Tuesday, 6 October 2009
The Scare-a-thon
THE 'HAUNTED' HOUSE OF GESTURESMy Favorite time of year is now here and the SLIWT Scare-a-thon has officially begun. I only thing is that my partner in crime, Rawly, will be absent for the tricking this year. I am sure he has great faith in me being able to trick(piss people off) all on my own. Rawly and I broke some sort of second life record in 2007 for being able to deform over 700 avatars in a two week period-fact. The funny thing was we got most of the avatars again, with the same tricks in 2008 (Gregster Kidd). I dunno what ill be able to pull of this year, but my overactive imagination will be hyperventilating at the thought of the fun stuff SL has to offer this year for Halloween.This years Scare-a-thon started last Saturday night when my good friend Blazin Aubret called me up and asked me to come over to her place. She told me not to forget a bottle of wine and I knew then it was gonna be one of those nights.For all of you who aren't familiar with Blazin, you might be more familiar with her work or the back of her hand slapping the side of your face. Blazin owns The House of Gestures and is responsible for most of the annoying gestures we hate, but play anyway because we love them.( That makes sense to me and its my article and I can write what I like dammit)When I arrived, Blazin was so excited and couldnt wait to show me what she was doing at her Sim for Halloween. Blazin knows me well and knows I love to click stuff and knows I love Halloween and she really didn't disappoint me.Blazin and her partner Tristan had turned the entire House of Gestures Sim into a scary Halloween playground. There is a Pumpkin Treasure Hunt set up and you have to find the pumpkins hidden in haunted houses to win scary prizes.I don't think I stopped laughing the whole time I was there, because they really had worked hard and you have to go check this place out.
This was the first creature I met. I clicked and clicked hoping he was some sort of sex animated spider but he wasn't. I am sure someone somewhere would love to have sex on the back of a spider or worse, with it. You all laugh, but you really haven't visited some of the freaky places I have in my SL.
Yep, I have to admit. A new born screaming at 3 am is enough to scare the shit out of me. Even a prim sl one that didn't do much except look awful.
We all know the rules about not looking into the 'light' but Maschil couldn't help it and got sucked in the tv. Blazin is a bit insane and violent like myself, so she has shown this in her creativity. There appears to be balls in each room so you can either kill or be killed. So bring someone you loathe over and stick a knife in their face. Go on, let you hair down, its Halloween. Its Sl, so its not as if the cops are gonna slam you ass in jail. Just don't call the person your killing a 'fucker' while your sticking the knife in, because that would be a TOS breach and always remember to put a LOL in the sentence, that way you can pretend you were joking.
When you have finished killing your victim, Blazin has set up a evidence disposal unit in the form of a crematorium.Very cunning Blazin, pity it wasn't real babe because there is a few people id like to shove in.I offered Blazin a few of my moving, very realistic, sl body bags because I haven't used them in a while. Rawly wont let me rez them at home and says the last thing people need to see, while coming to purchase a nice home, is a living room full of dead bodies. I am also not allowed to use weapons that make things go BOOM or effect the weather inside the house. No animals or sea creatures like my octopus, dogs, crocodiles or sion chickens are permitted.
We decided to sit and have a bit of a seriously spooky seance. My question was 'Will Blazin get totally wasted and will her tits eventually pop out the sides of her top?' 
I am always first to offer my services and when a virgin was needed for sacrifice I was there like a shot. I have no idea why everyone screamed, I must have missed something scary or didn't see a ghost or something. Looking back they might have been screaming while laughing.
These two totally cracked me up. Ice and Aldero decided to get in the mood but both still had perfect prim collars and perfects AO's. Really scary boys!Anyway y'all need to get over to House of Gestures and hunt for the pumpkins and get in the spirit of Halloween.
If there is any fun readers who want to help me out with tricks or you have any ideas for people you think need a good scare, drop me an IM, i'll be collecting screams for the rest of the month.
Labels: events, explore, lifestyles, natalie
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Friday, 25 September 2009
PRESS RELEASE-E-co Club Relaunches
Mark your calendars! September 29th, 2009 is the official opening of the newly remodeled E-co Club, which is already being touted as Second Life’s new top hot spot. Located within the beautiful Costa Rica Sims in the southern tip of this over 60 sim estate in San Jose City, it is already garnering avid attention.
The club’s concept is living in balance by combining the 4 elements, Fire-Water-Air-Earth. One of the appealing aspects of the club that distinguishes it from others around SL is that it has 4 separate lounges, which allows for 4 different parties, each with its own DJ, all in one location.
The vision for the club was drawn from the real life environments in Costa Rica. Fire incorporates the number of active volcanoes that fill the countryside, water echoes the miles of pristine beaches, earth brings forth the lush tropical jungles teaming with wildlife, and air reflects the clear blue skies that cover this magnificent landscape.
E-co’s mission is to offer the best experience by providing the most talented DJs around the grid mixing live music in an elegant and sophisticated setting.
The club will be more focused on electronica music and its variations. However, Saturday nights there will be a larger breadth of music selection which will include Top 40, Hip-Hop, Pop, Rock, and 80s.
In addition, there will be different events like “Models Night Out” where models of the most famous SL Agencies can join together and have a great time while networking with their colleagues.
This club is the brainchild of owner Geko Stoop, long time resident of the Costa Rica Sims and owner of the Rancho Pacifico Resort, Marina & Spa.
Liess Paine will be the General Manager, who has experience managing Maya Club and Love Rush Digital, the latter being a club owned by a real life record company.
Rick Itamae will fill the role of Music Manager and is also a real life DJ, Producer, Re-mixer, and Record Label Owner.
Lounges can be leased for private parties. Contact any of the club’s team members to arrange a private consultation and tour.
Everyday we warm ourselves by fire, wash ourselves with water, breathe life through air, and walk upon this earth. Join the 4 elements and discover E-co, Costa Rica Sims premier dance club.
http://slurl.com/secondlife/San%20Jose%20City/75/129/24 Labels: events, lifestyles, society
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Wednesday, 23 September 2009
SL MODEL SUFFERS UNKNOWN SKIN CONDITION
In Second Life, it’s true to say that a lot time is spent fixing ones avatar. There are no ugly people within the confines of sl, it isn’t allowed. Well, ok, there are noobs. But they are allowed to be for a while.
It’s fair to say that we have had days when perhaps our clothes didn’t fit right. There are those bad hair days, when even though you spent ages fixing the hair the night before, sl ‘changed’ while you were sleeping and now you are a mess. I swear I am convinced sometimes someone is logging in my account and screwing with my stuff.
Is this vanity? Yea it is, and anyone who says they aren’t vain in SL is full of shit. It’s like saying you don’t masturbate!
If Prims don’t fit right, you fix them. Hair looks wonky, you fix it. Or if you’re me, you break them, while fixing and go buy new ones. I really can bring a whole new definition to the words tortured prims. Oh, I can torture a prim.
What happens though when you can’t fix something and not because you’re dumb but purely because you have no control over it? Well, as a last resort you would call the experts at LL and ask them. But then this SL and this is LL we are talking about, so will it ever be so simple?
