Nabisco's ad agency inspired by Second Life, perhaps?

Nabisco's Wheat Thins Reduced Fat crackers have a new 30 second ad in the United States called, "Come Fly with Me," featuring blissful people flying/floating in the air above a wheat field while Frank Sinatra is belting out that signature song of his. I searched everywhere for a free way to share this ad with you, but struck out. You can see a screen grab of it here.

Hmmm. Seems like a remarkable coincidence, doesn't it? The similarities between this ad and AM Radio's wheat field, better known as The Far Away are eye-brow raising.


AM Radio's wheat field with flying poseballs has been rezzed publicly in Second Life® since early September 2007

Speaking of The Far Away and wheat, AM told me a couple of days ago that Second Lifers have helped him raise enough money through the sale of his virtual wheat to purchase eight and a half real cows through Heifer International, an organization that works to end hunger and poverty by providing livestock to people around the globe who struggle daily for dependable sources of food and income.

AM's expanded his fundraising efforts beyond cows now to include a pixelated jeep that raises funds for real malaria-preventing mosquito nets - somewhere in the world, a child dies every 30 seconds because of a mosquito bite - which you can read about over at Hamlet Au's New World Notes.

Teleport directly to The Far Away from here.

The safety of spaces

He has challenged our idea of place since the beginning with the Far Away... a field of wheat, grey skies, a rusty old train, a table... but in our pixelated reality it is a comforting riddle that has gripped the imagination of tens of thousands of its visitors. Now, AM Radio, degreed in Fine Arts and living in the Chicago area, has unveiled two new installations: Husk, on a sim sponsored by the New Media Consortium, and The Quiet, sponsored by Princeton University. It gives me great pleasure to introduce you to his new Machinima featuring - and weaving together - all three places, with music by Torley Linden.



I learned today that AM seeks to inspire viewers to create and define their own narratives of experience as evidenced within the Flickr groups (see below) that are dedicated to each of the installations.

He shared the following quote with me from John A. Jalke's "The Visual Elements of Landscape":

A view, as a complex set of objects (a kind of place itself), can be categorized to basic components. These components include: (1) extent of view or the distance over which sight is effective; (2) foreground-middleground-background discontinuities or the existence of multiple horizons; (3) enframement by which the sight is bounded; (4) focal points that serve as attention getters; and (5) sense of security implicit in focal points that imply refuge. Effective views contain prospects that enable viewers to survey considerable distances over several successive horizons.

AM Radio: At once, you can read these ideas to mean that safe havens are, in fact, tactical positions, or more simply, great hiding places. Refuge implies safety. The way in which a place can imply safety is via its tactical position in a landscape. Comfort can be specifically constructed into a new unfamiliar space via it's ability to supply a visual advantage. The visual advantage allows the user to remain in a place while monitoring all entry points, as well as to plan an escape should the refuge fail. The design of the space should also imply the possible exploration of further, unseen spaces.

AM's work seeks to show that ideas of landscape and tourism are as pervasive in 3d virtual spaces as they are in real life. By creating a framework of traditional, and recognizable experiences based in realism, the artist can begin to manipulate the rules our souls would wish to prohibit. Rules such as gravity.

AM Radio: Realism in virtual spaces declares a universal language, upon which abstractions can be created. By transporting the user into a safe place by using rich visuals steeped in nostalgia and familiarity, these spaces calm the user into accepting what would seem to be impossible and dreamlike situations. The viewer is then free to form ideas and to make emotional associations upon the implied meanings of objects and symbols within the sims, rather than wondering if and how they should. The viewer subsequently and confidently shares those ideas and emotions with their fellow virtual travelers via images, dialog and stories.

Flickr groups about these three installations:
The Far Away (teleport directly from here)
The Quiet (teleport directly from here)
Husk (teleport directly from here)

A little virtual nature + destructible buildings = FUN

A few weeks back, I got all caught up - literally - in the company of dozens of friends, with Tryptofaa Sand's tornado HUD. Everywhere you went, people were invoking tornadoes, and funnel clouds were forming all over the grid. While Real Life tornadoes are never fun, in Second Life®, they're nothing but.

Oh, I know I shouldn't have, and I admit I hid from AM Radio for days afterwards, but I even unleashed one at the Far Away. He forgave me for disturbing the peace there, and I did vow not to do it again, but don't you do it or you might catch hell!


Tornado at the Far Away

Now Trypto has come up with a new version that's loaded with cool stuff, but the feature that captures my imagination is one that allows you to destroy buildings. ^.^

Along with sample buildings, the 'Tornado HUD Destruction Kit' includes instructions and the scripts needed "to set up your own buildings, fences, trees (non Linden), cars and anything else you can think of to be picked up, torn apart and tossed around by your tornado... limited to 40 linked objects at any one time." You can see the tornado in action below (Trypto's Machinima is super well done) or go visit Tornado Island (teleport directly from here).


Second Life: Tornado HUD vs Destructible Buildings from Tryptofaa Sands on Vimeo.

Second Lifers' love of wheat translates to *four* real cows - To celebrate, AM Radio announces a writing competition

On September 22, 2007, AM Radio set out some plots of wheat for sale on the land where his own, much celebrated virtual wheat field in Second Life sits, known as The Far Away. Teleport directly from here.

