At the Mercy of Rules

After spending the whole of yesterday in bed with one of the damnedest headaches ever, I am up and about again and preparing myself to go shopping inworld and then go to a membership meeting of Second Pride.

I see the need for rules of order within societies and associations, so that every members right to equal participation in orderly meetings are protected and that business can be conducted harmoniously and in a way that protects the interests of the membership.

Since coming to SecondLife I have participated in quiet a few meetings because, as I have told +Guyke Lundquist, I see the need for and the importance of democratic meetings and I also know the game so I might as well suffer for it.

However, the thing that has struck me most is some of the participants eagerness to preoccupy themselves with discussing procedural rules instead of focusing on the substance of the issues at hand. I love order, but it should never get in the way of efficient and democratic decision-making where the participants are allowed to focus on issues. It is especially exasperating when the different factions try to knock each other unconscious with various editions and versions of "The Robert´s Rules of Order".

In short, today I am hoping that an objection on a point of order - whether a motion has been duly "seconded" or not - is not made after 45 minutes of discussion of an issue. If that happens I will most likely start jumping on that stupid avatar if someone doesn't hold me back.

The Case for Mammy/Daddy Marriage

(via +Joe Jervis at J.M.G.)

Irony is a great tool!

Support Ticket #01587329 XI (Updated)

This evening I had an email from the sweet Theresa Linden waiting for me when I got home from work.

"A comment has been added to your Case..

Case: 01587329
Avatar: Bock McMillan
Type: Other Inworld Issues
Status: Information Requested
Hi Bock,

That is pretty cool info! I have just sent Alexa an email for you :)

Please let me know how it goes with the bandwidth test!

All the best,
Theresa Linden

To reply to this case, either Reply to this email, or visit : https://secondlife.com/my/support/?caseID=01587329

(To view the Case online, you will need to log into Secondlife.com with this Avatar: Bock McMillan)

---

I sent Theresa this answer

"Dear Theresa,

Thank you very much for greeting Alexa from me!

As far as the bandwidth tests go, I am cautiously optimistic but would like to do some further tests this weekend. Among other things I am planning a shopping tour to some of the lagiest shops I know in SecondLife. 

I will get back to you with a full report of the full results of the testing on Sunday. However, the tests I have conducted so far with extremely helpful and patient friends are very encouraging and positive since I reduced the bandwidth to 500.

Have a wonderful weekend and keep your fingers crossed for me.
Bock"
---

Update
A little later I received the following response.

"A comment has been added to your Case..

Case: 01587329
Avatar: Bock McMillan
Type: Other Inworld Issues
Status: Information Requested
Hello Bock!

I have my fingers crossed for you! Either way, have a good weekend no matter what and we will talk soon :)

Theresa Linden

To reply to this case, either Reply to this email, or visit : https://secondlife.com/my/support/?caseID=01587329

(To view the Case online, you will need to log into Secondlife.com with this Avatar: Bock McMillan)"

Gone Fishing

Well, the post title is in a sense a damned lie, but I have checked out of my SecondLife for the day. My brain is running overtime from all the necessary tests to regain and maintain my virtual life. I am also suffering from information overload concerning the questions of life and love in first life and SecondLife.

I am doing fine and feel strong, so it´s just a short break. I will be back to get my SecondLife in order tomorrow again after which I will hopefully be able to send a cautiously optimistic report to my tech-support Theresa Linden before the weekend.

See you tomorrow, I and The Much Honored Bock McMillan, laird of Southern Charm and prince of Cascade  Falls, will then attempt the crucial tests on which the whole of SecondLife´s future economy rest. We are going s-h-o-p-p-i-n-g for the first time in almost three months. 

Something Old, Something New...

Before I go back to my playing with myself and test if Bock may finally be over the problems we have had lately I would like to take a moment to honor two SecondLife blogs and their bloggers.

The first one is the oldest Swedish SecondLife blog, My Avatar´s Name Is Apmel, which is owned and operated by my bosom buddy Apmel Goosson & alts (in his first life also known as +Lennart Nilsson)..

Today the blog celebrates it´s sixth blogoversary and having reached 5,000 posts. The number of pageviews should be close to 700,000 by now as the blog reached the 600,000 mark on March 26, 2011.

My Avatar´s Name Is Apmel has previously been honored by The Bock McMillan Art Foundation´s (a part of the BMcM Corporation) lifetime achievement award on March 26, 2011, read why here SecondLife Culture Blog Honored.

I for one am looking forward to following Apmel and alts on their adventures in SecondLife the next six years also, It is - and will remain - an obligation for every SecondLife blogger to read what Apmel has to say about our life and times.

On the other end of the scale I also wish to congratulate my friend Benja Aquila, who started blogging just recently, on hos blog Benja Aquila´s Second Life. The blog passed it´s first 5,000 pageviews yesterday!

