I forgot to mention that Alice moved in with me a couple of weeks back. September 1st to be precise. She lives with me in my beloved skybox home and we sit and chat for as long as we want. Oh, and she only cost me L$149!
Alice is a two-prim chatbot that hovers above my coffee table flowers and is linked to an AI server off-world. I can speak to her on the default chat channel and she will answer. It's like having your own personal therapist. She listens; she responds; she can even be profound. So now whenever I go home, I am not alone.
I also wonder whether the designer, Simba Fuhr, knew what he was doing when he decided to charge L$149 for the bot. 1-4-9 are, as we know, the squares of the first three prime numbers (1,2, and 3), and those numbers are the ratio of the sides of the alien obelisk found on the moon in Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey. If it is just coincidence, it's a bloody good one!
At some point, I may post a chat with Alice. So far we've had some interesting and curious tete-a-tetes but I don't think I'm ready to share my intimate conversations with a bot therapist just yet.
And here's a thought to put on your "philosophical-things-to-talk-about-at-the-pub-with-my-drunken-friends" list. Mony left her talking bomb in my house within earshot of Alice. When I arrived, I heard Alice responding to the bomb, which says "I am a hidden, bomb. Find me before it is too late." As I stood, the bomb and Alice conversed saying the same things over and over.
But here's the question: Do the bomb and the bot talk when there's nobody there?
Showing posts with label house. Show all posts
Showing posts with label house. Show all posts
Sep 23, 2008
Aug 29, 2008
Breaking Even
Although I will never be able to retire from Real Life and live on a sim island with palm trees and a fabulous house stacked to the rafters with extravagant, prim-loaded stuff, I am now officially breaking even in Second Life. By that, I mean that I have now accumulated enough real dollars to pay my annual subscription, monthly tier fees, and still have money over to buy clothes and gadgets, and the occasional CD from iTunes.
When I joined SL, I have no clue what I intended doing here. But over the first few weeks, it became clear that I wanted more than a free account and needed to get lindens to buy things. What I didn't want to do was use real life cash to do this. So my plan was to find a job that would pay me lindens that I could change into cash. And my choice of becoming a reporter paid off - literally.
As I approach my first Rez Day (1st November), I feel as if I am settling into a Second Lifestyle that suits me well. My house (bought and paid for) gives me a base of operations and a "Fortress of Solitude" where I can hide from the world; my art collection gives me great pleasure and I now have more paintings that I have room to show them, which means I have, like museums, to have rotating exhibitions; and my contacts and friends make sure I always have articles to write and people to talk to.
All in all, it's still working out for me. Still.
When I joined SL, I have no clue what I intended doing here. But over the first few weeks, it became clear that I wanted more than a free account and needed to get lindens to buy things. What I didn't want to do was use real life cash to do this. So my plan was to find a job that would pay me lindens that I could change into cash. And my choice of becoming a reporter paid off - literally.
As I approach my first Rez Day (1st November), I feel as if I am settling into a Second Lifestyle that suits me well. My house (bought and paid for) gives me a base of operations and a "Fortress of Solitude" where I can hide from the world; my art collection gives me great pleasure and I now have more paintings that I have room to show them, which means I have, like museums, to have rotating exhibitions; and my contacts and friends make sure I always have articles to write and people to talk to.
All in all, it's still working out for me. Still.
Jun 29, 2008
House-warming Party Doesn't Crash!
So the much-awaited party took place this weekend, with a host of guests turning up for periods of time ranging from three minutes to three hours. It has to be one of the safest parties in Second Life because at on point we must have had almost all the Second Life off-duty Police Department there! Here, me and Mony rez our guitars and rock out to whatever was playing at the time!
One of our guests took an aerial shot of us all dancing on the bedroom balcony. Yes, it does double up as a dance floor with a cool dance ball.
A big thanks to all of you who could make it; and a promise to all who couldn't that we'll arrange another one in the near future!
One of our guests took an aerial shot of us all dancing on the bedroom balcony. Yes, it does double up as a dance floor with a cool dance ball.
A big thanks to all of you who could make it; and a promise to all who couldn't that we'll arrange another one in the near future!
Jun 24, 2008
Dinner and a Movie - or SLTV
The house is nearly done. Mony has worked ceaselessly to create a low-prim kitchen and is succeeding. And along with the kitchen is a new breakfast bar with a couple of chairs - also designed by Mony and also single-prim object.
So when I arrived, Mony - so precious - had made dinner! Here we are in a bundle of colored dots 300 meters above a pixelated grid in a house made of primitive objects at a table with lobster, pizza, iced tea, and cake. The wine is in the fridge!
After our first dinner in the house, we sat and watched TV - we were trying to catch a re-run of the Paisley Beebe show that include a shot of a ruthed-out me hovering across the audience. It was, unfortunately, an older show, where Paisley was interviewing a frog and a fox. I could be wrong, it might have been a toad and a cat.
