2011 - Art Year In Review

Despite having a completely-disrupted year and 6 months of hospital hell/enforced medication addiction, I was able to do some pieces this year I am happy with:


1. Commodity

When the Industrial Era began, it broke the connection between kinship and trust and began the perceptual shift of people as commodities to be used rather than human beings/resources. Datamining accelerates this process where people are dehumanized into aggregated sales data, market segments and things. I don't like this trend; it makes it that much easier to dismiss real human problems by abstracting them into some mental marketing model.

Commodity was done to point out the conflict between person as object and as human & to engage dialogue about the marketing/selling of artists. The dreams concealed in each part were very deep fears, wishes, hopes and yearnings of mine and I sold these intimate parts of myself in order to contribute to the UWA artist's prize pool. I really was astonished by the speed of the reaction to this piece.


2. For Your Viewing Pleasure

Involving the issues of art curatorship and accessibility as well as the problem of encouraging interaction with virtual art when people have been trained all their lives to be "hands off!" on artwork; the reality of a media culture where curators and institutions claim ignorance of their confederate role as perception & attention manipulators.


3. Prime Radiant/Chroma

Both pieces explored my love of the color palette & transparency of the pure light of a computer screen along with the problem of translating the CYMK [print] color model to RGB [screen] and mixing colors in light.


4. Daddy (for Sylvia)

This piece was a great break for me, as it was created in 3D from the memory of a painting I did at 16 and had forgotten. Plath's work touched me in deep places and has affected me my whole life. Daddy gathered many strong personal reactions from people.


5. Theatre of War

"War is entertainment" they say, and in these days of video-game-like rocket launches, remote Predator drones, breathless semi-pornographic weapons summaries on the mainstream media channels, it only seems more so; dehumanizing war and contributing to our alienation - it's easier to kill someone when they are just a blip on a screen and not a human being.


6. Time Considered As A Helix Of Semiprecious Stones

Another light-piece encouraging "slowing down" & working with overlapping transparencies mixing and blending RGB color and light, with a 9-track multi-directional soundtrack.


7. Down On The Data Farm

This issue had been concerning me for some time; I get very aggravated filling out soooo many forms for this blog, that blog, avatar, world, email, twitter, this & that - when I am painfully conscious of the reasoning and uses for this enforced data-cross-correlation (echo of Commodity) - so I had already been thinking (and talking about) these issues and started work on this piece at the beginning of July. I had only just completed it (and was still studying it to see if it needed trimming/additions) about 12 hours before the whole Google/Nymwars/PlusGate issue caught fire.


8. Big Winter

One of my most naked pieces, dealing with my feelings of isolation, depression, vulnerability and existential hopelessness. Big Winter is the main story subject of the upcoming film of the same title, which has been delayed by my illness (dammit!) although the 47-track soundtrack was completed in late Spring just before I got sick.


9. OccupyLEA

Inspired by the Occupy movement but continuing my examination of the curator/sponsor/patronage issues of art brought up in For Your Viewing Pleasure. #Occupy has become a deep and meaningful thing to me and this performance-work engaged the issues directly and with explosive reaction, bringing up issues surrounding the arts patronage of Linden Lab discussed in many blog postings and forums for 9 months and engendering heated dialogue among many.


10. A Reply From The Recalcitrant I, II, III

Writing pieces rebutting the perception that we who talk about the problems of Linden Lab hate SL and are the reason for its niche status. Meditations at length on how much we actually love SL/virtuality and wish it to succeed, even to the point of being unpaid (and mostly unappreciated) beta testers.

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Some other nice things happened for me:


My installation State of Mind was featured in a talk by Rik Panganiban (SL: Rik Riel), Community Manager at the Non-Profit Commons in his keynote speech "We Built This City: Creating a Better World" at the Second Life Community Convention (SLCC).

I got to take part in both Spring & Fall semester interaction with students from Cal State University at Long Beach in their Art110 - Introduction To The Visual Arts program as a Featured Artist.

I began investigating materials and contacting fabricators in preliminary consultations for bringing my Radiant Stallions into physical manifestation; also experimenting with materials for fabricating Lady With A Fan and Big Winter. and continuing my focus on creating/translating digital pieces into physical works.

Was invited to speak at the Virtual Worlds Education Roundtable on the realities/challenges of creating art in virtual worlds.

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Other things... at the suggestion of Wizard Gynoid I began my Netpolitik blog, which engages the politics of the Information revolution - issues I have been involved with since 1993... started making machinima/videos, which was something I tried in the late 80s to mid-90s but is much, much easier now that I have a computer than can handle rendering in less than 27 hours at better than 320x240 and don't have to tiptoe and hold my breath hoping it doesn't crash 80% into the rendering or completely fill my hard disk.


Although I lost half a year, I am still satisfied with the work I've done and look forward to doing even more in 2012.

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Winter Solstice 2011

Light waxes; prosperity and joy, understanding and peace to you and your loved ones.

Blinded By The Life

Madmen, griefers, spammers
and owners with ban hammers
a new avatar surmounts
With their things full of blings
as the sim owners sling
their bots to pack the count

With a soldier-pet on my shoulder
feelin' kinda bolder
I built a merry-go-round
with this very unpleasing sneezing and wheezing
the entire sim crashed to the ground

Some sim-stim builder-bim
was heading for the golden prim
flappin' his textures, poundin' his script
And some Barbie noob with giant boobs
was dancing with some penis dood
spewin' particles from his tip

And now young Claire, bad noobie hair
finally found a camping chair
and was stopping there to earn some bux
And some rude dood in Furry suit whispers
"Daddy's got some sexy boots,
try some thong stuff, I think you're stuck"


     And she was blinded by the Life
     Cut loose like a noob
     Another avie in the night
     Blinded by the Life
     She got rezzed but she never got tight
     She's gonna make it alright


Some big-shot coffee-pot
who formerly was something hot
a dreamer from the West
He says, "Forget the VR worlds
ride the modern business curls
that's where we'll make cash best."

And some lamerguys who never fly
said "we know what'll make 'em buy
let's send them some free gifts"
And the dethroned market drones
were mumbling over broken bones
usin' their blogs to pick some tiffs.


     And she was blinded by the Life
     Cut loose like a noob
     Another avie in the night
     Blinded by the Life
     She got stuck but she never got tight
     She's gonna make it tonight


Some gallery sister with her manager-mister
told me I got what it takes
She said "I'll turn you on, hun, to a sim so strong
if you rez those prims with the funky breaks."

