Live Music - Aiden James

Aiden James in performance photographed by me.

The always adorable Aiden James posted a new 'Satellite Session' while touring in San Francisco. He discusses the song
from the new CD as he drives across the Golden Gate Bridge. He also performs Gonna Hurt More.

I am excited because next Friday, August 7th, I will be going to Philadelphia to see Aiden for his video release party at the Tin Angel. That is just a week from now! For more information about the show, click here.

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Great Music - Darren Hayes

In 1996, Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones were lighting up the charts in their native Australia as supergroup
. They started moving up the US charts in 1998, thanks to the word Hayes did in promotion stateside. The first single off their album was I Want You, a contagious pop song that seemed to be heard everywhere.As often happens, Hayes felt a desire to put out a solo project, and released Spin in 2002. Rather than the softrock/pop of Savage Garden, Spin had more of an R&B feel. There were several singles, including Insatiable, but none made a huge impact on the American market, although it did very well in Australia and Europe. He followed that up in 2004 with The Tension And The Spark, a somewhat darker, edgier CD that was more electronic in nature. In 2006, Hayes and the label parted ways, and Darren set out to put out and indie release in 2007, This Delicate Thing We've Made. In was a 25-song double-disk CD, with plenty of music. It again did well in Australia and Europe, although there was little promotion done in the US. There was a mini-tour set up, with stops all around, including New York and Philadelphia.Currently, Darren is working on a new CD, and is twittering daily about the process. I have not heard a working title yet, just that he is excited about what is happening in the studio, and will be released the beginning of next. Darren Hayes working, and with his husband.He has kept his personal life pretty close to the vest for most of his career. Early on in the Savage Garden experience he divorced his childhood sweetheart, and that break up was thought to be much of the inspiration for the second Savage Garden CD, Affirmation. However, in 2006 Darren entered into a civil partnership with artist Richard Cullen, and the two are still together.For more information about Darren Hayes, click here.

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Great Women - Ann & Nancy Wilson

Ann & Nancy Wilson are sisters and make up the group Heart. Nancy kicks ass with her guitar playing, both electric and acoustic. Ann Wilson has a voice few other can even touch. Together they stood in the face of conventional wisdom that said chicks couldn't play rock, and kicked ass. I own and cherish their early work together.

You can get more information from the official website by clicking here.

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Travel sims would make handicapped life better

It has been one of the most popular and politically correct things to say, over time, that Second Life helps people with disabilities to live a bit of a fuller life. Sure, going out to clubs and partying is nice, but I believe that content creators could push the envelope.I couldn't resist having that thought when I recently visited (or revisited) some reproductions of famous real life landmarks lately. Here I was, in a rough copy of the Marienplatz in Munich, Germany. While it could be better, it still gave a bit of a feel of the historic city.You could say the same when visiting the Dresden Gallery, a real palace of art. Or if you took a look at the official sims created by the Mexico tourist board. There are more, such as sites dedicated to the Eiffel Tower and Cologne Cathedral. Yet that is not enough.All of these places have one thing in common, which is making some RL sites available to anybody who is connected to SL. Think of this for a second: people with physical handicaps have to face hardship all the time. Traveling internationally requires more time and effort than for the rest of us. This is why SL could become a bit more of a heaven for people with disabilities.I believe that private interests or governments should do more to create sims that let these people discover their beautiful countries, landmarks and cultures.Not everyone has the same priviledge of being free to travel and having enough money to do so. Therefore, poorer users would also get a glimpse of what seems so far away, or so impossible to access.Even those of us who do travel on a regular basis would have to gain from the spreading of touristic sims. We'd be able to get a sneak peek of places we may not consider seriously... and end up going there.Social media are known for creating a buzz and getting the word out about yourself. SL, since it provides a 3D environment and the power to script, it has potential for more than a typical Web site, Facebook page or Twitter feed. It's high time that touristic attractions use it, at least for the benefit of those who would feel better because of it.

