Occupy Second Life

The greatest revolution of our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives

William James

Last night didn’t start well for me in Second Life (SL).  First, I’d decided to visit a site that I’d read about in two other blogs.  Sounded good and I expected to have some fun, learn something, and meet new residents.  These are my usual criteria for visiting a sim and having a story that my readers will like.  (At least, I hope that they will!)

Well, things didn’t go very well from the start for me.  I’m not giving the name of the sim because I couldn’t stay long enough to really get a feel for the place and meet anyone.  There’s also a cautionary tale here for anyone promoting an event inworld and any shopkeepers who may be paying fees to participate in such.  I would also like to point out to Linden Lab (LL) that inworld performance sometimes leaves a lot to be desired. 

First, upon rezzing in, I’m greeted by a note card asking that all unnecessary prims be removed from my avatar.  Hah! I thought.  They obviously don’t know what a low overhead character that I am.  Apparently, all sorts of bells and alarms will go off if someone tries to enter in all their sartorial elegance. Experiencing nothing more than a mere blink in the surrounding lighting, I smugly stride in. 

So far, so good. But, as I begin to enter shops and move further into the sim, I feel like I’m moving through molasses.  Lag strikes.  (Or more accurately, slowly brings everything to a halt.)  Then my SL Viewer (SLV) begins to hang.  Repeatedly.  I get bounced out.  I go back in.  Repeatedly.  (I’m always willing to take one for my readers.) 

I’m starting to get frustrated.  No, I am frustrated.  I’m beginning to realize what’s going on.  This event has been over promoted.  Logging into SL, I can see that the number of visitors is around thirty.  The excess prim warning should have alerted me.  There were many shops with merchandise and the streets were decorated in a type of urban punk.  This could have been a good experience but it wasn’t.  Someone should have been thinking about LL’s system constraints. 

I feel bad for the promoters and other participants because a lot of work and effort went into this prim.  Unfortunately, many people will not get to enjoy it.  I will try to go back before the sim closes to give a report.  I’m just not sure if my schedule will permit that.

My night continued to spiral out of control as in trying to get back to my SL home, I was bounced somewhere else.  I arrived in what looked like an airport lounge in a small, Midwest town.  (Trust me, I’ve been there.) 

Other residents are dropping in – literally.  Everyone is asking why they’re there and why can’t they leave.  I’m stuck too.  It’s like being in Penn Station in NYC when everything goes wrong with Amtrak and the LIRR simultaneously.  (Again, trust me, I’ve been there.)  

Never one to miss an opportunity, I try to engage my fellow travelers in conversation.  Which doesn’t go very well for me.  I start with something like “Hello” or “How are you doing?” and I’m still waiting for replies.  (Maybe it’s my looks?)

By now, I’m getting desperate.  I’m in SL Purgatory and I don’t have a story for this week’s blog.  The free drinks offered at the bar aren’t helping. 

Then I get a break. 

Scanning my friends on line list, I see that any1 gynoid is inworld. Not having spoken with her since prior to my hardware problems, I was glad to chat and catch up.  I was elated when I asked me to TP out of Purgatory to where she was and she agreed.  (any1, I owe you big time!)

I rezz into Madeleine’s in Angels Cove, a blues and jazz bar, where some very good music is playing and any1 is dancing with her friend ZenBeatz. 

any1 and I had been talking prior to my technical problems about using SL for community organizing to help residents who are dealing with Real Life (RL) issues arising from the global economic situation and political inequalities.  (More on this in future blogs.)  any1 is an inworld activist and an active participant in the Occupy Second Life (OSL) movement.    

any1 introduces me to Zen telling that Zen is one of the leading organizers of OSL in addition to being an activist in RL.  Zen and I have a lot to talk about with regard to the use of SL for community organizing in SL and we agree to meet later in the evening for an interview. 

We meet later at Osho Meditation Island.  This is a quiet place overlooking the sea well suited for an interview.  The interview is conducted in talk instead of my usual IM at Zen’s request. 

In RL, Zen is a RL activist who focuses on sustainability and forest preservation.  She started with OSL in February 2011 as a corollary to the RL Occupy Wall Street movement.  Self sufficiency, creative community, and creating systems that work are her interests. 

When money seemed to take over the world in the Eighties, Zen turned her back on it and began working on reforestation in RL.  After a personal loss in RL, Zen was looking to start afresh somewhere.  Her location away from major RL population centers led her to SL after a friend, inworld himself, had suggested she go back.  (Zen had been inworld before but hadn’t been very active.)  She wanted to create a virtual equivalent of RL.  A place where people could be taught what to do and then carry that forward to become self sufficient. 

