Do You Speak My Language?

Minor update for the company website, and this was born out of boredom. Wrote a quick javascript to detect the ISO Language of the browser and redirect according to language settings. Nothing phenomenal, and truth be told, the translated versions of the site are nothing more than Systran translation (machine translation).

So it is more than likely that the site in other languages is just shy of gibberish. But it's better than nothing, really. With the company website being accessed by countries around the world (yes we have seen visitors coming in from Japan, China, Australia, and France) then a machine translated version of the website will at least give them a very basic idea of what we are trying to say.

Either that or try to sell them used underwear... But... umm.. still better than nothing.

It's something I've wanted to do for a long time anyway. So here's to multi-lingual VR5!

In Other News

Menus...yes we've all seen them in the MacOSX or Windows Operating system... but in Active Worlds? Yep, another midnight building binge led me to resurrect an old concept - building a Button Menu in Active Worlds with elaborate visible off, name=, etc in order to control a media device (namely a stereo).

In layman's terms: Consolidated alot of visible buttons into a visible on demand menu system. Looks better and doesn't have alot of buttons floating around detracting from the build. Also allows me to control the volume of the stereo while it is playing, as well as switch stations, and turn the stereo off.

Very useful for implementation in future builds, and I have saved the menu configuration for later use in other areas.

Well.. I guess that is it for my update. I'll try to get another one of these blog entries in after the New Year.

Selling Used Underwear in Japan - Darian Knight

Things I Enjoyed in 2006

In no particular order.

• Children of Men – Fantastic thriller with Clive Owen and Michael Caine. Strong cast, an inspired dystopian future, and a valuable lesson for today.



• Fancy Dress Parties – The most fun you can have with someone else’s clothes on!



• Animal Crossing: Wide World – The reason I bought a Nintendo DS, and the reason I’m happy when it rains.



• Best friends – A cliché, but these are the people that kept me sane (You know who you are!)



• FilmFour – for bringing me all the Studio Ghibli goodness I could handle.



• CSI: New York – I’m a late-comer, but it’s still the only regular TV I watch. And I’m in love with “Montana”.



• Sugar Rush 2 – Great show with a great cast. More please.



• Lock and Load’s Battle of the Bands – Its encouraging seeing so much new local musical talent. And it’s the best night out you’ll have in Yarmouth during Spring/Summer.



• That Mitchell and Webb Look – And in particular The Surprising Adventures of Sir Digby Chicken Caesar. Dunderunderunderunderun…



• The Norwich Playhouse – Great place for a quiet drink in the evening. And as it’s far off the beaten track you don’t get the usual Friday-night rent-a-mob.



• We Love Katamari – If only I could get that catchy theme tune out of my head.



• Dead Rising – As much as hate the Xbox, this is the best zombie game ever!



• Nicola from Girls Aloud – my current lust object



• Evans – as every big girl knows.



• Wikipedia – Not always right, but always useful.



• Kingdom of Loathing – Still playing this online roleplayer one year on. And there’s still new content being added.

Randomness...

I apologize for not posting in awhile... we've been bogged down with a lot of things lately.

Where to begin... Recently redesigned the website (yay) and immediately had to go back and "fix" it because Internet Explorer has no idea what the term "Web Standards Compliant" means. Seriously, Microsoft needs somebody working for them who's soul purpose in life is to point out the obvious to their designers and programmers - "So, this browser doesn't stay with standards online?"

In other news... finally got around to updating the site (yes I just said that, but there is more) and made use of the MP3 Player widget available from Capri Graphic Arts (its free) as a demo on our site. Some nifty music (creative commons, permission from the bands or free download).

Finally decided to just give up and use PNG images on our website. I tried so hard to stay with GIF because it is more widely accepted online, but 256 colors just wasn't doing it anymore and to make JPG images that sorta mimicked a transparent background and anti-aliasing for the transparent edges would have been design suicide.

So the website uses PNG images... Firefox 2 and IE7 more or less display them well enough (but the transparency sometimes renders wrong or glitched depending on the computer). The lesson learned? PNG is a superior format for the web, and was designed specifically to replace GIF as the standard - so for the love of god people... make a browser that can actually handle it - ok? There is no excuse anymore, the makers of the PNG format have given every reason to do this... follow suit already... it's almost 2007.

So yeah.. umm.. I redesigned the website :)

What else since last post... ummm... (you can tell this stuff isn't professionally written and run past a PR department, can't you?)

Working on various projects here and there... custom Corvette model by Wes is coming along very well... near photo realistic. Redesigned my old apartment in the world (also got a new neighbor Justin Eyres). Getting toward the end of the project time line for LIN Systems - and yeah... very little has yet to be accomplished by no fault of us.

Seriously... As media designers, we understand the client's needs to actively participate in the design and implementation of your website or media project, but we'll let you in on a secret: If you have no material ready to put on a website, please save your money until you do. We don't pull stuff out of thin air, and we don't expect you to either. But if your project runs past an initial 2 months without completion (no content from the client to use), we reserve the right to start billing a monthly retainer (which is about $500 per month with or without work).

I've seen some really inflated prices for web design as well, so don't dare say we are charging too much. Some places have the audacity to charge $95 an hour with a 1 hour minimum. We don't charge that high, and a monthly retainer of $500 is dirt cheap for professional designers (5 hours a month by normal pricing).

Now, this is why having your materials ready will save you money. When we quote $1,000 for a custom website with all the trimmings, we mean "Done in a reasonable amount of time" not "Done over the course of 12 - 18 months with additional changes throughout to the design and four redesigns".

Do the math - $1,000 and finished in about a month (or less) with your materials ready, or 12 - 18 months at a retainer fee of $500 a month. Honestly, we don't mind taking your money... but it's in your best interest to be prepared before contracting us. Could have even done the entire website yourself for about $60 if you went with our affiliate Design2U which allows you to build your entire website online.

Ok, mild rant finished for the month. Also, The Holiday is upon us. Depending on what religion you are, these holidays mean different things. Little secret for the year, Christmas is a pagan tradition, as is a Yule log, Mistletoe, Santa Clause, New Years, and many others.

Does this mean you should stop celebrating? I wouldn't. There is nothing inherently wrong with multicultural traditions, and if Pagans can celebrate peace and the exchange of good will - maybe Christians could learn a thing or two from them? Celebrate simply to do so... you never needed a reason.

As yet another side note, I would like to say Hello to Harmony Clark - creator of the HARU OMFG comic. Been on this kick where I am promoting her for the sake of doing so. She's a good artist, and getting better, and for the most part I would say she deserves some exposure. So here it is again - go buy her stuff! (I know this will prolly piss her off too, lol)

Well.. I guess thats the update for (looks at the calender)... jeez... what lazy person is in charge of this blog anyway!?... oh.. umm... that would be me.. hehe.

Ok.. I'll try to post more often... maybe...


Being Lazy During the Holidays - Darian Knight

Wii Love You!

At the risk of sounding like a Nintendo fan-girl; Wii Sports is amazing!

The graphics are bright and cheery, but nothing the Gamecube couldn’t do.

The sports are basic, and would only be considered bonus games on another platform.

Fine control is fiddly and can sometimes appear arbitrary.

BUT IT’S SO MUCH FUN!

There were five of us last night crowded in a friend’s tiny bedroom, golfing, bowling and boxing. And we spent over five hours just playing Wii Sports (with a half hour break for Monkeyball and food).

You know you are on to a winner when a spectacular putt or a brutal low blow makes the whole room erupt with victorious or sympathetic noises.

Making the Mii (a virtual you) part of the console operation, and therefore transferable between games, is a great way to build in association with your character. OK so it’s not up to Second Life standards, but you can create very recognisable personas. And it’s that bond that makes us all wince as a below the belt uppercut swept Rick off his feet in Wii Boxing.

I’m not sure where they are going to end up, but Nintendo are back on the ascent.

FFS Doctor Beeching!

And so we continue the tale of woe of trying to buy my train tickets for Transpocalypse.

