Welcome to my new Linden Home

Hey, all,

As you may know, I like to move around in Second Life, maybe a spin off from my thoroughly Nashville-grounded existence irl. At any rate, I've now abandoned my home (easy to do with a few clicks) in Bee Springs and moved into a new on at a Linden Home ("free" to Second Life users with a paid membership) sim called "Spring Azure." You are welcome to drop in anytime!

This one is a bit cozy, certainly cozier than my last home, a California style split level that I never really filled up with the 117 prims alloted to Linden Home residents. I've set out pretty much my whole inworld inventory of sketches, drawings, paintings, photographs, and poems for anyone who visits to enjoy. Want your own Linden Home?

Here are a couple of pics from my new digs--click to view larger:

the exterior with a big tortured prim privacy screen

and a rainbow that starts and stops at home :)

sitting room with giant screen tele and links to my blogs

along with the "moneyshot" from ISTE 2010

VE Playground

gallery room with my "art" pieces I've brought inworld

bedroom with my book of poetry on a stand and 2prim bed

patio with campfire and "relaxin' stones"

December 21's ISTE SIGVE Speaker Session Mirrors in Elluminate!

I just had a brainburp this morning and realized how useful it might be to take advantage of LearnCentral.org's "Host Your Own Webinar" feature to schedule our SIGVE monthly "meeting" and our 3rd Tuesday ISTE SIGVE Speaker Session (this month featuring New South Wales's Jo Kay (see previous post) in Elluminate!

For low-bandwidth connections, educators too busy to login to Second Life, and those who don't even possess an avatar, here's your chance to participate in live inworld professional development! HYOW also archives the session, so there'll be a full archive of the event there, and I'll of course pull off the audio for our growing bank of .mp3 podcasts at the SIGVE wiki.

Do this:

Christmas Me -- Embrace the Season!

Deck the Halls! I want to shoutout my intention to wear my elf ears through the holidays, sterling silver Christmas Tree earring and all, and to enjoy my Linden Home at Bee Springs throughout the holidays. Feel free to drop by and explore my drawings and paintings (as well as some other art from my real life home), my photos, my websites, and my book of poetry, Speculativity, which I've published in Second Life with my ThinkPress printing press. The poetry book resides on a book stand upstairs, and you are welcome in my home anytime.

True to my Gypsy nature, I plan to dismantle all of my current Linden Home sometime in January and to try out another of the Linden Home styles. Read about the Linden Homes Program at Linden Lab here.

Here's a pic of the book, along with a shot of me in profile. The pony tail? Ah. Well I did have one from the age of 19 until I was nearly 30. Now I have it again without having to go through the mullet stage!!!

Hold on to those you hold dear. I do.

Scott

December 21's ISTE SIGVE Speaker Session Features Jo Kay!

The December 2010 SIGVE Speaker Session at the Auditorium on ISTE Island will commence smartly at 5 pm Second Life (Pacific U.S.) time on the evening of the 21st.

We are proud to feature Jo Kay, Jokay Wollengong in Second Life, as our guest. Onstage with our own Spiff Whitfield, Jo will be sharing her exemplary work in Second Life, ReactionGrid, and practically everywhere else over the past years and into the future! Do you have questions for her? Add them below!

Visit Jo Kay's website for question fuel!

I blogged about this project a while ago, and I'm revisiting it because it's now open and available for touring: The 3D AIDS Quilt is a gentle memorial to individuals lost by individuals.

Decades ago, the public knew very little about HIV or AIDS, the epidemic was just beginning to rear its ugly head in the U.S. I was working as a bartender at TGI Fridays, enjoying the rich community that working with so many creative, talented, and personable young people offered. At the time my friend Buddy contracted AIDS and died, I had just divorced and I was in transition in many ways. Times were different, in many ways. I was not really close to Buddy, but I valued him as a co-worker and a friend and often enjoyed shifts with him and our colorful clan of servers, as well as after-work drinks and community. I was falling in love with the jewel who would be my wife, a tasty young lady 11 years my junior who remains just as tasty as she approaches 50.

