116: Seven dog years (my first anniversary!)

It was one year ago today -- February 27, 2014 -- that I made my very first post to this blog. I've remarked before that a year in SL is rather like what we call "dog years"; every year in SL is like seven years in real life. I'll celebrate this as my first anniversary, but gee, it sure feels like I've been posting a lot longer.
   On anniversaries, it's frequently customary to look back over the previous year and try to sum it up, and I wanted to do a little of that today. I went back 116 posts to see what I had to say a year ago, and what I looked like, and to me it's quite amusing.
   I've changed my looks, of course -- like so many people do in SL. I stopped wearing my l'Uomo mesh body and went back to a shape that's shorter than most male avs, and more of what I'll call the "chunky hunky monkey" look; I just prefer myself that way. I've changed my hair a couple of times (no, you won't be seeing much of my huge Afro in the future, that was for a 60s look for a party). I've changed my eye colour at least twice, and gone through more chest hair than an Italian waxing salon ;-) I was a lot more fascinated with black eyes and bruises a year ago than I am today. I still have my trademark caterpillar eyebrows, though!
   More to the point, I've changed a lot about what I blog about and why. I seem to recall starting out with the intention of doing a lot more fashion blogging than I've actually accomplished; if you follow this blog, you know I'm not much of a fashion blogger. Occasionally I find a piece of clothing I really like, and that seems to suit me, but for the most part I think I do a lot better as an interviewer than a fashionisto, and since there are plenty of fashion-forward bloggers covering that ground, I'm okay with where I've ended up.

My first published photo,
taken at The Grindery a year ago today

   One of the things I talked about a year ago today was my intention to become a better photographer. And holy moly, was that ever a bad shot I published a year ago. I can see that somehow my chest hair got mixed up with my tank top ... I wouldn't even publish this shot today except to give us all a bit of a chuckle. (These days, I have a policy that I won't knowingly publish a shot where someone is having layering problems or alpha issues with their outfit; I've been too embarrassed too often by that myself to want to document it for anyone for the future.)

I went back to The Grindery this afternoon
and took a similar picture, just to illustrate
the differences a year can make ...

   These days, I have a little bit different philosophy about photography. I realized early on that I was never going to be as good a photographer as some of my friends, and nearly all of my fellow bloggers. Instead, I have decided that my philosophy is that, damn it, I take the same kind of snapshots as a lot of other people -- it's just that I take more of them. I'm a huge Andy Warhol fan, and, looking back at the early days of Interview magazine, that's what he did; he took a lot of Polaroids and published interviews verbatim. I don't know if it's the best policy, but it seems to be mine.
   I don't seem to have any instinctive talent for photographic composition, and I don't own a copy of Photoshop or anything like that; what you see is what I see, and the most I do is set the sun to noon so I can see the details of people and objects. Believe it or not, I don't use poses (well, occasionally, when I find them at a location, or they're built into furniture). I just snap away until I get a picture I like. Yes, it's frequently a bit awkward and a bit naive, but that's the kind of photographer I am.
   As far as interviews go, well, I always ask the same questions; I may branch out a little bit in the future, and I'm thinking of different kinds of interviews for the future, but for now, I think it helps my readers to understand people when they read how my subjects answer the same questions that everyone else has answered. I like talking to people who are DOING things in Second Life, because I think they are people that other residents would like to know about; I'll continue to do that. I'll also continue to try to find unusual places to go and take pictures -- think of it as me trying to find things that it will amuse you to check out on your own.
   I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who's been supportive and enthusiastic about what I've been trying to do with this blog over the last year. Especially I want to shout out to my fellow bloggers, all of whom you'll see in the blogroll to the right. Some of those folks, like Eddi Haskell / Ryce Skytower and Ziggy Starsmith and Bock McMillan, have been producing intelligent, high-quality Second Life blogging for longer than my av has been in existence, and I owe them a great debt for leading the way. NakedCarl Paneer and I have become colleagues who seem to cover the same ground, and I thank him for keeping my nose to the grindstone to keep posting. Bloggers like Darkyn Dover, Richmond Damiano, Filippo Bergan / Chary Hera, and Carthalis Rossini spend their time and money making beautiful, intricate images, and I thank them for working at a level that constantly delights me. And bloggers like Ciaran Laval, Hamlet Au, Iris Ophelia, and Strawberry Singh have shown me that Second Life blogging can make people think as well as show them beautiful images. Thank you all, and I recommend that my readers check out everyone in my blogroll. Some of them have become friends as well as colleagues. Every single one of these folks has been an inspiration to me at one time or another, and they're all worth following.
   I also want to thank all my friends in Second Life. There are way too many to name, I'm already beyond my tag limit for this post, and (like an Oscar winner) if I name only a few I'll insult the rest, so -- if you're on my list of friends, in SL or on Facebook or both, thank you. It's your support and kind words that keep me blogging. Thanks for putting up with me pestering you for interviews and photographs and "just a few minutes of your time". Thanks for your comments and likes and thumbs-up on Facebook, and for passing around links on Google Plus, and all your interest and support. Thanks for being great DJs and hosts and designers and landlords and neighbours at 3Bears and everything else that you do. Thanks for telling me about cool things that you think I should check out. Thanks for teaching me how to do cool stuff. And thanks for reading my blog!
   Finally, as many of you know, one other important thing has changed in my Second Life in the last year. I first met Alex Thaub out dancing, and he seemed like a nice guy, and I interviewed him, and we went out on a date, and kept hanging out together -- and now we're partners and we're getting married soon. He's become the most important person in my Second Life and I thank him for his constant love, hugs, support, and understanding, and for realizing that when he pops into the house and finds me chatting with a stranger, it's for an interview ;-) You will all be invited to our wedding in the near future, and I'll be blogging about that whole process. Thanks, Alex, for making this a great time in my Second Life, and thanks for saying yes when I proposed!
   Here's to another year!

