From Draxtor on October 31 (some profanity) , "
The Giant Snail Races - hosted by RacerX Gullwing - have been going on since October 2004.
So why have I not produced a comprehensive deep dive into the wonderful madness of their world until NOW?
Well, I am ashamed and I hope I can redeem myself with this one ...
And may Ozzy, Zappa and Richard Simmons have mercy on my avatar's soul!
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Video production and music by yours truly with the help of the fine folks mentioned in the credit sequence.
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For further SL human/avatar interest type mini documentary viewing:
Noted Second Life media personality Draxtor Despres is noted for many shows. Nowdays, he's known for hosting the Second Life Book Club, and the Second Life Destinations videos he does for Linden Lab. But there was one show he'd still been doing after over seven years and over 300 episodes: The Drax Files Radio Hour. But a few days ago on October 24, he aired a brief five minute episode announcing "This Is The End."
"I'd sad, but also relieved," he stated in the final show, saying his listenership for this particular show had dwindled to a tiny few, "It makes no sense to continue this podcast with this lack of interest. ... That's totally fine. ... It's a very saturated marketplace. And truth be told, I am extremely busy on other fronts that are very gratifying. People know that I come from radio. I love radio. I love the podcast medium. I love audio. But I also love making videos and profiling Second Life people. And I love making documentaries. ... We are very busy with an upcoming documentary about virtual cultures in Pandemic times ... I produce a minimum of about 140 videos per year for the official Second Life social. ... we're extremely productive. The podcast is just not catching on. I'm sorry, but there is enough media, enough stories, enough art, and reportage documentaries from yours truly. I think I'm overexposed as it is."
On the webpage, he would post the following:
My friends: I decided to end this podcast. we started way back in 2014, shortly before Ebbe Altberg came in. We had over 2000 listeners per week. We are down to 9!
I don’t mind. I am happy that i can cancel myself in fact because we churn out over 150 videos with second life stories per year, not counting the feature length work.
That should be enough should it not? listen to my short announcement and tell me what you think. Thank you for making my second life awesome every day!
The Drax Files Radio Hour first aired on Friday January 10, 2014. At first he did the show with Jo Yardley, best known for her "1920s Berlin Project." The first few episodes would go into topics like supposed NSA investigations of Second Life, other platforms such as High Fidelity and Cloud Party, and the resignation of then CEO of Linden Lab Rod Humble. More recent episodes were about subjects of Second Life Book Club airings. The second to last episode, Show 320, aired on August 16. So the Radio Hour had been on hold for a while.
For those wanting to keep in touch with Draxtor, "Befriend me inworld, join the book club, ... follow me on Twitter." One can also email him at draxtor@draxtor.com, or madeinsl@draxtor.com if there's a story about Second Life to tell
Draxtor Despres is among the best known video producers in Second Life, if not the best known, for his work going back more than a decade. He first became widely known through his "Flufee" videos, then his "Drax Radio Hour," "Drax Files" videos, and his documentary "Our DIgital Selves." Today he hosts the weekly "Second Life Book Club" events, and continues to do videos for Linden Lab's "Second Life Destinations." Recently I met up with Draxtor, and he had a number of things to say about how he got his start in Second Life and his productions.
There's been plenty of news this year in Second Life, and plenty of men and women behind it. In real life, the Coronavirus Pandemic cast a dark shadow over the world, and more people than before found themselves looking for things to do online. To bring them to Second Life, there had to be something to advertise the virtual world, and show them what was going on.
From Draxtor Despress on March 3, "Question: what if we’d tell you that in 2018 thousands of American
university students traveled to the Second Life grid to learn more about
environmental science, chemistry, biology and economics?"
Much like the Newser's Persons of the Year, the Second Life Birthday Group Volunteers, the runner-up is known for his accomplishments in previous years as well as this one. Draxtor Despress (Bernhard Drax in real life) Originally known for his "Flufee" videos made with Pooky Amsterdam, in 2013 he started a new series of informative videos about Second Life, "The Drax Files." This was followed in 2013 with "The Drax Files Radio Hour." Last year, he did some Sansar preview videos to help promote Linden Lab's next generation world.
This year, Draxtor produced a documentary film, "Our Digital Selves: My Avatar Is Me." The movie, "tells the story of 13 global
citizens and their avatars as they transcend their various disabilities
through artistic expression and making a home for themselves in the VR
Metaverse." The video has been viewed almost 50,000 times, and no doubt has changed some minds on what Second Life, and other virtual worlds, are all about.
