Interview With Bixyl Shuftan

by Deaflegacy

Bixyl Shuftan and I got together on December 17, which was his RezDay. I gave him congrats on turning twelve. “Thank you," he replied, "it's certainly been a long, sometimes strange, usually wonderful journey.”

I asked Bixyl what his greatest accomplishment in twelve years on Second Life is. “Good question," he replied, "I would say in keeping the Newser team going. Next to that, I would say getting it started. After Dana decided to fold the Second Life Newspaper, four of us decided to start a new one, with me as the head as I was one with the most experience.”

I wanted to know if at the beginning it was his dream to be a writer on Second Life. “Well, twelve years ago, I didn't really have any goals, other than to explore around, see what this place was like," Bixyl said, "After I saw the Relay for Life weekend, I started coming here more often. But it wasn't until I saw the call for Reader Submissions in James and Dana's Second Life Newspaper that I thought about writing about this virtual world.”

I asked Bixyl more about his accomplishments on Second Life, including working on Relay for Life as well as helping out with the Happy Vixen Club. “I've done my best," he replied, "For the Relay, once I became a member of the Sunweaver community, that meant being involved as a participant in the Relay, not just a reporter covering it. So I've helped them out by covering their events, as well as volunteering for a few fundraisers. The Happy Vixen, it's owned by Nydia Tungsten. who is my best friend here. When she asked me to help her manage it , I told her I could help out. At the time, it had only had two or three events a week. It being a beach club, the idea was it would be a bit more laid back. As DJs kept wanting to play there, we took on more events. It does keep me a bit busy, but most everyone's happy.”

I asked Bixyl what his advice would be to people wanting to be writers. “In short, go for it," he replied, "If nothing else, you could always put your writings on a personal website or blog. But you can always find an audience if you know where to look, or go. In the case of Second Life journalism, there are newsletters such as the Newser, that are open to new talent coming in. Fiction writers, you can always go to writers workshops to compare stories to those of other writers, get a little feedback.”

I asked if there are openings on SL Newser right now. “Yes," said Bixyl, "We're still open to new talent, provided they've been in Second Life for thirty days or longer, and can write an article once a week or more.” He would later tell me this applied only to reporters on the Newser team as they're paid for their work. Readers can submit articles of their own to be published any time.

I asked Bixyl if he is going to continue with Second Life. “Yes," he replied, "The Newser's still going strong. Second Life, for it's ups and downs over the years, will be around for some time to come. So we'll be continuing to write about it for some time to come. And of course, this is a team, so my thanks to Gemma Cleanslate, Grey Lupindo, and Shelie Sands who helped encourage me to get this project going. And those who joined the team along the way, such as DrFran, Grease Coakes, and of course you.”

My next question is if he felt he accomplished much while being on Second Life. “I hope so," said Bixyl, "What I do know is that many have sent us their thanks over the years for our coverage, such as from the Sunweavers and the Relay. We've also gotten compliments for our style of journalism.”

I thanked Bixyl for being a mentor and inspiration to me in my writing about Second Life. You're very welcome," he said, "Perhaps soon you'll be an inspiration to a new writer on the team.” He would say that he hoped the Newser had and will inspire others to start writing.

Bixyl did have one bit of advice, “I guess my last bit of advice is while there's a time to postpone plans and dreams as realities change or don't go to plan .... 'hang on to your dreams. Some become tomorrow's realities.' "

I thanked Bixyl for his time. I have a good feeling that he will continue to write about Second Life and lead the Newser, for years to come.

Deaflegacy

Ari's Rezzday

By Deaflegacy

Ari (arisia.vita)'s RezDay finally came around on October 18 and it's not just any RezDay.  It's Ari's 10th RezDay.  It happened on Wednesday.  

I went to Ari's concert on Perfect Paradise (131,152,22).  It was amazing.  Ari started his concert by greeting everyone.  I then reminded him it was his 10th RezDay.

"Hello, both of you ..and happy Res day, Ari, whether you celebrate it or not (smile)." said Gaia Maria's alt, Mariaseconda.

"Thank you Gaia," said Ari, wishing her hugs.

"*hug*. I'm always happy to celebrate any special days, including other people's (grin) So, chocolate for Gaia today, in honor of Ari~!~" said Mariaseconda.

