List of Monumental sculpture projects 2015

  • 1 http://swannbb.blogspot.fr/2015/02/sunday-robot-play.html
  • 2 http://shuengitswannjie.blogspot.fr/2015/02/interactive-reading-room-tea-house-2015.html
  • 3 http://swannbb.blogspot.fr/2014/06/neo-ming-bed-luxembourg.html
  • 4 http://swannbb.blogspot.fr/2013/02/yuzi-paradise-tell-moon.html
  • 5 http://swannbb.blogspot.com/2011/09/12th-changchun-international-sculpture.html
  • 6 http://www.saatchionline.com/Shuen-git

Saturday 29 March 2008

xo olpc : Give Many Program :: China ::中國小組 (送多多 活動)

http://www.douban.com/group/olpc/ 

xo olpc : Give Many Program (xo olpc 送多多 活動)
xo olpc China :: 中國小組

    
新消息 : xo olpc
      =========================
      
      100台 以上 =299us$
      
      每人一台,xo olpc 送五十台給 第三世界小孩
      電腦會從上海發放,上海到別的城市 要各自另加運費,
      
      1000台 以上 =249us$
      每人一台,xo olpc 送二百五十台給 第三世界小孩
      電腦會從上海發放,上海到別的城市 要各自另加運費,
      
      10,000台 以上 =200us$
      每人一台
      電腦會從上海發放,上海到別的城市 要各自另加運費,
      
      2008年底 送貨。
      
      ==========================
  注意:中國 不在第三世界小孩內,
  但看來如果有 10,000台以上 就可以沒有限定送誰的問題。
  
  我可以再問問可不可以特別給我們試試? 要是那個村子以經有意思參與?
   ==========================
  
  原文
  
  100 laptops at $299 per unit is $29,900
  
  You will need to pay for shipping for these 100 units from Shanghai to your destination. This is an additional cost to you.
  
  OLPC will send 50 additional units to a pilot program designated by OLPC for every 100 you buy.
  
  The countries OLPC is sending these 50 additional units to are Haiti, Rwanda, Afghanistan, Cambodia, and Mongolia.
  
  ==================================================
xo olpc Big close up photos and best review, read comments too, using xo as ebook reader etc. Excellent info for deciding to participate, own an xo olpc or not... wonderful review. :)

  http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4199
  
  很好的 圖片,有大特寫 ,內部 拆開的 一步步,修理問題,等等
  
  ===============================

Open Ended art work, xo olpc review, Archidemo, phantom objects in rl

Archidemo presented this Japanese video as a Phantom going through walls in rl.
When I looked at it, it reminds me of a "Chaos" game that I set up earlier.

The "Chaos" game is - is there order in a body of randomly selected elements of any set? Based on an experiment set up by James Gleick in his book "Chaos".

Does random events repeat itself anyway? What makes the "ordering" device generate the repetition, or pattern, if any?

So I tested James Gleicks theory with painting using water colors, now, seeing this video, the same randomly selected frames could be gathered to see what pattern occurs? Does it occur in a large scale and a small scale etc. Very interesting. Open ended work.

xo olpc review by pc tests - as a computer compared to Eeepc (it does not look at the innovation, esthetic, educational, or the charm of the xo; mainly a technical comparison. Which is good. We need to see performance, and Charm.

Sometimes we judge something not based on performance, but on something non-quantifiable, which is often fragile but all important - charm.

Charm does not come every day, and there is no formula for reproducing it either. :)

Friday 28 March 2008

75$us Pixel Qi, 225us$ xo olpc, 0$linden Hobo net computer, art in sl, beanbag, Bambam Sachertorte


Scripted Beanbag by BamBam Sachertorte, our DGM Plum texture


Very nice pre-fab use of futura house - into a Grudge industrial shop. For some reason, its the glamour of grudge, reminds me of Hong Kong.


Inside the shop, very stylish, video screens showing snow flashes, green retro computer day... and the homeless shacks of city dwellers with no place of their own. The "No-Fixed-Address" style of dwelling. (not cheap, unlike the freebie Hobo shacks with bunk beds, these are glamourous overdose carefully treated, rusty places... hahahah)


See the surroundings? All chic expensive shops, 3000linden skins, and make-ups. We see no crowd here, all empty. But stylishly empty, as it should be in rl.


I will put this logo on my xo olpc computer - talk to Swannjie, she will use her keyboard... hahahah

Pixel Qi

75$us Pixel Qi, 225us$ (G1G1=450us min) xo olpc, 0$linden Hobo net computer, and others

sticky keyboard fix
ehow to...