A few weeks ago I was getting changed, when Rawly pointed out that he could see white lines running all over my body. At first I thought someone had stolen my avatar and went for a sex-a-thon at bukkake bliss, but then I realised what he meant. I did have white lines running along what I would describe as the seams of my avatar. A loud high pitched scream could be heard ringing out around Rancho Palmaire and that was just Rawly, I think I passed out.
I didn’t know what to do. I had noticed something similar about 2 weeks before, but I thought it was just something silly and that only I could see it. You know how you do, you put it down to lag and stuff.
After I relog, I seemed to be fine, but this strange phenomena has plagued me now and again since.
At a party the other night I got talking to a model Leisha Nitely She was a fun girl and we chatted for a while. She suddenly announced that this ‘ skin thing ‘ kept happening to her. I zoomed in for a closer look at this ‘skin thing’ she was talking about and I couldn’t speak I was so shocked.
My tiny white lines where nothing compared to what was happening to Leisha. I didn’t even think to take a picture and the only way I can describe it is that it looked like someone took a Photoshop eraser tool, set it 50% transparency and drew lines all over her.
Leisha explained that this wasn’t a new thing for her and it had been happening for a long time. As a model she told me she has a whopping 800 skins and it happened occasionally without warning to all of them. She also informed me, that what I could see was nothing compared to the normal condition that had afflicted her for the best part of the year. She tried to explain to me what it was like, but I struggled to see how anything could be worse than what I saw looking at her at the moment. I couldn’t comprehend the severity of what she was trying to explain and she told me that next time it happened she would send me a snap.
This is what she sent me.
This was one of those things that standing on the pose stand in edit mode will not fix. So she called the lab for help and they told her to, yep you guessed it, submit a ticket.
The people at LL think we are a funny bunch of people, they don't really take us seriously. I have fond memories of having to call LL on the phone one time over a matter that was bothering me and I am sure I heard the guy on the other end of the phone trying not to laugh his head off. I had images in my head of him calling other LL people around the phone to listen to me for a laugh. It had been a few days before my wedding and for some reason I couldn’t buy L$. It was explained to me that the Lindex was being updated and that it wasn’t my fault and that I would be sorted soon. It was a huge issue for me but for the guy on the phone I must have sounded insane when I was telling him I couldn’t buy money and that I needed to buy stuff for my pending sl nuptials. He was very helpful whilst trying not to burst of in hysterics in my face, but in the end he told me to just, yep you guessed it, submit a ticket. So I did, about 40 times.
Leisha still hasn’t had this issue resolved and she still doesn’t know what is causing it. I asked her if I could write about here. I am sure someone else is maybe experiencing the same issues or maybe someone would know how to cure this SL skin condition that is causing so much concern.
Labels: fashion, lifestyles, news
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Thursday, 13 August 2009
Blazin Aubret, Maddox DuPont, Sunshine Zhangsun SLelebrate Getting Older And More Decrepit
The past week saw some of our friends take another giant step towards their Senior Citizens Discount card. Technically, everyone who isn't dead is always stepping towards this milestone, but these three made it official by upping the number they write when they fill out a form with a box for "age." Blazin Aubret turned an amazing 4 SecondLife years old, Maddox DuPont turned 3, and Sunshine Zhangsun celebrated her RL bday, without disclosing just how ancient she has now become.
On Friday, August 7, Blazin welcomed her 4th year in pixels. This is an astounding accomplishment for her. Blazin has never had any problem contacting someone inworld and ripping them to shreds using some very choice "French" words from her "vocabulary." Most people who have done this get eliminated by the LL elves before they get very old, so Blazin either has discovered the secret of "unbannable offensiveness", or she's secretly banging a Linden.
On Friday morning, I realized it was Blazin's 4th rezday, and hadn't heard of anyone planning a party for her. I hate parties for myself, but throwing a party for someone else is another story. Thinking I had less than 12 hours to get something together, I talked to all my people about having her party. She ended up having to work on Friday night, so we planned her party for Saturday.
The party came together amazingly well for being on such short notice. Thanks go to Danielllo Bernard for rezzing a "spare club" he just happened to have in inventory. Thanks to Natalie Niven and Rocco Silverstar for "updating" some of the interior textures and making the "Club Blazin" graphics for the floor and wall sign. Thanks to Sally Yachvili for rounding up a collection of pictures that chronicled Blazin's SLife, which we rezzed all over the club. Finally, thanks to Azu Catteneo for DJ'ing the party, and for staying for so long on such short notice. The party lasted for about 3 hours, and during the course of the night about 100 people showed up to tell Blazin that she's an old bag now.
Saturday, which was the night of the party, was Maddox's rezday, and he finally made it towards the end of the party. Kirk had said that Maddox did not want to have a rezday party for himself, but he still managed to find the time to come to Blazin's. Kirk had showed up early, and managed to stay for at least a couple of hours--which he never does anymore, since he's like SOOOO busy with RL this past year--so it was like old times having Mr. Social Flutterby hang out with us for the evening. Even Icemocolo Voom showed up for an hour or two.
That's DJ Azu on the far left, with the huge afro and the BLANG!!! hair pick. Maddox showed up with yet ANOTHER new look--that's him in the white dancing with his hubby, Kirk, with his tradmark style. I'm not sure who the two hookers--er, I mean ladies-- are dancing in the background. I think the one in gray is Anessa Stein, and the one in red might be Miguelina Casanove. That's Sally Yachvili on the top of the pole, and rezday girl Blazin on the bottom of the pole acting like she just gave birth to Sally. Rocco Silverstar is in the background, right next to Sally's left tit, and Natalie is back there dancing with Rocco, next to Sally's right hand in the pic.
This is me and Eche Riverview swinging on the pole--it was his eyedea--and who wouldn't want to swing on a pole with Eche? That's Xochi Tolsen behind me, and Sabastian Westland is to the left in the pic (I think). Absinthe Primrose in pic to the left, also, you can sortof see a little of the deep pink skirt she was wearing. I think someone dropped a contact, or maybe someone's diaphragm slipped out, because they were all huddled on that one spot of the floor for a while. I think that might be Miguelina Casanove in the red t-shirt, and if so then Tschey Ballinger is probably somewhere next to her (when in doubt, I'll just say any dark haired female is Miguelina, and any guy next to her is Tschey, so you guys can correct me later).
A few days later, Sunshine Zhangsun celebrated her RL party, and her partner Jac Mornington called me to say that they were shakin them thangs for her at Club E-co. I totally forgot if this was Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday night. I know it wasn't Wednesday, and I can't really tell from what I am wearing because I am over the whole "change clothes in SL every day" thing, and now only bother to change clothes when I annoy my own self for not changing. Sunshine never did tell me how old she is now, but she did manage to have a large crowd come party with her for a couple of hours.
That's Sunshine on the left in the long dress, and Jac Mornington dancing with her in his flip flops. I don't remember who any of the other people are in this pic--except for me in the blue shirt with the white shorts and high tops in the background, and Azu over towards the right with his freshly buzzed head and sunglasses--and I think that's Amerie Aristocrat to my right, with the blonde hair.
