This is the 14th in a series of interviews that are being conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

I ran into TaraKiss completely by accident in the Dublin Sim. She came looking for fun in Second Life, and with the expectation of it copupled with this attitude she has succeeded in finding it.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, in conjunction with the Illusion Factory and Bullpen Advertising, is holding an event from June 10th to the 17th called the MS Fly, which will be a multi-sim scavenger hunt in which users don a cape which grants them greater flying ability than normal.

Sponsors Scion and movietickets.com help bring this event to SL, which will help bring more awareness to the horrors of MS, a debilitating disease that affects the body's ability to move. On the MS Fly tour will be such noteworthy builds as Svarga, Dublin Island, and the International Space Station, among others. You can register for the event at themsfly.org right up until the 17th.

Let's hope the sim crossings don't interfere with the flights too badly!

(Via prnewswire.com)

In-world momentum, a Munich-based agency, has begun work on recreating RL Munich in SL, including popular tourist attractions such as the Marienplatz, the Viktualienmarkt, and the Frauenkirche. Running costs are expected to be subsidized by the rentals of storefronts and apartments, and plans are hatching to create a sister-city arrangement with Dublin SL.

Interestingly, you'll be able to watch the progress of this sim at the München in Second Life website, run by in-world momentum, which also states that they'll be using sculpted prims to build the area. However, SL isn't quite ready for the sculpted prim ... is it?

(Thanks, Maria!)

This is the thirty-second in a series of mini-interviews with the residents of Second Life. For the most part, I'll try to leave the responses unedited, except where editing will grant greater clarity.

Ancora Quintus made her way into my heart mere seconds after I met her, by telling me that she reads SLI all the time. And, though her Snapshot answers below don't mention it, she's involved with the Kuurian Expedition, giving her instant street cred. Good to have met you, Ancora, and I look forward to talking with you further!

Your SL name:
Ancora Quintus

How did you first come to SL?:
I saw the Business Week article and flipped out. My current computer couldn't handle SL and I was bound
for film school (for yet another degree) and needing a lot of heavy duty computer hardware, so here I am.

How did you choose your name?:
I liked the Latin last name. My first name comes from Michelangelo 's phrase, "Ancora Imparo" which means,
"I am still learning." So, as if there wasn't enough to learn in RL, I took on another life.

What's your favorite thing about SL?:
The learning opportunities, the creative opportunities, the freedom, the spirit of all of those smart people and the potential. And of course, my wings.

What do you like least about SL?:
Griefers, the fact that people in RL look at me like I'm crazy when I talk about it, and that it isn't like the Holodeck on Star Trek ... yet.

Favorite hangout/store?:
Love the Blarney Stone. Never get pestered there. Great people. I like to ride my motorcycle on the streets of
Dublin.

Name one new feature you'd like to see added to SL:
I want a motion capture suit that I can plug into my computer so my avatar can mimic my movements.

Shout outs:
The Blarney Stone, Brad Niven, Grizzy Grizzwold, Doug Latrell, Frank Koolhaas, Joshua Perenti, Douglas Story, Skye Lewellen, and Farblestans Alva! You guys make SL rock!