SLCC Wrap Up!

Paisley, Talks to Philip and M Linden in PERSON and SecondLife simultaneously!, originally uploaded by SuperDave-in-SL.

I’m just back from SLCC in San Francisco, and it is a trip that will stay with me for ever! My first trip O.S for 12 years, which is the age of my eldest son, figure that out…I loved everything about San Francisco, the Jazz which was everywhere, the cafe’s the restaurants the bars the ferries the trams! the shops and the people.

Highlights for me were meeting so many wonderfull people! both new friends and old. Jams with other Musicians, impromptu gigs, sight seeing, and the kindness of people I’d only barely met in SL, Pato Milo being one of them. Pato and I hadn’t played together at all in SL, and yet at all times I felt like we were old partners, Pato also showed me his S.F and was delightful company and so generous in his time spent with me. Also spending time with Yxes Delacroix was so much fun! we hadn’t met in RL before, we shopped and chatted and ate and drank together! swapping our observances and just getting to know each other better.  Byers Sellars is a scream who knew he was sooo funny! Our Song together was another huge buzz and a personal highlight for me! ArminasX Saiman was a dream boat! one of those who’s RL Avatar is so much more attractive than his SL Avatar, and such wonderfull company also. So many others I spent time with each of whom I connected in a more meaningful way than has ever been possible just on SL.

There were many posts blogged, and tweets ridiculing SLCC09 attendants for “having to connect in RL” to somehow fulfill connections ect.. wasting our money on badly organized convention that was poorly attended…ect…and you know what! none of us cared about any of that crap! we were too busy having fun! and by fun I mean both away from the convention and at it. It was, what you made of it. Some attended many of the tracks others barely showed up for any. For me, I just had a ball meeting people who I did not have to explain in anyway, (only twice anyway, one was a Linden the other was someone from education) what I did! and not feel foolish, as I do so often in RL with non-SLfers. I don’t know what all this talk was about rampant sex ect…I think that was just wishful thinking…no one I saw threw-up or made a fool of themselves that I could see, the drinking and debauchery often written about at SLCC was not the focus! at least not until after a respectable hour. (maybe I went to the wrong parties..) Personally, I was too busy laughing and singing and talking to even find time to drink or eat! so yes I was one of the sober ones who can remember everything! To the people who thought I was “3 sheets to the wind” during the Musicians ball cause I waved madly in front of the camera…nah sorry hadn’t had a drop I was just so over the top exited and Im a naturally silly person I don’t drink before I sing.

Of course one of the very exiting things was meeting Philip and M Linden at Linden Labs and interviewing both of them. Watch It Here!

My impressions of both of them were unexpected. Both seemed very friendly and down to earth. Phillip is as you would expect, a very handsome smart man, the antithesis of what most nerdy looser SLfers are portrayed in the tabloids go figure, and M is a surprisingly creative guy with a wicked sense of humor. they both have a very warm and friendly disposition towards each other, I would have said they were more like brothers than colleagues, lots of private little jokes going on between them and knowing looks.

At one stage they were so busy sharing something Phil thought was cool on his laptop, I nearly rapped on the table top like a school marm for them to pay attention, I guess they had both done so many interviews its all ho-hum for them but having said that, they were both very professional in their demeanor and attention when it mattered. Video and RL Pics were taken during the interview, and Treet will be putting together a version of this interview with some inserts of the video taken so you can see the RL set up. Technically the entire interview went like clockwork, thanks to Treet.tv’s Starr Sonic and Yxes Delacroix who were with me in RL setting it up. It was the first time we have ever done a RL round table interview streamed in Real time into SL and video’d at the same time. But now we have done it, we all feel it would be a snack to do it again.

The funny thing I noticed is they were both on Macs…old…macs..and I know the entire office is on PC mostly.Philip was looking over at my new mac book pro, and was surprised that it ran SL so well…I wonder if they will run out and upgrade…I would! the studio walls weren’t rezzing for them until I made them lower their graphics settings…

The Linden Labs office is really messy! they were full up with people, with Lindens from out of town, here for SLCC and a recent intake of new Lindens. Its a very quiet office, and quite funky as you would expect, but not lavish or anything…looks a bit like some dorm room sorta,and they are all jammed in together…

Every one I met there was very helpful and welcoming and nice. The Lab is in a very nice part of town, near the Ferry Building and near the long steps going up to Telegraph hill that I never got to go to…

I was so exited after doing that interview, it was so intense that I felt like I’d just done an amazing gig! The combination of doing the interview in such a new way, and interviewing two people of that caliber who had been interviewed so many times before, made it quite exhilarating. I hope I asked some questions that were a little bit different, and showed a different side to these two interesting people.

So would I go back again? you bet! I’d love to take my family to S.F its such a wonderfull town if you love art, Music, Food and even Science! and really great weather!

If you ever get a chance to go to a SLCC I highly recommend it, I think even the most cynical person would find a lot to get from it. Its not about validation its just about…..hmmm its like a private club that only SL’frs can “get” you ‘get” each other, no one cares what you look like in RL, everyone was accepted on who they are inside, and what they contribute. There was so much respect for everyone no matter who they are in RL or SL, I liked that

I hope you enjoy the interview.

Paisley