Interview With Tuna Oddfellow

By Deaflegacy Resident

"Welcome to my space." said Tuna Oddfellow.  "Welcome to Oddfellow Studios. It may not seem like much but in first life I am a magician.  Everything in Second Life, is an illusion but my job is deliver a grand illusion to the world here."  Tuna's space is amazing.  He had shown me several different colours though out the time I was with Tuna. 

Tuna Oddfellow began on Second Life on August 15, 2005.  Tuna had something to say about his stay on Second Life.  "If you have been here for close to a dozen years you do a few things... well I perform a psychedelic graphic are show that takes up the length of a sim." said Tuna.

I asked Tuna if I could take some pictures and he said, "Please do.  This is my big passion in this world.  To push the boundaries of what is possible here." 

As I took some pictures around his place, Tuna said, "What you are witnessing is the culmination of thousands of hours of my life." His talk then turned somewhat personal, "And like you. I have a disability that I need to fight through."

Tuna suffers from chronic pain which is gastro-intestinal in nature.  Tuna has anxiety and was born with hydrocephalus. Even so, he has lived a typical life.  All of that is of being an entertainer and artist.

"Well, for many years my partner in Second Life and in real-life was Shava Sunztu in real-life Shava Nerad. I am known as Fish Fishman in first life. We are still best friends and were partners for over a decade. But she is dealing with her own disability, and can not even come in world to see my show because the effects over stimulate her and make her ill." said Tuna when he was asked about his partner.  "It's tragic real like Beethoven losing the ability to hear his art. Sorry if the analogy hits close to home (a reference to my deafness). I have always designed the art, but she did the research on the science of what we do.  She is my muse and my wordsmith."

Tuna had been performing stage magic for many years.  He spent time as a street performer doing magic in Harvard Square, New York, Salem Massachusetts , New Orleans, and where ever he went.

"It's my chronic pain that makes it very hard for me to keep up the pace of doing shows in first life but I do shows in real-life when I can." said Tuna.

Tuna does encourage people to follow his group, the Tunaverse, on Second Life.

As Tuna was away with a broken PC for six months and stayed in the world, using a mobile phone, but he is back and plans to do shows at least once or twice per week.  Tuna caters to EU and US time zones for his public shows and do private shows, too.  Tuna is available to perform wedding and commitment ceremonies and the party to do with them as a service.  The shows would be at Lagrange Point Spaceport , Lagrange Point (134, 136, 451).

"I love to create this art and there is nothing like in SL or anywhere else." said Tuna.  "There is a science behind what I do and had Shava and I not gotten out health more compromised over the time we were together we would be sharing this tech with people as a tool to help with issues like PTSD post traumatic stress disorder. Many regular viewers find my work to be therapeutic."

Tuna's group for his fans is called The Tunaverse and has open enrollment. He also has a outdated website, http://www.oddfellowstudios.com.  It had not been updated in a few years but it will explain a bit of the tech.

I asked Tuna when his shows would be. "I generally find it best to see how I am feeling but I try to do an evening show and a day time show. I would be guessing if I told you my regular time." said Tuna.  "I just got my PC fixed the other day and need to look at things."

"A big part of my Second Life was my chance to be virtually famous. My avatar won a million linden dollars and appeared on America's got talent in front of an audience of 20,000,000 viewers back in the summer of 2007." said Tuna. 

When Tuna was asked about the sign behind him, "Odd Ball Horror Pixel Show", he said he had designed that for special Halloween performances that he had done.  Tuna is a fan of Rocky Horror.  "So yes, I designed the sign after the Rocky Horror Picture show as a tribute." said Tuna.

"I love this world and the people in it and I like to push it's limits as I do push my own." said Tuna.

When he was asked if he thinks he'd still be doing magic a few years from now, he said, "I feel after nearly a dozen years, I an sure there is another dozen years to explore, both here and in future virtual world space. I am especially interested in playing in environments that encompass virtual reality for a full three dimensional experience."

"I like playing with other artists and finding ways to collaborate too. I have for example been doing shows with an amazingly talented musician. JaNaMooN in several incarnations since 2010 I believe. We will be doing shows together really soon. So stay tuned." said Tuna.  "The capitalization is part of her branding not a typo."

Tuna Oddfellow Is planning to auction off the real-life life Top hat he has been wearing in real life as a performer for over a decade.  "It is an extra large black leather top hat that is very well worn. In the that virtually speaking will be ten of the outfits from my virtual store." said Tuna.