Her goal in SL is to unite the avatars.  Once afraid of what computers might do to the workforce (i.e., ATM’s eliminating bank teller jobs), Zen now sees the Internet as permitting us to cross boundaries.  These are now thinner in cyberspace than they are in RL.  (For example, Zen is on the other side of the world while we conduct our interview, back in the day, the phone costs would have been prohibitive. Let alone, our being able to find one another in the first place.) She finds the Internet, and SL in particular, as a valuable tool to reconnect. 

Zen expresses concern over censorship and security for personal information on the Internet.  She believes that there is much media blackout over key issues like education and the corruption in legal systems to name but a few.

With help from any1 and other SL activists, Zen put on the twenty-four hour December 17^th Occupy Earth event in SL to raise funds in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement.  The event was a music and arts festival that succeeded in raising $400US which went for the gloves for the Wall Street Occupiers. 

Zen is now in the early stages of planning another OSL event for March 17^th which would mark the six month anniversary of the movement.  She’s hoping that this event will go across other virtual worlds in the Metaverse but it’s too soon to tell.  Music will be part of the program as Zen believes contemporary music is important to bringing in participants.  She’s right, most major social movements in RL history have had significant cultural components. 

Help is needed and Zen would be grateful if anyone interested in assisting her would drop her a note card inworld with their contact information.  Or, please pass her request along to those who may be able to help her.  I’ll be writing more about this upcoming event over the next several weeks. 

I take my leave of Zen and express my thanks for giving me so much of her time for a completely unscheduled interview.  I look forward to working with her and any1 as we develop a community organizing program to help those residents struggling with RL issues.  SL is a platform that I feel has been struggling lately for a reason to be.  We propose to bring that sense of purpose back. 

I also want to thank any1 again for saving me from a fate worse than death (at least in SL).

Finally, I continue to apologize to those whom I still may have appeared to have simply fallen off the grid.  I’m working my way back through my open commitments, albeit slowly.  I hope I haven’t caused any inconvenience and I look forward to seeing everyone again very soon!  As always, I’m open to any and all ideas for places to visit and people to meet. 

As always, I’m grateful to all for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives. 

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

     If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.

Photo No. 1: Osho Meditation Island

Photo No. 2: Madeleine’s

Photo No. 3: any1 Gynoid

Photo No. 4: ZenBeatz

A Walk in the Neighborhood

I have an affection for a great city.  I feel safe in the neighborhood of man, and enjoy the sweet security of the streets. 

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Being back in Second Life (SL) after my enforced vacation from being inworld, got me thinking about what I do in SL.  I flit around, visiting places like Manchu Picchu or 1920’s Berlin, to name but a few.  But, I’ve never really gone for a walk in the neighborhood, Nowaki, where I reside inworld when I’m not traveling around. 

For my readers who may be wondering why I have a home on the grid, I made the decision to do so when I wanted to have some privacy while either working on my appearance or discoursing with other residents. Having roots someplace seemed right.  So, when I came back after being “locked out”, I felt like I had come home after a long time away.  Strange, huh?

Finally, arriving back in my home, I decide to go for a walkabout in Nowaki. Smell the roses, meet the neighbors, that sort of thing. 

So, one recent evening, I open the door of my house and step out into the neighborhood.  The sun shines, I happen to like going about in daylight for these types of constitutionals. Birds are chirping.  Trees and flowers are in bloom. 

Yet, something doesn’t feel right. Things are a little too perfect.  Walking around I see the various houses which are styled in a Japanese fashion.  They are laid out in a random fashion with trees and shrubs scattered about.  The effect is something like Levitt Town meets Disney World.  The Christmas tree left in front of one dwelling only adds to the effect. 

And, it’s more than just the buildings and shrubs.  No leaves are on the ground, I guess I moved into perpetual spring.  There is no litter.  (Again, Disney World comes to mind if not Singapore.)  No wind is blowing. 

Walking along I find myself looking over my shoulder to see if anyone is there.  (OK, I admit I scare easily, another reason for keeping the lights on when I go for these walks.) Nowaki has the feel of a ghost town about it.   

The small things that are seen when walking around a Real Life (RL) town are not in evidence inworld.  People are not walking their dogs.  In fact, there are no pedestrians about at all.  Using the SL mini-map I see there is only one other resident in the Nowaki area.  And, this is where I run into a question of SL etiquette.  (Contrary to popular belief, I struggle with not being an ugly American in SL.  I just have not been very successful yet.) 

How does one arrive unannounced at another resident’s doorstep and ask to meet?  I mean there are no doorbells or door knockers in SL.  An IM feels like the modern equivalent of standing in the street and hollering for Ed Norton or Ralph Kramden upstairs in an episode of The Honeymooners.  Probably that’s why my neighbor is otherwise engaged when I call. 

