The ducks have settled in just fine on Taylor Bay, however, a third duck seems to have migrated here. She claims to be from Edloe and wants refugee status because the previous owner kept reading duck recipes! I've offered her protection of course. Just nobody tell the Robot eh?
It's been a 3 month project to get Drama Dolls going and the work is not done yet. However, my inventory is a complete mess and I needed to take a break just to slowly organize it. So I thought I'd go to a little grass shack on the beach I know - one with palm trees and the soothing sounds of gentle waves. An inworld vacation if you will. However, when I got there ............
Honestly, Wrath you could warn a person you know!
I decided that it doesn't make any sense for me to rent 1/4 of Woodbridge when I spend all my time fussing with Taylor Bay. So I am leaving the 5 Islands (which are really 9 islands, it has something to do with new math). I've loved having my castle here - it's a stress free/hassle free place with a reasonable level of insanity within a decent proximity mixed with some really cool creative builds. However, it's time to leave.
If you're looking for a great piece of land to rent then I strongly recommend that you visit Woodbridge and contact Dedric Mauriac, a true gentleman and a scholar. :)
I did leave one reminder on a neighbour's parcel. Now to figure out how to fit a Steampunk Castle into a skybox. :)
I won't bore you with the lengthy and complicated process I went through to create the long and short video demos of the Kajira doll. I will say that, after 4 days, the combination of AutoScreen , WindowsMovieMaker and the ImToo Mpeg Encoder worked for me.
Once I had the shorter video on Youtube I then had to make it work inworld. Gack! I followed every instruction a gazillion times. Cris tried a few twenty dozen times. Although the unnatural and uncomfortable positions I put myself in were, no doubt, entertaining to any passing voyeurs - we were not successful.
Finally I decided to seek out one of those tv's that stream youtube videos inworld. I don't know what magic they have that isn't included in the instructions for the rest of us but they work. I bought one and set it up in the store, carved out a small parcel around it and restricted sound to that area. Now this shorter video plays for anybody who comes in. I'm seriously exhausted - although I haven't done much but sit at this desk all week. :)
This is the shorter video demo which (I hope) is available at Drama Dolls.
It's too long I think. But, considering the handstands, backflips and summersaults I had to perform to produce this video ..... well I'll live with it until I can produce a better one. :)
This is to be available in the Drama Dolls store to answer the most frequent question asked - "how do the dolls work?".
Have you been dissed in SecondLife? Had a lover cheat on you? Or maybe a perfect stranger held you up to public ridicule by posting your photo on a blog and making fun of your hair/skin/shape or clothes?
Well now you have an alternative to stalking behaviour or public scenes. You can have your pain acknowledged by the perpetrator and, most importantly, get a heartfelt apology.
Drama Dolls are animated and interactive! Give the doll the name of the person you wish to confront, tell them how you feel and sneer at their responses. Then when you have fully expressed the pain you have experienced, get an apology which clearly explains how they were in the wrong. Once the apology is complete the evil one receives their just reward.
There are many types of dolls available. For example, the above photo includes a Slebrity, Vampires and the dreaded Fuginistas (the Fuginisto is coming, he's still getting dressed). There are also Bloggers, Elves, Neko's, regular SL Men and Women and more. The range of dolls is extensive, although not yet exhaustive, but more will be added on an ongoing basis.
We have attempted to capture the essence of the various genres within SecondLife and Cris Lefavre has animated them in ways appropriate to their character.
There are two basic He and She Dolls. The next level up in terms of animations and dialogue are the wooden dolls, followed by the porcelain dolls.
The elite dolls are, of course, the Royals. The Drama Queens, Drama Kings and the Homosexual Theater Performance Monarchs (HTPM for short - and thank you to Raul Crimson for their title). Because Drama knows no boundaries, all of the dolls will converse in ten languages: English, French, German, Dutch, Norwegian, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian and Japanese.
There is also a positive side to drama - to assist you in that area we have the Doll Cozies.
Both of the Cozies deliver your message to your friend/lover/partner/spouse with a heartfelt hug. The doll with a posie in its hand also gives you a little extra in the way of animation and a pot of matching flowers.
Come and see how Drama Dolls can help you get through all of the various emotional ups and downs of SecondLife.
Whatever the result, however the new products are received, the process has been well worth the head scratching, pacing, muttering and hair pulling. Not just because of the slow crawl up the learning curve. The best part, of course, was the people who helped me make this project actually proceed and (with any luck) succeed. I want to take this opportunity to say a few things before the big launch announcement.
First of all, thank you to Dale Innis who said "this looks like a career" and made me really think about the size of the project and what it was going to take to make it work.
Thank you also to Wrath Paine and Jon Ree who both said "This looks really great! But what do I know.". They are both such "guys" and I love them for it. :)
Thank you to Crap Mariner who did not "crap" all over the newborn idea. That meant a lot!
Thank you to Raul Crimson who helped me solve a problem I was having giving something a name. Seriously, HTPM will remain an acronym in my vocabulary for the rest of my life!
A huge thank you to Peter Stindberg and Babel Translation (currently celebrating their second anniversary)! This is a highly interactive product and it made no sense for it to only work in English. Peter and his team have made it possible for the items to work in French, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Portugese, Russian and Japanese.
When you need a translator you are at their mercy - you have to just assume that they know what they're doing. All of the feedback I've gotten, from those who have seen bits and pieces, is that the work of the Babel translators is superb. I am thrilled that they had my back on this! Any errors, ommissions or mistakes are mine alone.
A dozen x dozen thank you's go to Cris Lefavre. When I started this project I had two scripters in mind. One was too busy to even contemplate the size of the workload. The other chose that precise time to realize that real life really required some attention if he was actually going to finish his degree. sigh
One day I was building one of the items and Cris called - I invited him over to see what I was doing. Not only did he "get" it, he loved it. And, although I didn't realize it until that moment, he scripts.
Working with Cris on these items has been a joy. It's not been the traditional "you give me detailed specs and that's what I'll build" working process. It has been a truly collaborative effort - and many of the best things about these products were his idea and his creation. (He also translated everything into Norwegian so the new product works in a total of 10 languages!) The fact that he has the patience to deal with #*&$#%&* script is just one of his amazing qualities. Of course, putting up with my im's starting with the phrase "I've had this idea" is another one. :) I think Cris and I make a great team and I've enjoyed every minute working with him and I look forward to us exploring all the ideas we haven't had time for yet! Once we get some sleep! :) any errors, ommissions or mistakes in the items are mine.
Finally, I want to thank Ahuva Heliosense. She was there at the beginning when I got the idea for this marathon and she was there all of the way through. Everybody needs a cheerleader - I certainly do - and she is the best! The fact that I made it through the past three months is due in large part to her encouragement and enthusiasm!
Watch this space on Wednesday July 1 for the big launch announcement. But in the meantime put that date in your calendar. To celebrate the fact that we got it done, the brilliant blues man Von Johin will be giving two concerts on Taylor Bay. The first from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm SLT so that my friends in Europe can attend. The second from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm which might be a better time for many others.
And even if you think the new products are a complete yawn, or that the fact that I spent 3 months trying to get this done is uninteresting, well July 1st is Canada Day. And that's the only reason anybody needs to party! See you then! :)
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