So for his work past and present, Draxtor Despress make's the Newser's Runner-Up for Man of the Year of 2018.
Other noteable people included Luskwood for still being a noted community after fifteen years, the former residents of the closed InWorldz Grid, the Relay for Life volunteers, and of course the Lindens for keeping Second Life up and running for fifteen years.
From Draxtor Despress on October 8, "Halloween holds a special place in many people’s hearts. Dressing up in
scary, funny and or weird ways [Drax once went trick/treating as Mitt
Romney with a binder full of scantily clad Barbie dolls and was briefly
detained by local police in California…]
Even though it is a very American holiday, Kiana Writer from MadPea
Games loved everything around Halloween when growing up in Finland.
Especially the scary parts!
She and her team brought her sensibilities and imagination into Second
Life with a year-round celebration in form of a massive amusement park
called 'MadWorld': lots of games, rides, role-play, special events and
prices await the SL resident who dares to enter…. 'Halloween used to be much scarier when I grow up' she says, 'but we can
relive these childhood memories in Second Life everyday!'
Needless to say that everything that MadPea offers in MadWorld is
completely custom built and scripted for Second Life and can be enjoyed
as the chosen avatar embodiment.
Case in point: Drax went ghost hunting - in the rain - with his beloved
slider shoes…
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"A very special thanks as always to our background actors and gracious
sim owners / event organizers [including but not limited to BCreative
Wilde, Gaius Tripsa, Quiggles78, Threshin Bartnett, Sangi Phaeton,
Thalia Lupindo, Raceyy, LadyRose Writer, TheOnlyNoMad] and of course
production designer, location and logistics wrangler Marianne McCann:
can you spot her in this one? Hint: she looks quite pale in a couple of
scenes ….
"
The latest Drax Files video from Draxtor Despress, from June 5, "What drives a molecular biologist and house-husband to abandon academia
and instead run a thrift store in a virtual world and invent a
successful air combat game franchise in there? Meet [flying?]
Dutchman Arduenn Schwartzmann, self-taught 3D content creator and
self-described jack-of-all-trades, equally admired by his 4 kids, their
peers and SL residents the world over.
"With over 400 'useless'
[his term!] items for sale in the Metaverse and countless collaborative
projects - with game designers MadPea Productions among many others -
his body of work speaks for itself. This overdue episode of Drax
Files gives us a rare glimpse behind the scenes of this creative genius,
examines his workflow and premieres a very special limited edition
Draxtor WarBug.
From Draxtor Despress on April 10, 2017, "Professors Tuncer Can and Irfan Simsek from Istanbul University use the
virtual universe of Second Life with hundreds of students every day.
"Why?
They would probably cite the fact that SL empowers students from all
over the world to rise above their own expectations: 'The freedom that
students have through their avatars and their ability to create worlds
in the context they need in the classroom can not be found anywhere
else!' is their paraphrased credo that keeps coming up in conversation.
"For
almost 10 years now Tuncer and Irfan use Second Life to train English
teachers in the physical classroom and via remote instruction: students
collaborate in role-play, do homework or film Machinima to use as custom
supplemental materials.
"But Tuncer and Irfan don’t stop there:
Educational technologists who study to become advisors on digital
learning platforms in other schools and universities, examine the
advantages [and pitfalls] of using SL in the classroom by designing
proof of concept games for math instruction and climate change.
"Istanbul
University with its 200.000 students is the city’s oldest university,
founded in 1453, and a perfect example of how Second Life can work in
education - when used by passionate teachers who are embracing the
unique affordances of a world where boundaries collapse and cultural
exchange is not only possible but an essential feature.
"As the
buzz about how VR is going to revolutionize education is growing, it may
be useful to remind ourselves: there is a digital world out there, used
by countless educational institutions day in day out, ripe with
possibilities and not going anywhere!
From Draxtor Despres on February 1, "If you are 40 years of age or under and grew up in Germany you have
internalized the music and sound effects concocted by Nnoiz Papp’s
physical-world alter ego. He has been part of the team that breaths
life into the longest running German animated series 'Sendung mit der
Maus' and their spin-off shows since 1984 but did you know he literally
has a Second Life, full of music that is a completely unique melange of
classical and electronic styles?
"Since his early days as a
professional musician, Nnoiz mixed classical, pop and jazz genres in his
repertoire but also in his choice of instruments: he was an early
computer music pioneer in Germany all the while studying the oboe at the
esteemed Cologne School of Music.
