My haters are my motivators

Wise words said by Ellen Degeneres during the JC Penny episode, which cause an uproar and massive social network mobilization showing support. As a public figure, sometimes much like Ellen you need to find creative ways to use all that unfounded criticism and hate on your favor.

Oscar Wilde did say once that is better to be talked about than not talked about at all, specially so if you profit from marketing your image, so in Ellen's case, some people opposing to have her as spokesperson for the famous store, worked wonderfully.

As a semi public figure in the second life grid, I do profit from my image and what it's said about me, but most of the time, this being said is either not entirely accurate or nice. Does this bother me? sometimes, other times I just chuckle at how crazy some of the stuff is and how it all can be easily explained.

While commenting on the latest "drama/gossip" running around by those who don't exactly find me lovable with my son this morning, he said something that I posted on all of my profiles -God bless him he can be so deep and useful- "like me, love me, hate me... just don't bore me". Guess that most of the time, the people who do matter won't believe lies or half truths and those close to you will either dismiss those or ask you directly.

For the time being, I'll let them have cake.

https://www.facebook.com/spikecls

Pink balls

Funny thing about homophobia and homophobes, they seem to pay more attention to gay sex and everything concerning the gay lifestyle than gay people themselves -and that IS quite a stretch-, there have been numerous researches concerning this fear for homosexuals and most seem to point at the same direction, a homophobe is basically a closeted homosexual who hates others out of fear of being exposed.

Now, what brought this rambling? I was informing myself of all things SL and RL as it is my habit of doing daily, when I ran into an article about Rick Santorum. The reporter who reflected this vital piece of news for the world -forget Africa and earthquakes, this is far more relevant-, figured that Rick's abhorrence towards pink bowling balls was worth a piece.


It must be really exhausting to live a life in fear, where your masculinity is threatened by something as simple as relevant as Pink balls. How fragile it must be that simple objects can question it and even bend it; some of my friends even commented nonchalantly about the possibility of this politician with fear towards pink balls -I am sure there is a psychological term for it-, of living it large on the gay lifestyle in SL, the land where all is possible, even getting away with an alternate life with little -if any consequences- and this had me thinking of the numbers of thousands of supposedly "straight" men out there, who curse homosexuals, yet have a gay husband and even kids in Second Life.


My father always used to say that he didn't go around putting flowers on anyone's vase, so his was to be left alone for him to put any flowers he so chose. Rick, and I dare speak on behalf of the entire LGTB community, I have met gay men who are more masculine -and sure of their sexuality and manhood- than you, and when you start fearing pink balls, is not time for a political race, but for therapy.


https://www.facebook.com/spikecls

SecondGAY: a new beginning

I have covered many times the topic of change, how it can be scary once we settle into a somewhat comfortable situation and even if we are offered something better, or that stability that we are enjoying is like being with a person you have partnered for many years but share no feelings with anymore, but out of habit and comfort, we refuse to let go to things or people that are potentially better.

Before Fabrice died -original owner and founder of Gayworldnews-, there were a number of individuals who were given backdoor passes to the site -for whatever reason- and this fact alone turned what it was believed by me and Avacar Bluestar, to be a joint project among many talented people; after long and thoughtful consideration, we both decided to join forces and start what we hope will make an impact on the in-world and web-based magazines of the LGTB community -much like GWNs did-

We have decided to start this project with a Banner/photo contest -details can be found here- and the poseball needed to participate can be bought via marketplace or directly in our in-world office at the NYC sim.

It is our wish to make a difference and continue to grow as long as readers and future sponsors allows us to, by offering insight on everything that is relevant to be told, happening in-world or all over the world. We are not gone, we never were, something better was getting ready to be offered to all of you.

SecondGAY Facebook page

https://www.facebook.com/spikecls

A Letter to me

I've seen people, and a lot of bloggers out there do a lot of wondering, writing pages and pages of what would they do if second life shut down tomorrow? for many active users it is very relevant and the ties and bonds made there are not quite as artificial or fake as it may seem to some, but what if you could do the opposite and write a letter to yourself, giving yourself a few heads up as a noob? what would you say?

I was sitting with my son this morning, having our usual coffee while rambling about this and that when Brad Paisley's song "Letter to me" started playing and I started wondering if I would do anything differently if I could.