A summary of Art in Secondlife

BamBam Sachertorte made a beanbag that changes poses, and shape.

Thursday 27 March 2008

Bricklane, Chasseur des dragons, Arthur Qwark, le Cahier, The Savage Family, La Fabrique des sentiments, Redacted,

Chasseurs des dragons 3.5*

a first class beauty in 3D computer graphics. Characters are soooooo cute. There is an under lying Asian tint to it. Knitting needle, the strong man is a mother figure? A big woman warrior? Everything is all mixed into one poetic, cute - but maybe just a little too cute - this is an animation film that i will watch at least anther time. It is precious, like "Dark Cristal" a previous animation film using models - is precious. I noticed a name Arthur Qwark - is the screen writer - Qwark, what a name. Will check it up and write more about this after a second viewing.

Brick-lane 2.5*

Authentic dialogue, story is told in a gentle bitter sweet way. Story of a Bangledash immigrant family who has stayed for 17 years in London, in the tenement housing of Brickland. We see repeatedly an elderly white woman who also live in the same tenement, with a little undershirt and a full back tattoes a la yakusa, and the Bangelash immigrant father, finally, from office worker, to car chauffeur, to soap salesman, and finally going home to be University Professor. That is the familiar inner tears of any immigrant. The young daughters talking back to the father is really funny. But i could relate to that completely. The two types of love experienced by the mother is also correct in tone, human, courage, understated but very measured. Its a docu-drama of a sort - somewhat in the same genre as John John, and I see a slew of films coming. All about bitter sweetness never before told from the inside of the minorities. These stories will not be the unique right of "anthropologist", finally, each minor group can tell their own story without un due outside analysis or drama, or "milk of human kindness - the all too Catholic mist..." maybe it has changed for a while now, its only me, I only see it in cinema! And when its in cinemas, we are in mainstream.

Le Cahier 3.5*

A simple story of Afghan country, the Buddha falls apart out of shame - it opens with the monument collapsing and ends with the same image. A little girl from the moutain cave tries to go to school, with many difficulties that is proper to her situation, she finally got herself a notebook but no money for the pencil - so she took her moms lipstick for use of a pen. On the way, she was kidnapped by children playing war. She does not want to play war. In the end, she could only stop being hassled if she played dead. Then the game ends. Her friend tells her, play dead, if you play dead, they will let you go!
Such a beautiful film, with very primitive means, but what a profound message! Everything in the right place, and the little girl is magnificent. Her predicament, her desire to overcome, bravery. Go see it.

The Savage Family 3*

a fine movie with authentic details, and real life representation. How a dog is sympathetic to a woman making love - without much passion - to a married man boyfriend - a father who is "damaged" and sibling squabbling, jealousy, blocking each other... life is not joli-joli... there are no superbly aesthetic scenes, no dramatic music... but everything is right... the father watches his favorite movie, those old white actors putting on black paint to play black folks - thus antagonizing the whole care taking staff of the retirement home - subtly, we see how things have moved on, and everyone is important - we risk stepping on toes here and there, nobody gets it easy. I wouldnt want to live like the woman in the movie, so hard. But maybe this is very common... so I must thank my lucky stars after seeing this movie. (Not much of a critic today, am I? Dont feel like analysing today. Swann jies day off, I am replacing her - this is Swannjie jie)

Redacted 1.5* (Brian de Palma)

there is a strange after taste of why such a film was made? aside from entertainment business...

La Fabrique des sentiments 2.0*

There is something tight about the performance of the very pretty Elsa Zlyberstein - the character she plays is elegant, good taste, well brought up, but something full of self control that makes you not want to have to go to her house, for fear of disturbing her orderly bcbg apt, and you might get blamed for whatever that comes afterwards... like a muffled sound inside a well formed vase... a display of restrictive emotions - who could undo all this? it took a life time of upbringing to form such a person, how can you undo this, and whats left afterwards? Her happiness would lie in getting someone in her milieu and they share the same context, understand each others vocabulary... but thats no good! She is trying to get out of her world... hmmm.

Wednesday 26 March 2008

xo olpc, olpp, mouse powered olpc, intel pc, and others


I was trying out my guqin at this Neptune place... famous for the lighting


suddenly, i saw at on the counter, an amazing laptop computer, no electricity, beautiful, my favorite keyboard ... and and telex. plus all these other inventions all put into work.


