C O G N I T I V E D I S S O N A N C E

Blanc

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 15:25:41 GMT

Promo photo for new Muse releases.

The Great SL Is Not A Game Debate

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 15:42:18 GMT

First off, let me state that all along I've considered myself to be playing a game whenever I was using SL for casual purposes. The reason? I spent most of my time outfitting my avatar and having fun while interacting with different social groups. Not really different from any other MMO I've played in terms of the social aspect, and as a whole it was actually easier at times to deal with the residents of such MMOs as L2. I've also never really given this much of my time, as it didn't really seem all that important. But I was surprised at the vehemence of several residents who began reacting violently to the use of "game" to describe SL, and even more so at the arguments they'd lobby - most illogical and way off-base - at players who didn't mind using that term at all.

I've discussed this at length with many of my closest friends and acquaintances from SL, and come up with a number of observations on the reasons some residents come up with to counter the "SL is a game" argument. I've listed those of them that some players have been browbeating people like myself with their opinions as to what SL should be called.

1. SL is real and therefore not a game! The people behind the avatars are real and we're dealing with real emotions. SL is a community!
Players behind avatars, whether in self-professed virtual worlds or MMOs, have always been um, real. Unless AIs have somehow magically replaced the players in WoW it'll continue to be that way. This human aspect is what makes MMOGs - and indeed traditional table games - so attractive to play. Whether it's interaction with clanmates or meeting new people - apart from the aspects of gameplay that keep us intrigued, it's the human interaction that makes us choose an MMO or a networked console game over a single-player game. Real human players on virtual worlds have been around since the advent of MUDs, which was about three decades ago, and MUD players have gotten married RL after meeting on them. The communities respective to each game are dynamic and the interpersonal relationships very real. So yes, Not A New Thing. The decision to treat players with respect or as less than fellow humans comes from the player himself, regardless of the platform.

2. You can make things on it! It can't be a game as universities and schools use it as a platform for learning!
You may be engaging in "serious bizness," but that doesn't mean the next player is as well. Again, this is not new technology. Online social games have existed and been used by such universities as the University of Pennsylvania for writing labs. Note nobody gave a damn about whether they were called "textbased virtual worlds" or not [1]. As far as I recall the listings always used "social games" to refer to the category in which such MU*s were placed, and no-one had a stick-up-arse about them being called games or derived from games regardless of whether they were using it for educational purposes or social interaction. And no the number of universities and NPOs using your game is not a qualifier for whether it's to be called a game or not. People using this argument forget that games are being used to train or rehabilitate soldiers, build better dynamics in an office environment, etc. The "seriousness" of intent and purpose does not a game or non-game make.

3. SL is open-ended and has no quests or storyline. Thus it cannot be called a game.
This is perhaps the argument on which the debate hinges. Yet social open-ended games have existed for years and never really required the creation of another term just to specify them in particular. Social MU*s which were built primarily to bring people together, with no real purpose but that, have flourished on the net for years, and were always called games. They let users build their own rooms/objects and shape the world to some extent. Some people call SL a "glorified chat room," and in a sense it is. Yet, for obvious reasons, this argument makes much more sense than the above two. Note that Richard Bartle is credited with creating the first virtual world, and it was a MUD. The purpose of which was...that's right, gaming.

Richard Bartle on MUD and virtual worlds (refers to SL as well). He talks on how game and social worlds were one and the same in the first ten years and the growth of the schism between social and gaming worlds. Essentially he uses "virtual worlds" as an umbrella term for both gaming and social worlds.

My opinion? SL is what you make of it. It can be a game to some and another life to others. Go ahead and call it a virtual world/creative learning platform if you want, which it is, too. But that doesn't bar the use of "game," in the meaningful sense of the term, to describe it for some people who use it as such. One other disturbing thing I've observed is that far too many SLers keep sneering/looking down at gamers and other platforms, believing it to be utterly revolutionary in terms of virtual worlds.

From Cybertown's Overview:

A private 3D VR (virtual reality) home with your own personal chat, inbox, message board and free e-mail. You can invite your friends over to hang out, chat and party - all in full 3D!
The Cybertown shopping malls and Flea Markets where you can buy, sell or trade cool 3D objects for your home.
A Virtual Pet for your home.
Customizable bodies to use in the 3D worlds.
Ongoing Role-Playing Games.
Interesting Clubs with 3D Clubhouses to join or start your own.
Awesome movie theaters and music concerts.
The Black Sun Club where you can dance in 3D and listen to your favorite tunes.
Live events and celebrity chats.
The opportunity to get a virtual job, earn CityCash and become a respected citizen of a large intergalactic online community.

Sound familiar? This was all back in 1997, in a world which was based on Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash no less. The technology was primitive and the visuals extremely rough, but it was there. What SL offers us is a step up, but the concepts are not new, at all. What IS new is how mainstream and populous SL has become, and the degree of realism we can imbue in-game creations with.

So, these seem to be the core reasons/beliefs that drive people to vehemently protest SL being called a game:

Games are relatively unimportant and ranked with simple amusements. Calling SL a game implies that I'm wasting my time.

Calling SL a game implies that one treats his fellow players as game NPCs and implies a lack of respect to other people in it.

Both seem to be hasty assumptions, especially given that the magic of SL lies in how it can offer different people different experiences. Given that this is an age where gamers have become a majority, and the power games have in shaping popular culture and opinion (so much so that Rock the Vote facilitated Xbox voter registrations) it seems a little bit much to be infuriated that your favourite pastime's being called an online game. This could also be because much of the playerbase of SL is older and the concept of online games as bonding activities and "serious" leisure time is one that younger people have an easier time grasping.

So, please, don't demean gamers, people who play SL as a game, or other games or platforms in an attempt to make SL look better, more important, or to justify the use of your time on it. Playing it as a game does not imply a lack of respect for the players inside it. And don't forget to have fun...if that's what you came here for.

More reading:
A Second Look At Second Life

Tera, the Exiled Kingdom of Arborea

Thu, 05 Mar 2009 05:46:29 GMT

The developers working on L3 that quit from NCsoft have made their own MMORPG company and are planning to launch Tera soon.

I am looking forward to this and Blade & Soul this year.

Saint Seiya Pegasus fantasy (neoclassical version) by DEMIANG

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 11:11:39 GMT

/me :o at this guy's skills.

Olbermann Special Comment: Proposition 8

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 21:12:56 GMT

Medium Starch

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:10:11 GMT

Why you shouldn't pick on the old man at the Chinese laundry.

Hyung-Tae Kim for NCSoft's Blade & Soul

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 03:28:42 GMT

Simply one of the most stunning MMORPG titles yet to come.

Harry in the Hood

Wed, 12 Mar 2008 22:01:31 GMT

Your avatar in the metaverse, in the future

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 08:49:52 GMT

This link was posted to one of the designer groups I'm in, and there seems to be a lot of excitement over it these days:
http://realxtend.com/

Realxtend Features:
OGRE rendering
Particle effects
3D objects, lights and shadows
Responsive avatar controls
Web pages as textures
Desktop application sharing (VNC)
VOIP client and 3D audio rendering
Scriptable teleports between worlds
Second life compatibility mode for use in SL and Opensim worlds
Sprites
Additive blending mode for objects and sprites
Improved quicktime video
Dynamic object grouping for rendering performance
Address field in client login screen to select world
MS SQL support for server performance
VOIP Server
Python scripting
Script controllable viewer HUD and UI
Script handlers for viewer mouse clicks and wheel
Scriptable events when avatar enters a trigger prim
Control avatar position and rotation from script
Sound support (preload and play)
3D mesh collisions
Web services integration to scripts
Server-wide inventory for world builder teams
Terrain texturing
Changeable skybox textures
UDP throttle start/min/max configuration
Support multiple media urls per region
New UI skin for the viewer

And to be launched on the 29th of February:
Free-form non-humanoid avatars
Global avatar mesh, skeleton, textures, attachments and animations
Single sign-on to multiple worlds for teleporting
Avatar generator
Avatar attachment tool to help set 3D meshes to different bones
Unlimited amount of attachments per bone
Teleports between realXtend and Secondlife
Avatar storage to move avatar appearance between realXtend grids/worlds
Mesh tool to scale and set pivot of 3d models
Server launcher and configuration application
Home automation example using X10 technology
Bot with Python scripting
Media library for world builders
Server status window

Their roadmapped features are exciting to read through as well.

A friend of mine who works in interoperability hazarded a guess that moving between grids will be seamless in around 4 years or so, but said that it'll be possible (but rough going) soon.

