The Underground Garage: Reopening with Jack Slade- Fynnyus Reporting...

            I met Layla (Layla Mesmeriser) a couple years ago at a blues club called Junkyard Blues. It claims to be Second Life’s oldest blues club and three-time Avi Choice winner of “Favorite Blues Venue.” It plays traditional blues music, country blues, soul blues, folk blues, blues rock and it has a Louisiana bayou theme. Layla and I became fast friends. She’s witty and charismatic and just fun to be with. She owns a club called the Underground Garage that originated in 2008. The club was starting to come back to life after a few years of being pretty much dormant. On this particular day, the club was having its first live act in a long time. Seasoned Second Life performer, Jack Slade was billed for tonight’s performance. I spoke with Layla about the club, her thoughts about music, and the influence Second Life has had on her, then listened to Jack Slade.

Fynn: So, tell me the origin story.

Layla: The Underground Garage was created for our love of classic rock and blues, however, the name came from Little Steven’s Underground Garage Radio station that digs deep into the soul of music and that is why we picked the name.  We wanted to not just play your traditional rock/blues music but dig deep into the history of rock.

Fynn: “We” being you and Mr. D (her former partner)?

Layla: Yes, he was actually the one that came up with the name. He is more the music genius behind it all, I created the grunge look and feel because I felt it best suited the music we wanted to bring to SL.

Fynn: What was it like to run a music club?

Layla: Amazing! We got to know a lot of people with similar music tastes that appreciated the love for deeper cuts of classic rock and blues. We worked hard for years to provide something that we felt was missing from other classic venues. We kept our music to 60's/70s and slightly into 80s, but our club was a true classic rock club with a mix of blues to give it an extra special feel for the love we had/have for music and the artist we grew up listening too.  It was all a labor of love and our guests and friends felt it. They would compliment us on the uniqueness of our style of playing.

Fynn: Tell me more about your love of music.

Layla: My love for music goes back to my younger years. Even in junior high, I remember getting lost in a particular song for hours, taking out my small record player, and playing the same classic rock song over and over again. It continued well into my teens and young adult years. It’s since developed into blues, but my love started with classic rock, had it from the day I received my first 45 disc of The Doors. Even now as an adult, whenever something is going wrong in my life music will always ground me and refocus me on what I seem to be feeling. It lets me escape and soothes me better than any drug around.

Fynn: What influence has SL had on your love of music, if any?

Layla: SL has actually helped me grow in my love for blues. I was always more focused on classic rock, however, meeting other people here and listening to other DJ's and live artist . . .  I have expanded my love for music to include Blues, Garage Rock, etc. It has shown me that we should never limit our taste to just one particular decade.

Fynn: I'm interested in your opinion about music in SL, the current situation, and how you've seen it change?

Layla: With everything going on in the world now, I have seen more people are returning to SL and finding solace in music much like I have been doing for years. I have spoken to so many now that have returned because music in SL has expanded to more live artists and even the DJ's have tried to cater to the heart and soul of what people are feeling. So yes, compared to 2008 when I first joined, music on SL has definitely helped a lot of people in finding that comfort, if only for those two hours that the DJ is playing.

Fynn: You just started the Underground Garage up again after a fairly long hiatus, had a couple deejays, a few friends hanging out here, how have things been going lately?

Layla: Due to real life we had to close some of the things down here, it got too chaotic to be here so many hours to manage this venue, but due to the recent lockdown I had more availability. It started with just rebuilding the club. The venue itself never closed down, I have never allowed that. It remained open for friends to still come and listen. I should point out we have an amazing stream called "Dirty Waves" that is run by a close friend IsisRea Diavolo, old regulars and new people will come even when I am not here to chill and listen to commercial friend classic rock and blues. And when I finally did return on a more regular basis in early March, it was easy to reach out to the few friends I continue to speak with, which led to more new friends joining and it’s been amazing!! It feels like it did back when we first started the club. It’s just a place for a good friend to hang out listen to some good tunes in a relaxing setting and have a few laughs.

Fynn: Was the UG popular back in the day?