"Since 2007, Nnoiz has been
touring SL and in both worlds/lives he embraces the latest in modular
synthesizers, never utters phrases like 'in my day music was so much
more [fill in superlative]..' and his house seems more crammed with
musical gadgets than Robert Moog’s garage in the 60ties.
"Invoking
Wendy Carlos, he processes Bach and Haendel with a breath controller
and while active in the local music scene Nnoiz only in the virtual
world can he connect in real time with a different global audience on a
different stage sometimes several times a week.
"And while
technology is improving at a rapid pace with input devices that increase
immersion - if you look closely you will see Nnoiz use a Leap Motion in
one sequence - the secret sauce of good old Second Life seems to be as
tasty as ever: empower people to share their creativity with as little
interference as possible.
From Draxtor Despres on December 16, "Jaimy Hancroft makes a living creating 3D content in the virtual world of Second Life. Yes, this still seems an esoteric concept for some: bills and vacations paid for by assembling pixels? Well,
it has been 10 years since Jaimy created her digital alter ego in the
metaverse and judging by the ubiquity of her creations around the SL
grid it seems that the post apocalyptic/dystopian architecture, fashion
and accessories industry is firmly dominated by the creative force of
her brand Death Row Designs.
"Helping to churn out massive
amounts of product - everything from gigantic grungy theme parks to cute
Disney-esque castles - is her 3D modeler sister Eowyn Swords who lives
close by in a small Belgian mining town. We hope this inspiring
story of creative empowerment, where a young, self-taught woman loses a
father after he shows her a world full of opportunity and life, will
connect and inspire! While friends and family may shake their
heads at the phenomenon of the economic viability of a virtual goods
based business, Jaimy and her mom are already planning their next
vacation in a sunnier spot than their native Flandern, all thanks to the
mighty Linden Dollar."
From Draxtor Despress on October 12, "'Your avatar is you,' says CEO of Vista Animations/MoCap Barcelona
Vista Barnes and his colleague Vista Design adds: 'You put a little bit
of your soul in there!'
"That describes it in a nutshell: motion
capture based animations bottle up the essence of one’s personality and
by releasing it in the digital realm add warmth to that pixel alter ego
known as our avatar.
"Vista Animations is based in a small seaside town in the Catalina region of Spain, just down the road from bustling Barcelona.
"Unbeknownst
to most locals, their team of four employees are not only one of Second
Life’s most successful providers of AOs, dance animations and couple
interactions but offer services to many real life companies in gaming,
business and healthcare as well.
"The Vista team is perfectly
equipped to deal with the new Bento skeleton of Second Life, where
intricate finger and facial motion capture is now possible.
"Vista
Barnes is enthusiastic about the future of virtual worlds and VR but
keeps it real: 'We are ready for the future with all these devices and
possibilities but we also live in the present, where our customers are.
Second Life is going absolutely nowhere and neither are we!'"
The latest "Drax Files" video from Draxtor Despres on Sept 1, "This episode of the Drax Files
focuses on 88-year-old Bernhard Dörries. A successful German film
director whose prolific career spans more than 50 years and 129 films,
Bernhard continues to explore storytelling and creativity through Second
Life.
"In Second Life, Bernhard’s avatar is
Bernhard McIntyre - a youthful representation of his creative intellect,
as well as a vehicle to cope with the emotional and physical challenges
of moving into an assisted living situation.
“'My avatar is co-creator, equal partner in sharing feelings, co-owner of feelings and emotions,' he says.
[**** please choose your subtitles in the lower right corner by clicking "cc" and for an English transcript go to http://bit.ly/tdf40_english ***]"
From Draxtor Despress on July 15, "Is Second Life a game? 'No!' answers game designer Sergio Delacruz from
Sicily decisively: 'It is a virtual world where I can imagine and build
whatever I like. For example a game. But I don't have to. It is total
freedom!'
"Sergio is a self-taught programmer and 3D modeler who
came to SL in 2008 with little digital skills but thrived quickly by
hanging out in public sandboxes, studying in-world building and
scripting techniques.
"Today he runs the popular Delacruz Park
which features elaborate immersive action and horror games like his
latest 'Susan's Diary': here, any SL resident can play - and this is the
unique feature of this world - while retaining their own virtual avatar
identity throughout the experience.
"One might even encounter a Koala bear with a laser rifle alongside humanoids, shooting robots in Sergio's 'Drone War'.
