly rich red jacquard skirt from VOGART and the nubby tights from pochette. I tossed on a leather jacket with this camisole underneath in case it got warmer and it sure did. Costa Rica was steamy so I lost the jacket. The shoes, though, were sturdy enough for hiking through the rainforest. All in all, a beautiful day. More photos and style notes at It’s Only Fashion.

;)

2008-05-12T00:09:41+00:00

While in Phil’s Place, I usually wear heels as much as I can. I love heels in both worlds and the fact that I don’t get virtual blisters makes me love them even more. However, every once in awhile it is fun to switch it up and wear flats. I decided to share with ya’ll my three favorite pair of flats-in no particular order

The first pair of flats are the “Funny Girl” flats from Periquita. These have been blogged a few times before, but they are so great they deserved to be blogged again. The pointed toe on them is fabulous, and all the colors they come in are absolutely yummy. I have the red (pictured) and cyan, so far, but buying more colors is always a possibility!

The second pair of flats is the “Scultpted Ballet Flats” from Surf Co. These flats are simple and easy to dress up and down. They come with a set with buttons (pictured) or without.

The third and final pair of flats come from Veschi. They are simply named “Flats.” The best part about this particular pair of flats is that they are color changable. For one low price, you can have a pair of flats to go with every outfit.

While this post is about shoes, I just have to mention the dress pictured. While shopping in Big Booty Big Money the other day, I felt the urge to wonder. I usually don’t wonder because this often ends in impulse buys. This dress is one, but I love it! This dress is from DP Serendipity, which was a couple of doors down from BBBM. The dress is called “Ame-OdeKake” and the coloring is so much fun.

There you have it, three great choices for flats. If you feel like standing on some flatter ground, head on over to Periquita, Surf Co, or Veschi and get you a pair! Visit http://aliltherapy.wordpress.com/ for full photo credits.

Xoxo,

Tiffer GG

[...]

Mother's Day

2008-05-11T23:32:32+00:00

Since 2005, there's been one lass kittycat to sign the Mother's Day card I give to the Mrs. Um... I won't tell Nardo if you don't, okay?

Shuless - Episode One

2008-05-11T23:21:00+00:00

How It Began

by Iona Nikolaidis

Hello, dear reader. My name is Iona Nikolaidis. I am an avatar in Second Life, and this is the story of how I came to meet a fellow avatar named Alexandra Shu. This blog is an effort to get her out of my head. This is not my choice, but if I don't take some action I feel like I will drown. Because although Iona is not real, the person behind the curtain is, and that person is suffering.

How's that for foreshadowing?

The idea for this blog was forged over drinks at the Yellow Dog Tavern in Baltimore, Maryland, where I (the operator of Iona) live with my partner and our children. I am a lesbian. That's enough background, for now.

And so begins the story of how I came to meet Alexandra Shu. But first, a statement about what this blog is not. This blog is not intended to "out" anyone's real life identities, including mine. I will never, ever do that. Despite everything that has transpired, I don't hate Alex. Not in the least. I want nothing more than for her to be happy. Well, maybe I want her to talk to me more....but I don't think that will happen. So because I wasn't done talking, I will blog.

Now, Caveat Bloggor.... certain names and "facts" will be changed to protect the guilty (that's me).

Prologue

Like many lesbians of my generation, my partner, who I will call French Fry, and I wanted to have a "family," meaning the two kids and dog that everyone else has. After I successfully became pregnant with and gave birth to our son, who I will call Owen, French Fry tried to become pregnant. This, alas, did not happen. As is the advantage lesbian couples have (some might say the only advantage, but not me), I was able to attempt once again to bring home the baby bacon. And so it began. I had a miscarriage in April 2005, followed by another, more significant miscarriage in December 2006. You know the kind, where you go in for what you think will be a happy sonogram confirming the life growing within you, but turns out to be the worst news you could have gotten.....followed by the worst procedure you could have done to you (that would be the D & C). Talk about a pain in the ass. I don't know if you, dear reader, have gone through fertility issues, but I can assure you, they do indeed wreak havoc on the best of relationships, let alone those that require work.

And so I stood, seemingly alone, in the months following my miscarriage, which occured a few days before Christmas in 2006. Merry Christmas! I know you wanted a new iPod, but why don't you take this horribly painful experience instead?!

