Back from the Playa

With scheduled events officially over, Burn2 remains through Wednesday for you to check out the exhibits and presentations with less lag.

I think even though it took up only 4 sims, there were more "big" displays than in past years.  People who noticed Gulliver in '09 ogled or nonstop praise for post-apocalyptic builds for Tokyo Stage felt that to get their messages across with  GREAT   BIG   MANNEQUINS.  All over the place.  Couldn't turn anywhere without something built large, where largeness wasn't part of the plan.

 back in 2009, when builds were builds

Biggest disappointment was this art camp.  The carefully shot videos and photos had me thinking: "Oh this is something else.  Look at that craftsmanship!" I sought ot out, only to find it was a giant texture with an alpha background.  Closer look of the piece made me wonder if the figure was actually drawn or Poser or a treated SL snapshot.  In other words the effect was just that: an effect. There was no actual form. No body up there.  Color me disillusioned.  Think of how much better all those mannequins could have looked if others on the playa used flat cardboard standups.  In fairness though, they could have had little time to prepare; I just had the least because I needed a hand operation.

 nice but it was never shot at this angle

Nice one by Trill.  I remember them from Show n Tell. As always Inner Child Camp is a fun place to explore for all ages... DMom2k collaborated on a girder tree with Chakra globes around it (very nice but didn't need to be 5x bigger than a old oak tree to get its point across or impressive). The temple was nice, but the Lamplighters barely went through their motions beyond their campsite.  For the ones I attended they showed up at the temple with the night half over - like around 8:05 - then most of the remaining went to bed before sunrise, leaving a skeleton group (of like 5?) to greet the dawn, among which only one or two played percussion and the rest danced.  In all very nice, with marvelous contraptions and interpretations of the theme. Just that they didn't all have to be so damn big.

 I think back on obscure but brilliant pieces in 2009,  lost in the vastness of an SL run playa.  How I got to know Further Monday and happen upon her as I watched a land rush, then visiting her modest parcel with its delicately designed umbrellas.  Who saw it besides her friends or those who walked beyond the busy regions? It was proof that something didn't have to be big to be great.

Not big but very very awesome. Fire racing to make patterns

This year mine was an inner journey, so the outside was intentionally unspectacular.  As often with me, what's inside is what counts the most.  Especially since I can look like you and you can look like me at any time in Second Life.  Rites of passage are inner journeys.  If your nature is that of a good listener, my presentation might appeal to you for the substance.  There's words accompanied by video, graphics, snapshots and original art.  I even included a concept sketch from a story I'd originally started on New Babbage's site.  I haven't stopped writing it; I may relocate it to its own Blogger page. It was inspired from an actual course of events while exploring their city last winter.

You have through about 3pm SLT today to see Reactivation Revelation Regeneration.

Snurky Wins a City of Concorde Race!

It takes someone with courage to admit they're wrong or afraid in the face of impending destruction.  I was scared shitless on Saturday night. I hadn't felt like that since the night of 9/11.  We were very lucky in our community.  Two communities over there was damage from a tornado, and earlier in the local bus' route there were downed trees.

Look at all the people who can't admit they're wrong or get caught in lies built up over time, desperate to keep an image. 

And what is an image if not a reflection of one's actions?

No not the other kind of image.  Any one of us could like like any other one of us if we wanted.  If I had a dime for every common dirty shaven kendoll hunk moose in second life who thought they looked better than anyone else, I'd own an estate and unlimited tier.

I mean image as in reputation, especially buying using money to earn fake friends and make oneself irreplaceable yet feared. Even if I had that kind of money, I just wasn't brought up that way to have such an inclination.  What a waste of life and everyone else's time.


People were shocked I didn't have a place at Burn2, particularly after having experienced my own rite of passage in SL this past year and an eagerness to express it in on the playa after being unable to commit to a spot last year. 

