The Hunger Games

I have read the books, watched the first movie -truly cannot wait to make time and watch the second one- and only until recently I was forced to question the fact of our attraction to the storyline and misadventures of poor Katniss, on a recent post at Upworthy -page and facebook group worth following-; is it the hot guys, the gratituos violence these kids have to endure for the "greater good" by their government to keep the peace or is it maybe the scary fact that the story is a factual reflection of our society and where it's headed?

When you really sit and think about it, the model of society depicted in the story already exists nowadays: a working class that barely gets by, while the money and power our governments claim to lack, while they raise our taxes and keep us entertained with either the shiniest gadgets or the media remains in the hands of a chosen few. We have come to accept this as normal while children worldwide die of hunger in third world countries or worse, work for the top brands to manufacture the clothes and products we are told to buy; we have grown indiferent to this reality, even coming to accept it as normal.

I am not suggesting a revolution and my words should not be taken as an encouragement to do so, but we surely need to stop pretending we cannot make a difference, or that it is simply beyond our power or reach; imagine if every single person in the world stopped for a second and decided to get involved in changing the quality of life of those less favored -the scary concept lies in the fact that possibly we may be inside the group and not even be aware of it-, or maybe actively volunteer with a support group that is trying to make a change, this being in  SL or RL.

The world we save and change will not only be enjoyed by us, but for generations to come we may never meet, because when you really think about it, some of the rights and benefits we enjoy today, were started and made a fact by those who never even met us -like the 40 hour week law we all take for granted-.

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The Game of feelings

It's been nearly two weeks since my last post, and I have been sitting on this article piece for that long, trying my best to word this topic as best as I can.

Second life is regarded by most people as a game, our precious virtual reality does provide leisure during our free time and on some cases, RL income -or an extra nudge for those not so lucky to be lindenaires-, but isn't it by simple concept a game?

Following this reasoning, those who invest their time in entertaining themselves, also do go through the trouble of disregarding other's people's feelings whilst at the platform; we've all heard the stories, lovers who alt, who fake being ill to manipulate other, or worst, date several people at the same time while taking the time to visit dungeons, on the excuse that "it isn't real anyway", but is it really all valid since there is no RL involved?

Sorry to burst your bubbles folks, but no matter how separate and anonymous you try to make both your lives, there is a part of your RL involved in SL, and that is the person controlling the avatar and who does indeed, has feelings. My father used to say that each day is like a blank page, full of possibilities where you can write a new chapter of your life and maybe, learn something while becoming a better person; this also applies to SL. We have a chance every time we log in to make a difference, to produce change, to become better people while inspiring others who may need our help, as little as this may be.

That is indeed a proper use of our free time and our virtual realities; I am not in any way trying to preach here or claim that I am perfect in what I do and don't do in both my lives, but my experiences whilst at the platform have taught me valuable lessons, shown me the best and worst about me and have induced change in those who I proudly call my family in SL.

At the end of the day, that is all I have to brag about and which compels me to log in and keep on trying; judge and you will not be judge my eldest Skylar always says, to that I must add, don't judge, but don't go engaging into business, relationships and so on, if for you all of this is just a game and have every intention to toy with others, because it may be "fun" for you, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it is for the rest around you.

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SLebrities

Yes, even in the virtual world of Second Life, they exist and much like in real life, you have all kinds of celebrities: those born in a family of celebs, those who are famous by collateral -i.e. friends, partners or exes of someone famous- and those by own merit who either work in Arts and Crafts or in the entertainment industry.

But what drives a person to become a SLebrity and pursue this lifestyle? Is it the shine and glitter? is it the attention? perhaps the shows of affection and admiration from the masses is what they crave? I've seen people look for all sorts of things in second life, trying to compensate -or not, this also varies- for all they lack in real life but stardom is something that not only seems to be happening a lot often recently, but also becoming a trend and a lifestyle goal that would indicate personal success for some.

