Roger Ebert's Guide to Camping?

It started as a great night for a party! Amalia Broome hosted a great bash at the Jazz Cat to celebrate Freedom. The crowd was large, and the fun even bigger! Later in the evening, folks moved on, leaving a handful of us dancing and pondering the profound SL issues. And, as usual with the InfoGroupies, it all began innocently enough.

Galia Beck, Timo Dumpling, Forelle Broek, Alacrity Lorefield, Espin Carroll, Stolvano Barbosa, Lludmila Mirrikh, Gray Pennell, and I started talking about camping, campers and camperbots. We discussed whether camping should be allowed, how new folks might earn money, and how the zombie camper bots were just plain scary. Then Alacrity said "The Night Of The Camperbots, In Technicolor"! And we were off! What follows is the list of 573 camping titles! (Injury Report: Aching sides, sore cheeks from smiling, breathlessness due to laughter, spitting up on a keyboard, and a complete collapse).

* The Night Of The Camperbots, In Technicolor! * Sunrise At Camperbotello

* Son Of The Bride Of Camper * Son Of A Camper!

* Hallocampween * The Texas Camper Massacre

* Teenage Mutant Ninja Campers * Camper Van Newbie

* LA Camperdential. * Night Of The Living Campers?

* I Was A Teenage Camper... * The Day The Campers Stood Still

* The Revenge Of The Campers * I Know Where you Camped Last Summer

* Camper With Out A Cause * Citizen Camper

* Campers In Black. * The Hudsucker "Camper

* Forrest Camp * Men In Campers

* Mommy Camper * A Camper For All Seasons

* Three Campers In Space * Return Of The Camper

* Camper Boulevard * How To Cook A Camper

* 9 1/2 Campers * Camper Wars

* Camp Hot Pot * Last Camper In Paris

* Two Campers And A Baby * The Dirty Campers

* Camperella * Acampolypse Now

* Planet Of The Campers * West Side Camper

* Conan The Camper * Return To Planet Of The Campers

* The Camper Zone * Leave It To Camper

* Battlecamp Gallactica * Campers Island

* Tim The Camp Toolman * They Shoot Campers Don't They!!!!!

* Charlie's Campers * Campzilla

* Lord Of The Campers * Gone With The Campers

* Camper Of The Flies * Fellowship Of The Campers

* The Two Campers * The Two Campers

* The Lord Of The Campers * Indiana Camper

* The Call Of The Camper * The Campling

* Camp Expectations * The Campers Guide To The Galaxy

* And The Temple Of Campers * Camper And Clyde

* Campers Of The Lost Ark * Or The Hitchhikers Guide To Camping

* Campers At The End Of The Universe * Campers Guide To The Galaxy

* So Long And Thanks For All The Campers * Maltese Camper

* The Thin Camper * How To Be Camp When Camping

* A Camper Runs Through It * Campers For Dinner

* My Big Fat Greek Camper * Guess Who’s Camping For Dinner?

* The Royal Camperbaums * Mccamper And The Fenceposts Rock

* Camp And Campability * The Seven Year Camper

* A Camper For All Seasons * Do Not Camp My Style

* Camper The Cape Crusader * The Man With The Golden Camper

* Batman And Camper * Campbusters

* You Only Camp Twice * Camping On The Ritz

* When Harry Met Campers * The Camper Always Rings Twice

* Camper's Eleven * Ten Ways To Lose A Camper

* Harry Potter And The Camper's Stone * My Best Friend's Camping

* How To Marry A Camper * Don't Shoot The Camper

* Gentlemen Prefer Campers * From Here To Campernity

* The Road To Camping * Dances With Campers

* Please Don't Eat The Campers * Campers At Tiffany's

* Don’t Drink The Camper * Mum I Shrunk The Campers

* The Good The Bad And The Camper * Invasion Of The Camping Snatchers

* To Catch A Camper * Here Comes The Camper!

