The End of My Second Life
Warning: this post contains adult themes.
Sturm Baran. That was my name in Second Life.
I had heard about Second Life for some time and I recall wondering why anyone would even consider going there to have a "second life" when there's too much to do in our real lives already; who has time to create a second one? I then heard an aside on a podcast several years ago—I think it was the PC Gamer Podcast—about how many people use Second Life as a means to have cybersex. I clearly remember the hosts mentioning how an avatar could wear breasts (among other things) as if it was clothing in the game. Being an aficionado of large breasts, I was intrigued, and decided to "investigate."
Mac and me
I've never owned a Macintosh computer in my life. There, I've said it. And now that it's out there, I fully expect to be ostracized. Why? Because apparently everyone else owns one or, at least, has owned one. And every news source I visit online seems to only use MacBook Pros.
“She takes too long to get ready!”
How many of you have heard that? Even better, how many of you have said that, or something similar? I'm willing to be that most people who have been in a relationship have probably spoken that phrase to their friends. Allow me to offer a contrarian view.
A Witch’s Port: Princess Lowres HD
Some day I'll learn my lesson. I'll be more cautious about dropping ten dollars on an iOS game just because it looks like it'll have some fun puzzles in it, especially when it's published by Big Fish Games, Inc.
MMO gaming resources
This is a somewhat older topic, but now that I finally have time to put fingers to keyboard, I'd like to get this off my chest. Having been an avid player of World of Warcraft for a solid three years, I know what it's like to get sucked into a game like that and can fully understand its appeal. I also know how frustrating it is when someone cheats in the game by purchasing gold from a gold-farming company or buying a high-level character with massively powerful equipment on eBay. The same is true of an online FPS wherein someone can use a headshot script to gain an advantage over other players. I haven't seen this sort of cheating be as prevalent in recent years, but I'll admit that I haven't been in the gaming loop for a while. I do know, however, that the makers of some of these games have decided to start selling in-game items for real-world currency. Most of the items are only cosmetic, but a few actually might give a player an advantage. The question is: Is this a form of cheating?
Fidelity
I once came across an online advertisement about two years ago which flashed, in large, bold letters: "See where your boyfriend REALLY is!" This immediately got me thinking about fidelity and love. Before I go any further, however, I should state right up front that I have never had a girlfriend and never really experienced love beyond the familial kind. Thus, take this entire post with a grain of salt.
Sturm’s 100 Drobos
We've all been there. We download and download and download—usually without much thought. If there is any thought to it, we generally think that "we'll get to organizing it later." Before we know it, we start getting those little balloons in the bottom-right corner of our screen, reminding us that we're getting low on hard drive space. I've just run into this problem myself.
Ugly reminders
I'll say right off the bat that I am a hypocrite. I am well aware of it, even if I'm not proud of it. Honesty being the best policy in my book, I feel it's necessary to get that right out there. Thus, if you don't care to read about me complaining how others are shallow when I, myself, am severely shallow, then move along.
Relationship = Property?
I own a lot of things and I probably take them for granted more often than I should. Every once in a while, however, I stop for a moment, look around at it all, and thank the Lord that I have been fortunate enough in life to have all this stuff. After all, there are many people in the world that aren't as fortunate, so I should never complain. There, is, however, one thing I don't "have."
Memories
Another thought that's always been on my mind: Recording things. Many of us have some sort of recording device with us that we use on a daily or near-daily basis. Whether it's a camcorder, still camera, voice recorder, or even a simple pad and pencil. Why do we feel the need to record everything in our lives?