2009.07.08 19:00 - Shoes and Baba Ram Dass

The Guardian for this meeting was stevenaia Michinaga. The comments are by stevenaia Michinaga.

stevenaia Michinaga: hello Pema
stevenaia Michinaga: good news, I lassoed Sylectra to fill in for me this sunday and Next Wednesday
stevenaia Michinaga: I may try to attend via Iphone if I can remember to depart from here so I can arrive, but I won;t be able to claim the log
[19:03] Pema Pera is Offline
[19:04] Radar: Leaving chat range: Pema Pera
[19:04] Pema Pera is Online
stevenaia Michinaga: welcome back
Pema Pera: flaky internet connection
stevenaia Michinaga: did you catch my commets?
Pema Pera: and then I got those ennoying messages "you are logged out from SL, and you are not allowed to get in until 7:08 pm"
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
Pema Pera: I've never understood those -- fortunately, after three trials they did allow me in at 7:05 pm. Do you know what they mean by that, or why?
Pema Pera: As for your comments, no, sorry, missed them
stevenaia Michinaga: nope
stevenaia Michinaga: a question for Ade perhaps
stevenaia Michinaga: Since I will be on vacation next week, I lasso'd Sylectra to fill in for me this sunday and Next Wednesday
Pema Pera: oh great, thank you!
stevenaia Michinaga: I may try to attend via Iphone if I can remember to depart from here so I can arrive, but I won;t be able to claim the log
Pema Pera: with iphone it is only the local chat where you appear, right, like a kind of shared IM?
stevenaia Michinaga: group text, I appear as a cloud, I am told
Pema Pera: ah, better than nothing!
stevenaia Michinaga: only did it one or twice
Pema Pera: like a divine oracle . . .
stevenaia Michinaga: but I see all the text
stevenaia Michinaga: and can type
Pema Pera: that's great in itself
stevenaia Michinaga: I'll make sure I don;t leave from the center of the fountain
Pema Pera: like holding your ear to the door -- next step will be a small peek through the key hole!
stevenaia Michinaga: perhaps the new iPhones will offer new capabilities
stevenaia Michinaga: I'll let you know in a few years :)
Pema Pera: I know people working on getting a small image on there as well, here in Japan
stevenaia Michinaga: the "pone" part is becoming a smaller and smaller part of the device
Pema Pera: hahaha, yes indeed!
stevenaia Michinaga: *phone
Pema Pera: I wonder about devices slightly larger; a bit more screen would help a lot
stevenaia Michinaga: netbooks
Pema Pera: but of course it's a tradeoff, depending on how large your pockets are
stevenaia Michinaga: yes, those safari shorts will have a new reason for big pockets now
Pema Pera: I'm waiting for the fold-out screens, organic semiconductors -- should have been here by now, I thought a few years ago
stevenaia Michinaga: thin as film?
Pema Pera: yes, and flexible as film!
stevenaia Michinaga: they used them in that Val Kilmer movie about mars a few years back
stevenaia Michinaga: Sci Fi
Pema Pera: I didn't see it, was it a good movie?
stevenaia Michinaga: no, very bad
stevenaia Michinaga: hello Mir
Mir Finesmith: hello Steve and Pema
Pema Pera: Hi Mir!
stevenaia Michinaga: have you been here before?
Mir Finesmith: I'm a regular here, just exercising an alt in anticipation of (hopefully) having a freind try it to see Second Life
Mir Finesmith: Mr. X fo ronw :)
stevenaia Michinaga: thanks, then I will despense with the greeting and introduction
Mir Finesmith: so I am waiting for you to guess :)
stevenaia Michinaga: Pila
stevenaia Michinaga: ?
Mir Finesmith: too easy :)
Mir Finesmith: yep
Pema Pera: Not having said much yet, I find it hard to guess :-)
Pema Pera: you not having said much yet, I mean
stevenaia Michinaga: yes, regular and the only thing in your profile is Tai Chi
Mir Finesmith: I was going to give tai chi as a hint, as this avi looks like my most recent tai chi teacher
stevenaia Michinaga: :)
Pema Pera: hahaha
Mir Finesmith: a geek freind from Maui may appear in it soon, i hope
stevenaia Michinaga: so next time it won;t be you?
Mir Finesmith: hard to say, but if I had my druthers it would not be
Pema Pera: those amazing chi powers . . . :)
Mir Finesmith: :)
Pema Pera: well, I have to take off -- an early lunch seminar I have to attend here, in a different place on campus
Pema Pera: Peace, mr. Mir!
stevenaia Michinaga: interesting topic?
Mir Finesmith: bye Pema-san
stevenaia Michinaga: enjoy lunch
Pema Pera: probably, Steve, don't know yet -- two graduate students will talk about their ongoing research, half an hour each
Pema Pera: see you both soon again, in whatever incarnation!
Mir Finesmith: :)