We Gots The Religion

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 07:06:57 GMT

Dear Livejournal,

I am violently opposed to advertising from sites like http://realtruth.org and note that they are pushing religious points of view under the pretext of writing ads for categories like Internet & Media/Computers and Technology. I would respectfully ask that such ads be filtered from our sites. I have been a paid customer on and off but I am rather offended by their use of your advertising service to promote religious conservatism.

-Me, a concerned LJ user

Take careful note of the ads on the Livejournals you visit, people. These religious right-wing nuts are sneaky and virulently pervasive.

[1:22] Caliah Lyon: I changed my ad prefs to "pets, travel'
[1:22] Stephen Bentham: lmao
[1:23] Stephen Bentham: I should get you a gift subscription with no ads
[1:23] Caliah Lyon: and movies
[1:23] Caliah Lyon: pets travel movies, shopping
[1:23] Caliah Lyon: and mobile
[1:23] Stephen Bentham: well you use it a lot
[1:23] Stephen Bentham: lol
[1:23] Caliah Lyon: It seems to keep the religious rightwingers out
[1:23] Stephen Bentham: sob
[1:23] Stephen Bentham: what about pet conversion
[1:23] Caliah Lyon: I guess they don't like Fido
[1:23] Stephen Bentham: Your pet needs to be saved

The ad in question:
http://www.realtruth.org/articles/071031-004-tpoh.html?s_kwcid=ContentNetwork|1448992181&gclid=CIXNn5vNxZECFSFaagodvxDy4A

Note, my apologies beforehand if my Livejournal is appearing again on the Fashion Planet feed when this change was not requested by me at all. I don't wish to discuss religion or politics in the feed, and I certainly didn't ask for Tao to add it again to Fashion Planet. However I think this issue of fundamentalist "stealth advertising" needs to be addressed so I am keeping this entry public, and emailing Tao to remove my personal blog.

Muay Thai - The Contender Asia

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 21:51:56 GMT

:o!!!

Someone tell me when this airs in Europe/Aus please.

Client Tips and Windlight

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:01:24 GMT

I've updated the Optimising Windlight for Avatars tutorial because of the increased Ambient values in version 18.6.76116 (thank you WL team). For me this version produced some beautiful avatar shots for ads; all the recent Muse ads in the last release were shot using this updated preset, changing the East Angle of the sun around in the advanced sky editor and some local lights (either face lamps or ones I set down manually). In my opinion, minus the black bands in the sky and other glitches, it was aesthetically the best release to date; with a little tweaking and some local lights avatars had the added depth and realism similar to characters in many current, high-quality 3D videogame titles.

Avatar in WL version 76116, using the Optimising WL for Avs preset, left w/ facelamp, right without.

Avatar in version 76116, region default lighting.

However, one might be disappointed to note that with the latest release, 18.6.76886, with or without local lights avatars look very similar to when they're under the old "flat" lighting from the default viewer (or with atmospheric shaders off), and this effect has been lost. I've been tinkering with presets again (please send in photos or feedback on this, I'd like to hear your opinions on this Windlight release) but lighting still looks discouragingly flat on avs. I plan to attend the next WL session on Tuesday, since I put off downloading the client until just now - I wish I'd done so earlier. My hope is that the WL team will take this into account in their next release. Until then, I will keep using 76116 coupled with Nicholaz EC-1b for my ad photos. IM me if you need help in trying out this setup.

New Windlight (76866) with region default lighting. Note very little difference from the default viewer.

76866 with the Optimising for Avatars preset.

Client Tips for Sales
It's been the season for sales since December, so I thought of putting up a few tips in order to make your shopping experience as painless as possible. Besides stripping down to the basics (primless clothing, no or low-prim hair and no shoes) and turning down all your graphics settings, there are a few steps that you can take:
Under the Client menu (enable the Debug menu with ctrl+alt+D) select Rendering>Types. You'll see a list of types that your client renders. Turn off the types superfluous to your shopping - Sky, Trees, Water, Clouds, Ground, Particles, Sound, Bump.

Most importantly, to cut down on client-side lag disable Character when you've reached a spot where you can cam-shop comfortably. You won't be able to see your avatar, but your client is spared the effort of rendering dozens of other people and their attachments, and you the effort of asking other people to remove their prims. You will have to turn this back on if you need to move around, but the benefit is worth it.

A few people have noted some increases in stability with the Windlight client; one of its features that probably helps a great deal is Avatar Impostors. If you move around a bit while shopping having this is indispensable for reducing client lag. For me, using Nicholaz EC-1a with an older WL version 18.6.75762, with graphics settings at their lowest, impostors on and certain rendering types disabled has proven the most stable setup for high-lag, crowded areas. I didn't crash once at the Last Call sale and I've used it for the runway at fashion shows.

Have a good week :)

Traveller IQ Challenge

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 16:59:09 GMT

I suck at Africa/South America. Fun game though, good for refreshing your memory.

Some thoughts on avatar identity and style

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 16:30:40 GMT

The Orange series of panels on Identity sparked a brief and engaging conversation with another attendee whom I had the pleasure of meeting previously at a piano concert by Gideon Kappler - Lili Brink (for the non-SLers on my list...yes, Orange the cellphone provider). I'm used to being very enthusiastic, at least in one-on-one conversation, in discussing one of my favourite topics - the particulars of how people choose to represent themselves in online worlds (not necessarily graphical ones). In a continuation of the discussion Steve and I got delayed in Armidi when we momentarily forgot to walk in favour of musing on particular styles people choose to clothe their avatar in, and how, for the sake of logic or other purposes, it still never occurs to some to disassociate the real-world connotations of a certain visual style from its 3D in-world version, where it could potentially mean something entirely different, or nothing at all.

While some might have argued that cyberspace freed us from our bodies and gave us freedom over our identities, gender stereotypes and even national affiliations transfer into these virtual worlds where male and female bodies are equal and where real world nations don’t even exist. Perhaps the complications of our virtual identities derive from our insistence of embodiment in virtual worlds, and MMORPGs are showing us how easily real world privileges, affiliations and power structures transfer into virtual worlds.
- Nick Yee, Avatar and Identity http://www.nickyee.com/daedalus/gateway_identity.html

Of course this is part of why the fashion industry is thriving in SL, though one can wish that more people would remember to take more enjoyment in the visuals (and their own self-expression) rather than be unduly preoccupied with what they perceive them to represent of negative aspects of the real world. It's always been interesting to note the reactions of people to the different avatar guises/fashions I adopt, and how the various shades of acceptance change as I change in appearance, but that bigotry or a deeper resentment (different from the initial dislike, amusement or hostility that some guises will engender) comes about in reaction to some avatars and fashions is a little saddening in an environment such as this, where so much creativity and potential for self-exploration exists.

While it's very easy to form a certain impression of the individuality of those who've chosen to be much more expressive when it comes to their appearance, in SL, there's so much variety and so much of what deviates from the "norm" that it's become mainstream in its own right. It's become more difficult to be unique or unusual, as creators/designers push the envelope and players come up with imaginative ways to be different from the rest who've purchased the same set of avatar mods, and subcultures within subcultures rise to popularity and gain wider acceptance. In most of SL's subgroups it seems to be a bit of a constant grind for those who take enjoyment or pride in setting themselves apart from the crowd appearance-wise, as the crowd rapidly integrates the trend/subculture and adopts its trappings.

While I was sitting here and poring through links, I remembered a random line I'd written in one of my profile picks that had been inspired by the Decadents' concept of Artifice and how appropriate it would be for SL. I was actually in glee, and not unsurprised, when I dug up this essay on virtual reality and Huysman's work A Rebours, which makes for some interesting and relevant points (perhaps the bit on "the triumph of the phallogocentric lust to recreate the world without the intermediary of fleshy women's bodies; it hints at the need of intersubjective sexuality and the reign of masturbatory rationality in its deracinated, permanently pornographic form" was a bit much to include, but what the hell).

http://www.saddlesores.org/hm_vr.html

Anyway, enough random rambling, off I go :)

Ed Alleyne-Johnson

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 04:06:03 GMT

Link for those who can't play the video from here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUO6kYLb6As

Extremely talented musician Ed Alleyne-Johnson, who plays electric violin. I discovered him through last.fm playing Lucia Micarelli's station, great stuff. This is without overdubbing.

"Busker and fiddler extraordinaire, Ed Alleyne-Johnson is best-known for his performances with New Model Army, although he has lately recorded a number of haunting albums on his own.