I wanted to die. I wanted to die even more when my doctor thoughtfully told me that my dead baby was male. All I could picture was my son, Owen, dead. I know what my son looks like. I hated, hated, hated everyone.

I slept-walked through life for a few months, seemingly oblivious to New Years, Groundhog Day (well, I probably would have missed that anyway), Valentine's Day. French Fry, who is a teacher in a public school, comes into regular contact with the youth of today (unlike me, a lawyer, who rarely runs into anyone younger than 40). It was she who told me about this brave new world, Second Life, where you could go and create your own person, your own reality. Because I was desperately out of touch with my reality (or, perhaps more correctly, because my reality had been reduced to the loss of this pregnancy), it sounded like a good deal. Yes, therapy would have been a better option, in retrospect. But I was bitter! Anywhere I could go to get away from the pain I felt would work for me. And, I had played The Sims. I managed to set my dude on fire in The Sims, but still....

So, I signed up. And Iona Nikolaidis was born on St. Patrick's Day, 2007. I remember the day distinctly. My partner's parents, who, like most in-laws (regardless of the sexual orientation of the [...]

May 11th RCAF Dogfight Photographs

2008-05-12T00:12:41+00:00

May 11th RCAF Dogfight Test Flight

2008-05-12T00:03:46+00:00

Stability Evident

2008-05-11T22:03:34+00:00

SL crashed on me a little while ago and will not let me log back in. I was hoping to stop by the relaycasting / "piggyback streaming" party that Wishing Lane and Chaos Noyes were throwing but it looks like that is not going to happen. I guess I'll, you know, go outside or something.

Don't you just love getting that login window with all the pretty messages from the blog telling you what's been broken most recently?

"The Adventures of Dolmere Talamasca" - "Stability Evident" »

The main grid is 18+

2008-05-11T21:55:26+00:00

Fox news are carrying a story about the dangers of Second Life for children.

The headline "Does the Internet site Second Life pose a risk for kids?".

Here's a tip for Fox news and Mark Kirk who wants to issue a warning. Second Life main grid is 18+. No if's, no but's, no why's, no wherefores. Kids should not be on the main grid. Kids are not welcome on the main grid. Kids are lying to get on the main grid. Why oh why is it so hard to get this message across? Why does nobody ever mention this. Channel 5 don't mention it, SKY don't mention it and now FOX aren't mentioning it.

Linden Lab provide a teen grid, with checks and balances that make the teen grid a lot more safe for children than sites like Myspace, facebook and Bebo. There's never any mention of this in these news reports, that's grossly unfair to Linden Lab.

Let's deal with some of the issues here, kids can get onto the main grid. The issue is how to prove identity on the internet and quite frankly, it's simply not possible. However, Mark Kirk would do well to put pressure on Visa and Mastercard to flag whether a card number is owned by an eighteen year old or not. This won't mean Visa and Mastercard are held responsible if a minor uses the card of an adult, but it does get around the silly situation of kids with cards being able to access adult content with their own card.

Linden Lab in turn should change their own Identity process to a credit card based one. Integrity can confirm if someone is over 18 via name, address and date of birth, Linden Lab should then charge a nominal fee to a credit card and if the credit card details match the details Integrity confirm then you have a match. The credit card payment gives the cardholder an audit trail, something which is lacking with the current farcical system.

Legos!!!!

2008-05-11T21:48:09+00:00

Show and Tell remains the one place to go to see all the most innovative builders and scripters. Mango Splash showed his legos to the crowd. I was wishing my friend Lomgren was here, because he loves Legos. Anyway, he didn't give me a sample, so no fun for me.

posted by DrFran Babcock on Lummerland using a blogHUD
blogHUD map and teleport permalink

VTSEX Update 26th April - 11th May 2008

2008-05-11T21:07:28+00:00

VTSEX Update 26^th April - 11^th May 2008

www.vstex.net

By SL Hak

Crystal Springs Land & Loan (CSL), CEO Skip Oceanlane appears delighted that the LL Land Store has reopened, this means that CSL is now back in business and has reportedly attracted 3 new customers purchasing a sim. Skip Oceanlane reports that the Land Store is better than ever with the sim being delivered in a matter of minutes rather than weeks as was the previous norm. CSL are in essence offering loans to clients wishing to purchase sims, a 10% deposit is all that is required and the loan can be financed over 4 – 30 weeks. There are various interest rates available. These sims are more affordable than ever with the recent price re structuring by LL, a full sim is priced at US$1,000 which features 15,000 prims and a Openspace sim at US$250, with 3,750 prims. CSL reported a profit in April of L$783k and issued a dividend payment of L$0.01.

