CNN’s Lacor Dudek Live Interview

Attended a live interview this afternoon at ‘CNN Future’ with CNN Producer Lacor Dudek talking about his work.  The interview was conducted by CNN journalist Raven Ireport who asked Lacor questions for the first half of the meeting.  Nicole Ireport and Tyson Ireport were also there.

Lacor had said he had been into Second Life before to cover a story about a live band holding an sl gig, but he was still looking very much a newbie, think Nicole, Tyson and Raveon ought to taking him shopping before he logs off, they always look so cool.  Lacor was very interesting telling us about all aspects of his work, he had been the CNN Science and Technology reporter at one time, so had fun going to all the gadget shows.  In one of his other reporting tasks he had covered a story about baby pandas, and he said this was one of the fun things he had really enjoyed, I envy him that, they must have been gorgeous to report on.

The second half of the meeting was thrown open to the audience to ask a few questions, so I did ask a couple of things about the job, Lacor was very straight and honest with his answers, credit to him.  One thing was funny, was the fact he said that when the journalists’ submit a story it goes through quite a rigorous procedure with editors, varifying the journalists facts and altering the content slightly. He admitted that he was always a bit apprehensive until it had been passed.  Just like me with my little ireports, obviously, to a much lesser degree as his were real life stories, but I always dreaded the bit when it has gone through and been published, in case errors had been left in by me (not so much the last few weeks though as I can now edit stuff, which is wonderful!!!).  It was a fascinating talk and I would like to thank Raveon and Lacor for making it so interesting.

Pal Drops in and Cures my Water Problem

I went round to my mate Pinkie’s place to see what she was up to.  She was busily building a rockery in the corner of her garden area of her land, and making a nice job of it.   As we chatted a scary figure appeared, he had dark clothes on and a skull for a face, made me jump at first until I saw it was our pal Johnny, one of the most unscary and nicest people in SL. 

He rezzed some chairs and we all sat down for a bit of catching up.  I was telling Johnny that I had recently bought a script for running water and made a fountain for my beach home, but the water only ran the right way on one side and not the other.

Johnny is always willing to help and gave me a script to cure this (sorry guys no transfer on this script, so I can’t let you have a copy!).  Anyway it cured my waterfall with the water falling in the right direction on all sides.

I’d been out to a site in SL to buy the statue, the original of which I had seen in real life, called The Kiss, by Auguste Rodin (always thought the guy’s hands were too big for his body on the real statue, but hey I’m no art critic and the real statue is beautiful anway!).  So I’m quite pleased with my fountain as it fills a space at the side of the house nicely.

Rocket’s great story and CNN Field trip to NASA

One of the ireporters Rocket Flasheart wrote an amazing article on the Pheonix probe landing on Mars on the 25 May, see http://www.ireport.com/docs/DOC-26678.  As a result it was discussed in detail at the CNN meeting last night and we had a field trip after to look at NASA’s site on Explorer Island.  It was great fun and we even got to meet one of the real life engineers who gave us a guided tour.  CNN wanted us to do a follow up story, which I have done today, you can catch it at http://www.ireport.com/people/JaneyBracken

New Earrings and Chelsea Apartment Win

As I stood with my mates in Murray the other night, I suddenly got a message from my fabulous designer friend Monet Fitzgerald that she was giving me a gift of some new earrings.  Monet is the lady who owns the Waverly yacht club and she renovated a liner to the height of luxury, so she was already one of SL’s great creators, now she is turning her hand to jewellery and the earrings are really beautiful, sparkling square cut diamond studs, I haven’t taken them off since!

My best friend Headburro joined us in Murray and he had the avatar on that he uses in ‘The Show Must Go On’, a cute tiny furrie.  They are putting the new show on next week, but it is a private performance this time, so the rest of us will have to wait until the show hits the road in a little while.  We had a hobo visit Murray at the same time and he rezzed an entire building onto the Murray terraine, it was just like one of the run down buildings at the hobo camp site in SL.  Reminds me I must go back and visit them there, such a nice friendly place to drop in.

Talking about a lucky week, I decided to have a look at a few of the other media places in SL and spotted the ITV televison chanel site.  It was empty when I got there, but there were lots of little kiosk places with screens in, so I went into the Comedy one and clicked on the screen which took me to a web page with comedy sketches.  However, I don’t know if this triggered it, but I got a message saying I had won a week in an apartment in SL Chelsea in one of the tower blocks near Big Ben.  As I would never get the chance to stay in such a place in real life, I decided to take them up on it, and was delighted to move into the modern apartment for a few days.  The whole London theme is expanding in SL, Knightsbridge, Kensington, Chelsea, makes me feel quite homesick as my rl roots are in London, but its nice to visit those areas so easily in SL.

