The SL Enquirer turns 12 Years Old Today!

Open Letter to SLE Fans from Lanai Jarrico

WOW! Has it really been 12 years??? I can’t believe how time flies when you are having fun.

 I am proud to see SLE still standing tall amongst the media sources used by Second Life residents today.  With over 3700+ articles, 18+ millions views on Google+ and blogger and thousands of followers on social media. We have certainly staked our claim as the longest running independantly owned virtual world news source on the planet!

 I can remember the first day I launched the original TSO Enquirer in The Sims Online, on October 4^th 2004. It was a random fluke just to entertain a couple of online friends.

  I’ve been engaged in virtual world news for 12 years, 7 months, and 6 days, but who’s counting. Not only is it 12 years for the newspaper but it is coincidentally my SL rezzday.

Every year, I’ve hosted a big event to mark our anniversary. They have always been over the top extravagant parties with lineups of top musicians, luxurious giveaways and sim-crashing turn outs. (Included a Linden or two hiding in the bushes watching the festivities).

For the past 2 years, I’ve celebrated modestly and just reflected on just how far SLE has come. I am humbled by the outpouring of love and support.

 It truly is amazing when I think back to the day I thought it would be “cool” to write about my experiences and share them with my circle of friends. Little did I know my friends would share it with their friends and their friends would share it with others. Going viral wasn’t something I set my initial goal out to do but it lead too so much more- not just in my virtual world experience but it cultivated great things in my real life. 

 I think I owe a great big thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey, including a couple of griefers. Let me start with my first inspiration. He was a Gorean Role-player. At the time I had no clue what that was but my encounter with him was what set this whole media thing in motion.

 I cannot explain the situation verbatim but I will say that he was exceptionally rude and belittled me as if I was beneath his foot. I didn’t understand that was the mindset of Gorean masters, all I can remember is being inspired to write about the encounter with a nice cheeky headline calling him a “Gonad”. That article became a hit with my friends who encouraged me to write more about the crazy things that were happening, so I did. 

Over time using humor in my writing, it attracted Mafia family role-players who were dominating The SIMS Online.  They had no real voice amongst the other families so they turned to “TSOE” as a bridge of communication. 

OHHHH the Mafia days! (Laughs)

 I have to admit, it was full of drama, mudslinging and war of words between the families. It boosted our readership. If it wasn’t for them, my news source may not have never found its way into the virtual world called Second Life.

It was nearing 2005 and many of my friends and readers were disappearing into this new virtual world. Some of the feedback I was getting was its too laggy… you need money to do anything and the sexual content was outrageous. I wasn’t convinced I wanted to check it out until French filmmakers contacted me to take part in a real world documentary project.  They flew to the US to meet with me over a 3 day period.  We did some filming and talking about Second Life. They suggested I migrate the news source to SL because people there were talking about my newspaper. So, I decided to check it out.

 On May 9th 2005, Lanai Jarrico was born with newspaper in hand. At first I was having a difficult time cutting through the lag and constant crashing, I had a shoe up my (BLEEP) and was extremely annoyed. My first real encounter with anyone other than the friends who greeted me upon my arrival was the shoemaker. I thought he was griefing me by causing the shoe to be lodged in a very unattractive position but he explained how to fix the problem and off I went on my Second Life adventure.

I really didn’t understand the big picture yet but I thought it was cool that I could design my own avatar any way I wanted. That was a big leap from the cookie cutter “Sims” characters I got to choose from in The SIMS Online.  I decided I wanted to look like a belly dancer, so I found a pink silks outfit with a veil. My hairdo was hideous but at the time but I thought I looked cute.

Little did I know I would encounter Goreans again… For some reason they kept approaching me for sex.  I was still a little wet behind the ears and couldn’t understand why until I realized… I was dressed like a Gorean slave girl.  To make a long story short, if it wasn’t for that look, I don’t know where I would have ended up. Within a month or two I was approached by photographers who wanted to take my picture. I said sure, and went about my business.

