Today's Web Design

Circles Volume Slider Differentiates Google+ As The Social MacroNetwork

2011-12-20T12:36:00.000-05:00

I believe that the major social networking has a place among all of us. They do not need all the gimmicks to hold their loyal customers or get new ones.

Facebook is good in sharing volume information, games, other apps, and all it does have. Twitter is great for sharing quick short information. I believe all the social networking services needs to focus on what that are good at and go from there. Right now, Google Plus appears to have a great deal of things going for it. Google knows how all their systems work and how to integrate it all together like I have not seen before.

Here lately, I find myself using Google Plus more than any social networking services. I love to write and do it often. With Google Plus, I am not limited to how many characters I can use on a given post. I can see it replacing blogging altogether. I guess that is why I have not blogged in a while, even on this blog, and I have several blogs out there.

I still find myself using Twitter and Facebook. That is why I see each and every social networking services becoming a unique service in themselves if only they take up this challenge. On another note: Twitter and Facebook are old to technical standards. Google is fresh and new. It is likely that the old dogs could fade away and be replaced by another. It is not the first time this has happened.

In the early 1980s, there was the first PC (Personal Computer). The first three were Commodore Pet, Apple IIe, and Radio Shack's TSR 80. IBM came later. Now we have IBM clones and Apple's Macintosh. It could be that the hand held devices could replace all the desktop type computers. Time will tell.

I for one am excited with the fast growing evolution of social networking. It has been such a fun ride in all one can do online and share what one experiences to others.

http://techcrunch.com/2011/12/19/circles-volume-slider/

SOPA Could Kill the Internet: Experts

2011-11-18T18:38:00.000-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

GOOGLE, AOL, eBay, Facebook, and Twitter are not experts. Their business has nothing to do with Engineering. That means the real experts are Cisco, IEEE, Intel, Microsoft, etc. These companies, know their business regarding the Internet...mostly because they helped set the standards of how we use it.

Google is known to violate personal privacy. AOL was one of the worst Internet service providers in human history. EBay is only a giant auction service. Facebook and Twitter are giant social networking services. None of these focus on the Internet at large.

Yes, Google is the biggest search engine service, but that does not mean they are Internet experts. AOL forced their customers to search within their system...not the whole Internet. However one looks at these five companies, that person will see that they have no true expert knowledge in telling others how good or bad SOPA is for the Internet.

What is SOPA in the first place? It means Stop Online Piracy Act. It is very interesting that these certain companies will protect the piracy online throughout the world. There are many companies that do know the Internet and are troubled with piracy.

When you hear politicians talking against SOPA, I have to believe they are only concerned with the election. If they support so many that are against this Bill, then those individuals will elect them on November 2012. If the election was not near, they all would agree that piracy should be stopped online and off.

People online cannot be totally free if there is no policing of crime. These people cannot get away with any illegal acts...online or off. If this Bill does not get passed, then the crimes online will only get worse. Pirating will cost billions and billions of dollars which will cause the economy to fall harder and faster. Crime does not support anyone.

The only ones that are stating negative things about SOPA are people that are babies that think they own the world and should get anything they want when they want it. Another type of complainer are the criminals themselves. They have gotten away with illegal downloading for years. Scams and fraud is at an all time high on the Internet. We need better policing of these crimes and the many crimes not mentioned.

The companies that are fighting against SOPA are not criminals but they support no authority online expect their own. To have freedom, we must need law enforcement to protect our property. Illegal downloading is stealing...plain and simple. Does that mean these companies support stealing? That question must be answered by them.

All the rest of the speculations are out right lies! They have no fact to back them up. These companies that are fighting SOPA expect us to simply believe them. Like I said, they are not experts on the Internet. If we all break this SOPA talk to the common denominator, the truth will be revealed. I have been trained under the CCNA Academy program. I did not believe the hype on the Y2K bug.

Spite what laws our federal government makes, they cannot change the Constitution of the United States of America. We are still and always will be the freest country in the world. As long as the last citizen stands so will the United States of America.

Do not track, online ads, and the end of anonymity

2011-11-04T15:00:00.002-04:00

This article is simply hogwash, or Wall Street is trying to run our lives online. Why are ads online violating our privacy in the first place?

As Wired.com's Ryan Singel reported last April on the Epicenter blog, Google's wait-and-see attitude toward do-not-track features reflects the uncertainty about what kind of tracking is prohibited.

This statement might say it all. Google is going to dictate our privacy? I do not think so! If Google or any other company does not like us using ad blocker or other security measures, then we as customers can say bye bye to them. There are other services out there. Only the bullies holler and scream the loudest.

At the same time, Google and other Web services stand to lose a considerable amount of money if they're no longer allowed to track their users.

AHH! They make billions and billions of dollars annually and the real Americans are suffering to keep a job, deal with our health care insurance, high gas prices, and all the rest. First of all most use Internet Explorer (IE) browser which does not have any ad blocking or spay ware protection to really help protect the user's privacy. These poor little babies loosing money. I bet it is hardly a scratch on how much they make actually each year.

Ads served up based on your past Web activity are more effective, which translates into more money for advertisers.

If you block ads, you deprive the site of ad revenue. The only way for the site to recoup lost ad revenue is to charge users for content.

Most Web users would likely be willing to trade a level of tracking that they can trust won't be used against them--either by the Web sites themselves or by bad guys who somehow got their hands on the data--in exchange for free services. But this is true only if we can be confident that the tracking is truly anonymous, and right now that's anything but certain.

