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31 July 2010

 
What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
-- from "Leisure," by W.H. Davies

Violinist Plays, Few Listen



30 July 2010

 
Today has been a non-day for some reason. Went to bed at 2 something, up at 5 something, watched PL/BK town hall, went to get my hairs cut (my beloved cutterer being direly ill not long ago, his partner sheared me), stopped on the way home to buy lemons + celery, acting for twenty minutes in Enjah's film The Reader, reformatted video, made lemon tahini salad dressing and slathered in on some celery stalks, went to sleep, just woke up feeling wiped out, reformatting video,wondering if I'll fully wake up before going to sleep again. Would take hair picture but just... can't today.


 
I miss the real SL forums very much, and the *new* unimproved blogorums with its super-unhelpful posters is really just a nest of trolls now. Long gone are the days when it was full of content, ideas, wit, and customers-helping-customers. Since it was killed off by design, I suppose, I've no business hanging around there and it's just habit that makes me turn to the site. That happens less and less frequently. :(


 
My questions/comments by Twitter to @secondlife:

@secondlife - What are the TG plans?
@secondlife - Is there any thought being given to greater tier granularity?
@secondlife - this isn't the time for "soft" questions like "what would you've done differently."
@secondlife - sounds like pneumatic tubes are on their way! http://bit.ly/9fwVpj


 
[09:57] <+V2T_Transcription> V2T transcriptionists provide a translation of the key ideas discussed, NOT a word for word transcription.
[09:58] <+V2T_Transcription> This is similar to sign language transcription.
[09:58] <+V2T_Transcription> This service is brought to you by the V2T transcriptionists of Virtual Ability, Inc. (http://www.virtualability.org)
[09:58] == LVLustre [LVLustre@blk-142-34-250.eastlink.ca] has joined #livetranscript
[09:59] <+V2T_Transcription> Wallace Linden = WL
[09:59] <+V2T_Transcription> BK Linden = BK
[09:59] <+V2T_Transcription> Philip Linden = PL
[10:00] <+V2T_Transcription> WL- Hello. Welcome to SL. It's Wallace Linden with Philip Rosedale our CEO who is Philip Linden.
[10:00] <+V2T_Transcription> BK Linden is our CFO.
[10:00] <+V2T_Transcription> Phliip and BK will talk about where we are and where we are going as a company.
[10:00] <+V2T_Transcription> Please mute your inworld voice.
[10:01] <+V2T_Transcription> we have support staff if anyone needs help, IM Wallace or Pete Linden
[10:01] <+V2T_Transcription> Philip and BK will talk for about 30 minutes.
[10:01] <+V2T_Transcription> Welcome to the Treet TV audience.
[10:01] <+V2T_Transcription> If you have questions, IM Wallace Linden to pass the questions along.
[10:01] <+V2T_Transcription> If you are on the web direct questions to Twitter @SecondLife
[10:01] <+V2T_Transcription> I don't want to take too much time. I'm not the one who is interesting. Philip's turn.
[10:02] <+V2T_Transcription> PL- Thanks for being here. We have live audience, we are in 3 chairs surrounded on 4 sims.
[10:02] <+V2T_Transcription> Let Bob say hello. He's been instrumental in my coming back to LL. We've teamed up to run the company. Bob is a super star.
[10:02] <+V2T_Transcription> His skills are vast.
[10:02] <+V2T_Transcription> He was the prior CFO. He's great to work with. We are a team. We talk at the same time.
[10:03] <+V2T_Transcription> That is the format we will take here.
[10:03] <+V2T_Transcription> Bob will interject.
[10:03] <+V2T_Transcription> Then we will get to questions.
[10:03] <+V2T_Transcription> BK- I"m thrilled to be here. I've been at LL for 6 months + 1 week.
[10:03] <+V2T_Transcription> I am thrilled to work with Philip.
[10:03] <+V2T_Transcription> This is the first time I've met with the community. I look forward to the dialog.
[10:04] <+V2T_Transcription> PL- Three parts: opening, then conversation and Q/A
[10:04] <+V2T_Transcription> introd, then what we're going to do at LL, then Q&A
[10:04] <+V2T_Transcription> We will speak to blog posts too.
[10:04] <+V2T_Transcription> Why am I back?
[10:04] <+V2T_Transcription> I read something, a media post, I don't know where.
[10:05] <+V2T_Transcription> It said that was inspiring...the article is neutral... SL isn't growing but it won't grow away. It keeps on coming.
[10:05] <+V2T_Transcription> Media had said it was flash in the pan, big in 2006, where are they today?
[10:05] <+V2T_Transcription> The reality is it doesn't go away.
[10:05] <+V2T_Transcription> That's why I'm here.
[10:05] <+V2T_Transcription> I believe SL and VWs will profoundly positively affect people.
[10:05] <+V2T_Transcription> That is the mission of the company. That is my dream.
[10:05] <+V2T_Transcription> We face many challenges as a company and commmunity.
[10:05] == kenk [kenk@66.28.70.50] has joined #livetranscript
[10:06] <+V2T_Transcription> I want to start by saying nothing I've seen has done anything but strengthen the fundamental vision
[10:06] == lannewise [lannewise@99-8-130-106.lightspeed.milwwi.sbcglobal.net] has joined #livetranscript
[10:06] <+V2T_Transcription> VWs will have a huge impact on humanity.
[10:06] <+V2T_Transcription> I think I can come back and help us grow to that vision.
[10:06] <+V2T_Transcription> I think I can help with that.
[10:06] <+V2T_Transcription> I watch SL, I receive stories, that make me feel this is happening.
[10:06] <+V2T_Transcription> I profoundly believe in this thing.
[10:06] == YouriAshton [YouriAshto@82.73.193.78] has joined #livetranscript
[10:06] <+V2T_Transcription> I will help however I can.
[10:07] == OliverSzondi [OliverSzon@188-220-123-220.zone11.bethere.co.uk] has joined #livetranscript
[10:07] <+V2T_Transcription> I want to improve basic user experience.
[10:07] <+V2T_Transcription> Tear down walls between SL and it's potential and more and better use.
[10:07] <+V2T_Transcription> That was in the first blog post.
[10:07] == Sophie [sophie@neo.theblob.org] has joined #livetranscript
[10:07] <+V2T_Transcription> The description is more apt now than when I first said it.
[10:07] == mode/#livetranscript [+o Sophie] by TreetBot
[10:07] == BunnyHunter [BunnyHunte@202.69.188.159] has joined #livetranscript
[10:07] <+V2T_Transcription> It's important that we pull back and fix basic capabilities.
[10:07] <+V2T_Transcription> It's an accurate description.
[10:07] <+V2T_Transcription> Let me tell about our internal plan.
[10:07] <+V2T_Transcription> we have a 1 slide plan.
[10:07] <+V2T_Transcription> We are about 250 people in the company.
[10:08] <+V2T_Transcription> What is our single set of statements we can all memorize and organize our work around?
[10:08] <+V2T_Transcription> What can we do to make a statement about direction that is clear.
[10:08] <+V2T_Transcription> I want to share what we came up with iteratively.
[10:08] <+V2T_Transcription> We have videos of the whole company refining it.
[10:08] <+V2T_Transcription> Imagine this.
[10:08] <+V2T_Transcription> The first is there are 3 words at the top about our strategy
[10:08] <+V2T_Transcription> fast
[10:08] <+V2T_Transcription> easy
[10:08] <+V2T_Transcription> fun
[10:08] <+V2T_Transcription> The idea is that these 3 words capture what SL should and can be for users.
[10:09] <+V2T_Transcription> We've all had those moments.
[10:09] <+V2T_Transcription> In many areas we're lacking one of more of these.
[10:09] <+V2T_Transcription> User experience isn't living up to all 3.
[10:09] <+V2T_Transcription> We need to hit them all.
[10:09] <+V2T_Transcription> Look at basic product experience, make it fast, easy, fun.
[10:09] <+V2T_Transcription> VWs are magical
[10:09] <+V2T_Transcription> We want people to take the baby steps to bring them in
[10:09] <+V2T_Transcription> Under the 3 words are 3 bullets, focus areas now
[10:09] <+V2T_Transcription> back to basics
[10:09] <+V2T_Transcription> winning back the lead
[10:10] <+V2T_Transcription> all about growing virtual content economy
[10:10] <+V2T_Transcription> Back to basics- What does that mean to us?
[10:10] <+V2T_Transcription> in the next 2 quarters or 3, intense focus on crashing and lag.
[10:10] <+V2T_Transcription> These are complicated.
[10:10] <+V2T_Transcription> Crashing has heaviest impact from viewer and simulator crashing. There are many types of crashes
[10:10] <+V2T_Transcription> These halt the experience.
[10:11] <+V2T_Transcription> We will work til V2.1 crash rate is lower than 1.23 which is the more heavily used viewer. 1.23 is the basis for many 3rd party

