I saw a note the other day from a friend of a friend a farewell of sorts.  This person and I had only encountered each other once and it did not go well and I had remembered them only based on that fact.  I stereotyped this person as a “Peter/Petrina Peeper.”  An engaged voyeur, a person who engages in Second Life mostly to watch others live virtually, they collect hundreds of friends but never commit or fully bond to anyone.  Most of their conversations center around how their First Life is so much better then Second Life yet they continue to log in.  They put a lot of effort into drawing all the attention in the room but then later say Second Life is just a game and criticize others for their commitment or adoration.

As typical the note went on and on about how they have realized the insanity of being in SL for hours and how SL has taken away from their First Life and real relationships.  Basically how they have wasted their time in virtuality and the people they have met in SL are a sub-species of friends who are disposable and not really important.  But what struck me the most was a convoluted statement that basically said “God isn’t in SL the carnal temptation there is just too great.”  I consider myself not to be a heathen and practice the tenets of more than one religion.  I grew up Baptist but my beliefs in God has evolved into a more personal and spiritual relationship.

One of my core beliefs is that God is everywhere!  This is supported in the bible, Revelations 1:8,

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, said the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”

In fact, God exists more in the unreality then the real.  Therefore, God fully exists in the virtual.  He is in Second Life.  It is evidenced by many others who believe that as well and they support their belief by establishing flourishing virtual church communities.  A simple search reveals many churches tied to first life organizations.  There are Christians, Catholics, Later-Day Saints, Scientologists, Sabbatarians and Unitarians, which is just a small sampling of church-goers.  This search sampling did not include the Buddhists, Taoists, Shamanism, Muslims or Metaphysicists but they are represented in Second Life as well.

People bring their full personalities with them into Second Life, their hurts, their loves, their dreams their beliefs and their prejudices.  There is no separation of the first life persona from the second, one might experiment and reinvent but at the core there is just the one “self”.  If you have a “God” in your heart then you bring him/her with you into SL.  Second Life many times is the scapegoat for those who don’t take responsibility for their own shortcomings.  Most people use it as an escape instead of an extension of their lives.  Second Life provides opportunity and freedom which I guess for most is too much when they only want to run from who they are.  Your faith and personal relationship with God should not end just because you are virtual.  I can’t fathom how Second Life alone would cause a person’s soul to be in jeopardy.  How exactly does a “carnal temptation” in Second Life exist in a way that is more potent then in first life?  How does the ability to become virtual make you forget or put you at odds with God?

SIDEBAR:

For those who would like to visit a church in SL, I found these places to be quite nice.  Although the first person I encountered while visiting one church was a man named “Luciferous” and at another church a second person I saw was a woman named “SavedByGrace”.  I was really touched when I found a woman praying aloud at the catholic chapel.

FAIRCHANG CHURCH

BLESSED ISLAND

Calvary Chapel Second Life

Mormon Latter-day Saints

I am perturbed by botgirl’s(guy’s) post. It is so pretentious. I am always surprised the way that some people act in regards to Second Life, its social structure and their place in it.

Basically, Second Life is a large community of people who try to find a way to connect with others in a way that seems real to them.

In many ways it is make believe personified, Star Wars enthusiasts log on and role play then proclaim “we are Jedi”, some log on and shop and proclaim, “we are fashion”, a limited few log on and allow others to dominate them and proclaim, “we are nothing” and then an infinitesimal group log on and blog and proclaim “we are special and not a part of the Second Life masses because we blog.”

That is stupid!

Only in Second Life can you proclaim yourself to be whatever you want to be without any truth in it. In First Life, you are TOLD who you are based on the society in which you are a part of, your accomplishments and skills, or your economic status. Conversely, in Second Life you can just make it up. You can even go further still to support your fairytale; by surrounding yourself with people who agree to pretend with you, then poof you deem yourself SPECIAL by way of a falsely inflated self-perception. And therein lies the crux of my irritation with botgirl’s(guy’s) post.

