What I Did Today (BBBC 2009)

Today I spent some time meeting with a new friend I met on AvMatch. AvMatch is a site where you can meet new people as your SL avatar for romance or friendship.

For privacy purposes I'll leave her name a secret but she enlightened me about a new phenomenon I've been noticing on SL. Virtual Pregnancy. As I understand it, you go to the clinic and pay to get impregnated and you get to choose your term. It's an interesting concept. Anybody who has more info is invited to leave a comment and educate us.

The BBBC is still going on, click here to find out tomorrows topic.

Don't forget to check out Second Life. Click here to see more information about it.

UIC Study Explores Emergency Training In Second Life

Another example of RL heroes using the metaverse to improve their powers...
UIC study explores emergency training in Second Life

The Big Bad Blogger Challenge 2009

While looking for things to post about, I came across this. Always up for a challenge I decided to take up the cause for sharing the Second Life experience with those who don't know about it, or even SL residents who want to know my goals and experiences in that particular metaverse.

The challenge is this: For one week starting today, and until the 19th, participants simply blog at least once per each day. Heck, I can do that. It's only a week, right? Besides, I've already gotten my first post out of the way.

If you'd like to join the challenge, click this link to learn more about it.

And as always, if you don't have a Second Life account, click here to get one. It's fun and it's free.

New to Second Life? Use These Tips to Enhance Your Experience!
So you've heard about this new place... You've decided to give it a go, to see what can be done there. Are you all set to go to an online world where almost anything is possible?
http://www.associatedcontent.comarticle/1774156/new_to_second_life_use_these_tips_to.html

Second Life Opens Meth-lab for Police Training

Just when you thought it was safe to go into the Virtual World...

Second Life Opens Meth-lab for Police Training

First of all I'd like to apologize to my readers (both of them,) for taking so long to post. My Real Life Avatar decided to go on a trip to Reno, NV for a few days to visit with his mother and sister. Now he's back and I'm back on the case documenting what us Virtual World Superheroes do.



Of course since there can't be an avatar in the 3d virtual world without someone in the real world showing us how it's done, Gus Plisskin has created a virtual meth lab to show the Real World Superheroes (The police, not the ones performing public service in costume) what a meth lab looks like.



I took a look in the meth lab and have it on good authority from my real world av that this is indeed what a meth lab would look like, except it is a lot neater that it's real world equivalent. Perhaps neat isn't the right word. Bare would probably be a better one. Hopefully they remembered to disconnect the wiring from all the appliances except for the refrigerator.



To take a look at the meth lab for yourself, here's the landmark. You must have a Second Life account to visit it, click here to join for free.

Green Lantern Core Has Open Meeting On New Oa

The Green Lantern Core had it's weekly meeting at the Beta Quadrant today at 6:30pm SLT.  Attendance was high with a healthy mix of GL Rookies and GL Applicants (including yours truly).

Guardian Cathy Gray began the meeting by asking if there was any news to report, at which time GreenLantern Excelsior of the GLC Honor Guard reported that he ejected "flying naked griefers" from the Second Pride event being held at Osmium inworld.

Second Pride is a festival held inworld of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transexual community and is similar to the Gay Pride festivals being held in FirstLife throughout the world.  As such, it is a prime target for griefers and the GLC kindly offered their services as volunteers to the event.  The event runs until the 30th of May and attendance is open (except for griefers).

Other items of note were:

• GL Rookie Ceri Denimore along with GL Honor Guard GreenLantern Excelsior reported that there is still a need for volunteers at the Second Pride event.  I myself sent an IM to Macon McGinnis asking for information on volunteering and he pointed me in the direction of Kefir Lamont as Macon's primary avatar Madison Rutledge is temporarily blocked.
• Pierce Kronos reported that the GLC's largest class was set to graduate and that applicants would be interviewed as soon as possible.  He also threw down the gauntlet saying that we had our work cut out for us to rival that particular class as they excelled at volunteerism. 
  
