A throwback to your childhood - You Know For Kids - Allen Eppenberger Reporting...

In my travels in Bay City, I’ve found many cafes and clothiers. And while clubs and activities abound, I was fortunate enough to stumble across a gem of a toy store called You Know For Kids. Located on a rather unassuming corner, it’s neighbors are an auto dealership and a home furnishings store.

I happened to enter through the back door to the store. At first I had assumed it to be a type of restaurant. Then my thinking went to ice cream parlor. But upon actually approaching the counter, I discovered a rich selection of absolutely vintage toys from the 1950s to the 1970s! Of course, had I come through the front entrance, I would have been greeted by a classic ice cream chest filled with primsicles. I had hoped for sherbet push-ups, but alas, I’ll need to continue ny search.

This is a store that has an old time feel to it, from the black and green linoleum tile to the yellow and white striped walls. And you must browse through in every aisle. It has a wonderful selection which delighted and surprised me.

I imagine I spent a good part of an hour here reliving many happy memories of equally wasted time browsing the aisles of the local neighborhood toy shop, before such things as malls and Toys R Us took them all away from me.

Most astounding was the find of “almost” licenced brand name toys like Easy Bake Ovens, peg light boards, and glow worm flashlights. And of course the classic 1950s faire of little red wagons and rifles that would nowadays be frowned upon in some circles.

As I rounded a corner, there were dolls and even tea sets. And along the side there were the wonderful old American versions of the Gatcha machines. I threw many a quarter in those when I was growing up, trust me!

I found prim ads from the old candy necklaces and bracelets we nibbled on in school as kids.

And I was even surprised to find a toy blimp emblazoned with Bay City.

You Know For Kids is owned by Our Sweet Home, located in Bay City - Imaginario (51,246,25). If you want a slice of life the way it used to be for kids, then I encourage you to make a visit there. Its well worth your time!

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bay%20City%20-%20Imaginario/51/246/25

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Avatars, Dirrogates, AR, and “Memories With Maya”-A Book Review and Commentary by Allen Eppenberger

I ZOOMED IN AS SHE approached the steps of the bridge, taking voyeuristic pleasure in seeing her pixelated cleavage fill the screen. What was it about those electronic dots that had the power to turn people on? There was nothing real in them, but that never stopped millions of people every day, male and female, from deriving sexual gratification by interacting with those points of light. It must all be down to our perception of reality.

Dsouza, Clyde (2013-02-27). Memories With Maya.  . Kindle Edition.

The first paragraph of chapter one from the book is something we’ve all asked ourselves as residents of Second Life.  What is the pleasure we derive from either socializing or wandering aimlessly in exploring a sim that’s new to us?

           

            I became aware of Mr. DeSouza while following commentary in an Augmented Reality group I follow on LinkedIn.com.  His summary page reads:  Clyde DeSouza works behind the scenes with leading Stereographers and professionals in the film making and Broadcast TV industry. His work also includes advising Government and educational institutions in the creation of collaborative environments and advanced media labs to further the knowledge capital of a country.

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Cheshyr's Landing- Allen Eppenberger Reporting...

If you’re like me, you kind of use a “click it and see where it takes me” approach to Second Life.  On this particular day, I was in a Sci Fi mood and did a search and came up with the usual suspects.  A couple of links in and I came across a place called Novatech HQ & Sci-Fi Mall.

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Remembering 9/11- By Allen Eppenberger

 It’s been eleven years now since the World Trade Center attack.  While physical evidence of the wounds have healed, some mental healing takes time.

Back in 2001, I was working nights until 11:00 pm.  The internet was only a few years old, and still a playground for me.  I’d be on until roughly 1 am, and fall into bed, and sleep until about 10 am the next morning.  My radio would be my alarm clock those days.  As I was stirring that morning, I vaguely sleepily questioned why I was getting news rather than music at that time.  Something about airplanes, and towers, and lampposts being
sheared off in Washington.  As I laid there, I slowly listened to the descriptions of the horrors that had happened as I slept.

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What is SL9B? Allen Eppenberger Reporting...

 

Lately I’ve been getting notices about something called SL9B. It’s short for Second Life Ninth Birthday. Or the ninth anniversary, if you prefer. A group of SL’ers has formed to create the ultimate birthday party for everyone to celebrate at!

Originally a celebration that had included Linden Lab, the Lindens have turned it over to the residents of SL. The theme for the celebration is“Community”. The dates will run from June 18^th through June 24^th this year. There is a website called sl9b.wordpress.com/ This is where all the most current info and updates are being released through.

 

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Spotlight on Spiritfire Entertainment and Sher Salmson Allen Eppenberger Reporting...



Spiritfire Music Isle

I had the pleasure of interviewing Shar Salmson for this week’s Spotlight. She’s a lovely entertainer, whose company, Spiritfire Entertainment, acts as an agent for numerous musical venues and artists in Second Life.

