I don't know, but I can tell this isn't you, your cover's blown

For whom, precisely, was the announcement of the closing of the Greenies sim "sad news"? Seriously, now--how many folks who read this remember the Carnival of Doom more fondly than the Greenies sim? I went to the Greenies sim once, loathed it thoroughly, never went back.

Though I suppose, everything on the grid has fans somewhere, and I deeply mourned when the Carnival closed up shop.

But surely, people: this can't come as a surprise to anyone. It was only a matter of time; I think Rezzable just kept Greenies as long as they did because it kept making money, or allowed them a prim offset for other projects. They don't need that now.

While there is still need for Haiti relief efforts (and I'm still involved with those efforts), and while SLRFL is in the slow and long process of winding down, Operation Squeegee has been declared on SL. What is this new charity effort, you ask? Well, there's this small ecological disaster occurring in the US, and from what they tell us, it's liable to be ongoing for a while, too.

So the National Wildlife Federation is getting involved, and it's putting forth an effort on Second Life as well--because one of the larger pelican sanctuaries is being directly impacted, right now, as you read this. Recovery efforts are ongoing, with a mix of workers hired by BP, Wildlife Federation veterinarians and volunteers, and people in the area donating their time and effort. But more funds are needed. Which is where Operation Squeegee comes in.

I'm aiming to either be an official blogger or a merchant, or both, depending, and I'll be contacting them later in the day; but in the meantime, go over to their website, and read up on the issue if you happen not to know. Help if you can.

Tara Yeats, on the other hand, sums up the recent layoffs at the Labs brilliantly, and--while I think much of her hoping is overly optimistic--I agree with what she says. I think making Second Life easier for the 'everyone' class--that 80% of residents who do not create, script, program, or sculpt--is very important, but making SL easier for them by making it harder for the 20% who do create, script, program and sculpt is not the answer.

I'd also toss in something that everyone blogging on the recent changes seems to have missed, including me--and it took Mr. Allen pointing this out for me to see it. With the advent of voice morphing, for the first time in SL's history, the Labs are offering access to the client for sale.

Think about that--take a trip down to Voice Island; pay your L$750 to start your subscription; set up your chosen voice pack; and you are now paying to activate certain effects in your browser. This may or may not be client-side, as well, but I strongly suspect that--since I haven't heard anything about residents being asked to download anything--the voice morphing software is server-side. Which means you are paying for (specific and limited) access to the client. You are, in effect, being granted a license to manipulate certain behaviors of the SL viewer.

That's the first time the Labs have done that, I believe. What will it mean for the future of SL? Not really sure, but I think it's a sign of how things are going. Want this particular access? Pay for it. Different skin for viewer 2.1, once it goes live? Pay for it. It's not a trend I'm comfortable with, mind you, but it is something to watch for. At least, to see what happens when and if they try it again with another "feature".

Interesting thing at the Caroline's Jewelry booth in Connection:



Far as I know, this is the first breaking-pearls strand necklace I've seen. Good for those 1920's storm-outs or RP alley robberies? Also, just below it (you can catch a glimpse in the larger picture), also in simple black and white, is a knotted pearl strand for L$200. Lovely work, really lovely work, and very appropriate for the 1700s to the present day.

Frightening news from MMORPG: GameForge is introducing a free-to-play Star Trek game. And I quote:

"The game will run using Flash in a browser-based format, no further details are currently available."

Yup. Very frightened by that. Bad graphics, poor animation and raving fanboys? Ack.

In other news, Jaime Skelton goes into why there's such a disparity between fans of pay-to-play-style games and free-to-play games; and Justin Webb talks about the impossibility of selling games in China.

And someone in SL has actually made an avatar of Salad Fingers. *shudders*

YouTube covers Neda Soltan and the struggle for human rights in developing countries; it was a year ago that easily half of Twitter went green in support of Iran's struggle for equality and fair treatment, and the videos that Iranians uploaded of police actions and Neda Soltan's own death turned the tide of worldwide public support. They make a good point; before practically every camera had a video feature, it was much more difficult to document police crackdowns, human rights violations, and incriminating governmental behavior in any country.

These days? It's everywhere. One never knows when one is being filmed, which has both up sides and down sides.

The more SL goes on, the more we keep cycling back to problems in the code...



Unfortunately, at this point, we're steadily realizing if it hasn't been fixed by now, after being reported over two years ago on the JIRA...it won't ever be fixed. EV. ER.