In earlier blogs, I’ve written about the sense of community in SL.  But, walking around Nowaki, I just don’t feel it.  Yes, there is a small town feel, buildings huddled together separated by small walkways and paths.  Maybe it’s the lack of people, the lack of street signs, or maybe just the lack of a basic service like mail.  (Where’s the Fedex truck?)  Or, perhaps it’s the lack of customization around the homes.  There’s that errant Christmas tree and some residents do have plants and shrubs about but not enough to make a noticeable difference.  There are no roadways ergo there is vehicular traffic. 

I think what’s bothering me is the lack of randomness around me.  Everything is just so orderly, too orderly.  RL’s not like that.  I’d probably go nuts if it were. 

This brings me back to that sense of SL community.  It’s about the people not the buildings or the prims or whatever.  The latter are just icing on the cake.  Maybe SL’s technology serves as a barrier to entry.  First, the difficulty in learning how to build and live inworld and, then, SL’s inability to support more than approximately forty residents in one place at a time. Maybe that’s why Facebook has taken off.  (Don’t worry, I’m not leaving SL anytime soon.) 

Whenever I’m with my friends in SL or with other residents, I have a sense of belonging.  We do what people do what they do when they get together in RL.  Talk, especially about the US Presidential election, joke, swap technical war stories, and generally have a good time.  I mean we wouldn’t be doing it if didn’t enjoy it would we now? 

Wandering around by myself, even if it’s in my own neighborhood, I find that I don’t like being alone inworld.  After several months of being with people on a regular basis, being on my own is tough.  Sometime ago, a resident, Bunky Snowbear, tried to walk across the grid but gave up after several months.  He had several reasons but one of them was the continual solitude of encountering empty places while on the road.  I believe that we are social beings no matter where we are.  SL simply requires us to work harder at being social and allows us to be very much alone if we’re not careful. 

I’m in the process of getting reconnected across the grid.  I’ll also be doing an occasional blog called “Nowaki Notes” where I’ll recount my efforts to try and find the Nowaki community and interact with them. 

Finally, I want to apologize again to those whom I may have appeared to have simply fallen off the grid.  I hope I haven’t caused any inconvenience and I look forward to seeing everyone again very soon!  As always, I’m open to any and all ideas for places to visit and people to meet. 

As always, I’m grateful to all for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives. 

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

     If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.

Photo No. 1: My Home in Nowaki

Photo No. 2: My Neighborhood in Nowaki

Photo No. 3: Stairs to Higher Level

Photo No. 4: Nowaki Pathway

Photo No. 5: One of the Larger Homes

Photo No. 6: Someone Has a Pet

Photo No. 7: The Christmas Tree

Photo No. 8: Some Local Color

Photo No. 9: Water’s Edge

Photo No. 10: Pathway Light

Back from the Wilderness! (Part III)

There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.

Nelson Mandela

 

I’m back!

OK.  Maybe not everyone is as excited about this as I am.  But after a hiatus of several weeks I finally managed to log back into Second Life (SL) and walk the grid just a few minutes ago. 

I walked around.  Cleared my IM’s.  Found I’d been capped.  (Groan!) But, it felt good to be back.  Of course, I have a lot to do.  I’d made commitments to other residents which I have to now catch up on and I’m still dealing with the fallout from my hardware problems.  (When we meet inworld, I’ll share the Saga with you.)  My writing schedule resembles O’Hare International Airport’s flight schedule after a blizzard.  However, for all of that, being back is good.

I learned a lot while I was away.

First, the SL reader is an anachronism in this day and age.  I had a machine on loan after mine died, however, I couldn’t add programs.  Hence, I was up the creek without the proverbial paddle.  Prior to my problems, I hadn’t given this much thought.  Now, as I think about it and I see the proliferation of smart phones and pads, I’m beginning to how much longer can Linden Lab (LL) go on with a self-limiting technical solution. 

Next, I found that the SL community is alive and well, if not thriving, in Real Life (RL) across the Metaverse.  Residents are in Facebook, blogs, Flickr, and many other spots.  Last week’s blog explored SL fashion across the Web and that was just one aspect of the SL communities out there in the Metaverse.  I’ll be returning to these in my future blogs.  Interestingly, I made many friends in SL despite not being able to be inworld.  Maybe the community would survive if SL and LL were to go away?  We would become modern cyber gypsies, having lost and forgotten our original home world, but staying together because of a common history and traditions. 

Finally, I found that the SL community does care for its own.  Residents helped me, offered encouragement, and told me to hurry back.  I’m still in awe of the wonderful people who make up this world and share their lives with one another. 

I’m keeping this blog short because I have a lot to do.  My intention is to get back to my regular schedule and to include material from my misadventures. 

I’m glad to be back and will be reaching out to my all friends in the next few weeks! 

