On Secession Pt Deux

Texas Governor Rick Perry unwittingly (or not) set in motion the secession of Texas from the United States during a 'Tea Party' rally yesterday by saying Texans are fed up with federal tax policies, and might get so fed up that they decide they want to secede from the union. Whether he realized it or not, a governor using that powerful word has consequences and could set in motion a series of events that could, in fact, lead to Texas leaving the Union. If that happened, we would see a domino effect of states 'declaring' independence. As I predicted last year this country would not have fifty states twenty years from now. Having a sitting governor of a state as large as Texas more or less advocating secession just sets that timetable to move a little faster. Gov. Perry backtracked to reporters after his rally, but the damage has been done.

While I have always supported secession, and I agree that the 10^th Amendment to the Constitution has lain fallow for some time, I find his reasoning to be ridiculous, to be honest. The chief complaint at this rally was monetary. The attendees were there because they were tired of the government taking their money to fund 'pork'. If they had stopped to think about where they were, they would have realized they were protesting in what will become the centerpiece of the new Downtown Trinity River Project, paid for with a chunk of Federal money secured by Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison, who will be Perry's main rival for the governorship in 2010. If all the attendees agree to give that money back, I could take them a little more seriously.

While supporting secession myself, I am aware of the realities of what will happen. Most of these people have no clue. No federal money means no more therapy in the schools, no more FDA to protect your food, no more Federal money on the border, etc. If they think they're being taxed now, just wait. In order to sustain itself, Texas would have to tax its citizens at about an average of 50% of all income. That means Texas will start collecting an income tax and property taxes will skyrocket to replace money that school districts will lose. It won't be all wine and roses, folks. Just because the Federal Government isn't taxing you anymore doesn't mean that things are going to cost less. Food prices will jump dramatically because of tariffs and import costs, the same with almost all other goods and services. I think if most of those holding 'Secede!' signs (most of them misspelled, by the way) knew what it actually meant to leave the US, they would sit down and shut up.

And this brings me to another point. They are clamoring because they think the 10^th Amendment isn't being upheld. FOR FUCK SAKE, where the hell were they when the 1^st 4^th 5^th 6^th 8^th & 9^th amendments were torn to shreds?? They decry any whispered hint or accusation of communism but were just fine and dandy with despotism. But hey, they got to keep their money so what the hell, right?

I hope Texas secedes. It would be a nice wake-up call for these idiots.

I have no rational explanation for it, but lately I have found myself fascinated by Pastor Melissa Scott. Since returning to Texas, I have rediscovered the awesomeness of late-night religious programming. Most of these programs - infomercials basically - have angry old men standing at a pulpit shouting about judgment for the wicked or money for the righteous. Scott, however, just wanders all over stage, her long hair and long jacket flowing behind her lithe frame.
Now, let me be clear. I don't listen to anything she's saying, I just watch her. She could be speaking in tongues espousing the wisdom of cthulhu for all I know.
There was another Scott that aired late at night on an independent television station here in the late 70's,-early 80's named Dr. Gene Scott. The randomness to his shows had a decent amount of influence on me when I was younger. Dr. Gene would sit in a chair puffing on a pipe, reading and interpreting scripture whilst an array of odd and unconnected images would float on screen. It was a visual feast. So it was really no surprise to find out that these two were once married. It's fun to watch her run through her translations of Greek on the white-boards that fill the stage (although, according to several sources, her translations aren't particularly accurate) and try to figure out just what the hell her slight accent is.
I don't get to watch her much anymore because I'm usually asleep (or trying to go to sleep) at midnight when her program airs, but if I'm awake and flipping through the channels, I always stop for a little bit. Although, if she starts puffing on a pipe while unicorns float on the wall behind her, I may have to start recording it on my DVR.

Our game - America's Game

There are only three things America will be known for 2,000 years from now when they study this civilization: the Constitution, jazz music, and baseball

- Gerald Early

Ahh… once again baseball season is upon us, covering us like a blanket and, to paraphrase Walt Whitman, repairing our losses. There is newness to the start of a season that is so strong, no matter how many years one has played or followed the game, it still brings butterflies and goose bumps. In order to truly understand what someone means when they say an atmosphere is ‘electric’, one must attend a baseball game on Opening Day. Whether your league is major, minor or independent, that first game is full of pomp and excitement to rival no other day in professional sports.

As much as I love Opening Day in the Major Leagues, Opening Day at a minor league or independent league has a little something extra to it. The fans there are generally more knowledgeable about their players and the game in general than at an MLB ballpark, I’ve noticed. A greater percentage diligently fill out their score cards and keep records of each game. They love their team, to be sure, but fans of teams outside the major leagues are baseball fans first. The way they watch every pitch and feel their heart race even during the most routine plays; it’s something someone who only goes to games to see home-runs and superstars will never experience.

