Oases of silent and mediation

“Svarga for sale”. This news on SL Newspaper inspired me to write today’s contribution and also took me by surprise. This news is borrowed from New World Notes

Laukosargas Svarog told New World Notes:

"It's far too expensive just to be a hobby and as Svarga stands at the moment, being no longer a platform for my development, I've decided to sell it for a value that represents a fraction of the work I put into it.

"After more than 4 years I expected SL to be way more efficient (and cheaper) than it is. For one thing, moving around is still like moving through mud, almost, I say 'almost' as bad as it was in 2004."

"Eventually I think Second Life is likely to be replaced by a newer generation of VR that will have learnt from the mistakes made by Linden Lab and I'm very much looking forward to that."

Svarga belongs to my favorite oases of the silent and the meditation. I was not there for long time, but I founded it through my visit the most beautiful oasis, which exists in SL at all – The Lost gardens of Apollo. Here, you can practice taj-chi (tchaj-ťi čchüan), but you can just laze on a chaise longue, meditate in a temple or rest high in the clouds or float in the heavenly lakes.
As you want to meditate in Budhistic cloister, try Varosha. So, one can meditate also in the Museum of Arts. Triumphal colonnade of Twilight Muesum of Arts is really impressive.

Budhistic Tempel Varosha
Svarga
The Lost Gardens of Apollo
Twilight Museum of Arts

(Zdroje: SL Newspaper, New World Notes)

The Lost Gardens of Apollo

Svarga

Varosha

Monuments in front of Twilight Museum of Arts

Twilight muzeum

World AIDS Day

Today’s contribution is dedicated to a theme of AIDS, because 1st December is world day of fight against AIDS. As I mention later, this theme has also a response in the world of Second Life.
AIDS is an abbreviation from English “Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome“ or also “Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome“. In the right word meaning, AIDS is not any illness, but a complex of symptoms and infections that causes the immunity system collapse and death later on. HIV (Human Imunodeficiency Virus) is the cause. AIDS was first described in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S.A. in 1981 and HIV was identified as by American and French scientists in the early 1980’s. Till now, nobody found any vaccine to kill HIV. There are only many drugs and the combinations of drugs that can slow the illness. In this context, I would like to mention name of Prof. Antonin Holy from the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry and Biochemistry AS CR, v. i. i. He and his team and in co-operation with American company Gilead Science developed the preparation VIREAD and he is also the inventor of others, see for more here. The inhibitor of reverse transcriptase of HIV – VIREAD – approved in the U.S.A. in 2001 is one of the most effective drugs against AIDS nowadays. It significantly increases the life quality of the patients and it became hope of millions HIV positive patients in the whole world. The use of VIREAD is approved in many countries of the world including EU countries and Japan.
Although they are known all possible transfers of HIV in human body, at the beginning it was not so, because an infection spread out first in the homosexual community in New York and among the addicts (collective using of the injection needles). Unfortunately, after several years, AIDS was identify between the heterosexual pairs, it was found the transfer from infected mother to an embryo during pregnancy and the infection due to the transfusion of infected blood. Today, AIDS has pandemic character. In the year 2007, it was estimated that number of diseased patients achieved 37,000,000 people; 2,100,000 was killed by HIV including 300,000 children. It is a bog problem not only in Africa and Asia, but also in Europe. The way of transfer is known! They are known the methods how to protect oneself! Why so much?
The red ribbon in the picture is a symbol of solidarity with HIV-positive people and those living with AIDS. Today, people are putting this ribbon on their lapels for that reason. I think, it is same in SL today. Certainly there are several places in the SL, where one can obtain this ribbon. I personally have it from on German sim, where it is placed as charity for AIDS-Hilfe Bremen for 100 L$. If somebody is interested, I can send LM. Otherwise remember the patients and the victims at least. Thank you very much.

(Other source: Wikipedia)

Second Life 7

Hi all! I am back again with new contribution. I go back to Bohemia, because I would like to share my experiences with the so-called Technical Support Service (TSS) in our city. There is a main purpose, why was created, i.e. to help newcomers (newbies) with the entrance into Second Life. There are three ways to contact TSS:

1. Direct contact and dialogue with the team member in SL.
2. Through ICQ service during time, when somebody has service.
3. Through special Email address.