Labels: lifestyles, rawly, society
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Tuesday, 7 July 2009
Wednesday July 8th DJ Schedule
12pm Jackson Vantelli
1pm Baby Shortbread
2pm Summer Deadlight
3pm Drake Czervik
4pm Phelan James
5pm Jonay Twine
6pm Sofia Diage
7pm Brendan07 Nightfire
8pm Tristain Savon
9pm ETC Dollinger
Thursday July 9th DJ Schedule
12pm Mace Runo
1pm Vixie Durant
2pm Roni Writer
3pm Logan Strom
4pm Claari Shepard
5pm Gracie Kangjon
6pm Dione Kohime
7pm Tim Gagliano
8pm Miguelina Casenove
9pm Meredith Freund
http://slurl.com/secondlife/SXY2ND/127/90/23
Labels: events, lifestyles, news
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Friday, 19 June 2009
CONNIE IN BLUE MARS
I Met a Martian I attended an interview at Metanomics with Jim Sink, Vice President of Business Development of Avatar Reality, the creators of new virtual world, Blue Mars (BM) held at 1pm SLT (6AM my time!!).Ok, maybe getting me up at some ungodly hour makes me cranky, So I can’t type something like “Quick, sign up, now, sell your firstborn for a region. OMG I wet my pants over that dress I saw in BM”It was basically a “ra ra” interview extolling what are the wonderful things you will be able to do and experience in BM. Metanomics will be offering a full transcription of the interview but you can read Bettina’s overview here http://npirl.blogspot.com/2009/04/new-answers-and-more-questions.htmlQuestions put forward in chat, but not able to be addressed in the time available will be answered later by Jim I hear. Here is a very quick rundown on the things I feel may be important to those reading about it here.
1. Many thousands of users will be able to simultaneously log into a single “city.”. So, no walking through wet mush when attending an event. If they get over 10,000 people in a region, they can “shard” that server.
2. Blue Mars Dollar ..a currency system that “lets developers easily and securely charge for items and subscriptions.” However, There are no refunds on Blue Mars currency and end users can't cash out…that is.. unless you are a developer!! For me..I’ve NEVER cashed out in SL..maybe helped pay some tier..so this isn’t an issue.
3. Not decided wether to allow alt accounts (I declare an interest..I HATE Alts)
4. They haven’t decided on whether to”allow “ sex on Blue Mars. (come again?)
5. No approval process for content..so..no sex ..but no oversight..hmmmm. So, first “developer” to pay the setup costs and open a region that allows sex wins the prize JYadda yadda yadda.Anyway, not a single “Woot” was typed, gestured or voiced the entire time. These are serious minded people folks. A registered developer I spoke to still couldn’t log in and get her SDK. Though BM is open in beta for registered Devs I hear. All the usual hiccups and fallovers are occurring I’m sure. I heard it said that this was perhaps the most well attended Metanomics interview yet. And I can imagine why. Many are looking to expand and have better tools for creation. And many are just so “over” SL it’s not funny. LL certainly haven’t read “How to win friends and influence people”.
Maybe the BM people have, cos they are leaving the “governance” to those who run individual regions. How that will work I have no idea. Can you imagine someone “tping” from ‘Virtual Disneyland” over to “Tentacle land “ for a quick ride in the swamp?On a personal note, I’m registered (back in Dec) and I expect to be in on day one. Blender installed and mouse over my shapes already. I’ll not be a Dev from day one, but I plan to rent ASAP, perhaps have some content going and have my usual pic taking thing going there as well. I’m looking forward to the digital anarchy and being a clueless noobe again..the wonder, the excitement. I may even get an offer of an “illegal” sex animation.Labels: explore, lifestyles, news, people
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Spin the Bottle - With SL's hottest live webcam escorts!! -
HOW DO YOU PLAY? HOW DOES IT WORK? Spin the Bottle is a game that is normaly played when guys and girls sit in a circle with a bottle in the middle. People take turns spinning the bottle and whoever the bottle stops spinning on, that person and the spinner share a kiss!SLCamz Version of Spin the Bottle We have room for 7 players (unlimited viewers but only 7 actual open spots to play) and 1 sexy SLCamz WebCam Escort! Once all the players have been seated on our Spin the Bottle carpet, and all active players have connected via skype - yahoo or msn to our models Live WebCam, the game begins. Players take turns spinning the bottle, if the bottle stops spinning on the SLCamz WebCam Escort, she proceeds to take off a piece of clothing, Live on WebCam. The game continues until the SLCamz Escort has taken off all her RL clothes! (usually games last 30-45 minutes) Each person who plays will get a 15% off discount code good for a live webcam show with any SLCamz girl.
And 1 lucky winner will get access to all 20 XXX amature SLCamz video's in our cinema at SexCam Island.
To join in and play or to just watch the live stream, will only cost you 1000L$ http://slurl.com/secondlife/SexCam/170/140/28When? Friday's starting at 2pm SLTLabels: events, lifestyles
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Monday, 15 June 2009
DEAR FANNY.....
Dear Fanny,Help! oh help. I recently won a contest and I fear my very dirty secret is about to come out. You see I dont have a cock in real life and I have lied about it . I didnt loose it in a nasty freak accident, the truth is I was born a woman.I decided that I would rather be a man in sl and scam a few contests along the way, make a laugh of a few dumb broads who watched me slide and up down a pole, while stuffing lindens in my thong (not Lindens the people, you know the money). I soon got busted on my last account and came to be a new person. I couldnt help myself this time either though and I started the whole thing over again. Entering male modeling contests and stripping. This latest contest I won though was a biggy and now all the skeletons from my past and people who hate me for scamming them, with my fake masculinity want my head on a pole.
what should I do?
skeered stiff (get it, stiff)Dear Stiff,
Skeletons from the past coming to haunt you about a bone that doesn't exist. I couldn't have put it better myself. There's a poem that I learned as a child that explains life fairly well, and I'd like to share it with you now:
You can run from love,you can run from war,you can run from a cop on the beat;you can run from danger,you can run from a stranger,but you can't run away from your feet (or in your case, your vagina).
HONEY! Everyone knows I'm really a man trying to be a woman, and you know what? I use that to make something special. And if you didn't know I was a drag queen, suprise! I'm a boy pretending to be a girl, the opposite of what you're claiming.
Sir...Madam...whatever you are today, when I get ready to go out and do my schtick I have to take duct tape and tape back my genitals so that I'm a more convincing twat. But no matter how big of a c*nt I am, and I've been known to be a big one (!), I'm still a boy, and people know that.
The only difference between you and me is that I've been up front with people that I'm lying to them for the purpose of getting them a laugh or two. So in a way, I suppose I should congratulate you for being as convincing as you claim to have been! Usually I can smell pundata through a computer moniter with great ease; I suspect that people accept the lie sometimes for what they thing they'll gain.
In this case, your skeletons made up for your lack of bone...and by the by, everyone in SL knows the truth....which begs the question...why is it any different than me, or Jane claiming to be Joe married to Clare who'se really Clark?
The difference is when you accept to enter the public life, you give up certain freedoms we all take for granted. If you didn't know it then, SUPRISE honey. That's part of being a responsible man. Oh wait!
This is a virtual world, and you're just another mister in it. If you're going to be a real man, then own the lie. You'll find it looses the power that hangs over you like a late period.