I started to call my friend using my new freebie - OLPP : one laptop per person (real name is Hobo laptop Computer - but I am not too crazy about the smell of it, so i call it the latest current in-name - OLPP - powered by a dear friend with work ethics, better than a handcrank, unrestricted by day light hours, and very very energy conscious machine - Swannjiejie was there, and she is witness to our dedication, good idea, she said.

Actually the discovery really happpened this morning, I tried to rezz it at home, but had to go to a 1000 prim sandbox instead.

The real story:

This computer maybe energy efficient, but its 94 prims - not rezzable on my land - so I had to re-stage the photo session in the Iron Fist bar, because it looks more dramatic. I wanted to show you the star and soul of this machine our the tireless Mouse - the source of power.


I love computers.


Show you my personal collection.


Computer designed by Arcadia - mouse powered

Monday 24 March 2008

Sunday 23 March 2008

Passion Fruit directly from the shell

Today I discovered a blog on a subject in sl - text reads like Passion Fruit, sharp and sweet, we want more... cut open, spoon out the sloshy excellent pulp with fragrance and citrony taste... one mouthful will make the ends of all your appendages - fingers and toes - tingle with vitamin C.

Saturday 22 March 2008

Kunstkammer unlimited 2008, Book of All Things, Newspaper !,



Art : Kunstkammer

Famous Russian Kunstkammer St.Petersbourg


Lastly, if you want to write some article and have it accredited by an official University site ...
University site : Kunstkammer

Thursday 20 March 2008

Things to do in the world,




1421

For a picture of an ancient Chinese map of the world. I like to plan such a trip, travelling to see ancient Chinese people vestiges in North America, and Africa, and Eygpt, and all those other places.

Not Possible in real life, sl only! Chris Marker, Ben X, Darjeeling Ltd, Natali Portman




Chris Marker in Secondlife,Not Possible in real life, sl only! Found this site through the link from NWN (Hamlet Au blog)

Film viewed:
Ben X 3*

Ben X, a film about a young man Ben who plays immersive video games, with Asberger syndrome - a form of autisme - taunted in highschool - in real life, he killed himself. In the movie, he did a symbolic suicide but was saved in the end and continued to live on a farm with animals. I first heard about Asberger Syndrome in Secondlife and was surprised to learn that autistic children can write very well. It is only that they are too sensitive so they do not use the normal means of communication of emotional feelings. The movie uses a lot of video footage with machinema combined with docu-drama footages. An important movie. No one deserves to be singled out and humiliated. Our society needs to learn more about others. Bullies must be punished and not let go free. It was a little hard to watch at times. Reminds me of secondlife and the players, and friends in secondlife. We can never be too careful, we just dont know who are the people behind the avatars. We must be very careful.

Darjeeling Ltd. 2.5*

Wes Andersons film about spiritual journey, background is set in the well to do family and the problems between siblings. Hotel Chevelier romance and fancy embossed leather luggage. Natali Portman was in a short film which introduces the story of the writer brother played by Jason Swartzman... she was bruised, nude, holds a strange mannequin total nudity pose, very stylised yummy. But why? What for? We all enjoy looking at an intelligent, pretty girl all nude, and from Harvard!
But why? The film lacked depth - unlike the previous Wes Anderson film, it hasnt got the kookie freshness. Its a formula of disfunctional rich family stories thats gone - stale.

Wednesday 19 March 2008

Fine Art competition, Artist advocate and Grass root network, Secondlife art form, Oprah, Ai WeiWei, Documenta 2007, Happiness


Soft icecream Plumwine flavoured - in a bonsai dish for three :)

I received an email asking me to vote for an artist for a prize - at a reputable Provincial Gallery. I looked into the links, its a new way of doing press work - through personal linkage from one email list to another - its publicity at grass root level.

There is a linkage of the artist and the "advocate", through email, the diffusion network reaches a body of specialised general public.

I look for vitality of art work. Vitality today seem to be linked to meanings beyond the artists savoir faire. It has much more to do with giving meaning and readings from what the artist offers to the viewer. To make an impact, it has to click in the viewers mind.

Art works today seem to work around these poles in no order of priority: 1/beauty, or 2/revelations, or 3/social criticism, or 4/cynical reverse jokes (like a certain shit-making technology machine), 5/reversing previous manifestos, giving new definitions to "envelopes" of an artistic language, 6/concrete actions to save the earth - practical scientific measures.