What happened about 6 months later took me by utter surprise.

 When that day was a faded memory, I was approached again by the photographers. They invited me to an exhibit in the Soho distric in New York City where my avatar along with 12 others was displayed on canvases throughout the Postmasters Gallery, while simultaneously an in world exhibition was happening at the same time. 

The exhibit was called “13 Most Beautiful Avatars” by Ava and Franco Mattes. Unbeknownst to me they happened to be real world artists and pioneers of Net Art, operating under the pseudonym 0100101110101101.org

I went to NY that day and it was there that I realized, Second Life was not just a game, it was full of creative people sharing their skills on a global scale. I wasn’t at the event promoting The SL Enquirer (by this time I had crossed completely over and changed the name) but people knew Lanai Jarrico.  They were approaching me and shaking my hand. I even had a real reporter following me around trying to conduct an interview until I excused myself to the restroom and tried to hide in the crowd.  The whole experience seemed surreal but it was a lot of fun.

If it wasn’t for those unique chance encounters, I don’t know if The SL Enquirer would have grown as fast as it did, but I am glad it did. It taught me so much and led me to grow tremendously in my real life goals.

2007

I learned how to build the foundation for what SLE is today by trial and error.  I built its reputation from the ground up all while learning the importance of professionalism with an entrepreneurial approach.

As you may know with attention comes haters and people who will say things to try to cut you down. I will never understand why some people treat others so cruel.  But rather than crumble to the negativity, I used the things they would say to prove to myself that I was not as they tried to make me seem. I was determined to build The SL Enquirer into something more than just my personal open diary. I wanted to give other writers a platform to share Second Life through their eyes too.

 One woman, whom I didn’t know, told a mutual friend that the paper would fail because I was “uneducated”.  Her reasoning was that I had no real professional writing or journalism experience or degree. That part was true. I wasn’t “educated” in media, but that didn’t diminish what I was capable of or what I loved to do.

She was my inspiration for enrolling into college and getting my bachelors of Science degree with a concentration in Communication and Technology. The perfect combination for what I do.

Sorry, couldnt help myself lol

If she is reading this, here is my sincere thank you. I can now say, I am educated to the standards that others may think matters when it comes to using true inner creativity and just being good at whatever it is you do.

I think it is safe to say with 12 years under my belt, I am a professional blogger aside from a real world position as an Operations Manager. 

From as far back as I could remember my love for writing came natural. When I had something I needed to release from my thoughts. I jotted it down, wrote it out and typed it up.  It has always been my artistic therapy and it still makes me happy to share it with whoever wants to read about whatever it is that inspires me. I haven't been writing too much theses days cause life has gotten busy and managing SLE behind the scenes takes a lot of my time but my passion remains.

 I cannot express in words the feeling it is to write alone in solitude and look up and realize there is an audience. To say the least, it has been a spectacular decade of experiences in Second Life with lots of wonderful memories created, crazy situations, funny episodes, dramatic moments, heartwarming stories and a lot of amazing people I have met on this unique journey.

From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you all for your continued support by being a true friend and believing in me, every readers who has commented and shared articles, my writing team for contriuting their journeys and advertisers for helping support what we do. 

 It is because of you that SLE continues to thrive.  I am inspired to keep doing what I love, meeting new people, exploring creative places and just having fun while providing a source that has withstood the test of time. 

I look forward to seeing what the future holds for SLE as well as Second Life and I hope you come along with me for the ride.

With Love,

Lanai Jarrico

CEO, The SL Enquirer

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OS Metaverse: The Encore Escape is having its Grand Opening Kickoff tonight January 12th at 5pm SLT

The Encore Escape is having its Grand Opening all month, celebrating the arrival of veteran and accomplished entertainment venues and management on the OS metaverse. Potlatch Foggarty, Bellaby Ballyhoo, along with Rocky & Shannon Hillburton have spent six months building and beta testing their 81 region var on the OS. The newest grid on the OSis home to  Encore Entertainment Estate, which features four Live Music Venues, each one unique and catering to a specific genre. The estate is a result of the latest OS var technology, and is the size of 81 standard sims, with one large difference, there are no sim lines.