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Live Music - Eric & the Adams

Eric Himan, Angel Adams, & Jimmy Adams

This past weekend, Eric & the Adams played at D-Fest 2009 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. From the look and sound of the video, they set the town on fire! So great, they were asked to sign the guitar to hang in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in the Tulsa.

Next stop on their tour is Kansas City, Des Moines, and Chicago this weekend. You can go to their website for updates and schedule for the future.

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New Music - Mika

Mika, the floppy-haired singer who rose to fame in 2007 behind the success of the wonderful single Grace Kelly, is about to release his second full-length studio CD, We Are Golden, in September. So, they have released a video for the first single, also called We Are Golden. In the video, the singer bounds around his room in boxers, singing along with his track.

The singer was born in Beirut, Lebanon, after I had completed college and made the move to NYC, making me feel very old. OK, so he is just 25, soon to be 26. But he is adorable and fun, although somewhat reticent to speak of his own sexuality, preferring not to be labeled and instead to focus on his work. That said, he has not shied away from employing gay themes in his music.

He has certainly enjoyed success on both sides of the Atlantic, and is a talented man. He has amazing use of his falsetto, and plays with it willingly. For pure pop fun, Mika is hard to beat.

Mika grace kellyUploaded by BopiZ230. - Music videos, artist interviews, concerts and more.

For more on Mika, click to find his bright and imaginative website.

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Great Women - Patsy Cline

On March 5, 1963, the world lost an incredible talent, one that will not be forgotten. That woman with the a voice so special was Patsy Cline. When she sang a ballad, my heart dropped. When she sang bluegrass or honky-tonk, she lifted me up to the clouds.

I Fall To Pieces is the definitive song about love gone bad. The ache you hear has to be real.

Lovesick Blues is everything that is right with Country music. In 1973, Patsy was the first woman inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. I just hope the bitch is still singing, and meets me with a song when my time comes.

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Space Frontier Saturn V Moon Rocket Ride

It was about forty years ago last week that Apollo 11 went to the moon, mankind landing on an alien surface for the first time in history. Many of us in Second Life know of space areas, such as the International Space Museum, but can one find a place where the moon landing is re-enacted?The answer: Yes, but it’s not quite finished.In the Space Frontier Workspace (formerly known as the Space Frontier Sandbox) near the Sci-Lands, there is a Saturn V rocket on a launch tower. Built to scale (two avatars at it’s base in the picture can just barely be seen), the rocket stands high in the air, connected to the red launch tower. The rocket is very realistically detailed, and includes a “sound HUD” for audio from the Apollo 11 mission (does not always work) which one gets by clicking an old-fashioned computer on the launchpad’s corner. This grand build was made by Wicked Quasimodo.One enters the rocket by clicking on the command module, almost at the top of the Saturn V. The huge vehicle launches at 32 minutes past the hour, every hour, with the tower’s gantry retracting just a few minutes before. If you’re outside, it’s a spectacular sight as the great behemoth launches into the air. If you’re inside the rocket, you’re in for quite a ride.I had the fortune of speaking to one of the people responsible for the sim, Rocket Sellers. “I was just mitigating some space debris here,” he told me, “impromptu erotic photo studio in the sky. ... I’m the owner of record here, and there’s a crew with cleaning powers. I try to clean politely so they do not reincarnate as pesky griefers.”Asking about the Moon rocket, “It’s still a work in progress. This is Version Two. Wicked Quasimodo had an earlier build, but Havoc 4 broke it. This one is lower prim, and the lunar module is sculpty. It really should be on NASA property, but there’s no NASA region that will adopt it. He first tried on the NASA CoLab Testbed, but the sim was just too lagy, and there was just too much junk in the sky. So he began working on it here, with the idea it would find a home at NASA for the Apollo 11 Anniversary. Instead, NASA put some posters around with landmarks to here.”“The first iteration did the whole flight profile, including splashdown back on Earth. ... The last time I took the trip (on this rocket), we only got to lunar orbit. ... I don’t know if it lands yet or not.” Rocket Sellers then mentioned a famous name dropping in, “Last week, we had an avatar named ‘Buzz Aldrin’ visiting here. I asked him if he had taken the Saturn V Apollo 11 ride to the Moon yet. He answered, ‘Yes, 40 years ago.’ ... I don’t believe it’s really Buzz, although I can’t figure out how he got the name. ... I guess Linden Labs is not assiduous about protecting famous names.”Rocket Sellers invited me to go along for a ride on the Saturn V, and so we and one other person got aboard the command module. And at 32 past the hour, the rocket roared and thundered up into the air. The ride is best seen with Environment set to Midnight, and being a Second Life spaceship, the stages shake a little as it travels upward. Eventually, the first stage falls away, and then the second. Soon, the ship comes to orbit a megaprim Earth, “It’s very beautiful from up here” “Approaching New Guinea.”There is a black square under the Moon rocket at this stage. Rocket Sellers explained, “That’s the work platform, and also when you transfer to the Lunar Module, it keeps you from falling through space.” The Command Module does have windows that you can see your avatar from the outside. But looking inside through either mouselook or panning, the inside is quite detailed with numerous instruments and panels.Eventually, the faring on the last rocket stage separated, and the Lunar Module, folded up, appeared. The Command/Service Module then rotated, and connected to it. Passengers could then right-click to board it. The connected ships then went into Lunar orbit. Unfortunately, the ride did not progress any further. It had yet to be finished.Despite this and the tiny flaws, this reporter, can only consider it a great and memorable build, especially if one is a space fan, or otherwise nostalgic for these glory days of the manned space program.The Space Frontier Saturn V Moon Rocket is at Space Frontier (154, 126, 137).“It’s good when a rocket or space person finds the place.”Bixyl Shuftan

