The Work of Art in the Age of Computational (Re)Production ***

Posted by Alpha Auer...

Lately I have been giving a lot of thought to the concept of Not Possible in Real Life in terms of creative activity. So, I have come to the conclusion that sharing what my sense of what is NPIRL may well be in order at this point in time.

The State of the Art of computation and creativity today

You may remember a certain backpack which enables an avatar to "wear" a landscape on his/her back, which I posted about a few weeks ago on this blog. Even as I was writing the post I could not help but be reminded of my PhD colleague as well as good friend Laura Beloff's wearable art in Real Life. And specifically one item which Laura has created, which is a breeder of fruit flies to be carried as a backpack. (Other wonders of Laura's include a a wearable head that a second party can communicate with via mobile technologies, a wearable weather observatory and networked boots which capture the conversations in online chat rooms and transmit them via audio playback into the physical realm).


Laura Beloff: The wearable fruitfly farm


Laura Beloff: The wearable weather observatory


Laura Beloff: "Head"

The output of the hybrid field of art and computation is vast indeed and unless one turns it into a fulltime occupation it would be quite impossible to know all that comes about. Thus, I shall continue to stick to the work of my close associates and colleagues for further examples.

My much beloved friend, colleague and indeed adopted “brother” Yacov Sharir has been dancing on a Real Life stage with virtual dancers whom he has created in 3D Studio Max since the late 1990's. The touchingly beautiful pas de deux of the real and the virtual dancer are accomplished through a sensor wired glove through which Yacov directs the movement of his virtual partner(s).


Yacov Sharir: "Lullaby"

My colleague Selçuk Artut, right here in Istanbul, is conducting research on the creation of a sophisticated interface that will bring about musical instruments with which musicians will be able to compose/perform music from the feedback of biological organisms. And not little old beeps and bleeps but scored music! Which in its turn reminds me of my PhD colleague Nicolas Reeves' work which focuses on the creation of music not only from architectural constructs but also from clouds: "La Harpe à Nuages (1997-2000) is also known as the Keplerian Harp after German astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), who first came up with the term "music of the spheres". Reeves describes the harp as a "meteo-electronic installation." It is a physical sculpture containing a technological system that, thanks to a series of infrared lasers, reads the structure of clouds and then transforms this reading into music. The melodies vary depending on factors such as altitude, cloud density and meteorological conditions".

This list could be extended by quite a bit even if it were to be restricted to just my own circle of friends. However, I will need to stop at some point and this will be my colleague Diane Gromala's Meatbook. To quote, “the Meatbook is a project that provokes users’ senses of their visceral responses. A time-based (that is, decaying) slab of meat, constructed as a book, is embedded with various sensors that cause the meat to react and quiver as the viewer approaches it. The reanimated flesh also responds with other movements and sound when users touch it”.


Diane Gromala: "Meatbook"

And yet, there has to be one final artist, without whose name such a survey would be most incomplete: The grand master of body art, Stelarc is not amongst my personal associates and so I do not feel at liberty to use an image of his output without his permission. However, I would urge everyone who is not familiar with Stelarc's output to take a look at this... And then especially this...

The State of the Art of "art" today

From the above examples it is quite obvious that the human creative spirit is alive and well in the year of 2009. And yet to me something quite fundamental is not right. And it isn't just me who thinks so either: I have shared countless conversations with colleagues (including the ones whose output is shown above) on this matter, and we are all more or less in agreement that a very vital component of artistic practice is no longer present with us today. Or at least not immediately and obviously so. Does artistic output still serve the intrinsic purposes of humanity? Or has art simply lost its cause?