Last time on The 12 Tasks of Pandora I was told Central Trains were fannying about switching from return fares to singles only. The incredibly helpful girl at Norwich station gave me a timetable with *new single fares* scribbled on, and the advice to leave it for a couple of weeks. So I did.

I was about to ring the ticket sales line when I noticed the warning “Please note this telephone service is for ticket sales only. If you wish to enquire about times or prices please call National Rail Enquiries on…”

After a bit of negotiation, where it is clear I have access to better information than the National Rail Enquiries helpdesk, I am told that Central are still selling return tickets. Thanks. Bloody helpful you’ve been!

So I call the sales line after all. And it’s an automated voice recognition system. First off I’m invited to take part in a customer service survey. With hindsight I wish I’d said yes. I then go through all the palaver of calling out the trains, times and stations I want in a clear voice. And then I get “Please wait while I transfer you to our partner service” and I’m on the line to a young girl, who asks for all the details again as their system isn’t playing. After a brief mix up (because anybody could confuse LIVERPOOL with CHESTERFIELD) I am offered an advance saver for over £100.

“No thanks,” I say. “I want a Value 7.”
“Not available,” is the reply.
“Why?” I ask.
“Sold out,” says she.
“Already? For the end of January 2007?”
“Or not available…”
“And how do I find out?”
“I’ll check.”
Five minutes later.
“They’re not available yet. Try again in a week or two.”

Stunning!

So I’m still without travel yet and it’s getting closer.

Old pic time

Since you all got denied my Halloween pic I thought I'd upload anoher pic of me making more of an effort. Behold a pic from March when I went to Wendyhouse in Leeds for a night of gothing-it-up:

For those plus-size trannies wondering, the dress is Sessocaldo Black from Lady B Wear

Owwwwww!

Last Saturday I woke up wth a tremendous ache in my lower back. Its put me in a load of pain for the last week. Moving from a sharp pain when I moved, to a dull ache all the time with a jab if I catch it wrong. And it makes all my muscles around the area tense up leading to pressure on bits that really need to hang free if you get my drift.

It might be liked to my back pain in summer when I strained muscles and had a blackout, but the smart money is on a trapped sciatic nerve. Especially as the pain has moved to my hips, and my right leg feels like it has a cold metal wire just under the skin.

Either way, I'm off to the doc's tomorrow, so hopefully I'll get a diagnosis, and maybe something better than Deep Heat.

Fingers crossed

Singles Life

Back in the day there used to be three bus companies in this town. The Blue Buses were subsidised by the council and were fairly clean and fairly efficient. Eastern Counties were private run, served the outlying villages, but I always tought hey were a bit seedy, and then there was the mavericks of The Flying Banana. Shoddy, but incredibly cheap, and again they also served the sticks. And you could play bingo on them when they first started operating (yes really).

When Eastern Counties drove the Blue Buses out, and bought out the Flying Banana, they pretty much had the monoply so could dictate how local bussing was run, so when they recently announced they were stopping return tickets and only selling singles "for our customers convenience" no one batted an eyelid. It didnt even make the local press.

So I was incredibly shocked to find Central Trains doing the same, and then the girl at the train station said "everyone's doing it".

Do they really have that much contempt for the traveller, or is there really no competition to keep them in check. Or, conspiracy theory time, is it part of some grand Illuminati scheme to destroy public transport?

As a result I have to wait till Central sorts out their ticket structure before I can book my tickets to Transpocalypse.

Bugger!

ASCII Memorial Park

I would like to take a moment and introduce the newest addition to the City of Nidus - ASCII Memorial Park. Located just west of our ground zero, ASCII Park is a fairly normal park like you would see elsewhere, except that the games at the park all work :)

There are currently four multi-player games available (board games) and are not the normal Chess or Checkers like you are used to. Hosted by Atari, the games are Monopoly, Scrabble, Sorry and Battleship. A slight departure from the normal, but then again that's what we do in VR5.

The games will probably need you to create a login (but it's totally free) after which you can play the boardgames against other people online.

The other addition is our recent award from the Flight Festival 2006, given to us by OneSummer for our effort to serve the community during International Community Week. There were probably a number of worlds that received this award, but we are still grateful for it none the less. The award is proudly on display in ASCII Park for all to see.

Why the name ASCII Memorial? Well, I was thinking of the old school chat rooms and the BBS systems that came before all this graphical eye candy and decided to name a memorial park after the efforts. Hopefully we'll receive a Cy Award in 2007 so we can display it at the park as well... provided we don't get beaten out by another Easter Egg Hunt at the last minute. ;)

Again, as always, everything at the park works. You can sit on the benches, the chairs, play the games, etc... because well... we're in the habit of making things work and not just for looks. There will most likely be some additions or some tweaks to the design of the park as time progresses, but for now we're happy with the current design.

Looking To The Future of AW - With Zen In Mind - Darian Knight

The Weather Forcast....

In other news, it seems an unusually cold front has moved into the City of Nidus, causing some light snow showers around ground zero. This coupled with some ice in some areas may make for hazardous travel conditions, citizens please be advised.

Some holiday decorations have been hung, with expectation of more decorations in the coming month.

Halloween Redux

I've removed the entry and pic of my Halloween outfit. Partly because I was unhappy with the pic, but also because it doesn't belong here.

This is Pandora's hideaway. Its a blog about her, not the guy that is sometimes her.

This Halloween I was in drag, but I was not presenting as female, and was not being Pandora.

The people I was with do not know about her, and to go full out would have given out the wrong signals.

By making a decent effort, but not going too far (ie using a joke-shop wig rather than my own hair) everyone got to have a good night but continue to live in their favorite Egyptian river.

If you know me well enough to have my email, feel free to request pics by mail, but I'm only going to post pictures of me presenting on this blog from now on.

AW Pricing

This is a repost from the AW Forums from a thread about pricing in AW and it's effects that I had written explaining my stance on this issue. It will also help to clarify my train of thought when reading the "Interview with Inactive Worlds" (which is posted directly below this post for those who have come to read it). Both are the same topic, and both are worth your read.

This post appears (or may no longer appear depending on when you read this) in a thread concerning statistical graphs charting the massive losses in user base since 2001. For those who do not know, the main address for the active worlds forums is simply: forums.activeworlds.com and for as long as the thread exists, you may click on this link here to follow it's recent progress in the community. I thank you for your time in advance.

If the people in here are willing to keep it civil - meaning no total rampages or loss of tempers, then I'm more than willing to discuss this like a rational human being, this also applies to AWI (stonewalling, aggrevation, closing this thread, deleting this thread)This is an issue, and just because it's been ignored for nearly six years now doesn't mean it went away, it simply means it was ignored for six years while somebody hoped it would go away.

Whenever the topic is raised over the past years, it always leads to the same results. I have yet to see an overwhelming response saying that they thought the prices were fine.I also wanted to clear this up ahead of time - the people in the forums constitute the active and diehard users of this software. The opinions in this thread (at least by myself) do not mean I hate AWI or are trying to spread negativity. I am voicing my concerns, discussing rationally and bringing hard data to the discussion of why the prices are too high. This is a seperate concept than "I Hate AWI" or "We're trying to destroy the community".

We are clearly not doing either if we are backing with numbers, offering reasons for change, and doing so showing that these methods can actually be beneficial for both the community as well as the company. I fail to see how this is detrimental in any fashion - so I beg all involved (including AWI) to leave that baggage claim at the door.

There is a definite correllation between the numbers on those graphs and the price hike. The other thing I was thinking of while looking at those graphs was that they represent around 250 - 300 citizenships a month at $70 a year for nearly six years.

One observation from that is at their peaks they were charging $20 a year but had citizenships nearly at 3,500. We currently see an average of 150 - 400 users in here at any given time. So this indicates that the turnover for citizenships is also much higher since the price increase (whereas 300 new citizens a month for six years didn't seem to add to the overall user base).