Tuna is also one of the cohosts and collaborators for Pillow Talk.  It is a chat group and community which explores issues of sexuality and lifestyles.  They are meeting two times per month at Commune Utopia.  Tuna went on to say, "Second Life is a space where we can express ourselves in ways people may not be able to in the real world or as I prefer to call it first life.  What we do in Second Life is very real.  Who we connect with here can make all the difference in the world."

Real Life was calling me, making me have to cut the remarkable interview short.  But he does have something to say as I say bye.  "Ta-ta for now, until next time, dream in color." said Tuna.

Tuna is a remarkable person, who has to cope with his chronic pain and anxiety.  As I have had an interview with him, I learned a lot.  How can someone learn in a short time?  Even so, Tuna is a famous magician.  As I left his place, I left with a smile on my face.  

Deaflegacy

Virtual Hippies

By Becky Shamen

Well friends, after 55 days of producing a video about the Sunweaver Community, here I am getting back to writing. Is it any wonder, why my first topic is communities?

I chanced to spot a destination called Free Spirit Farms, Hippy/Boho Community and my eyes lit up. Back in '69, I lived in a real one, called Drop City, Colorado. If anybody were qualified to compare the virtual versus real experience. this reporter could reply to Jimi Hendrix, "Yes, I AM EXPERIENCED". Learning of my latest adventure, Bixyl informed of some individuals that claimed to...err...have access to...had a connection to a virtual pill, said to be like a psychotropic "trip" experience. Since, as Bix said, sex, drugs and rock and roll was before his time, perhaps this old white rabbit could research it deeper, We'll include that experiment, later in the article.

The photo, to the left, is of Drop City, at the time I lived there. As we head to Free Spirit Farms, the kid in the back seat of my mind asks, "what can I expect to find there" to which the driver responds, "expect nothing in advance and you will find everything." We know, in advance, that it will not look the same as places we have seen, but a trained mind can see corresponding similarities and differences. Our inner art critic will study the sim as the collective form of the imaginations of the inhabitants.

The landing point of the sim is a large open building, which also serves for gatherings with DJs. There are signs to click for rules, info and joining the group. Large doors open in every direction. All the views look great, so we head towards the center of the sim, to establish a central landmark, from which other points can be referenced. Oddly enough, not far from the middle of the sims "ground zero", we found a drum circle.

 We know about drum circles and the benefits of using them. When you join one of these circles, even if just to clap hands and tap your toes, you, automatically receive several joyful benefits. The individuals are now members of a greater, synthetic life form, with synergistic energy and power, greater than the sum of their individual powers. Oneness is like having a backstage pass, that shows the doorman, "I'm with the Band". From decades in the music biz, we can guaranty, EVERYBODY likes getting a backstage pass. Next, because we all play to the same beat, our individual bodies begin to synchronize. As the drumbeats impact our solar plexus, we all share the same feelings and emotions. Within minutes, all the heartbeats become synchronized and beat as one. With a little more practice, even the minds begin to link up. A telepathic connection turns the circle into a living being, which has the power to be a conductor of it's individual members, turning a simple beat into a complex, orchestrated song.

OK, enough science, but does this have anything to do with the sim residents being "real hippies?"  Looking back, the vast majority of hippies did not join the movement for their own scientific, mental reasons. They were drawn in by a handful of thinkers, writers, poets and musicians. That small group was like a drum circle, that continues to grow, even into the virtual world. If there's a drum circle, in the middle of the island where you live, yeah, YOU MIGHT BE A HIPPY. Another advantage to sitting at the circle, we could see, on radar, near-by blips approaching. We met and befriended several people, learned about the community and even heard of their experiences in real-life hippy communes.

As a new group member, Sha gets a notice that a DJ is playing and gets there in time to meet some more locals and the DJ, Feather Fride. Feather sent a private IM and at one point, wrote a poem, dedicated to Sha's unique eyes. If you have ever zoomed in on Sha, when in human form, you know she does, in fact, have very unique eyes. We thanked him for the compliment. He asked forgiveness for being so intrusive with his cam, to which we replied, no prob, it shows you have the "seeker" quality.

On this visit, we were also checking out details of a rent house that became available. We found it a bit small and expensive for this old hippy's spare change budget, but members can also set home to the sim and there is a campground. Hippies don't mind if you change clothes outside.

Before becoming a member, there was a corner of the sim, with a barrier. As a member, we were now allowed in. This area is a hill, with a path winding to the top. From the objects (props) around the top, we see this is meant to be a spiritual place.

Near the top, there is a small devotional shrine and cushions. Top center, there is a large bondfire, surrounded by enough cushions for a large group meditation. Near by, up to 10 can practice Tai Chi, in sync. We found several other gathering spots on the sim. The ruins of an old building has a stage and seating, for music and theater performances. At the central pond, there is a dock, with lots of seats, where you can sit on the dock, so they say, watching time slip away.

