tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59142284969354955232024-03-08T13:05:03.529-06:00Adventures of a Southern GentlemanA Southerner by birth, born in Georgia, currently living in sunny Southern California.
This website is a reflection of my interests, thoughts and ideas.Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.comBlogger50125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-20640852951101792013-06-02T12:48:00.002-05:002013-06-02T12:51:58.354-05:00Site Update: Old Second Life Posts ImportedAfter some debate, I decided to import the old posts from my Second Life blog that I brought down in a few years ago. There are still some links out there coming back to <a href="http://sladventures.sougent.com/">http://sladventures.sougent.com</a> and/or to <a href="http://www.sougent.com/">http://www.sougent.com</a> so I thought it would be appropriate to do so.<br />
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I've created a page tab to bring up only the Second Life related posts and linked it to <a href="http://sladventures.sougent.com/">http://sladventures.sougent.com</a> so that the back links go to only the Second Life tagged posts.<br />
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<br />Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-36266149259788744712013-04-28T14:08:00.001-05:002013-04-28T14:14:10.009-05:00Good Article: Car Etiquette–How to Be a Gentleman Behind the WheelHaving been transplanted from Georgia to California, one of the things that struck me the most about how different it is from other parts of the country is the traffic and the way other drivers act and react. <br />
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<a href="http://www.artofmanliness.com/">The Art of Manliness blog</a> has once again come up with an excellent article, this time on car etiquette, a must read for anyone concerned about being a gentleman or gentlewoman and living in a metropolitan area with loads of traffic. A good read for anyone who drives, for that matter.<br />
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<a href="http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/04/25/car-etiquette/"><span style="color: #0066cc;">http://www.artofmanliness.com/2013/04/25/car-etiquette/</span></a><br />
Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-14444800217933091082010-11-25T14:56:00.004-06:002012-05-28T20:27:51.076-05:00Happy Thanksgiving<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font: medium 'Times New Roman'; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande',tahoma,verdana,arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;"> </span> </span><br />
<div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thanksgiving </span></span></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">by Fr. Brian Joyce</span></span></div><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> <br />
</span></div>I am thankful for the mess to clean up after a party because it means I have been surrounded by friends. <br />
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I am thankful for the taxes I have to pay because it means I have a job and I am employed. <br />
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I am thankful for the clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have had enough to eat. <br />
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I am thankful for the lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning, gutters that need fixing because it means I have a home. <br />
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I am thankful for all the complaining I do about the government because it means we have freedom of speech. <br />
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I am thankful for the parking spot I find at the far end of the lot because it means I am capable of walking. <br />
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I am thankful for my big heating bill because it means I am warm. <br />
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(I love this one. Don’t look around. Don’t turn. Just listen.) <br />
I am thankful for the lady behind me in Church who sings off-key because it means I can hear. <br />
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I am thankful for the piles of laundry and ironing because it means my loved ones are nearby. <br />
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I am thankful for weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day because it means I have been productive. <br />
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And finally, I am thankful for the alarm that goes off early in the morning because it means that I am still alive.Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-14787603321501288062010-06-11T13:53:00.001-05:002010-06-11T13:59:33.872-05:00Cool Site: kenrockwell.com – How to Afford AnythingGreat article with some common sense advice on living within your means. I wish I’d read this when I was 18-19 years old.<br />
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<a href="http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/how-to-afford-anything.htm">How to Afford Anything</a><br />
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The sites main focus is on cameras and photography, but this article is an amusing and though provoking treatise on the benefits of frugality.Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-23832174438831194962010-05-21T16:03:00.001-05:002010-05-21T16:03:46.829-05:00Cool Site: Library of Congress on Youtube<p>Discovered this through the Lifehacker RSS feed….</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3VaLfDpPQdA/S_b1L87ho9I/AAAAAAAAAFg/7CqbYrsuwlc/s1600-h/image%5B8%5D.png"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3VaLfDpPQdA/S_b1MRR7HKI/AAAAAAAAAFk/7RYVLoCAimM/image_thumb%5B10%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="244" height="158" /></a> </p> <p>The Library of Congress has it’s own Youtube channel.   Doesn’t appear to be much there yet, but if it’s anything like the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/library_of_congress/">Library of Congress Flickr photo feed</a> then eventually there will be some pretty incredible stuff available.</p> Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-42739209224454696022010-05-20T17:39:00.004-05:002012-05-28T21:36:32.306-05:00Movie Review: Letters to Juliet (spoilers)Yesterday, as is my practice, I took my daughter out for the day to celebrate her birthday and she chose to see the movie <a href="http://www.letterstojuliet-movie.com/">Letters to Juliet</a>. <br />
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Released: 2010<br />
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt892318/" target="_blank">Go to IMDb page</a><br />
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Normally, this is not the type of movie I’d choose to spend money at the theater to see myself, but having seen it I must admit to enjoying it. It is a fairly typical romantic comedy, unlikely couple thrown together by events which lead to their falling in love. <br />