And Go-Kart Linden was checkin' out the Primdom
to see if it was safe to finally sell
And little avie Teddy was playin' with his Stroker beddy
and asked me if I needed some Ls


Oh, the Crazy-tard was foamin' hard
she posted stuff that was bizarre
sayin' "You commies killed the splash"
Yes, and Jack-Hack, former flack
was tryin' hard to make it back
from a planet that simply crashed

Well, I teleported, but was thwarted
rezzed in the air, tour aborted
and tried to make my way back home
He said, "It's your fault that nothin's there
you're recalcitrant; it's over, square
it's a deathwatch, stop with the moan"

And now in Welcomeland, a giant hand
was slappin' noobies in the sand
hummin' a griefer tune
Yes, and the avatar said, "You're a 'tard
but first I'm gonna boot you hard
we're gonna teach those Mods to laugh too soon"

And some satrap land baron fap
was complainin' that she lost her tap
on the Anshe Chung strategy
Cause her homestead sim wasn't jammed to the brim
with renters bailing, looking grim
She'd bet on the downward spree


     She was blinded by the Life
     Cut loose like a noob
     Another avie in the night
     Blinded by the Life

Mama always told me not to look into the virtual sun
Oh, but Mama, that's where the fun is...

I was blinded...
I was blinded...
I was blinded...


[composed live on Twitter to the tune of "Blinded By The Light"]

... with apologies to the virtual Boss

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Solstice-time Stirrings and Doings

Inworldz Holiday Gala

IWurl: Inworldz Holiday Gala

The Inworldz Holiday Gala is now open to the viewing public and it is spectacular. This year's chosen benefit charity is the well-known Toys For Tots, a program begun by the US Marine Corps Reserve in 1947 by reservist Major William L. Hendricks. Kiosks for donations are set up near all the builds, and donations will be gathered and sent to Toys For Tots.

In previous years in Second Life, the inworld Toys For Tots campaigns have raised substantial amounts to benefit this charity. Please come and visit this wondrous winter carnival and send a donation to a child for the holidays.

As mentioned, the builds are really gorgeous; given Inworldz' prim allowances, size (dis)constraints and the creativity of the residents, the builders have really outdone themselves.

There is a Santa's Workshop, a fantasy Ice Forest of magical creatures, ice skating, a beautifully-done train which encircles the entire Gala and can be hopped on for a relaxing tour, horse-drawn carriages, winter hay bale tour carts, and of course lots and lots of snow and blinky lights.

There are also some "warm-weather" areas for the folks Down Under and other peoples for whom it is warm and dry this time of year. This is a no-advertising, no-selling event so come and enjoy the energy and creativity shown here.

Scene from 'The Longest Night' at the Holiday Gala

This is my own build, one scene from the storyboard for my film-in-planning, 'The Longest Night," which will incorporate several of my major pieces. You might recognize 'Big Winter' and 'Solstice Tree,' two of the elements which inspired the whole story of the film.

Tawa (Hopi Sun Katsina)

The Hopi Sun Katsinam are the new element; they dance around the Woman sleeping in the snow to a loop from the soundtrack (completed late this Spring) for the film. The build also features a 5-directional particle blizzard of cross-blowing, whirling snow. You can see more closeups of the detail on the Katsinam in this Flickr set.

You can also find gifts under the huge (monstrous, gigantic, words-cannot-encompass-its-Yggdrasil-like-volume) Yule Tree set up in the center of the Holiday Gala, including this small one from me:

Brushed Silver Angel jewelry set

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Second Life doings


... over on the Second Life side of the grid, you might be the recipient of my Solstice Gift: a teeny companion Bear that clings to your upper arm (or other chosen attachment point) and protects you from grumbleyheads. Yes, he is small, but I assure you, he is fierce! (the knot is almost gone from my shoulders from working on him at micro-prim level; I am now spoiled by Inworldz' prim scalability for making-tiny)

This little Bear is a childhood memory of Clippy Bears, a fad that started with little bears and branched out to all kinds of animals (I remember monkeys and kittens) that you'd clip to your hair, shoelaces, backpack, jacket (even a punk black-leather jacket).

This Bear is small but has a large heart

VWER special Arts Panel

It was my pleasure and honor to be invited to speak at the Virtual Worlds Education Roundtable Arts 2011 panel along with my friends soror Nishi and Wizard Gynoid as artists active in SL, OpenSim and other grids to talk about making art and life as an artist working in immersive 3D settings.

Chaired by Ignatius Onomatopoeia [RL Joe Essid, a faculty member in the departments of English & Rhetoric & Communication Studies at the University of Richmond], the panel was a stellar Who's Who of educators and artists working in virtual environments; among the luminaries were Merlin Moonshadow, Elphaba Helendale, Delightful Doowangle, Grizzla Pixelmaid, Wrenaria Antiesse, Sam55 Chester, Ridvan Atolia, Zotarah Shepherd, Kavon Zenovka, Sheila Yoshikawa, Rachelle Monroe, Frankie Antonelli, Lyr Lobo, snow Scarmon, Praxislady Witt, BackWoods Texan, barbarathelibrarian Magic, LoCE99Ch8 Morpork, Kali Pizzaro, Shailey Garfield, Nava Wonder, Claudia13 Rossini, Tomkin Euler... PHEW!

24 on the sim at the conference, including the renowned Pathfinder Lester, Hypergridnaut extraordinaire [who "just likes to poke around"] and who surprised and flattered me with several nice comments about my piece "Commodity" (awee was I pleased!).


We talked about Unity3D, making a living as an artist (VR/RL), barriers to real-time collaboration, hardware/bandwidth/latency problems in collaborating, the patron model of support, 3D printing, RL/VR crossover work, WebGL, the problem of deliberate retardation of tech because of trying to "corner the market" and locking up collaboration/variation, what grids we all explore/work in and why, future models of revenue/support for virtual reality, the wonder of people exposed to making in virtual worlds as opposed to merely consuming, machinima as a way to reach people unable to get into VR, preservation of virtual art for future collectors/buyers, computers as a tool for creators and... my spleen :D [there were some possible future-organleggers at this meeting!]

Plus a discussion of whether Iggy's companion Raven should have either a small Santa hat or elf ears for the holidays (you know which one I voted for).

It was a wonderful and heady experience and I am very grateful and honored to have been asked to attend. Soon, I am told, a transcript of this session will be available on the VWER site in the Library section (as soon as the site is rebuilt, although there are links there now to past conferences which are a great resource and well-worth exploring).


Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go make a kidney for Pathfinder before he comes in the night to collect one...