Of all these poles, I think beauty is the most long lasting, even though standards of beauty varies, even though beauty is fragile. All it takes is someone who has had it with not-having beauty, when they come across it, one swipe of the arm, its destroyed.

Marie Antoinette, if she didnt leave behind her playful beauty centric focus, what else could she have had thats precious for her descendants, her people?

If Fine Art is no more than a treatment of ordinary things/not so ordinary events in a "fine artist treated way" wouldnt you prefer to simply live the original first hand event in real time?

Maybe todays fine arts, the greatest esthetic pleasure we might hope for is an event. Organising a collective action where everyone has a role, that they wish to play. The event itself generates something, gives something to the participants.
Not just rock concerts, not only fancy tea parties, sex orgies (free or conditional), extravagant movie making, but some kind of event that moves people that somehow makes a difference in the before and the after event... if the Art of today can do this - it will be be vital again.

Chinese art is in vogue and powerful, vital - thats because in real life, the machine is turning and millions times more vital and powerful, its culture+money related.

Everyone complaints about the market flooded with Chinese products and taking away the local jobs, from Elle magazine editorial page, to news papers to any number of blogs - but i also hear, not from the general Elle magazine readers who are happy to get a "cheaper cashmere" sweater for pleasure, but many families who are happy to be wearing a clean soft good t-shirt and not have to pay 30$ for it!

This reminds me of Ai WeiWeis work in Documenta 2007, the 1001 people tour of Kassel from China, and each one brings a chair with him/her. And these are beautiful Chinese antique chairs, not exclusively the ones you buy in a shop which has been re-buffed to be in a salon - but all these chairs which has been worn, wind burnt, bleached by the sun, aged through human use, they are truly beautiful. At first, I wasnt sure if I could sit on them. And everyone wanted to sit in them and have their pictures taken. I did too. :) This chair+person+travelling action is so powerful, I can imagine, for people who long to see what the outside world looks like, this gift is so magnificent. I wonder if these 1001 people tell about their before and after experience? See what Ai WeiWei - sons of National treasure poet Ai Qing (from 30s) - has to say, and his blog. Presentation at DLD, Munich. Next one will be in 2009

Every project takes millions of small steps. This entry is becoming like a little tree... each little leaf reaches for water somewhere deeper. :)

The great artistic people are people like Oprah, she wants to share something of her vitality in life. She makes a Reality show, and its call the "Big Give" (online right now) - this is about doing something that initiates a change - not the miserable charity good religious reasons. Its more about enjoyment. Introducing enjoyment for everyone. Because if only I enjoy while you look at my plate full of goodies and you dont have anything, that makes me not enjoy so much. I prefer you to enjoy too. :)

Too much Art today has a lack of vitality - mainly packaging and re-presentations of real world data from the side line.

Great art today has too much discourse - after all people cant read meanings, if you didnt say it outloud - we cannot guess just from the appearance...

The most exciting esthetic experience is one lived first hand - is that why people travel so much today? But that doesnt do much, becasue most tourist destinations has been repackaged to become a 3D immersive real world. :)

Due to multiple points of views, we are able to make some private/not so private movie in which everyone plays the star role - star in the sense that you are the important one.

Everyone finds, and be in, the important role they want. Whether its being the valedictorian of your highschool, or becoming a mother, or catching the girl you want, whatever.

The one who achieves this in any scale will find some esthetic satisfaction - even though they might just call it simple happiness in life.

Now, if they could share this happiness - or sadness (sharing of sadness should be viewed as a path onto happiness, because the person talking essentially wants to feel happier afterwards and not sadder) then, this act/event is artistic in a great way.

Maybe thats what the Secondlife platform offers, this small stage for happiness which could be achieved in a microscopic way (the rl participants can stretch it to their preferred scale in magic sl) - regardless of how high or low quality the graphics, how clever or clumsy, original or banal the interchanges... the ones who comes back have found some echo.

Some wiseman once said, no one would choose the wrong lover for herself/himself.

Happiness!

:)

Monday 17 March 2008

Greenie sim, dumpster presents


My favorite sim, Greenies, today i even got to the roof top, thanks to Five, who took me there. What a sandbox! You have to have lots of land to build such a generous sim.

I want to build a high quality, generous sim too... :)



This is a great way to get presents... hahahah ... got a shiny black telephone from the dumpster. Arent we talking about global warming, recycling etc. We should all do the dumpster!

Sunday 16 March 2008

China sl, virtual world in China, Ancient Indian flying machines/houses

Hamlet Aus trip to Beijing China, an old blog - just discovered.