What this leads me to is that when they are seeing 1/10th the userbase and subscriptions at quadruple the original price, while at their best before they raised the pricing they were seeing ten times the subscriptions at 1/4 the price. Some basic math with these figures shows they are making much less revenue from the higher citizenship prices than when they were lower.

One possible reason, and I can understand this to a degree, was that during that time there was indeed an open letter to the community about how they would not be able to create a version of the browser past 3.3 (indicating they were possibly about broke at the time). So for a short term gain, and to return to fiscally responsible numbers, they opted to raise prices and cut back on some of the features (like tourist access). For a short term gain, this was just fine, but they should not have decided to keep this as a long term strategy because it would have (and has proven to) do more damage than help in the long term scenario.

One of the other concerns I have are with AWI's assertion that:

1. They have no competition
2. They are not Second Life, nor are they trying to be.
3. AWI is successful.
4. The pricing is comparable to other MMORPGs

Without going on a rampage or screaming obscenities in this thread, I would like to address these point for point. These are not taken out of context, but simply in some visible order so we may discuss these things and maybe see their line of logic (at best).In a manner of speaking, all four of those points are directly interconnected and rely on each other in some fashion. If you were to call AWI today and ask them personally, I am sure they would agree to those points and that they believe in them.

Here is why they concern me; This topic came up again after the original thread was deleted in an area of outside discussion. During this discussion the following graph was also presented. Presented by MMOGChart.com, this is a statistics site that deals with Massive Multiuser Online Game statistics comparing all of the major MMOG game based on Users participating.

The thing here is that, in one breath AWI claims to be comparable to other MMORPGs (at least in price and if you ask them they feel also in quality and experience). This is a fine stance for a company, but there comes with it a major problem to their line of logic.

On a statistics site which tracks the major MMOGs, there is clearly representation for Second Life (with around 70,000 users as of that update) and also There (for which the graph abruptly stops possibly due to lack of activity). So, we now have a problem with the line of logic, being that AWI says they are not Second Life and they are not trying to be Second Life - which is fine. But they are also saying they "have no competition" and that they are comparable to MMORPGs (again, at least in pricing though they feel this experience is also worth it which leads to a direct comparison with other MMOG)

The problem is, on this graph, Active Worlds, in any form, is not listed. Even if it were to be listed (simply do a side by side comparison of this graph with the other AW specific graph in this thread) you would realize that as an MMOG they are dead last in most respects.

Again, I reiterate that I have no desire to ridicule AWI about this, or as I have been accused before, to "tear apart the community or hold this browser hostage". To say I am gravely concerned with these numbers, and be willing to voice these concerns in public means I do not fear the problem, nor will i deny there is a problem.

As a citizen of this system, I am willing to discuss it with others in a calm and rational way - while possibly finding solutions. I want only to see that the company involved is also willing to do this, and I may add that stone walling the issue or marginalizing it as a non-issue does nothing for finding reasons or solutions - those are merely tactics of an entity that have no useful arguments for their point.

Secondly, this is far more than a simple "temper tantrum". I would like to get that out of the way early in this thread as well. Tantrums have no reason and no proof to explain why things should change. Discussion and rationalization requires a little research and proof, of which we have, and I am sure we can easily find more if the need arises.

To summarize my points:

1. AW is not the current leader in the market.
2. They have competition
3. The current pricing has been shown to be excessively high
4. Current pricing has shown to be actually creating a long term loss
5. The original $20 per year was shown to have brought in more money than current $70 per year.
6. If AW wishes to compare to MMOGs, that is fine though they should face the reality that they are absolutely last in the active market.
7. AW can learn alot from it's competition.
8. AW is successful, but only through the sales of servers which is now it's real revenue source.

They may not be Second Life nor do they want to be, but if they are implementing the same types of features as Second Life, Saying they are comparable to MMOGs, and pricing in that realm - they might as well take a good look at how Second Life and other MMOGs are implementing these type of features too. (Walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and looks like a duck then it's a moose?)

Just because you stopped charging tourists automatically didn't make it free if you started charging world owners to allow them in the worlds. Changing my shirt more than 3 times a year doesn't cost me $30 for a review process. I can buy virtual clothing in other programs for about a dollar and change up as much as I want after the initial price of the item for no additional cost.

Please face the facts, AW is in competition with the likes of Second Life. It's nothing to be ashamed of. Just learn from your competition and prior mistakes in order to move on and be better, that's all.

AW Universe is also a flagship product. When people search for Active Worlds, this is what they normally get in the results. If you are trying to sell this product, it's a good idea to make your floor model the best it can be. When potential server clients see a bustling, happy and large user base with the floor model - it's easier for them to visualize what it can do for them.

I feel that if I were actually willing to walk away and leave this topic alone, then that would contribute to tearing apart what community there is left and abandoning the environment that I have been a citizen of since 1998. Many good years. I cannot ignore it for that sake alone.

Facial recognition

I'm a little baffled by some of the choices, but I'm quite pleased overall!

Interview with Inactive Worlds

Explanation: A few years ago, we wrote a parody of what an interview with a fictitious company called Inactive Worlds would be like. Obviously this is a parody of Active Worlds and their very real responses. While some of this may seem quite absurd, keep in mind that these are very real assumptions made by AWI from 2001 to the present day, regardless of the actual proof involved to the contrary. I would also like to mention here that neither VR5 or I hold any ill-will against AWI or it's browser - but I feel the need to point out the absolute absurdity of their stance on these issues for the public to plainly see. Above all else, take this with a grain of salt, some things are exaggerated in order to make the point, but are based entirely on real replies to these questions.

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

As we walked up to the offices that cold October day, I couldn't help but remember the situation we were in the last time we had been invited to do an interview with Bob Stoll, CEO of Inactive Worlds. While the issues we brought up were incredibly valid, and in most cases has proof to back them, the interview itself seemed pointless. That and we were kindly escorted off the property by the very real security at the time.

I could only wonder what this trip would be like, and if we would finally get some straight answers. This is 5 years later, and Inactive Worlds still has the same issues it did the first time. The general consensus seems to be among most of the active and oldest users of this software that the pricing is still out of control. I knew this was going to be a touchy subject, so I simply prepared myself to be escorted again off the property...

Darian Knight: So, Bob... long time no see :)

Bob Stoll: Who let you in here!?

Darian Knight: You invited us for the interview... remember?

Bob Stoll: Oh, that's right. You actually got past the security guards? [mumbles under his breath]

Darian Knight: Umm yeah. So shall we get on with this interview?

Bob Stoll: Of course! Inactive Worlds is always glad to be of service to the community! [smiles]

Darian: Ok then. I guess the thing that is burning in people's minds is "Why are the prices for Inactive Worlds so high, and why are features that are a given elsewhere being considered "an additional option" for a price in here?

Bob: First, I would like to state that we do not charge for extras. There is a simple flat price of $6.95 a month or $69.95 a year for citizenship. I am not sure where you are getting your information from, but it is wrong. Our pricing is comparable to other MMORPGs today.

Darian: Actually... I was referring to things such as Voice Chat in worlds, Customized Avatars, Personal Avatars, and Tourist Access. These are all "optional" add ons for a world or user correct?

Bob: Mostly for world owners, yes. Voice Chat is not vital to the user in operating the software, nor is a personalized avatar. Therefore they are deemed optional and thus will have an additional charge involved.

Darian: But in places such as Second Life, Voice Chat is not additional, it is a part of the entire system as a given. As well as being able to personalize your avatar - for instance in SL it may cost me a couple of dollars to change my shirt whereas by this browser it may cost me $30. The difference being that in Second Life I keep my other clothes that I have bought and can change into them whenever I want for free. In Inactive Worlds, I would be charged $30 for the review process for each change, even if it was a shirt.

Bob: While that is an amusing comparison, Inactive Worlds is not trying to be Second Life. In fact, Inactive Worlds has no competition at all.

Darian: Didn't you just say that Inactive Worlds is comparable to other MMORPGs today?

Bob: Yes, that is correct.

Darian: And wouldn't that put you in the same market as them?

Bob: Sure, but Inactive Worlds has no competition, so it's not our concern.