The Virtual Worlds Education Roundtable Arts 2011 panel

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Ch-ch-ch-Changes

Things change all the time, and I've had some changes in Inworldz -

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Stefanik Dagostino is happy to have me back at the S&S Galleries of Fine Art - along with the Little Gallery and Painting Expo he has maintained for me there, he's had me build a nice new addition to the S&S Sky Gallery at the Museum at Cannery Row, where I have put out Big Winter, which now has a not-for-sale-separately companion Miniature in a snow globe (you can't make things that small in Second Life!) and which won the Phi Designs Prize at the University of Western Australia's 3D Open Art Challenge in October 2011, and The Fountain of Salmacis, based on Time As A Helix of Semiprecious Stones, which won 3rd prize in the Challenge and is a Finalist in the Grand Finale.

The Christmas Treasure Hunt starts tomorrow!

Stefanik is also the creator of The Hunt Club - an idea he had when Inworldz was fairly new to get people to explore the grid and find out what was out there in Inworldz. His Hunts are always great fun, and with the expanding of Inworldz, this year's Christmas Hunt will be huge, so come Hunt, starting December 10 and throughout the holiday season til January 6; gather the goodies and explore the grid!

The Sky Gallery at S&S

The Little Gallery at S&S

The Painting Expo

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Midsomer

I'm also happy to be welcomed by Leanna and Mera to have a small shop for my Garden of Sound in Midsomer, where I'll be keeping my crickets, frogs, whales and Singing Flowers. They've also invited me to put out my holiday items in the central square, where you can find my Singing Carolers, Sparkling Yule Tree, some pretty holiday rugs/wall hangings and free holiday jewelry.

Leanna has done a fabulous job bringing winter to Midsomer; it's pretty, warm and snuggy, so swing by for some holiday treats in the Cafe and great chat with the residents of Midsomer!

Midsomer's Holiday Plaza

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Inworldz Holiday Gala

Finally, don't forget, the Inworldz Holiday Gala will be taking place starting December 17th. This year's chosen Charity Drive is "Toys for Tots". We will have kiosks or donation builds, (Inworldz official only) set about. Please let's make this a banner year for Inworldz participation in this wonderful charity. No child without a gift, of love. This is a "No Sale" "No Advertising" event, just a celebration of the holidays and the spirit of giving.

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Friends

My friends soror Nishi, Alizarin Goldflake and Maeve Eiren have generously offered me build space to make more artwork - mmmwwwaaahhh!

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Breech Klout

"... in heart I'm an American artist, and I have no guilt.
I seek pleasure. I seek the nerves under your skin.
The narrow archway; the layers; the scroll of ancient lettuce.
We worship the flaw, the belly, the belly, the mole on the belly of an exquisite whore.
He spared the child and spoiled the rod. I have not sold myself to God."

                 - Patti Smith, Babelogue



You Monetizers, you creepy-crawly Marketeers, you incessant leeches on the creativity of others; you who equate figuring out some little math trick to confine, quantize, qualify or judge worthy to receive your splendid trinkets in return for my soul and the soul of my friends; you craven carpetbaggers, you thieves of culture, you reducers of human motivation to snapping at mackerals like a trained seal, you pimps of prostitution; I see you.


My friends are not for sale; nor are they for worming your way into my life by using them. I've watched you do it to the Web and I won't sit and watch you do it to the social network this time without saying something.

Q. At what time does "social media" and "social metrics" become social engineering?

Influence and Power: The Delusion of The Social Klout Elite [ConversioNation]

A True Measure Of Influence [brandsavant]

Klout CEO Reveals How to Leverage Score for Fame, Fortune, Perks [Mashable]

Why Klout Is Dangerous [Business 2 Community]

Klout: A Call To Action [Spin Sucks]


The Making of a Social Media Slut [Grow]

Occupy LA, OccupyFairey

UPDATE 9-5-2012

The headline says it all:

Feds Seek Prison Time For Obama "Hope" Artist

 Shepard Fairey, who is variously known to this blog as "Schlep" & "The Appropriator" for his lifting designs and materials & giving no credit to the original inspirations, is in U.S. District Court in Manhattan for stealing the iconic "Hope" image from an Associated Press cameraman. Fairey has admitted destroying electronic records and creating fake documents in an effort to thwart the copyright lawsuit.

You really should read the article; with Apple suing Samsung over nebulous "design" patent/trademarks, it is simply bullshit, as my friend Vaneeesa would say, that Fairey can get away with this behavior all the time and not be called on it because he is some "art set darling;" at least he'd like to think so.

In Mr Copy Machine's defense he offers heart-wrenching boohoos and "think of the children" excuses; the ghost of writer Nathaniel Hawthorne is invoked to express his deep shame at having to wear a hypothetical Scarlet Letter, at which I chortle "bullshit" enthusiastically because this is certainly not "the worst mistake of his life" but his entire oeuvre.

Really, read the article for some hilarious laughitude and the stunningly-artistic mug shot which just screams "make me your jail wife, please!" 

You may read on for a technical explanation of why Mr Fairey deserves hard time. Really hard time \o/

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My favorite tweet exchange of today, watching #OccupyLA livestream and Twitter:





... and in case you didn't get that url:

Vandalized Vandalism: A Healthy Cultural Conversation

Obey Plagiarist Shepard Fairey
A critique by artist Mark Vallen

Milton Glaser on Shepard Fairey

ANDRE THE GIANT GOT PEPPER SPRAYED


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DISOBEY FAIREYS

DISOBEY SHEPHERDS

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Wizzy Makes A Klein Bottle video

Wizzy Makes A Klein Bottle

You Tube (better-quality/fullsize) link

My friend Wizard Gynoid demonstrates the beauty of mathematics and topology by constructing a Klein Bottle in the virtual reality of Second Life.

The full rezzing from the initial trigger took 2+ hours, and the coloring of the panels took additional time. It's really something, as you can see on the video.

Here's some of the maths about this project:

[20:03] Wizzy Gynoid: nEdge = ( 6 * nVertex) / 2
[20:03] Wizzy Gynoid: nFace = ( 6 * nVertex ) / 3

1200 points
2400 faces
3600 edges

7200 prims total


I am told by Wizzy that SL resident Desdemona Enfield was of assistance in the math/scripting department.

If you want to know more about Klein Bottles you could read this:

Imagining maths: Inside the Klein Bottle

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The first piece of music used in the video is an arrangement of my musical/interactive piece Alchemical Table in Second Life; this composition is now titled Points of Order.

The second piece of music is Slow Light 1 (Ambient) and is by Moby, used with permission for non-commercial use in this video through the generosity of Moby, a most excellent person.