For millenia art provided the visual narration of religious concepts. From Lascaux to Karnak to the Sistine Chapel generations of artists dedicated their creative abilities not to the pursuit of personal agendas but to serving one of the most fundamental purposes of humankind: Belief. And notwithstanding that some amongst them (as would be the case with Caravaggio) were eccentric individuals living from time to time on the edges of society, for the the large part artists were fully integrated members of the milieu in which they operated; responsible businessmen with professional commitments, outstanding (pre-paid!) orders and accounts to balance, supervising hordes of apprentices in well organized and efficient workshops. A far cry indeed from the type of individual we seem to have inevitably become today in the face of personally instigated demand and supply.

With the advent of the Bourgeoisie in Europe after the 16th century yet another demand was charged upon artists: The newly individuated and wealthy Citizen no longer settled for just the glorification of religion, but sought personal glorification as well. The outcome was the genre of portrait painting, as well as interiors, landscapes and still lives, with which the European Burger adorned his estate. However, whether Sistine Chapel roof or Rembrandt portrait, one essential premise remained unchanged in that artwork was something present in living spaces, indeed to be lived with, to be experienced on a basis of daily familiarity - something to be "used" and not merely to be "viewed" in spaces designated for that activity alone.

And then, needless to say, with the 19th century there came photography, followed shortly thereafter by the moving picture. Compounding these advances in technology was also the rise of empirical inquiry and religious skepticism, both results of the Age of the Enlightenment, weakening the social power of the church, amongst else also as patron of the arts. And so, the whole "business of art", as it had been practiced for thousands of years found itself in a precarious position of re-evaluation. Of a need for creating personal agendas and purposes that would continue to provide an outlet for that intrinsically human attribute we call creativity.

Up until the early decades of the 20th century the research of the visual elements of art themselves - of light, of space and of object culminating in pure abstraction, served the bill. Indeed, for me, this brief period of the "avantgarde" in modernist art constitutes one of the most notable apexes of mankind's artistic endeavor. Then came a brief dabble in an investigation of the human subconscious during the middle of the 20th century - but ultimately it was all self propelled, self instigated and could sustain its own momentum for only so long. And it seems to me that the present day phenomenon of conceptual and indeed post-conceptual art is not faring much better. I know this is presumptuous of me, and who am I to even pontificate upon any of this - however, it is my considered opinion that unless we provide an intrinsic purpose for it, and one which transcends that famed holy cow of "creative self expression" at that, our artistic goose is pretty much cooked! Overcooked, if anything, should you ask me... ;-).

And then came the Metaverse...

The concept of NPIRL which Bettina Tizzy has thrown on the virtual table is no less than visionary in its manifold implications.

So, what is NPIRL? Stelarc's "third ear" is in Real Life after all, as is the "meatbook"...

One of Laura's biggest gripes is that the wearables which she creates do not really get used as such, inevitably ending up as exhibits in museums or sophisticated art venues such as Ars Electronica. Occasionally a person may put them on and wander about a bit, but by and large they are not part and parcel of everyday life in Real Life. They do not get worn long enough to evoke "behavioral change" in the wearer. Laura wants people to play with her output and to change whilst doing so. They do not. They watch, they wonder, they admire and they talk about it. Oh yes! Do they talk! And maybe they try it out - just maybe, not always... But in Real Life that is far as it seems to go.

And here, suddenly, in the metaverse we have this truly amazing and seemingly not all that possible in (grown-up) Real Life occurrence: Playful activity and the changes it can engender are subject to a huge area of discourse in the Social Sciences, exemplified by the writings of Huizinga and Brian Sutton-Smith. Sutton Smith alerts us that in Real Life “frivolous playfulness” is a distinctly rare attribute once childhood has been outgrown – and this despite the fact that according to Sutton-Smith it is a crucial one for the sustenance of the species.

However, unlike Real Life “play” in the metaverse is very much alive, becoming manifest in what we wear and what we “use” and how we interact with ourselves and others whilst kitted out in all of our splendid NPIRLness. And doesn't what we discover about ourselves during this seemingly frivolously playful activity acquire huge significance when viewed from the point of view of Homo Ludens?