Layla: Goodness YES!!! We had a great following. From day one back in 2008 we had a strong following, mostly because we kept it to classic rock and there was a very big need for good rock music. We'd have theme events every Friday. We had live music, tribute concerts that we use to produce ourselves, and we use to do an open mic. I would change up the club almost weekly and we had a strong following, but it was a lot of work and things were different in real life, I had more availability.

Fynn: And how is the club doing?

Layla: The UG is still a premier rock and roll club. Its urban grunge city setting features the best in classic rock, garage rock, punk, and blues. When we play our music it is from deep down in our core and we want our guests to feel where it's coming from—that we are playing so that they can feel the music just as powerfully as we do when we play it. I want people in SL to know that classic rock and music, in general, shouldn’t just be played without truly feeling the lyrics. The UG is here to give you that home you need if only for that single moment.

Fynn: Is there a future for the UG?

Layla: I hope that it builds up to how things were back when we first started, that it continues by word of mouth of what this little grunge venue provides, that it doesn’t just serve up one of the best classic rock music on the grid but that it also houses a great group of friendly folks that are always welcoming to anyone who needs a place to call home.

Fynn: Tell me about tonight, Jack Slade is performing, why him? What is your hope for this evening?

Layla: Jack is just fantastic!! He has a way of transporting you into his music. He sings about SL love/life and if you live here like most of us do. We can relate completely. I found Jack a few weeks ago at another venue and have been a fan since!! I hope that our friends and regulars will have the same experience I had weeks ago, when I listened to Jack sing for the first time.

            And it was a fun time! Jack played many popular tunes, but also many of his own songs. He sang Harry Chapin’s, Cats in the Cradle; Gordon Lightfoot’s, If I Could Read Your Mind; Bob Seger's, Turn the Page; Leonard Cohen’s, Hallelujah; Larry Norman’s, The Great American The Norman tune is a great protest song, and quite appropriate for today’s chaotic world situation. It's a great thing when a performer is in tune with world affairs Jack’s original music included titles as, “Did I Lie to You,” “I Don't Know,” and “I Don't Want to Write No Sad Songs,” and a few others. Indeed, Jack sang well beyond the hour you get from most SL performers. His sound is mellow, with a folksy-blues style, and the song selections were perfect for his voice. On a whole the performance was a synergy of space and sound, the vocals and the architectural choices all came together very nicely. His voice was sounded like warm, blueberry pie on an early spring day. Go see him and have a slice on me.

And so, the Underground Garage seems back in business.  Upwards of 40 people came by, so the restart was quite successful. Several old-timers from the early days of the club came by. People told me that it felt like the old days.

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FURZONA II – FRACTURED – A MARVEL IN HIGH-TECH: BYJOSH (THOMAS1 BELLIC)

I recently attended the Grand Opening of the hottest, most creative, and arguably the absolute finest club to be found anywhere on the grid in the past 16 years! Furzona – Fractured.  The first impression you get when you land at the arrival area for Furzona 2020, is one of space.  The sightlines extend off into the distance.  As you look out over the expanse, your eyes are drawn to the DJ platform at the far end of the massive dance floor.  Almost three stories tall from floor to ceiling with balconies and comfortable lounge areas, interspersed with expansive gaming areas. This sim is the result of a true team effort, using a software development approach, with Game as the designer, and Aki Norin as the builder, bringing the dream to (second)Life.

And then there are the people.  The electronic energy of the room is magnified by the bodies of the dancers, Club staff, and other onlookers. While the bulk of the group is on the dance floor itself, others wander around the club grounds, exploring this monument to Imagination, descending the grand staircase, admiring the artwork, or exploring the many kiosks that line the entry area with items found nowhere else on the entire grid.

It was there, tucked away in the corner of the room, I found Game Wylder, one of the true Visionaries behind Furzona.  

JOSH BELLIC (JB): Hi there, Game.  What an amazing new place you have here.  In what ways is Furzona II different from its predecessor?  What makes this place truly unique among sims?

GAME WYLDER (GW): The difference between V1 (our anniversary build) and V2 (Fracture), is mostly our expansion. We wanted to expand the entire venue, expanding upon not only the physical form, but also the concept of the club. We wanted to re-incorporate EVERY aspect of the original build in the new one. We didn't just want to build it bigger, but Better. We wanted to take the six months of research and development into a massive overhaul of the entire experience.