Immediately flagged by You Tube, I am now in the dispute process; good thing I have a license from Moby ^_^

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Busy, busy

As you can see, I've done several videos in the past 2 weeks; in case you missed them, here they are on You Tube:

Subject of Study: A video displaying the Virtual Art Gallery made for me by my students as part of the Cal State University at Long Beach Art Department's Art 110- Introduction to the Visual Arts program, Fall 2011 semester.

Three-Ring Circus (Director's Cut): The Circus of O! comes to town.


Storming Heaven: An immersive philosophical build in the Inworldz virtual reality grid.


Still learning how to maneuver my joystick; lighting is next, so go easy on me please :D

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Subject of Study - Art110

Subject Of Study
Cal State U at Long Beach's Art110 class

You Tube link (better-quality/full-size)

Flickr photo set

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I've been working with the Cal State University at Long Beach Department of Art's Art110 - Introduction to the Visual Arts Virtual Art Gallery program since last year. I've seen a lot of the gallery builds; some of them wonderful craftsmanship, but I have not seen anything like my students presented yesterday for their class; the gallery they created for my work.

This year's team has produced a stellar piece of artwork. Not a mere gallery for displaying pieces of my creative output and beyond a build, these three students have crossed many bridges and created a work that is not only structural but meaningful.

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Two weeks ago this team was faced with a disaster known to all of us; the loss of their entire work output. The preliminary structures produced from their sketches and ideas were good (for noobs) although they were running into the realities of digital (or any) art: costs (in prims), time limitations and struggling with bringing their vision to obstinate materials. Because they are creating separately and because they do not have full-perm copies of my works, everything was lost, torn apart in the Return.

In less than two weeks, their building skills jumped to a point where some people in SL much longer than them wouldn't be ashamed of this build. Their vision also took a leap, integrating their first sketches and physical ideas into a comprehensive whole, a look into my life and the meaning of my work.

This is far and away not only the best gallery I have seen from these students in two years, but a real work of art, with meaning incorporated into the structure and layout of the gallery. It's a very deep understanding of my psychic roots, personal motivations and creative processes.

I am incredibly impressed, and also flattered and honored to have been a catalyst for such work. This is great stuff in any art world. To have students, new to SL and to virtual reality, produce such a work in less than two weeks is amazing.

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I do not know if the gallery is in a permanent location (they shift them around while in Presentation mode) so I can't include a SLurl in this post. If you see me inworld, IM me and I'll check if the gallery's still there. It might be (probably, because this is a showcase build) be set up later for ongoing exhibition, as some galleries were last year (mine among them). If so I'll publish that SLurl when it comes.

I have requested a copy of this artwork/gallery because I believe it to be a great piece of work. If so, maybe I'll be able to host it myself sometime. In the meantime I've made a small video for the girls, to express my gratitude, honor and joy at having worked with them and for other people to enjoy their work; they deserve it.

Elayne, Robin, Leticia: thank you so much for the opportunity to interact with you, talk about art and explore the creativity in virtual worlds. You made art for me; you should be very proud of your work.

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Casually Pepper-Spray Everything Cop

Sgt. Pepper-Spray's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Casually Pepper Spray Everything Cop is a photoshop meme based off of a photo of a cop - Lt. John Pike - pepper-spraying students from the UC Davis on Nov. 17th and now rampant on the nets, just casually peppering spraying his way through art and American history; connected to the Occupy protests. Here's a few more.



Clink the link to see the Know Your Meme page.

Joy Garnett's Flickr Collection



Pepper-spray cop works his way through art history [WAPO]

New Meme Alert: OWS’s ‘Casually Pepper Spray Everything Cop’ [Mashable]

'Casually Pepper Spraying Cop' Meme Takes Off [NPR]

UC Davis Pepper Spray Cop Is Now a Meme [Gawker]

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Video: Three-Ring Circus

updated: The Director's Cut

You Tube Link (better viewing)

All this began well before the last few weeks: last February Wizzy and I were poking around the LEA sims, which had been announced to great fanfare by M and then kinda... were pending... for awhile. So we wondered what was up with them, and having some idle time on our hands we took a map TP there.

We found the beginnings of what became Avatar Games, and since rez was on we left Bryn some of her dahls and took some photos - it was kind of a love-tease to Bryn Oh and Rose Borchovski. Honestly, it was a goofy homage or whatever. In the same vein I did this photo. I mean, they're dolls. You play with them.

It could have just as well been Rose's Susas if they were dolls. I can't begin to remember how many times I saw the "Phillip Linden Noob" dressed up and places in crazy places.

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After all, we didn't make the dahls; they were given freely by Bryn and Wizzy and I are just wacky. Since the dahls are high-prim (68 prims each) the LEA sandbox is about the only practical place to make such a thing, and that's what we thought the LEA sandbox was for, so we used it.

Read any darker meaning into this you want; the circus is just a weird play dollhouse. We played with the dahls before and had fun; like playing Barbies (especially because we can make all the props and outfits, not have to buy them).


You can read Crap Mariner's blog and see some great photos he took on Flickr.

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I've posted another small video of the build "Storming Heaven" done for Betty Tureaud's 'Tower of Babel' in Inworldz.

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Inworldz Dreamz & Visionz Art Festival opens today

Alizarin Goldflake, soror Nishi and I ride
La Toymaker's magical coach and horses;
we haz sparkle ponies!

Some of the most spectacular builds you've seen in any world are on display at the Inworldz Dreamz and Visionz Art Festival, opening today at 1:00pmSLT/IWT/PST.

IWzUrl: Inworldz Dreamz & Visionz A Stage

Sponsored by Inworldz Founder Elenia Lewellyn and organized by arts patron Jeri Rahja & Quadrapop Tree, the Festival runs from Nov. 12 to Nov. 22 and features many amazing artists from both Second Life and Inworldz. Some photos from Bradd Laval and from Jeri should wet your appetite for this extravaganza.

From November 12 to November 22nd, the public and judges will be viewing the works created, while enjoying some of the best performers available at the stage on Sim A. Builds not possible in Second Life and a layout that reminds me of the London Expositions make this an event not to be missed.

The Map Links below will take you to a pavilion (designed by Alizarin Goldflake) in the center of each of 4 sims hosting this event. From there, a teleport board will take you each artist's dream & vision.