• Group treasurer GLFinance Battery made a brief report on the financial status of the group and while it was not stated, I assume that there is enough to cover rent.
• And Guardian Jeff Beckenbauer took the floor with my favorite part of every meeting, the Ring report.  He told us of the many improvements to the ring including a very impressive teleport feature being included in it's latest incarnation.  I'm kicking myself for not taking pictures of it, as it was a sight to behold.  If and when I graduate into the Core, I'm going to spend a lot of time randomly going from sim to sim via ring teleport.
• Fellow GL Applicant Kume Grant suggested a GL Library, which I immediately offered to help with via IM.  While I'm no scholar, I have been keeping up with my Green Lantern Lore by reading the necessary .cbz files leading up to the Blackest Night storyline.

For all my wannabe superheroes out there, come join me in Second Life so we can make the metaverse a better place for all it's residents.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Not just about Sex...

This is something I could've told people if I'd only been asked.  A while ago Second Life came under scrutiny because a woman was unable to take the news of her online lover breaking up with her and decided to kidnap him.  What many people don't seem to realize is that these types of people are the exception, not the rule.

Second Life isn't just about sex.  It's also about education, and art and live music and yes, Superheroes.  It's about building and scripting and even sex.  But it's not about just any one of those things at any one time.

To read the article click the link below.

http://breakingupdate.com/news/there-s-more-virtual-game-second-life-just-sex-say-experts-43007.html

P. S. I kind of take offense to the Virtual Reality Game statement, SL has become so much more than that.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Benefit Concert for Relay for Life at the Rock Vegas Dance Club

The Justice League Unlimited of Second Life will be hosting a benefit concert and auction for Relay for Life at the Rock Vegas Dance Club tonight at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Rolypoly/212/130/77.  The entertaiment will begin at 7pm SLT featuring a Cher tribute band and the auction will begin at 8pm.

Featured auction items include:

• A copy of the Teen Titans Tower
  
• A relatively low prim but very cool replica of the Fortress of Solitude as featured on the Superman movie
• A special Green Lantern ninja avatar
• and tons more unique items.

It looks like an event that will be a blast for all who attend.  If only I didn't have this pesky First Life job to go to, otherwise I'd be attending.  I really want that Green Lantern ninja uniform.

Ah well, go yourself and have a good time and donate to a worthy cause.

Justice League Unlimited of Second Life is an organization that while they enjoy dressing up as Superheroes, are not a superhero role playing group.  Instead, many of them perform charitable acts such as the above and making SL safe from griefers.  To learn more about the JLU contact Kalel Venkman inworld.  If you don't have a Second Life account you can get one for free by clicking this link.

Relay for Life is a charitable event put on by the American Cancer Society.  For the past 5 years, Relay for Life has been active in Second Life and shows no signs of slowing down.  To find out more, visit http://www.relayforlife.org.

P.S. Are you attending this concert?  I'd love a review to post on this blog.  Contact me inworld or at GLFearkiller@gmail.com.

How To Fight A Griefer

If you're attacked by a griefer, the best thing to do is to follow the advice of the following blog post.

Whatever you do, do not attack him back.  Some griefers love to file AR's when someone retaliates against their a-holishness.

Second Life Takes Aim at Skype

Apparently, Second Life is getting into the VoIP biz:

Second Life Takes Aim at Skype

I'm kind of excited about this "AvaLine" thing. Imagine being able to call an avatar from FirstLife. I don't know why I like this, but I just do. Now all we gotta do is get that whole Second Life helmet thingee going so we can enhance the whole virtual living scenario

Griefer griefing

I was talking with Pierce Kronos the other day and he mentioned something to me that I should have imparted to you from the very beginning of this blog: namely, being a superhero isn't just about killing griefers.  Especially in the Green Lantern Core.  In the Core some people just get rid of the griefers as a sideline.  That's me in a nutshell.

Except that I don't want to kill griefers, although the idea of sending 100,000 volts via my users computer to fry theirs is an intriguing idea... no, I want to make them stop griefing.  And since the very reasons griefers grief is for the griefing itself I don't think making them see the error of their ways is going to happen.

But I digress.  I don't want membership in the Core just for the Anti Griefing, no matter how cool that is, I'm joining to become both a better influence in the Virtual World as well as the real one.  As fun as it might be to build and script a repeating orbiter and use it on some A-hole inworld, that would be against TOS... sigh.

