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Prototyping the perfect hoverbike

Someone approached me in Second Life the other day and was astounded that I’d been in SL since 2003. “Whoah, the oldest person I’d met until now was from 2005!” What keeps me in the metaverse year after year? In SL I can create anything I can imagine.

A motorcycle grip sculpted in Wings3D

In the past week, for example, I’ve been prototyping the next-generation Terra hoverbike. This means playing ideas and themes, sculpting shapes in Wings3D, and realizing the creation in three dimensions in Second Life. From there, all I have to do is drop in one of my scripts and I have a fully functional vehicle.

This latest hoverbike is a prototype of a racing bike, destined for a racing sim. It’s a first draft, to be revised and improved upon, but I’m happy with the direction it’s taking.

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It hovers, it’s a bike, but… what to call it

For the last little while, I’ve spent some time playing with shapes in Wings3D, a mesh sculpting tool. It’s easier to learn than Blender, whose UI looks like it was vomited by a team of drunk chimps, but it’s still a little tricky. Despite a few setback, the results are encouraging.

My first mostly-sculpted vehicle is this hover bike — an early prototype now, but in time it should eventually evolve into something that I’ll sell. And why would a hover bike need shock absorbers? To absorb all those hovershocks, of course.

So when I do eventually sell it, what do I call it? I already have a Terra Hoverbike and a Terra Skybike. I think I’m running out of names.

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Back at work

Nose to the grindstone, shoulder to the wheel, and other uncomfortable positions: I’m back in Second Life and wading through hundreds of waiting messages. If you messaged me in the last week, please be patient as I work through them all.

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Run away! Run away!

I’ve decided to run away from Second Life for a week for some R & R someplace warm — a place where I can lie on a beach and drink things out of coconuts all day. I’ve settled on Winnipeg as my destination. That’s tropical, right?

If you need any help with your aircraft or skydiving equipment while I’m away, just leave a detailed message by IM in Second Life. Messages are forwarded to my email, so I’ll take care of them when I’m back.

Now where’s my sunscreen? I hope I don’t get all sunburned on those toasty Winnipeg beaches.

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Clogged intertubes keep SL offline

According to the official Second Life blog, a problem at their ISP has forced them to take Second Life offline “until further notice”. Further notices have been posted already, but they’re pretty much the same as the previous notices: SL is borked, come back later.

As US senator Ted Stevens pointed out a couple of years ago, the Internet is in fact a series of tubes. I’m no expert, but I think a really long plumber’s snake would probably clear the problem right up. See, whenever someone’s hair goes missing from their inventory, it just ends up clogging the tubes.