SL10B: Interview With Doc Gascoigne

By DrFran Babcock

Doc Gascoigne is well known in Second Life™ for his philanthropy and commitment to events such as Burn and the Second Life™ Birthday celebrations. I didn’t really know him well, but have bumped into him at many of these events. I have always had an affinity to him since his name is Doc, which is what most of my friends here call me.

I was thrilled when co-SL Newser reporter, Gemma Allen contacted me to ask if I would like to conduct an interview, with Doc. I was pleased and astonished, because he is not someone known to give interviews.

So join me as we meet this wonderful co-leader of the Second Life™ Tenth Birthday Celebration:

SL Newser: My first question is always: How did you find out about Second Life™, and what is it that keeps you here?


Doc: I got an email from Second Life™; a try us out email. I was a member of There.com, and I thought: Wow another interesting place for me to try out, so I went there. My graphics card crashed, and I went to hunt down another. In There.com I was a mentor and worked the newbie island.

What keeps me here is the community.  When I was a mentor we made connections to new residents and we often recruited those who found Second Life™ amazing and wanted to be a part of the community.

Almost 9 years later I still find new recruits, and I still feel that sense of community. I still want to be a part of it all.


SL Newser:  You are well known in Second LIfe™ for being a mentor, your participation in Burning Life, Burn, and the Second Life™ Birthdays, yet very little is known about you. What is it that made you agree to an interview at this time?



Doc: At nearly 9 years and for the 10^th  Birthday, I decided to finally be interviewed and only by you. (laughs). In all my time as a mentor, volunteer and event lead I never thought, no matter how many times I had been asked, anyone wanted to hear what I had to say.  I do not consider what I do as anything special other than to recruit and round up people and set them up for volunteer opportunities. When you are part of the community, you want to be a part and participate. This year’s gathering expresses what true community is about.

Community is not just a word it is an entity; a living, breathing entity (Author note: emphasis mine). It’s interacting population of various kinds of individuals in a common location. Our common location is Second Life™. It was truly humbling for me to see so much collaboration that the Second Life™ community has shared for this event.



SLNewser: What are the things that you like about SL? You have been here a long time, and you have seen many changes.

Doc: The gadgets are my thing—both simple and complicated. Little bells and whistles and ingenious things we buy or people generously give for free that make Second Life magic. You have to enjoy the Engineer's Motto: If it isn't broken, take it apart and fix it....again and again!



SLNewser: What’sit like to organize an event as big as this birthday celebration?
Doc: It is a lot of work. It is a giant undertaking that without the help of over 1000 people (!) would never come to fruition.

We seek out really great people from all over Second Life™. The main trick is spreadsheets. I make a wicked spreadsheet. I find our best volunteers also have a love of Second Life™ community. They are natural leaders, generous, with various skill sets and backgrounds. We know that with each great interaction we “pay it forward,” and bring more people into our little army of volunteers. It is a Borg-like thing, we assimilate residents and make them part of the volunteer collective. (Author note: But, like, a positive Borg thing, right?)

SL Newser: What do you hope people experience when they visit SL10B?


KT Syakumi suggested we use the theme “Looking Forward, Looking Back.” We would like everyone to share the momentum of the event as we see ourselves: from whence to hence.

SL Newser: Pie or cheese? (Obligatory homage to Metaverse Messenger, the badly missed SL Newspaper)

Doc: Pie

SL Newser: What would you like folks to know about Second Life™?


Doc: You are a valuable asset to Second Life™.  Second Life™ is a community built with user created content. You are a part of this community. It will be your knowledge and skills that will help others continue to build and create.


SL Newser: Anything else you want to share ?

Doc: If you enjoy the party this year think about becoming a volunteer next time. Stay in the SLB Community Group for info and updates. Come join us! 



Haha, I guess Doc means: You will be assimilated.

If you see Doc during SL10B, thank him for his selfless service, and his passion for Second Life. I know I will.

DrFran Babcock

SL Joy for 33 Chile Miners

Second Life people rejoiced wildly for the safe rescue of all 33 miners in Chile! It's a miracle after 3 months underground, all miners are safe and sound. It's a victory for humankind and working people everywhere. People care! Big Time!