The simple reality check of it all is, anyone with a Second Life account is a part of the MASS there is no special login for bloggers, fashionistas, slaves or Jedi. We all are “Second Life”.

The concept of the SILENT majority is silly. It implies that just by way of blogging you have more influence on or in Second Life then others who do not blog.

Most of the Second Life blogs that get traffic do so just because they are there.  There is no valid or impartial system in place which definitively grades or certifies the quality of the content. Many bloggers band together to support each other in a way that mimics an authority but a group of close friends and fellow bloggers does not a valid or impartial system make.

Most of those who blog about Second Life, are not skilled writers and basically don’t blog anything that is useful. Second Life bloggers are not a special elite group of intelligent and well-informed people although I suspect many think they are. The majority are just regular people who are of the Second Life masses, with access to blogger/wordpress/typepad and blog what they are feeling in that exact moment, what they are wearing, who is fired at Linden Labs, intensely inappropriate personal information and other non ending streams of nonsensical blah, blah, blah.

Therefore botgirl (guy) ascertains that although he/she is a part of the Second Life mass he/she is clueless as to what his/her own community thinks, that I agree is….CLUELESS.

Let freedom and technology ring.

Amid rumors this month that Microsoft is poised to buy Linden Labs, Phillip Rosedale again steps down as CEO, to pursue his Love Machine project.  It seems that in the past couple of years the executive offices at Linden Labs are in a flux of seesawing.  Linden Labs seems to have no direction, apathy abounds and there is no real leadership.

One can only ponder what changes would happen if Microsoft manned the helm.  Years ago Microsoft adopted the Windows Principles and these principles could invariability change Linden Labs for the better.  The Windows Principles are empowering, opportunity and inoperability.

Empowering Choice – the commitment of designing software that is easy to use.  That accepts the addition of other applications.  It also promises no retaliation against anyone supporting non-Microsoft products.

Opportunities for Developers -   the commitment to preserve opportunities for application designers and website creators to build innovative products on the Microsoft platform.

Inoperability for Users -  the commitment to meet customers inoperability needs and to do so in ways that allow customers to control their data and exchange information securely and reliably across diverse computer systems and applications.

Taking a moment to reflect.

It was 4 years ago when I read about Second Life in a Computer World magazine.  I was extremely intrigued after reading the phrase, “your world, your imagination” embedded in a marketing paragraph of  the article.   And that exact phrase used to be the scrawled in large letters on the home page of Second Life’s website.   I am sad it is gone it has significant meaning to me.

For that was essentially what drew me to Second Life.  The prospect that I could create a virtual life.  I was blown over after seeing Anshe Chung‘s avatar on the cover of BusinessWorld magazine as the first Second Life millionaire.

I could barely get to my computer fast enough to search google to find the link to this virtual world.  New tech and I have a long standing relationship that goes back to my childhood.  I have always been techie, I locked in my street cred at a young age as soon as I become the only kid on the block with a Commodore 64.  My nature commonly gravates to the new trends in tech.

And I wanted to be the first in my circle of friends and colleagues to engage in this new community.  Upon rezzing in-world I was enthralled within minute one with the scenery and the notion that I was this avatar its life-like appearance and movements were completely under my control.  This was something very different then what I had ever experienced, being also an avid gamer.

What blew my mind was the discovery that if I pushed the up arrow on the keyboard I COULD FLY.   This made Second Life to me poetically very real.   Armed with a song in my heart I dedicated myself  to exploring this world to its full extent.

And so thus. I began my first and only straight 36 hour SL marathon.  I didn’t sleep there was too much to experience, see and learn.  In that time I found freebie clothes,  purchased land,  built a tube home, be-friended a Linden and got griefed by a gang of russian speaking costumed evil circus clowns that threatened to shoot at me with a gun they claimed would take my linden dollars away if I didn’t let them live in my house.

