Ebbe Linden, Let Me Tell You A Story

[Medhue Simoni]

Well, since we have a newb in the house, and this newb is running things, I thought about just how complex SL is, and how the heck is this newb going to understand it. I think everyone likes how he doesn't think SL is a game, although it has games. So, he might kind of get it. If I actually get what SL is, I think it is only because of all the experiences I've had inside of it. So maybe that is the best way to show Ebbe what SL really is, for us to give some of our best experiences in SL.

Me, oh gosh, I have many, many stories. Some are crazy. Some are exciting. Some are inspiring. Some, I can't even tell anyone, without shedding a bunch of tears. I won't tell those, but I will tell about 1 that, I think, really taught me why I love SL so much.

I'm a merchant. I make things. Mostly animation things. It's fun. Better than working in a Detroit factory. If it was not for SL, I would probably not be making a living sitting in my PJs making 3D stuff, but rather sweating my butt off in a factory. Oh, I sell quite a bit now outside of SL, but this is where I started and I still love it more than creating for any other platform. My creations have a life here. They influence people. They spark memories. They bring people together.

One day in SL, this woman, let's call her Nancy, contacts me and she just bought 1 of my bicycles. She wants to know if she can pay for another bicycle and I send it to her sister. She told me it was her real life sister. Nancy said that when they were kids they used to ride their bikes everywhere. They would ride their bikes downtown and fill their baskets with goodies. She told me that my bikes reminded her of their bikes. See, Nancy lives in California now, and her sister lives in New York. They rarely ever have the money to fly to see each other. So, they come into SL to hangout with each other and actually do things together. A few weeks later, Nancy messaged me again. She went on and on about how much fun riding the bikes were together, and how it really took them back to those days when they were kids. They could even do tricks like letting go of the handle bars, just like they did when they were kids.

Those are just a few reasons I love SL.

To the community: I'm sure we all have many stories and experiences. Please do tell!

 

 

 

 

[Gator Peterman]

Nice advertorial :matte-motes-big-grin-wink:

[beethros Karas]

Thank you Medhue for passing the ball for stories to be told!

I Got my self lots of Stories to say ..

I Will mention one that really shows out the feelings people are having while into a 3d world!

I am a merchant and among others I was selling vehicles.

One day, 3 "kids" shadowed my door..

One of them steps front after I said good morning and said:

-Hi, we will like to sell some cars and we was wondering if you could give us an offer.

(LAWL)

He Rezes 3 cars and like I knew it, those wasn't full perm cars.. It was some free copies that couldn't be transferred copy, mod, but no transfer)

I wish it wasn't morning and I had more clear brains to stretch this story a lot... But I wasn't in a mood and so with my ugly just wake up face, I just said: 

-These aren't for sale.

And then comes the part I will never forget in my life...

Kid turns 180 degrees and says to the other 2 ones who was standing speechless 6 Ft behind..

LETS GO! .. He figure it!

And then the 3 of them started running away ..Fast! And with no stop.. They didn't even turn the head back to see if I was after them!

-Im sure they are still running to escape from the old man who uncover them crook action! ....

Excellent!

-Im sure also that  this story will be told from them, and from myself to them grand children and mine and so it goes on and on through centuries.. And the future generations will remember the pioneers of the virtual worlds and laugh with them!

cheers,

Long Live Virtual Worlds!

Long Live Second  Life!

 

beethros Karas

 

[Marigold Devin]

Unsure totally how much of a newbie Ebbe is; he could have been a resident of Second Life and know more about it than any one of us - and it would be good to hear a (some) story (or two or three) from the man himself.

I'm not an interesting storyteller, but I am sure when I am old and grey and living out my final years in a nursing home, the staff will never believe me when I tell them that I danced on The Titanic with my beau.

 

And when I was a giant snail, I raced with my other giant snail friends, and the sheer weight of us caused the land to fall into the sea.

 

I sailed the seas all one night in my rubber ducky

 

Had breakfast one Sunday with forum friends from around the world.

 

Suffered moments of insanity

(undoubtedly in real life too)

Was brought back to life again by communing with nature.

 

Discovered I do like latex after all

A place for everything and everything in its place.

[Treasure Ballinger]

What a cool thread.  I Feel this way, every time I see someone that has shared just how disabled (in RL) they really are, walking, running, flying, with a freedom they'll never know in RL, being bed or chair bound.  SL is a lifeline to 'fun' for those who have no fun in RL, due to physical disability/immobility issues, vision loss, and even deaf, (like me); there's a whole community of like-minded folks out there to share commonalities with.   I love SL, it's important to me, and I hope it never goes away.  I hope new CEO Ebbe learns to love it, too. 