 

There is some hierarchy within the membership, with a Ma and Pa at the top. This is a good form of government, for people that call themselves a family. Our visits have been peaceful filled with residents, who like the hippies of yore, doing their job to usher in the Aquarian Age of peace and enlightenment.

A psychotropic "trip" experience

 

The Editor, Bixyl, gave us two names to search and talk to, regarding a wearable object, called "Nip", which would cause your perceptions to be altered in the way that psychotropic substances effect them.  In our reckless youth, we called this "experimenting". As a veteran Lab Rat, I contacted one, whom I'll call here, Silver. We explained that our interest was not in it's use as an entertaining, fun buzz, but rather, we wanted to see if there was any usable science. In real-life, a chemical can have an effect on your thinking and lifestyle choices. The question is, can virtual world experiences have a lasting effect on your brain, especially since they arrive by the same nerve passages as real-life experiences follow? Picture this; a doctor tests you and, instead of pills, he gives you the URL of a product on the Marketplace. It is a healing ball, that you put in your SL home. Set the ball, using the doctors instructions and spend 15 minutes each day, as it fills your senses in delightful ways.

 

I asked Silver where a snoopy Newser Reporter could get a "Nip", to test...for science. My luck, he just gave me a free one. Said, if I needed more, he had a "connection".  To give this item a fair trial, it stayed on ice, until an optimum time and place were found. 

 

In a real life "trip", all of the senses become amplified, including extra-sensory ones you didn't know you had. In the virtual world, we will be using only two of our senses, sight and sound. The experience will vary with users, but two will be felt by all. Everything seen and heard has a pronounced after image or echo. Motions are followed by comet tails and sounds have reverb. Everything seen, regardless of what it's made of, looks fluid and is breathing. Our personal favorite, we notice that pixels are not squares and every texture displays it's own tile geometry.

 

Now, late at night, on my home turf, we wear the Nip.

The device was kind enough to inform us, in chat, the trip only lasts 28 minutes. As pro lighting techs, we found the light show very enjoyable. An additional effect broke the screen into squares of shifting size. Instead of enhanced visions, Sha was so blind, she fell off the roof and stayed on the front porch for the rest of the trip. We were pleased to see, when the trip was over, all the lights returned to normal and control returned.

 

Pass or fail? Fails first, squares gotta go, replace with strobe light trails. It only used sight effects. Is there a way to add some echo or reverb to the sound?  On the plus side, I got to have fun and adventure with a toy that very few others will get to play with. I also see it as an art media, with potential developments and possible therapeutic uses. To it's creator, I say, good start. I would be happy to beta test any future upgrades.

Old hippies never die. They just go up in smoke.

 

"Sha"

Editor's note: the Second Life Newser does not condone or encourage the use of drugs for other than medical reasons. 

Interview with Tuna the Oddfellow of Second Life

By Grease Coakes

A little known secret of Second Life is a magician who has his very own Tunaverse. Tuna Oddfellow, who has been a long time resident of SL since August 15 2005, is a magician in real life. In Tuna's own words, using Houdini as an example, he enjoys pushing boundaries and seeing how far he can get.


Tuna does an incredible job of pushing boundaries as he puts on an amazing light show, the Odd Ball, for your computer screen that you might see at a dance club. In fact he won a contest held by NBC 4 the TV station as the most talented avatar in Second Life in 2007. His color and lights show wowed the judges, earning him the prize. His prize was 1 million Linden which translates to roughly $4,000 in US Dollars.

His light show at his small land will blow you away. Every Monday at 6pm SL and every Sunday at 12 Noon SL, Tuna meets with Jana Kyomoon, a real life ambient musician who created a music album you can get here. http://www.last.fm/music/Jan+Pulsford/Ambient+Reflections+of+Jana+Kyomoon.


Of Jana, Tuna had this to say, “For Jan and me, entertainment duo is more correct than business partners. Though I would love to work with Jana professionally.”

Her album is called “Ambient Reflections of Jana Kyomoon.” I’ve heard Jana’s live music at Tuna’s odd ball and it was very relaxing along with the mind blowing effects that Tuna offers. I had joked that her music is very mellow that it could be romantic. Tuna said that would be too odd though (ha ha!).

In his Tunaverse group he always asks what time is it when his oddball is about to start? His answer every time is:

“Time to get odd odd odd!”

In fact Tuna claims his real life is stranger still.

Tuna Oddfellow, "Well my Second Life is like my first life, both are stranger than fiction. In first life, I spent years as a magician. You know, finger flinging, sleight of hand, reading minds, escaping from chains the works. For many years I had performed magic at private parties, restaurants, as a street magician and as a master of ceremonies."

