GeekSpeak - Quiz time! May 7th 12pm SLT

To geek or not to geek, that is the question!  And the answer could earn you 500L and our eternal admiration because this week we are going to do a quiz.  We will use special chairs for the contestants to make it really exciting.  If you fail you burn!

If you feel lucky and knowledgeable about science and technology come and join us for a great fun event.  If you are neither lucky nor knowledgeable come anyway to watch others triumph or burn.  Spectators are welcome.

Please wear clothes, unless you are a furry.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/167/130/50

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Most Memorable Moments in Second Life- sarahelisebeth Brenham Reporting…

Would you move to a new country for someone you have only known online? Is this idea dangerous? Could love like this last? Let's discuss this important topic.

Every good and bad thing that happens in our life shapes us to be the people that we are today and will become. While I am referring to Real Life in this statement, I believe this also applies to Second Life. Although SL is an online program, people do interact with each-other on it and therefore both of the positive and negative experiences that come from it, can Impact a person’s life in some fashion. I asked a group of five people on what their most memorable moment has been in Second Life thus far. Their answers range from loss to joy, but they all have one thing in common: Their experiences have affected the lives they lead outside of SL.

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Real Music of Life with Aspergers - Interview with Jessi Shadowhawk -Orchids Reports…

A Heart's Cry

Eyes full of tears

That brings me falling

To my knees

Reaching out for help.

Screaming out words

That falls silent

In the dead of light

That sounds absurd.

Following paths

To Unknown ways

Full of mystery wraths

That shakes my display.

Rising up from the ashes

To the morning sun that awaits,

Shining brightly down on my lashes

That hides my beautiful eyes.

Copyright by: Jessi Smith

Orchids: Who is Jessi Shadowhawk (koyko.calamity)? What is the inspiration behind koyko calamity?

Jessi: I'm a person who loves life. I'm a person who just wants to be herself in a world who just wants to be understood for who she is. Koyko Calamity means Calm Peaceful Music Child in Chinese.

Orchids: Who is Jessi Smith?

Jessi: I'm a psychology major. I graduated from Andrew College in 2012 with my A.S. in Psychology. I would love to help young kids and parents with their child's beginning of life phases in school. I'm an undiagnosed Asperger's Syndrome Student.

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Depression And Suicide In SL Part 3- Avoid The Final Solution To A Temporary Problem - Interview with Krissy Sinclair - Orchids Reports…

To be, or not to be: that is the question:-

-William Shakespeare

Second life is a place which surprises me on a daily basis with wondrous Avis doing work that amaze with the resourcefulness. Depression and its sinister companion Suicide is one issue which is difficult to deal with. We had a look at the groups in SL in part 1 of the series. The Survivors of Suicide stood out with its unpretentiousness and honesty.

“This is a group for those whose life has been impacted by depression, suicide, attempted suicide themself or have lost someone to suicide. We must break the silence on this epidemic. We offer real life and second life support, education and info. We offer RL resources for recovery and healing.”

I found folks who are fighting a tough battle to overcome their own personal challenges and helping others on the way.

The best fights are the ones fought against the challenges within ourselves.

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In the name of Love - Sarahelisebeth Brenham

Would you move to a new country for someone you have only known online? Is this idea dangerous? Could love like this last? Let's discuss this important topic.


Many of us want to find our prince or princess charming. Throughout the years, different ways and methods for finding your soul mate have been introduced. In the twenty-first century, the most popular way to find your forever love is on the internet. There are many ways to meet someone on the web. One such way is through a program called Second Life. SL is a platform that allows people to live out dreams that they thought could never come true. Being that Second Life has over a million members, it’s no shock that people can and have met the love of their SL and RL. But relationships that start online do come with special circumstances. Let’s explore what you challenges you might face and how to deal with them, if you just happen to meet your soul mate on the internet.

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Being The Shoulder To Cry On- DoctorKaren Kanto Reporting…

Image by Justice Brentley

Every avatar in SL (except the bots) has a RL person behind it, and that real person is going to have real feelings. From time to time, those feelings may be distressed, and the person, through their avatar, may seek the help and support of others within SL.

That "other" may be you. In this article, I will attempt to suggest some guidelines that might help you with some of the common issues that arise including:

    Does that avatar really need to bring this drama to SL?

    Can I really help someone?

    Do I have to help someone if I don't really want to?

    If I started to help, can I stop? How do I stop?

    How do I know if I am in over my head?

    What do I do if I think I am in over my head?

Ok, let's begin.

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AVIE POLL: How has SL affected Your Real Life?- Cecilia Rose Reporting...

With more and more people talking about Second Life, numerous issues have been raised so far. Although some of them are not so worrying, there is one issue which is quite serious and needs to be addressed. Since Second Life can be addictive, in what ways can the "game" affect your life?

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Depression In Second Life Part 2 - Interview with Lanai Jarrico - Orchids Zenovka Reporting…

Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.

Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain.

And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy;

And you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.

And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief.

Much of your pain is self-chosen.
It is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self.
Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquillity:
For his hand, though heavy and hard, is guided by the tender hand of the Unseen,
And the cup he brings, though it burn your lips, has been fashioned of the clay which the Potter has moistened with His own sacred tears.