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Chapter 3

Wow! It's been awhile since my last update. I was on vacation for a week and playing catch up the past week and a half. Everything should start to settle down and return to normal soon though.If you'll recall Brent won this generation's heir poll and has decided to follow in his mother's gardening footsteps. His lifetime want is to harvest eight different species of perfect plants. I must have been nuts to select that lifetime want. Lyla barely dabbled in it so all I really know how to do is keep the plants alive. How in the world can I get perfect plants!?!Fiona, a close second for heir, has found her true love. I think people really like that she was a combo couch potato and genius. Zebulon is also a couch potato and genius. The really kicker though is he's also a party animal. I can so totally see Zebulon inviting all his friends over to watch the World Champion Chess Match on Pay-Per-View and hooting and hollering ever time a move was made. What a party that would be!Zebulon really is quite the dork! Dexter may have been able to pull off the hanging suspenders look, but Zebulon would be better off throwing some jeans on. Oh, and that pony tail needs to go! It doesn't really matter what I think as long as Fiona's happy.Fawn, the oldest child this gen, really is a nut job. She talks to herself, wears formal wear to work out and paints outside the lines.Fiona's twin, Ginger, was an absolute delight as a toddler. I completely adored her. My, how things have changed. I have no hard feelings towards her but she's just boring. There's nothing really exciting going on with her and I keep trying to think of fun ideas for her but always fail. That being said, you may not see much of her anymore unless I'm able to come up with something exciting.Grumpy Brent has joined the military. Now, he can moan and groan to his fellow co-workers about how hard it is to be him. I can't imagine how difficult it must be to inherit a four bedroom, 2 1/2 bath, fully furnished home with a comfortable sum of money in the bank to live off. Must be tough! "Where are you off to?"Dexter: "None of your business. I raised my four kids and achieved my lifetime want. Shouldn't that allow me some alone time?""That depends. What are you doing at the science lab?"Dexter: "I guess you'll just have to wait and see.""You better not be up to no good!""Oh my gosh! What is this?"Dexter: "I...I thought I'd bring Eddie back from the dead.""You what?"Dexter: "Well, I got a phone call the other day asking if I'd be interested in bringing back a deceased family member. I gave it some thought and figured why not.""I'll tell you why not. Look at Eddie. He's still a ghost! Clearly the experiment didn't work."Dexter: "What's the big deal? He was a ghost before and is a ghost now. If that's the worst that could happen who cares. No harm done.""No harm done!?! Eddie was a whack job when he was alive. Do you really think he'll be any better now that he's an unrested ghost?"Dexter: "Hmm, maybe I should have chosen Constance.""Too late now. He's your problem to deal with. Have fun explaining him to your wife and kids."Fawn: "Augh! Why are you always so damn grumpy? You were chosen as the heir and get to inherit all of this. The rest of us will most likely be left to fend for ourselves. You're so lucky!"Brent: "Oh, yeah. Lucky me. I have to stay here and continue the family line. Did anyone ever think to ask me what I wanted? Maybe I wanted to do something else with my life."Fawn: "Yeah, like what?"Brent: "I may have moved to Sunset Valley so I could see what all the hype is all about."Fawn: "Oh, that could be cool. The voices in my head said they have a way cooler park then we have."Lyla: "What's this I hear about you not wanting to be heir!?!"Brent: "Augh! Not you too."Lyla: "Listen here young man, I don't need your attitude! What's