Showing posts with label virtual reality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label virtual reality. Show all posts

Monday, September 17, 2012

Beginnings: All I Ever Wanted Was A 3D Life

I've finally been able to create a virtual machine running Windows95 and install Netscape 3.0 just to be able to access my old VRML (virtual reality markup language) constructions for documenting \o/


Sure, you may think it looks primitive now, with prims, sculpties, Blender, Maya & so on, but in those days (1996-1997) each object (think 'prim') was constructed by hand; the mathematics were punched into something like 3D Studio Max, POV [Persistence of Vision] or Caligari's trueSpace in text notation and then rendered at the speed of... a frozen slug; it sometimes took hours to render a complex figure such as the Temple Of The VRML Equinox (ToVE); that is, if your computer could handle it & didn't crash mid-render.


If you made a mistake with your calculator or messed up a comma, semicolon or parenthesis you could return to a borked render or no render at all. It was really brain-busting and frustration was all too common. Yet persistence paid off; you could make entire 3D worlds that people could access from any browser and participate in the 3D space.



And you thought LSL was bad! I know that the Temple, my most complex contruction, took over 20 pages in notepad/text to render. You had to control not only the geometry but the lighting, shadows, texturing, placement and perspective in mathematical/text notation.Additionally, every object inside the Temple or my other worlds was either a call to an inworld function (like email) or to a site that offered further study of the materials like Quabalah or Geomancy; the Temple boasted over 100 links to arcane subjects. This was Giulio Camillo's concept of the Theatre of Memory taken into a virtual space.


Yet still beauty was made. VRML was a wonderful technology & you might see why I just nod when someone now speaks of "worlds which are accessible in any browser!" because we had that in 1996-1997 with features that are still not implemented in current Virtual Worlds (like inworld terminals or email abilities) and many things that excite builders now... video on a "prim"? Check. 3-dimensional sound with complete control of spacial audio? Check. Inworld messaging (chat)? Check. Full lighting and shadow control? Check.


Sadly, VRML was one of the first victims (along with Netscape) of Microsoft's War On The Internet; MS's pollution of the HTML standards & its sabotage of Sun Microsystem's VRML (along with HTML, mere subsets of SGML) is a well-known story (and may be why your oldschool computer people spit when the name Microsoft is mentioned).

Luckily, technology comes to the rescue in the form of virtual machines running old OSes and old browsers and has allowed me to give you this glimpse of the forerunners of today's virtual realities/worlds.


There is a large set of photos up at Flickr for those interested.

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Sunday, May 20, 2012

To Kev Sweetwater


When the night has come and the land is dark
and the moon is the only light I see
No I won't be afraid No I..I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand, stand by me

If the sky that we look upon should tumble and fall
and the mountains should crumble to the sea
I won't cry; I won't cry, no... I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand, stand by me

Darling darling stand by me
Oh, stand by me
Oh, stand
Stand by me
Stand by me



Whenever you're in trouble won't you stand by me
Oh now now, stand by me; oh stand, stand by me, stand by me

Darling darling stand by me
Oh, stand by me
Oh, stand
Stand by me
Stand by me

Goodbye, Kev. Thank you for being my friend.

Friday, December 30, 2011

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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Friday, December 16, 2011

Solstice-time Stirrings and Doings

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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Friday, November 25, 2011

Wizzy Makes A Klein Bottle video


Wizzy Makes A Klein Bottle



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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Saturday, November 12, 2011

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.


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


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Sunday, September 25, 2011

The Collection of Holala Alter

You might know about the article published in the Spanish arts journal Arte Y Parte in December 2010 that highlighted many Second Life artists. That article was written by Julio Juste [SL: Holala Alter] and is a very scholarly look at the art and artists of the metaverse (particularly SL]. I wrote about that article here.


Holala has published a small piece about his collection of virtual art, which is quite extensive. It is in Spanish, so what follows is an automatic translation. (if some kind soul who has actual working Spanish would like to translate the article to provide a better and more-nuanced translation, we would both be happy! Please email me if you can do this!) The original article is here:



Notes on a collection of art SL
Julio Juste/Holala Alter


When I visited in autumn 2008 [resident] SpaceXcape, I met my future vocation in Second Life (SL): SL collecting art, which postponed until the end of the first draft of my dissertation, a study of the metaverse and verification in SL. The critical tools and theoretical formulations on the virtual self and the imagination of it, exposed in my academic research, have had an extended practice in personal enjoyment and critical appreciation of the artistic works of art developed in SL, and I defined as weightless.