If this author of this article is willing to believe this, then he is NUTS!! We are Americans! We do not give up our Constitutional Rights for anyone or anything, online or offline. It seems CNET or even this individual is trying to sell out Americanism online.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13880_3-20127677-68/do-not-track-online-ads-and-the-end-of-anonymity/

Internet Use Affects Memory, Study Finds

2011-07-15T17:36:00.001-04:00

There needs to be more research on this before it can stand on two feet. I can remember a lot of things I read/learn online. I am sure a lot more can too.

It appears to me this scientist is out to destroy social networking and other future online trends. First of all anyone out there to destroys todays technology will fail. Second, these tests are not all that accurate. How are think is totally different than how our parents learned things decades ago. I see more progress in children today than I see in adults that lived in the yester-years. We live in the 21st Century.

How our parents generation lives were not all that different than how their parents lived. The industrial age started when they were in their teens. When they became adults, they had to rethink life as they knew it. Children were born in the computer age. They are thinking poorly due to old ways of education, and not be the use of technology.

How they teach in public schools today is about the same when I was in a secondary education. Now I am in college. I still wonder as I see more and more taking remedial courses in college, what are they teaching in high school? There are a few good teachers out there, but far under the radar.

My point of this blog post is to state that the tests done to show people lose memory is not telling the whole story. It is more important today to know where to find the information online, in a book , a magazine, or where ever then holding everything in one’s head. That is how we live in the 21st Century.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/15/health/15memory.html?_r=1

Somehow, the Unemployed Became Invisible

2011-07-10T14:48:00.001-04:00

I want to write about something that I strongly believe is a major solution to unemployment in the world today and government cannot do a damn thing about it. What is the marvel? It is not something mysterious.

It is something we use every day, social networking. I am not talking about some idiotic get rich scam you may hear on infomercials. The wave of the future has everything to do with with social networking. Everyone is using it. How do one make a career from it all?

That answer might not be able to present itself for some time, but some services are being used as we speak to make real life dollars. One of them is called SecondLIfe, a 3-D virtual reality that has lasted for eight years now. There was an oriental lady that made millions in the early years of SL. I do not think people will be able to make that much money with any online services today, but not many can in the conventional life.

Any thing that is important will take a lot of hard work. As SecondLife or any other online social networking services evolve ever so rapidly, we are the ones that will have to do our best to keep up with it. From what I understand, doing any form of business online is done dramatically different than what has been done in the conventional life. That is the sign of progress.

People can argue what I am about to say, but I believe the 2nd biggest reason we are still in a financial recession is due to the ages. The first has to do with two major screw-ups in human history, NAFTA and WTO. We have grown out from the industrial age into the ever so rapid growing technology age. I like to call it “Internet Telecommunication Age.” We have communicated with so many around the world in real time than any time in human history. That alone is a humungous marvel in itself.

We need to learn to stop living in the past and start looking at the future. Most of the economy statistics are based on the industrial age. This is the early 21st Century. We need to start thinking like it if not living like it. “How do we do that?” one may ask.

It may seem that we are coming together as a human race than people from one country talking to people from other. If anytime in human history to show that individuality is so important than it would be now. We are able to share ourselves with others because we can truly be our selves. It is that individuality that defines this new era. Through our own personas, we can redefined the world.

That may be one reason this is a massive global recession. The world has already started reforming into something that I believe no one had expected. As we start to grab on tight with both hands on this wonderful social networking, then we can learn to adapt to it. Social networking has given us the abilities to live beyond the human body. For the ones that cannot use their physical bodies , systems like SecondLife can give them a first life.

Now that we all have experimented with social networking, it has now been coming something very serious. It is due to that seriousness that many colleges and other educational organizations has used SL for the benefit of the masses. SL is not the only source for reliable educational materials. Wikipedia is known to be more reliable than most encyclopedias. It takes years for books to go through the process in being published.

Yes, with Wikipedia things can be edited by anyone, but I never read anything that was so distorted it caused this wonderful website to be a disaster in learning new and wonderful things. The only ones that really do not like this service is college professors. I know, I am going to college for an English major. Many, many online services links to just about any subject to Wikipedia articles. Read them yourself and see how accurate Wikipedia is today.

Already the Internet has exploded far beyond the reaches of man can ever control. That is why governments fear it. They cannot control the billions of billions of computers that make on what we call the Internet. That is why they have not shared to the mass public that this era can change everything that is falling apart all around us. How one uses the services online for a career starter is totally up to them.

The future is here, and it will take each and everyone of us to make it grow for a better tomorrow. Look at both of your hands and think to yourself, I am ready to take the plunge. Now start using it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/10/business/the-unemployed-somehow-became-invisible.html

Shareaholic - Share with Facebook, Google, Twitter, Email, LinkedIn and more... :: Add-ons for Firefox

2011-07-01T09:52:00.000-04:00

Sorry I have not written much in this blog. I am starting to college. I am majoring in English. Love to write.

I am writing about "Shareaholic." If you like social networking like I do, then try this out. It works with all major browsers. It connects to a lot of social networking services. It free and easy to use. See you online. :D

Shareaholic - Share with Facebook, Google, Twitter, Email, LinkedIn and more... :: Add-ons for Firefox

Stage Set for Showdown on Online Privacy

2010-11-10T10:10:00.001-05:00

Image via Wikipedia

It comes to the realization of how much power big corporations have these days. It might explain a lot of things regarding our economy in this country if not world wide. If these certain corporations thinks they can do anything they want to for a profit, and get away with it, then I had to admit, something does not smell right in the pickle barrel.