viewers.
[10:11] <+V2T_Transcription> We dropped the rate by 12%
[10:11] <+V2T_Transcription> effect on people is greater than that
[10:11] <+V2T_Transcription> we can move rapidly in that direction
[10:11] <+V2T_Transcription> We will do that with V2.1 and set a target goal
[10:12] <+V2T_Transcription> Our incremental process will cause us to atttack it week by week to be lower than 1.23
[10:12] <+V2T_Transcription> Simulators are also crashing.
[10:12] <+V2T_Transcription> we will reduce the impact of crashes and halts of simulators.
[10:12] <+V2T_Transcription> There are other things we need to do to viewer beyond crash rates.
[10:12] <+V2T_Transcription> Lag is a big word. It is a lot of behaviors and parts of the system.
[10:12] <+V2T_Transcription> Client and server frame rates
[10:12] <+V2T_Transcription> delays on entering a new situation
[10:12] <+V2T_Transcription> delays in features like chat
[10:13] <+V2T_Transcription> lag is also problems with many people in same area
[10:13] <+V2T_Transcription> you experience that in simulator and in client
[10:13] <+V2T_Transcription> we are attacking that
[10:13] <+V2T_Transcription> We will have performance improvements, system changes, ways you experience the world.
[10:13] <+V2T_Transcription> We aren't just going to address one thing.
[10:13] <+V2T_Transcription> Next week we will have faster delivery of textures.
[10:13] <+V2T_Transcription> That's a down payment on aggressive focus on lag.
[10:14] <+V2T_Transcription> Will make environments load faster.
[10:14] <+V2T_Transcription> Textures are 60% of data when we load a new scene.
[10:14] <+V2T_Transcription> We will rearchitect chat and group chat to separate from simulator functions
[10:14] <+V2T_Transcription> We need low latency
[10:14] <+V2T_Transcription> That's about back to basics.
[10:14] <+V2T_Transcription> We have been great about solving hard technical problems for experiencing VWs.
[10:14] <+V2T_Transcription> Much of the magic here is resident created.
[10:15] <+V2T_Transcription> From LL side, it's software that addresses technical problems in putting many people into a digital world built by them.
[10:15] <+V2T_Transcription> We as a company feel, and there's evidence, we've fallen behind the lead on these technical changes.
[10:15] <+V2T_Transcription> We need to get back in the lead.
[10:15] <+V2T_Transcription> Since we have so many things we need to do, hard tech problems to solve, so many challenges, we need to increase iteration

