• 28Feb

    I’m trying, once more, to get a working development environment for compiling the Second Life viewer. Long-memoried readers will recall that I had set up a local subversion repository about a month ago. Some time after that was set up, I decided to base my modifications off of the First Look viewer. That, plus the fact that I had set up my first repository while I had a mild case of the stupids, inspired me to start the repository over from scratch with the FL sources.

    I’ve got everything set up again, and can compile, but… bleck! What a yucky build script!
    Continue reading »

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  • 28Feb

    Today I came across an article, Interfaces for Staying in the Flow by Benjamin B. Bederson. “Flow” is a term for a highly-desirable mental state characterized by concentration and an enhanced feeling of efficacy and control over the situation. Opposed to flow are feelings of distraction, frustration, or futility. Imagine a free-running river compared to one which is stopped up by a dam, and you’ll understand the metaphor.

    Bederson notes that software user interfaces can be designed to encourage flow, or (through bad design) discourage it. I had Second Life’s interface in mind as I was reading, noting places where its interface was good or bad.

    Continue reading »

  • 26Feb

    Joyous happy days and jubilations! Torley blesses us with incredibly beautiful piano improvisations!

    As you may know (or maybe not!), I really enjoy much of the music that Torley has released in the past, especially the improv piano solos. They are beautiful and emotionally evocative pieces, and I listen to them often—indeed, I have a whole playlist called “Torley – Piano” which I keep ready at hand.

    Continue reading »

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  • 25Feb

    Despite what you may see written on the restroom walls, I’m actually a very classy person!

    In fact, I’ve been teaching an Advanced Building class every week at NCI since September! And now I have exciting news: I’m offering 2 more classes per week, both on building-related topics! Come get yer extra learnin’, they’re all free to attend! Class descriptions after the fold!

    Continue reading »

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  • 23Feb

    If you are an Avatar over 3 days of age, chances are that your viewer client has been, at one time or another, abandoned by a sim. Maybe the sim crashed, or perhaps your internet connection was disrupted. Whatever the cause, your viewer needs to cope with its feelings in a healthy and constructive way. Yet, if a sim crashed tomorrow with your avatar in it, your viewer client would resort to nothing less than simple denial.

    It will go on, pretending that its connection with the sim is still active. Nearby avatars will keep dancing or typing, so that you might not even suspect anything is wrong. Even as the viewer’s console messages reveal its inner-most fears and doubts, it will hide all outward signs. This behavior is not healthy; it only delays the inevitable period of cleansing and renewal that must occur when you intervene by restarting your viewer and reconnecting to the Grid.

    The signs are all there. Packets stop arriving. The sim refuses to acknowledge the viewer’s messages for over a minute. Hovertips on objects display, “Retrieving…” and never load.

    Please, viewer client! For your own well-being, don’t try to sweep it under the carpet! An on-screen notice admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery!

  • 18Feb

    Dixie Starr, Extraordinaire calls on us to ponder: What will Second Life be like… in the year 2009!!?

    Witness as I gaze into my crystal torus to see… the future!!

    Continue reading »

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  • 14Feb

    Mera, one of my good and purple friends, has most graciously agreed to host a blog here on Meratalk.com! Hurrah! Now I’m like blog-buddies with my other good and purple friend, who is also hosted on this site! (I wonder if being hosted on this site means I have to wear purple now. Hmm…)

    And thanks to the wonders of WordPress, I’ve even managed to import all the posts from my old blog, complete with comments! (Hurray for Ady Romantika’s plugin!)

    Yay, WordPress! Goodbye, Blogger!

    Now, to make this place a little more like home…

  • 13Feb

    Like many of the other people who have already responded, I’ve been burnt out on some particular part of SL at once time or another. And I know for certain that I have felt burnt out while in SL. But I’m not sure if I was burnt out on SL, or burnt out about something else while I happened to be in SL.

    You see, I’m a creature of change, and I have to move from project to project quickly or I become bored and apathetic—not just with that one project, but with other things in my life, too. So if I get burnt out on something in RL, my mood tends to carry over into SL, and vice versa. As I’ve come to know this about myself over the years, I have been careful to monitor my mood, identify anything that is bothering me, and make a change to fix it.

    I can distinctly remember, when I was merely a wee newblet crawling my way around the Grid as I drew sustenance from the Shelter, that I had concerns that I was spending too much time in SL. Like many other new Residents, I got hooked, and wanted to spend as much time as possible exploring this marvelous new world! I knew that if I kept it up, I would burn out and get sick of SL.

    When I (inevitably) started to get tired of SL, and couldn’t think of anything to do, I cut back on the hours I was spending in SL, and paid more attention to the things that interested me in RL.

    I have, from time to time since then, noticed myself spending too much time in SL. When that happens, I take a little bit of time off, or just cut back my hours for a while. So far, I’ve always come back to SL, and always found it more enjoyable and interesting than it had seemed before.

  • 11Feb

    The question for consideration this round:

    Have you ever burned out on Second Life?

    By “burn out”, I mean “experience fatigue, frustration, or apathy resulting from prolonged stress, overwork, or intense activity.”

    Basically, have you ever just got sick and tired from too much SL? What happened? How did you deal with it?

    I’ll post my own response soon.

  • 11Feb

    This afternoon at 3PM PST, I’m giving a 1-hour lecture and demo at the Shelter in Swinside! The topic is prim attributes—you know, things like Twist and Taper and Hole Size Thickness, which let you tweak a prim’s shape into a multitude of wootworthy shapes! If you haven’t been able to make it to my Friday evening classes at NCI, this is your chance. (I might start teaching at Swinside regularly, but only if enough people show up to be taught, so attend today!)

    Everybody should come at get some learnin’ in their brains about prim attributes! I offer my knowledges to you for free!

    And then you should stick around after the class, because at 4:30PM is the überfun Building Shelter contest, hosted by our favorite commodity, Coal Nelson! With the power of prim attributes unleashed, you can be sure that there will be some cool builds today!

    P.S. I’m going to try to think up a Not-A-Meme challenge for folks today. Stay tuned!

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