Day 1 of 365: Welcome, Goodbye

The seconds tick into minutes, the minutes tick into hours, and the hours tick into days. How fast they come and how much faster they leave.

As I type this, 2010 leaves and 2011 arrives (finally). A year ago, I didn't have a Dollfie daughter, I didn't have a professional camera and I'd only gotten MRSA for once...

How things change.

A year ago, I didn't live and work in Bay City because property was overpriced and community development was undervalued.

A year ago, I was still a newb. Then I got old suddenly and channelled Baz Luhrmman through a refractory made of lots of prims...

A year ago, Leslie Nielsen was still alive. Now, not so much anymore. As I recall, he had a cocktail party at his funeral. God, if only I can have his chutzpah when it's my turn to go...

A year ago, the world seemed to be collapsing, especially for people with foreclosures in America, not all of them valid. Now, judges in at least one jusridiction are standing up for those with no wherewithal to voice their protest against invalid foreclosure and seizures...

A year ago, the waters of the Gulf were a byword for awesome. Now, a byword for British incompetence. Many many folks would like their lives back, thank you very much!

A year ago, Iran was ruled by a tyrant in a comfy chair. Now, that chair is sprouting barbs, and fires are now raging even more than they ever were at the height of a false election. Any moment now, Ahmadi?

A year ago, an Android was a futuristic construct with limbs. now, it's a mobile device without limbs... that somehow seems to go places.

A year ago, I'd never read the Qu'ran, and I ate pork with relish. Now, I despise it, and I read the Qu'ran... only to the extent that I respect its words even when they raise in me disagreement. I still drink, and I still eat pork, and I still lust after things of beauty and wonder, however much a sin it may be in any religion.

I had L$8365 at the beginning of the year, and five projects. Now, I still have the same amount, but all projects have vanished. But new ones are on the horizon, so I seem to be severely lacking in worry about this.

A year ago, mesh in SL was a distant futuristic thing. Now, it's just next door and about to knock on Agni. Any moment now (don't hold your breath)

I have changed.

I have remained the same.

This is Patchouli Woollahra, and for better and for worst, in this world, that world and the next world and hereafter, this is me... And this is my song.

(Im)Balance - PROLOGUE

And how long has it been since I last wrote a good story? Too long.

The following post is part of something that may go nowhere, like another story from a Crap Mariner weekly short story comp. Or it could go somewhere.

*deep breath*

Here goes...

---

The Great Lord of The Worlds leapt from the cliff, his previously shining golden yellow armor tainted a dark ochre with the blood of a horde that had proven he was far from immortal, his hand clutching the dagger the witch had supplied him with.

Wielding it had come at great cost - the metal, which glowed eerily in the darkness and even through the coat of ichor from many victims, sapped his strength as long as it was within his reach. Many a night, he had examined it closely by the firelight, his fingers and eyes tracing their way along its myriad curves, an artifact alien to the forces of Goodness that he served, and yet he was leery to cast it aside, for had the Prophecies not foretold that only such a blade could wound the Beast of The Eurides?

The Beast of The Eurides hadn't noticed his falling approach... He smiled as he fell downwards, letting out a cry of victory. The Beast blinked and stopped munching on a fallen comrade in her toothy jaws, then glanced back with its feral yellowed eyes.

The dagger found its mark, wedging itself between The Beast's shoulder blades. She roared half in pain, and half in surprise as the lush blue fur that had turned even the sharpest blade aside like feathers time and again suddenly failed to provide protection when she needed it most. This ambush was far different from all the previous ones... it hurt. It hurt very badly. The Beast of the Eurides shook herself angrily on all four paws, trying to dislodge the irritant that had taken root on her back.

And The Great Lord Of The Worlds fell away. The dagger had taken its toll on him all these weeks, and the weakness was showing. He coughed into his hand, examined the dark redness in his palm. Blood. He had seen plenty of it ever since this war started, but he hadn't seen his own in a long time.

He stood up and frowned, eyeing the Beast as she writhed on the ground, the dagger poisoning her very lifeblood even faster than it had poisoned his, short of breath. "Ha. Made you look, you wretched feline-"

And so a god died. Well, most of a god...

-----

So much pain.

Need to get away from it.

It keeps getting further and further in.

Need to get away from -

-----

Must Read for Metaversal Fashion Designers

If you're into the habit of adapting in any form from RL designs for metaversal avatars, you may want to speak to your congressman about the "Innovative Design Protection and Piracy Prevention Act" NOW.

This act (PDF of original US Senate Filing here) was recently passed in the US Senate on the Wednesday week as this blogpost.

Essentially, it prosecutes any attempts to replicate a design for anything wearable. Articles protected under this law must:

1. be "the result of an individual's own creative endeavour" and
2. provide a unique, distinguishable, non-trival, non-utilitarian variation over prior designs for similar articles of clothing.

This could possibly leak into the translation of such designs into virtual formats such as those used by Second Life, Frenzoo, Blue Mars, IMVU, Poser artists et al. The danger exists that this proposed new law may be enforceable across the RL/Metaverse barriers.

I would like to urge discussion on this topic (which for a change, is not frivolous, at least not compared to my usual stuff) - this is important, because last I checked, we do NOT go naked in most virtual worlds (clotheshorsing / clothes tailoring is, in fact, a major activity in Frenzoo!). While there is no place for blind copying of fashion (especially in light of the limited amount of dynamic cloth that many RL clothes rely on), I feel that this Act may have possible chilling effects. After all, how similar is 'similar'?

Comment civilly, retweet if this meets your interests, fret. And if applicable, write in to your Congressman.

These are interesting times...

