Tango in Second Life

Is it possible to be abandoned and controlled at the same time? I don’t know, but the other night I went to a tango club with my friend Boye Jervil, and if anything can create that kind of feeling, it must be the tango.

The Tango in Second Life sim, owned by  Adolfh Gustafson, replicates a tango dance hall, or milonga.

Depending on your mood, you can kick up your heels (literally) inside the intimate club, up on the roof, or outside in the garden.

 The music is fantastic, non-stop classic tango, and more than anything this creates the atmosphere of passion, sensuality and mystery (I’m sure it is no coincidence that the Masterpiece Mystery theme music is a tango).

The tango itself emerged in the 19^th century and was originally danced by partners of the same gender, as a kind of competition. In 2009 the tango was declared to be a part of the world’s cultural heritage by UNESCO. So if you are a culture vulture or just want to have fun with some friends, Tango in Second Life is a great place to try.

Hibiscus Hastings

Mr. Stoneyheart's Surprise

By some unknown means I have acquired a litter of fledglings. Being a man about town I cannot possibly look after them in draughty art galleries and so I have moved into Old Bert’s apartment during his absence.

1am When troubles come they come not single spies but in battalions

2am Absinthe: The panacea for all ill to my aid, perhaps this is nothing but a bad dream.

3am, awake and fractious, demanding milk and solace. Staring, blinking like myopic owlets behind thick tortoise-shell spectacles.

4am and asleep at last!

5am awake and dancing! It’s going to be a long day

Next instalment – I find a nanny.

Merciless0413 Stoneyheart as told to Boye Jervil

Old Bert Settles In

When we last saw Old Bert, he had been in despair after seeing the realities of his apartment at Empire Gardens. Poor man, it was not at all what he had been used to. However, Old Bert was not one to wallow in misery, so after a few unhappy moments he decided to see what he could do to make himself more comfortable. Fortunately Old Bert had brought provisions with which to stock his kitchen, so he made himself a simple meal of bread and jam. He sat down at his table, ate his supper and began to feel a little more cheerful.

Old Bert was feeling more energetic and hopeful, so much so, in fact, that he decided to go out and explore, in the hopes of meeting others in the neighbourhood. At first he went and sat in the lobby of his apartment building, but his only companions were the rats running around the floor, so that was not very satisfactory.

Leaving the building, Old Bert began walking up and down the streets, trying to discover what the area had to offer. Not too far off was a used car dealer, with all sorts of vehicles in the parking lot – a school bus, taxi, trucks and cars. Right next to the dealership was a railroad line. Perhaps these were indications of a lively residential area, Old Bert hoped, despite the fact that he had yet to run into any other avatars.

He continued on and eventually came to a pub. Old Bert was very pleased to hear lively conversation coming from inside the building, so he happily opened the door and walked in. The large room was filled with avatars laughing and chatting with each other. “Finally” Old Bert thought to himself “I have found some neighbours!” But as he entered further into the room, the avatars turned away from him and he heard one mutter “There is a bad smell.” Old Bert, mortified because he thought that comment was meant for him, left the pub feeling completely crushed. He made his way back home and threw himself down on the bed, more unhappy than ever.

With thanks to Boye Jervil for his pictures of Old Bert.

Hibiscus Hastings

Old Bert

In May I wrote about a doss house I discovered while checking out accommodations in Second Life. The building was in a dreadful state of repair but even worse, the owner refused to acknowledge this lamentable fact and insisted that the property was a prime one with all the modern conveniences one could wish for. He even had the audacity to say this while cockroaches and rats were running over our feet! A terrible man with no conscience.

Recently I was informed that the landlord had actually found a tenant, so I went to speak with this person to see how he was faring. What I discovered would break even the hardest of hearts.

Old Bert joined Second Life almost three years ago. At first he had had a wonderful time, wandering around and discovering all the joys of the virtual world, however, he fell on hard times when an unscrupulous avatar managed to clean out Old Bert’s account and he was left penniless, losing his land and his home. Not willing to beg, Old Bert managed to collect some freebie clothes, but he had no where to live and was desperately looking for money. He tried camping, but that was not terribly lucrative and he felt he had too little to risk trying any sploder games in case he lost what he had worked so hard to gain. Few people seemed willing to hire Old Bert, either, saying he was not the right kind of person. However, through perseverance and the occasional bit of good luck, Old Bert was finally able to begin looking for an inexpensive place to call home.