Two years after my initial log in on second life, there are a few things I'd advice myself -hoping this will also help readers who are not in the platform, but have been wondering about it for a while- which I think are common mistakes and misconceptions you get when joining the grid.

I'd tell myself to take things slow, even though time moves differently in second life and changes happen a lot more quickly, there's really no rush, it is a big second life and when you are new all you have in your hands are ugly clothes and time after all -plenty of it-, so I'd beg myself to stop and smell the roses, meet a lot of people and then decide what I'd do with the rest of my second life.

I'd remind myself that love is real in SL, that it feels even more intense and that logging out would not make pain and heartache go away, I'd also ask myself to keep in mind that not everyone who claims that can have your trust is worth it, trust has to be earned since words are cheap.

One final advice I'd give myself is to not go too crazy buying things you'll only use once or twice... as they stay in your inventory forever and ever. The rest, I'd do exactly the same... even the bad choices.

How about you? what would you advice to the noob (new user) you once were if you could?

https://www.facebook.com/spikecls

Not a Goodbye

I have been both honored and humbled over the past year to be able to form part of what I believed was to be a philanthropic project, started by our dear Fabrice Snook, who both started and supported GWNs with his own money.

Then staff involved stopped getting paid and until we knew what was happening -or better expressed the person paying was gone-, we all agreed -or at least I thought we all had-, to work as equals to see Fabrice's project to completion and back to the initial buzzing activity we all saw happening during the site's first months.

Once things have started getting back on track, there is an individual, who seeks to take complete control of a site originally thought out to be shared with all of you; I must stress that my work on the site, after Fabrice's death has been completely voluntary and unpaid, being my sole intention to keep all readers both interested and motivated to visiting the site.

With this said, I must sadly publicly inform that as of today I will no longer be a part of the GayworldNews team, and none of my articles or news will be available on the site. This blog and future projects will still keep me around, so if you wish to continue reading me, share and like my Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/spikecls

Welcome back

There are moments in your life, when people you hold dear and close to your heart will part from your side for a number of reasons, but the most painful and hardest to cope with is when a friend leaves influenced by what other people say.

My eldest son is a firm believer of paths, he always says that people have a life path they follow and must discover on their own and if it takes them away from you for a while but eventually brings them back, is all good and what's past is water under the bridge.

I just went through just that today; due to a number of reasons I lost a good friend a number of months back and how things ended between us both confused me and caused me pain, because I knew he was being misled. I am not exactly a harmless little puppy, but when I am wrong I know I am wrong and try my best to fix it.

Then today I was approached by him again during one of my sets and after engaging a light hearted chat, we decided to work out our issues and put the past behind us; there are some people in your life that deserve a second chance and that the wrongs done to you lose the weight that caused the division. Whether it is Second Life or Real Life, no matter how much you try and hide the truth, it will always come afloat, even if it takes a long time.

Guess Skylar is right and that there are paths that will always lead back home.

https://www.facebook.com/spikecls

I'm a Thesaurus

Attention, the following article may hurt sensibilities, so if you are the impressionable type that has the impulse of correcting everyone's grammar typos while ignoring your own, stop reading now.

I stumble upon all sorts of people in second life, but the type I am about to refer to I had only seen on social platforms, so I must admit that the experience did pop my cherry in Second life, just when you thought nothing else could take you by surprise...

I have been known to multitask quite often, this being doing several things at the same time and one of them would be to send notices on my group if I see that a party in our club that I am not entirely involved with needs a little push -it works for everyone's benefit, so why not-, so the other day I did just that, copied and pasted a notice without really looking at it and sent it on a couple of groups, what followed caught me by surprise.

A person -who I have decided to keep anonymous- approached me, with the word "AWESOME", typed in caps and with the Websters definition followed by it; when asked who he was -silly me, I thought maybe he got the wrong Spike- he replied that he was only an "avatare" reading my notices and who had decided to correct my typos. This both shocked me and amused me, to which I added that the word avatare was only used in Italian and since he was going for correcting typos, he should try and get his spelling correct first.

I must say this not amused him one bit, which led to me being referred to as that hidden body part between your cheeks, which we rim and keep tight for that special someone. Funny how that works, you venture into approaching a perfect stranger because you find his typos inexcusable, behaving exactly like that body part and won't accept some criticism yourself?