Dangit, I keep digressing.  No I hope to be a fully functioning Core member so that I can contribute to the online community, either for charity or helping newbies or any other way I can help.

But let's face it.  I don't have the Power Ring for nothin'.  Let one griefer get out of line...

Just kidding Core members.

P.S. There's still time to make a donation to Relay for Life by donating Lindens to the Lanterns for Life.  Simply contact Pierce inworld for more information.  To do that, get your free Second Life membership and download the client.

Lanterns for Life

Pierce Kronos is getting ready to start a 2000 sim trek across the metaverse in order to raise money for Relay for Life.  The plan is for people to donate $L for each mile (meter?  I'm still new at this), and in turn he cashes out the Lindens and gives the proceeds to the charity.

This is why I want to be a part of the Core.  Not just to make the Metaverse safe from griefers but to give actual help to others that will make a difference both in Second Life and in the Real World.  I strongly urge you to donate as little as $1L per mile (or is it meter?  Dang it I gotta check that out...) and help stop cancer.

You'll need to download the Second Life client to contact Pierce.  You can do that by clicking here.

By the way you can learn all about Pierce's trek by reading his blog at http://thekronoskronicles.blogspot.com

Alliance Virtual Library » Blog Archive » Share the health project report in Second life now available

Here's an article about the disabled and homebound using Second Life.

I remember a few years ago there was some machinema to come out of Second Life called "Better Life" that touched on the topic of people who were unable to do things in the "Real World" finding freedom in the Virtual one.

At the time I found it rather pandering but the more time I spend on SL and talk to people who actually are disabled, the more I realize what a wonderful tool the metaverse can be.

Alliance Virtual Library » Blog Archive » Share the health project report in Second life now available

E-Health Insider :: Second Life for Imperial College students

Med students in London are using SL to learn how to diagnose and treat patients. Another example of the real world using the virtual world to make a better life.

E-Health Insider :: Second Life for Imperial College students

Live Music at the Surfside Hideaway

One of the things an aspiring Superhero such as myself needs to do is to travel around the Metaverse. Not looking for trouble, mind you but to be at the ready if trouble occurs.

Two upsides come from this: One, there's rarely trouble and two, you get to travel to some great places on SL.

Right now I'm reporting live from the Surfside Hideaway where Zorch Boomhauer is playing some super (if you'll pardon the pun,) guitar.

Zorch Boomhauer and his magic guitar

I don't know anything about reporting on music except that I like what I like and Zorch plays music that I like. With a slight gravelly vocal quality and lyrics that question our relationship to the world around us, he literally had me dancing immediately after I showed up at the Hideaway. Which is something I rarely do with acoustic guitar music.

Kantbe Thursday

Just in case you thought the music wouldn't be enough, there's some eye candy here as well. Meet Kantbe Thursday.

She asked me to teleport some of my superhero buddies down but nobody was available so I'm telling you, my blog readers. Both of you.

If you want to join me down here, you'll have to download the Second Life client. Don't worry, it's free and you can do almost anything the premium account holders do.

Once you join, click here to come dance at the Surfside Hideaway.

Second Life Is Social Media

Here is an interesting article about Second Life as a social media portal. What are your thoughts about it?

Second Life Is Social Media

Satellite Launch - in RL and SL - Second Life Grid - Second Life Blogs

Once again, Real Life meets Second Life

OPEN UNIVERSITY PROMOTES ADULT LEARNING THROUGH SECOND LIFE | PublicNet

Congress Awaits FTC Report On Obscenity In Virtual Worlds - G4tv.com

I'm kind of torn about this. I don't want children to view the sort of things that can be seen in this particular part of the metaverse but I don't want any of my freedoms taken away if I should decide to... er... partake.

The author of the above article suggests that we force any minors wanting to sign on to an adult virtual world to solve incredibly hard algebra problems. It won't keep the kids out of the smut stations, but they'll be really good at math. Who can't love that idea?

My New Look

I figured I'd show off my new look. Keep in mind that it's temporary.