The same blog tranlated into Chinese by Tzigane. :)


Great firewall of China
and the virtual world.

Chinese immersive world HiPiHi

Reading : news on SanXingDui - origins of this culture is the ancient Jewish people?

Parallels to the Pale Ink book, and the subsequent follows ups, investigations in North America of the British Columbian sightings of Chinese rock carvings.

Stories on the Fusang tree. Mexico and China.

Must visit: Senor José Ostiz de Tapia has now in New York a museum of Mexican antiquities

Indian flying machines/houses in a rare text, "channeled" through a writer in Sankrit, tranlated into English, orphaned copyrights, e-book on a very interesting site, sacret text com. free.

Saturday 15 March 2008

Proust and neuroscience, great books, Marie-Antoinette, Julia, Deutsche Post

"A truly great book (and here I’ll steal Nabokov’s definition of great literature: something the makes the hair on your neck stand on end."

Proust confirms what Neuroscientists discover now - only smell and taste stays in long term memory.



Went to see Marie-Antoinette at Grand Palais, I like her. Spontaneous, genius at play. Went against stuffy court rituals... her only fatal error was to be born as a princess and married into France. If she were a commoner, how lovely it would be, nobody to bother her. Reminds me of the case of Prince Charles, if he were a commoner, there would also have had less problems for him. However, his bad times are over. I am happy for Prince Charles, its a great love story he has with Camilla. :)

In the show, all the paintings were unremarkable - expressions un clear, overall as if swabbed by cotton balls. Except one unfinished pastel sketch by a Polish painter Alexander Kucharski 1741-1919. In this pastel sketch on paper, MA looked royal and kind with an inner expression - unlike the other portraits that are lifeless mannequins. The show was staged very nicely. There were fancy furnitures, teacups etc etc. and the famous diamond necklace - its a replica thats showned. Very clean lines, sober design. Marie-Antoinette did not deserve all this punishment, it was cruel and injust. Of her short life, married away from home at 14 year old , 23 years of court life, then guillotined. Injust. (Will put up pictures when i get them.)

There was a small mobile vendor of macaroon sweet cookies - almost everyone who came out bought a few of these cookies. They share the dainty sweet - a heritage from Marie-Antoinette? This delicate sweet moments of pleasures - robed in a courtly glamourous light - isnt this important, also a great contribution of culture to France ?

Deutsche Post had a Fun card service, sending sl postcards to rl. But I have no sample of those cards on hand. Will try to find some. Their Post Island just terminated on 13Feb08, because sl has done what it could for them.

Film viewed:
Julia 3*
Many shots and scenes that are quite fresh and "authentic" not seen in the usual American/Mexican, Women drunks, rich boy, crazy women scenes.

Tilda Swinden can look absolutely at once destroyed and when with make up , quite an elegant lady. Very good actress.

Every moment feels fresh in this movie.
The dialogue has punch.
The director has original views of standard stories. Attentive to details, an artist.

Wednesday 12 March 2008

Clothes, toys, skins for DGM

Now, I must start making clothes, and toys for the Digital Guqin Museum Boutique.

This is a recommended blog on how to make things. Mermaid diaries. Looks good. I will read it.

Tattoo - wear your tattoo like a t-shirt!

How to make your own tattoo

more on tattoo, step by step

Tuesday 11 March 2008

Digital Guqin player on a flower, clothes : sl -> rl, Guqin Concert on Greenie Guitar





I visited Saitot, Misty Cyber Mare, she bought a new tree... now, thats real living. This is a photo by Saitot. Wonderful! Good time. rl sl a tree with shades is magnificent.



Digital Guqin players will be exported to a rl painting. In sl, avatars are miniature versions of a real person - whether its in the image of the real person, or in the essence of the person controlling the avatar - they are schematic representations of a body.

What will happen if i take the schematic outline and make a real painting based on the outline?

Back to secondlife, next, I must make some custom Chinese clothes - each experiment should explore different sets of skills.

Doublehappiness jeans - an installation from sl to rl at SunDance festival - ha, I really like this idea! But i would want to print it out really in cloth for long lasting wearing, not just as an "art" piece. Its Art, but must be bona fide useful too.



And I re-visited Greenies again, the purple glass gallery reminds me of Toyo Itos building :) Finally i discovered the tour begins from the Bread box, and it flies around the kitchen. I landed on the guitar, and compared the size of the guitar to my guqin. Its HUGE. I played the guqin and some avatars stopped to listen.



