2008.11.06 13:00 - "You've never lived until you've almost died"

The guardian for this meeting was Storm Nordwind. The comments are Storm's.

I was tinkering with the new pavilion build. And Fael was experimenting with water effects.

Adams Dubrovna: Hi Storm :)
Storm Nordwind: Hi Adams
Fael Illyar: Hi Storm, Adams :)
Adams Dubrovna: Hi Fael :)
Storm Nordwind: Hi Fael
Storm Nordwind: Just experimenting :)
Adams Dubrovna: ah
Storm Nordwind: I have busy all week so have not had a chance to be here
Adams Dubrovna has been here a fair number of times
Storm Nordwind wonders what Fael is doing
Adams Dubrovna: maybe fishing?
Fael Illyar just had an idea of how to perhaps make more realistic looking water and is trying it out.
Storm Nordwind sometimes wonders what realistic really is :)
Fael Illyar: well, it can be many things :)
Fael Illyar: well, I wonder if this is any better :)
Storm Nordwind: Different rather than better
Storm Nordwind: Interesting
Storm Nordwind: Reminds me of the counter flowing waters I have in a waterfall somewhere
Fael Illyar: could perhaps work better with 3 different ones :)
Storm Nordwind: Shame about the seam
Fael Illyar: well, these are the only textures I have handy :)
Storm Nordwind nods

I mentioned the strange effect of avatars gradually disappearing through the floor.

Storm Nordwind: By the way, I found that the "sinking feeling" is nothing to do with the build here
Fael Illyar: sinking feeling?
Storm Nordwind: people gradually sinking into the floor
Fael Illyar: I've had that happen in the old pavilion as well.
Storm Nordwind: Me too
Storm Nordwind: But I've now had that happen on the grass beyond the pavilion
Storm Nordwind: Which points to LL physics or a viewer bug
Adams Dubrovna: or quicksand
Storm Nordwind smiles at that insight!
Adams Dubrovna: or witchcraft
Adams Dubrovna knows his medieval science
Storm Nordwind: Or any kind of normal magic
Storm Nordwind knows his modern magic too
Adams Dubrovna ducks
Fael Illyar smiles.
Adams Dubrovna: real life is calling me. I have to go. Bye :)
Storm Nordwind: Oh!
Storm Nordwind: Bye for now

All this talk of magic and Adams leaves. And I'm sure I have not knowingly turned anyone into a frog. At least not during a Play as Being session.

Storm Nordwind looks around and considers all the suggestions for the place
Fael Illyar: and I'm half AFK as well :)
Fael Illyar: just got home and tackling a mountain of email
Storm Nordwind: No problem. I don't mind a low workload this evening! :)
Storm Nordwind is trying to remember all the dimensions of the place... but it's been so long since he built it

A visitor arrived and we were quickly and enthusiastically engaged in conversation. We talked about a little about the uses and advantages of Second Life.

