Guy Down on His Luck, Needs Your Advice.

You all know him: he's the nice guy with a heart of gold, or so it appears. He started off as the friendly dude who seemed somewhat inarticulate but was "nice enough." He might have even had a girlfriend or a partner and that was a relief because he certainly would not be "interested" in you. If he was single, maybe after a feeble attempt at somehow "dating" or otherwise being a couple you have settled into being this guy's confidant. He would die for that girlfriend or partner but they never seem to get along and "you understand him so much better." The homage of you in his picks is even more detailed than the one he has for the love of his grid life. What began as a few problems with the girlfriend or other aspects of grid life have seemingly mushroomed and you feel so sorry for him because you are the one with the good heart who will always help a friend when he's down.

He's been there for you after all, he's the one that told you about that sweet deal for the land near his and showered you with gifts when the other guy(s) in your life kind of felt short. He always wants to see you in pixel person when you guys discuss his problems and that just strikes you as so sweet. The only thing is that these requests have become more frequent and the advice sessions more lengthy cutting into the limted grid time you have to see others and to enjoy things like live music. Would it ever occur to you that your sweet, down on his luck friend, is more than just a sad sack? Well it should, because he's probably your stalker.

The New Oxford American Dictionary (standard on most new Macs) defines a stalker as "a person who stealthily huts or pursues an animal or another person" or "a person who harasses or persecutes someone with unwanted and obsessive attention."  Unless you are engaged in a predator/prey role play I suspect your sad sack is the latter.    This guy will always have some sort of problem that he needs to pull you away for because your insight is so valuable.  It may be valuable but usually what the stalker is after is monopolizing your time and making you feel an emotional attachment  with him out of sympathy: "Poor Roderixus always has all the bad luck with women!"  He will go to all lengths to pull you away from others that he may perceive as a threat to your "special relationship," he'll be quick to find fault in that other person and oftentimes will create drama where none actually existed and become a very destructive force in your SL.  Beware the sad sack stalker, he may be on a friends list near you!

Get Ready for the Ho Ho Hoes!

Get ready for the Ho Ho Hoes, ladies and gentlemen, or join them!  Christmas (that's right I said Christmas and not "Holiday") season is upon us and a quick search of SL Marketplace yields all types of results for "Sexy Santa" outfits.  It used to be that "Sexy Santa" outfits were mostly relegated to the female avis but now there are many choices for the fellows to have sexy fun and become a Ho, Ho, Hoe!  See for yourself and enjoy the season!

Spotlight on Music: Edward Kyomoon

Rocking with Edward Kyomoon!

This spotlight is on Edward Kyomoon, the Seattle-based singer songwriter. Hailing from Texas, Ed is known for blending melodies and hard rock in fun show that appeals to many.

Mikalis Karas: Who have been your main influences in your musical life and how long have you been creating music?

Edward Kyomoon: I've been playing music since i was a kid, picked up the guitar at age 9, had always played around with keyboards, drum machines and tape recorders so recording technology was an integeral part of my music background. I was influence by rock and metal bands of the 80's at first to play the guitar, in college i discovered music of the 60's and 70's like the Beatles, the Doors and Pink Floyd, but i still like listening to Slayer or ambient music like The Orb. I learned about jazz and improvising from recording hundreds of jazz musicians in studios as an audio engineer. I dont have a favorite guitarist or bands, it's always evolving. But having said that, I think Pink Floyd has has the biggest influence.

Mikalis Karas: Is there any type of music that you'd consider your specialty and which instruments do you play?

Edward Kyomoon: I play mostly rock and pop music, hit songs that people remember. my main instrument is guitar but can also play bass keyboards and drums if i practice at them. I have created many of my backing tracks with Logic Pro 8 and a Roland keyboard/synth.

Mikalis Karas: What brought you to perform music in Second Life and why do you keep performing there.

