Tinies With Attitude!
Wednesday, 26 November 2008
Anyone who has seen me wandering around the grid, either hanging out or searching for my next story, will know that if there is one thing I don't really try to achieve with my "look", it's cuteness. However, with the current love affair that SL is having with the Tiny avatar, I, like everyone else, want to get involved, especially with all the great things and adventures that are available within the tiny community (much like the Loco Poco's treasure hunt that we explored recently). So I decided I would go on a bit of a shopping spree, to see if I could find myself a tiny avatar that was not quite so, well, cute. A badass Tiny, if you will.
The first thing that caught my eye was Tedwood Portsmouth's "Death of Tinies costume" (200$L). However, while this neat little outfit, with it's Terry Pratchet inspired name, has a superb gothic charm, and would make the perfect Halloween costume for any Tiny, it still requires wearing a frankly adorable animal avatar underneath, thus making it not exactly what I'm looking for.
I decided to move away from the gothic, and try out something a little more funky and futuristic. After much searching, I found the "Tiny Kabuki Robot" by AKIBE Sixgallery(300$L). This highly detailed avatar combines intricate traditional Japanese patterns and costume, with funky neon robotic styling. However, maybe it's the fact that it's samurai blade is purely decorative, or perhaps it was the quirky cartoon blinking eyes, but when I took the avatar down to the neon city of Insilico, I felt that, although it looked fantastic, it was hardly intimidating and wasn't really making anyone take me very seriously.
Maybe what I needed was something with more muscle. More macho. So what could be better than a tiny wrestler! "Mary's Tiny ;; Fukumen" by makitan Kidd(110$L) matched the bill superbly, turning me into a mini-luchador totally ready to mix it up with any other Lycra clad warriors. I felt the need to try this out, so I headed down to Second Life Championship Wrestling's Ambrodome Arena, where there happened to be a match on. I hung out amongst the audience and the other wrestlers, thinking, "Well, Rey Mysterio can be short and a champion?". But the nail was hammered into my badass wrassler image when Katheryn Blackadder, winner of the match that night, spotted me, and said "Check out the lil luchador! How Cute!". Failed again, I guess.
Back searching again, I decided that if anyone could make a tiny avatar with attitude, it would be a brand called "Fucker Family". "Skeleton Boy" by Karshr Demonia(150$L) mixes urban street style along with a dark supernatural monster charm. An undead dude with punk sensibilities. You can even buy a rock and roll guitar or bass, that plays a kickass riff when you type. What could be more badass than that! I was all happy to call it a day there, and say that I had found the avatar I'd been looking for, but it just so happened that I had bought a gift for someone that I couldn't transfer. I called the creator over to my land, and was discussing the problem, and once I'd finally come to an agreement with her, as a parting comment, she turned to me, and said "btw, your avatar is very cute". ARGH!
So, I decided, I needed something that could never be called cute. Something that, regardless of size, would strike fear into the heart of any avatar. I needed to get properly scary. And then I found it:
"Evil Clown Tiny Avatar" by Jenne Dibou's Mechanical Toy Factory(490$L) is NOT cute. From it's automaton metal skin, to the burning red eyes and little razor sharp teeth, and the fact that it is an evil clown, it has everything you need to intimidate any avatar you bump into. Pleased that I had finally found something that no-one could call cute, I started showing off my find to my friends. And they all agreed that it was indeed a completely uncute tiny. They also agreed that unless I changed out of the avatar, they might feel the need to run away screaming.
So, in conclusion, it is possible to find a tiny avatar that is not cute. However, whether it is possible to find such an avatar, without your friends hiding behind sofas and pretending not to be around when you call, is quite another matter. I guess there are worse things than being cute.
Box Office Dreams and the Virtual Curriculum
Sunday, 23 November 2008
Tomorrow, November 24th 2008, marks the beginning of the week long film festival, Admit One, which brings together audiences in Second Life and Real Life, to experience some promising short films by up and coming film-makers, hungry for their big break. What make this even more interesting is that this is a project of the Mexican university, Universidad Anahuac Cancun (http://www.anahuaccancun.edu.mx), with the films provided by students, and the event itself completely organised by pupils on the Mass Media course there, all under the watchful eye of Mildred Milev, teacher at the university, educating students in uses of technology, and in this case, Secondlife. I managed to get some time with Mildred, not only to talk about the festival, but also to putting SL on the curriculum:
Voodoo Buwan: So, How did the Admit One festival come about?
