Berlusconi´s Europe

Hopefully we will soon see the last of this criminal. male-chauvinistic pig and scoundrel, albeit democratically elected, if his promises mean anything at all.

For more European maps from different ethnic points-of-views please visit the Bulgarian artist Yanko Tsvetskov´s site "Mapping Stereotypes Project. The Ultimate Bigot's Calendar of the World"

It´s Getting Cold Outside

Better cover up to protect the valuables!

I got this from a friend who thought it was better suited on my blog than on his own, and after laughing my ass off I totally agree with him!

Thanks to much, Apmel!

In SecondLife I use a huge sock for this, which I understand is the preferred way for the was majority of the "foreskinly" challenged American men to use for erhmmmm lets call it "self-satisfaction". That sock seems to pop up in every book I read, film I see and anything else where we can receive sociological knowledge about the habits of the current tribes in North America, the lacking of foreskin part at least.

I must say that to me the idea of using a sock seems scratchy and hurtful, but then I still have my foreskin so who am i to judge.

Rage Against Technology

I live with the not unreasonable expectation that every time I do a certain thing to a machine or with software programs I should and can expect the same results.

This expectation has more often than not been proven to be false, which absolutely stuns me every time. I think of myself as a human being with some emotional weaknesses but on the whole mostly rational. The fact that machines and software programs have the audacity to act up against me and take on a will of their own totally and completely pisses me off!

What has made the otherwise meek, happy-go-lucky and ever so humble Bock so angry you wonder? Well, this is what happened.

Yesterday I read about the new Linden Lab Beta Viewer 3.2 on Sven Idyll´s blog. He was very convincing so I uninstalled my Firestorm viewer, cleaned up my computer from anything SecondLife and downloaded and installed the new viewer.

I was totally enchanted by the exceptional usability of the new user interface and by the fact that my personal and group IM´s were vertically stacked (see picture).

It´s an awesome feature that prevents you from missing any IM´s and also keeps them collected in the same space instead of spreading out all over ones screen.

Well today I did the mistake of reading Sven Idylls blog again and seeing his praise for Starlight I decided to try that feature too. I shouldn't have done that! Because when I had installed the Starlight my vertically stacked IMs disappeared and seem to be lost forever.

In an effort to try to retrace my earlier steps I have uninstalled Starlight. uninstalled  Beta Viewer 3.2, cleaned up my computer completely from SecondLife, re-installed Firestorm and chosen the vertical tabs, uninstalled Firestorm, cleaned up my computer, re-installed Beta Viewer 3.2.

Nothing helps and my vertically stacked IM´s are gone and instead I end up with this (see picture).

Thinking about this I realize that I am mostly angry with myself. When the f**k will I learn not to mess with something that is good!

P.S. Finally I must emphasize that this was none of Sven´s doing he only got me excited when I read his blog. If I in any way have given you that impression I apologize to Sven Idyll!

I Think I Love it!

This is a photograph using "depth" instead of "color", cool huh?

After reading the Swedish blogger Sven Idyll´s posts about the new Beta Viewer 3.2. and seeing the short explanatory videos he has posted there Linden Labs new instruction videos for Viewer 3 I just couldn't contain myself and was eager to try out the new viewer.

I followed my own previously described routine about how to Install a Fresh Viewer and then downloaded the new one. I must say I fell for it immediately. You can move almost everything around anyway you want it to get the thingies exactly where you want them to be and with the shapes you desire.

Is it strange I love the guys and girls at Linden Lab as much as I do? These brilliant people have given me everything I can ask for in a viewer.

Love you guys, have a round of beer on me (but no more than 30 of you and you must include CEO Rodvik Linden/Rod Humble) and chairman of the Board Philip Linden. (Rodvik is almost catching up with my all time favorite CEO Philip with this stroke of genius.)

Sorry for being unfaithful to you guys there for a while, but I am back home in the fold with ya´ll now!

Imagine Peacefest -- November 11th-13th

Yikes this will be a busy weekend, with a three day peacefest, a bollywood party and I have a booking for playing Mah-Jong on Sunday...

