Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Circle

Circle and its boundary called round are not only geometric objects that troubles students in lectures of mathematics. Circle and rounded shapes in general are nice to see and to touch. One speaks about magical properties of circle. Therefore, many amulets have such shape. Often different things and people are placed to form circle. There is circle symbol for Ying and Yang. Stones and steles are in circle in Stonehenge. Also Second Life is full of such circles, rounds and their 3D-complements – balls and spheres.

However, I would like to talk about other circle. Actually, one speaks that circle has no beginning and no end. This thing has been reminded me after opening and reading of one Email today morning. The beginning is distant time depths of my activity here in SL and it is connected with one small space under a sewerage lid. So, the starting point is at distant Valuta sim. Shinyland was the next stop and also one Friday’s evening. Many people came to nice office there and they listened somebody from the real world, how she presents them one project. The RL picture exhibition and meeting with real people that are part of this project were the next point. Also I met one avatar there that is responsible for this thing in SL. And therefore, it is not always enough exhibitions and parties in SL, so, one exhibition is installed on board ship SS Galaxy, which is anchoring by our Bohemia coast now. It is next point. And what party? Thus, one party will be on Saturday May 2 just on SS Galaxy at 7:00 PM our time (GMT +1, 10:00 AM PDT).

Circle is closed. But is it really circle? After all I said that circle has no beginning and no end. Yes, it is circle, because according definition: “Circle is a part of a plane bounded by a round and the round is set of all points that have same distance from on point, then center.” Just this project is for me the center. How you are already supposing, it is Bwindi Orphans. I wrote about it here. And these points are all my stops (see above). Last but not least, these points are all avatars that contributed to good thing with help of magic pink pigs. They are the avatars that just stand in same right distance from the center to create circle.

Thanks that you are here!

SLurls: Bohemia, Shinyland, SS Galaxy

Immersiva

I have written about my satori in previous contribution called Seeking. During my way to satori I have visited also bizarre sim Immersiva. It was strange world with curious objects. Today, it has reminded me some video made by ColeMarie Soleil. I have added also another one from her YouTube profile. Judge yourselves!

(Sources: Immersiva, YouTube, New World Notes)



Immersi

Monday, April 27, 2009

Remembrance

The remembrances are as the wind. They come unexpectedly and then go away again. They are our memory. We cannot imagine our life without them ourselves. We need them and in the same time, we suppress them as well. We do not admit it, but it is truth.

On April 21 this year, the so-called “Day of Remembrance” was the second time in Second Life. It is remembrance of them, who lived with us in SL, but their wandering finished in RL. People together planted flowers at small cemetery and sent lightening candles with concrete name to the large sea plains.

The Lindens Memorial Park is large peace area situated on the 12 sims. It is not allowed anybody to script or to build, also there is no music any movies. It is the place of quiet and peace. It is the place of large waterfalls in central area near to Shrine of Remembrance.

On the Memorial Beach in northwest, one can used candles as memory on somebody. Take and wear whichever candle, click on it and write avatar’s name into Local Chat. Then go in the sea, not so far from bank and click again candle and select Launch. You will see.

The large Forest of Past gives a lot of time to walk and to remember as other quite places.

Silence is presented insofar that it has evoked me words from one Enigma’s song:
„Silence must be heard…“
So, let us listen.

(SLurls: Linden Memorial Park, Memorial Beach)

Linden Memorial Park


Shrine of Remembrance


Shrine of Remembrance


Small Cemetery


For Vanda


Way to Eternity

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Earth Week

Every year from year 1969 on April 22, so-called International Earth Day is celebrated. It should be originally and ecologic holiday and also a protest against Vietnam War and birthday celebration of V.I. Lenin. Nowadays however, it is more about interconnection of ecology and politics. So, it will be also same in Second Life, in sense of celebration of course. Earth Week will go on from April 18 till April 26. This campaign will cover huge amount of activities like live music concerts, exhibitions, tours, discussions etc. Also, the big institutions amount will attend from the whole world, e.g. Center of Water Studies, University Innsbruck, Amnesty International, etc.

The detailed program is on this blog and also in Facebook group. Also it is open big photo contest as The White House has also informed on its blog. The pictures can be placed on Flickr or Koinup.

(Sources: Koinup, Flickr, The White House blog, Wikipedia.org)

Sand Dunes


Temple


Isabela


Countryside

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Common and/or uncommon day in SL and RL

It happened several days ago. Concretely on April 9. All began as usual everyday way to my work by train and then by tram. I got off tram near to the botanical garden of my alma mater – Masaryk University in Brno. I looked towards opposite street side and I spotted it. Some sakura blossomed behind fence. Btw., sakura is my love spring tree. It looked as a vision from other world in this morning vapor. It was about quarter to seven. I was full of energy.

As I saw this tree I had remembered movie The Last Samurai, where Algren and Katsumoto discussed in the garden with blossomed sakuras:

Algren: There is Life in every breath...
Katsumoto: That is, Bushido.

Katsumoto: The perfect blossom is a rare thing. You could spend your life looking for one, and it would not be a wasted life.


Later, one my friend called me in SL. He was about nine month away. He restored his former club and invited me to the opening party. Unfortunately, I had to apologize myself due to some things in RL. Fortune showed a smile to me again during my wander at Slovakia sim in CCaS club. I met Tristan Delpiaz. He is also my old friend. It was very nice discussion.