While one could certainly make parallels to elements of other movies, I found that story and plot, while fairly obvious, to be engaging enough to make the movie entertaining. It wasn’t overly mushy and romantic, nor was it overly comedic and absurd. For everyone who’s ever loved and lost, or laments missed opportunities for love, this will tug at your heartstrings and make you think about the “what ifs”.<br />
From the <a href="http://www.letterstojuliet-movie.com/">official movie website</a>…<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">STORY </div><blockquote>Letters To Juliet is an enchanting love story -- a tale of encountering new sparks and rekindling old flames. When Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), a young American, travels to Verona, Italy -- the romantic city where Romeo first met Juliet -- she meets a group of volunteers who respond to letters written to Juliet seeking romantic advice. Sophie finds and answers a letter that has been lost for 50 years, and is stunned when its author Claire (Vanessa Redgrave) arrives in Italy with her handsome but overprotective grandson (Christopher Egan) to find the fiancé she left decades before. Fascinated by Claire's quest, Sophie joins them on an adventure through the beautiful hills of Tuscany searching for Claire's long lost Lorenzo. The journey will change their lives forever, as they discover it's never too late to find true love. </blockquote>Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-84547259532802114222010-05-20T17:11:00.001-05:002010-05-20T17:11:31.104-05:00Cool Site: AfriGadget<p>I’ve always been interested in gadgets, taking things apart, that sort of thing.   It’s always been a dream of mine to have a work area where I could fiddle around with stuff.   </p> <p>Hence, I have an interest in web sites that have to do with what is commonly known as “makers”, the most well known of these is the website of <a href="http://makezine.com">Make Magazine</a>.   I’ve amassed quite a collection of these sites having to do with hardware hacking and making stuff.</p> <p>Recently, I came across a very interesting site called <a href="http://www.afrigadget.com/">AfriGadget</a> which documents some of the ingenious solutions that folks in Africa have come up with to deal with every day problems, things that we in the “developed” world take for granted because we can easily go to a store and buy something. </p> <p>I have a great deal of respect for these people who, despite living in conditions that most of us so called modern folk would piss and moan about, come up with creative solutions and ways to re-use what we’d consider junk.</p> <p>Check out AfriGadget at <a title="http://www.afrigadget.com/" href="http://www.afrigadget.com/">http://www.afrigadget.com/</a></p> Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-28373553500658314032010-05-16T21:01:00.001-05:002010-05-16T21:01:55.343-05:00Interesting: "The only perfect reference work" Nelson's Perpetual Loose-Leaf Encyclopaedia<p>Ran across this brief article on Boing Boing about the Nelson’s Perpetual Loose-Leaf Encyclopaedia and was struck by the fact that I not only own a complete set of the regular encyclopedia but a set of the medical encyclopedia as well, plus several updates.</p> <p>I happen to love encyclopedias, especially old ones, and these are my favorites (though I would love to get my hands on a set of Encyclopedia Britannica from the late 1800’s).</p> <p>Check out the article here… </p> <p><a title="http://www.boingboing.net/2010/01/30/nelsons-loose-leaf-encyclopaedia.html" href="http://www.boingboing.net/2010/01/30/nelsons-loose-leaf-encyclopaedia.html">http://www.boingboing.net/2010/01/30/nelsons-loose-leaf-encyclopaedia.html</a></p> Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-26102663730789789202010-05-16T17:27:00.001-05:002010-05-16T17:27:46.370-05:00Good Information: Preserving Memories<p>A word of warning for those of us that have physical photos taken before the widespread use of digital cameras.   I was looking through an album of photos taken in the late 90’s and discovered that a couple of ultrasound photos for one of my children had degraded quite a bit, which is no wonder since they were printed on thermal paper.   I promptly scanned them in order to preserve a digital copy of them, though much of the original detail was lost.</p> <p>This incident prompted me to consider the relative longevity of certain types of photos such as those printed on thermal paper like the ultrasounds or those little Chuck E Cheese photos, or the Polaroids from the 70’s and 80’s.   While I don’t have many of these types, the ones that I do have are showing signs of fading.   Even normal color photos run the risk of damage by heat, water or fire.   </p> <p>How many photos do you have stuck away in boxes that you haven’t looked at in years?   Have you lost any precious memories without even knowing?  </p> <p>I plan on taking stock of these old photos and scanning them to create a digital backup.   I have a scanner, so I will probably do it myself, but there are also services out there that will for a modest fee scan them for you.</p> <p>We tend to forget that digital cameras haven’t been around for that long, though it seems like it’s been forever.   While digital photos are hopefully backed up many times on hard drives, CDs, DVDs, Flickr and other places, those hard copy photos and negatives aren’t.   </p> <p>Take steps to preserve those memories.</p> Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-39990170166121843892010-05-16T00:29:00.001-05:002010-05-16T00:29:56.596-05:00Cool Site: Library Thing<p>Booklovers should check out a website called <a href="http://www.librarything.com">Library Thing</a>.   It’s intended for people to share the contents of their personal libraries and allows for reviews, recommendations, discussion and even links in to book trading sites.   You can enter your books in one at a time, or upload a list of books for it to process.   It offers some built in collection types such as Your Library, Wishlist, Currently Reading, To Read, Read but unowned, Favorites, plus the ability to add your own custom types.</p> <p>Though my personal library is at the moment boxed up for the most part, I plan on adding my modest collection of books and sharing that link on this site.</p> <p>For now it only has a few books listed, but you can find my library listing at <a title="http://www.librarything.com/catalog/Sougent" href="http://www.librarything.com/catalog/Sougent">http://www.librarything.com/catalog/Sougent</a></p> Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-14093995630828696632010-05-13T17:22:00.001-05:002010-05-13T17:22:21.019-05:00Good Article - Our Innate Desire to Quit When the Going Gets Tough<p> </p> <p>A thought provoking article on quitting…</p> <p> </p> <blockquote> <p>I have seen a pattern amongst many people in life; the pattern of quitting when times get tough. Quitting is perhaps one of the easiest things to do because it requires no effort at all. Quitting on your business, quitting school, quitting relationships, quitting on goals that you are pursuing.