Miss Nessie's Wild Ride

Well, there are exciting things afoot in Athetis... One of the features that makes out little place special to me is that the Linden Rail Road runs between Nessie's Respite and the Agricola at the middle of the hill. I've seen single car train on the tracks there a time or two. I even chased one one night, my right index finger pressed on the up arrow key as I flew behind it, and my left hand typing: "hey, hey, hey there: stop, stop!" until it disappeared. No one else had seen these apparitions. I was beginning to wonder if I was having in-world hallucinations.

Then, I get a RW phone call from Nessie, where she begins to recount her Railroad exploits of the night before. She was visiting in the Respite with a friend, when she see a train going by. She says it has hover text indicating she should click on it (remember the saucerjacking incident??) so she clicks it and off she goes!

Here is the intrepid Miss Nessie's first hand account of her trip:

"I was very excited, night before last, to see a passenger car riding along the RR below my little Romani Respite. My friend, Hulaboom Voom, has seen several go by, but this was my first. I clicked on it, really just to see what information I could see and there was a “sit” option so, of course….. there I went. I met a very nice fella sitting there as well, Moundsa Mayo, who explained that they were testing the car. When I apologized for intruding on a test, he encouraged me to hang on and enjoy the ride. And what a ride it was! They are still working some of the kinks out, which actually made it a very unique, exciting and interesting ride, but when it’s done you’ll be able to tour the mainland by rail. I was having too good a time to snap many pics but did get this one, showing that we were really moving along. I invited he and the other engineers to the Agricola Hulaboom for a celebration bash once they get it up and running. Y’all come, y’hear? LOL

Nessie Tripsa, reporting

What she failed to indicate here but told in colorful detail on the phone was how the view from her screen became wildly distorted at times and and how they would crash. Then she'd get an IM from Mr. Moundsa saying "are you ok?" ... as if she might have been physically harmed in the rail crash. He would TP her back to the car, and off they would go again. She also had her priorities in order, IMHO, as she had to ditch poor Snug in the process after clicking her way into the car the first time. A few IMs later they both understood that she had, for a short time, entered another dimension of SL...

I could not have been more excited! Not only was Linden working on a running train system, but I was also not being visited by the Ghost of Casey Jones in the machine! Thank the Maker! As a follow-up, I went to see Jack Linden during one of his weekly in-world office hour to ask some questions. Here's a part of the meeting transcript:

Jack Linden: wow that's a relaxed pose. :)
You: Well I am new to all of this
You: but I have my questions already typed-up
You: but I'll be patient
Jack Linden: go ahead Hula!
Jack Linden: I'm here for the next hour or so
You: ok thanks

(…Some content edited-out…)
You: ok thanks :) two more questions...
You: Two other things I am very interested in are running trains on the Rail Road Tracks there (I understand that you folks are actually working on this – have seen a train or two and a friend took a “ride” this week – yay!) and whether you plan on extending the Great Wall. Any comments on those infrastructure developments?

Jack Linden: right.. the Great Wall wasn't quite finished at the end, so I expect the DPW may well address that
You: great!
You: Will we be able to request a train stop at a particular place? I would like to provide a spot and suitable build for that purpose. Is there someone I could talk to about that?
Jack Linden: more trains.. etc.. yes
Jack Linden: we'd like to do more of that. i think we want to see how Havok 4 goes first
You: Also a suggestion: the Great Wall, particularly inside, is a great unused SL asset. Any thoughts to develop the inside spaces?
Daedalus Young: art gallery :P
Jack Linden: hehe, i get asked quite often if we'd let people live inside the wall
You: there are three secret entrances I have found
Jack Linden: we could think of fun things to do with it though
You: I can think of a few
Jack Linden: for all that sort of thing, we will be creating a way for people to make suggestions to the DPW teams via the support portal
Jack Linden: so you will be able to make suggestions there

So I suppose that settles that. We will have running mainland trains soon! I cannot wait. And Linden is really pondering the use of the Great Wall. All of these things are very exciting news. I think we are up for plenty fun times on Athetis here very soon!

October Country: Things I like about my Second Life

To my reckoning, there are about three elements essential to a successful SL venue. First, there needs to be a unifying theme that resonates with visitors: in-world need, lifestyle theme or a novel setting. Next there is provision of services. That would include music or dance venues, providing audio video content, and role-play or learning environments. Last, and most important of all, is how the venue management relates to its public. This typically means networking well, looking out for your peeps, and the ability to be genuine, friendly and charming under pressure. These are all attributes possessed in spades by Martain Wei, his community and sim. For this reason, October Country is one of things I like about my Second Life.

