Just a Fool for Second Life ...

Parodies: Fair Use vs. Copyright

Apple Goes All 1984?

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Appholes
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

I Got Blisters Just Viewing this TED Talk

Leila Box Head

Apparently Leila and Jasmine (aka Jasmine and Leila) are doing something with this cardboard mask / box, with anime Leila face on it.

Kitchen Still LIfe with Kale Chips

The brown package on the left is nacho flavored Kale Chips. It is very tasty and delicately crunchy, and is filled with fiber. It is vegan, raw, organic, and it TASTES GOOD!

We May Not Have Bats in the Belfry ....

But we DO have Rats in the Attic. Rats, Norway Rats; yes, maam, the big ones. The pest dude is putting bait up there now. We discovered the presence of the rats when we heard sounds above one of the kitchen cupboards. We knocked on the wall but the rats never stopped their fandangos. Confident animals!

Something Happened in the Forest ...

Brrrrrr!

Thanks to SLHamlet at New World Notes for pointing out this fab machinima.

Dun de Dun Dun DUNNNNN!

Catherine Mohr builds green | Video on TED.com

Catherine Mohr builds green | Video on TED.com

My Toof Care (As Opposed to my Hoof Care)

I just received my new Eco-Dent tooth powder in the lemon-lime flavor. I am almost out of the cinnamon flavor, which was not bad. I bought the tooth powder in the first place for travel, as it does not need to be in the liquids and gels bag; I like it so well I use it a lot, and it makes my teeth very white and strong without fluoride or whiteners. It is made of baking soda with a few additives.

When I sent for my replacement bottle of the tooth powder, I went to the Eco-Dent website instead of buying a bottle of the powder from an online retail site. I then saw they offered toothbrushes as well, with replaceable heads. The bristles are "welded" into the head of the brush, so there are no pockets where bacteria can grow. They are also made of recycled materials and are 100% recyclable themselves.

BUT the best thing about them is, they are made in Wisconsin (where I was manufactured)!

Bodega Hills!

I did not suppress the UI (User Interface) for this sail, so that I could show those of you not in Second Life, how it looks to you when you are sailing a Flying Tako. I sail in this video from my house, the Old Hollow Tree in Davenport, to Bodega Hills, where Osprey has her paradisical cove.

Ahhhhh .... The Sea, The Sea!

Another World ... The Soap Opera!

Osprey helped me to find my way onto the Other Grids; in this case, InWorldz. At first Emerald crashed my graphics driver so I had to go in through the SL viewer (which I had no idea was possible). Then I was a cloud for a very very long time. Then I put on a duck avatar and promptly fell through floors all over the place.

Finally Os explained to me how to make my own shapes and clothes and whatever from scratch (who knew you could right-click the inventory menu like that? prolly everyone but me).

Then we went to someplace in Jersey, where my legs got huge holes in em.

Short but Silly

Undermotivation

I know Van Gogh would understand what I am about to say. I have very little motivation to paint, and I have not had much motivation for years now.

I have walls of paintings, plus a big storage area filled with paintings, some of which are successful, some of which are not. A lot of paintings were sold, probably for less money than they should be worth, but they sold.

My website has only made me one connection over these many years, and that brought me a couple of sales, but then it was over.

The gallery that has sold many paintings for me shut down.

My feeling is very few people want my work, and I have plenty for my own use. I know I am supposed to want to paint for my own satisfaction, process, etc. but that well is dry. I did all the work I wanted to do, solved the problems that interested me, and when I tried to do other work (spiritual symbolism, abstraction) it looked like crap to me and everyone else who saw it.

One of my sisters commented, "You would probably be painting if you had to sell to live on the income." Actually, when I was poor I could not afford to paint. Painting requires motivation, physical fitness, time and money. I have all but the motivation.

If I wanted to be gung-ho I could pursue representation in Houston, but I am tired, and I hate selling.

Trustee from the Toolroom

I read this book many, many years ago, and it made such an impression I wanted to read it again. Unfortunately, it is currently out of print, so I had quite a time getting a copy. Finally I got an old library copy from half.com and once I picked it up I could not put it down. It is an absorbing story. The cover image you see here is a collector's item.

The hero is a small plump engineer who designs miniature machinery. He writes magazine articles which are read by his fans all over the globe. Though he has no desire to travel, he ends up going on an adventure that takes him halfway around the world.

Nevil Shute has written lots of stories that were made into movies; I do not believe this one was adapted; I think it would make a great movie.

The Brothers Bloom

Con Artistes Extraordinaire ...

Stylized and convoluted, engaging, surprising.

Ran

Ran is a Kurosawa film I have seen before, though not for many years. I do not even recall what I felt about it the first time. This time, in spite of the horror, I was impressed with the grace of the movie.

I could not help but feel sympathy for the old tyrant, as slowly but surely the consequences of his own actions and words come to him. We all have done and said things we regret, and toward the end of life we look back and see our foolishness. This story (King Lear) takes that concept to its most extreme.

Os Text Video!

Sorry I could not embed it :((

Further Reflection on Second Life 2.0

The developments of Second Life have followed a progression of thought, making the User Interface (UI) easier and easier to use. This current version makes it possible for anyone who uses the internet to enter Second Life and grasp the principles of using the virtual world.

For major builders, this could be a positive development. Many have put a lot of time, effort, skill and money into making places that are beautiful and livable. For those residents, having more people come into Second Life could mean having more tenants for their spaces, and I do not wish to disparage mass immigration, I just wish we could also have ways to:

1. do machinima without contortions in our video editors

2. do multiple creative tasks such as scripting and building without obscuring the screen

Is that too much to ask?

Second Life 2.0: The Gentrification

In cities in the USA, and probably all over the globe, neighborhoods have a cycle of going downhill as the properties age. Then the "marginal" neighborhoods become areas occupied by poor people, criminals and artists. Later, after the artists have made the neighborhood safe and attractive, People With Money move in, and the artists are forced by sheer economic pressure to move on.

Something like that is happening in Second Life as of yesterday. Many long-term residents are dismayed by Second Life 2.0, as it is more difficult to use the advanced menus; newbies may find it more accessible, which is, clearly, why it was changed. Now it will be less interesting to artists (who have paid to help make the world a better place, by the way), and more fun for those who just want a 3D chatroom.