Schadenfreude

Schadenfreude is by Wikipedia defined as the "pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others. (...) It is the feeling of joy or pleasure when one sees another fail or suffer misfortune." 

In Swedish we even have a cynical proverb that goes "schadenfreude is the only true joy".

The reason I thought of this word and the Swedish expression was that I got an offline message from SecondLife in my email today. The message was from a person that I have considered a friend for the last three years, but the message and the glee in it made me wonder if the friendship is perhaps only one-sided.

My friend tells me in his message that he "supposes that (I) know what (my) choice for Second Pride (chairperson) has done?" 

He is of course referring to the recent rumors circulating in the gay section of SecondLife, especially those of us in some way affiliated to Second Pride. The rumors make the following claims:

1. Three of the Folsom-sims have been shut down recently by Linden Lab due to unpaid tier. The three sims belonged to Damian Tar, the chairperson of Second Pride.

2. Damian Tar has been collecting tier from those living on the sims during the last months, but has still failed to in turn pay tier to Linden Lab.

3. Damian Tar, who has previously claimed to be sick in pneumonia, is now believed to be abroad and is therefor not available to comment or speak up for himself in this matter.

To my friend and everyone else, I would like to say the following. I am not going to pass judgement on Damian Tar without hearing what he has to say in his defence. Admittedly, the accusations are serious and I am not at all sure any explanations will clarify things enough to remove doubts concerning his suitability to remain as chairman of Second Pride. Nonetheless, I am anxiously waiting to hear what he may have to say in this matter, if and when he returns.

So as to alleviate any doubts on why I supported Damian Tar in the election of chairperson for Second Pride let me say this. Yes its true, Damian was by no means an ideal candidate. However, truth be told, given the choice between the two available candidates for chairperson in the election I had no other option but to support Damian Tar. I have had no reason to regret my choice in anyway whatsoever. Up until this latest development I also truly believe that Damian has handled himself as well as could be expected in the difficult circumstances.

No Quorum - Again

I and many other members attended the announced Second Pride Board meeting yesterday at 11AM SLT. Due to the absence of too many elected board members no quorum could be reached and the board meeting had to be rescheduled for November 6, 2013, at 7PM SLT.

4 of 9 directors are present, no quorum is reached in the meeting hall decorated for Halloween.
The directors are seated in front of the skeletons of their predecessors. 

This was the second time in a row that a meeting had to be cancelled because of lack of quorum. which is all the more regrettable as there are some important matters to be reviewed and decided on by the board. First of all there is a presentation of the audit report of last quarters treasurer report, then there is also the assignment of a committee to review the bylaws of Second Pride and, finally, a long overdue decision needs to be taken on the problem of the missing Marketing Director.

As you all may remember Tylo Mabellon was elected to the post of Marketing Director in the elections. However, as I understand it, Tylo has not been seen or heard from since the new board was installed, which means that he has missed many meetings without any notification to the board. 

The fact that Tylo is permanently missing is one of the reasons that it is difficult to get a quorum of the board, as the bylaws require that at least half of the elected members plus one are present to achieve quorum. Another reason is that so few of the directors have chosen to appoint a co-director, who can stand in for the director when he/she cannot attend, or made use of the possibility to appoint a substitute in their place when they cannot be present. A third reason is that some directors simply stay away without giving any reason for their absence whatsoever. 

Of course I can - and must - understand that first life work and other similar obligations must sometimes take priority, but our elected officials have a duty to see to it that the board can continue to function efficiently despite such obstacles. It's time to get our house in order, men and Marge of the Second Pride board! Let's have no more meetings postponed due to no quorum and get on with the necessary business at hand.

Movember Photo Shoot

I got a request relayed through my friend Kahvy Sands that I must share with you.

All you guys out there! Kimly is looking for you!

MOVEMBER is an annual, month-long event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of prostate cancer and other male cancers.  I am looking for 20 men, who want to participate in the Kimly Crystal Visions Movember photoshoot. Please spread the word and let Kimly Crystal know if you're interested. Participation is Free of charge, no nudity, Mustache can be photoshopped in if you don't have one.

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So what are you waiting for men? 

I am going to contact Kimly a.s.a.p. and you should too. Of course, unlike some of you young men, I will not need to have a mustache photoshopped in.

So you will know what it will look like, here is an example of Kimly's shoot for Breast Cancer Awareness last month. I would say that it looks like we get to take our shirts off...

Deliverance

After working hard to block out all the silly games my contacts on Facebook play - and all the invitations to join - I have finally reached this state of deliverance.

I must have been successful in - temporarily I am sure - blocking out all games known to Facebook.

Metronomic Oscillation Harmony

"If you place 32 metronomes on a static object and set them rocking out of phase with one another, they will remain that way indefinitely. Place them on a moveable surface, however, and something very interesting (and very mesmerizing) happens.

The metronomes in this video fall into the latter camp. Energy from the motion of one ticking metronome can affect the motion of every metronome around it, while the motion of every other metronome affects the motion of our original metronome right back. All this inter-metronome "communication" is facilitated by the board, which serves as an energetic intermediary between all the metronomes that rest upon its surface. The metronomes in this video (which are really just pendulums, or, if you want to get really technical, oscillators) are said to be "coupled."

The math and physics surrounding coupled oscillators are actually relevant to a variety of scientific phenomena, including the transfer of sound and thermal conductivity. For a much more detailed explanation of how this works, and how to try it for yourself, check out this excellent video by condensed matter physicist Adam Milcovich."

From io9.com

Judas - Skyfall

Here's another video gift from my friend Craig/Atreyu/Judas that I want to share with you all. Enjoy!

Dealing With Backlog

I am drowning in post-it stickers and paper stacks at work at the moment.

The situation has changed drastically over just a few months, due to two experienced lawyers leaving and being replaced by two less experienced lawyers. Simultaneously there has been an increase in the workload. My forced attendance at the Polish conference last week did not help either, although it was pleasant to get away and think of and worry about the work instead of doing it.

All we can do at the moment is prioritize and handle the emergency cases with deadlines, put in long hours at work and try to charm the disgruntled clients, who of course always believe that their problem (or sometimes even nonexistent problem) should be our top priority.

We support each other as well as we can in the workgroup and seem to make an impact on the piles by our joint efforts. Hopefully we will be getting to the lower prioritized stuff by the end of next week.

This means that I am almost braindead when I get home, so I am no good company. However, I am going to try and log in a little tonight and make good time for my friends in SecondLife during the weekend. I need the rest otherwise I will go crazy.