Edward Kyomoon: I found music early on, a friend took me to a concert by Kori Travanti with in a few days of being in SL. I was fascinated by the idea of performing live for audiences in a virtual space, seemed like a brilliant concept as a working musician and for music fans to find live music inworld. I started playing for friends on my land, then at open mics, got a few paying gigs and found some people who liked the way I sounded and it has grown from there. 2 years and hundreds if not over a thousand of shows later it has kept me fed and a roof over my head. I'm constantly inspired to learn more songs, write more songs, and play better, sound better everytime for the fans and for the newbies that are hearing me for the first time. It's the perfect combination of live music, recording(which is a science and art in itself) and virtual reality. I could do this in RL but this is much safer and more fun in SL. Teleporting is much easier than loading gear in and out of my car, the club and my house (in the rain/snow). It's very addictive.

Mikalis Karas: Who are some of the other musical artists you enjoy in Second Life?

Edward Kyomoon: I like The Follow, Allister Westland, Onehempcat Oldrich, Anj Gufstefson, srv4u Conacher, Komuso Tokugawa, Noma Falta, Max Kleene, Ohmy Kidd, Mankind Tracer, Quinton Dialovo, Fierce Tibetan Gods, the list is pretty long, lots of great music going on in SL.

Mikalis Karas: If there was something you could do to better promote artists and venues in Second Life what would that be?

Edward Kyomoon: This is something I find myself doing all the time with people in RL - I talk about SL and music. By introducing it to more people in RL, it brings in new fans and SL consumers as well as other musicians who might be interested in performing in SL. Planting seeds and growing the community. I try to let people know about this amazing form of live entertainment you can enjoy online. This hopefully brings in more people to listen to those artists and tip those venues, buy stuff from those malls and so on. Music is the killer app for SL, music is the universal language, something that nearly everyone can enjoy and that has great potential and value for musicians, fans and venues that host live events. Also, I think we need to advertise live music to more areas within SL and the websites associated with SL, working with venders and advertising sponsors to spread the word about live music and helping peopling find the music and entertainment they want to see or hear.

Mikalis Karas: Thanks so much for taking the time to talk to me. One final question, you play a fair bit of Pink Floyd and some Led Zeppelin. If there was a steel cage death match by guitar between David Gilmour and Jimmy Page, who would win and why?

Edward Kyomoon: Although i fear the thought of this idea outside of claymation, but i'd say Gilmour. he doesnt play as many notes at Page... but i think the ones he does play mean so much more... you can 'sing' David's solo's. Then again Page would probably kick him in the face during a solo and maybe set something on fire

Spotlight on Music: Dale Katscher

Our second spotlight in this series focuses, like the first, on an artist from Eastern Canada. Dale Katscher is a guitarist/singer/songwriter from Nova Scotia who has toured throughout Canada and on the eastern seaboard of the United States. He plays acoustic guitar on the Grid and doesn't use backing tracks at all, preferring the "pure approach of just a guitar and nothing else," finding that approach exhilarating. Dale took some time to discuss his background and experience of playing on the Grid.

Mikalis Karas: Who have been your main influences in your musical life and how long have you been creating music?

Dale Katscher: My first and biggest influence was definitely my Dad, as I grew up in a very musical family. As for first artists I heard, my parents listened to Elvis, Charlie Pride and Johnny Cash. I always drifted toward blues-infused pop such as Clapton and Hendrix. Now i listen to pretty much everything I can get my ears on. Right now, I'm huge into Ray Lamontagne, Greg Laswell and Meiko. My music is like a car crash of everything I listen to and love.

Mikalis Karas: Is there any type of music that you'd consider your specialty and which instruments do you play?

Dale Katscher: Specialty..hmmm...Maybe folk-acoustic-pop...whatever that is? My main instrument is guitar but I also play bass, drums and a bit of piano...only guitar in SL though.

Mikalis Karas: What brought you to perform music in Second Life and why do you keep performing there.

Dale Katscher: My friends made me try it at first...then I got hooked. It's a great space to create and share art in.