To be honest only Snurky entered the lottery;  I didn't feel it was right for two avatars on the same computer to try out for that.  I made a Campsite application which was rejected; despite a hyperdetailed form to fill out, the winners were supposedly picked at random.  If you can believe that, well... 

Maybe it's for the better.  The event is still rife with hypocrisy if my run-in with their SL8B presentation is any indication.  And that first meet-up for the applications left a rather negative impression: someone as a horned beast sitting on a throne overseeing everybody dance in fire isn't what I'm about.  Talk about the biggest group affiliation in the western world... 

I'll just make some skins for a freebie pack and hopefully get to finish a couple of builds for their DMV (I can't script as you know).  Of course I'm disappointed I don't have a spot, but I don't have money to buy one and I learned long long ago that art is like showbiz: a lot of talents and only a few get the time of day. That's just the way it is.  I applied for a couple of DJ spots. If I get them at least then it will be something. Whatever happens happens with them.


Anticipating the 7Seas Fall Fishing Festival in October.  Maybe I'll achieve hall of fame there?  I'll make more customs to debut at a spot. I have some ideas for that.

I think looking back that I still have more than enough to work on. :)  I'm certainly in a better place in SL than I was a couple of months ago. Still venture into New Babbage once a week for a Radio Riel event dominated by decent folks.  It works best that way.

A Good Week for a Change

It's been a good week.  While it's easy to be moved to write when there's misrepresentation or bullying to bring to light (I'll gladly leave irrational hate and fibbing for the schemers to spew forth), it's always great when things fall into place.

Removing certain groups from my list was very therapeutic.  I have one friend left whom I made in "that place" and I get a strong impression they're too polite to remove me but may prefer that I no longer existed in their world.  So far it's been only me saying hello.  I could be wrong, but I might remove a weight off their shoulders if I don't see a change.   It's times like these I'd like to be proven wrong, but conditional friends are barely any friends at all, if not grounds to be a friend when the tide turns.

We had an 80s Night at the beach on Monday.  Best dressed avatar contest in addition to 7Seas'.  I even made a plastic-look headset for the occasion.  The playlist was both easy and tough.  I had ripped a lot of CDs the day before and in minutes had almost three hours of music picked.  The tricky part was deciding what to leave out.  In the end everybody had a great time with many not having heard some songs since they were hits.  It always feels good when you know you've made someone's downtime worthwhile.  That's why I do it.  This is all about downtime.

New Albert Hall's working out as well.  I try to put something Who into that one for obvious reasons.  I've been invited to participate in London Fest.  I'd play a 90 minute set from one band (got dibs on Electric Light Orchestra).  Will see what I can prepare for that one in the way of multimedia accompaniment as it seems customary.  If anything it compensates for not having a Burn2 plot.

Furnished the treehouse as much as I'd want to. Who needs a bathroom or a kitchen in Second Life?!

More good news: deleted Google+

What negative occurrence can we turn into something positive?  The most unhappy news of all: the mortality of Abbotts Aerodrome.  Cubey Terra announced that it's up for sale in September.  This is more than just property, and many of us wish Linden Lab would strike a deal so it becomes property of LDPW with mole attractions and continued trips to Nova Albion and Hau Koda.  Even with a little arranging planes can start from Hau Koda back to Abbotts as well as out to Calleta's Hobo infohub (should they ever manage to stabilize the northern Sansara corridor).

 We can only hope to continue to see that grand tower as a symbol of the best our earliest mainland settlers had to offer...

SL8B...

It's only my fourth but I'll have to agree with other bloggers that it's the best one in some time.  Lots of great exhibits wherever you turn, even though some left out the magic and SL part from their content and only worked on recruitment recruitment sales pitch sales pitch...  The point was to bring the places there and let them on their own think: "I gotta go to this place!"  yes, I'm marketing savvy, only not with my stuff.

Bay City Alliance enjoyed several rooftop parties which drew a crowd each time.  Well who doesn't like Oldies?

