Ebbe Linden, Let Me Tell You A Story

[Treasure Ballinger]

I"ve found that  when *I* am cold in RL, Treasure can be found wearing sweaters, boots and jeans in SL; my SL seems to reflect my RL in Treasure's SL wardrobe. 

[Phil Kearny]

My favourite story takes place in a castle Venus. OMG don't look around the corner - you CANT unsee that!!!

[Venus Petrov]

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Phil Kearny wrote:

My favourite story takes place in a castle Venus. OMG don't look around the corner - you CANT unsee that!!!

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*screams!*

 

 

[Ebbe Linden]

Thank you for starting this. I read it all. Awesome. 

[Czari Zenovka]

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DQ Darwin wrote:

Czari, it makes this place special in a way all the negative people can and will never understand. Hugs ♥

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So true!  Hugs back atcha. *Smiles*

[Saraya Starr]

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Treasure Ballinger wrote:

I"ve found that  when *I* am cold in RL, Treasure can be found wearing sweaters, boots and jeans in SL; my SL seems to reflect my RL in Treasure's SL wardrobe. 

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Your comment made me smile Treasure. I find myself doing the same thing   With the extremely cold and harsh winter this year I find myself always bundled up at home, and going inworld, my avi dresses the same as I do

 

Keep the stories coming people. I, for one, am thoroughly enjoying them all, EVEN the negative comments cannot change that

 

 

[Innula Zenovka]

Back when Bonanza Bondage was running, I was looking round the market there and ran into the owner, Bull Hynes, having an argument with an enormous great big dragon who was, apparently, feeling peckish and who couldn't understand why Bull wouldn't sell him a couple of slave girls to go, without having to wait for the auction.

[Madelaine McMasters]

This is a story that is as much out-world as in. In the fall of 2010, Hippie Bowman announced that he was going to host a music party for forum regulars (though everybody in SL was welcome) to be named Hippiestock. He cleared a corner of his sim and with the help of others, built an amphitheater, booked live acts and laid out decorations that would make the Woodstock creators green with envy. Everybody went hunting for hippie attire.

And on a Saturday in January of 2011, we converged. The result was four hours of blissful comraderie on a jam packed sim that hosted 69 simultaneous avatars at the peak. It never went down.

The final attendance total was 115. Since there was no way to capture all of us on the sim at once, a collage was made from a seed photograph and individual snapshots of attendees. Some of you may recall the photograph. Some of you are in it...

For full resolution versions, including one sporting name tags for all 115, go here.

 

That image was uploaded to NASA's website and flown aboard Shuttle Mission STS-133, making us the only SL avatars to have flown in space. 

As I've argued before, our pixels are as valid on the hard drive of a Shuttle computer as on the hard drive of a Linden Lab server. If we are here, we where in space.

There have been three more Hippiestocks since then. Here's a glimpse of each...

Most of my SL friends were collected from the forums. I don't know if we're representative of the general SL population, but one could do worse than to hang with us.

;-)

 

[Marigold Devin]

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Treasure Ballinger wrote:

I"ve found that  when *I* am cold in RL, Treasure can be found wearing sweaters, boots and jeans in SL; my SL seems to reflect my RL in Treasure's SL wardrobe. 

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:matte-motes-big-grin:

Big sofas and crackling fireplaces too, just like I'd like in RL. 

[Marigold Devin]

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Madelaine McMasters wrote:

This is a story that is as much out-world as in. In the fall of 2010, Hippie Bowman announced that he was going to host a music party for forum regulars (though everybody in SL was welcome) to be named Hippiestock. He cleared a corner of his sim and with the help of others, built an amphitheater, booked live acts and laid out decorations that would make the Woodstock creators green with envy. Everybody went hunting for hippie attire.

And on a Saturday in January of 2011, we converged. 

The result was four hours of blissful comraderie on a jam packed sim that hosted 69 simultaneous avatars at the peak. It never went down.

The final attendance total was 115. Since there was no way to capture all of us on the sim at once, a collage was made from a seed photograph and individual snapshots of attendees. Some of you may recall the photograph. Some of you are in it...

 

 

For full resolution versions, including one sporting name tags for all 115, go 

here

.

 

That image was uploaded to NASA's website and flown aboard Shuttle Mission STS-133, making us the only SL avatars to have flown in space. 

As I've argued before, our pixels are as valid on the hard drive of a Shuttle computer as on the hard drive of a Linden Lab server. If we are here, we where in space.

There have been three more Hippiestocks since then. Here's a glimpse of each...

Most of my SL friends were collected from the forums. I don't know if we're representative of the general SL population, but one could do worse than to hang with us.