Since I am TSS member already from the beginning, I would like to say first something about history. The main point of work is still Bohemia as sim, but our original place was in O2 Telefónica building. We worked as avatars in their own look with the legend “Technical Support” above our heads always in the evening between 5 and 7 p.m. (GMT +1). Later, the new point was selected, so-called Infobod (abbr. for information point), which is placed at New Place near a fountain. The avatar look was also changed. The are two persons 11 and 88 known from the popular TV advertisement by us and TSS was expanded. There is also one hour’s duty between 7 and 8 p.m. (GMT +1), where the male cop Jan and female cop Dana are at disposal. In this case, it is cooperation with Police of the Czech Republic (Real Life) with slogan “Help and Protect”.

Lobby of O₂ Telefónica

Infobod

11 a 88 (Source www.secondlife.cz)

Dana an Jan (Source www.secondlife.cz)

Spectrum of the questions is wide, but two classical ones are still everyday presented. “What can I do it here?” and “How can I earn money?” However, my personal impression is that in times of the original support in the O₂ building people asked me reasonably, and indeed to what is the SL and how it can do. Now, it is limited to the above questions, or ask for stupidity. This text should be the base of each readable than anything asks.
Our contemporary team consists of my dear colleagues in alphabet order as follows: Pussy Alter, Tirsor Benelli, Jazz Blaustein, Michal Cazenove, Bitty Dreamscape, Coral Ducatillon (moje maličkost), ^†Robina Frog, Kontor Jenkins, Roman Kosten, Zuza Ritt, Kamila Tarber, Carl Vita a RobCZ Voom.

And after that, I say: "Gentlemen, how I can help you, but do not ask me all.!

Saint Martin Wine

My today’s contribution will be from the Real Life this time, my experiences with Saint Martin Wine. There is one tradition by us (Czech Republic) for several years, that the bottles of new young wine are opened at St. Martin day on 11th November. Therefore, this wine is called Saint Martin Wine. This tradition is very old and it is already known in the days of Austrian emperor Joseph II (son of Austrian empress Marie-Teresa). At this date, the winegrowers tasted young wine, which was not already mature. This year it was also and it was huge interest. I have tasted several samples in my favorite wine bar in Brno, Joseph Street 1. I have wanted avoid the huge mass of people at Liberty Place (three huge tents).
There are only several wine varieties, which can be used and which can be named Saint Martin Wine after the certification. There are Müller-Thurgau and Weltlin Red Early (in German Frühroter Weltliner) for white wines and Saint Lawrence and Blue Portugal for rosé and red wine. I personal have to praise on sample of Müller-Thurgau. It was excellent. Unfortunately, roasted goose and some battercake from potato paste didn’t remain for me. These two meals are traditionally served with the Saint Martin Wine. As I said, the interest was huge, that just this day the complete reserve of the Saint Martin Wine had been drunk up and sold. The wine bar owner had to drive for new next day.
Although the Saint Martin Wine is not bad wine, we have to wait for thee good mature wine from this year’s harvest after Christmas till spring. On the other hand, I personally prefer more matured wines and therefore I am already looking forward to them. And finally, I would like to say to wine the like of which.
The wine is regarded as the oldest cultural drink produced by human civilization. As the proof, there are archaeological discoveries at Caucasus and in contemporary Moldavia. It was founded there the grapevine grains, whose age was determine as 7000 years using radiocarbon method. It means, that people grew grapevine and produced wine at this time and these grains were the grains of cultivate sorts of wine. Unlike other cultural drinks like tee, beer or whisky, the wine is a natural product of the fermentation. The tee needs high temperature and humidity to shrivel and to become dark. It is oxidation sometimes incorrectly called fermentation. The same process needs beer and whisky. However, in the case of beer, the malt has to be brewed and whisky has to be distilled. So, these processes move away these drinks far from nature. However, wine retains this nature character. So, Cheers!