speed.
[10:15] <+V2T_Transcription> Ability to get community feedback.
[10:16] <+V2T_Transcription> We need to shorten release cycles.
[10:16] <+V2T_Transcription> Industry best practice is short release cycles and build practice around doing that well.
[10:16] <+V2T_Transcription> Iterate, make safe changes, have high quality iterative step in short time, get lots of feedback.
[10:16] <+V2T_Transcription> We will make profound changes throughout the company.
[10:16] <+V2T_Transcription> we will change all systems to allow rapid iteration
[10:16] <+V2T_Transcription> include open process to debate with community
[10:17] <+V2T_Transcription> and within the Lab
[10:17] <+V2T_Transcription> and a short release cycle
[10:17] <+V2T_Transcription> We will shift to openly developing the code
[10:17] <+V2T_Transcription> source code will always be visible as we work on the product
[10:17] <+V2T_Transcription> ** He is pausing to check audio.
[10:17] == sitearm_ [sitearm@adsl-70-240-184-203.dsl.hstntx.swbell.net] has joined #livetranscript
[10:17] <+V2T_Transcription> The second area of focus in getting back into lead is Viewer 2.
[10:17] <+V2T_Transcription> It is a big challenge.
[10:18] <+V2T_Transcription> We want to show how capable we are
[10:18] <+V2T_Transcription> V2 will be at the center of this.
[10:18] <+V2T_Transcription> Many are frustrated with it. I apologize for the frustration
[10:18] <+V2T_Transcription> release of 2.0 seems to have created a product that doesn't completely satisfy needs of any user group
[10:18] <+V2T_Transcription> not new users, not existing user
[10:18] == Lena [Lena@89.86.186.223] has joined #livetranscript
[10:18] <+V2T_Transcription> We are in a tough place.
[10:18] <+V2T_Transcription> With V2, it does contain several big advances
[10:18] <+V2T_Transcription> better rendering
[10:19] <+V2T_Transcription> shared media
[10:19] == Alexia [Alexia@79-74-54-251.dynamic.dsl.as9105.com] has joined #livetranscript
[10:19] <+V2T_Transcription> We don't want to lose access to those tech features.
[10:19] <+V2T_Transcription> We want to make it work for everyone.
[10:19] <+V2T_Transcription> We will focus on making that code base have better performance than anything else we've built.
[10:19] <+V2T_Transcription> we will engage with you differently
[10:19] <+V2T_Transcription> to get us to rapidly iterate
[10:19] <+V2T_Transcription> to address and add capabilities
[10:19] <+V2T_Transcription> so everyone can depend on the viewer
[10:20] <+V2T_Transcription> You will see more notices from product teams.
[10:20] <+V2T_Transcription> we will invite open source community and user community to assist us in production of the viewer
[10:20] <+V2T_Transcription> We will bring community development resources into a short iteration loop
[10:20] <+V2T_Transcription> that will affect main line viewer
[10:20] <+V2T_Transcription> It will affect the viewer, that's a challenge as we win back the tech lead.
[10:20] <+V2T_Transcription> We want it to be the most commonly used viewer.
[10:20] <+V2T_Transcription> We can take comments on this in questions.
[10:21] <+V2T_Transcription> The concept of the biggest economy.
[10:21] <+V2T_Transcription> The virtual economy, not that SL is only about people making money.
[10:21] <+V2T_Transcription> It's not all about selling.
[10:21] <+V2T_Transcription> Fundamentally, SL is a system where we create virtual content and experience it together.
[10:21] <+V2T_Transcription> Success of world builders is the key driver.
[10:21] <+V2T_Transcription> it's beyond the software and tech
[10:21] <+V2T_Transcription> We need you to build world and create content.
[10:21] <+V2T_Transcription> it's hard to measure the success
[10:22] <+V2T_Transcription> One way, we need simple ways to measure progress, is to look at scale of user to user economic transactions.
[10:22] <+V2T_Transcription> Drill down to transactions in market place.
[10:22] <+V2T_Transcription> IT's a top level view even if it's not all about making money.
[10:22] <+V2T_Transcription> if we add a new capability, like mesh, you can ask, is it useful for everyone?
[10:22] <+V2T_Transcription> Look at the economy.
[10:22] <+V2T_Transcription> Some people will use it economically.
[10:23] <+V2T_Transcription> We can tell if we are doing good work by focusing on success of economy.
[10:23] <+V2T_Transcription> This will drive our efforts.
[10:23] <+V2T_Transcription> We will set up many needles around that.
[10:23] <+V2T_Transcription> To watch the success of virtual content creators.
[10:23] == Aztral [Aztral@cpe-76-168-1-89.socal.res.rr.com] has joined #livetranscript
[10:23] <+V2T_Transcription> Near term we will optimize the process by which we try find buy content we consume
[10:23] <+V2T_Transcription> We need to make change here
[10:23] <+V2T_Transcription> Search needs to work well.
[10:23] <+V2T_Transcription> This is from the blogs.
[10:23] <+V2T_Transcription> We've worked on that. We've increased the size of the search team.
[10:23] <+V2T_Transcription> We need to make the process of using content trivial.
[10:24] <+V2T_Transcription> People won't buy goods if they have to find a sandbox to extract the contents and try it on to put on a pair of shoes.
[10:24] <+V2T_Transcription> We will attack that problem head on.
[10:24] <+V2T_Transcription> We will look at economic metrics to measure success.
[10:24] <+V2T_Transcription> we will shift how new users will come into SL
[10:24] <+V2T_Transcription> We will bring them into your locations.
[10:24] <+V2T_Transcription> We will circumvent the welcome area process
[10:25] <+V2T_Transcription> this makes sense because of what is happening in world and our experiments
[10:25] <+V2T_Transcription> there is a lot of content new users can access right now
[10:25] <+V2T_Transcription> it's not about learning the interface
[10:25] <+V2T_Transcription> it's about getting them to people and experiences beyond welcome
[10:25] <+V2T_Transcription> a link to Destination Guide or search on the web should be the starting point for new users
[10:26] <+V2T_Transcription> There will be changes in weeks to welcome islands, community gateways, that will be consistent with this.
[10:26] <+V2T_Transcription> Those 3 basics are our plan.
[10:26] <+V2T_Transcription> we are applying across the board as a filter.
[10:26] <+V2T_Transcription> does what we do fit with this plan?
[10:26] <+V2T_Transcription> we apply to everything we do
[10:26] <+V2T_Transcription> An example that speaks to a broad point, SL Enterprise, we don't know who is using SL.
[10:26] == Mistymay [Mistymay@67.142.164.32] has joined #livetranscript
[10:26] <+V2T_Transcription> We think it is used by educators, those casual users, by people at work.
[10:27] <+V2T_Transcription> What we do with SLE is we're working toward focus on core user experience that affects all users.
[10:27] <+V2T_Transcription> Educators and business are affected by lag, we have to hit those first
[10:27] <+V2T_Transcription> We're stopping work on things that don't impact all users.
[10:27] <+V2T_Transcription> In SLE, we're not trying to move away from use at work, but we aren't going to work on deploy behind fire wall.
[10:27] <+V2T_Transcription> We will work to support them on the main grid.
[10:28] == jbhancroft [jbhancroft@ip70-177-178-59.dc.dc.cox.net] has joined #livetranscript
[10:28] == Latif [Latif_Khal@0308ds1-rdo.0.fullrate.dk] has joined #livetranscript
[10:28] <+V2T_Transcription> Let me respond to threads in blogs and emails before we address questions.
[10:28] == Maddy [Maddy@pool-71-175-232-48.phlapa.east.verizon.net] has joined #livetranscript
[10:28] <+V2T_Transcription> There are a ton of responses to blogs. I've read most of them. I receive emails, and I like them.
[10:28] <+V2T_Transcription> Emails are carefully crafted.
[10:28] <+V2T_Transcription> I can't read everything, but I read a lot.
[10:28] <+V2T_Transcription> Looking through those threads, what do we mean by economy?
[10:28] <+V2T_Transcription> We mean overall, not just land sales or XStreet.
[10:29] <+V2T_Transcription> We need to enhance 2D web based shopping experience.
[10:29] <+V2T_Transcription> You have to optimize finding content in every possible vector.
[10:29] <+V2T_Transcription> Web based shopping metaphor for SL will have impact
[10:29] <+V2T_Transcription> The same changes with RL stores and online shopping is the same issue.
[10:29] <+V2T_Transcription> These things complement each other
[10:29] <+V2T_Transcription> 2D and 3D can complement each other.
[10:29] <+V2T_Transcription> Search- People are frustrated with Search.
[10:30] <+V2T_Transcription> It is an incredibly complicated topic.
[10:30] <+V2T_Transcription> There are concerns and opportunities.
[10:30] <+V2T_Transcription> We have a bunch of new smart people who focus on that day to day.
[10:30] <+V2T_Transcription> We will change it day to day and week to week
[10:30] == Marc_ [Marc@cpc1-ely13-0-0-cust310.cdif.cable.ntl.com] has joined #livetranscript
[10:30] == sitearm_ [sitearm@adsl-70-240-184-203.dsl.hstntx.swbell.net] has quit [Quit: Page closed]
[10:30] <+V2T_Transcription> We want to balance needs of content creators, merchants, and consumers.
[10:30] == sitearm_ [sitearm@adsl-70-240-184-203.dsl.hstntx.swbell.net] has joined #livetranscript
[10:30] <+V2T_Transcription> We need to be careful to maximize economy, success of creators and sellers.
[10:30] <+V2T_Transcription> Region crossing is an impactor of sim performance.
[10:31] <+V2T_Transcription> We have a SCRUM team working on this.
[10:31] <+V2T_Transcription> I want to sail a boat through SL, and TP to busy events.
[10:31] <+V2T_Transcription> We've shifted resources to focus there.
[10:31] <+V2T_Transcription> What's happening with mesh?
[10:31] <+V2T_Transcription> We are excited about its potential in VWs.
[10:31] <+V2T_Transcription> Applying filter of what we are thinking about now, we want to implement it so it has impact, but not negative on frame rate and rez