107: Saturday, February 7; A Celebration of the Life of Avacar Bluestar

I'm happy to echo my fellow bloggers and friends Eddi Haskell / Ryce Skytower and Bock McMillan (click on their names to see their blog posts) and remind you of a Celebration of Life event for the late Avacar Bluestar. It will be held at the Rose Garden at Greymyst Estates II beginning at 1 PM SLT. Your SLURL is here. From 1 to 2 SLT, Phemie Alcott will be performing at a special memorial concert; 2 to 4 SLT, DJ Thorn Andel and host Esme Capelo will be hosting a dance party. I'll be at both events as best I can manage; I expect to see Avacar's partner Ricogenu Bluestar and his good friend Eddi Haskell there. Your presence will be welcome; if you felt like making a donation to the American Heart Association in Avacar's name, that will be facilitated for you at the party. (Eddi or Rico will be happy to help.)

084: #weareALLclean (yes, a naked picture challenge!)

Rusty Redfield, #weareALLclean

I learned about this through following Jack Mackenroth, the former Project Runway contestant and, frankly, extremely hot HIV activist. The project is #weareALLclean and I'll let him tell you what it's about in his own words, as I found them:

"I was inspired by the use of the word 'clean', especially common in gay culture, to describe oneself as STI/STD free. Indirectly this implies that HIV-positive people are somehow 'dirty'," says Mackenroth. I thought a PG or PG-13 shower selfie ... would be a fun way that everyone could easily show their support on social media for finding a cure by using the hashtag #weareALLclean when they post their photo with the link. They then nominate 3 other people to participate and hopefully donate to the project as well. 

Jack Mackenroth, #weareALLclean

It's getting close to World AIDS Day, December 1st, and I liked this idea a lot. I didn't find it all that terrible to take an adult-level picture of myself in the bath -- I don't take showers, for the most part -- the only tough part was avoiding explicit nudity!!  I think it's worthwhile supporting finding a cure for HIV and I'm going to make a donation that's a little larger than usual; I think this is a great idea for a social media campaign that will certainly raise awareness.

And for my three nominations: I challenge my fellow Second Life bloggers Ziggy Starsmith, Bock McMillan and Eddi Haskell -- all of whose blogs are linked by clicking on their names -- to take a selfie in the shower or bath, **No explicit nudity**, etc., as per the five points below. Gentlemen, I know it will be a terrible strain to strip off in the name of charitable endeavour and tantalize your readers with a glimpse of some VERY fine-looking stuff, but ... try to bear up for the sake of charity. And if anyone reading this is interested in showing it off in a good cause, consider yourself challenged.

1) Take a selfie or Vine video of yourself in the shower.**NO EXPLICIT NUDITY**

2) Post your photo now on all social media platforms with the caption “Take HIV Shower Selfie Challenge raise $$ for AIDS cure bit.ly/CUREAIDS #weareALLclean”

3) Nominate 3 or more other people to participate!

4) (Optional) DONATE!! Please consider a small donation if you are able. Every penny counts! bit.ly/CUREAIDS

5) On World AIDS Day (or before): Monday, December 1st, please change all your social media profile pix to your shower selfie photo and spread the word!!

083: Memorial service for Avacar Bluestar

Avacar Bluestar died on November 14 from a heart condition. I wasn't fortunate enough to know him personally so, when I heard about his memorial service, I figured space would be at a premium and it would be more useful to drop in and pay my respects informally; I'd heard that after half-an-hour of encomonium, there would be a kind of dance or get-together. I figured I could slip in, say hi to

a few friends, sign whatever was there as a guest book and make my way back to my day.
     Well, an hour in, there were still people talking about Avacar's good qualities to a very, very large audience. The details of the memorial service have been covered by other bloggers, some of whom knew him as a close friend. Ryce Skytower (aka Eddi Haskell), a close

friend of Avacar, delivered some powerful remarks that can be found here. Bock McMillan's comments are here and NakedCarl quotes Ryce in his blog found here. Ziggy Starsmith's comments are here.
     The thing that was most extraordinary about this event for me was the sheer number of people who were present. Bock McMillan counted 101 residents on

the sim at one point; that seems in the right range of numbers to me, although I didn't know it was even possible to have that many people in one place in SL. The sim was so overloaded that people were popping in and out; as one crashed another would take his place immediately. There's a screen cap that Ryce captured that shows all the residents with their names over their heads that's also represented in Bock's blog; you should definitely look at it, I've never seen anything like it. I can't tell you how powerful it was to actually be there and to see that huge sea of floating names bobbing and moving like the ocean.
     My screen was so filled with names that it was all I could do to pick out a few green ones representing friends, but I didn't get a chance to say hello (I crashed twice myself). As I said, Ryce Skytower was there, and fellow blogger Ziggy Starsmith; Bock McMillan, Tomais Ashdene and Guyke Lundquist; Ezzie Mirabella, the new Board Chair of Second Pride; Crito Galtier from Terra Lascivus; Kahvy Sands and Garrett Smith; and a lady who's a mainstay of the LGBT community in SL, Kharissa Indigo. But there were so many people there, I'm sure I missed some friends and I definitely missed the great speeches. I only managed a few photographs and crashed twice before I decided to leave the service and yield my space to one of Avacar's many personal friends.
     My takeaway is that I've realized once again that it's possible to develop friendships and working relationships in Second Life that are strong and powerful and long-lasting -- and real. It's also possible to develop those friendships by working hard for the benefit of the community, and following the Golden Rule. The respect that Avacar Bluestar engendered in his lifetime, and the memories of him that huge numbers of residents have, will last until the death of the last person who knew him personally, and perhaps even beyond.
     My sympathies in this time to his partner Ricogenu. Let's remember Avacar Bluestar as a fine example of the way people can work for the betterment of others in Second Life.