But of course it goes much further and deeper than just what we wear and what we use. All of that is merely the paraphernalia of a novel form of ritual - the Ritual of Behavioral Change I presume to call it. The very creation of fantastic identities: Becoming a Neko, a Furry, a Hobo, a Drow, an Urban Warrior, a Fairy or a Gorean involves a great deal more than a bunch of attachments. It involves living by that creed. I can take a safety pin and attach a length of rope to my jeans and become a neko in a nano-second in Real Life after all... But would I be able to sustain it? Develop a full identity around my tail? Which my Real Life peers unquestioningly accepted? Would I be able to wander into, say, a faculty board meeting at my university and have my colleagues listen to whatever it was that I had to say with any degree of seriousness? Could I teach a class? Or just simply venture out of my home even? You tell me… Can I do so in the metaverse? Is there even a question here? Since when are nekos not taken seriously in the virtual realm? grrrr… ;-)

And then it goes even further than the creation of just the one identity, doesn’t it? While you are at it, why not create a whole bunch of them? In Real Life we call it Schizophrenia. In Second Life® we merely call it the rezing of alts. Standard practice it seems. Certainly no indicator of mental instability. After all, how many amongst us are there that don’t have at least the one? For my part, last time I looked, I had 4...
…

And this would more or less delineate my take on the matter I believe. In any case, it may go some ways towards explaining quite a bit of the content which I have covered, and especially my emphasis on design output – and particularly non-human oriented design output, which in its intrinsic attributes seems to me to fulfill the role I wish for in the realization of “play” and consequent “behavioral change”. Leben Schnabel, in the post that I wrote on his work sums it up far better than I possibly could:

“… the fact that I can give people the means to express a part of their personality with my avatars. That, for me, is a wonderful aspect of working in SL. As fleeting and transient as our work is in this medium, for a while, people relate much, much stronger to it than to, for example, an expertly painted picture. Typically, people look at a picture for merely seconds, of maybe minutes if it speaks to them on some level. Somebody who wears my avatars or has his or her virtual home in one of my caves, might spend months in a close relationship to my work. That is one of the things that I absolutely like about making content for a virtual world”.

Personally, I have created Syncretia entirely by the credo of "livability" as opposed to "viewability" and my future efforts in metaverse creativity will follow along these lines as well, since to me this seems to be a thoroughly viable means of providing context to artistic endeavor today: The provision of usable objects and spaces serving the ritual of behavioral change and consequent self discovery through play.
…

The past few months for me have been a period over which a creative block has cast a huge shadow. I am happy to be able to say that the dry spell seems to finally be over. Compounding this is the fact that my sabbatical semester leave is drawing to a close and once again the duties of a full time Real Life beckon.

The blogging activity here on the NPIRL blog during this entire period has been nothing less than a God send. Amongst much else, this has also provided me with a wonderful opportunity to take out the time and become fully engrossed in the detailed examination of the creative output of others for a change - an experience which I have vastly benefited from and hope to put to good use in my own future design work. So, I will most certainly continue to post – however far less frequently than before. I still have one June Dion post, this one on her scary avatars (and boy, are they ever!) which I will be posting soon-ish (I hope), but beyond that you will be hearing from me only occasionally, since my own creative output should be keeping me quite busy for the foreseeable future at least.

…

(*** Walter Benjamin, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction")

Viva la Vida: A video of AuraKyo Insoo's epic installation on the highs and lows of being human

Posted by Bettina Tizzy

It no longer exists, except in memory, but AuraKyo Insoo's soulful and sculptural Viva la Vida breathed earthy life and passion from every prim. An enormous installation that was truly impregnated with Aura's distinctive and immediately recognizable style, it required a good hour to take in. I shot the footage for this video weeks ago, and it wasn't lack of interest but the usual series of interruptions that held back its completion. I'm afraid I've done a shabby job of capturing the entire story and the enormity of it, but hopefully a glimmer of its effusive spirit is evident. If you missed it, I understand that Aura will have an opportunity to re-rez the show soon.