JB:  Fracture is obviously much larger than the original Furzona. In fact, with few exceptions, it is probably larger than most every club out there today.  What is the capacity of Club Fracture?

GW:  Since we used to share the sim with other parcels, it used to be under 100 patrons, but now, we can go as high as 110. We've fit up to 90 people in the previous club, but it felt claustrophobic. Now, we can stuff 100 people in here with it still feeling spacious.

JB:  Are Mesh builds really that much better? What advantage does a “Full Mesh Build” have over a Prim- build?

GW:  Prims are good, but when making complex structures, Mesh is the way to go. We can make way more dynamic builds when we do it straight from Blender. The biggest advantage is the optimization when the club is empty, a moderate machine should be able to run up to 90 FPS. We wanted to make sure Furzona can run on almost any machine.

JB:  This is the first I have heard of Furzona II.  How long has Fracture been in development?

GW: It's been in development for about 2 months, we've kept it a very close secret between managers. We wanted to take our time on this project. The last build felt somewhat rushed, whereas this one feels extremely flushed out and optimized.

JB:  I see signs around the place that talk about “Red versus Blue”?  What is that concept as it applies to your club here?

GW: Furzona has always been a Red and Blue themed club. So, we like to play on the Red vs Blue theme, that is prevalent in most games like Halo.

JB:  You have an area on the upper level called the Wall of Gratitude.  What is that all about?

GW:  We recently started up a Patreon for any people who wish to support the club ( http://www.Patreon.com/clubfurzona.  We had a lot of people approach us, and ask us how they could donate, so we decided to setup a way for them to do it proper. The Wall of Gratitude is a wall designed for those who support us at the $5 tier.

JB:  Tell us about some of the events you plan for Fracture?

GW:  We will continue to do our weekly events.  Our next event after Fracture is the GYC pride event on the 26th.  GYC is one of the Adult Furry Clubs on the Grid, it stands for Gay Yiff Club lol. It's the #1 Furry club in SL. So, we wanted to work with GYC to do a LGBTQ+ Pride event, and we're hosting that next week. Outside of that, we are planning seasonal events, like a summer event, some video game themed events, and community events!

JB:  Are you already thinking about your next grand Project?  And what might that be?

GW:  One step at a time, we wanted to put all our focus on Fracture before thinking about the next big thing. Rest assured, now that Fracture is open, we have begun planning for our next big thing.

JB:  Is there anything else you would like our readers to know about Fracture? The floor is yours, Sir.

GW:  We wanted to thank all of our staff and patrons for supporting us through these past 6 months. We couldn't have made it without your support. Fracture is our gift to all of those who have supported us. We wanted to re-design the club to feel more like a home to all of you. So please, enjoy.

So, there you go, Folks.  If the clubs you are used to visiting have become kinda cold and stale, then you need to TP your pixeled buttocks on over to FURZONA FRACTURED for the HOTTEST tunes, the HOTTEST lightshows, and the HOTTEST  DJs on the grid!    See ya there!  Aloha!

Josh 

SURL:   http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Furzona/64/71/2013

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Lanai's Diary: Entry 6/21/20- The buffoonery that is in SL Business work ethic is just ridiculous

Dear Diary, 

It has been a while since I’ve cracked open my diary and unloaded my thoughts about Second Life.  Sometimes I’m like… wow SL is still really awesome after all these years and other times I scratch my head at the buffoonery and think WTF….just WTF.

I’m talking about work ethics. Not morale ethics because we all know there are some questionable things going on in Second Life. I’m not a judge and jury but I would say a lot of activities are acceptable by the culture. I’ll leave that up to you to decide what is moral or borderline squint worthy.

One of the most important components needed to support Second Life’s economy is Business. To be successful you must build trust with the community. Have a great business and marketing plan put together and to top it off a disciplined work ethic.

I don’t have to be captain Obvious to tell you that.

Business is business no matter how you look at it. It doesn’t matter if it is in a virtual world manned by pixel CEO and employees. When a product or service is exchanged for currency. A business transaction has occurred. At that point, accountability and professionalism become a thing if you want to keep “earning” business.