Greenies is a sim that has constant visitors without any particular activity nor camping. It is also generous, I could rezz and play my guqin without problems! That is really nice, you really feel welcomed.

To give you an idea of the scale of a small part of the greenie sim. Here is an aerial view of just the kitchen area. The guitar sits on the kitchen table.

Monday 10 March 2008

Snakekiss Noir, Limitations of sl, is there really a Secondlife, antique book dealer





Talked to SnakeKiss Noir, I wanted to know after 5 years why would she consider quitting sl? 5 years is a long time, what kept her interested in the "game" and why is she thinking of quitting? In sl, she is a landscape designer, and lover of all ancient music, including the koto and samisen.

Her unhappiness with sl is due to the limitations of the av expressions. She wants to have bigger body parts and as is, its not possible. Additional body parts are not flexi, etc. Not natural. She changed costumes to have photos taken, but prefered to change back to her original short skirt when we were just chatting.

She was wearing a knee length giant size ivory white color male penis, which hung down beneath the mini skirt that she wore. The top part of her petite body had mega size breasts. She explained clearly what she does in rl, which is a sex service. It was a straight forward description of a famous sex service - where males practice public group sex by spilling their sperm onto a female - a young woman usually. Big stars command a lot of money, thousands times more than working in an office. The girl must be physically strong, as she has to work all the men, and it takes time. She must also be able to consume unlimited amount of birds milk. Basically it is a profession for the youthful ones. However, due to the Western tourists way of using this art form, its become highly commercialised and mainly about money - not so much about finesse and grace. The profession has changed.

Snakekiss Noir was eloquent. She also added that, this art form is not satifactory in sl because Linden scripts are not able to make the texture and flow of semen realistic, its not sticky, doesnt flow correctly. So, there isnt any such clubs that would work properly in the essence of the act.

I tried to understand what keeps someone playing for 5 years and what are the short comings of the sl platform? Like a lot of avatars, people come into sl to do things not possible in rl, or to gain augmented reality, augment or immerse in a separate reality.

Mainly, for Snakekiss, its the body avatar limitations. She couldnt achieve the body image that she wants and Linden Lab made no improvements after so many years of waiting. She couldnt achieve her dream shape in sl.

So I looked up the proper term through wikipedia.
Bukaki is well known, some Youtubes, and even, young school girls playing at a fun version of bukaki birthday parties! The Birthday girl got wrapped entirely in the blue strings - cocooned inside. This means, bukaki has gone from underground filtered to be used in non-sexual games ! This video shows the girls having fun squirting strings over the target. The humiliation of the target is not there, just a fun repetition of something they knew? Like children pretending to smoke? Or playing ganster?

I have seen another kind of fetish entertainment before - from a magazine - I think Marie Claire. A young pretty women lies naked with slices of raw fish - sashimi - laid out on her body. Her body serves as a kind of giant live platter. And men sit all around and eat the raw fish piece by piece - she is no more than a pretty living plateau, or is she? The young women says its very hard to do this job, even though there is no danger - psychologically its very hard. They are well paid and they do it for a few years and leave.

Previous to this, i saw a live perfomance many years ago, of an artist, he laid down in the middle of a room, bare. With a plastic cover? or nude? or table cloth over hismself. and people simulate digging into him to pull out fruits to eat.

The person serving as plateau submits to a public act, that of being "eaten alive".

Not all jobs could be done by all people. Some are able to do it, and others are not.

Can we change profession easily?
For example, can a software engineer convert into an antique book dealer? In what way does he enjoy his new profession?

In real life, is there really a Secondlife?

In our Secondlife, is it a make believe play, or can you really make it Secondlife? Dont we build our secondlife from our first life?

The converted antique book dealer is interested in pretty pictures, and the sense of touch of the papers, smell of old leather... history of old stories, but he doesnt go maniac over details - such as which edition and variants of the book, whether the edges are a little frayed or too frayed. etc. He mainly likes to organise the titles, the year, the clarity of his database to his inventory collection. :)

Sunday 9 March 2008

xo olpc CeBit Austria, Pixel Qi, Mary Lou Jepsen

xo bag, open source computer, open source bag. :) I love this!

xo olpc is negotiating with China! I am very excited about this.

New product from the researcher designer Mary Lou Jepsen who was the creator of the olpc screen and energy efficient features of the xo olpc - she left to form Pixel Qi, (haha, Qi !! Chinese anything are really in fashion.) - a new, better than xo olpc computer, a 75$ computer! The Pixel Qi brings fresh air to us. I like to have an xo olpc, but it is now a rich persons toy where i live - its the latest fun thing to have, everybody asks where is the hand crank - including me of course.