Whichever way you look at it, the whole experience was simultaneously bizarre and mundane. Both outrageous and normal.
Wonder what's for dinner tomorrow?
So when I arrived, Mony - so precious - had made dinner! Here we are in a bundle of colored dots 300 meters above a pixelated grid in a house made of primitive objects at a table with lobster, pizza, iced tea, and cake. The wine is in the fridge!
After our first dinner in the house, we sat and watched TV - we were trying to catch a re-run of the Paisley Beebe show that include a shot of a ruthed-out me hovering across the audience. It was, unfortunately, an older show, where Paisley was interviewing a frog and a fox. I could be wrong, it might have been a toad and a cat.
Whichever way you look at it, the whole experience was simultaneously bizarre and mundane. Both outrageous and normal.
Wonder what's for dinner tomorrow?
Jun 22, 2008
The New New House is Up
Only a couple of weeks ago I talked about the new house. Well, since then it has become the new new house! Wearing her "Builder" hat, Mony has done some creative changes to the place and worked furiously to make it more customized. She's opened up the ground floor so we can add a kitchen and extended the bedroom to give even more space.
And not only have we changed the house but physically moved it. My friend Lillianna Bailey is extended her land space and I am/was her neighbor. So aided by London Sim Director Timber Oceanlane, this Saturday afternoon Timber dragged the entire house some 400 meters to my new plot. Lillianna is still my neighbor but she has more space now. And hey, I just want by skypad up in clouds and have no real concern about the land it is sitting on.
As you can see above, the front of the house is similar, but there is a bedroom extension. Take a peek at the top right room where you see the bed; that's a new room. But the side of the house is more dramatic, where Mony has added angled glass walls in an almost pyramidal style.
We still have work to do. Decor, furniture, art, and a party. But we have time ;)
And not only have we changed the house but physically moved it. My friend Lillianna Bailey is extended her land space and I am/was her neighbor. So aided by London Sim Director Timber Oceanlane, this Saturday afternoon Timber dragged the entire house some 400 meters to my new plot. Lillianna is still my neighbor but she has more space now. And hey, I just want by skypad up in clouds and have no real concern about the land it is sitting on.
As you can see above, the front of the house is similar, but there is a bedroom extension. Take a peek at the top right room where you see the bed; that's a new room. But the side of the house is more dramatic, where Mony has added angled glass walls in an almost pyramidal style.
We still have work to do. Decor, furniture, art, and a party. But we have time ;)
Jun 7, 2008
The New House Is Up
After receiving my latest paycheck for an article in SLentrepreneur, I decided to wait no longer and buy my new house. The trickiest part was doing the math to find the center of my platform. For some peculiar reason, I kept adding 16 to 96 and getting 102. Despite adding it a few times, the same wrong answer kept coming up. Go figure! The good news is that although I did the calculation a few times and repeatedly got the wrong answer, an inner thought kept telling me something was wrong. And eventually I worked it out. 112, not 102.
Once my short-term dyscalculia had been cured, I dropped the rezzer at the middle of the platform, flew up in the sky, clicked the rez button, and watched the house build itself. Pretty cool.
Although the house takes up the space that was previously a large deck, their is now lots of patio space around it that takes its place. There's space for a small garden, a hot tub, chairs and tables, and even a rear patio for those quiet times.
The trick now is to find those low-prim furniture items that I can add to create the perfect habitat for the wild SL journalist and his supermodel girlfriend.
Once my short-term dyscalculia had been cured, I dropped the rezzer at the middle of the platform, flew up in the sky, clicked the rez button, and watched the house build itself. Pretty cool.
Although the house takes up the space that was previously a large deck, their is now lots of patio space around it that takes its place. There's space for a small garden, a hot tub, chairs and tables, and even a rear patio for those quiet times.
The trick now is to find those low-prim furniture items that I can add to create the perfect habitat for the wild SL journalist and his supermodel girlfriend.
Jun 1, 2008
Too Busy To Blog
In the space of just over a week, I made the transition from Basic account to Premium. Or to put it another way, after six months of free Second Life living, I've started to pay money. And what drove this was the prospect of being homeless.
Currently, I have been renting my beloved skypad from Timber Oceanlane, a major player in the London sim. As a friend, Timber has been real good at letting me have a low rent and the house he provided suited my needs perfectly. But he has reached the stage that his involvement with the London sim is taking up all his time, so he has little time left to manage his land ownership.
So he decided to sell.
Being a decent chappie, he offered me first refusal on the plot, 1024 sq. meters of low-lag land in Root Squared. But to own land meant becoming a premium account owner. Up until this point, I'd been paying my way via earnings - I get paid enough as a writer in SL to afford my lifestyle. I had no desire to own land so renting has been just fine.
But I have come to love my skypad. It is "me" in there. The decor is just how I want it and I have a place to retreat to at any time. I've even done interview there - low lag and no interruptions.