Second Life gave me an avenue to explore and express my hidden creativity.  As I learned more about virtual living I learned more about myself.  Many things have changed since 2006.   Friends I have made have come and gone, policies have changed, creativity blocked, the economy turned upside down and the whole community is not what it once was.  Today as I entertain such a pensive mood, I pose the question to myself in reflection.  Why do I  login?  I will also pose the question to you, why do you login?  After a few minutes, my answer arrives as the following passage comes to my mind by Marianne Williamson.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

I login to my second life to effort to liberate my first.

Nickname: Rubba
Apr. 21, 2006, 8:06 p.m.
I’ll defend virtual life. I’m disabled and unable to partake of many activities healthy people take for granted. Virtual life helps relieve the boredom, the frustration, of getting left behind. It’s a way to stimulate my creativity, as well as to indulge myself in social interaction. Being a senior intensifies the experience…. I love my virtual life. Yes, I have a real life too, but I’ve learned to balance with one foot in both dimensions.

My Display Name: Lixena Lamourfou-Barrowstone

The Linden’s have a new feature, “Display Names” that is currently underdevelopment that is causing quite a bit of controversy between residents. The intent of display names is to create two new identities for each resident one is a username that is permanently attached to your Second Life account which becomes your primary name and the second is an alias that will be displayed over your head in-world. The controversy is two-fold and lies in the reasoning of why Linden Labs is motivated to create this feature and subsequently how this feature will effect the social culture of Second Life.

Two weeks ago, it was announced that Display Names were on the horizon for residents by Jack Linden.  His main reasoning for this change is:

Above and beyond the greater  self-expression it allows, Display Names also relieves new Residents of  the need to choose a Second Life last name. New users signing up for  Second Life often abandon their accounts when they’re asked to choose from a list of last names; Display Names removes this choice from registration and lets them get into Second Life more quickly.

Based on this statement alone, this project FAILS as it is not backed with solid logically reasoning for the change. Second Life is not an environment that is quickly easy to understand for new residents.  So saving a few minutes in the registration process inconsequential.  Jack concludes that this factor alone will ensure that new users unburdened from this choice will go on to be perfectly integrated in-world.  Poppycock!

One definite fact about Second Life is that to successfully navigate the platform a certain computer skill level and general intelligence  is needed.  If a person cannot even decide on a decent virtual identity consisting of a personal first and a pre-defined last name they are not viable candidates for the platform.  It makes me wonder if all the factors in why a new user abandons their accounts when asked to choose a last name were considered.  I believe strongly that the majority of the abandonment is a result of a current resident wanting to establish and alt account with a particular name, and when not able to find that name they abandon the process.   The psychology just doesn’t fit that a person curious about Second Life would not pursue that curiosity based solely on their not being able to decide on a last name. People are just not that smart Jack.  Given the fact that a new user completely controls the selection of the first name.  I have seen some frankly very stupid and ridiculous names selected.  Proving that people will risk selecting an inappropriate name in order to satisfy their curiosity.

In my four years of residency I have seen the community change in incremental phases based on many various factors some good and some bad.  I foresee that this new feature will cause a big disruption in the community.  I think this way because as it now stands people generally are leary of new residents and do not trust in the validity of virtual identity when meeting a new avatar.  Most people believe that “alts” run rampant in second life and you can never completely trust who a person is without additional verification.    These new display names will probably exacerbate this belief.

Now, Jack has backtracked with some of the aspects of how display names will be implemented in contrast to how it was introduced.  Originally the display name could be set to any phrase excluding the word Linden and would be the only bubble floating over an avatar’s head.  This has been reconsidered and the username will be by default displayed as well if the display name and username do not match.  That decision then defeats the aspect of free expression that the Lindens were hoping to achieve with the display name feature.  Presently, anyone can start a group and through the group titling display any name they wish.  So where is the improvement?

One question that I believe that has not been asked is will the display name make group titles obsolete?