Those who do manage to get to a point where everyone knows who they are, by own merit or not, sometimes fall into a weird "Diva" trip I simply find amusing, which varies from extremes of the spectrum: the ones who parade around expecting personal favors and treatment in a very public fashion and those who also want that but pretend to be humble and modest. I am sorry, but the ones who truly make a difference in second life and how we experience it, are most of the time anonymous -not many people knew who was really behind the Gay Archipelago among other projects who have benefited, inspired and helped many in our community until he passed-

But then again, isn't having a blog and a following of readers also a way to achieve stardom and public attention? -some may wonder- not really, might be for some, but for me is simply a way to inform people out there -both in-world and on the internet- willing to read me on how I experience second life and the many wonderful possibilities it offers, while trying to remove the "game" stigma this virtual reality has had, for far too long.

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Si, incluso en el mundo virtual del second life, existen e igual que en la vida real, hay todo tipo de celebridades: aquellos que naces en un entorno de famosos, aquellos famosos por colateral -es decir, amigos de un famoso, exes ó  compañeros sentimentales- y aquellos por merito propio que trabajan en el mundo de las artes ó el entretenimiento.

Pero, ¿qué empuja a una persona a perseguir este estilo de vida? ¿será el brillo y glamour? ¿a lo mejor la atención? ¿las muestras de afecto por parte de las masas? He visto a personas en la plataforma buscar todo tipo de cosas, intentando compensar -ó no, esto tambien varía- por todo aquello de lo que carecen en la vida real, pero la fama y el estrellato es algo que no sólo parece estar ocurriendo muy a menudo ultimamente, pero que también parece se está convirtiendo en un modo de vida casi religioso para todos aquellos que persiguen la fama.

Aquellos que consiguen llegar a ese punto deseado en el que todo el mundo los conoce, ya sea ó no por merito propio, caen en una especie de "zona Diva" que encuentro simplemente divertida, y que cubre ambos extremos del espectro: los que quieren atención y trato especial por sien quien son y que lo piden de forma muy publica y aquellos que también lo desean, pero pretenden ser humildes. Lo siento, pero aquellos que realmente hacen la diferencia en el second life y como lo experimentamos son bastanate anónimos -no muchos sabían quién estaba dentro del proyecto de Gay Archipelago entre otros proyectos que han beneficiado a muchos en nuestra comunidad, hasta que falleció-

Pero entonces algunos se preguntarán, ¿no es el blog una forma bastante pública de buscar la atención y la fama? no en realidad, a lo mejor para algunos sí, pero en mi caso particular es una manera sencilla de informar a todo aquellos que me leen -ya sea en el second life o fuera de este- de como experimento la plataforma y de las miles de maravillosasd posibildades que ofrece, mientras intento remover el estigma de "juego" que esta realidad virtual ha tenido durante demasiado tiempo.


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Burning Bridges

Often used as an expression to refer to a job or a relationship in your life you have no desire to ever go back to, it seemed fitting to  be used as a reference to the many changes thousands of users are experiencing in impotence as the TPV policy has been updated by Linden Labs.

One of the first things that will poof before our very eyes in the next couple of days will be the client tags; personally, I won't miss those much as it had no relevance to me what viewer was each person on, but the color tags is indeed something I will miss and that the Lindens should seriously consider implementing ASAP -am I the only one that hates that default pink?-

There are though, a few updates on Third party viewers policy that I do agree upon being updated and that is the offline / online statuses -if you have set yourself to appear offline to people, I don't see why there should be a way for some users to see your real online status-, I am a bit obsessed with privacy, so this and the alt scanners -on the last TOS update- is something I welcome seeing depart from our virtual lives.

Then there's the Phoenix/Firestorm bridge, that wonderful wearable tool that allows your inventory and textures as well as many other essentials to load on your viewer which will must likely go too -this will reduce lag too!-, so myself as many users wonder how will this affect our overall user experience in the non so distant future? The move here seems strategic, Linden Labs while publicly expressing their concern regarding users' privacy is striving to make all of our viewer experience similar, so it won't matter if you are on the official V3 or any third party one that has managed to make a somewhat more decent job -no viewer is perfect, no matter what they tell you-

I guess we will wait and see how things are handled by all people involved in this Viewer tug-of-war, but do remember that the one with the muscle here, is Linden Labs itself.

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Think...

Due to recent events, I have come to the conclusion that when it comes to some things, people don't really consider the after effects or collaterals of their choices when it comes to others, at least not until it's too late and fixing is next to impossible.