Here's a snapshot from one of the quilts, done by Marty Snowpaw in memorial of "Stephen."

and here's mine, more of an abstract take on the "assignment:"

Currently, there are only 10 pieces, but a visit is well worth it. I visited this morning with my friend Gia, and though I did comment at one point that "This whole place is kind of a big gulp of sad..." it is a most interesting project, and I hope it continues to grow, if only for a testament to the fact that an epidemic really is composed of individual trials and losses, both of life and loved ones. Here are the first quilt pieces, from the notecard available at the site:

3D Quilt Rooms

(Visit the rooms of the contributors below)

1. Russell - Submitted by Paul

2, Steven - Submitted by Marty Ketlz

3. AIDS Orphans - Submitted by TGHC

4. Bobby - Submitted by Darlene

5. Donato - Submitted by Aksha Divisadero

6. Buddy - Submitted by Scottmerrick Oh

7. Anna - Submitted by The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hills Center for AIDS Research 

8. The Victims of AIDS - Submitted byRTI

9. Sandra - Submitted by her twin Cary

10. The Window Dressers - Submitted by ARteer Olivia

(Check back often as new pieces are added)

Teacher Beat: Welcome to December's Blog-o'-the-Month!

Hey, ya'll!!!

Announcing December's Blog-o'-the-month! The policy, news and research geeks have it this month with Stephen Sawchuck/EducationWeek’s “Teacher Beat” at http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/teacherbeat/ .

And during the month of December in the Bloggers Hut, will be choosing which educational blog we want in the RSS feed for the entire month of JANUARY. These nominees are all at Edublogs.com, found in a quick search of featured blogs in the education category!

Would you like to see a theme explored at the Blogger's Hut? Email scott@scottmerrick.net with the theme or anything else you would like to suggest to make the Bloggers Hut mo' bettah.

This month, Choose between:

Red: From a Student’s Perspective at http://blogs.angelo.edu/student_leonor_constancio/

Green: portableradio at http://portableradio.edublogs.org/

Yellow: Jazzing up Eighth Grade at http://abbeyr.edublogs.org/

and

Blue: Fred Koch: K-4 Tech Coach at http://fredkoch.edublogs.org/

Happy Exploring! And don’t forget to vote!!!

Previously Featured:

KZero, Inc., "We Are Worldswide"
Engage Digital--(formerly Virtual Worlds News)
Virtual School Meanderings--Michael Barbour
Blogging ISTE (special compendium page at iste.org)
The Dariing Librarian--Gwenyth A. Jones
Why Technology in Education Rocks in Virginia--various VSTE writers
Free Tech for Teachers--Richard Byrne
Suffern Middle School in Second Life--Peggy Sheehy
OpenSimulator--assorted authors
Dusan Writer's Metaverse--Doug Thompson
CoolCatTeacher--Vicki Davis
EdTechJen--Jennifer Roland
Clive on Learning--Clive Shepherd
Technology and Learning--Lee Kraus
PESD Island--Noreen Strehlow
In a Strange Land--Iggy O et al
Second Life in New Zealand--John Waugh, Terry Neal, et al
Hey Jude!--Judy O'Connell
Learning Games--Daniel Livingstone
Learning Visions--Cammy Bean
Dr. Z Reflects--Leigh Zeitz
Hendron's Digest--John Hendron
Phasing Grace--Grace McDunnough
From Mr. A to Mr. Z--Jeff Agamenoni
Around the Corner--McGuhlin.net
Fleep's Deep Thoughts--Fleep Tuque/Chris Colling
NMC Campus--New Media Consortium
PHSPrincipal Blog--Dave Meister
Teaching Math Technology Blog--Maria Anderson
2CentsWorth--David Warlick
The Story of My Second Life--Kevin Jarrett
Oh! Second Life (now Oh! Virtual Learning)--Scott Merrick :)