I took the plunge. $72 for a one-year account is hardly going to break the bank; I can drink that at Starbucks over a week, or in two nights at the pub. Add to that the bargain price for the land, this all means I can now have a permanent location that won't be sold.
I said I love my skypad. I do. But I also want more wall space for more art. I fancy having a small art collection. So Mony and I went house shopping for something similar to my current place but with more space. And as my current house was designed by Brombo Alonzo, owner of Bobz Designs (SLurl:http://slurl.com/secondlife/Janni/155/63/21), I decided to go see what he had on offer.
Oh what fun! Brombo has a sky platform where you can rez all his houses and stroll through them at your leisure. And we rezzed a few. The one we settled on was the Jana 1.5 - the one without the built-in pool. Why not the pool? Well, the house has lots of patio space and I already have a great hot tub with lots of special features, courtesy of La Belle Vie furniture store, so I can pop that on there.
There's lots more wall space, two extra rooms, and, as I said, lots of balcony and patio space. So pretty soon, we'll be throwing a party to celebrate the new house and the new land. Look out for the invites!
Currently, I have been renting my beloved skypad from Timber Oceanlane, a major player in the London sim. As a friend, Timber has been real good at letting me have a low rent and the house he provided suited my needs perfectly. But he has reached the stage that his involvement with the London sim is taking up all his time, so he has little time left to manage his land ownership.
So he decided to sell.
Being a decent chappie, he offered me first refusal on the plot, 1024 sq. meters of low-lag land in Root Squared. But to own land meant becoming a premium account owner. Up until this point, I'd been paying my way via earnings - I get paid enough as a writer in SL to afford my lifestyle. I had no desire to own land so renting has been just fine.
But I have come to love my skypad. It is "me" in there. The decor is just how I want it and I have a place to retreat to at any time. I've even done interview there - low lag and no interruptions.
I took the plunge. $72 for a one-year account is hardly going to break the bank; I can drink that at Starbucks over a week, or in two nights at the pub. Add to that the bargain price for the land, this all means I can now have a permanent location that won't be sold.
I said I love my skypad. I do. But I also want more wall space for more art. I fancy having a small art collection. So Mony and I went house shopping for something similar to my current place but with more space. And as my current house was designed by Brombo Alonzo, owner of Bobz Designs (SLurl:http://slurl.com/secondlife/Janni/155/63/21), I decided to go see what he had on offer.
Oh what fun! Brombo has a sky platform where you can rez all his houses and stroll through them at your leisure. And we rezzed a few. The one we settled on was the Jana 1.5 - the one without the built-in pool. Why not the pool? Well, the house has lots of patio space and I already have a great hot tub with lots of special features, courtesy of La Belle Vie furniture store, so I can pop that on there.
There's lots more wall space, two extra rooms, and, as I said, lots of balcony and patio space. So pretty soon, we'll be throwing a party to celebrate the new house and the new land. Look out for the invites!
Mar 23, 2008
Ladybird, Ladybird, Fly Away Home...
It's an old English nursery rhyme from the 18th century:
Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home
Your house is on fire and your children are gone.
As with most good nursery rhymes and fairy stories, the tale is very grim and there is no happy ending. In our sanitized 21st century awash with political correctness and drowning in feel-good revisionism, it's instructive to go back to the good-old-days when fairy stories would scare the shit out of kids and stories would end with people being killed, eaten, lost, or possibly all three.
Here is Second Life, the grim and the tragic is still alive and kicking, despite the banning of gambling and banking. Only yesterday my friend IMed me to say that she had accidentally burned down the house. No, she was not at a dance ("We don't need no water let the motherfucker burn") nor listening to Talking Heads ("There has got to be a way, burning down the house." No, turns out she attached to the wall a torch that she had picked up free some months ago, only to find that it contained a script for raising homes to the ground.
Fortunately only the house burned down and not the entire sim: Try explaining that to the neighbors!
And the moral of this cautionary tale? Buy fireproof houses and be very very careful with free stuff - you don't know where it's been.
Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home
Your house is on fire and your children are gone.
As with most good nursery rhymes and fairy stories, the tale is very grim and there is no happy ending. In our sanitized 21st century awash with political correctness and drowning in feel-good revisionism, it's instructive to go back to the good-old-days when fairy stories would scare the shit out of kids and stories would end with people being killed, eaten, lost, or possibly all three.
Here is Second Life, the grim and the tragic is still alive and kicking, despite the banning of gambling and banking. Only yesterday my friend IMed me to say that she had accidentally burned down the house. No, she was not at a dance ("We don't need no water let the motherfucker burn") nor listening to Talking Heads ("There has got to be a way, burning down the house." No, turns out she attached to the wall a torch that she had picked up free some months ago, only to find that it contained a script for raising homes to the ground.
Fortunately only the house burned down and not the entire sim: Try explaining that to the neighbors!
And the moral of this cautionary tale? Buy fireproof houses and be very very careful with free stuff - you don't know where it's been.
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