Pema Departs, Paradise Tennant joins us

Mir Finesmith: hi Paradise
stevenaia Michinaga: hi Paradise
Paradise Tennant: hello Mir .. steve :))
Mir Finesmith: Mir is an alt of Pila :)
Mir Finesmith: warming hmi up for a freind to try visitng SL, I hope
Paradise Tennant: ahh hiya pila
Mir Finesmith: :)
Paradise Tennant: Nice
Paradise Tennant: how are you two tonight :)
Mir Finesmith: fine, thanks, and how are you?
stevenaia Michinaga: I;ll be on vacation next week w/o nightime internet...
Mir Finesmith: ahh, the music festival
stevenaia Michinaga: sylectra may be filling in my 2 slot
Paradise Tennant: very well thanks .. ahh but you will have great music !
stevenaia Michinaga: no already did that last week, jsut got back on sunday
Mir Finesmith: oh ...
Mir Finesmith: and how was it?
stevenaia Michinaga: this is the beach week coming
Mir Finesmith: :)
Paradise Tennant: stevie wonder rocked I would bet
stevenaia Michinaga: it rained for the most part
Paradise Tennant: nice ... love beach holiday's
Paradise Tennant: *holidays
Mir Finesmith: rain is a Hawaiian blessing
stevenaia Michinaga: yes, he was great, the rain stopped for hom
Paradise Tennant: :))
Paradise Tennant: it would
Paradise Tennant: brb back dog is whining for cheese !
Mir Finesmith: many ancient cultures held their ruler was responsible for the weather
stevenaia Michinaga: great until the weather turns bad
stevenaia Michinaga: jsut like we hold ours responsible for the economy
Mir Finesmith: reminds me of a very old joke
Paradise Tennant: lol
Mir Finesmith: there was once a king in an africa nation whose love for animals was extreme
Mir Finesmith: he imposed a rule on his people saying nothing could be done to harm any beast
Mir Finesmith: and all animals must be fed and cared for by everyone
Mir Finesmith: this became a great problem for the peole, and to so they deposed the king
Mir Finesmith: it was the first time in history that a regin was called on account of the game
stevenaia Michinaga: hello Hanna
Mir Finesmith: hi Hana
Paradise Tennant: lol

Hana Furlough joins us

Hana Furlough: hi everyone~
Paradise Tennant: hiya hana
stevenaia Michinaga: laughs
Mir Finesmith: Hana, Mir = Pila's alt
Mir Finesmith: just trying it out
Mir Finesmith: do oyu have alts Steve?
Mir Finesmith: that oyu cared to damit :)
Mir Finesmith: care to admit-
stevenaia Michinaga: no, I just change when I feel the need to tranform
Paradise Tennant: :))
stevenaia Michinaga: same name, new look
Mir Finesmith: yep
stevenaia Michinaga: although there are trusting souls that allow me to use their alts now and then
Mir Finesmith: :)

Shoes?

Paradise Tennant: hmm have the same hair as day one .. no alts.. but many many many shoes!
Paradise Tennant: :))
stevenaia Michinaga: interesting how people feel about that
Mir Finesmith: like Ismelda Marcos
stevenaia Michinaga: borrowing one's SL soul
Mir Finesmith: do you rememebr her Paradise?
Paradise Tennant: yes
Mir Finesmith: the wife of a Philippenes president
Mir Finesmith: zillions of shoes
stevenaia Michinaga: with many many shoes
Paradise Tennant: lol the imelda gene .. lurks in many a woman's dna
Mir Finesmith: :)

The topic of Open Sims comes up.