049: The return of Ziggy Starsmith

I'm happy to echo Eddi Haskell in welcoming back my friend Ziggy Starsmith to the Second Life blogosphere with his new blog. Ziggy is fierce and opinionated and puts it out there whether you like it or not, and I very much respect that principle. He tells us that he is going to put more emphasis on pictures in telling stories. If I were you I'd be making a note of his blog's address because, you know, you will anyway after the rest of the blogosphere keeps referring to it admiringly.  ;-)

You can find it here: http://ziggystarsmith.blogspot.ca

And I've added a picture to pique your interest. There's something so creepy and interesting about those zippers ... Welcome back, Ziggy!

046: Kharissa Indigo sits on my deck

I've seen Kharissa Indigo -- Khar to her many friends -- numerous times on Thursdays at the Cock on the Dock event with Karl Kalchek and Jak Calcutt DJing. It seemed like every time I was at Second Pride dancing this summer, she was right there hosting and making people feel comfortable. I've been wanting to sit down with her for quite a while and do an interview and -- tonight was the night!

[17:22] Rusty Redfield: *click* Okay! I'm here with Khar -- Kharissa Indigo

[17:22] Rusty Redfield: Welcome to my deck!

[17:22] Khar (kharissa.indigo): Thank you for having me

[17:23] Rusty Redfield: my pleasure! Well, I saw you at Second Pride every single time I went dancing there, and I thought, "That lady works HARD, let's talk to her about it!"

[17:23] Rusty Redfield: you were the -- what was the title?

[17:23] Khar (kharissa.indigo): Second Pride Events Director

[17:24] Rusty Redfield: there you go.  And I'll say it again, thanks for all your hard work to help everybody enjoy themselves.  Much appreciated!!

[17:24] Khar (kharissa.indigo): it really was my pleasure

[17:24] Rusty Redfield: ours too, believe me.  Okay -- my usual six questions ...

[17:24] Rusty Redfield: 1. Why do you stay in Second Life?  What keeps you here?

[17:26] Khar (kharissa.indigo): After being here for almost 7 years(rez day is Aug.3) I can say the reason I log on  every day is because of my friends

[17:26] Rusty Redfield: oh! Congrats - I just had my 4th, although this isn't my first account

[17:26] Khar (kharissa.indigo): I have meet a lot of people here but I have a few close friends that keep me coming back

[17:26] Rusty Redfield: I definitely know how that goes

[17:27] Rusty Redfield: if you want to do any shoutouts go for it LOL

[17:27] Khar (kharissa.indigo): LOL ok Hi Doc, Larz, Baz Otto and Tad!!!!

[17:27] Rusty Redfield: hahah perfect

[17:28] Rusty Redfield: on to #2 then

[17:28] Khar (kharissa.indigo): sure

[17:28] Rusty Redfield: 2. What are the qualities that attract you to people in Second Life?

[17:30] Khar (kharissa.indigo): The same as they are in real life...Honesty ..fun...spontaneity ...having a good time...playing games or just sitting around talking

[17:30] Rusty Redfield: those are good qualities here to be sure

[17:30] Rusty Redfield: what games do you like to play?

[17:32] Khar (kharissa.indigo): hehehe..greedy ,skippo, bowling, cards against humanities  ...and I'll try any thing at least once

[17:32] Rusty Redfield: I'm just learning about Greedy and I'm significantly terrible at it LOL

[17:32] Khar (kharissa.indigo): my advice is be a good loser it makes you a humble winner

[17:32] Rusty Redfield: but they just put in a Greedy table down the street so I think I'll get some practice LOL

[17:33] Rusty Redfield: oh good advice!!

[17:33] Khar (kharissa.indigo): cool or you can come play at my place

[17:33] Rusty Redfield: great!

[17:33] Rusty Redfield: thank you!

[17:33] Rusty Redfield: now, the next question I put in so people could blow their own horn without worrying about it -- feel free to be shameless LOL

[17:33] Rusty Redfield: 3. What are you working on, as a form of artistic expression or in order to earn money, or both?

[17:34] Khar (kharissa.indigo): well at the moment I am taking a break after the Second Pride Festival...that takes a lot of hard work and time to put on by all the members  but

[17:35] Rusty Redfield: I saw it from the audience, so, yeah, I know it took a huge amount of work

[17:36] Khar (kharissa.indigo): I have a small furniture store called Sophie's Choice and  there is a dance on our sim every thursday called Cock on the Dock which we took over after the Riviera closed

[17:36] Rusty Redfield: and that's where we met I think!

[17:36] Rusty Redfield: I didn't know aboout the store -- what kind of furniture?

[17:36] Khar (kharissa.indigo): Doc Spad and I loved that party so we invited Karl  and Jak to have the party there every week. It's been a real blast

[17:37] Khar (kharissa.indigo): mostly deco

[17:37] Rusty Redfield: heh heh this is probably the first time you've seen me with my clothes on ROFL

[17:37] Rusty Redfield: oooo I LOVE deco

[17:37] Khar (kharissa.indigo): I am fascinated by that period

[17:37] Rusty Redfield: okay, I'll get a SLURL** and throw it in so we can all check it out (added later; the Marketplace store is here and the SLURL is here)

[17:37] Rusty Redfield: me too, it's so elegant and restrained and just beautiful

[17:38] Rusty Redfield: I did a whole deco house here a few years back, I imagine you have too

[17:38] Khar (kharissa.indigo): actually no this last year is the first time I owned a house in sl and I did that one more country  it fit the sim more

[17:39] Rusty Redfield: fair enough ... yes, deco wouldn't fit here either, I know what you mean, it's tempting but we have to fit in with our neighbours! LOL

[17:40] Khar (kharissa.indigo): two years ago I did a Inaugural Ball for Second Pride and the whole theme was Deco it got me started

[17:40] Khar (kharissa.indigo): what I couldn't find I made

[17:40] Rusty Redfield: I have a couple of Suzy Cooper pieces in real life, that's what got me started

[17:40] Khar (kharissa.indigo): and that started  tghe building of furniture

[17:41] Rusty Redfield: I'll definitely be checking out the store!