-          “The Prophet” Kahlil Gibran

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Let’s talk about SLex – Glossom Resident Reporting…

There is a certain inherent eroticism around Second Life for the many graphic images that appeal to human nature: the skins and shapes that are models of perfect and sensual bodies, the provocative clothes or the lack of them and even the animations that give avatars a sexy twist. 

Additionally, this platform allows us to voice with each other without having to reveal our identity, lifting eroticism into a whole new level: sexy voices; foreign accents that are appealing and lure the receiver. Thus, physical attraction is replaced for voice attraction and our powerful minds do the rest. All this affects our emotions related to sexuality.

On the other side of the scale there is the weight of moral and emotional values, either in shape of a real relationship where virtual sex is a way of cheating on the real partner or in shape of personal boundaries where virtual sex makes no sense and is rejected for the lack of physical connection or lack of objectives.

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Second Life © Effects on the Real Life of Avatars – Stareyes Galaxy Reporting…

When you go In Second Life © (SL), it is quite clear that the time spent is taken away from one’s real life (RL); this being the minimum effect of SL on RL, what other consequences on one’s RL are there due to various encounters in SL? 

Stareyes Galaxy polled avatars on this subject, and also asked an expert for an assessment.

I had the pleasure of discussing the subject with Hondo Slade (Lone Wolf), who had a heart-breaking RL story, and thing or two to say about services to veterans in SL. In his opinion, the strongest effects of SL on RL are in relationships.

SLE: So, you mean, when you are with someone in SL, it will carry over to RL?

Hondo: Yes, it does. Have you ever had a partner that you trusted so much that you start to talk about your RL to your companion?

Hondo told of his experience with a girl in a neighboring country, with whom he fell in love. After two years of dating in SL and in RL, she dropped him cold. After a few months, he’s still depressed and gets less on SL than when he was in this relationship. “Bottom line: [in] relationships just like in the real world, [breakups] hurt after many years of being together.”

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A peek into the Real Life of an Avatar- Orchids Zenovka Reporting…

The duality of existence is seen when we try to “escape” reality, creating anonymous virtual – selves giving us the freedom to unleash ourselves from self and society determined roles, and experience the world afresh. Yet, the “real” us sits behind a keyboard and types via our avis, thoughts in our “real mind. The thoughts we think about our own-selves, we project to the world. Unknowingly, we come to understand our First lives better. Second  Life does not seem  less “real” than a phone call. Experiences we acquire online be it good or bad, spill over and change our lives in the real world, often without our awareness. How can this be translated to improving the “real” me is the question. Because once the computer is shut down, that is what I have to face....

Today we have the "Real Deal"; the combo SL+RL fighter and the anarchist. Yet at the same time the softie who wouldn't hurt a dog's tail. This self described Jessica Rabbit is "Julya Lykin". This is the story of one Avi on SL who has shown me the true meaning of fighting to live for the right reasons. She has fought through heart disease and 6 surgeries and still believed enough in the goodness of this world to find her love in SL and now married to him over a year. She is certainly not the only one. There are wonderful people in SL and RL who fight to live each single day. This is a representation of all of you fighters out there; and also for those, looking for a reason to live.

And suddenly, out of the blue, SL makes sense....

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Into Group Discussion? Check Out What’s Being Talked About in Second Life this Week.

What are Discussion Groups?

Group discussions are conferences with participants who agree on a variety of topics and have something to share with others.  An exchange of ideas and information can be very helpful in providing a group with different perspectives, helping  solve problems and learn new things.  Group Discussions are very popular on the internet with the use of forums and are often practiced in Colleges.  In Second Life, the ability to use voice chat and come together in avatar form from all over the world, creates a realistic atmosphere for all who participate on a global scale.

Below is a list of discussions available this week.

Weekly Discussion on Aging at UTMB Island Alpha

Date: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 

Time: 10:00-10:45 am slt

Curator: Rodger Markova

Info: This discussion is about topics in health care for the elderly.

This is an activity of the East Texas Geriatric Education Center at the University of Texas Medical Branch. The host is Dr. Rodger Marion (SL: Rodger Markova). Transcripts of the discussion are posted on the blog under Comments.

Visit http://rodgermarion.com 

TELEPORT 

What is Calvinism? Are you a Skeptic searching for some kind of Truth?

Date:  Wednesday, March 27, 2013

(Meetings are regularly held on Wednesdays at 3pm slt)

Time: 3:00 pm SLT

Curator: Diana Herberg

Info: John Calvin lived from 1509 to 1564, and followers of the theology he represented are often referred to as Reformed or Calvinist.  We will take a look at this flavor of Christian theology and contrast it with others. (30 Minutes)   Participants can use the question machine to ask anonymously.

TELEPORT 

More Discussions this week

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Second Life- An Extension of Real Life or Just A Game? - Pandora Drezelan Reporting...

My Description Of A World.

Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs or Viewers enable Second Life users (Residents) to interact with each other through their avatars (a graphical representation of the user) Residents can explore the world (known as the grid) meet other Residents, socialize, participate in individual and group activities, create and trade virtual property and services with one another. Second Life is intended for people aged 16 and over and as of 2011 has about one million active users.