time.
[10:32] <+V2T_Transcription> We are working with beta users to be sure it doesn't slow down experience.
[10:32] <+V2T_Transcription> I have received messages about accessibility for the disabled.
[10:32] <+V2T_Transcription> There is a benefit to have SL work for that community.
[10:32] <+V2T_Transcription> It will be put on our agenda.
[10:32] <+V2T_Transcription> I
[10:32] == Yay [Yay@g228016038.adsl.alicedsl.de] has joined #livetranscript
[10:32] <+V2T_Transcription> Open Source developers help here too.
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[10:32] <+V2T_Transcription> A comic aside- I will do a makeover for my avatar.
[10:33] <+V2T_Transcription> I am not a good advertisement for content creators of skins and clothing. This is my alter ego.
[10:33] <+V2T_Transcription> I am careful about changes.
[10:33] <+V2T_Transcription> Let me shift to Bob for closing comments before Q&A
[10:33] <+V2T_Transcription> BK- Philip you did a great job summarizing issues.
[10:34] <+V2T_Transcription> As we work together, this is Philip's creation, passion, vision.
[10:34] <+V2T_Transcription> Those are the driving forces.
[10:34] <+V2T_Transcription> We also have to, and I complement him, there are many things going on day to day in producing and deploying software.
[10:34] <+V2T_Transcription> Operations of company, my focus is improvement here.
[10:34] == jdives [jdives@fw.cyberextruder.com] has joined #livetranscript
[10:34] <+V2T_Transcription> We pair up and work on how to do this all effectively.
[10:34] <+V2T_Transcription> WL- Thanks Bob, Philip, those listening.
[10:35] <+V2T_Transcription> I've never moderated and I'm impressed by the questions.
[10:35] <+V2T_Transcription> A question for Philip that people have been asking about in the first half of this year: We're happy you're back. Can you go back to

the original version of SL? It's not Facebook. what can you say about that?
[10:36] <+V2T_Transcription> PL- We need to recognize that SL is not a social network like Facebook is.
[10:36] <+V2T_Transcription> That is a good comment about our direction.
[10:36] <+V2T_Transcription> That is true.
[10:36] <+V2T_Transcription> SL is an immersive high-presence, profound impactful experience.
[10:36] <+V2T_Transcription> You submerge yourself.
[10:36] <+V2T_Transcription> Our focus will be to maximize quality and completeness of the experience.
[10:37] <+V2T_Transcription> RE: social networking, we need to enable people to connect with each other
[10:37] <+V2T_Transcription> bring people into SL
[10:37] <+V2T_Transcription> Bob and I were talking about iterative approach. User growth, new people coming in, we need to make that happen regularly. That is

part of the feedback loop that we're doing the right work.
[10:37] <+V2T_Transcription> People look at social efforts, acquisition, as unnecessary. Why not work on the system?
[10:38] <+V2T_Transcription> We need to get the million + 1 person to tell us we are doing well.
[10:38] <+V2T_Transcription> WL- Questions about the roadmap from 2 angles.
[10:38] == null [null@135.207.174.50] has joined #livetranscript
[10:38] <+V2T_Transcription> Specific features that feed into fast easy fun direction.
[10:38] == AlexShep [AlexShep@95.238.54.97] has joined #livetranscript
[10:38] <+V2T_Transcription> Are there things like SLE that we will hear, and when will we hear about that?
[10:38] <+V2T_Transcription> PL- Strategy message I won't give specific SL changes right now on our product backlog.
[10:39] == Eme [Eme@adsl-75-55-116-217.dsl.austtx.sbcglobal.net] has joined #livetranscript
[10:39] <+V2T_Transcription> I will say that as Bob said we will enage in bidirectional conversation with community as we move forward.
[10:39] <+V2T_Transcription> We will lead with messaging like this
[10:39] <+V2T_Transcription> Then product leadership and teams will message to you directly about what they are doing.
[10:39] <+V2T_Transcription> You will see that coming next week and later.
[10:39] <+V2T_Transcription> Watch for specific messages.
[10:39] <+V2T_Transcription> Bob and I can't success at scale of SL today by announcing and micromanaging the work.
[10:40] <+V2T_Transcription> WL- Thanks. I am juggling lots of questions.
[10:40] <+V2T_Transcription> A vision question- If you were to do it over, what would you do differently?
[10:40] <+V2T_Transcription> PL- I've been asked that a lot.
[10:40] <+V2T_Transcription> There are lots of things like that.
[10:40] <+V2T_Transcription> An observation about the system, given the complexity of SL, it's hard to say what the effect would be of doing things differently. It's

the butterfly effect.
[10:41] <+V2T_Transcription> It's hard to say. We've done many things well.
[10:41] <+V2T_Transcription> To deliver highest quality and completeness before moving on.
[10:41] <+V2T_Transcription> We should ask if it works for everyone. Are we done? If we'd said "no" internally, it would have been easier to fix things then.
[10:41] <+V2T_Transcription> I would have done that differently.
[10:42] <+V2T_Transcription> WL- Question about what goes on inworld. The direction of fast easy fun.
[10:42] <+V2T_Transcription> Doesn't fast easy fun miss a sense of meaning, that sets SL apart from other social media and other 3D worlds?
[10:42] <+V2T_Transcription> PL- That's a fair point.
[10:42] <+V2T_Transcription> This is our company's effort over the next few quarters.
[10:42] <+V2T_Transcription> We won't change nature of product or depth of experience in SL.
[10:42] <+V2T_Transcription> We haven't been able to message a terse characterization of what we are doing.
[10:43] <+V2T_Transcription> People worry about our statements mean we will change the capability set of SL
[10:43] <+V2T_Transcription> We won't
[10:43] <+V2T_Transcription> Fast easy fun relates to doing things as a new or existing user.
[10:43] <+V2T_Transcription> Do we need group chat to make things work well? Are these features fast easy fun now?
[10:43] <+V2T_Transcription> it's not
[10:43] <+V2T_Transcription> we don't want to change depth of system
[10:43] <+V2T_Transcription> we want to make system fast easy fun
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[10:44] == Maddy [Maddy@pool-71-175-232-48.phlapa.east.verizon.net] has left #livetranscript []
[10:44] <+V2T_Transcription> we won't subtract capabilities but add speed and elegance to what is there
[10:44] <+V2T_Transcription> WL- I think we've addressed this at high level. There were a couple of questions about plans to make SL into a multiplatform

experience.
[10:44] <+V2T_Transcription> Will we access from mobile device?
[10:45] <+V2T_Transcription> PL- SL is at its core a special deep 3D immersive experience that is different than anything else on the web
[10:45] <+V2T_Transcription> When we think about expanding to browser and mobile platforms, you need to take this experience to those platforms.
[10:45] <+V2T_Transcription> Browser 3D experience is coming in a few years.
[10:45] <+V2T_Transcription> It is difficult to make a 3D immersive experience in a browser in the near term.
[10:46] <+V2T_Transcription> we have a couple of people looking at how that will happen in the future
[10:46] == jdives [jdives@fw.cyberextruder.com] has quit [Quit: Page closed]
[10:46] <+V2T_Transcription> Now we will make the existing platform, client, server work well
[10:46] <+V2T_Transcription> Same goes for mobile.
[10:46] <+V2T_Transcription> Mobile platforms haven't shown us how to deliver the immersive experience.
[10:47] == Marc_ [Marc@cpc1-ely13-0-0-cust310.cdif.cable.ntl.com] has left #livetranscript []
[10:47] <+V2T_Transcription> WL- To take this further, how will fast easy fun benefit speciic communities like education, business, handicapped?
[10:47] <+V2T_Transcription> PL- Our goal is to look at core improvement that will affect all users roughly equivalently.
[10:48] <+V2T_Transcription> For educators, there are many who have done amazing things, but not successful at getting other teachers to come in. It's hard for