I found October Country, oddly, by perusing the search page one rainy Saturday afternoon. I was looking for something new and interesting to see in-world. I searched around and found an announcement for radio shows broadcast live. Hmmm... That sounds different. I teleported in to check things out...















As things rezzed I see that there were a dozen of more avis sitting on logs around a campfire. And then I noticed how very interesting everyone looked. There were furries, and goths and regular dudes all sitting in postures of peaceful thoughtfulness. As I clicked my audio on, I then understood their visages of rapt attention. I listened to a old-time radio drama. Sounded like something from the 1940s or 50s (forgive me Martian, I didn't get the piece title...). I listened for awhile and took in the spooky surroundings: a floating shade, gravestones, cobwebs.... enough to give you a proper chill! This was interesting, indeed, but we all know how ADD I get sometimes, so I decided to take a good look around.

As I explored this rest of the sim, I became quite impressed with the detail of the build. A well-designed harbor town sat snuggled at the base of a hill that sported a large Inn. Crates floated in the harbor where a shark swam round. The cobblestone streets twisted and turned on one another, and eventually I made my way up to the hilltop inn. Inside I found a convincingly built inn complete with a nicely appointed lobby. Adjacent to the that was a good sized tavern, and a modest vending area offering a few Goth-styled items. Upstairs were several locked guest rooms. (Yes: I am exceedingly nosy in Second Life). All in all, I thought - this is a really well-thought-out place! I kept the greeting card I received when entering the town, and decided I would come back to meet the person(s) behind this fetching build.

In the times I've been back to October Country I have continued to learn things that serve to continue to impress me. I met Martian Wei at a costume / dance contest (complete with Linden prizes) he was holding on a Wednesday night. Once again, my snapshots fired off wildly as the environs and collection of avis were so delightfully varied that it made my cybereyes pop. In the course of the evening, I made sure I introduced myself to Martian in a private IM with my compliments and impressions of the build. In what I have come to know is his typical humble and yet infinitely kind way, he thanked me warmly for the compliments and added "That's what keeps me going."

A couple of weeks and a handful of costume dance parties later, I learn that Martian has been experiencing some sort of technical difficulties. Well, that's not all that unusual in SL...the technology fails us all in one way or the other every now and again. Martian apologizes profusely in one group announcement about possibly needing to cancel an event, and possibly the radio shows that evening. (btw: the radio shows play there 24 x 7...). Then I see that he had been able to restage the events just a few minutes late... He is still, highly apologetic for the brief interruption. Clearly this is a true labor of love for him.

Then through the grapevine I learn that the technical difficulties Martian was experiencing were due to the fact that his RW home had burned to the ground a scat few days earlier and that he and his wife were living in a single room at a relative’s house. Martian's loyalty to his beloved community was such that he placed their needs equal with his RW own. In my life, I have rarely seen that kind of devotion to a community, and when it does present - that is a person for whom leadership is as fluid and natural as spring rain. His passion and effort is evident in every square meter of the sim, in the number and variety of audio dramas served-up free and in the enthusiasm that the October Country community has for Martian and the sim.

Other things to check-out October Country:

An active Blogsite, maintained by October Country community member, Jumoke Qinan

HP Lovecraft-based Role Playing on site in the Village of Innsmouth

Twice (or thrice or more...) weekly costume and dance parties, with $L prizes


Country Shop, Hotel and Library


October Country: a great place for rainy afternoons, and where it's always Halloween...

Second Life ADHD and Holiday Weekends

I have been neglecting my newly formed blog in favor of the oh-so-enticing array of distractions set before me in-world. I have a handful of more meaty entries that I have brewing, but am really waiting for some focus or patience to get them out on the webscape here in forms that dignify the topics selected. Apparently, I just cannot be erudite and thoughtful all the time. I am not sure what lead me to believe that was a requirement But, I do manage to get into some pretty interesting things when swimming the shallow shoals. This past weekend provided some fairly tasty slices of metaverse, and I have managed to be pretty good about cataloging those images to Flickr.