I asked people around the piano what they thought of Ari's music.

"Ari's music calms me and takes my mind off of my worries." said Jonquil Gal (esthezia.andel).  She likes to dance to Ari's music. "He has gotten a lot of my smiles." said Jonquil Gal, smiling.

Ari would only accept tips in smiles. I asked him if it's true that if someone tries to tip him, he'd return the tip to them.  "Yes, with thanks." said Ari.

"I love this dreaming music... always.." said Helge Janus. "Ari gives us a special gift with his music." said Jonquil Gal. "It's a peaceful event," said R0bin Helsinki,"Tunes in paradise." "I just reflect the gifts around me." said Ari.

"Ari was in his usual splendid form, both musically and fashion wise." said Caya Corvale.  "It is always a pleasure to listen to the music he chooses. A generous mix of classical and popular melodies." "Always a pleasure to have you in the audience." said Ari.

"His talent is amazing, and Ari is one of the most wonderful, charming, kind people I have met in any reality," spoke Mariaseconda. "I am honored." said Ari.

"I wonder how the piano can still make such lovely sound with plants in the case." said Carla Broek. "It's magic." said Ari. Carla continued, "Well up until now no wildlife or children have been hurt. And he sits very still, not making any sudden moves that might spook people with nervous reactions. So I would say it goes well for him at the moment. ...It's great. And I love how he can play and chat at the same time." "I have some great help." said Ari.

"Ari *always* finds lovely music for all of us ...and I swear he is telepathic ... knows just what I need to hear at any given moment :)" said Mariaseconda.

"One of my fondest memories when I was very young was lying on the couch in the living room listening to my older brother play the piano." said Ari.  "I think it affected me."

When the concert ended, people thanked Ari for his wonderful music.  To this day, Ari is a really good piano player who cares a lot about the others.  That's who Ari is.

I later got together with Ari during the concert at Cape Heron.  As it turned out, Ger Y Lli was the first place for Ari to play his piano several years ago, thanks to Yavanna.  Soon after that, Ari started playing for Cape Heron.

"The desire to help others." said Ari when I asked him what inspires him to be a piano player on Second Life. 

When asked if he would continue playing for a long time on Second Life, Ari said, "As long as others enjoy it, I will."

We talked about the park in Ari's honor on Cape Heron. I asked him if he is aware that there is a park in his honor. "I am and I love it, it honors me." said Ari.  He is also aware that the owner of the park is planning on keeping it for a very long time. It pleases Ari to know that the owner is keeping the park for a very long time.

Ari said that he's not surprised that someone wants to interview him on his 10th RezDay and also know now that he is an inspiration for many pictures that someone took of him.

Mister Rogers is Ari's role model.  He asked me if I knew Mister Rogers and I told him that I knew him from 1980's.  Even when there was no subtitles on TV at that time, I still knew Mister Rogers.  It was my favorite TV show.

When we said goodbyes, I left with a smile on my face.  Ari isn't just an inspiration.  He is a role model, too.  That's something to know about a piano player who would continue to play music as long as the others enjoy it.

Ari's piano schedule shows that he plays at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Cape%20Heron/179/123/22

Deaflegacy

Nine Years Later

Bixyl Shuftan

Normally, I pay more attention to when my virtual career as an online journalist began, though yours truly was so occupied with delivering the news, it slipped my mind this year. But I did remember one other milestone: the anniversary of when I came into Second Life, or "Rezzday." It was nine years ago when I first stepped into Second Life.

I had gotten my start into going online with America Online, and stuck with them for a long time, partially because of the easy to remember email address I had. This meant that I was stuck with dial-up. Some online friends were starting to talk about online gaming, notably "World of Warcraft." But one mentioned a place known as Second Life, a virtual world that allowed one to build all kinds of places there. And also to design one's own avatar. My friend would show me the screenshots of their avatar: an anthro lioness whom was dressed up in everything from a Victorian dress to a harem girl outfit.

Finally I signed up with a fast speed service that allowed me to keep my existing email address. I could finally check out the two places my friends were talking about so much. In World of Warcraft, I joined two friends there with Horde accounts, setting up a Tauren druid. But I also decided to give Second Life a try. So on December 17, 2006, I went to secondlife.com, downloaded the client software for the computer I had, then set up an account.