Shot and edited by Bettina Tizzy
Music: "Between two floors" by Five Star Fall
If you find that it is running slow, you can view it here.

Viva la Vida is a Spanish-language expression that loosely translates as Hurray for Life. The show - sponsored by Rezzable Productions - transported the visitor most elegantly through nearly every phase of life, beginning with a birthing and ending with peaceful and loving human interaction, but also touching on war (never more), cruelty, courage, fame and solitude.

In conversations with Aura, I have come to know her as a woman who embodies and lives by her own mantra, viva la vida. An Argentinian by birth and an artist in Real Life, Aura is also a poet and an activist. Viva Aura! We want more, and more can be had. Aura is currently showing at the Human Rights Festival in Second Life®: Reconstructing Rights; Humans in Process, which you can visit through January 20th by teleporting here.

DanCoyote Antonelli responds to whiny residents and Linden Lab with art: Hostile Space

This morning, Juria Yoshikawa suggested that I take a look at the art installation that DanCoyote Antonelli (aka DC Spensley) had created at Brooklyn is Watching in response to resident Selavy Oh's temporary banning from Second Life® for allegedly abusing another resident with her art (see our previous post).

I took one look at Hostile Space and immediately contacted DanCoyote (we call him DC) to get the skinny.


In lieu of photography, I created this quick video to show you the piece.
Music: "Stars" by Beth Quist
Video: Bettina Tizzy

DanCoyote Antonelli: Hostile Space (teleport directly from here), is not really hostile in real terms. It is cheery and cute but removes the figurative conceit from the viewer's experience and literally intends to drop stuff on their heads. The viewers have been forewarned that it is Hostile Space.

So what Selavy did accidentally is being done deliberately to foreground the issue of whether it is correct to consider an avatar to have personal space. In the case of Selavy, it was literally an accident and on a known free-for-all art sim. It was unconscionable to suspend Selavy for the accident. I agree that making someone's avatar do stuff against their will is assault. I don't agree with Gazira Babeli on this. But an accident? Just silly. So Hostile Space is there to poke gentle fun at the whole concept of getting bonked on the head. So look out! Stuff WILL FALL ON YOU HERE! Bonka Bonka!

The artwork also references Adam Ramona with a sound component and yesterday I added some Mutant Hossies in the bottom part as a non sequitur element that also references Pavig Lok's reassembly of ant parts a few months ago. The Mutant Hossies are reassembled parts of a horse made by Nomasha Syaka and while not abstract like most of my work, are more in the spirit of the coming holiday.

I'll have to get with DC later to find out what kind of holiday celebrations he has!

DanCoyote Antonelli: Hostile Space has layers. Is the space hostile to the viewer? Is Second Life hostile to artists? And WTF are these surreal Mutant Hossies doing there anyway?

Please allow me to introduce myself...

Yes! When Bettina asked me a month or so ago whether I would want to join her as co-blogger on the NPIRL blog, it took me less than a second to say yes! Yes, yes and yes!

As Bett has already mentioned I am indeed the builder of Syncretia, which some of you may already have visited, thanks to Bett's wonderful previous posts on the place. To those that haven't yet, please do come at some point or other ;-). So, I am first and foremost a designer/artist in Real Life and a dedicated, if not downright obsessive, builder in Second Life®.



Writing is something that I have stumbled onto in recent years: Reading an amazing book called the Telematic Embrace, written by a wonderful man, Roy Ascott, led me to study for a PhD at the Planetary Collegium. Although initially embarked upon with much trepidation, once involved, I found to my utter surprise that I actually rather enjoyed research and writing. It has certainly not become my primary mode of expression, I am very much what I have always been - a visual artist. However, it has certainly become a close second. I should probably also add here that my research and writing activity has very recently given me the opportunity of becoming the editor of an academic journal on Metaverse creativity, to be published by Intellect Journals, starting in the fall of 2009 - a feat of which I am quite proud of, I have to say.