Newness is Goodness

First off, Nessie and I have been busy getting settled on our new mainland parcel. I finished the last of my Dreamworld West land clean-up late Friday (*sniff*) as to better accommodate the more meager RW resources I will have to dedicate to the Cause. Nessie has discovered a new in-world equestrian passion to supplement her adventures. Accordingly, she has put up a suitably-sized stable on Romani Respite and convinced me that I also needed a hooved critter beyond the Tuber goat she purchased for me last week. More critters are good…I guess.

The other newness is in the form of a complete avi makeover, prompted in part as a result of some perhaps, well-intentioned comments from a former neighbor, as well as reading a bit in Kit Maitland’s blog. Thank goodness I actually made it onto Fleur’s over-trafficked sim this weekend, and was able to take advantage of their $500 L promotion before more than 1500 of us crashed their vendor server. Skins, good ones, are apparently big business. At the end of it all, I received an enthusiastic “thumps up” from Ms. Fashionista extraordinaire - Kit. How lucky am I to have friends like this? Besides, sprucing up inside and out felt really great!


SL boys and their SL toys

I followed Nessie to one of her new discoveries, Shermerville, where like typical middle-class American women; we enjoyed an afternoon of window shopping and general sim oogling. After not too long, we lost track of one another when I found a park with something to play on in Shermerville Central. There, in a commons area, was a municipal pool. Even though this is nothing novel, I felt the urge to play. An all-black avi sporting the head of a horse and an assassin’s tag watched silently while I frolicked on the slide. After a few attempts where I could not get the animation for the diving board to work, and a choice curse in open chat, the irresistible pull of knavery apparently triumphed over his sociopathic leanings and I got instruction replete with diving demonstrations. Before I knew it – there was a full-blown boy-gang shindy afoot in and around the pool, including a thinly-veiled, feigned disfavor of my pic-snappin’. Soon they were posing and exclaiming “Hey: watch this!” The tomfoolery captured my attention in a rather nostalgic way… and it allowed me to reciprocate the attention and enjoy their frolic without exposing any cynicism, typical of someone with my meatspace time. As a result, I created a new Flickr collection in tribute to them, and in appreciation of unbridled, enthusiastic boyish silliness.

Edloe and all the wonders it holds
Nessie and I went to visit my new friend, Crap Mariner and the amazing world around “the Islands.” Crap is terribly polite, and chatted with us while busy working on another project, even though she and I showed up quite uninvited. We crawled all around the clock tower and then over to explore Los Arboles, Woodbridge, Nowhereville and Blaksleeworld. We ran into another Selby Hermit, Joe Montagne who was watching a showing of MST3000, and then inadvertently hijacked a flying saucer. Yes, it was inadvertent: after all it had hover text indicating that I should click it – so why not, Alice: eat the smallish mushrom... It was only after Nessie clicked it too, that we realized it flew – so while we were in there it seemed a shame to not take it out for a jaunt! When we flew past the clock tower in Edloe shouting: "Crap! Hey Crap!" We were met by our new friend in her airship for a quick little session of “Shit: how do we steer and/or land this?”

We went back over the Edloe Monday night to enjoy the dulcet tones of Patrick LaSalle accompanied by his acoustic guitar. Definitely a good time – visiting that place and those folks!

The bubble and other wild rides

So: this really does not cover it all… there was installation of a new attraction at the Salon, Vincent Price by campfire at October Country , dancing and footwear (boots, Nessie) admiration at Beautiful island and a wedding officiated by Mad Queen and builder extroidnnaire, Phoebe Qinan on Lost Island. Whew! No wonder I am sleep deprived, and I guess I don’t feel so guilty about my blog after all. Stay tuned…I'm going to try to.

What is in a name?

Twenty-three cents in a hula-hulaboom

Twenty-three cents in a hula-hulaboom

What is a hulaboom, I don't know

I think it's a coin from Idaho

Twenty-three cents in a hula-hulaboom

Twenty-three cents in a hula-hulaboom

Where is Idaho, I don't know

I think it's a place in outer space

Twenty-three cents in a hula-hulaboom

Twenty-three cents in a hula-hulaboom

Where in outer space, don't ask me

It must be farther than the eye can see

Twenty-three cents in a hula-hulaboom (x4)

- Touch Me Zoo c.1990's

How does that happen? Just when you think you’ve arrived at something novel – off comes the chrysalis and your insular world opens to the broad expanse of the cyberverse.