Maybe I can start a new trend, come up with a reverse dress, or something--that looks equally good as a dress, or upside down as a hat worn on the shoulders when I'm folded in half. This could take some work...

Lastly, wish I'd had the ability to hear the vocal half of John Carter McKnight's presentation on Gor in SL, but at the least, you can view (and download) the PowerPoint presentation to the faculty at his college. Apparently, it went very well, and he's still working on the main study project. More power to him--being an academic researcher, researching Gor, and as a female avatar...that's a lot of difficult all in one package. I wish him all luck in his endeavors.

I came back as an insect, but in another space and time

My store at present--at least, the store in the sky above the Overlook--is still woefully bare, while I work on tracking things down and getting them up and out.

But, I did want to announce this:



The Virtual Haiti Relief effort goes on. So much is still needed. I had been involved on the periphery, but I read one news story too many and it's not enough, now, to contribute what I can when I find a kiosk.

So, coming in late to the game, I will be releasing three sets of veves textures. The first six are Damballah, Ayida Wedo, his wife (the Serpent and the Rainbow), Marassa (Dossou-dossa, the Twins), Papa Legba, Ogoun, and Gran Bois.

DAMBALLAH


(Black Snake sculpture ©2003-2004 William E. Nutt & wnuttsculptor.com. All rights reserved.)

Damballah is the Serpent, the father figure, the snake who contains the world. He is a loa of rivers, springs, and marshes. He does not speak when riding someone, he generally hisses, like the snake that is his namesake.

Damballah controls serpents, fertility, lightning, and rain, and in this sense, he is also invoked for good crops. His special day is Thursday. White is his special color, and in fact, followers of his path specifically will wear white to all ceremonies.

He comes originally from ancient Dahomey (present day Bénin) in Africa. His favorite foods are eggs, cornmeal, cassava melons, bananas, white rice and white grapes.

AYIDA WEDO


(One of Evie GreenPixie's patchwork skirts. It reminded me both of Ayida's frailness, and the rainbow she is comprised of, and named for.)

The Rainbow, wife and mate to Damballah. She is fragile but not weak, frail but not frightened. She is the caring mother and she and Damballah both watch over human sexuality. Her symbol is the reflection of his: the serpent winding around the poitou-mitan, the center pole in ceremonial buildings that channels the earth energy. She controls the sky powers and is the manifestation of healing light, the rainbow.

Her colors are blue and white, though her altar is usually draped in pure, spotless white with touches of black. Her special foods are cauliflower, white chicken, raw eggs, milk, and white corn. Her special days are Monday and Tuesday.

PAPA LEGBA


(From the VTES.net site, though man, does seeing that make me miss Jyhad, back when it was somewhat cool.)

The Master of the Crossroads, the bridge-point between the world of spirit and the world of flesh. He must be invoked first before any other loa are invoked, for he must open the way. The guardian of all meetings, all partings, and all strong decisions, he is also the guardian of the poitou-mitan, the center post where the spirits are said to dwell. His special foods are vegetables and meats that have been grilled on an open fire, plaintains, and sweet potatoes.. His symbol is the crutch or walking staff, the key, the cross. He lives at all gateways, all crossroads and his realm is earth. His colors are green, red and white. His special days are Friday and Saturday.

He is the interpreter of the loa, on occasion, and he is the carrier of messages to and from the spirit realm. He is the loa of destiny, and is honored first at every ceremony with first offerings.

MARASSA


(Taken from the Zanmi Lakay blog, where the organization is selling hand-sequined and hand-beaded flags made by Haitian artisans to support childhood education in Haiti.)

The Twins, Dossou-dossa, are very young loa who always come to ceremonies hungry. They demand to be fed until they are content, but then they are ready to listen to the people. Their symbol, curiously, is generally comprised of three or five mirror images, and their special foods are baby goat wrapped in banana leaves, maize, simple rice and beans, plus popcorn, toys, candy, and carbonated drinks. They spurn vegetables and leafy greens, saying they destroy their powers. They are healers, of a sort, can bring rain with a thought, and represent all twins and special births, including third children born after twins.They represent balance and duality, equality, and oppositions: flesh and spirit, physical and spiritual, mortal and immortal. Rather than a special day set aside for them, there is a month, generally observed December 6th to January 6th, though other celebration days they also consider theirs--like Hallowe'en and Christmas.