</p> </blockquote> <p><a href="http://cultivategreatness.com/2010/05/12/our-innate-desire-to-quit-when-the-going-gets-tough">Our Innate Desire to Quit When the Going Gets Tough</a></p> Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-30796181031683435922010-05-12T12:50:00.001-05:002010-05-12T12:50:12.270-05:00Good Information: Simple Color Theory<p>From the <a href="http://www.tutorial9.net/">Tutorial9 website</a>…</p> <p>"The mastery of color theory, relations and harmonies is one of the primary steps to uncovering the full beauty and potential of your images (in the realms of art, design and/or photography). Find out more in this simple, practical, colorful guide."</p> <p><a title="http://www.tutorial9.net/resources/simple-practical-color-theory/" href="http://www.tutorial9.net/resources/simple-practical-color-theory/">http://www.tutorial9.net/resources/simple-practical-color-theory/</a></p> Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-40613903220490426092010-05-11T19:18:00.001-05:002010-05-11T19:18:01.730-05:00VisiPics – an Excellent Duplicate Photo Finder<p>My digital photos are a mess, disorganized and full of duplicates.   Fortunately, there’s a really nice utility that is helping to rectify the situation.</p> <p><a href="http://www.visipics.info/index.php?title=Download">VisiPics</a> will scan your photos, finding and displaying duplicates.   It scans the photos themselves, so it will find actual duplicates regardless of how they are named or where they are located.</p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3VaLfDpPQdA/S-nztzH2b9I/AAAAAAAAAFQ/3AVm9z143_Y/s1600-h/image%5B2%5D.png"><img style="border-right-width: 0px; display: inline; border-top-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px" title="image" border="0" alt="image" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_3VaLfDpPQdA/S-nzuNrve5I/AAAAAAAAAFU/NLKI9-pEYzk/image_thumb.png?imgmax=800" width="244" height="155" /></a> </p> <p>It allows you to adjust the sensitivity so that you can do a strict scan finding near exact duplicates only to loose which will find photos that might be edited versions of the same photo.</p> <p>Once finished scanning, it presents you with groups of duplicates which you can mark and then batch delete or copy.</p> <p>It’s a must have utility for anyone with a digital photo collection.    It is a Windows only utility.</p> Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-36379449469125012892010-05-10T14:12:00.001-05:002010-05-10T14:12:13.591-05:00Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes<p> </p> <p></p> <p></p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: left; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:7b08a82a-97b5-421f-9649-2ca5f2593cf8:913ab1a5-f4bb-4d6e-b860-348c9ccc5089" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><div style="width: 155px; padding-left: 5px;"><br /><div id="left" style="float: left;"><br /><img alt="Sherlock Holmes" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/_3VaLfDpPQdA/S-hajCPmH0I/AAAAAAAAAFI/3I65iSpdPUA/Sherlock%20Holmes%5B2%5D.jpg?imgmax=800" /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt988045/" target="_blank">Go to IMDb page</a></p><br /><p style="font-size:smaller">Information © <a href="http://www.imdb.com" target="_blank">IMDb.com</a></p><br /></div></div><br /></div> <p></p> <p>I watched the Sherlock Holmes movie with Robert Downey Jr. last night with my daughter.  Having been a great fan of Sherlock Holmes ever since discovering the stories when I was a teenager, I watched with a bit of trepidation since lately modern moviemakers have been taking liberties with interpreting old established characters from some of my favorite books.    But, I have to say that in this instance they did a good job.   Holmes is portrayed as a brilliant but  eccentric character which is exactly how he’s portrayed in the books.   The little mental vignettes showing how he analyzed and deduced things were spot on.   The plot of “magic” ending up being a put on using science was in keeping with Holmes stories like Hound of the Baskervilles where what appeared to be a ghost dog turned out to just be a manipulation of the legend. </p> <p></p> <p>If I have any beefs with this movie it would be that Holmes seemed too modern, especially in his clothing.   I would have liked to see him in a few scenes dressed more appropriately to the era as Watson was.</p> <p>All in all, a good movie.</p> <p>If you liked the movie and haven’t read them, I’d strongly recommend reading the original Conan Doyle stories.</p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:7dc1bd33-94bd-46fd-a20b-0131235bcd47:4652763b-ae49-4a06-bd1f-fcca6f105a83" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" width="400" border="0" unselectable="on"><br /><tbody><tr><br /><td valign="top" width="400"><br /><p><a title="The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short Stories (2 Vol. Set) (9780393059168): Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Leslie S. Klinger, John Lecarre: Books" href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0393059162/adveofasoutge-20"><img src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0393059162.01.MZZZZZZZ.jpg" border="0" align="left" style="float:left">The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Short Stories (2 Vol. Set) (9780393059168): Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Leslie S. Klinger, John Lecarre: Books</a><br><br><b>ISBN</b>: 0393059162<br><b>ISBN-13</b>: 9780393059168</p><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div> <p> </p> <iframe style="width: 120px; height: 240px" marginheight="0" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&nou=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=adveofasoutge-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B001OQCV6A" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><iframe style="width: 120px; height: 240px" marginheight="0" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&nou=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=adveofasoutge-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&m=amazon&f=ifr&md=10FE9736YVPPT7A0FBG2&asins=B001OQCV6K" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no"></iframe> Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-47054330566414102492010-05-09T16:17:00.001-05:002010-05-09T16:17:41.447-05:00Time to Get Started<p>It’s been a while since I worked on my “web presence”, I have for some time been interested in the whole social media thing that started with blogging, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter and the like but haven’t really jumped in with both feet.    </p> <p>Having plenty of time due to being unemployed for about 11 months now, I’ve been pondering the thought again and I believe I’ve decided how I want to set things up.