Bad Blogger

Oh, I'm a bad blogger. It's true! I didn't record the rest of the announcement here about the photo contest. And now its over. Flog the blogger.

The contest was to take pictures of the Rezzable sims. The people who entered watched Flickr where the details were posted. (Actually, I posted to about 6 flickr pools, and forgot to update my own blog!) It looks like 10 photographers sent entries .... I need to look at them in the morning (after the New Year's festivities and subsequent mandatory sleep), upload them to SecondLife, and display them at the Cannery for all to see. A representative from Rezzable will review them and determine which pictures are the winners.

I want to thank all the people who entered. I think they all had a great time. I know I did, although I fell was killed several times in the Toxic Gardens trying to take pictures. (Be careful, a bad step or a big ant can get you in a heart beat!) The picture included here is my companion who was aghast at what was growing there.

Cannery SL Photography Contest

Friday, December 28th, I will be announcing the rules for an SL photography contest. There will be 1000L in prizes given out, to be divided between first prize, second prize and third prize.

General rules:
1) All pictures must be square and at least 1024 x 1024 in resolution.
2) Pictures must have been taken between the start of the contest (12/28) and the end of the contest (12/30).
3) No pictures will be accepted after 12/30.
4) Pictures must be delivered to ShoshanaEpsilon@gmail.com (bmp, jpeg, png formats are ok).
5) No more than 2 entires per contestant.
6) Pictures must be abut and originated from Second Life.
7) The contest sponsor will have full permissions to the winning pictures. to use as they see fit, without further compensation to the photographer.
8) Post processing is ok, although there should be no watermarks, signature, or other post-processing writing on the picture.


The winners' picture(s) will be used by the sponsor of the contest for whatever purpose they deem fit.

Information regarding the contest sponsor and the particulars of the event will be given out on Friday, Dec 28th, after 3pm SL time.

Have a great holiday week!

-- Shoshana Epsilon

On Line Art Gallery

I came across a wonderful site the other day ... a place to post your best work and (possibly) sell it.

The new site is called RedBubble. I'm rather pleased with the comments I've received so far on the site. The people there are pretty friendly. There's a Second Life group, too.

Qoop connects directly to Flickr, or allows you to upload a file from your computer. The advantage to Qoop is that you can get copies of your own work for not-much money. Qoop will let you make T-shirts, mugs, posters (on photo paper), greeting cards, mouse pads ... all sorts of let's-have-fun-and-share-my-art stuff.

The advantage to RedBubble is you can get copies of other people's work and you can sell your work. You can get the image as a card, a laminated print, a mounted print, a poster, a canvas print, or a matted and framed print ... all sorts of ways to share your art as ART.

Ok, I'll admit it. I've sold 2 pieces, and now I think people will actually buy my stuff. How egotistical is that? I'm still dancing for joy. In the mean time, I'll post some of my pictures there and hope that someone "discovers" me and soon I'm rich and famous.

It was Too Short

Ok, we tried.

Vint saw my picture of her, ruthed, and asked me politely to take it down. In my usual "let's be difficult" way, I said "no". She threatened me with a blackmail picture that she felt was sure to cause me to cave in, but I rather liked the picture, so of course I maintained "no". She suggested we should have a pretend war, we each decided on who should be on her side and who on my side, and the war was on!

I posted the first blog and tried to get VERY campy so everyone would know that we were kidding. She posted her picture (thank you, Vint, but I have two, you know) and a very non-specific tale of woe. I was going to follow her around in Second Life, taking picture of dirty laundry hanging out in front of her home, or something equally outrageous, but then I got an email from a concerned citizen who was afraid that a) two friends were going down the warpath and b) we'd get banned from Flickr.

I felt certain I could help our mutual friend see that we were playing, but frankly, I have no such hope that Flickr would be as understanding.

By the way, if Vint was really upset with it, I would have removed the picture in a heartbeat. We're friends and I wouldn't want to damage that.

Volley of the Damned

Ok, Vint. You have done it. Don't deny it, because you know it is true. I won't go into the gory details of what that rat-cat has done. The deed is too vile to besmirch my blog pages. Suffice it to say that I, Shoshana Epsilon, do hereby, officially, lob the first volley in her direction.

Vint Falken, ruthed at the Cannery Gallery

And beware to any who side with you, girl. I'll get them, too. "You and your little dog, too!"*

---
* Wicked Witch of the East, Wizard of Oz

A Different Light - Opened!