going on?"Brent: "Fawn was being a brat and I just wanted to piss her off."Lyla: "You know she's not well!"Brent: "Yes, I know. She just makes me so crazy sometimes."Lyla: "It doesn't matter. She's not in the right frame of mind. You have to cut her some slack."Whew! I'm so glad I don't have a mom like Lyla. She's one tough cookie! At least it seems like she cares.The twins are finally young adults. Ginger's lifetime want is to top the journalism career and Fiona's is to max out three skills. Ginger added the heavy sleeper trait to over emotional, brave, dislike children and friendly traits. Fiona added family oriented to her genius, couch potato, inappropriate and easily impressed traits.I know it's actually against the legacy rules to have a sim brought back to life but I just wanted to see what would happen without having to play a different family. I was hoping Eddie would come back as a sim rather then a ghost but that didn't happen. As you can see he's still as mean as ever though. I'd like to go on the record and say the picture was totally not a setup. Somethings never change. Fawn: "I know I'm like totally out there and don't usually make sense, but for some reason you like that. Am I right?"Rahsaan: "Yes, you're a very unique creature who always leaves me thinking. I like that very much!"Fawn: "What would you say to being my boyfriend? I've never had one before but think you'd make an excellent choice."Rahsaan: "Really? That seems too conventional for you, but if that's what you want then I'll be your boyfriend."Fawn: "Yes, that's what I want."Fawn: "So, the plant actually talked to me."Rahsaan: "Are you sure about that?"Fawn: "Yes, it asked me to tell Brent to fertilize it with fish."Rahsaan: "Fish? Yeah, I guess that couldn't hurt."Fawn: "I'm sure it knew what it was talking about.""Yo, Eddie. You're a ghost. Ghosts don't need to eat."Eddie: "Don't be so sure of that. Thanks to your poor playing skills I'm stuck in limbo and am feeling hungry!""Yeah, so your need meter says. Well, what are we going to do about you?"Eddie: "We? You got me into this mess, so you can get me out.""Hmm...well, there's an option to go back into your grave?"Eddie: "I'll take it!""Really. This is your second chance to make things right."Eddie: "Ba hum bug! I don't want to right anything. Now, send me back to my grave!""As you wish."And so off he went, back to haunt Constance in the afterlife.Ginger: "How does my formal greeting sound?"Fiona: "Not bad, but you should relax and be yourself."Ginger: "My job is very important to me. If I don't know the right things to say to the right sim I could lose my notability."Fiona: "I understand that but if you relax a bit you'll be more natural and most sims will like that much more then you knowing the right thing to say."Ginger: "Good advice! So, how's the self-cleaning tub upgrade coming along?"Fiona: "Almost there."Well, at least she didn't go swimming in her formal wear...The big day finally arrived. Brent and Ebony, childhood sweethearts, were tying the knot. Brent invited all their relatives including his sisters boyfriends over to help celebrate the joyuos event. Everyone watched and cheered on as the happy couple exchanged vows and sealed their future together with a kiss. Nobody was more pleased with the wedding then Dexter. He had secretly been wishing for days that Brent would get married soon. He could rest easy now.Well, he would rest later, after the reception. A dance party ensued after the vows were exchanged. While Brent and Ebony huddled together in each others arms Rahsaan and Dexter got down with their bad selves!Of course, Fawn would be the only one who didn't bother dressing up for the occasion. At least she showed up and joined in the celebration though.The wedding party was a huge success, but one unlucky sim got the pleasure of experiencing Lyla's wrath.Lyla: "Young man, I understand you and