Congratulations to both the blog and the blogger, I am so looking forward to still be a faithful follower when you pass 500,000 pageviews!

Could It Possibly Be...?

I am saying nothing yet, not until I have slept on it and tested it again...

But please, please, keep your fingers crossed...

Support Ticket #01587329 X

Illustration from EPKhosting.com

During the past night I received two emails from my dear Theresa Linden.

The first one was sent at 00:31 CET (3:31 PM SLT).

"A comment has been added to your Case..

Case: 01587329
Avatar: Bock McMillan
Type: Other Inworld Issues
Status: Information Requested

Hi Bock,

You and I work well together as a team. I have to say, you are one of the most helpful SL cases I have ever come across! I only wish I could resolve this for you once and for all, but since I was not able to replicate this issue as your avatar inworld it is hard. I was thinking about having a developer look at this issue through a Jira case, but if like me if they can't replicate these issues, then I don't know how much more help we can be.

Is there any way to see if your ISP can run a check on your connection? Is there a friend's computer that can be tried to see if you are able to replicate the issues from that same connection, different computer?

Thanks Bock, let me know...

Theresa Linden
Second Life Support

To reply to this case, either Reply to this email, or visit : https://secondlife.com/my/support/?caseID=01587329

(To view the Case online, you will need to log into Secondlife.com with this Avatar: Bock McMillan)

The second one was sent at 02:18 CET (5.18 PM SLT).

"A comment has been added to your Case..

Case: 01587329
Avatar: Bock McMillan
Type: Other Inworld Issues
Status: Information Requested

Bock,

Good news! Someone filed a Jira on this issue today, and I have discovered now two other residents who have this issue now. You may not be able to see the Jira, but here it is: https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/BUG-1343. If you are not able to see or post to it, please let me know. This is what a developer had to say about this issue without having a bunch of details of the users specs:

Alexa Linden added a comment - 14/Jan/13 1:26 PM
The symptoms suggests this is related to packet loss in your network/internet connection: If you are on a wireless connection, try a wired connection to see if it solves your problem. Reduce/lower the bandwidth setting in Edit -> Preferences -> Network 

Could we try this last part and see what happens? Reduce/lower the bandwidth setting in Edit -> Preferences -> Network. If this does not help the situation, let me know, and we will need to update your info to this Jira. 

Thanks Bock,

Theresa Linden

To reply to this case, either Reply to this email, or visit : https://secondlife.com/my/support/?caseID=01587329

(To view the Case online, you will need to log into Secondlife.com with this Avatar: Bock McMillan)"

I sent this response to my dear friend Theresa when I had read her messages.

"Hello again Theresa,

I was not permitted to read the Jira or post to it. However Alexa Linden is an old acquaintance of mine. We have met on several occasions in-world and her first life husband with the SL name Taco Rubio is an old friend of mine. The three of us have usually met at the Swedish Lucia celebrations on December 13 at the Swedish Embassy in SL because Taco has been a member of the traditional pageant since its first time in SL. Unfortunately the pageant was cancelled 2012 and the Swedish Embassy was shut down on January 1st 2013 so 2011 was the last Lucia Pageant on the Swedish Embassy sim.

If you should happen to run into Alexa, please convey my greetings to both her and to my dear friend Taco.

I am hardwired and have my bandwidth set to 1500 on my SL-viewer at the moment. When I get in-world I will reduce it to 1000 and we shall see what happens. However, throughout the time when I have had these problems I have from time to time checked the performance thingy (the one under Lag Meter) and I have especially looked at the packet loss - I don´t know why really, maybe it was something someone told me - but I could never see that happening. All the same I will do as you ask me to and reduce to 1000 at first, and then try even lower bandwidth if that doesn´t help. I will tell you how it works out a.s.a.p.

On your questions in the previous email today I would like to say, that of course I could ask my ISP to run a check on my connection if I only knew what to ask them to check for. As far as trying on another computer, I will ask around and see if I can get to use a friends computer for an experiment. I will get back to you a.s.a.p. on this also.

From my point of view Theresa, you have been extremely helpful, kind and it has been a great pleasure to work with you. Then again I have always been exceptionally well treated whenever I have been in contact with customer support at Linden Lab. Alas the two I had most contact with Belinda Linden and Keira Linden have both left, Belinda during the terrible layoffs by M Linden and Keira later for unknown reasons.

Of course I hope we will - and still believe we can - resolve the problems I am having but even if we shouldn´t I am convinced that you have done everything possible from your end to sort it out and that they have nothing to do with the viewer or SecondLife itself. The rest will be up to me.

I hope to be able to get back to you soon, Theresa!

Bock"