Open Invitation to Kernow

(3D view of Kernow powered by SLPano)

Undoubtedly when someone creates something they will forever treasure it in a special place in their heart. Home is where the heart is as they say, and my home, created with my partner Aimee Trescothick, will always be treasured. Kernow, the Cornish word for Cornwall is our virtual home and it has developed and grown over its near two year existence, into what we see today.

Ok, so I hear you ask, this is all lovely but what makes Kernow special and worth your time in a teleport and walk about? When we created our island, we aimed to make it a collection of us, a welcoming friendly sim which showed off our individual skills to the world in a way, which hopefully interests everyone.

Aimee’s buildings are paramount to this island; however they would look rather bare without the softening lines of my gardening skills. Aimee’s Gallery building, which showcases digital and real life art from several artists, stands tall and proud on top of the cliffs at the end of a long, tree lined driveway. The Boathouse building is etched into the landscape of the bay with well appointed views out of the middle of the island and also lies in the shadows of a monumental tree. Our central island features a warm and cosy campfire encased in a meadow which features pose balls for dancing and cuddling. For the fantasy hunters out there we have a hidden, yet accessible pixie cave, the adrenaline junkies out there can try skydiving and landing on a platform barely wide enough floating out to sea or engage their sidearm and head up to our gun area floating many meters in the air.

From an all action gun blazing thriller to a soft cosy dance in the woods, Kernow represents the many facets which make Aimee and I who we are. Anyone and everyone are welcome. For those photographers and machinima makers out there we have allowed the ability to rez and run scripts subject to a normal auto return period. We want others to enjoy our world and with hope, find something they enjoy.

Keep your eyes peeled in the coming weeks for a photography competition on Kernow, and don’t forget to join the Subscribe o Matic at the arrival point on the island!

Kernow Flickr Group

The Times They Are A Changin'

Originally laid down by Sophia Harlow, I picked up a very interesting new blogger challenge on Gabby Panacek's Couture Conundrum. The challenge asked us to take a look back to our past and compare to how we look now. The concept amused me because it gave me a nice chance to take a trip down this virtual memory lane and show Trin off in her old, mowhawk glad glory. Oh how times change you, I hope you enjoy this as much as I did re-creating it =)

Will you take on the challenge?!

Old Trin Style

New Trin Style

Old Trin Style

Skin - Sun Kissed-Shimmer-Chalcolithic by Gala Phoenix
Eyes - Lapointe Natural green eyes by Paul Lapointe
Hair - Cake - Plush Mohawk - Platinum by Stumbelina Ophelia
Tattoo - Tattoo Celtic Rapture by danel Kurosawa
Outfit - ::Goth1c0:: El Atado by Keishil Roo
Shoes - sf design red tartan sneakers by swaffette Firefly

New Trin Style

Skin - -Belleza- Belle sk Smokey Mocha by Tricky Boucher
Eyes - <<< np >>> Lunar EYES - Lettuce by DurtTrashDurt Zipper
Eyelashes - Calla Lashes (Diva) by Tigerlilly Koi
Glasses - Solar Eyewear ~ Arae by Solar Flare
Hair - Uw.St Dan-Hair by Din Raymaker
Tattoo - [ addiXion - Half Tribal ] - HIGH TAN by Xoin Hax
Outfit - *elymode* Tuxedo Pants, Shirt & Vest by Elysium Eilde
Shoes - BAX Prestige Boots Black by Bax Coen

Unlocking Achievements

It's often been said that Second Life is not a game. There is no end goal here, no achievements to unlock, no tasks to complete. If we all crave a goal, and need something to drive us forward, then what keeps us from coming here with nothing 'to do'?

As a regular Playstation 3 player I am used to watching trophies pop up, I've unlocked such and such, I've discovered so and so and I've opened the gates to whatchamacallit. I have a percentage completed of a game and I strive to head towards 100%. A constant interaction with the network to tell me how well I'm doing, how far I've come and how far I have left to go. Second Life doesn't have that... or does it?

In this gigantuan utopia we call Second Life, we all have our paths and we unlock our achievements along the way, we just don't necessarily realise it because it doesn't pop up with a little notification. You don't get trophies when you meet your first friend, or for that matter, your 50th one. I thought about it for a while, pondered how you measure success, how achievements are accumulated. An achievement is said to be doing something noteworthy. For each of us the way we measure what noteworthy actually is, is something very personal.

It would be amiss of me not to mention the achievement of lindens, the precious currency of our virtual Shangri-La. Yes as business people we residents struggle to make ends meet, to pay the bills and some rare few even bring in a real world salary. Yes indeed a positive bank balance does display you have a successful product/ service and therefore it must be counted as an achievement. It would be wise however and will help prove you're not altogether conceited to say it is not the only way achievements can be realised.