Related articles

• Philip Linden, 1 year since the Next Chapter! announcement (danielvoyagerblog.wordpress.com)
• SL Recap of October 2010 (danielvoyagerblog.wordpress.com)
• Identity crisis! (gwynethllewelyn.net)
• Display Names and public relations (daleinnis.wordpress.com)

Get Your WishList at Second Life.com

I had no idea that Second Life offered an area on their website where you can compile a list of things that you wished you had. I think that officially this is the greatest idea to come from the Lab this year for me. I attend lots of SL Rezz Days, baby showers, house warmings and ouuuu not to mention the WEDDINGS, so having access to an avatar’s wishes is fabulous.

This interface is not fully developed but it is definitely useful, even as it is unfinished. I took an hour to set up my lengthy list just in case someone would like to send me a gift. [hint - hint] My only complaint is that I hope the developer would quickly put attention into making sure that images when adding items manually would display. I did not find a place to upload a photo so I believe it is just a incomplete feature. I know that with the new Marketplace still in development this is probably still in the back burner of tasks to complete. But nonetheless I am excited and I would like to say “Thank You, Linden Labs!”

To get your own wishlist started click here.

Related articles

• Technological improvements in Second Life? You bet! (gwynethllewelyn.net)

I really wonder whether or not this will make a difference to the integrity of the community. I have always suspected that many Second Lifers in certain public areas were already underage players, since age verification has never been mandatory, I do not think that this is a major announcement or that the change will be impactful.

One well-known fact is that virtual products available to the Teen Grid suffer in quality to that of the main grid creations. And by merging the two worlds there will be some large bonuses for dedicated Teen Grid users, creators and Linden Labs. Second Life could really use a nice influx of new Lindens to the current economy. Unlike regular newbies, these new residents will at least understand how to navigate the Grid some maybe even better then their adult counterparts.

Related articles

• Update on Future of TSL from Terrence Linden (danielvoyagerblog.wordpress.com)
• Linden Lab turns residential; OpenSim embraces business and education (gwynethllewelyn.net)

Personally, I love the Emerald Viewer and believe that it is the best viewer for Second Life.  But from its inception there has been one controversy after another.  This most recent drama though is a serious one.  As reported by Pixeleen Mistral over last week (082010) at The Alphaville Herald the developers at Emerald used their viewer to launch a distributed denial of service (DDOS) attack on the website of Hazim Gazov – a prominent critic of Emerald.  The attack utilized the Emerald login screen and each time emerald user signed on the attack was triggered.

In all of this, there has been a lot of back and forth, resignations and resignation cancellations and a promise for a new restructuring over at Modular Systems.  What is so interesting in all of this is the recent new hires of former Linden Labers.  Fractured Crystal, the Chief of the Emerald Project, admitted to the hoax and claimed it was a mistake.  He has since said that he has become bored with the project and is therefore turning everything over to Arabella Steadham.

Many users now feel that Emerald is comprised and that their privacy is at risk when using the client, but it is iterated by Fractured that the following conditions of operation will be upheld:

• Emkdu metadata has been entirely removed, and will never occur again.
• The login screen issue has been fixed ,and will never occur again.
• He is leaving the project.
• The webserver will be transferred to Arabella Steadham as soon as possible.
• At some point in the near future the project will change to another domain, which will be announced here, along with appropriate automatic redirects on the modularsystems.sl site(s).

I will continue to use the Emerald viewer because I understand that what occurred was a singular misstep by a person drunk with power and driven by attention.  But, what is clear is that people should not be so naïve to think that when using the Second Life viewer that your protected completely from a breach in privacy.  All of your activities and chat conversation while logged in are tracked by the Lindens.



Related articles

• Modular Systems Releases Virtual World Web Browser after Linden Labs Blocks Company’s Popular Viewer from Second Life (prweb.com)
• Second Life’s Emerald client facing obsolescence (massively.com)
• Second Life Rocked by Denial-of-Service Attack Involving Anonymous Avatars, Open Source, Bouncing Breasts (socialtimes.com)

My SL Birthday is tomorrow and I am still grateful for my SL family and friends. Not sure how I will celebrate my 4th year. But you would know the beat would still be going on…….

My SL 4th Birthday....

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• Michael Jackson is alive in SL!!!!!! (virtlantis.com)