Mildred Milev: Well, it's the final project of the class I give at the university. The class is about subjects related with Information Era and new technologies so students learn what's new and how to use the new tools online. It's not only about tools, we also bring theories and based on them we develop online strategies. So, this festival is the final test
Voodoo Buwan: Are the films made by the students too?
Mildred Milev: Yes. All the short films are made by students of Mass Media career, obviously developed in other classes.
Voodoo Buwan: And the festival occurs in RL as well as SL?
Mildred Milev: Yes, the whole festival embraces a lot of different skills and knowledge the students have got through this years at the university. It involves 3d building, marketing, publicity, new technologies, movie making theory and making events (public relations). The event then has to be made simultaneously RL and SL to show their skills to manage all that
Voodoo Buwan: So, will the film-makers be coming inworld as well as their work?
Mildred Milev: Well not all are in this class, at least not this semester, so I'm trying to, yes. At the RL event we will have computers projecting inworld event, so, if some of the film-makers don't manage to make their avie, we will give them support in RL to be around in SL.
Voodoo Buwan: So, as well as organising events like this, you generally use SL as a teaching tool on your course?
Mildred Milev: every semester that i give this class, we use SL as a tool.
Voodoo Buwan: And how do the students react to SL when they first experience it?
Mildred Milev: They get excited about it, because its a fun way to get along with all theory stuff.
I believe that if you only learn theories but you never get them into practice, that knowledge is meant to be forgotten and not useful. Some of them also, had never heard about virtual worlds and they are all OMG! Is that possible? Is that real?
Voodoo Buwan: So, as a teacher in new technologies, and someone who studies the cutting edge of media and communication technology, do you feel that SL is being everything it could be, or do you foresee more applications for virtual worlds as we go forward?
Mildred Milev: The wonderful thing about SL is the amount of possibilities you have as a user. It's curious u say that because, most of the new technologies have lots of uses. The gadgets, they are new and get updates all the time, but the thing is that the user is always behind technology. They dont really know its potential and usually, users are buying stuff just because its glam or cool or nice. Technology gives status. So, my point here is that SL is a tool, an amazing one, that also allows the user to do whatever. If SL keeps living or dies depends of the users themselves. If SL goes up or down, its also users. As a new tech tool, virtual worlds must change, quick, every second, but it's on the mix the users give to the tools provided and how much users involves with the technology that will make it grow
Voodoo Buwan: Unless it's Linden Labs? A lot of people keep complaining that their administration curbs inworld freedoms more and more. Do you feel the freedoms given still outweigh the rules in place inworld?
Mildred Milev: Yes, as long as they still let us do our own creations, but is obvious to have limits somewhere. Even here, we are a mirror of RL, and people need rules, its a common cultural thing, human nature
Voodoo Buwan: So, you can see SL being something that is taught, and in fact used to teach, well into the future?
Mildred Milev: Totally, for many disciplines and areas. Last year, there was an event at Trent University (UK) sim and they had a nutrition center, DJ center, etc. Lots of law trials are practiced here inworld. SL gives us, teachers, an alternative, kind of a real laboratory. For example, with this event, students know the local market and know how to do a good job there, but inworld, I, as a teacher, and them, as students, have the opportunity to work on new markets., from UK-Europe and USA-Latin American. International markets are not always handy for university students projects, and also for the film-makers it's nice that not only their family and friends look at their work.
Voodoo Buwan: So, Do you think that in the future there could even be completely inworld universities?
Mildred Milev: Well there are online universities already, and the big difference from a real one is the interaction, which is provided on virtual worlds. The thing here is that the world recognizes and give the credibility for someone that studies inworld. Somehow, real life on those kind of subjects has a lot more weight. So maybe, that will be possible, but I guess if more RL universities dare to have an inworld department that it would be more possible.
Voodoo Buwan: Well, I'd like to wish you all the best with the festival, and your future classes.
Mildred Milev: Thanks a lot, Voodoo, well we will be waiting for you on Monday :)
It’s an SL Buskers Life?
