Monday 26 March 2007

You music Co-ordinator is within the premises

Friday night SLT was my debut as a DJ in SecondLife. I have some years in the past been a real life DJ for a goth club. I had been asking for the opportunity to DJ on of Steelhead's Friday night dances and when the goth theme was suggested for this week I asked if this could be my night.

And what a night.

All started well. I had managed to get most of the distortion out of the music stream so that it only lasted about 10 seconds. Not great but passable until further investigation could be made. Certainly a far cry from the 80% of the song length when I had my first test run.

However the lag in the sim was so bad that people had trouble taking a few steps much less getting into the Stage area from other parts of the sim. After about half an hour of this the Lindens were eventually contacted and organised to restart the sim. This unfortunately took over half an hour again. I had a few people listening directly to the broadcast so I kept it going.

When the sim restarted and people started returning all seemed good. I ended up playing through until 10:30 rather than the scheduled 9, partly because of the sim downtime but also because people were having a great deal of fun.

The only drawback I have at present is that I have to turn off all the sound my end so I don't feedback through the broadcast loop. Annoying but necessary until I change the headphone settings.


DJ Edward using Mr Chaplin's superb Dual Audio Beat Emmitting Confabulating Ocsillation Table. It also seems there may have been some lasting after effects from the vampire bite last week after all.


My dearest Christine, and behind her the wonderful Gabbi Riel - the person ultimately responsible for me being able to DJ.


Miss Scully Weir


The lovely Eva Bellambi, now the new Duchess of Loch Avie


Emilly and Lunar


Fiin & Addison. I think Addison's a not so closeted goth :-)


Miss Nadir and Mr Somme.


Lumina and her date (who's name I don't remember) going against the trend and wearing white.


Darkling Elytis, who was in some sort of orgasmic bliss over my choice of music for most of the night :-)

I'm hoping this will be something I get a chance to do again. I had great fun.

Tuesday 20 March 2007

Raves, Romance, Neighbours, and Dancing

There's a saying that a week in SecondLife is a long time. How right they are.

About two weeks ago I took possesion of the NE corner plot in Caledon Cay and have made my home there. I was delighted to find that a new acquaintance and friend turned out to live at the opposite location in Mayfair with her older sister and her husband. The three of them have become quite good friends in such a short amount of time.


Miss Tombola doing her very best Agatha Heterodyne impersonation while delivering her entry to the Caledon Inventor's Fair (before it turned into a complete debacle).

The neighbouring island of IBM held a "rave" on the 10th and invited the Caledonians as well, as the Duchess of Carntaigh was providing the music. An odd choice of name for a social gathering though I suppose people who mistake the uniform of the Blues & Royals Cavalry for a Star Wars costume will have some odd ideas...






The Lady of Bardhaven, one of my new neighbours.


The Duchess of Carntaigh and Major Zuhal


The lovely Miss Scarlett Qi


Hypatia Callisto, noted skin and furniture designer from Caledon

Later that week I had begun decorating the interior of the house when my dear Miss McAllister returned from her trip. We sat and had a very long talk about our plans and dreams and I was overjoyed when she agreed to become my partner. We are officially a couple! I am a very lucky man.



From there we attended Oolon Sputnik's 400th birthday! I'm told it's an impressive number of years for a Gallifreyan. He's certainly doing exceptionally well by human standards! The theme for the night was Victorian SF so I wore my crash-helmet.

I also managed to be attacked by a vampire later in the evening. Thankfully judicious applications of garlic water and silver nitrate seemed to have staved off any long term effects. I have a feeling it's not the last I've seen of her though.

Steelhead held it's Friday night dance but had St Patrick's Day a day early.




Yours truly in a costume I acquired thanks to Miss McAllister's current fixation with prize chairs. And it won me Best Male and L$250 for my troubles!


Miss Emilly looking very elegant


Miss Figaro in a green flapper outfit


Qli and Fuzz

The following night Lady Amber held a St Patrick's Ball in the Moors, sadly I was very late but I still enjoyed myself that evening.


Dancing with Miss McAllister who looked stunning in a gown of very deep green.


Myself and Miss Kiralette, one of my neighbours from Mayfair and a very charming young lady.

I have recently been pondering the formation of a study. Caledon seems to be vastly over-represented by ladies with red hair (not that I'm complaining). It's been suggested that the overpowering odour of "bling and silicon" may have driven many from the mainland but I'm not entirely convinced. I think further study is needed.

War!

It appears the Caledon invasion of Neualtenburg is going ahead. Guvnah Shang has requested that Mr. Alex Chadbourne and myself produce the uniforms of a "basic" option. I think I'll use the basic Militia tunic but modify the colours to reflect the Caledon tartan.

It's all being tied in to the Relay For Life of the American Cancer Society. Should be fun!