All I really need to know I learned from Philip K. Dick

2008-05-11T21:04:41+00:00

It never happened. Or did it?
Androids used for slave labor have issues.
Real animals make us feel better about ourselves.
It's easier to believe a lie than dismiss the truth.
When in Rome… well, we're all living in Rome.
You, too, can change your personality like clothing.
Horselover Fat is not a porn star's name.
Superior mutants are sexy.
Nazis are always evil, no matter what universe you're in.
Telepaths are a complicated lot.
Paranoia is ideal for for the adventurous.
Sometimes, it's OK to go insane.
Some memories are best left repressed.
Words control people.

Keystone Bouchard

2008-05-11T20:58:15+00:00

“Integrating Physical and Virtual Worlds to Add Real Value to Buildings” Serious Games Institute Technology Workshop - Smart Buildings - Strategies for Saving Costs & Generating Revenue This coming Wednesday , May 14th at 4:30am SL-time, an event taking place in the real world at the Serious Games Institute (SGI) in [...]

BBC Radio 1 augmenting reality with a ‘band in your hand’

2008-05-11T20:26:26+00:00

Remember two years ago, when BBC Radio 1 came to Second Life for One Big Weekend? This year they explored augmented reality with a Band In Your Hand. Here’s Scott Mills showing Chappers how it works.

Unfortunately the (Windows-only) download has already been taken down. Why? Because…

Due to music rights restrictions this download was only available from 30.04.08 to 07.05.08

Hugh Garry, Radio 1 interactive producer, describes it in more detail here.

Why I am a feminist

2008-05-11T19:25:00+00:00

By Feminista Cat

Feminista is a member of the SLLU and the Scottish Socialist Party.

I was brought up in a family where feminism wasn't a dirty word, my grandma probably thought it was but never really said, but she was a matriarch and probably redefined it to mean that she was in charge. My grandad was a communist though had left the CPGB in the 50s he was sort of independent, trade unionist and very jaded.

My mum never married and I don't really know my father, she always worked. Though sometimes I think given her lone parentness to the detriment of our relationship, but I now understand she was stating her independence rather than be dependent - my mother was quite bohemian now when I look back on my childhood and adolescence I just wish I had understood that as a child when I wanted to be "normal".

My grandad and I were a great pair, I think I liberated him when I was born - he doted on me and gave me all of his time and in return I loved him unconditionally - everything he told me I took in and processed. He would talk to me as an adult and tell me of all his political arguments he had had and his friends - it was almost like an adventure story. I grew up wanting to live in the Soviet Union as it seemed like a fantasy world when my other friends wanted to live in America. He could tell great tall tales and I only worked that out when I got older. It was evident he loved my grandmother more than she loved him but he didn't seem to mind (well not in his 60s when I was born I was born in his 60th year).

My grandad was very clear he was a feminist and he could remember the Rent Strikes of Glasgow as a wee boy and the tanks conming to George's Square as he was there. His mother, a battered woman and mother to 8 children and step mother to 10 had been very organised in the rent strike - his mother died in 1920 in child birth to her 9th child. My grandad was taken into care after she died because of cruelty and neglect from his father! He and his brothers were looked after by the Christian Brothers confirming his atheism to the day he died. "They should of been called the Cruel Bastards" when he talked about them. My grandad was clear in order for me not to be oppressed as a woma was not to marry and to become an engineer and as a member of the working class to be in a trade union and involved in my community and to read, read, read. He used to do maths and arthemetic tests on me all the time by the time.

I was clear from about 12 I was going to become a geologist and study volcanoes and plate tectonics, travel the world and become an adventurer. In my religious phase I thought I would become a missionary at the same time perhaps even a nun!

I went to uni for 12 days (if he had still been alive I would have stayed, I know I would have but he died the day after my 18th birthday the year before).