Fiona are getting quite close."Zebulon: "She's a wonderful young lady. I care about her very much."Lyla: "Yes, she's quite a catch. When do you plan to make your relationship with her official?"Zebulon: "What do you mean?"Lyla: "Do you love her?"Zebulon: "Yes."Lyla: "Why haven't you proposed yet?"Zebulon: "Um, well, um...we both just turned into young adults. I don't see what the rush is. We're seeing each other exclusively."Lyla: "Hmm, I suppose you have a point. Well, as long as you're brightening her day for now that's enough."If I didn't know better I would have thought Ebony had a bun in the oven when her and Brent tied the knot. However, I know better then that, they waited until they were married to woohoo. Generation four must have been conceived on their wedding night. Anyone curious what Ebony's traits are? Well, she is a computer whiz, genius, mean spirited, brave, light sleeper.Ebony's lifetime want is to max out the logic skill and become a chess master. That works out perfectly for Fiona who is also trying to max out the logic skill for her lifetime want. I have a feeling these two will be good friends.Ginger is continuing to see her teenage boyfriend, Ferby. Unlike Fiona and Zebulon, I don't know if he's the one for her though. No matter how irresistible Ferby finds Ginger the option to get engaged never shows up. Brent: "How are my babies doing?"Ebony: "Babies? What are you talking about? Do you know something I don't?"Brent: "Relax, I was talking about you and the little one you're carrying."Ebony: "Oh, phew! I'm not sure I could handle more then one. I have no idea how to raise a baby."Brent: "Don't worry. My mom and dad are here to help us."Ebony: "Are you sure you're mom's the right person to help?"Brent: "Better not let her hear you say that. Trust me, she means well. She's just a little rough around the edges."Oh look! A strike. Hey, is that Lyla? Of course she'd get involved in something like this. She's all about creating problems. I bet she doesn't know or even care what the cause is for. Just so long as she gets to rant.Dexter: "It's been much too long since we had ourselves a little woohoo."Lyla: "Dare I say it's been since the twins were conceived."Dexter: "Gosh, I hope not."Lyla: "Hey, narrator person.""Who me?"Lyla: "Yes, do you mind? My husband and I would like some privacy!""Right. I'm leaving."Brent and Ebony's first born is a bouncing baby boy. His name is Dante and his traits are insane and grumpy. What an intersting combo. He should be fun!Ebony has invited her first ranked chess match opponent over and it went very well. She easily beat her first opponent as well as the next couple. However, she's now stuck trying to beat the next one. She's already lost a few times to him so maybe she should build up her skill level a bit more before trying again.Wow! I was so not expecting this already. I don't even know how old she was when she died. I totally thought she'd live at least into her nineties but I'm not sure she even made it into her eighties. She was such a great addition to this legacy. I'm sad to see her go.Lyla certainly brought a lot of spark to this legacy. There weren't too many dull moments with her around. If she wasn't screaming or arguing with someone she was playing in the sprinkler. Ah, the sprinkler...she loved it. Whenever she got a chance she would shake her booty at the shooting water and sing!Lyla's death made Fawn realize how important Rahsaan is to her and how short life truly can be. They had never talked about marriage let alone being in a relationship together, but that didn't stop Fawn from proposing. Rahsaan knew she wasn't one for thinking clearly but he seemed to love her anyways. There was a slight hesitation and a moment of shock, but once Rahsaan realized Fawn wasn't joking he accepted her proposal. They were married immediately. Before anyone could even wrap their heads around