I have two baseball loves in my life. The Texas Rangers and the Fort Worth Cats. The Rangers are, of course, the Major League team, complete with a large stadium, (relatively) large payroll, merchandising out the wazoo, TV contracts, etc. The whole package. The Cats are an independent league team with a rich history. They have a beautiful stadium for a team of their stature, but it’s still small and humble. They sell T-shirts for $25 instead of jerseys for $200+. The players aren’t household names to anyone but the fans of the team. And you get a sense of this being a baseball team when you are at LaGrave Field and not a baseball business.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the Rangers. We both came to DFW at about the same time (The Rangers from DC and me from the womb) and I have followed them all of my life, even when I was living 400mi away from Arlington. Rangers Ballpark in Arlington is a cathedral despite being old enough to drive. They are playing thus far this season with a zeal and excitement that is infectious. However, as much as I love cheering them on and devoting an inordinate amount of time following them, I get greater satisfaction by sitting in LaGrave field among perhaps 4,000 people (as opposed to 40,000), cheering for the Cats and watching baseball being played the way I imagine it was played in the 40’s and 50’s. No fancy scoreboards, no contract disputes, no blackouts, no distractions other than doing your best and loving the game.

Mike Penner, a columnist for the LA Times once said, “There's nothing wrong with the Little League World Series that locking out the adults couldn't cure.". The same could be said for locking out the business people from baseball. The premise here isn’t hard - “You throw the ball, you hit the ball, you catch the ball. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, sometimes it rains.”

Whip is a contributing editor to practically nobody. His work can be found in the comments section of various blogs. Whip invites you to join him at the Cats’ Opening Day game, May 14^th at LaGrave Field in downtown Ft. Worth, TX.

The adventures of a Second Life builder.

When I first joined SL, I kept hearing words like 'prims' and 'rez' and was exposed to this new in-world language. We're so used to it now, but try and imagine how it must sound to someone in-world for the first time.

"Man, I couldn't rez anything because of the lag and then the whole sim crashed because some noob had huge prim clothing with all those damn flexis and sculpties and was particle griefing. I couldn't even TP out."

 

What??

 

None of my SL friends were builders when I first started in-world. So, it never even occurred to me that I could create furniture or a house or a really awesome spaceship (seriously, it's epic) because everyone I knew purchased everything they needed. Sandboxes were pretty much for griefers at the time and I didn't own any land (still don't), so building wasn't even convenient to experiment with, much less actually create anything worthwhile.

Then, one shiny SL midday, one of my SL friends met someone else who was in a building class. She joined and then started building some pretty cool stuff. Unfortunately, this was also about the time that I left SL (the second time) so I didn't join her. However, upon getting back into the virtual groove, I saw something that inspired me to try on my own. It was a spaceship hovering over someone's parcel. I was curious, so I cammed in and it was awesome. It was all decked out, Jules Verne style. And for the first time, I took real notice of the architecture and could identify certain shapes and how they had been manipulated to create this masterpiece I saw before me. So I tried to recreate it.

Yeah, that didn't quite go as planned. I ended up making a 100m long stainless-steel, hollowed-out cigar. But I learned a lot while doing it. So I tried again. This one looked a little better, but it still didn't look anything like what I originally had in my head. I learned that this is a good thing, since I ended up creating something unique. I thought it was looking pretty good when a stranger flew in and said he liked it, but suggested I lay it on its side. Dammit, he was right! I flipped it over and re-did the inside and I was actually pretty happy with the way it came out.

But now I have to texture the damned thing. Ugh.

Now I'm building a house. I have nowhere to put it, but that's not the point. I'm creating and it is an awesome learning experience. So now I have something else to keep me occupied while my friends are all having pixel sex or down at the club to see who is 'Best in Fuchsia' or whatever the hell the theme is that night.

That's not to say that I don't enjoy my friends' company or involve myself in their favorite activities, but my entire Second Life experience until recently had revolved around what everyone else was doing and not necessarily what I wanted to do. Not that I wanted to do anything else, you understand. I didn't know there was anything else to do! Now I am aware of so much more that is happening in-world and I'm taking full advantage of it.

My Third Second Life

When I rejoined SL for a third time, it was because an SL friend had IM'd me about a technical issue she was having in-world. She had solved it before I was able to log-in, but once there I hung around a bit. She was involved in a new club, so we went and checked it out and I ran into a lot of people I knew from my previous incarnation. I wasn't very interested in getting back into the pre-fab club scene, though, so the next time I logged in, I made a concerted effort to get involved in something else.