Here's some free advice for all of the pro-bono thesaurus out there, it being Second life or any social platform, if you so choose to live the path of grammar correctness, make sure your spelling is unflawed at all times or at least be ready to welcome the same type of criticism you hand out.

https://www.facebook.com/spikecls

Genesis Rentals Opening party

Genesis rentals is officially open for business, and to celebrate this occasion  we are having a hoedown at 5 pm SLT, with DJ Zumbro throwing the great country tunes on our red barn rezzed among the parcels for this party, and 1000 L$ up on the contest board for the best in western wear.

Genesis Rentals is currently offering full land rights rentals on 28×28 parcels which can be joined if the lot next to yours is available. Each parcel’s rent is 375 L$ with 178 prims. and for the same price you may get some with a cabin. In Genesis rentals it is all planned and carefully organised so your new home feels like home.

You will get immediate access to all amenities and social events the sim has to offer, including the Gym and the games room as well as plenty of space to walk and explore. So mark your calendars and come join the opening party at 5 pm SLT, join the contest and have a look around at the wonderful rent offers Genesis has

Genesis Rentals hoedown limo

https://www.facebook.com/spikecls 

Second Life: The boat is sinking! is it?

Ever since Mark Kingdon left his job as Linden Lab's CEO sometime around 2010, there have been numerous voices that claim to predict the company's demise in the not so distant future. We all have to consider that Second Life had a good number of years on the spotlight until that exposure gradually faded away, and all of the signs for assuming that they are going through a period of financial strife are there.


Then Rod Humble took over and started to slowly change things around, and suddenly -for better or worse- over this year the company, which had been under a thick shroud of invisibility, is being talked about and discussed all over the internet. True, long time users like myself who log in everyday and produce the 75 million $ a year the company profits from have suffered the effects of such changes, but simply put, in the business world, if a product is not innovated, improved or changed on occasion -more so if it's computer based- it is the kiss of death, as your competitors more likely will come and do it first and get you and your company, out of the picture.


There are a lot of changes coming to Second life, hopefully one of them will be the slow adapting process -and deform capabilities we're all hoping for- of mesh, direct delivery on marketplace coming sometime this month, adapting of TPV policies (third party viewers not developed by Linden Labs), which I am sure simply aim to get all developers and content creators on the same creative path, which I hope, is where Humble is planning to take us all.


I don't see Linden Labs or Second life going anywhere in the near future, as long as there are users that log in everyday, in-world venues that produce profit and a stable market towards which thousands turn to produce an extra income during these difficult financial times, there will still be grounds to keep the virtual reality we all love and have come to call home, to log into.


https://www.facebook.com/spikecls 

ASSume

Assume, as defined by Websters dictionary, is the action of taking something for granted or true; most of the time people in Second Life get into all sorts of troubles for interpreting the information they are given and making it an absolute truth by filling in the blanks.

But how effective is assuming when it comes to socializing? Can you deduct and discover the truth with random bits of information streamed into a logical chain of events? not likely, most of the time, the obvious is only obvious to you and you have simply put your own personal input into foreign data so it makes sense in your head.

You can assume your children are straight before they even start dating, but that doesn't mean they are or going to be; there are many places prone to assumptions in or SL and our daily lives that we have tiptoe carefully around, since turning half truths into the absolute truth can -most of the time- lead to disaster.

My father always said that assuming was basically thinking for others and that he had enough work doing all the thinking for himself, so he never bothered assuming "It's more practical to just wait and ask bluntly when you get the chance" he'd often say.

Remember, when you assume, you make an ass of you and me.

http://www.facebook.com/spikecls

Talking to the wrong man

One of the most daring, intense and complex adventures -yet rewarding- I have dabbled in while in Second life over the past 2 years on the platform -2 years already! times does fly by- would be parenting, but with all of its ups and downs it is truly something I would go back and do again and again.

Parenting has taught me to be more patient and look past the obvious, which in second life is quite a useful skill, as the obvious is not always what it seems and sometimes it pays off to scratch a bit to discover what lies underneath the group of people that surround you, it has also made me understand that my son is a sexual being -and no longer my "kid"- who partakes in the same type of nude exercises his pops does and I have come to develop an amazing selective memory process -hence squirming less and less when we touch such topics-, thus enabling me to better advice him accordingly, when and if needed.