And as for the the blogging: A somewhat bleak period in my Second Life last spring led me to start my own blog. And then this summer I created an alt, Xiamara Ugajin, who now has her own blog as well. These two blogs will continue their existence alongside this, the NPIRL blog - which quite needless to say will get my primary attention from now on, where all blogging activity is concerned. The Alpha blog is for personal thoughts and naughtiness (and yes! I am very naughty!), the Xia blog is for helpful tips (Xia is very well behaved!), particularly for apparel and the like.

The NPIRL blog is for my thoughts on Second Life creativity, a subject that also involves my PhD thesis, which is about art education in Second Life. I cannot help but feel very strongly that the metaverse is promising immense implications where the artistic fields are concerned - and this at a time when, in my humble opinion, things are rather seriously challenged in this department in Real Life. I have previously written on this on my own blog and will now take the liberty of adding in the link here , so that I do not need to make this post any longer than it absolutely has to be.

I delight in humor, in the unexpected, indeed the absurd, in that which is fundamentally un-didactic. I also delight in narrative, in the fairy tale, in the not possible in real life, the larger than life, the unimaginable. I cherish the unselfconscious, the playful, the spontaneous. And yes, also the naughty, the irreverent, the tongue-in-cheek... And many of these attributes seem to me to be absent from artistic activity to an alarming extent in Real Life today. Somewhere, something went wrong and we dried up. We became humorless, if not indeed downright preachy. And suddenly, here in Second Life, we seem to be gaining ground in the springing up of imaginative acts. In the creation of utterly absurd objects and situations. This I cherish. This is what makes Second Life creativity beyond valuable to me. This is to me what, at this particular moment in time, makes it quite essentially NPIRL!

And not only do we create objects, we take creativity up one notch altogether: We create new lives and alternative identities. The whole manifestation of avatars and their alts; the vastly complex, autopoietic interaction of the human being behind the keyboard with these emergent selves is what to me lies at the very heart of metaverse creativity. Thus, time permitting, I would like to delve into this subject on this blog as part of content creation which is Not Possible in Real Life, alongside the examination of object oriented artistic/design output, of course.

And now finally enough of the pretty words and onto some practicalities: As I mentioned above, I am a dedicated builder. What I should also mention here is that I have an avatar family who is every bit as dear to me as any Real Life family would be. Thus, my time in-world is divided fully between my building and my family, and then of course also the viewing of creative content generated by others. From this it will inevitably follow that I will be remiss in responding to Instant Messages, notifying me of events and things to see in-world. Not to put too fine a point on it - I will simply not be able to do so. Please do not think this to be insufferably rude: My Second Life has essentially been a very private one to date, and I have come to truly cherish the way in which it has evolved and would thus be extremely hesitant to enter into any kind of a venture that could upset a truly meaningful balance. I will thus be very grateful for emails, to be sent either to the sendtonpirl@gmail.com mailbox or directly to me at alphaauer@gmail.com. These I will try to respond to as fast as I can, within a matter of hours, a day at the very most.

And finally finally finally ... Yes! Bett! Thank you for having entrusted me with this. I feel truly privileged to have become a part of this formidable operation. And thank you above all for being my friend!

Not Possible IRL unveils new structure and leadership

In fifteen months, the Not Possible IRL group has expanded from a good idea to a working group, then a blog that reflects our best findings and analysis, then an in-world news source via the Impossible IRL group (now one year old and 1,000 members, many of them leading artists, builders and scripters), as well as many Flickr groups featuring the best photographers in virtual worlds, a Youtube group, and a following on Koinup.

Since those early days to now, the grid has grown and the sheer volume of things to review and share has more than quadrupled.

New NPIRL structure and leadership

My role, moving foward
NPIRL/ImpIRL has become far too large a task for one person, and the windows for intelligent growth should not be missed. I need breathing room so that I can focus on deeper strategic work for our groups and some of my own, personal goals. I also don't want to lose the excitement and wonder I feel when I see the incredible work you are all doing.