Darian: Well, judging from the numbers, Second Life is considered an MMORPG. Which in turn puts you in the same market as Second Life. Though saying Inactive Worlds has no competition seems slightly skewed. In this market, it seems the competition doesn't view Inactive Worlds as competition in the least.

Bob: How do you figure?

Darian: We are referring to the updated graph and tracking of MMORPGs found here. [hands him the graph]

Bob: So what is this supposed to prove? Inactive Worlds isn't even listed on this graph.

Darian: Well that's mostly the point I am making. If you are comparing your services to MMORPGs and saying the pricing is on par, don't you think the browser itself should be on par with your competition? At least have comparable numbers for users? Your user base is so low it would barely register on that graph compared to any other system listed.

Bob: I already told you, Inactive Worlds doesn't have any competition. And besides, we are working on rebuilding our user base, you know that right?

Darian: It's very possible that the pricing will play a large part to hinder your attempts in that direction.

Bob: I disagree.

Darian: Alright. So how do you justify the inflated pricing that is still in place, six years after the price hike devastated your user base numbers? According to the numbers, Inactive Worlds has yet to recover from that day, where you used to have nearly 3,500 new users a month, since that time (six years now) the company is lucky to break 300 new users a month. You are operating at 1/10th the user base for four times the citizen price. According to the numbers, you are taking a huge loss every month for the past six years in the revenue from citizens versus what you were making with the pricing set to $20 a year.

Bob: Amusing. And what do you have to back that claim?

Darian: This graph here

Bob: We will not change our prices. They are comparable to other types of MMORPGs out there. Are you saying this isn't worth $6.95 a month?

Darian: Yes.

Bob: Why do you insist on dredging up a six year old grudge against Inactive Worlds? Do you not like the community so much that you would try and tear it apart, and hold the company and it's software hostage? This is just yellow journalism, that's what this is.

Darian: Well, first off, I'm not simply dredging it up. It has been an issue since day one and has not been sufficiently addressed for nearly six years now. It is painfully obvious simply from the numbers alone that after six years, the 90% of your user base did not return and you are at the same levels as when you increased prices. Secondly, I love this community or I would not be here - that I have the tenacity to call you out on obvious delusions does not make me a yellow journalist, nor a hater of Inactive Worlds or the community (whatever is left of it), it simply makes me a very concerned customer. As for trying to hold the software and company hostage, the only time in history when this has been actually done was during the price hike itself by Inactive Worlds. [at which point I hand him this set of letters].

Bob: We didn't have a choice back then. We had to increase the prices because we were on the verge of closing down operations.

Darian: I understand that fully, Bob. And Inactive Worlds as a company were right in asking for the support of it's community during it's darkest hour. Everyone in the company were once citizens just like us, and part of the community. Back then, when there was an issue in the community we had a voice and Inactive Worlds listened. Back then you remembered your roots. But after that increase in pricing, many of the community voiced that they could not afford such payments and over 90% of your user base left. Now those of us who stuck it out are being ignored with the now (still) important issue you never addressed to begin with. You are a stable company now and in the black, and suddenly we no longer have a say. Or we have a say if it agrees with your company and only then. We feel hurt and betrayed after 6 years.

Bob: You're lucky we even listen! How many companies actually listen to their customers? We don't need to listen to any of you! It's a privilege just to get a response from us.

Darian: I am sorry you feel that way. I feel Inactive Worlds is lucky that only 90% of the community walked out on them and not 100%. They are lucky they didn't get swallowed by an investor when their stock nosedived and they were delisted. You are lucky that you have a community that is so devoted to your company that they are willing to pay you quadruple the price for a product that doesn't even come close to it's competition. You are lucky we stuck around for another six years, patiently waiting for a product that was comparable to other MMORPGs of the day. You are lucky we try to tell you what is bothering us instead of doing what most customers would do and just walk away and leave you to go out of business. You have no idea how lucky Inactive Worlds is for having us as a community. We are not just a couple of people throwing a temper tantrum - we are the ones who kept your company alive when it was ready to cease operations.

Bob: So what are you trying to say? You act like we owe the community something.

Darian: At this point, you owe them your job and company. But all they actually want is fair pricing. If they do not get it, you will lose your company. You lost 90% of your user base on your flagship universe, you are slowly losing the other 10%. If you cannot compete, your company will fold - and this time your community will not be there to save you. There was a time when you actually listened and this was driven by the community because you were an active member of the community yourself. Why not try going into the community and asking them , one on one, if they believe the pricing is too much.

Bob: We don't need to. The pricing is completely fair and will not change.

Darian: Even if you are taking a massive loss comparatively from $20 a year? Why would you advocate financial loss and a 90% loss of user base for a short term gain? The gains you must have seen back then to enable you to reach fiscal responsibility surely have worn off maybe a year after the fact, thus creating a long term loss. It doesn't make sense.

Bob: We don't make our money from the citizenships in Inactive Worlds, we make the bulk of our revenue from the sales of servers to corporate clients and businesses. So whatever loss you are talking about due to pricing is inconsequential.

Darian: Wait... your main source of revenue is from the sales of servers, which justify taking a consistant and massive loss of user base and citizenship revenue for nearly six years and running? Why take losses when you clearly do not have to? Especially if returning the fee to it's original level would dramatically help to increase the user base to the levels they were at before the price increase?

Bob: We cannot afford to lower the prices of Inactive Worlds citizenships. And besides, $6.95 a month is comparable to any other MMORPG on the market today. This is a free market, if you don't like the prices why don't you go where you think your dollar will be better spent? You don't have to be here, you know.

Darian: Inactive Worlds has got to be the only company in history that is dumb enough to tell their customers to leave if they are not happy with their product. Did you learn nothing the first time around? You lost 90% of your original customers.

Bob: This isn't the only server, you know. We have hundreds of galaxies and universes around the world for many clients. So it's not like this community really matters. We could shut it down today and continue on with our clients.

Darian: What makes you think other clients would trust in your company's ability to effectively run a successful 3D environment system for them if you can't do it yourself? You have already lost most of your credibility as a company, you have lost 90% of your base citizens and not gained them back and if you treat the people who stuck by your side in your darkest times like this, how are you treating just mere clients?

Bob: This means nothing to us. Inactive Worlds is the leader in 3D Internet Environments and has no competition. Our pricing is more than fair and will not be lowered, and that is that.

Darian: Ok fine. Can you explain then how since 3.2 of the software (possibly earlier) it has been possible to create photo realistic models and avatars, yet the closest thing anyone has seen to this is in a world called VR5? They are not associated with Inactive Worlds are they?

Bob: No they are not. They are a third party company and have no association with Inactive Worlds officially, I would like to make this perfectly clear.

Darian: That is fine. So how is it possible that a third party company with no association with yours and a dedicated three person staff for that world manage to vastly increase the quality of the system in ways that your own company have not in over six years with budgets of a quarter of a million dollars, but in a matter of 12 months with orders of magnitude lower funding? I mean, we're talking quality levels that are beyond your best competition - photo realistic. This is ten times better quality than even Second Life using a browser that was thought to not be capable of such detail.

Bob: I will not comment on that other than to say that we are looking into these methods.

Darian: You mean copying them, right?

Bob: No, I mean we are looking into making this software better and more comparable to other MMORPGs today. We are currently working with another company to create a MMORPG named Piko Island, which will have many advancements over our current 4.1 release of the software.

Darian: Yes, I read some of their forums prior to this interview. One of the testers had mentioned that the graphics look blocky and that they hoped the new version would look better. So tell me, are the new avatars for Piko Island going to rival the quality of the Adam Experiment in the world VR5?

Bob: I am not at liberty to say. Piko Island is a closed project.

Darian: Well, with the amount of money involved with a server like Stagecoach Island, I would have imagined that the environment would have looked a little better - or at least the avatars. Tell me, how is Stagecoach Island doing these days, surely they must be filled to the hilt with users like I saw around when they first opened up.