</p> <p>This, the main site, will have links to my stuff, such that it is, on the web at large.   Twitter, Flickr, Youtube, Delicious, etc.     On this page I will also post relatively short daily updates, perhaps even multiple posts per day on a variety of subjects, sharing information and things I find interesting.</p> <p>For longer, more involved posts dedicated to a specific subject, I will post on my personal blog which is <a href="http://musings.sougent.com/">Musings of a Southern Gentleman</a> and include a short post here pointing to the longer post.</p> <p>I may at some point create subject specific blogs like my now defunct Second Life blog (defunct because I’m not spending time in Second Life at the moment due largely to the horrible performance I get when I try, plus some personal reasons).   I play World of Warcraft quite a bit and have been toying with the idea of blogging on the subject. </p> <p>My goal is to get into the habit of posting things and expressing myself, even if it’s only for my own benefit, though I do hope that someday someone other than myself will read the babblings that I’ve put out here.</p> <p>I’ve always liked the idea of a <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=ylt&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&ei=mSXnS5x1hJ6zA-aJvP8I&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&ved=0CAQQBSgA&q=define%3A+renaissance+man&spell=1">Renaissance Man</a> or <a href="http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&client=firefox-a&hs=g6Y&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&q=define%3A+polymath&btnG=Search">Polymath</a>, like to think of myself as one even if it’s to a lesser degree of those famous men such as Di Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Teddy Roosevelt.  I’d like to think that if they were alive today and had grown up in these times that they’d have a very active presence on the web.</p> Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-79404118647115465232010-04-04T16:04:00.000-05:002010-04-04T16:17:53.522-05:00Site ChangesIn my ongoing efforts to have a presentable web presence without spending money on hosting, I have moved the main site to point to Blogger where I hope to over time create a coherent portal to my blog, youtube, flickr, twitter and other online services that I am using.<div><br /></div>Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-3898847330036806942010-01-10T22:11:00.000-06:002013-06-01T21:41:27.501-05:00Fare thee well! and if for ever, Still for ever, fare thee well.<blockquote> <p> </p> <p>Fare thee well! and if for ever, <br />Still for ever, fare thee well. <br />~Lord Byron</p> </blockquote> <p> </p> <p>This blog post has been a while in coming.   No, I didn’t disappear off the face of the earth or rather Second Life, but life has been unkind the past year and my priorities have changed.   And frankly, the draw to go into Second Life hasn’t been there with everything going on in 2009 and continuing now into this new year.   </p> <p>To my SL friends, I miss you and do think about you often, but even when I work up the desire to log into Second Life the performance issues I have had just make it an unpleasant experience so I haven’t been on other than for a few minutes at a time.</p> <p>I don’t think this is going to change any time soon, so I guess I’m saying goodbye.   Oh, the account will remain and I may try logging in every once in a while, maybe catch a Drama Libre every so often, go see what Crap’s done with his little corner of SL (I miss the tower), see if Stuart’s destroyed anything of interest and that sort of thing.   Not gone forever, I suspect.</p> <p>As for this blog, I think that this shall be the last post in it.   I can’t say that anything of any worth was said in it, but I had fun doing it.   </p> <p>Keep in touch, I’m on the web as Sougent so I’m not hard to find.</p> <p>My twitter is as always <a title="http://twitter.com/sougent" href="http://twitter.com/sougent">http://twitter.com/sougent</a></p> <p>E-mail – <a href="mailto:sougent@gmail.com">sougent@gmail.com</a></p> <p> </p> <p>I’ll leave you with the following blessing and my well wishes…</p> <p> </p> <blockquote> <p>A sunbeam to warm you, <br />A moonbeam to charm you, <br />A sheltering angel, so nothing can harm you. <br />-- Irish Blessing</p></blockquote> Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-64424809253533388412009-05-10T22:37:00.000-05:002013-06-01T21:41:27.529-05:00ChemGenosis/Shadow Things<p>When I first came into Second Life, I spent a lot of my time hanging around the Infohub at the Wengen Chalet.   I met quite a few people there who I still call friends, two of those are Aza Zymurgy and Lacey Mertel.   </p> <p> </p> <p>I haven’t seen them in a while, though I occasionally see their names pop up.</p> <p> </p> <p>Some time ago they teamed up to start a  couple little shops called ChemGenosis and Shadow Things, which I’ve revisited recently and thought I’d share them.</p> <p> </p> <p><a title="ChemGenosis Gallery: Shadow Things, ChemGenosis Designs" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21304038@N08/3520822284/"><img style="display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px" border="0" alt="ChemGenosis Gallery: Shadow Things, ChemGenosis Designs" src="http://static.flickr.com/3344/3520822284_f1b86faaee.jpg" /></a></p> <p>I like the ambiance, a little surrealistically dark and creepy.</p> <p> </p> <p><a title="ChemGenosis Designs" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21304038@N08/3520832970/"><img style="display: inline; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px" border="0" alt="ChemGenosis Designs" src="http://static.flickr.com/3384/3520832970_ee20dee559.jpg" /></a></p> <p>Aza has created some really creepy skins, I especially like the zombie skin.   I actually won a costume contest with that one last Halloween.   The scarecrow skin is also a good one.</p> <p> </p> <p><a title="Shadow Things" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21304038@N08/3520022859/"><img border="0" alt="Shadow Things" src="http://static.flickr.com/3597/3520022859_59f80da942.jpg" /></a></p> <p>Shadow Things has skins, shapes, eyes and such geared toward creating a “Broken Doll”  look. </p> <p> </p> <p><a title="ChemoGenosis Gallery, Shadow Things" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21304038@N08/3520833732/"><img border="0" alt="ChemoGenosis Gallery, Shadow Things" src="http://static.flickr.com/3350/3520833732_4148426e74.jpg" /></a> </p> <p>The ChemGenosis Gallery shows off representations of some of the real life and SL artwork that Aza and Lacey have done.   </p> <p> </p> <p><a title="ChemGnosis Gallery: Shadow Things, ChemGenosis Designs" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21304038@N08/3520028945/"><img border="0" alt="ChemGnosis Gallery: Shadow Things, ChemGenosis Designs" src="http://static.flickr.com/3542/3520028945_5ab3efed23.jpg" /></a></p> <p>Even if you’re not interested in shopping, it’s worth the visit to see the setup they’ve done for the shops.