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
By Allanah Tomsen
We all need to have a few Linden dollars in our SL life. Without them, the creative residents of this artistic haven, would be unable to or possibly less inspired to design and produce the incredible array of fashion, furniture, vehicles, games, entire sims, that make the majority of residents, keep entering that log in password. If your new to this strange and alluring world, looking to progress your avatar and lose that freebie fashion attire (although there are many wonderful freebies out there), or whatever it is you want to buy on SL, there are loads of different money making activities to be had. Of course I would say that probably buying your lindens is the easiest option and to be fair they are very cheap, 1000 lindens costing around £2.40 ($4), but I was a newbie once and was wary of putting my card details online, or sharing my information with someone calling themselves a Linden, and was in fact a cheap skate to start with, although I blame my Scottish heritage for that:D
Camping…..ah the sweet memories. Probably the most boring and mind numbing experience I have ever had the misfortune to try. You can plonk your avatar on a bench and basically sit there…….and sit there…….and Aaaaarrrrgh!, sit there, and after an hour you may just have the enthusiasm to take your 8 lindens (earning 2 lindens for every 15 mins) and head over to the Yard Sale to grab that bargain! If having your av sitting all day bores you, then there are dance pads, although there’s something very wrong and embarrassing about being chatted up while your both doing the Chicken dance. I should really include Zyngo in this list since I am myself an addict of this “while away the time” game and have won many a linden on it. Of course you could “Just get a job” or get creative and build and sell your fine artistic ideas. There are many many ways to earn your living in SL.
Now I am a music lover and it wasn’t long before I had my first taste of what SL had to offer and attended my first live music event. I stood mesmerised by the very talented and amazing Djai Skjellerup singing songs he had himself written, he sang from his soul with a passion that touched my heart and I have somewhat become enthralled by the endless musical talent accessible in SL.
It occurred to me recently that I’ve never actually come across a busker on Second Life. I’m sure there are some, but they are obviously few and far between and this got me wondering how much a busker could actually make using their singing and musical talents, turning up here and there, putting down their tip jar if the sim allows and just singing and playing his/her heart out? Now I have a love/hate relationship with my RL guitar, I love it and it hates me, but I know enough chords to strum a tune together so decided to give it a wee shot. Firstly I needed a guitar and managed to pick up a lovely Martin D35 acoustic guitar from Nortique Musical Instruments, found a cool guitar case tip jar and was set for the life of an SL Busker. Where to busk was my next dilemma and decided that if anyone would accept me it would be the Hobos and off I teleported to The Hobo Island Sandbox. There were about three avatars in all, standing around building and creating.
I was actually petrified since I am very mediocre on guitar and my voice is less than mediocre, but I decided if I was going to write this article I should at least have the guts to be a part of it. So guitar in hand, strumming animation on, tip jar rezzed, I clicked voice and started singing and playing the Streets of London, which I thought was quite apt for the place I was currently at. Within about 3 seconds a very scary gesture of “I will KILL you” could be heard echoing around me, geez knew I was bad, but give a gal a break. I carried on regardless, sang a few other little ditties and could not believe, when the same person who I thought was out to get me actually turned out to be a lovely guy and tipped me 20 lindens (still trying to convince myself he actually liked my songs and didn’t tip just to get rid of me).
I thanked him rather enthusiastically and with a new found confidence headed off to my next pitch in Central Park. I was a little disappointed to find out that it wasn’t actually based on the real Central Park as I had been planning to do a whole repertoire of songs by Phoebe Buffay from Friends, which both suit my guitar playing and my voice. Sadly there was no-one about and was just about to take back my tip case, when I noticed someone lurking about, obviously intrigued at what I was up to. Soon found out it was the owner of the Sim, JadzOr Conover. Got ready to be sent straight home and banned with no chance of showing off my Pheobe skills, but to my delight he seemed quite keen to have a wee listen. My Smelly Cat tune went down pretty well I thought and he had invited a friend of his to eavesdrop by phone to my obviously delightful, enchanting tones. Did the Grandma song, Cow in the Meadow (my personal favourite) and the Shower Song. It wasn’t long before another of his friend’s teleported in, which hilariously was a cat avatar named Ed Bumstead. I of course did an encore and readily dedicated my Smelly Cat song to him and between them they tipped a nice 300 lindens..png)
So all in all, I earned an impressive 320 lindens within approximately 50 minutes of busking. Not bad me thinks considering the quality of play on offer. So, from this I have proved that it could very well be an SL Busker’s life.