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This collection arose from a personal desire. A wish is a fabrication and is preceded by a feeling. The initial criterion that gave rise to this collection was the collection of works in SL and SL, whose creators handle the physics of this medium, and exploit what is a feature of the metaverse: the construction of an imaginary writing.

I appreciated the bold imagination and synthesis code, which requires, to some extent, to relegate some instruments of the fine arts. Virtuosity is a consequence manifested in the work, rather than a test of manual skill of the artist, as an exhibition of his skill.

What counts in this art is the emotional event that will trigger a state change. The imagination that show these artists gathered at The Collection Art Holala Alter SL is the result of a thought, an abstraction that does not abandon its virtual nature, because it manipulates matter. The reality has not materially. There is no interaction with matter, but with the mathematical thinking that will govern the pixels, with the intent to convey a certain meaning and feeling. A sustained metaphor semantics which creates a new physics.

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There was another question that, prosaic, was no less important: their economic viability. Even when the money in SL has a sense of miniature, the gradation of prices in this simulated world does not always keep consistency. So I set a maximum threshold under which the acquisition is always marked by the interest of the work, regardless of the name its author has assayed.

Do you guarantee the artistic interest of the work a high price? Taste in art is very subjective. After the attraction of a particular work arouses in me, is subjected to an internal debate: What? What resources the author has used to cause that attracts me? What is the key to his thinking?

Faced with an emotional situation that could qualify as outright, I value the relationship between writing and imagination when deciding on a purchase.


The concept differs from market seriously RL/SL in principle and until now there is no secondary market nor is there value; in art, the use value prevailing on the exchange value. The owner is not allowed to change the price, or transfer the work. The play is a guy who generates copies, close to the discharge of a song very rarely what is sold is an original. I do not know, in this case, if the author grants permission to transfer the work to another owner, and if allowed price change.

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What time of SL art portrays this body of work? The collection began in 2009 but has not yet been completed. It brings together artists born since 2006, coincides to a considerable extent, the generation of Holala Alter (2008), and leaves room for artists who have appeared recently exhibiting his works.

The relationship to these artists and their works, including the role of the self in this art, my avatar is part of it, or confused, or merges with the work, in this case, the self
appears as the work of art. It so happens that in the metaverse and the thing I equate to the extent that everything here is representation, the representation of a representation, and develops into a state subject dips. Immersion is the involvement of self with the environment, the consummation of the metaphor of electronic life.

The metaverse is necessarily diving. There are clues in this art that appeal to me greatly: its development in time in SL, the space is an act, is process, and exploits the topological symmetry to achieve meanings that expand the realm of the imagination.

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This collection includes works from the SB, but fit the criteria for the collection because the paradoxical relationship speculate SL / RL, and highlight the links between the two lives.

Art is the most artificial speech and the first man who invented and which is opposed to nature, although representing, abstracting, reducing its scale and subject. The other idea of identification between art and nature as art, it seems remarkable when assessing the works for possible acquisition.

In another sense, not always the works are for sale. And in some cases, my efforts to purchase certain works have been unsuccessful. So that the chances of executing my desires, sometimes away from my decisions based on them.



Artists in the collection:

Aneli Abeyante, Aloisio Congrejo, Anley Piers, Betty Tureaud, Binary Quadrity, Blue Tsuki, Cherry Manga, Chuckmatrix Clip, DACO Monday, Elie Maurice, Fiona Leitner, Fuschia Nightfire, Giovanna Cerise, Gleman Jun, Glyph Graves, Gracie Kendal, Heinky Shelman, Hypatia Pickens, Ichtyo broome, Loki glas, Luko Enoch, Maryva Mayo, Max Bobair, Miso Susanowa, Mitou Waco, Nessuno Myoo, Robin Moore, Sabrinaa Nightfire, Saiwun Yoshikawa, Buterbugsmetropolis Robo, Shellina Winkler, Shoshisn Shilova, Sistagrlro Wei, Treacle Darlandes, Tani Thor, Typote Beck and Yeti Bing.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

With A Little Help From My Friends


"What would you do if I sang out a tune?
Would you stand up and walk out on me?

Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song,

And I'll try not to sing out of key"

- The Beatles, "With A Little Help From My Friends"


Today I was ambushed. Nazz Lane asked me to be inworld to talk about a project we have been discussing about Twitter. Luckily, I was able to wake up in time and get inworld, although it was close. He asked me to go see something of Trill Zapatero's and he TPed me there.

What I found was a party; a party for me. Nazz, Trill and millay Freschi had plotted together. So many good friends were there. I had trouble keeping up with IMs, gifts and chat because I was crying and it was hard to see the screen or keyboard; I was overwhelmed with emotion.