This means visitors can sail boats and fly airplane & helicopters across 81 regions with no interruption or sim crossings. They can also rezz a car and travel on (the appropriately named) Interstate 81 and exit at any of the aforementioned venues or other attractions including a 50’s drive-theater.

The Encore Escape also boasts that any region owner can order a free .oar file, which will give them a complete copy of their sim in its entirety, which they can take to any other OS grid and upload. Their attitude is simple, your content should belong to you. The .oar file cannot be used to take content you do not own or create of course, but large time consuming builds can easily be kept on your hard drive where they belong.

For more information just visit the website at http://theencoreescape.com and create a free avatar.

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“A Pilgrimage of Pixels: Furillen” Romero de la Luna reporting

EXPLORING A SIM THAT CELEBRATES “ A LOVE OF (A MINIMALIST) LIFE

Fade in from the black- breathe in and slow yourself. Opening before you, a world; bleak, yet lovely. Desolate, yet full of feeling.  Furillen is the depiction of a world beyond pixels, residing in the island of the real; up north, off the coast of Sweden. Rendered by pixels, yet hauntingly real.

Close your eyes and tilt your head upward.  Do you feel that?  Snowflakes the size of an infant’s fist floating down in a windless sky, or maybe they are the ashes of a recent love’s apocalypse. Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference. For now, for the sake of our hearts, let us imagine they are baby-fist snowflakes.  Open your eyes, your mouth.  Catch one on your tongue. Let it sizzle-melt with the heat of your body. Swallow. This is our communion.

Look back to the skyline and to the world around you. The camper, the pier.  The light is fading, the coppery peach that lives just past the edges of sunset. Beyond the nearby outbuildings stand the outcrop of abandoned and eroding walls. Walk up to the base.  Take your time. After all, we are on a pilgrimage, and pilgrims are seldom in a hurry. Stand at the foot of these walls and allow yourself to feel small.  Look up again.  Regard the slowly-eroding stillness that inevitably comes after the fever of Spring, after the smoulder of Summer. Only echoes now- the sounds of Autumn like lost spirits, singing their song toward Winter.

It is okay if you feel lost and a little bit lonely.  Listen to the loneliness inside of you. In this place, It will sing back to you. Listen. Closer. The mouths of that song are making sounds like words-  a language that eludes the grasp of the ear. It hums deeper inside- a tuning fork vibrating inside us beyond the territory of words. We will understand it if we are slow and close our eyes and prepare for the kinds of winter that always must come for a season; a season of slumber, a season of silence, of goodbye.

* * *

If you are anything like me, you may wonder after dwelling somewhere beautiful, how such a place came to be- whether it be by chance or by some artist’s hand, and where did this place come from, how was it made, and by whom?   I imagine a profile name scrawled on the cornerstone of this wall. Serene Footman. I put my hand over this name, my palm against the stone wall-  and there, a flicker of an image, a picture of a man, hair long and thick, a tangled beard rivalling the lost Odysseus.

And have you ever wanted to knock on God’s door, just to see who it was who answered?  Hoping maybe she is like your lost grandmother, and that when she embraces you, she smells like lavender and cookies.  Or if you peer through the keyhole you see a strong man’s arms, forging the rudiments of another abandoned world-the steam and heat and smell of labour. His hair long and thick, his tangled beard like that of the long-lost contender. And just before knocking, have you ever turned around and walked away without knowing why?