Apparently in a polite gesture we have invited them to invade Caledon next year :-)

You Only Live Twice

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation's programme Four Corners last night had a special on Virtual Worlds. Mainly dealing with SecondLife (possibly to coincide with the opening of the ABC island in SL) I thought it wasn't a bad look really.

Four Corners has an online "broadband edition" for those who might be interested in having a look.

Link here.

Tuesday 13 March 2007

Monowheels

Vi Paravane has a lovely little monowheel she has constructed. While she's probably seen this page before it was new to me.

A collection of various monowheel designs through history.

Some astouding items in here.

Tuesday 6 March 2007

A substantial backlog.

It doesn't seem that long since I put in an update but obviously it has been. SL has been rather a busy place. I've got a few photos to put up so please excuse the size of the post.

I am also in the process of transferring this blog from its old home at Livejournal (yes I have been seduced by the dark side). It's primarily so I don't have to keep signing in and out of LJ with my other account. Not that I been using either one terribly much of late. *Ahem*

These are primarily highlights of events. There have been other events and discussions of a more personal nature, some of which I'd rather not put up here.

Back in mid February, Steelhead's Friday night dance was themed "Best In Red".

And yes those are my wings closest to the frame. There are some who would say it was a chance for the real me to come out.

The next day Caledon had its Romance Ball. As Valentine's Day was falling on a Wednesday it was felt better to have a weekend event where more people could make it.


Unsurprisingly lots of red and white in the fashions for the evening.


Myself and Lady Amber.


With Miss Figaro


The ever charming Miss Cornelia Rothschild, wearing what appeared to be a electric illuminated gown


With whom I had a splendid time.


My dear friend Miss McAllister

Sometime later I was feeling in a somewhat reflective mood and managed to capture this image. If I had the foresight to compose myself better I think it would be a far better image.

Moon over Carntaigh

The following week was the Duchess of Carntaigh's Shakespeare Ball.

Myself and the delightful Miss Lobo


Who had a most impressive wingspan


And the lovely Miss McAllister


Her Grace of Loch Avie in an almost immodest gown.


Your truly picking up the prize for Best Dressed male at Steelhead's Chinese New Year celebrations.

The following week Steelhead was planning of having a Scottish theme for it's Friday night dance. I was rather disappointed with the fit of a kilt I had purchased from the Tartan shop, so rather than fiddle about trying to adjust the whole thing I decided to make my own.
Having been alerted to the existence of Ged Larson Looprez generator through Miss Zelmanov's exceptional Journal, I purchased a copy of the Personal Edition and set about making the kilt, then made a Montrose doublet and generally did the whole thing. Of the end result the only thing I wasn't really happy with were the shoes but I was using ones someone else made. Something to add to my list it seems. Due to my happiness with the end result I have now purchased the Commercial Edition and will soon be adding kilts to my range of men's outfits.


Myself in the finished outfit dancing with Miss Lumina


Some more of the colourful tartans from Steelhead.


Possibly my favourite photo of the night

I also wore the outfit to Caledon's Heritage Ball the following night. Sadly I was rather distracted that night and have very few photos of the event. I did finally get to meet Miss Ellison, the Ball's hostess, of whom I had heard so much.


With Miss Bryndal Ellison

Steelhead has been referred to by it's locals as the "Weird Wild West". You can probably see why. It's former Sheriff was a demon, one of the Managers is an 8' tall albino (who is also a were-tiger), his partner is a strange woman with a penchant for chickens, there are two Nekos and an assortment of other strange inhabitants.

You're never really sure who or what your likely to bump into.

Last weekend, Steelhead had an SF theme for there Friday night dance. This was one of better attended nights I've been to.


Aerial shot


Miss McAllister looking almost witchbalde


Miss Lunina showing her great... personality


Qlippothic Projects. Steelhead's resident mechanical golem. (I mentioned weird right?)


Finn & Addison


Miss Emilly as a green alien thingie


Your truly in a Star Wars inspired outfit


Mrs Peterman revealing her inner (?) nerd.


meQal & Melissa

And lastly as I had not been able to attend the pirate night, and due to there apparently being a severe lagg storm on the night there were bery few photos of anyone in pirate gear, though Mrs Peterman managed to get a few.
I thought it rather sad that there seemed to be no photos of the lady who won best Piratess on the night. So after a bit of searching we managed to find a nice pirate ship and set off to take some photos.


Cap'n Christine at the helm


Surveying the deck


BOOM!


Though we all know were Pirates will eventually end up. Unless they can bribe their way out of it.

In addition to all this there's been a business venture that arrived and dissapaited in a few days over a difference of opinion, but may well have turned into a land deal, some new friends, some new places and an increase into the items I need to finish for Pearse'd & Cut. Too many ideas and not enough time.