IWZurl: Sim A
La Toymaker
Richard Muni
Scotsgraymouser Janus
Snoots Dwagon
soror Nishi
Juanida Deharo
rigg torok
Alix Walpole
Nico Bascom

IWZurl: Sim B
Bradd Laval & Leanna Caerndow
Julia Hawthor
Katharina Svarovski
Maximillian Svarovski
Dannon Robbiani
Teal Freenote
Miso Susanowa

IWZurl: Sim C
Nicci Winsmore,
Praline Barjowski
Tigger Genira
Alizarin Goldflake
Betty Tureaud
RAG Randt
Mira Karu
Neeks Karu
Nickola Martinov & Micheil Merlin

IWZurl: Sim D
Strand Starsider
Ub Yifu
Scarp Godenot
Xzavia Yifu & Zauber Paracelsus
Wizard Gynoid
Noa Sawson
Macaria Wind & ML Smith
Ole Huss
Cat Cotton

List of Performers:

November 12th - Opening Day
12 Noon DJ Vickie Day
1 pm Declan Greenfield
2 pm Rafella Docherty
9 pm Ichie Kamachi

November 13th
12 Noon Torben Asp
1 pm Prowess Rayna

November 14th
12 Noon CECI Dover
1 pm DJ Vickie Day

November 15th
12 Noon DJTommy Seetan
1 pm DJ Julianna Michigan
2 pm Dirk Quarmac

November 16th
12 Noon Chandra Deed
1 pm DJ Vickie Day
2 pm Josie Anderton
8 pm DJ Starhawk Courtois
9 pm Oshi Shikigami (Poetry)

November 17th
2 pm DJ Thumper Love
8 pm DJ Winter Solstice
9 pm DJ Boo Zipper

November 18th
1 pm DJ Astoria Luminos
8 pm DJ Boo Zipper
9 pm DJ Winter Solstice

November 19th
12 Noon Torten Asp
1 pm Eliz Watanabe
2 pm Slow Motion Circus
8 pm Quantamis Navarathna
9 pm Prowess Rayna

November 20th
12 Noon Melodee McDonnell
1 pm BGSinger Buble (Hermit)
2 pm MrMikie String
8 pm Ganjo Mokeev
9 pm Oshi Shikigami (Poetry)

November 21st
12 Noon Josie Anderton
2 pm DJ Boo Zipper
8 pm DJAyameko Kibala

Closing Day - November 22nd
1 pm Marky Helstein
8 pm CelticMaidenWarrior

You can check here for an updated Performer's List, which is still being added to at this time.

Festival Judges McCabe Maxsted, Jayjay Zifanwe and Velazquez Bonnetto will all be making their rounds to decide on the two best items on each sim between today and Nov. 22. This is a huge event, with many virtual artists showing what is possible in Inworldz, and not to be missed (and not because I have work there either!)

The official Inworldz Dreamz & Visionz blog


Festival Team:

Building – Alizarin Goldflake

Graphics – Miso Susanowa

PR/Media – Nazz Lane / Briawinde Magic

Scripting – Zauber Paracelsus

Events/stage manager – Sunbeam Magic

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Implacable Iron Fist of Google

Yesterday, after a nice walk in the autumn woods, I came home and found several emails and Twitter notices from friends that my blogs were gone. I checked the addresses and this is what I received:

"This blog is no longer accessible. The name is unavailable for new accounts."

WTF?!?!

After following the breadcrumb trail left for me by Blogger, I got to a page that informed me:

"There has been suspicious activity related to this account. To confirm you are the account holder, Google must send you either a text message or a voice message with a code you must enter..."

After I entered a phone number and got the Confirm Code, my blogs were immediately accessible again.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Google pretends to be helpful

For the past two weeks, every time I logged in to post on my blogs I've had an interrupt page from Google, stating that "for my convenience should I lose my passwords" it would be handy to have a phone number to use as another confirmation. There's also been a link in that page that said "skip this step" so of course I did; my password is very strong, nonverbal and would be pretty hard to break unless under a sustained and targeted attack. No robo-sniffer or password dictionary cracker is going to get it.

With Google suggesting it would be a good idea and also offering me a link to skip this step, it's implied that this is not a required condition of using Google products (in this case my blogs on Blogger, unfortunately snapped up by Google recently).


The real deal

This morning's research session was dedicated to what Google calls "Two-step Verification Process" which was launched in mid-February and is just getting around to all your Google accounts.

"Over the next few days you should see a link on your Google Account Settings page that allows you to enabled 2-step verification. This new feature adds an extra layer of security to your Google account by requiring a special passcode in addition to your normal password."

Google Adds 2-Factor Security to Gmail, Apps [Krebs]

Here's a big blah-blah page from Google about "two-step verification"

"2-step verification helps protect a user’s account from unauthorized access should someone manage to obtain their password. Even if a password is cracked, guessed, or otherwise stolen, an attacker can’t sign in without access to the user’s verification codes, which only the user can obtain via their own mobile phone. Requirements: a mobile phone that can receive the verification code via text message or phone call, or an Android, BlackBerry, or iPhone. These devices use the Google Authenticator mobile app to generate the verification code. "

"You enable 2-step verification for your domain in your Google Apps control panel. The user enrolls in 2-step verification... Note: You can’t force your users to use 2-step verification, they must opt-in themselves."

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Real security

I've talked before about secure passwords: 16-character non-word, alphanumeric+special characters passwords kept on a single password-protected file on your computer/usb key and using copy/paste for logins, or using something like Passkey to hold your passwords.

I've also spoken about the "security measure" of "secret questions" - giving an associated (in your mind) answer to such questions as "What was your childhood pet's name?" in light of social networking and the fact that once something is posted to the net, it's out there forever (using tools like the Wayback Machine). So I recommend choosing your question (if this alternative is offered) or using an answer that is completely unrelated to the questions but associated in your mind with the question:


Q. What was your childhood pet's name? A. Squanomish
Q. Where were you born? A. inmymotherswomb
Q. What was your favorite sport? A. escapingbullies

Combine those with the ASCII and spelling variants: Squ@nomiish, inmeyem0therzw0mb, ezkapeingbullieyes and you have a second layer of security, not easily guessed.

And the final simple rule: never use the same password for more than one service.

So the password:
6D9F1$%&3[invisible space/ascii character Alt + 255]15~>#b+

is going to be pretty hard to crack by an automated dictionary-cracker. Combined with the type of answer to the above typical "security questions" and the best-practice of never using the same password for more than one service, your account is going to be much more secure than someone using the password "Fluffy" for all their accounts.

The fact is that, like a house, you can never be completely secure, but you can make it very difficult for a burglar to break in. Given that option most burglars, especially the random, doorknob-turning kind, will go elsewhere to much easier targets. Like a house, if you are the specific target of a dedicated cracker, nothing is going to stop them, but such cases are a lot rarer than you think. I mean, unless you're a multi-billion-dollar CEO, an attorney in a messy divorce case or a bank, who is going to specifically target you?

