Entertainment on a budget

Linden Labs overlooks an expanding market.

They should cater part of their marketing costs toward appealing to the dollar conscious unemployed.

If you already enjoy online games and need to save money, Second Life is a great means to do a variety of things free-of-charge or on a shoestring budget. Even when I was gainfully employed, SL is cost-effective for things like sailing or flying. Imagine the cost of Real Life flying. G'ah! Just ground school alone is costly!

Unless you MUST go to a Real Life concert for the "experience" - it beats spending on a RL music event. Personally I find crowds and parking a pain in the arse, especially at my curmudgeonly age. I save on the cost of fuel and time. And if I cared about being "green" as is the fashion these days - I'd use that as a good selling point, too. Second Life reduces your carbon-whatever.

Yes you can fly an airplane, sail a ship, go to a club, listen to live independent music, meet and chat with science-fiction authors at a book discussion group, build things you can sell to others, role-play historic sims like the Roman Empire - or even destroy a Nazi V2 Rocket base. Some people dogfight in epic air combat, others engage in large-scale naval battles. Then you can create inworld videos and blog about your grand adventures.

There's much to see and do in a virtual world. Have you ever wanted to see a Jules Verne-like Victorian setting? Ever wanted to see a world as imagined in the movie Bladerunner? Ever wanted to be a DJ? Ever wanted to play live music to an international audience? You can do ALL this in a few hours (DISCLAIMER: assuming everything is working when you're online. Heh!)

This is the non-sexual Second Life the mainstream media usually ignores. It's a virtual sandbox and playground.

Oh wait! I know what LL will say: There's no BIG MONEY in the unemployed. But there ARE big numbers. Unfortunately.

Accomplishments

Today is an accomplishment of sorts.

I completed two weeks of unemployment.

Or as our government overlords would like to call it... "Involuntary Vacation"

We're all into hope and change now, yes?

2009 Change "I went from employment to unemployment."

2009 Hope "I hope I get all my property out of the car before it's repossessed."

A bittersweet day

This was a bittersweet day for me. My Real Life Layoff here in the fabled land known as "Michigan" is taking a toll on my Second Life. Sadly, the virtual life property losses are only the beginning. Real Life property losses are yet to come.

Today I sold the land-rights to my Caledon Morgaine lot at far below market value. I was about to lose it later this evening anyway, but a last minute buyer found my price irresistible. Good for her!

It was great fun having it, and one day when my Real Life financial situation improves, I shall expand again. Meanwhile, I'm down to 2 parcels for now and may need to let go of my Mayfair lot in another month.

We shall see.