Gentle Heron, the founder and prez of Virtual Ability, has in her profile, proudly states that 'Gentle can walk without crutches'.  A statement of fact and joy, for something she can do in SL and not in RL.

 

[Geo Meek]

Marigold Devin I like your story

[R Dismantled]

The 300-Meter Spike of Edlantis

Almost seven years ago, a group of friends collected up their pocket change and bought a private region (Edloe).
(I drew the short straw and ended up as the estate owner.)
There were a few issues with the payment system and credit card validation.
Folks sat around on the would-be neighboring sim (Nowhereville), waiting for the billing issues to get fixed and the region to appear.
A little music, a little partying... it's SL, so any opportunity for a party, right?
When the region finally arrived on the grid, we hit the place like gangbusters and got to setting up the parcels, terraforming, and building.
However, after a while, something went kinda weird with the terraforming, and a huge 300 meter spike appeared in the land.
Nothing we did could lower this thing.
So, we downloaded the file, handed it to our local PhotoShop expert, and then smoothed out the spike.
When we uploaded the file, all the land dropped to 0 meters. The sim went totally Waterworld.
Instead of everyone freaking out and pointing fingers and getting angry, we laughed at the mistake and called in for a rollback.
While we waited for the rollback, we rezzed boats and floating beachballs and other watercraft and had fun with it.
Yes, there's stuff that's broken. But if it's not a showstopper, the show will go on.
Just in a different direction, that's all.
It's about having fun together, and opportunities when you see it.

[Uirapuru2112]

Hi im Uirá from Brazil im very happy to play in a global virtual life...my storie its about how mistery never ends, so on truth are lots of Stories...my best moment was when DJ Cluewall played my request See Emily Play by Pink Floyd a song with almost mid century age...that afternoon was unforgetablle...

[Uirapuru2112]

Im very happy to play it on Linux

[Laetizia Coronet]

Once, long ago, Lindens held in-world office hours where Residents could come and talk about the things which were part of that specific LL employees task. Often these turned into relaxed talks; it was not only a great way to communicate for the lab, but also a great way to meet people.

I remember Blue Linden, whose office was an enormous office chair on an island somewhere north of Waterhead and east of Help Island Public. One night (for us Europeans, office hours were nightly) there was just me, and Blue, and a Russian man. How it came about I don't remember, but we ended up singing Katyusha together, the Russian somewhere in Russia and me in my home in the Netherlands, in voice (mind you: that must've been strange, my male voice coming out of my female avatar). I don't actually speak Russian but I know the words to that famous song: Rastsvitaly yabloni y grushy... something like that.

That was such a strange and fantastic experience somehow... I have never forgotten it.

[InsideOut Clip]

This is a Great Thread, 

Eddie I am not sure how Newbie your actually are, but I joined in Feb... of 2008.  My husband and I joined together.  Him shortly before me.  I am still currently a premium member, and have a small Fashion Franchise.  I do not sale much but I have fun trying.  

 

Our story,

 

SU & I joined because we spent many hours, days, weeks, and even months away from each other.  You see he is an Owner Operator and drives over the road in an 18 Wheeler (Big Rig).  Over the years as I was home taking care of our son, working, and continuing my education, My RL hubby drove over the road and we were always on the lookout for ways to communicate.  I am not sure whom it was that told my hubby (SU) about Second Life, but he got online and tried it out.  Then invited me.  We were hooked from then on.  We used it to communicate daily, have virtual dates, build things, but mostly just to be together in an environment where we actually felt like we were together.  SL gave us that.  We have gone through several Lap Tops.  Literally burned them up from the heat from being online and the graphics involved.  But you cannot imagine how it feels to be sometimes over 2000 miles apart but yet feel like you were in the same room or on an Tropical Island together.  Walking on a beach, or at a romantic club all dressed up and glamorous dancing with the one you love.  Being able to hear them as well as see them and actually "Feel" like you were together. 

 

With this said, I do know that there are so many that have used and abused SL for sexual purposes, but that is not why we were there.  I can say that 90% of our time was spend on our Island that we rented building things, decorating the island, inviting other "forum friends" to join us and making new friends such as DJ's, Singers, and even other couples. 

 

On our 25th Anniversary, we had rented an Island and invited friends and family to join us on SL to celebrate our Anniversary.  We had a DJ, Dancers, a game board, gave out prizes, and overall we had the best Party on our 25th Anniversary and we did not even have to leave our home, rent and decorate a special room at some hotel, fly friends and family in from all over the USA.  So, over all I am glad that SL exists and that I am part of it. 

 

We recently had our 30th Anniversary, unfortunately not on SL this time and No Big Party, but we still use SL to communicate, and be together as he continues to be an Owner Operator over the road, and I am at home with the Kid.  LOL ...

