Madelaine McMasters

JeanneAnne wrote: Cinnamon Mistwood wrote: I always seem to be just a bit blurry unless I constantly rebake. No one else sees me this way so I just ignore it unless I want to take a picture or something. Cinn This happens to me, too. My tattoos or the pattern on clothing is blurry, so i press Ctrl-Alt -r and everything instantly comes into sharp focus but then in a few seconds everything becomes blurry & I get this kinduv "planet of the apes" look, then everything comes back into focus except the stuff that was blurry to begin with. I was thinking it was because my tats & outfits are cheap freebies so have been just living with it. I use Firestorm & I'm not sure if others see me as blurry or not. I guess I can live with it but it is mildly annoying & I'd like to fix it if I could. Jeanne The fuzziness you see, which then comes into sharp focus, is caused by what's called "progressive downloading". To decrease the time it takes for your avatar to become at least somewhat visible, the SL servers send a subset of your skin/clothing pixels to your viewer right away, then keep filling in detail over time. So the initial painting of your avatar may be done with only 1/16th of the pixels in your avatar texture, with each pixel being displayed 16x larger. As the additional pixels are downloaded, the resolution of your avatar improves. The texture downloaded to the viewer is "baked" from all the skin, tattoo and clothing layers you are wearing, which are combined in the SL server to produce a single texture for application to your avatar. This is why you needn't worry about having your skin rezzed, but not your clothing, unless there's an error in SL's "wearing" mechanism. Your baked texture includes your clothing over your skin, so there's no naked body texture being sent down from the servers, with clothing to follow. It's all one texture. Now, I don't know why this mechanism sometimes breaks, but it seems that the viewer can think it has the full resolution texture in cache when it's actually got only one of the lower resolution parts of the full download. Rebaking textures should fix this, by sending the viewer a new avatar texture. When you see perpetually fuzzy textures on prims (which are not baked from layers like your avatar) that once looked fine, it's time to clear your cache. The viewer has gotten itself in a position where it thinks the texture in the cache for the fuzzy prim is full resolution when it's actually only one of the first steps of the progressive download. So long as that incompletely loaded texture is in cache, the viewer is not goinig to ask for a fresh copy. Clearing the cache eliminates all the downloaded textures, good and bad, and the viewer starts over, hopefully with fully downloaded copies of all the textures in your view. This doesn't solve your problem, but hopefully gives you some understanding of how the system works, or doesn't.

Madelaine McMasters wrote: Charolotte Caxton wrote: I cry at least once a day for the sheer wonder that is life. I am not certain how short life is, I believe mine will be as long as it lasts. Once Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn't know he was Zhuangzi. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Zhuangzi. But he didn't know if he was Zhuangzi who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Zhuangzi. http://www.ted.com/talks/louie_schwartzberg_the_hidden_beauty_of_pollination.html I posted this from bed, more later... Charolotte, I share your wonder at life and, when I don't get too wrapped up in myself, I feel... /me pushes away from the keyboard and walks outside to watch the sky (Randall, that's my tip).

Charolotte Caxton wrote: I cry at least once a day for the sheer wonder that is life. I am not certain how short life is, I believe mine will be as long as it lasts. Once Zhuangzi dreamt he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as he pleased. He didn't know he was Zhuangzi. Suddenly he woke up and there he was, solid and unmistakable Zhuangzi. But he didn't know if he was Zhuangzi who had dreamt he was a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming he was Zhuangzi. http://www.ted.com/talks/louie_schwartzberg_the_hidden_beauty_of_pollination.html I posted this from bed, more later...

Charolotte Caxton wrote: I haven't had her meeroo, but I have had the hummingbird, charred to perfection and with just a hint of nectar, superb, mmm Thank you Charolotte, but credit for the meeroo goes to Sylvia and Tem. They cooked one up and sent some home with me. It's a little gamey but tobasco takes care of that.

Ishtara Rothschild wrote: Btw, a report released by the Brown University estimates the total costs of the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan to reach $3.7 trillion by the time these wars are over. See http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/29/cost-of-war-iraq-afghanistan_n_887084.html Several years ago, the Congressional Budget Office pegged the total (by the time the wars end) at three trillion, so this seems in the ball-park.