When businesses knows more about us than the government, who is really running this country? These big corporations needs to be told they have to obey the laws like everyone else! There is a lot more regarding security online than issues with big corporations. When you are on the streets, do you give out personal information to strangers? Of course not. When online, it seems that most are willing to do just that.

As there are differences in a public life and a private life, people are going to have to realize there are rules to apply online. One could call it a Internet life. This might be very scary at first, but once you get your walking legs moving, it is not all that bad. There are many free GNU security software out there. Just remember never have no more than one anti-virus software and firewall installed in your computer.

There are other ways to secure your browser activities. The Firefox browser has many addons (extensions) that can protect what you do online. Let it be known, the best way to not be tracked is never be online to begin with. When we are in the public arena, everyone can see what we do. When online, it can be the same way if we allow ourselves to be monitored. I personally have many addons to protect my privacy. I also make sure my copy of the Firefox browser clears my history and cache when I shut the browser down.

I also use a very good email service, Gmail, that deals with junk mail in the way all email services should. There are several addons with Firefox that can allow one to use a temporary email address when you fill out forms from websites you are not sure if you would want to give out your permanent email address to. There are many other means of protecting your privacy online without costing you any money.

Most of these security measures are proper habits that can make all the difference. Each and everyone of us are the best security tool we can use. One does not have to have a computer major or whatever to have great privacy implications. It can be as simple as looking in a swimming pool to see if it has water in it before blindly diving in. The issue with this article is after we take all needed precautions and these corporations still end up violating our privacy as if we had no security measures on our computer.

That is why we have government. When these big corporations do break the laws of the land, then they will be dealt with accordingly. They might lose a lot of money when they are not allowed to monitor us online as they have done, but I say, “BOO HOO!!” If you cannot make money the honest way, then you should not be in the United States of America!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/10/business/media/10privacy.html

Google Plan With Verizon Disillusions Some Allies

2010-08-17T14:54:00.001-04:00

Image via CrunchBase

It is amazing to me that when a business works hard to reach the top, they get treated like they are the enemy. Google got big due to its customers. No business can survive without them. Google is more reliable in everything they do. They work for their customers.

This does not mean they are perfect, or they do everything right. That is humanity for you. If they are doing wrong or against the law, then let the law makers and in forcers deal with it. By having a mass attack on Google and other law abiding corporations that work hard to get where they are at is not the American way of life by the law of the land. Please people mind your own business!

The Constitution of the United States of America clearly states that everyone is innocent until proven guilty. There has been no evidence that Google has done anything wrong. All the hype is simply opinions of certain people that would cry over spilt milk. These types always has something to spin and fuss over. The best thing to do for these people is to ignore them.

If Google is doing something wrong, then allow the proper governments to watch them. The government of the United States of America is a Republic. This means the government does their jobs and allow the people alone to live within the law of the land. I am not stating that we should keep silent. When we do speak, we need to know what we are speaking about. Know all sides of the issue.

What makes America the greatest country in the world we all have equal opportunity under the law. Google is a large corporation because the citizens in the USA and the rest of the world wanted it to be one. Now after they are a large corporation, cry baby critics spout out all sorts of things without really knowing what they are talking about. What proof do they have? Where are they getting their information?

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/16/technology/16google.html?scp=1&sq=Google%20Plan&st=cse

Complaint Issue on SecondLife

2010-05-25T14:21:00.001-04:00

Image by grace mcdunnough via Flickr

As so many knows, the V2 viewer has so many bugs in it. I have done my share in posting these problems on their, Linden Labs, bug report website. I am not the only one by far. I recently posted a comment on an issue:

MasterJedi Nayar added a comment - 25/May/10 08:36 AM

HELLO!!! HELLO!!! Any of the Linden Labs giving a damn about reading our bug reports! If so please make your self known and show that something is being done about these bugs. EARTH CALLING Linden Labs!! Our bug reports are not a bot. We would like for you to show us that you are working on this bugs. The V2 viewer has to be the ultimate pain in the ass viewer. If you still care for the ones that use SL, your customers, then please fix these bugs. We are real people behind these avatars. If you do not give a damn, then let someone else create and maintain the viewers, sot they can trait us right with the bug reports. Now everyone from Linden Labs now can go back to sleep, smoke crack, or whatever the hell you were doing before you read this comment.

I got a IM from one of the Linden Lab folks stating bad conduct on my part. I have nothing against rules and policies. They are the framework of a good system and organization. I am also an American that will make a stand to defend the underdog and people that just do not care to listen to their customers. Ever since the V2 viewer has been up and running, so many have complained about it, and it appears to be laid upon deaf ears of Linden Labs.

I have stated and I will restate here and now, I think SecondLife has a great future for all around the world. It can create 21st Century jobs and make a giant difference in every day life for the here and now and the far future. To write this comment was to shake the deaf ears of Linden Labs and enlighten a better tomorrow for SecondLife.

There is an old saying, “It is not impolite to yell if someone covers their ears.” As Americans, we have the right to speak out even in harsh tones when it is required for us to do so. I did not respond to this Linden Lab person nor will post the name of this person. My point in this blog is to present Americanism to the what has expired. If it were me in my own little word, I could easily leave SecondLife and let things go their own way.

I am not posting this to be ugly towards Linden Labs or this individual that replied to me within SecondLife. The comment that I posted still exist: http://jira.secondlife.com/browse/VWR-2726. If Linden Labs has recently made a new TOS (Terms of Service) of 3rd party viewers (http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Lab_Official:Third_Party_Policy_and_Viewer_Directory_FAQ), then as an American Business one should expect their products to be better.