I have always wondered, if its good for third world countries, why is it not available in say, the rest of the world? Lots of poor, needy people in America, in Europe too.

Saturday 8 March 2008

Asperger`s, Torley, Autism, Snakekiss, Rose Bed for 2



I decided to read Hamlet Au blog to understand sl more - since he was the in-house reporter for sl.

Today, i saw Asperger`s syndrome - something new, i thought Autistic people only can communicate with themselves. And surprise Torley, the person who made tiny prim video has Asperger`s. But in the video, hes really lively - i would never immagine anything remotely autistic linked to this person who speaks a mile a minute.

More understanding of the world for me!

I have a very good friend his son has ADHD who is a genius pianist. When you see him play its fantastic. Now, he was very friendly and self assured and was MC for the concert.

I think so many things in the world that we dont know about. we must not judge right away. Give others time and patience.

Met my friend Inuyasha (he has a chinese name in his label above his head now, now i see its Ghost Dog Devil - previous to this, I only knew the English translation of his name. In English its just a Mangaish label - but in Chinese, its full fledged devil, a bad guy from hell - but Inuyasha is a great artist and not at all devilish. :) kind and competant he answers my beginner technical questions with solid informative details. He told me of his castle - which is facing un uncertain future - the landowner is Snakekiss Noir. His description of her is very interesting. So I looked up her name, and ta ta... we find an entry by Hamlet about her!

Friday 7 March 2008

sl artists, Brooklyn is watching, sl and only sl, oldest avatar




A window into real life. A Brooklyn Gallery installed a permanent window, if you go to this place, you could be seen by anyone looking in - say Hi from sl to rl. :)

I talked to two friends today, they are great artists doing very special precision creations in sl. They would give anything to travel in rl, but due to illness, they are mainly expressing through sl.

They told me of an avatar who began in 2003! The oldests avatar I know. Would like to interview her.

Someone who stayed in sl for 5 years, is a fairly long time!

metaverse artist, orphans, happiness

"Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart. Learn to love the questions themselves."
~ Rilke

somebody sent me this.
Very useful - I like to collect useful things - to be filed along with Almodovas praise for mothers and many women in his life.

more research on metaverse artists.

Earlier on, there was Esprite Xavier - a charming cool guy - whom i interviewed and later chatted as a friend to- an art student and super sl katana swords designer maker, scripter. He received a first Swannjie Post card. You tube on how to make tiny prims, you will see a whole skyscraper neighbourhood in the chunky stilleto heel of a shoe.

Now, second time this term mentioned, Cao fei - artist who uses the metaverse as canvas.

Film review:

The Orphanage 2.5*
Horror film one situation after another, as I watch this movie from one scene to another, I keep on asking questions... no one would do that... inspecting a haunted house in a wheel chair after being attacked by some unknown spirit, and where is the loving husband? Horror porn? Stepping back, the horror is not so much the haunted sequences but underneath all this we see how in orphanages, for one reason or another children ended up there, and who knows what they suffer from the care givers there?

Compared to the film John John 3*(Foster child) a film from the Philipines, the Philipine way of solving the question of orphan problems (every country has their own orphan problem to solve, in France, there are houses where fields of not-adoptable children are housed. Some parents put their children there, becasue the couple had a fight! I know of a case where a medical doctor and his wife had a fight and that is where their children went! Unheard of in an Asian society ) is much more humaine - because the care givers are visible by everyone. There is an informal "peer" evaluation - just like in Asian social worlds, there are general "peer" surveyance of mothers, families. Here, in this movie, we see love - a metisse boy selected Mr. Philipine because his foster mother convinced the school mistress, and after giving him a shower, she ran inside to get a towel, and the boys all naked just goes off to play with others, when she came back, she re-wash him again, lovingly - like a little treasured statute (I could imagine, she could have yelled at him... but did not etc) There are many details in this film that shows the foster mother truly loves the boy. He is her metisse. A special one among the full collection of lovely children. The brother, the younger son of the mother also takes care of the mother, when she finally had given JohnJohn over, she suddenly got dis oriented and didnt know where to go. He was the one who told her, come home, John John doesnt need his little towel (that she forgot to give him) anymore... etc.
So many small details that outlines her feelings. John John likes to eat noodles, John Johns scrap book, his birthday. etc etc. Then how did children became orphans? Well, during a visit to the orphanage, casual chat... this one is because... that one... and this one, the childs father is the grandfather. etc etc. This is not a rosy world either.