One day while Old Bert was camping, a rather finely dressed man came by and began to talk to him. His name was Merciless0413 Stoneyheart. He told Old Bert that he owned some apartment buildings across the grid which he rented at a very reasonable rate, fully furnished. There was a low prim allowance, but Mr. Stoneyheart explained that since the flats were furnished there was no need for his tenants to rez anything beyond some personal mementoes. Since Old Bert had very little in the way of possessions this was not a concern. Mr. Stoneyheart handed Old Bert a notecard with pictures and a description of his buildings and Old Bert in fact was so desperate that he immediately handed over most of his savings to Mr. Stoneyheart, joyfully tp’ing over to “Empire Gardens” , as Mr. Stoenyheart had grandiosely named his building, ready to start his new life.

What a shock awaited Old Bert. The pictures on the notecard had not prepared him at all for the reality of the situation. Poor Old Bert peered through the grimy window of his new home, into the sad living-dining- bedroom (which Mr. Stoneyheart had euphemistically described as “open plan living”). After working up the nerve to actually enter the building, Old Bert walked through the lobby, stopping by the mailboxes and noting the laundry festooned forlornly around the place. He made his way over to a chair and sat down in despair, trying to gather up enough courage to continue on.

After a few minutes he stood up and began his trip down the hall. As Old Bert walked down the corridor to his new flat he passed another unit with an eviction sign on the door. Mr. Stoneyheart clearly lived up to his name. Upon reaching his door Old Bert opened it and stepped inside.

The main room was even worse than Old Bert had expected, filled with rickety old furniture and filthy appliances. Old Bert fearfully went into the bathroom, expecting the worst. His expectations were exceeded. Although the bathroom contained a toilet, sink and tub, as Mr. Stoneyheart had said, they did not seem to offer the promise of comfort or hygiene.

After this little tour of his new abode, Old Bert returned to his living-dining-bedroom, collapsed onto a bench and cried to himself “Oh, what is to become of me?”

My thanks to Boye Jervil for the photographs accompanying this story.

Hibiscus Hastings

Looking for Mr. Right

I have been crossed in love a number of times in SL. Recently I met an intruder to my apartment, and thought that he was THE ONE, but I was sadly mistaken. You can read about that on Janey’s blog (http://janeysplace.wordpress.com/2009/07/22/another-normal-night-at-cnn-and-a-visitor-calls/). Then the other day a friend im’d me starting off “Hi sweetheart”. That set my poor heart aflutter, but again, to no avail (and no veil), he had accidentally im’d me instead of his sweetheart. However, maybe third time’s a charm!

As with any good love story, it started off with a chance meeting. I was wandering SL with my friend Boye , when we arrived at a sim called Reno’s Whiskey Island, a nice tropical-themed kind of place, when who do I run into but Bob, my (potential) new man. Bob lives on Reno’s Whiskey Island. He patiently stands between the bar and the dance floor, responding to anyone who comes in for a chat. The key to getting him to talk is to call him “Bob”. Once you do that, there is no stopping him.

Hibiscus Hastings: Hi bob
BOB: Hello there.
Hibiscus Hastings: How are you Bob?
BOB: I am fine, thank you.
Hibiscus Hastings: What do you do here Bob?
BOB: My favorite activities are computer programming and surfing the web.
Hibiscus Hastings: That sounds like fun Bob
BOB: It sounds like it to me too.
Hibiscus Hastings: Do you like to dance Bob?
BOB: It's kind of hard without a body.
Hibiscus Hastings: oh dear, that is sad Bob
BOB: Ah.
Hibiscus Hastings: are you lonely then Bob?
BOB: No. I get to talk to people all the time.
Hibiscus Hastings: that's good Bob
BOB: That input matched my default category.
Hibiscus Hastings: really, what is your default category bob?
BOB: For real. The default category contains all my responses to inputs that do match any other category.
Hibiscus Hastings: right, sounds like you are prepared Bob
BOB: Understood. What does you are prepared like you are prepared are prepared like you are prepared sound like?
Hibiscus Hastings: pretty much what it sounds like bob
BOB: Now that is saying a mouthful.
Boye Jervil: that caught you out Bob
BOB: "" caught you out ?
Hibiscus Hastings: surprised you bob
BOB: Enough about me, let's talk about my dress.
Hibiscus Hastings: yes, a very nice dress Bob
BOB: OK. What size?
Hibiscus Hastings: do you have a girlfriend Bob
BOB: Valentina
Hibiscus Hastings: where is she Bob
Boye Jervil: you stand very still and don't Bob up and down
BOB: Thanks for telling me:
Hibiscus Hastings: where is Valentina bob?
BOB: Where the heart is.
Hibiscus Hastings: this is a romantic place for you and her Bob
BOB: What makes you say that?
Hibiscus Hastings: nice weather, cuddle poseballs, Bob
BOB: I'm happy as long as the power stays on.
Hibiscus Hastings: yes, me too bob
BOB: Groovy. I'm glad we agree, Hibiscus Hastings.
Hibiscus Hastings: thank you bob
BOB: you are quite welcome.
Boye Jervil: bob is quite the lad
BOB: I think so, but I'm not sure.
Hibiscus Hastings: that's what they all say Bob
BOB: When do you think artificial intelligence will replace lawyers?
Hibiscus Hastings: I thought it had Bob
BOB: Hibiscus Hastings had?
Hibiscus Hastings: no I didn't Bob
BOB: Are you serious? Thanks for the information
Hibiscus Hastings: very welcome Bob
BOB: Perhaps.
Hibiscus Hastings: yes, for sure Bob
BOB: Yippee! Awesome.
Hibiscus Hastings: I have to leave bob
BOB: Thanks for chatting, Hibiscus Hastings.
Hibiscus Hastings: thank you Bob, it was a pleasure
BOB: You are quite welcome!