</p> <p> </p> <p><a title="ChemGnosis Gallery: Shadow Things, ChemGenosis Designs" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21304038@N08/3520029229/"><img border="0" alt="ChemGnosis Gallery: Shadow Things, ChemGenosis Designs" src="http://static.flickr.com/3404/3520029229_ed0a480aaa.jpg" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p>Click to Teleport  <a href="http://slurl.com/secondlife/Insula%20Inferi%20West/156/96/666">ChemGenosis/Shadow Things</a></p> <p> </p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:efe79219-1ae7-4eec-8738-2023c02c783c" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Second+Life" rel="tag">Second Life</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/ChemGenosis" rel="tag">ChemGenosis</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/metaverse" rel="tag">metaverse</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/virtual+worlds" rel="tag">virtual worlds</a></div> Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-42035601778303888202009-04-11T12:53:00.000-05:002013-06-01T21:41:27.505-05:00Cylindrian Rutabaga, Second Life Singer and Performer featured on CNN<p>A lot of the news coverage about Second Life tends more toward reporting on the negative aspects of SL, sensationalizing and trying to go for the “shock value”, so when a positive news report comes out it tends to stand out.</p> <p>Recently, one such report came out via CNN and I wanted to highlight it.</p> <p>In the almost 2 years that I’ve been in Second Life, I’ve met a variety of people from around the globe from various backgrounds.   One of those people has been Cylindrian Rutabaga, a.k.a. Grace Buford.</p> <p>Cylindrian is a singer and musician who performs live in Second Life, playing in various venues around the grid.   I’ve been able to make it to a couple of her concerts in Second Life which prompted me to buy her album <a href="http://www.amazon.com/River/dp/B001BRHAGS/ref=dm_ap_alb3?ie=UTF8&qid=1239470937&sr=8-1">River on Amazon.com</a> (and will probably buy her other two albums <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Living-Stories/dp/B0014ND28E/ref=dm_ap_alb2?ie=UTF8&qid=1239470937&sr=8-1">Living Stories</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cylindrian-Virtually-Live/dp/B001YILU4M/ref=dm_ap_alb1?ie=UTF8&qid=1239470937&sr=8-1">Virtually Live</a> eventually).  Her music genre is folk music, so if you like that kind of music, then you should definitely check out Cylindrian’s stuff on Amazon or iTunes.</p> <p> </p> <p>Here is the text article that goes with the video.</p> <p><a href="http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/07/second.life.singer/index.html">http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/07/second.life.singer/index.html</a></p> <p> </p> <p>Here is an imbed of the CNN video.</p> <p><script src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/cnn/.element/js/2.0/video/evp/module.js?loc=dom&vid=/video/tech/2009/04/06/second.life.singer.cnn" type="text/javascript"></script> <div id="cnn_0.5021763812169233"><iframe id="_cnn_iframe_0.6417356959644067" height="393" src="http://www.cnn.com/video/savp/evp/?loc=dom&vid=/video/tech/2009/04/06/second.life.singer.cnn" frameborder="0" width="406" allowtransparency="allowtransparency" scrolling="no"></iframe></div> </p> <noscript></noscript> <p></p> <p> </p> <p>A direct link to the video is here…. <a href="http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2009/04/06/second.life.singer.cnn">http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2009/04/06/second.life.singer.cnn</a></p> <p> </p> <p>To find out more about Cylindrian Rutabaga/Grace Buford check out these links.</p> <p><a href="http://cylindrian.wordpress.com/">Cylindrian's Grace Notes</a></p> <p><a href="http://twitter.com/cylindrian">Twitter – Cylindrian</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.myspace.com/gracefolk">Grace Buford on Myspace</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?sid=623013b69d9991fc9e08a0da58360b21&gid=2397778819">Cylindrian/Grace Buford Fan Club on Facebook</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.gracebuford.com/">Grace Buford - Soulful Folk Music – Website</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/cylindrian/">Cylindrian Photo Group on Flickr</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.reverbnation.com/cylindrian">Cylindrian on Reverb Nation</a></p> <p><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0014N921K/ref=dm_dp_adp?ie=UTF8&qid=1227488403&sr=103-2">Grace Buford on Amazon.com</a></p> <p> </p> <p>You can find links to other great Second Life Musicians at the <a href="http://riaa.isfullofcrap.com/">Tunes inSL</a> website.</p> <p> </p> <div style="padding-bottom: 0px; margin: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; display: inline; float: none; padding-top: 0px" id="scid:0767317B-992E-4b12-91E0-4F059A8CECA8:247a63e0-4aa6-4c54-8d54-541de0523304" class="wlWriterEditableSmartContent">Technorati Tags: <a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Second+Life" rel="tag">Second Life</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/music" rel="tag">music</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Live+Music" rel="tag">Live Music</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Cylindrian" rel="tag">Cylindrian</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/Grace+Buford" rel="tag">Grace Buford</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/folk+music" rel="tag">folk music</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/CNN" rel="tag">CNN</a>,<a href="http://technorati.com/tags/video" rel="tag">video</a></div> Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-13895431691076484662009-03-22T17:53:00.000-05:002013-06-01T21:41:27.483-05:00How Linden Labs ought to handle the Adult Content Policy Change...In my previous blog post I've given my take on what the Adult Content policy change is going to entail and I've read a number of articles and comments giving opinions and suggestions on what Linden Labs ought to do. All of this has given me a few thoughts on how I think Linden Labs could/should approach this policy change to minimize the impact of it. <br /><br />My contention has been that this is no difference than the current sim types of PG and Mature, it's just adding another type into the mix. My thought is that a new Adult type sim will work the same way as a Mature sim does now, you have some PG stuff, some Mature stuff and some Adult stuff all mixed on the sim, the difference will be that the Mature sim won't have the Adult stuff on it any longer just as a PG sim isn't supposed to have Mature stuff on it now. Part of the Adult Content policy change also entails something called "Age Verification" which quite simply that you have to follow a process to "prove" that you're an adult, at least to the point where Linden Labs is legally protected. Many have