Mir Finesmith: speaking of alternates, have you seen any of the Open Sims?
Mir Finesmith: the new privately run virtual worlds?
Paradise Tennant: no ? open sims
Paradise Tennant: no
Paradise Tennant: within sl ?
Mir Finesmith: yes, Second Life released their source code
stevenaia Michinaga: hear of them from 3D
Paradise Tennant: oh wow
stevenaia Michinaga: heard
Mir Finesmith: soon anyone can have a SL server and their own regions
Mir Finesmith: but they are not yet connected to SL
Paradise Tennant: interesting
Paradise Tennant: business strategy
Mir Finesmith: yes, it seems to be
Mir Finesmith: eventually there be much more to do than just SL, but they started it
Mir Finesmith: you can use your SL browser to visit them
Mir Finesmith: already
stevenaia Michinaga: have you been to one, Mir?
Mir Finesmith: yes, several
Mir Finesmith: Nymf's rl husband has one
Mir Finesmith: Threedee has several
Mir Finesmith: it is still kind of geeky, but this is their clearinghouse and form here you can see them -- http://www.osgrid.org/elgg/
stevenaia Michinaga: world building
Mir Finesmith: yep, you can set up a SL server in your home and use it to learn building etc
Mir Finesmith: and also connect it to the osgrid
Mir Finesmith: so others can visit when it is running
Mir Finesmith: and all free
Paradise Tennant: so no costs like were associated with land ownership in sl? other than server time ?
Mir Finesmith: yes, all free
Paradise Tennant: lovely
Mir Finesmith: your server, your land :)
Paradise Tennant: neat
Mir Finesmith: to visit with the SL browser you can make an account at that link and then edit a copy of your SL shortcut in windows do it says
Mir Finesmith: "F:\Program Files\SecondLife\SecondLife.exe" -loginuri http://osgrid.org:8002 -loginpage http://osgrid.org/loginscreen.php -helperuri http://osgrid.org/
Mir Finesmith: or probably it would be "C:\..." for most people
Mir Finesmith: the part after .exe tells the SL borwser to log into the opengrid
Mir Finesmith: from then on it is just like SL
Mir Finesmith: with teleports to the connected servers
Paradise Tennant: wow
Mir Finesmith: they are really growing ... it will be interesting to see what it becomes
Mir Finesmith: Threedee is making virtual worlds for some universities I believe
Mir Finesmith: maybe someday Kira and PaB will be their own virtual world
Paradise Tennant: :))
Paradise Tennant: always thought the lindens had sort of a tom sawyer business model :))
Paradise Tennant: we will give you server space .. you build the product
Mir Finesmith: yep
Paradise Tennant: now .. you buy your own server and you build the product
Mir Finesmith: :)
Paradise Tennant: very innovative thinking
Mir Finesmith: what they are lacking is the integration Lindens gets from having so many connected servers in one business
Paradise Tennant: it taps into the addictiveness of creation :)
Mir Finesmith: so they do not yet have world currency, or easy exchange of scripts
Paradise Tennant: ahh kk
Mir Finesmith: but it will evolve
Mir Finesmith: and Linden may anticipate a role there, who knows
Mir Finesmith: the open source movement is definitely a creativity vehicle
stevenaia Michinaga: I must go, see you next sunday
Mir Finesmith: bye Steve

I depart, the log continues about "Baba Ram Dass"