JESUS if these issues get any more serious I'm going to have to write to the public for someone interested in mixing drag queen sallad!
Of course if all else fails? Stick your thumb in your mouth and blow really hard. Maybe things just haven't dropped yet and only need a little encouragement.
FannyLabels: lifestyles, news
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Friday, 5 June 2009
MOVE OVER DOCTOR RUTH
Helleeeew all you beautiful people. My name is Fanny Ferryhill, and I am a member of the Fanny Trapdoor Drag Queen Troupe based right here in Second Life! We've all been slightly nuts and this was our way of carrying our comedy and family feelings out to you, the general public. Each of us has a special gift and talent that we bring to the troupe: mine is live DJ work and comedy.
We can be booked to do parties n' the like, and we carry a fantastic 2-3 hour show every other Saturday at FIERCE Nightclub. You might have read a little bit about me and our Anna Nicole Smithe wake!
Well Natalie has taken off the cheer leader outfit and put on corporate silks and demanded I work for her, answering the questions that may be crossing your minds, burning your hearts, or generally making hair grow on your palms. She's sweet.
I've also been told Rawly is sweet, but that remains to be tasted.
So if you'd like me to gaze into my crystal ball, send me a notecard and I'll put my psychic wig on and answer your questions, solve your problems, and wax your hands.
MWAH!
Get outta my light bitch,
Fanny Ferryhill.
Labels: lifestyles, news, people, society
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Thursday, 4 June 2009
The Model in Orthopedic shoesAge has it’s advantages they say. I didn’t realise how much, until I visited my grandmother at the retirement village. She is spritely, for one of her years, though getting doddery, and her hearing is going. I usually have to repeat sentences, but let that not mistake anyone into thinking she’s losing her marbles. She’s still sharp.
Anyway, after the usual pleasantries and the inevitable query as to my status ( read marital) she informs me her friend from number 203 is to join us for afternoon tea. Soon enough, Edina (not her real name) says a hello and joins us on the little patio, as it’s a fairly nice day out. She’s somewhat younger than my grandmother, well turned out, lippy, a nice do, and even heels. She obviously looks after herself.
After a short introduction, Nan excuses herself to get the Tea and bikkies and we start to exchange pleasantries. “So dear” she asks breezily, “when do you finish Uni then?” “Mid next year “ I say. She smiles and say’s “Woot”. I suddenly stop.
Now, “Woot”, is not in the vernacular used in conversation in Australia, let alone among ladies of a certain age. In fact, the only place I’ve heard it is in SL, which, when I first started, sounded rather quaint if not a little silly. Well, maybe she’s heard it somewhere and it is her attempt to seem “with it” to someone younger. I let it pass, for now.
After a little more back and forth, Nan joins us for more conversation over the mixing of the tea and unveiling of the biscuits. That little aside had piqued my interest, and so, as I knew my Nan was aware I had an interest in the Net (she doesn’t), I gently moved the conversation to that subject via her queries as to my studies and so on. Edina, exhibits a pretty solid knowledge of things cyber. I knew the retirement village was fairly well set up, but didn’t realise it had it’s own wireless network, and she is connected by laptop to it.
Her conversation gets more animated, and it seems she can Google with the best of them. I then, in passing, mention virtual worlds. Well, Edina says, “Ohh, I know all about that dear”. The conversation flows and my river of suspicion is in flood.
After a nice tea and bikkies, and more small talk regarding family and gossip, I start to make my excuses and make my way to leave. Kissing Nan goodbye and promising to visit more often ( I always say that) Edina says, “I’ll take a walk with you to the carpark dear. I need to get out a bit as I spend too much time indoors on that SL” Now, that “Woot” thing raised my suspicions, and now she basically comes right out and says she’s addicted to SL.
Edina can talk faster than she can walk, so the journey starts to become a fill in on her Second Life. It seems she is a model in SL, and fairly successful. I don’t ask her SL name. But, she knows of me. If you knew me in 1st life and knew my SL / Flickr name, then connecting the dots wouldn’t be hard.
Holy Avatars. “Its Ok, I wont mention it to your grandmother, I know how it is with SL. Lot’s of people don’t understand it, let alone the little things we can sometimes get up to”.She basically says that she couldn’t be so successful in SL if she wasn’t retired, a widow and able to be on anytime she likes. No one queries a grandmother taking an afternoon nap. We reach the car and after a little more chat, all by her, she gives me a peck on the cheek and we say goodbye. A wave and it’s on the road for me.
I have a wry smile as I navigate home. Of course, when you think about it, it’s those that are either talented enough to make a living in SL, students, housewives, or the retired that would have the time to actually put in the hours to have a full SL life. And in a way, that could partly explain the skewing of the average age in SL to the mid- late 30’s.
As Edina mentioned, she’s had a full life and she can have fun doing a second life, doing things, that in 1st life, she hadn’t had the opportunity to do. I would theorise that those that are in their 20’s, for example, still have a life to live, full of expectations and opportunity. So the lure of SL may be less strong for that demographic. Who knows.
As I drive on, my mind starts to turn to counting the years till I can retire and do what Edina does in SL. Not so much being a model, but having the time to explore and have fun in a virtual life.
Somehow, getting old seems a little less terrifying now.
Labels: lifestyles, news, people, society
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Thursday, 20 November 2008
SL Is Another Country
Gidday Squatters,
Connie here. Well, as my last article generated so much comment and controversy (not), I have decided put nails to keyboard and write another.
I have wondered why it is that SL cannot seem to enthral people, or when we try to explain the place to those in 1st life, they look at you with a blank stare and go..”Huh”??
It seems to be a matter of perception as well. I like to think of SL as like another country. Many countries have an “image”, and so people think the whole place is like that. Many people think the U.S. is populated by rednecks from Smugville Idaho, with a closet full of guns, living next door to a crack house full of rappers who say “Yo” before pulling out a machine gun and marking out their territory with your entrails (Not true). Some think Australia, where I’m from, is full of bronzed Aussie’s with Elle Macpherson girlfriends, who live on the beach during the day, adjourn to the pub to sink pints of Lager, throw up over each other, wake the next morning, swim 1000 laps and win the Olympics (some true). Some even think the Irish are just mad. Now this may be true.
What I’m getting at is that SL suffers from the wrong image. I bet a lot of people out there, who have never been in, think we are all just sex mad deviants, with no critical faculties, a predilection for living in cold draughty castles and a need to say ‘Woot” at least once a day. As I was writing this, I hear concurrency spiked, and a reason put forward for that, was a story picked up my the worldwide media, about a couple who divorced, because the wife found out the husband was spending cash on virtual prostitutes in SL.
http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2008/11/is_it_adultery.html
As usual, it’s the salacious story that gets people in. But it just perpetuates the perception of SL being populated by a bunch of beautiful losers. I argue that we need to change that perception.
I am as “tolerant” as anyone in here and believe that our diversity is what makes us strong. We have people from Prokofy (help, there’s a red under my bed) Neva, to Crap (I had leftover pizza for breakfast) Mariner, blogging and opining on all the minutiae of SL. We have people blogging remorselessly about every little prim that’s attachable to a body part. Some even get paid to have a positive opinion of the clothes they blog ( “ I squealed like a 13 year old and bought the fatpack”)….just like 1st life! Hell, even I roleplay my part as some sort of Flickr based Annie Leibovitz / clothes peg / Bikini supermodel/ ecoscientist.