I wanted to do something different from every other time I had been in SL. Previously, it had pretty much been DJ one nite, hang out the next, DJ, hang out, lather, rinse, repeat. I really wanted to do something else. This is when I really discovered the event search.

I was originally looking for live music. Now, let's be honest… 80% of the live music in SL is crap. But, as someone who has been in the business, I applaud their efforts and willingness to put themselves out there. That remaining 20%, however, is awesome, and makes wading through the others to find them so worth it. I find it relaxing to sit my avatar down in the corner away from everyone else and just listen. Even though I'm not really interacting with the crowd, you really feel like part of the group. I predict at some point we are going to hear about an artist who works exclusively in SL and makes a living. There have already been bands who have done SL 'tours' and album releases, but someday we are truly going to see an SL-only music star.

Another thing I have really enjoyed while browsing through events are the symposiums and discussion groups. Linden Labs and the Second Life community involved in these events really need to do a broader job of letting people know that these things are happening in SL. Most of what you read concerning SL is about sex and things related to sex. You never hear about the language classes or the history lectures and Q&As. I even TP'd into a church service in SL once. I saw it in the events and I was curious. I didn't really know what to expect, but I was surprised at what I saw. 30 or so people, sitting in pews, some not really dressed appropriately (not that that matters) quietly listening to a preacher read from the Bible. I stuck around for about 20min until the service was over and not once did I get an IM asking me if Christ was my savior or any kind of proselytizing at all. Just one invite to join the church group and that was it. I was actually kind of impressed in how these people were using SL to organize and share in this way. The average SL user (i.e. not you and me) have no clue that any of this is going on. Hell, I kinda knew it was happening, but not to the degree I discovered when I took the time to look.

In SL, we seem to insulate ourselves. (Prad Prathivi has a great article about this over at his blog, Metaversally Speaking, although I think it is more a function of technology (site-to-site TPs, etc) than a function of psychology, but you can decide for yourself) We go to the same places to see the same people and do the same things. Occasionally, someone will get a wild hair and sim-hop, but that is sadly rare. Our virtual world can offer so much and so few are taking advantage of the promise of this world. SL is nothing without its citizens, are its citizens are nothing until they interact. It's a shame that there is so little true interaction in SL. Go, search out something that interests you. Expand your circle of friends, even if that means having a separate circle. Use this technology to better yourselves and those around you.

...and then get laid.

Second Second Life

If you're like most people, I guess, you joined Second Life, played around for a few months until one day you didn't log in… and that day became two, and then a week. Next thing you know, it's been 4 months and you can't remember your password. So, you go through the brouhaha to get it back and you log-in again.

But wait, you have to update your viewer. Once that is downloaded and installed, your heart beating with anticipation of what you will see in a place in which you haven't been in such a long time, you log-in.

Uh oh, wherever you logged out last time is something completely different than that club you were always visiting. So there you are, logging into SL for the first time in months and someone is yelling at you to get out. Everything is gray because nothing has rezzed yet and you're wondering what the hell is going on. Then all of a sudden, you see that you've materialized in someone's living room during an orgy. Oops. You scramble through your landmarks to get out of there quickly, but every LM you try just bounces you back to the poor guy's house because all of your landmarks go to places that aren't there anymore. It's about this time that someone at the 'party' gets their combat stuff attached and orbits you.

There you are, floating over who knows where with nowhere to go.

Re-log.

This time, you think ahead and type in the name of a mainland parcel (you have no idea how you remember it) and you are able to get back in without any poly-coitus interruptus. You start systematically going through your landmarks. Nope, that one doesn't work. Nope, that one is now a goth club. Nope, that one sends you to that guys house again. Oops.

Orbit.

Re-log

One of these landmarks has to still be there. Surely not everything in SL is so transitory. Let's try this one. Yeah, Hard Alley is still there! Whoohoo! When all else crumbles and changes all around you, Hard Alley is the foundation on which you can always believe. Now that you have a moment (not long though. Noob IMs asking you to touch their freenis soon start flooding in), you click on 'Search' to find a nice quiet place to relax and begin your SL experience anew. Ahh, a garden. That sounds peaceful.

TP

Finally. Now you look through your friends list. No one is online. Curious, you look at the info on several mutual groups you have with your friends to see the last time they logged on. This one hasn't been on in a month. This one hasn't been on in two months. All of a sudden, one of them logs in and you IM 'Hey, long time no see!' and they respond with 'I'm just here paying tier' and then they immediately log out. Okay then.