My work passed in good tempo and then I walked to the city center to drink glass of good wine in my favorite wine bar in some old convent. The atrium garden was open and my Rl fiend sat there. So, we told about life and so on in spring sunlights. He was not alone there and later they gone. After that, my other friends came. They are husband and wife Cizek and every Thursday with them is nice days. But I had to leave bar as I said above, some action in RL.

Unfortunately, it was the nastiest experience of this day, so-called house meeting of occupant of our house (Note: There are 24 flats in our house). I had expected a bit, how this meeting would be. But what the neighbors showed there, it surpassed all my visions. There were envy and hate, arrogance, communication inability, compromise inability, slander each other, etc. I left it after about one hour. Maybe I behaved cowardly, but what is too much, it is too much. I escaped in SL world.

After client start, I received several notices. So, I flew to the party, where I was invited in the morning. There was crowded and super music. I tried once or twice sploder, but I almost lost. Party came near to end and a waiter asked me in RL, what game I played. I was in net café. He told me that he had showed me several times, how I was sitting silently and looking at screen of my notebook.

So, he became my first real and no virtual listener, whom I introduce Second Life. During talking, we flew from an island to other one to outline him the SL atmosphere. I spoke about SL general, what one can do here, about SL economy etc. He listened me whole time. Sometime he asked me about something, but he was not downright negative to SL phenomenon. He said that it was surely interesting. But later, we told about other things. I had to go home to sleep. I tell usually with liking in SL: „I go to hug my pillow.”

The next day, sakura was there but other. An aura disappeared.

Wine Bar

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Bwindi Orphans

A return to the roots can be very long, sad or painful, on the other hand also cheerful and very emotional. It has happened me yesterday, even if I have gone only back to the roots like such a human being, like Homo sapiens. Our ancestors come from the heart of black continent – from Africa. And just this continent has blown on me by an opening of pictures of children from Uganda. It was an exhibition called Bwindi Orphans – Orphans from Uganda in pictures. The exhibition is situated in an atrium of Faculty of Social Studies of Masaryk University Brno, Czech Republic till 22.04.2009.

I would like to mention several words about this project. Bwindi Orphans is a Czech non-profit organization, which organizes adoption of Uganda children. It operates in an area around Bwindi in southwest Uganda at the border with Rwanda and The Democratic Republic of Congo. There is a national park known for its big population of mountain gorillas, which are the main touristic crowd-puller here. The second area lies around town Soroti at opposite northeast Uganda end. The organization engages in


  • funding of school attendance and essential needs of children
  • rising a level and quality of schools attended by children
  • ensuring regular medical and dental care for children
  • organizing courses in practical skills which may later help children to earn living
  • looking for opportunities how older children or families may sell their hand-made products
  • improving living conditions of people in Uganda in cooperation with other international organizations
  • providing publicity and information about current situation in Uganda
  • arranging educational tours to Uganda including accommodation directly in villages


The opening has been very pleasant and richly colored by African music in front with Karel Herman from Cankisou band. You can look at some small video on YouTube. This one was made as an order just for Bwindi Orphans.




Thus, Bwindi Orphans has sponsored 140 children yet form year 2006. But the most important thing was the following news. Katerina Andrlova, the project coordinator, has said us that the finances are cumulated to build no state private school for these children in Soroti.

Small office is open also in Second Life at Shinyland sim and opening premiere was last Friday 03.04.2009 in the evening. Katerina Andrlova was in direct contact into SL via voice and she answered a lot of questions close to two hours. You can find there some pictures, which are at the exhibition and Karel Prihoda has made them. There is some possibility to support this school project with L$ amount using small pink pig. The other information is at this webpage, where your name appeared with relevant amount of lindens.

I have left this event with good feeling that somebody ever has done such things. There was also one nice thing this evening. Zuza Ritt has introduced me the main instigator of this project propagation in SL. It was nobody other than Fanda Ryba. In this moment, I have realized, when I met him for the first time and when he told me about this project.

It has taken me some time until I have remembered myself. There was on sim, where some cloaca lid was open. One could jump down into the underground, where the banks were or only one? Here, several people met each other. Here, Fanda told me about these children and showed me small shop, which was on the surface.

And thus the story began.

(Sources: BwindiOrphans.org, Virtualmagazine.cz, YouTube.com)

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Seeking

The world was drowning into the darkness of strange night. Only the stars shined in the sky with violet dawn. An old, maybe dead or live, tree towered its branches to the heights and it was surrounded by the strange objects and fired flames in the nearness. Only the curious structure suggested me some extragalactic ship from somewhere distant future or past? I look for something, but I cannot remember now, what it has to be.

Yes! Here it is! The broken heart rests in emptiness. Vainly, I look for an echo of the past and future days, but I found nothing. The fallen snowflakes water dry land as if they want to save everything, vainly. I will ask Moon, where to go to find the lost. It is vainness and silence. The dead tree doesn’t answer me.

There is next day again and sunrise in rustling grove. The trees whisper each other some old history about the ancient world without living creatures about the world full of large plains, which are broken by the mountain chains here and over there. It is the world of strange and silent machines. Maybe there I receive some answer to my question.

Light frozen in time. Moving of the sky spheres. Last quiver of life. Move and calm. Only a wheel of time plowing air and see, it shows me that it was not possible vain way. I hear some strange voice from somewhere: “You are almost at the end of your way. Do more one step a you find, what you look for.” I fell through the space and the darkness. After that, I was rising and flying up. There was only calm and peace around, birdcall, air rustling in the branches, fallen Moon reflections and shining dust of million stars. I found it!

„Satori.“












SLurls: Poetik velvets, AeroBreeze, Error, Immersiva