We have our own form of “Government”. I call it Anarchototalitarianism. That is..”You WILL pay this tier increase, ‘cos you have nowhere else to go, but you can keep wearing a dick on each nipple if its expressing your art.”
We have our own social “Mores”. For example, nobody is “Ugly” and as everyone is so talented, we live in the virtual equivalent of the Italian Renaissance.
I haven’t even mentioned all the content creators who are the “soul” of SL. Many are true artists, and if people in 1st life saw some of the better examples, they would be gobsmacked too.
So, how to compress all this diversity into some sort of one line positive image of the country we call SL?
Perhaps we need some sort of TV Ad, inviting people to visit SL, like Australia does. Our tourist bureau has helped bankroll Baz Luhrmann’s latest Epic “Australia”. Now people will think all Aussie men look like Hugh Jackman, can ride a horse; be laconic and pull Nicole Kidman.
Don’t count on the Lindens to do it. They can’t even get decent pics up in the opening page of their website. Apart from the aesthetic aspect (the pics are CRAP), they haven’t changed them in over 6 months, perhaps more. Hell, they can’t even govern properly, let alone have their equivalent of the tourist bureau go the whole hog and try to generate some sort of positive spin on SL. As we Aussies would say, they couldn’t organise a pissup in a brewery.
Perhaps it’s up to us, the citizens of this country called SL, to work in our own little way to slowly change the perceptions of those outside of SL. Then maybe, just maybe, we will get people to take us seriously, come in and contribute in some positive fashion to this place we seem to spend so much of our time fussing and fighting over.
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Wednesday, 12 November 2008
Connie Sec
Rumours, Accusations and Lies
Well, as this is my first stab at an article for this wonderful Rag, I thought I had better clear up some stuff that had been circulating in the Metaverse about Moi.
1. I did NOT have sex with that cockroach. Not that there’s anything wrong with that (NTTAWWT). I know where this rumour started. As Nat and I were talking of Penis’s and cockroach A.V.’s at the Calendar launch (as you do), some people got the wrong end of the stick and assumed I had slept with it. I can understand that, ‘cos my profile says “My sexual preference is…Often”, people jump to conclusions. I was actually teaching that cockroach how to be a model. Don’t laugh. It’s very hard being a model…and scuttling down that runway with a bikini on without your feelers hitting that invisible prim at the end of it (thanks Maddox), is an exercise fraught with danger and potential embarrassment. Of course some had spied me with said cockroach at the Xcite store looking for cockroach private parts (no luck). I had to dissuade him (I think it was a him ‘cos his feelers kept on finding their way up my skirt) from the talking ones ‘cos there are enough talking dickheads on the grid as it is.
2. It’s NOT my fault that Ammon Pearshaped has a million Alts..OK???!! I know I once told him to go F*ck himself, but I didn’t realise he would take my advice to heart. NTTAWWT.
3. Some think I’m up myself for having the “Chief Ego Officer” tag above my head as I visit the ladies in SL. It’s just my little joke on the “CEO’s” of SL..OK?? And anyway, I’m sure that with the recent meltdown in all things “Big Business”, the cachet of having that tag above you is gonna be as popular as having “Linden” at the end of your name. NTTAWWT
4. And speaking of Lindens. NO, I’m NOT a “Tech head”. While I have been asked to sort some technical issues for them in the past..eg..Why SL seems to be going down the toilet (It was the ballcock Mr. Linden), I am actually consulted on how to make Lindens more “sexy”. Now, while I know a lot of women have a weak spot for a BASTARD, I didn’t expect them to take my advice so literally. That one rezzed at my open sim, told me he was raising my tier, and then asked for sex was, I thought, rather naff. I’m the one that charges..OK??!! NTTAWWT
5. And speaking of Linden problems, there has been ongoing discussion on why we can’t seem to keep the noobes on the grid. It seems a lot of them come in, take a look round..then die of embarrassment..or something. Well..I heard from a girlfriend, who heard it from her boyfriend who heard it from a best friend (who would never lie), who read it in a blog on the net that a certain talkshow host (initials W.S.) had been hanging round the welcome areas, opening his overcoat and flashing his..shall we say. interviewers microphone. I have confronted him about this..and he was strangely silent in his groups IM chat on the matter. I have decided to file a Jira on this, purely as a way to improve the new sl persons experience.
So there you go, I hope I have cleared up a few misconceptions and rumours about me, Connie Sec /Arida. While I hate being an Sleb (TM L.L/Rawly), and only write and post to flickr, ‘cos I’m really so dammed shy, I decided that, as my semester is over, I’d better take the bull by the scrotum and contribute to this rag to clear some terrible rumours that had been circulating about me. And if you don’t believe me, I’m gonna cry, run to the end of the Grid, and jump. NTTAWWT
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Friday, 24 October 2008
THE SCARE-A-THON
KILL,KILL AND KILL SOME MORE WITH T&A GAMING I didnt want to post anything until I was sure everyone had read Rawly's post. If you haven’t yet saw the wonderful product we found for sale in sl, then don’t forget to scroll down after reading this. It’s advisable that you don’t have any food or drink in your mouth while reading, as there is a big possibility you will either splatter it all over your screen. If you’re in real life work this will draw attention to you and your colleagues will want to know what you’re looking at.They will then come and look and then look at you like your mental when you tell them you have a second life orrrrr you will choke and die.
Well anyway, I have been very, very busy this week working on a few projects and there isn’t any drama in sight. I have also been out and about looking for more Halloween type things to do for fun. I saw my friend the other night running about with a basket of apples that she had collected over at Octoberville. I am guessing that there must be like a apple collecting comp or something. I won’t be going there this year because I hear it’s a hangout for a freak and if I see him there is a big chance that a TOS Violation might happen. In fact the more I think about it, there is every chance, so to keep me good of I went to find something a bit more stimulating than collecting apples.
Let me set the scene for ya. Think Dawn of the dead, (the old one where the zombies don’t run) and then picture me with a big gun and a chainsaw. Yes you got it, Nat went zombie killing. I rezzed in a small log cabin and loaded myself up with all sorts of weaponry that was for sale for a few lindens. I cammed outside and almost fell of my seat with excitement because I thought that perhaps this was going to be one of those target practice things but I was wrong. Outside the door of the cabin it was like a scene from evil dead and zombies where walking randomly in the forest.
You will know by now that I have never been a fan of reading instruction note cards. I tend to just jump into things and then end up in a bit of a mess and that is exactly what happened. I was so excited I decided to set the scene and turn off my real life lamp, ya know, to create an ambiance. I went out the cabin door and into the forest. I hadn’t been out 2 seconds before disaster stuck and the zombies started chewing on me.(Yes they really moved on their own) Well now ya see because I was in the dark, I couldn’t see my keyboard to work out how to use the weapons.
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Monday, 20 October 2008
SCARE-A-THON
Boo, did I scare ya’ll? I know I scared some people over the last few weeks, but we won’t go into that at the moment.