These are interesting times...

Linden Lab fired over 60% of its staff, primarily folks working outside of America, but also long-time Lindens of good repute in many cases. They're also canning the Teen Grid and moving the kids (those of 16 years of age at least) to the main grid with everything they own, as well as retiring their firewalled version of Second Life for corporates.

These are interesting times...

Modular Systems abuses the trust placed by over 1/3rd of SL's active unique population in its Emerald Viewer and launches a distributed DOS on a griefer's blog using its users' resources via a login page. Naturally, just because the target is a gray or black hat doesn't make it right, and Fractured Crystal has been fired from the team in favor of Baghdad Arabella. LL finally works out that Emerald has problems keeping to the straight and narrow, and yanks its name (albeit at the team's own request) from the Third Party Viewers list (but not banning it yet)

These are interesting times...

One of New Citizens Incorporated's oldest helpers, Nardok Corrimal, buys the farm abruptly. She wishes for a quiet departure from this world, so the only things that happen are a vanishing profile, a quietly placed tombstone surrounded by memorials, and a barrelful of good memories.

These are interesting times...

In real life, I was taken ill in mid july, on the cusp of a great second semester at my art school. The illness is nearly fatal, but fortunately, I recover thanks to the medical dab hands at National University Health System's facilities. It takes a month though, and I'm still hooked to a bottle of antibiotics that has to be changed daily along with my dressings.

These are interesting times...

Indeed.

I Just Want To Set Your Car On Fire

I don't want to set the world on fire / I just want to start / a flame on your caaarrrrr...

In my heart I have but one desire / and that one is Boom / no other will do

I've lost all ambition for FIC-like acclaim / I just want be the one to light your car

And if by admission / you hated the same / I'll have reached the arson jackpot that I be-lieve in...

- "I Just Want To Set Your Car On Fire" / The Patchi Spots
- Original pic from Torley's Flickr (click on pic to view original Flickr ref)

Film Viral Videos

Newbs and Newbettes of the intake of 2010...

Shoot Viral Videos.

If I could offer you one phrase of advice, viral video would be it. The awesome of viral videos have been proven by many Youtube viewers, unlike the rest of my advice, which is based on my experience and surreality.

I will proceed to dispense this advice NOW.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your fully operational Death Star. Oh, nevermind. You will not appreciate the power and beauty of your fully operational Death Star until some backwater Jedi farmboy blows it up. But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back on your videos and recall in a way you can't imagine now when George Lucas didn't keep changing things around... how much possibility lay befor you... and how Han Solo shot first. You are not as overdosed on midichloridians as you look!

Don't worry about the future, or worry, but know that worrying is ineffective unless you have a certain DeLorean that does 88+kmph... The real troubles are things that suddenly appear in your in-tray at 4.50pm on a Friday evening and require unplanned overtime.

Do six things before breakfast that seem impossible.

Sing (but not like William Hung, for the love of god)

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, but don't allow others to book you a room at the Heartbreak Hostel.

Floss after brushing at least twice a day.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're on top, sometimes you're below... The race is long, and in the end it's only with that snotty brat who kept flinging boogers at you in Grade 1.

Remember compliments you recieve, forget the insults. But do remember to take revenge on the insults first. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements. Get into trouble with the taxman for failing to maintain proper records later on.

Stretch (but not too hard, lest you crack something not too supple)

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what to do in Second Life. The most interesting people I know didn't know on their first rezday what to do. Some of them still don't know after seven!

Get plenty of calcium. and Vitamins B complex and C. oh and selenium

Be kind to your knees. but if they're gone for good, get titanium replacements.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't / Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't...Maybe you'll die of an abrupt heart attack at 40, maybe you'll fall asleep at 105 and forget to breath.whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself, or kick yourself. God helps your plans sometimes, and laughs at them others. He also does the same for everyone else.

Enjoy your body, use it every way you can, even if you have to get XCite parts - it's the most awesome prim you can own.

Dance (touch the Chimera danceball and accept its request for permissions to animate you)

Read the directions, always, even on newbie orientation islands.

Do not read The Alphaville Herald, it will only make you feel shiatty.

Get to know your parents, you'll never know when you have to ask for pocket money to tide you over temporarily. Get to know your siblings, it gives you the upper hand in quarrels.

Understand that friends come and go, but you should hold on to a precious few, cause the older you get, the more you need people who can listen to you babble about how the past looked better and not groan.

Live in Florida once, but leave before it makes you senile. Live in San Francisco once, but leave before someone from Linden Lab calls with a liaison job offer.

Travel! (TPs are free!)

Accept certain inalienable truths: tier fees will rise, Lindens will get fired abruptly without warning and you too will grow old... and when you do, you'll fantasise about how, when you were younger, tier fees were cheap, Lindens seemed immortal, and how newbs respected their elders

Respect Your Elders

don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a Linden Prize award, maybe you have a wealthy partner...but you'll never know when either will run out on you.

Don't mess too much with your hair, or by the time it's three weeks old, you'll need extensive prim hair implants.

Be careful with people who sell you land, but be patient with those who supply it. Land is a means of keeping prims permanently rezzed out, prettied over, and scaring visitors with your lack of artistic sense.

But trust me on the viral videos.

Edited on 10 Jun 2010 to commemorate the purge of 30% of LL's staffing

Just marking time

A mentor of mine once told me to never blog unless I had something extremely fascinating to blog. I seem to have fallen prey to that blog, even if made this to let you know that, yes, I am still alive, albeit much busier in RL now thanks to the magic of a good educational course :D

Are you still with us here in Second Life? You know how to yell for me if you're a friend. :D