So if you feel that you may have what it takes to whip out your instrument and give it some and I’m speaking about artistic talent here, give it a try, who knows, you may even get some recognition and move on to the big time and I will be standing at your gig, secretly wishing it was me. If you already feel that you are ready for the stages of SL, then check out this link http://slmc.myfastforum.org/about2137.html where Djai is eagerly awaiting to hear from you to take part in a very special Christmas event, which is a collaborative recording project, although he does stress “no comb and papers please”, so sadly that leaves me out.
The Business of Crime
Cindy Malibu: My dad
zeegan Inshan: Well... The real star here that without whom it couldn’t happen at all is my daughter here, Cindy. She’s the quiet key behind it all
Cindy Malibu: But my dad is the best
zeegan Inshan: She’s basically the owner of raven, me being the creator. Its a family business. I'm kinda new to SL. I found it in Feb of this year. I started by looking for a job...got one in a club, manager it was called spells night club.... it was next door to a GOR rp half sim. The relationship turned sour... I got into gor, and a relationship with this lady, sl relationship...and we adopted Cindy....
Cindy Malibu: They had a child. I was small.
zeegan Inshan: And me and Cindy jumped ship. We decided to invest in nech business and create custom concepts being allied with some rp mobs we found that there was no RP city for organised crime, like something that don’t exist, but is in demand. the only thing stopping the rush of demand is the fact of its non existence yet. we decided that.. Within our group type.. we would create a place.. that ppl could come and live in...rp in...that fit there sl life style
Voodoo Buwan: So, there was a gap in the market, so to speak?
zeegan Inshan: Yes, totally that. Not just the place, but what the place offers, and its limits as far as mafia and organised crime/government/business/law rp goes. Things like the robbable bank, offering a max of 5000l$ to the robbers.
Voodoo Buwan: So, people can actually earn real Lindens for rping here?
zeegan Inshan: Very much so, like rl, u can work for l$ or u can be a criminal, have wars with other gangs, fight for business, protection rackets, extortion, run a club and hold lots of power, good or bad. You can grow to be THE boss of the city or full citizens can run for mayor of the city.
Voodoo Buwan: How will that work? Will you not get residents just coming in to get the money, rather than rp?
zeegan Inshan: The key thing here is you have to spend to make. Nothing for free like in rl, but processes will produce profits. E.g... Did u see the Wendy burger and the docks?
Voodoo Buwan: Yes
zeegan Inshan: They are both rp businesses... You come to the bank, pay a small lease, monthly, you then buy stock from the dock. The dock buys stock from our vendors, then sell burger meat, buns, etc. The lease holder buys the stock at whole sale prices and sells to a 300% profit. This is mixed rp with what we have named 'HANDS ON RP'. A mix of rping and actual interaction.
Voodoo Buwan: And then gangsters will try to rip off the businesses?
zeegan Inshan: Yes...but the city police work just like a mob, takin businesses back under the cities control
Voodoo Buwan: One question to do with this example. Who buys the burgers, and why?
zeegan Inshan: Ok.. good question.... The guy that lease the business...he has paid a small lease of a business... the stock that he must sell for his profit... is like the testament to him network... what I mean is that small business in the rp acts as his own hang out, and he works with the community to bring them in to his store. Oh… I forgot to tell u what it was about the burgers and all the food in the city. Ok, if a gang want to make it there hang out our food scripts to them, and protect the business, then they will be the burger buyers... the burgers are like tipping the guy in a club and he has to get as many tips as he can. There is city help: ads, billboards, things like that
Voodoo Buwan: So, there's a lot of money flying around, and obviously with the gangsters trying to rip off your bank, and the cost of the sim in the first place, is the cost of this project not a concern?