"In
between applying the latest Second Life features to his games and
selling hundreds of roller-coasters, water-slides and bumper cars all
around the Second Life grid, Sergio is developing for Android using
various programming languages as well as Blender and Unity, even
dabbling in the latest VR development.
"Who would have thought
that relentless creative pursuit coupled with a free, accessible and
limitless virtual world can result in personal growth and a wide range
of applicable skills for the experiential age?"
By Draxtor Despress on June 8, "'My income from my Second Life sales enabled me to raise my son after I
was laid off during the recession!' says fashion designer Eboni Khan who
started her Hucci brand of virtual female clothing over 10 years ago: 'I think SL has helped many single mothers to become independent
business owners that way. The barrier of entry is low and - if you are
good and work hard - you can immediately build up an international
customer base!'
"And as one may expect - since Eboni Khan is
mostly known for making high quality shoes and sexy dresses - she is
unapologetic when it comes to the often heard criticism that VR is
nothing more than escapism: 'Everyone needs a bit of escapism when life
is hard. There is absolutely nothing wrong with living a glorious
fantasy life online!'
"A college graduate who grew up in a middle
class family surrounded by academics, Eboni Khan credits her
interactions in Second Life for becoming a more tolerant person: 'You
meet people from all walks of life and all age groups. It forces you to
question your own assumptions about people who are different from you,
every day. We become more open rather than closed in an environment like
this!'"
The latest episode of the "Drax Files," featuring Nonprofit Commons, "The barrier to entry in Second Life is very low and for people in the
non-profit sector who want to reach a global audience we can make it
even simpler!" says Rhiannon Chatnoir aka Joyce Bettencourt in RL,
community manager at Nonprofit Commons.
"Over 60 international
non-profit organizations with causes ranging from environmental
awareness to LGBTQ activism, AIDS education and Parkinson's support,
groups that fight to end homelessness or promote emotional healing with
the help of horses, are gathered in the virtual world of Second Life to
do everything from training to fundraising.
"For over 10 years
this global community has been successfully showcasing the powerful
force of SL to facilitate social good: at NPC in SL office space is
given away free, agency over identity through avatars is a powerful
facilitator and ideas for outreach and networking can easily be
implemented in the digital realm before committing to them in physical
reality.
"Joyce adds that despite lack of media coverage 'virtual
worlds are very much alive because they let people connect and feel
immersed in a way that is not available anywhere else, even with current
virtual reality technologies. VR at this point is very solitary and
frankly not very sophisticated in terms of empowering regular people on a
small budget!'
"Susan Tenby, founder of NPC in SL and Director of
Social Community & Strategic Partnerships at Caravan Studios,,
which sponsors NPC, agrees: 'We have an ongoing community and that is
key: technology in and of itself is not the answer and the reason why
Second Life is so successful is because it brings people together. It
just works!'"
From Draxtor Despress on March 8, "'People feel a sense of presence in Second Life without any fancy input
devices simply because they are touched by the relationships with others
they have in the moment. I help them to feel they belong there by
making their surroundings real and beautiful!' "
"A physical
geographer from Holland who has never been to Yosemite makes
photo-realistic virtual environments, many modeled after the world's
most impressive natural wonders, and subsequently brings fellow SL
residents to tears? You better believe it: Sominel Edelman has
perfected a laborious process of making gigantic landscapes from
tropical island to Grand Canyon replica, from a vast digital moon to
looming snow-capped mountains.
"Tiny avatars, who live, sell,
role-play or simply enjoy the places inaccessible for them in the
physical world, immerse themselves in a world that has become uniquely
theirs. A world where they are actively shaping their destiny, empowered by a fellow resident's creative passion.
"Needless
to add: Sominel's tireless focus to push his craft above the limits of
what is possible in virtual worlds today has made his dreamjob into his
day job. Perhaps someday he will take a trip to Yosemite National
Park after all? No Oculus Rift necessary there either we are told, only
pure presence…"
Published on Feb 5, 2016 by Draxtor Despress, "'Our
users create content all the time: this world is not bounded, it is not
finite!' says Coyot Linden, describing the reason for the sustained
success of Second Life amongst digital creatives: in this universe you
have the freedom to be and do whatever you want!
"And precisely
that open world concept is a daily challenge for Linden Lab engineers
who have to operate on a "live patient" when trying to optimize
performance or implement new features.
