My Inside the Avatar Studio Interview

Yesterday's Inside the Avatar Studio show turned out to be a pretty enjoyable journey covering a lot of interesting topics. Phelan kept the conversation moving in unanticipated directions. One main thread was that the differences between virtual and physical experience are surface deep and that living consciously is the key to productive use of either domain. Another recurring theme was around the influence of tools and technology on the creative process. Here's the whole show. Unfortunately, it doesn't include the additional hour and a half free-form conversation that followed. If anyone snagged it and posts it somewhere, I'll add it.

Trippy Little Video Shot During Test of Local OpenSim Server

As I was tinkering with settings on my new OpenSim server, I was inspired to capture a little cloud video and team it with some Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

Avatar Rezzed at 30,000 Feet in RL on OpenSim Server

With an OpenSimulator server now installed on a laptop, I'm no longer limited to strictly virtual flying. I have a lot to learn (and a lot of content to either create or import) before it's going to be much more than a novelty, but it was really cool to be rezzed at 30,000 feet. Since I had nothing better to do, I also shot some video I'll edit and post here later this week. For now, here's a fast clip that caught some turbulence.

From Impotent Pissing and Moaning to Voting With Our Virtual Feet

Linden Lab has once again exercised its right to institute sweeping unilateral changes that negatively impact the avatar community. Recent modifications of the Terms of Service and Third Party View Policy erode and constrain resident options and expand legal claims by the Lab.

I posted the image above exactly two years ago today. Since then I've watched wave after wave of unwanted policy changes burst upon our shores such as the Trademark Use Policy and OpenSpace Pricing Change. Each edict sparked a brief meaningless fury of impotent and incredulous pissing and moaning across the Second Life SocialNet and Blogosphere, shortly followed by business as usual.

The good news is that this time around things may finally be different. Emigrating pioneers such as Zonja Capalani are being followed by more avatars who have awakened to the Lie of the SLand, realized that we don't own crap in Second Life and are voting with their virtual feet by shifting to other grids:

• Educational Institutions and Initiatives such as Jokaydia are expanding outside of Second Life to alternatives such as Reaction Grid;
• Third-party Second Life client developers are limiting support of Second Life; and
• Victoriana's 13 sims are shutting down and may be reformed on an OpenSim Grid.

Even venerable musician and blogger Grace McDonnough closed her last blog post with "See you around a grid."

Once we can imagine our virtual lives extending beyond the Second Life grid, it's only a small leap to start moving our social capital and whatever digital assets we can move (by hook or by crook) to other domains.