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(Man) "Miss, it's closing time, so you'll have to go. Can you go grab a cab?"

(Macro) "How about if I just grab YOU?!"

Play “Hypatia of Alexandria” Opens in Second Life

By Nazz Lane

The play written by second life resident Skylar Smythe makes its debut in second life on July 11^th, the first of four schedule performances at 7 pm PDT/SLT. Hypatia of Alexandria was a Grecian scholar born in the 4^th century of the Common Era, who is considered notable as being the first woman in mathematics as well as a teacher of philosophy and astronomy. The play is the first written by Ms Smythe who also stars as the lead and directs the production. The play is based on the life and works of the teacher, mathematician and philosopher who was brutally murdered in a method hideous even by ancient standards, a tragic ending to the life of this remarkable woman.

I arrived at the theatre which had been specially built for the performance and was greeted by both Skylar and her partner Josue Habana. We waited for the site to rezz and then proceeded up the stair way leading to the theater.

“This is the landing point for the beginning of the play. Where the audience comes in … I want them to have the experience of stepping into a museum. What we are going to do is have the museum be the queue for the play let everyone mill about. Then I will step in here, and get everyone’s attentions … welcoming them to step back in time with me, to the School of Athens ... the year 415 AD.” Skylar said as we entered the lobby.

“Why do you feel it’s important for the patrons to have the experience of stepping into a museum?” I asked.

“Because, Hypatia was deprived of her rightful place in history ... There is so little is known about her, and that was deliberately done. It angers me that so many people have no clue who she was.” She replied.

“I saw this quote from an interview you’d done previously,""While studying the painting ‘The School of Athens’ (Raphael), I came across a haunting figure in the piece, a woman who stared stoic from the painting, and straight into my soul ", Was that your first introduction to Hypatia and where did you see the painting?” I asked.

“My Nonno (Grandpa) was an Italian poet. He was published once. He had shown me the painting in a picture book. I described it to my friend, Explorer Dastardley (aka Helen Starr - Holocaust Lecturer). She knew EXACTLY the painting I meant. She gave me a print for my SL house... and we began to discuss why I thought the painting was so memorable. As I looked up the various philosophers in the painting, my eyes kept going back to her. Hypatia grabbed me. I looked her up... was intrigued since I knew nothing about her. And then ... it all began ... my affiliating with her character ... Being inspired by her dedication to making her society a better place, even forsaking the comforts of sex and love and marriage ... children. True altruism and they killed her for it … and the great conspiracy to wipe her from the history books ... label her a heretic? As a Christian and a woman... that offended me. So I decided I would tell her story from a woman’s perspective. I wanted people TO KNOW her … and I wanted women to feel empowered ... and outraged. ” She replied.

“When did you start writing the play?”

“I started in January, writing one sonnet at a time and showing my friends. I had never written Shakespearean Sonnets before … and I did not find that dialogue, in the past, had been my strong point as a writer. It was a challenge, and a great stretch, skills wise. But I found the sonnets ... just came to me so easily. The whole story did.” She responded to my question and then added, “The cast features a combination of seasoned and new actors. I felt this was important, and it was a goal from the beginning. Some theatre in SL is very ‘establishment’. I wanted to give new talent an opportunity to shine … and they are amazing, the entire group of them.”

“The actors will be performing their lines in voice chat?” I asked

“Yes ... There are challenges with that, but we will be doing it live and in voice.”

“When I spoke briefly with Josue the other day, he had mentioned there is some outside of SL interest in the play ... would you like to see it performed in real life?”

“That would be a dream come true … and a promise come true to my late Grandfather. “Skylar said in reply

We spoke for several more minutes and she shared with me the plans and scene for the plays end. I promised not to share them in the article, but suffice it to say patrons will be surprised. After, I asked her if she any closing thoughts for my readers and she replied.

“Yes … I hope this will be the first in a series of women in history. I have about two books of notes on Jezebel.” She replied and then added, “After being inspired by the academic and all around saint ... I thought it would be fun to embrace a biblical bad girl.”