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Google Two-Step

It's obvious by now that all this blah-blah about "enrolling" and "allowing" and "opt-in" is plain bullshit. So is the supposed "security" offered.

The 30-day browser cookie set by users that click the "Remember verification for this computer" checkbox means that if your computer is stolen, the thief can still access your account without having to provide the second step of verification, and likely not even the password if your computer was just sleeping and browser already open.

You'll have to repeat this process every 30 days, meaning Google's going to require a constant correlation between your username and your phone number. Change numbers? You're going to have to go through hoops to restore access to your accounts. Change computers between laptop, desktop, netbook or tablet? Delete all cookies on browser close to get rid of trackers, spies and supercookies? Same deal. Google wants to know where you are and what phone number you are using every 30 days.



Go ahead; try to opt-out, sucker

From more than a dozen posts explaining how to "turn off two-step verification" from both Google and many bloggers, you get this information:

Q.16) How can I turn off 2-step verification on my Google Account
A.16) You can turnoff 2-step verification, by going to Google Accounts –> Using 2-step verification –> click on Turn off 2-step verification…

Here's the separate section on "how to turn off two-step verification"

Another article telling you how to turn off two-step verification


"In order to turn off two-step verification, visit this page or log in to your Google account and go to Settings >> Account Recovery Options >> Recovering your password. That page will tell you you can "add more information to your account to increase your account-recovery options."

Both ways will take you to this:

click the picture for the Big Picture

Notice that if you have not "opted-in" or "enrolled" or "allowed" this process previously, you will still have to fork over a phone number, receive a verification code and enroll in the program in order to reach the settings page where you can turn off the process, which will happen every 30 days.

Remind you of Facebook much? It should. There's no way to opt-out currently without first opting-in, and all Google's fanboy press and mealy-mouthing about "opting-in" or "enrolling" or "allowing" are straight-out lies. The interrupt-page I was receiving for the previous two weeks whenever I logged in offering to be "helpful" and offering me a link to "skip this step" was a smokescreen.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

FSCK Google


Am I alarmed by this? I certainly am. I am alarmed by Google pretending this is an opt-in service, repeating that idea in various words and meaning absolutely the opposite.

fsck: a Unix-based system utility for checking the consistency of a file system. Generally, fsck is run automatically at boot time when the operating system detects that a file system is in an inconsistent state. [fsck is analogous to the Windows utility chkdsk]

I am alarmed by Google's persistent and consistent efforts to delete anonymity from the net; to consolidate its holdings and bring them into line with its stated mission of becoming an "Identity Provider"; Google's connection to OpenID and the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace [PDF link to whitehouse paper], which Google calls the Kantara Initiative (shades of the D.H.A.R.M.A. Initiative!).

I'm not the only one.

Identity Crisis: The Delusion of NSTIC

Real Names: Google+, Government & The Identity Ecosystem

Google & NSTIC Leading the March to Digital Totalitarianism?

Botgirl's curated “Nymwars News and Commentary” site

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

After yesterday's little adventure and today's research, I am accelerating my efforts to completely remove myself from the Google ecosystem by using viable alternatives to every single product Google offers. I do not like liars and Google has proven to be no better than Facebook in regarding me as a slab of meat to be bought and sold for their profit, telling press about "optional" services that are in fact compulsory now.

Google has now proven to me that they are in fact dead-set on "doing evil."

Google must have forgotten everything it knew about the net; I can think of a dozen ways to get around this type of forced identification and access off the top of my head and during the coming weeks I will be researching even more ways to keep my electronic privacy protected.

What you do is up to you.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

[double-posted at Netpolitik]

66:75:63:6b:20:47:6f:6f:67:6c:65

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

New post @Netpolitik: Internet Under Fire

Many bills are approaching Congress to limit, invade or otherwise break the internets that you love.

Netpolitik: Internet Under Fire

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Virtual Occupation: Political Action In Second Life

Anonymous Artist

On October 22 at 6:36pmSLT (Pacific Daylight Time, the inworld time of the virtual world Second Life) OccupySL performed their first Virtual Occupation of Capital Exchange, "the #1 Stock Market Simulation Game in Second Life."

The Rules of Engagement are somewhat different in the virtual environment, as the owner of a "sim" (an area of virtual land) can "boot" (remove) and "ban" (prevent re-entry) avatars from the area using server tools (which happened, as detailed below) so a continual Occupation is not technically possible. However, a public artist's sandbox hosted at the Linden Endowment for the Arts [LEA] was chosen as a secondary/fallback site that would allow OccupySL to set up a sustained "artwork" to raise awareness and promote discussion of the issues of the Occupy Wall Street, Occupy Together and related contemporary global social change movements.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Politics of Art

Lest you think this was some sort of personal attention-getting stunt, I beg to remind you of the long history of artists who felt the need to speak out about the social and political conditions of their time: from the classical (Picasso's Guernica and Massacre In Korea, Jacques-Louis David's The Death of Marat, Goya's The Third Of May 1808 and The Black Paintings, Édouard Manet's The Execution of Emperor Maximillian and The Barricade (Civil War), Otto Dix's Erinnerung an die Spiegelsäle von Brüssel (Memory of the Mirrored Halls of Brussels), the work of William Hogarth and the satirical art of 18th-century England) to the contemporary (Banksey, Ai Weiwei, Barbara Kruger, Chris Ofili, Tania Bruguera, Tamara DeLempicka, Jenny Holzer, Steve Shepard, Käthe_Kollwitz, Ben Shahn, the Bogside Artists, Dorthea Lange, Diego Rivera, Sue Coe, Richard Hamilton, Hans Haacke, Andres Serrano, Marcus Harvey, Andy Donato , Eric Johnn, Graffiti, cartoons and the China/Avant-Garde Art Exhibition in Beijing in 1989 and zhengzhi popu (Political Pop) movement in China), art and politics have been inextricably combined.

Art & Agenda - Political Art and Activism - 50 Stunning Political Artworks - The Top 10 Pieces of Political Street Art


Contemporary Art In Virtual Environments

I'd also like to remind you that artists like Eva and Franco Mattes ['Synthetic Performances'], Cory Arcangel ['Super Mario Clouds', 'Various Self-Playing Bowling Games'], Miltos Manetas ['SuperMario Sleeping', 'Flames'] Harun Farocki ['Serious Games I-IV'], Joseph DeLappe and the ElectronicOrphanage, Jodi, Mind Games and
Game Modification, Hacking, Patching, Avatars and Code-based Practices within Contemporary Art projects/shows have used virtual & game environments to make artistic statements of a political nature.

The US Army also uses virtual worlds...

