Dear Linden Family,

First off, I'm not even sure what the designated purpose of an "open letter" is — but heck, it sounded like a good idea at the time to say something and somethings publicly. Half of this is planned — the other half is totally off-the-cuff-say-what-I'm-feeling-right-now-hot-spontaneous-action. So here goes!!

The holiday season rapidly approaches. Not that it necessarily has anything to do with this, but it could, because holidays are intertwined with SSP — the Spark, Spirit, & Passion that comes with celebration. And I have said before that I am very much "in celebration of Second Life". And I still am, even MORESO.

Lindens, you have put so much work & play into Second Life. Alt-guessing games of former Residents aside, it is absolutely wonderful to know how involved you are with the world, despite how busy you are kept fixing bugs, adding new features, consuming vast quantities of pizzastuffs, etc. The whole story never gets told, and there's a lot going on behind-the-scenes (behind-the-machines?), but what is known is that Second Life is surprisingly functional for a product that should really not even work at all, if you think about it — and is made even more unique because you Lindens actually come inworld on a regular basis to help us out, "face-to-face". I dislike generic, robotic tech "support", so it's sweet to know that you're actually traversing the gridverse, as well as the forums (and the IRC chan too, from what I hear ).

Even with the problems I've experienced at present — I won't be redundant and repeat them here,?'cuz I know you're working on them :)?– it is still a modern miracle to me how Second Lives are lived, and how we can connect across the globe, from Austria to Australia to China, all the way back to the US of A in San Fran. We're connected around the world; and through this emotional technology, we become more human, learning more about each other, learning more about ourselves.

It's been a real yayzerama meeting you Lindens?inworld. Even though I've only been in SL for a relatively brief period, I already have my fair share of exciting meet-the-Linden stories to tell. OMG!!! WHAT A TRIP!!! Like the time Bub said some stuff to me regarding a Saedaku Flamebringer, which if I reprinted here, would violate the Big Six. Oh well, he can sure pole dance. And watching Char build the new stage in Brampton! That was a real treat, 'cuz I used to think you simply rezzed one out of your Inv., but this was like, handcrafted arrangement! I went all LOLy-poly when Cory turned into the sun (with cloudrain!) at a recent Town Hall. And Jeska getting a makeover? Classic. Or how about the time Sabin played a jovial game of "Guess the Linden alt!" in the Welcome Area. (No prizes were awarded that day, but was still fun. ) Aaand Hamlet… how could I forget dear Ham! The exhuberantly jovial?journalist whose NWN is as present here as solid steel is?on a skyscraper. *waves*

And this extends to more serious issues, like:?the time Jill saved me with a magic teleport so I could move my avy limbs around again; Nova coming to my rescue in the sandbox when some misbegotten greefer was setting off firebombs; and Robin taking care of technical difficulties at the SL Public Library.

And speaking of the library, that's where I met my love, Jadey (formally known as Jade Lily, and maybe formerly known as that as well ). She is so adorable, and sweet, and an amazing human being. I LOVE MY JADEY! <3 If I had never come to Second Life, I never would have met her. And long before my rezday, 2004.11.11 for Torley Jr., she had already?contributed to?Second Life?in so many ways!?I treasure Jadey, she's PuRe MaGiC! I didn't expect this?– Partnering –?to happen to me when I first entered the world all?shiny (!) and nu, but life happens — Second Life happens. People connect here. They really do.

In case it isn't obvious yet (I do have a problem with?the obvious), I?value SL on?many levels. It's like some big-ass pyramid that spins arounds and then extends into the 4th dimension. Like a tesseract, but kewler. And with multimedia, that blasted keyword of the early 90s! I have made so many friends here — oh my, that list continues to grow…

<1ST LIFE>
The story of how I came to SL is a synchronicitous one, involving many things happening at the right time AND place — including cyberspace! Back in May '04, I got hyperacusis from a noise-related incident, and was unable to continue my profession of composing techno music. Growing increasingly depressed, I headed to the library to read the many books I never had a chance to because "I was too busy". Well, I didn't want to waste my 1st Life doing nothing. I caught up on a lot of the Stephen King and cyberpunk fiction I'd missed for ages, and in doing so, my imagination expanded, entertaining hopes for a brighter future. Of course, it was a lonely time — since reading a book isn't a terribly collaborative thing. Through a series of tangentially-related chain reactions that followed in the months to come, I found myself checking out info about this brave new world called "Second Life".?I was put off at first, reacting alarmingly to the?screenshots — which attracted yet repelled me at the same time, for how can fairytales come true? — not to mention to the fact I couldn't choose my real last name.?:p But I grew more inquisitive, and some evidence of my curiosity, such as this post at Ano's SLUniverse, still remains.

That curiosity, what a wonderful thing it is! I started to read about some creations that really piqued my interest, such as Fran and Launa's "Hug Attachment". I was like, "OMG! A game where you can hug people! That's rare!" Apparently, killing is common in MMOs, but where's the love? Continuing on, I prodded experienced Residents for more juice?via archaic?email;?they are now my good friends and I am honored to be in such company. Growing curioser and curioser until I swore that whiskers were peeking out of my cheeks, IT HIT ME. GUESS WHAT?!? I found out that the $9.95 for a Basic Account was ONE-TIME, not monthly! And a free 7-day trivial? Heck, give me some of that proverbial shiznit with a side order of Neon Watermelons.

Lindens, You know where I am?now.

I was also touched?because I have?Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, and I have met others with Asperger's inworld who are a great inspiration to me. Autism impairs social?interaction, so as you can gather, I've had numerous unfortunate experiences in the past involving miscommunication and a frustrating time with body language. That being said, self-improvement works wonders, and?gestures are a very edutational for me. (Text-only chat puts me to sleep.) I have learned much about communication and about the human condition in SL. So would I consider it to be of serious anthropological value too? Yupsureyabetcha.

About a fortnight ago, one loose thread that was tied up was the reading of Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash. As I understand it, it's an inspiration for Second Life, so I consider it recommended prerequisite reading. I actually wanted to read it before I ever heard of SL, but guess what? It was always at hold or otherwise unavailable at the library (funny, multiple copies of Neuromancer taunting me on the shelf). The time was ripe, and I got ahold of the novel, at LAST. I now understand more about what is happening here, and as best as I can describe it in words:?it was like taking an already?superpowered bullet train and accelerating it further through the circuits of spacetime?on some wild ubernitro. If I was getting high on life, my Second Life just got a whole lot higher. 'Nuff said.
</1ST LIFE>