Sher invited me to the interview on her island, called Spiritfire Music Isle, appropriately. It’s a relaxing place, playfully shaped as a guitar! There is a large stage placed where the bridge would be. A circular deck for the acoustic sound opening. A rough stone fret walkway leading up the neck. And six piers on either side of the head to complete the tuning keys. In addition, on other parts of the island, you’ll find an intimate bar, small shops, and hotspot streaming of various artists.

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Spotlight On Pooky Amsterdam, CEO of PookyMedia, Machinima Production Allen Eppenberger Reporting…

            Pooky Amsterdam is amongst a handful of people in Second Life that have instant name recognition. She's prominently known for her Machinima productions and her production company, PookyMedia. She's produced clips for a variety of clients, including Linden Lab itself. If you do a search for television shows with her name, you get numerous returns. Her YouTube channel has received over 1.2 million views. One of her early experiences with VR has been Habbo Hotel, where she was producing videos as well.

            I had the tremendous good fortune to be able to sit down with Pooky on a Thursday evening for a chat about herself and her values in both her company and in Second Life. While my interviews are usually short and pointed, I discovered an hour had passed by the time we were wrapping up! She's a very open and easy personality to get to know, and I'm glad to count her as one of my friends in SL.

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$200K USD in Bitcoins Stolen -- Allen Eppenberger Reporting

I learned last evening from Technovelgy.com that an amount totaling BTC 46,000 in the digital currency called “Bitcoin” was siphoned away from a cloud service called Linode.com. That company issued a statement on their site, which I found on Facebook: http://status.linode.com/2012/03/manager-security-incident.html The story first broke March 1st on Bitcoinmedia.com.

VirWoX.com, a currency exchange site who trades in Linden Dollars, also does business in Bitcoins. I contacted them for a comment. Their anticipated reply was “...given that this event is completely unrelated to Second Life, (it) did not affect us”. This is fortunate, as it does speak of the incident being completely isolated. I'm sure there are many other sites that deal in Bitcoins that are unaffected as well.

What makes this story important is the fact that the default world is increasingly leaning towards virtual currencies as the global economy continues to fluctuate. The fact that we occupy Second Life means that we all deal with Linden Dollars. Many of us also will also be dealing with Facebook Credits soon. We will expect our virtual wallets to be secure. Just because our digital currency has no physical paper equivalency doesn't mean that it is any less of a medium of trade. Most of the global wealth is actually traded in ones and zeros. We use credit and debit cards. And many third world countries rely on cell phones to do their transactions. All of these mediums are heavily dependent on a secure digital system of exchange.

While Google's Eric Schmidt has stated at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, that Bitcoin is unregulated and therefore undesirable (my paraphrase), we will still be trading in Bitcoins, Linden Dollars, and other digital currencies in the foreseeable future. It will be vitally important to treat these every bit as respected as US dollars, Euros, Yen, or any of the physical currencies that are traded.

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"Lucky Lady" Premiere in SL Review By Allen Eppenberger

Ambrosia Lanley's newest production "Lucky Lady" was premiered on Friday March 2, coinciding with International Women's Day. Starring Ambrosia Lanley, Sin Irelund, Mitzy Jules, Terrin Rembrandt, and Lina, it's a dramatic story about a young woman discovering her sexuality and orientation while living and working with her grandparents in the state of Texas.

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Clash of Realities: A Commentary -- Allen Eppenberger Reporting

There comes a time when you take on so many projects at once, you start to lose track of which ones have priority. What makes it even more difficult is when digital reality starts to bleed over into the default world.

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MEN AND ROMANCE Allen Eppenberger Reporting...

 

Valentines Day is a subject that can vary widely, depending on who you ask. Many women will eagerly look forward to recieving gifts of chocolates, flowers, and trinkets. Children will giggle and poke fun at their peers, blushing at the tiny paper wishes, printed with animated characters, or stuffed animals. And men. Ah, yes, men. We like to fly under the radar on that day.

It's not that we aren't romantic. Far from it! I've spent many happy hours courting my wife in RL. There was one time early in our marriage when we wandered through the greeting cards at the local Hallmark Shop. We took turns just showing each other Valentine cards that caught our fancy. Afterwards, we went to a fast food place and just talked while we ate, dreaming about the future.

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MUSIC SPOTLIGHT FEATURE: Music Grove Academy Starts Classes on February 12th. Allen Eppenberger

Music Grove Academy of Performance is a lovely campus, designed by Indi Vella. The grounds are well thought out, with a number of focal points to hold your attention without being overwhelming. The most eye catching feature is the school building itself. The front facade is stylishly curved. But as you continue, you're aware of a distinctive piano shape, that the Dean, Adevina Citron-Gearz, is quite proud of. She has been involved with music in physical reality since she was young, and as a performer in Second Life since March of 2010.

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