Mikalis Karas: Who are some of the other musical artists you enjoy in Second Life?

Dale Katscher: Harper Messmer, Damian Carbenell, Phemie Alcott.

Mikalis Karas: If there was something you could do to better promote artists and venues in Second Life what would that be?

Dale Katscher: I think it would be to have a website that is just for SL music promotion...instead of searching through live events. Then, each performance could link to artist websites, etc.

Dale Katscher on the Web: MySpace | Twitter | Plurk

For Ali

This is my first foray into combining my Grid pictures with a song that we both enjoy. This was a labor of love.

For Ali from Mikalis Karas on Vimeo.

Your Three Step Plan for Lessening and Eliminating Drama From Your Grid Experience

Drama got you down? Is who's zooming who now consuming you? Got a "friend" who has become less of a friend and more of a soul sucking parasite whose name makes you cringe when you see that they are online? Are you at the bottom of a multilayered "dramalanche" that has pinned you avi down worse than a club full particles and Prim Whores and made your Grid Life a living nightmare? Now still in time for the holidays and at the cost of zero currency comes your solution and it's much more efficient than other methods.

Being wrapped up in drama is an addiction, and, despite what you may believe, drama and being entrapped it is an addiction as much as drugs such as nicotine or caffeine. It's an insidious addiction that keeps sapping at the addict and doesn't come in menthol or pumpkin spice flavors. In the recent past and present, those wanting to help others or themselves cure addiction have undertaken the 12 step approach. In "these economic times" (the most overused phrase in the last year and a half), I am offering a reduction of 75% off in steps: three easy steps and four words on your way to a drama free existence!

Step number one is Mute. A longtime proponent of muting, I just barely touched on the effectiveness of muting in February of this year. When you utilize mute, the offensive party will not be able to contact you and will be rendered as gray and motionless. Mute also works remarkably well for spamtards, gesturebators and those suffering from mental hootardation. There is nothing that tickles me more than teleporting into a live music venue and seeing the gray withered husks of my "mutees," knowing that I will not be subjected to their foolishness during the show. I have heard some say "Well Mik, that is sooo closed minded and you'll be shut off from something that they might say that is valuable." Let me make this perfectly clear to you all, those that you mute will never say anything of value that will enhance your Grid experience. You can mute using the profile of the prospective mutee, your mute list under the "View" menu or the pie menu that you get from right clicking on the avatar. Once you no longer have to hear their drama you should take the next step.

Step number two is Delete. If the offending person is on your contact list, delete them as a contact. This is quickly and easily done from the contact list. If you don't want to hear from the person causing the drama, you certainly don't want to see their name popping up on your screen and continue to be informed when they login and logoff of the Grid. Delete them. Erase any evidence of their existence and purge yourself of the psyche sucking parasite that has sullied your Grid experience. You will be better off by doing so and be ready for your next step in emancipating you from the affliction of drama.

Step number three is Move On. This in itself can be the most difficult step of the three pronged approach to lessening and eliminating drama. You will feel compelled to look at the offender's profile especially if they were someone that was a Grid-love interest. Do not dwell on the mutee/deletee. You may find out that you've been replaced in his picks by six women you never heard of before or that s/he is now partnered with the person that was "just a friend." Don't look, not even a peek, move on and live your Grid existence without this person. If you know that looking won't cause you any grief but will make you laugh instead, do go ahead and look down at that stinking big cauldron of drama in which the offender now finds their self. Sit back, laugh, and be content that you have completed the three step plan for lessening and eliminating drama in your Grid experience. What happens if you still find yourself subjected to drama after taking these steps?

If you find yourself immersed in drama after taking these steps, then do them again, this time choosing others who are bringing the drama to your prim doorstep. Mute, Delete and Move On. If you soon discover that you have few or no contacts left, then it may be time to re-examine the type of people you are allowing into your contact list and experience. It may also be time for the self-realization that maybe just maybe it is you that is causing all the drama and you belong on the other end of this three step plan.