Born in Liverpool, he went on to Oxford University to study fine art, and began playing in the pubs and clubs around the area. Once he had completed his education, he took off for Europe with his home-made electric violin and all the paraphernalia needed to busk. During his travels he refined the style he had developed in England, which involved layering sounds one atop another. Fending off his critics, he said "It's continuing a tradition really. I've always thought people like Vivaldi and Bach, if digital delays had been around in their day, they'd have used them." Whether he is right or wrong, one thing is for certain - the 'soulless' technology he used produced a unique and haunting sound.

In 1989 he was approached by New Model Army to play on their single Vagabonds, and later on the album Thunder and Consolation. The five-year stint with the band took him all over the world, playing both violin and keyboards at some 500 concerts. He also recorded with the band on Impurity, Raw Melody Men and Living In The Rose, starting work on his own solo recording career in 1992.

In 1994 he teamed up with an old school friend, Denyze D'Arcy, who had lived at the other end of the street in his youth. While Ed was travelling the world, she had stayed in Liverpool, working with local bands and earning herself a reputation as a singer/songwriter. Although they had met before, when Denyze was playing saxophone at a school dance, this time it was for real. They married and settled in Liverpool, writing, recording and performing together. Although they still tour and play the big venues, Ed may still be seen where his roots are, playing to street audiences in his home town.

Playing Live

In the studio, Ed is an accomplished musician. Live, he is an superb performer - using a variety of effects pedals and creating layer upon layer of simple melodies, he gradually builds up haunting, ethereal pieces which build in depth to become so much greater than their components parts. He constructs a virtual orchestra, which shows many influences from chamber music onward. His first album has many elements drawn from Eastern European and North African sources, woven into a tapestry of hypnotic sound."

Edit: Apologies if this is showing up on the Fashion Planet feed, but I'm working on getting Tao Takashi to remove this blog and retain it only on Planet SL. Thanks. :)

Storm Constantine visits Second Life

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 01:00:30 GMT

Storm Constantine, author of the Wraeththu series of books and the Magravandias Chronicles, dropped by SL in a friendly visit to the Wraeththu roleplaying community in Second Life the other day.

From http://community.livejournal.com/raythoo/299074.html:

Forwarded message

Group Notice From: Sinji Itokawa

Sunday the 18th, tomorrow, sometime after 10am SLT (18:00 GMT), Storm Constantine will be visiting our project in Second Life. This is a huge honor for the community and I expect everyone to be themselves, and on their best behavior for this visit. Storm is visiting to tour our Quarter and get to know us...please do not pester her with IM's or question her incessantly. Lets make the Quarter a haven for her and a place she will want to come back too.

Thanks,
Sin

(Getting a second life identity is Free, any temporary vsitors will need directions from Sinji in order to find the Wraeththu Quarter on Pulse Island)

With a small group one could converse with Storm in a relaxed atmosphere, though I daresay everyone was nervous - she was friendly though and seemed very approachable :) She answered a few questions and talked about her inspiration and aims for the series, and asked us a few questions in turn about SL.

One of the resident hara (Yukio) had set up a beautiful avatar for Storm's use. I've replaced her avatar name so as to respect her privacy in SL. :)

[10:35] Sinji Itokawa shouts: Caliah, Garden!