pointed out that this isn't foolproof, and indeed it isn't, but that's not an argument for not doing it. So in the near future, age verification will likely be part of the sign up process and it'll be old hat, if you're an adult in Second Life you'll have access to all 3 types of sim and the content therein, with options for warnings if you're concerned about wandering into an area that you aren't interested in seeing. If, like many suspect, this is a prelude to merging the teen grid in then a teen account would likely be the only type that has an actual physical restriction to access. <br /><br />If I'm right, then ultimately there's no real issue as far as the private estates are concerned, if you have Adult content somewhere on the island or just don't care about teens having access, then you just set it to Adult and be done with it. There will be some pains involved since I'm sure the vast majority of active Second Life users are not age verified, but I suspect it's not going to take long for them to do so, it's just a matter of education which Linden Labs could handle by putting up a blurb on the login screen explaining the why and hows of doing age verification.<br /><br />So, how can Linden Labs deal with removing Adult Content from the existing Mature mainland sims? Well, for one there's an option to just switch certain mainland sims from Mature to Adult if there is a predominance of adult content on the sim. The existing residents that don't have any adult content on their land are only affected by this in that they would have to be age verified. So far I know of no rule that says every meter of land on an Adult sim has to be XXX content. This might be the only thing Linden Linden labs really has to do if they aren't concerned about mixing PG, Mature and Adult sims on the same continent. <br /><br />But there might be some mainland sims that have adult content on them but it's not desirable to change the sim's rating to Adult, perhaps a sim with Linden owned land such as Wengen or one of the other infohubs. So the adult content has to move, how do we do that without too much disruption? As pointed out in a comment to my last post, the issue with moving an establishment is twofold, it takes quite some time to set up and tweak a place so it's just right. It can be involved and complicated to take a store or club and move it lock, stock and barrel. Then there is the issue of existing landmarks and the customer base expecting the establishment to be where it's always been. Now certainly, dead landmarks is a normal issue with Second Life, we all have clicked a landmark and ended up at an empty lot or some place totally different from what we expected. But in this case, the move is forced, we have to deal with informing the customers of the change. <br /><br />Both of these issues can be solved by time. So here's what I think that Linden Labs should do. Apparently there's already a new landmass with Adult sims on it. Work with the individuals that you need to move, give them a plot of land on a new Adult sim that is equal to the area of the plot they currently own and with the same dimensions if so desired. Give them 2-3 months where they own both the old and new plots of land while they establish their new build, then leave a sign and landmark giver on the old site to redirect traffic to the new place. After the time is up, the old piece of land automatically reverts to Linden Labs and is auctioned off as any abandoned piece of land would be. Perhaps even a stipend of a several thousand L$ could be given to offset costs incurred by moving, or at least for the bother.<br /><br />Is any solution perfect? No, but there are certainly ways to lessen the impact that wouldn't entail much effort from Linden Labs.Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-46248021938865194852009-03-12T18:45:00.000-05:002013-06-01T21:41:27.511-05:00Linden Labs Releases New Policy on Adult Content, Rioting Ensues<p>In previous posts I mentioned the curious phenomena I like to call the Kerfuffle Syndrome, where every 3-6 months Linden Labs makes an announcement that causes the vocal portion of the Second Life Community to go crazy, and not surprisingly it’s been 3 months since the last such announcement.   </p> <p>Today Linden Labs announced that changes would be coming in regards to “Adult” content (<a href="https://blogs.secondlife.com/community/community/blog/2009/03/12/upcoming-changes-for-adult-content" target="_blank">Upcoming Changes for Adult Content</a>) and as one might expect based on past experience there was a huge negative reaction with the usual threats of leaving SL, predictions of the collapse of  Second Life, etc.   This is both amusing in it’s predictability and sad because it demonstrates an overwhelmingly negative attitude by the vocal members of a community that usually claims an above normal concern for Second Life and its future.    But the mentality of the SL community is fodder for a future blog post, perhaps, but for the present I want to offer my take on this announcement.   I’m not a Linden Lab’s employee so this is pure speculation, but I think it’s pretty reasonable.</p> <p>The current world has two types of Sim rating, PG and Mature.    As one might expect, a PG Sim should only have content that would be safe for your kid to see watching over your shoulder and a Mature Sim would have stuff that’s more R rated.    Up until now, the Mature Sims were also the homes of what would be considered XXX rated material as well, the much reported upon adult entertainment aspect of Second Life that consists of strip clubs, sex clubs, BDSM, Gorean roleplay and the like.   Based on the announcement from Linden Labs, I see a 3rd land rating type coming into play, the Adult Sim, which will offer a further distinction of mature vs explicit content.   Along with this will come some method of age verification so that this new Adult Sim rating can be restricted to only known real life adults, at least from a legal standpoint.   I see this as necessary for legal protection as opposed to a realistic expectation of being able to 100% restrict this content to adults, there’s always a way for an enterprising young person to work around restrictions.   This is about due diligence.   </p> <p>This also will afford those adults who aren’t interested in the Adult aspects of Second Life the ability to keep out of areas so marked.   This will be especially important to those in Second Life from the educational community or the business community where their Second lives are more job related and they need to be circumspect about where they are seen in SL.   Some people see this as a prelude to merging the Teen Second Life Grid with the Main Grid, and that’s possible, but I think that’s only a small part of the reasons behind this, bottom line is that Linden Labs has to protect itself legally, they have to keep Second Life an inviting and safe environment to the educators, businesses and other entities who aren’t in SL running around asking every likely candidate “I can haz sex?”