Right now the Emerald Viewer (http://modularsystems.sl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3&Itemid=8) is the top leading viewer in SecondLife. This viewer is a 3rd party viewer. This comment is not the first one I have posted. From the URL provided, you will read my other comments. Not one Linden Labs has replied to any of the others. They have not hardly done so with many, many other customers regarding the same issue.

As an American, I can rightfully say this is not good business. Now that SecondLife is about the only 3-D virtual reality online today, the technical support has gone down dramatically with SecondLife. To be honest since I been with SecondLife on and off with three different avatars since August 17, 2007, I have not seen any technical service that one can write about with Linden Labs. Come to think about it, not many companies in the USA have good technical service.

Bottom line, if Linden Labs wants their new V2 viewer to fail, then so be it. That is for them to achieve, but if they kill all the 3rd party viewers just to get more and more to use their very sorry viewer, then SecondLife will fall in the history books.

Brandon Bowers

Contact Me Linkedin Second Life Blogger Twitter Google Reader del.icio.us

Chefs Take to Twitter to Vent - NYTimes.com

2010-02-17T14:30:00.001-05:00

Image by mfophotos via Flickr

Let us all face reality, the internet has already took the newspaper industry. I am for one happy of this. What we read from them is what they want us to read. We do not know how accurate newspaper articles are, We simply have to accept they are truthful.

It is true that anyone can post things online, and they have. These are not all that truthful either. Most are right and proper, but it is the silly and childish ones that get all the press, as it were. From the dawn of time, gossip has and will be the leading drive in communication. We cannot escape from it.

When stupid and right out ugly comments do come up, we either have to ignore then, or cry like a baby about it. Reporting these accounts does not do a thing. What is to stop people in creating another account and do the same thing over again? What we all need to do is simply go our own way and let the trouble makers go theirs. The Internet is here to stay and so will the trouble makers.

Chefs Take to Twitter to Vent - NYTimes.com

Social networking hacks: Top 10 Facebook and Twitter security stories of 2009 - Network World

2010-01-09T13:04:00.001-05:00

I am big on online security. I use a number of addons for the Firefox browser in addition to using a firewall, antivirus, and spyware scanners. The problem that I have against these articles is they promote misguided information. They show no proof or references on what they are talking about. A large amount of information online is simply opinions, including all my blogs. I do my best to show facts the best I can, but what I write is from my understandings and believes.

All these type articles, like I am writing about, are simply bashing social networking. Why I do not know. It might be the old format thinking, “If I am not getting the fame, they will not either.” Whatever the reason, it is not right. Others have the right to be famous if they work hard enough for it. Most might not care or realize they are famous. They are simply doing a service for others. Most social networking services are free. It is the users of these social networking services that make them popular. There are others that are not used as much. Are the creators of those services less important?

It is always the big wig services that gets the nagging and all the rest. Spite all that tripe, they continue to grow. Most of the time these critics do more in promoting these services they are bashing, so let the bashing continue. LOL!

Social networking hacks: Top 10 Facebook and Twitter security stories of 2009 - Network World

Second Life Grid Status Reports

2009-09-15T20:00:00.001-04:00

How things are running in that 3-D virtual reality called Second Life, I say I am about the call it quits. There are more bugs on the grid than anything else in life, other than the United States Congress.

Here recently, all the sudden, my inventory went crazy. I have less than half of what I did yesterday. I followed all the procedures that Linden Labs Knowledge Base had for inventory screw ups. I have an alternate avatar. I do not have issues with it.

What is amazing for me is how can Linden Labs that has made more money within this 3-D virtual reality cannot fix these damn fucking bugs in the rightful manner. It does not make any good sense. I guess Americans can look at it as Congress knows what to do to fix the problems, but they do not do it. They are too much concerned with other agendas than the one that is right in front of them.

If Linden Labs are making a lot of money from the users that have in SecondLife, than one might think they would do everything to keep their customers. On the same note, politicians in the USA should be doing right to keep their jobs. I can see why Linden Labs and Second Life are in the United States of America. They can get away with anything they want to. The laws does not apply to the rich.

I hate to write posts like this, but dammit!! How can I keep quiet! When I go into town and enter a store, I will complain if it is needed. There is no shame is speaking out. I just rather speak with enlightenment than with hell fire.

For all month, lag in SecondLife has been at its worst. Saying it sucks would say something nice about it. Before I realized I had lost more of my inventory, I was freezing up, crashing, and having all sorts of degradation. This happened in just about every region on SL. When one reports bugs to LL, they treat you like the problem is on my end, or it is your fault.

I have graduated with a certificate and three diplomas in the computer field. I would know if it is on my end. I also have an alternate avatar. I do not have issues at all with it. I do have a lot in my inventory that my alternate does not have.

I did report a bug report to LL, but nothing happen….yet. In two weeks if this does not clear, I will cancel both my accounts and say, “FUCK SECOND LIFE!!!!”

Second Life Grid Status Reports

Power of Social Networking

2009-08-04T12:34:00.001-04:00

When I went to Lanier Technical College (1998-2006) in Oakwood, GA, the only social networking system that was popular was blogging. Now we have Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and countless others that are running now and will come to life in the very near future.

Even though social networking is growing fast, it is fairly new. With the economy still very bad for most around the world, we have come to rely on the Internet to do business and non business alike. Doing anything online is faster and much easier than the conventional ways of doing things.