To be honest, I am not sure Bob is cut out to be a romantic partner, or not mine anyway. He is a bot for one thing and he already has a girlfriend, Valentina. I would never want to come between two avatars. And since he doesn’t have a body that makes things like dancing a bit difficult and I love to dance! However if I ever need someone to talk to, Bob’s the one for me.

Hibiscus Hastings

Venus and Mars Visit the Knightsbridge Gallery

The Knightsbridge Gallery is one of my favourite galleries in Second Life because of the diversity and high quality of the exhibitions held there. The work of Nicci Lane is currently on display and I recently wrote it up for my recent write up for Virtually London (lite). After telling my friend Boye about the exhibition, we decided to go visit it together, which turned out to be an interesting and surprising experience.
We stopped at one painting entitled “Jungle Hue” and I commented on how I enjoyed its organic nature, which I ascribed to the flowers visible in the work, as well as the sinuous shapes winding throughout the background. Boye on the other hand said that it looked to him like a circuit board with edge connectors running around the periphery of the work. What a completely different way of seeing it! Visit the gallery and you be the judge, please feel free to comment on the blog, I would love to find out what people think.

Hibiscus Hastings

A Weekend of Activities in the Nation of Victoriana

This past weekend was a “Victoriana” one for me. The Nation of Victoriana is an ever-expanding series of sims set in the Victorian era. The sims are owned by Mayor LittleBlackDuck Lindsay, who dedicates himself tirelessly to the creation and maintenance of the beautifully detailed region. I was first introduced to Victoriana by my friend Boye Jervil, the owner of the Pre-Raphaelite Gallery in Victoriana Square, and since then I have visited and occasionally written about the nation. This was the first time I have had the opportunity to attend any of the events.

On Friday evening, June 19, a live RL concert was streamed into many sims in Second Life, including Victoriana Square. In RL, two classical duos, the Duo Apassionato and Duo DnA, joined up and played a wide-ranging selection of music which was then made available in SL, as part of a fund raising effort for the Raleigh Symphony Orchestra. In Victoriana Square a lovely gazebo and dance floor were set up in Acorn Park, setting the stage for a very pleasant evening.

The second event took place on Saturday, June 20. This was the Ascot Ball and Annual Horse Race. The sim was packed with Victoriana residents and visitors from other Victorian themed sims, since these events were included in the mid-summer Grand Tour of Victorian sims, benefiting the Relay for Life. Many of the ladies wore black and white outfits, no doubt inspired by the famous Ascot Gavotte scene from “My Fair Lady”, while others appeared in jewel tones of blue, deep rose and burgundy, and a scattering wore paler pinks and blues, adding to the beauty of the scene. Gentlemen were formally dressed in dark colours. The Mayor stood out in his bright red jacket, in which he could easily be seen warmly welcoming everyone to the sim.

Congratulations to LittleBlackDuck Lindsay, Panacea Luminos and all the organizers of these two events.

Hibiscus Hastings

Riding around the Nation of Victoriana

One of my good friends, Boye Jervil, lives in the Victoriana sims. He owns the Pre-Raphaelite Gallery in Victoriana Square.

The Nation of Victoriana is made up of about 5 sims, with plans for more to come. They are beautifully done, thanks to the detail conscious mayor, LittleBlackDuck Lindsay, and well worth checking out. They are role-playing sims, so you will see the inhabitants in their Victorian garb, and when I go over there I sometimes dress up so as to fit in. If you don’t change into Victorian clothing no one says anything, but it is fun to dress up and look as if you are a proper Victorian.

Boye im’d me to ask if I wanted to go riding around the sims and I said yes, as I hadn’t been out on my horse, Honey, in ages. I tp’d over and we had a good ride around. We ended up at Victoriana Harbour, where preparations for a picnic had been set up. As you can see from my picture, someone has already been into the drinks!

We also met a couple who live in Victoriana Harbour. The lady warmly welcomed me to the area and noted that she feels the harbour looks best at sunset, so I changed my settings and discovered how right she was! It was a peaceful and beautiful end to our ride around the sims.

Hibiscus Hastings