them to log in for the first time to get to that point of capability.
[10:48] <+V2T_Transcription> That is an example of how making new user experience fast easy fun will benefit all communities.
[10:48] <+V2T_Transcription> All communities are impacted by new user experiences.
[10:48] <+V2T_Transcription> we want to facilitate everyone on the main grid- educators, business, content developers, consumers
[10:48] == Mouse [Mouse@24.121.146.68] has joined #livetranscript
[10:48] <+V2T_Transcription> If that challenges our feature set, you will see us doing that.
[10:49] == Ceorl [Guest89798@c-98-217-97-118.hsd1.ma.comcast.net] has joined #livetranscript
[10:49] <+V2T_Transcription> WL- There is a community that wants to know about fast easy fun for market place. The new market place.
[10:49] <+V2T_Transcription> For those doing business in SL. Can you talk about the roadmap?
[10:50] <+V2T_Transcription> PL- If you find and buy content, it's desireable to try it. If you want to wear/build/use in world, it is difficult. The way it is delivered to

inventory is difficult.
[10:50] <+V2T_Transcription> Shopping at end stage you can't actually get the content into world onto avatar in a fun way.
[10:50] <+V2T_Transcription> That is an example.
[10:50] <+V2T_Transcription> WL- There is an interesting personal question for Philip.
[10:50] <+V2T_Transcription> What blogs do you read on a daily basis.
[10:50] <+V2T_Transcription> PL- There is so much info generated, that's hard to answer.
[10:50] <+V2T_Transcription> Long ago I used to look at slash dot.
[10:51] <+V2T_Transcription> As we became more mainstream, I looked at the more popular ones. I don't want to name one. I enjoy reading or am helped by

reading many blogs.
[10:51] <+V2T_Transcription> There are top level news stories that are a summary by someone not in SL regularly.
[10:51] <+V2T_Transcription> I am heads down on product, how we make things work better.
[10:51] <+V2T_Transcription> Mostly, we know what the strategy is.
[10:51] <+V2T_Transcription> I don't know how much reading news helps me.
[10:52] <+V2T_Transcription> I am more biased to keep your head down and stay on target.
[10:52] <+V2T_Transcription> WL- I want to pass that question to you also.
[10:52] <+V2T_Transcription> BK- I am similar to Philip. There is so much going on, I have my head down a lot.
[10:52] <+V2T_Transcription> I read broad tech publications.
[10:52] <+V2T_Transcription> Tech Crunch to social networking to what's going on in mobile tech space
[10:52] <+V2T_Transcription> to stay up to speed on it all
[10:53] <+V2T_Transcription> I find that spending time in LL working on issues and time with my young family, several children, I don't spend as much time on

those things as I'd like to.
[10:53] <+V2T_Transcription> WL- A question I'd meant to weave in about Open Source and how it will be factored into the Lab strategy.
[10:53] == Eme [Eme@adsl-75-55-116-217.dsl.austtx.sbcglobal.net] has quit [Quit: Page closed]
[10:53] <+V2T_Transcription> PL- Let me answer and combine with thread in local audience text.
[10:54] == Lev [Lev@87-205-154-77.adsl.inetia.pl] has quit [Quit: Page closed]
[10:54] <+V2T_Transcription> On the open source side, we will focus on focusing on things we need done in production viewer.
[10:54] <+V2T_Transcription> You will see details shortly.
[10:54] <+V2T_Transcription> The call to action will change the way we interact with open source community to focus on improving 2.1 client.
[10:54] <+V2T_Transcription> We will increase impact of open source work
[10:54] == Lev [Lev@87-205-154-77.adsl.inetia.pl] has quit [Quit: Page closed]
[10:54] <+V2T_Transcription> On the open source side, we will focus on focusing on things we need done in production viewer.
[10:54] <+V2T_Transcription> You will see details shortly.
[10:54] <+V2T_Transcription> The call to action will change the way we interact with open source community to focus on improving 2.1 client.
[10:54] <+V2T_Transcription> We will increase impact of open source work
[10:54] <+V2T_Transcription> A piece will be our efforts to create infrastructure
[10:55] <+V2T_Transcription> We hope community will work with us.
[10:55] == Mistymay [Mistymay@67.142.164.32] has quit [Ping timeout: 180 seconds]
[10:55] <+V2T_Transcription> I hadn't commented on making V2 work for new users
[10:55] <+V2T_Transcription> and experienced users
[10:55] <+V2T_Transcription> this is a binary split
[10:55] <+V2T_Transcription> When you are in build mode your needs are different than a new user.
[10:56] <+V2T_Transcription> we are thinking about how to iterate week to week to add capabilities for power builders and separate them from capabilities needed by first time user who needs to get clothes on and walk around
[10:56] <+V2T_Transcription> The user experience is different, and may be separable.
[10:56] <+V2T_Transcription> We aren't going to create a single inbetween user experience that works for both.
[10:56] <+V2T_Transcription> I don't think that's possible
[10:56] <+V2T_Transcription> We aren't going to build 2 different code bases. That is too costly.
[10:56] <+V2T_Transcription> We can move faster with a shared code base.
[10:57] <+V2T_Transcription> WL- One last question. Happy Philip is back. Are you back for the long term?
[10:57] <+V2T_Transcription> PL- I am interim CEO. The management is completely focused on putting our heads into product/user experience challenges.
[10:57] <+V2T_Transcription> To get SL headed in the right direction.
[10:57] <+V2T_Transcription> We've not begun the process of selecting the long term CEO.
[10:57] <+V2T_Transcription> I am here full time and enjoy my work here.
[10:58] == LVLustre [LVLustre@blk-142-34-250.eastlink.ca] has quit [Quit: Page closed]
[10:58] <+V2T_Transcription> WL- Thanks. There have been a lot of questions about specifics of road map. You will hear more from product leads.
[10:58] == Mistymay [Mistymay@67.142.164.32] has joined #livetranscript
[10:58] <+V2T_Transcription> Look for blog posts.
[10:58] <+V2T_Transcription> Philip, what are we looking for from residents?
[10:58] <+V2T_Transcription> PL- This is the beginning of an enhanced conversation. A search for the right way to be highly interactive and communicative bidirectionally.
[10:58] <+V2T_Transcription> This type of forum can't be sufficient.
[10:59] <+V2T_Transcription> It is timely and necessary.
[10:59] <+V2T_Transcription> We will look at all ways to communicate with SL users to help us work better.
[10:59] <+V2T_Transcription> We will have follow up conversations and interviews.
[10:59] <+V2T_Transcription> Send us ideas.
[10:59] <+V2T_Transcription> This format is great but doesn't address all interactions we'd like to have.
[10:59] <+V2T_Transcription> I can't sit here for 8 hours and talk to people individually
[10:59] <+V2T_Transcription> We need to balance outreach with time spent.
[11:00] <+V2T_Transcription> I don't have 8 hours free. We all have fundamental limit of time.
[11:00] == Mryva [Mryva@host110-13-static.34-79-b.business.telecomitalia.it] has joined #livetranscript
[11:00] <+V2T_Transcription> I spend time other than this communication process. But we will do more in that direction.
[11:00] <+V2T_Transcription> WL- Thanks to Philip and Bk and everyone inworld.
[11:00] <+V2T_Transcription> We will call it a meeting and see you next time.


 
Watching the townhall.


 
This morning at 5:55

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This time it seems to've stuck, thank G'al.
Sailing the H7 Seas on Wednesday


 
From Letterheady, Harpo's letterhead



29 July 2010

 
I mean, what can lie behind that kind of thing? It makes no sense. The only possible answer besides the crackpot "study" theory is that the people in charge have complete and utter hubris, discount everything users say as being from idiots, and don't use SL in anything other than a very limited, company employee fashion. I HATE thinking that. But WTF?

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This is the type of thing that makes me feel uncomfortably like SL is not really a virtual world but is instead some strange long-term sociology study.