I have also learned to love unconditionally and that no matter what he does or says -even if he has one of those not-so friendly moments- at the end of the day, he's my son and nothing will change that; this is sadly a thing -an essential one- that some people in second life forget to do when engaging parenting or any type of family bonds -them being the romantic kind, the family type and more specially so, parenting- and something I cannot insist on enough, before you go announcing your compromise, be absolutely sure, people get hurt in the process and despite the "virtual" of our reality, there are people behind every avatar, and they have feelings and those are very real.

Both my fathers -the one in RL and the one in SL- taught me by example that there is no black or white, but a wide array of shades of grey and most of the time, people's actions have a reason to be, whatever they may be -I'm not implying that people are basically good inside, heavens no- and it helps better understand why they do what they do if you know what makes them tick.

I think I have profited from my first two years in Second life, I truly can't wait to see what's in store on the next two. And I end this with my favorite Father movie quote "You will travel far, but I will never leave you, even in the face of my death. You will make my strength your own. You will see my life through your eyes, as your life will be seen through mine. The son becomes the father. And the father, the son..."

P.S. The title of the article is from a father-son song Skylar plays on occasion and that I feel describes our talks about sex and dating.

https://www.facebook.com/spikecls

Rules of dating

How is dating in RL different from SL? and does it also change if you are gay or straight? being recently married to a wonderful man and looking back on my efforts to find that perfect someone, I came up with the most common mistakes done in the SL dating world and what to do to avoid them, hence getting you what you want.

Don't go straight to sex


As weird as it sounds, this applies also to SL and dating on the platform, sex you can get anywhere and with anyone, but if you want anything to lead anywhere avoid sex the first few dates at all costs; take time instead to explore SL together or do things you both will enjoy, discovering common interests can be fun too and will make sex a lot more meaningful and intimate.

Know your audience


Read the profile and plan what you are going to wear and say before you take him anywhere, profiles are there for a reason and most of the time, the info available gives you a preview of the real person and a few conversation topics to elaborate on.

Avoid the SL family


After the first date, most people are in a huge rush to introduce mr Right to their SL families, but that is one of the biggest no-nos; don't be in a rush to make things happen, if he is indeed someone worth going all out and sharing what you got with, there will be plenty of time to do the meet and greet or get him to mingle with your loved ones.

Don't make wedding plans


I see a lot often, more than it should and I find it worrisome, people go and jump the SL partner gun and organize weddings as if their lives depended on it with people they just met . In my personal opinion, marrying a perfect stranger only works in Asian countries and even in those cases there has been some profound interaction by at least the parents.

People and situations change so these advices are best personalized to you particular situation and if all else fails, just be yourself, take it slow and have fun, that always works 90 % of the time.

https://www.facebook.com/spikecls

I got the POWER

What is power? what gives or takes power and why do people in Second life thirst and look for it as if their lives depended on it?; power can be defined as the ability to shape, form and decide on people's lives and their future.

With so many responsibility implied on such task, one wonders why is it so alluring, I guess it could be the fact that most people use second life to compensate on those things they lack, and power does have some erotica involved on it.

Over the last 24 hours, I have been exposed to all sorts of funny power trips coming at me from the strangest sources -and even some very predictable ones- but I think the one worth highlighting would be a guy who recently hosted for me and god knows why, decided to take upon himself the pro-bono duties of staff management -I already have people doing that but oh well-, so I get to the club, notices are not being sent, contest board has not been set-up and to top it all he's verbally abusing people on staff chat.

What got into him I'll always ask myself, but I did the reasonable thing, apologized on staff chat, and did the hosting until I could get a replacement while he was at the club. Fine line here, focus on the job you have been hired to do and WHEN you have spare time and feel that you have valuable input that could make staff management work better, address the appropriate people in private.

Then there are the club owners who have a few "special" people that have achieved the status of untouchable and feel it is their call to get involved in staff romance-drama, while sacrificing good valuable staff that will not come back to your club for the afore mentioned issues. One thing I have never done -and have been accused of being heartless and impassive- is getting involved in drama among staff, that does not DIRECTLY involved work as a whole.

I guess some people just have the need of showing how big their muscle is, but personally, I'll stick to what I'm doing and how I'm doing it, seems to be going well so far.

https://www.facebook.com/spikecls

Brainy choices

Imagine for a second that you are offered the chance to go out with one of two very hunky twins, they both look the same, act the same and to the naked eye appear to be exactly the same, but there are small nuances, more than meets the eye and you know for a fact you will be missing out on those if you choose wrong.

