Vote for new discussion day/time

Since we're changing locales, I'd like to host discussions occasionally wherever I happen to be building. Construction sites are fun and interesting. : D

Topics would tend to focus on using our RL insights to analyse underlying patterns in SL. Being new to SL I'm constantly amazed at the psychology and motivations of individuals and groups in our virtual world.

Eloise suggested that fellow Thinkers might like to vote on the day for these discussions. Any preferences?

If you want to run one regularly, weekly say, then Friday and Saturday are available at the 2pm slot. In theory Jinny and I alternate on Sundays, in practise this session is mostly observed by its absence, so a Sunday might be good... It might also mean you don't have to run one each week if you don't want to.

Saturdays and Sundays might be good for luring in people who are usually at work etc. Fridays and Saturdays would let you run later than the normal slots and still keep a selection of the regulars who will have less pressure about getting up for work the next day...

In fact, since several people do ask intermittently about running one, how about if Sundays slot is generally available so if you have something you want to run or discuss without committing to a regular slot post it here, with the date so we can make sure we don't double book and off we go... Is that OK with everyone? Jinny and I might still be able to pick up most of the slack weekends if we are lucky!

Oh, does this mean that neither Enjah nor Roxie will be mantaining the Friday slot? ...

Well Traxx, this is your chance then

Thanks for the guidance, friends. : )

Nobody should deprive hardworking Thinkers of their Friday slot! Sunday might be ideal, if people are used to sharing that day on an ad hoc basis. I'll do my bit now and then, when I find a particularly compelling topic. Sunday gives us the chance to pull in new people too, while keeping the 2:00 game time slot.

Let's try a new topic: Creativity and Constraints, with particular emphasis on barriers to creativity in SL. Built-in constraints might be due to server capacity and game mechanics, but I notice more nebulous limits due to conventions built up in the SL culture. One of the most interesting examples is the separation of thoughtful articulate people from the lively types with their crazy scripts and wild bird/furry/mecha avatars. Both groups are creative; mixing them up might be fun.

I'll host this Sunday's meeting in one of the conference areas on or beside the Club Fame grounds (Refugio 178, 140), which is one of my current building sites. The club has auditorium style seating for a large group, and there's a floating gazebo for a small crowd.

Be sure to try the *special* soapbox!

Well, after a talk with Gwyneth I found myself scheduling a discussion for this Saturday..hope this does not mess with anyone's plans... 2 pm in Teal 10,10

Again, thanks a lot for your trouble, Neal (I got some bad news, about that time I'll be somewhere in an airport, I think, so I don't believe I'll be able to attend the meeting... and I'm not sure if my Internet connection is still working at my destination Argh...)

Traxx, this also means that you're very welcome to continue your own meetings on Sunday

If someone wants my silly "soapbox hush" script, just IM me. It's something very simple who "warns" everybody when someone is sitting on the soapbox (if someone talks, it'll send an IM to warn the speaker about who is sitting on the soapbox right now).

Drat, curses.

I will miss your talk too Neal, RL will interfere almost certainly - a long standing commitment to a Yule party...

All the best with the discussion. Remember to add it to the events calendar.

Congrats to Eloise for winning the 'most creative meeting-enhancer' contest at Sunday's 'Creativity and Constraints' meeting. Eloise brought coffee and wine, at least I think that was wine -- non-drinkers tend to stare blankly at all the mysterious bottles!

Gwyn, the water buffalo would like a copy of your hush script. Yes, he still hasn't relinquished the *special* soapbox. : D

Well I was going to start doing them again after the holidays. The real world has been getting in the way of the fun. If someone wants Friday I am willing to step aside and do it some other time even though "Tuesday Free For All" does not have the same ring

Rox

It is looking like Fridays are still there for you Roxie.

It also appears that Sundays are becoming the day for folks that want to run a one-off or intermittently in general, although that has actually only happened once so far...

Congrats to Eloise as well

I'm glad you'll be back, Roxie (that sounds Schwarzeneggerish to me)

Traxx, it's on the mail... lol.

If anyone wants the "hushing" Sandbox, let me know. Latest version even includes a short "shh" sound and everything

Um, thank you...

And yes it was wine, sort of. A bottle of Dom Perignon to be precise, that on a good day gives you a glass of bubbly to drink. The coffee cup does the same.

But I still find it odd how people like things that work IRL work in SL as well for meetings etc. I'm not talking agendas etc. why does you're AV drinking may you feel more relaxed? But it does seem to.

Now that's certainly a very interesting point, Eloise... and an interesting topic for discussion as well

I have found out that I tire more (of course, it's psychosomatic) when I'm hosting events standing, instead of sitting down. Now I think that the major reason for that is simply because I more concentrated when hosting instead of assisting events, and since when hosting I tend to be standing up, I tire more I'll have to try to sit down the few next times.

The other silly thing is, the very first thing I built was a lamp post for working during the night, but SL is not so dark (and I think I could have tweaked with the gamma settings somewhere in Preferences). It simply didn't "look right" to work in the dark.

Last but not least, one of my first projects envolving animations, scripting and particles, was a working model for cigarettes, because I also "needed" to do things with my hands when idle. The same happens in RL, of course (ok, with the added advantage of the nicotine rush )


Completely off-topic, and for Traxx's sake, here goes the hush script:

// Hush script - when someone sits on the soapbox

key avatar;

default
{
    state_entry() {
        llSitTarget(<0.5, 0.0, 0.75>, ZERO_ROTATION); // needed for llAvatarOnSitTarget to work
        // Note that if both the vector and the rotation are zero, the SitTarget is removed instead of set and the following will not work
    }
    
    changed(integer change) { // something changed
        if (change & CHANGED_LINK) { // and it was a link change
            llSleep(0.5); // llUnSit works better with this delay
            avatar = llAvatarOnSitTarget();
            if (avatar != NULL_KEY) { // somebody is sitting on me
                llSay(0, llKey2Name(avatar) + " is on the soapbox now!");
                state soapbox_active;
            }
        }
    }
}

state soapbox_active
{
    state_entry()
    {
        llListen(0, "", NULL_KEY, "");
    }
    
    listen(integer channel, string name, key id, string message)
    {
        if (id != avatar)
        {
            llSay(0, "Shhh...");
            llPlaySound("e6c969b1-78f5-6495-b506-adc029486286", 0.8);
            llInstantMessage(id, llKey2Name(avatar) + " is on the soapbox now, please hush!");
        }
    }

    changed(integer change) { // something changed
        if (change & CHANGED_LINK) { // and it was a link change
            llSleep(0.5); // llUnSit works better with this delay
            avatar = llAvatarOnSitTarget();
            if (avatar == NULL_KEY) { // somebody is sitting on me
                llSay(0, " is now free!");
                state default;
            }
        }
    }
}

Like you I tend to find I get tired if "I" stand in world for too long. I have even got cramps IRL from kneeling too long before...

But yes, it would be interesting to see what else happens like that...

And thanks for the code.