[17:41] Khar (kharissa.indigo): :)

[17:41] Rusty Redfield: okay, next one --

[17:41] Rusty Redfield: unless you have more enterprises you want to talk about?

[17:42] Rusty Redfield: 4. If you could give advice to your earlier self in the first month that you spent in Second Life, what would you say?

[17:42] Khar (kharissa.indigo): Well DJ Wesley  and I might be starting up a friday night thing once a month but we'll see

[17:42] Rusty Redfield: aha! Well, I'll spread the word when you do

[17:42] Khar (kharissa.indigo): ok

[17:43] Khar (kharissa.indigo): now on to your next question

[17:43] Rusty Redfield: yes, sorry, I tend to be a bit scattered LOL

[17:45] Khar (kharissa.indigo): well I think the first thing I would tell myself is to not go with my usual trust people until they break that trust....In sl everything is so different and you can see people's faces or always hear their voices so you have to be more cautious

[17:45] Khar (kharissa.indigo): oh typo you can't see their faces is what I meant to say

[17:46] Rusty Redfield: Oh, I hear you on that one.  I'm the same, trust people until they break the trust, but -- I have lots of scars

[17:46] Khar (kharissa.indigo): as do I

[17:46] Khar (kharissa.indigo): but we live and learn

[17:46] Rusty Redfield: yes.  well, I gather I have lots of newbie readers so -- listen up, this lady knows what she's talking about!! LOL

[17:47] Khar (kharissa.indigo): I would also tell myself to explore more

[17:47] Rusty Redfield: oh yes.  I agree there.  Other than learning how to get dressed, I see so many newbies just doing the big three -- dancing, shopping, fucking

[17:47] Khar (kharissa.indigo): after Pride this year Larz and I made a deal to spend more time going different places SL has so much more to offer

[17:48] Rusty Redfield: and I had a similar epiphany -- when I started blogging.  I had to actually find interesting places and people to bring to my readers!

[17:48] Khar (kharissa.indigo): well I can't say I don't like all 3 of those but life is so much more then that

[17:48] Rusty Redfield: there are thousands of people here designing and creating things for other people, it seems a shame not to experience as much as you can

[17:49] Khar (kharissa.indigo): the destination guide  can be a great  place to start

[17:50] Rusty Redfield: yes! And bloggers work hard at finding stuff too -- I'm not great at destinations but if you find a good blogger stick with him/her

[17:50] Khar (kharissa.indigo): agreed

[17:50] Rusty Redfield: Eddi Haskell for instance

[17:50] Khar (kharissa.indigo): I love bloggers

[17:50] Rusty Redfield: anyway! almost done ... two more questions

[17:50] Rusty Redfield: 5. What do you like most about the way that your avatar looks?

[17:51] Khar (kharissa.indigo): well most of it but then I took a long time to look this way ...I didn't just buy buy buy ...the shape is the one I had in rl when I was 24

[17:51] Rusty Redfield: whoa!

[17:52] Rusty Redfield: um, I'm gay and you are enough to turn me into a lesbian! ROFLMAO

[17:52] Khar (kharissa.indigo): I love the skin because of it's coloring I  have olive colored skin in rl

[17:53] Rusty Redfield: yes, it's a chance to try out other -- ways of looking

[17:53] Khar (kharissa.indigo): and the red haor well what can I say if I pop my own color by 2  this is what you get

[17:53] Khar (kharissa.indigo): hair*

[17:53] Rusty Redfield: <grin> that's so good, I also try to look like myself but "more so"

[17:53] Khar (kharissa.indigo): well here we always fit in our clothes:)

[17:53] Khar (kharissa.indigo): can't beat that

[17:54] Rusty Redfield: <laughing> very true! no zits, no eye bags, got to love that!

[17:54] Khar (kharissa.indigo): sure do ...you always have a good morning in SL

[17:54] Rusty Redfield: yeah, no matter what -- or who -- you did the night before

[17:54] Khar (kharissa.indigo): exactly

[17:54] Rusty Redfield: last question ...

[17:54] Rusty Redfield: 6. What’s your favourite place to spend time in Second Life?

[17:55] Rusty Redfield: (this is my sneaky way of getting recommendations on fun things to do LOL)

[17:57] Khar (kharissa.indigo): honestly I enjoy staying on my sim more then any where else ..We have put so much into it and even built the house from first to last prim and I love it.......but the places I do go to every week are...Mawl at 3bears on Mondays......sometimes I go see Zann on tuesdays at Blu....Wednesdays I see Shep if he's playing...thursdays is Cock on the dock....Sunday I go to Cocktails

[17:58] Rusty Redfield: LOL I'm scribbling madly here in RL -- thanks, good hints! (Readers, Khar knows a LOT of hot guys)

[17:59] Khar (kharissa.indigo): LOL and most of them are gay

[18:00] Rusty Redfield: that's all my questions, but I try to offer at this point a chance to say anything you want -- philosophy, advice, anything you want.  Is there anything I should have asked you about?

[18:04] Khar (kharissa.indigo): well I think your question do tend to cover most things and I thank you for asking....What I would like to say to your readers is....You came here to have fun and try something different ....maybe do some exploring or just exploring yourself....remember that when the times get tough or drama rears it's ugly head and go back to it...it's not hard to do .....there are real people behind the avatars and the computers...treat them how you would like to be treated ...which is not necessarily how you treat yourself.....and last but not least...don't forget to turn off your computer and go for a walk in the real world

[18:06] Rusty Redfield: Thank you! Thanks for your time -- it was great to actually sit down with you and I hope my readers will take your advice to heart, you've been here a long time and I think everyone respects your community service

[18:06] Khar (kharissa.indigo): Thank you again for asking me and it has been my utmost pleasure to serve the community

[18:07] Rusty Redfield: we'll look forward to seeing you in person at Pride next year!