* Supercamper * The Pink Camper

* Camper By The Dozen * A Hard Day's Camping

* All The Camper's Men * Snow White And The Seven Campers

* No Country For Old Campers * E.T., The Camper

* Lock Stock And Two Smoking Campers * The Camping Submarine

* All The Pretty Campers * The Camping Submarine

* Pretty Camper * The Working Camper

* All The President's Campers * Camped Yesterday

* Camper Vs. Camper * Young Campenstein

* War Of The Campers * Campers Of The Sierra Madre

* Mirabelle's Camping * Edward Camperhands

* Finding Campers * To Sink The Camper

* Beatlecamper * Butch Campsidy And Campdance Kid

* Come Back Little Camper * Das Camp

* How To Succeed In Camping Without Really Trying * To Kill A Mocking Camper

* Rebecca And He Sunnybrook Camp * The Flying Campstead

* Little Camp On The Prairie * The Magnificent Campersons

* Campers Day Night * Ideal Camping, The Ins And Outs Of Tent Pegs

* The Camper And The Beast * Saving Private Camper

* The Longest Camper * To Camp And Back

* Captain Camper And The World Of Tomorrow * 2001* A Camper Odyssey

* Smokey And The Camper * To Camp And Camp Not

* The Camper Of The Ring * Le Camp Aux Folles

* Bird Camp * The Camper Wreckers

* Call Of The Camp * Bob And Camp And Camp And Camp

* Farewell To Campers * Campertdown ( A Road Accident)

* Campers Of The Caribbean * Camping Holiday

* For Whom The Camp Tolls * Starship Campers

* Sweet Camper * "Campertown Lady Sing That Song, Doo Dah, Doo Dah"

* V For Camper * My Fair Camper

* The Camptrix * The Sound Of Campers

* The Planet Of The Campers * Aeoncamper

* Econocamp * Paint Your Camper

* The Lion The Witch And The Camper * Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Camper

* Campanology * It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad Camper

* A Camp With A View * Lady And The Camper

* Laura Croft, Camp Raider * The Adventures Of Robin Camper

* The Campers Of Madison County * A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Camping

* Antiques Camp Show * Sherlock Holms, The Camper In Red

* The X-Campers * Lonesome Camp

* C*A*M*P * Das Cabinet Des Dr Camper

* The Camper Rising * I Came, I Saw, I Camped

* Camper, Texas * Kiss Of The Spider Camper

* The Three Campertiers * A Midsummer Night's Camper

* The Camper In The Iron Mask * The Dam Campers

* King Camper * Pirates Of The Caribbean - The Curse Of The Black Camper

* La Belle Camper Sans Merci * Sinbad And The Eye Of The Camper

* The Passion Of The Campers * The Camper Of Notre Dame

* Be Camped * The Camp Of Monte Cristo

* It Happened One Camping Night * Hunting For - A Place To Camp

* Ali Baba And The Forty Campers * The Phantom Of The Camper

* Die Niebelungenkamper * A Campfederacy Of Dunces

* Devil In Mrs. Camper * The Camper Of Monet Cristo?

* El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote De La Camper * My Camping Ex-Girlfriend

* "To Camp, Or Not To Camp, That Is The Question." * Camplet?

* Campso Pansa * The Joy Of Camping

* Murder By Camping * Romeo And Campulette?

* The Gay Joy Of Camping * Camping She Wrote

* Campablanca * Everything You Wanted To Know About Camping

* Campula, Dead And Loving It * The Naked And The Camper

* Never Give A Camper An Even Break * Camping On The Orient Express

* Paradise Camped * Holy Camper

* Big Camping In Little China * Infinite Camp

* In Search For The Holy Camper * Camperdile Dundee

* Bill & Ted's Excellent Camping Adventure * The Da Vinci Camper

* The Camper Code * Fear Of Camping

* Angels And Campers * Ten Little Campers

* Back To The Camper * Midnight In The Garden Of Camping And Evil

* Teen Camper * Camping With Wolves

* I Was A Teenage Camper * Bonfire Of The Campers

* Dr. Camper * The Three Campers Of Eve

* The 40 Year Old Camper * I Never Promised You A Rose Camper

* Camper The Cable Guy * Diary Of A Mad Camper!

