As I continue my brief "Big things" series, I'd be remiss to overlook the Big Duck.
I have belabored the genius of Flopsie McArdle before but when I ran into Flopsie recently, she revealed that her fabulously chipped and corny Big Duck (which you can purchase at Flopsie's Main Iron Fist SMERSH store) is based on a REAL Big Duck. She drives past the outlandish thing on Long Island, in her Real Life.
So first a link to the surreally "real" Big Duck: http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/2173
Followed by Flopsie's virtual Big Duck near the Starlust Motel:
And finally, since I no longer see my Voxmates with any frequency, I want to show off a look because I am a vain, narcissistic little avatar who is VERY proud of his recently acquired giant pants, and only acts nice so you will give him your undivided attention:
Our landlady has to sell so Arta and I must find a new SL home soon - "join the club" our friends are thinking :)
This video is about how it feels to leave a place behind. I hope you enjoy it!
The streaming address is:
http://www.megavideo.com/?v=LVCERB3Z
If necessary you can download it in 20-30 min at http://www.megaupload.com/?d=B9317VCA.
Please listen with sound up and earphones if possible. And please let me know if you have trouble - Arta had difficulty, which was rather maddening cuz it's dedicated to him.
Tech-observant types will notice:
At high graphics settings I get good detail but some jerky camera.
Yes I am using my new SpaceNavigator, hence the ability to pan continuously through the environment. As Arta notes $60 is expensive for essentially a glorified mouse, but the navigation and camera motion is really liberating.
Lag increased as I panned in our script-heavy home. Which was beneficial in a way, because it required me to record separate scenes, and I think that made the structure much more affecting than a single tracking shot.
On the last day of Spikey's Immanion beach house, I took some HD/stereo video of the premises (in addition to all the photos).
For the hi-def streaming version go to http://www.megavideo.com/?v=29UDTH9B
When you first click play, a separate advertising window will open - close it and click the play button again.
Try to listen on earphones or with good speakers. I spent hours adjusting track volume and panning (stereo positioning of sound), which change as I wander around the property (that's me in my inception outfit).
You're right, SL doesn't actually sound this rich - I ADDED extra birdcalling, burbling brook, wind and thundering surf.
Techie notes: This movie also shows how jumpy mouse-and-alt camera controls are, which is why I can't wait to receive my smooth-panning Spacenavigator! This vid is also a bit jerkier than usual because I inadvertently recorded to my internal hard drive (doh!). I just nabbed a brand new Seagate Firewire800 external hard drive, yes I spend $$ on my geek toys but at least I don't buy sports cars, that's my excuse. Audio: I added three environmental-ambience tracks in Garage Band and used the track volume and panning controls.
If for some reason the megavideo doesn't stream, you can watch the You Tube version (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbXsIq82bzk), which is lower-def but still good audio. The hi-def file itself should you want it is available at http://www.megaupload.com/?d=KIFUM21F - it took Spikey about 20 minutes to download.
I just can't leave well enough alone - notice the greater reflection, depth and color of the water. I went into the "custom" settings on my graphics preferences and did both sky and water adjustments.
Plus, I confess, I cropped and worked some color adjustments in photoshop. It's fun to learn this stuff :)
I was saddened to hear the News but not surprised, who could be, islands have become so costly. It was lovely while it lasted, our Immanion, wasn't it? I remember so many of my friends from random encounters on Immanion and Lionstar. Anyway, to share a few pix from this week:
Yes, it DOES hurt but I couldn't resist . . .
No, "Stinger" has nothing to do with Immanion, I was dancing at a place Ima invited me to and Riot had the biggest darn stinger I have ever been scared by.
Nice yes? And below poses the (rather narcissistic) seaside boy after a day on the docks, the surf and the beach. His sun-bleached hair powdered with sand and salt, his skin browned by wind and sun, I'm sure you get the idea here . . .
first the pic, which needs no explanation other than "oooooh"
By flick I don't mean the Wraeththu visionary, I mean movie. I have been messing with some new "machinima" software that records inworld video and audio. My puter won't handle vid at the best SL Viewer quality (that's reserved for serious gamer machines and Lindens) but I can record at high enough res for very clear footage on a 24-inch monitor.