As we were growing up, something my father always insisted on teaching me and my siblings -specially when it came to me, I was very hard headed when it came to social protocols- , was to always think of the consequences of anything we'd decide on doing at any given time, or else we'd have no ground to complain if anything our friends did affected us directly or indirectly negatively.

Second life as a social platform and simulator, gives individuals many tools and resources to learn how to socialize properly, compensate for that which they are lacking in RL -something some ABUSE at times-, explore creative areas that have been negated to you outside the grid or let loose on some intense sexual fantasy or kink you may have and would be an impossibility for a number of reasons; I think however, that the main problem here is that a certain percentage of the total number of active and not so active users don't take second life too seriously... after all is only a game right?

Social networks, as previously discussed are based on fun, first and foremost; people log in to get away from their real life issues seeking refuge on social platforms, this being second life, Facebook or any other, but fun surely doesn't give anyone license to put anyone's happiness or well being at stake if that is what it takes, specially when it comes to close friends.

Friendship, relationships or partnerships, this being in real life, a social platform or even second life is like solving a math equation, you have to put some thought into it to get the right result.

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A causa de eventos recientes, he llegado a la conclusión de que cuando se refiere a algunas cosas, algunas personas no se detienen a pensar en los efectos posteriores ó colaterales que sus acciones tendrán en otros, al menos no hasta que es muy tarde y arreglar las cosas es casi imposible.


Según ibamos creciendo, algo en lo que mi padre insistía en inculcar a mí y a mis hermanos -especialmente a mí, siempre fuí un poco cabeza dura cuando se trataba de protocolos sociales-, era de siempre pensar en las consecuencias de cualquier cosa que decidieramos hacer en cualquier momento, ó de lo contrario no tendríamos base para quejarnos de nada que nuestros amigos hicieran y que nos afectara de manera negativa, ya fuese directa ó indirectamente.

El second life como plataforma social y simulador, da a las personas muchas herramientas y recursos para aprender a socializar de manera adecuada, compensar aquello que les falta en la vida real -algo que algunos ABUSAN a veces-, explorar areas creativas que han sido negadas ó están fuera de tu alcance, ó dar rienda suelta a algún fetiche sexual que bajo circunstancias normales es imposible de realizar; yo creo sin embargo, que el problema principal es que muchos usuarios no se toman el second life demasiado en serio, después de todo ¿es sólo un juego no?

Las plataformas sociales, como lo discutimos previamente están basadas en el concepto de la diversión, primero que nada; las personas se conectan para desconectar de la realidad buscando refugio en las plataformas sociales, ya sea esta el second life, Facebook o cualquier otra, pero la diversión no le dá a nadie licencia o permiso de sacrificar el bienestar ó felicidad de nadie, si es esto lo que hace falta para conseguirlo, especialmente cuando se trata de amigos cercanos.

La Amistad, las relaciones ó incluso las parejas, ya sea esta la vida real, una plataforma social ó incluso el second life es cómo resolver una ecuación matemática, tienes que ponerle algo de cabeza y pensar, para obtener el resultado adecuado.

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The "IN" Crowd

We all wish to be noticed, we all want to fit or cause all heads to turn as we enter a room, there's no fooling ourselves into a fake sense of reassurance; we all want it or have wanted it at some point.

Not all people are comfortable with notoriety or spotlights, some people are more reserved and only wish to go unnoticed as they mind their own business, but there is a common factor that influences our socializing, we all wish to feel accepted and have a close group of people we can trust.

But what happens when it all changes inexplicably and out of the blue your group of people has moved on without you, for whatever reason and you're left feeling like you really don't fit in anymore? How do you deal with it? Do you face them and try to figure out what's the issue? Do you peg it all to some weird paranoia trip you might be experiencing?

Second life is by definition a social platform, but let's not forget that unless you use voice -and even then you are missing body language- text chat can be limiting and sometimes lead to assuming. You read text, interpret actions around you to the best of your ability and fill in the blanks on all of that which is missing. Personally, I have never strived -this being either SL or RL- to make anyone like me for something I am not, nor have I pretended to be something just because it's what's expected of the group I want to be with.

The way I see it, you are who you are, special and unique in your own particular way and somewhere out there, there is a group of like minded individuals where you'll feel just at home and at ease; the desperate need to try to fit in on what most consider the "IN" crowd, is laughable in my opinion... most jewels shine brighter only under the right lightning conditions, same goes for people.

