Just over a month ago Sifriya celebrated her rez day....well, I should say forgot about the rez day until some magazine colleagues surprised her with a party. It is so hard to believe that it has been a full year since little Sifriya was born. I refer to her as little because she did appear very child-like when she first arrived on Help Island. Everything was so amazingly new and exciting! I think her favorite pastime was taking pictures of herself in new areas discovered.
A year later, she still loves taking pictures....too many in fact.....but things have definitely changed for Sifriya. For starters, the population of SL has changed quite a bit. When I first arrived in SL, the average population in-world on any given evening was about 46,000. These days, the evening population runs about 86,000. An interesting observation about these population increases is the fluid nature of the new residents. The places I visited in Sifriya's early days seemed popular and well attended. However, popularity shifts quickly with the wind in some cases. Too many beautiful places that were frequently inhabited are now empty, and in several instances, erased from the grid. Of course, some of the hot spots are still popular a year later, but the formula needed to maintain the popularity seems to be a combination of dedication,
friendly people, beautiful atmosphere enhanced with a huge dash of luck.
What ever happened to Timeless?
All of this does not discount the fact that true talent in SL still abounds and can earn a nice amount of Lindens if the artist is persistent. There are still moments and experiences that render me a bit stunned in awe. The artistic talent alone is enough to keep coming back as some individuals continue to surprise when their creativity collides with the pixelated world of SL.
As for the more personal reflections, the year has provided a wealth of new friends and colleagues. It has also proven to be a new way to connect with current RL co-workers....all while joining in the exploration of educational uses of SL. These efforts are growing and new results are being produced, but there is still a long road ahead to making SL a well respected educational tool available to everyone. Yes, SL is free, but schools are not always equipped with current video cards capable of running SL. Things look promising, and virtual worlds will be used in the classroom, but the jury is still out whether SL has the future locked up in this area.
Listening to Stephen Hawking at NASA!
On another personal note....shall we talk about the many different looks of Sifriya over the year? Looking back, the phases are quite comical....from the stiff hair poking through her hat, to the blue hair days, to the wing fetish, to the Cruella Deville look, to the current look which has proven to be comfortable and fairly normal looking. All were fun, but over time I have found the extreme experimentation with appearance was restricted to my newbie months. Once I splurged for a purchased body and skin, I no longer felt the need to go overboard with the appearance choices. Even my hair choices seem to have relegated themselves to auburn, cinnamon or brown...blackened or highlighted, but that is the extent of the diversity these days.
In short, SL continues to provide a wonderful creative outlet for this right-brained human behind the avatar. It has also sparked new ideas within my profession as well as brought new friends into my life who continue to be a positive influence in so many wonderful ways. This one little avatar has definitely added positives to the life of her human.
Here's to another productive and inspiring year!
Sif