OGOUN


(Taken from an item for sale at Mystic Voodoo's site.)

The loa of war, blacksmithing, and metalcraft. Though he started out as a loa of all the destruction inherent in both smelting and fighting (including thunder and lightning), he has since been adapted to a new task: that of political leader. His worshippers will invoke him to help the people obtain governments responsive to their needs.

His special colors are green and black. He is one of Erzulie's husbands, and also married to Oya Iansa, the whirlwind. He grants strength through prophecy and magic. His special realm now is machinery, automation and engines, and surgery (because of the metal tools).

There are many different forms of Ogoun today. OGUN FERAY is fierce and aggressive, and his special colors are red and blue. OGOUN BADAGRIS is still powerful, but less aggressive, and his special colors are red and military khaki. OGOUN BALINJO is unlike the other Ogouns in that his province is water, not fire, but because he is an Ogoun, his mix of water and fire makes him the loa's most powerful healer. OGOUN SEN JACQUE is the mounted rider, the cavalryman with the sheathed machete. He likes strong rum and a drink made from corn called "akasan":

AKASAN

* 2 cinnamon sticks
* 4 to 6 anise star
* 1 cup very fine corn flour
* dash of salt
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* 2 (12 ounce) cans evaporated milk
* Sugar to taste

1. Boil 4 cups water with cinnamon and anise stars. Dilute corn flour in 1 cup cold water and dash of salt.
2. Slowly pour liquified corn flour into boiling water, stirring constantly until it thickens but no more than 5 minutes Add vanilla extract and can of evaporated milk and allow to completely cool.
3. Refrigerate if you like it cold. If you like it warm, add evaporated milk and sugar to taste is if making a cup of coffee.
4. Always remove anise star and cinnamon before serving. Serve with evaporated milk.

All the Ogouns favor rum, red rice and beans, red candles, fresh mangoes, and red meat sacrificed from a red uncastrated bull. Their special days are Monday and Wednesday.

GRAN BOIS


(Taken from the TravelPod site, in the section on France; nothing to do with the loa but that the image resonated with me.)

His name means "Great Wood". A strict vegetarian, he lives in deep woods and forested places. He does not like to be seen, usually. He protects all wild animals and knows all the secrets of herbal medicine. He is the Master of the Head, in that he must be called upon before anyone is initiated into voudon practice. He is usually not hungry when he rides someone, though the people generally offer him food anyway. He will allow no meat to pass his lips. He can be fierce and unpredictable, and where there is space around a voudon temple, some section of it is left wild and untended in honor of him.

Special foods he will allow are made from cornmeal or occasionally peanuts, like peanut cakes. One recipe I found from Ghana:

ACCRA BANANA PEANUT CAKE:

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup butter or margarine -- softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
4 large very ripe bananas --peeled and mashed
1 cup salted peanuts -- coarsely chopped, divided

Combine flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Cream softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy; beat in eggs.

Add dry ingredients alternately with mashed bananas just until combined; stir in 1/2 cup chopped peanuts. Scrape butter into well-greased 9" × 5" loaf pan; sprinkle top evenly with remaining chopped peanuts.

Bake in 350º degree F. oven 60 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes; turn out of pan and cool completely. Wrap in plastic wrap or foil. Cake is best if served next day.

He does not seem to have a specific day set aside for his ceremonies; as he can be called at any time to officiate entrants who seek the priesthood.

There will be two more sets, I'm still working out who's going to be in them, but one will feature the Barons (or some of them) and Maman Brigitte; and the third set centers on sea loa, as well.

In the meantime, little bit nervous--I just paid an exorbitant amount for an Easter egg for the Great Grid-Wide Easter Egg Hunt. Technically, this is the first grid-wide hunt Second Life ever had, but they didn't call it a grid-wide hunt until after the Ghost hunt popularized the term two years later. It's out and can be found--and the prize inside delivered to anyone who touches the egg--but I'm going by the warning on the site--I will move it on Aprille 4th, when the cash contest prizes start.

(You can also go to the Egg hunt headquarters and check out the options for eggs yourself; they all look like the same egg, but apparently the vendors do randomize them somewhat for decoration patterns. One egg is L$300, three are L#700, and a full seven retail for L$1200. Basically, egg 'sponsors'--the folks who buy the eggs--contribute by buying eggs, and that becomes the prize money handed out during the hunt.

(Me, honestly? I'm just in it for the advertising.)