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Todos queremos ser vistos, encajar y causar que las cabezas se giren cuando entramos a algún sitio, no nos engañemos intentando paracer maduros y auto-suficientes; todos queremos esto ó lo hemos deseado en algún momento.

No todas las personas se encuentran cómodas bajo la luz de la notoriedad, los hay un poco más reservados y que sólo desean pasar desapercibidos ocupandose de sus propios asuntos, pero hay un factor común que influencia nuestra socialización, todos queremos ser aceptados y tener un grupo cercano de personas en las que podamos confiar.

¿Pero que ocurre cuando todo cambia de manera inexplicable y de pronto tu grupo ha seguido adelante si tí, por cualquiera quer sea el motivo y te quedas sintiendo como que realmente no encajas? ¿Cómo te enfrentas a esto? ¿Lo discutes intentando descubrir la causa? ¿Lo adjudicas a un pequeño proceso paranoide que estás sufriendo?

El Second life es por definición una plataforma social, pero no se nos olvide que a menos que estés usando un micrófono -y aún así sigues sin tener el lenguaje corporal- el chat de texto puede ser limitante y muchas veces lleva a la asunción. Lees el texto, interpretas las acciones a tu alrededor a la mejor de tus posibilidades y llenas los espacios en blanco. Personalmente, nunca me he esforzado -ya sea en el SL or en la vida real- para que la gente me quiera por algo que no soy, ni he pretendido ser alguien para intentar encajar en el grupo que todo esperan del que forme parte.

Como yo lo veo, tu eres quien eres, especial y único en tu propia forma particular y allá fuera en algún lado, hay un grupo de individuos que piensan como tú, con los que te sentirás como en casa; la necesidad desesperada de algunos por intentar encajar en lo que muchos consideran el "GRUPO POPULAR" da risa... la mayoría de las joyas sólo brillan bajo las condiciones adecuadas, lo mismo ocurre con las personas.


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The right image

Sometimes one encounters situations in life where things that had been ignored for a number of reasons, come under a different light and that is due to -mostly- the right type of exposure. In marketing -for those who have businesses in real life or second life, will surely know what I'm talking about- most of the time is not what you sell that ends up being a success, but how you present it to the public.

Same thing happens with cruising or dating, is not what you got -which in your opinion is hot- but on how you induce the idea of sex to a potential sex partner. Dating has radically change over the past few years and this is caused by social networks; people don't go out as much looking for sex, risking to come empty handed, generally speaking people have created the habit of negotiating and meeting people online and then -if starts align-, meet in person.

But how faithful is it really our online persona from what you actually get? I am of the opinion that if you are serious about meeting someone in  person -even for coffee, don't abuse the photoshop and the agressive marketing as to up your chances, do highlight your best attributes, but keep it realistic. Nothing worse than expecting a porn star and ending up meeting mr Bean.

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A veces uno se encuentra con situaciones en la vida en donde las cosas que habían sido ignoradas por una serie de razones, encuentra una luz diferente y que se debe a que, en su mayoría-el tipo correcto de exposición. En marketing, para aquellos que tienen negocios en la vida real o de Second Life, seguramente sabes de qué estoy hablando más de las veces no es lo que se vende lo que termina siendo un éxito, sino cómo se presentan al público.

Lo mismo ocurre con el cruising o las citas, no es lo que tienes, que en su opinión es en caliente, sino de cómo se induce la idea del sexo a una pareja sexualpotencial. Citas ha un cambio radical en los últimos años y esto es causado por las redes sociales, la gente no sale tanto en busca de sexo, con el riesgo de venir con las manos vacías, por lo general la gente ha creado el hábito de la negociación y conocer gente en línea y luego -si se inicia una alineación, conocerse en persona.

Pero cuán fiel que es realmente nuestro personaje en línea de lo que realmente se obtiene? Yo soy de la opinión de que si eres serio en lo de conocer a alguien en persona, incluso para un café, no abuses del photoshop y la comercializaciónagresiva para aumentar tus posibilidades, destaca tus mejores atributos, peromantenlo realista. No hay nada peor que esperar a una estrella del porno y terminar encuentrandose al Sr. Bean.

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