WARNING: Please keep in mind that copyright laws are still enforced offline and online. Use your own creations. If you are going to use quotes or other services that you have not created, give credit due. It is better to use your own if you want to succeed.

It is much easier to create your own work online than offline. With Content Management System(CMS) or Content Management Interoperability Services (CMIS) {CMIS is also know as Enterprise Content Management (EMS)} anyone can create a very professional website. When I was going to Lanier Technical College, we learned about crating static websites. That type of web design is in the Smithsonian Institute.

Now the new trend of doing things online has surpassed websites, in a way. This new system is called “Social Networking or Social Media.” I look at social media as graphics or video: example: YouTube, Photobucket, or services like these. Facebook and MySpace could be considered a hybrid form of social communication online. These two, and other like them can have all sorts of media formats.

Whatever one wants to call it, this form of online communication is growing very fast. Before I can finish writing this blog posting, something new and exciting will develop. This is not a passing fad. It will not go away. The only thing that will be in the history books is the old ways of using these social services when new ones replace them. In life, one is either going forward or one is going backwards. There is nothing in life that stand still for long.

All walks of life uses these social services. If you read the history of these services, business started to use them much later. It was first used by the average person on the street. This is real folks. I do not need to use my own imagination to write this posting. Since business is at all points around the world, communicating online is very important for businesses. It is also important for consumers.

How many times have you wanted to talk to a company to let them know you are not happy about a certain product of theirs? If you call their 1-800 number, they want all your private information before you can say anything. With social networking, you can give them the information needed without having to give them any private information. Either they respond to what you given them, or they could loose you as a customer. It is that simple.

Using these new services, one can rightfully advertise one’s product without spamming the hell out of people. That is right, there is a format or doing things on these social services. For example, if I have a person on my Twitter friend’s list and all they do is give a link to their products, I will block that account. That is spamming. If another communicated with their customers on Twitter like human beings, posting a link to their products would be a different measure. It would not be spamming.

That is the whole idea about social communication online. The old way of doing business online is gone. It never worked anyhow. I use Flock for my browser. This browser is like Firefox, but it has a element that makes social communication a lot easier than just addons. I have several social networking accounts. By using them, I can get others to know me. Social Networking is the first and best way to get a job.

Bottom line on this posting is everyone needs to get on board with some social networking services. It might be important to have a good number of these services. Twitter can do things that Facebook cannot. No one service fits all. Most are free. I think only business related services will cost something to have an account, but most businesses do use Twitter and Facebook. These two are free.

Brandon Bowers

Contact Me:

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Virtual Worlds News: NewsBrief: Cisco Layoffs Near 700

2009-07-17T12:23:00.001-04:00

After reading this article, I cannot see any future for SecondLife or even 3-D virtual realities. I think this is on several main reasons. As with anything in life, there are many reasons for why things happen in the way they do.

When it comes right down to it, we need reality, the physical world. At first the 3-D virtual reality could have made things a lot cheaper, but as the old saying, “You get what you pay for.” In that case, SecondLife has not really changed much in the real world, or makes things cheaper. Having something cheap does not make it cheaper.

When it comes right down to it, has SecondLife really brought people around the world together? We know that Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and many others have brought us together in a big way, but the point is there is nothing like face-to-face interactions. Even thought Cisco Systems has laid off a lot, they have not walked away from SecondLife.

This is a red flag for me. If a giant computer networking company can start to layoff their employees from SecondLife, then it tells me that it is failing for them to be in SecondLife. I believe that this is sign of SecondLife is already dead. One will still read there are a good number of people that logs inworld. I am starting to believe that number is a lie from Linden Labs.

If so many are leaving SecondLife, real life jobs that were in SecondLife are being laid off, virtual ghost towns of many, many sims in SecondLife, etc., then how can there be that many that are logging in? It does not make sense to the reality of it all. If all this is true, then Linden Labs needs to admit to the public that they are closing their virtual doors. There is no reason to keep SecondLife going if less and less are using it.

When I find time to log inworld myself, there are hardly anyone inworld. I go to many sims, and I am about the only one in them. I have a good number of people on my friend’s list. There are less than 10 inworld at a given time I am inworld. Again, where are the large number of people that is claimed to be inworld? I have not hardly seen anyone inworld lately.

If less and less are inworld, how can anyone make real life or SecondLife money? So far this year, I have not seen ANY growth in SecondLife. This month, I have seen more down trends than anything. The real life economy is definitely making a contribution in how many logs inworld and even using the Internet at this time. Broadband is not cheap.

If one does not have the income to pay for Internet services, than that will harm SecondLife. I personally do not think that is a big issue with SecondLife. YouTube is still as fast growing social media format online, It takes broadband to rightfully use video online. Twitter and Facebook are big as well. It takes broadband to rightfully use them due to mostly on how many are using these social networking services.”

The Internet is growing. SecondLife is the one that is not growing. Life itself is growing spite the economy. Everything in life is continuing while SecondLife has not done anything. Why is this? How can SecondLife be big a few years back, and now it is failing?

To use high graphic services online or offline, one needs a high end computer, and keep up with the fast growing technology. That cost far too much. Businesses do not update their computers every time a new technology pups up. It is easier to create a website, with video, graphics, and all the rest. High end computers are not needed to view websites.

SecondLife is not all that easy to use. I mean to really use it, one needs to rightfully be a computer geek, a programmer, or even a computer engineer. It is not easy to create things in SecondLife. To look at websites, it takes no extra knowledge. If a technical business can lay off all that they have done, then that tells me that SecondLife is already dead.

