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...

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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,...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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