*pops over to the Garden*

[10:35] Sinji Itokawa: Well, there is the square and this and the Hegalion...
[10:36] Storm Constantine: cool
[10:36] Caliah Lyon waves :)
[10:36] Storm Constantine: hi Caliah
[10:36] LinxHarTuatha Pessoa: also individual plots and homes
[10:36] Sinji Itokawa: Caliah, meet Storm.
[10:37] LinxHarTuatha Pessoa: we can't quite afford Immanion Island.... yet
[10:37] Storm Constantine: hee hee, will cost a bit no doubt
[10:37] You: Nice to meet you :)
[10:37] Storm Constantine: thanks, nice to meet you too
[10:38] Storm Constantine: this is like a very posh version of Dreamscape
[10:38] Yukio Ida: dreamscape?
[10:39] Storm Constantine: it's a primitive version of this world, one of the first I think
[10:39] Yukio Ida: ohhh
[10:39] Natsumio Kamachi wonders if it lags as bad.
[10:39] Storm Constantine: I made Phaonica there, Forever and Shilalama
[10:39] Spikey Timeless: Oh amazing
[10:39] Storm Constantine: no it didn't lag much because it was primitive
[10:40] Sinji Itokawa: One more stop and we can get out of the snow
[10:40] Sinji Itokawa grins
[10:40] Storm Constantine: wasn't free though, and in the end I bequeathed my residences and left
[10:40] Storm Constantine: ok lead on
[10:41] Storm Constantine: eek it is lagging a bit
[10:41] Sinji Itokawa: This is our Hegalion...where we assemble and make hefty decisions, like who is serving hot chocolate after this.
[10:41] Storm Constantine: rofl
[10:41] Yukio Ida: lol
[10:42] Yukio Ida: it'll be you
[10:42] Sinji Itokawa: I figured as much
[10:42] Yukio Ida smirks
[10:42] Natsumio Kamachi chuckles.
[10:42] Storm Constantine: it's really cool :)
[10:43] Storm Constantine: can I turn off this Welcome thing? it's taking up a lot of space
[10:43] Spikey Timeless: we discussed Natalia stuff last week
[10:43] Sinji Itokawa: Oh yes...
[10:43] Storm Constantine: cool, I heard you did Shadetide
[10:43] LinxHarTuatha Pessoa: I haven't created the satsumas yet
[10:43] Spikey Timeless: what we were doing, ideas and so on
[10:43] Shyaa Indigo: I unfortnately missed that one...
[10:43] Yukio Ida: same
[10:43] Spikey Timeless: Ive made the gold coins textures!
[10:43] Storm Constantine: hee hee
[10:44] Shyaa Indigo: I'm in the states... not sure if I'm the only one in the group or not.
[10:44] Spikey Timeless: Yeah shadetide was excellent
[10:44] Sinji Itokawa: Plenty are from North America.
[10:44] Natsumio Kamachi shakes head, "I'm int he states too Shyaa."
[10:44] Yukio Ida: very north america...
[10:44] Shyaa Indigo: Excellent!
[10:44] Yukio Ida snickers
[10:44] Natsumio Kamachi giggles at Yuki.
[10:44] Sinji Itokawa: So we can stay here or go back up?
[10:45] Storm Constantine: I don't mind
[10:45] Sinji Itokawa: More seating here
[10:45] Spikey Timeless: its nice here! lots of space!
[10:45] Sinji Itokawa: Let me get you a pillow Storm
[10:45] Storm Constantine: how do I sit down?
[10:45] LinxHarTuatha Pessoa: Storm.. I will sort out the neclaces later (wink)
[10:45] Storm Constantine: ooh sounds intriguing
[10:45] Storm Constantine: ah! I just realised who you are!
[10:46] Sinji Itokawa: Ok...right click the chair
[10:46] Spikey Timeless: LOL
[10:46] Yukio Ida: rofl
[10:46] Shyaa Indigo: Realized who who is?
[10:46] Sinji Itokawa: Um..did he disappear?
[10:46] Storm Constantine: Linx
[10:46] LinxHarTuatha Pessoa: It is hard to recognise people from their face in here
[10:46] Yukio Ida: he's sitting up here lol
[10:47] Natsumio Kamachi chuckles, "He's over here."
[10:47] Sinji Itokawa: ah ok
[10:47] Shyaa Indigo: Plus is just got dark... lol
[10:47] Yukio Ida: yep
[10:47] Natsumio Kamachi makes a little braid in Yuki's hair.
[10:48] Storm Constantine: If there's anything you want to ask me, fire away
[10:48] Natsumio Kamachi waggles his fingers, "What inspired you to write?"
[10:48] Spikey Timeless: I'd just like to thank you for visiting, its awesome
[10:48] Storm Constantine: nps, thanks for inviting me
[10:49] Storm Constantine: ok... just saw question lol
[10:49] Shyaa Indigo: That's a good one... where did this amazing concept come from?
[10:49] Yukio Ida: mmmhum we're very thrilled to have you here.
[10:49] Storm Constantine: what inspired me???
[10:49] Storm Constantine: well, it's been with me for a very very long time
[10:49] Natsumio Kamachi nods and smiles.
[10:50] Sinji Itokawa: anymore seats needed?
[10:50] Storm Constantine: I've got stuff I wrote when I was 16
[10:50] Spikey Timeless: yes, what inspired you!
[10:50] Sinji Itokawa: Just say Cheeriors
[10:50] Storm Constantine: I wrote an article about it for the Grissecon programme book, when we had the convention
[10:50] Storm Constantine: Cheerios lol
[10:50] Yukio Ida: lol
[10:50] Storm Constantine: I traced it back to one fundamental moment
[10:50] Storm Constantine: when I was small, my gran got The Second Jungle Book from the library that had some old woodcut illos in it
[10:51] Storm Constantine: Mowgli was shown as a naked beautiful creature with floor length hair
[10:51] Storm Constantine: what can I say? Never looked back rofl
[10:51] Yukio Ida: ohhh
[10:51] Tristan Carthage chuckles.
[10:51] Natsumio Kamachi giggles.
[10:51] Stephen Bentham laughs quietly
[10:51] Storm Constantine: I really think that's where the initial idea came from
[10:51] Kala Lunasea: wish I d had that version..
[10:51] Spikey Timeless: LOL sounds beautiful
[10:51] Storm Constantine: Wendy found it online, you can download some of the pics
[10:51] Natsumio Kamachi nods, "Me too."
[10:51] Kala Lunasea: excellent^^
[10:52] Storm Constantine: I might have a link somewhere... not sure if I kept it, but I got a few of the pics
[10:52] Sinji Itokawa hops away for a sec, "Excuse me...brb"
[10:52] LinxHarTuatha Pessoa: Perhaps it is an image appropriate for the library wall?
[10:52] Storm Constantine: I'll try and dig it out
[10:52] Yukio Ida: sure
[10:53] LinxHarTuatha Pessoa: If you have it Storm, send it to me and I'll sort out the getting it into secondlife bit
[10:53] Storm Constantine: ok, I'm sure I will still have it, coz it was for that article. I ought to put that on Inception really
[10:53] Storm Constantine: in fact, a pdf of that programme booklet would be nice to make available
[10:54] Storm Constantine: it had quite a few articles in it
[10:54] Tristan Carthage: That would be very cool
[10:54] Storm Constantine: again, Linx, remind me.. sigh
[10:54] Storm Constantine: I have the memory retention of a rather mentally challenged gnat
[10:55] Yukio Ida: hehehee
[10:55] Tristan Carthage laughs, "I can appreciate that."
[10:55] LinxHarTuatha Pessoa: sorry remind you of what?
[10:55] Yukio Ida: LOL
[10:55] Tristan Carthage: lol
[10:55] Storm Constantine: sheesh I forgot
[10:55] Yukio Ida: pdf of a booklet of articles
[10:55] Storm Constantine: lol, but anyway... ;)
[10:55] Yukio Ida: hehehehe
[10:56] Yukio Ida: so what do you think of second life so far?
[10:56] Storm Constantine: it's really cool, how does it operate?
[10:56] Spikey Timeless: we could put that as a book in the library maybe...
[10:56] Storm Constantine: I mean how do you earn money and so on to get stuff?
[10:56] Yukio Ida: operate as in?
[10:56] Yukio Ida: ohhh
[10:56] Natsumio Kamachi: How does it operate? It's runs on Lag Juice, of course!
[10:56] Storm Constantine: if you want it for your library you can have it Spikey
[10:56] Spikey Timeless: people sell stuff they make
[10:56] Shyaa Indigo: It's like a big, huge blank canvas that anybody can paint on. lol
[10:56] You: Depends on whether you want to create things or pay with real money :) Selling takes a while though
[10:56] Spikey Timeless: thanks :)
[10:56] Yukio Ida: well... you make things and sell them.. and hopefully people buy them.. and then later if you have enough you can turn the SL money into real money.. so it is an actual currency
[10:56] Sinji Itokawa: Oh yes we fogot the market! lol
[10:57] Yukio Ida: .....
[10:57] Yukio Ida eyes sin
[10:57] Storm Constantine: what kind of things do you make?
[10:57] Sinji Itokawa: WE'll show you.
[10:57] Tristan Carthage giggles
[10:57] Shyaa Indigo: I mostly just make a mess.
[10:57] Yukio Ida: you can make anyuthing
[10:57] You: Oh..anything...
[10:57] Storm Constantine: where do you get the materials?
[10:57] Shyaa Indigo: Although I did try to make a pearl... it came out. Umm... not round.
[10:57] Spikey Timeless: Ive made shirts, simple stuff, furniture for my house
[10:57] Spikey Timeless: a bathtub!
[10:57] Tristan Carthage made an IKEA desk...
[10:57] Sinji Itokawa: If you want to wait here all...I'll just pop Storm over there and come right back
[10:57] Sinji Itokawa: LOL Trist
[10:57] Spikey Timeless: OK
[10:57] Natsumio Kamachi blinks, "A square pearl?"
[10:57] Yukio Ida: clothing, books, hair, skins, etc..
[10:58] Yukio Ida: buildings cars animals
[10:58] You: The building editor can make basic building blocks you can tweak..or you can import 3d mesh textures that were made in maya/another 3d prog
[10:58] Storm Constantine: wow
[10:58] Shyaa Indigo: It's not square exactly, it just looked like it had hard eges... lol my friend fixed it for me though and now it isn't too bad.
[10:58] Spikey Timeless: lanterns
[10:58] Shyaa Indigo: Still needs to be scripted.
[10:58] Natsumio Kamachi giggles.
[10:58] Tristan Carthage: Anything you want or can dream, basically ;)
[10:58] Yukio Ida: mmhum
[10:58] LinxHarTuatha Pessoa: I managed to sell one of my pictures in here the other day
[10:58] Spikey Timeless: slugs
[10:58] Storm Constantine: the true ethers lol
[10:58] Yukio Ida: and some have the materials already made... just have to find it
[10:58] Sinji Itokawa: Hit Stand up Storm and I'll TP you

(Storm goes off a bit to see the Market)