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Because of my recent health problems, I've been kind of crabby and depressed lately, and not inworld much. I also was trying to get over my admittedly-childish post about the logo and... just falling back into my old shell again.

The friends who came also know that the whole time I have been in SL, the last 3 years, my life has been tumbled and upset and ripped apart and I have not been at what I think of as my best as a person. I have not lived up to my own idea of my "best ability" and it is also a constant source of worry to me, letting my friends down by not being able to give them the "best of me."

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So this party was just overwhelming to me. I don't have much of a family in RL; this community is what I think of as my family. I believe in this medium and in these worlds for the betterment of humankind; that people can find family and community and work and play and love together despite differences in age, location, gender, race, creed or lifestyles; that this medium of communication is the most important invention in my lifetime. It is why I have spent over 20 years on the nets and why I think that's worth putting life-energy into.

Today, these friends showed me such beliefs are not in vain. They gave me a gift more precious than anything: to know that they care about me irregardless of my status, my station or my mistakes; to know I had friends and family. I haven't had much of that in my life and it is a treasure to me worth more than any material thing. I know that a few stayed up past their bedtimes to be there, or came especially when they aren't usually in SL (like White Lebed).

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For once, I won't go on and on (i know huh? Rare moment; appreciate it while you can!) I can't; there aren't enough words to say how much meaning this had for me. 200 lbs just fell off my heart :) My love to my friends who came to MisoDay:

Nazz Lane, Trill Zapatero, millay Freschi, briawinde Magic, Mommaluv Skytower, Jayjay Zifanwe, Maiko Yheng, Wizard Gynoid, Isabella Alphaville, Alizarin Goldflake, White Lebed, Coyote Longfall, talkwithmarie Resident, Vaneeesa Blaylock, orb Thursday, Ormand Lionheart, TeuffelHunde Mandelkorn, Inae Indigo, soror Nishi, Casondrenee Whybrow, FreeWee Ling, brinda Allen, Reezy Frequency, Mik Frequency, Indigo Lucerne, Skylar Smythe, shellina Winkler, Petey Karfield, Zayra Ametza, Taralyn Gravois, Razzap Snookums, Scottius Polke, Fuschia Nightfire, Scarp Godenot, Aletheia Lyre and Zayra Ametza; pls forgive me if I forgot anyone, I was crying (happy) half the time and missed a lot :)

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Early VW machinima




W00t! Finally I am finding some of what has been packed away a very long time, including this early animation? machinima? of the virtual continent I created in 1996 using a program called VistaPro.

VistaPro was pretty spiffy for its' time: it supported 1024x768 rendering with Phong highlights, 4x antialiasing, VESA drivers and was capable of downloading terrain elevation maps from USGS ASCII DEM and USGS SDTS DEM files from the USGS, NASA, JPL, the US Air Force & Navy and other sources to recreate completely accurate maps of terrain... including Mons Olympus on Mars and the lunar craters (I had models of Mau'i and Big Island to trace my journeys there). Here's a nice review of VistaPro in its prime.

It was also capable of generating a camera path for an animated tour of the created world. The video you see here was a world - land - I made and used as the basis of several stories and chapters of my novel-in-progress 'Anna of the Sidhe'; it was also the source of +100 web pages of scenes from that continent used as backgrounds to roleplaying/writing with the VR co-op RP groups Virtual Camelot and Virtopia and where Anna was born.


Unfortunately, at the time I was creating and working in these worlds, technology was straining; even with a top-of-the-line tweaked and streamlined media computer, I was hard-pressed to make videos larger than 320x240, the compression artifacts were horrible and it took hours and hours to render even simple scenes.

In this flythrough, a lot of the forests and trees have been removed in order to not have the machine choke or gorge the hard disk or just plain quit; mostly the structural canyons and shape of the underlying geology is viewable. You will notice two areas of water; one a lake hidden deep within the interior of the continent and a river which leads inward from the other side of the mountains; these places were pivotal locations in the story of land and Anna of the Sidhe.

I'm excited to find these pieces of my early virtual reality experiences, artifacts and all.


... now if I can find some of the videos of early Burning Man and Big Bang/Moontribe events...

Monday, November 1, 2010

Virtually Interesting

So, you want to see some hawt 3D virtual avatar action?

Look no further:

Orangina Naturally Juicy - French Version @youtube

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New Feature - What Is Miso Reading?

I put a small links section below Followers to paste up some of the links I get to in my travels on the net of articles I am reading & thinking about for people who like to snoop in other people's libraries :D