You can get a mini magician snail avatar at the Giant Snail Races exhibit, and ride cuts of fruit inside a giant jello nearby, courtesy of Pygar Bu.

Them Goonies from Escapades have a great one, where you read from a giant storybook then step into the picture to check out all sorts of displays and games.  The monster in the wardrobe - velly nize!  They also know how to party btw.

On Saturday afternoon I rode back to my parcel from Bay City in a Slitheen cruiser.  I had no idea someone had put up a replica of Big Ben. I buzzed the clockface with my wing. Wish someone witnessed this and snapped a pic.

Letdowns? An unlikely source:

Burn2 folks used voice in a lagged Auditorium - and expected you to as well to hear them.  What was that about? If you can't use the audio or media streams then type.  You're taking slack.  Not everybody has the supercomputers you have. Your own people were crashing during the presentation.  Compatibility should be taken into account so that Radical Inclusion may occur and Participation is possible for the community.  The ultimate application of Communal Effort.  Voice snobs...another pet peeve along with V2-only technology, Scourgemobiles, clacking heels, superglow, and gesture diarrhea. (PS: Please look in comments for a response)

The Dr Who pitch?  Some friends couldn't get to my party for a several minutes because these people hogged agent allowance (although they themselves were across the border in another region).  Friends got in eventually though and we all had a good time.

The place didn't actually close. SL8B is still going on this week, only no events are being held in the SL venues.  Take advantage of the lower lag and check everything out.  Me I gotta track down some silly cake and cupcake hats.

Burn2 Ends: Time to wander the dirt road.

So I hear the Lamplighters finally made it up to the temple during a USA night time - to dance on the its ashes on the final day.  I'm sure they're very proud of themselves for throwing away their duty to the community and keeping to themselves for most of Burn2.  It's not why I sought them out.  I really thought such an established group would have upheld its practices at least long enough for me to have been a part of it.

I think in the end though it turned out better.  People got together and just did it.  People got to appreciate the beauty of the temple. People got into the spirit of fire and bringing up the sun.

Having been unable to get close enough last year even to cam in,  it was great to observe The Man burn from just across a sim line.  When Bordello netsplit, I readied myself and crossed over the moment it returned, knowing people would have crashed or logged off in confusion. The Lampies as a group were nowhere in evidence for that 4am SLT burning.  A random number of us - only one other in Lamplighter robes - did the percussive honors with a scratch artist.  Interesting that there is a group of RL burners with shirts displaying photos of themselves at the actual Burning Man festival.  Two of them performed with us.

 

With Burn2 officially over, I'll have the liberty of lag-free exploration of whatever wasn't burned down.  I reckon there's quite a bit. 

How was this?  As I expected, Burn2 was much much better than Burning Man.  The spirit and feel of the RL one was there. The coziness and randomness of individual styles set one beside the other.  With the exception of #lampiefail and the lag/fill caused by the central tent, it really was perfect.  If only there were resources to create that buffer between the tent and everyone else.

With next year's theme announced as Rite of Passage, I have a head start in pondering a build.  Or two.  When Snurky won the lottery this year I couldn't imagine having her do my style of build.  I wonder if they'll take requests for placement?  This year was ideal with Marianne, Molly, me, and their friends all as neighbors and not sharing a region with the events tent.  Be nice to do it again - and STILL be in it.

I'll add Burn2 shots to this post this evening.  Other Burn2 pictures can be found on Flickr.

Now for the rest of 7seas' Fall Fishing Festival.  They party till LL pick up the regions, which means I've got some relaxing by the water ahead of me this week for both avatars.  We all want that galleon, don't we?

Day Off Work to Work

Day off from work yesterday for "F" things: flu shot and preparing for the 7Seas Fall Fishing Festival.  The FFF started up this morning.  This Saturday evening is the Childs Play fundraiser, when all 7Seas vendor sales go to the cause.  So take time out from whatever you're doing and buy bait n fish.  In fact, come to the FFF where some of the best custom catches are in one place. (Or to Livingtree where they have a contest starting every Saturday at 6:35pm SLT and offer coupons for Robin Sojourner's shops to the top 3 winners)

When I get home I'll set landmark givers in Cartoon World, The Starship Diner, and send a message via the subscribe-o-mat.