[18:07] Khar (kharissa.indigo): hehehe I"M sure it's going to fun

[18:07] Rusty Redfield: so --I think that's it ... where's the darn stop button on this *click*

**Later that same night: I'm having trouble finding the Sophie's Choice store on the grid, but I want to get this post up, so I'll add it later ...  (added it!)

Thanks, Khar!! Great to talk to you and I'll see you soon!

033: Second Second Life: No freaking out required

Well, the big news on Friday afternoon from Linden Labs was that they're working on a new "next generation virtual world". I don't think anyone should be surprised at that; it's their business. The part of the press release that everyone is freaking out over is -- "[W]e don't want to constrain our development by setting backward compatibility with Second Life as an absolute requirement from the start."

Judging by reaction in the blogosphere, and a couple of random comments I heard last night while I was out shopping, that announcement means that Second Life will be shutting down in about 20 minutes, and every cent you've ever spent on stuff in SL is now completely wasted, and, and, and -- the sky is falling.

For crying out loud, RELAX.

My friend Eddi Haskell has summed it up very well at his blog, found here -- and his post is called "Much Ado About Nothing", which is perfect. He makes four very good points that you really should read for yourself. But what it boils down to for me is, SL technology is open source and Linden Labs is still making money by running SL -- so I don't think SL is going anywhere soon. If Linden Labs sells it off, someone will pick it up (and personally, I'm thinking that Facebook has pretty deep pockets right now, and it's kind of a natural fit with their business model). Firestorm will continue to support a viewer as a third-party provider, I think.

And honestly, did you think Second Life was going to last forever?  This is, to me, just like the transition that I've lived through between VHS and DVD. Yes, I had to replace movies that I owned in VHS format, but the DVD format is a lot better and easier to use. I'm betting that once Linden Labs approaches the question of creating a virtual world with today's technology, with the extraordinary graphics that we've all seen in other games, and, yes, even with the potential addition of Oculus Rift to the mix, we will be happy puppies. The technological leap might cost us all time and money, but I'm thinking that it will be like the early days of SL all over again -- covers of magazines will bring thousands of newbies into Second Second Life, as you might call it, and the experience that we've all gained in our years in SL will pay off big-time in SSL. We'll all be able to start consulting services teaching people about the equivalent of Slink feet and l'Uomo mesh bodies and custom AOs, because we've already mastered the art of surfing the technology waves that pass through SL every so often.

So look on the bright side! Frankly, although I'm sure we'll be able to play in SL for a long, long time, I will probably be enthusiastic about leaving it behind and moving to SSL. We'll be getting a better environment in which to do the same things we like to do. And we'll be the only people who have experience at using that kind of environment. I can't say I'll be delighted if I have to throw away a lot of virtual clothes and furniture, etc., but I wasn't happy about throwing away a lot of VHS tapes either. It's a part of life. And I can't wait to see what they come up with!

025: Crito Galtier sits on my deck

It's been a while since I've done an interview; not because there hasn't been a lot of good subjects but nobody has time to sit down! But I scored a coup and managed to catch busy executive Crito Galtier in an expansive mood with a few minutes to spare. I first met Crito a while ago when I was considering entering the Mr. Terra Lascivus contest; I finally never did enter, for various reasons, but I really liked the way that he had set it up so as to avoid being a popularity contest. In fact I liked a lot of his philosophy and so I was delighted to pin him down and get him to tell my readers what he's up to.

I apologize for the presence of Petunia the basset hound in some of the pictures; she's hard to shift once she puts her mind to being somewhere.