Bob: Well it is mostly empty now with a handful of users trickling in now and then.

Darian: So who were all those people I saw in there around when they first opened?

Bob: Those were mostly the original Inactive Worlds community checking out the new features of 4.1 before we released it for our main universe.

Darian: Wow, must have made your client think that the advertising capacity and claims you made were true. They must have been completely amazed at the traffic they were seeing. I wonder how they feel now that they have a nearly empty system after the majority of the Inactive Worlds community came back here... I wonder if they think the money was well spent...

Bob: I refuse to comment on that, and it is none of your business.

Darian: Ok, Bob. All I'm trying to say is that even after six years, the prices are still considered too high. It was painfully obvious in the thread for Inactive Worlds forums that the majority felt this way.

Bob: What thread? I don't see any thread about pricing.

Darian: That is because it was deleted by Inactive Worlds staff.

Bob: Besides, that wasn't the majority. We received hundreds of emails and messages from the community saying how much they were enjoying the environment and that they love our software.

Darian: More than likely because they were expressing that the prices are too high, but this doesn't mean they hate the company of the software. They want to make sure you know that these are two separate issues and should not be intertwined for the sake of making people look like they hate the company or it's product. You would never try to create a correlation between dislike of the prices and hating the company and community, would you?

Bob: [...]

Darian: Or attempt to pin the actions of the entire thread on a single person in order to marginalize it's importance as just somebody trying to tear apart the community, would you? It's not like you accused somebody of being a ringleader... did you?

Bob: [...]

Darian: I see. So an honest question was asked, and a large number of people showed up to answer both honestly and constructively. Offering both their voice that they felt the pricing was too high, but also many ideas (many backed with solid proof) on how to correct the situation. Some were very angry (which is expected) and others just trying to be useful by doing what the community did best - coming together to try and solve a problem put in front of them. Many solutions were offered with what seemed to be very good research behind it. Some of the ideas were trivial at best, while others could have been considered just plain logical and sound business. The majority of that thread agreed with each other on the one point that the prices were too high and -

Bob: It wasn't the majority! We have plenty of users who go about their daily use of this software completely oblivious to your little war in the forums. They are very happy, and don't need to hear about the negative attitudes you portrayed against the community and the company in that forum. You did a larger disservice to everyone by even saying you were unhappy with the pricing and the current state of the company. You should be ashamed of yourself!

Darian: Would you care to wager that?

Bob: What are you talking about?

Darian: Open a thread called Inactive Worlds Pricing. Place a link to it from IWGate so a larger amount of people even know they can say something. And If I and even StrikeMan agree to say only one post, do you believe people will agree the pricing is fair?

Bob: Of course.

Darian: Then open the thread :)

Bob: We don't have to. We already know the pricing is fair and comparable to MMORPGs which is why we will not be lowering it. We are a successful company and we do not have any competition. This subject is done and I refuse to talk any longer about it.

Darian: Ok...

Bob: If you have any other suggestions besides those concerned with pricing, we will be glad to listen. Thank you.

Darian: [...]

Bob: Ok then. I think I have proved our point very clearly now. I'll have securi-

Darian: That won't be needed. We'll show ourselves out. Thank you for your time.

So six years later, and still no concrete answers. At least not from the company themselves. For the rest of us, we have the real figures and numbers involved and are not afraid to address them. I left that day in total amazement that after even this many years of not recuperating from that initial loss, that they would still outright deny anything was wrong.

I sat back in the van as we pulled out of their parking lot, the snow flurries beginning to fall. "Ya know, CP." I said to my colleague, "I can't hold it against them any longer". CP turned to me as we drove, "How could you not?".

I finally had found the answer I was looking for after all these years. I took a sip of my coffee and replied "I simply think they have never recovered from their delusions of grandeur from when they were the only company doing this. They simply do not see the real world like the rest of us anymore, that there is competition and they are being beaten. They simply refuse to see it".

CP kept driving, apparently in thought. "Ya know... that makes sense." he said, "I guess after all of those years on top, none of them could stand to accept that they are now dead last, a kinda shell shock so to speak...". I took another sip and gazed at the gently falling snow... "Too bad this will probably be the last time we do an interview with them..." I replied.

Without breaking his gaze on the road, came the reply I was waiting for: "But you have to admit. We had a hell of a time."

A smirk appeared at the corner of my mouth... yeah, we had one hell of a time. And the memories are more than worth it.

Looking To the Future - Wherever it Leads Us: Darian Knight

Virtual NES

Some testing in our current arcade will be going on over the next few weeks concerning the new Virtual NES system for use in the Active Worlds environment. So far, such included games are:

• Super Mario Brothers
• Metroid
• Marble Madness
• Kung Fu
• Pacman
• Rad Racer
• Legend of Zelda
• Castlevania I

These games require the latest version of Java which can be downloaded here in order to play.

Again, these games are extremely experimental in nature, as a Nintendo Emulator has really never been run within the AW environment. So far, it is not entirely likely that you will crash when using these games, though because AW itself is 4.1 and still buggy, the two running together could cause a problem.

If you are experiencing problems running any of those listed games in our arcade (BSOD or whatever) please send a telegram to Darian Knight (me) and let me know what was going on when it happened so I can relay this to Jamie Sanders (the programmer). Some older video cards may experience problems while running both AW and this emulator, so please make sure all of your drivers are updated before giving this a try.

Over the next week or so, it is anticipated that some new features will be worked into the Java Emulator specifically with Active Worlds use in mind (sound toggle, etc).

The most answered questions so far:

Q. How to I quit a game?

A. Just like any other game from our arcade - click the X button in the top LEFT of the browser itself. Not the X to close the browser, there is another X button that will exit the HTML from the 3D view. I may ask Jamie to implement the close button on the pages themselves. For those who have lost their X button on the top left, simply teleport someplace to get out of the screen.

Q. Help! My computer just randomly had a Blue Screen of Death!

A. Depending on the age of your video card, this could happen. Nothing serious, we assure you. Running two applications that are vying for graphics capabilities (or sound) can be demanding on a system of lower specifications. I have had this happen randomly on my 6 year old laptop because of the Nvidia GForce2Go card installed. There may be an update for your card availible to correct this (in my case there isn't an update for this card).

Q. Are these games legal?

A. The only definitive answer we have found is Yes. No ROMs are being copied to your local hard drive, so no copyrights are being broken. There is another Java Emulator that uses this technique for profit called NESCafe (they have advertising built into the emulator), and Nintendo of America has yet to give them a cease and desist order (after years of business). Virtual NES uses the same technique to load the games dynamically, so we are within the legal clear.

Q. What is so special about this version of Virtual NES? I mean, why couldn't we just link to games from his page and just bypass you?

A. Jamie has the main individual pages locked out for direct linking. He is slowly creating pages formatted for use in AW_3D target (meaning 1x size, lower sound requirements, etc). As well as retooling the actual emulator itself to be optimized for use in an AW environment (as opposed to the original which is optimized for a web page and has higher requirements).

Q. Big deal. So you are adding games to a virtual arcade in AW, it's been done before.

A. Sure. When was the last time you played the entire Nintendo library from within AW? The answer is never. This is a first in AW history, not just single flash games or a singe java game on a machine, but a single emulator Java code that can play the entire Nintendo library from a single site. That is the revolutionary part.

Q. What keys do I use to play these games?

A. The A and B buttons are the letters A and Z on the keyboard. The Start button is ENTER and the SELECT button is the Right Shift key (under the ENTER key). You also need to click on the game once to activate control of it.

Q. Original NES games? That is so old...

A. I don't see you making anything better...

As testing continues, I will add more games to the arcade. There are currently 350+ titles availible to play, so I am sure this wll keep you incredibly busy for many hours :) Enjoy! And when we are finished implementing and testing, we will make all of the links availible for all builders to use across Active Worlds.

Looking to the Future (With my Game Genie close by) - Darian Knight

Performing Monkey?

I cancelled going to a party over the weekend.