Life is full of choices such as this one, more so in second life, where half the time you simply have to go on blind faith with the information you are provided; there are those you question, there are the ones you trust because they have earned it and the group looking for second chances -never mind the reasons, we've all either been there on either end-

When you achieve moderate success, specially in the club scene, there will be a few who will approach you to either bask on how well you are doing or partake on your hard earned progress -you all know who you are-, but where were they when work had to be done and things weren't as pretty and fabulous as they are now?

I'm always amazed on how, with all of the tools available in Second life for anyone to remain anonymous, get fresh starts or even twist and bend the truth to their convenience, their true colors will always surface for everyone to see and that is mostly done with the weight of their own actions. I am grateful that despite everything going on around me, I have always been able to tell bad choices and bad people from the ones worth sticking out for and going the extra mile.

I try to be a good friend and my work ethics are solid -as long as you reciprocate-, this is mostly because my father always told me that promising was free, it was the actual doing which involved effort and this is where "friends" and those floating around you when things go well, lack muscle.

https://www.facebook.com/spikecls

Imaginate por un segundo que se te ofrece la oportunidad de salir con uno de dos gemelos que están bastante bien, tienen la misma apariencia, actuán de forma similar y a simple vista parecen iguales, pero hat pequeños detalles que los diferencian y que sabes te perderás si escoges de forma equivocada.


La vida está llena de elecciones como esta, más incluso en el second life, donde la mitad de las veces tienes que tener fé en las personas con la información que te dán; los hay en quienes confías porque se lo han ganado, aquellos de los que siempre sospecharás y el grupo de aquellos que buscan segundas oportunidades -da igual las razones, todo hemos estado allí en cualquiera de los extremos-


Cuando alcanzas cierto exito en el second life, especialmente en el circuito de los clubes, habrán unos pocos que se te acercarán para regodearse en tu éxito ó para formar parte de todo aquello que tanto trabajo te costó -¿pero donde estaban cuando cuándo los tiempos eran dificiles y las cosas no eran tan bonitas y fabulosas como ahora?-


Siempre me sorprende como, con todas las herramientas disponibles en el second life para lograr que cualquiera sea anonimo, empiece de cero ó incluso tuerzan ó cambien la verdad a su antojo, sus verdaderos yo salen a relucir y la mayoría de las veces es debido al peso de sus propios actos. Siempre daré gracias que a pesar de todo aquello que ocurre a mi alrededor, siempre he podido diferenciar a las malas personas y las malas elecciones de aquellos que realmente valen la pena.


Intento ser un buen amigo y que mi etica profesional sea solida -siempre que todo esto sea reciproco-, esto se debe mayormente porque siempre me decía que prometer no empobrecía, lo que realmente costaba era hacer y es allí donde los "amigos" y aquellos que "flotan" a tu alrededor cuando las cosas van bien carecen de peso y sustancia.


https://www.facebook.com/spikecls

Working girl

They are our mothers, our aunts, our sisters and cousins; they are the woman at Walmart, McDonald's and even the one at Town Hall who's never really nice to anyone and follows bureaucracy to the letter. Most of them juggle a family and a successful career with the added difficulties that being a woman has always implied.

There are stay at home dads who look after the children while mum works, but this is not always the norm and most have to rely on very short maternity leaves and babysitters -or even at times good old grandma ready to brush up on her maternity instinct-

There are the ones I've met, who even go the extra mile and decide to use their very short free time to explore other career paths with the use of SL -many times a DJ or a hostess has said, well it's got to be after so and such time, the kids will be in bed then- and for those of us who complain that there are just not enough hours in a day, imagine adding looking after children to that after a long workday.

To all of those women out there who sacrifice their time and lives to the well being of their families, this being second life or real life ones -or both- a Happy International Women's day; and if you haven't, call your mum, sisters and others in your family and thank them for all they do.

https://www.facebook.com/spikecls



Son nuestras madres, tías y primas; son la mujer del super, del McDonald's e incluso aquella en el ayuntamiento que nunca es amable con nadie y sigue la burocracia y el papeleo de forma estricta. La mayoría balancean una familia y una carrera exitosa con las dificultades añadidas que supone ser una mujer.

