Last Night a DJ Saved My Life

One of the first things I did when I logged on to SL for the first time (once I'd figured out how to keep my hair on) was to go dancing. First I did the rounds of ballrooms and jazz bars. Realizing ballroom dancing masks itself as SL foreplay I found my way to the indie clubs - first to Popscene (now defunct) and Alt7 (going strong since March 2007). Swiftly, I was tuned in to djs from around the world and introduced to a great variety of new music. I kept a pad of paper next to me, scrawling all the wicked new tracks I was hearing.

Let's hear it for the DJ!

Generating soundtracks and backdrops against which you create your own personal dramas...these DJs are the secret workhorses of SL, engaging us using their own particular techniques; some spending hours upon hours crafting a set (yes, you Ms. Lilliehook), some "curating" music, hoping to turn you on to something you've never heard before, others space out and forget they're spinning at all but no matter - they're here to entertain us and animate our experiences.

So next time you're out and about, eager to try your new dance from Henmations, remember to tip your hat (and a few linden) to the dedicated crew that make your world more aurally exciting.

A special shout out to DJs past and present Colleen Lilliehook, Darn Darwin, Enigma Bombay, Ennui Clip, Hotjack Canning, Infinite Graves, PirateDucky Constantine, The Nachts, and Warrick Renfold, who've each created brilliant soundtracks to my slife...

Happy Almost Halloween

Versailles meets the end of the world...

The Blurred Line - written by guest blogger Andrijah Beardmore

Second Life was created as a form of escapism. You leave your real life behind in the actual world and embark on an adventure using an avatar in place of yourself. In this world, you can be the person you've always wanted to be, do the things you've always wanted to do, etc. But there is a certain reality behind Second Life. For every avatar there is a person sitting before a computer controlling their every function, so it is bound to happen that a bit of the real life person becomes a part of the avatar. There is a line between the two worlds, one that undoubtedly becomes a little blurred, thanks to the 1st life tab on everyone's profile, as well as the potential use of voice, among other things.

Recently I had a chance, not just to blur the line, but to completely cross, and being the type of person I am, I took it. On September 17, I boarded a plane and flew to meet up with the typists behind two of my most loved friends on Second Life, Siri Woodget and Colleen Lilliehook. A proposition like that might seem a bit scary to some, with the potential of completely destroying the illusion of that which we hold dear while living out our alternate reality. To me, I was thankful not to have any worries, having interacted with them so much in world, that I already knew them, even before we met.

There was no hesitation or wondering what I might discover, just a sense of knowing that this would be a great trip, no matter what could have happened.The meeting at the airport was quite good. I saw Siri first and instantly knew it to be her. We hugged like life-long friends. The same can be said when meeting Colleen, though she did a little bunny hop first, which I have to mention, or the story would just be incomplete. During my 3+ day visit, I got to see the two of them in their natural environment, which is quite dissimilar from Second Life. As it turns out, they are not always going to clubs to listen to music or hopping around from party to party, though I clearly knew that going into it, as we all do. What I did discover is that Colleen's hair is not quite so spiky, and that Siri is a bit more outgoing, among countless other little details. But the thing is, neither was in any way too different from the avatars they control on a daily basis. For the most part, they are the same people, even though their actions may not be the same - but then again, who does the same thing in both worlds.

In some ways, there is a realization that once you cross that line, there is no going back. Nothing will ever truly be the same. Now, when you converse in-world, you have these great memories to feed off of. You now refer to things you've actually seen and done together; going to a great concert, which was so worth seeing, eating Mexican food at this delightful little dive, being shown where Siri works, a mid-afternoon movie, and last, but certainly not least, sitting around a fire pit telling stories about in-world and out-world experiences. Oh there are stories I could tell you, but if I did that, you would have one less reason to find out for yourself exactly why meeting in real life is not a bad thing. For us, it was quite a good thing. I have made two friends that will last longer than I can imagine. I crossed the blurred line, and for that, I have no regrets.

Food for Thought

“All Love is sweet. Given or returned. Common as light is love, And its familiar voice wearies not ever.” (Shelley)

How better to express how I was feeling the other day after a night out with Colleen, Wynn and the wandering poet Andrijah, dressed in the form of a sweet cakey muffin.

Took some time off due to rl and spent time in-world only to work on Ada Lovelace exhibition. And I found I missed my mates...got that feeling that I used to get in high school when my parents would drag me off to the country on the weekends - that I was missing the big party, something really fantastic. There's no feeling of guilt, like in rl, when it comes to balancing relationships in rl and sl. RL comes first, no questions asked.

That said, I want to spend some time cultivating my in-world friendships. Colleen and I just met a really wonderful gal, Wynn Grumiaux (there she is above, with her goggles on). She creates dioramas in an underground bunker she calls home, setting a mysterious scene full of artifacts; the fragment of a note, a book open to a specific page, a bottle full of mysterious liquid, a buzzing machines which invites you to twirl its knobs. The visitor wonders, what happened here? Wynn dresses for every occasion and is one of the wittiest chicks...she came up with a fabulous steampunk name for herself - Monocle Lewinski.

Anyway, back to blogging. I've got other plans which I've been putting off - furrydom and creating an alt. So, my dear, few and far between readers, onwards into the aetherworld...

You're Either In...or You're Out

I found myself trying to justify SL to my mom this morning…”seems like a big waste of time” she said “I’d rather see you knitting”. I tried describing the sense of community, the madcap adventures, the creativity. She paused for a moment and said “Hmm, sounds addicting. I might like it”.
I still find myself feeling a bit sheepish when trying to explain what I’m doing in-world. Maybe I shouldn’t even try to explain it to others. But then it feels like some big secret club. Which isn’t such a bad thing. As Heidi Klum says, “You’re either in, or you’re out!”