Well it is my favourite time of year again and time for our slinworld Halloween Scare-a-thon. For those of you who don’t know what the Scare-a-thon is, either because you hadn’t found slinworldtoday.com, you hadn’t became addicted to sl or you where busy running around in ladies knickers, let me just explain what it is.
The Sl Scare-a-thon was dreamt up last year by Rawly and I. Basically we went out on a rampage of devious sl fun and trickery and broke records in sl for the most avatars deformed in 2 weeks..... We got over 600.
As it is my favourite time of the year, I just couldn’t wait to get started and took great pride in tricking a whopping 27 people in one day, with a deformer. Those of you who were victims last year ( Gregster Kidd) will be pleased to hear that Rawly was one of my first victims.
Not only will I be playing tricks, and just generally being a pain in the ass, I will be telling you all where to go for the best costumes, tricks and all round halloweeny type fun.
My first visit was to Carwash. If you haven’t been here before, its worth a visit. All fans of Artilleri and builds over there are going to love this place. They are having a Halloween grave robbing hunt and loads of treats have been hidden in the fab stores- but watch out for the tricks.
The next place I went to was appropriately named Trick or Treat.
Yeah I know, I thought it was very funny and original as well, until I realised that I was facing the wrong way and that the rather crap Halloween place was behind me. OMG, I am so stupid sometimes.
One of my fav places for fun, has to be Wierdilious. Its brilliant for costumes and there is a vast variety of paper bag masks, that certain people in sl, might want to put over their heads before venturing out this Halloween.
I couldn’t stop laughing when I saw this costume and I could think of 3 people who would look awesome in this, but the little one in the middle might need a set of wings.
Ok, so stay tuned for more Scare-a-thon fun. I promise ya won’t be stuck for laughs this Halloween.
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Sunday, 12 October 2008
HOW TO MAKE MONEY IN SL-PART 1
Making money in sl is something we would all love to do. The great sl dream is to be able to morph oneself into the game and live of the profits, (albeit without having a nervous breakdown because we forget its not real life). Some people have done this, but I personally think that it takes the fun out of my game, as there would be boundaries then set for how I live in the virtual world, and I don't have any.
Recently I went underground to find out how the other half live in sl, and to see just what was keeping our second life economy afloat while it seems the whole financial real world is collapsing around us. I found that there is others making money in sl using sploders.
Everyone is familiar with a sploder, everyone has used a sploder in a club. I was gonna explain what they are for the people who don’t know, but I decided that if you don’t know what a sploder is, then bad luck.
I am sure a lot of people are thinking, that people just hang out in clubs waiting for the sploder to go but I found its a lot more hardcore than that.
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine showed me the strange sl phenomenon, that is sploder chasing. He rezzed a sploder on his sim, filled it with money and told me to watch. Almost immediately avatars started to fall out of the sky and gather around the sploder.
......... and I don't mean just a few people, I mean the Sim got
maxxed out in like 2 Min's.
I was a bit stunned. How did these people know to come to this Sim for this sploder?
I was now surrounded by a whole other type of sl avatars-The Sl Sploder Chasers.
These people know about the sploders because they wear a hud that is linked up to a site such as slsploders.com and they get notified when a sploder goes off, then they just spend their time teleporting all over sl and waiting for the payouts.
I managed to get a coherent sentence out of one or two of these people and one guy ended my Lol’s by telling me he had made a lot of money chasing sploders and had made nearly 20k that day alone. (That shut me up)
So, for anyone who is feeling the effects of the real life credit crunch and wants a sl part time job, Sploder chasing might be for you. Failing that you could always have one of those pay to vote contests. Make an alt and make him really believable and then let him win and keep all the money.
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Thursday, 7 August 2008
COSTA RICA- THE OFFICIAL SHOPPERS PARADISE
We are very proud to announce the completion of the remodeling of our shopping district which spans across the Laguna del Arenal
This architectural masterpiece was designed to reflect the Spanish colonial heritage Costa Rica has. Called the “Rodeo of Second Life” [FashionPlanet], no other estate nor commercial district in SL offers as many well known designers in one place as the Costa Rica Sims Shopping districts. The shop owners here read like a ‘Who’s Who’ of fashion:
A.c Store, AMT, Aitui, Acoustic Alchemy, Biastice, B-Side Couture, Beauty Raine's, Bolero, Cachet. Damiani, DiBoutanicals, Dimension Designs, Emery, Freak Flags, Fresh Baked Goods, Guillaume Pour Homme, Happy Homes, House Of Gestures, Icing, Jador Fashion, JCNY, Jeepers Creepers, Ju Ju's Closet, Kal Rau, Leezu Baxter Designs, Mad Shapes, Maitreya, Mechanism, Modavia, Namiko, Nonna Hedges, Nicky Ree, Patrizia Blessed Collection, PinUp Dolls, R.A.T. , Scarlet Creative, The Young Urban, The ZOO, Tonic, Tres Jolie, Truth, 2Xtreme, Untamed Photography, Victoria V, WMD & Zhao Shoes
You will have access to a wide variety of amenities, some found nowhere else, and a community made of people from over 27 countries in 6 continents who call the Costa Rica Sims estate ‘home’ – enjoy incredible designer shops, balloon rides, horseback riding, wonderful waterfalls, scuba diving, open waters for boating/sailing, snorkeling, surfing, local resident events, and SO MUCH MORE! All this in an Estate that has proven to be one of SL’s success stories, having grown to 48 sims in less than a year!
The Costa Rica Sims is a place like no other, having been named one of the "25 Most Beautiful Places in SL" by different publications and "Hot Spots" on SecondLife.com®. We invite you to visit our website at http://www.costaricasims.com/.
Come visit the Costa Rica Sims and Discover a world with no artificial ingredients!
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Laguna%20Del%20Arenal/188/135/29
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Sunday, 27 July 2008
FAULTY SL SEX BALLS ?
A rumour is circulating arond the grid that a batch of faulty sex balls are wrecking the cyber sex of couples all over sl.
A reader sent me this rather disturbing snap and as you can see, in the throws of passion you can expect to be thrown across the room.....be careful.Labels: lifestyles, news
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Tuesday, 22 July 2008
Funny SL Names, #1, by Marcophoto Upshaw
Funny SL Names, #1, by Marcophoto Upshaw
Ok dokie, boys and girls. Finally I have to write about this topic of names. It is both with interest and trepidation that I tackle this subject. Why trepidation? Well what is there to say? If a name is funny it is funny, but what else is there to say about it? Yet, there are SO MANY goofy, funny names in SL, that it seems a subject worth talking about.
And speaking of funny, just why WOULD someone pick a goofy name. Hmmmm? *Marcophoto points the finger at himself* Yeah, Marco, just WHY did you pick such a weird name? Ok, Ok, I'll go first, and poke a little fun at MY name, before I poke some fun at YOUR name, fair enough?
Well first off, do you remember what it was like signing up for your first account with SL? You are zipping through the application, when suddenly you are required to pick a name. "Oh, wow," you think "I never thought of that, what in heck should I call myself?" So maybe you think of plugging in your own name--mine is Mark--but now I need a last name.....Hmmmmm.....here's one that sounds English, "Upshaw." My family hails from England and Ireland, so that sounds like a good name. Ok, lets try it Mark Upshaw....I plug it into the sl window...it is taken. Oh.