* Camp And The World Camps With You * The Story Of Eddy's Camper

* Spaced Campers * Matrix Campers

* Camp Camp Camp Baked Beans And Camp * The Campers Shall Inherit The Earth

* The Meek Shall Inherit The Camping * The Campers Of Navarone

* Easy Campers * High Camper

* A Camper Too Far * The Camper Also Rises

* High Plains Camper * All Quiet On The Camper Front

* Campers Of The Purple Sage * The Camper Never Settles

* The Camper Also Rises * Big Two-Hearted Camper

* For Who The Camper Tolls * The Camper Rings Twice

* House Of The Flying Campers * Fall Of The House Of Campers

* The Incredible Camper * The Telltale Camper

* The Camp Of Amontillado * Camper And Jane

* The Valley Of The Campers * Alien Vs. Camper

* The Camper List * The Camper Sisters

* Repent And Be Camper * Crouching Tiger, Hidden Camper

* Boys In The 'Mp * Enter The Camper

* The Jolly Green Camper * Camperspotting

* A Shallow Camp * The Luck Of Roaring Camper

* Ben Camper * The Celebrated Jumping Camper Of Calaveras County

* Camperhog Day * The Ten Campmandments

* How Much Is That Camper In The Window * The Camper Code

* It's A Mad, Mad, Camper * Thou Shalt Not Camp Outside The Designated Camp Spot

* How To Win Friends And Influence Campers * The League Of Extraordinary Campers

* Reservoir Campers * 20,000 Campers Under The Sea

* She's Gotta Camp It * On Golden Camper

* Sex Lies And Campers * Butterfield Camp

* Camper Of The Iguana * Campford Wives

* The Seven Deadly Campers * The Attack Of The Giant Campers

* The 50 Foot Camper * Third Camp From The Sun

* The Magnificent Seven Campers * Campership Down

* National Camper * This Camper Earth

* The Camper Of Oz * Behind The Green Camper

* The Pink Camper * Seven Campers For Seven Brothers

* Mystery Science Camper 3000 The Movie * Six Degrees Of Camperation

* It Takes Two To Camp * Revenge Of The Pink Camper

* A Camper In The Dark * Easy Camper

* Superman Recamps * The Camper Who Came Out Of The Cold

* Those Magnificent Campers In Their Camping Chairs * Who's Afraid Of Virginia Camper?

* When Campers Collide * Smiley's Campers

* The Camper Who Never Was * About A Camper

* Dead Campers Don't Wear Plaid * The Day The Camper Stood Still

* The Camper Conspiracy * Rosemary's Camper

* In The Gulag Campapelago * Why Did The Camper Cross The Road?

* Notting Camper * Mork And Camper

* For What Camper The Bell Tolls * Camping With The Stars

* Much Ado About Camping * Rocky Horror Camper Show

* Camper Almighty * The Brothers Camper

* Take Another Little Piece Of My Camp Now Baby * The Life Of Camper

* Anna Campenina * Shall We Camp?