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Second Life Left Unity is the seed organization of the OccupySL group and has been raising awareness in Second Life of the issues surrounding the RL #Occupy Movement since shortly after Occupy Wall Street, inspired by the 15-M/Indignants Movement in Spain, captured the imagination, concerns and frustrations of thousands of people across the globe. SLLU has raised money for #OWS through donations and virtual concerts and distributes information, links and support for #OWS from within the virtual world of Second Life.

Just because we live, work and play in a virtual environment does not mean we leave the physical world and our concerns outside. If you are inworld and are interested, use Search to locate the OccupySL group and join for information and updates related to OWS and OSL actions; the Twitter hashtag is #occupysl.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

OccupySL - Action: Stock Exchange

The virtual 1% meets the virtual 99%

The first action of OccupySL went smashingly. As planned, we rallied at the SLLU OccupySL area and agreed to act in strict accordance with #OWS principles: no griefing, no harassment, no provocative or mean comments (no violence)... just raising awareness. When all were ready, we teleported into the Exchange...

... where we were immediately greeted by MR CEO and his greeter-bots and group-join script. In fact, we were continuously asked to join the group by this bot/script even in the midst of our brief exchange with MR CEO. MR CEO seemed on the defensive from the very start, accusing us of griefing him (in the first 30 seconds) and then getting increasingly harried and aggressive (just like some RL ("real life") Banksters we know, yes?) despite our polite and friendly comments and greetings.

If virtual worlds like Second Life are a reflection and microcosm of the physical world, nothing could have illustrated these principles more plainly than our encounter at the Stock Exchange. Perhaps the questions raised earlier this year about the business model of the Stock Exchange, its treading close to the rules regarding in-game gambling and the subsequent attention had MR CEO on guard; we will never know.

What we do know is that our action mirrored events surrounding the RL Occupy Movement. The confrontation between the Bankster and the Occupiers was immediately fraught with intolerance, misunderstanding, bad communication and no curiosity, interest or even civility on the part of the Bankster.

We OccupyLEA

Action: Fallback

As agreed, and reflecting the RL Occupy Wall Street which was forced to abandon its planned Occupation of Chase Plaza for Zucotti Park (now renamed to 'Liberty Square', it's original name before Brookfield Properties bought it as a zoning requirement - kinda like the SL 'land bonus' prims), we moved to the public sandbox at LEA5 and began to set up our tents in what we have rechristened 'Liberty Squared' (L²).

While we were setting up, Thirza Ember, who had advance press notice of the Occupation, IMed me and told me that MR CEO was making various wild claims (again in spooky syncronism with the RL Occupy Wall Street action) that we "griefed his sim" and "used scripts to crash his sim."

Comparing notes and screenshots, we observed that the sim was set to no-script, meaning there was no possibility of us "using scripts" to do anything there, as script running functionality had been disabled (which you could verify yourself by visiting the sim).

Contrary to MR CEO's private IM dialogue with Thirza and any1 accusing us of crashing his sim (with or without scripts), we were in fact ejected and banned by group tag and then MR CEO rebooted his own sim. No one did anything to MR CEO and certainly not anything that would crash his sim; he seemed to convince Thirza of this but fortunately all chat logs and screenshots agree that the usual 2-minute-warning drop-down box indicated that MR CEO was the person who "crashed" his own sim:

[the only edits made in this chat log are to remove "so and so is online/offline" lines; the name of the STOCK EXCHANGE has been made generic and spaces are put between relevant sections for readability. Raw logs are available if needed and can be verified by Linden Lab]

OccupySL HQ
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Flagg/223/67/94

Baxter Aubin: About time to do it...
Merriam Galaxy: should we go now?
NTropy Sellers: I'm ready
Merriam Galaxy: yup :)
Ringo Stark: 3
Baxter Aubin: Yep
Ringo Stark: 2
Ringo Stark: 1
Ringo Stark: go!
Miso Susanowa: YAY!
Teleport completed from http://slurl.com/secondlife/Flagg/223/67/94

The region you have entered is running a different simulator version. Click this message for details.

Automatic group invite SL 2.3: To join our group, open `Local Chat` and click the given link.

GREETER-BOT: Hi Miso. We hope you enjoy your visit to [STOCK EXCHANGE].
SECURITY GREETER BOT: Hello Miso. At [STOCK EXCHANGE], your safety is our top priority.

Automatic group invite SL 2.3: secondlife:///app/group/[STOCK EXCHANGE]/about
Automatic group invite SL 2.3: To join our group, open `Local Chat` and click the given link.
Automatic group invite SL 2.3: secondlife:///app/group/[STOCK EXCHANGE]/about

ANOTHER BOT (Suit Black): Hi Miso. Click on the large bottom monitors to receive a landmark and notecard on companies listed on the [STOCK EXCHANGE]. Enjoy your visit.

[STOCK EXCHANGE] Office Assistant: [another bot! Sheesh no wonder the guy crashed his own sim; it's infested with bots!]
Click the buttons below to receive more info on our services. IM MR CEO if you have any further questions. We appreciate your interest in [STOCK EXCHANGE]!

Miso Susanowa: Hello Mr Bot
Miso Susanowa: oic
Wizard Gynoid: hiya crystal.
Miso Susanowa: hi Crystal :)
MR CEO: Well this is awesome (this is the first thing he said to us!)
Ringo Stark: we are here!
Wizard Gynoid: this is what democracy looks like
Ringo Stark: and we are the 99%!
Miso Susanowa: occupy sl!
Baxter Aubin: Hiya MR CEO. :)

MR CEO: So now you're picking on someone who makes $40,000 a year?
Merriam Galaxy: Hi MR CEO
MR CEO: I think this is pretty misguided
MR CEO: I'm no millionaire
NTropy Sellers: It's not personal, MR CEO
Merriam Galaxy: it's just a symbol, MR CEO
Ringo Stark: nope
Ringo Stark: join us!
any1 Gynoid: Hiya MR CEO!
Merriam Galaxy: it's not directed at you
Merriam Galaxy: yes, please join us :)
Miso Susanowa: and if you don't make that much, then you are also the 99%
Miso Susanowa: hi! :)

MR CEO: This is my lot, so it is directed at me
Merriam Galaxy: not at all
NTropy Sellers: Well, we're not here to grief or harm. Just to raise awareness.
MR CEO: This is griefing
Merriam Galaxy: not in the least
MR CEO: Please leave my lot, I haven't done anything to any of you people
Baxter Aubin: It's directed at the media, the public, the politician. It isn't personal.
MR CEO: No, this is personal
MR CEO: I haven't done anytning to any of you
Liqwid Lancaster: lol
MR CEO: I don;t go to your lots within SL to grief
Merriam Galaxy: please, MR CEO, it really isn't
Ringo Stark: time to fly
Miso Susanowa: we've just shown up MR CEO...
NTropy Sellers: This helps you, MR CEO. We're giving you traffic and free publicity.
MR CEO: You aren't helping me at all - you are harassing me
Liqwid Lancaster: I was about to say, I never saw anyone give up free traffic :p
MR CEO: I don;t go to your lots in Sl and harass you
MR CEO: So why are you doing this to me?