Second Life 5

So, I have decided to write something about my life in Second Life shortly after my one week of “labor-lazy and lazily-labor” stay during the international conference DIMAT 2008 at Lanzarote at Canarian Islands. This story already happened long time ago, but it was fascinating and amazing, as I will describe later.
Even if Bohemia is my the most visited place and I work there, my sympathy and tendency is turning to Angara. It is partly changed now so as its creators wish. They want so that Angara complies with the catastrophic scenarios and the vision of the world after apocalypse. Further, the old good club X-ko is working again and so you are heartily invited. The change touched also my favorite place to laze. There is no anything beautiful than to be under the starlit sky. This place was one very gorgeous furnished – quality minimalist design – house. I relaxed upstairs in some room with both glass wall and ceiling. One could see only the ocean and stars. This house did not disappear, but it is nothing like that as it had been. All things are away, only the bare, dark and cracked walls. One can enter inward through the big cracks and wander and think about past and future. And only the wind is wailing how it is penetrating those cracks inward.



The second place, where I like to be, is situated in the shopping area. There is small sofa near the burning taxi. If it was not there yet, I had sat by the stones in sand. Sometime, it was dark, I was there and the small point appeared near to me in the mini-map. But I did not see anybody and also no these common avatar names and group titles above avatar head. That awakened my interest and I changed the environment to midday. After that I saw something what surprised me. I know that the avatar shape can have whichever forms and sizes, but this case was really stunner. Judge yourselves in the pictures. I know this avatar and I also know that he lives in SL only in this inhuman form. Very good job!

The MP3 Generation a.k.a. Einstein Generation

I would not dream of that, where the traces of Second Life can appear in Real Life. Nobody is surprised that SL is discussed in all possible information medias like TV, newspapers or the Internet. However, I have never dreamed that the SL traces reached 10 000 meters above the Earth’s surface. When I was on a board plane from Vienna to Madrid, I have red and paged some magazine, which have been to disposal for the traveling. And what I found? Nice interesting article, which is little bit longer, but yet still interesting.

DVDs took over from video-tapes, CDs from vinyl records, MP3s from hi-fi systems, iPods from the old stereo in the living room, Play Stations from videogames, and the iPhone took over form almost all of them. Music, photos, videos and the Internet. The wireless online revolution has arrived at our homes, transforming our lives. If you’re not at the forefront of technology, it’s game over.

If you’re not chatting over Microsoft Messenger, sending texts messages and connecting to the internet with your mobile phone, listening to music on your MP3 and uploading videos to YouTube, making millions friends on sites such as MySpace and Tuenti, using GPS devices to find your way around and publishing wiki blogs, you are not making use Bluetooth, umt, edge and wi-fi technology. These gadgets, all of which include integrated or online applications, have turned our lives into a fascinating multimedia spectacle.
Technological fusion is already transforming Internet services and the way we use digital devices. We live in a wireless world, which lends us freedom and portability. And the devices we use are all in one: with a single click we can listen to Madonna’s latest song in MP3 format, look online photographs of a friend’s holidays on the other side of the world, listen to our favorite radio station and play real-time Age of Mythology with cousin living in London.
The fact is that, years after the heyday of Generation X, whose members discovered the Internet as adults, and used it mainly as a source of information, a new generation has invaded the public scene. This is not just another bunch of kids, but what has come to be known as the “Einstein Generation”, many of whose members are already in their 20s.
Computer are not longer glorified typewriters, and have become a social tool: chats, instant messaging, blogs, virtual communities, etc. Never before has the Internet fulfilled, to this extent, one of its self-confessed aims: to bring together similar people who live in distant places, or those who simply share a hobby.
This digital “stargate” take us to that imaginary, yet still very real, space in which exist social networks, such as Facebook, YouTube, MySpace or Bebo, places where we can advertise our services, find partners, attract customer and exchange information. I four or five years, 50 million people will be living in a second, and virtual, life. Here, politicians will conduct their campaigns (some already do), countries will open their embassies, work opportunities will be available, and there will be sex, money and gambling. It might be on Second Life or in other virtual universes, which are yet to emerge. It is already to buy land and erect buildings to set up business or open a bar, to flirt, to play and to dance. A no-man’s land, in which younger generations are the lords and masters.
The digital abyss between new and “old” generations is expanding at a worrying pace. The biggest paradox is that, despite the increasing of amount of money and resources being invested, technological segregation continues to grow. Members of the lowest social-economic tier are at risk of being left out of a revolution, which is re-defining future welfare. But even in the higher echelons of society, whose members have greater access to education, there exists a very vulnerable sub-group: elderly people. We are living in a dangerous world, and face an uncertain future.
By the, airplanes will be too scared to crash, yoghurts will say good morning to us before we eat them, and human consciousness will be stored on supercomputers, guaranteeing immortality for all.