Perhaps when you visit this place, you will feel much differently than me.  Perhaps your heart resides in another hemisphere- and life is just beginning to warm. Of course your heart is in a different place than mine!  After all, it thumps in your own chest. We are pilgrims of these worlds. It is inevitable that we bring more along with us than just our digital selves. Perhaps that is the point. When a world is born, a conversation is begun, with outstretched arms. A world that sings, Here I am… come and see… walk along the shores of my body. Climb upon me, and for now, even if it be just for a season, let me be your home.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: (visit Serene Footman’s extensive yet minimalist website at https://furillen.org/)

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THE MAGE RAGE: Four Artists and a Dream - Dean Lawson Reporting

Established on April 19, 2015, MAGE Magazine has had an impressive inaugural year. Having been nominated for 3 Avi Choice awards, the creative team of Ozymandius King, Andressa DePrims, Sizzelle and Othella have had their work featured in several Second Life art exhibitions and, with video playlists on Google Plus, Aview TV and SL Artist, all one has to do is Google the words “MAGE Magazine” to see these artists have made an impression both in and out of Second Life.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to interview four members of the creative team. Although I was already familiar Ozymandius and Andressa from previous interviews this would be the first time I would have a chance to chat with senior members Othella and Sizzelle, whose incites I found very illuminating.

http://www.slenquirer.com/2015/10/the-assassination-of-ozymandius-king.html

http://www.slenquirer.com/2015/10/spotlight-on-halloween-mage-dean-lawson.html

Dean : Could you tell me about the origins of MAGE Magazine?

Othella: During my first two months in Second Life I discovered several art galleries, magazines, newspapers and photo contests but there wasn’t really a community of artists in the same way that Builder’s Brewery is a community of builders. This is why I co-founded and began promoting MAGE Magazine as a way of creating a community for Second Life artists who could help and inspire each other to be creative.

Sizzelle : At first I thought SL was just a place to explore and socialize. I hosted nightclub events and shopped till I dropped but then I got into snapshot competitions. That’s when I first saw one of Othella’s snaps. I gave her a kudos, she replied by giving me a kudos and we’ve been tight ever since.

Ozymandius : Othella posted in the SL forum that she was looking for artists to help produce a magazine. I contacted her but she hadn’t settled on a format and was still working for other SL magazines that focused on art and fashion. I didn’t really want to produce yet another fashion magazine and I think Othella felt the same way. As a kid I collected comic books but I out grew them in high school and had come to think of comics as a juvenile medium but, when I saw the Aldo the Alien comic strip Othella produced for another publication, I began to think that we could create something that was similar to Heavy Metal or MAD Magazine.

Othella : I like to read Peanuts and Garfield comic strips although I'm hardly a comic book collector per se. Then, when Oz told me about Heavy Metal magazine, I had to do some research and was surprised by the explicit sexual content. At first I was reluctant to go in that direction.

Sizzelle : I was pumped to do an adult comic. So many costumes in Second Life are manufactured so the avis can show off their bits and most of the sims I encountered in my first week were either sex dungeons or strip clubs so it made sense to do something sexy.

Andressa : I think the anonymity of Second Life and the ability to make your avatar look like anything you want encourages SL Residents to engage in sexual role play and I thought it would be interesting to explore this through the stories we tell. At the same time Othella’s done a good job in compelling us to tell interesting stories instead of just relying on sexual and violent images to get attention. Her integrity as a writer and an artist set the tone for what we’ve done and she really is an inspiring workaholic who takes the time to write character biographies and create a history for the world in which our stories take place. The Chronicle of Aria was something I was very proud to be a part of and I think a weaker writer would have relied on stereotypes when telling a story about a woman who lives in Islamic Spain. I also like the sense of humour that prevails in our stories, especially the Aldo the Alien vignettes.

Ozymandius : When I first recommended Heavy Metal magazine as a reference for what we could do, it wasn’t so much that I wanted to produce fetish fantasy stories but I wanted to see if there would be any limitations. I didn’t want the group’s creativity to be stifled by an attempt to maintain a PG rating.

Andressa : Oz is probably the most ambitious when it comes to story ideas. But it isn’t an issue of morality that limits us as much as understanding the technical side of Second Life. At first we searched for places to shoot our scenes and wrote our stories based on the locations we discovered so the story ideas were limited to what we could produce visually.  But now we know how to modify clothes, and build our own sets so from a creative point of view we have more options.

