This:
[Sent from my dealer, regarding Options/Service discounts. ;) ]
Kinda fitting, to me anyway…
–TSK
Decisions, Decisions…
Well, it was not two days after I post a listing of thanks to my SL friends that they end up finding a way to bring Telador back – after a fashion…
It’s now called ‘Myst Online Uru’ island (I guess it hit the 20 character limit). Last notice I got from group D’ni was that it will open in a couple days – Almost in sync with the Grand Opening in the real MOUL. I need to check and send a note along to Hamlet if needed. :)
As I speculated (via Alan) in the IC Journal, this may be a way for Turner/GameTap to allow access to more international players (in particular, those that can’t have access to Uru at all since UU was shutdown last week – for whatever reason).
I obviously am placing my feet firmly back into Second Life due to this, though I will not back out of marching for the Parade next month.
I’m asking myself now – what can come of having an island in SL?
1) The Age Building groups have the possibility – via libsecondlife – to create ‘rough 3d sketches’ using the primitives system in SL and import them to Blender for finishing. I’m following the possibility to export an entire sim’s worth of data for conversion into a near-finished Age.
2) In SL tradition, we’ll have one of the more interesting SL cross-world events to occur. Normally that’s between SL and RL. In this case it could be between SL and D’ni.
3) I once again have a reason to be a walking, free promotion of Uru within SL. :)
We will have to see…
–TSK
On 34 Years of Life – A List of Thanks…
In a couple hours, I will be 34 years old, as per my birth certificate.
The past couple weeks leading up to this have been an, um, ‘interesting’ ride to say the least. A combination of major hardware issues and high-level, high-responsibility projects at work (including this Daylight Saving Time nonsense). The most numbing cold outside that I’ve had to deal with since the President’s Day Blizzard (awaiting to see the sequel to that too, given my luck). And the stresses and/or annoyances of being *so* busy, that I’ve been unable to be online with my friends online via Uru. I dearly hope that things get back into something of a routine, as that’s the best way that I’ve ever had the time to be involved in major online activities – and definitely want to make it to the St Pats Cavern Parade this year.
Oh, and did I mention that I’m trying to implement lifestyle changes, like exercise, on top of everything else? ;)
Still, the past night or two I’ve had the time to *really* reflect on life. And I’ve realized that I’m an extremely lucky person.
Back when I was a teenager, I nearly killed myself – twice. But I could not go through with it; Something deep inside me said that I could be so much more, despite the utter hell I had been going through – and would go through for the next 8+ years in therapy.
I realize, today, that I’ve actually achieved that hidden goal of helping others. I’ve been a good influence toward many since those dark times. Despite my second ‘dark time’ after 9/11, I’ve been able to find what I feel is a new and exciting niche at work (i.e. the 3rd/Night Shift) – one that has not been boring in the least, and fits well with the way I normally interacted outside of work anyway.
In recent years, particularly during UL-Prologue and what I’ve termed the Uru-Interregnum, I’ve met many people whom I would consider close friends – despite never meeting many of them. The list includes:
– Uru’s Guild of Greeters – all of them. When UU came out, one of them let me know about it in time, and though not officially a member, I have called their shard and forum my ‘home’ ever since.
– The Telador Island owners and builders. They gave me a proper focus for being online in SL (with its closure the number of times I’ve logged in has dropped dramatically). Through them I’ve also met and contributed to several great projects, including InnerLife, Numbakulla island, and the various Hollywood/Channel Islands projects.
– In Uru: SuperGram and BAD, for giving me the chance to participate in various Parades and UU events as Honor Guard. I’ve never done *anything* so co-ordinated online, even within Diablo II or Starcraft, and its been immensely fun while equally challenging. Most of the other Shard admins and co-admins as well, for putting up with me during such events. :)
– In SL: Hiro, Ice, Belaya, Adam, and the rest of the EFNet #secondlife regulars. Y’all gave me an ‘edge’ to life which has downright shocked people who know me the past 13+ years.
– More recently, the libsecondlife project within SL, and the Age Builders project in Uru. They push past the boundaries of their respective worlds, and give me a chance to understand the inner workings of both.
– And last (but definitely not least!)…
Rand Miller of Cyan Worlds (who I’ve yet to meet), and
Philip Rosedale of Linden Lab (who I’ve met at SoP/SLCC 2005).
These two people carry the torch into new and uncharted territory for their respective genres. I give them the best of luck in their endeavors.
Shorah, and peace be with us all…
Timothy Scott Kimball
aka Alan Kiesler (SL)
aka Sungak ‘Silverhands’ Alkandenes (Web/Internet/RPGs)
Being Alone While Also Being Together…
Tweek had a really good post the other day, and warrants a bit more than a comment from me.
I’m one of those people who’ve been a loner much of their life; In my case this was a self-defense mechanisn as I fell into codependency too easily when interacting with people. Though that trend is generally reversing as I mature socially, my life the past few years has taught me that doing things both alone *and* together at different times is an experience all its own.
Take, for example, the island of Numbakulla in Second Life. It’s home to what’s essentially a single-player, play-at-your-pace adventure game. But the island allows more than one person at a time, so interesting interactions (not unlike Uru Live today) occur. Players swap info and hints for areas they’ve cleared, for the betterment of both. They work in teams, either fanning out to learn about the environment quicker, or exploring as a tight group (this is no small feat in this game; The SL architecture can be setup to only show messages at the player level). And some – like myself – just visit for the beauty of it all; One couple even got ‘married’ on the island over a year ago!
Getting back to Uru… Though I’m one of those who’ve clearly stated themselves to primarily be in the ‘alone’ camp, I do feel that group activities – be it forced or not – still be out there. That does not mean I’ll not participate; I’ve been to Delin by myself, poked at the door once or twice, and just smiled and drank in the age instead. I figure, that if I really want what the age ‘physically’ has to offer, I’ll join a group that’s interested and help them.
Let’s not forget, however, that places like Delin are supposed to be ‘rest’ ages, and were initially designed to be enjoyed by the soul, not as some waystop for a clue or trophy…
–TSK
Beware Falling Objects, Under Re-Construction (Again)
My interest in Second Life has definately cooled down, and ‘various reasons’ have made my interest in Uru/MOUL cool down too.
So, it’s time to shift focus here a bit.
Things I’m likely going to expand into soon:
— My car (a Toyota Pruis hybrid) and the stories behind the (now three) incarnations I’ve had of it. First modifications are already en route. :evilgrin:
— An impassioned rant against RedHat and their annoying methods to get a simple DST patch for their RHEL product. Similar rant regarding Sun and their own graft on older OS versions, just to be fair…
— The browser-based MMO game, Travian (the ‘slow’ game I was talking about last post). Hint: just starting from scratch will take you two months – at least – which makes this the antithesis of games like WoW.
— Some more about my personal life. This is something that (unlike some MystBlogs members) I’m not entirely comfortable with, so this may be a bit iffy.
Some other behind-the-scenes stuff will likely occur too, if and when I have time for it…
*wave*
–TSK