Merriam Galaxy: it's not you, it's about what wall street and stock markets do
Miso Susanowa: no one's harassing you MR CEO, really
Ringo Stark: you can always eject us
Baxter Aubin: You seem like a nice guy, MR CEO. I have nothing bad to say about you personally.
Miso Susanowa: we just came! No prims, no junk, no crashing
Miso Susanowa: no violence
Merriam Galaxy: nope, we are very nice ppl

[System Message] MR CEO ejected and banned you from this land. You are no longer allowed here and have 15 seconds to leave.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Others were able to remain for a little longer, as it took a few moments for the ejection/security program to get to them, but no one was on the sim longer than 10 minutes, and most of that 10 minutes was spent by the documenting parties at the sim border where they had been thrown by the banning.


At OccupyLEA, comparing notes

Thirza Ember: hey someone used a script to crash his sim
Thirza Ember: or so he says
Thirza Ember: I thought you guys weren't going to grief
Miso Susanowa: nope
Miso Susanowa: sticking to exactly the OWS principles
Thirza Ember: well, he says not and he's going to report you
Miso Susanowa: and no one tried any scripting at all except for the hold-sign scripts
Miso Susanowa: well, thats fine, we logged everything
Thirza Ember: you did crash his sim
Thirza Ember: i was there when it crashed
Miso Susanowa: no one griefed Thirza we all agreed on that for days now
Miso Susanowa: he did mass ejects
Miso Susanowa: and any1 is a stockholder there [any1 Gynoid is a full member of the [STOCK EXCHANGE] and thus has every business being there.

any1 Gynoid: the freaking CEO is claiming we attacked with scripts...
Miso Susanowa: did anyone try to run scripts there?
Miso Susanowa: besides simple holding scripts?
Miso Susanowa: in the signs?
Kitten Mai: Don't think so.
Merriam Galaxy: nope, not me
Ringo Stark: nope
Thisbe Blackadder: all i have is my ao
Kitten Mai: My boots may be resize scripted but that's it o_O
[again, screen captures support our claims that the land is set to NOSCRIPT]

Thisbe Blackadder: all we did was tp in and stand there *shrug*
Kitten Mai: Yup
Liqwid Lancaster: he restarted the sim
NTropy Sellers: How could we grief with scripts when no scripts are allowed on his land?
any1 Gynoid: HE crashed the sim ... he admitted that
any1 Gynoid: rebooted on purpose
NTropy Sellers: Speaking of scripts.. how does one get a script to run here when scripts are not allowed??
any1 Gynoid: He's p*ssing himself because he might lose prims or some such nonsense...
Merriam Galaxy: an angry businessman protecting his property from a perceived threat

Miso Susanowa: you say he admitted crashing his own sim?
Miso Susanowa: do you have that log pls?
any1 Gynoid: yes big time... he rebooted the sim
Miso Susanowa: he is claiming we crashed his sim
Liqwid Lancaster: He rebooted it because I got the little 2 minute warning tab as I was leaving
any1 Gynoid: plus we all saw the warning messages
Miso Susanowa: i got "you are no longer allowed here you have 15 seconds to leave
Miso Susanowa: which is some kinda [security] orb
Akabn9 Ewry: the warning messages mean it was a controlled reboot. MR CEO did it on purpose.
Merriam Galaxy: he shut it down, there was a 2 minute warning
Ringo Stark: me, i got ejected and banned
Gabriella Glenfadden: i had just arrived and got the 2 min warning
Miso Susanowa: total transparency
Kitten Mai: I just got ejected. Didn't see the 2 minute warning.
Miso Susanowa: and no one ran any scripts or anything?
Baxter Aubin: I was ejected, no warning.
Merriam Galaxy: I was ejected to the edge and couldn't walk back
NTropy Sellers: It's a no script sim.. how could we grief with scripts?
Thisbe Blackadder: i was ejected and banned at 18:39, then tped here
Merriam Galaxy: I took screen captures of it
Miso Susanowa: great Mirriam! can you send that to me email pls?

No, OccupySL did not crash the sim; the owner did [rebooted]

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

The bigger story here is of course not MR CEO at all, but exactly the kind of thing that is experienced by the RL Occupy groups every day. We were polite; we did not go somewhere we had been forbidden to go [and do not plan to go again now] and yet an instant antipathy and hostility to the simple message of the 99% Occupiers came into play.

This is why OccupySL was formed; to raise awareness of these issues.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

ACTION: OccupyLEA

Fortunately, the action at LEA was another parallel to the RL OWS events; As I was making the tents nice and tidy, two of the "owners" of the sims, PatriciaAnne Daviau and Solo Morningstar, came by. They expressed interest in the OccupySL movement and were very gracious and kind, giving me a tag (I had lost mine previously given when the Sandbox was new, some time ago) so that the tents could stay at L² in keeping with the guidelines of the self-curated gallery at LEA5. This is a reflection of the RL events at Zucotti Park in the first few days of the Occupation when the "owners" of the park, Brookfield Properties, told Mayor Bloomberg that the Occupiers could stay (before political pressure was put on them by the Forces of Wall Street).

At present, only our tents are there and a skeleton of the Media Center, which will contain links to RL Occupy information, websites and videos as well as links to the OccupySL site and actions. We will be working on those over the next few days and it should be very interesting!

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Any1 Gynoid's writeup of the Occupation of CapEx

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

You can see more of our first action on Flickr in the OccupySL Group and in my own set. You can also read about the RL Occupy movement in my series 'Taking Wall Street By Twitter: an exploration of the power of electronic democracy' on my other blog, Netpolitik.

SLurl: OccupyLEA Base Camp

SLurl: OccupySL Infohub and networking

Keep Calm and Occupy Second Life

This pooled collection on Flickr - Protests, Political Art, Democracy, Social Change - is a set of photos and artwork dealing with contemporary movements of global protest, including Occupy Wall Street.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

We are the virtual 99%.
We do not forget.
We do not forgive.
Expect us!

41:72:74:20:49:6e:20:52:65:76:6f:6c:75:74:69:6f:6e

My name is Anonymous Kitty

and I approve this message

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