Crito Galtier: Thanks you Rusty. It's so nice to be here with you.
[17:11] Rusty Redfield: heh heh do I sound like a disc jockey? LOL
[17:11] Crito Galtier: Not yet. hehe
[17:11] Rusty Redfield: Thanks for agreeing to do the interview.
[17:12] Crito Galtier: It's my pleasure.
[17:12] Rusty Redfield: I won't keep you from your many duties so -- here we go. Question 1, Why do you stay in Second Life? What keeps you here?
[17:12] Crito Galtier: Thank you for taking the time to talk with me.
[17:17] Rusty Redfield: I'm getting some snapshots while you think LOL
[17:18] Crito Galtier: I love the people first and foremost. It's exciting to meet so many new folks from all over the world. And also the amazing adventures Second Life has to offer makes it a fascinating place. There are so many incredible builds and so many talented people. And the talent is not just with the builds. As you know, there are some awesome artists who sing, play live music, photograph and such. Second Life is a microcosm of the real world that lets people be who they are while also letting them be someone they want to me. All of that amazes me and makes every day new and different and so enjoyable. I've been in Second Life four years now and everyday has been different and that make it such a wonderful adventure.
[17:18] Rusty Redfield: wow! it's great to hear someone with enthusiasm
[17:19] Rusty Redfield: I agree -- it's always such a pleasure and a privilege to be here, I think sometimes people forget that
[17:19] Crito Galtier: Oh yes! It's truly an exciting place to be and I do get excited about it.
[17:19] Rusty Redfield: well, that leads right into
[17:19] Rusty Redfield: 2. What are the qualities that attract you to people in Second Life?
[17:19] Rusty Redfield: I'm thinking enthusiasm! LOL
[17:24] Crito Galtier: Well, there are some truly hot avatars out there but that's secondary really. What attracts me to people is their genuineness, their kindness and the love they share with others around them. Too many people forget there are real people behind these pixels and it's important to me that the people I meet remember we are real people. And people who share are also important. I still remember the guy that took me under his wings and got me started when I first joined Second Life. That willingness to share and help people is an important trait and something we all have to do.
[17:25] Rusty Redfield: Very true. As they say, the only real thing here is the emotions.
[17:25] Crito Galtier: That is so true, Rusty.
[17:25] Rusty Redfield: well, here comes the shameless self-advertising part. 
[17:25] Rusty Redfield: 3. What are you working on, as a form of artistic expression or in order to earn money, or both? 
[17:26] Rusty Redfield: go ahead, blow your horn, that's why I ask LOL 
[17:33] Rusty Redfield: everything okay? 
[17:33] Crito Galtier: Until recently I've been working a lot on the new Terra Lascivus. There was a lot of work getting that built. My friends Robin and Mar'Kenn at Armana Designs did all the structural building and it was fantastic watching them create it all and working with them on the layout. Then I had a lot of landscaping and decorating to do, all of which I am constantly working on to make it fresh and better. I hate keeping things stagnant so there is always something to do around the sims. The new Terra Lascivus also has rentals so I have been working on that to help finance the sims. So far it's all gone quite well and I'm very happy with how it's all going. I have great tenants who love Terra Lascivus and that has led to more close friendships, which is most important to me. 
[17:33] Crito Galtier: OH yes! Very fine! 
[17:34] Rusty Redfield: it sounds very complicated. it sounds like you're enjoying all the work 
[17:34] Crito Galtier: I'm a slow typer. lol 
[17:35] Crito Galtier: I really do love the creative outlet that Second Life affords. Where else can we build lavish resorts like Terra Lascivus? It took Rome hundreds of years to build their cities and here we do it in weeks and months. 
[17:35] Rusty Redfield: By the way, just to drag in the reason we have been talking and you agreed to the interview -- my friend and blogging role model Eddi Haskell gave Terra Lascivus such a great review -- and your friends Robin and Mar'Kenn 
[17:36] Rusty Redfield: I know, it's astonishing, isn't it? And so the choices are difficult because you can literally have anything your mind can conceive of 
[17:36] Rusty Redfield: we met because I was thinking of running for Mr. Terra Lascivus a while ago -- how did the contest go? 
[17:37] Crito Galtier: Yes He did! Eddie is a wonderful guy and has an awesome blog. I was truly honored to catch his eye and love for Terra Lascivus. 
[17:37] Rusty Redfield: and it really is an awesome build. I spent like an hour taking selfies in the baths LOL 
[17:41] Rusty Redfield: the landscaping is so lovely -- there are no bad camera angles. and it has such a nice quality of peace and quiet. 
[17:41] Crito Galtier: The contest went very well. It's something I will do every year. AJ Wrightsmith won this year's competition. We had a lot of guys enter the contest. I ran it very differently from a lot of the contests here in Second Life. Too many are popularity contests and that is not what I wanted. I wanted Me Terra Lascivus to hold high qualities with regard to their personality and how they conduct themselves. The judges and contestants were all kept secret to avoid any favoritism and the process was a little hard. I modeled the contest after some of the guidelines from the Mr Gay World competition. I'm looking forward to continuing the contest year after year. 
[17:42] Rusty Redfield: we did talk about that -- I very much liked the way you had set it up 
[17:42] Rusty Redfield: I agree, there is no point in having a popularity contest, because that doesn't promote the brand you're trying to establish. 

[17:45] Crito Galtier: I'm so glad you like the surroundings at Terra Lascivus. As they say, "The devil is in the details" and it's the details and the realism you present in a sim that makes the difference between common and quality. 

[17:46] Rusty Redfield: Yes indeed. The small details make the big picture. 

[17:46] Crito Galtier: Yes it really does. I wonder how may people have noticed the birds and Rocky the squirrel at Terra Lascivus. 

[17:47] Rusty Redfield: so do you rent land only, or do you and your associates design houses and mansions? 

[17:47] Rusty Redfield: hah! you should give a prize for the best photo of Rocky the squirrel LOL 

[17:48] Rusty Redfield: I hope you noticed my basset hound Petunia behind you, she works her way into all the pictures LOL 

[17:49] Crito Galtier: I provide all the homes and landscaping at Terra Lascivus. I do that so I can maintain a level of integrity and quality. Robin and Mar'Kenn designed and built some awesome homes that are all quite large and have incredible detail. They are also set into the land very well and every one is different.

[17:49] Crito Galtier: Yes I did notice Petunia. I love dogs and I think they sense that about me.

[17:49] Rusty Redfield: I agree -- I think people respect that you have a vision for the whole sim. [17:55] Rusty Redfield makes a mental note to go on a photo expedition LOL 

[17:55] Crito Galtier: Just wear clothes there. lol 

[17:55] Rusty Redfield: oh, always LOL I'm shy that way

[17:55] Rusty Redfield: Okay! 

[17:55] Rusty Redfield: 4. If you could give advice to your earlier self in the first month that you spent in Second Life, what would you say? 

[18:01] Crito Galtier: Get out more! I spent most of my first three years in Second Life role playing a gladiator character in ancient Roman sims. I focused a lot on that role and really loved it. In fact, I owned an ancient Roman sim with my very good friend Filipa Thespian called Gods of Valor. There was enough good role play drama there to write a novel! But I limited myself too much to that genre and missed a lot of what Second Life has to offer. So I would tell my "new" self, explore more and discover what Second life has to offer. 

[18:02] Rusty Redfield: wow! I played in a roman sim for maybe a year -- loved the milieu. Yes, there are so many things that can delight people in SL, it seems a shame to stick to just one here. 

[18:02] Rusty Redfield: I look at it as an excuse to go shopping for new costumes

[18:03] Crito Galtier: Well as a gladiator all I wore was a subligaria - many people call it a man diaper. lol So there wasn't need to shope for much outside arena gear which had to be special to make a statement. 

