Podcasts and Blogs

One of the reasons I decided to try my hand at a blog about my Second Life was due to the inspiration of a group of folks who have podcasts and blogs about Second Life. Now, if you're new and you want to learn more about Second Life and be entertained at the same time, then check these out. (Click on the links embedded in the post to visit the sites for each and please do see the blogroll in the sidebar for many other blogs which I would mention in this post except that it'd take days for you to read it, it'd be that long. But they are all worthy of your time to look at)

First on my list is what has to be the most useful blog for someone in Second Life to read, and that is Natalia Zelmanov's Mermaid Diaries Blog. This blog is simply incredible, it's got just about everything you could hope for in a blog about Second Life, posts on neat places to visit, tutorials on just about anything you can think of that you would want to see a tutorial for as it relates to Second Life, commentary and advice on an assortment of subjects. If there were only one blog on Second Life that you were able to read (other than the official blog) then this would be the one I would recommend reading, hands down.

Next on my list is a podcast which is one of my "must listen to" podcasts and that is SL under the Radar podcast by Radar Masukami, he interviews some of the more interesting characters in Second Life and also highlights some of the places he's visited. It's one of the most entertaining podcasts I listen to, my favorite episodes have to be #10 and #11, which featured some of Radar's friends and got kinda wild and crazy, but they are probably the best ones he's done. I also like the episode about his visit to New Babbage (episode 16). I recommend that you go back and listen to all the episodes available, they are well worth listening to. My only complaint is that I want more, more, more, I've listened to every episode available and Radar's been slow in posting new shows lately, but I'm hoping to see more soon. They're certainly worth the wait. Radar also has a regular blog called Reading Radar which is a good read, where he does reviews of places visited and people encountered.

Another on my list of "must listen to" podcasts is Going Broke with Daphne and Tamara, which is a podcast on Second Life fashion and good places to buy clothes and shoes and all the accoutrement's necessary for the stylish avatar. Now I'm not really interested in fashion on a conceptual level, whether it be in Second Life or Real Life but I do like to dress nicely in Second Life and am fairly picky about the stuff I wear on a day to day basis in world (yes, I actually change outfits in SL quite often and don't like to wear junk unless it's for a contest). I've been lucky enough to chance upon some really nice outfits in SL and have spent a few thousand lindens on clothing (gasp, yes, a guy spending lindens of clothing instead of weapons, who woulda thunk it?). I have picked up on a few places to look for decent guy's clothing by listening to this podcast, but mainly I just listen to it for the entertainment value, the interaction between Daphne and Tamara, plus their guests, is a real trip and the podcast is usually being listened to by me same day it comes out. I've gone back and listened to all of their podcasts and I have to say they are uniformly well made and great to listen to, though they have noticeably improved over time.

Yet another "must listen to" podcast is the Pod Mafia Podcast, another entertaining podcast which is done in segments where a wide assortment of topics are covered, with musical breaks in between. Gomem Desoto, Stuart Warf and Yxes Delacroix are the hosts and the banter and interaction between the three makes this podcast most entertaining and informative. Having gone back and listened to all the podcasts, I have to say that the addition of Yxes as host was just what the podcast needed, the podcasts prior to Episode 6, frankly weren't that good (sorry guys) and things really picked up by Episode 8 when Yxes was featured, and Episode 9 when she joined the show as a co-host. Gomem and Stuart are naturals to podcasting, but the other previous participants weren't, which isn't meant to be a knock against them, not everyone is going to be able to sit and chatter on about a given subject and be entertaining to listen to. And after listening to the earlier podcasts I got the sense that there wasn't a good sense of direction for the show until the podcast was "restarted" after roughly 6 months, then a few months later when Yxes was added. I think Gomem and Stuart just needed a good "straight man" to work with and Yxes fits that need precisely. I love listening to them and highly recommend the podcast to everyone.

And I can't not mention the very first podcast about Second Life that I started listening to, which lead me to SL under the Radar and all the rest, and that is Will Ross the Travelling Avatar, quick and dirty tips for a better Second Life. It's a short podcast, about 5-10 minutes but the tips he comes up with are pretty useful and it's definitely worth the time to listen. Wish he'd do a longer podcast, even if only slightly longer, so he could go into more detail on some of the topics he covers.

Last, but not least, on my A-list of blogs that I just have to mention is What is this Crap? a blog done by the infamous Crap Mariner (well, he's infamous to me now after hearing about him on some of the podcasts featured above). Crap is a very interesting character, and is very prolific with his blog(s) and other ventures. I don't even have words to do him justice, you just need to go read his blog.

But wait, I simply can't do a blog post on Second Life blogs without mentioning one other blog and that is the blog of..........Mr Watermelon himself, Torley Linden. His blog is definitely the most......colorful, and he's a very interesting character. As you can obviously tell by the Linden name, Torley works for Linden Labs and is probably the most recognizable figure representing Linden Labs in Second Life. He blogs on a variety of subjects, including Second Life and has done and continues to do some absolutely must see video tutorials which are on YouTube, check them out at Torley's YouTube User Page. And you have to visit, in world, Torley's Watermelon Land which is very.............watermelony, just go see it and you'll understand.

Ok, I guess I've written a monster blog post, and here I thought I'd have trouble coming up with something to say in this blog. There are so many good blogs and podcasts related to Second Life, I feel bad that I can't mention them all, but ya gotta stop somewhere. Perhaps I'll do another post sometime and highlight some of the other really good blogs out there.