Saturday, April 28, 2007

Prophetic Words of Michio Kaku: not Sage but Scientist

Transition from Type 0 to Type 1 Civilization Underway?
A Type I civilization is a truly planetary one, which has mastered most forms of planetary energy. Their energy output may be on the order of thousands to millions of times our current planetary output. Mark Twain once said, "Everyone complains about the weather, but no one does anything about it." This may change with a Type I civilization, which has enough energy to modify the weather. They also have enough energy to alter the course of earthquakes, volcanoes, and build cities on their oceans. Currently, our energy output qualifies us for Type 0 status. We derive our energy not from harnessing global forces, but by burning dead plants (e.g. oil and coal). But already, we can see the seeds of a Type I civilization. We see the beginning of a planetary language (English), a planetary communication system (the Internet), a planetary economy (the forging of the European Union), and even the beginnings of a planetary culture (via mass media, TV, rock music, and Hollywood films). By definition, an advanced civilization must grow faster than the frequency of life-threatening catastrophes. Since large meteor and comet impacts take place once every few thousand years, a Type I civilization must master space travel to deflect space debris within that time frame, which should not be much of a problem. Ice ages may take place on a time scale of tens of thousands of years, so a Type I civilization must learn to modify the weather within that time frame.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

SL/Overheard

"We had a club where we only accepted fat avatars.
It was liberating and exclusive."

"My avatar was a stud, but couldn't compete with the dude who looked like Ben Franklin from the $100 bill."

RL/Surreality

This is Pathfinder Linden, AKA John Lester, using a screen to show images of Second Life to a real life audience as we watch.

This can also be called "Second Life Residents Learning about Ourselves on Widescreen."


Or "Looking into Mirrors."

Monday, April 23, 2007

SL/Overheard

Virtual protesting

"As a new form of protest, I intend to walk in circles until I get answers."

(More maddening than a hunger strike to the participant and anyone watching.)

SL/Still Perfect

Upon further inspection that was not the moon. It was a light belonging to the pool.

SL/Perfect


This is a great shot of the community pool and the surrounding landscape. I love that you can see the pool, the aqueduct, the neighboring houses, the moon and stars and what looks like a UFO.

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Second Life/Overheard

Hero

"I had to disrobe in the middle of that conversation to keep it interesting."

Labeled

"Whenever I get labeled with something I want it on my outfit."

Question to Dr. Phil Plait

"If fundamentalists barely acknowledge astronomy as a science, will they be the last ones to outer space?"

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

SL/Mystery Train

Train coming?




l
l
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l
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It is only Milo, in a wheelchair, with a disco lamp.

SL/DOUBLE OOPS

I didn't mean to, but when I teleported in I ended up stepping on the alien proprieter.

SL/Truth

Stepping into a mysterious teleporter, I became an unwitting space tourist.








Upon return, and at the end of a long hallway--for the first time--I could see the message for humanity:




Sunday, April 15, 2007

SL/overheard/

FCC Requirement

"Unfortunately, our dance was brought to a screeching halt when a loud humming noise accompanied by the words 'THIS IS A TEST, THIS IS ONLY A TEST' came over the speakers."

The other hemisphere may conquer the earth

"He built an entire left-handers' paradise, to which right-handers had no choice but to adjust."

SL/Overheard

Meeting Update

"At the risk of sounding discriminatory, there will be no Scorpios allowed."

Second Life/Overheard

Risky but worth it

"At the risk of being accused of discrimination my group will be for Gemini right-handers only."

In stock?

"Pardon me, I'm looking for an outfit that shows off my inner organs."

Traveling the easy way

"For 50,000L$ he offered to build me a teleport to There.com."

Humane Pixels

"Virtual leather means no cows were sacrificed so that you could look tough."

SL/BIGGEST JOINT












For the "Biggest Joint" contest I enlisted the aid of a first-class joint architect named cartboy Kitchensink.
He would construct the "world's biggest joint."
Here are some archival shots of the joint under construction.
As is often the case, my attention changed...
To cartboy's shop.
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/
and the avant-garde-looking person inside.
Whom I tracked all the way back to The Joint.
And who celebrated once he realized what it was.
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We were all under its spell.



Wednesday, April 11, 2007

SL/Misc.

Pet Sim

Here is a typical rooster and hen.



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Here are their genetically-modified counterparts.








Overheard...
Shouted at outdoor Event:
"Will the person I was making love to under the canopy please report to the Information kiosk, center sim?"

Amongst ex-zealots:
"My religion forbade me from eating with my lips."

Drag racing for the masses:
"When the tires smoke you can get a wonderful buzz."

Worker at SeXpo:
"I have perky computers."

Branded:
"I still have remnants of last night's slap mark on my face."

Play Locally:
"Instead of an Englishman saying it, I want a redneck to say 'You're a Wanker.'"

Sunday, April 08, 2007

SL/Sex with an alien
Yetrates brought me to the Bates Motel.
Since her last name is 'Bates' she thought it would be a good place
to visit.
I entered one of the rooms and I saw we had the same taste in bookshelves.
Moments later a woman came breezing through the bookshelves like it was a beaded doorway. She said it contained her office.

I complimented her on having a hidden office within the Bates Motel.
It dawned at me at this point that this was a strange place. It could also be a brothel.





I saw an alien outside. It was some kind of alien...escort.
Rather than take the chance of having my sexual material forcibly
removed that night, I volunteered to find us a room. The alien was agreeable, but wanted dibs on any material left behind from previous rendezvous.
l
l
l
I couldn't get comfortable in bed with the lights on.






Even the bathroom light was on.
l
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I told the alien to find a way to shut off the lights--please.
Then two humans joined us in staring at me in disbelief.
When I stood up to surrender none of them offered to help.
l
l
l
So, to impress them all, I began doing push-ups on the bed.

Saturday, April 07, 2007

SL/Typing sojourn

After a long day of finger-clacking, I needed something for my nerves.

"Bartender, get me something from the medicine cabinet."

SL/Minority Sighting

[18:18] Patric: what is the time difference from here to greenland, milo?

[18:18] Milorad Lehmann: lol
[18:18] Milorad Lehmann: how the hell i know
[18:18] Patric: we had some greenlanders on here earlier
[18:19] Milorad Lehmann: lol no way