The apartment is very modern and cleanly styled, you could add your own bits if you took it on full time.  It has a nice bedroom and even a little kitchen area with an aga and table and chairs, overlooking the hustle and busle of busy Westminster and Big Ben. 

So for this week I’m being very posh in SL, as I have my cool pad to go back to, don’t worry I’ll be back to normal in a few days when I have to move out!!!

From one Asylum to another (Murray!)

As Teagan (Linden) told us about the basement at the Asylum in Bay City I thought I would go and take a look for myself.  So I went back to the creepy place.  

I instantly felt the horrible atmosphere as I entered the deserted building and made my way to Ward 6, where Teagan said you could climb down the drainage system into the basement.

I flew down over the edge of the floor and landed on uneven ground, there were even a few trees growing down there and it was really eirie, with the sound of the dripping water echoing throughout the area.  I moved around and found I could stand up there, but felt trapped as I could see no way out.

 Perhaps Teagan did find a way out, I looked all over but could find nothing.  Only one thing for it and that was to fly back up into Ward 6, the way I had come in, bit tricky though, I’m not the best flier in Second Life.   Finally got out and it was a relief to leave the Asylum altogether, strange place that it is. 

A huge crowd gathered at Murray last night, most people I’d seen there for some time.  Sometimes its like an open Asylum in Murray, think the Lindens should build one to make us all feel at home. 

As we all  stood round chatting a huge avatar landed in the middle of us.  He appeared naked except for a pair of underpants and had wild hair.  He must have been about 9 foot tall as he towered above everyone.  Well he spotted Pinkie and that was the end of it! he went straight over to her.

He said he was from Brazil and wanted to take Pinkie away to there, he didn’t seem to listen to her, just kept repeating himself.  Pinkie being Pinkie, so lovely and polite, tried to talk sense to him, but he was in her face not giving up.

In the end heroes Stef and Roach, who had been telling him to leave Pinkie alone, decided to go into action, Stef got between him and Pinkie pushing him away and Roach decided a male hug might drive him away, and it did.  Mr Brazil ran for his life and disappeared in a puff of smoke.  Now I suggested that this might be another alternative av, but the others didn’t seem to think so.  I still think it is odd though, the way he singled Pinkie out (nothing strange about Pinkie being chatted up as she is very pretty) but it was not an ordinary chat up it was targeted and very strange.

 

Newbie Gunman CNN Story

Thought I would have a look round the shops yesterday, but met a nutty newbie trying out his guns, see the full story at http://www.ireport.com/people/JaneyBracken

Neon Nights Opening and CNN’s Gorean meeting

My friend Cher has been buying some land lately and has been working hard building.  What I did not realise though is that Cher has also bought the parcel of land next door and is building quite a complex, with places to rent out to shopkeepers etc.   We went over for a look, I took the first picture (below) the other day of the nightclub ‘Neon Nights’ Cher has built, it’s really glitzy and a good place to go to have a great time.

Cher is certainly a great builder, the colours are vibrant and the layout is eyecatching and different.  We all toured the inside of one of the buildings.  Good friend Ruskin Thor has aleady opened a shop there selling clothes, he is also a great designer and builder and his shop is well worth checking out.

 For further information about the club and shopping areas for rent contact Cherish Demonge ‘in world’ (location Ministry of Media 47, 217, 21).  For Ruskins clothes shop contact Ruskin Thor ‘in world’ as well.

I met Drax last night and he decided to come to the CNN meeting with me for a while.  We were a little late (sorry Nicole!!) and when we arrived Nicole had just started talking about my story about the furries and where I got the idea from.  I told Nicole that since writing the article I had met a couple of avatars who really hated the furries and even accused them of having particular sexual habits that did not apply to the human type avs.  Well I did take all this with a pinch of salt at the time, as like all other groups, furries are made up of all different types of people with different tastes in things.  There was a furry at the meeting who confirmed that this is nothing but urban mythe.  He did however say that some furries hate Goreans!!  (Furries are excluded from role playing sims because they do not fit the role playing characters).  Well, just as well Drax was with me, as he was able to explain the role playing and the need to keep the characters within the guidelines that the Gor books by John Norman are based on.  I think Nicole was quite fascinated as I don’t think she realised that there were Gorean sims with their reputation for slaves and Master situations.  Drax did explain that slaves were only a very small percentage of the characters in a very well structured society.  Rocket put on his furry av and sat next to Drax, he looked like a really cute little cat but very comical.

