I Finally Find Someone in Second Life!

 

Antarctica is otherworldly, like nothing I've ever seen before. Stark, cold, beautiful desolation.

Mark Hoppus

 

          This is an important story for me!

          Why you may ask?

          My three loyal readers (Yes, someone actually volunteered to be the third!  Honest, no threats or other inducements!) may recall my quest in Second Life (SL) to meet someone from every continent in Real Life (RL).

          To date I’d met someone from every continent except Antarctica.

          For a long time, I’ve blogged and used social media to try and locate a SL resident in the frozen continent. 

          Finally, after a referral from a mutual friend I was introduced to someone who works in Antarctica and who also resides inworld!

          This is their story!

          However, this story will be a little different from other stories I’ve written.

          For starters, my interviewee has asked to remain anonymous.

          Anonymous as in not even revealing their SL identity.

          So, to honor that request, I’ve scrubbed the interview of any possible references to either SL or RL identity including that of the referrer.

          (And no, the reason is not as Significant Other suggests which is that the interviewee is embarrassed to be seen with me in public even if it is inworld!)

          I meet the interviewee inworld when they’re not “on the ice” in RL.

          The interviewee explained to me why I’d had such a difficult time finding anyone in SL while they’re on station in the Antarctica. 

          (Like how I’m using the lingo?)

          Bandwidth at the station is limited.

          Priority is given to scientists and research. 

          Support staff, while able to access the Internet, can’t use social media. 

          Internet access goes through government websites so blocked and restricted websites have to be dealt with.

          (I think this means they can’t access WikiLeaks.) 

          Speed is very slow.

          I was told to imagine a good household high speed network being used by 1,000 people! 

          (Ouch!)

          All personal laptops need to be screened and cleared before being connected to the station network.

          All telephone calls are routed through Denver, Colorado and appear as having originated from there. 

          Some informal tests of SL from the station explain why I’ve never been able to meet anyone inworld while they’re actually there. 

          Laptops have to be dumbed down to their lowest settings. 

          Low lag sims are the best ones to visit.

          If someone were to try and visit a popular sim with dancing and streaming music then they would probably not hear the music.       

          Things take a long time to rez and all other avatars at a sim may only be gray objects. 

          The whole SL experience from Antarctica is described as very “trying.” 

          On the other hand, I got a great story about what life is like at the bottom of the world!

          (I have to give you something, don’t I?)

          My interviewee is in a good position to know about life on station in Antarctica.

          They have been deployed five times.

          Their normal deployment is known as “Winfly” which starts in mid-August to supplement the overwinter crew and starts to bring the station back to life, their season usually ends in late February. 

          The interviewee has never overwintered and is not sure if they want to. 

          (Significant Other appears worried by my interest in overwintering.)

          Life in Antarctica was explained to me.

          I’m told to imagine a college dorm with fifty year olds.

It’s very interesting and a “way cool” collection of people.

There is plenty to do in the free time if anyone wants to. (I wonder what else one would do?)

There are two bars, a coffee house and wine bar. A full size basketball court, rock climbing wall, hiking trails, downhill skiing, cross country skiing, and mountain biking are available for the physically inclined.

Full arts and crafts, a very extensive library, full weight gym and gerbil gym and a local radio station fill out the activities. 

          The hardest part, the interviewee says is being away from family back home. Station residents are as isolated as one can get and stay on the planet. And not just being able to go off station and walk by oneself. For safety it’s always at least two people with a radio and a laid out plan of when they'll be back.

A word about going outdoors in Antarctica before we go any further.

          As my interviewee puts it, “and for God’s sake don't forget to let them know when you are back on station!”

Seems that if a couple (always a pair) are scheduled to be back at let’s say 5:00PM and can't make it back at that time, if they radio in then all’s good. But if they forget at 5:01PM then they start to call building to building looking for the miscreants. If they are not found by 5:30PM then the active Search and Rescue (SAR) is alerted and they start to search the ice for them.

Seems things begin to get unpleasant at that point. 

The point of this story - So don't forget to call in!

(I guess we all have stress in our jobs wherever we are!)

Now the best part of being there according to my interviewee is penguins!

The interviewee has seen some of the most fantastic scenery.

Clouds like nowhere else.

When there are sunrise and sunsets, they’re mind blowing. 

And if you like to do photography, it’s like having died and gone to heaven.

 And many keep going back because of the people they work with.

They are all one big family. 

(Almost sounds like SL doesn’t it?)

What’s missed most while on station?

Fresh fruits and vegetables is the reply!

What’s a typical day like in Antarctica?