So in the course of salsa-ing with another favorite photographic subject (or object if you will), I took a bit of video. Then I composed 25 seconds of faux salsa and I recorded it in Garage Band. My slow crawl toward cinematizing our SL continues! Here's the link to my little tryout:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjbHStGPgmQ
When I say I love the aesthetic variety of Second Life I mean there are so many pleasing environments - grungy diners, treehouses, beachouses, pagodas, artfilled skyhouses, Immanions, cute bluekat diners, you name it. Yes, I know I left out sex clubs, those too.
Dalia's Zheera Lotus has a distinctive beauty of its own, so brilliantly and boldly colored with corners that all manage to feel cozy.
My problem with easter egg hunts, or hunts in general, is distraction. Something draws me away and then I can't remember where I was looking. For example, you're about to cross a bridge and find yourself before a magnificent pink-lit amphibitile, which someone will probably tell me is a character from an online game, I know nothing, people are forever enlightening me on yet another game I've never played. Sakito pretended to be surprised when I took pictures - "me, stunning?" Oh PLEASE.
I did find ONE set of eggs, and was quite thrilled and braced for further searching when I was distracted by a lovely stream bangled with drifting lotus-shaped boats for two . . . now what was I searching for again?
And then a cast of tiny charming people who looked recognizable from other Hollywood roles surrounded me, laughing and cheering in weird sped-up voices, and told me how to find the . . . wait, that was another story, but it all felt so REAL, and you were there, and you and you and you too . . . but you couldn't have been, could you? And all the while I just kept saying, I want to go home, I want to go home, and then I realized I WAS home, sitting in front of a 24-inch monitor with my mouth hanging open, tasting stale popcorn and tranported to a lovely dream . . .
No I didn't find any more eggs, you only ask to hurt my feelings, you know perfectly well I didn't, but I arrived at the Archway to Eternal Bliss and was about to pass through it when I was distracted by a couple of shops, and when I tried to retrace my steps I found that I had lost my way forever . . .
Wednesday nights can be a bane or a joy, I never know which when I go in. First I visited Dalia and Kyne and other friends but then came the Lonely Aimless phase of the evening, where I did the bored dance ALONE!!
But then in course of shopping for something or other I found a SALOON, so I had to get back out the western duds and go crazy, although I was still by myself.
You know, as you wander around SL you are reminded that the place really is an explosion of creativity!
This is Artificial Isle, where I continued to shop for something or other - the layout reminds me of Myst.
Not that I wasn't IMing constantly, I was, so "alone" is relative I suppose. I finished by relaxing at the beach house - ahhhhh!!
A lovely arojhahn to celebrate spring arriving FINALLY. Our hienama had some thought-provoking words as always, and I shall quote a few:
Florinel is stricken with the rush that is new life and love and he can do not but adore his Love, singing to the flowers, awaiting the time. Both have within themselves the certainty of the brightness of the future.
Take their lessons, and be free...be free of those things, those chains that hold you back.
The sun sits frozen in the heavens...for this night....time stands still.
Stand outside, look at the world as it waits to begin the Lengthening of Days...make your decision.
Behind Sinji Eve and Spikey listen and prepare to call their quarters, midst the lovely flowers courtesy of Floral Master Primster Spikey!!
Ima flew in with her tiny wings, which make a delightful humming sound as she flits from blossom to blossom. Center we see that Kisho, rarely seen of late alas, bestows his golden-winged presence, and to the right stands the always-artful Linx.
At left we see the inception-ready Xidoraven, who will be called Xido if I have anything to say about it, the adorably Nekotic Jeremy, and my own darling housemate Arta preparing to call his quarter (yours truly made up the fourth, calling Lunil).
Another shot of those fantastic flowers from Spikey. I love how so many British people can tell one flower from another!
As Xidoraven learned, no Wraeththu partay is complete without our notorious Handwalking Competition, made more difficutl by the soft sands of the Bay of Sinji. I felt that Kisho had an unfair advantage, as he is able to lighten his weight by fanning his powerful wings, but as you all know I'm not one to complain.
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Matisse Rivera said:
Awws, not another one! Poor Cru 'n Arta. Come to Skye Condos, I'll do some walls for you if you... read more
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As you SHOULD be I would be worried if you weren't!!! read more
on Big Duck, Little Poof