Torley Lives

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I have been consciously engaging in sorts of sleep deprivation experiments on myself for the last few days. Not in an extremely unhealthy context, but a sort of personal "push myself to find out what it's like". I'll catch up on my sleep debt soon, but to sum things up, I've been trying to bridge RL and SL closer in some respects: for example, I'll stay up reaaally late on SL and then go to sleep — and several times already, I've seen what I was last experiencing inworld, and it is such a trip. It is not really addictive as a chemical drug would be, but it is fascinating. (By the way, "fascinating" doesn't even begin to describe.)

I've tried to sleep in 2-hour blocks and then wake up, go on SL for a few minutes, and then go back to sleep. Lather, rinse, repeat. It makes me tired and I feel this real glowing edge; it's like a good pain when my head cramps up and I'm tapping away at the keyboard, staring at whatever's on the screen and attempting to engage in sentient communication. I find it also loosens trains of thought for me, and lets me brainstorm more ideas and let my stream-of-conscious flow like a maple syrup ribbon. And to mix things up, I'm going to take chunks of time where I'm away from SL and see how this affects me personally. I enjoy that diversity, and it's like watching the way a lava lamp operates.

I found out about a magical mode on my video card that makes everything look like it's gone all soft and fuzzy, but sharp enough to maintain a reasonable degree of clarity. YAY! ANTI ALL MY ALIASES! It doesn't appear to slow down things majorly, but looks extremely beautiful for taking photos and experience the world as a truely "waking dream".?Like the name Oneironaut ;), to me this is very much about?exploring dreams. So, as?I have been using this mode for the last few days, I've felt increasingly compelled and even more drawn into what's going on inworld.

LOTTA stuff to do today in SL. Saw Kex Godel again for the first time in over a week. What a heartwarmer! Also, a massive scripting fair is on, and Rodeo Drive is having a yard sale. I've got?more than a?few places to travel (beanstalk?!)?and take note of. Not to mention: the 38-for-1L$ (that's almost 39, a personal lucky number ) shirts Jai has posted about that are available at the most elegant GNU Wave Store, contacting several olde denizens of SL to ask them firsthand about their experiences, taking my new car on extended journeys — more on that soon! — and much much more.

Wise words in the heat of the moment as the sweet warm sun rose:

"We can only dream that life we be lived to the fullest - by those, who actuallyl live it. And at moments like these - these, the moments - we can only, and dream - amongst us."
-FlipperPA Peregrine '04

Blog toteming continues. True-to-Second-Life, as I like to say.

Okay. I'm going inworld again in a few… see you there.

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It is a tragedy.?With a heavy heart, I am writing?that Meltsinyourmouth Steed, real name Stephanie Waller,?has passed away. I had previously blogged about?Melts's marriage to Malora, and from a wedding to a funeral, it is a sad and mournful day. A memorial service in her honor was recently held. Madiera Westerburg, who had officiated for them, posted this?info on the forums. It is extremely important to realize that while certain aspects of Second Life are "games", even behind the "masks" of avatars, there is reality. There is the overarching human connection that binds us all together, interactively, and that we do make a difference. Just as Melts made a difference in the lives of her loved ones; now it is important to let them know this.

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I have previously said that First Life is so short, so what does that make Second Life? In a paradoxical sort of way, the inverse could be said as well. Every happy moment, every happy memory counts. Sometimes I wonder if I took too many photographs while inworld — it's a silly thing to think about, isn't it? Well, in hindsight, I realize I didn't take enough. I have moments in this virtual world I wish I could get back, but never will. When I was a kid, I really didn't understand the need to take photos. I feel I'm beginning to.

It's one jumbled ball of emotions: remembering the good times, trying to let go of the bad times, and all the confuzzled shades and nuances in between. Not easy to deal with — that's Life.

One dreams of rainbows when all one sees is rain.

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The subtitle of this section does have relevance to what I'm going to say, but it's not overt. Nor is it as subtle as snow in a snowstorm.

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1. First off, it was my first time actually shouting out "BINGO!" and getting it right. Yay! This game was hosted by Bill Stirling at the Miru Airport. Sitting next to me is the admirable Lisse Livingston, and on our shoulders are her "torus buddies" — made entirely out of toruses, or torii — which caused some goths in the Welcome Area to freak out in the best of ways. Whatja think it was… TAPEWORM!??

2. Next up, we have Richard Roentgen of Hammerhead fame, sleeping on the job. Well, not really. It's actually something cool he's working on. And no, not a way to sleep on the job. Although he's done that too.

3. Speaking of Hammerhead, here I am in my fave aerialsub, cruising the warm skies with none other than Xyni Platini, who doesn't read this blog but should.