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I don't indulge, however the "war against drugs" is ludicrous and destructive, and makes just about everything worse.


 
On the Philip meeting blogpost of the official LL blog a commentor said:

"Might I ask if SL would please not forget the 'little' merchants, I have a 4086 plot that I have had my business on for a good while and have slowly built it up into a business that now covers my Tiers and other costs, so at this point I would like to expand and buy more land so I may gain more prim's to expand my business (House Sales) However, and this is the crunch that has stopped me for a long time in expanding.

The current rules mean that to purchase more land places me in a much higher tier group, which means I will end up paying for land I don't own !! can the Tiers not be charged relevant to the amount of land owned? this way I will be able to cover tiers and continue to grow within the constraints of money available, who knows one day I might even have a sim ? before all the others jump in and say about buying a sim or just taking more land like they have done, fine on them, BUT not everybody has a lot of money to spend and unless I am able to pay my way then it is just not going to happen, and I know I am not the only one in this position, many businesses do not expand purely for the sole reason that they cannot afford to, so how about it Philip ?? a little help goes a long way and it would help a lot of people in business to expand and of course at the same time continue to help Linden to grow too."

That was asked at a townhall in 2005 and I remember Philip saying tier needed greater granularity (which of course didn't happen). I wonder if this is out of the question at least at the moment, or might fall into the new scheme of pleasing customers.



28 July 2010

 
Dear BK Linden,

Please change your name, especially
if you are headed for Philip's seat.
You don't have to be Bob Linden, but
you could be. Or something a bit more
interesting. Just not letters.

Your friend (possibly),
Osprey Therian

*Friend status dependant upon name change.

Besides everything else I don't want to think of Burger King every time I read about you.


 
My fave comment about this painting over on SCmkII:
Envoy Costagravas: It is good to see Thomas Kinkade branching out.

Update: Ooh, whoda thunk it???



 

For some reason I keep thinking about Thee Headcoats and so here's the Buff Medways.


 
Erk 8(

I was closing the *new* door and did double-take when I saw what was on the wall next to the first landing. A HUGE spider - and not one of the house's usual giant house spiders (official name) but the weird black kind that are asymetrical in their stance in their webs (they look exactly like decayed leaf skeletons rolled up and tattered), and which I'd never seen before about five years ago. I've never seen one this big - it was a bit sick-making, as I knew I had to creep down the stairs and kill it where it rested. It was big. :((((((( I killed it. It left a dribble of spider blood on the wall and I left it on the carpet because sufficient unto the day is my motto.

/me tries to think of something else.

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27 July 2010

 
When LL bought XSTSL and rolled out their roadmap announcing charges for listings (particularly unwelcome for free products, many of which were in the nature of generous gifts to the community) I just pulled all my things off that shopping site (which I had never been happy about or used much anyway because of its history of strife). Most of my things were in the "stale" category, anyway (although I still get IMs about my clothing). Now I don't pay much attention to it, but was moved to go to its successor today as I'd read all kinds of things about it (including that the Freebies Roadmap was scrapped). I bought something for 10L, and took possession of a freebie.

The biggest blight to me was always that identical products in 100 different tints had separate listings. That's the same. It doesn't really look any different to me but then I don't go there often, and if I do it's to find something to check out inworld - which it really is useful for.

I had heard the absolutely unimaginable proclamation that images all needed to be a different size - I can't even imagine the number of man-hours that needless change would require. Not sure if that is still a sword held aloft or not since I don't use it now.

Why am I writing thing? I'm not sure.
What a huge difference a few years can make.


 

To me the interesting part of this is the idea of Life being significant in Time.


 
Today

Yesterday:

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I've been using V2 since it came out for just two reasons:

1) I don't want a Tower of Babel effect where I can't help Ambat noobs because I don't use the same interface
2) SOMEONE, no matter how much it hurts them, needs to use V2 for machinima and point out the difficulties

My machinima output has gone down because I have to fight the UI, and I'm the only person I know who persists in using V2 when making machinima. Contrary to what you may think I don't use it because it's fine for me - it hurts a lot when it comes to filming - I use it because the flaws can only come to light if someone uses the damnable thing.

The FIRST DAY (and during the first five minutes I used it) it was out I pointed out to Blue that the UI didn't suppress. The fact that V2 was sent into beta with that absolutely glaring and obvious flaw is distressing. I've come to the conclusion that LL needs to identify a few major groups which have specific UI requirements and do focused betatesting with those groups and listen to the results.

The UI suppresses, now, which is great. My workarounds were a PITA, so I'm glad not to need them now, however due the way V2 handles itself, which is different from former viewers, there are other issues. My jira of yesterday points out that open animations can no longer be turned on and off when the UI is suppressed. I waited and waited to make that jira because I knew LL has a lot on its plate at the moment, however yesterday my frustration welled up.

As far as major groups with specific UI requirements, please leave your suggestions in the comments. I am only interested for myself and hold no delusions that LL care what I'm thinking about. A couple of groups I think use the UI in very specific ways are:
  • Machinimatographers (incl WindLight, animations, flycam, UI suppression, UI sizing)
  • Landlords (since it incl everything Group managers use and more maybe that last category should be removed)
  • Photographers (incl snapshots, animations, WindLight)
  • Group managers (incl notices, group chat, sharing permissions)
Suggest more and I'll add them if I think they are sufficiently narrow and specific in focus as well as major in terms of importance.



26 July 2010

 
Another Osprey jira issue that no one else cares about:
http://jira.secondlife.com/browse/VWR-20443


 

Suddenly I realised what a fool I was for searching for Saint HeadBurro! How ridiculous! Obviously I was barking up the wrong tree with that one, but here's Saint Antfarm :-D


 
This Will Be Epic*
According to reports the Oregon branch of the Tea Party has purloined 4chan's "Anonymous" slogan. /me pops corn.
* Well, I hope so, anyway.


 
Philip is, true to his word, going to have an inworld meeting with SL customers, but to attend one needs to fill out a form then hope to "win" a spot in a drawing. It's hard to imagine how else would be better to do it, because things are so lop-sided (lots of people want to attend, few people can attend because of the limitations of sims to bear numbers of avatars, even besides the chaos factor). It points up a crucial failing that limits the use of SL for mass entertainment and busy business and education uses, although for many purposes the avatar limit is fine.

I'm happier since giving up attempts to put on live entertainment, as we just never knew what was going to happen, especially in the last year of performing. Although a lot of that woe was caused by a bad and unpredicted combination of mono-compiled scripted attachments issuing a one-two punch to the sim when avatars TPed in or out, there is an avatar sim cap that is well under a hundred.

I remember eons ago a pile-on called on the preview grid to test new server software that enabled the avatar limit to be raised until the pile of green dots reached almost to the moon - at least a hundred people. That must've been before ungodly scripted attachments were usual, pre- everything else, too. It's horrible that A) it was impossible to know how important limits would be, B) what people would do in their limit-pushing in their desire for fashion and money would be so extreme (i.e. avatars routinely wearing 300 scripts or more as copybot-paranoid shoe and hairmakers load their no-mod wares with badly scripted resizers), and C) the much-needed relief expected from the inclusion of mono has instead caused a new set of troubles that will only be eased when mono itself revises and SL can move to that new version.