          According to my interviewee it starts out with stretching. It helps prevent cold muscle injuries.

Then at the work center everyone’ll get together and plan their day.

They'll do their work.

Lunch is around 12:00 to 1:00PM and back out again.

End of day is heading back to the work center around 5:00PM-ish and doing paper work and time cards.

(Bureaucracy is everywhere!)

There are two fifteen minute breaks during the day also.

As our interview ends, my interviewee makes a few final comments

Living and working in the Antarctica is not for everyone.

A lot of people only do one season, some never even finish that. Others keep coming back. The interviewee knows of several people that have thirty-five seasons down there. 

I’m also told that once there was a seventy-nine year old working there.

Seems as long as you pass the physical you can go! 

Wanting to be sensitive to my interviewee’s time (After all, there’s only so much available in the warm climes before going back!) I thank them for their time and candor and take my leave.

As I reviewed my notes and prepared for this story, I couldn’t help but think how

much life in Antarctica is like life inworld. 

People leave their real lives and come together for a short time, possibly over an extended period, to live and work together.

Their common experience bonds them.

Maybe if Antarctica gets better bandwidth support then we may see more of them inworld!

I’d like to thank my interviewee and the one who introduced us for helping me to complete one of my goals in SL!

You know who you are and many thanks! 

Also, all the pictures included with this story were taken by the interviewee who generously permitted me to use them!   

Now that this quest is finished, what’s next for me inworld?

I wonder if anyone on the International Space Station (ISS) ever visits SL?

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

My Twitter handle is @webspelunker.  Please feel free to follow me and I’d be happy to follow you.

I can be found on Google+ as webspelunker Ghostraven.

My flickr Photostream is located here.

On Skype I’m webspelunker Ghostraven.

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.

          Open roads and kind fires!

 

 

Castles in Second Life VI – DaVinci Gardens Castle

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

Leonardo da Vinci   

 

          I’m continuing on my ramble across Second Life (SL) as I continue my series about the Great Castles of SL.    

          This time, I return to a sim that I’ve blogged about several times before, DaVinci

Gardens in Kalepa! 

          My destination is the castle there which dominates the area.

          DaVinci Gardens itself is a collection of fantasy worlds which offers to visitors from Real Life (RL) opportunities to suspend disbelief and to jump into all that a virtual world can be.  

          The sim is beautifully laid out with lush gardens, elaborate builds, the fantastic flying machines of Master Leonardo da Vinci himself, and not to mention the flying dragons available for rides! 

          Oh, I forgot to mention the volcano and space ship!

          (Significant Other wants to know why I can only find places like this inworld and never in RL when we go on vacation.)

          In my previous visits to DaVinci, I’d seen the large castle looming over the sim and flown by but never went in. 

          That’s about to change!

          I rezz into the landing zone at DaVinci. 

          In the distance, the castle stands prominently against the horizon.

          The castle sits on promontory surrounded on all sides by water.  It’s only approachable by water or from the air. 

          (What’s with this with castles inworld?  Doesn’t anyone simply build their castle on flatlands surrounded by a classic moat filled with alligators?  OK. Maybe the alligators aren’t classic but you get the idea!)

          The castle building is large, easily the largest single structure in DaVinci. 

          Tall towers and turrets surround the main keep.    

          There are two primary levels each with its own courtyard.  The upper one even has its own fire breathing dragon all saddled up and ready to go for anyone needing a lift.  While in the lower one, a lion’s head fountain spurts water. 

          The castle is built from weathered gray stone with red tiles for its rooves. 

          Approaching the castle, the main entrance surmounted by a large, colorful clock can

be seen. Stone carvings reminiscent of Gothic cathedrals from the Middle Ages border the door frame.  (How do I know?  I saw enough when I was in Europe!)

          Entering through the main entrance, beautiful stained glass windows welcome me. 

          Climbing the stairwells in the towers brings me to upper floors where I come across a

variety of rooms ranging from what appears to be an unfurnished throne room to many small but nicely finished rooms.

          I come across a library with a secret passage which leads to a treasure room guarded by a sleeping dragon.  (What’s with all the dragons?)

          Attention is given to detail.

          In some of the outer turrets, old brick shows through crumbling masonry. 

          A hallway’s walls are covered with the coats-of-arms of the nobles who once walked them.

         

Panoramic views of both sea and land can be seen from the battlements. 

          All around me is the sense of abandonment.

          There are neither furnishings nor artwork save for the stained glass windows and coats-of-arms.

          Sorry, one more item, a picture of the castle in both summer and winter hangs on a wall and can be purchased by anyone wanting it.

          Though empty, the castle is well maintained but I guess this is one advantage of virtual worlds! 