Editors note: Full details in the EXTRA EXTRA section

Art Anyone? Dresden Gallery in Second Life.

I have a passionate desire to see as much art in the world as humanly possible. It is difficult to do in my everyday life, considering the cost of travelling to the many countries that have the most famous art pieces. One of the places that I have been able to see virtually is The Dresden Gallery, thanks to the Berlin group: Second Interest AG people http://www.secondinterest.com/, who created the sim in Second Life. CONTINUE reading about the Dresden gallery and how you can visit it in the
M.A.C.E section.

To the market we go

If you need to shop or just relax here is a new location for you. Read more in our Explore section.

'HOW TO GET A SECOND LIFE' final extract from Madddyyy Schnooks book

Relationships and more

Interacting on SL can be very intense and vivid ­ being a virtual world, you have so much more than typed text to get to know a person. You can do things together, hear each other¹s voices and literally live a second life with another person.
Inevitably, relationships that run deeper than mere friendship can form and this can be thrilling, exciting and emotionally fulfilling. It is possible to become partners with another avatar. This is a bit like getting married, except there are no gender or even species restrictions on who you can marry.
It currently costs L$10 to make a partner request through the SL website and your partner will also have to pay L$10 to make it official. You can partner for romantic, business or any reason you like ­ the choice is yours.
If you want to divorce or dissolve your partnership later on it will cost L$25.
To make a partner request you just need to go to your profile and click on the ‘?’ button next to PARTNER to be given a link to the SL website where you can apply for partnership.
There are a few points you need to remember about forming close relationships in SL, as it can be quite different from RL:
* As with any online interaction, be sensible about the information you choose to divulge about yourself ­ you never know who you might be talking to!
* Some people form relationships in SL when they are having an RL relationship.
While this comes down to personal preference and morality, do think about the impact SL attachments might have on your RL relationship, as well as the impact on the SL person who might not know your relationship status.
* Always remember that behind every avatar is a real person. Just because you are interacting on an avatar-to-avatar basis, it doesn't mean the real people behind them can't form attachments and can't get hurt ­ they can, and they do.
SL is much more than a game when it comes to forming relationships so it is best to operate on the principle of treating others in the way you'd like to be treated.
* When it comes to relationships, drama is rife in SL. Some say it is down to the fast-moving and intense nature of SL. According to many members, a relationship that lasts longer than a month is a rarity. In reality, there are many successful and lasting SL relationships that endure, and some even make the jump to RL love and romance.
Sex in SL
As soon as you arrive in SL, it is hard to ignore the barrage of information about sex clubs, escorts, pole dancing and orgy rooms. In particular, BDSM and Gorean slavery are very popular SL subcultures.
While these can be fun to visit and very liberating, as they offer an opportunity to try all sorts of things that one might not dream of doing in RL, there is more to sex in SL.
The act of sex itself in SL revolves mainly around poseballs and animations.You click on either a pink (usually for women) or blue (usually for men) and let the animation do its thing. If both avatars are wearing good quality skins and you are the sort who is particularly visually stimulated, you might find this arousing in the same way that some find animé porn exciting, but it might not do much for you.
To have good sex in SL consider the following:
* Genitals and skin: Your avatar doesn't come with genitals or nipples ­ for a more realistic experience, you will need to invest in a skin that is more realistic than the default and, in the case of male avatars, purchase some genitals (yes, you read that right!).
It is possible to find basic ‘bits’ in freebie warehouses.
* Penises: Penis attachments need to be removed after you have done the deed as they will still be visible after you put on your clothes.
* Renting rooms: If you are landless, consider renting a room by the hour rather than heading for a sex club (unless exhibitionism is your thing).
* SexGen beds: If you have your own private home, consider investing in aSexGen bed.
This is a scripted sex bed with a menu of various animated Positions your avatars can take. SexGen is the main brand of bed, although there are many others on the market. Shop around as prices can vary considerably for very similar products. You might like to investigate more exotic equipment, such as BDSM devices, if that is what you enjoy.
* Edit the positions: As avatar sizes and shapes are different, do take the time to edit the positions on your bed to suit the size of you and your partner.
It does take patience and time to do, so you could ask your partner to send you details of his/her shape and change your avatar to this shape and make the adjustments yourself when you have a moment. If you have an alt (analternative avatar) it might be preferable to use your alt for this.
* Sexy chat: Words plus pictures are more interesting and exciting so don't be afraid to talk during your SL liaisons. Don't forget to use IM rather than chat to keep your conversation completely private.
* Be prepared: If you are going to have SL sex, make sure that you have an Object that stops animations readily available in your inventory. If something goes wrong and you find yourself ejected from a place while having sex, you might find yourself somewhere unexpected while in flagrante (it does happen!).
If this happens you can quickly use your object to stop your embarrassing animation in an instant.