I'll also set the TARDIS landing point for public use :)

Tonight I'll break from the festival for temple drumming.  Don't know if we'll get another chance if last year is any indication.  They'll be burning The Man on Saturday and Sunday in Bordello, so Rabbit Hole might be equally full.  Well it WILL be.  Perhaps on Sunday while I watch Sherlock on PBS I'll loiter inworld.

If it weren't for agent and lag limitations, this 6-region arrangement would have been perfect for Burning Man.

Lighting the Night with Fire & Snails

Yesterday there wasn't even a notice for an evening procession.  No dots on the map over the village.  You know where the rest of us went :)

Tindallia Soothsayer wore her Burning Snail again, which is a breathtaking build.  See her race with it in last Sunday's Giant Snail Races. After so much work it's great she can get more use out of it. Yesterday was her 5th rezzday too. 

There was a big party again in Bordello so we stayed predominantly in Rabbit Hole. People were passing around congas.  It was enough of a turnout that I derezzed my sneakers.

I think tonight I'll do the cowbell.  It was the first thing I played at my first temple dance last year.

Earlier this week DMom2k gave me copy/trans robes she originally made in 2008.  I might put down givee boxes for them during tonight's ceremony.  This way no one has to ask.

It's really a shame what happened to the Lamplighters this year.  You can say it's because of one man, and that's what I keep hearing, but the group in general is following blindly from the looks of it.  Was so psyched for the whole procession thing too.  Their stubborn immobility just brings out the best in people in its wake.  It's proven time and again that tags and status mean nothing.  As long as there's someone at the temple to light up the night sky and welcome the sun, that's what matters.  That's the point.  Take away the temple and what do you have?  Well, the Lamplighters have public baths.  Very fiery.

If they took me off Lampies' access I'd have little to lose personally.  It would be tougher to get more percussions to hand out in the temple, and I don't think those implications would be looked on favorably if they're not already being scrutinized for the nocopy settings on their gifts.

I've got a lot of pictures still to upload to Flickr.  Flickr and AVG don't like eachother very much.  It's always an ordeal when it's more than one image at a time.

Now We're Cookin'!

Last night was a lot of fun.

I hadn't realized so many people felt the same way about the temple ceremony as I did.  Someone said: "Now it finally feels like Burn2," and that's what it's about!

No one can take the nontangible away, but to get enough random people together to save an event is hard to come by.  Enough of us wanted this.  Thanks to all who made it happen!  As long as the official Lamplighters remain sequestered in their bathhouse, we'll rule the night in the north.

We learned something though: need to remain on the Burning Man - Bordello side of the temple so that any non-lampies and non-campers can use the stuff.  Seems for some reason they've set Burning Man - Rabbit Hole to no scripts.  While campers and Lampies can play there, the sounds are not shared by the other region.

Got all sorts of things passed on to me since yesterday's post.  Among them were sets of robes from 2008 which are copy/trans, so anyone who wants just let me know.  Someone mentioned they had tiny robes as well to offer.  I'll try to grab more percussions as a few went out last night.  Wish I knew where I could get more cowbells?

When I get home this evening I'll prep some shots and upload to Flickr :)

SL's Lamplighters: beginning of the end of an era?

Last year the highlight of my Burning Life experience was dancing with the Lamplighters.  They'd play percussions in their campsite, then lead a run through the main events tent and the legs of the Man, past roadside campsites, away from the lag of the lower, more densely populated regions, all the way to the crystal temple.  There participants could generate their own lag with anyone who wished to participate.

The lamplighters offered percussions and firefans freely to those who asked, as was the spirit of Burning Man and one of its most solemn principles.