Hay padres que se quedan en casa a cuidar de los hijos mientras mamá trabaja, pero esta no es la regla general, así que la mayoría se resguardan en una baja por maternidad bastante corta ó en niñeras -incluso en la abuela, que le saca brillo a su oxidado instinto materno-

Las hay que van incluso más allá y deciden usar el poco tiempo libre que les queda para explorar otros caminos profesionales en el second life -muchas veces una DJ ó anfitriona me ha dicho, si puedo pero después de tal y tal hora que es cuando los niños están en la cama- y para aquellos que nos quejamos de que no hay suficientes horas en el día, imagina añadir hijos, después de un largo día de trabajo.

Feliz día de la mujer trabajadora a todas aquellas mujeres que sacrfican sus vidas y tiempo para estar con sus familias -ya sean estas la de la vida real o la del Second Life-; y si no lo has hecho, llama a todas aquellas mujeres de tu familia y dales las gracias por todo aquello que hacen.


https://www.facebook.com/spikecls 

Feedback

There are moments in your life, whether this is RL or SL where you are left wondering if your efforts to keep all of those you consider your family happy are really worth the trouble and this is when what I call "the feedback effect" comes in handy.

It is defined as an event being part of a chain of cause-and-effect that forms a circuit or loop, then the event is said to "feed back" into itself, so when it comes to human interaction, the actions and sacrifices you make to keep those around you happy, logically feedback to you in happiness -that is in theory- as providing happiness is by itself a selfless act, hence creating a loop.

But what happens when it is you, he/she who always provides happiness the one in need of servicing? when the rules of the game change, that is when you are shown those who are worth feed-backing towards and those who can do without, simple as that. 

Never forget that never mind the reasons of your usage of SL, your needs are those which you need look after and then everyone else's. You simply can't go around trying to please everybody, because in the end you forget to make the most important person in you life happy, yourself and if it's for approval what you're after, an applause will sound louder from those who truly mean it.

https://www.facebook.com/spikecls 

The Honeymooners

If you are anything like me, pixel sex has somewhat faded and lost its charm, after discovering the many other options out there available for when and if you ever decide to cross the RL / SL line with your significant other.

There are many places in second life that center their businesses around weddings and romantic getaways, but much like in RL -even more so in SL- all you need really is a good disposition and creativity to engage on an incredible honeymoon which won't cost you a single linden.

Here are a few of my recommendations, if you are planning your honeymoon and have a small budget, there are places listed here that will make of your "trip" an unforgettable one and adjusts to all types of couples and incomes and most are gay friendly destinations.

France Paris -1900- A bit laggy at times, but with my French family background and being THE romantic destination of choice for many, it was my obvious first choice. You are welcome to explore all of the important Landmarks in regular clothing or if you feel like further immersing yourself in the experience and perhaps doing some RP (there is an active Francophone roleplay at Versailles), they have some free clothes at the landing spot.

SS Titanic - Loved the movie? ever wished DiCaprio never drowned? feel sorry that you never had the chance to take romantic pics in all of the important places of the ship? well you can do all of that here and if you plan your visit carefully you can even enjoy some live music (Formal attire required, but trust me it is worth the extra effort)

SS Galaxy Cruise  If you don't feel like exploring and rather have long loving sessions aboard a 3 sim wide ship which offers entertainment on-board and has all sorts of events and rooms that fit all budgets, this one is certainly the one for you.

Kalepa -  The DaVinci Gardens, Enjoy SL in this region full of diversity - but with one main style: A mixture of romance, mysticism and adventure. Enjoy! A sim certainly worth exploring with many places for pictures and cuddle spots.

Lost World A sim filled with old ruins, peaceful water streams, lakes and reefs, perfect for pictures or just relaxing and getaway.

Have you stumbled upon a location I missed? feel free to share on the comments section.

https://www.facebook.com/spikecls

Beach Balls

What kind of things or behaviors are accepted as sexual or non sexual during a cam chat among good friends? Is it the conversation that leads to it? is it the showing of attributes? in my personal opinion, anything related to sexual anatomy is directly and logically linked to sex; this might be too basic and simple to some, but I am sorry, they are called sexual organs, for a good reason.