;-)

 

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You were (and are) very creative. 2011 - and it feels like only a couple of weeks ago.  The archived thread it belongs to is http://community.secondlife.com/t5/General-Discussions/113-Groovy-Hippies-Head-to-Space-on-STS-133/td-p/486549

(forgive delay in adding this, I went via Ags' list as he's not been on the forums for a while, so I figured it'd be easiest to find via his posts, only it wasn't, because I kept seeing shiny things - ie other threads - that I just had to go and re-read. Been truly LOLing) . Makes one realise how much Second Life evolves, yet parts of it stay the same, as much as in RL.

[LaskyaClaren]

Is it too late to send you my pic? I want to go on the space shuttle!

Or whatever they're using these days. 

;-)

[Madelaine McMasters]

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LaskyaClaren wrote:

Is it too late to send you my pic? I want to go on the space shuttle!

Or whatever they're using these days. 

;-)

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I'd have to pack you into a Russian Progress supply ship, next to or inside a can of borscht.

Still wanna go?

[LaskyaClaren]

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Madelaine McMasters wrote:

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LaskyaClaren wrote:

Is it too late to send you my pic? I want to go on the space shuttle!

Or whatever they're using these days. 

;-)

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I'd have to pack you into a Russian Progress supply ship, next to or inside some cans of borscht.

Still wanna go?

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I'm fairly fond of borscht. Does cabbage travel well in zero gravity, do you think?

[Madelaine McMasters]

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LaskyaClaren wrote:

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Madelaine McMasters wrote:

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LaskyaClaren wrote:

Is it too late to send you my pic? I want to go on the space shuttle!

Or whatever they're using these days. 

;-)

---

I'd have to pack you into a Russian Progress supply ship, next to or inside some cans of borscht.

Still wanna go?

---

I'm fairly fond of borscht. Does cabbage travel well in zero gravity, do you think?

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In my experience it travels well until you eat it, after which you travel alone.

[JueL Resistance]

 Second Life landed on the steps of 'The Sims Online' many years ago...2004, when a friend mentioned SL. I hadn't heard of it and being that I  LOVED Multi Player , what the heck!  So in 2004 SL popped up on my computer and there it was...small, full of glitches and quite fonfusing, because...This Wasn't a Game...what was the POINT..I asked my friend. 

  About 6 months or so later, I quit. I wasn't earning any points for anything and quickly got bored. I had no building skills and didn't understand why we sat on a wall to earn a couple lindens.. However, I had made a new friend .. who took all my lindens and anything in my inventory .. he said "i'll give these to you when you come back JueL'' ....and a few months after that...as we entered 2004, I was back and decided to hop on the learning curve and get with the program..... Live music had just came into SL .. and well..it was my '2nd time' doing it for the first time.

  I had just spent the past decade NOT writing songs because I had married the love of my life...and he had 4 boys....and THAT took up most ALL my time...I hadn't played my guitar or writen a song in so long , that I kinda thought it had left me....TEN YEARS of NOT doing something that you once did Constantly...was a heck of an adjustment...So I pushed the songs down....didn't let the out on paper....   Second Life comes along and Live music enters the scene and NOW it was bubbling in me so much that I felt I would explode with songs....and slowly....it started happening again...

...Funny thing is...HOW? Only a few people were hopping on the live music bandwagon and I mean 'a few' haaa. I was listening to Frogg n Jaycatt, Lyndon Heart, Astrin Few and a handful more.....FoxyFlr Cure, Melvin Took, Slim Warrior .....We were facing head on where no one went before.....except Pal Talk, which I had never heard of before....

We dual streamed, we even did 6 of us on one stream at MENORCA (slim warriors old place) and then came some REALLY cool musicians, Ricardo SProcket, Cylindrian Rutabaga ... and the list really really goes on...the talent back in the begining was Astonishing and Brilliant...we Went to each others shows, We supported one another...there was no competition (maybe some FUN stuff haaa) .... We were being interviewed by Rolling Stone Magazine and WiRED dot com and heading into studios.....Even had a couple hours on NPR with a series called Through the Looking Glass with Howard Jones and Suzanne Vega (we weren't all together, we were part of a series that Bill Lichtenstein did) ..... SL was peaking and it was a HELL OF A RIDE!!! Musicians were all over the place and opening up the doors for huge companies to come in , like DELL...who hired various musicians (myself included) to perform for various 'new releases' of their product......

  I met Charles Bristol -86 yr old Blues musician...WHO STILL at 91 continues to do shows in SL!!! I met "Etherian...I met David Cszar, Cylindrian, Beth Odets, Mash Rhodes...I met Ham Rambler in WI and had some drinks while doing an Open Mic ... Always FUN and always adventures.  I've met MANY more in SL and RL but to name them all would be quite time consuming.