Two decisions I had were the name and the starting appearance. Thinking a bit, I remembered a favorite character from the roleplaying games I did with real-life friends: Bixyl. "Shuftan" was close to the old character's last name, so that's what I used. As for appearance, there were several styles of clothes and hair style and color among several human avatars, and one non-human avatar: the "Furry." As a science-fiction nut, I close the latter.

And with that, I turned the viewer on, pressed the button to log in, and what I saw was a sea of gray and shapes. As the seconds ticked on, the shapes gradually took form and slowly went from grey to color. My avatar took shape before me, and I saw I was on a piece of land with grass, trees, and signs and walkways. The sign near me had blurry words for a while, but after some moments they became clear, "Welcome to Orientation Island," with an arrow showing which way to proceed. Taking a look at the controls, I found those for movement, then for sound and music. The music button when pressed, I began hearing smooth gentle background music, as if in an elevator, with the occasional line, "If you open up your mind, you can build a whole new wor-ld."

Progress through the beginners course was slow. I didn't know the term "lag" at the time, though I was thinking molasses. I came across directions on avatar appearance, chatting, and others, but walking from point to point was slow, taking some minutes, and the viewer was prone to crashing. There were others on the course. Some stuck around long enough to rezz, others remained gray as they walked on ahead of me. At one point, events in real life needed my attention, and I had to turn off the viewer for a while. But I would later return to finish things. Eventually I would finish the course, but it took me a while, probably over two hours to cover the amount of territory the same place would take just five minutes to cover when I did a few days ago to take the pictures for this article. There was a teleport to Help Island at the end. But I didn't linger there for additional directions. I went out to explore a few random locations.

A couple days later, my friend and I chatted briefly in an AOL chatroom and we decided to meet up inworld. After I logged in, she Instant-messaged me there, and explaining what a teleport request was, sent me one. Meeting up, she explained a few things and showed me more pictures of scenes acrosss Second Life, the most memorable was of a prank a busty girl played on a guy whom was slouched forward from being away-from-keyboard. She also gave me a thousand Linden dollars to get another avatar later on, "It's no big deal getting a buddy a four dollar cheeseburger in real life." Among the things she herself was proud of was finding a niche in the Second Life clothing market, Victorian dresses, and being able to take full advantage of it. She was making the equivalent of several hundred real dollars a year, after virtual land rental and other expenses. Not enough to quit her day job, but a nice little bonus.

Soon after, my friend would tell me she'd gotten a position of leadership in her home community. So that meant less time for us to chat. I didn't know anyone else here, and my friends in World of Warcraft had no such distractions. So for a few months I didn't get on Second Life much, having fun with my friends in the Massive Multiplayer Online Game. The objectives there were more easily defined, and my friends there were often around to chat with and often meet up with for questing together.

So what would have better kept my attention here in these early days? More friends for one. But I wasn't sure what to do as random exploring was just showing garishly-decorated residential areas. If I had done an Internet search for Second Life websites, it hadn't resulted in anything at the time. There was no Destination Guide of interesting places. Hamlet Au would later invite readers to give their own newcomer experiences (here).

Several months later, my Second Life friend would get my attention again. The Relay for Life was having their "Relay Walk" with lots of things to see. So I went over, and was impressed with the exhibits I was seeing. I think I saw some of the enthusiasm for the event as well.

My interest once again piqued, I began to look up more about the virtual world after the Relay Weekend was over. I found out about Luskwood, and headed there. The place being a bustling area of people after many sims of little but quiet, it took me a little time to get the gist of how people interacted. But it became my first real hangout in the virtual world, hearing about other places to explore.

Although I had gotten a bushier tail, I was still wearing the starter avatar. Not having a steady income in Second Life, and not wanting to put money in yet, I felt I had to be careful, feeling what I chose would be my appearance for a long time. After a great deal of thought, I settled on the Luskwood Red Fox as my appearance, buying the avatar at Luskwood.