4. Stormy Roentgen's portfolio housething is a fun place to visit. I like her work like I like Starax's. There is a connection, of course. In the housething, there's a rezzer which automatically cycles through a selection of Stormy's artistry, including this jail which I got trapped in. All ye who enter here, abandon… hope?

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Bedazzle makes teh kewl shiznit. I've been chatting to Foxy Xevious aka "bubblegum hair"?and Jimmy Thomson aka "flaming hair"?of the team, and they're the overseers responsible for Sim Horror, the Gravity space club where I had my picture taken, Field of Dreams cropmaker?system, etc. They've got an exciting upcoming project I'm personally thrilled about. Formerly known to me as "untitled Bedazzle first-person shooter", it now has a name: Unreal SL. Yes, the name evokes certain connections. I don't really get into computer games a whole lot, but seeing this within the communal framework of SL, and being created by such a dedicated core team, is something I watch for. Oh, and they're nice people.

On a related note, some of you have asked me about the flamethrower I was wielding at the Town Hall meeting. Jimmy did the texturing?for it, Neil Protagonist did the flames! eegads!, and Francis Chung is responsible for the so-called mesh and scriptorama — oh, and the cute little blue flame which makes my heart?go breakbeat.?IT IS IMPORTANT TO STATE THAT THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS: TEH FINAL WILL R0X0R UR S0X0R 3V3N HARD3R!!1 So . . . lookout for Unreal SL.

I'm mapping out a list right now of my future explorations tonight. Ah, what a joy it is to be live and direct. Tonight, I've gotta check out Lisse's home which is new and old AT THE SAME TIME. That just blows my mind. I'm also wanting to chat up Milo Bukowski about his Mambo Kalista cars. They're affordable, cute, and it seems they may corner nicely too, which is an odd rarity in SL vehicles (I'm generalizing). What I'm after is something in my fave neon watermelon colors, and although the "Obnoxious Green" scheme comes close, it's like jam without tha peanut butter. We'll see.

What's swimming around in my mind's eye right now? There are several Adam Zaius projects I'm curious about… Lensey Roark's Rodeo Drive is developing (gotta wuv the stars next to the stores and the big, slanted?HOLLYWOOD sign)… while hanging with?some furries,?I spotted newcomer?Roland Xavier –?a warm welcome to Second Life! –?putting on a new Luskwood Bat av, lookin' good (Michi, CGA DRAGONS!!!)… Bozo the Clown sighted with floppy shoes in the Welcome Area… waiting for the next big party at the Punany Club… and oh, I'm interested this Event for tomorrow:

Thinkers - "Spasticus Autisticus" @ 2 PM Lindentime (aka PST)

Is the name of a song by Ian Dury and the Blockheads, not an attempt to be insulting.

SL allows people to interact irrespective of their disabilities. You can't tell if the person at the other end of the conversation is deaf, mute in a wheelchair etc. You might pick up the dyslexics or someone with autism if you know the signs. Is this a good thing? Will things like VoIP wreck SL for the deaf/mute people? Does SL with its reliance on reading and writing discriminate against people with certain types of disability?

As for the rest, it's up in the air. I'll take it as it comes…

About three hours ago,?it dawned on me that I would like to try something known as Townhallhopping. I know not where the idea came from nor what motivated to go forth on such a crazy lark, but I do know this: guided by my intuition, I proceeded to TP from one Repeater location of the latest Second Life Town Hall meeting — this one focusing on economics — to the next, eventually making it to the location itself, before unwinding at Indigo.

Along the way, I caught snippets of Philip Linden's answers, observed vibrant life huddled around repeaters-in-the-form-of-ye-olde-radios, and saw many familiar faces. I had to Hammerhead from one sim to another on occasion due to the TP system breaking upredictably and stripping me of all of my attachments in the process (thankfully, a temporary inconvenience). Wielding my flamethrower while decked out in neon like some sort of Gandhi Khan, I beamed from one station to the next, enjoying the efficient?rush as it came.

Below are photos of my journey in reverse-chronological order. From setting Foxy and Jimmy ablaze at Lime to dropping briefly in at Le Cadre to a welcome chat with the classy-as-always Gwyneth Llewelyn:

You: Gwyn, you're looking classy with that joint.
Gwyneth Llewelyn: pfft not a joint, Torley
You: LOL *looks closer*
Gwyneth Llewelyn: it's called a Cigarette Holder (Patent Pending by Gwyneth Llewelyn World Domination Now Enterprises)

I hope you enjoy!

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This, I gotta tell ya, is more exciting than drinking a milkshake of Einstein-Bose condensates! So where did I leave ya last time? Lessee now… and I'll roll the joints, er, jaunts from there, so to speak.