Brandon Bowers

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Virtual Worlds News: NewsBrief: Cisco Layoffs Near 700

eMarketer:Online Ad Spend Will Keep Growing

2009-07-04T17:49:00.006-04:00

The Internet in the 21st Century and Beyond.

After reading this article, it made me realize what I have been saying about SecondLife is about the same thing in this article. As I have stated before, it is not easy to make decent things in SecondLife. To truly use these 3-D virtual worlds like SecondLife, one must have the most updated computer, video card, and all the rest. This is not easy or cheap.

If Linden Labs can do what they said they were going to do, then SecondLife can make it, but in a much different manner than it has in the past six years. I would like to see SecondLife go forward. This is all up to Linden Labs, the ones that have created this 3-D Virtual Reality. There are schools in SecondLife. This list is 27 pages long, so be careful of printing out this list. If so many businesses and schools did not use SecondLife, this 3-D virtual reality might not have lasted 3 years less alone 6 years.

Do not get me wrong, I am for technical progress. I guess I am writing this post because I am sadden that SecondLife is dying, and I want it to continue. I also see that SecondLife can make a difference in the economic down trends. Social Networking is constantly growing and growing. More ane more are using it like no one's business. These social networking services are more than making tons of friends in both personal or business formats.

Like in the conventional real life, the success of the Internet is how we communicate with one another. Can you make real friends online? Yes and no. What is more important is how you work with others online. No matter what we think, the Internet is here to stay, and it is apart of our lives. We have medical science, as we have it today, because of how technology has made a difference in our lives.

In every walk of life, we use some sort of computer technology: cell phones, laptops, desktop, hand held devices, etc. In the past, we have heard that using so much technology was a scary thing. Fear causes so much trouble in life. "Fear leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering." -- Yoda "Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999).

There is no dangers in a fast and growing technical world. If SecondLife is going to live on, we need to accept it, and take advantage of it. Even if Linden Labs did a lot better in running SecondLife, it needs customers. To make SecondLife better, Linden Labs needs to make a way so it is easier to design things in SecondLife. Right now, it is only possible for computer geeks to successfully do things and design things in SecondLife.

Designing websites these days are very easy to do. Using SecondLife needs to be just as easy. These days, one does not need to know how to use HTML to create a website or a blog. Do we care about the code when we use any form of social media? I do not, and I am a computer geek myself (though I am not a coder). Even in writing this blog posting, I am not concerned about the HTML, JavaScript code, or any other coding that is in this posting. Why should I care as long as what I want to be posted runs properly for my readers in this blog?

That is what I am saying here about SecondLife. Things needs to be a lot easier to use, create, or whatever than it has been. Ask yourself this question: "Why is social media working while SecondLife is falling far behind?" If Twitter or Facebook was in some form or 3-D format, they would still be growing just as fast as they are now. It has nothing to do directly with some kind of 3-D fad. SecondLife is failing due how difficult it is to interact within that system.

Brandon Bowers

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Brandon Bowers
mjbrandonbowers@gmail.com

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Second Life seeks to mix the real and virtual worlds - V3.co.uk - formerly vnunet.com

2009-07-03T18:34:00.001-04:00

It seems to me that the virtual ideology is coming to a close. It might be due to the economy. I think it is more to the limits of the 3-D virtual reality has been reached. Social Media is still growing strong, if not stronger.

To create a 3-D virtual world takes far too much time, and not many are programmers. As with games before SecondLife, it is hard to have a computer that would match the requirements needed to successfully run SecondLife. Even then, it would not make running SecondLife smooth all the time. The more that is on the grid or a sim, the more lagging it will be. Another words, SecondLife can be more of a pain in the butt than it is worth.

I have stated that the technical support is not as good as it could be. Maybe that is why SecondLife is dying. The ones that are running it do not care all that much to make their system the best it can be. A product is as good as the creators. Maybe that is why our economy has failed. Neither the government nor its people care enough to be their best. Every action has an opposite equal reaction.

Spite all that I have said, the Internet is still alive and powerful. I still strongly believe that the Internet will help the economy by crating jobs. We all are already using the Internet in our day-to-day life. It is only logical that more and even new jobs will be created online for us to grab onto. I cannot say what will happen in the next five years because I cannot say what will happen tomorrow.

Second Life seeks to mix the real and virtual worlds - V3.co.uk - formerly vnunet.com

Brandon Bowers

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Keeping Kids Safe Online - DigItAll Consumer

2009-07-03T13:50:00.001-04:00

I have stated many times before, the Internet is no place for children. If parents would not put their children on the streets alone, then they should not allow them to be online. I know they need to learn how to use the Internet. All walks of life is online a lot more than ever before. They will have their time to learn all they need to know later on in their life, and then some, before they can get a career going in their lives.

There are too much dangers in life for children to be on their own, online or off line. Since both parents have to work to make ends meet, children are online unsupervised. Due to our economy, children are by themselves a lot in their lives. This can be dangerous in itself. With the Internet, there are more dangers than one may realize. Children cannot understand the dangers that are online.

Adults can rationalize and see what to do and not to do. Normally, they will not give out private information to others online unless they are ordering something online. When Children communicates with others online, they fall for anyone that treats them with respect. Not everyone that is acts with respect and behaves right online is not a bad person, but children cannot rightfully rationalize things as adults can do.

There are more and more child molesters online than before. These molesters will talk sweet and do all they can to hook children into their web. There are far too many victims of child molestation, and it started as a simple kind communication online. Before these children knows it, they are in the physical hands of these molesters.