A designer would possibly say their first design was noteworthy, then their best selling design would be the next worthy act. Measured as a progression, but again one you don't see a notification for and certainly no one awards you a trophy for it either. A blogger would appreciate that first great piece of writing which helped to place them on people's radars as well as that first time they see an external link to something they've written. A builder would remember with a keen fondness their first merging together of prims to craft that home on mainland, all from the comfort of their seat in their newly constructed home on a private sim.

As for the rest of us... I'm sure we'll remember our first friend, our first dance, our first virtual kiss or cuddle. The discovery of a place which makes you 'feel' at home, helping a new resident as well as old friends. Also notably, skills learned because of Second Life which can be applied in the atomic world.

It's so very easy to forget how well you've done, what you've achieved. The dreams you have realised, the people you have helped along the way to open the doors to their dreams, their fantasies. Second Life isn't a game, it's a promised land filled with real emotions, real feelings and real people however if you like to measure progression it does have some game like qualities IF you take the time to look back and realise them.

The dawn of a new day

There has been an awful lot of discussion in recent weeks/ months about Linden Labs driving force, the seemingly over balanced desire for new users at the cost to improving experience for actual residents.

Some residents and writers have expressed the notion that Linden Lab are wasting time, and resources focusing on us their actual recurring user base of residents. This is an opinion I don’t agree with, and I have a feeling the suits at Linden Lab wouldn’t agree with either. Any business in the real world, similar to Linden Lab, i.e. dependant on investment, development and growth will understand the company needs - to be put simply, two revenue streams. One of these incomes will be from the new user, this new money will be attributed to investment and development, financially speaking it should be. The other revenue stream provides their cashflow, the mechanism to keep servers running, pay employees, cover overheads, and we the residents pay for that with our continued investment in Second Life, with our premium memberships and in-world spending.

However, I would agree that at this stage the balance of focus is off. Striking this balance is a major headache for any Corporation and Linden Lab are no exception. One has to wonder why the balance is off, and I’d suggest that it’s off because the balance in management is off. Linden Lab, founded in 1999 by Philip Rosedale was the start of a new era. A freedom fighting world, where people could be free, to do what they wanted, when they wanted. A revolutionary world where ‘average’ people could be what they wanted to be, and create what they wanted to create. Linden Lab in 2009 has changed focus to being a business. A business grounded by the original ideals, but one which has to pay the bills, develop, grow and more importantly, battle off the rising competition. Let’s not forget that in the real world, 2009 has been exceptionally hard. Financial institutions have been crippled, businesses left, right and centre have faced cut backs and many have gone into receivership or liquidation. It is sometimes hard as residents of this free world to remember that we are using the services of a real world company, with very real debts and bills. The Linden Lab of 1999, with it’s free world couldn’t continue, however I believe the balance in management has gone a little too much into the business world. Our world is no longer managed by freedom fighters; it is managed by economists and accountants. The management team face an issue of balance, which is off at the moment, which in-turn makes the balance of future focus also be off. The two are connected in my opinion.

Offering residents a Linden Lab home to become premium is of course an olive branch to new users, who will with retention become their cashflow stream of the future. Charging residents fees for XstreetSL, for instance, boosts the cashflow from current residents now. We have seen an end of ‘free’ banking in the atomic world, in my opinion it was only a matter of time before we witnessed it in our Second Life as well.

Your Home, Our Imagination

Dear valued residents of Second Life please come to us and bring your wallets. Have premium membership, we make it more and more valuable as time goes on, look we’ll start by giving you a house.

I have to say, and it will come as no surprise to many of you, that generally I am very very pro Linden Lab. I believe that Second Life, as flawed as it is, is still testament to some wonderful work by Linden Lab along with truly talented creators. There are of course times where I don’t follow the Linden Lab strategy and am left shaking my head wondering where they are going with projects such as; Dazzle, the Open Space/ Void Sim Disaster and this new, beta, policy where selected premium residents will get the option to have a Linden Home on their new continent.

Really, do we have no imagination to carve our own homes? Do we need to live our Second Life the way we do our first one, in an estate of similar houses? Of course we don’t need too but this is Linden Lab’s way of making premium membership more appealing? Really?

No reduced rate upload charges, no increased stipends, no increased free land tier allowances, none of the things the majority of the community of premium, and potential premium users actually want.

In the blogpost Jack Linden mentions the ‘first land’ scheme, which of course closed in late 2007. The scheme allowed new residents to purchase one piece of land at a fraction of the actual land cost, where they could learn to build, play with prefabs, and have a place to call their own. The scheme closed because, as Jack mentions, it was taken advantage of by land merchants, buying cheap and selling high and also because the areas in which new residents lived became chaotic as prims were twisted, spun and sent shooting all over the place.

In my humble opinion the first land scheme still remains the best option. I believe however it wasn’t managed properly. First land was set for sale with the restrictions and then we were left too it. If you truly want to help new residents, and offer an incentive to them to buy a premium account, bring the scheme back. Put people in place to help maintain it. Help residents, clean up mess and such. If we are going to ‘manage people’ into the Linden Home, why can we not help manage people as they find their feet and create their own home, their own way, in their own time.