Originally I was considering trannying, as there was some half-arsed attempt at fancy dress. But when I remembered the organiser couldn't organise a piss-up in a brewery, I changed my mind. Having a date also changed it :)

Sadly my date cancelled (very good reason as it happens), and without her I didn't really feel like going out. You could also say it wasn't my first choice of location or crowd.

So when I texted the birthday boy, I got the following reply:

"That sucks man. I told everyone there was going to be a tranny at my party."

What am I? A performing fucking monkey? Am I free entertainment? At the very least I expect the going rate! If he brings it up when I next see him words will be had!

Danger Will Robinson!

I’ve recently been quite freaked out by the quality of voice recognition technology. OK so my Nintendo DS can recognise when I say four colours (blue, black, red and yellow) and the numbers zero to ten. I can accept this as they are phonetically diverse.

But yesterday I booked a hotel room for Transpocalypse via an automated system. It could recognise my name once said and spelt, it knew my address from the first line and postcode, but what freaked me out most was it recognising the city. They’ve hundreds of locations and it knew where I meant. It even read it back in that scary sub-American “you have been selected for a special offer” voice.

Scary, but better than the old days off,

“Cancel”
“You have selected delete.”
“No. I said cancel.”
“Deleting all work. Are you sure?”
“NO!”
“You have confirmed deletion”
“Nooooooooooooooooooooo!”

And Now For Something Completely Different...

Anchors Away!

Testing our recent idea of anchoring an entire building to a small mover placed underground in order to make the building visibility independant.

Of the buildings so far using this in our world: Ground Zero and Starbucks. Works nicely even when you drop visibility to 30, they remain visible well past 30 meters of your visibility. Also using this idea - the rain particle effect around GZ. Extending the visibility of the rain farther than normally posible with a Particle Effect on it's own.

This proof of concept was put together to show the use of an Anchor ability for objects and particle effects - while the anchor option for Particle Effects should also allow the creator to arbitrarily set its visibility manaually (for effects like weather).

The Anchor checkbox would obviously only be availible for CT and as an option in World Properties (Enable Anchors).

Change of Lighting

Have been tweaking the lighting in our world so it's a bit more realistic for night time (or twilight). You will now notice a Moon in the sky as well as things looking a bit different in our world (we have been working on making the lighting properly reflect night time and moonlight)

Fixed the Arcade

The arcade was mostly not working as of recent, due to the secondary domain address being down. I quickly corrected this and switched the games over to the first domain prefix.

New arcade building sits behind the current one, and is being worked on by Wes to take the place of the one we have now. Hopefully we get a photorealistic arcade machine to go with it :) We'll see.

Bad Mojo Be Damned!

The secondary domain is offline for an extended period of time (vr5online.com) due to compliations concerning the privacy system. I other words, the company screwed it up and we as well as they are unable to reset it properly.

The solution for this is to simply allow it to expire lock, stock and barrel and renew from scratch. In the meantime, the main domain http://www.vr5-online.com is very much operational, and there should be no real drawbacks to the temporary loss of our secondary domain.

In Other News

Autolook is now enabled on the majority of our avatar selection. I know it took us long enough... but finally it's enabled, so your avatar should now move a little more realistically. It definitely made a difference versus the older, stiffer movement.

As a side note, I noticed that the Formal Butch avatar we "borrowed" from COFMeta as well as the Becca avatar look so much better with Autolook enabled on them! Btw- when I say we "borrowed" those COFMeta avs, I mean that they are not resident on our servers, but instead being called directly in the avatar.dat file from the COFMeta OP.

This was done not for the purpose of stealing content from AW, but to demonstrate the ability of reversing the avatar replacement that the SWCity patches do for ActiveWorlds where they add avatars with extra animations for use in Alphaworld, but only people with that patch will see it.

The COFMeta folder in our Avatars list is a working proof of being able to add animations to avatars from other servers and make them also universally seen in a world (as opposed to needing a specific patch).

Just one of the many successful experiments from the City of Nidus ;)

Galaxy Update

It'll take us longer than expected to move over to a galaxy - but we are trying to do this before our world expires in 2007 June. Alot of things going on in VR5 leading up to this, so please be patient. I'll try to keep everyone up to date as I get the information...

Emulation Nation!

Jamie Sanders of vNES fame is currently working with us closly to implement his now popular Java NES Emulator within our world as his own arcade! What does this mean for you? Literally *hundreds* of classic NES titles at your disposal to play in Active Worlds, making the Nidus arcade *the* most comprehensive arcade in any virtual universe!

What about the legality? Well from what we understand, it is illegal to offer ROMS to *download* from a website, thus proliferating piracy. The Java vNES loads the rom files dynamically and allows the user to play the library of games without requireing them to download the files locally, thus remaining legal to implement.

One popular incarnation of this concept is NESCafe, another Java NES Emulator that does essentially the same thing, but with advertising built into the app (which sucks when playing Super Mario 3).

Jamie has expressed interest in building a custom arcade in our world using his vNES, so as time goes on we'll be putting together the pages and files to begin implementing all of the titles :)

Look for it coming soon!

Transpocalypse Then

So the Transpocalypse is in Liverpool this year then? I didn't go to the last one, but this could be fun, and I've got some leave due.

I think I'll have to see if I can raise a posse (this means you Mr Eichmann!) of interested bloggers, and plan an expedition.

For more info see: http://www.beckysweb.co.uk/beckysblog/2006/09/its-back.asp

I'm Spartacus!

Score one for the bad guys. :(

The higher-ups at our organisation had to report to a Parliament Select Committee about problems with the way we work, and our IT. And what do you know, they lied and said everything was fine and the staff were to blame.

The good guys got some publically available data and presented it to their MPs who then raised the matter in the Houses. Boy did the liars look silly!

Except that the two who did the whistleblowing got punished, and the liars got away scot free!
Some staff in the office they came from staged a mass walk out today (hooray). But sadly we couldn't do it. Many of us have been on the receiving end of victimisation, and they're ust looking for an excuse.

If the union says "all out", then I'm but, but sadly I can't support a wildcat. Which is a shame, because I'm al for it in theory, its just a bit tricky in practice with the really crap job market right now.

I'm not Spartacus, honest!

For the love of....

One of our domains is currently "down", which isn't a huge deal at the moment. We have switched some of the more important things over to the main domain so that they continue working in the meantime.


Our website is only half working at the moment because of this, but we are working as quickly as possible to resolve the issue. This more than likely means that the download links for Metaverse EX are non functional at the moment as well as anything past the first page of our website.


Again, I apologize for the incident and will keep everyone up to date as to when we start getting things back together again.


In Other News

Starbucks is now considered 99% complete. There are a few minor things to still accomplish but for now we are moving ahead with some other projects that need to begin. Namely the new Arcade (which has been put off for so long now it's just not funny)

What's Happening in Nidus?

Nothing, really. Not that we have abandoned the world - we're just in another one of those "planning" stages where the place goes silent for a few months. Rest assured there is alot on the table right now.. just a matter of getting it together.

And Finally...

I have finally given up on the Forums. You heard it here first. Trying to make a point is like pulling teeth or talking to a wall. If you haven't been reading the forums, then don't. It's a god aweful waste of your time.

If you aren't agreeing with AWI then you are apparently wrong - no matter how much you prove your case. Complete ignorance at it's best. I can't wait to get out of this universe and onto the second half of our project.

I'm a f**king professional

I hate my customers.

Because of professionalism and our policies I have to say things like "No I'm sure you did", "I believe you sent the money in", "No I'm sure you're not just stalling."
What I want to say is "LIAR!", "I know you haven't sent the money", "stop stalling or I send in the bailiffs!"

They're not all like that, but you dont remember the good ones do you? That's because the good ones are quick, painless, and are over in a day or two, and the bastards hang around like a bad smell for months.

Breathe. Calm. Breathe. And relax...

Are you guys in a band?

Went to a multimedia performance art thing yesterday in Norwich. It was interesting.Some peices could only be described as self indulgant wank, or as I diplomatically said at the time "too challenging for my tastes". Others were clever, deep, or even funny - if you get a chance see two acoustic performers called Silent Monkey.