Why can´t you people consult with the lairds secretary before making all these arrangements - don´t you realize the laird has a busy schedule?! ...but I will do my very best to get some of the action, I am of course most grateful for people who take the time and make the effort to entertain us all in our SecondLife!

Friday November 11
11-12pm: Opening Ceremonies at RAWA, Four Bridges
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Four%20Bridges%20Exhibit/55/74/641
12 – 1pm: Museum of Afghanistan Tour, Four Bridges
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Four%20Bridges%20Exhibit/245/210/25

1 – 2pm: Kueperpunk Kohonen, Comedy Cats Circus
2 – 3pm: Reis and Ald Alter, Cat’s Circus
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Ataria/124/94/21

5 – 6pm: Ga Go Gigamon! 7 Member Japanese band, Gwampa’s Castle
http://slurl.com/secondlife//61/180/1607

6 – 8pm: Unity Productions Imagine World Peace!
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Born/179/121/1229

Saturday November 12
7 – 8am: Direct Democracy Workshop, Four Bridges N
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Four%20Bridges%20North/40/40/2

8 – 9am: Universe is a Green Dragon, Imagine nest, Four Bridges
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Four%20Bridges%20North/138/115/999

9 – 10am: Art Exhibition with DJ Gary Kohime! New Caerleon
10 – 11am: Art Exhibition with DJ Gary Kohime! New Caerleon
http://slurl.com/secondlife/New%20Caerleon/72/194/22

11 – 12pm: Russell Eponym, Peace is a Choice
12 – 1pm: Blues Heron, Peace is a Choice
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Jaxipun/183/253/21

1pm Metaverse Art RL exhibition
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Benvolio/204/108/22
1.10pm The MANAX story
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Benvolio/231/49/24
1.30pm Emoticon
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Benvolio/124/150/2232
2pm SL TLC
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Benvolio/124/128/1000
2.45pm New VJazz Show
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Benvolio/69/204/91

3 – 4pm: IMAGINE PeaceFest Interview with Sandra Bérard of Cambodia READA w/ Peace Train’s Steve Mahaley
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Virtually%20Speaking/164/155/26

5 –9pm: Key West 3 hours of music
Max Kleene 5pm
Avantgarde Frequency 6pm
Gina Stella 7pm
Allister Westland 8pm
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Key%20West%20Island/95/95/29

9 – 10pm: Tour of RAWA Museum of Afghanistan
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Four%20Bridges%20Exhibit/55/74/641
10 – 11pm: Mankind Tracer, Rock Garden stage, Four Bridges
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Four%20Bridges%20North/102/201/2463

Sunday November 13
6 – 8am: Discussion with Dr. Andrew, SpeakEasy, Four Bridges
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Four%20Bridges%20Project/101/30/27

8 – 10am: A World Dance Party with images and art from around the world at Daft House Den and Carnival
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Angeleno%20Heights/29/141/41

11 – 12pm: Poetry – open mic
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Four%20Bridges%20Project/101/30/27

12 – 1pm: Pol Arida, singer / songwriter, and artwork by Second Renoir & Trill Zapatero, Solace Island
1 – 2pm: DRUM! Solace Island
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Solace%20Island/188/71/23

1 – 2pm: RAWA Boho Hobo Fashion Show
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Four%20Bridges%20Exhibit/31/27/55

2pm-3pm: Jana Kyomoon, The music ALL music Peace Park
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Isla%20Sonoita/228/30/1250

2pm-4pm RL event - Old Dominon University hosts IMAGINE PeaceFest Spoken Word night. Location: House of Blues at the Webb Center. Featuring:
Nita Hurt
Poetikk Justice
Neisha Purvis
Cassandra IsFree
Members from the Flowetic Movement Poetry Group

3pm- 4pm: Talk by Delia Lake
at Virtually Speaking

4pm-6pm: More than a Peace of Art Auction
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Angeleno%20Heights/29/141/41

6 – 7pm: Virtually Speaking Sundays with Avedon Carol and Sam Seder
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Virtually%20Speaking/164/155/26

7 – 8pm: Louis Volare
8 – 9pm: Cylindrian Rutabaga
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Four%20Bridges%20North/102/201/2463

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For updates and any programming changes of this immense event I suggest you visit my buddy Apmel Goosson´s blog "Min avatar heter Apmel"

For Eddi´s Eyes Only - UPDATED

My friend Eddi Haskell asked for a picture of Anton Hyséns thighs. I tried my best but this guy covers his legs well, so this is the best I could do. Enjoy, Eddi!