Dean : I noticed that you all are relatively new to Second Life. Is this a coincidence?

Othella : I worked with people who have been in Second Life for several years and encouraged them to get involved with the creative team, but they seem to get impatient working with noobs and don’t really take what we’re doing seriously. Having said this I should acknowledge there have been several older SL residents who help with advice and donations but, considering the founding members were less than a year into SL when MAGE Magazine was established, it’s understandable that older residents are skeptical of our abilities.

Sizzelle : Most of our contributors tend to be new to SL probably because we’re new. My experience with older residents is that they already have a routine and don’t like to wander far from their Second Life homes. Even when they role play, they have very rigid rules of engagement. To be truly creative, you have to be willing to think outside of the box.

Andressa : For me, MAGE Magazine is like going to an art school. It’s a group in which I learn and experiment. I think this concept appeals more to newer SL residents.

Ozymandius : To answer your question, I don’t think it was a coincidence. I think it was survival instinct that brought the four of us together to seek safety and strength in numbers.

Dean : Could you tell me about the benefits of working as a group as opposed to working as individuals?

Sizzelle : We learn faster working as a group. No one wants to be the weak link and even though we help each other there’s always a friendly competition each month to see who gets the cover.

Othella : We usually vote to decide what images to use and what story lines to follow but I think we’ve also developed a team chemistry over the past year that makes the whole process very smooth.

Ozymandius : Working as an individual is sort of like being in limbo and it’s difficult to know if your ideas make sense or if your work is achieving the desired psychological and emotional effect. Working with a group you have instant feedback.

Andressa : It’s more fun working with a group and makes networking a lot easier. Oz had an exhibition with the Windlight Art Gallery and recommended I talk to the owner John about getting my own gallery space which resulted in my exhibition at the Creations Gallery. It’s very helpful to have people who are supportive and encourage each other to be successful.

Dean : Unlike other SL magazines, MAGE seems to be more about story telling than just showcasing Second Life images. Could you tell our readers about the different stories featured in the magazine?

Othella : We’re still refining the format of the magazine but the four main sections are The Second Life Adventures of Aldo the Alien, The Saga of Lady Dom, Second Life Perspectives and A Note From the Editor.

Andressa : Aldo the Alien is a comedic satire from the point of view of an alien who lives among humans. He wants to be cool and wants a girlfriend and wants to be a movie star but because he’s a scary looking alien he ends up being judged on his looks. This is a section of the magazine I’m starting to get more involved with as a writer, mainly because it appeals to my sense of humour but also because seeing the world through Aldo’s eyes helps me to understand society from an objective point of view.

Ozymandius : The Saga of Lady Dom is an episodic Medieval fantasy epic. Every month we continue where the previous episode ended. Occasionally we depart from the main story to provide flashbacks such as the Chronicles of Aria and the Lady Dom Origins chapter. For me this is the most difficult but at the same time the most interesting section of the magazine because the characters have a lot of depth and the stories have many layers. Even though this is on the surface a medieval story we deal with issues such as the time traveller’s paradox, homosexuality in Medieval Islam, the development of government, laws and social norms and, in an amusing way, the pairing of Yayo the Minotaur and Mez the werewolf as two of the main characters allows us to explore different cultural values such as carnivore vs vegetarian, hunter vs gatherer, warrior vs pacifist.

Sizzelle : Second Life Perspectives is a section for anyone who wants to contribute images or pictorials to the magazine. I guess the best way to describe it is it’s a section for guest artists. So even though we’ve developed a pretty good rapport as a creative team, we welcome everyone in Second Life to get involved creatively with MAGE Magazine.

Othella : The last section, "A Note from the Editor” started as a way for me to post announcements for our readers but with social media being a much more practical way of making announcements we decided to turn this section into a self referential comedy. Essentially the stories revolve around the creative team getting involved in comedic mini adventures while going about the business of producing a monthly magazine.

Dean : In your press release you stated that MAGE Magazine has been displayed at several Second Life art galleries and sandboxes. Where can people go to find these exhibits?