[11:07] MystiTool HUD 1.0.21: Entering chat range: Storm Constantine (4m)
[11:08] Yukio Ida snorts and elbows natsu again
[11:08] Storm Constantine: hi again
[11:08] Yukio Ida: wb
[11:08] Spikey Timeless: Hi!
[11:08] You: welcome back
[11:08] Natsumio Kamachi cries out, and clutches his leg, lip quivering.
[11:08] Kala Lunasea: wb ^^
[11:08] Spikey Timeless: did you like the stuff in the shop?
[11:08] Spikey Timeless: stupid question really LOL
[11:08] Yukio Ida: lol
[11:08] Storm Constantine: yeah, was really cool
[11:09] Sinji Itokawa: You'llbe pleased to know...we got really close with the OL textures of old :P
[11:09] Sinji Itokawa: heheh
[11:09] Storm Constantine: lol
[11:09] Yukio Ida coughs...
[11:09] Yukio Ida: there's new ones too.
[11:09] Natsumio Kamachi grins.
[11:09] Spikey Timeless: I had fun.
[11:09] Sinji Itokawa: I demonstrated hugging as a platonic example of the possibilities *ahem* i SL
[11:09] Storm Constantine: hee hee, very chaste
[11:10] Spikey Timeless: 'oh...its a textile pattern' I said, while fiddling at work
[11:10] Yukio Ida: lol
[11:10] Storm Constantine: hee hee
[11:11] Sinji Itokawa: I have a question....
[11:11] Storm Constantine: ok :)
[11:11] Sinji Itokawa: Storm...if you distill the Wraeththu Series' into a single broad lesson for your readers, what would it be?
[11:11] Storm Constantine: humanity is rubbish?
[11:12] Sinji Itokawa: LOL
[11:12] You: Haha. :>
[11:12] Yukio Ida: lol
[11:12] Spikey Timeless: LOL
[11:12] Kala Lunasea: haha I like that ^^
[11:12] Spikey Timeless: perfect!
[11:12] Tristan Carthage grins.
[11:12] Natsumio Kamachi giggles.
[11:12] Storm Constantine: I think though, more seriously, I want people to wake up a bit
[11:12] Spikey Timeless: I could do a nice textured carving
[11:12] Spikey Timeless: as a motto
[11:12] Storm Constantine: be aware, be magical, howl at the moon, that kinda thing
[11:12] Kala Lunasea: ah I've ok all along then..
[11:12] Storm Constantine: I detest mundaneity
[11:12] Tristan Carthage: That's beautiful, Storm.
[11:12] LinxHarTuatha Pessoa: (makes notes to add it in to a future capter 'theyre a bit rubbish')
[11:13] Storm Constantine: lol
[11:13] Spikey Timeless: thats amazing, and your stories have certainly prompted me to do that and to embrace that whole idea
[11:13] Yukio Ida: lol
[11:13] Sinji Itokawa: So then would you say that the ideas of acceptance and gender dissolution are secondary?
[11:14] Storm Constantine: more parallel than secondary
[11:14] Shyaa Indigo: Have you ever had anyone say that the books are mysogynistic, Storm? And I need to give the disclaimer that I do NOT personally feel that they are - it's just something a fellow fan said to me once. lol
[11:14] Storm Constantine: gender is a construct
[11:14] Storm Constantine: yep a lot Shyaa
[11:14] Storm Constantine: what people fail to get is that Wraeththu mainly have female psyches
[11:14] Storm Constantine: people often fail to get past the bodies
[11:15] Kala Lunasea: or the pronouns
[11:15] Storm Constantine: yeah the pronoun is a headache
[11:15] Storm Constantine: I didn't want she, because it seemed too feminine somehow, bit weird to say, but true
[11:15] Storm Constantine: and ey and eir are so clunky to use
[11:15] Kala Lunasea: there are gender neutral ones but they're hard to use..
[11:15] Kala Lunasea: yes thats what I meant!
[11:15] Storm Constantine: if I were to use any, it would be them
[11:15] Shyaa Indigo: And you don't really want to say "it" because that's too impersonal. lol
[11:15] Storm Constantine: aye
[11:15] LinxHarTuatha Pessoa: English isn't eaxctly the best language for following its own gramatical construction laws
[11:16] Storm Constantine: I think maybe future generations of Wraeththu would have a different pronoun
[11:16] Yukio Ida: i saw you went over that in the grimorie Storm..
[11:16] Storm Constantine: yep
[11:16] Shyaa Indigo: I noticed in the later books they use the 'har' pronoun alot more often - as the memories of being human fade.
[11:16] Storm Constantine: yes
[11:16] Sinji Itokawa: Speaking of Grimoires....where's thenext 2!? :P
[11:16] Caliah Lyon noticed that as well
[11:16] Storm Constantine: I need to write them!
[11:16] Yukio Ida: lol
[11:16] Storm Constantine: but... I also need to do the magic
[11:16] Spikey Timeless: yes I did too. Its funny though I get used to using 'he' but I THINK of both
[11:17] Storm Constantine: the first one was the product of a lot of us working together
[11:17] Kala Lunasea: Ooh I have a question, I dont know if its relevant but is the Wraeththu Tarot going to be published?
[11:17] LinxHarTuatha Pessoa: Storm was bouncing an idea off me the other week, but Its too soon to announce I think
[11:17] You: Oh, I've been waiting for that forever
[11:17] Storm Constantine: nohar knows Kala
[11:17] Storm Constantine: rofl
[11:17] Spikey Timeless: I have too
[11:17] Tristan Carthage: Hello Dark :)
[11:18] Sinji Itokawa: WE're doing alot of work here...as this is almost like a wish it and it is so kind of place, very visual and collective...if anything comes up I'll pass it along :)
[11:18] You: And i miss the high-res pictures
[11:18] Storm Constantine: Ruby just isn't working much
[11:18] Spikey Timeless: it would be so beautiful
[11:18] Kala Lunasea: Oh ok
[11:18] Caliah Lyon thinks her favourite picture of Cal is in that tarot
[11:18] Storm Constantine: much as I'd love her to finish the deck, I think realistically it's unlikely
[11:18] Kala Lunasea: shame as the pictures are so beautiful
[11:18] Storm Constantine: but that doesn't mean we can't get another artist
[11:18] Yukio Ida: is the deck made by one person?
[11:18] Storm Constantine: yes
[11:19] Storm Constantine: Ruby
[11:19] Yukio Ida: ohh
[11:19] Storm Constantine: but she's kind of stopped working
[11:19] Spikey Timeless: her artwork is exquisite
[11:19] You: Shame really if so
[11:19] Kala Lunasea: I love her Wraeththu work, she does the characters just as I imagine them
[11:19] Storm Constantine: I have asked her to do the next Grigori cover
[11:19] Yukio Ida: agreed it's very beautiful
[11:19] You: Yes I thought so too
[11:19] LinxHarTuatha Pessoa: would I be correct in thinking that Ruby has been doing Major Arcana cards?
[11:19] Storm Constantine: she is the official Wraeththu artist, yes, but has had terrible block. I empathise with that
[11:19] Storm Constantine: she's done a couple of minors too
[11:20] Shyaa Indigo: So how long ago was the LARP I saw pictures for? When I realized there had been one I just about drooled on my keyboard...
[11:20] Storm Constantine: with the Wraeththu mythos novels, I'm nudging her along to produce one or two cards for each cover
[11:20] Shyaa Indigo: <---- big gamer junkie.
[11:20] LinxHarTuatha Pessoa: I wonder if it might work with Ruby doing the Majors and an other doing the minor?
[11:20] Storm Constantine: it was two years ago, New Year's Eve
[11:20] Spikey Timeless: I empthise with the block too
[11:20] Storm Constantine: that is a possibility Linx
[11:20] Spikey Timeless: that would be interesting Linx
[11:20] Storm Constantine: but she would do her conkers lol, she's quite territorial about her hara
[11:21] You: Haha
[11:21] Yukio Ida: hehehe
[11:21] Spikey Timeless: LOL!
[11:21] Kala Lunasea: understandable ^^
[11:21] Spikey Timeless: she has a right to be, they are the definitive look for so many of us
[11:21] Storm Constantine: I think the only way to do it, is to get her to do them for book covers
[11:21] Storm Constantine: she did 2 for the Hienama
[11:21] Storm Constantine: and that reminds me... I need a cover for Student of Kyme, doh
[11:22] LinxHarTuatha Pessoa: So..thats another four trilogies you need to write (grin)
[11:22] Storm Constantine: lol
[11:22] Yukio Ida: hahahah
[11:22] Stephen Bentham dies
[11:22] Storm Constantine: woops
[11:22] Stephen Bentham: I'm still on the first one! lol
[11:22] Yukio Ida: sounds like you're going to have your hands full
[11:22] Caliah Lyon snorts softly and pats Steve
[11:22] Storm Constantine: I've not been writing much for a couple of years, had some nasty real life stuff going on but..
[11:23] Storm Constantine: and getting back in the saddle again now, slowly
[11:23] Shyaa Indigo: I need to pick up the third book in the second trilogy - but I'm afraid... lol
[11:23] Storm Constantine: aww don't be
[11:23] Sinji Itokawa: Are there plans for more Wraeththu novels as well as the Grimoires?
[11:23] Shyaa Indigo: The second one made me cry. Hard! lol
[11:23] Yukio Ida nods, "Hopefully things are getting better though."
[11:23] Caliah Lyon just reread it recently
[11:23] Storm Constantine: I will do more Wraeththu stuff, it's my life blood
[11:23] Sinji Itokawa wants hope it will never end.
[11:23] Spikey Timeless: Oh good!
[11:24] Storm Constantine: but have nothing concrete planned beyond Student of Kyme
[11:24] Sinji Itokawa: Yay!
[11:24] Tristan Carthage: Yay :D
[11:24] Natsumio Kamachi: \o/
[11:25] Sinji Itokawa: Those damn paparazzi....
[11:25] Yukio Ida: LOL
[11:25] Sinji Itokawa looks innocent
[11:25] Storm Constantine: lol
[11:25] Natsumio Kamachi laughs.
[11:25] Tristan Carthage: LOL
[11:25] Kala Lunasea: lol
[11:25] Yukio Ida: paparazzi? where!?
[11:25] Spikey Timeless: two things, totally unrelated! (A.D.D I think...) I've been reading the Grimoire (nearly finished, though I keep going backover parts I find useful, and I have to say that your explanation and writing is extremely clear, and obviously comes from experience and practical application....secondly, I love the fact that all the characters are flawed in some way, there are very few who are all good, likewise few who are all bad, it makes them very very believable
[11:25] Natsumio Kamachi moves the camera from Yuki's face, and clears his throat.
[11:25] Tristan Carthage: I was just thinking, "How long before Storm goes, "Enough with the photo opportunities." lol
[11:26] Sinji Itokawa thinks he should adopt Storm, since we obviously come from the same family!
[11:26] Spikey Timeless: (and Ive been snapping away too!)
[11:26] Storm Constantine: guys, I'm going to have to go soon coz I'm starving and so are the cats
[11:26] Storm Constantine: thanks for your words Spikey :) I do me best
[11:26] Spikey Timeless: *grins*
[11:26] Shyaa Indigo: Hey I only took three! lol
[11:26] Storm Constantine: I hope I can visit again though
[11:26] Sinji Itokawa: Thank you so much for coming!
[11:26] Spikey Timeless: I'd love to see you again, we all would!
[11:26] Storm Constantine: thanks :)
[11:27] Shyaa Indigo: Thank you so, so much for coming Storm.
[11:27] Sinji Itokawa: Its been a honor and a very rare treat!
[11:27] Spikey Timeless: and there are a few who couldnt get logged in too!
[11:27] Storm Constantine: nps, it was a great pleasure, and I'm intrigued :)
[11:27] Stephen Bentham grins. Thanks for stopping by.
[11:27] Natsumio Kamachi beams.
[11:27] Storm Constantine: Sundays would be good for me
[11:27] Caliah Lyon looks forward to another visit :)
[11:27] Storm Constantine: shall I try and stop by next week around same time?
[11:27] Sinji Itokawa: Anytime...oh hit World and Landmark this place
[11:27] Storm Constantine: I can speak to Sin on MSN beforehand
[11:27] Spikey Timeless: that would be perfect
[11:27] Shyaa Indigo: Sounds great.
[11:27] Tristan Carthage: Ohh that would rock.
[11:27] Yukio Ida: sundays are perfect ^^
[11:27] Sinji Itokawa: You would be welcomed anytime!
[11:27] Storm Constantine: where is World?
[11:28] Kala Lunasea: yay ^^
[11:28] Spikey Timeless: we can shpow you some other places too
[11:28] Sinji Itokawa: Top of your screen
[11:28] Sinji Itokawa: Create Landmark
[11:28] Sinji Itokawa: Then you can find your way back
[11:28] Sinji Itokawa: Landmarks are tleeport links
[11:28] Storm Constantine: ok, shall I make my home here?
[11:28] Natsumio Kamachi: Liek an address! Only better!
[11:28] Sinji Itokawa: You can do that too
[11:28] Spikey Timeless: you could do
[11:28] DayDreamer Langway gave you Junior Scorpio Facial.
[11:28] You have offered friendship to Storm Constantine
[11:29] Spikey Timeless: then when you log in you come straqight here
[11:29] Sinji Itokawa: You'll learn it all eventually, its rather huge on the first day.
[11:29] Sinji Itokawa: Linx still forgets about Near My :P
[11:29] Storm Constantine: ah don't think I can make home here, it says I can only set it on my land or a mainland infohub
[11:29] Sinji Itokawa: Oh yes...you need a special group
[11:29] Sinji Itokawa: Just create Landmark
[11:29] Storm Constantine: ok done that
[11:29] Spikey Timeless: ok set it as a landmark
[11:30] Storm Constantine: so when I log back on, I can just teleport here?
[11:30] Spikey Timeless: if you accept the friendship offer Storm
[11:30] Sinji Itokawa: Yes
[11:30] Spikey Timeless: then you will see me or I'll see you online
[11:30] Spikey Timeless: thats it
[11:30] Storm Constantine: yay
[11:30] Yukio Ida: if you log out here and then check "log in at last location' in the login screen you will appear right where you logged off Storm
[11:30] LinxHarTuatha Pessoa: I think that we have a minor ceremony soon..(early december).might be interesting for you
[11:30] Spikey Timeless: then you can always IM me
[11:30] Storm Constantine: oh if you're doing any rites, I'd love to come
[11:30] Spikey Timeless: if you arrive and there is no one obviously about
[11:31] Sinji Itokawa: Adkaya and Natalia
[11:31] Storm Constantine: ok thanks all for friendships
[11:31] Sinji Itokawa: Dec 7 and 21
[11:31] Storm Constantine: I have never performed Akaya lol
[11:31] Yukio Ida: hahah you'll have your friendslist full soon
[11:31] Spikey Timeless: LOL
[11:31] Storm Constantine: which is terrible considering I wrote it lol
[11:31] Yukio Ida: rofl
[11:31] Tristan Carthage: lol
[11:31] Kala Lunasea: hehhe
[11:31] Spikey Timeless: there is always a first time!
[11:31] Storm Constantine: aye :)
[11:32] LinxHarTuatha Pessoa: perhaps it will serve to inspire the next time that ceremony sneaks into a novel (LOL)
[11:32] Yukio Ida: rofl
[11:32] Storm Constantine: hee hee that would be cool
[11:32] Yukio Ida: oh geeze
[11:32] Natsumio Kamachi grins.
[11:32] Spikey Timeless: Gah, does that mean I mustn't do anything outrageous?
[11:32] Yukio Ida: yes
[11:33] Spikey Timeless: damn.
[11:33] Shyaa Indigo: That's like asking you not to breathe, isn't it?
[11:33] Yukio Ida: no removing your clothes.... unless instructed.
[11:33] LinxHarTuatha Pessoa: and put the slug away
[11:33] Spikey Timeless: Awwwwwwww
[11:33] Yukio Ida: LOL
[11:33] Natsumio Kamachi: XDDD LMFAO
[11:33] Tristan Carthage laughs
[11:33] Storm Constantine: hee hee
[11:33] Tristan Carthage: Aww but you gotta love the slug.
[11:33] Spikey Timeless: esmerelda
[11:33] Yukio Ida: ....in soup perhaps?
[11:33] Spikey Timeless: it has a name
[11:33] Tristan Carthage gasps.
[11:33] Natsumio Kamachi: Eww. Slug Soup?
[11:33] Yukio Ida wrinkles his nose, 'then again.."
[11:34] Natsumio Kamachi: Escargo! :0
[11:34] Yukio Ida: ohh!
[11:34] Natsumio Kamachi starts passing out forks.
[11:35] Spikey Timeless checks inventory to see that Esme isnt on the menu
[11:35] Yukio Ida: i wonder if my chocobo eats slugs..
[11:36] Spikey Timeless: NUUUUUUUUUU
[11:36] Natsumio Kamachi: I think they do Yuki. o-o Worms and the like.
[11:36] Yukio Ida: mmhum
[11:36] Natsumio Kamachi: Fifi likes to attack garden slugs.
[11:36] Storm Constantine: ok guys, time for me to head off.. thanks so much for meeting with me here. The place is fab
[11:36] LinxHarTuatha Pessoa: (for those that didn't see it the slug is bright pink and the size of a pony)
[11:36] Storm Constantine: I can stop by next week if others wanted to come
[11:36] Yukio Ida: allright Storm, take care and thank you for coming ^.^
[11:36] Tristan Carthage: Thank you kindly for the visit, Storm.
[11:37] Natsumio Kamachi smiles, "Well. It was wonderful meeting you, Hope to see you again Storm!"
[11:37] You: Was great meeting you :)
[11:37] Spikey Timeless: Take care and thanks! Oooh yes please x
[11:37] Storm Constantine: kk see you soon, have fun :)
[11:37] Storm Constantine: in blood, brothers ;)
[11:37] Sinji Itokawa waves and grins
[11:37] Yukio Ida: you too!
[11:37] Stephen Bentham: Yeah, pleasure to meet you, take care :)
[11:37] Kala Lunasea: Thankyou for coming to see us ^^
[11:37] Shyaa Indigo: Goodbye!
[11:37] Caliah Lyon squees.
[11:37] Madison Talon: awwwwwwwwww, i crashed and missed it all
[11:37] Sinji Itokawa: Feel free to scream and run around like school girls, I know I will
[11:37] Shyaa Indigo is hugging harself with happiness...
[11:37] Natsumio Kamachi lets out alooooooooooooooooong breath his was holding. :D
[11:37] You: hahaha
[11:37] Yukio Ida: BWEEE
[11:37] Tristan Carthage: lol
[11:37] Yukio Ida: lol