* Camper And Camper * Irma La Camp

* War And Camp * Campfather

* The Day The Earth Stood Camping * How The Camper Stole Christmas

* Notes From The Camperground * The Camper In The Hat

* The Bobsey Campers * The Three Campers

* It's A Wonderful Camper * My Man Camper

* The Camper In The Gray Flannel Suit * When Its Camper Time Down South

* Campigula * The Secret Life Of Walter Camper

* Close Camping Of The Third Kind * Our Man In Campvana

* Our Man Camp * Guys And Campers

* Mr., Camper * The Wrong Camper

* Mr. And Mrs. Camper * Camper Of Sierra Madre

* Son Of Camper * George Washington Camped Here

* Camp Trek The Next Generation * The Bridge On The River Camp

* This Old Camper * Campy Old Men

* Campers? We Don't Need No Stinking Campers! * I Came I Saw I Camped

* Boyz N The Camp * The Camper Of Bellaire

* Spinal Camp * Dirty Camping

* Camper On The Beach * School For Campers

* The Pride of Miss Jean Camper * Beyond The Black Camper

* The Long Thin Red Camper * Back To The Camper

* The Camper Of The Black Lagoon * 101 Campers

* The Taking Of Camper 123 * Anna And The Camper Of Siam

* Camper The 13^th * Camp 9 From Outer Space

* How Green Is My Camper? * The Blue Camper Brothers

* Valley Of The Campers * The Camper Story

* The Ice Man Campeth * All The President's Campers

* Profiles In Campage * Death Of A Camper

* Wag The Camper * Cat On A Hot Tin Camper

* Camp On A Hot Tim Roof * The Long Hot Camper

* The Camper Who Knew To Much * Wet Hot Camping Summer

* Lady Campers Lover * A Long Days Journey Into Camping

* Debbie Does Camper * Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Camper

* War And Camping * Have A Great Camp

* Snow White And The Seven Campers * The Crying Of Camp 49

* Who Shot Liberty Camper * The Seventh Camper

* Camped On The Fourth Of July * The Camperdown Race Track

* The Camper Of The Baskervilles * Three Men And A Camper

* Wuthering Camp * The Quiet Camper

* Camper Din * The Camper House Rules

* Mein Camp * The Little Camper

* Secret Life Of Walter Camping * Lost In Camping

* The Camping Manifesto * Dial C For Camping

* The Merry Camper * Camp Alone

* The Bell Camper * Trains Camps And Automobiles

* Camper Takes A Holiday * Camping and Peace

* Campers In The Park * Nights Of Camperia

* A Christmas Camper * Rear [Camper] Window

* Camped To Kill * The Lady Of The Camp

* Camp And Be Damned * The Philadelphia Camper

* The Isle Of Dr. Campago * Men At Camping

* The Island Of Dr Camper * The Campers (Hitchcock Movie)

* Single White Camper * Campers On A Train

* Camper (Palahniuk Novel) * Two And Half Campers

* Beneath The Valley Of The Campervixens * Looking For Mr. Campbar

* Sleeping Camper * Who Framed Camper Rabbit?