Extracted from How to Get a Second Life ©2007 madddyyy Schnook and Andrew Sullivan is published by Fusion Press.
Available from www.amazon.co.uk, www.visionpaperbacks.co.uk and all good bookshops.

'HOW TO GET A SECOND LIFE' second extract from Madddyyy Schnooks book

Branding:
Your logo or branding is the first and main visual representation of your business that customers will see ­ whether in the search tool, on the front of your premises or even in a vendor ­ and it is important that you get it right.
There are a number of great artists and designers in SL who can help you if design is not your strong point. For example at Textures R Us, by LillyBeth Filth, there is a whole team of artists who do custom jobs. There are even some branding consultants in SL who can advise you to a high level.

Branding is essential in this day and age as recognition of products depends on a memorable image or perception. A strong brand will conjure up emotions,aspirations and memories and will inspire loyalty. In SL, this is mostly achieved with a strong visual image, although slogans can help too.

To achieve a good brand status in SL takes time and there are many design and marketing issues to take on board. As with laying out a shop, it is best not to have a cluttered image for your logo. The name of your business and perhaps an item associated with your trade is enough.
My logo has strong colours and an image of a flying book. The black and yellow colours and the simple font also make it reminiscent of Other 'how to' book series.

Once you have designed your logo put it on everything that you sell or giveaway. A logo is only as effective as how much you use it.
If your business is selling items, you should even put your logo on the boxes you pack items in. If someone leaves one of your boxes in a sandbox you will get free advertising in a high traffic area for several hours.
Make sure your notecard and landmark have transfer and copy permissions so anyone chancing by the box can take a copy if they are interested.

Many RL principles apply to SL branding and I can only really touch thes urface of this topic. One difference in SL is that things move much faster and you will see the results of your work sooner rather than later.
Do remember that once you have settled on a logo you shouldn't change it without a seriously good reason or all your hard work at building up your brand could be lost.

Events
Events are a great way to increase your traffic and bring new customers or clients to your business. Your options for events are as big as your imagination.
It is best to use your imagination and organise an event that will bring potential customers to your premises that might not otherwise visit your business.
You might hold a fashion show, a talk by an expert (which might even be you Once you are established!), bring a well-known figure into SL to do a question-and-answer session or have a party ­ it's entirely up to you. Be sure to tailor your event to your target audience.

To list an event you need to do the following:
Select SEARCH and click on the EVENTS tab.
Click on the SEARCH button.
Select CREATE EVENT. A notice will come up asking you if you want to go to the Second Life events web page.
Click on OK to go to the Secondlife.com events page.
Now select ADD EVENT from the Secondlife.com website. You will need to select I AGREE to the rules on creating events.
Add a name for your event. You should be brief, factual and concise here. Next add a description. This should be one paragraph only, and a brief one at that.
Remember to reiterate where and when the event is. You will then need to add the date and time for your event.
Remember to Put the SL time rather than your RL time zone. You should think about which time is most convenient for as many different time zones as possible if you are trying to get people from all over the world.
You should add a duration for your event. The default is only 10 minutes.
Add a category for your event ­ whichever fits your event the best.
You can also add a cover charge for your event where people have to pay to attend. This isn't recommended as nearly all events in SL are free and you won't get many people attending.
Finally, you should add the location for your event from the list and click to SAVE EVENT