I really do wish that I had the time to set up my own harish avatar, but I'm very busy as it is, so I may be doing that only much, much later. Thanks goes to Sinji for letting us attend this event!

A Farewell

Sun, 11 Nov 2007 10:34:00 GMT

As I sit here and try to sort through my thoughts to write on the loss of one of the most talented and well-loved designers in Second Life, I remember the first time I discovered Ginny Talamasca's work as a new and very green player in SL, around the time that Dazzle was having its first closing sale in September of 2006. I was fortunate enough to have learned of the sale by word of mouth, as I hadn't begun reading fashion blogs yet, and I was immensely happy that so many beautiful clothes had been made affordable for someone as new as me.

I didn't much wonder who the person behind it all was just yet, until a second chance came to buy the rest of the store's inventory, and Christmas rolled around; by that time I was well and truly hooked. Ginny must have been inundated with customer IMs but found time to help Steve out with his mistake in purchasing me one of the limited edition winter gowns, and his prompt and friendly service, as well as those releases that winter, made a loyal customer out of me. When Dazzle reopened as Last Call I was one of the eager and happy throng on the edges of the sim, waiting to rush in - that gaggle of Dazzle fanatics stampeding to get into the sim was probably one of the most humourous and memorable things I'd ever yet seen in SL. From then on new releases always seemed like a small gathering of familiar faces, and I came to look forward to them as part of a routine that brightened my week.

