Issue 7
Sim Street Journal #7, 2014
• luck from listening • the universal in the individual • motivation to momentum • clarifying copyrights
(Please see the in-world release for more photographs, articles, and functionality.)
The talented will always find the virtual world a garden of opportunity. Yet each must identify an outlet for their talents—both adapting to the metaverse as well as adapting to an international stage. This issue of Sim Street Journal presents those with tremendous talents, who both listen to themselves and to the environment. How they respond to the needs around them, how they fulfill their own potentials, demonstrate that Second Life® is what they make it.
Editorial Statement: “Luck Created” by SSJ creator, Eleanor Medier
These creatives all have their ears to the ground—whether intellectual, emotional or a mix:
• “Suite Intelligence”
KT Syakumi refreshingly describes how natural it was for her to build a niche. Anyone great at what they do makes it look easy. Reading between KT’s words, it is not that easy . Her company’s innovation, The Magazine Factory, provides the technical foundation of Sim Street Journal’s in-world presence. When looking around at amazing entrepreneurs, it is irresistible to present the one responsible for the magazine’s virtual existence. Readers will find her charisma and off-handed approach, her dedication and momentum, and her ability to spin off related products, fascinating. Anyone in the publishing arts that has not heard of, or used the products of, Intelli is simply not paying attention, and can only superficially scratch the surface of possibility. Her tools enable an entire industry in SL.
• “Emotional Translator”
Paris Obscur captures an unparalleled depth in his music, stories augmented by his own emotional intensity. It is not enough to just sing. He has to penetrate—both the feelings of others that he puts to music and stabs the hearts of listeners. Where most musicians write from their own experiences, Paris brings to life the experiences of many, proving that music is the universal language. It is impossible not to be moved by his perceptiveness. He delivers so much of himself into his performances, that his audiences watch his schedule closely, like kids standing outside the candy shop waiting for it to open. So satisfying is his delivery, so eclectic his approach, that those who love music can never forget his originality. Beautiful and gritty, there are no emotions he does not embrace.
• “Ear to the Ground”
Amy Nevilly turns marketing into a craft. She has developed SecondAds with owner Wili Clip, and cares deeply to help “newbies” earn lindens. Together, they have a virtual empire encompassing an ad system, numerous successful games (including the very popular GoFish), and real estate. There seems little the two have not tried! They have also taken the company public, and Amy discusses how this has helped them to grow. Entrepreneurs can learn a lot from how she responds to the market as well as leads it. Always willing to help customers, she is a master at motivation! Her article appears online as an update from an earlier version last year—preserving and sharing her insights.
• “Ask Ann”
Ann Slanders’ advise column is only available in-world. This somewhat shy contributor is not shy of experiences. It seems she has tried just about everything. Readers value that she keeps her anonymity, while there is no subject of the heart that she will not confront. Like her real life inspiration of Ann Landers, she brings both humor and insight into her responses. As SL is a place where many residents can safely share what is most dear to them—confessing concerns with friends can become as intimate as in real life. Ann helps pave the rocky road of human interactions that can be even more mysterious and challenging than real life. Universally, everyone wishes to be appreciated and belong. But the virtual world has dangers—emotional quicksand—that can traumatize the sensitive. Ann throws a lifeline of wisdom to the sad or weary.
• “The Aesthete and the Amateur: Mysterious versus Obvious Realism”
Eleanor Medier and Heavy Writer continue their aesthetic bantering while visiting the gorgeous Angelwood Bay Galleries. Choosing amongst the dozen or so artists there, two exhibits spoke to this unlikely fictional pair:
– Gem Preiz creates his own universe with a high tech approach that leaves viewers wondering where they are. The mysterious and dramatic compositions use the immersive platform in new and encompassing ways. Having devised an amazing visual language, he captures worlds that seems both ancient and futuristic. He expresses a parallel universe that intrigues and confounds. Few artists seem to adapt to the virtual platform so quickly and so completely.
– Liz Lemondrop does the opposite. As a traditional painter, she uploads her images from real life canvases. Eleanor and Heavy respond to her haunting figures that look out windows, and in a few cases, symbols that represent personal viewpoints. Bordering on the commercial, she walks the fine line between expressing her own impressions, and portraying a subject that may seem for commissions. Echoing several masters such as Hopper or Degas, it is clear that her presentations are not of the past or the future, but linger without a time or specific place.
• “Fresh Eyes”
Buckley36 is a true “newbie” but one who charges out of the gate with his writing talents. He reminds readers of that magical wide-eyed time when SL was a new fresh world. Rather than approach Sim Street Journal saying “I am a great writer—here are all my samples,” he studied the magazine and recommended how he can contribute. Like those who become the most successful in SL, he enters with an openness for discovery, uninhibited by expectations. He defines what is unique rather than what he wishes to see. Unlike the artist who imposes ideas upon others, he listens to what is rumbling underfoot and investigates. Captivated by his enthusiasm, he finds the universal in his own travels.
• HOT TOPIC:
“Copyright Clarity”
Eleanor Medier entered SL with an open mind to learn the ropes before self-assertion. But as SL mirrors real life, she became shocked over the recent debates about Linden Labs most recent Terms of Service. What surfaced quickly after its release is that creators don’t understand copyright law. This is true in real life as well, but even more true in the international arena of SL. An emotional outcry against the new terms spawned an organization to represent artists, myriad articles and blogs, and lots of meetings and questions. But no one demonstrated a basic understanding of what is legal and what is not. So, Eleanor, a real life expert in this field and author of several books on the business of creativity, decided to do something about it. Collaborating with three intellectual property attorneys, sanctioned by a dozen professional organizations, her books have become classic resources to creatives in real business. For SL creatives, she prepared a primer that translates what the law really means. Although not an attorney herself, she has served as an expert witness in several copyright cases, helping them to agreement. She hopes her synopsis will be widely used in the cyber world.
PLEASE SEE THE SPONSORS FOR SIM STREET JOURNAL ISSUE #6
Sim Street Journal also supports several events:
ASN Photo Contest
UWA’s Freedom Project (see upcoming Sim Street Journal #8)
Rose Theatre and Galleries
Book Island
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Enjoy different, but related, issue versions: online and in-world (available at the Second Life® SSJ office (Innu 40, 36, 1650) or download Sim Street Journal #7.
Back issues are available on MARKETPLACE).
Contributions are encouraged if covering topics relevant to the real world readers.
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Sim Street Journal explores the relevance of virtual to real commerce and culture.
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EMAIL: simstreetjournal@gmail.com
The Sim Street Journal explores the relevance of second to first life.
© 2014 by Eleanor Medier, Sim Street Journal. Articles cannot be reprinted without permission.