          The castle in DaVinci Gardens is well worth a visit and wandering its empty corridors is fun.

          A visitor can’t help but wonder what was the purpose of all this.

          Who was here and what was their story? 

          Unfortunately, there is no dungeon.

          Or, if there is, I couldn’t find it.

          BTW, I’m planning a new blog series which will be a dungeon crawl through the dungeons of SL.

          I’ll be visiting the deepest, darkest, baddest ones that I can find!

          (For all the teachers, librarians, and mothers who are my friends inworld, yes, I know “baddest” isn’t a real world, I just liked the sound of it!)           

          I strongly recommend a visit to the castle in DaVinci Gardens and take a look at the rest of the sim while you’re there! 

          You’ll be glad you did!

          Additional pictures from my visit can be found here.     

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

My Twitter handle is @webspelunker.  Please feel free to follow me and I’d be happy to follow you.

I can be found on Google+ as webspelunker Ghostraven.

My flickr Photostream is located here.

On Skype I’m webspelunker Ghostraven.

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.

          Open roads and kind fires!

 

Thoughts about the New Renaissance Faire and Hunt in Second Life

 

There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.

Machiavelli

 

          As I blogged a short time ago, it’s the season for Renaissance Hunt and Faire in Second Life (SL) which is new and improved this year! 

          (Significant Other leaves the room, having hoped for a new adventure.  Wait until next time!)

          The Mayor of Mieville, Perryn Peterson, with his team has done his usual superb job in laying out the new location and organizing all the merchants and events.

          This year, the Faire is at a new location in Mieville, Mieville Shelley, (accessible at a seafront town) which allowed Perryn to change things around a bit as he prepares for his fifth Faire.

           Unlike prior years, I’ve returned for a second story about this month long event running from September 1^st to 30^th to talk about the changes with some of the participants.

          What’s different?

          Well, for starters the location. 

          Then the layout has changed to accommodate the new location.

          And, as with any seismic change, new features are added while others are lost. 

          Get the picture?

          Liam Metaluna, a Tiny artisan is happy to be among other Tiny artisans in their own neighborhood.  Liam was responsible for organizing this community into the aptly named Tiny

Corner. 

          Liam loves the little things about the Faire like the frogs that follow you around. Being from the drought ridden western United States in Real Life (RL), he appreciates the harbor with all its water!

          Liam also loves the sounds from the Renaissance period. He creates music boxes with Renaissance-flair music. 

          Check him out when you visit!  (You are visiting right?)

          Mike Olbracht, Mieville’s landscaper par excellance and Perryn’s partner has done his usual superb work with the grounds for the Faire. 

          (Even if it was done under threats of virtual beatings to get the work done on time!  Perryn is a demanding taskmaster.) 

          Mike’s biggest challenge with the new location was that the original sim was devoted

to the Faire only and hence there were no restrictions.

The new location has neighboring sims so it was important that it fitted in with its surroundings properly. 

(It’s never easy inworld is it?)

          Miss Cyneswith Luik who made a new dance in addition to the three prior favorites.  In RL, she is a professional animator from the United Kingdom. 

          Cyneswith does miss the prior location. 

She had the same stall for about three years running always by the food and drink, with the music playing nearby.

However, Cyneswith finds the new location to be equally fantastic.

She loves how everything is laid out and she can still have the patch for the dances and can hear the music playing!

          Miss Moonsugah Monday has a brand new tavern!

          She is a refugee from Gor and this is her fifth Faire. 

          Moonsugah researches RL books on cooking then hunts for pictures to make textures.  She tries to make my foods realistic and sized proportionaIly to the avatar bodies, as well as historically accurate. So, she says, she wouldn’t make a smoothie to go with the medieval or Rennaissance table. Lately, she has been working more with mesh to get the desired effects. 

          Then there are things that remain the same!

          Wyvern Dryke has helped organize almost all of the events and says he only tweaked a few things. 

          His little den, a Faire tradition, can still be found on the Faire grounds if one goes looking for it. 

          My personal favorite the gypsy encampment, is still here with its vardos and hopefully a fortune teller. 

(If somewhat smaller.)

          Our old friend, Mr. Donkey, can be found grazing around the Faire with some new “critters” as friends.

          So, maybe the physical location and attributes of the Faire have changed but the people who make it all possible are still there.

          Their spirit and hard work are evident as one strolls through its streets and lanes!

          Please come by and support all these wonderful folks!

          The Renaissance Hunt and Faire runs from September 1^st to 30^th and can be located here.    

          The ongoing events during the Faire can be found on this blog. 