There was no way to predict these things, and it seems SL is in a very difficult moment (I hope it's just a moment) that may melt like spring snow if a few things resolve and hardware/bandwidth takes another step up. Then again, everything in the world is somewhat in disarray at the moment (well, for the bottom 99% of us, anyway), so as usual there's no way to predict what will happen. I see great value in what SL has to offer, and I'm glad Philip is a calming presence. I have no clue what the future brings, or how LL is directing their energy, but two things are clear: Second life has a passionate and engaged customer base even after all the garbage LL has hurled at us over the years, and every alternate virtual wortld must deal with the same global difficulties. If we can get past this rocky patch the future may widen again and the way may be clear.



25 July 2010

 
Hot, and the air is filled with high-pitched childish squeals from dawn to dusk. There are ducks directly below me, and they seem unbothered by the bazillion boaters, jetskiers, canoists, waterskiers, innertubers, swimmers, and dog swimmer/barker/lifeguarders that are all violently and loudly employed in recreating themselves.

I can't sleep lately and got up at 6 am, which is... TOO DAMNED EARLY.


 
I should say I looked for Saint HeadBurro and the others but sadly I found them not.



24 July 2010

 
Adventure Thursday
With Enj 'n' Os


 
Saints Lucy, Ida, Helena, and Bibiana

I wasn't raised with religion so it's all just a source of imagery and cool stories to me. I liked the saint cards schoolmates would occasionally show me, and anything I know about religion has been learned through an interest in art. I even like the Watchtower's art, and I have a tiny comic of a man who goes to Hell then somehow doesn't and starts to live a Godly existence. Cool beans.

Saint Lucy and Her Eyeballs
Anything involving eyes is bad. Yesterday I heard about a woman who went outside to see what all the noise was, and was struck in the eyeball by a stray bullet fired randomly, dying instantly.

My mum, although not Catholic, had been sent to a convent boarding school, so was full of information about saints, which I always liked quite a bit. Her mother was Mummy Barbara, and she hated her name, although not because of St Barbara and her tower. Catherine had a wheel (ugh), Sebastian was pincushioned with arrows, Cecilia was the patron saint of musicians, St Agatha carried her breasts on a plate.

Saint Bibiana, who was flogged to death with a lead-weighted scourge
"Are we having fun yet?"

I knew Saint Bibiana and Saint Lucy, but was moved to see "who else" had saints. Enjah gets Saint Helena, who is associated with the True Cross (and nails... she was somewhat suspiciously adept at finding things), and there's a Saint Ida I didn't know about, whose "side was consumed by a beetle which eventually grew to the size of a pig." Helena's day is 21 May, not far from Enj's birthday.

Saint Helena and the Cross
"And over here I found Jimmy Hoffa."

And don't say "some of those are ex-saints" since, as I didn't believe in it anyway nothing changed for me way back when they rather rudely excised a number of perfectly serviceable saints.

Saint Ida with something that would fit in my collection of tiny things that look like houses (I'm obsessed with "home").
Patron saint of estate agents


 

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23 July 2010

 

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Clouds and Sparkles

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I had a doctor appointment this morning at 10:30. I never go to the doctor but they rounded me up a couple of months ago. I had printed out information on CCSVI and quercetin, and a couple of other things, and explained my interest in these things. I did the pee-in-a-cup, have-blood-drawn, and whatnot. He wants me to see a neurologist to discuss the CCSVI, and also have a mammogram, and he says he'll ring up about the quercetin. After an hour and a half I was declared quite healthy except for being totally effed up with m.s.* I like him, actually.
Me: Medicare is evil.
Him: It's because the government is evil.
I have him trained to expect me to refuse things, but he was happy that I followed through on what I'd agreed to. I really only agree to things that make sense to me.
Him: OMG! Someone did what I said!
Me: Heh.
I hate the idea of seeing a neuro, since they are negativity carriers, but I'll try to tough it out because I have a reason for going. There has never been a reason to go in the past X years as there was nothing at all for the type of m.s. I have. Well, they put people on expensive drugs that don't work (especially for P-P), but I don't have any money and I can't do medicines anyway. This is the first glimmer of anything useful.

* The operation was a success but the patient died.



22 July 2010

 
I believe every place with a zoo or other type of hyena population should have a designated group of people with guns whose task it is, once society has failed and the power grid has gone down, to kill the hyenas. That should be concern number one.

Potential blockbuster movie plot:

Zombies attack, people hide in a zoo, and after numerous close calls and scary whatsits make a trap that lures the zombies into the hyena pen, and a gigundo hyena/zombie fight ensues, which the hyenas win. Then something horrifying like zombie hyenas happens.

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Ugh, my trizzities have been going out periodically all summer, and when it comes on again there is no net for a while until the power level is restored. I was in the middle of typing a very long response to Dove on H-A, and BLAM POW! or my accurately, *electrical devices exhale and stop then dead silence reigns* and there's a tweet from the smoke alarm to demonstrate its battery is working. That was a hour or so ago.

I don't know what's causing it. I would've gone outside to read my book* except it was grey, cool, and quite windy (certain amount of sunshine is happening right now, but it isn't what I would call warm). Instead I read my book inside, emptied the dishwasher, and poked my Combat Cards a little bit.

* I'm reading Wanderlust again because I put it down a couple of years ago nearly at the end, then picked it up the other day, finished it and just circled around to the front and started over again.

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Scarred For Life
*recounting old phys-ed nightmares*

This is identical to the first gymsuit I was required to wear. It was the Sixties, and we had to wear bloomers and play (ugh) lacrosse, (ugh) hockey, (ugh) tennis, and other games involving heavy wooden implements muscular sportive girls wielded as weapons. *rubs her shins* Those hockey-mad girls were dangerous. We didn't like the horrible woven-leather lacrosse stick cradles, as the leather still had hair on it :-( I don't actually remember the ball at all. Was it wooden or a pig's bladder or a kitten's head or something?*

I liked the trampoline (later we'd be tripping in gym class while jumping around on the trampoline, which might possibly've been dangerous, dunno). I like dodge ball. I didn't mind the horse and the balance beam and parallel bars so much, but I don't remember being overly enthusiastic about having to climb up big, fat ropes to the ceiling.

What else did we do... oh, softball, basketball. And had to take communal showers and be ticked off a clipboarded list by whatever evil gymteacher was in charge. If you had your period you could explain, then be allowed to shower in a single-person shower. The gymsuits were *hhhhhhhorribleeeeeeeee* although the more worldy little girls managed to get suits that were not 4 sizes too large (they were cut somewhat giganto to allow for greater unattractiveness which was how world order was kept). After the bloomers we took a leap forward and had gymsuits that had the same elastised bloomer legs but had built-in shorts over them. All this, and we had to wear skirts to school, too.

Anyway, I spent every free hour on the back of a horse, so all my muscles had sort of developed the opposite to what those sports needed. It wasn't like I didn't get enough exercise; I drove myself into the ground with overwork when I was what - 16 or 14 or something and wound up in bed for 6 months. I was always good at school (until I deliberately wasn't) but I hated it, and with good reason.

* Oh that reminds me of having a frozen cat dropped in front of me, which I was told I would be having to dissect. I solved that little problem by not going to school until the danger was passed. Science was ok, what with all the scope for mayhem, and evens physics was not too awful (although by that time I was not interested in being a good student as there was too much social unrest).

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21 July 2010

 


Everlasting Moments is a very enjoyable Swedish film based on the writer's family, and focusing on Maria, a labourer's wife, who discovers in herself a talent for photography. I'm surprised so much is made of the husband's "brutality" since he was fairly typical of that time and social strata. Indeed there are plenty of husbands today who are worse, without the excuse of living in unenlightened times.