 

Thank you for allowing me to share.

IO

[Medhue Simoni]

---

Treasure Ballinger wrote:

What a cool thread.  I Feel this way, every time I see someone that has shared just how disabled (in RL) they really are, walking, running, flying, with a freedom they'll never know in RL, being bed or chair bound.  SL is a lifeline to 'fun' for those who have no fun in RL, due to physical disability/immobility issues, vision loss, and even deaf, (like me); there's a whole community of like-minded folks out there to share commonalities with.   I love SL, it's important to me, and I hope it never goes away.  I hope new CEO Ebbe learns to love it, too. 

Gentle Heron, the founder and prez of Virtual Ability, has in her profile, proudly states that 'Gentle can walk without crutches'.  A statement of fact and joy, for something she can do in SL and not in RL.

 

---

Many people in SL do not realize just how big the disabled community is in SL. I can't even explain how much my experiences in SL have impacted me, and from the very start. Oh, now I have to tell this story.

When I first joined SL, I knew right away that I wanted to learn animation. Literally, the first week, I had set goals for myself. 1 of those goals was to get enough lindens to rent a store. The easiest way I had found to do this was to LandMark all the Money Trees in SL, and teleport from tree to tree, collecting lindens. While doing this, I would meet other people doing the same thing, and we would trade LM to trees. Soon enough, I got to know some of these people and we would hangout and talk. 1 girl, let's call her Heather, she was very good at finding awesome things all around SL. She was also a very big socialite. She liked to party.

We became good friends and she always knew I'd be around working on something. All of a sudden, she didn't come around as much. I got a little worried. Then, she popped up again. I was excited to see her, and told her about all my new projects, but she didn't seem her usual excited self. So, I tried to push her and find out what was wrong. There were long pauses, which was very unlike her. Finally, I told her about how excited I was that SL was getting voice. Heather didn't say a word. Of course, I questioned, "What, don't you want to use voice?". Heather finally spoke again, "No!". I was confused. Why would she not like voice? Then, she broke down and told me.

See, Heather is deaf. She had been picked on all her life because of it. In SL, she was just like everyone else. It was the first time she ever felt like she fit in with everyone. She was afraid that voice would change everything. I tried very hard to reassure her that voice was just a feature and that not every1 would use it. That was seven years ago, and I have only seen Heather 1 time since, and that was soon after she told me all of this. I still think about Heather, and I hope to see her again, some day.

[Treasure Ballinger]

Awwww. Many D/deaf left SL with the advent of voice.  Because now, people think that you are an avatar of the opposite sex, if you don't 'prove it' with voice, and many just don't want to bother with you.  That's why it's important (for me it was anyway) to find your niche, your group of people who like and want to be around you, for who you are.   I personally haven't found the advent of voice to be a problem for me, simply because of the venues, the Virtual Ability disability related sims, and the function venues I choose to be in.  When it's a dance, I just dance, I enjoy the movement of my avatar, and I don't need to hear the music; I've found a couple of DJ's who have really worked hard and gone out of their way to provide text lyrics with the songs they're playing, when they're doing a dance or party that include RL D/deaf.  Most people are kind.   Why force yourself to be with people, or at places, who dont' accept you or want you around, when there's so many who would love to have you?  It's sad Heather stopped coming around and I too hope she comes back, and renews her friendship with you.  It seems a loss to both of you.

[Medhue Simoni]

---

Gator Peterman wrote:

Nice advertorial :matte-motes-big-grin-wink:

---

Whatever dude! I'm a merchant. I like to create. Most of my stories and the people I meet, happen because I'm a merchant. It's likely, that I've met more people in SL than almost anyone else, unless they are also a merchant. To me, life is a big advertorial.

[Pamela Galli]

I have never socialized much except for chatting with customers, so at first I was making furnishings I liked, but without a very clear idea of what people were doing with the stuff.

 

Early on I invented a way to have "dinner parties" in SL. These dining sets were an instant hit -- but I had never had a dinner party myself.  Then I talked with a customer who said every Friday she and her loved one, who lived across the country from her, made themselves lasagna in RL, and had dinner together in SL while their avatars had the same meal together in SL. That was when the light went on for me.

That holiday season I made an elaborate sculpted holiday turkey dinner, and was amazed at their popularity -- that's when I realized that for many, their only holiday dinner, with their only loved ones, was the one they shared in SL. And that is not sad -- it is a testament to people's ability to find what is good in any life, and taking advantage of it to enrich their lives.

[Marigold Devin]

Very sweet of you to leave the positive comment.

I think inside all of us there is probably a book to be written about our Second Life adventures.  (Un)fortunately, we are all still living in Second Life and there is no time for writing the book. :matte-motes-big-grin:

[Madelaine McMasters]

---

Marigold Devin wrote:

Very sweet of you to leave the positive comment.