They inspired me to join them this time around.  No clashing of schedules this time.  I'd run to the temple each night and dance in flames to bring out the sun.

Things haven't been the same with them this year.

When Snurky and I visited their village before Burn2 opened, it was an interesting educational experience, with different campsites within their village which doubled as an exhibit; you used these items to try out different percussions.  I noticed that there were no boxes of robes or percussions out for people to take.  I figured they just hadn't packed everything out yet.

As it turns out, time and resources did not permit Snurky to make her build.  As soon as I knew this I let them know and someone else got to use the parcel.  No big deal.  There was still the Lamplighters.

Snurky and I had our percussions from last year.  We were sent the Lamplighter robes - those with flame trim, which set them apart from the all-white civilian robes. 

The conditions last night didn't surprise me.  The rules of physics were different witbout SL in charge of the festival and at liberty to commit a frivolous number of sims to the continent - thereby allowing a sim buffer between venues and the rest of it.  Burning Man privately host this year and have been prone to fees, just as any nonprofit org coming to make a presence in Second Life.  Donations, lotteries, and rentals went toward estate fees.  Only 6 regions comprise everything.  Consider the same number of people could attend and be expected to fill into the limited space.  This means everyone situated in regions sharing the main stage (2/3 of the minicontinent) are prone to encounter a full region at any time during the festivities.  This included the Lamplighters' village.

How it was handled by those in charge of the Lamplighters was surprising and a bit of a disappointment when the time came for their procession last night.

With the majority of the sim's populace at the central tent and a small number of group tagged lampers, it was decided unilaterally by one avatar that they would remain sequestered within their home region and drum at the baths.  Because he couldn't bear the thought of them teleporting out of the region, he didn't serve to free up room for the entertainment tent nor use that beautiful crystalline temple - where there was room for Playa residents and wandersby (which I happened to be last year).

Close-minded and separatist, I thought.  Certainly not a service to the community.

This is the event denizens care about and want to be a part of.  The Lamplighter ceremony is what bridges Burn2 with Burning Man.  Sometimes you have to step back and assess the situation objectively:  Does one uphold the integrity of the ceremony by stubbornly refusing to teleport past four full regions,  or does one do so by holding the ceremony where it doesn't compete with a major event?  Let's face it: the temples have always been situated remotely so that discovery and spontaneous participation was welcome if not expected.  It was a true expression of community.  The ceremony generates its own numbers for lag.  Therefore teleporting WAS the only right action in this scenario.  This is Second Life. It has its own physics just as much as the average adult humanoid here is 6-1/2 to 7 feet tall.

When I got to the temple, some were waiting around expecting the Lamplighters.  I put on some robage and took a lantern and walked along the roads of Bordello.  The lights from the myriad of creations were stunning against the dusky sky.  I made my way back to the temple, where I brought out firefans and a conga I had from last year.  A handful gathered around while I drummed. 

A newbie came over and expressed interest in joining in.  I found out then that the conga was not copiable.  If I wanted to give her my conga, I could not play with her.

I did anyway and brb'd to get Snurky to send me something - a set of bongos, a new item she picked up while touring the village.

Back at the temple I was lucky to still have rez access to place the bongo stand down.  How odd that this year the Lampies offered percussions not only uncopiable but requiring group access to use.  For some reason the congas wouldn't work for the newbie.  Maybe they only work for those with group access?  Wouldn't that be odd?  Is that possible?

 The small party hung out until sunrise.  Two wonderful artists I met at BL9 happened in and danced to the rhythm (cool - the conga could play more than one tempo simultaneously).  They said their goodbyes in the morning light and continued exploring the playa.  I derezzed the bongos and called it a night.

If they do the same thing tonight, so will I.

I'll come prepared though, with as many transferable items I feel I'll need to keep a tradition and help anyone inspired to join in.  I tried to find those all-white robes. There were none to be found.