And here is the bigger picture I snipped it from for the rest of you to look at.

Young Anton´s father, renowned soccer player Glenn Hysén, wasn't as bashful when he was young as you can see in this picture! Glenn has been - and still is - a heartthrob for many women and men in Sweden the last 30 years. Big thanks to my friend Kandinsky for supplying me with this picture!

At the Stockholm Pride 2007, Glenn delivered a speech denouncing sports homophobia and laid to rest an incident at an airport in 2001 where he had beaten a man for groping him in the restroom. He stated that, "I know that many LGBT people have been the victims of assaults and hate crimes. I can therefore understand if some people have been upset by the airport incident, so I want to be clear: I think that it is completely unacceptable that anybody should be subjected to assaults, insults or hate crimes due to their sexual orientation or gender identity,...The incident had been blown out of proportion in the media...In order to finally flush the Frankfurt Airport punch down the toilet: it is not the case that I beat up a gay person. I categorically deny that,...I'm not proud that I took a swing at him, but I am proud that I have integrity and that I reacted."

In the same speech he asked "How easy would it be for a sixteen-year-old boy who plays football to come out as gay to his team mates?"  In March 2011 his younger son, Anton, a professional footballer himself, came out of the closet to the media.

P.S. Oh Eddi, Kandinsky wants me to inform you to ask her for pictures next time!

Named Avatars 5

I am very pleases to introduce you today to Sjöfn Stoneshield in my series on how we decided on the names for our avatars-

"My cousin, Vanadis Falconer, lured me into Second Life because she thought I needed a little break now and then from the work on my dissertation in psychology.

When I joined I needed a good first name. "Vanadis" was already taken by Vanadis. Since we are almost the same age and cousins, we have grown up with the folklore about the Norse gods Thor, Odin, Frigg and Freya. Now I had to think a little extra. 

We have an old tradition in Scandinavia; If you pick seven kinds of wild flowers from seven different fields in absolute silence on a midsummer night and then put the flowers under your pillow you will dream about your future husband or wife. In the pre-Christian era there was also a goddess named Sjöfn, sister of the goddess Freya, who was worshiped if you had love troubles. The goddess was revered by both men and women.

There was only one small problem with that first name. It was not possible to use the Swedish letters Å, Ä and Ö in Second Life at that time (A´s and O´s with circles or two dots above). The Swedish Ö (O with two dots) is pronounced as "I" in "bird". Should I spell my name "Sjifn"? Nah, it made no sense to other Scandinavians. Should I use the German "OE"? Nah, only Germans would understand that. So I just gave up and called myself Sjofn. 

Then it was time to choose the surname. One name sounded more ridiculous than the other, eventually I came to the "S" and Stoneshield. Sjofn Stoneshield that´s good, I thought. A shield of stone for a strong and independent woman - perfect!

One of the first things I did after joining Second Life was to write to Philip Linden and tell the boy that he should ensure that Swedish Å, Ä and Ö could be used in Second Life names. And because Philip is obviously a well-mannered and obedient boy, Second Life introduced Å, Ä and Ö in the next update. So now I have my dots over the o and Sjofn is now and for eternal time called "Sjöfn Stoneshield".

Ars go Fridars ("prosperity and good harvest" in Old Norse)
Sjöfn"

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If you would also like to participate in the series by sharing your reasons for choosing the name you have given your avatar, please send me an e-mail lundamats@gmail.com. Please include a picture of your avatar.

I may take some editorial liberties with your text and picture, such as correcting obvious misspellings in the US English and perhaps shortening. However I promise that I will not distort any facts and that I will contact you if the changes are of a major nature (or if I have reason to believe that you would think so).