Paradise Tennant: :))
Paradise Tennant: what was the topic tonight pila
Mir Finesmith: so far, none ... any ideas?
Paradise Tennant: yes one sec .. let me get a quote
Mir Finesmith: ok
Paradise Tennant: The quieter you become .. the more you can hear Baba Ram Dass .. very simple .. but profound ..we have so much internal chatter at times :))
Mir Finesmith: yes, it is a nice thought
Mir Finesmith: it is actually a succinct description of meditation :)
Paradise Tennant: yes
Mir Finesmith: did you ever see Ram Dass in person?
Paradise Tennant: and of peace
Paradise Tennant: no
Paradise Tennant: did you
Mir Finesmith: he is a good teacher
Mir Finesmith: yes
Mir Finesmith: he lived on Maui for a while during the last years I was there
Mir Finesmith: he used to have a monthly satsang at his house
Paradise Tennant: wow
Mir Finesmith: very nice, pot luck after
Paradise Tennant: :)))
Paradise Tennant: just amazing how small the world is :))
Mir Finesmith: http://www.ramdass.org/
Mir Finesmith: he had a stroke about ten years ago
Paradise Tennant: pretty sure it is less than six degrees of separation
Mir Finesmith: he has recovered well, but he is in a wheel chair and limited
Mir Finesmith: yes, I agree
Paradise Tennant: how old is he now
Mir Finesmith: we are all within reach of one another
Mir Finesmith: 80 something
Paradise Tennant: ah
Mir Finesmith: oh, born 1931
Mir Finesmith: 78
Mir Finesmith: he began as a psychology professor at Harvard, then went to India
Paradise Tennant: I have read some of his writings
Paradise Tennant: always found them very clear
Mir Finesmith: yes ... his stroke was February 1997
Mir Finesmith: his presence is very uplifting
Paradise Tennant: yes
Mir Finesmith: before the stroke he was extremely dynamic but gentle
Mir Finesmith: he took on people's energy and gave it back clean
Paradise Tennant: I have friends who study in france with sogyal rinpoche say mediating with him is very intense
Paradise Tennant: lovely
Mir Finesmith: now he is less dynamic but still accomplishes the same
Paradise Tennant: yes
Mir Finesmith: Ram Dass' book 'Be Here Now' was probably a real turning point in Western consciousness
Mir Finesmith: written for hippies but fill of yoga and meditation stuff
Paradise Tennant: what is hopeful about .. everything I have learned is that in essence . it is what we all are .. "buddha nature" whatever you want to call it
Mir Finesmith: full*/
Paradise Tennant: yes
Paradise Tennant: great book
Mir Finesmith: yes, and quietness is almost direct path to that essence
Paradise Tennant: "stillness speaks"
Mir Finesmith: he quieter you become .. the more you can see, also
Paradise Tennant: well .. it breaks down the self absorption allows you to use your senses .. observe ..
Mir Finesmith: yes
Mir Finesmith: senses rest below mental cognition
Mir Finesmith: they are just waiting for the mind to rest
Paradise Tennant: yes below abstract thought if you do not label ..judge
Paradise Tennant: would you like to do a mediation pila ? say 10 minutes .. sitting quiet :)
Mir Finesmith: sure -- first a chinese quote if I may: " the quieting of the spirit in the space of the ancestors, the taking possession of former Heaven"
Hana Furlough: i'm sorry everyone but i need to get going
Hana Furlough: have a wonderful day~
Paradise Tennant: good nite hana
Paradise Tennant: you too
Mir Finesmith: ok, nice to see you Hana -- bye bye
Mir Finesmith: well, that was a bit more than ten minutes ...
Paradise Tennant: :))
Paradise Tennant: thanks
Mir Finesmith: thank you
Mir Finesmith: a refreshing break
Paradise Tennant: always find meditation .. is more effective when shared :))
Paradise Tennant: yes
Mir Finesmith: yes, and even more so in person, in real life
Paradise Tennant: yes find that very much the case
Mir Finesmith: but surprisingly (to me) there is a similarity in SL
Paradise Tennant: very much
Paradise Tennant: so people are here too
Mir Finesmith: it may be just the sense of meditating at the same time
Paradise Tennant: their essence .. their attention
Mir Finesmith: yes
Mir Finesmith: the attention especially
Paradise Tennant: yes
Mir Finesmith: whereas in person it is an actual close sharing of energy