Those are not the only things business owners need to succeed. Customer Service is the cherry on top for the best businesses and practices in the virtual world.

I’ve traveled the grid and have met many business owners through the years. The very first creator I encountered was in my noob days. There I was barefoot exploring and minding my own business when I stumbled upon an affordable shoe store.  I tried to put on some blocky heels. One ended up strategically placed up my backside. Thank goodness avies don’t feel pain I would have been hurtin!

 Anyway,  I was all bent out of shape literally and messaged the creator all frantic and accused them of playing a sick joke. 

I didn’t know any better and was paranoid of griefers.  It turns out the business owner wasn’t a griefer and assisted me in removing the footwear from where it did not belong. I was grateful for the help and it gave me a better understanding and newfound respect for virtual world business and how it is just like real business.

Customer service has been on a downward spiral with the introduction of bots greeters and automatic information givers that have taken the place of an actual Avie at the business location. Many are left standing around with questions or needing support and they are forced to leave an offline message or drop a notecard for help on something that could take 5 minutes but has now extended to 2 days with a follow up pending. It all becomes so frustrating.

Bad Customer Service 

Recently I was at a popular skins store helping someone try to figure out how they could get rid of the infamous “Dirt neck” situation that occurs when purchasing a mesh head and body with tones that do not match perfectly. For those who are familiar with mesh, skins help with the problem in some cases.

 Upon landing at this packed skin store, there was no customer service to be found. In desperation asking anyone who would offer some help and being led in all kinds of wrong directions. Something as simple as purchasing a skin or blender or whatever it was needed to solve the problem became a week long quest in search of alternative remedies to just fix the problem and still no response from the skin creator or other representative of the brand. That ish gotta stop. At this point just collecting lindens from avies but not really helping them is just not right.  Get it together or I’m taking names on  brands that have poor customer service.

Friend List Conference- Event Shoutouts.

Ok now this right here has got to be the most annoying feature to have when used as a group notice.  So imagine having 1626 friends and about a third of them insist on friend list conferences to spam events or carry on whole conversations. This can really light up your IMs like a christmas tree causing you to nearly have a seizure.

I try my best to just close it out since I don’t really want to unfriend them. At one point I even created a PSA to cut and paste in the conferences to promote SLE. That tactic didn’t work so I tried to make myself invisible. Sighs. I’m lost for ideas on how to go about this in the most professional way I can. If you happen to be a friend , please don’t include me in friend list conference spamming. Thank you.

If you come across this with groups you are in , you can easily solve the problem by opting out of receiving group notices.

Arrogance

In business, it is best to remember where you came from if you have any ounce of humbleness remaining once you hit “the big time”. If there is  one thing that gets under my skins it is those SL business owners who act like they don’t sit in the same infamous David statue “The Thinker” position whilst using a bathroom.

 A Positive attitude is always a good thing so leave the big head at the door, or you might get stuck in the door frame. Like a well known swinger beach club owner with a sandal wedged up his (BLEEP) sideways…. I won’t go there but he knows who he is. Or that makeover service provided who goes rogue buying the wrong stuff with their client’s lindens and somehow blames the patron for an unsatisfactory job done.

I think I let out what I needed to say on this topic for now. If you have suggestions or comments about business ethics please feel free to comment in the box below and please use your avie name, anonymous seems so stupid when the comment is nasty.

Lanai Jarrico

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AVIE POLL- Best ways to make Lindens in Second Life - GiaBlossom Reporting

Second Life is an opportunity for some, and a game for others. Few people will treat it like a 3D chat room to enjoy and few will make lindens providing a place to enjoy. Few will grow and explore, and few will help others grow and explore more. Like real life, the chances of making lindens in various avenues are endless. From club jobs to designers and scripters. Since Second Life is an escape from Real Life, one can actually dip their fingers in as many honey jars as possible. Either a person is very good at one of the avenues, or a person can try a combination of things and keep oneself afloat. 

I asked a few people to get their opinions as well. Morgan Whitfield Firehawk is Miss Virtual World 2020, a good and humble friend. She owns Care and Hope Center of SL and recently organized a fashion event benefitting RAINN (Nation’s largest anti sexual violence organization) last month in May. 