.</p> <p>What does this mean to those people who engage in activities or run establishments that will be rated adult?   If you’re on a private island, probably nothing other than being required to change a setting on your island showing that it is an Adult rated sim.    If you’re on the mainland, then likely you’ll have to move to a sim with an Adult rating.   How Linden Labs handles this move will be critical, one would hope that they’d do a clean swap of land giving the person moving a comparable amount of land on new Adult rated sims and putting the swapped land on the Mature sim up for auction as they would abandoned land.</p> <p>I think the only real critical issue here, and one that needs the most clarification, is what the criteria is that rates something as Adult vs Mature.    Some stuff is obvious, sex clubs, strip clubs, BDSM clubs aren’t difficult to classify, but there are some that sit on the edge.   For example, would an art gallery that displayed tasteful nudes be considered Mature or Adult?   My vote would be for a Mature rating and I suspect that Linden Labs will agree with that assessment.   Does everyone need to worry about having to take down their private skyboxes and throw away their fancy beds?  I don’t believe so, not if they are for private use.   Certainly, having a dungeon with any number of kinky items sitting at ground level might be over the edge and be an issue, but what if it’s at 3000m on Mature sim?   That will probably just be open to interpretation, handled on a case by case basis by Linden Labs.</p> <p>So is this going to be a big deal?   Ultimately, I don’t think so.   The small time operators of sexually explicit establishments on the mainland will be the ones impacted, certainly, but I think the numbers of those affected will be low in comparison to the majority of Second Life residents.</p> <p>And honestly, I won’t miss the BDSM club that’s near my land, though so far there’s been no issue with their games occurring while I’m around.   Certainly, I don’t want them screwed by Linden Labs, I hope they get an equitable land swap to a decent area on a new Adult sim.   In fact, I hope Linden Labs takes the time to set their Moles to work landscaping and making the new Adult mainland sims into pleasant looking places so that any hard feelings about having to relocate are offset by being moved to a nice looking location.</p> <p>So, what do you think?   I’d love to see comments pro or con on the subject.</p> Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-43976149410205236622009-02-26T01:03:00.000-06:002013-06-01T21:41:27.507-05:00New Trail<p>Somehow I’d gotten on the subscribomatic for a place called New Trail, so this evening I decided that I needed to track it down and unsubscribe so I searched for it inworld and promptly found it.  </p> <p>Upon teleporting in I was pleasantly surprised by what I found.</p> <p><a title="New Trail" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21304038@N08/3310184889/"><img alt="New Trail" src="http://static.flickr.com/3439/3310184889_a2f0195b1f.jpg" border="0" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p>A very nice island build with wooded areas and waterfalls.    For a sim that’s main purpose is to house a store (for selling some very nice trees and plants), it’s also a pleasant place to wander about.</p> <p><a title="?New Trail" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21304038@N08/3311100174/"><img alt="?New Trail" src="http://static.flickr.com/3298/3311100174_4ae98c1010.jpg" border="0" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p>Unfortunately, while I was wandering about, there was no music url set so it was silent.   Some nice music would go great with this setting so I’m hoping that the owner sets something up soon.</p> <p><a title="New Trail" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21304038@N08/3311105802/"><img alt="New Trail" src="http://static.flickr.com/3625/3311105802_6756977934.jpg" border="0" /></a></p> <p><a title="New Trail" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21304038@N08/3310279687/"><img alt="New Trail" src="http://static.flickr.com/3324/3310279687_2f54d5edba.jpg" border="0" /></a></p> <p><a title="New Trail" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21304038@N08/3311108748/"><img alt="New Trail" src="http://static.flickr.com/3579/3311108748_3abb6db49d.jpg" border="0" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p>All in all, a very nice place.   Throw a few slow dance balls here and there, add some good music and this would be a great place to bring someone.</p> <p><a title="New Trail" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21304038@N08/3311111426/"><img alt="New Trail" src="http://static.flickr.com/3502/3311111426_7c46952ae2.jpg" border="0" /></a></p> <p> </p> <p>And by all means visit the store area, there’s some really nice stuff available for relatively reasonable prices.   I’m certainly returning at a later date to make some purchases.</p> <p><a title="New Trail" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/21304038@N08/3311111344/"><img alt="New Trail" src="http://static.flickr.com/3487/3311111344_7b231c69c7.jpg" border="0" /></a></p> Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-58979265141899883982009-01-25T16:19:00.000-06:002013-06-01T21:41:27.524-05:00First Kerfuffle of 2009 – XStreet SL and OnRez<p>Anyone that’s been in Second Life for at least a year and who follows the numerous SL related blogs and social media outlets will have noticed a recurring phenomenon that goes something like this. </p> <p>Linden Labs announces something.</p> <p>Everyone gets worked up and upset over it, then doom and gloom is predicted and the end of SL as we know it.</p> <p>Thinks settle down and within a few weeks, the furor is pretty well past and everything is back to normal.</p> <p>In 3-6 months, lather, rinse, repeat.</p> <p> </p> <p>Linden Labs started early this year, just 20 days into January with the first kerfuffle of 2009, the acquisition of XStreet SL and OnRez, the two main online stores for buying/selling Second Life related merchandise, basically two Amazon.coms for Second Life. </p> <p>Now, I’m not going to get into a deep analysis of this, I couldn’t claim to be qualified to do so. But I’ve spent 25 years of my life working for decent sized corporations and I’ve picked up a bit about how businesses operate so I’ll give my personal opinion from that viewpoint.</p> <p>This acquisition by Linden Labs is a logical and correct thing for them to do from a business sense. From the first moment I signed on to XStreet SL back when it was known as SLExchange, I thought to myself that Linden Labs ought to buy this and integrate it into their website. It just makes so much sense, especially if, as some have surmised, Linden Labs is positioning itself as the supplier of a cross world infrastructure containing login information, inventory and a monetary structure. I just wonder why it took them so long.