Storm Nordwind: Hello Miguelito
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: Hello Storm
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: Hello Fael
Storm Nordwind: have you been here before?
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: I think I tripped through here yesterday. Certainly looks familiar
Storm Nordwind: We have regular meetings here, every 6 hours, but there are not many people here at the moment!
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: I understood. Lagtime kind of messes things up a bit
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: What kind of meetings?
Storm Nordwind: Did you pick up a notecard when you were here last time?
Fael Illyar is just half here.
Fael Illyar: Hello Miguelito
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: I think so. how do you check?
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa accepted your inventory offer.
Storm Nordwind: It will be the same as the one i just gave you! ;)
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: I found it also...thanks. Yep, I was here. So is 1 or both of you with Kira?
Storm Nordwind: Yes
Storm Nordwind: I am part of Kira and we are both part of the Play as Being project
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: Kool, so this is to talk about (for lack of better words) the 'psychology' of SL?
Storm Nordwind: hmm...
Fael Illyar: more like exploration of the mind.
Storm Nordwind nods
Fael Illyar: not strictly SL related.
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: I like that idea.
Storm Nordwind: SL is just a medium for communicating between us
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: In speaking about SL I see the opportunity for people to live out what they may not be able to.
Storm Nordwind: That is certainly a use for SL
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: While you're not conducting 'therapy' per se, it opens doors if used judiciously
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: Not just that, but I can see this being a total blast on the personal level
Storm Nordwind: It can open doors, but that is not the purpose of this group
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: I'm looking at the possibility of corp mtgs and training.
Storm Nordwind: Sure. I do the same.
Fael Illyar has found SL therapeutic in many ways, even though there's been nothing that was supposed to be that.
Storm Nordwind: But that is only part of my work here
Fael Illyar: helps open your eyes to many things.
Storm Nordwind nods at Fael
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: I can see that. I wandered through a Zen garden earlier. Much like that, one can find this therapeutic.
Storm Nordwind: I have a large terraced garden just near here too
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: I've tried to explain this to others at work. It's hard for them to 'see'the potential
Storm Nordwind: Ah yes... and that is why corp mtgs often do not catch on... unless it grows from within SL itself
Fael Illyar: SL is something you have to experience to understand.
Storm Nordwind: Imposing from outside rarely works
Fael Illyar: it's our low tech "The Matrix" :P
Storm Nordwind smiles
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: Agreed. I prefer that others 'self discover'things like this. They can then gain a better understanding and acceptance
Storm Nordwind nods in agreement
Fael Illyar: yes, one can only wait.
Storm Nordwind: By the way, may I quote your words and include your name on our website in the chat log of this meeting?
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: There is a book called the 'The Thinkers Tool Kit'that discusses various problem solving methods
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: It also goes briefly into how people think and process info. Gave me a much better grasp on why some people dont 'get it'.
Storm Nordwind: Many people are barely aware of the so-called real world. It is a lot to expect that that sort of person will alslo 'get' this! :)
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: Very true
Storm Nordwind: Just checking, in case you missed my question MiguelitoM4: may I quote your words and include your name on our website in the chat log of this meeting?
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: Sure
Storm Nordwind: Thank you :)
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: A friend of mine was recently injured, rather nasty deal. He told me how he appreciated things a bit more.
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: I told him few people truly understand the saying 'you've never lived until you've almost died'.
Storm Nordwind nods
Storm Nordwind: Or in the words of the 60s song "You don't know what you've got till it's gone"
Storm Nordwind recalls that was actually 1970
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: You're either well versed or telling on yourself :)
Storm Nordwind: I saw her sing it :)
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: I only heard it on the record player and radio (AM)
Storm Nordwind: MiguelitoM4, may I ask what time zone you are in?
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: Central
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: Or Romeo (I think)
Storm Nordwind: Central EU or central US? :)
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: Central US
Storm Nordwind: I see.
Storm Nordwind: Well there are often more people here in the evening your time
Storm Nordwind: That would be 9pm
Storm Nordwind: For Fael and me, we are in Europe, and we either get Europeans here at this time or Americans that work at odder hours than most! :)
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: I'm tied to a computer at times. Work, home, coffee shop.
Storm Nordwind: I know someone who runs a coffee shop and visits here!
Storm Nordwind: So you are interested in exploring the mind?
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: So how are people in your part of EU taking the election of Barak Obama?
Storm Nordwind: Hi Pema.
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: I tire of news
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: Hello Pma
Pema Pera: Hi Storm, Miguel, Fael!
Fael Illyar: Hi Pema :)
Storm Nordwind: Well MiguelitoM4, we are loving it although... I have to say... we usually steer clear of that subject in these groups! :)
Storm Nordwind smiles
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: No worries.

At this point my screen went blank. My laptop had switched itself off. :-O I checked everything and all seemed OK. It had never happened before. Somewhere in the finer and deeper recesses of Being there was perhaps a reason! :) Pema very kindly continued logging for me after he saw the tell-tale swirl of sparks from my missing avatar.

Fael Illyar: but I did see an interesting picture yesterday. It had the states listed by the average IQ and who the state ended up voting for as a whole.
Pema Pera: hehe, that must have been a joke, right?
Fael Illyar: could be :)
Fael Illyar: didn't bother to check the sources the picture cited
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: Amazing how much can be learned from studying habits
Pema Pera: today in the New York Times there was a very telling map which showed that something like 80% of the "surface area" of the US voted Republican . . . .
Pema Pera: showing that people in densely populated areas vote predominantly Democratic
Pema Pera: quite amazing to see
Pema Pera loves statistics
Fael Illyar: :)
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: I do too. When they're in my favor!
Pema Pera: :)
Pema Pera: btw, Miguel, nice to meet you -- is this your first time here?
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: My pleasure. Yes it it. I'm sure I'll be here more frequently
Pema Pera: glad to hear that! May I ask what other kind of places and activities in SL you have explored so far?

I re-emerged into Second Life, none the wiser for the cause of my demise but recalling our visitor's comment "you've never lived until you've almost died" with a certain irony!

Fael Illyar: wb Storm :)
Storm Nordwind: Thank you. My entire machine crashed
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: This is day two here. I'm new and learning.
Pema Pera: wow! Welcome to SL then, in addition to welcome to PaB
Fael Illyar: oh right, Pema is also part of Kira :)
Pema Pera: Actually, I'll hop over to the Kira Cafe
Pema Pera: Feel free to come along, Miguel: we're gathering there, whoever wants, every day at 2 pm
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: Thanks. Pema, as an astrophysicist do you look at this from a philosophical view?
Pema Pera: (we call it happy hour)
Storm Nordwind: Well worth a visit :)
Storm Nordwind: And it's only a short walk from here - and a ride!
Pema Pera: ah, yes, why don't you take the ride! I'll hop over to see whether anyone is waiting there. See you in five minutes, I guess!
Storm Nordwind: Sure
Storm Nordwind: Want to come Miguelito?
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: I'll be there.
Storm Nordwind: I'm going to walk and then take a balloon ride
Storm Nordwind: There's room for two! :)
MiguelitoM4 Quintessa: I'll port over. Have to take a call.\
Storm Nordwind: k
Fael Illyar: I guess I'll join you for the ride, Storm :)
Storm Nordwind: Fine. :)

We talked off to take the balloon ride to the Kira Cafe.