Discovered on YouTube: rare live footage of HatHead Rickenbacker performing live on Hammond organ with his most favorite band ever!

Talk To Me (Like You Talk To Your Brother)

Reefer Smoking Blues

*Breezin’

* it is true, the entire place was full of almost entirely women that night, which is of course awesome! So come on down every Wednesday night from 9pm-1am!!

Grace McDunnough and her MUSIMMERSION is genius. Using the strongest elements of SL and live music performance, Grace takes you on a musical journey into the heart of each song as the crowd is literally transported into a new environment reflecting the story and imagery of each tune. Add to that that her performances are super strong, a great selection of songs, beautifully detailed sets and you have a winner.

What’s more, no ‘new’ SL technology was required to make this happen, and though there many details to think through, especially from an event perspective, the idea is basic enough. Indeed there have been holodecks - self-assembling rooms - for quite a while. (Although there more advantages I think to Grace’s approach of moving avatars and not relying on SL to reconstruct whole sets from script every time).

The ZeroG Sky Dancers in SL is another experience that plays on the strengths of SL for expression - more on that in another post.

Mixed Reality Feedback Loop

Originally uploaded by HatHead Rickenbacker

Here is me both virtually and in real life as my real hand is visible on the virtual screen taking this photo with my mobile phone of my virtual avatar who is in a video feedback loop as the real video camera films the virtual screen back into itself. I love it!

The New Me, The Old Me.

Originally uploaded by HatHead Rickenbacker

Here is some fun with my new LCD projector as I pose in front of my Second Life Avatar.

Droid Bury - First Virtual Show

Originally uploaded by HatHead Rickenbacker

The Droid and his virtual audience during his first Second Life show.

Droid Bury - Second Life POV

Originally uploaded by HatHead Rickenbacker

The Droid from his perspective during his first Second Life show.

Bently Tammas!

Originally uploaded by HatHead Rickenbacker

Finishing up my friend’s avatar - Bently Tammas!

The New You. The Old Me.

Originally uploaded by HatHead Rickenbacker

It was a little surreal to transform my Second Life avatar into an avatar that looks like my real life friend.

STS 117

Originally uploaded by HatHead Rickenbacker.

I meant to post this earlier, along with a ton of things I meant to post. I followed the NASA STS 117 shuttle mission to the International Space Station live from inside Second Life. The ultimate in reality television with cameras everywhere and radio chatter, I really felt part of the mission.

Pictured here some breathtaking footage - the most expensive ever shot no doubt - of the shuttle doing a flip-over for visual inspection. I was little emotional as NASA turned off the seatbelt sign and the 2 crews finally met face to face, after days of the shuttle chasing and matching the station’s orbit around the Earth.

It was very impressive to see the 15 tonne solar panels be literally bolted on by a spacewalker, wielding a power tool with nothing but his boots between him and several hundred miles down; all while speeding around the planet at thousands of kilometers an hour. The mission was complete with high drama as a key station computer failed while a spacewalk repaired damage to a thermal blanket.

Woman of the Year should certainly go to Sunita Williams, who set a new record for a woman in space, logged over 29 hours on 4 spacewalks, installed key station components and performed science experiments. Suni responded to questions about returning to Earth saying she wanted to walk on the beach with her dog. It must be quite a feeling to look up at the stars after whizzing around looking down at the planet for 6 months.

I could have watched this without being inside Second Life but then people wouldn’t have dropped in and the fun of sharing an experience would have been lost. I hope one day we can instant message the mission crew with lot’s of ‘wooties!’ and ‘yays’. NASA offers up a free Second Life friendly QuickTime feed 24/7 - so enjoy!

Virtual Development

Originally uploaded by HatHead Rickenbacker.

Development begins. Here I am posing with the scale model after laying some foundations, building a bridge and creating a quick 30 meter stained glass dome.

From the stained glass dome I also made a gorgeous stained glass patio umbrella. They will certainly be be sale at the site.

This exercise has allowed me to get some reference. It is going to fit lthough is about 17 meters higher than I wanted - for inworld security reasons, not aesthetic design - but such are the shortcomings of Second Life.

The complex is still without a name but will be open on the inside, allowing for multiple event configurations.

The main hall will be surrounded by balconies and hanging gardens.

Underneath is a water system replete with marine life, shipwrecks and other secret treasures.