Well let's see, my Uncle Jim used to call me Marco, try that.....taken. Shoot. This is harder than it looks,.....Oh, I could try MarcoPolo, people always call me that, but ya know, basically I hate that name. WAIT, I KNOW, MarcoPhoto! Yeah, and that fits perfectly because I had a small biz in rl as a Photographer, and besides, it is a nice play on words... MarcoPolo....MarcoPhoto....yeaaaaaaaah, I like it. So I plug it into the search window.....and it works! I am now officially to be called, Marcophoto Upshwaw. Too bad at the time I did not know I could have capitalized the P in my name, but it is ok,
And as it turns out this has been a very good name. It has a nice ring to it, and it is distinctive. People remember this weird name I have. And it shortens nicely too. It is important to have a name that can readily be shortened into a nickname. Marcophoto easily becomes Marco. What can you do if your name is 123456CamelPoop DungPyle? Do you want them to call you "Hi 123!" or "Hi Poop!" or "Hello Shithead?" It IS a quandry.
And surprisingly enough there ARE quite a number of names just like...ehm...Mr. Poophead's.
For example:
Pootyhead Buchsbaum..... gee, somehow I think better of myself than to have my head associated with....uhmmm....er...yeah, THAT!
Psss, names have NOT been changed here, obviously. And please do not fire off angry letters threatening to pull my scrotum over my head for "picking on" your name. I did not choose your name, YOU did. They are a matter of public record in the SL search engine. Besides, my scrotum is already over my head. It makes for a very warm blanket on a cooold night...and is very comforting these days. *wink...which reminds me of a song....."Do your balls hang low, do they wobble too and fro....can you tie them in a knot, can you can you tease them in a Fro?....."
So without further ado, I give you my first installment of some of my favorite strange, interesting and funny SL names.....these are all actual names....look them up!
Busty Ansome....I met "Busty" and her "peaches" ARE very memorable to say the least, lol
Emeraude Karas....I wonder if Em knows that an Emeraude is a term used in the Bible for a Hemmoroid? As in a "golden emmeraud"??? Really. It is in the book of Genesis. Yikes how would you like to have your name associated with THAT!
Speaking of body parts, try out these interesting names:
2nutz Sack...... Just 2? And you are telling us this for WHAT reason?
Electropussy Parx... I wonder if sex with her is a shocking experience?
Bulging Sak...... Hmmmm, he must be talking about his grocery bag, right? Groceries, eh?
Speaking of food, here are some interesting food--names:
BigMac Deerhunter.... after he bags a deer, does he take it to McD's to have it turned into a BigMac?
Cookieman Berlin... was he a doughboy in WWI?
Holda Mayo....... Ooooo I love clever names like this!
Here are some of my favorite, "Clever" Names" For me a Clever name is one where the first name ties right in with the last name....such as:
Digg Graves........
Not Telling........
Tuctin Nitely......
Yesometime Tomorrow.....
1Juicypeach Georgia... now THAT is a juicy name, it just makes me just wanna take a big bite! It is also very clever because Georgia is the "peach" state in the U.S. Anyone who has been to Atlanta, Georgia will attest to the fact that nearly every street in that town is called Peach Street. Or Peach Avenue, or Peach Thoroughfare, or Peach Highway, or Peach Lane, or Peach Cutoff....it is insane.
Close to those, in my estimation are the "Cute Names"... like:
cheekapoo Babii.....
Daisy Flowers.....
MissMissy Moonbeam....
Pugbug Bing.... I love your name, Puggy, it is just sooooo cute, like a bug-inna-rug.
Tweety Hawks.... just a cute name.
Running closely behind the cute names, are the Rhyming Names,. like....
Azz Mazi...
Mizi Mazi....
nappy Sack...
PitPat Wildcat....
Stora Zhora....
Another class of names, that is similar to the Clever names, is the Statement names, where the first name fits in with the last name to make a statement.....like:
B1TCH Holliday....
Then we have the Destiny Sisters....hmmm sounds like an all-girl group
Enticing Destiny....
Mya2008 Destiny
MyLast Destiny...
Wasit Destiny....
Followed by the two sons of Thor:
Fearless Hammerer....
Ninepound Hammerer...
Gothic Schism....
Michelles Magic.....
NedaO Pinion.....
Quick Lerner.....
Sugary Delight.... Ooooooo Sugar! You sound....well.....just as sweet as can be!
Tempest Nitely.... Oh, and you must be Sugar's angry step-sister
Stormy Tepper.... And yet another angry step-sister
And These too!
Anytime Thursday... Ok, yeah, Thursday is good for me, too!
Charming Wise... How sweet, she is charming AND wise!
Gottabe Held... Mmmmmm Gotta, I hope you are female, cause I'd love to hold ya...
Iget Iwish.... One wish? And what would you wish for? Can I wish for YOU?
Ivanna Escape... So who doesn't? Why do you think we are in SL anyway?
MadeIn England.... Mmmmm, I was Madein America
Smokie Ember... Ooooo Smokie, your name just gets my fire going!
Sparkz Ember... And you too! Are you and Smokie the Sexy Sisters?
WatYa Tenk... Well that's why I'm asking, no need to get sharp with me!
Tinie Littlething... Hey NOW! Be nice! I won't comment on YOUR equipment, please don't comment on MINE!
There will be more installments of this, but before I close I just HAVE to mention two of my most favorite names...
UREWSHMYCMD Dagger.... Really? My wish is your command? Well, well, I will have a long list for you, just ask the next gal, she's my all-time favorite mmmmmmm...
VaVaVaaaa Voom..... Mmmmm VaVa.....talk about a juicy peach! Baby, I just want to suck on YOU, forever! (Oh common, I'm a vampire, remember?)
******************************************************************************
DID YOU LIKE TODAY'S BLOG? Hate it? Please tell me either way! I would really enjoy hearing from you. Marcophoto Upshaw
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Tuesday, 8 July 2008
LIFT THE PHONE AND MAKE THAT CALL
You just got of sl, its 3am, you have to be in work 9am, well look no further. Here is a list of fabulous excuses, you can use to ring in to work, get that precious beauty sleep you need and still have more time to play sl after it.....Go on, I dare ya.
*i can't come to work today, I'm farting blood
*I'm Sorry I Wont Be In Work Today My House Set On Fire And Everything Got Burnt
*I cant come into work today because my leg is stuck in the drain outside of my house, and the rescue team haven't arrived yet to get it out.
*I cant come to work because I lost the house keys, I'm locked in.
*It is against my religion to work on Mondays and Wednesdays.
*I have amnesia, who r u? .........work?..............I work?
*I'm just about to reach enlightenment, so I cant possibly come to work because it will disturb my practices.
*I'm sorry but my eyes are just in bad shape right now. I just cant see myself going into work today.
*I'm not sure when I'll be in to work...I am in the shower and the shampoo bottle says to, "Lather, Rinse, Repeat." I might be here for a loooong time.