When Ginny spoke to me about my jewelry I felt greatly humbled and at a loss as to what to say - I had admired their work at Dazzle/LC for so long and never would have imagined that it would catch the eye of someone whose work I loved and whom I regarded with such respect. I've always felt I wasn't any more remarkable than the next person, but Ginny had a way of making one feel like they were special. Now I regret being so quiet and awkward, I had so many ideas I would have liked to share, but was too shy to put forward - and I just continued to wait and appreciate what work they had done, never realising that perhaps one day things would change.

I wrote my condolences but felt that I had to post this in acknowledgement of what this person has given us - inspiration, a standard to aspire to and a little more beauty to add colour to our SLives, as well as the kindnesses that will not be easily forgotten.

You will be missed.

Muse Updates: NY Gift Box

Thu, 25 Oct 2007 00:30:55 GMT

I feel very honored and pleased to be included in Iris Ophelia's "10 Second Life Fashion Designers Who Should Get Real" for New World Notes. Muse has been for the most part a labour of love, and it's gratifying to know that others appreciate the detail and effort that's gone into my designs. Thank you!

A Muse gift box is available for free at the Fashion Avenue sim for the premiere of the CSI:NY episode on CBS, with a limited edition variant of the Muse Classic Tank Watch in honey-coloured blonde croc, for both men and women, and a gold and freshwater pearl set of two necklaces, a bracelet and earrings. The gift box will be sent out early to the Muse Fine Jewelry group (to join, search for "Muse Fine Jewelry" in groups).

Updates:

Muse's entire store inventory is now available on Onrez! View my listings at http://shop.onrez.com/Caliah_Lyon. Muse updates will now be posted to Muse Fine Jewelry on Wordpress. Please update your bookmarks; the LJ will continue to mirror the updates until the new blog is added to the Fashion Planet feed. Have a great week, everyone!

Links:
Virtual CSI:NY

Updates; the left brain/ right brain myth

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 16:01:47 GMT

Updates:

Still working on my new location (at least, helping the builder along and doing some planning). I'm sorry if this has resulted in the noticeable lack of new releases, but I will try to make up for it as soon as I've gotten everything in order :)

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I did some rooting around on the Left/Right Brain test because the dancer didn't wholly convince me of how it worked.
From http://scienceblogs.com/neurophilosophy/2007/10/the_left_brain_right_brain_myt.php :

The left brain/ right brain myth
Category: Neuroscience
Posted on: October 13, 2007 2:36 PM, by Mo

This "right brain vs left brain test" from the Herald Sun is doing the rounds on the internet today. The article contains the so-called "spinning silhouette" optical illusion (below), and states that if you see the the dancer rotating in a clockwise direction "you use more of the right side of your brain and vice versa."

...There are some functional asymmetries in the brain, and it is true that certain regions of both hemispheres are specialized for particular functions. Speech illustrates this, but also shows that nothing is ever so simple when it comes to the brain: in most right-handed people, speech is processed in both hemispheres, but predominantly in the left. In some left-handers, speech is processed either predominantly in the right hemisphere or on both sides.

So the notion that someone is "left-brained" or "right-brained" is absolute nonsense. All complex behaviours and cognitive functions require the integrated actions of multiple brain regions in both hemispheres of the brain. All types of information are probably processed in both the left and right hemispheres (perhaps in different ways, so that the processing carried out on one side of the brain complements, rather than substitutes, that being carried out on the other)...

...Optical illusions can tell us much about the functioning of the brain's visual system. They work because the visual system reconstructs stimuli not according to how they actually are, but by making certain assumptions about their properties in order to "fill in the gaps".

It is unclear exactly how this illusion works, but it probably has something to do with the brain's representation of an ambiguous object. The silhouette is two-dimensional, but because almost all the objects we encounter are three-dimensional, the visual system reconstructs it as such. And the silhouette is not actually spinning - that is one of the assumptions made by the visual system. So, we perceive it as spinning in one direction one minute, and in the other the next.

Bit of a relief to know that you're not really more impetuous, emotional, or less logical just because you perceive it differently ;)

Avatar Highlights: Cyborg

Sun, 30 Sep 2007 09:08:20 GMT

I kept meaning to take photographs of my various avatars, but haven't really gotten around to it until now. This is one of my older avs that I acquired in January; when I went off to hunt for building inspiration, I dusted her off and took her out for a spin after six months or so of disuse :)

It's a curious fact that whenever I'm feeling antisocial and generally rebellious in-world, I generally don either of two getups - my kitsune avatar, or this, my purely synthetic cyborg avatar. Hydrogen Excelsior's HAV-2 had just been released a month or so prior in January 2007 when we visited his build, then still called H Creation/Everare. After a talk (and a funny dancing cyborg demonstration, Hydrogen is really very accomodating and cheerful) with him as to whether he would release a female version of the HAV-1 or not, I just decided to take the plunge with the HAV-2 female version and do the necessary mods myself. As it turns out I needn't have worried, as the retexturing went very well.

I'd originally begun assembling this look the first week of January and finished retexturing everything a little later that month. I used metal textures I'd made and retinted the glowing core parts, as well as the necessary lights in the spine and skull. Note the (blurry) barcode tattoo on the chest; it reads "Caliah" in Code 39 (thanks to a barcode generator).

Earlier this week I realised that she needed an update, so I got her some new hair at Kin (Amaunet in White) and tinted it teal to match the lights, so as to seem like they were casting reflections on the synthetic hair. I then sliced off the back of the wig, cut loose a few strands and fiddled with the texture placement, then reattached them to just slightly cover the "clear" braincase. I'm actually wearing two pairs of goggles here: The Outland Tech UG01 Goggles, painstakingly reattached to the chin, "exploded" and retinted to a dark grey with teal lenses before reassembly, and the Outland Tech ATHV Goggles that come free with the Outland Tech Flowbike, with the lenses tinted teal and made more transparent.

Rather than use the supplied thigh parts (I thought they needed to look a bit more complex) at the risk of not looking like I had a femur, I resized a copy of the retextured arm, and attached it as my left cybernetic leg.

My favourite piece of "hardware" is this Outland Tech UG01 - UP00 Pack. When I first got this eight months ago I couldn't stop darting across sims with it. With its dust FX and particle trails, its appeal hasn't yet worn off. It's now a permanent part of this avatar, as I never wear one without the other (with the exception, perhaps, of the time I attached the jetpack to my raptor avatar). The wrist com doesn't serve any other purpose of course, but the typing override is worth it.

Avatar Information:
Avatar: Modded HAV-2 Female Cyborg (now renamed the HAV-3) from Everare/6ixth Sense by Hydrogen Excelsior; Outland Tech UG01 - UP00 Pack from Outland Tech/Curious Relics by Anisa Naumova
Skin: Cake Jessica Pearl in Spoiled (tinted paler) formerly Gala Alabaster in Smolder
Hair: Kin Amaunet in White (tinted, modded)
Clothes: Cyber Succubus Bright from Bare Rose by June Dion
Shoes: HDesign Evolution Shoes from HDesign by Hevan Lament (gift)
Weapon: Sin Wicked Cleric HD Silver by Blooddoll Lulu
Accessories: Outland Tech UG01 Goggles (from the Outland Tech UG01 pack); Outland Tech ATHV Goggles (from the Outland Tech Flowbike); Outland Tech UG01 Wrist Com
Shot in Overdrive Island

The Nerd Test

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 22:25:48 GMT

I already knew the history geek part, but I think I should have scored higher on sci-fi :P They didn't ask about certain fandoms...like manga, Asian film...*koff*

Year in Review

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 16:17:37 GMT

Today is my first ever rezday :) Although I'm not holding a party, I just wanted to muse a little and thank the people who've made this such an enjoyable journey. Thank you all for your words of inspiration, your encouragement, your advice, friendship and kindness.

I joined Second Life in August 24 of last year thinking to use it as a platform for machinima, guessing that the graphics engine was too primitive to hold my interest for long. My machine was rather dated back then, and what I glimpsed of SL was far from impressive. Despite that, even on the very first day, there were intriguing hints of the possibilities that what creatives in such a medium were capable of. So I stuck around, exploring and learning very gradually, and continuing to be astonished at the surprising beauty and creativity that could be found within the world.