After having had the starter furry for months, it felt like I had finally shed my "baby fur."  It is still my everyday look, despite suggestions over the years that I get a more recently made one. I've sometimes commented, "several weeks of thought, several years of use." In October, I caught a lucky break, winning several thousand Linden dollars at a Luskwood anniversary party. With this windfall, I got a second avatar for Halloween: vampire bat. It was fun flying around, but after a while it was back to foxy.

Meeting up with people at Luskwood, I made friends as Lomgren Smalls, Caelia Bailey, Hervy, and Kara Nakamori.  Lomgren and Caelia, the latter under another name, I would stay friends with to this day.  Kara and I would become close friends for the next several months. She would introduce me to another group of friends, notably Blarion and Keli, whom hung around at a less populated, and less laggy place: the Student Travel Association sims, or STA. My adventures with Kara can be read about in their own article written in March 2011.

Looking up websites about Second Life, I eventually came across the Second Life Newspaper. They asked for Reader Submissions, and giving them a few, I was offered a job there. I was thrilled and happy. I now had a steady income doing something I liked, writing, and an office as well.

So one year later, December 2007, I was doing pretty good. I had a circle of friends, a steady income, and a couple places to hang out. Life, or in this case virtual life, was good.

Since then, quite a bit has happened. Much of it has been documented in my stories for the Second Life. Some however has been given little or no attention in my writings. My friends and family in real life did not usually share my enthusiasm for the virtual world. Some were impressed with only that I was making a little money writing about it. A few simply told me the virtual world wasn't for them, with it's lag and no set goals at the start. Others felt a grown man would there for one reason, joking I was there just for the "cyber-noogie." On the Internet, there were some who spoke against the freedom the virtual world, saying it just meant undesirables came over. And they weren't talking about griefers, but "perverts, aspies, and cripples."

It's my experience the "perverts" here, minus the few whom take it to a form of griefing, aren't a problem to those not interested in their kind of fun, no worse than my real-life  coworkers. Mental handicaps, well, to paraphrase a friend, "having asperger's does not mean being a jerk." Almost all I've met are well-meaning individuals, sometimes creative and industrious ones. And for those whom think  physical handicaps make one less of a person, well, I have nothing to say to you.

People come here for different reasons, to see the creations others have made, to roleplay in a way simple tabletop gaming doesn't allow, for music and art, to interact with other creative souls like themselves, and more. The result has been a virtual world unlike any other place online. While some individuals have had their time here and departed, others have been coming here to take their place. Perhaps the day-old newcomer you come across today will a year later be a highly successful fashionista, live musician, Relay for Life team leader, or maybe online journalist.

It's your, any my, Second Life. Let's make the most of each of ours.

"If you open up your mind, you can build a whole new wor-ld."

Bixyl Shuftan

A Special SL Kid: Marianne Mccann's Rezzday

By Gemma Cleanslate

 Saturday February 22 was a special day in Second Life because it was the rezz day of a special person: Marianne Mccann who was "born" in 2006. Here is a SL kid who has accomplished a lot in Second Life during her life. She has always been true to her SL inner child, but has been involved in so many things.  Marianne first entered Second Life as an adult, but became a three year old child soon after, Now she is an 8 year old, but is resting at that age. 

I went over to "The Pen" in Bay City, where she has properties, for her birthday party. Lots of kids and grown up friends were present for the festivities. Marianne herself did the DJing for the dances. People dropped by to congratulate her. I have known Mari since 2009. I believe I met here at my first visit to SLB at the kids build. Later I asked her to write an article for the SL Newser as part of a whole group of SL kids articles. You can read about Mari here  http://slnewserpeople.blogspot.com/2010/08/so-why-am-i-kid-avatar.html . I think she was SL kids age 3 then. 

I have been at many events where Mari was involved in one way or another.  One of the most exquisite things I think she ever did was the history build for the SL10B . It was a complete look at the past years in a wonderful setting. I kept going back to it over and over so I did not miss anything. It should be preserved somewhere in Second Life for posterity.  Right now Mari is getting ready for the first Second Life Winter Games which will be held at Chamonix City in mid-March. I have always admired Mari and wish her so many more years of achievement in SL. 

Drfran Babcock did an interview with her after the SL10B .
http://slnewserpeople.blogspot.com/2013/06/sl10b-interview-marianne-mccann.html

Gemma Cleanslate