*I can't go to work today, because I was painting my house and I drooped paint on the floor and have to put in a new carpet
*I'm sorry, i couldn't bring my work in on a floppy disk, i got pissed up and jammed the disk drive by seeing how many m & ms i could fit in
*My arm is too tired to shift, so I can't drive to work today
*I don't think I'll be able to come into work today, As i was walking home from work yesterday a wheel came off a passing caravan and hit me in the back. I'm bed-bound and can't move.
*I can't come into work today, I'm dead.
*"Oh, you mean it's Next' Wednesday I have off!!" (Note: must be said with an incredulous expression)
*"I was up until 3:00 am working on a procedure that would simultaneously increase production & efficiency, and also reduce expenses. I'd rather not discuss it until I have all the kinks worked out." (this gives you a little time to come up with some more BS)
*"My dog chewed up my shoes and I couldn't very well come to work barefooted, could I!? (use this better in the winter)"
*I won't be in to work today. My wife said she is going to conceive today, and I want to be there when it happens.
*"I cant come to work today because my cat is lonely and stressed out and if I don't spend quality time with him, he will keep peeing on the furniture!"
*I can't come into work today. There is a cat sitting on the fence outside more door and he won't let me out. It looks like he will attack me if I go outside!
*I'm not coming to work today..... "why not?" ....... because ..... I'm not
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Monday, 23 June 2008
Gregster's Food for Thought
The Meaning of Beauty...
by Gregster Kidd
In a recent article, Natalie wrote about the scandal surrounding the Miss SL Universe Contest and the winner handing back her crown. I'm sure that there's lots that can be said on that subject, and I guess that is what the comments on Nat's article are there for, but I've never been one to focus on the main issue being discussed.
As SL's 2nd best DJ* I visit a lot of clubs and parties (well, duh!!!), both to DJ and to have fun with my mates. A friend of mine**** was with me at MenDance nightclub over the weekend and, during a single DJ's set, managed to go through a number of different looks - skin, shape, hair, outfit... - at the same time as doing a set of hot dance moves that were fairly unique*****. This, in light of Nat's article, got me thinking about SL Pageants in general.
Think of it this way:
o In SL I can edit my shape to look as hot as I possibly can******, or buy one to achieve the same effect
o In SL I can be male/female at the flick of a button (I can even get software to alter my voice if need be)
o In SL I can buy my own designer clothes/hair/skin for (relatively) cheap prices
o In SL I can resize the prims on my outfit for maximum visual appeal
o In SL, if I can't do it myself, I can get a friend to do my styling for me fairly easily
o In SL I can buy my own walk and poses
o In SL I can buy animations to allow me to demonstrate pretty much any party piece/skill/talent I choose to have
So... In a beauty pageant what then am I truly being judged on?
A lot of the things that would, in RL, allow an individual to distinguish themselves from others come down purely to what your money can buy you and who your friends are and how much help/backing they can give you. At least this aspect is purely SL based - an individual with charm and the right connections could potentially achieve the same ends as someone with the L$ to throw at a situation. Similarly, hard work can build up a decent L$ balance to afford what is required.
Following this, we have the RL aspect - without a hi-spec computer, SL is limited. People on lower spec computers experience more lag therefore their performance would not be as polished as someone on a higher spec PC. Graphics card limitations can add an additional disavantage as lower resolution can prevent an individual from achieving the heights of appearance but worse - they may not realise when they do not look as good as those with the technological edge. The last two points are financially related, but geographical limitations can can limit the available connection speeds and reliability increasing the likelyhood of lag and crashing in an unavoidable way: Someone who cannot stay online throughout a pageant and is less functional when online suffers a significant disavantage. Are we then penalising people based on RL limitations that cannot be avoided when we judge their performance?
Potentially the only true measure for a Pageant contestant is their personality, but in SL can even this be relied on? I have on a number of occasions in my year of SLtivity come across people who appear to be truly genuine, with there being no suggestion that there is another side to them, then they have shown their true colours to be significantly different: Conversly, my close but as yet unmet frenemy Fnertin Schmo is apparently a decent individual in RL, yet play the part of a complete #####r in SL. So just because someone says they wish for SL Peace, an end to derezzing of trees and a halt to increasing unbanisation of SIMs or maintains they are a keen spokesman for Kitsune rights in the face of Neko domination, is that what they truly support?!? If personality is the only criterion that the judges can truly rely on, can they legitimately make a judgement or are they simply selecting the best actor at the time.
Another criterion for judging is perceived "dedication to the cause", but given the large size of SL, someone who has been in world for a long time may not even discover an event/SIM that they would have a strong interest in until long after others knew********. Latecomers may still be truly dedicated to an ideal, but could appear to judges to be glory hounds due to the fact they "weren't involved with the SIM/organisation prior to the Pageant.
The judges themselves are in a quandary if they are judging on personality - if their friends have been allowed to enter and have made it through heats judged by other people, the judge would be able to accurately assess those friends' genuineness through personal knowledge but would have to judge on surface impressions from the other contestants. In RL visual and aural clues can give insight into whether someone is being honest, but in SL this is severly hampered (no visual clues, and aural clues only if voice is being used and text gives little away).
Can anyone truly make an accurate judgement on people in such circumstances?Does a Pageant truly have anything to do with the person who wins the crown? Or, given that there may be little ground for accurate judgement, is it purely a publicity vehicle for the organisers'/sponsors' interests? More importantly, why am I bothered about this when I could be down at the pub with a pint of beer? Aren't these events, when held in SL, just meant to be a little bit of fun rather than serious news stories?
I guess all I am doing here is raising talking points. Given all the above, I guess those of you reading may have relevant knowledge that can shed a light on what the point of these Pageants is. If so please feel free to comment or add your insights or insider knowledge!
Laters
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The writer would like to acknowledge that he has no expertise whatsoever in judging, organising, taking part in or attending SL beauty pageants. He has however attended numerous female body-building contests in RL and was runner up in the Miss Laganas Contest in 1999 (Shameless Club 18-30 plug) - losing out to the eventual winner, Gaz, who had shaved his legs while the writer chose to wear stockings. The writer bears Gaz no ill will as he is still amazed he (the writer) managed to spend an evening in 5 inch platform heels and a size 8 mini-dress without managing to make a fool of himself. Thankfully the writer has not divulged this information to anyone in SL and can retain an air of staid professionalism when he logs on tonight, safe in the knowledge that NO-ONE will ever find out!
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* Disclaimer: I know this to be blatantly untrue**, but once I have made a claim, I rarely back down
** In fact I knew it to be blatantly untrue*** when I first made the claim - I just have a weird sense of humour
*** I still hold to the fact that Pony Maine is SL's best DJ even if he isn't in SL much nowadays
**** Tonny Hirons to those of you who know him, but that is immaterial to the point I am making (but I did get you to look at the footnote, didn't I!)
***** Yes, I know - he went animation shopping and added them to his huddle
****** And if you have seen me, you know I am amazingly hot*******
******* And modest to boot - lol
******** Case in point, I only discovered about 2 major events this weekend at the weekend itself (one Saturday, one Sunday), due to other people expressing negative opinions about them (I attended the former and avoided the latter) despite their being major publicity for both
Labels: Gregster, lifestyles, people
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