Cindy Malibu: We have home and stores for rent
zeegan Inshan: Our mall, homes, apartments are all for rent. These even 1/2 full will pay the tier for the sim alone...on top of this... to become a full citizen means you need to buy a licence to shoot and drive... this is done buy buyin into the land group. As a 'full citizen' now u can rezz objects/shoot/drive. Also to rob the bank u have to buy the robbery kit. Inside is all u need to pull off one robbery and also mess one up. So if u imagine, a robbery costs u almost 1000k to pull off. So in a successful robbery, u make a profit, not a killing, and one person can’t get 5000k alone. For every crime role, there is a kit you must buy. The mafia kit has a mix of all kits like a hit man kit, robbery kit... along with the gang system. Mafia bosses buy this kit and add there gang to it. They are added to there system so businesses can be taken over in there gangs name. Same with the police, owned by the chief, and they will re-take businesses and territory in the name of the RCPD.
Voodoo Buwan: Moving away from the financial side, a lot of crime based sims, such as the crack den, have a lot of controversy with things like human trafficking, rape and other such sexual crimes being roleplayed. Do you have a policy on this sort of behaviour?
zeegan Inshan: we do not condone it what so ever. We go as far as allowing pimping/prostitution rp, as a business/crime rp sim, but we have strict laws/rp rules and sim rules. They work to ensure the safety and enjoyment of all raven city’s rping communities and a NO TOLERANCE action is inplace for those that want to mess it up for all.
Voodoo Buwan: Many of the mafia groups in SL seem to have differing attitudes towards what constitutes roleplay, and what is greifing? Have you had any problems with this?
zeegan Inshan: I allied myself with the more classic mobs.. The Corleone mob...and the Irish Syndicate. These guys are known to many for mixed reasons, but one thing that has remained, and still makes them the bench mark for rping mafia in SL, and that’s their boss, zito, and the personality and aura he casts over SL. This guy don’t use griefing to get ppl. Words work like weapons. Other mobs can’t wait to crash our sim, but that’s easy to defend. Trouble is easy to spot
Voodoo Buwan: Well, thank you for taking the time to speak to me, and best of luck with Raven City.
Creative Profile: Siddean Munro of Slink
Wednesday, 12 November 2008
Since opening it's doors in June 2007, SLink has grown to occupy it's own sim, providing a one-stop shop for the fashionable avatar. Creator Siddean Munro has turned her hand to all aspects of avatar accessorising, from skins, shapes, hair and eyes to clothing, shoes and jewelry.
With formal training in sculpture, her primwork is superb, and when paired with rich, hand-drawn textures, creates a selection of high quality products ranging from casual, through formal, and now even fetishwear. Perhaps most interest has been generated by the three recent skin releases - Isabelle, Bijou and Asian-inspired Miyu - with favourable reviews thronging the fashion feeds.
A long time gamer, Australian Siddean first learned of Second Life back in 2003 when her brother told her about a new game in which real life money could be made. She created an account and logged in, experienced a lot of lag and watched her avatar disappear off into the ocean. "I decided it wasn't for me. The character creation thing was very cool to me though, but I couldn't make a really nice looking character, and that was a big turn off." Another visit in early 2005 again failed to convince. "I really think I still didn't see the point of it. I was playing EverQuest every night for hours at a time, and was heavily involved in my guild and raiding, and SL seemed the exact opposite to what I was looking for in a virtual world."
However, Siddean began to dabble in character art for EQ and other games. "When I finally created Siddean, I had been developing my digital art skills for [a year], and my focus had changed. I wanted to learn how to create for SL. I'd been seeing a lot of media hype about it and I wanted to see if I could do it. SL really is the perfect mix of game and art, but I do miss gaming. I think I've grown past spending hours logged in to grind exp and make virtual gold though." So Siddean Munro was born, primarily as an artist, but also as a businesswoman.
Rezzed in mid-April, Siddean opened SLink just two months later. "I was pretty dedicated. I read a heck of a lot of tutorials in that time. I played around with prims and started learning how to make skins, since I didn't have the money to buy one, nor the faintest idea of even where to buy one. Once I figured out the steps of skin-making, I started on hair. I had a particular style in mind for this lady, and I couldn't find it anywhere, so decided to make it. My first attempts were woeful!! I should thank [blogger] Amelia Book, she had a few things to say about my textures - liked the style, hated the textures, so I went back to the drawing board."