Ishtara Rothschild wrote: Be glad that she didn't eat all of it! My cats just ate my veal steak I only meant to give them a few pieces, but one of them has figured out that if she touches my food, it's hers. So I had no choice but be content with my ten french fries and a little cucumber salad. Awww, Ishy. I have a li'l leftover meeroo if you'd like.

Cinnamon Mistwood wrote: I am a true American mutt. When I tried to go back and do a little family history investigation, I could not find one culture that was represented more than another. Apparently the line I come from loved who they loved regardless of what nation that other person came from. I have nearly every European country, native American (I know they wandered over a land bridge long ago), African, Middle Eastern, Russian represented in my past. I have not found Asian or Indian yet, but it is probably there. A celebration of just one of those doesn't make any sense. I am a child of the world and will celebrate the similarities and differences of being 1 of 6 billion humans. Besides, I am sure history is written by whoever won the war whether they were right or wrong. Of course, none of this mixed heritage means I would deprive myself of having a German in October, an Irish beer in March or enjoying a Margarita in May. The good thing about being a mutt is I can celebrate with anyone. As far as your original question... You have no reason except political correctness to deny yourself your history. If you are interested in European cultures and history, there are many history books to choose from. Celebrate who you are and don't worry about how others see it, you can invite anyone you want to celebrate with you including those who are not of European heritage. It is harder and harder to find "pure blood" anyone these days. Most of us are mixed breeds. ETA - okay, it is pretty obvious I work in an animal hospital. I laugh when people come in with designer dogs - cockapoos, labradoodles, puggles. All they are is a pure bred dog and a sneaky neighbor dog. So, sorry about all the mutt and mixed breed analogies, but people pay top dollar for these mixes - lol. Cinn, during the time it took you to type that lovely post, you became one of 7 billion. Which month is for root-beer? ;-)

PeterCanessa Oh wrote: The Scots will have to make their own excuses for golf (a game I've never played for fear of its legendary adictive powers) I rarely play golf. A friend claims a sport isn't "true" unless it has both offense and defense. That striking him with a golf ball signaled my acceptance of his theory went unappreciated. Since then I've defoliated a fair number of trees and driven a toad into the hereafter. The potential for addiction is obvious to me.

Marigold Devin wrote: Mmm, your eyes are like limpid pools.

Ishtara Rothschild wrote: Um, Flopsy is a bunny-eared SL alt, not an RL pet bunny It just occured to me that "bunny girl" could be misread. My RL pets (cats) have rather unimaginative names. I understood it right. ;-)

Ishtara Rothschild wrote: Flopsy Murfin Casts you in a whole new light, this revelation. /me swoons. ;-)

Bandito Razor wrote: Wouldnt false friends be people who PRETEND to be your friend while being a douche behind your back? I think those come in a wide variety of flavors too.

PeterCanessa Oh wrote: You can't have EVERYONE charging for SLex, who would be the customers? This why I advocate the barter system.

Carole Franizzi wrote: “true” friend Well Carole, doesn't the passive agression of this cliche reveal it to be nonsense? That the heck are false friends? Friendship isn't an is/isn't thing, it comes in colors and flavors and we're hopefully smart enough to arrange the palette for our general wellbeing.

Mags Indigo wrote: Not only did Maddy attend (sadly no show from Snugs) she kept Bar and fed people. I'm expecting the insurance claims to hit the door mat on Monday. But the effort is great appreciated in the spirit in which it was given. (as it were). What which does not kill you makes you stronger. I'm happy to help! HopStore is lovely, Mags. You do know how to craft a space.

Happy Saturday, Kids! It's a crisp autumn morning (39°F) and the squirrels are feverishly doing their morning calisthenics. In a few moments, they'll be sprinting about the yard burying treasure for the winter. Their resemblence to Travolta is clear, but their preparation for winter is serious business. Dancing will wait till spring, part of the ritual of making babies. I'm unhappy about the mulch they are flicking off my gardens onto my walks and they are unhappy about the walnuts I'm taking from the caches they've made so easy to find. Life is in balance.

Pamela Galli wrote: JeanneAnne wrote: The only thing that has value is love. Really into Beatles aren't you? (We don't all live in a Yellow Submarine either.) Live? Well of course not. The closets are too small. But for a weekend getaway? You bet!