Morgan Whitfield Firehawk

Morgan Whitfield Firehawk- “My name is Morgan Whitfield-Firehawk. I own the Care and Hope Center of SL (a domestic violence information HUB since 2014), Heels (a small shoe store since 2016) and I am a working professional certified model. I make my lindens from doing modeling (runway shows or vendor pics) and I also make lindens thru my Heels store. However, with Heels, all proceeds go to my Care and Hope Center (pay the monthly tier).”

We met at a Indian Club and since then we have been friends. Prachi is the owner of The Moon Night Club in Second Life. She is one of the first Indians to open a club for all to enjoy. 

Prachi

Prachi- “I think sl is just a game. Here we can spend good time and make new friends. I have my own club. Sometimes I Dj and host for other clubs too. For me SL is just a game, I never take it seriously. RL matters more to me than SL. Sometimes I buy lindens and most of the time I earn lindens through the various gigs or sets.” 

I met Abby when she was planning to host the Miss Parallel Universe. Since then we have been friends. She also happens to be my client at Wishing Star Marketing and Promotions, for whom we suggest and do all the social media promotions. She is the owner of Parallel Universe Productions and has choreographed major competitions like Miss Parallel Universe, The Style Superstar and The Viral Voice. She is one of the true entrepreneurs who believe quality drives profits.

Abby’s Facebook Profile Picture

Abby Alexander-  “Abby is  very much like many of you girls with big dreams, and a zeal to accomplish them. My family and friends mean the world to me. I really don't think I would have been where I am right now without the help of so many people who have supported me throughout the journey. I am simply in love with the life I have been able to build for myself at Second Life, and the unique opportunities it provides me every single day to connect with the world and create something that could last the test of time. I feel second life is very similar to real life in terms of making money . You got to listen to the market , research about competition then develop the product, experience or services. I also think market division is important and exclusive marketing on the target customer. You can choose whatever you like to do sl - open a club, build mansions or a wedding industry, if you are able to promote yourself well in front of your segment, there is no stopping you. And if you don't want to start a business , get involved with the already successful ones, there are so many legit jobs on SL where you can earn thousands a week, I know a few who do. These jobs not only give you lindens but also a great experience of working in rl as well.”

Amethyst Starostin Cheveyo, a friend whom I have known since her Dj days. She was crowned MISS SL ♛ 2019 - Second Runner Up, she was also the judge at AviStar ♛ 2019 competition. 

Petr Denis

Amethyst Starostin Cheveyo: “I am a designer, model, DJ and photographer and have been in SL since 2007. I opened my first store in late 2007 selling clothing and furniture to the gorean market.  Since then I have earned lindens through photography, DJing and weddings.  I've found it's best to diversify and do several things than put all your effort into only one thing, unless you are very good at that one thing. I also am an Estate Manager for SkyBeam Estates which allows me to afford my sim.”

I have known Sherief since he joined Wishing Star as a social media personnel. A dear friend, whom I have seen grow in Second Life as time went. He has been a successful commentator and trainer as I have seen him flourish at Premier Wrestling. A wonderful video editor and a graphics designer, he is even good at photography. 

Wishing Star Website

Shereif- “I'm Shereif a marketeer and media producer in real life. In my second life I've worked in many jobs. Marketing, wrestling (entertainment), Stock research and i've made a not so bad market store place that I sell gestures at. There are 2 ways to make lindens in SL.Either to be a creator or a rich person who's willing to invest lots of money to hire creators full time and start your own business whatever it is and with that comes big risk and big profit/loss depending on your dedication and creativity. Or the more safe way is to use your time to be hired by someone who's risking his/her money and get a stable salary. I personally don't like tips based jobs so i won't be talking at all about clubs. Instead there are jobs like building, designing photoshop and even websites designs.. others can script too even. but these are the obvious ones. what not everyone knows about that you can get paid to speak using your voice to comment on SL sports events such as football, wrestling, boxing; you can use your time to get trained in a sport business and get paid for doing it. can work in marketing agencies, help businesses promote themselves or even can make simple creative objects and make lots of them then upload them on Marketplace for free.

Right now I have a constant of around 1000L income per week + random bonuses. The stable salary comes from 3 jobs I'm doing. 

