On Second Thoughts

Dolmere Talamasca asks: Today's not-a-meme challenge is a question about your usage patterns. This could be things you do when you login, things you do just before logging out, activities bordering on OCD, etc :) "Do you have any Second Life usage habits?" The first thing I always do is check to see who else is online. I don't always start an IM with others, but its nice to know I'm not alone. The Second thing that I do is get dressed. I'm not sure why, but I refuse to let my avi wear the same thing twice in a row. When dressing, I usually try to pick something which reflects my mood and what I hope to be doing. Sometimes this is an easy process, accomplished quickly. My inventory is pretty well organized so I know where to find things usually. Unfortunately, I'm also indecisive as hell and I can easily spend half an hour just figuring out what shoes to wear. The worst thing about this is that it fuels my SL shopping habit, because I often find that...

Recently I've mentioned a few stores that are worthy of note not only for the products they carry, but also for the design of the space they use. All of them are highly polished, and despite their contrivance, they feel like places I'd like to visit in Real Life. In fact, they feel like places I have visited in RL. On a whim, I decided to re-check out Unpopular Designs, run by Gabby Lime. Unpop is the origin of both my avi's glasses and my all-time favorite skirt, and I really like the unpredictably eclectic selection of clothes and accessories. While I was there I ran into Gabby, and she pointed me to her other shop, Tacky Shit . Oh wow. Ms. Lime is a master of prim-work, but that's not what makes Tacky Shit amazing. Prim-wise, it's beyond simple. It's the textures that are frightening. Stepping into the building made me feel like stepping into a Neil Gaiman short story. The hand-drawn (scribbled might be a better word) doodles on notebook paper which...

Vint Falken has posted Not-A-Meme challenge #13 , and as my friend Coyote so cleverly intuited, it is one that catches my attention. It's a two part challenge; the first part is to reveal something about my second self, and the second part is to reveal something about my first self. It's a very yin-yang sort of thing. This assumes, of course, that there is a difference between the two. I sometimes wonder. Are we not but two faces on that which is Aly? My first life shapes my second. For example, I usually wear glasses in both. Though my Avatar presumably has 20/20 vision, she dons spectacles also in an expression of solidarity with her RL counterpart. And of course, my second life seems to shape my first, if by no other means than the sleep that I am deprived by my avi hanging around the Shelter until the wee hours. We are linked. But distinct. I sometimes refer to my avatar in the 3rd person, as it is natural to do using the "/me" feature in chat. Speaking...

Another reason that I find some of the SL merchants interesting is that their spaces are more dynamic than many of the parks. Part of that is due to the shifting nature of the merchandise, but it seems that sellers are more attuned to constantly tweaking or updating their spaces to provide the most attractive or attention-capturing store. It's to be expected, really. Unfortunately, many of the locations in Second Life are quite static, and this, of course, makes them uninteresting. We're used to living in an ever-changing world, and if it were to stop changing, it would be unusual. Downright disconcerting. So despite the virtual three-dimensionality of Second Life much of it ends up being flat. I'm not talking about big changes here; they can be subtle, even repetitive. Something to give places a pulse. It never rains in Second Life, the leaves never fall. It's like an idealized Hollywood. On a less philosophical note, I found a working swingset. I'm sure ...