Good grief Del, that was a neat read. Now if only you could convince me Second Life was the wave of the future!

JeanneAnne wrote: Madelaine McMasters wrote: JeanneAnne wrote: Today, Communist China practically owns the US and is rapidly buying up the rest of the world. Marx is having the last laugh! ) Jeanne Jeanne, I doubt most Chinese (rich or poor) would recognize Marx if he fell on them. You can imagine China to be Marxist all you want, but the reality is quite different. I dunno, Madelaine. My sister-in-law is from Guangzhou and uncle by marriage from Beijing. Both are more knowledgable and better educated than the average American and both studied Marx in school. Maybe they're atypical and maybe they don't particularly agree with Marx but both can discuss his ideas cogently, and I get the impression that most Chinese & Chinese Americans can do the same. Jeanne Your implication was that China is buying the US because of the success of their Marxist economy. Does your sister-in-law recognize herself as being in a Marxist economy. That's the recognition I'm referring to and I if your in-laws agree with you, then they too are perhaps ignoring the reality, or prospering from it but don't want to say so.

Ishtara Rothschild wrote: Friends are people who are there for you when you need them, people whose address and phone number is known to you. Friends stick with you through everything and take an interest in every part of your real life. They offer you a real, physical shoulder to cry on and give you a real, physical hug when you badly need one. Friends occasionally drop by for a visit and chat with you you face to face. They help carry the furniture when you move to a new place. They even lend you some money if you find yourself in a tight spot. Friends are the people who are willing to visit your wedding and attend your funeral. None of this applies to the anonymous people that we meet in SL. Usually, we don't even know their RL name and have no way of contacting them outside of SL. And I know from past experience in other MMOs that when SL is about to float belly up, all supposed friends will go their separate ways and probably never see each other again. So unless I had a close relationship with somebody in both worlds, I would not consider them a real friend. What happens in SL is friendship RP, just like romantic relationships and SL marriages are just RP. Real friendships involve real flesh and blood people.  Ishy, I think friendships fall along a spectrum like a lot of other things. I have childhood and college friends that went their own ways and I never saw again. One of them is in prison for behavior that shocked me. If it were so easy to detect devils face-to-face, would we need security checkpoints? Yes, I know Israel's security agents can see better than the rest of us, but we didn't all get their training. When I switched jobs I left a lot of friends behind. I don't expect any of them will attend my funeral. I've friends I met professionally online that have helped me solve engineering problems I'd have struggled with alone, help far more valuable than moving a sofa. I have known some of them longer, and in greater depth, than many I've worked with in RL. We could bridge the gap and connect in RL, but it's seldom seemed necessary. At the end of my day, a friend is someone who caringly shares time and intellectual space with me to an extent that rises above "acquaintance". They needn't provide every kind of support I might need, but they offer what support they can. An hour of someone's time spent with me online is a real life hour. If I devalue that, then I must devalue my own time. I am certain I've spent hours with RL friends that were not as enriching to me as some of the hours I've spent with people online. Friendships can be ephemeral, whether online or offline. I am well aware of the missing cues of remote relationships, but I don't think that negates friendship, it simply colors it a little differently. So I'll have friends all along the spectrum and hope that I never go without. I'm not going to dismiss all but those who attended my wedding and will cry over my ashes. Though I should have dismissed one who came to my wedding. The stains never did come out of the dress. ;-)

JeanneAnne wrote: Today, Communist China practically owns the US and is rapidly buying up the rest of the world. Marx is having the last laugh! ) Jeanne Jeanne, I doubt most Chinese (rich or poor) would recognize Marx if he fell on them. You can imagine China to be Marxist all you want, but the reality is quite different.

Charolotte Caxton wrote: Why is it called a Charo matic, and should I be concerned? Why are you called a Charo lotte? And yes.

I won't be in world for the party, so I'll say it here...

Sylvia Tamalyn wrote: Both, and I'll take that cup of tea if you don't want it! Thanks, Maddy!! P.S. Will you read me a story while I eat? The tea is all yours, Sylvia. Get comfy while I flip to the first page of Artamène

Sylvia Tamalyn wrote: I think that bird is taunting me... You want a wing or a leg?