Before beginning this blog, I never thought a moment about the use(s) of the name Hulaboom. For that matter, when I entered SL I had no idea that my in-world experiences would become fully an avocation. Since I am interested in my site stats (thanks for the tip Mr. X…) I googled around a bit.

I learned about SL in a software product users group meeting where the topic was collaboration. Yes: I knew about list-servs and wikkis and online gaming. But what got my attention was the fact that the NBA had just created a SL presence. My husband had enjoyed a very fruitful online experience / community for the past handful of years through his involvement with Sporting News’ Strat-O-Matic. His living legacy to that community was and still is a rather niche labor of love: Diamond Dope. This has become a rich source of inspiration and controversy for that wild bunch of stat-loving baseball fanatics. Diamond Dope regularly clocks monthly page loads numbering in the 10’s of thousands. Given that I did not enjoy any such connection with an online presence, I was consistently scheming ways in which to make his enormous time investment pay-off meaningfully to the family coffers. I needed to check out this new avenue and the kinds of things that the NBA was doing in Second Life…

When I sign up to come in-world, I am wholly unconcerned with any deeper or philosophic meaning to my avi name. After all, I was just there to see what online professional basketball looks like. Better keep it anonymous, and frivolous but somewhat in the family, I mused. At that time, the fruit of our loins was an avid Toontown player. Disney provides those players with long lists on a three-part, but limited scrolling widget from which to choose a Toone name. Hers was Miss Fluffy Hulaboom. That worked for me – after all this was not to be a serious or long term thing.

I have now learned that Hulaboom is at least couple of things. It is the Toontown avi of someone that has very lively sense of humor and likes to make YouTube vids of their exploits. It is also the admired .wav creation of someone that is active in Dr. Who discussions. (Does that Hulaboom fit into a Tardis? Inquiring minds want to know…) And I discover that it is the subject of Touch Me Zoo lyrics (cited above) which resides on pages that include information about the Philadelphia band: the Dead Milkmen and beer reviews. I know exactly what Hulaboom is: she’s not in Idaho or outer space, she's Land Baroness Voom to you, the author of this blog, entries on Twitter and snaps on Flickr.

So what is in a name? I suppose it’s what you make of it. Hope the rest of you Hulas out there are having as much fun as I am – only where’s my 23 cents?

Things I like about my Second Life: how it feels between my ears

In January of 1995, I attended the third annual “Medicine Meets Virtual Reality” conference in Long Beach, where the keynote was delivered by author and technology historian James Burke. Burke is probably best known as the producer, writer and host of BBC television series' that were concerned with the impact of technology on social systems throughout history. During Burke’s speech I experienced a profound and enduring epiphany that completely relates to things I like about my Second Life.

Burke spoke of societal change due to technology in his usual stunningly illustrative and entertaining way at a breakneck speed. Without his colorful and witty examples and in a rather dull & texty nutshell, the following is Burke’s model…

Human beings are naturally (genetically?) capable of handling, and even enjoy cognitive complexity. In human history, there have been a few key bits of technology that have spawned quantum changes in civilization. These are: axe making, development of the alphabet and decimal systems, the printing press and the combination of ubiquitous broadband, wireless connectivity and the internet, which will happen “in the future.”

(Now is the time for you to ponder if you remember when that future was a bright and sparkling image painted exclusively on the pages of sf pulp, celluloid frames and in the minds of we optimists and dreamers. If you do not, then you are much younger than I, and you’ll have to take it for granted that this was the case in the dim and chilly pre- and 1990’s…)

Each of these key technologies, in addition to communicating such, equals a phenomenon that is more than the sum of its parts. Burke uses the equation: “1+1 = 3” in each of the historical examples he cites in his talk that describes this. The result of the “1+1=3” phenomena creates something he calls ‘information surge.’ This information surge involves uptake of the new, key technology which then creates philosophic paradigm shifts, resulting in an enormous amount of change to social, political and economic systems. Information surge creates the development of social complexity, a need for vocational specialization and more technological innovation.

Useful cognitive models, like scientific theories, are measured in my mind as to how they withstand repeated scrutiny. With each new personal experience, information that emerges needs to find a suitable “home” in our minds to be useful: an architecture based upon the structure in model aggregation. My most effective learning has at its core one or more models that permit linking of new and divergent information to a larger or “systemic” construct. New information and experiences serve to enrich and deepen a model’s metaphor, rather that challenge any of its basic form. Further, the presence of a good model provides a necessary pragmatism that supports innovation. A suitable cognitive model provides “hooks” on which to hang new information and a rich substrate for the creation of relevant, new ideas.