 What a ride it has been..to start from something we all thought was fun and crazy to be in my 9th year...well, that simply blows my mind! We talk about the HISTORY of SL...we can't forget those that have crossed our paths, led us in so many wonderful directions (Delinda, Feliicia, Circe, Shan.....and again, there are more.....) the ones that LiT some FIRE under our butts, got us inspired, gave us a lil encouragement.

 When I first started in with the music...I would DJ for Circe haaaaa and before I had a mixer, I had to pre record my songs to be played while I stood on stage...CRAZY eh?   What a long way we've come....

and EBBE what a fantastic community you have entered Thanks for the great introduction and many blessings to you!!!!

-Suzen JueL "Resistance" 

:smileyhappy:

[Pussycat Catnap]

I've seen books on the amazing techology of SL.

I've seen books on making a business in SL.

I've seen tell of a book of pictures of SL avatars.

Its probably there - but I've missed seeing a book of stories of SL - what people did there, and how ti changed them or became special for them.

 

I'd like to toss in my own tale here, but I'm sitting away from home right now and have only about 10 minutes. SL worked as a proxy through which I've changed a very core part of who I am - as hinted at by the symbols in my avatar pic here. And that was not at all my intention when I first came here.

 

[Bevan Whitfield]

Dear Ebbe, 

Welcome to the wonderful world of Second Life.  I cannot believe I that my 7th rez day is coming up on March 17th. I have met so many wonderful people and have learned so much and have had such fun along the way.  It would take me many years to even start to tell my stories.   

The magic and intelligence of this generous and very clever community is so unique and I truly hope that you will become a huge part of Second Life.

 

Wishing you all the best on this huge adventure, Bevan Whitfield

 

[Medhue Simoni]

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Ebbe Linden wrote:

Thank you for starting this. I read it all. Awesome. 

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Thanks for taking the time Ebbe! I hope this helps you a little.

[AineMari Flanagan]

My First days in Second life,

After weeks of frustration being stuck in the Newcomers area because it took me forever to learn how to Fly, attach objects, walk and pass all the tests that you were required to pass to explore SL  as a newbie( GODs! Even to this day I HATE  that torch!)

. I finally got out! Woot! I was free to wander in my aweful flat , no shading, hoirrid make up bright orange/flesh  toned newbie standard skin with HAIR LAYER hair!

We didnt even have flexie hair and clothing yet!

Sculpts were just vague ideas in the minds of creators.

I was trying to pull my avatar together and Found a place to camp for a this fantastic medieval pearl necklace that would  become  the first piece of jewlery that my avatar would own in Sl.

So here I am this sad.half formed Newbie Avi  hanging on a cross in my standard Linden lab issues stuff when  from nowhere comes this breathtakingly realistic Avatar!

OMG WHO IS THAT!!!!!???  I asked myself "and how can I make myself look like her!"

Well the who was Di Yufu of Inca Temple-  who took a moment to speak to me and then started just handing me all this stuff! Skins, clothes, jewlery, hair  you name it this lady had it!

She also gave me linden and landmarks to go  get myself kitted out with the promise of no need to repay, just help someone else along the way and come back to visit every once in a while to let her know how my sl was going.

Even when things were at its worst in SL there are residents just like Di who take new folks under their wing and help them get  all set up  and settled in to SL with no more than a promise to pay it forward to somone else when the newbie learns their way around  .

I dont know how many Di helped, but I have a general idea of the 100's my friends and I have - because of  the example we had to point us in the right direction - Di, and people like her.

We've lost track of each other ,  Di and I.

Both busy with projects and building and sims and life in general. but I have never forgotten that feeling I had when somone helped me and the wonder and awe that this amazing talanted person took a moment out of their life to be my  Sl Angel.

To me thats  the Best of Second life. All the things we  do for others to give them a hand when they need it. Thats what's kept me coming back to Sl all these years despite all the negatives.

 

All of you make my sl what it is and  thank you for that!

 

AineMari Flanagan

MacMoragh and Muse -  Medieval and celtic goods

Ynys Semaide Roleplay Sims

 

[Marigold Devin]

Ohhhh yes, that torch - I remained tightly clinging to mine for two days after I left the orientation area. It was like my hand would not let go.

And those first attempts at modifying our avatars. I thought I looked so great with my pinky purple tresses, and eyebrows to match!

 

Maybe it is possible/probable that the difference between the residents who stay and those who do not, is because we are the lucky ones who were befriended and mentored some time during our earliest days.