"Project Bento which added
over 100 new joints/bones to the standard SL skeleton was such an
endeavor, spanning months of intense collaboration between Lindens,
residents and the ever busy SL content making contractors - the Moles.
"Now
live on the SL test grid Aditi, Project Bento is bound to give the
diverse culture in Second Life an even more expressive edge: complex
facial animations for humans and fantasy creatures alike are now
possible, hands have fully flexible fingers, multiple tails, wings, ears
and even two heads are now thinkable: only one's imagination would be
the barrier for identity exploration through colorful avatars.
"And
all that new activity will be adding little load on Second Life
servers, as animations would be running on local machines rather than
SL servers.
"Thanks
to Cathy Foil, Siddean Munro and Matrice Laville for their work on
Bento and thanks to the fabulous content creators who showed up to film
with their brand new avatars: Aki Shichiroji, Mahadma, Medhue Simoni,
Onyx LeShelle, Asra Orfan, Teager, Flea Bussy, Toady Nakamura.
"Thanks
to Kennylex Luckless, Kris Spade, Jeet Kling, Inara Pey, Flufee, Shaman
Linden and Simon Linden for being part of this film as well.
"Many moles showed up while filming = Bat, Ancient, Sylvan, Millie, Quartz and Frost.
"RL footage was shot by Siddean Munro and a global team of Lindens including Aura, Coyot, Oz, Pete, Troy, Vir and Xiola.
"Animations were made by Abramelin Wolfe and Silent Mole.
"Set design by Marianne McCann.
Mystic Bastion by Death Row Designs. " "Mole Lair set, Flying Pig, Angry Imp and Bento Supers by Pico Mole.
"Super special thanks to Torley for helping to shoot the in-world footage: it was just wonderful to collaborate on this piece!"
In the Linden Blog, it was recently mentioned that today Draxtor Despres will be doing a filming inworld for an upcoming episode for his "Drax Files." His subject: Project Bento. He wants to see what various content creators have been able to come up with so far with it, and has announced an "open casting call for anyone who has built something with Bento to show off their work."
It should be noted that the filming will not be done in the main Second Life grid, but the Aditi grid, also known as the Preview Grid.
If you’re a creator who’s testing out
Project Bento, or one who’s eager to give it a try - now is the perfect
time! We’re looking for creators to show off some of the possibilities
of Project Bento for an upcoming episode of The Drax Files. There are detailed instructions on how to get started and how to get to the beta grid (aditi) on our wiki page. (TIP:Testing on Aditi does not cost you upload fees!) On January 19th at NOON SLT, there
will be an open casting call for anyone who has built something with
Bento to come show off their work. Selected creators may be filmed
and/or interviewed to be featured in an upcoming episode of the Drax
Files. You will need to login to Aditi in order to access the location (secondlife://Aditi/secondlife/Bento%20Island/128/128/23). The location will not be open until NOON SLT on January 10th Information about Aditi and how to access it is located on our wiki.
Content creators "are encouraged to contact" Draxtor about their projects, "video, screenshots, descriptions - the more information the better." Those whom Draxtor choses to appear on his video will be contacted about where and when to meet up for a private filming on Wednesday January 20. Besides Dractor, Torley Linden will be there.
From Draxtor Despress on December 9, "The mainstream media likes to point out how 'living online' destroys
relationships in the 'real' world but for one American-Scottish couple
the virtual world of Second Life became a facilitator: a conduit to
finding each other's 'soulmate'.
"'You can absolutely tell who
someone is by meeting their avatar in SL' says 3D designer Isla Gealach,
who moved in with Ewan Mureaux two years ago after having met almost 8
years ago online.
"Ewan, who makes a living doing land deals and
writing scripts in Second Life, points out that by allowing to freely
use an avatar identity as proxy for communicating, Second Life is unique
in the category of social networks: '…it can cut through societal
constraints and gets more to the heart of who you are!'
"Completing
the Edinburgh based family is Isla's daughter who at 9-years of age
has a solid grasp of the concept of virtual goods. No surprise there,
since her mother makes her income by selling home and garden accessories
via the Cheeky Pea brand.
"The perceived esoteric nature of her
work prompts Isla to use the term intangible rather than virtual when
put on the spot about her profession: 'I always respond to skeptics by
saying that I make environmental spaces where the experience and the
memories people have with my products are real!'
"'As real as anything else!' says Ewan Mureaux.
"And, suddenly, there is virtually nothing more to add...or is there?