My Description Of A Game.

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SLE invites you to a LIVE taping of SLE On the Air- November 14th @ 6pm SLT

On November 14th, The SL Enquirer's "SLE On the Air" Talk show will be inviting guest to a LIVE taping beginning at 6pm SLT. Host Marc Strassman of Etopia News, will be interviewing Jim Blascovich, author of Infinite Realities.

This talk show will be voice chat enabled. Please be sure to mute your mic.


SLE On the Air Studio- The SL Enquirer Media Center, Second Floor
http://slurl.com/secondlife/San%20Jose%20East1/224/64/23

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SLE On the Air Interview with Linda Lauren Hosted by Marc Strassman

Machinima Director
Zayne Exonar

Executive Producer
Lanai Jarrico

Host
Marc Strassman

Guest
Linda Lauren

Sponsors
Press Pass Media

Casting
Lanai Jarrico

Special thanks
 Hostage in Time

Embracing the Universe (ETU), www.lindalauren.com

B00jum
Shon Charisma

Brought to you by The SL Enquirer, Etopia News and Press pass Media

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SLE On the Air- Batrastard Panthar, creator of Buildables Hosted by Marc Strassman

You have just watched SLE-On-The-Air with Marc Strassman

Machinima Director
Zayne Exonar

Executive Producer
Lanai Jarrico

Host
Marc Strassman

Guest
BatRastard Panthar

Sponsors
Lastat Productions
The Venue
Press Pass Media

Casting
Lanai Jarrico

Special thanks
SharkClub Buildables
B00jum
Shon Charisma

Brought to you by
The SLEnquirer.com

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Dirty Virtual Business Part 2- What avatars are saying about virtual businesses in Second Life- The SLE Business Survey

Last week I wrote an article about Business in Second Life©, mainly from my perspective being involved and observing how others conduct business. I sent out a survey through the SL Enquirer Media group and listed some questions in Part one for readers. The responses were interesting.

A lot of the times I hear that time zones and availability seem to be the hardest thing to overcome when trying to build an active staff on an international platform. The other complaint is that Second Life is still a very unstable business platform due to the lag and crashing. These virtual world natural disasters like the ones described can really disrupt business and can cause people to lose faith in Second Life to help them sustain an income they can count on.

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From the Desk of Dragonheart Spiritweaver- Imagine Magazine

It seems no matter where you turn these days, there are negatives. We all spend a lot of time focusing on what isn’t going right, even dwell on it. Not me. *cough* Heh, but if you do it the other way around, and focus on what is good, what feels right, things seem to just flow better. Not to say that you don’t get knocked upside the head at times with truths you’d be happy not to have experienced, but it does take the ‘edge’ off the sadness and slows the cycle of despair down a notch or two. Let’s face it, evolution is painful and what I have been observing is unsettling around the grid.

 First, there has been a mass exodus of creative people from SL at an alarming rate or who are downsizing their operations drastically. The land barons are turning back in “grandfathered” real estate with ‘fully rented’ Sims in their advertisements. And vendors are giving back their land deferring to Marketplace to sell their wares to reduce tier costs. More and more a person can get around SL without spending any lindens at all. Unfortunately, those are not good trends. And the live music venues that need the extra income aren’t getting it because the sims that were surrounded with shops seem to be dwindling with the inclination of SL residents to be online using online access to shop.

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Dirty Virtual Business. How do you see virtual world business? Part One- Do the survey! Lanai Jarrico Reporting...

Back in 2005 when I rezzed into Second Life©, it was a relatively new frontier for “Noobs” to explore. Many avatars fresh out of beta testing spread out across the grid finding their own creative outlets and building businesses. The fact that there was an in world currency (Lindens) with real monetary value and ability to convert and transfer into electronic banking accounts like PayPal, it became an obsession for many that dreamed of making an actual living in a virtual world.

It is not an impossible goal to have because Second Life did made some Millionaires but it wasn’t without their preexisting knowledge and skills along with the time, patience and persistence to succeed.

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AN SLE Exclusive: Is Second Life to blame for a failed marriage? One man shares his heart-wrenching story Lanai Jarrico Reporting…

Recently, I met a new resident of Second Life that stumbled upon our media center in his quest to find some answers on a very serious topic.  He claimed to be exploring this virtual world to figure out why his wife of 28 years, would leave him for someone she met here.

After revealing his real intention of becoming a resident, he said he probably shouldn’t have shared that information right off the bat with me, but after listening to some of the things he was saying, I explained that I had been in this virtual culture a long time and can understand all sides to this type of situation.  

It is not an uncommon issue I hear about.  As uncomfortable as it may sound, Second Life© is the perfect place for people who feel lonely or need a creative outlet to be their true selves.

We can all recognize we live in a world that dictates a lot of “norms” on what is considered, taboo, right or wrong. It happens in politics, religion, business and even in one’s own emotional and human needs.

In virtual worlds and social networks across the Internet people are indulging in the many things they wish they can do or experience without the travel time and expenses incurred by such activities.

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