When I learn a new model, worlds of new possibilities are exposed. Burke’s speech not only provided an external architecture that I could apply to my then and current vocation, but it taught me a good bit about my internal cognitive processes. His talk was also a personal “1+1=3” experience. I was able to recognize my need for models to help me make use of the cacophony of information I experience in my daily life, then and now. Further, I think discovered a reason I find innovation so pleasurable: being naturally capable of handling complexity, I simply participate in “1+1=3,” and the subsequent “surge."

As an aside he stated that stable institutions within social systems are challenged by these phenomena, so there are periods of tension between innovators and institutions during the initial surge and social assimilation of information. In his prediction about the Internet, he made the observation that when the world had finally opened up to ubiquitous, wireless broadband connectivity, and all corners of the world had a stage where their voices could be heard, he wondered how much we would like what they had to say…

For me, Second Life is information surge on steroids. I am delighted by the variety of thinking and expression that takes place. It provides the opportunity to create and exchange information that can reach at least three important sensors: sight sound, cognition and in some instances, it can be tactile (moves her hand away from her waistband…). It has all the elements of Burke’s “1+1 = 3” and provides that opportunity for tens of thousands of us every day. I am continually amazed at the creativity I express and see in others. In-world I have access to individuals from all over the globe in ways that are not possible with eMail or list-servs or YouTube or the externally imposed structures of MMOG / MMORPGs.

As an example, before I had an in-world life I had never built a building or even considered doing that. Today, since I have the tools and opportunity to craft anything I want for myself, I notice all kinds of architecture in my RL. I am interested in the details of everyday things: light posts, brick, topiary… that would have blurred past my inner landscape in the past because I simply did not have any “hooks” to hang that information on. The blank slate of SL has provided me with not only the ability to craft new and interesting structures, it has also provided me the impetus to do so, and created more “spaces” in my mind for me to use. I see and experience the real world with new eyes and I do new things simply because I can. There it is: “1+1=3.”

All these reasons represent a thing I like about my second life in that it reminds me of and fulfills Burke’s prediction in a way I never imagined. I like how that feels between my ears and I like what it looks like when I act on it.

Cyber Squalor & Metaversal Mind Control

In the very beginning of my in-world wanderings my good friend, Ethan Logan, gave me some very specific advice. It went something like this:

“Have fun Hula, but be careful. There is so much to do and explore.

Be clear about your boundaries, and remember that nothing in

Second Life is really secret…

many times people are not who they appear to be.”

Very good advice, from a guy that sports a murse! And his words ring true to this day. Nothing is secret, but this past week I have had cause to wonder if there’s an implanted Googlebot in my brain…

I have recently extended my land concerns beyond the gushing beauty of my Dreamworld West estate-managed island home. What started this was discovering the availability of land for sale in Selby. I paid what seemed to me to be quite premium, for that small slice Hermitness (to be clear, the previous owner sold it to me for ½ her asking price: a very nice concession). Thus, Salon d’Hula and all the mental cleansing that’s come with it, was born. I then began to be interested in other parts of the mainland. Afterall: how much beauty can any one person stand? I admired dank and gritty urban climes…

One of the concessions we have to make under the covenant of our estate (actually, a hard and fast land setting) is that we cannot terraform above 6 meters. In the past, I coped with this lack of vertical autonomy by dropping the floors of my properties down in places from a sea level of 21 meters to zero, and built underwater. The underwater environment provided me with unusual lighting, and an opportunity to play a bit with above-ground camouflage techniques. Plus, it added to the effect of creating open water on the sim – and more beauty for us all. There was also something really satisfying to me in subterranean builds. I then constructed my mountain-now-under-the-treehouse-home from prefab waterfalls and rocks I picked up here and there. But neither of these experiments was really “doing it” for me. I wanted a different kind of backdrop to create for, work with. I craved a proper hill to build on. I went to the mainland in search of a vertical build challenge…

The first resource I turned to was the SL Land Auctions page. I teleported from place to place to place, and slowly became amazed at what I saw. Beyond my imagined aesthetic of urban filth was a wholly different kind of ugliness. I spied ad farms and clutter and landowners building atop of and despite one another. There was little planning or cooperation, except for the forced, occasional open ribbons of Linden protected land, set aside I assume for future roadway builds. My whole notion of SL life changed. There were folks behind all of this chaos, actively living out their cyber-reality in this visual cacophony. And I saw how the warm and comfy protections of my estate covenant (and the thoughtful camaraderie of the Selby Hermits) had protected me from exposure to the glut, clutter and space competition of mainland life.