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1. Ryen Jade called this one (good timing duuude)! So be it! =) Here we are, a cyberpunk quartet… Oz Spade, Ryen, moi, and Nick Fairlight. Discussing visionary?ideas, goofing around. Of note: Oz was eating KFC. I am honored to be in such company. (In an alternate alternate universe, I have become but a common Island Sandbox griefer. Oh the?dishonor.?:P )

2. Sweeeet story behind this one. BANG!!! What did I tell ya? ;)?Nick was filling me on some stories of the past, including how he once unleashed this AMAZING fireworks show of his while friends camped out and watched. From a time before I ever came to SL, when the metaverse was much smaller and I hear that community — —in some respects at least?–?was more closely-knit. These fireworks are truely symbolic of the beauty of Second Life — not only what Nick made but what they were made for. The particle effects are wonderful to watch — I wouldn't say "random",?because there is clearly a form and function to the display. There are nice whistling and crackling sounds to accompany the pulsebursts and skitters and all manner of colorful extravagance. Initially, we watched from atop Ryen's apartment, but I had an urge to zoom up, and so we did…

3. zooming in closer to the cosmic rhythm. BANG! BANG!! BANG!!! Full of sound and fury, signifying everything.

4. Somewhere along the line, the idea that we should set up a nice fireworks show in the Welcome Area arose, and so Nick and I headed to the n00b spawn1ng z0ne. Scouting around for a place to launch, Nick sagely decided to cover two spots. Musing briefly about how we might be reported for noise pollution by some killjoy, it didn't happen, and the show went off awesomely. Nick let the 'works fire off towards the heavens above, the moon shining in its full glory, as Morris builders paused from their construction to witness the spectacle. In an excited frenzy, I headed towards the WA and shouted out for all to come and see the show, see the show!?A crazy celebration of Second Life spirit is what it was in the best of ways, and then, without prior warning, Nick and I disappeared into the night.

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5. It wasn't before long that we ended up at Nick's Metis place, where he promptly proceeded to show me some of his vehicular contraptions, including this flying wheelchair that enabled us to do a great ET impersonation. I BELIEVE!!!

6. Ah, of wheelchairs, trains, aeroplanes, and things that roll… yes, that's Spittoonie Island you see. Spittoonie and "fun"? Synonymous. It all started when Rickard asked me to join him in a chairfight. Sadly, said chairfight was motion-broken and it looked more like we were doing some sort of Scanners telepathic challenge, minus the exploding watermelons-as-heads. So, heading for greener pastures and taking things as they came, vehicles soon were rezzed for the enjoyment of all involved. Casval Epoch of the blue hair (the one who told me that watching virtual movies looks better in mouselook when you show your avatar bits — he was right!) took us cruising along on his Jeep.

7. I'm getting sort of a Halo vibe from this one. It was just too fun, pulling out guns and aiming at the aerial vehicles made by Rickard Roentgen as we trolleyed around the island, navigating little molehills and bigger mountains.?Simply Ariel looks good with a gun, doesn't she??It was a late hour and there?wasn't really anyone else around — I must seriously state that while I am constantly in pursuit of crazy fun, I do not like to cause trouble to others. And so, onwards ho!!

8. War of the Hammerheads in the sky! Taking the battle from ground to air, we soared through the sim, getting a spectacular view of the theme park from above, and?colliding into each other as we did so. Up in a skybox, we found a Plinkoesque game called "Klinko" or somesuch thing. I reckon it will be in action soon, courtesy of Spittoonie resident mastermind Jack Digeridoo.

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9. Hammerhead bowling! STRIKE!!! At one point, us ladies got on the pins and proceeded to become targets for the mechanized wrath of the aerialsub hybrids.

10. A picture of the torrid Torrid Midnight as she anticipates to pilot a Hammerhead for her very first time. And thanks again Torrid, for the neon clothing.

11. Chillin' at Oneironaut Escher's ADD-incarnate pad with him and Dan Rhodes, creative and esteemed members of the SL community. Like the sands in an hourglass, these are the days of our lives. Note the detailed sketch showing how much a labor of love this project is. For Onei, the time's often 4:20!

12. And here… I sit on top of the new Coffee Talk building, as architected by Lordfly Digeridoo. Coffee Talk used to be a little stand in the center square of Midnight City, which is now occupied by a population of snowpeople good and evil.?(I will never forget the line "Aren't knockoffs great?") And now, we have expansion, and so, we have this! Note Torrid's?and my Hammerheads parked on the?roof.?As I watch the solar orange glow and radiantly emanate its pixellated warmth towards my pale face, I realize: "What a tranquil, glorious, beautiful sunrise." While virtual, I treasure moments like this, and as the sun rises in SL, I go to sleep in RL . . . content in anticipating what lies ahead.