Now AM Radio has announced that he is sponsoring The Far Away Writing Competition. Participants are invited to write a story or poem, and then post it in the description field of their photograph to the Wheat Field Flickr group. Only one entry per Flickr account is permissible, and all entries must be received by March 7, 2008.



There will be one Grand Prize consisting of $10,000L, one Eton American Red Cross FR250 radio (a real one), and featured placement of the winning submission on The Far Away (with the winning entrant's permission) for 8 weeks. Rules can be found directly at the Far Away.

All this is in celebration of an important milestone. From day one, AM has taken all proceeds from every sale and forwarded them to Heifer International, an organization that works to end hunger and poverty by providing livestock and environmentally sound agricultural training to improve the lives of people who struggle daily for dependable sources of food and income.



Today and 250 generous donors later, these sales of virtual wheat have raised very real money - $2,000US in fact - and enough for Heifer to purchase four cows.



What is it about the Far Away that moves us so and compels us to return again and again? It is hard for me to put it into words.



On paper, it sounds conventional: a field of wheat, grey skies, a rusty old train, a table... but in our pixelated reality it is a comforting riddle that has gripped the imagination of thousands of its visitors.

Strawberry Holiday put it this way, "The Far Away is my favorite place in Second Life. I go there almost every day - usually once when I first log in by myself... and once before I go to bed with Wendy. It calms me.... not just because it's an amazing build, but because I see the time and effort AM puts into it. There's always something new to discover. Tonight, Blueberries! And I always meet really great people there... or bump into friends. It's become my place of peace in Second life, like coming home."

For Darkle Sands, "the Far Away is not just some 'SL Build.' It's a piece of art. AM is an artist and prims are his paint. Everything in the Far Away makes you feel immersed, and the placement off unusual things in the landscape really makes it very abstract. To date it still rates in my top favorite places to be in Second Life." Spiral Walcher agrees with Darkle, and adds: "It is the perfect example of when reality meets virtual reality."

Whenever I stop by the Far Away, I hope to find a gentle person and frequent visitor there by the name of Hitomi Mokusei. I asked her via email how the Far Away makes her feel, and her reply came easily and eloquently: In the Far Away there is a feeling of peace, safety and constancy, but it is touched with an underlying emotional resonance that permeates everything in it... a tinge of nostalgic longing for what once was but is now gone. It is not a static place. Not all is revealed on the surface. Exploring it in more depth reveals secrets, that can fire the imagination... touch the heart... or make one think in a new way."

What does it mean to you and how do you feel there?


Life is bittersweet. Less than five months ago, I received an urgent IM from dedicated adventurer and NPIRLer Matthew Kidomen, alerting me to his discovery of a most extraordinary build in the sky above a sandbox. That finding turned out to be momentous, and the build was called The Far Away. Two days ago, Matthew wrote to say that he is leaving Second Life to do other things. I can never thank you enough, Matthew. "May good luck be your friend in whatever you do and may trouble be always a stranger to you."

The Far Away

That landscape of a straight line
We return because the emptiness is immense
Words echo against grey skies
Twilight in an afternoon coat

Little but good - Spiral Walcher's wearable environments

Spiral Walcher is doing some interesting things. You've all seen AM Radio's wheat field. Here's a new take on it, with UFO's and aliens actively abducting the table grapes.



This is inside something... hmmm



... and so is this familiar wheat field scene...



All of this and so much more is taking place on and inside three top hats.



Let's hope Spi will be putting these on the market soon.



I can't get enough of them. More, Spi, please more!

12/20/07 addendum: And here's the latest one.

Pixelated wheat buys real cows for families struggling against poverty and hunger - only $55 US dollars to go for a second cow

Update: Between yesterday and today, the amount raised by the wheat fields shot up to $1,015 US dollars, which places AM Radio in the third position of top fundraisers for Team Heifer. His new goal: 3 cows or $1,500 by Thanksgiving. Can he do it?

Think Second Life is a game? Think again...

On September 22, 2007, the avatar and content creator, AM Radio, set out some plots of wheat for sale on the land where his own, much celebrated virtual wheat field in Second Life sits, known as The Far Away. Teleport directly from here.



His idea was a simple one: all proceeds from each sale would be forwarded to Heifer International, an organization that works to end hunger and poverty by providing livestock and environmentally sound agricultural training to improve the lives of people who struggle daily for dependable sources of food and income.



His initial fundraising goal: $500 US dollars... enough to buy a heifer cow for a family. Today - six weeks since he began this project - he is just short $55 US dollars from his newest goal of buying not one, but two cows. In fact, even though all the funds have not yet posted on the Heifer website because they are still being transfered over via PayPal, AM Radio's virtual fundraiser ranks him as the fifth largest contributor in the Team Heifer program.



According to the Heifer International website:

"A good dairy cow can produce four gallons of milk a day - enough for a family to drink and share with neighbors. Milk protein transforms sick, malnourished children into healthy boys and girls. The sale of surplus milk earns money for school fees, medicine, clothing and home improvements.

And because a healthy cow can produce a calf every year, every gift will be passed on and eventually help an entire community move from poverty to self reliance."