• The most fun and entertaining one is my wrestling job. it's the same as if you get hired in WWE, contracts, rules. perform and entertain fans using wrestling huds and (optional) voice. It's just 1 appearance per week (match/promo/segment..etc). in each appearance you do which takes around 5-15 minutes you get paid the amount written in your contract. I've started with 80L, some start with 100L but every time your contract is renewed you get a raise usually, now I get 200L+ per appearance.
• Marketing agency Wishing Star where I get paid weekly for work done daily during that week. usually it's 1 hour a day, 5 days a week so makes around 500L a week. What I do at these hours is usually posting promotional posts on some of  Flickr/socialvr/instagram/facebook/InWorld groups. These posts are provided to me, i only copy-paste them to the right locations.
• Researching for stock shares. We have a schedule that is repeated every week, in that schedule there are 4 days of researching online on stocks website. 1 day meeting with other researchers to agree on best companies and the owner invests his own money. We get paid weekly regardless of the results. 
• Marketplace store “Gestures Paradise”. I didn't think I'd make money out of it originally, I just wanted to buy gestures and I saw they were expensive if I was to custom request one. So instead, i found the clip on youtube i wanted the sound from.  I downloaded it, trimmed it to start and end at the exact sentence I wanted. added a free animation and made them play together using a gesture. Later I started making more and more then put them on the MP for almost free at 14-16L$ per gesture. i thought to just cover the 10L price of upload i paid when i uploaded the voice but turned out that with just little promotion putting the MP link in my flickr posts i got around 6k lindens + from there

Another job that I did as free lance in the past but that company closed now a mixed wrestling fed owner hired me 4-5 times in total and he used to pay 5000 to 10000L per appearance where I did almost same stuff i did in wrestling but instead of fighting a guy, I'd be fighting girls. It depends on the script, but usually I was hired to win and humiliate the stars of this wrestling fed. I was hired because I was the champion at Premier Wrestling and he wanted my image. He even paid Premier Wrestling to agree to rent me there  because in my contract I'm not allowed to wrestle in other feds.”

Among the various scopes of making lindens, I have just covered a few. However, the paths are endless. Your passion is what will lead to greater scopes to making more Lindens. 

“Money is only a tool” - Ayn Rand 

Additional Information - 

RAINN - https://www.rainn.org/

Heels - https://www.facebook.com/HeelsSL

The Moon Night Club - http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Erika%20Paradise/218/253/23 

Parallel Universe Productions - https://www.facebook.com/MissParallelUniverse2019

PUP Website - https://thepupltd.wixsite.com/home

Amethyst’s Blog - https://amestarostinsecondlife.blogspot.com/

Premier Wrestling - https://www.facebook.com/PremierWrestlingEST2019

Wishing Star - http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Elefsis/26/183/21 

Gestures Paradise - https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/217884

SL Name - GiaBlossom

Email - blossomgia@gmail.com

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Petra's Schedule of Performances - Week of June 21, 2020

Tuesday, June 23

2:00 pm TOXIE

3:00 pm Lisa Brune

Wednesday, June 24

2:00 pm   Savannah Corornett

3:00 pm   AbyGail Hastings

4:00 pm   Savannah Rain

5:00 pm   Agatha

6:00 pm   Noma Falta

7:00 pm   Red Heaven

Thursday, June 25

7:00 pm - 9:00 pm   Wayne Davis

Friday, June 26

3:00 pm  AMforte Clarity

4:00 pm  Annette Serenade

5:00 pm  Hogan Baily

6:00 pm  Red Heaven

7:00 pm  TwinGhost

https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Alysons%20Secret/165/166/22

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Waltzing to The Colorful Quiet: A Tale of a Harmonious Experience

            Sometimes in life, whether virtual or real, things come together, that is, life harmonizes as multiple entities converge to create an experience that one might call, transcendent, divine, even magical. The feeling this sense of perfect unity creates can be felt, but many times cannot be put into words. We try, but words are inadequate in expressing these feelings. But I’m going to try to tell you about just such an experience that happened to me in Second Life about a week ago when I went to Cape Halcyon to listen to a live music performance. Cape Halcyon is an outdoor music venue. It is described as “a new live music venue, that opened in January 2020, featuring only the best artists in SL.” It was very nicely landscaped. There was a small, square stage with a wood plank floor. Light bulbs were strung up around the stage. It was close to a calm river, with a sandy shoreline. A green grassy open area for dancing dominated the space. A tree-lined border with rustic buildings was here and there. A Black Lives Matter sign was atop a roof. A small herd of wandering sheep was off to the side doing whatever wandering sheep do. In all, it’s an idyllic setting for a picnic, or just relaxing on a blanket. So, this place was the first aspect of my harmonious experience that was about to occur.