I went to Manchester in 1990 when the Poll Tax was in full flight and got involved at the Pankhurst Women's Centre - it was full of anarchists and Labour party Women. I actually thought they were a bit mad (and I think I was right) but I wanted to get involved in politics so I stuck it out. I was attracted to the anarchist feminists more than the Labour women, the Anarchist women were Radical Feminists, vegans and producing a fanzine called Subversive Sister - whilst I was never that impressed on a personal level, it allowed me to read a lot about feminism, anarchism and socialism. Most of it made no sense what so ever and I couldn't work out what was going on.

Then Sara Thornton got sent to prison for killing her violent husband, I had never felt such anger before at an injustice and I wrote to her, I then got involved in giving out leaflets and petitioning for her, it was at this time Militant had launched the Campaign Against Domestic Violence - I got really involved and later in 1992 joined SML. I suppose I [...]

May 10th RCAF Dogfight Photographs - Part 4

2008-05-11T19:49:18+00:00

May 10th RCAF Dogfight Photographs - Part 3

2008-05-11T19:44:20+00:00

Ravishal

2008-05-11T18:32:02+00:00

Heath Vercher songs premiere on KONA Radio

Tonight will be a feature filled night for KONA Radio! On tap are Five, 100 Word Stories from Crap Mariner. Three, Today in Music History podcasts by Brian Ibbot. Finally we have the premier of 3 new Heath Vercher (Elvehjem) songs from his latest CD, Soulfire. This broadcast marks the first time these have been broadcast in world. Follow the SLURL below and get here by 4:30PM SLT at Lumierre’s restaurant on Hukilau island.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hukilau/31/239/33

Ravishal

Texas

2008-05-11T18:24:54+00:00

Dorje threw me a note about Texas Antiquity, and I needed to check it out. I am a Texan, after all. The sim is similar to Israel in scope, where they take a few highlights of that period of Texas history and brings them all together in a single sim. Uh oh. They have cannons! Lots of maps and historical information inside the Alamo, but... Why isn't Pee Wee Herman's bicycle buried under it? Let's check out the State House: It's mostly mallspace (Sylvester Turner is on sale for 500 lindens), but has an art gallery, too. Yes, the white suit is partially inspired by Marvin Zindler, who closed down the Chicken Ranch, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, yadda yadda. Felt funny parking the av in the seal here. I still don't understand how she could kick Claytie's ass but get steamrolled by Shrub. Oh well. Knock back a tequila with Molly for me, Annie.

2008-05-11T19:16:34+00:00

Looper

My MacArthur-Genius-Award-winning poet pal Looper has broken another leg, and spent a week or so before knowing it was borked. She says in X-rays her bones "are merely the ghosts of bones..."

We have taken opposite paths, and although some of it was due to choice, not all of it was. Now it's a race to the finish ;-D

2008-05-11T19:10:35+00:00

The Return of teh Doc
[no picture as the one I took didn't manifest itself, unfortunately]

Doc's been trapped out of SL for weeks, and I've missed him a great deal. Meanwhile I titivated the parcel, ran events, and struggled valiantly onward. Today, however, with no warning or notice >:{| (why not?) he showed up, freshly hooked up and with toasted knees from laptop warmth. I took the opportunity to beat him several times in duels, using a giant flower (flower power) against his chainsaw, which needs sharpening, I'd wager, as it failed to cut down the bloom. I decided it's my lucky mindray-blocking flower. Welcome Home, Doc!

Yes, my repertoire included sharpening chainsaws as well as jacking up houses, roofing buildings, and just about anything else (not for money - just things I had to learn to do in my life).

Upcoming Events: NASA discusses its future in mixed reality format

2008-05-11T17:48:40+00:00

As part of its 50^th anniversary, NASA is hosting a mixed reality forum to discuss its future; NASA Deputy Director Shana Dale (SL Xena Dahl) is going to present by avatar in Second Life while being simulcast physically on NASA TV on Wednesday, May 14 at 8:30 AM, so I read in the New World Notes.

The regular calendar blogpost of the NWN, Lanna’s List, is an important one to keep oneself organized as far as Second Life events are concerned.

Previously I also mentioned the calendar on the blog Fleep’s Deep Thoughts and Knoh Oh from Second Life recommended a calendar for healthcare topics.