(Source: IBERIA RONDA magazine, October 2008)

Miss SL Universe 2009

It is well known that there are many different competitions in Second Life and Miss is one of them. The Miss SL Universe 2009 will take place on Saturday 6^th December at 10:30 am SLT. The SL Newspaper informed about this event and the whole article can be to find here. The list of 20 candidates contains also representative of the Czech Republic. Lacey Alderson. Who is it? After simple SL search, her profile shows beautiful picture:



But I am surprised, she has in her language box: English, Typonese. And whereabouts Czech is, if she represents the Crech Republic? Who is this mystery beauty? Perhaps we found soon an answer.

Second Life 4

After longer pause when I had to devote to RL, the new contribution is coming. It will be small review of one project that is closely connected with Second Life. I don’t have to urge anybody how Second Life is extensive in a sense of its area or of number of active or inactive SL residents. Just read Economic Statistic Report and everybody can imagine it. Such a huge space is overfilled by all possible information that to obtain, to find or to handle their bigger part is absolutely impossible. The communication either personal or by force of the different interest groups has to be main and motive motor inside SL. Every avatar is certainly a member of some group and he/she usually receives different type of information, e.g. notice about taking place of some event like an exhibition, a wedding, a party, etc. It could be also a message that is highly important for the group members.
However, the limited number of groups in avatar profile doesn’t achieve to register bigger amount of information. Further possibility is a usage of Search inside of SL. It has not to be easy to handle this technique. Sometimes it is difficult to obtain relevant information, even if the system of SL Search is same as whichever known searching in Internet. However, I think that the system of bookmarks for search in categories and subcategories is high sophisticated to successful finding of anything in SL Search. In RL, except the classical media – newspapers, journals or TV – also Internet is important source of information about SL. First of all, the specialized blogs purvey much information about that, what is happening in SL.
I would like to introduce to you just one of such blogs or many blogs, respectively, how I will explain later. First, how do I found this project? It was coincidentally also through one blog. It was published in article about Ancapistan Capital Exchange (ACE) at www.secondlife.cz. Since this exchange seemed interesting for me, so I started to trade, but about that other time perhaps. I found the following hyperlink The Second Life News Paper (SLNP) at ACE web presentation. SLNP is a virtual daily about SL. Avatar JamesT Juno is founder and CEO and his SL partner Dana Vanmoer is co-foundress. These two together with team of realization (20 persons) created the most read newspaper in SL. Although SLNP is classical web homepage, the individual sections have the blog feature. And which specifically:

Finance – The business world of Second Life
People – All about the people columns, interviews and newbie tips
Explore – Place to see, things to do in our amazing new world
Events – Articles about events that have taken plus news on upcoming
Design – Fashion news plus all about things that have been created
M.A.C.E. – Music, Arts, Culture and Entertainment
Red Light – A heaving industry in SL, but where should you go?
Extra Extra – Mostly fictional stories and columns plus occasional PR

As I said, each of these sections is blog. So, if you use RSS service, you have no problem to be informed in time. You can visit main office here.

Main Entrance

Inner Yard

Under Stars at Midnight

Second Life 3 Once Again

So, Angara is still gloomy and dark place. The sky is still drowned in the darkness during the day, only in the night it shines with the billion stars. The dark recesses and the secret staircases attracts to the insight. Something is moving in the dark, the strange noises are reaching our ears. Is something approaching or moving away? Angara is not resided only the avatars, but sometimes also other creatures are appearing. Lived corpses – zombies.