Her inspiration comes from many sources. "It's partly about doing what I can't find [in SL], partly about recreating something I've seen in RL with my own twist to it, and partly about wanting to create my own designs. I love to look through the fashion magazines, and even the tabloids, to see what people are wearing. I really admire Angelina Jolie not only because she's beautiful and talented. I think she's brave to take on the family she has, even with her status in life, and she has a great sense of style. Not many women look as good as she did eight months preggers with twins! I also admire my sister. She knows what to wear to suit her shape, and she always looks polished and groomed." Another style icon is Victoria Beckham. SLink's unique heelless latex boots were created after seeing the pop star turned designer wearing a similar design.
{Siddean herself created the merfolk statue that is the centrepiece to her store}
The design process tends to be an ongoing one. "Often it's something I've sketched out or spent a lot of time thinking about whilst doing other things. If I am washing dishes, chances are I will be thinking about what I am going to create next and designing it in my head. I tried that formal designers sketch thing but it's not me, so I have done sketches that never evolved into designs. Mostly I will think 'Slink needs a...' or 'I want to try my hand at...' and go from there." This explains the huge variety of different products available at SLink, as Siddean experiments with different techniques just as she does with her RL art. "The art in my little gallery is watercolour and ink, and the portraits are graphite and charcoal. Most of the other work up in the store is digital. I like to dabble in as many mediums as I can, I love going to art stores and drooling over cool pencils and I own a million sketchbooks!"
One of her latest projects is learning to create animations. "Poses are something I can do, and will add in the future. I am learning animation at the moment, and hopefully will be able to add some nice animations and AO's to my collection. I have searched and searched for the right AO. My problem with a lot of animated poses is that they are too busy! I am looking at my avvie 99% of the time and I can't see her if she's bouncing around. So yes, nice animated poses that don't move around a lot, that's what I want!"
Currently on leave from her management day job in technical support, Siddean is focused on her art skills and portfolio. Speaking of the future for SLink, Siddean says, "I never thought I would get to this point in little over a year. I hope just to keep growing and keep up with it. I'd like to move to a higher prim piece of land and expand my store, but I'm not ready to do that yet. In my RL, I've taken on a little bit of work in character modelling so I will be able to apply those skills to SL. I am learning so much that I can bring back here. SL has really shown me a very clear idea of what I want to do in my RL career. I've totally changed my focus in the last 18 months. I have a little voice in the back of my head steering me in future career directions. One is modeller/texture artist/animator, and the other is fashion designer which has been something I've always wanted to do, though I think I will have more success in the former. Fashion designer might just be my SL career."
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Image one (Siddean):
Dress - SLink - Heartbreaker Gown
Boots - SLink - Paige Ankle Boots - Black
Jewelry - SLink - Diamond Solitaire Pendant and Studs
Skin - SLink - Bijou Fair - Matte Red
Hair - SLink - Holly - Black (Unreleased)
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Image two (Efemera):
Shirt - SLink - Tie Front Shirt - White
Pants - SLink - Leather Pants - Black
Shoes - SLink - Paige Tstrap Sandals - Red
Jewelry - SLink - Red Stone
Skin - SLink - Miyu Olive - Dancer
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Image three (Efemera):
Coat - SLink - Reloaded Leather Coat - Brown
Boots - SLink - PVC Thigh Boots - Heeled Gold
Earrings - SLink - Diamond Solitaire Studs
Skin - SLink - Isabelle Sunkissed - Makeup 4
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Image four (Efemera):
Catsuit - SLink - Sexy Catsuit - Red
Boots - SLink - PVC Thigh Boots - Heelless Red
Skin - SLink - Bijou Fair - Red Liner
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Images two, three and four:
Hair - SLink - Suzie Ponytail
Lashes - Cake - Flutter Lashes
Eyes - Tuli - Luminous Eyes - Steel
Hobos: A Year in the (Second) Life
Thursday, 6 November 2008
Just over a year ago, when we set up Rez Magazine, Trin and I had a vision of what we wanted the site and mag to be, and I personally had some fairly definite goals with the standards of my writing. Amongst those goals was the fact that I wanted to make sure that I was out on the grid, interviewing some of the most interesting, influential and intriguing residents out there. With my first article for Rez, I definitely managed that when I interviewed the much loved king of the Secondlife Hobos Group, Orhalla Zander.