Ganesha & Dazzle

2008-05-11T17:33:07+00:00

Hmmmmmm why not? :D

posted by Ganesha Xi on Leger using a blogHUD
blogHUD map and teleport permalink

Dolce Vita Shopping Centre “Best Fashionable Avatar" contest [Digg]

2008-05-11T17:12:45+00:00

A way to win €500 by creating an avatar in Second Life, submit your pictures, and have your friends vote on your pictures!

39th Sibling Rivalry Bump

2008-05-11T17:03:21+00:00

Sarah Fouquet's Dance of the Angels went from 35 / 21 to 76 / 44 while sibling Ben Ashman's Good Friday went from 20 /19 to 41 /34.

Today we revisit the Prof with his song "Done". It's at 98 / 25 right now.

Our sib song comes from supergrover - Adam Faucett's Lipgloss is at 381 / 150.

PARTY INFO:
1) Our next party will be another all day jamboree. Likely 8am SLT to 8PM SLt on June 7th of 2008 if we can fill all the time slots.

2) Maggy Portello has offered to assist with getting us some machinema from the event so we can post it and all link to it to show people what live music in SL is all about.

3) Suka Nishi has volunteered to coordinate the event. ARTISTS PLEASE CONTACT SUKA to get yourself on the schedule!

WHY THE BUMP BOMBS ARE NOW CALLED SIBLING RIVALRY BUMPS ANSWERED HERE: http://www.lovelymachine.com/Dolmere/2008/04/1st_sibling_rivalry_bump.html

**THE CURRENT PATTERN - HOW WE CHOOSE THE ARTIST AND SONG (SUBJECT TO CHANGE AS THE SIBLING RIVALRY BUMP MATURES)**

We've looped through our artist list twice now adding new members as they arrive.

From each artist we choose the song that is closest to 100 points without going over and try to get it as many votes from as many unique voters as possible. For artists with songs all over 100 points we'll now choose the song with THE LEAST bumps and show it some love.

Our efforts are:
Helping artists level up
Keeping us engaged and active as a group
Systematic and fair
Our in-world group is now at 135 group members and growing. It's nice to have you along for the ride :)

Note: New artists will remain on the "todo" list until they join our in-world group. I am not putting them into rotation until they join. I realize that there is a limit to the number of groups that we can join and that is a big pain for all. However, I've had too many artists contact me to ask to get into rotation AFTER they've already been bumped by the group.

"The Adventures of Dolmere Talamasca" - "39th Sibling Rivalry Bump" »

Seesmic, becoming part of the worldwide virtual discussion

2008-05-11T16:58:08+00:00

The stories we tell about Virtual Worlds, the stories we read and the discussions we have, take only very partially place inside those worlds.

A lot, maybe most of it, happens on sites, blogs, forums and in social networks. Twitter was very soon very important for the Second Life folks, at least for those commenting and debating that world and often working out projects there.

Now there is also Seesmic (read also Wikipedia), a video microblogging tool. I think it could become very important, making geography collapse (once again), connecting people and ideas worldwide. Here is one of my first trials:

About “norms in Seesmic” also have a look at this discussion, started by Howard Rheingold.
There also exists a search tool for Seesmic.

I hope to meet some of you on Seesmic!

Roland Legrand

Promote Open Standards!

2008-05-11T16:49:39+00:00

Do you think it is bad if your data is locked in to a single vendor? Do you think it is bad if you are locked in in using software owned by a single vendor? Do you think this is especially bad if the one using the software is the European Parliament? Don’t you think this is bad especially for a democratic institution?

If so, then please sign this petition which calls for using Open Standards, more competition and no vendor lock-in for the EU parliament! Read the full petition here and please sign it here!.

Please help to promote Open Standards and Interoperability!

(via ZEA Partners)
Technorati Tags: dataportability, openstandards, eu, parliament, petition

Happy Mothers' Day

2008-05-11T16:42:00+00:00

To all the RL mothers, SL mothers. Happy Mothers' Day!! Stay pretty and happy always ^^
Fox was so sweet, he got me a bouquet of flowers and wish me Happy Mothers' Day and I was like.. nooo I'm not a mother yet.. and he said.. Yes you are.. you are a mother in SL.. and I went.. Oh.. ya...