* Ask Not What your Camper Can Do For You * A Camper Does Dallas

* Ich Bin Ein Kamper * Red Badge Of Camping

* Snakes On A Camper * The Red Camper

* The Camp Over The River Kwai * Bram Stoker's Camper

* Das Camper * Mien Kampfer

* Camper On The Rue Morgue * Arsenic And Old Camp

* The Road To Campwood * Impossible Camper Or Mission Camper

* Campers Wide Shut * Animal Camp

* Much Ado About Camping * Campacus

* A Mid Summers Camper * Clan Of The Camp Chairs

* Anthony And Cleocamper * Julius Camper

* Seven Campers For Seven Sisters * The Man Who Shot Liberty Camper

* Camper In The Iron Mask * Mad Camper Beyond Thunderdome

* Campigula * Campblanca

* Is Paris Camping * The Campers Of Fire

* Stop The Camping I Want To Get Off.. * Campers On A Plane

* Five Easy Campers * Around The World In 80 Campers

* A.C. Artificial Camping * The War Of The Campers

* One Flew Over The Campers' Nest * The Andromeda Camper

* The Camping Express * The Camper Time Forgot

* Jurassic Camp * The Terminal Camper

* A Campers Dilemma, Ants * Saturday Night Camper

* The Lion, The Witch & The Camper * The Camperator

* Uncle Tom's Camper * River Camper

* Some Camper In Time * The Dream Campers

* Decamperance * Your Own Private Camp

* Camper Time * Camp & Campability

* Desperately Seeking Campers * Mr. Goodcamp

* Sleepless In Camp * The Lone Camper

* Camper To Remember * Campdide

* Glengarry Glen Camper * Campofile

* Tend Thy Camp * Camper On 34th Street

* Camper On The Roof * It's A Wonderful Camper

* The Santa Camper * Far From The Camping Crowd

* The Littlest Camper * The Greatest Camper Ever Told

* The Greatest Camper On Earth * The Hairdresser's Camper

* O Camper Where Art Thou? * The Never Ending Camp

* Camp Magnolias * The Mayor Of Camperbridge

* Legally Camping * The Headless Camper

* Henry, Portrait Of A Serial Camper * The Incampibles

* Campers By The Dozen * The Beginners Guide To Camping

* The Camper Bunch * Idiots Guide To Camping

* All In The Camping * The Camper Busters

* The Campers Guides * Three Campers For Sister Sara

* The I Love Camping Show * The Four Campers Of The Apocalypse

* How To Marry A Camper * Camper Royale

* The Camper Who Loved Me * Camperball

* The Camper Who Came In From The Cold * The Dukes Of Camper!

* Night Of The Camper * Revenge Of The Camper Vixens From Outer Space

* Much Ado About Camping * Thanks For Camping

* Chicago, That Campin' Town * Some Like It Camp

* Camp On State Street

* Dr. Strangelove* Or How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The Campers

* Nor Covet Thy Neighbor’s Camp, Or Wife, Or Ass, Or Thy Neighbor's Wife's Ass

Its A Beautiful 'Day' in the Neighborhood

Last night I was at my SL home. Its a nice place, poorly decorated (my fault entirely), on a lovely island (all credit goes to Hypatia Dejavu). Once in a while I enjoy a stroll around to see what my neighbors have been doing to their homes and property. Last night I found this delightful gem!

On a corner of the sim was this lovely tent with a charming fountain out in front. It was especially inviting at night. The warm glow of the interior was beautiful! It was easy to imagine myself relaxing on the sofa, listening to the waves, watching the play of shadows as the soft netting moved with the breeze. It was charming. It seemed to me the perfect place to live in either life. Simple, clean, private and enchanting.

I have never loved any of the homes in which I have lived. Not one of them. I'm not sure why this is. I've heard friends say that they fell in love with a house. That they had to buy it and planned to live in it for ever! For me, closing the front door and handing over the keys to the new owner was never a problem. The only reason my Second Life home is still 'standing' is that Haldin likes it.

I've cared about some of my yards. We had a great garden in New Jersey. I loved that very much, and wished I could have brought the soil and climate with me when we moved. I love the trees and space of our current yard (the fallen leaves not so much). But, when its time to move I won't feel a thing about leaving the house.

I admire the person who created this home on the beach. Its a virtual realization of a dream. Maybe thats it, the key to loving a house. Imagination to realization. Doing what you love and not caring about what it will mean for resale! That is a tall order for me. I think too much about what will happen next. Once, in an apartment, I painted an accent wall a dark, lush color. It was just beautiful. But, having to put about three coats of white paint over it before moving was awful! I've never had another accent wall.

Maybe its time to go buy some paint. Maybe the lesson is to love today, and let tomorrow take care of its self.

Don't Miss It!

Last year's Second Life Birthday celebration was a lag-fest of the highest order! It was virtually impossible to even cross the street! This year is different!

There are 20 sims to explore! I opened the map, and chose one that had very few green dots. Upon rezzing I was delighted to see this cool build! An artist's work area. Complete with glue stick! (Thats me sitting on the cap). How cool. Nearby is a lovely area devoted to tinies! There are so many free items for tinies that I just might have to acquire an av and try that life style for myself!