          The Faire is still underway so go and enjoy yourself!

          Maybe you’ll run into me!

          I’d like to thank Perryn, Mike, Wyvern, Liam, Cyneswith, and  Moonsugah for taking the time to answer my questionnaire.

          I know everyone is busy inworld! 

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

My Twitter handle is @webspelunker.  Please feel free to follow me and I’d be happy to follow you.

I can be found on Google+ as webspelunker Ghostraven.

My flickr Photostream is located here.

On Skype I’m webspelunker Ghostraven.

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.

          Open roads and kind fires!

The Wit and Wisdom of Felicia Day

Mortify yourself – when you’re at your lowest, you feel ironically self-confident.

Felicia Day

  

          Felicia Day double majored in violin and mathematics in college.

          Felicia Day had a 4.0 cumulative grade average in college.  (BTW which she started when she was sixteen years old.)

          OK, for my regular readers (Never doubt my gratitude to both of you!) who are wondering why am I talking about someone called Felicia Day instead of my usual account about Second Life (SL)…

          Newsflash!

          This story is going to be about Real Life (RL) and a woman who arose from a humble homeschooled background to become Queen of the Geeks!

          (Yes, I know!  According to the NY Post, Felicia hates that title, but, Hell somebody has to be our adult supervision!)

          I first encountered Felicia as Charlie Bradbury, the errant hacker, in the television series, Supernatural.  (Significant Other air pumps.  We love watching that show together.) 

          In case you still don’t know who Felicia is (Which makes me wonder why you’re even reading my blog!), she is an amazing woman who arose out of the American South, had all those incredible achievements already mentioned (Which meant she could’ve been either a barista or a world famous person with a real career.), broke into Hollywood, and became a leader in the online culture of the Internet producing her own shows about geek life and ultimately starting up her own production company.  (You mean you’ve never seen The Guild?)

          Yes, along the way, she had her difficulties.

          Felicia struggled with an online gaming addiction with World of Warcraft once playing for fourteen hours straight.  (Significant Other’s nudges me and whispers something about “That’s a problem?”)

          She freely admits that you learn more from screwing up than being perfect.  (Where was she when I was in high school!)

          Felicia describes her relationship with her first boyfriend in terms of his Atari console collection and is forever grateful to him for introducing her to the pleasures of the World Wide Web.  (Who am I to judge?)

          IMHO, without a doubt, Felicia Day is one of the coolest netizens in the Metaverse today!

          (OK, coming from an imaginary avatar who hangs around in a virtual world, this may not sound like much, but, I’m being serious!)

          Why am I now writing about Felicia?

          I’m now writing about Felicia because I’ve just finished reading her recently published

memoir, You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost). 

          Her account of her life to date is funny, if not outright hilarious, and walks us through her evolution from being a nerd to, well, being one of the Internet’s most well known nerds!

          I dare any true geek not to see themselves at least once in these pages.

          I know I did several times.

          And, while maybe some of Felicia’s antics may be taken, just maybe, tongue in cheek, when she writes about her experiences in the infamous Gamergate episode, you see her true mettle and character come through. 

          This woman is made of tough stuff and I enjoyed reading every word.  (OK, I admit it, I’m biased towards writers especially those who get published.)

          But, don’t be put off by this moment of seriousness.

          Felicia’s memoir is genuinely funny!

          People stared at me in Starbucks when I laughed.  (Not sure, but there may be a YouTube video out there somewhere of a couple of these moments.)

          Felicia can make anything sound funny.

          Including vaginal warts. (Not hers, read the book to find out more.)

          I recommend strongly buying and reading this book or borrowing it and reading it.  (Just don’t obtain an illegal download or Felicia will come after you.  She’s not kidding.)

          You won’t regret it!

          Fortunately, Felicia is still young enough to write a couple more memoirs where she may answer some unresolved questions from the book.

          Will Felicia take her father’s advice and open a 401K account?

          Will Felicia take up her father’s offer and come back home to go to law school?

          All we can do is wait! 

          I’d like to thank Felicia for writing a very frank account of her life and inviting us all in to relive it with her.

          I hope she had as much fun living it as I did reading about it! 

          I don’t know if Felicia has ever visited SL but if she ever does, I’d sure like to interview her for my blog!  (Hint, hint!)

          (Significant Other says forget it, I’m too weird even for Felicia!)

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

My Twitter handle is @webspelunker.  Please feel free to follow me and I’d be happy to follow you.

I can be found on Google+ as webspelunker Ghostraven.

My flickr Photostream is located here.

On Skype I’m webspelunker Ghostraven.

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.

          Open roads and kind fires!