And my SL daughter seemed to have forgotten about Mothers' Day =.=

Storytelling, Virtual Worlds and Fan Communities

2008-05-11T16:23:26+00:00

I have been watching a remarkable video of a talk by Professor Henry Jenkins, head of MIT’s Comparative Media Studies Department. He is the author of the book Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide and his talk was remarkable because it was held in the Teen Grid of Second Life and the subject was Fan Culture and how that phenomenon interacts with virtual storytelling but also with real world ethics. I found out about the video thanks to the New Worlds Notes.

The distinguished professor discussed more specifically Harry Potter. People not only read the Harry Potter books, they also elaborate on them, expand, them, recreate the stories, like the professor did dressing up as professor Dumbledore in Second Life. Music is composed, clothes are being made, stories rewritten and acted out. Fan conventions gather worldwide.

The amazing thing is, when one thinks about is, that in our consumption driven era, all those elaborations, new versions, items and performances can be problematic because of the tension between the desire and interest of the author to maintain control over the story (and I would say, over the intellectual property rights), and the desire by the audience to recreate the stories. This is somehow amazing because recreating, retelling, modifying stories is what humanity has been doing all the time.

I have read the Potter books, but I learned here that in the huge fan community there is even a kind of wizard rock music scene, vaguely punk rock and dance music. The wizard rock community makes songs against genocide, censorship etc, so there is a critical dimension. A Harry Potter Alliance says the world faces dark and difficult times and tries to mobilize people in order to do something about it.

Fans want to participate in the world, using several elements like the Sorting Hat, Flying Cars etc.
Creation can be speculation about what happens next, or creating pieces of fiction, making elaborate custumes. Hence actively shaping, but in a community context, not just individually consuming it.

In The Lord of the Rings, the Wizard of Oz and Harry Potter etc worlds are created. There are many identities to take up there. One fascinating experiment is the creation of a Hogwarts School newspaper, where kids before they can write for it have to take up identities in the school. Eventually this school newspaper is a way to discuss what makes schools good or bad in a experimental storytelling context.

What about the connections with real worls issues? One of the songs in the video asks not to believe uncritically what the newspapers are telling. There are values in the stories like standing up against abuse of authority. The fact that the stories are read all over the world gives a common platform and connection so as to facilitate communication between cultures.

Readers go sometimes much further than what the author, J.K. Rowling in this case, would like, so she is in a kind of love-hate relationship with the re-appropriation of the stories by the readers. Early on she encouraged people to elaborate on the stories. But what if the stories were substantially different? It appears Rowling wants to keep control over the story.

But Jenkins says that once the story is out, the author is no longer in control. The author, the journalist, the storyteller, becomes a facilitator of the exchange of streams of stories, texts, videos, virtual world settings and songs.

It is obvious what it means for publishing: [...]

May 11th RCAF Dogfight Video - Part 2

2008-05-11T17:12:25+00:00

Royal Caledon Air Force dogfights over Caledon Sound. No Avatars were harmed during the production of this video....

Help Save the Blood Service!

2008-05-11T16:01:00+00:00

Can You Help Save the Blood Service?

Do something amazing today, help save the Blood Service.
Receive newsletter updates from the campaign, and get involved.

Spread the word! Want this widget
on your page? Click here to get the code.

Cross-dimensional Relaycast?

2008-05-11T14:29:43+00:00

No weekend is complete without Effinjay at 7 on Heron Island on Saturdays. Complete with sim crash! Heron Island blew up while Tanglewood rolled along. What I find amusing about this is that Frogg and Jay are in the same room in RL, face-to-face like a musical Bouvard and Pecuchet, but the SL platform fails to the point of one vanishing from view of the other. It's one of those kinda things that could get you standing on a soap box in Hyde Park raving for at least two ours on the nature of space and time.