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As pointed out by Dakota on SCmkII.
Astonomers Discover Jumborrific Star

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20 July 2010

 


Julie & Julia
As far as I was concerned the movie would've been improved if they'd left out the "Julie" part. Maybe the blog was interesting in itself, but as fodder for a film the story of the blog author was trite. Meryl Streep, on the other hand, lit up the screen as Julia Child. When Julia met her penpal of eight years at the train station I had to run and find Enjah, as it was exactly what we had just done on Friday, meeting "in real" after six years online friendship.

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The Maid has worked for a family for twenty years, and has nothing else in her life but pride that "the children adore me." If she repeats it enough she might even believe it.

I enjoyed this Chilean character study for its superb acting.

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Raglan Tree in Inworldz
Originally uploaded by Vivian Oblivion

Raglan Tree in Inworldz
Last time I saw it was pre-texturing, so there's a big difference now - it's lovely :-D




19 July 2010

 
Composite animals on A Journey Round My Skull



18 July 2010

 
Ask and Ye Shall Receive
pictures of moth flights
Komuso took this picture, the rest are by me.
Setting out.
Laying dwell eggs.
Lighting on a build.



17 July 2010

 
Moths

Back in, oh, 2005 I suppose it was, when the northern landmass was discovered by Magellan, we all swooned to see the moth temple for the first time. Xenon was truly an inspired builder, and the exotic abandoned builds hinted at a backstory that residents could knit together from the fragmentary evidence. Prokofy created a group that was intended for a cheerful, fun events beginning at the temple, and ranging wherever the whim drew the group of fliers as they looked for likely places to lay "dwell eggs." :-D In those days the number of avatars and the time they spent on a parcel directly benefited the landowner, so a group flitting in from nowhere was welcome.*

I joined the group (read about it on the forum, perhaps - I don't remember) and immediately made a moth avatar for everyone to wear. Prokofy was imaginative and had us first make sacrifices to the cruel god of autoreturn, then we flew around, coming to rest a few times if we spotted a landowner we could talk to, or saw a nice-looking roof to perch upon. It was fun, although I don't remember how long it went on - I think I went four or five times. A group of moths looked very, very good as it flew about - I loved that.

That's why I fly around every so often, and always on my rezday. This year I attracted some attention and a couple of onlookers hovered nearby, probably thinking, "WTF?" or "LOL WUT?"

* Unlike now when landowners favour gated (or orbed, really) communities.



16 July 2010

 
Strange. I'm now being followed on Twitter by The Wiggles.


 
Feelers wo wo wo

Enj brought a kewl moth feeler project (headband + leaf skeleton + superglue) so we could be moths in RL, just as in SL :-D

It was a visit full of great fun - thank you Enj and Nod for visiting!



15 July 2010

 
New Zealand: Software unpatentable



14 July 2010

 
Havok7
LL is giving 1.40 server version another go starting on Tuesday, and I hope this time is a charm.

/me crosses her fingers and leaps into Mt G'al.



13 July 2010

 
Wow.


I'm certainly late hearing about this particular thing, but what startled me was the cloud-mind part. I immediately thought of Philip and his project. Watching this, I wondered who would be interested in it as a game, but I think what we are seeing is the beginnings of useful AI that will end up in our world as robots, not just images on a screen.

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12 July 2010

 
Visitors

I'm lucky enough to have friends who've stuck with me and three who try to keep me alive by visiting. That's quite a big deal considering how antisocial I've become; they expend quite a bit of energy on my behalf and for scant thanks, too.

SJ drives hours to come here when she can, and not only does she do a million chores that I find near-impossible, but she bring all kinds of delicacies that sustain me in soul as much as in body.

A couple of times a month Tiff drives miles in the wrong direction after a full workday to bring news, company, takeaway, and frequently a box of whatever she decides looks good in the market. At one time she was my boss - that's amazing, in a way. We used to do little book projects together of one sort or another, but I can't say I contribute much to the mix these days.

Enjah is a constant virtual companion - except not this week. A generous spirit who usually feeds my soul with laughter on a daily basis, she's visiting here in person on Friday - and I'm quite excited. She'll be only the third internet friend I've met. Are you freezing, Enj?

I'd like to officially say "Thank you," to all three.

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This absorbing documentary asks us to twist our usual way of thinking about plants around and see their movement across time, space, and human history in a new way.

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I hadn't shot anything with my camera for ten years, but got the urge to drag it outside today. Almost impossible with one hand, but there it is.

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Up at 6 as a cold wind blew through the house making my teeth chatter.



11 July 2010

 

DSC06471
Originally uploaded by Vivian Oblivion

Out the window just now.
Strange two-tone clouds. Cold enough for a jacket.




10 July 2010

 
???

[22:42] Random Shelter: [22:41] Advertiser: 2
[22:41] Advertiser: 2
[22:41] Advertiser: 2
[22:41] Advertiser: 2

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Electric Highway

Washington State has a project that will place charging stations along Interstate-5.



09 July 2010

 

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Effing Nedfligs

I have trouble getting DVDs that I like from Netflix. Everything I like is in "watch now." For instance, the DVD I'm "watching" (interpreted loosely) must've been sent to me by mistake. I think it's a training film mislabeled, as it could be subtitled 101 Scenes to Avoid in Film-Making, or Film-Making: Illustrated Pitfalls, or just Bad Film-Making Examples. Its real title is Legend of 1900. I should avoid all films with "legend" in the title (Legend of the Fall was horrible, but 1900 was great! Who can forget the opening with the jester staggering along the road crying out that Guiseppe Verdi had died?).

Netflix thinks I'm sentimental, which I'm not. I don't at all shy from emotion as demanded by a well-written story, but manipulative garbage-y tripe is... uh... garbage-y tripe. I like documentaries A Lot, and most docs end up in Watch Now sooner rather than later, so I am probably one of the few with this issue. Sometimes I search for an hour then give up in exhaustion. I had a cunning plan to order the films that had been played for the Oly Film Society, but alas, those effing flicks are never to be had.

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"If I could walk that way I wouldn't need talcum powder."

It was a mere 92F today, which is five degrees cooler than yesterday. Although heat makes neurological symptoms much worse, which can even result in a permanent net loss, I haven't been as bothered since (no wonder) I allllmost stopped eating a year and some months ago. Although it just makes one more aspect of life that's gone, it really makes sense to be smaller as my strength ebbs.

So, I've been wanting some heat, for reasons I won't go into, and have been worshiping the sun these past few days. I boo-booed slightly yesterday by lolling on the balcony in the sun for more than an hours with my left foot on the railing and my right foot on the deck. The deck which I subsequently discovered when I rose to leave, was too hot to touch. "What is that delightful smell - someone must be having a luau!" For anyone who says, "Couldn't you feel it was hot?" I refer you to the title of this post.

Resolutely abiding by the power of Positive Thinking (look away, Candide!) I decided burning the bejesus out of my foot might be a hitherto undiscovered cure. Speaking of Candide, I formed a new Theory To Explain Things That Make No Sense the other day when we were talking. It goes like this: Humans are just intelligent enough to be highly dangerous, and not nearly enough to be wise, so Nature (or whatever primal force you like) has started Protective Devolution, which is rapidly de-intelligenting the human race for the safety of the Universe. Can there be any other explanation?

 

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I want to ask for thoughts about improving the world -- what do people need? How can things be organised?