The musical performance was the second aspect of my harmonious experience, and it was another one of those serendipitous occurrences I spoke of in a previous article. I accidentally caught The Colorful Quiet after another performer finished. I hadn’t gone there to see him perform, but a friend told me that this was his first performance since returning after a fairly long hiatus from Second Life, like four or five years away, I think she said.  So, I had to stay and listen. And I’m happy I did because he sounded wonderful. Indeed, this guy was really good! Great guitar playing. Picking notes and strumming chords. He sung Loser by Beck, Sex and Candy by Marcy Playground, Disarm by the Smashing Pumpkins, Basket Case by Green Day, Polly by Nirvana, Norwegian Wood by the Beatles, Man in the Moon by REM, and several others. His voice matches his name, colorfully quiet, in fact almost a whisper with quavering vibrato. A sense of mystery came to mind. My partner, who is well-versed in music, especially guitar playing said this:

misty Metaluna: a lot of acoustic guitar players play a set pattern of chord sequences and sound repetitive. He doesn’t do that. Yeah, he has skills.

Fynn : you are so knowledgeable!

misty Metaluna:  . . . like say Nickleback they are good but you hear the same chord phrasing in a lot of their stuff.

misty Metaluna: lol, I’ve been around music my whole life.

Fynn (fynnyus): You just schooled me on guitar playing J

            And so we come to the third element of my harmonious experience: Misty. She and I became partners not too long ago. With her, there was a connection almost immediately. Have you ever had that happen? It’s a sense of, “I want to know this person more.” Then, as you get to know them more, that wanting feeling turns to a feeling of need for them. The need turns to a desire. You miss them when they are not there. You start to fall in love. But she is smart and resisted at first, having been burned by love before. Heck, we have all been burned by love in Second Life, haven’t we? I mean, if you have spent much time at all in Second Life, you have experienced a broken heart. But damn, if love is not a powerful thing! And if love is there, it is a very hard thing to resist. And love was there. And neither of us could resist. The funny thing is that she and I are so different in many ways, yet those differences have made us more compatible than one could ever imagine. It’s as if our differences actually cement us together because we can talk about them, accept them for what they are, and get past them. Anyway, I digress. I could go on and on about Misty, but let’s just say that she is the catalyst to many special moments, the current one under consideration being one of them.

          

  And we come to the fourth and final element of this perfect experience: dance. Now, dance in and of itself is or can be, a transcendent thing. It is an ancient art form. Some would call it a form of communication. Indeed, dance has emerged as one of the more ubiquitous forms in Second Life. But why dance? Why has it become such an important part of our virtual existence? Perhaps dance is a way we express ourselves when words are insufficient. When we watch our avatars dance, we feel a sense of joy. Dancing is a way to express love. Perhaps we dance to show that we can overcome great sorrow or adversity, perhaps dancing reminds us of our youth and its passions, or it reminds us of the peacefulness of our softer and more graceful years.  A waltz, a foxtrot, or a rumba might be the best or only way to express ourselves more fully. We all want to be understood, and if we could truly speak the words that describe our feelings, how deep and powerful they would be. But alas, those words sometimes don’t seem right. So, maybe dance is simply how we translate what our heart is trying to say.

