Thursday, July 17, 2008

Thoughts On A Year

((I had originally entered Second Life in March, 2007. I wandered around Orientation Island for a few hours, got bored and left. I tried a couple of other virtual environments but they were even more boring. I kept reading about Second Life in trade magazines and felt it was going to be big in the future, so I decided to give it another try and re-entered the Metaverse on July 17, 2007 as Tycho Beresford.

I was originally drawn by the technology, the spatial user interface as opposed to a graphical user interface, so I wanted a name somewhat scientific and scholarly and chose Tycho. I also wanted to meet people from all around the world; we had hosted high-school exchange students from all over Europe and this led me to what I felt was a Continental-sounding name, Beresford.

I made it off of Orientation Island this time, and wandered around the Metaverse for a bit. It wasn't much more exciting, but I was really trying to give it a shot. I saw Nantucket mentioned in a magazine article so I decided to go there and check out the old-time sailing ships. While I was there I noticed a large crowd gathered off to the side on my mini-map and wandered over to see if there was a fight or something.

It turned out to be a live concert by new-age jazz pianist Heath Vercher. I was able to get my audio to work all by myself and sat there and listened in awe. He is really good. I joined his update group and would make sure I was online for all of his shows, I even bought some of his CDs.

After a month or so my attendance started dropping off; nowadays I might make a show every week or two. In the meantime, though, I had learned the art of profile surfing and that led me to many interesting and exciting places. If not for Heath happening to be playing in Nantucket when I visited I doubt if I would be here today.

I don't remember exactly where I heard about Fibber's; it might have been by profile surfing or I may have read about it in an article. Or it may have been something else entirely. When I first visited a DJ was playing 80's rock, my favorite music. I joined their update group and started going there every night to listen to the DJs.

At first the DJs all seemed pretty much the same; I would just remember that their shows started later on the weekends than on weekdays. I enjoyed just hanging out and listening to the group chat, occasionally throwing in my two-cents worth. After a while I noticed that the DJ on Sunday nights seemed kinda special; her music was very good, she drew a big crowd and really played to them.

I would see and talk with many of the same people over and over again at Fibber's, I made my first set of friends there. I would see the same groups of people at Heath concerts, but they just sat and listened to the music; they didn't talk to each other like the people at Fibber's.

The friends I made at Fibber's led me to new places and new ideas and new adventures. And to new friends. I have laughed and loved and cried with them. They are all most cherished. As Irish poet William Butler Yeats said:
"Think where man's glory most begins and ends
and I say my glory was I had such friends."

))

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The metaverse wouldn't be the same without you, and certainly my store wouldn't be as secure :) Happy Rez Day, Sir Tycho! xoxo Mack

Ajay said...

Happy Rez Day, Tycho! And what Mack said, LOL.

The Fantablous Colette said...

^--What they said. Plus what you failed to mention is that you are an officer for one of the premier rock bands in SL, expert scripter, expert builder, and all around great person. I know my life is better for knowing you! HUGS!!