</p> <p>Ok, great, but why buy OnRez as well? Most seem to assume that it’s an attempt to corner the market, to be come a monopoly, and I disagree with that. One, I don’t think Linden Labs is that sophisticated on the business front to pull something like that. Two, in my experience, businesses acquire other businesses for assets and proprietary knowledge/technology. I think that the OnRez acquisition was for both. The merchants/users of OnRez that don’t use XStreet SL represent an asset, one that Linden Labs is hoping to roll into XStreet SL. Also, I believe that there is some technology behind how OnRez works that Linden Labs wants and that they will use in its integration of XStreet SL.</p> <p>Nothing nefarious, just sound business. No monopoly either, in my opinion, there is nothing stopping someone else from building a bigger and better XStreet SL or OnRez. And this certainly shouldn’t kill in-world shopping, any more than XStreet SL and OnRez killed it as separate entities. It could in fact create more in-world business once integrated so small shops can get a fair shake on showing up in the in-world search, assuming they opt to put their items into the XStreet SL.</p> <p>So, what do I see down the road from this acquisition? Hopefully, an integration with the Second Life viewer so that not only can you shop in a web browser, but you can shop from a tab in the current search feature in the viewer. Vendors that can sell to people in-world and also act as the current servers for the XStreet SL do now (should Linden Labs consider buying a vendor system to integrate with this?). No need for XStreet SL terminals and money transfers, just direct debits/credits to your in-world L$ balance.</p> <p>I believe this is a good move for Linden Labs, a move that fits in well with their future plans of being a supplier of the unifying infrastructure for virtual worlds that include Second Life and Open Sims. I also believe that this is ultimately a good thing for the residents of Second Life as well.</p> <p>Time will tell.</p>Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-1657927714769625662009-01-12T12:14:00.000-06:002013-06-01T21:41:27.489-05:00Funny Blog - Absolutely amazing SecondLife discoveries<p>Catching up on my Google Reader backlog and happened to look at the recommended feeds links to discover a Second Life blog I’ve not come across before.  </p> <p> </p> <p>From their About…</p> <div class="snap_preview"> <p>“This is your crazy ride through the depths of SL´s shopping malls. See things you have never dreamt of and of course never want to to dream of.</p> <p>Weird and crazy shit compiled into a blog commented with a sharp tongue.</p> <p>Welcome to SL´s most untypical shopping guide.”</p> <p> </p> <p>And after looking through the posts there, I’d say they’ve succeeded.    Certainly got me to add them to my reading list. </p> <p>Check them out at <a href="http://sldiscoveries.wordpress.com/">http://sldiscoveries.wordpress.com/</a></p> <p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_YB25jL9KqFk/SWuIa2p7GCI/AAAAAAAAAKg/sSZOyvFyNGo/s1600-h/AmazingDiscoveries%5B3%5D.png"><img title="AmazingDiscoveries" style="border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; display: inline; border-left: 0px; border-bottom: 0px" height="484" alt="AmazingDiscoveries" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_YB25jL9KqFk/SWuIb-Jih1I/AAAAAAAAAKk/S9mGJ3y57Sk/AmazingDiscoveries_thumb%5B1%5D.png?imgmax=800" width="543" border="0" /></a> </p> <p> </p> <div class="snap_preview"> <p></p> </div> <!-- You can start editing here. --><!-- If comments are open, but there are no comments. --></div> <!-- You can start editing here. --><!-- If comments are open, but there are no comments. --> Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5914228496935495523.post-46985870539749137032009-01-01T16:16:00.000-06:002013-06-01T21:41:27.515-05:00Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009<p>The ending of one year and the starting of the next is usually a time for reflection on the past year and making resolutions on what one plans to do differently in the next.    </p> <p>The year 2008 started out a bit subdued for me because I was struggling to find the interest in SL that I’d previously had and lost for various reasons that I won’t get in to.   I passed my 1st Rezz Day in Second Life in April 2008, which was uneventful.   I reconnected with a special someone for a few months before she lost access to SL for the time being, something I hope changes in 2009.    For the latter half of the year, I’ve struggled to find the desire to go into Second Life.    Not for want of ideas of things to do, there have been many things I’ve thought to do, several times I thought I’d found that “spark” again, but ever so quickly to lose it and to find it replaced with a “what’s the point” feeling.    The big kerfuffle about Open Space Sims and the negativity that followed didn’t help, I wondered why I should bother with something like SL when even it’s most ardent supporters are so terribly negative about it much of the time.</p> <p>So, here on the 1st day of the new year, I reflect on why I became involved in Second Life in the first place, and why I should stay involved because if it’s not fun then there isn’t much point, is there?</p> <p>Resolutions then, for 2009?    </p> <p>Get back to what I enjoy about SL, exploring and finding new places.   Lately, Second Life has been more like one gigantic mall to me, stores everywhere you look.    Seems like there are more people trying to make money in SL than there are people just building neat stuff, so one of my goals is to try to find more interesting stuff, getting pictures and blog posts out there on them.</p> <p>Speaking of blog posts, I managed to do 20 in 2008, which is an average of slightly less than 2 per month so my goal is to double that for 2009 but hopefully keeping them interesting and useful.</p> <p>I’m also going to try to get back into building, one of my projects for 2008 was to build a very primmy banjo.  Rather than do something with just a few prims and mainly texture based appear to be, I created a fairly detailed prim based banjo that to my non-expert eyes, looks pretty good.   It looked good enough that pictures of it on my Flickr stream were used in two separate non Second Life related blog posts.   I enjoyed building that, and would like to come up with a few projects for 2009 that involve building something challenging like that.</p> <p>Another thing I want to do is more machinima of places and things I come across in Second Life.   I liked filming and editing the stuff I’ve done for Drama Libre but would like to do a little more stuff of more general interest to the community at large.</p> <p>Well, I think that’s enough resolutin’ fer now.   Though these are more than just resolutions, I think they are necessities for me if I’m to remain involved in Second Life.</p> Sougenthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09878239319731373160noreply@blogger.com1