Waltzing in this place, to this performer’s song, with my partner, was special. Indeed, the waltz itself is significant as a ballroom dance style. It is a dance born in the suburbs of Vienna and in the alpine region of Austria. As early as the seventeenth century, waltzes were played in the ballrooms of royalty. Despite its social acceptance, the waltz was also criticized on moral grounds by those opposed to its close hold and rapid turning movements. Religious leaders almost unanimously regarded it as vulgar and sinful. In 1816 the Times of London condemned the dance in an editorial that said,

“We remarked with pain that the indecent foreign dance called the Waltz was introduced (we believe for the first time) at the English court on Friday last ... it is quite sufficient to cast one's eyes on the voluptuous intertwining of the limbs and close compressure on the bodies in their dance, to see that it is indeed far removed from the modest reserve which has hitherto been considered distinctive of English females.

So long as this obscene display was confined to prostitutes and adulteresses, we did not think it deserving of notice; but now that it is attempted to be forced on the respectable classes of society by the civil examples of their superiors, we feel it a duty to warn every parent against exposing his daughter to so fatal a contagion.”

Fortunately, the waltz survived the various oppositional forces that attacked it throughout its history. Today it is one of the most popular forms of dance—even in the virtual setting of Second Life.

And so, these four elements, person, place, music, and dance coalesced into a singular unforgettable moment. There was a confluence of the music and the motion as we connected in this virtual setting. These primordial forms of communication transcended time and space. Indeed, they showed themselves to be quite important elements in this emergent medium of digital time and space called Second Life. Misty and I are one node of the whole of dancing, of dancing history, if you will. We were a singular point as we waltzed to the singing of The Colorful Quiet. It is moments like this that renew your faith in the feelings another can have with you a thousand miles away. It felt like a rebirth of faith in the unboundedness of love for another person, indeed for people in general. How differences can be reconciled with a touch, a kiss, a word, or even a visualization of two people dancing as their corporeal selves watch in wonderment at each other’s digitized beauty.

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GeekSpeak – What if we fully embrace AI? Join the discussion on Saturday the 20th at 12PM SLT

GeekSpeak – What if we fully embrace AI?

We talk about AI and the dangers of AI but what if, one day, we deem it safe and fully embrace it?  At first in our phones, then in our contact lenses, and eventually in our heads?

We would be able to do large computations in our heads and we would know at once if a building was for sale.  We would know the latest scientific discoveries, the best information about the conditions on exoplanets, and the local information about house prices and poll results.

But would we have any privacy?  Everything we say and everything we think would be copied to the cloud.  Would there be any way back?  Would we be able to distinguish between ourselves and other people?  Would we want to?

Come and discuss what it means if you are not fully you anymore but an upgraded version or a pirated version. Bring your old fashioned brain and your friends.
IM Vulcan Viper, who teaches a meditation class every Wednesday at the GeekSpeak auditorium at 1pm SLT, if you have ideas for new subjects.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danmu/143/127/51

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LUXE Paris LOOK of the YEAR SIX NEW SEMIFINALISTS!

Ladies and Gentlemen, let us applause six more beautiful and stylish women who have been selected as SEMIFINALISTS for the LUXE Paris LOOK of the YEAR Contest! Bravo to AUREA, EJ, LOLA NIPPO, LULES BRIMM, OLIVIA and PATIENCE!


LAST CHANCE TO PARTICIPATE!

We have now 24 semifinalists but there will be a LAST SELECTION of six more semifinalists next week. The deadline to send your picture is June 25th at midnight SLT. Remember: LUXE Paris is searching the grid to find its LOOK of the YEAR, an elegant woman who will represent the brand with grace and charisma. First prize: L$50,000 cash! L$10,000 to each of the two runners up! A total of L$175,000 in prizes!


FOR AMATEURS & PROFESSIONALS

This style contest is open to ALL stylish women, amateurs and professionnals, and it is very easy to participate. You just have to wear a LUXE Paris outfit, style it, snap a picture, put your name in the title and send FULL PERM to luxeparislookoftheyear resident. Gift to ALL participants


Need more details? Visit the contest website at Participate | LUXE Paris LOOK of the YEAR

The LUXE Paris LOOK of the YEAR contest is presented in collaboration with the SL Enquirer, Swank Event, Womenstuff, Tone Makeup, Zuri Jewelry, In-Nova Modeling Academy, ProPose Modeling Poses, Bon Amour Avant-garde Hair, SL Confidencial magazine, L'Amour Diversity magazine, Stavros Hexem Photography and Villa Media Broadcaster.

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