We are alive and well in Burn2 (formerly Burning Life). We celebrate the 10 Principles year round with a variety of events. Right now we are getting ready for the BIG ONE, the October Burn2. We hold this in October to not conflict with the Burners attending the RL event. Check us out: http://burn2.org/ There are plots for sale and a lottery for free ones. The application for art builds has been extended. Come and participate!

Let's see what happens:) http://leondrassecondlife.blogspot.com/ My blog is really just for preserving my memories, but I always want to learn new stuff.

I, too, did camping chairs early on. (LOL - miss those days) Often I would spend the night in SL camping, while I slept RL in order to earn the max of 100L. I never had a "job". I didn't want that sort of thing to be tied to, as a job. I used to think that it was some sort of "badge of honor" to not have a Linden account, no payment information. After I was in SL for about a year, I reframed some of my thinking. I was spending more than 20 hours a week in world. Once I began to think of it as a hobby, a venue of self expression, I began to buy Lindens to participate. I bought land, and ultimately a sim. I love to create stuff, but I love shopping, too. I love to be in SL; to see live musicians, participate in events, and attend art exibits. I also think it is important to tip, to show my appreciation for all of our efforts. As long as I think of it as a hobby, I am comfortable spending my dollars for Lindens; which amounts to less than hubby's expenses on golf.

Yep, the MarketPlace is basically useless. I mostly use it for looking for a prop/item for a build or outfit and usually filter thru the 0-10L first.

so interesting! I know there has to be therapeutic effects of the connection one develops with their avatar. I feel that, although nothing like overcoming something like Parkinsons. More like dancing better in RL because of practice in SL. It has to be a real connection...not a bought shape, and not a disconnect with the human idea of ourselves we hold in our heads, that can manifest such a huge mind over body effect. I would like to see further studies. Great article!

Thank You Honor, I read you almost daily, and regret not having the time to visit many of the sims you feature. You always have an honest, open minded, discoverer's approach. It is much like the enthusiasm when we were first in SL and clicked on the map.... and whooooosh.... we landed in a new and wonderous place, and walk down than twisty-turny path in awe of the creator's story.

Phoenix is the easiest, most reliable viewer for me. I have no problems with mesh or inventory, but shadows are an illusive feature. Usually a quick shot and die!

Thanks Wagner! and Congratulations! I have been reading since 2006, and actually joined SL as a result of several of your posts that year. Through your posts I learned of the vast diversity in SL. That year, education and businesses were making spaces in SL and your articles opened up SL to me as more than a role-playing fantasy game I first believed it was. I hope you long continue. I really enjoy the wide variety of topics that you bring to New World Notes.

Here's one place to register a complaint- http://www.change.org/petitions/tell-electronic-arts-to-oppose-internet-censorship

LMAO, Hamlet! Great post. He's a RL cartoon, I'm so surprised Republicans have such a short memory of all his s#*^.

LOVE IT! almost peed in my pants laughing.

My home sim is in a region not supported by mesh. I'm still getting used to Firestorm, so I'm not in a rush to use mesh even as a clothing item. When attending an event, and you are not using a mesh supported viewer, the residents wearing mesh look pretty crappy. It's all part of the evolution of SL/VWs. One day we will look back and remember the times when the mesh users showed up to the concert with missing middles and wearing barrels. Last night I ran into Honour and Diana (the cute avatars you picture) and I was not using a mesh-enabled viewer, they looked like colorful oil tanks. LOL

Good DJ and beach? LOL, poke in the funny bone.

Hiya Hamlet, I agree with you here, "To succeed, SL must be less about having a "second life", and more about the fun and games to be had by people who are largely happy about who they already are." Perhaps SL is a media for young people to explore their identities, I don't see much of that in the places I frequent. But it's more than fun and games, it's about the tool to imagine, create, and share spaces. It's a media to meet friends from all over the world in spaces that are as familiar as the local pub where joking and conversation are easy to find. ...and BTW, I am over 40 and HATE Farmville, and mostly turned off to Facebook for that kind of stuff. Just tossing my 2 cents in. :) Leo