Jaid at the opening of "A Different Light"

Wow, what an adrenalin rush. I love show openings.

Yesterday, at the Cannery Gallery, Vint Falken and I opened a new show called "A Different Light". What you will see there is but a fraction of the awesome art that was submitted. We wanted to show you a different view of Second Life.

Imagine that the world is a rabbit. A Great Magician pulls the rabbit out of a hat now and then, and the rabbit sees the world. Now, imagine you are a flea on the rabbit. You live in the deepest part of the hairs of the rabbit, close to the skin where it is warm. You don't need to see the universe that is beyond the rabbit, that you can never reach and have no interest in. It is comfortable where you are.

Now, imagine that you are an adventurous flea. You want to see the universe on those rare occasions when the Magician pulls the rabbit out of the hat. You climb up the rabbit hairs and wait there, poised, waiting for a bit of the universe to be revealed to you. *

The concept behind the show is this: There are many different types of people in Second Life. Some people are into being "furry" or mechs; some are into re-experiencing their childhood; some are into slavery; some are into making new friends. Do I want to do some of those things, experience what it is like to be adored or spurned because of my appearance? No. I have a lovely avatar for a reason. However, imagine what it would be like to be a child again .... you see a firefly for the 10th time and you are filled with wonder. It is at that moment that you see the universe that the Great Magician is presenting for us.

So, take off your comfortable skin and come wander down the paths. Come see the universe through someone else's eyes.

-----
* Note: Special thanks to Jostein Gaarder for his outstanding book of juvenile fiction: Sophie's World, originally published in Norwegian in 1991.

Cannery Art Show Opening December 5th

"A Different Light - a different view on Second Life"

Presented by Rezzable, Inc at Cannery Rezzable

Curators: Shoshana Epsilon and Vint Falken

Opens Wednesday, December 5th 4pm

Featured artists:

• Andromega Volare
• Isolde Flamand
• Kimberly Mirabeau
• Marianne McCann
• Mylena Aquitaine

Additional artists:
Codebastard Redgrave, GM Nikolaidis, Jazss Saiman, Kim Dench, Loki Popinjay, Luna Zolnir, Raul Crimson, Ryker Beck, Shoshana Epsilon, Stephen Venkman, Vint Falken

Dancing starts at noon and goes until midnight. Official opening at 4pm SL time. Come meet the artists! Buy some art!

Tagged?!?

I've been tagged? Ryker, I don't think this is a favor, but OK. I'm glad you thought of me. Or perhaps you were just getting desperate because you didn't know who else to choose. You realize that this is the blog-equivalent of a chain letter. And blackmail. I have a picture of you "ruthed", so I guess all is fair in love and war.

I had a list of people to tag, but then I got to thinking about it ... and I don't think I'm going to tag anyone. Fun game, but I am against chain letters in principle. (I won't mention the fact that most of the people I had in mind are already tagged.)

Here are the rules:
(1) Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
(2) People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.
(3) At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
(4) Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

---------------

1) I hate Ryker. Straight teeth! I've had braces once and I may need them again. I have a mobile mouth. (Somehow, that's doesn't sound very good.)

2) I love SecondLife. It's rather taken over my life. I actually went for nearly 2 weeks without a SecondLife fix this summer. But I thought about the place every day.

3) I love my Beloved. In SecondLife, she is Jamie. In RealLife, she is my best friend.

4) I am not artistic in RealLife. My day is filled with technology and management and I never felt that art was important. My few attempts into the realm of art were doomed by helpful people who told me how to "improve" the work. I was a compliant child, did what I was told, and hated the outcome.

5) I love art in SecondLife. It is so easy to take snapshots! And damn, they look good. I am always so pleased when someone steps out of the shadows and tells me that they like my work. Some people even have constructive criticism that I am willing to take. Sometimes, the end result is better. And if its not, I have a savefile that I can revert to. (That was impossible when I was a child, working in acrylics.)

6) I have two cats and I beat them regularly. They seem to like it.

7) I have a pet theory that goes like this: As you get old, whatever you are, you become "moreso". So, if you are a nice, thoughtful person, you will become nicer with age. If you are paranoid feakezoid, you will go ballistic and take out 20 other people before you die.

8) I have a very peculiar sense of humor. My favorite joke is my rope joke. It combines the absurd with a wicked pun. If you want to hear it, you will have to ask me.