Well, seeing that we have just celebrated our 1st birthday, I decided what better way to mark this, than to catch up with Orhalla (or Oz to his friends, of which there are many), to have a chat with him about what the past year has brought to him and the Hobos, including their move to the new Hobo Island, how (and if) the grid changes have impacted them and ultimately to see what a difference a year makes:
Voodoo Buwan: Ok, so generally how has the last year been for you and the Hobos?
Orhalla Zander: Well, the Hobos have expanded. We originated from Calleta's Hobo Railroad Info Hub. The group grew rather large and though various efforts I found and gone through several supporters for a Hobo Island.
Voodoo Buwan: So, expanding all the time then. What were the reasons for this need for more land?
Orhalla Zander: More elbow room and well deserved abilities. A group of 1,000 members need some breathing space. We wanted a larger area to welcome new people into Second Life. We joined the RHN, Resident Help Network for SL, so we tried to join another orientation development program called the NUE, New User Experience. Also, at this time our free ride with our new island was running near an end with MillionsOfUs, so I was looking for alternative means to get the Island paid for. Despite a wonderful list of all the the concepts and implements we placed on our new Island to enhance the NUE, the Lindens simply turned us down because they wanted a place that looked like an island resort or a castle. Apparently, there's not enough of that in sl already.
Voodoo Buwan: Fear of the unfamiliar?
Orhalla Zander: Yes, they were afraid that our mild dystopia would be too much away from their norm for a new user to take in. They felt it should be a paradise that they log into after a long day of work. Fortunately, some people enjoy dystopias. There's the Wastelands, New Babbages, and several cyber punk cities that are far more dystrophic than our island. We are finding clever ways to make it colorful, graffiti murals, whimsical jokes like writing on the bathroom wall that says, "For a Good Time Call *insert LL # here."
Voodoo Buwan: Nice. Now, as we all know, a year is a very long time in SL. Have any of the big changes such as age verification or the recent openspace crisis impacted on you or your group?
Orhalla Zander: Nope.
Voodoo Buwan: Ok then, on a different subject, the hobo group seems very driven by sharing, with members giving out free examples of their work. There's a been a lot written by some sl bloggers saying that freebies are damaging to the sl economy. What is your feeling on this issue?
Orhalla Zander: A pretty good laugh, I don't think it affects the sl economy on a large scale. We are a very opensource group, but it's not like our freebies have made SLOFT sell any less or land rentals go down. If anything any of the good stuff we put out there should inspire sellers to put more effort into their work that they actually sell. Making freebies is also a good way for one to get their name out there. Arcardia Asylum is a wonderful example.
Voodoo Buwan: So, it's more of a way for new designers to get their name out there, and a challenge to existing designers not to become complacent?
Orhalla Zander: That's not our goal, just a side effect of being friendly builders that share.
Voodoo Buwan: True. So, that was the year that was. To quote the occasionally sighted Linden Quiz: Would you say your inworld experience has been better or worse in the last year?
Orhalla Zander: Takes a moment to reflect.... It's always gotten better on this bumpy gravel road.
Voodoo Buwan: Well, that's good to hear. Any plans for the future of the might Hobo Empire that you're able to share with us?
Orhalla Zander: Well, as I said, luckily some people like our "dystopia" or an Island. Rezzable is going to fund our Hobo Island in exchange for us doing what we do, being a very welcoming group whom will be greeting newbies on Rezzable's behalf. My whole vision that I've shared with my group is to make our Island a very welcoming place with newbies that will get exposed to new ways of welcoming people. A more social, interactive, and explorative way.
Voodoo Buwan: But there's no danger Hobo Island will become "Pay to Visit" like some of the Rezzable attractions?
Orhalla Zander: Rezzable and I sat down and discussed mutual terms. We don't want to be pay to visit, nor do we want any stores on our island. Events where things are sold is quite alright and we'll also carry out our plan to make Hobo Island one of the first islands that will be completely full mod and originally created. I still get a kick out of thinking about the fact.... we're SecondLife Hobos.... one large company sponsoring us after another. Literally, if they weren’t hobos before they are definitely tramps now.
Voodoo Buwan: Well, sounds really promising then. I'll look forward to seeing more, and maybe even doing this again. Thanks for taking the time to bring us up to date.