It was all organised by Mooncalf Curios, some sort of East coast artistic collective. It was interesting enough that I plan to go to their next event in November. I also want to hear the second part of the spoken word fairy tale.

Highlight of the day? Turning up and loking puzzed we were greeted by one of the organisers with, "Thanks for coming, are you guys playing today?" I've been mistaken for a number of things, but not a musician before.

But its wrong...

Worried about the legal aspects of my dressing up? Fret no longer!
Here's a scan of my licence:


(And if you want your own visit http://www.beckysweb.co.uk/)

We have normality :)

The time is 11:49 pm EST and we now have normality :)

The website and OP are back online. This includes all services and content availible from this domain - Google Modules, Downloads, Textures, Objects, Website, and other hosted materials.

If you didn't notice we were down for the day, good :) If you did as promised the system is back up and running before Midnight.

Thank you for your patience - MPL Knight

Server Outage :(

We are sorry to inform you that our Object Path and Website are currently experiencing technical difficulties. (We think Mr Clark spilled coffee on the server again...)

This server outage will effect both our main website and Object Path. For users of this system, we are happy to report that this outage should be temporary, and we expect to get things back online by midnight tonight (Eastern Standard Time).

Again, this looks like a temporary problem on our side and we are hard at work to correct it.

This does not mean the browser is a total bust (for New Users). While you are waiting for our world to return, why not check out some of the other worlds in this universe?

Active Worlds Gate: Click Here

Metatropolis: Click Here

Alphaworld: Click Here

Our deepest apologies from VR5 Online - We would love to see you again under better circumstances :)

Kicking the crap out of the servers - MPL Knight

Googlepalooza

It started off simple enough, I wanted to see if there was an existing AIML Module for the Google homepage. I checked all of the search keys I could think of that would relate to it (chat, chatterbot, AIML, Alice, AI) and found nothing at all relating to this subject.

I would usually not do anything about this, except that Google provided a well written tutorial on how to write XML formatted for Google Modules. So I got to reading and eventually said to myself "Well, how hard could this be to make a Google Module for the homepage?"

A couple of hours later and the world has been given what can only be the worlds first AIML Chatbox for Google Personal Pages and Google Desktop. I could be wrong, but none of the directories had one in their database. So now Serena has the option of being there on your Google start page to welcome and have a chat with you.

What is the point of this? Well, there are millions of people (thats an understatement) that now have access to Google and these user created modules. If a fraction of them add this module to their homepage and chat with her, there will obviously be hundreds of thousands of conversations in the database for me to make her smarter with. It's a theory, anyway...

Want to test drive this Google Module? It's as simple as clicking >> ADD AIML MODULE


And the Insanity Continued

What?! I couldn't stop myself... what started as a test to see if I could get an AIML module on my Google Page turned into dissatisfaction as I continued searching for other useful Modules. Next there were a handful of games from our Nidus Arcade. Games like Hexxagon , Donkey Kong, and Qix joined my growing army of Homebrew Modules.

After a few hours (ie: most of today) I felt pretty confident of my ability to create modules that would load external content, and decided at some point to do a Module search for Streaming Radio.

Again I was disappointed with the results. I was presented with some stupid looking childrens radio module, and the only other serious looking streaming radio module was Real Player Rhapsody and that Module took up too much screen real estate.

So what was I to do? You guessed it... I opened the FTP for our server and grabbed an old copy of the HTML for The Edge Radio (which still works) and modified it to work within it's own customized Google Module. It still uses the ActiveX Embed for Windows Media Player, so out of all of the modules I made today, The Edge Radio is probably the only one that is Windows Centric. But - there are links in the module so you can click on the website and also make requests (which is another feature I saw severely lacking in every other radio module listed) so the user can click for the website and grab a stream more compatible for their own setup.

So, to recap how I managed to waste my day today: I built Google Modules for Donkey Kong, Qix, Hexxagon, Serena AIML, and The Edge Radio.

In other words, my A.D.D. allowed me to focus solely on making Google Modules today in order to better the world (or waste your time).

All in all, I'd say good deal for everyone involved :)


Looking Toward the Future (With Google Modules 4 All!) - MPL Knight

Why would you do that?

I was having a coffee with fellow blogger Richard Eichmann today, and he asked why I did what I do, and how I identify myself as a T*person.

At the time I didn't really have an answer, and just mentioned places like The Angels Forum where we debate the pressing issues of T*Society, like what exactly the difference is between a transvestite, a cross dresser, and a gender-bender.

I've never really thought about it too hard, but I thought I would try to put down is words my own personal feelings on why I do what I do, but bear in mind that if you asked 10 trannies why they do it, you'll get 13 answers!

Some people cross-dress simply because they like the feel. I can understand this. Silk and lace have a nice feel to them, and women's cotton pants feel nicer than men’s cotton pants. There are also fetish costumes that mostly come in women’s styles such as satin maids outfits and PVC nurses uniforms.

So yes I dress because I like the feel. But that’s not the only reason. Although playing Twister in a miniskirt with a bunch of girls was a whole new ball game (no pun intended!)

Some people dress because they identify themselves more as female than male. Either they want to be a woman, or they believe a mistake was made by the doctor at birth (there are tales of hermaphrodite babies being made single gender in the delivery room), or maybe they just like girl stuff better.

Personally I identify myself as a healthy mix of genders. I wouldn't want a sex change in my current body, but I like discussing clothes and makeup, listening to Busted, and drinking Bacardi Breezers (official drink of the transgendered!) I also enjoy dancing far more as a girl - must be a self-consciousness thing! But I also like guns, action movies and Grand Theft Auto. So that's not the whole story either.

Some think women’s clothes are more interesting than men’s. Men's fashion is dull. Check any menswear department and you will find shirts and T-shirts, suits, sweaters, jeans, trainers, work shoes, and jackets. And that’s about it. Women have skirts, tops, dresses, Capri pants, culottes, hot pants, suits, lingerie, hundreds of different types of footwear, and more.

I think this one is a big part of it. Its not that only women’s clothes are more interesting, just that modern menswear is dull. I frequently dress in men’s fashions from the 1940 and the 1900s, because there is variety and style.

Some like to completely dress as women, for whatever reason. I think this is the biggest aspect of it for me. I like completely changing my appearance, though for me I try to present as realistically as possible. I don't want to dress completely as a woman; I want to look completely like a woman. I been clubbing a few times dressed up, and although I don't make a stunning woman, under night club conditions I've fooled bouncers, and made a bartender question my friends to prove I really was a guy (that felt amazing!)

Some people like to trick straight guys into dating them. This is one of the few I disagree with. Although I have flirted as a girl, it has only been with girls I fancied, and male friends who knew I was a bloke, and were just having a laugh. I'm not looking for a boyfriend, and if I was, I wouldn’t want to trap one on false pretences!

Some trannies just like to flaunt societies conventions - boys in dresses, boys in the ladies loos, boys having fun playing with dolls, or whatever.

I suppose this is also part of my rebellious nature. I really enjoy buying women’s clothes, partly because I want to wear them, but it’s also because it feels naughty and forbidden (even though it’s not really all that rebellious). I've also had the chance to see ladies loos, and in general they're much cleaner and nicer. Why are many guys in pubs/clubs messy pissers? Must be they can't handle their drink!

So what have we learned about me? I like playing at being someone else, and sometimes being a girl is more fun than being a guy. I also like to dress in an outlandish style, and women’s clothes are more available, and cheaper, than unusual menswear.

But am I a cross dresser, a transvestite, a drag queen (no, because that is a gay man dressing for showbiz), a gender bender, a gender-queer, a trannie, a tranny, a T*girl, an mtf (short for male-to-female), a transsexual (no, I'm not getting real breasts or losing my pecker!), or what?

I think overall I prefer T*girl (and sometimes T*Goth!), but as the community cannot decide on what all those terms mean, it’s still an open question.

What do you want?