Look for me at 10:15pm eastern time / 7:15 pm SLT in Bordello if so-and-so dictates the same decision.  Certainly no one will ban us for banging the drum where it was meant to occur :)

UPDATE: The mystery of the nonworking conga is solved.  In a way it was about group access.  See, the half of the temple in Rabbit Hole region is noscripts.  Once we all migrated over to the Bordello side, everybody tonight could play together.

 

October on the Grid

It's a busy time in SL this month for me.

There's:

- TMA's annual sukkah building contest. Working on that one.
- TARDIS expo where we design boxes and consoles.  Still up in the air what to make for that as I get only one shot and have about fifteen ideas in my head.
- FFF has become 7Seas' autumn equivalent of a Fishiversary.  I plan to have a spot.
- Snurky has Burning Man.  I'm taking off this friday to create inworld after having prepared textures.
- Snurky needs to make herself an apron. All the good ones in the Marketplace have blood on them.
- Design a Port-a-Potty for Burning Man. Maybe one each from me and Snurky?
- Prepare Snurky's freebie pack for Burning Man.
- I really need to put up Halloween decorations in the diner.
- I really need to do something albeit minimal for the extra land east of the gallery.
- Doesn't Bay City have an Art Deco festival coming up?  I should complete my gallery for that; I've a nice mural thingie planned for the corner window.
- There's the usual challenge to decorate my snail for a theme at the races.
- Still planning out additional rooms for the TARDIS. I want to wait for the Series 5 DVD to come out in November and see if the added content will include other rooms.  They promise added mini-adventures taking place between episodes.
- I havent forgetten the comic...

I am also going to work on a portrait for an SL friend.  When I had my regeneration party I announced a contest and only one person got it :)

What am I missing?  I'm almost sure I'm missing something...

Rambling Along Gershwin Boulevard

So maybe it was too yellow.

I've added wood trim, which looks fine for the exterior.  Not too sure about the trim inside.  It may be less distracting for future murals and vendors if the wall segments had a common gradient.

Once the first chapter of the comic is up and Snurky's Burn2 is set, I think I'll make more art on tee's and set up the parcel beside my gallery as a park with a kiosk of silly things.

On the Dr Who front, I'm more convinced than ever that the majority of USA fans are scary and way too serious.  I've found the fans from the UK regard the series much the way people of my age here regard The Wizard of Oz.  It's just part of our culture and a neverending source of amusement.  Sure we know every word of the movie and the story of Margaret Hamilton's accident in Munchkinland, but it's more about the music and the fun - and where you were when you first saw it - and less about the serious facts or it being a profound cinematic milestone (which it wasn't actually).

Doctor Who fans threw a FUN party last Friday, with people dressed creatively, silly, and with the simple intent to have a good time.  Some were their Time Lord personae, all unique with a little touch of something Whoish on them (like the one holding a recorder).  The Staypuft Marshmallow Man and Robbie the Robot were on hand.  Creepy little fanboys with their freebie wannabe Tennant and Smith avatars showed up, then left.  You gonna tell me they weren't underage Americans?

I'll see the revelers again no doubt.  Play good tunes and it's hard to get rid of me.

On the "research" front, I've gotten a little sharper at drawing a comics version of Matt Smith for my story (aka "The Other Smith" LOL gotta love some of those fan designations).  Actually it's been fine from the start by the comments of the teaser poster, but it didn't suit my sensibilities.

I'm halfway through watching Series 4 on DVD.  Looks like I'm almost caught up with the new adventures, and just in time.

I'll have to state here what I've since tweeted.  I made a judgement call in a blog post a while back: I've since come to really enjoy David Tennant as The Doctor.  He's a brilliant actor - when he's allowed to act.  That's the key thing.  He put in some marvelous performances before things went over the top and overly insane.  He's also damn good on radio and audiobooks (I highly recommend "Pest Control").  I guess for me he's "The Other Smith" (hahaha... Love that...), and I hope to make a Tenth Doctor story should the first one go over well.

But first things first.