Playing hooky from Grace

2008-05-11T14:18:20+00:00

I caught Grace's set in the Elf Lands earlier in the day... So I figured twice in one day would be, like, totally stalker-weird or something, so when Dolmere tossed me a note about this Building Shelter thing at Wingo, I hopped over. It's a builder contest kinda thing where you have to build using raw prims. No scripts, no textures. You've got 10 minutes to build something based on the topic and then there's 2 minutes of voting by the aghast audience. Closeup on idiot robot: Yay. I don't remember what the topic was for this one, but "a tube full of tennis balls" is a line out of GTA4 and it kinda stuck in my mind. So, I went for broke with it and played it surreal. Then... Slight industrial accident. Pass the Bactine, please. This one was about someone being so lazy, they had a remote to do something. Remote-controlled toilets get them EVERY time, I figure. I liked this one. I'm not sure what this one was about, but I wanted to do a concentric sphere radiation kinda thing and the light switch with blood drops followed from that. I tossed my winning back in the Shelter tipjar along with some extra because they do neat things. I should wing by there more often.

It's a neat thing they do there, and it's at 6PM Saturdays... same time as Grace, unfortunately, but if you've caught her at Glass Earth and Freudian Slip and other performances during the week, she'll just slash you with a whiskey bottle instead of killing you outright for missing a show, right? Hurts. So. Good.

Birthday b-boy Akiva loves "Dino5"!

2008-05-11T14:11:26+00:00

My colleague Barry tells me that his kid Akiva loves the Dino5: Hiphop for Babies CD that I got him for his second birthday. Here's Akiva throwing his hand in the air, like he just don't care.

Such a dope CD. Get it for the freshest b-boy / b-girl in your life.

The Watch - virtual worlds in the news

2008-05-11T13:34:10+00:00

1. The Chicago Tribune - Virtual dinner and a movie? Simulated dating ranks grow. “Paula Weisz’s favorite place to take her dates is the Millennium bar, where she can sip a glass of red wine and have a good conversation. She typically goes on one date per week with men she meets online at OmniDate.com.” 2. [...]

GoSpeed Racer

2008-05-11T13:30:27+00:00

What happens when the lines blur between the virtual world and the real world. What if it really happens in the physical sense? The stuff of fantasy, science fiction. In a world with infinite possibilities and possibly infinite universes who is to say that anything imagined could not exist, and possibly come visit you?

http://gospeedracer.wordpress.com/2008/05/11/an-out-of-world-experience/

The Stephanie Collection

2008-05-11T13:23:21+00:00

The first part of a brand new product rollout from The Loft brings you,
the Stephanie Collection.

The Stephanie Dining room is an elegant option for your dining and entertaining needs.
Set comes complete with 8 covered chairs with 9 built-in animations, marble and wood table, fireplace, mirror, and all lighting and accents. Pieces also sold separately in-store.

The Stephanie Bedroom is a calming neutral toned set with cuddle, talk, and self animations to enhance your experience.
Set comes complete with multi-animation bed, 2 end tables, media hutch, and all lighting and accents. Pieces also sold separately in-store.

Visit us in store for purchasing information: The Loft

http://torley-linden.s3.amazonaws.com/little-watermelon-eye.png

2008-05-11T12:55:37+00:00

I show you how to play parcel music in Second Life — including Internet radio stations — in less than 10 minutes! Yes, it’s really that simple, and along the way, I highlight good things to know.

DOWNLOAD HIGH-QUALITY VERSION

00:17 - Setup Second Life for playing music
01:49 - Get a music URL from your web browser
02:44 - Play a music URL in Second Life
03:38 - Find Internet radio stations to play in SL
05:19 - View a playlist file to get the music URL (in iTunes)
06:29 - Get the music URL (in Winamp)
06:59 - Get the music URL (in a text editor)
07:29 - More radio stations to get music URLs
08:20 - Working URLs do not end in M3U or PLS
09:38 - Hide a music URL

Related resources:

Music articles in our Knowledge Base
Streaming Music wiki page
“Media on a Parcel” - See Jeremy’s recent post if you want to show movies, webpages, etc.

-Torley Linden
Watch 150+ video tutorials for your happier Second Life!

May 11th RCAF Dogfight Video - Part 1

2008-05-11T13:37:00+00:00

Royal Caledon Air Force dogfights over Caledon Sound

No Avatars were harmed during the production of this video.

Fun Stuffs

2008-05-11T12:23:00+00:00

Fox's secret weapon: Activated to pacify me whenever I'm angry with him =.= How can one ever stay angry with something as cute as this ?

South Channel Island Asylum

2008-05-11T12:15:14+00:00

Verrry spooky and very well built..

posted by Paisley Beebe on South Channel using a blogHUD
blogHUD map and teleport permalink