What needs to be done to rightfully protect children online is for the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block under age people from logging online in the first place. Stop it at the gates. The child protection software does not work. A good programmer (coder) can always go around those things. If parents cannot be with their children when online, then the ISPs needs to take over.

The Internet is here to stay. It has grown a lot since the public started to use it. There is nothing evil about the Internet. There is nothing wrong or evil about productivity and growth in life. Child molesters have been around since the beginning of time. Unfortunately, they will not go way. They are evolving so fast, it is hard for the law officials to go after them.

Before it gets worse, we need to stop children at the gate of the login to the Internet. Children are the future of any society. We need to protect them like no one’s business. When they become adults, they will be the ones to create new ideas online. The future of any nation is in the hands of our children.

Keeping Kids Safe Online - DigItAll Consumer

Brandon Bowers

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Linden Labs is At It Again

2009-06-29T12:13:00.001-04:00

I have stated before that the Linden Labs technical support is the worse I have seen. Even after the ticket has closed, they will continue to harass you on it by email. They say something like, “The solution is given.” Linden Labs really thinks they do not have to obey the laws of the land, the Constitution of the United States of America.

I posted this ticket early of June 2009, and if it the problem was not resolved by now, I would have left SecondLife a long time ago. It sounds to me that Linden Labs is harassing me to leave because I stand up for myself as an American should do. If this is the case, then the United States Federal Government needs to get involved in this 3-D virtual reality. Either in virtual world or a real one, every human being has rights under humanity. I am believing that Linden Labs is not only breaking the laws in the USA, but international laws.

All business is done in a private area. The business owns their property, and have the right to make rules and policies as they see fit. That is right and proper. They do not have the right to violate the laws that are governing them to have these corporate policies in the first place. Linden Labs and SecondLife are under the protection of the United States of America, The Constitution of America, and the Declaration of Independence of America. Each and every citizen knowing or unknowing of the laws has to obey them. Ignorance is no excuse.

It is amazing to me how corporations thinks they can get away with breaking the laws that are giving them the freedom to have a business. It does not make any good sense. Without a Republic, there would be chaos and mayhem. A tyrant government does not produce freedom. Neither does anarchy. Liberty is only produced with a government that works for the people and by the people while the citizens are free to do what they want to under the law.

People have made real life money within SecondLife. That makes it real enough to have a system that will abide by the government. Even though people from all over the world can log into SecondLife, all legal matters are under the USA. It should not matter if SecondLife is a virtual business or a real, flesh in blood, business. The ones that are running SecondLife, Linden Labs, are acceptable to obey the law in the USA.

By any circumstances in any country is anyone above the laws of the land. Everyone has to obey the laws. This is common sense that seems Linden Labs does not have. Linden Labs is a multi-million dollar corporation. They are not struggling at all. They have the money to do a lot better than they are doing right now. instead of doing what is right, Linden Labs has broken laws left and right, mistreated all their customers, and SecondLife is hurting due to it.

In this SecondLife 6th Birthday Bash, I have hardly seen anyone there at the simulation that was designed for the celebration. One might think Linden Labs would get the message and fly right. Instead they are getting worse and worse as the days go by. It is not against the law for a business to fail, but the laws do clearly state you have to treat every citizen with the utmost respect. That is why I am writing this blog posting. I am saying Linden Labs is not doing right in all fronts of life, including obeying the laws that are governed to them.

Brandon Bowers

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Making Money in SecondLife

2009-06-22T14:39:00.001-04:00

I was doing a search on how much money is being made in SecondLife, and the search results were very old. This tells me that the 3-D virtual reality structure is dead. Let’s face it. If there is no change in any technology structure, than it is going no place…other than backwards. How fast technology is growing, going backwards is not good at all.

The biggest wall that is hurting SecondLife is not that SL was a fad, but the ones that are running SL are falling behind. Here is the Grid status report of June 20-21, 2009:

[RESOLVED June 21, 2009, 8:34 PM Pacific] All regions have been returned to service. The land store is open again.

[UPDATE June 21, 2009, 6:40 PM Pacific] We’re down to under one hundred regions waiting for reactivation. Hopefully this will be over very shortly.

[UPDATE June 21, 2009 6:22 PM Pacific] We’re still working to bring a few hundred regions online. We’ve found ourselves short on simulator hosts today due to a power issue in one of our colocation centers. As the colocation center gets that issue rectified, we’ll use the available hosts to return existing regions to service first, and then reopen the land store.

[UPDATE June 21, 2009 4:30pm Pacific] The Land Store will be offline while we work to restore the remaining regions.

[UPDATE June 21, 2009 2:25pm Pacific] Our technicians are working quickly to restore remaining regions. Please refrain from restarting regions as this could cause a longer downtime for that region during this maintenance issue.

[UPDATED June 21, 2009 1:43pm Pacific] Our technicians are continuing to work to restore service to all remaining regions.

[UPDATED June 21, 2009 12:56pm Pacific] Our technicians are continuing to work to restore service to all remaining regions.

[UPDATED June 21, 2009 11:35AM Pacific] Our technicians are continuing to work to restore service to all remaining regions.

[UPDATE June 21, 2009 10:42AM Pacific] We are continuing to work on restoring regions at this time.

[UPDATE June 21, 2009 9:38AM Pacific] Multiple regions are still offline at this time, we will continue to enable all remaining regions as soon as possible.

[UPDATE June 21, 2009 8:04AM Pacific] Our technicians are continuing to work to restore service to all remaining regions.