[18:04] Rusty Redfield: I think I just like to shop for clothes LOL. 

[18:04] Rusty Redfield: which leads me to -- 

[18:04] Rusty Redfield: 5. What do you like most about the way that your avatar looks? 

[18:04] Crito Galtier: Me too and I am doing a lot of that now! There are some really great mesh outfits available now, 

[18:10] Crito Galtier: Funny you should ask that. I just celebrated my fourth rez day in Second Life and had pretty much the same avatar. I went through a make over recently so this avatar is all new to me. I'm still getting used to it. But I think it has a nice sophisticated look to it. 

[18:10] Rusty Redfield: First of all, congratulations on your fourth rez day! 

[18:10] Crito Galtier: Thank you! 

[18:10] Rusty Redfield: Yes, you look like an executive at an Internet company LOL 

[18:11] Crito Galtier: In some ways it feels like it's been ten years and in others way it feels like I got here yesterday. 

[18:11] Rusty Redfield: I know, right? there's always something crazy and new coming down the pipe 

[18:11] Crito Galtier: Maybe I should have worn my suit and tie 

[18:12] Rusty Redfield: hah! No, this is the boonies, we don't get dressed up here LOL 

[18:12] Crito Galtier: No wait, Internet executives all wear jeans now so I guess I do fit that model. 

[18:12] Rusty Redfield: well -- you mentioned a bunch of places that I know people will be curious about -- so come back and leave links and stuff in the comments, so people can travel there and check them out 

[18:13] Crito Galtier: I will do that! 

[18:13] Crito Galtier: I'll have you over to my home there when you have time. 

[18:13] Rusty Redfield: Crito, that's all my questions, but I do thank you for being so forthcoming and detailed 

[18:13] Rusty Redfield: and let's both thank Petunia for being particularly well-behaved LOL 

[18:14] Rusty Redfield: thank you for the invitation, I'll take you up on that! 

[18:14] Crito Galtier: Oh my pleasure, Rusty. I'm happy to talk to you and your readers any time. And thank you for this opportunity. 

[18:14] Rusty Redfield: any final words to newbies? That's who I always try to reach 

[18:19] Crito Galtier: I'm so glad you asked that question! Yes! Second Life is a truly wonderful place where you will meet some wonderful people. You will also meet some jerks. It's a lot like real life in that respect. Kick the jerks aside and move on to the wonderful people that are here. You are bound to make friendships that will last a lifetime. And, if you are really lucky, you may even meet someone so special you will want to spend the rest of your life with them. I know may people here where that has happened. I have friends here that will remain friends forever! And don't sweat the technical details. Those will come in time. Second Life will full of people that will help you out. Just don't be afraid to ask for help. 

[18:19] Rusty Redfield: dude! That is like 200 words, but the theme of my blog!! thank you!! 

[18:20] Crito Galtier: Did I ramble too much? hehe 

[18:20] Rusty Redfield: much, much appreciated. thanks so much for your time, Crito, I'm going to turn the recorder off now ... 

I have to say, I like this guy's wavelength. "Kick the jerks aside and move on to the wonderful people that are here. You are bound to make friendships that will last a lifetime." THAT is what I wish for me and everyone else in SL. Thanks, Crito Galtier!! 

015: Notes on shape (Part 2: face and head)

This is the second post in a series. The first, dealing with affecting the shape of your SL avatar, is found here. But the face is the mirror of the soul, and it's where you should put the most work in; if you think of your own experience, when you zoom in on someone's av, what you usually look at is the face, isn't it? The face is the area where people focus their attention, and it pays off if you focus your attention at learning how to master the sliders. The most realistic avatars are the ones that get the most attention, in SL, and I have a few areas that I've learned over the years that people will benefit from looking at.



First, though, I want to share a tip that will possibly be of interest to all of you in this context, and I'll share how I learned it. Years ago, I read an anecdote in something like TV Guide about how Vanna White got her job. (The perennially lovely Ms. White is shown above.) Apparently Merv Griffin was re-casting Wheel of Fortune after a couple of less-than-perfect experiences, and was offered a series of women from whom to select for the job of evening-gown-clad letter-turner. Merv's finger stabbed down on Vanna's picture.  "Her." Why? someone asked? "Because her head is too big for her body, and that makes people look at her on television." Look at the picture carefully; you may agree.

Personally, I think that a large percentage of the avs I see in Second Life have heads that are too small -- and especially too small for the bodies they've selected. In part 1 of this essay, I suggested that  if you were going to have, say, an ectomorphic body, you should have the matching head shape (see that part for more details). So if you're designing a long slender body, have a long head. If you're designing an average body, have a round or triangular head. And if you're designing a muscular body, have a square head. Now, I venture to say that gay men who are designing avs in Second Life have one of two things in mind -- they either want to be an ectomorph, for which read slender twink, or an endomorph, for which read Tom of Finland drawing. Those are polar opposites, to be sure, but they share one characteristic; they are extreme. And if you're doing an extreme body, you need to have an extreme head to go with it. Whatever shape that head happens to need to be, whether long, round, or square, is just fine. What it should also be, though, is with "Head Size" set at about the 90 point. Yes, you run a little bit of risk of looking like an animated bobblehead, especially if you happen to have a slender neck. But given what I'll call the "Vanna rule", your head should be too big for your body because people are essentially looking at you "on television". And believe me, Merv knew what he was talking about.

This will have the not entirely unexpected side effect of making most of your hair too small, so you will have to hope that you purchased wisely and haven't impulsively deleted the sizing menu. In fact I have my head size at 90-ish, and routinely add 15% to the size of any new hair before I even bother fitting it. Because, yes, you will have to fit it, and adjust it to the massive dome that is your new large head. But the extra work will be worthwhile because it will make people look at you a lot more.