My first impressions of Second Life, a game review. Note that this was written about two days after I'd been in-world, as I didn't spend a great deal of time in SL due to my connection :)

I met stephen_bentham after only a week of play, in which all I did mostly was socialise. We became fast friends, practically inseparable as we explored the grid, and for the most part my SL experience has been with him. He and I have both undergone some rather interesting personal evolution together, and had enough amusing experiences for an SL lifetime. Though we've known each other for nearly a year, we were partnered only in June, as I'm rather stubborn about things like that :)

I didn't set out to be a designer, but it was a dream of mine after only a week in-world. Neither did I think I'd be doing jewellery until after I took an NCI class; only then did I realise I had a knack for working with tiny prims. After I graduated in January people started pressuring me to sell my work, so I relented. Enter Daydreamer Langway (great guy and one of my closest SL friends, practically a sib), and my first store in Imogen thanks to the kindness of the sim owner, Haver Cole. It was short-lived, however, as I was still dabbling and had no idea how to market myself. Meanwhile, I took some modelling opportunities for both photo and runway, and ran into Celebrity, who asked me to model for the February issue of Second Style. It was an eye opener on how I had to be more versatile as a model, and on the fact I needed more shoes >.< Modelling was always something I did almost purely for enjoyment, and I continued to do some runway shows and photo shoots, mostly for friends (I was never more excited about it as when I got the opportunity to model for Last Call).

Back then, Zatzai and company had an idea for the Second Convention. It was a great opportunity to become more involved in the fashion industry as well as learn the tricks of managing a show, and I met and got to know Lucas Lameth and several other designers, who have since become good friends. Luc graciously offered to host my work in his store (where it has stayed ever since) while I looked for another suitable location for my main boutique.

I moved to Linji a short time afterwards, and had my work cut out for me. Nevertheless I didn't really settle into the grind, but continued to play at a leisurely pace. I didn't want SL to become a place of obligations, though that has gradually changed, and I find myself enjoying each step as I develop myself as a designer. Creatively, I've begun to branch out, and have some surprises in store for when the Asian Designer Summit is done. I continue to encounter some very talented and great people, and am still a hopeless fashion addict, so it looks like my love affair with SL (or rather, my sphere in it) is far from over.

Linji Haven

Elysian Isle (Random House)

Frontier Hills (Japanese shopping sim)

Earthtones by Lucas Lameth

Last Call (thank you to Ginny, it's an honour to have a shop here)

A Bit More of the Ol' Personality Test

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 21:46:10 GMT

Since a couple of us were talking about this, here's a more in-depth personality test. I seem to vary between these two types (ENTP/INTP).
http://typelogic.com/entp.html
http://typelogic.com/intp.html

Your type is: ENTP
Extroverted (E) 59.38% Introverted (I) 40.63%
Intuitive (N) 61.76% Sensing (S) 38.24%
Thinking (T) 70.27% Feeling (F) 29.73%
Perceiving (P) 55.88% Judging (J) 44.12%

ENTP - "Inventor". Enthusiastic interest in everything and always sensitive to possibilities. Non-conformist and innovative. 3.2% of the total population.

Take Free Jung Personality Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

Main type	Variant

Take Free Enneagram Personality Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

Enneagram Test Results

Type 1	Perfectionism	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	53%
Type 2	Helpfulness	\|\|\|\|\|\|	30%
Type 3	Image Awareness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	56%
Type 4	Sensitivity	\|\|\|\|\|\|	26%
Type 5	Detachment	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	40%
Type 6	Anxiety	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	36%
Type 7	Adventurousness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	80%
Type 8	Aggressiveness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	83%
Type 9	Calmness	\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|\|	60%

Your main type is 8
Your variant is sexual

Take Free Enneagram Personality Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

Snagged from Kit Maitland's blog.

You Are An INTP

The Thinker

You are analytical and logical - and on a quest to learn everything you can. Smart and complex, you always love a new intellectual challenge. Your biggest pet peeve is people who slow you down with trivial chit chat. A quiet maverick, you tend to ignore rules and authority whenever you feel like it.

In love, you are an easy person to fall for. But not an easy person to stay in love with. Although you are quite flexible, you often come off as aloof or argumentative.

At work, you are both a logical and creative thinker. You are great at solving problems. You would make an excellent mathematician, programmer, or professor.

How you see yourself: Creative, fair, and tough-minded

When other people don't get you, they see you as: arrogant, cold, and robotic

What's Your Personality Type?

Hmm. I do like idle chit-chat with friends though ;) I believe my old result in the Myers-Briggs test was ENTP, as well, now that I think about it. Grown more introverted over time, however.

Interlude

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 17:14:36 GMT

I was pleasantly surprised by this when I was browsing the Planet SL feed:

Muse, as seen in Windlight, thanks to Torley:

The shots Torley has been posting using blogHUD are lovely. I'm hoping they tweak Windlight enough for it to be released soon - I'm looking forward to trying my hand at some pictures, though I don't seem to have a very good eye for taking pics of avatars.

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Simone: Women at Work

My review of Simone's new businesswear line is here. I'm rather pleased with the result of these photos in my new skin (Jessica Pearl in Spoiled from Cake). I actually pigged out on the Jessica skins and bought three, though Steve went halfsies for me :3

The Cleansing of the Web, Or, The Conservatives Are Watching You

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 08:18:08 GMT

Just after the Six Apart/Livejournal debacle, Linden Lab merrily decided to join the fray and tossed this gem of a news post out on their blog:

Keeping Second Life Safe, Together

The diversity of things to see and do within Second Life is almost unimaginable, but our community has made it clear to us that certain types of content and activity are simply not acceptable in any form. Real-life images, avatar portrayals, and other depiction of sexual or lewd acts involving or appearing to involve children or minors; real-life images, avatar portrayals, and other depictions of sexual violence including rape, real-life images, avatar portrayals, and other depictions of extreme or graphic violence, and other broadly offensive content are never allowed or tolerated within Second Life.

Please help us to keep Second Life a safe and welcoming space by continuing to notify Linden Lab about locations in-world that are violating our Community Standards regarding broadly offensive and potentially illegal content. Our team monitors such notification 24-hours a day, seven-days a week. Individuals and groups promoting or providing such content and activities will be swiftly met with a variety of sanctions, including termination of accounts, closure of groups, removal of content, and loss of land. It’s up to all of us to make sure Second Life remains a safe and welcoming haven of creativity and social vision.

flaviusiulianus noted on second_lifers
http://community.livejournal.com/second_lifers/346342.html:

I'm mystified....just when age verification was settling a bit, they go and pour jet fuel on the fire.

Couple this with what's going on with LJ this week and Myspace....I'm not a conspiracy theorist but even I have to wonder if there's some "morality police" who's decided to "clean up" web 2.0.

I'll make a recommendation: everyone who is concerned about this....do not buy Linden dollars until they change this. Boycott them by cutting off their money. I think that will help focus their attention.

At least Digg stood up and said they'd go down fighting.

This is a portrait in cowardice.

I replied:

I'm getting the same feeling of dread reading this.

And I think we should take a page from Digg and Livejournal and not stand for any more of this BS.

What they want to do is for the entire grid, international population included, to conform to some middle-America moral standard. I've always found it laughable that a bared nipple on national TV would cause more of a furor than a depiction of a man getting shot. And the latter wouldn't even qualify as "extreme or graphic violence."

Seriously LL should grow up. Where and how will you draw the line between a pair playing at BDSM and -real- sexual violence? Face it, other than the lack of a safeword, you can't. I refuse to stand around and have to suffer the consequences just because LL is caving in to the pressure from some self-appointed right-wing morality police to sanitise what should be a virtual world for mature adults. Okay, the crackdown on pedophilia is fine. But this?

Rather than making allowances for mature sims and areas with adult content, they have to go and make a blanket statement like this. What's next, nudity as a bannable offense? And why does LL never speak up on racially offensive organisations making their home in SL?

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I'm torn between amusement and and a vague sense of horror.

What's next? Will Linden Lab cave in to pressure from groups from states where homosexual marriage is against the law? What about furries and nekos - would their private activities qualify as "bestiality" in the eyes of the uninformed and be the subject of another moral outcry from these right-wingers? Will BDSM products be banned altogether? Can we use the guns and swords we bought even in the privacy of our own homes, or use them at all? What is the future for gun and sword makers, if they make an rl living off selling their products?

This post, Linden Labs, has opened up a nasty can of worms. I'd hate to be in your shoes when your disgruntled users decide they've had enough.

Links of Interest:

Ashcroft vs. Free Speech Coalition
http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/00-795.ZS.html