Othella : Unfortunately most of the exhibits featuring the work of the MAGE Magazine creative team have finished their run, but currently we have a slideshow presentation of MAGE magazine and a group joiner at the entrance of the Shiromani Sandbox. Previously we had exhibitions at the Builder’s Brewery Sandbox as part of the Relay for Life silent auction and Ozymandius had exhibitions with the Windlight Art Gallery, the Sisse Singh’s Art Gallery and the Horus Art Gallery in which copies of the magazine were on display as part of his exhibition. In the past we used a 3D book format to distribute the magazine in the virtual world of Second Life but we changed our format to a slideshow as this seems to be more user friendly. The way the slideshow works is that you drag the item from your inventory and rez on the ground to view. We also have copies of our last seven issues on you tube as part of our playlist. If you permit me a moment I would like to thank Secret Rage and LaPiscean for uploading our videos to Aview TV and SL Artist and I would also like to thank Chris Caldwell, Ian Thomson and Cristobal Bolivar for posting notices for MAGE Magazine on Facebook and Google Plus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwNM1DppSMQ&index=1&list=PLThpLfGotClLbUtMa2Os3Ddo2_KpdiDDL

http://aview.tv/playlist/D85F59431059/all

Dean : When working as a group do you find that there are times when you suffer from having "too many cooks in the kitchen” and, as individuals, is you’re creativity limited by the need for co-operation?

Othella : Usually we try to avoid this by designating someone to be the director of a particular project. Also, because we’ve been working together for over a year we find that there are certain styles that people possess that work better for certain stories. For example, Oz is good at manipulating the clouds through windlight settings for dramatic effect so story lines involving characters who can fly are usually given to him. Andressa is good at manipulating the windlight settings to create haze so anything that is dark or mysterious usually goes to Andressa. Sizzelle is good at using textures and colors to create a theme. She does most of the shopping and modifying to help create sets, costumes and props.

Andressa : We avoid stepping on each other’s toes by focusing on different aspects of the production. Oz has an anypose HUD that allows him to control multiple avatars, which means he generally handles the action scenes. Othella and I do most of the work when it comes to creating sets and Sizzelle is constantly sending us links to cool looking clothes, costumes, hair and props that she finds in the marketplace. Occasionally there are times when two people end up doing the same job but as far as there being “too many cooks in the kitchen” if you can put your ego aside working with people who have a lot of ideas to offer is a blessing.

Ozymandius : Each of us has their own favourite storyline and, while there is a lot of overlap, once a script is complete it’s the director, the person who is photographing the backgrounds, who calls the shots. In situations when I’m directing a scene, I try to determine before hand the "look”. Is it glossy or grungy? is it bright or dark? What are the dominant colours? Do I want the background to be cluttered or empty? Those are the questions I ask myself, then I chat with Sizzelle, who normally handles props and wardrobe, before she acquires items that complement the overall design. Even though Andressa and Othella are usually the ones who build the sets, it’s essential that Siz and I have a good understanding, because it’s Siz who will find the textures that Andressa and Othella will use to build the backgrounds. While the focus of MAGE Magazine is on photography, there’s a lot that goes into creating an image and we’re very fortunate to have someone like Sizzelle who has a talent for finding the best textures, clothes and props that SL has to offer.

Sizzelle : Othella downplays her role as the Editor but she is an excellent manager and organizer. She’s the reason why we play so well together.

Dean : After an impressive first year, three Avi Choice nominations among your accolades, how do you hope to improve in 2016?

Ozymandius : The accolades are nice and I appreciate the nomination but for me it’s about improving as an artist and as a writer. Every issue we release I want the images and stories to improve and, what I like about working with Andressa, Othella and Siz, is that they are neither lazy nor complaisant. I admire people who take pride in their work.

Sizzelle : I’m stunned by what we’ve done in the past year. I just thought the magazine would be a cool thing to do, so all I can say is I hope for more of the same :)

Andressa : I think the more time we spend together the better quality work we will produce. Oz once said “Great artists are like fine wine, they improve with age.” I hope that’s true.