(WARNING: This may sound like a whiny emo-kid ramble!)

A friend asked me and my social circle “What do you want to do before your next landmark birthday?” We went away and had a think about it. I think it’s the hardest question I’ve ever been asked.

I had one of those chats that go on till four in the morning with a close friend, and we discussed this. Hers were quite easy for her, including visiting a foreign country, joining the mile high club, and going to a music festival. Mine were much more difficult. Although I haven’t led an amazingly exciting life, most of her list I’ve already done (gone abroad), or wasn’t interested in (I’ve been inside an aeroplane toilet, so see no attraction to having sex there!)

Also, my interests have changed over the last few years. Asking me the same question five years ago would have brought out things like “Visit Japan”, something I’m not that fussed about now, as l only wanted to go for very shallow reasons that no longer apply. I’d have also included go out ‘dressed’ (done several times since), or held a snake (did a few weeks ago.).

There are a few things I want to do that really aren’t such a god idea in practice. For example I want a corset. But although this is great in theory, in practice I’ve got nowhere to wear it, I wouldn’t wear it enough to justify the expense, I don’t have the room, and I’ve no-one to lace it up. Several other require money I’m not willing to spend , or require a level of trust I’m not willing to make with the people I currently know (eg bondage play)

I think I have found maybe five.

1. Find a job I don’t hate (we all had this one first!)


2. Find someone I love, that loves me (vague I know)


3. Go to an Ann Summers Party (tricky with the no-guys rule, but we might be able to work something)


4. Have a food fight (location is tricky, but I’m sure I’m not the only one)


5. Regain my local fame (I used to be a big fish in a small pond, and getting that back would be enough)

But other than that, I don’t know.

There’s no where I want to go particularly and there are no specific sexual practices that I want to do enough to include (or share with my friends!).

I wish I wasn’t so aimless.

Information Highway to the Metaverse

Sometimes futurists like myself sit around and wonder if the technologies needed to fully implement a real Metaverse, like the one described in Snow Crash, will ever exist. Here we are in the tail end of 2006, and staring down the barrel of 2007. I like to try and keep my Wikimedia entry updated to reflect modern achievments, and am willing admit when I am wrong about my predictions for technology.

One of the funniest things I hear from pessimists about why a Metaverse will never really happen is because computers simply cannot handle that kind of data transfer, and will take processrs that are hundreds of times faster than they are today to come close.

I disagree. About the part where it will never happen, that is. As time marches forward, I find that Moore's Law does indeed effect every aspect of technology (not just computers but the entire related industry). I have seen systems that require less central bandwdth the more popular it became (which in 1995 was thought impossible but now we call it P2P and Torrent), and recently I have seen the answer to our processing problems.

No I'm not talking about these Intel Duo chips, or the AMD Quadro chips... these are merely the industry's way of stalling until they figure out how to make things actually faster. A Duo core chip is like when Intel released a Dual Slot P4 motherboard. You knew darned well they were stallin for time, while allowing you to get more speed. That's what the Duo Core crap is about. Yes, they are technically faster. Slap two or three processors into a machine and yes it will run faster (But Linux users already know this because Linux can theoretically use as many processors as you can give it in unison).

The same holds true for the seemingly quiet eradication of the clock speed specification. Remember when you went to a computer store and they told you how fast the computer was running? "This is the top of the line Pentium 4, running at a blistering 1.2 ghz" has turned into "It's a dual core processor, so clock speed really doesn't doesn't matter."

Really, we're looking at clock speeds that are still around 3 ghz or slower, but because it's a dual core chip we are made to believe it's effectively a 6 ghz system. No, Johhny-boy, it's still the same as your old 3 ghz you bought a few years back - they just slapped a second processor to it to keep you from foaming at the mouth due to their lack of innovation.

But what does that really mean to the normal users of the world? Well whenever the microchip manufacturers like Intel and AMD resort to piggybacking more processors it usually means they are reaching a point of breakthrough where the Exponential Return will carry on into a new paradigm.

Moore's Law was only applied to semi-conductors and transistors, but even they have a top end limit. The funny thing is, that the formula can be applied indefinitely past the age of transistors and silicon. I guess Intel hasn't figured out what to do next to get back on track.

And this, of course, is the point of today's entry. What we need is a processor capability to increase the speed of our computers 100 fold, near instant 100 gigabit data transfer, and we need it at the size of a human hair and consuming something like... 1 volt of electricity.

Why does that sound familiar.... hmmm... [here's a hint]
That's right, folks. Such a technology already exists and does nearly everything I just said. Imagine if such a processor was the size of a normal computer chip today? I bet we would have no problem with completely photorealistic Metaverse systems. Just some food for thought, really.

Why would such a system not be out in the stores yet? Because a computer processor that is capable of doing realtime Holographic processing is best used for Internet2 (I2) which is a super fast darkfiber backbone. What does Internet2 look like? You may already be using part of it now, though not nearly to it's capacity. Clicking that link will bring you to a page where you can install a detector that will let you know if you are connected to an Internet2 Network.

So generally speaking, when I wrote the article about Internet 2.0 and what it's uses and interface would be, I already knew about these technologies. It's not really mainstream information - and until recently alot of it classified information. Let's say I know just a tad bit about the future of technology than I let people assume about me. When I say this is the future, just learn to believe me.

Looking Forward to The Future (Resistance is Futile) - MPL Knight

Metaverse EX Reaches 997 Downloads!

I was randomly traversing the Internet today, mostly reading some of the older entries for The City of Nidus and came across the blog entry when I had first gotten Metaverse EX on Download.com. Back then I was happy to see the first milestone of downlads in the range of 300 + downloads (I mean, the fact that other people around the world were checking this out). So today I decide, "What the hell", and go to Download.com and check the status of the downloads.

Hot damn! 997 Downloads!? Wow, I'm greatful that I caught it before it passed the 1,000 downloads mark :) I know comparatively 1,000 downloads isn't much on the Internet, but remember - this is 1,000 more people that have been exposed to Active Worlds as a result of our promotions. Pretty cool, indeed, but nowhere near the hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of downloads the original AW 3.2 listing had. Of course, Active Worlds 3.2 has been listed on Download.com for a timeframe of years whereas Metaverse EX has only been listed for a few months.

I believe we are doing pretty good for a lonely little world in the AW Universe :) We aren't totally packed to the hilt, but then again, nobody is. I would also like to point out that the listing for AW 3.2 on Download.com is packed with horrible reviews. At least the few reviews we have are mostly favorable :) Anyways, just thought I would share this little milestone with you, our residents.

Stormclouds in a Cup :P


I know you are looking at the heading, and then at the little picture of what seems to be... a Starbucks Coffee Cup? And saying... Huh? Ok here's the deal. Particle effects like rain have a very small effective range, and thus use for large scale weather effects is really a pain in the butt. I know when we first were working with it, we had to place a particle effect every block just to create proper overlap. This was nearly 10 seperate particle effects just for the area surounding our ground zero. Imagine if we wanted rain for the entire world?

So over in another universe where I like to test my ideas we were screwing around with rain but the problem with range came up again. Some of the Beta people who may read this know what transpired already, but I'm going to spell it out for the people who aren't guessing already. Movers have a much larger visibility range than a normal object, roughly 20 meters from the object itself (which is pretty far) and is independant of the selected visibility of the user. So, we thought, why not attach the rain particle effect to a small object like crate1.rwx and place the object underground?

Viola! There we had rain that extended 20 meters in radius. Actually it extends about 30 radius coming from the object but only 20 when walking toward the object. So to play it safe for overlap, go with 20. Generally speaking, this allows the world VR5 to use only 5 particles effects to cover our entire P-40 with rain.

Useful? More than likely. Did you know about it already? Maybe.

Hey, the concept and idea was new to us and I have yet to see anyone else use this idea in their space or world. Anyway, that's my advancement for the week. Nothing spectacular, but hopefully this is useful to you as a world owner or builder :)

Looking to the Future (With working Mirrors) - MPL Knight