“Ugh…they are ruining Second Life,” I protested silently to myself. “No wonder people complain about lag and Linden!” I saw on the splash page that Linden was announcing the re-introduction of whole region parcels into the auction process. Amid my land discovery, I had mulled the up-side of getting an entire region for Nessie and I to play on. Wonder what a mainland region would sell for… So I clicked thru to the blog entry and read all the comments as well. There were pockets of concern in the debate. First, there were the realtors, complaining about the drop in land values and concerned with a glut in supply. Next were the land dwellers, complaining about the competition, anarchy and lack of Linden concern over both. I had lots of new information to ponder…

Maybe Linden needed to institute some sort of zoning policies, beyond the PG and Mature designations in place to protect minors. Maybe they needed to eliminate free accounts that created a glut of “add nothing,” camping avis to the economy. Maybe they needed to require a credit card to be tied to an account so as to validate the age and identity of individuals coming in world. Then I got to thinking about the merits of free enterprise, of starting small and building up, of opportunities created by individuals who have the freedom of a blank SL slate to work from. I thought about the RL economic under privileged and their ability to contribute meaningfully to a free in-world society. And then I thought about griefers, and squalor and bears (oh my!). My head spun like the towering adverts I’d come to deplore.

About this time, I noticed that just beyond my edge of Selby there was a new stack of ads rotating mindlessly. Between the messages lauding the solid business benefits of the advert farms were propaganda posters from the “Association of Land Fascists.” Not a group, BTW, that's listed in when searched-for. A schill, no doubt...

Oh no: Was Ethan right? Had they read mind? Wait: who was controlling who? Ugh… my head spun 'round again…

Here’s where I’ve landed with all of this (forgive the pun). The squalor on the mainland is a problem – it’s freakkin’ awful. And there is a great deal of stress in areas where there has not been an implicit or explicit consolidating theme. But perhaps, eventually some of it will be self-resolving. Land values in places where the advert moguls have cut up bitty parcels for resale or rent I can only hope will remain lower than places that offer some unifying theme or natural beauty. People will gravitate toward places on the grid that suit their sensibilities, in-world lifestyle and community. The value of land will then be tied to pods of personal and inter-personal value, rather than the overall supply. That world view has a rather organic feel to it. The metaverse as a self-regulating evolutionary ecosystem: which unfortunately for some species means death due to lack of adaptation. And, individual pinoeer organisms that venture into underdeveloped places with their present "equipment" will also suffer and die. But these same pinoeers create benefit for the surrounding environment as a whole – adding their unique impact to any wave of overall environmental change.

Now if I see a spinning box with those thoughts plastered on the side, Xavier, I’m going to indeed be in need some of those medications...

2/9/08 Update! Thank the Maker... looks like LL is going to be looking into overall land improvement. Too bad they closed the comments at 150. I'd have given that my 2 thumbs up!!

http://blog.secondlife.com/2008/02/08/the-linden-department-of-public-works/

Beneath a Limen resides a Lemon

There has always been something that really bugged me about Mitt Romney. I could never quite put my finger on it. It was not that he was running for office, represented the “other end” of the political spectrum, or that he was Mormon. It was something else altogether…

As my spouse pointed out, Mitt seemed to be the current presidential candidate that looked most “presidential.” He went on to make corollaries between Mitt and Warren G. Harding, whom many historians cite as the least successful US president and was elected due to his social status and good looks. Harding also happened to have said: “I am not fit for this office and never should have been here.” So, I started observing this Mitt reaction of mine a little more closely.

It could be that he does not seem to have a normal range of motion in his neck. He turns his entire upper body when looking side to side in a manner highly reminiscent of Will Riker. It could be that Mitt did indeed have that kind of plastic good looks that made me think about Lego-ized humans. It could be that he smiles constantly in an equally plastic manner. And then I had it: when I saw an ad that made my blood boil.