It was nice that Drax could throw some light on the actual role playing side of Gor without the total emphasis on the brutal sexual side that many people tend to attribute to it, without really knowing much about it.  Just like real life though, groups of people disliking other groups for no reason other than what someone else has said about them, must be human nature I suppose.   Drax had to leave, but the discussion carried on for quite a while and it was interesting to hear other peoples points of view.  Nicole and Henry the CNN reporters decided we should end the meeting with another site visit.  One of the Ireporters at the meeting Phorkyad Acropolis told us about a Greek theatre so I got the site address and teleported over.

When I arrived there was only Nicole and Henry there so I don’t know what happened to all the others.  I said to Nicole that sometimes the second life ‘chat’ is hard to follow at the meetings with everyone  chipping in at once, so the others may have missed the URL to get there.  Anyway, I’m glad I had a look at the threatre, its a fantastic place, so huge and really well done, bet its quite a place when they have plays and things going on there .        Greek Theater Cookie (58, 28, 32)

Furries CNN Story

Been talking to a few furries on my travels, always found that places like Luskwood have always been very friendly to visitors and love some of the furry avs people wear.  Anyway you can catch my CNN story at http://www.ireport.com/people/JaneyBracken

 

Dead or Alive Rusty and Bay City Parade

Murray had a bit of a posh touch to it the other night, Alphonso decided to put out a carpet with some tables and chairs and flowers.  I decided to sit at table with Alph and have a chat.

We got to talking about how nice the chairs were and Alph told us our mate Rusty Heron had made them quite a while back.  Well Rusty has been missing from the scene for a little while now and we were all saying how much we miss him.  Alph then showed us the missing poster they had done when Rusty had been on holiday before.

Alph also got out this very scary poster of an anti-griefing picture. Don’t know about you, but I think this is a work of art, well done Alph!!!

Got a messege from Head last night to come and see the street parade at the new Bay City sim.  I got over there and then tried to find where they were.  I decided it was best to chase them on horseback, so got my lovely horse Colin out as he is good in crowds.  Not sure if new horse Derrick is up to it yet, best to introduce him to smaller groups of people first!

I caught up with some of them, but as seems the norm in these events, the floats and other things in the parade somehow get seperated and all end up on different routs, this does make it all ever so funny though, especially when they disappear into the ground at the sim boundaries.

Thats Headburro above on the ball with his poster for ‘The Show Must Go On’ that he is busily rehearsing for at the moment.  I got off of Colin and stood by the roadside as Pinkie came to join me.

She too had missed the start of the parade, and one of the av’s near by told us that griefers had tried to spoil things at the beginning anyway.  Think they soon got rid of them and the parade was a success, so it all turned out ok.  Head was back to his old self as his Mantelope av and came over to see us.

Head had to rush off to rehearsals and me and Pinkie went back to her place to chill, as usual, people worked really had to put the parade on, well done all of them!!1

Floating in Murray waters and Dragons

I could see quite a few people on my radar system as I landed in Murray, but could not see them on the usual grassy places that we stand and chat.  I went over to the sea and there they were, bobbing about in the ocean in rubber tubes.  They ushered me to join them and next thing I chilled as I floated around with the others.

Cher arrived and thought she would jump in the sea to join us, but must have slipped as next thing she appeared to be drowning, all a bit worrying!!  Good job it was Second Life and everyone can breath under water, she made it to the shore again and looked ok.

 Dayvid, who is normally a mischievious little boy av, arrived on the shoreline as a great big spider av, not a pretty site! and watched us as we paddled about.  Next thing he changed into a black rat and jumped across landing in my lap, what a heavy rat he was too, we both nearly ended up in the water.  Not a well mannered rat either as he bit me several times trying to get me to move over to make room for him.  He spotted Pinkie and leapt across to her, biting her as well to get her to move over.  So Dayvid is just as mischievious as a rat as well!!

Dayvid, after such naughty behaviour, went on his way leaving the rest of us to chill in the warmth of the sun, it was an unusual thing for us to do in Murray but it was great, made a nice evening.  After getting my hair wet that evening, I went shopping and managed to get my hair, same style, but tied in a knot at the back of my head for a change, so I can swap about if I want to and put my hair up.  I headed over to the Isle of Wyrms, a mystical place full of dragons that Zephyr Pennell who owns the Lone Star Ranch had told me about.

The Island is such a pretty place and has a lovely atmosphere about it, I wandered around looking at the little shops and things there.

Being not the sharpest knife in the draw sometimes, I was trying to spot a dragon, but could see none.  I could however hear breathing and smell dragons breath all round me.   Suddenly I realised I was actually nearly in the mouth of the most enormous dragon I have ever seen, taking flight I got away just in time!!

I will take my sword with me next time I go, then I can stay and fight the dragons if I need to, think I will have to poke this big one in the eye with it though, got a feeling my sword would bend trying to penetrate that thick skin!!