I will continue to manage the ship, serving the groups as the primary catalyst for working issues and opportunities. I will also blog.

It gives me much pleasure to share with you that NPIRL is reorganizing to meet our expanded needs. Effective today, Monday, October 13, two women I very much admire are joining me at the helm of Not Possible IRL/Impossible IRL:


In-world notices to be issued by Miki Gymnast



Last spring and for one month, Miki Gymnast was responsible for in-world notices and she did a fantastic job in her own singular style. Miki knows quality when she sees it. She is perceptive, knowledgeable and has a discerning eye. She is also extremely organized, diplomatic, fair-minded and has the ability to say "no," all essential qualities for the task she is taking on. Beginning today, selections for, and the issuance of all in-world notices to both groups concerning builds, events, and tools will be her responsibility.

Miki's in-world creations are usually generated via intricate scripting work and inspired by mathematics, featuring mostly colorful panes of glass in complex, undulating and soaring structures, including the recent Klein bottle.


Alpha Auer (aka Elif Ayiter) to join the masthead on this blog



A Turkish artist and designer and creator of the sumptuous and singular Syncretia, Alpha Auer is already a blogger in her own right, and has written several imaginative and fascinating reviews for the NPIRL blog. In Real Life, Alpha teaches design and design history, and also conducts research specializing in the development and implementation of hybrid educational methodologies between art & design and computer science. She has presented creative as well as research output at conferences including Siggraph, Consciousness Reframed, Creativity and Cognition, ICALT and Computational Aesthetics (Eurographics) . She is currently studying for a doctoral degree at the Planetary Collegium, CAiiA hub, at the University of Plymouth with Roy Ascott and describes herself as "a totally irreverent, mischievous, politically incorrect, frivolous, fashion victim avatar in Second Life®."

How to communicate with NPIRL for in-world notices and blogging

* All in-world tips, leads, landmarks, notes and objects should be dropped off at the NPIRL mailbox: teleport directly from here.
* All emails - unless responding directly to Bettina Tizzy, Alpha Auer and Miki Gymnast - should be sent to sendtonpirl@gmail.com
* Previews should be arranged via notecard or email.
* Please PLEASE refrain from IMing the team directly regarding builds.

Many thanks to all of you, and very special thanks to Alpha and Miki,
Bettina

Unexpected objects

"Recent works," which will open this Sunday, is a bit of a meditative walkabout with surprises around each bend in your path. Created by Mencius Watts and Taggert Alsop, and curated by Tayzia Abattoir, this kinetic light and sound and space installation invites quiet exploration, and while much of it - if not all - would be possible in Real Life (PIRL), the cost of mounting such a show would be prohibitive unless you happen to be one of the ten or so names in the art world with the proven ability to pull in some very serious money and support.

It works well in a virtual environment, and realism is achieved with these unexpected objects in unexpected places by breathing life into them through the use of video, light, movement, and live feeds.

One exhibit works interactively with Flickr. You type in any word, and it pulls and displays approximately thirty photographs that are tagged with that word. For this video, I typed "NMC," which stands for New Media Consortium, the organization that is hosting the show. Another installation displays RSS news feeds. The works are proximity triggered, so you must get close enough to set them off, or alternatively, turn your media on.


Filmed and edited by Bettina Tizzy
Sound files produced by Taggert Alsop

Mencius Watts is the "artist" account for an American with a Master of Fine Arts degree in Intermedia and Video Art. Using another account for his "day job," he heads up a research group that works exclusively in virtual environments, including Second Life®. His professional focus resides with interface design, social engagement, virtuality and simulation.

Mencius Watts: We work a lot in Second Life these days... art mostly. We do museum kiosks... gesture-based, touch screens, etc.

Does that carry over in the art that Mencius does?
Mencius Watts: Yes. I reinvent a lot of my Real Life works. I am a video artist... do installations. I collaborate with scripters, composers, etc.