OMG! I just have to comment... Mostly by his use of the term "ontological". Without going into a dissertation proposal, being; a sense of a knowing; cognizant self - could NEVER be achieved via Farmville. Just look at the studies of people's identification w/their avatars. I suggest Castronova research the term "ontological guilt". In NO way would I want what I have created equated with the cartoonish Farmville crap, meaningless interaction and drivel. And to the comments that there is not much going on in SL... this group has 100-400+ posts a day http://iheartsl.com/ Yes, it is fashion...but about user created content and a community that supports each other. There's Koinup, Flicker, etc., get to know the people that do. and the machinima...http://uwainsl.blogspot.com/ Sorry...it IS different. The economic stuff... some of us are not into that kind of materialism. There is value that alludes a dollar sign, AND TRIES TO HIDE FROM IT. Where is it written that value = money? my opinion

CONGRATULATIONS! yes... it's those moments that define us... "At that point, I pretty much decided I'd discovered the most fascinating community on the Internet, and found the best subject of my entire writing career. " May you continue to stand on mountains you terraformed, and stare out at the great cities and landscapes that are the dreams and creations of a great civilization of fellow travelers in the metaverse, ...and may you always have a fresh, clean white suit. Kudos! Hamlet!

Un-like get me a button I want an avatar that is NOT linked to my RL. One must be invited. But, an interface that had it all linked, in 1 account, on 1 device, and I controlled access, I'd be interested.

2.5 year old data about social networks/virtual worlds is OLD. I think that there is an explosion of older users in SL as well as other media. I saw statistics about FB not long ago, and how it's become the hook-up for finding long lost high school friends, the place to share pics of the family, and the place to keep tabs on the kids. We(not in the 20 or 30 something group)have the time now. We are not juggling kids' schedules, driving them to practices, events, etc. and working every other moment scrambling up career ladders. Just my perspective... it would be really interesting to see recent data.

Hi, Hamlet, I am not at all resistant to change. It needs to happen, SecondLife needs to be able to compete with the growing, less expensive virtual worlds. What LL needs to do, IMHO, is to survey it's residents about proposed changes, and ask for feedback after changes. The survey needs to be anonymous, but also should verify the respondents' length of time in SL/number of log-ins. There needs to be some measure of the "expertise" for each of the questions asked. Although you often do surveys, it is not reflective of most users. I would not oppose a monthly fee in exchange for reduced land tiers. I already pay a premium membership for what?, I'm not sure. I love that SL is free, but nothing is really free. Maybe offer a 3 month free membership to new residents? There ought to be a way to allow the unlimited and creative user created content while protecting copyright. There's got to be a way to maintain the educational and government sims in SL with a competitive fee to other virtual worlds. The turnout this past weekend for VWBPE (Virtual Worlds Best Practice in Education) was quite impressive. -Leo

Hamlet, hon, I still think you are missing so much from your reader input. You had 39 posts here http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2011/01/favorite-second-life-performers.html#comments I love live performances in SL! and check out performers almost daily. So, when I log in and search "- Events - Live Performances", why have I not seen many of these musicians? I'm just wondering...

I like many of those mentioned already. Here are a few more of my favorites: Maxamillion Kleene who does some mixed reality events. He also was the artist that hooked me on live performances in SL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smYTkQG1wF8&feature=related and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-Y_QoPsv2M&feature=related David Csiszer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRaKWw53ODA Geos Copperfield http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYM1YfukdSY

Great list! I spent quite some time just yesterday trying to find Sam Lowry's "Its a Wonderful Second Life". I wanted to send to a friend as an example of great stuff in SL. Now I have your whole list bookmarked, too.

Too bad that frequency is the value tallied here. Ignatius, is "shat" a verb? (i.e. I can use legally in Scrabble?) "Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." (Anonymous)

Ignatius, LMAO, I have never understood those breedables either,

Art + business = oil and water (but don't tell BP that's a dumb idea). If everyone paid, say $10 USD?, a month as "subscribers", would/could that ensure preservation of such "art" sims? I so want to keep SL "free", but maybe the management should look at levels of accessibility in order to fund the preservation of builds that in RL terms would be termed "historic neighborhoods". -MHO Leo