Looking up Tuna on the web I saw that He has been a real life magician in real life for 26 years along with his job in Second Life as a cofounder of odd studios.

Despite some physical pain Tuna still gets out to perform in real life as he still pushes the boundaries of life,  "I aim to push my own boundaries too."

Grease Coakes, "Oh sure everyone should push their own boundaries to see what he or she can achieve."

Words are hard to express the light and color show that Tuna puts on twice a week so it’s best that you experience it yourself. I remember seeing the lights and colors actually move and not stand still like a normal background. Not so fast that it makes you dizzy more like a slow turn with many colors that your avatar gets drowned in. It’s easy to lose track of other avatars and your own in the colorful world that Tuna creates for you along with Jana’s ambient electronic music.

Pictures say a thousand words sure, but you have to see his Oddball to have any idea what I am talking.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dragonhenge/134/123/652

Grease Coakes

Editor's note: Tuna has certainly been making shows for quite a long time. Good to see he's still at it. 

Update on Tuna Oddfellow of the Odd Ball

Tuna Oddfellow, known as “Fish the Magish” in real life, runs the Odd Ball with the help of his partner Shava Suntzu. The Odd Ball show is a one of a kind place in Second Life in which the area are surrounded by dazzling colors and patterns described by some as like a psychedelic experience without the drugs, described by others as dancing in a kaleidoscope.

When I interviewed Tuna and Shava in May 2010, their situation was a troubled one. Shava did most of the speaking, describing Tuna as disabled due to medical problems and the pain that came with them.

Tuna Oddfellow: ... I'm not in pain for most of my day, which is better than it was. But I don't go through a day generally without hours of it in really bad pain.

Shava Suntzu: And he can't predict when. It makes it impossible to plan things. Sometimes he can muscle through it. He was in pain for most of every day until we started the new medication in January. But it seems to be plateau-ing. It doesn't cure anything, it just reduces the symptoms. ... There's nothing that fixes this -- it's a nervous system disorder that's recognized, but they don't know why it happens. And you can't use most pain meds for it because all the opiates mess with the function of the gut, and the disorder is already messing with nerves in the gut. So they just chock it up as "neuropathic pain,” which even his GI specialist admits is a "garbage pail diagnosis.”

Despite their troubles, the pair did their best to be optimistic, talking about the development of the Odd Ball, how in it’s first showing the audience found themselves in a “mild euphoric” state. When a psychologist looked at it, “he thought it was inducing theta activity in the brain” and were later told it seemed “that there was alpha too. That's typical of some kinds of deep meditation. So this was pretty exciting. We kept working to refine what we did ... everyone kept saying it felt like being stoned.”

Shava worked to find out exactly how the special effects worked, and in July 2009 had pretty much done so. “And now we're filing patents. We're so close to getting to the point where things could get better.” But Tuna’s declining health and then her catching pneumonia were pushing them to the financial edge, “I missed some deadlines and some consulting stuff, and lost some work, and now we're just hosed. ... I thought I'd find more work, but I haven't yet. What we do in SL, generally pays the rent and expenses here. But we aren't like the people who pull out money every month.”

I met up with them again earlier this month. Shava told me they had been to another doctor who made some progress in finding out what was wrong, and expected to hear more news in about a week. Checking later on, Tuna had been given some new medication that was working better, Shava saying, “Tuna's adjusting to his meds, so he's actually been able to work on Odd Ball stuff, but he's not very mobile. I’ll take it though. (smile) His schedule is set by when the pain's least. ... It's *really* good for both of us when he can be engaged.”

The Social Security office was reviewing his case about his benefits, but there was some bad news, “My landlord is giving us an eviction notice next week. In Massachusetts, that gives us 6 months to figure things out. But it stings. I've been all kinds of activist and entrepreneur -- intellectually, I know I always get through these things, but that fails to make them fun to go through. It does inoculate somewhat against despair though.”

“On one level, I can't complain. I've had a very adventurous life, and I would probably be bored stiff doing the conventional run of things. ... I figure Second Life drama is usually so tawdry, we get to raise the bar by doing the classic starving artist romance? It's like La Boheme, except Tuna has a beard.” She was doing his best to keep a cheerful face, “It's a survival tactic. If you don't, you stop moving, and that's when it catches up and eats you! “

The Odd Ball’s location is at the research center sim at (133, 133, 651)

Tuna and Shava have incorporated their business in real-life, Oddfellow Studios, and have a website at http://oddfellowstudios.com .

“Come, be odd.”

Source: SL Newspaper

Bixyl Shuftan