Who are your collaborators?
Mencius Watts: A group of Real Life artists and programmers. The main avatar is Taggert Alsop.

Ah, not in world...
Mencius Watts: Well, we are in Second Life, too. All blurry. Taggert does most of the scripting and most composing for the works. I do the 3D and media concepts. For me and our group, (this show) is a wonderful opportunity to explore virtual art and showcase the intersections of art and technology. (There is) a lot of content in the works, but some pretty hefty back end know-how driving it (and) making it work. For the user, a direct experience with the work... not clunky. The aesthetic experience is the most important. The technology behind it should disappear.

The collection of works will open to the public beginning Sunday and will be up for a month at Ars Simulacra, the New Media Consortium's (NMC) Second Life artist showcase island. Teleport directly from here.

Summer Noob Games ;-)

Starring role and scripting: Seifert Surface
Noobs: Created by Art Laxness
Location: Suffugium, by Lex Neva/The Squidsoft Collective
Music: "Shopping Spree," composed by Peter Calandra, BMI and Scott P Schreer, BMI
Video: Bettina Tizzy

All your LMs are belong to us

This was issued in a notice to NPIRL members on August 3, 2007:

THE BLOG

Thanks to Corporate Jay for his help with the management of this blog.

~~If you are an NPIRL member and would like the rights to initiate a post on our blog, please contact me in-world.
~~Anyone can comment, though.
~~All back notices will eventually make their way into the blog. This way we can share our finds with the rest of the metaverse, and have a handy archive, too.
~~The blog will always be one week behind in-world notices so you will always be the first to know....
~~Unless something riveting is going on, NPIRL notices will be limited to once a week now: Fridays

THIS WEEK'S FEATURES:

* SKINS. I suppose this is possible IRL, given the right cosmetic surgery, but the pain, the cost, the vanity! We've all shopped for skins, but just for sheer comedic value, check this one out: Limited edition skins for 20,000L. Yes, you read right. TP to the skin section and look for the LTD Edition corner. What do you think?
CryoGen Cloning Facility Skins

* CLANGER'S INVENTIONS:
This is not a new build but possibly one of the earliest attempts at NPIRL stuff in world? A sim of textures and shapes gone wild, by Clames Clanger:
Clanger's Inventions

More Clanger stuff; newer. He won't let you create an LM on his land, but you will spot his stuff right away when you land here. Alternatively, just look in his picks for the Gilum parcel stuff:
More Clanger stuff

* ARTIFICAL LIFE IN-WORLD
This bizarre sim is an experiment in artifical life where plants and animals interact with each other and evolve:wiki at SL Ecosystem
Terminus

* SLONOPOLY: A CELEBRATION OF CAPITALISM
When Akasha Wachmann handed me this LM, I envisioned a giant interactive monopoly game. Almost right. It's a new shopping mall in the sky. Talk about location, location, location. And yes, pick out your token and surf your way to Park Place. Not sure if you get $200L for passing go.
SLonopoly

WELCOME to our newest members; we are better for knowing you! Thanks to Douglas Story for all his help here. Check em out.
* Tayzia Abattoir
* Tom Bukowski
* RawMilk905 Kline
* Arcanus Projects

Keep those LMs coming!
Bettina Tizzy

Too much! Too much!

So said Douglas Story in last night's urgent IM, after I'd throttled the group with yet another notecard loaded with simply amazing things to see and do. "You've got to pace yourself, woman!"

"But I must alert the group," I replied. "They have to be among the first to know."

Today, TeeCee Towradgi suggested I toss everything onto a website. And here it is. Thank the Gods of Olympus for templates and wysiwyg!

Beginning today, this will be the archive for our posts. Group members, please contact me in-world if you missed out on receiving one of the freebies. Of course, you could always fetch them the old-fashioned way and just pluck them from group notices. o.O

Yours truly, Bettina Tizzy