In a more individual society, people could die in a house for days, years, and no one will know.

Someone did a research a few years back - reported in Time Magazine? Turns out that the Philipines are happiest in the world - even though they dont have so much material goods. Japan ranks the worst - most unhappy. Have to find the link to this.

Wednesday 5 March 2008

Joi Ito in sl

I was curious about the landowner of RMB City, and searched for the profile of joi ito.
Very interesting person. Open.

A linkage oriented nodal point. His blog is at once personal and professional. A very fresh type of mix. Metaverse person?

Tuesday 4 March 2008

China Tracy blog (Cao Fei), Ou Ning blog, Chinese contemporary art, architecture, Hong Kong bookstore news, John John

China Tracy Youtube videos and blogs, very interesting and well made, alive. This is art using the sl medium.

Ou Ning blog - very informative news on Chinese contemporary art and culture. I am happy to come across this url.

I am impressed by the quantity and quality of the work - the writing, the activities, do they ever sleep?

A new place to check everyday, when do i see something built? How fast the progress, and what are the schedule of events? Very interesting case. :)

1// I first saw the China Tracy work at Venice Biennale, but there was literally no sign, or maybe i just somehow missed it? However in the catalogue there was a picture of an sl avatar named China Tracy.

2//There was a launch last week in rl at a New York Gallery. And in sl at RMB city with China Tracy, Ken March and Hamlet Au.

3// A pleasant pop video of RMB city in YouTube. Very nice video. Slick entertainment.

What happens next?

Film viewed:

John John (Foster Child) 2*

Documentary styled fiction. Actress, Cherry Pie is very good. Natural, reminds me of a friends home helper. I see the kindness and humanity, maybe even the precious part of being in poverty? Its a lot warmer in the people relationships. As one critic says, we live in it, why pay cinema ticket price to go see more of the same? We want to feel happiness, amusement, not more of the same. And the viewer is absolutely right. This is the same for HK films. People want to be entertained for their movie viewing experience - and we all know that to make people laugh is so important, and sooooo hard.

George Sand, There will be blood, FileMaker, Ma ke, KK

Parisian museum of Romantics 3*

Very pretty house, with objects from George Sand, gardens, twin atelier. 12 rue Chaptel Paris, 75009

KK showed me a picture of her grandmother on her mother side, such a huge house!!
And furniture from her architect husband. I like them. Fine, proportions. Beautiful and earthy wood. Beautiful beautiful. Italians are very good at this, old age, dust, sun light, this layering of history makes the place beautiful. Timelessness.


Film viewed:

There will be blood 3*

Very good performance overall, very good effects - the music is terrible. What if the movie was a silent flick? The preacher is just as greasy-awful as the oil man. The story is missing some central motor. Finer surfaces of the characters interior were never entered into. Dramatic scenario. But still empty. We see fire, accidents, but not moving. Just being ambiguous is not enough - ambiguoity does not mean "open endedness of interpretation" here. Lots of details missing.

Saturday 1 March 2008

Pop can tabs, ebay

Went to a friends house, she said, she has thousands of pop can tabs, and she was going to show me what she does with them. Then, her husband some how had put them away, and she decided not to show me. In anycase, I thought thats intersting, what could you do with the tabs?

Ebay sells them - one person sold 1000 tabs for 2.50us, so if you need some tabs, just buy them off e-bay! :)

Hamlet Au, Ken March, China Tracy, RMB city

RMB City was opened yesterday with an interview of China Tracy, Ken March, Hamlet Au. I didnt see anyone else on sl site - however I only got home around 2am, so maybe the interview had gone a fair bit alreay.

This is an instance of a sim in sl, launched also in rl at an art gallery. It would be nice if there were video cams to show the rl situation to the sl people.

The RMB city will be built over the summer. China Tracy is the developer.

Hamlet and Ken came to visit the Digital Guqin museum, which had mainly the garden and guqin instrument.

So many things to be done yet.

Anyway Hamlet said i should make an event and inform him, so he could talk about it in the blog.

I wish to promote Ancient Fine Chinese culture. It is a lot slower - due to archeology and virtual model making. Two phases.

If i had an existing body of raw data, I would have mainly the virtual model part to do.

It is a big bite. So maybe i will limit this to a small area... right now, it is way too big.

Maybe make a tiny convivial space first. Everything starts somewhere.