A MySL Sampler

Recently, digital artist and genius kid Loki Eliot wrote on his blog about the My Second Life micro-blog feeds, particularly how he uses it for his business as well as general posts and how he thinks the idea is missing its potential. I whole heartedly agree that MySL could be more, but as I pointed out in a comment on his post, The Lab doesn't really support the feature any more. But we can still use it and fairly well despite inherent limitations. Lately I've had to spend more time in Real Life so I use MySL rather heavily to maximize my time in-world and minimize my writing time for this blog. If you haven't been following me on MySL, here is a sampling of what you've missed recently:

This pic was from a series I shot at the Pouloco gas station in Bay City - Dennis (SLurl) and was sort of an in-FAUX-mercial for the business. It was cute. Well, it still is. Check it out on MySL feed with the other pix.

It seems that lately quite a few folks have discovered or rediscovered the hidden keyboard shortcuts you can use to adjust the view angle of your camera rather than leap into Move & View preferences for the same and they've been posting pix on their MySL feeds to play with the effect. Simply press Ctrl-8 for a wide angle lens effect or Ctrl-0 for a telephoto effect. Ctrl-9 resets the "lens" to the standard view. As you can see above, the telephoto effect foreshortens the camera's perspective. Check out this Web site for more information on lens focal lengths.

Like many, I often use MySL for photo essays. This pic was part of my trip to the Bay City Aquarium in Oak Bay (SLurl) a couple days ago. I survived, you can guess, but it was a harrowing experience for a kitty. I may never eat calimari again.

Another photo essay was of a visit to Pyri Funfair (SLurl), a great place to take a date to for Halloween. Make sure you have plenty of time, though, because once you start the Tunnel of Love ride, you could be a while. MySL is a great way to learn about places like Pyri. Think of it as a travel guide.

Second Life is a huge place and using MySL to explore it can help lead you to things you've never seen, experiences you've never had, and people you might otherwise have never met. Like here I am in a Linden office, stealin' some comfies from a comfy chair while I enjoy a sunrise on a land that few see (SLurl).

My last picture is from what I was doing while writing this blog post, sitting in a beautiful space and sharing it via MySL with everyone who wants to take a peek. Are you using MySL? Leave a comment with the URL or at least your name as I'd love to take a look into your world.

Forest Floor (SLurl) is one of the most beautiful landscapes in all Second Life. A good place to sit and write.

Rant: Word Nerd Strikes Again

I'm a Word Nerd. See the glasses?

So many times in the last week I've been in a mood to don my Word Nerd suit and rant about poor grammar in several items that I've read of late. Chalk it up to Real Life drama spoiling my normally placid demeanor (Ha!) if you want or just increasing ineptness among people paid to write for a living. At least I'm not as bad as my brother, the former teacher, who actively corrects and "grades" news articles then sends them back to the editors. CC also sends interesting Web clippings about grammar my way, like a New York Times FAQ on Style just this morning. For anyone that has ever complained about the way I sometimes start a sentence with And, particularly a new paragraph, scroll down a bit in that piece and find something else to complain about. I am not a perfect writer. Sometimes I write "in character" or strive to be extra colloquial, but I always try my best to write well. I wish that more writers would keep at their grammar education by reading items like that FAQ from the Times because better writing is infectious. Those who read write well. Those who read better writing will themselves write better.

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Blogger Tip: Use an external grammar checker if you don't write in a word processor first. Try spellchecker.net, a free Web-based application that doesn't auto-correct, but instead flags potential issues then suggests options.

Better Living Through Writing

Yes, the quote famously is "Better Living Through Chemistry" but the only chemistry I know is to layer pudding into my ice cream. Writing, however, is something everyone should know about as it is an exceptionally important means of communication. As someone who can't speak except via American Sign Language in the Real World, I have to say a lot through writing. Since losing my voice I've written enough that many think I've been on Earth a lot longer than I have been because I've practiced the rules of good writing, developed an extensive vocabulary, and learned to correct my mistakes.

Omitting a serial comma (sometimes called the Oxford Comma), however, is a mistake committed by all too many professional writers. Simply put, the serial comma separates items in a list. For example: Blue, green, and red are colors of the pixels in a computer display screen. The colors are a set and a list; a concatenation, to use a big word. I mention the computer display because today's rant stems from yet another paid writer for a tech blog who doesn't seem to know about the serial comma.

When the first iPad made its appearance in our house, it quickly became apparent how intuitive it was for the kids to use (for the record, mine are aged 9, 9 and 12 so they are reasonably responsible with fragile gear so long as it's in a protective case) [Moon, Brad. "The Case for Buying iPads for Your Kids." Gizmodo MAR 19, 2012 7:14 AM].

Are his kids aged 9 and 12, written about with a folksy, conversational pause, or are they ages 9, 9, and 12? (I won't get into aged vs. ages.) How many children does Mr Moon have?* Without the proper use of a serial comma we won't know the answer, though we can probably guess it is the latter situation. Most people don't remember back to Elementary school and the serial comma lesson, yet without its proper use the writer's intent can be seriously led astray.

Comical, yes, but I believe it gets the point across. A comma is a pause. Read aloud what you have written to tell if it "sounds right," especially if your message is important. Your tone can remain conversational if that is appropriate for your audience, but don't become so lazy with the punctuation that you lose clarity.

Suggested Reading
"Going, Going, and Gone?: No, The Oxford Comma is Safe ... For Now" by Linda Holmes
"Michael Hogan: Vampire Weekend's 'Oxford Comma,' Explained" by Michael Hogan
"A Snarl of Serial Commas" message board discussion on the A Way With Words Website.

* Lately I've adopted the British style of titles, omitting a period after.

I have a confession

Of my three brothers I am closest to CC, though I love them all dearly. To make a long story short, CC more or less raised me, shaping my values, likes, dislikes, and talents. One way he did this was teaching me to write. Not the letters, but the process of expression. When I went mute, writing became a more important way for me to communicate -- at times the most important way -- to the world. Part of the circumstances that led to me being mute made me afraid of the world, though, so while I wanted my thoughts to burst out I wanted to remain hidden.

I wrote under CC's name, on his blogs and Web sites. Often.

No, I won't put links here. He's had several blogs and most are gone. A couple remain, mostly without recent posts, and one of them is full of my writings. Some were assignments from him to keep my mind occupied when it was tearing itself apart. Others were rote exercises to keep me in tune with the world and my writing skills. But all displayed the passions within me, opening myself from a place of safety to refresh my soul.

Many of my writings were about music. Like all my brothers I adore Rock and Roll. Classics from Hendrix and Led Zep course through me as regular as my pulse, mixing with Metallica, Creed, Evanescence, and others of more recent vintage. My father gave me an appreciation of Jazz but I found the Blues and Bluegrass on my own, stretching me in new directions, encouraging me to listen to Alternative, Country, and Hip-Hop. The Masters complete me as I'm often lost in a swirl of Vivaldi or Bach that wisks me through the ordinary cares of life to a plane filled with joy.

A joy similar to what writing gives to me. So while The Poultry Report is primarily about the Virtual me in Second Life, I ask you to pardon the occasional foray into the Atomic world. So many forget there are genuine people behind the persona. Perhaps they are like me, hiding behind a non de plume, of sorts, but letting their true selves come out through their avatar. In-world I am just me. In writing, I am me and then some.