Othella : Ironically the time required to produce a monthly magazine and machinima videos sometimes distracts me from my original goal, which was to create a community for Second Life artists. It’s good that we have a very compatible creative team and Second Life Perspectives does offer other Second Life artists with a way to participate and gain exposure through MAGE Magazine. But I would like to see our inworld group grow and invite anyone who reads this to send me a notecard and find out more about how you can be involved with MAGE Magazine.

Images produced by Sizzelle, Andressa DePrims, Ozymandius King and 0THELLA courtesy of MAGE Magazine

http://0zymandius.wix.com/magemagazine

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A Sane Lunatic Just Rambling about the World and its Increasing Ludicrousy

We live in a world controlled by technology. There are over 7 billion people on this earth; about 6.5 billion have a cell phone glued to their hand or in reaching distance. Now with the Pokémon craze, many have found a new reason to be more entranced by their handheld devices. I speculate more trips to the ER with injuries related to not paying attention in public, the divorce rate will jump another 15% and within 5 years babies will be born with a genetic disposition to anti socialism. That is assuming people will have actual sex for conception purposes.  Some people just don’t have the time for the kids they have or the donor of  the genes they need to reproduce. Call me crazy rightfully so but am I making enough sense to at least land a job at a local Walmart as a greeter?

Anyway, why bother even looking up from a screen anymore when all forms of communication are taking over old fashion face to face engagement?

We’ve become a society bored with each other and more self centered.  If we took a look at our Facebook feed we can tell who had what for breakfast, lunch and or dinner, stupid meme’s about life goals people don’t even follow, opinions about the mundane and just stupid selfies with the shameless duck face. Some have even mastered the perfect camera angle to eliminate double chins and all the rolls they have accumulated since the last time anyone seen them in public. Nothing seems to be real anymore. Most seem to trudge through life molding perceptions about themselves but not even owning up to their own reality.

The SL Enquirer sat down with a rambling lunatic to talk about the world through the eyes of the utterly deranged and for the love of humanity I make more sense than a person not loaded with medication.

What the FUDGE is going on around here? I have no flipping clue but who cares anyway? It has been approximately 15 hours since I’ve lifted my head from my phone to even absorbed the chaos that swirls around me. I may be wearing the same clothes for the past week, hardly had any sleep but I sure love the life I live. At least I think so, ask me that when I’m off meds and I might break down crying because it is my crutch. Or maybe I just can’t help the way my emotions change from hot and cold.

There really is no main objective to this article. I was asked to ramble on the record so I’m seizing the moment while I have at least one person’s attention.

If I was normal, I’d work all day for someone else and their unrealistic expectations, enjoy 2 breaks and a half hour lunch. My back would hurts and the corns on my feet will grow by the day in these damn shoes. Besides that, I’ll have no time to sit on my ass for a second to even check my calls, personal emails, Oh yeah or even spend quality time with my family.  Right now, I choose to ramble to the masses and get everything off my sloppy hairy chest because I’ve been given this monumental opportunity. I love the SL Enquirer and all that it stands for. It gives anyone a voice that is willing to take advantage of it. By you reading this is served a purpose. I just either wasted your time or made you reflect on your own life. 

That is more than I can say about those who share their thoughts in character limited posts on social media just waiting for someone to like or comment on it. I could give a blind flying nun on a broomstick what anyone thinks but it sure felt good to just ramble about the world and the decline of intelligence.

 That leaves me with one question for you. How do you see the world?

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Are you interested in virtual world book discussions or looking for a great summer book to read? Book Discussion July 12th at 5:30pm SLT

 Come to the Community Virtual Library!  This book will kick off our new book discussion series.