Listing your event on the SL website will bring a lot of traffic, but nearer the time, don't forget to 'group notice' your group. Send your group an IM to remind them that your event is starting and let all your friends know via a friends conference IM..
If all this sounds like too much hard work, you could always find a marketing consultant to hold an event for you or look to sponsor an existing event. For as little as a couple of hundred Linden dollars you can sponsor an event and reach around 50 or 60 people in one go.

Extracted from How to Get a Second Life ©2007 madddyyy Schnook and Andrew Sullivan, published by Fusion Press. Available from www.amazon.co.uk, www.visionpaperbacks.co.uk and all good bookshops.

'HOW TO GET A SECOND LIFE' first extract from Madddyyy Schnooks book

Privacy
Sometimes, as in RL, you might feel the need to get away from it all with your avatar. Obviously this is easier to do if you own your own land. Here are some methods of keeping other avatars from bothering you in your personal space:

Lock your door: If you have a house, get a locking script for your door. It is still possible for other avatars to view into your house with their camera, however, and they might even be able to select to look into a house and sit on an object, thereby circumventing the lock.
Tint your windows: Tintable windows can help guard against prying eyes, but it is still possible to cam through them if you know what you’re doing.
Get some security: A more effective way to keep people out is to buy a security system (for example a DT security system) that ejects people who are not on an access list.
Restrict your parcel access: Alternatively you could set up your land parcel allowing access to certain avatars only. You can do this by selecting ABOUT LAND in the WORLD drop-down menu. If you then select the ACCESS tab from the ABOUT LAND window, you can select to limit the access to either a certain group or specific avatars only. This is what creates those well-known and highly frustrating red ban lines that stop you moving into an area.
Stop people logging out there: Ask visitors to log off outside your house so they won’t turn up inside your house again the next time they come back inworld. You don’t want them turning up in your living room ­or worse.
Be careful about giving landmarks: If you give out landmarks to your land, ensure they are outside your house if you don’t want people teleporting straight inside.

Etiquette in SL

Generally speaking, the same rules of courtesy apply in SL as in RL:
People are generally friendly in SL, but sometimes they are busy. If you approach a group of people talking, ask if you can join them instead of assuming you can.
If you talk to someone and they don’t answer you, they may be ‘AFK’ (away from their keyboard). Don’t get upset or bad tempered with them ­ people sometimes need to get up and attend to RL.
Don’t wander into other people’s houses unless you’re invited, and certainly don’t do that if the inhabitants are in there. You wouldn’t do it in real life, would you?
When you meet someone and want to make contact with them, speak to them in open chat as opposed to sending them an IM.
Don’t add people to your friends list until you have taken the time to get to know them, and certainly not if you’ve never spoken at all. You may be disappointed if you get rejected.
Don’t feel pressured into accepting friendship offers from people who are pushing them onto you.
Read someone’s profile before making an advance on them. Many people specify that they are not looking for sex or relationships or have partners to indicate this to the SL world.
Remember that as you gain experience, there will be newcomers finding their way around just like you once were. Welcome them into the SL community with kindness, and offer help and advice should they need it.
Be prepared to keep your roleplay in appropriate areas if it troubles other people.
SL is a 24/7 environment with people from many time zones. Please respect that in customer service situations, business owners need to sleep and eat sometimes… not to mention have a real life too.
If you enjoy a location or service consider supporting the owner’s efforts with a tip if you are able to, as tier is expensive and they work hard to create an enjoyable environment for you.

Extracted from How to Get a Second Life ©2007 madddyyy Schnook and Andrew Sullivan is published by Fusion Press. Available from www.amazon.co.uk, www.visionpaperbacks.co.uk and all good bookshops.