I think inside all of us there is probably a book to be written about our Second Life adventures.  (Un)fortunately, we are all still living in Second Life and

there is no time for writing the book

. :matte-motes-big-grin:

---

Noooo! I've seen you write as you go, sometimes with words, sometimes not.

You're pretty good. Geo agrees.

Your book may not be on our coffee tables, but we've been reading it.

;-)

[Marigold Devin]

---

Madelaine McMasters wrote:

---

Marigold Devin wrote:

Very sweet of you to leave the positive comment.

I think inside all of us there is probably a book to be written about our Second Life adventures.  (Un)fortunately, we are all still living in Second Life and

there is no time for writing the book

. :matte-motes-big-grin:

---

Noooo! I've seen you write as you go, sometimes with words, sometimes not.

You're pretty good. Geo agrees.

Your book may not be on our coffee tables, but we've been reading it.

;-)

---

... noooooo, you've been scribbling all over my rough copy (remembering "trainspotting" in particular ) :matte-motes-wink-tongue:

(who says cameras never lie !!)

 

[DQ Darwin]

I have mentioned this before but I was brought here (SL) by a friend in RL. When she became to ill we would come here to dance run and play something no longer possible in RL Liz passed in 2008 and I am still here. I feel her presence on the grid as much as I would when walking a familiar street in RL. 

The friendships found here in SL and the ability to understand and communicate with people from the world is priceless. This is a platform where world leaders should meet and settle differences.

If you wish to stimulate growth lower land prices and cap them. When people have a home and can settle in they tend to invest more into the community. Don't worry about the big land owner moving on others will take their (there) place.

 

[Madelaine McMasters]

---

Marigold Devin wrote:

---

Madelaine McMasters wrote:

---

Marigold Devin wrote:

Very sweet of you to leave the positive comment.

I think inside all of us there is probably a book to be written about our Second Life adventures.  (Un)fortunately, we are all still living in Second Life and

there is no time for writing the book

. :matte-motes-big-grin:

---

Noooo! I've seen you write as you go, sometimes with words, sometimes not.

You're pretty good. Geo agrees.

Your book may not be on our coffee tables, but we've been reading it.

;-)

---

... noooooo, you've been scribbling all over my rough copy (remembering "trainspotting" in particular ) :matte-motes-wink-tongue:

(who says cameras never lie !!)

 

---

Although it's common to find a book with a single listed author, it's also common to find acknowledgments in the front and citations in the back.

We stand on the shoulders of giants (or each other?), Mari...

[Storm Clarence]

Well my story is a happy story about the Grady's.

So here goes the story of a lovely lady who was mother to three very lovely girls.  All of them had hair of gold, like their mother, the youngest one in curls.

Now here's the story of a man named Grady who was busy with three boys all his own.  They were four men living all together, yet they were all alone.

Till one day when the lady met this fellow; and they knew it was much more than just a hunch that this group would somehow form a family.  That's the way they became the Grady bunch.  Yes, that's the way they became the Grady bunch.

[Anjelikka]

Second Life has so many stories behind the avatars. Hard to explain to those who do not log onto this what would you call it....not game, they really should and find out...anyway...I began to write my story in a blog...from almost the first moment I landed in SL to how things are now..so much have I learned and so much more to discover.

It never really gets old and I LOVE...absolutely LOVE the creativity and talent people who are on SL have...truly amazing.

No Time For Real Life hope you breathe in between the SL and RL.

Yours truly

Anjelikka

[Venus Petrov]

I have been in SL for seven years now and there are too many wonderful stories to pick just one or two.  What I can say is that I have experienced some of the longest, breath-escaping laugh sessions of my life in this place.  They say 'laughter is the best medicine."  You can experience that here in spades and for free!

[Wooja]

Which story would you like to hear? Maybe the one about the children who were left unfed because their parents were addicted to SL? Or one of the marriage breakups - the one I particularly like is the one where the husband flies to the USA from England to meet his SL partner, gets rebuffed, and returns to find that his wife has sold their house and moved, as well as instigated divorce proceedings. Or there's the girl that walked out on her husband and kids because her "master" in sl commanded her to. Or then there's the girl that tried to commit suicide because she discovered that her lesbian lover was actually a man. Should I go on?

Not all SL stories have happy endings, and that is something that you can't escape. LL may not be legally responsible, but the immorality it facilitates is sufficiently depraved that the shadow of bad publicity will always hang over the product.

Wooja...compareslwithtigerwoods

[DQ Darwin]

WOW....pretty negative and yet you joined in spite of all you list, odd. Just wondering do you have any links to backup some of the claims? They would make interesting reading

Just wondering.......