An avatar saw how lost I was at a welcome area, and showed me a beautiful sim called Apollo, which sadly has been gone for a couple of years now. There was Tai Chi, ethereal pools, ambient music. And the one who became my mentor taught me how to fly, how to alt view around properly so I did not always view my avatar from behind. He also passed to me a HUD which helped me enormously to explore and find my way around our vast world. It was called "Hoppy Pay", which no longer exists, and at a click of a button, I was teleported to a new destination and paid small amounts of Linden dollars.  Sometimes I landed in a private area and suffered the indignities of being "shouted" at and blasted by a security orb, and once I was pushed off sim by a swarm of very angry bees! But it was all such fun.

Over the years I have tried to "pay it forward", and hopefully have been able to share a little bit of knowledge with newbies I have encountered on my travels, but I continue to learn something new every day.

[irihapeti]

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AineMari Flanagan wrote:

 as a newbie( GODs! Even to this day I HATE  that torch!) 

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yes lol. and when finally work out how to detach it then the anim still plays. So walk round with your hand sticking out going: how do you! pleased to meet you !!. to everybody

jejejje (:

[Staralien]

The first time I discovered SL was in 2007 and I probably stayed all of ten minutes as I felt very overwhelmed and had no idea what to do or where to go. In 2011 a FB friend had a post about SL so I clicked on it not realizing it was the same thing as in 2007. This time, things just seemed to click for me a little better and somehow I landed at a karoke lounge. By this time I was all of two days old, but still in newbie skin...but I had managed to pick up a lovely dress. Unfortuately, I still walked like a duck whcih must have given me away to the owner as he IM'd me and helped me tremendously by mentoring me. He told me first before we did anything else to go and download Phoenix as he said most people used that and it would be easier for me to use.So I trusted him and downloaded and installed it and logged back on. He then showed me all the bells and whistles, how to adjust settings, etc. He advised me not to accept friendship from everyone who sends an invite as so many guys only wanted one thing. I had already accepted a dozen or so requests for friendship from men and women who never even talked to me cause I thought I would be rude to do otherwise. I was so naive, but thanks to him, I was put on the fast track of learning. He also gave me a 100L cause he said everyone should have money in their pocket. He is still my friend today, though most times we are too busy to chat much. My second real friend was a guy I met in a sandbox the next day when I was opening some boxes I had picked up for free. He is the one who really helped transform my avi as he took me where I could get a decent free AO and skin, as well as clothes. He also taught me how to build. When I got my first parcel, he helped me get it set up and built my first apartment building. He was/is such a good friend. Now I try to help new people and have the opportunity to do so quite often. I know what it is like to be new and confused! ;-)

What SL has really done for me though...is give me a life beyond these walls of the real world. I have a lot of health problems, including a heart attack this past Oct that got me 3 stents placed in my heart. I am much better now, but it has been a slow recvovery. The last several years have been hard as I have bad legs and have had bypass surgery on both, as well as a couple of stents in the right one. In SL I can dance like I never will be able to in RL. I can run. I can walk without pain, I can even fly. It also gives me the opportunity to talk to people sometimes. Being isolated so much has made me socially awkward, but with practice, I think I have gotten better at it. I hope so anyway. For someone that is homebound much of the time and doesn't see people much, SL is like a lifeline and helps one not feel so alone.

I really hope this new guy can breathe some new life into SL and really come to understand what SL is to so many of us. It isn't a game, but an extention to our lives, a world we can do anything or be anything we want. Where the limitations of the real world has no place.Where we can floursh and thrive as big as our dreams, build amazing places and create wonderous things that are only limited by our imaginations. Long live Second Life and all of its people!.

[Pamela Galli]

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Staralien wrote:

 It isn't a game, but an extention to our lives, a world we can do anything or be anything we want. Where the limitations of the real world has no place.Where we can floursh and thrive as big as our dreams, build amazing places and create wonderous things that are only limited by our imaginations. Long live Second Life and all of its people!.

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Well said :-)

[Venus Petrov]

Well said, Mari.  In my early n00b days I never felt teased or maligned because my appearance, despite my cool 'way-too-blonde' helmet, was very much 'new resident'.   I met some very friendly folk one of whom is still a good friend seven years later.  I, frankly, don't understand why residents who have mastered the art of buying skin, hair, clothing feel put upon when a n00b runs into them on a laggy dance floor or wears a too bright facelight or thinks that freebie bling shoes are the hawtest thing on the grid.  We have all been there and done that!

A bit of kindness can go a long way toward retention of good operators.

[Medhue Simoni]

Thanks you every1 that have participated so far. I loved all the stories. Keep them coming!