And at this point, I'd like to pause to thank my fellow blogger -- hell, blogging role model, the man posts good stuff so regularly it's embarrassing to the rest of us, and has done so for years -- Eddi Haskell. Twice. I can't find a reference to which to link, but my belief is that he has endorsed the idea of a larger head size himself; he may have put his point of view differently, though, so let's just say the two of us are talking about the same kind of thing. Make your heads bigger, guys. (The second most common fault I see is arms that are too short.) The other reason I have to thank Eddi is that today he posted a lot of nice pictures of a real-life hot guy, British rugger bugger (I wish) and fitness model Stuart Reordan.

[caption id="attachment_124" align="alignnone" width="199"] Stuart Reordan[/caption]

Now, let's just take a moment to thank a munificent providence that there is such a human being in this world that has a face like that, am I right? The man is one in a billion. That's just an extraordinary combination of genetics and environment that produced that particular heap of bones and muscles, and I for one am grateful for it.

So let's start from the mutual assumption that Stuart Reordan has a strikingly handsome face, bone structure, eye colour, hair, skin tone, beard, yada yada yada. As it happens, strikingly handsome faces are what Second Life is specialized to turn out in large numbers and real life not so much. If you want to build a SL av that looks kind of like Stuart Reordan, it's relatively easy because the sliders are there to do things like precisely hollow out cheeks or square off a jaw. In fact, there are potentially three or four components in Second Life to reproducing what we see here; skin is primary, but things like added facial hair and ears would also go a long way to verisimilitude. Underneath it all, though, you need a shape, and that's what you need to learn how to affect. I hasten to add that there are many SL designers who will sell you a decent shape, and one or two who will actually sell you a superb one. So if you're looking for the easy way to accomplish the ideal of a strikingly handsome avatar, you can do it by merely purchasing it, either as a pre-set group of sliders or a mesh body like my l'Uomo one. If you want to learn how to do it yourself, read on.

So put your av on a pose stand and zoom in, and crank up the sliders to change your face structure. You should have in front of you a couple of photographs of, say, Stuart Reordan that will be sufficient to try to copy his bone structure, much like I advised you to have photos of a body structure to copy. The easiest way to seem real is to copy real. Now, I trust you will recognize that Stuart Reordan has a head that is slightly larger than average; the Vanna theory bearing itself out. Now separate out the parts that will be affected by the shape sliders. So ignore the eye colour, the eyebrows, the stubble, the skin tone -- and focus on the bone structure. One way to look at it is to mathematically divide the face into six equal zones, then notice how one part is larger than another. In Stuart, his forehead is a little oversized. He compensates for this visually by having a very wide jaw and a strong chin; the wide jaw makes the face look more rectangular and the head size actually begins to slope outwards just above the ears (honestly, the man won the genetic lottery in every way). His eyes are quite far apart. His cheekbones are so high that in a straight-on shot like this, they actually deform his sideburns in a very SL way; a little zig just above the earlobe. His nose is straight and relatively unnoticeable, and his lips are thin. And -- an important point -- his ears are about 25% too big for his head.

So the first general principle I have to offer here is, "In SL, perfection is easy, and it's imperfection that gets noticed." The second and linked principle is that "Everybody, no matter how beautiful, has something wrong with their face. Sometimes that imperfection is what makes the face memorable."

There are lots of shapes available that will give you a face that the designers might call "classically handsome" and I would call "another SL Ken doll". In fact, I'll give you a way to get a "classically handsome" face -- go into your face shape menus and very carefully set every value to 50. It's a basic handsome face that won't offend anyone and won't really interest anyone either. There is something you can do, though, that goes back to advice I've mentioned before; if you're trying to create a look, think of a way to describe it in a phrase, and you'll be closer to achieving it. The 50-slider face only says "corporate drone". You can make a truly original face by coming to a careful balance of the sliders; deform one part, like the forehead size, and then see if you can balance it out by adjusting the rest of the face. Alternatively, you can work by trying to match a photograph of someone like Stuart Reordan. You won't get an exact match -- skin has a lot to add to this, as would a carefully chosen set of facial hair. But you can match the height of the cheekbones and the width of the jaw and their relationship.

And then the key point that I've learned over the years is -- just like Stuart Reordan has slightly large ears, you need to introduce a single flaw into your av's facial structure. Ears are a really good way of doing that; large, small, jutting, flat. Eyes that are too close together make you look slightly hard and untrustworthy; too far apart make you look mental! Making the character's lips a little too large suggests mixed Negroid ancestry, tilting the eyes adds a hint of Asian ancestry. One subtle one that's available is skewing the nose to the right or left, but I'm not clear whether this actually is interesting or merely a bit creepy. You can make the jaw a bit too wide, the neck a bit too thick, even these days the hairline a bit too receding. The point is that you need to have one thing that makes the viewer look at your face until they are much more likely to accept the kind of person that you're telling them you are. Subconsciously, people think something like "Oh, he'd be really handsome if only it wasn't for the scar in his eyebrow." whereas it's the scar in the eyebrow that makes you look 100% more real to their subconscious eye.



It's also very useful to get photographs of the same person from a number of different angles. Notice how this photograph is canted a bit so that it shows how the ear inserts into the back of the jaw, and the general neck size, and roughly how bulbous the nose is? You should be looking at your av from a 360-degree perspective, to be sure, but it doesn't hurt to have a couple of different takes on the relative sizes of each facial part.

So first make a perfect face, and then pick a trait by which people will remember your face. "The guy with the scar in his eyebrow," "The guy with the cleft chin," etc. Use the same method I told you about in part I, whereby you consecutively name each successive "save" by VER 01, VER 02, etc. Save before you start, have some fun with it, but if you spend the time to figure out the relationship between the sliders and what you see on the screen, and then introduce a single memorable fault, you will be halfway to being truly memorable.