Nineteen Years Ago ...

 

 It was nineteen years ago yesterday, December 17, 2006, in which I went to a place online one of my Internet friends had been bragging about. For some time, she had been talking about the fun she had on Second Life, showing some pictures of her appearance there. So when I finally got high-speed Internet, I would check out two places online, World of Warcraft and Second Life. 

 

These days, I hardly ever go about Warcraft. But after nineteen years I still get on almost every day. Much has changed. It's owner Linden Lab has gone through a number of CEOs and being bought up. It's gone through a number of developments such as mesh and PBR. It's long past what's considered it's golden age when it was shiny and new. A whole generation has passed, people leaving from losing interest or dying, and new people getting on. But Second Life is still here and continuing to thrive. 

 

It's become my main audience as a writer. But I still continue enjoying the places I see, the events I come across, and of course there's the people I meet.  There really isn't a reason to stop. 

 

So baring some unforseen disaster, I'll still be coming on, and writing about, this wacky but wonderful virtual world.  

To read more about my first days, check out my 2021 article.

Bixyl Shuftan.  

Eighteen Years ago ...

 

My avatar would be considered old enough to vote, and legally a mature man in real life.

 

It was eighteen years ago today, in which yours truly first came to this virtual world, December 17, 2006. I had only recently gotten high-speed Internet, finally getting off the old "dial-up" telephone modem. So I was free to check out two places online my friends were talking about: World of Warcraft and Second Life. 

Today, World of Warcraft has become more or less a happy memory to me, still around but no longer the king of MMOs that it used to be. But Second Life is still very much around and I'm still very much going. As any parent can tell you, a LOT can happen in eighteen years, and it has. A year later, I had a number of friends and found my purpose here: online journalism. And over time, my path has taken me to a few communities, many friends, and a couple years ago a loving SL wife. Second Life has also changed much, going through a number of CEOs and being bought up, going from prim building to mesh and then other forms of mesh, the Lindens went from involved with the residents to hardly involved to somewhat involved again. Corporations and celebrities would take an interest early on, but then began to leave. Over time, the residents would change as well, new ones coming in constantly, and older ones leaving due to real life or dying. 

So what does the future hold? Baring a catastrophe of some kind, Second Life will be around for years to come. And me, baring an accident or some other medical emergency, I'll continue to be around for a few years more. But retirement is several years away, and once that happens I'll have my physical and financial health to think about. But that's in the future. In the meantime, I'll still be coming on to support my friends and SL family, and write about this virtual world.

 

To read more about my first days, check out my 2021 article.

Bixyl Shuftan.  

Seventeen Years Ago ...

 

On the evening of December 17, 2006, yours truly first came to this virtual world. I had just gotten a cable modem, and was finally able to leave the slow "dial-up" behind, So I went to check out two places my online friends were talking about, "World of Warcraft" and "Second Life."

 

Seventeen years later, I've long left Warcraft behind. But I'm still going around Second Life just about every day. A lot has changed over time. The prim avatars have changed to mesh, as well as the way people go about getting one. CEOs have come and gone. There's Bellisseria. There's Linden Lab getting a new owner, and more. But after my first year, a few things have remained the same. I'm still writing away about this virtual world, and I still have a circle of friends that keep me going back in. 

To read more about my first days, check out my 2021 article.

Bixyl Shuftan. 

Places From 2006 That Are Still Around

 

We recently were contacted by a Wol (Wolwaner Jervil), of the SL Guided Tours Team. He send a small article of several places that were around in 2006 that are still up today. Some are fairly well known, some not so much. And a few might surprise people, who thought they closed. So what were these locations?

 

Read Wol's reader submission in Places. 

Sixteen Years Ago

 

 

It was December 17, 2006 when yours truly first came to this virtual world. I had just gotten a cable modem, finally leaving the slow "dial-up" behind, and I went to check out two places my online friends were talking about, "World of Warcraft" and "Second Life."

Sixteen years later, yours truly has left Warcraft behind. But still going around Second Life practically every day. Much has changed over time from Lab CEOs to mesh to Bellisseria to the Lab's getting a new owner. But after my first year, a few things have remained the same. I'm still writing away about this virtual world, and I still have a circle of friends that keep me going back in. 

To read more about my first days, check out my 2021 article.

Bixyl Shuftan.

Fifteen Years Later

 

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," goes an ancient proverb. Every one of us in Second Life, no matter how experienced, had their own beginning. It was about fifteen years ago, on December 17, 2006, in which yours truly first came to this virtual world. So what were these first few days, with no money and uncertainty about lay ahead, like?

Read more in Extra.
 

Reader Submitted: Blast From The Past

From Kamida Delec, "A screenshot from 2006, using my old Luskwood avatar. The sim was under attack when I took the screenshot. ... That screenshot was taken on the Starfleet Second Life Quadrant sim(?), its now called Galaxy Fleet Command because of copyright claims."

Nine Years Later

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step," goes an ancient proverb. Every one of us in Second Life, no matter how experienced, had their own beginning. It was about nine years ago, on December 17, 2006, in which yours truly first came to this virtual world. So what were these first few days, with no money and uncertainty about lay ahead, like?

Read more in People.