I have a request of those reading this blog, if they run into any of my other readers inworld if they would please tell them about my recent technical problems and inform them that I’m back inworld can be reached either via IM, at my blog, or at webseplunker@gmail.com.  I’d love to hear from them! 

Finally, I want to apologize to those whom I may have appeared to have simply fallen off the grid.  I hope I haven’t caused any inconvenience and I look forward to seeing everyone again very soon!  As always, I’m open to any and all ideas for places to visit and people to meet. 

As always, I’m grateful to all for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives. 

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

     If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.

Into the Wilderness: Among the Second Life Fashionistas (Part II)

The difference between style and fashion is quality.

 Giorgio Armani

(To my faithful readers who are still following my blog during my hiatus from Second Life (SL), thank you for staying with me while I have my technical difficulties!  A quick update, a replacement machine is on order and is expected any day now.  So, I hope to be back inworld shortly.  As I blogged last week, I’ll be among the SL community out in the Metaverse and keep posting until I’m back to normal – please, don’t go there!  Thanks again for everyone’s understanding and support, and I look forward to being back inworld with my friends very soon!)

When I first started out in SL, I very quickly became aware of the role of fashion inworld.  Most SL retail establishments offer clothes, shoes, accessories, and hair.  In addition, given the nature of this virtual world, skins, eyes, and just about everything else can be “fashioned”. 

Some of my earlier readers may recall my first forays into SL where I worked on my appearance.  That’s when I attempted to create my “look” by acquiring eyes, hair, skin, tattoos, and clothes for nothing.  (Some of my friends have commented that it shows, I rather like to think that it merely confirms my struggling writer status.) 

The world of SL fashion is not just limited to the grid.  There is an entire community of “fashionistas” out there on the Internet In fact one blog is called The SL Fashionista and is dedicated to the best of “freebies and cheapies” in SL.  (Where were these guys when I was starting out?)  This is another interesting aspect of SL, so much is for free and it’s good stuff.  Add a blog dedicated to this type of material and one has to wonder how anyone can make a buck in SL. 

            Iris Ophelia blogs on Wagner James Au’s New World Notes blog about SL fashion.   She covers technical subjects in addition to clothes and current issues like content theft. 

Another blog dedicated to SL fashion is Avenue covering style trends and the latest tools like mesh.  Pictures and advertisements supplement the posts. 

Finally, in my whirlwind tour of SL fashion blogs, I’d like to call out the blog at Second Nights dedicated to fashion and lifestyle in SL.  Links to other SL fashion resources are here. 

As I reviewed these blogs, I was struck by the broad variety of fashion and opinions offered, not to mention, the many different designers. Besides the artistic aspects of fashion, the technical aspects are well covered.  These blogs are current, at least as of this writing, and reflect only a small portion of what’s available about SL fashion on the Internet. 

Besides the many blogs available on SL fashion, there are also magazines devoted to this subject.  These are o high quality both in terms of content and production values and rival those dedicated to Real Life (RL) subjects. 

The first magazine I’ll mention is The Best of Second Life  (BOSL) which has just published its February 2012 issue.  BOSL is dedicated to covering the best of what is in SL.  The articles, pictures, and even the advertisements give a very good perspective of fashion and lifestyle in SL. 

Another online magazine which covers SL fashion off the grid is Retropolitan.  (I wrote about it in a recent blog.)  This publication’s focus is everything retro. 

The last magazine I’ll mention in this blog is Glance giving yet another perspective on inworld fashion. 

All these magazines are current as of this writing.  Sadly, while researching this story, I came across others, such as Second Style, which no longer publish and many blogs that haven’t been updated for years.  (As I’ve written elsewhere, the onset of the Great Recession of 2008 seems to have been the watershed event here.) 

I’ve attempted here to give a brief overview of some of the activities undertaken away from the grid by SL residents involved in the fashion scene.  What I’ve found is a thriving community who have taken advantage of tools like Blogger, Flickr, and Facebook to do in the Internet what they cannot do in SL.  I wonder if Linden Lab (LL) sees this too?

I have a request of those reading this blog, if they run into any of my other readers inworld if they would please tell them about my current technical problems and inform them that I can be reached either at my blog or at webseplunker@gmail.com.  I’d love to hear from them! 

Finally, I want to apologize to those whom I may have appeared to have simply fallen off the grid.  I hope I haven’t caused any inconvenience and I look forward to seeing everyone again very soon!  As always, I’m open to any and all ideas for places to visit and people to meet. 

As always, I’m grateful to all for their kindness and time in stopping to talk with a stranger who was passing through their lives. 

I welcome feedback from readers, please either comment on my blog or e-mail me at webspelunker@gmail.com . 

     If you would like to read about my other adventures in Second Life please click here.