Across the street from the art desk, there is an area to obtain your very own Greenie wearable pet. While walking around, some one said that a special Linden teddy bear is rumored to be available! I'll have to search for this one! There are a lot of other free things, I saw scripting tools, building tools and much more.

It should come as no surprise that the builds are incredible! This is an exposition of the best of SL creativity! So, please make some time to visit. Use the map! Search for SL5B, you can then see where the lag will be the least. Its a great world in which to live our second lives!

How is this possible?

It was a great time!
And there have been no reports of pulled groin muscles!

Backyard Explorations

I spent part of last Sunday exploring our back yard. Specifically Info Island, Info International, Infotainment and Imagination Island. I was in search of the details that make our SL home seem so real. They are the personality items. The small touches that make a house a home. In doing so, I found some whole new rooms I had never explored before!

For example, the Castle of Dreams on Imagination! The Space Music building on Infotainment. There were others. Too many others. So, now and again this space will feature one of the delightful and perhaps unexplored places right in our own back yard.

I'm also going to try to cover more of the special collections and displays that abound in our neighborhood. Just this morning, Rocky Vallejo announced the opening of "Take your vacation in SL". With a clever twist on the price of gas, Rocky has collected landmarks of wonderful places in SL to visit. This can be found at the State Library of Kansas, Cybrary City II (36, 164, 22).

Are you wondering why I spend time looking for the delightfully small items added to enhance our SL experience? Well, its going to be something of a treasure hunt right in the back yard mentioned earlier. Participants will be given a texture of 20 images of some of these objects found in the four sims mentioned. The photo at right is an example. Then, off you go to find them! Prizes will be awarded for the most correct identifications, and of course dancing and merriment after the hunt concludes! Watch for the time and date, it will be during the coming week.

Happy day, my friends!

HJ

Dancing

Any Infomaniac will know that dancing is a popular activity in SL, probably only second to anything related to sex! As you travel around SL, take note of the number of dance floors you see; they seem to be set up on just about every flat surface. Why is that, I wonder? What is so fascinating about watching avatars perform scripted motions that resemble dances that makes it so popular? I mean, a search on Youtube for “secondlife dancing” gets you 1630 hits, for heaven’s sake! (I’ve included some links to Infomaniac dance videos at the end of this blog entry.)

I was prompted to ponder the above question when I saw the latest issue (June 2008) of Scientific American; on the cover was mention of an article “The Neuroscience of Dance”. Now I don’t know how many of you are going to find this interesting, but as it combines my interest in neuroscience (my undergraduate thesis was concerned with the neurophysiology of olfaction) and dancing (in SL, anyway), I had to read it. It starts off with the sentence “So natural is our capacity for rhythm that most of us take it for granted: when we hear music, we tap our feet to the beat or rock and sway, often unaware that we are even moving.” It sometimes seems that, in SL, we do something similar. Many of us are known to spontaneously start up a dance anim whenever a group of us gathers to chat, whether we’re near the Den or not. I won’t go into all the neurophysiological details, but there seem to be specific parts of the brain devoted to both dancing and watching dancing. Another part of the article explores why people dance in the first place (it’s possible role as an early form of language is one theory).

So why is dancing in SL so popular? It gives us something cool to do with our avatars while we chat? Possibly. It does give those of us with two left feet and three right ones the ability to at least approximate poetry and grace in motion without the social stigma attached to doing it badly in RL. It also gives those who are members of couples the ability to do something together that singles cannot do. It is very much a group activity for us Infomaniacs, that’s for sure. Does it define us as a group? Partially, I suspect; it’s also true that the group dancing in the Den is a signal to others that drop by that says “Here is a bunch of people who regularly get together to chat, have fun, and revel in each other’s company”. Here’s to the Den of Inquiry – may it live long, prosper and keep on dancing!

SL dance videos on Youtube:

• Denizens: Infomaniacs Keep Dancing
• Impromptu Party
• Joyful Dancing

plus a non-Infomaniac video

• Evolution of Second Life Dance