WOO!

Rane does the unthinkableblebleble...

Yes, as you can clearly see from the gamertag over to the right, yours truly has purchased an XBox 360 from the Microsoft Demon.  Fear not, weary web travellers, there was a savings of nearly $200 dollars (or "smackeroos" if you wish to get technical) on this purchase.  Included was also Forza Motorsports 2, which as the kids say, is full of Win.

Second Life Road Trip

On Saturday, Jan. 26th, Moxie Grumby and I began a road trip across Second Life.  The rules were simple: no teleporting, and no alternate form of transportation.  Have a look at the pictures provided below, feel free to leave feedback, and stay tuned for more from our next leg!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/99909474@N00/sets/72157603808215993/

1-18-08

MULTIPLE SIGHTINGS OF CASE DESIGNATE "CLOVERFIELD."
CAMERA RETRIEVED AT INCIDENT SITE U.S. 447
AREA FORMERLY KNOWN AS "CENTRAL PARK"

4 Months

Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

Ah the immortal words of Ferris Bueller.  Truer words were never spoken.  For my fellow Second Life residents, you probably know the importance of relaxing and enjoying yourself from time to time.  It's so easy to slip into the usual routine: log in, spend some Lindens, make some Lindens, explore, chat, and sign off.  It's always enjoyable, but can become so typical you almost forget what SL is all about.  

Last night reminded me.

Not only was it the four-month anniversary of my partnership to Moxie Grumby, it was also a night when I lived my Second Life to the fullest.  Moxie and I started the evening with a little car shopping (she's such a good sport).  We visited several of my favorite shops, including Midnight Drift, where we ultimately purchased a nice Nissan Skyline GT-R (albeit under a different name in-world).  Sticking with routine, we could have just left it there--but instead, we headed back to RavKom.  There, we commandeered the streets and had an impromptu race.  If you weren't there, don't feel bad; this wasn't a scheduled event or other such obligation.  This was for the people in that area, at that time.  This was spontaneous.

Our cars lined up, side by side.  '69 Camaro VS Nissan Skyline.  We revved loud, and were greeted by our good friend tinker Hax.  After asking for the roads to be cleared, some watched as we got ready to race.  tinker dropped her arms, and the race was on!  The first time I got lucky--the second and third, well, Moxie dominated me.  I will get my rematch!

Sure, innocent avatars could have been run over, but that's the beauty of Second Life.  You can live out your wildest dreams without any of the consequences of real life.  You can be that person you wish you could be...that wild, free, untamed spirit that lurks just beneath the surface.  

The rest of the evening was spent driving around an icey track, with Moxie behind the wheel of her new car.  I have to say (and please bear with me as we enter some cheesy territory here) Second Life has never felt more real.  Sure it's a virtual world, but I was there.  We were there.  I remember that race, I remember that drive, I remember it all.  Get a life?  I have one.  A very good one actually.  But with Second Life, it just gets better.  

So to everyone in Second Life (and first for that matter), please remember to enjoy it all.  I know we all have our self-assigned roles: DJ, Manager, Host...but don't forget the amazing possibilities all around you.  When you lose sight of that, you lose the beauty that is Second Life.

Happy 4 Months, Moxie.

First novel...

Some tales will never be forgotten..

Some legends live forever...

Because Evil...

...never dies.

 Michael Mandeville's
Terror


Evil Lives Within.



www.ranefiction.com
2008

Solidarity...

For those of you that have seen up to the end of 24 - Day 6, feel free to scroll down and watch the trailer that promises to be the most intense day yet.

Or better yet, don't.

News is starting to trickle in...seems the greatest show on television will not premiere in January thanks to the WGA strike.  As a wannabe writer I felt compelled to throw in my two cents.

First off, I'm totally in favor of people getting fair compensation.  So often today we see actors, directors, and most of all the MPAA swimming in gold like Huey, Dewey, and Louie's rich uncle.  The little people that actually work behind the scenes to make those films and television shows so great seem to almost go unnoticed.  Honestly, when was the last time you cheered for the WRITER of your favorite sitcom when they arrived at an awards show?  Truth is, they had about 85% more to do with the actual creation than any actor...and yet they're totally forgotten.

The strike, for the three percent that don't know, deals with residuals from the sales of DVDs and other digital media.  The writers want to be compensated for their work regardless of the medium, which is reasonable.  Those higher up, however, do not want to provide that.  And thus, the strike.

Yes I'm upset.  I'm a fan of 24 and other great shows affected by these actions, but am trying to put my bias aside.  I'm doing what I can to remind myself that its only fair they're justly compensated.

Still...there's that nagging thought at the back of my head.  Like a child tugging a pant leg for attention, it keeps pulling me back just when I'm about to see things the way I should.  It reminds me that these writers are living out my dream, and most likely making three times what I make.  I'm the one that hates his job and dreads getting up in the morning...while these guys get to live the good life.  But no, solidarity and all that.  I pull myself away from that annoying little thought and remember that it's only fair.

Although let it be known, I would take their job in a heartbeat, and for what I'm making right now.