During a recent argument with whom is now my husband, we stumbled upon opposite views on this topic. To him among gay friends, sexual innuendos and casual chat that includes flirting do not necessarily lead to sex and the actual flirting that leads to intercourse does have very different coloring.

I am not one to take things literally, but to me there's flirting and there's flirting, if you are leading up a chat on Skype (to name a popular cam platform) to sex, with a friend who is not expecting sex out of you, you will carefully pick various topics that surrounds sex imagery to finish with a clear view of your attributes; that's not innocent, that's fishing for sex, but hey that's me.

All is fair in love and war, but do remember, no matter how clear and pure your intentions are, if it involves sex talk or the display of your genitalia, that is a chat aiming for sex, flirting or not.

https://www.facebook.com/spikecls

¿Qué tipo de cosas o comportamientos son aceptados como sexuales ó no durante una charla con cam entre dos buenos amigos? ¿Es acaso la conversación que conlleva a todo ello? ¿a lo mejor la muestra abierta de atributos? en mi opinión personal, cualquier cosa directamente relacionada con la anatomía sexual, está involucrada por logica simple al sexo; puede que esta postura sea demasiado básica y simple, pero lo siento, se les llama organos sexuales por una buena razón.


Durante una discusión reciente con el que es a dia de hoy mi marido, nos encontramos con puntos de vista opuestos en este tema. Para él, entre amigos gay, los inuendos sexuales y la charla casual que incluye el coqueteo no siempre lleva al sexo de manera inmediata y el coqueteo sexual tiene en realidad un color muy distinto.


No soy de los que se toma este tipo de cosas de manera literal, pero en mi humilde opinion, hay diferentes tipos de coqueteos. Si tienes intención de que una charla de skype (para nombrar una plataforma de cams popular) conlleve al sexo, con un amigo que no espera sexo, escogerás cuidadosamente tópicos que conlleven al mismo, acabando con un muy clara vista de tus atributos, y eso no es nada inocente, eso es ir buscando tema, pero hey, es mi punto de vista.


Todo vale en el amor y en la guerra, pero recuerda, no importa cuán claras y puras sean tus intenciones, si involucra una charla sexual ó yus genitales, esa charla va dirigida al sexo, con coqueteo ó sin él


https://www.facebook.com/spikecls

Yes I can bake

So among the many things I share from my Second Life and Real Life happenings, today I woke up in the mood of baking and I stumbled upon this cake recipe that has  been around the family for a while and which I decided to share. -YES! Spike CAN BAKE!-

It is not only very simple to make but within an hour you have an incredible yogurt cake that if done right, not only will make you the talk of your family but will have friends asking for seconds.

Yogurt Bundt


(measures are done with the yogurt cup)


2 Natural Yogurts
6 eggs
1 y. cup of Oil
3 y. cups of sugar
4 y. cups of flour
3 tablespoons of baking powder


Separate the yolks from the whites and whisk the whites until hard peaks form. Stir the yolks and the yogurt, add the sugar and the oil, stir well and add the flour and the baking powder. Finally add the egg whites and mix well.


Bake in a preheated oven for 30 mins at 150 º C (300 º F)


https://www.facebook.com/spikecls

Entre las muchas cosas que decido compartir de mi Second life Y mi vida real, hoy me desperté con animos de hornear algo y me conseguí con esta receta que ha estado en al familia algún tiempo y que he decidido compartir- -¡YA LO SÉ!!!! SPIKE SABE COCINAR!!-


No sólo es muy simple de hacer, pero en poco menos de una hora tendrás una tarta de yogurt que hará que tu familia se maraville y tus amigos pidan repetir.


Panqué de Yogurt

(Las medidas se hacen con el vaso del yogurt)


2 yogures Naturales
3 Huevos
1 vaso de aceite
3 vasos de azucar
4 vasos de harina
3 cucharadas de polvos para hornear


Se separan la yemas de las claras, se mezcla el yogurt con la yema, seguido del azucar y el aceite, una vez bien mezclado se le añade la harina y los polvos de hornear. Montamos las claras y se las añadimos.


Se hornea por media hora a 150 º C


https://www.facebook.com/spikecls 

Virtual Rape

When it comes to the internet and more specially second life, it all is fair game, virtual platforms are an open source for creativity and to let loose on your kinkiest fantasies, this is as long as you don't harm anyone while getting what you want.