Me and Stars

The Stars

Zombie 1

Zombie 2

Lost in the Darkness

Zombie Attack

Escape

Second Life 3

Ce qui embellit le désert, dit le petit prince, c'est qu'il cache un puits quelque part…

(“What makes the desert beautiful,“ said the little prince, "is that somewhere it hides a well...“)

Antoine de Saint Exupéry

Yes, the desert is a strange place. These are the never-ending places of the sand dunes and also of moving sand, which gives downfall. This is the place, where the torrid sun troubles the tired wanderers. This is the place, where the sky is full of the stars so closed to anyone like never. Sometimes the wail wind runs around and the sand tempest comes. What is constant, these are only “ships of the desert” – the camels and the fata morgana. This is an optical phenomenon, which owes its own name to mythic Morgana La Fey. It is hopeless to search the lost cities in the sand. Maybe only the silent oasis can wet the dry lips and strengthen the body before the further wandering.
Is it a fiction or a reality? It is a question. Maybe such desert exists in RL and maybe not. Angara Desert is another desert at Angara. Some ghost city was built there as an apocalyptic vision of the total loss and of the vainness inspired by the The Resident Evil phenomenon. It is both the Role Play Area and the shopping area. It is:

Being and Order

Downfall and Chaos

Army and Transport

The Crash and the End

Elsewhere Far Out of Us

The Death in the Sand

The Tower Break Down

The Explosion

The Contact with the Outer World

The Three Sisters

Time to Fight

The Tunnel

The Lights in the Darkness

The Quiet Oasis

The Way of the Being

The Inside

The View to the Eternity

The Destroyed Life

The Last or the Lost Train?

Second Life 2

Everybody is born and Second Life is not an exception of that. Although the avatar is not born naked, unlike the real world, anyway he/she would like to belong somewhere. To be a part of something, to be a member of some community, to find friends, anyway to belong somewhere. Same or similar history befell also me after my materializing in the world of Second Life. I also groped a lot of, but I learned myself, but as I wrote elsewhere I had absolutely excellent mentor. One could expect that it shouldn’t span long time and I found the community of Czech and Slovak (CS) here, as I am Czech even though from Moravia. However, something was still missing. Some strong point, where I could return and where the main gross of CS avatar is concentrated. There was nothing for long time, no place and no island. However, then it happened something what all awaited. The mists of Avalon disappeared. Word for word. The city called Bohemia rose on part of island behind the AVALON DESIGN shop behind the rock. However, it is necessary to search Bohemia in Second Life under the old name of my country – Czechoslovakia, but only temporarily. This city doesn’t exist anymore. It is only in memory of them that was there or in a form of ones and zeros as pictures in PC. What was there then? Watch the video here.

AVALON DESIGN SHOP


Avalon

So, back to Avalon yet. Do you know that Avalon or also Avignon are two names of mythic island of apple trees and Celtic priesthoods? The Celtic word abal means apple. In fact, it is the island, where the human souls come. They say that the mythic island Avalon is rest place of the legendary king Arthur and of his wife and where the sword Excalibur was forged. By the way, the shop AVALON DESIGN is still at the Avalon island a and it is excellent shop with skins. The owner name is known for Czech and Slovak community. It is Vilem Beaumont. He is also the author of SL fantasy adventure „Catacombs of Avalon“. The mists of Avalon covered up Bohemia for some time to appear in new beauty at new place after that. The new island Czechoslovakia with city Bohemia appeared. The Old City and New City expanded on flock of other nice places and buildings as the time goes. A little remained, a little changed or was changed and a little disappeared forever. What remains are the inhabitants of the city, who have taste here to stay and live. On the other hand, also the invisible men those care for city and so on. The following pictures maybe are not the characteristic sample, but look over.

Old City Place


Old City Place


Chapel in the park


New City - Radio Building


New City - O₂ Telefónica


Old City - pub


CR Police Station


New City - Infopoint


(Zdroj: Wikipedia)