Well, I wondered what are SL people doing to support the miners and their families? Quicker than Sarah Palin can say "YOU BETCHA!" I found a very cool SL site where you can live the miner's experience. Login to SL and copy paste this in your browser or SL chat: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Ciudad%20Jardin/175/83/28

Kleopatra Arai built a Chilean Miner's memorial site on her Cuidad Jardin (Garden City) sim, including a full scale Miner's Rescue Capsule, what the Chilean's sent down the rescue tunnel to bring each miner to the surface one by one. The Miner's Rescue capsule in SL is the creation of Juancho Faith.

Kleopatra of the rescue of the 33 miners: "My experience as a Chilean in the case of the miners, from the day of the accident August 5, 2010, no one knew if they were alive or dead ... and as more days passed, lesser chance of finding them alive. At 17 days the accident was global news to find them alive, an incredible joy, but we had to wait for rescue, and no one knew how long they might be down, there was talk of months ...... On Oct. 13 we not only laughed, wept and became very excited with every rescue, also I am now intensely re-united with this great country in total solidarity!" This brought Chile together like no other event in their history! Wow!

A unique case in the world and how I feel Chilean proud of it. We support the earthquake, the Tsunami, the accident of the miners, but the country came together again later.

Rut Ro! Any's going for a ride! .. you can open and close the rescue capsule door, sit on a pose ball, and imagine a long long ride in a small cage.


FREE T-SHIRTS! I'm sure you expected that! Yeah! You can celebrate the miner's rescue too! Come round and try these out! The shirts are in Spanish and say (roughly): We all wish well, the rescue of the 33! and on the back "Chile Miner Force". Worker Power! Way Cool!

I noticed just behind the Miner's Memorial, a very curious sight. Like dozens of SL horses, fully animated, as many as 100 (Picture 6). Hmmm quite curious, apparently, Kleo's neighbor Betsy Petrov has quite an obsession with horses. Her Argentinian themed ranch is a sight to behold. Well, at least for horse lovers! lol

Kleopatra is also a prolific fashion designer and SL builder. She's got a huge store on the sim with every conceivable kind of ladies fashions and other SL do-dads you will need in your Second Life!

Kleo's whole store is belly dancer themed, music and all! Yay! Read more about SL belly dancing in my super-fun story for SL Newspaper! : http://15timez.blogspot.com/2009/11/joy-of-sl-belly-dancing.html

Enjoy Your Second Life!

-- Any Gynoid

Article originally on CNN

Childhood in SL - A Visit to the SL Kids SL7B Exhibit

Kids! They are such a problem ! All moms and papas love them so and would also love to knock them in the head. This happens in real life and also guess what, here in SL.

I have talked to many and spent time with them having fun .. Riding, rafting .. dancing .. fishing ... I have spent some special times with kids fishing in contests and laughing so hard at their wit! They knock my socks off! Some are kids just to be kids. Some are reliving a time of their life that they really enjoyed and felt loved and safe. Some are living a life they never had when they should have had it. Imagine!

Isn‘t that why we are all here, hoping for something we don’t have or can’t have in real life? How many times have I heard “Why would anyone want to be a **** ?“ Replace that with anything you want, furry , vampire, tiny, greenie, slayer of zombies, model, stripper.

Some people think that the kids may be perverts. Forget it!! Perverts are not masquerading here as children. Some might try, but if they were they would be reported immediately by the KIDS! Also if a pervert does approach one of these SL kids they are reported immediately! There are SL kid websites and groups that watch and advise.

These kids want to enjoy this virtual life and have lots of fun doing it. Some are master builders and scripters. Some own sims full of furniture for sale, some have malls, some design clothing. I have seen some very weird avatars around in SL and I figure they must be that avatar because they want to for some reason. Live and let live. Enjoy what we have while we have it!

If you really would like to hear why a person chooses to be a kid now is your chance! You can do it easily without asking any kid. Visit the sweet build by Marianne McCann at the SL7B. There are toy blocks with the pictures of kid avatars. Click any block and you will pick up a note card that will tell you the personal view of why that person chose to become a SL kid.

The SL Kids Exhibit in SL7B is in the SL7B Visionary sim at (205, 184, 22).
Gemma Cleanslate