In his 30 second TV spot entitled “Experience Matters,” Mitt takes on Hillary’s claim that she will be ready to run the country on day one. He states that she has never run a business, or a state, nor has not ever run anything. Ok… no big deals for me. The next sentence is the kicker:

“The idea that she could learn to be president as an internship, doesn’t make any sense.”

How stupid do you think we all are, Mitt? Do you not see how transparent your attempt at subliminal poo really is? Do you not think that some of us would detect your lame-o attempt at soiling your opponents’ reputation by associating the terms: Intern and Clinton? Please pass me the emesis basin! Obviously you don’t think your voting constituency has any crap detectors whatsoever – so clearly you are appealing to the intellectually somnolent vote. That’s just great. I’ll blog another time about my distaste for the electoral kindergarten…

So, it’s not that I am pro-Hillary, I am just anti-lemming. And I hold particular disdain for holders of the power status quo that count on that characteristic in their support base. Shame on you, Mitt Romney.

BTW: I do not hold to the Chris Rock opinion that Hillary caused MonicaGate as an effect of her lack of sexual parity. Rather, I have empathy and respect for her resilience and for the fact that she did not hide in shame after that bit of personal drama was totally overblown and overexposed. The rest of the world laughed at our preoccupation with the commander-in-chief’s crotch. They must equally be enjoying our stammering love of “moral” candidates.


Moral of this Post: The end simply does not justify the means.

Things I like about my Second Life: Komuso Tokugawa

Maybe it's like a first kiss: one of those things that lingers on in my mind, held closely amid an after-the-fact and imagined rosy glow...

The first live performance I ever attended in Second Life was a Komuso Tokukawa gig on the beach in Barney Boomslanger's awesome Lummerland. I heard about the event from my HermitGuild friends, and like many of the new experiences I have to come to look forward to in-world - I could not imagine why anyone would want to actually LISTEN to music in the metaverse. There was so much to explore! Not to mention a live music gig - what was up with that?

Well, after riding the Lummerland train, and crashing a few times on my way to the beachhead because of the number of folks on the sim for the event (an unfortunate and common occurence when he plays, I've come to learn...), I arrive just in time for Komuso's first song. This rockin' red robot avi takes the stage with his teeny buds: Beto san and Basso san... Ok - I've been seeing lots of strange stuff in here so far...

Then I get it: here's a regular guy, he's having a ball playing for us, chatting us up just like we were all really there just like an old friend in the neigborhood pub. Nothing artificial or contrived about it. And then I get something else: we are all really there. I was partying on the beach to great tunes with new, really great friends. This was the first time I had an integrated, "presence" experience in my then oh-so-wee Second Life.

I also recall a time he showed up at one of Tinkar's weekly "Girl Punk Hour" events. There were only 4 of us there: dancing and enjoying the tunes that Tink was serving up. In the course of the friendly chat we had with him, I learned that he was a totally approachable, down-to-earth guy. I'm not sure what was more suprising - seeing him pop-in at Tink's, or the fact that he was not an aloof celebrity after-all!

In the many times since then that I have attended Koumso gigs, I have never been disappointed. He consistantly delivers an authentic, foot-stomping, gritty performance that rocks the house, or beach or laboratory or deck or wherever else he happens to be playing. Although I've not kept close track of this, he seems to have gigs scheduled many times every week. And he consistently attracts some of the biggest, most diverse and interesting crowds I've ever seen in-world. In fact, his gigs have become one of my favorite avi snapshot opps.

This is Komuso shakin' his own little pixel butt to the sounds of another artist at the Quantum Labs last weekend. No pretenses - please!


So... here's to you' Komu! You rock my metaverse, and do it every time. You're my favorite in-world musician... and one of the things I like best about my Second Life.


Keep up with Komuso and see where he's playing next at http://music.sonicviz.com/

Welcome to my world

So here we are... my foray into blogging. I've needed a blog, really, for some time now. It should give me time to think a bit about what I'm really meaning to say, time to fix the typos.

I'll have send a nod for a little inspiration to my fast an long-time friend: Xavier Moon. Also thanks to the folks at Google (even if I do question some of their business ethics) for making this quick, easy and visually satisfying. If it's not those three things, I usually take a pass. After all: a smattering of ADD goes a long way in the metaverse.

So here we go kids - hang onto your fedoras (or pompadors... whichever suits you), sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.