the idea, Fawn had packed her bags and moved in with Rahsaan. Dexter and Brent were both relieved to see she found someone to take care of her. Secretly, Brent had been very concerned that Fawn was going to die a spinster in his newly inherited home.Fiona's much more rational in her relationship with Zebulon. She wants to master three skills before she settles down to start a family For now these two are happy just watching tv together. Marriage is certainly in their future though.All the stress of caring for a newborn is making Ebony extra cranky.Fiona: "How's little Dante?"Ebony: "He's too much work!"Fiona: "I'm so glad my mom was able to at least see one of her grandkids before she died."Ebony: "I don't want to talk about your mom. She was a llama! She always spit out her opinions and never let anyone do as they wanted."Fiona: "Don't talk that way about her. She may not have always been the nicest sim but she definitely cared about her family."Ebony: "Yeah, yeah, I've heard this same old song and dance from Brent already. I don't need to hear it from you too."Fiona: "Okay, I'm going to walk away now. You're obviously a bit stressed out."Ginger: "Sush, sush...you're auntie Ginger's ears hurt. She doesn't like crying babies so please stop crying. Augh! Would you just stop already! I don't know how your parents do it. This is the best birth control ever!"Dexter: "BAM!""Uh-oh, have you been watching Emeril?"Dexter: "I can't believe I've missed out on it all these years. It's a great show!""Uh-huh."Dexter: "What?""Well, it's just that his whole BAM trademark gets a little old after awhile."Dexter: "It's a good thing I'm old then."Speaking of being old, Dexter seriously misses Lyla. The two really were in love with each other. His heart's broken now that she's past on. It looks like baby #2 is on the way! I'm sure that'll just put Ebony in an even better mood.Whoa! What the heck is this all about. She better take Dante back inside right now. Strangers can't abduct babies in the sims, can they?Oh phew! I guess they can't. Thanks goodness. She could have taken him back inside though. Geesh!Brent decided to throw a birthday party for Dante. He's still sleeping but the guests are starting to arrive.Ebony: "Sis, guess what?"Danelle: "You're pregant?"Ebony: "Yeah. How did you know?"Danelle: "You're starting to show."Ebony: "Oh, I suppose I am."Fiona: "Can we have lots of little babies when we get married? I want a large family. How does that sound?"Zebulon: "Whatever you want my love."Fiona: "I can already picture us sitting on the couch with are children watching the latest kid cartoons."Zebulon: "That sounds wonderful!"I was a bit too late in getting Dante to the cake quick enough so he grew up on his own. I thought for sure that would mean a bad party but the guests all had a great time. I wonder if Dexter's skillful guitar moves had anything to do with that. I'm sure it didn't hurt.Fiona: "Oh, I can't wait to have little babies like you. I guess you're not exactly a baby anymore though, huh? You're a big boy now. We'll have to teach you how to walk and talk and use the potty soon. How does that sound? Fun, right!"As Fiona was putting Dante into bed Ebony was giving birth to a little girl. Her name is Melanie and she's a genius and athletic. Dante will probably be more fun but we'll see. There's plenty of time to decide on an heir. I need some guidance from all you talented simmers out there. What can I do to increase the chance of Brent harvesting perfect plants? He managed to grow a perfect apple tree but I'm having trouble getting other plants above outstanding. He has the green thumb lifetime reward and I'm having him fertilize the plants with steaks, lobsters and high quality fruits/veggies. Would a different type of fertilizer work better? Any and all advice and suggestions are welcome.

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