Mir Finesmith: or closer, at least
Paradise Tennant: hmm
Paradise Tennant: find their is energy here too
Mir Finesmith: yes, there is
Mir Finesmith: but can you identify the difference :) ?
Mir Finesmith: it is a challenge of sorts to me
Mir Finesmith: to distinguish how SL is different
Paradise Tennant: hmm
Paradise Tennant: well
Paradise Tennant: in a way .. it is more of someone's presence ..not their physical form
Mir Finesmith: yes
Paradise Tennant: it liberates one from categorizing your social interactions to people who are similar to you ..which we very much do in rl
Mir Finesmith: but the nature of their presence is presumed more than in RL, where you can see their form and smell them and hear their sounds
Paradise Tennant: mixes up the globe
Paradise Tennant: hmm
Mir Finesmith: but I agree, SL is a kind of filter in that it precludes some assumptions that could be made in RL social interaction
Paradise Tennant: on some levels much more superficial and others more profound
Mir Finesmith: I taught meditation classes in SL a couple of years ago for about six months
Mir Finesmith: it was difficult then to see exactly what the distinctions are, and it still is
Mir Finesmith: but it is interesting to try
Paradise Tennant: what I find interesting is the choices people make that define their persona
Mir Finesmith: in SL?
Paradise Tennant: yes
Mir Finesmith: same in RL :)
Mir Finesmith: lessr range though
Paradise Tennant: how their real life person . comes to be in sl
Mir Finesmith: yes
Paradise Tennant: eventually everyone gets to the point where the two merge .. as they should this is rl
Mir Finesmith: to some degree people make similar choices with their rl persona, but there is much more freedom to do so in SL
Mir Finesmith: to there may be more distance to travel to get to the synthesis
Mir Finesmith: for some
Paradise Tennant: hmm rl is very free too we just chose fear instead
Mir Finesmith: :)
Mir Finesmith: fear often, also desire
Mir Finesmith: also higher choices, as well
Mir Finesmith: eventually
Paradise Tennant: it is like you are you .. regardless of your form .. you will be you .. if you come back as a june bug!
Paradise Tennant: in another life or as a dragon av in sl
Mir Finesmith: defining the persona may be the biggest obstacle to seeing
Mir Finesmith: the mere thought of doing so may be first illusion
Mir Finesmith: but people are defined, both by their environment and themselves
Mir Finesmith: and sometimes it is a burden
Paradise Tennant: well their shell is defined
Mir Finesmith: yes
Mir Finesmith: exactly
Paradise Tennant: and their inner nature always limitless
Paradise Tennant: infinite
Mir Finesmith: this leads me to see an alternative way of defining happiness
Mir Finesmith: not so much how you feel but where you are
Paradise Tennant: you read joy in every step right
Paradise Tennant: lovely thoughts there
Mir Finesmith: as in, are you in a place where you are happy?
Paradise Tennant: :))
Mir Finesmith: is so, how can you polish it up -- if not, how can you improve it?
Mir Finesmith: it's a little like cultivating a garden
Mir Finesmith: sometimes picking veggies, sometime pulling weeds

Breathing....

Paradise Tennant: yes or simply breath it in and out
Paradise Tennant: aware that it is there for your notice
Paradise Tennant: if you are open to it
Mir Finesmith: yep
Mir Finesmith: Pila has this idea scattered thru several logs, but the breathing and practice is the path to happiness, and ethics is the cultivating
Paradise Tennant: weeding the path :)
Mir Finesmith: yep
Mir Finesmith: not a big job if you see it as it is
Mir Finesmith: but important still
Paradise Tennant: :))
Mir Finesmith: well, Paradise, thank you sharing some meditation an thoughts
Paradise Tennant: well .. I should scoot too
Paradise Tennant: getting late here
Paradise Tennant: be well pila
Mir Finesmith: nice to be with you
Paradise Tennant: thanks again for conversation and the mediation :))
Mir Finesmith: see you next time -- aloha
Paradise Tennant: aloha
Mir Finesmith: ha ha -- Mir doesn't have a SL home, hecne no TP :)
Mir Finesmith: trying again
Paradise Tennant: :))