Book Discussion July 12 at 5:30 pm (SLT)   Led by Lori Bell

Community Virtual Library

 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Bradley%20University/98/94/27

TITLE Sisi:  Empress On Her own by Allison Pataki

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • For readers of Philippa Gregory, Paula McLain, and Daisy Goodwin comes a sweeping and powerful novel by Allison Pataki. Sisi tells the little-known story of Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary, the Princess Diana of her time, in an enthralling work of historical fiction that is also a gripping page-turner.
Married to Emperor Franz Joseph, Elisabeth—fondly known as Sisi—captures the hearts of her people as their “fairy queen,” but beneath that dazzling persona lives a far more complex figure. In mid-nineteenth-century Vienna, the halls of the Hofburg Palace buzz not only with imperial waltzes and champagne but with temptations, rivals, and cutthroat intrigue. Feeling stifled by strict protocols and a turbulent marriage, Sisi grows restless. A free-spirited wanderer, she finds solace at her estate outside Budapest. There she rides her beloved horses and enjoys visits from the Hungarian statesman Count Andrássy, the man with whom she’s unwittingly fallen in love. But tragic news brings Sisi out of her fragile seclusion, forcing her to return to her capital and a world of gossip, envy, and sorrow where a dangerous fate lurks in the shadows.

Through love affairs and loss, dedication and defiance, Sisi struggles against conflicting desires: to keep her family together, or to flee amid the collapse of her suffocating marriage and the gathering tumult of the First World War. In an age of crumbling monarchies, Sisi fights to assert her right to the throne beside her husband, to win the love of her people and the world, and to save an empire. But in the end, can she save herself?

Featuring larger-than-life historic figures such as Bavaria’s “Mad King Ludwig” and the tragic Crown Prince Rudolf, and set against many of Europe’s grandest sites—from Germany’s storied Neuschwanstein Castle to England’s lush shires—Sisi brings to life an extraordinary woman and the romantic, volatile era over which she presided.

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Social Isolation and Second Life – Camury Reporting

Like other computer games, Second Life is a technological tool that has a great popular appeal with entertainment,  participating in educational activities and it is actually helpful in getting people to interact with each others.

Second Life allow thousands of users to coexist while taking part in a social activities  in a virtual space. People from different parts of the world enjoy SL through their own avatar's eyes. The virtual environment allows any kind of interactions between people who are unlikely or unable to do it in real life, in any form such as competition, cooperation or collaboration.

People communicate and establish social contacts and create relationship networks which end up in certain social behaviors.

There are many studies demonstrating that an excessive use of online games lead to  psychological problems. People with psycho-pathological disorders, depression, social anxiety and  chemical substances addictions are more likely to keep improper and abusive behavior in online interactions by forgetting their own real life and isolating themselves socially.

Social isolation is a devastating condition of the human psyche, since the human being is a social being. In some cases, when not caring enough, social isolation can cause illness or even death, because the individual cannot take care of himself . Some people who are socially isolated, are also unable to leave their homes to buy groceries or carrying out a paid activity which guarantees a solid subsistence.

It is a phenomenon often observed among older people with physical problems or low mobility.  But it can also be observed in populations of large cities with other age ranges and social groups. However, there are people who believe that online interactions can help those who are socially isolated and feel that social engagement offered by an online environment can encourage people to make small social contacts in their real lives. 

The question is: Does online social networking gives us the same support and happiness as an offline relationship? Personally, I think not, but virtual communication and online interactions that Second life makes possible, can indeed make some people happier as well as encourage them in their social relationships in real life.

Some people have difficulties when it comes to starting social relationships, they may prefer interactions on their computer instead of a face to face communication.  Anonymity and the absence of non-verbal communication makes contact seem less threatening. Plus, online interactions can be useful as an experience, helping some people feel more confident and secure in their future social relationships in real life.

My own conclusion is that people who keep an offline active social life are less likely to feel lonely, even if they are "addicted" to the Internet. It’s all about how we use the internet.

There is a need to maintain a balance between our real life and the imaginary world to which we dive in every time we log in Second Life. SL is a virtual world with endless possibilities. Not just for social entertainment but also for business.

 Does social engagement offered by an online environment help those who might be socially isolated or does SL make it worse?  Please leave a comment below.

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