It's about this time that you realize your garden is really a forest and this is some sort of RP sim. You get this idea b/c there is a werewolf pushing you around. You use your only working TP and head back to Hard Alley where you are attacked by a 6ft tall penis.

You log-out.

Hooters

I went to Hooters for lunch yesterday.
I complained bitterly that my waitress had breasts of two different sizes. The manger brought me a complimentary dessert, but I was inconsolable.
On the way out, I accused the cashier of fostering an atmosphere of elitist, white, male, Eurocentric intellectualism. She just stared at me and snapped her gum.
Her breasts seemed to pretty much match.

Cats are EVIL

It is a scientific fact.

If you think that your feline is precious and loving, research has shown that it is only because your cat hasn't figured out a way to kill you yet.

This has been a public service announcement.

Last.fm: The Corporate Version

Last.fm has dropped their new layout on the masses and its reception has been less than enthusiastic.
In the interest of fairness, I'll first list the things that I like about the new layout.

1.) The Library. I love the amount of new information this offers. I have really enjoyed browsing my own library and those of people I know. This is an outstanding addition.
2.) That's about it.

Things I do not like:

1.) The Library. At least on my profile page. I keep seeing the same 8 pictures from the same 8 artists every time I look at that page. It has become boring very quickly.
2.) Overall site navigation. What once took a few clicks and was easy to find even for someone unfamiliar with the site has become an Easter Egg Hunt.
3.) Layout. It doesn't stretch to accommodate wide-screen resolutions (This is for future ad space. Mark my words right now. You heard it here first.) There is a reason so many users have compared it to Facebook - because that's what it looks like. If you're going after tweens, this is perfect, I suppose. If they were trying to attract a more sophisticated user (users with more money) then they blew it.
4.) Discovering New Music. The tools I used to discover new music are now mostly gone. Weekly neighbors, group recommendations, tag playlists, free downloads, etc... all gone. Or, in the case of the free music, so hidden and curtailed that is basically useless.

I've been wandering around the Internet for quite some time and I have seen site redesigns succeed and fail. Every time a site with a dedicated user-base makes a drastic change the response is typically one of outrage. The reactions over at the Last.fm forums, however, are a little different. There is, of course, the initial shock and cries of 'Change it back!', etc, but what makes this little insurrection different is that many of the beta testers themselves are making just as much noise as the rabble that only saw the new redesign for the first time Thursday.
Since the beginning of the 'beta' phase, there have been numerous complaints about the layout, navigation, functionality and overall design. The staff over at Last.fm asked for, and received, thousands of feedback reports which they seem to have completely ignored. The beta testers (of which I was one, in the interest of full disclosure) were told repeatedly that the beta layout we were toying with was a work in progress. These assurances continued literally until the moment it went live. So much for user feedback.
CBS came in and spent close to $300 million for Last.fm and, in an attempt to recoup that expense, they have turned Last.fm from a modestly profitable and close-knit community into just another Myspace or Facebook. The same thing happened to LiveJournal. It was small, it was profitable and it was growing nicely. Then it was bought by SixApart who promptly added advertisements and other money-grabbing schemes in an attempt to make back their investment as quickly as possible. The older, more sophisticated users, (i.e. users with disposable income) left in droves and took their paid subscriptions with them. SixApart eventually had to sell it off and the site is now only a shell of it's former potential because of the corporate, bottom-line mentality. Last.fm, I'm afraid, is about to suffer a similar fate.

Death Throes of the RIAA?

The geniuses behind the RIAA's multi-millon dollar lawsuits against grandmothers and children have come up with another money-grabbing scheme.

Suing radio stations for "piracy".

No, that's not being overly dramatic. The RIAA spokesperson is quoted as saying that what radio stations do (play and promote music) is, "a form of piracy". Seriously.

Let's imagine a world where the RIAA runs everything. There's no music on the Internet. There's no music on the radio. You'll probably get slapped with a cease and desist order if caught singing, whistling or humming any tune (because the RIAA surmises that, even if the songwriter and/or artist isn't represented by them, they still should get money for it. Honestly.) And the RIAA will still bitch and moan about how record sales are declining and will start suing puppy dogs and homeless people.

Instead of trying to change their business model, they are madly flailing about, hoping to strike anything within their reach. It's pathetic, really.

Oh, and the artists and songwriters they represent? Haven't seen a nickel of any monies received via lawsuits of "file-sharers". Their lawyers are the only ones making anything and they aren't about to let the gravy train come to a halt. If they have their way, we will all be pirates simply because we listen to music. We'll have to start carrying a meter around with us and every time we think of a tune, we have to drop in a quarter or we get an electrical shock. Sounds crazy, right? As crazy as the RIAA suing terrestrial radio for piracy?