Second life seems to be recently the victim of hackers who have used fake but real looking marketplace sites, paypal sites and other means to get a hold of your passcode and credit card info. What really concerns me is how inventive they seem to be getting, first it was group chat sending the link, but now it has progressed to specific avatars you know sending you marketplace links on stuff they'd be inclined to buy.

The most worrying part is that Linden Labs, who recently changed TPV terms to ensure we are safe, seems to be doing nothing to stop the rapid spread of hacker attacks, who have found in the platform a nice playground to scam innocent victims out of their hard earned money. Using common sense before clicking anything that openly asks for you passcode would be a nice advice, but we all are subject to accidentally clicking whatever is sent to us by a close friend.

I guess it's all a matter of looking over our shoulders now until the Lindens decide to do something about it, which we all know could take a big long while, unless their security directly affects them, but be reminded dear people at the labs, that SL is all about people, and if our safety is compromised, we will surely take our business elsewhere.

https://www.facebook.com/spikecls

Cuando se trata de de el internet y más específicamente del second life, todo vale, las plataformas virtuales son una fuente abierta para la creatividad y para dar rienda suelta a tus fantasías más retorcidas, esto siempre que alcanzar tu objetivo no haga daño a nadie.


Second Life parace que está siendo victima últimamente de el ataque de hackers, los cuales usan sitios muy elaborados pero falsos que paracen ser iguales a los de Marketplace y Paypal para hacerse con tus claves e información de credito. Lo que realmente me preocupa de todo esto es lo muy inventivos que se han vuelto, al principio eran vinculos en grupos, pero ahora a progresado a IMs individuales con vinculos de productos por parte de amigos cercanos que son propensos a comprar.


Lo más escandaloso de todo esto es que Linden Labs parece estar más preocupado últimamente de velar por nuestra "seguridad" al reforzar los terminos de servicio en lo que concierne a los TPV, que en poner un alto o por lo menos investigar lo que parecen ser ataques que campan a sus anchas y se están propagando como el fuego. Estos han encontrado un sitio perfecto en el second life, en donde pueden dar rienda suelta a metodos creativos para sacar el dinero a usuarios que muchos hemos ganado con ezfuerzo. Usar el sentido común antes de cliquar en cualquier cosa parace ser aconsejable, pero todos estamos sujetos a abrir cualquier cosa que un amigo cercano nos envíe.


Supongo que ahora será cosa de mirar por encima del hombro en todo momento hasta que los linden decidan hacer algo al respecto, lo que todos sabemos podría tomarles algún tiempo, a menos claro que esto les afecte directamente, pero recordad amigos de LL, que Sl está principalmente formado por personas, y si nuestra seguridad está comprometida seriamente, nos llevaremos nuestros negocios y dinero a otro sitio.


https://www.facebook.com/spikecls

Forced entry

So you're out there in RL minding your own business and during one of those dead office hours you decide to google your SL partner's name just for the fun of it and you stumble with a profile which includes a picture of him and his ex cuddling.

Far for being disturbed I am rather amused (knowing him this was created ages ago and he probably forgot it was there), so I text him the link and he denies any recollection of having even created the profile in the first place.

As soon as I get home, we get to trying to gather information by all means necessary on how his information ended up in there to begin with, he fills in a "contact us" form on the page to get an auto-reply which gives us a landmark, so we proceed to visit the SIM we were sent to, hoping someone who works there will be able to unravel this mystery.

What did we find? a big pile of nothing. No contact boards, no info booths, nothing; we did see a wide range of products being offered, but as far as in-world assistance? apparently that's something they cleared were lacking or not considering when they got organised. I decided to do the expert thing, right click and choose edit to find the person behind all of this, which led me to Jan Maroon, the creator and programmer behind what we learned was "BLetaverse". We proceed to look him up and send him a notecard explaining the problem, to be faced with an email reply from Betsy Sapphire, who explained that by following a link, logging in and choosing to remove the profile would suffice.

These people seem not to be aware that there is no log in info to begin with, as the person involved has no clue how his info ended up in there, they did claim it had been caused by the use of any of their products, which he hasn't. At the time this article is posted and after two failed attempts to contact anyone from the company, who have flagrantly violated not only the internet Privacy Act but a few of SL TOS, the user involved has received no reply.

https://www.facebook.com/spikecls