[UPDATE June 21, 2009 6:45AM Pacific] Our technicians are working to restore service to 70 remaining regions.

[UPDATE June 21, 2009 5:00AM Pacific] The number of regions that are offline is down to 250. Our technicians are working to restore service to these.

[UPDATE June 21, 2009 3:00AM Pacific] We’re working to restore service to approximately 450 regions.

[UPDATE 12:30AM PDT] Maintenance is ongoing, we are slowly bringing services back online. We had some secondary hardware failures, we hope to be back to full speed soon.

[UPDATE 22:10 PDT] The emergency maintenance has begun.

[UPDATE 21:50 PDT] The emergency maintenance has been moved forward, and will be starting at 22:10 (10:10pm). We will post here as further updates are available.

[June 20 18:37pm PDT] - At approximately 23:00 (11:00pm) PDT tonight, one of Second Life’s primary datacenters will be undergoing emergency maintenance. For an orderly maintenance cycle we will be bringing approximately 5,000 regions offline during the course of this maintenance starting at 22:30 (10:30pm) PDT. We will keep this blog updated with more information as it becomes available. Thank you.

For the grid of SecondLife to go bad most of June 20 and all day of the 21st, that is not good at all for the services that Linden Labs give for SecondLife. They can do much better. This is the six year of having SecondLife online. In the past 2 years, SecondLife had more issues and more people leaving SecondLife due to how Linden Labs is running this system.

From what I have read, Linden Lab had 3 different presidents in the past six years. I do not know about you, but that does not look good for Linden Labs nor SecondLife. With the new Adult regulation that has been put into place, what has it done? Why has not Facebook, MySpace, and other popular social networking services done the same thing? Answer: They would not be all that popular anymore.

I am for child safety online. First of all, children should not be online in the first place. Would a parent drop their children on the streets alone? For children to go online, that is about the same thing. Until Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can stop children from getting online in the first place, no services will rightfully and completely protect children online. I have not seen any software or services that had rightfully done the job in keeping children away from inappropriate websites online. There is no such thing as 100% safe, online or offline.

Instead of rightfully protecting children in SecondLife, the new adult service is causing all sorts of frustration for the adult customers. When a business upsets the apple cart with their customers, that business looses. The six year Birthday bash of SecondLife is this day, Monday, June 22, 2009. How many that will not show up on this event will rightfully tell Linden Labs how bad things are with SL. In the results of how many do not show up, will Linden Labs change things?

The reason for me writing this posting is not to be bitter or ugly towards Linden Labs, but to speak out for all the customers of SecondLife. I am one of them. I want SL to succeed. There can be endless possibilities for SecondLife if the ones that are maintaining it does a lot better job. Right now, I have heard, seen, or read anything positive about SecondLife here lately.

Maybe Linden Labs will do something if they stop making a lot of money from SecondLife. It seems they are not caring if thousands of their customers are leaving SL. I believe when Linden Labs stops making money from SecondLife, it will be too late for them to do anything to do anything positive. Once anything starts falling downhill fast, it is hard to stop.

Is SecondLife Going downhill?

2009-06-15T23:00:00.004-04:00

The Internet in the 21st Century and Beyond.

In my last post, I stated how bad the technical support was with the ones that run SecondLife (SL), Linden Labs (LL). As of this post, there are about 63,112 inworld. I have seen it much higher. True one count of the number that are inword does not make or break SL, but I am starting to see worlds in SL falling due to they are getting less and less visitors.

I cannot say if SecondLife will fall in the history books, but there are not many that are celebrating this 6th Birthday of SecondLife. As with many businesses, if the customers are not happy for whatever reason, that business will not stand for long. Linden Labs needs to rethink how they do things. How can one make real life (RL) money in SL if it they do not have customers to come to their shops? For many others, SecondLife is an escape from RL.

Either a business or for fun, SecondLife is losing it luster. The problem is more than the frustration of moving around due to lagging and what nots, but due to the ones running and keeping up with how SecondLife is being run. LL is showing they do not care for the ones that are inworld, their customers. Even businesses that are in SL, their worlds are a ghost town. There are hardly no events at these sims. They used to have a few events each month. I know this because I use to go to them.

Go to YouTube. All the videos about SecondLife is at least a year old. There are schools in SL still, but when I go to visit these sims, no one is there. Even the worlds that are in the showcase section of the SL search hardly have anyone there. The Showcase sims are suppose to be where a lot of people visit. SecondLife is turning into one bare 3-D virtual reality.

I can understand with the economy, things are hard all around, but that does not stop people from using the Internet. Social Networking is still a big thing today. I do not believe the reason SecondLife is loosing out is due to the economy. Either in prosperity or an economic downfall, customers will continue to come back to a business if that business treats them as they should be treated. When people shop these days they have learned to shop wiser then before.

The economy downfall, to this date, has not stopped people from buying things, but it has caused them to learn to think better. If they continue to learn and grow in their day-to-day activities, the economy will start to push in the right direction. Life is changing due to the economic problems. Suffering is adding up day by day. Jobs are dropping just as fast, but people are still living onward.

SecondLife as well as any other online business can continue as well. The ones that are running the system must realize they have their online business due to their customers. They know if they loose them, they will lose their business. Linden Labs needs to learn this, or SecondLife will be in the history books, if not forgotten completely.

Let's look at what LL has done about the "cracking down" on adult content within SecondLife. It is still going one now. Sex, drugs, pornography, crime, and all sorts of malcontent will always be there in life. Laws, rules, and other govern control is needed, but they will always be strife in all walks of life. Instead of Linden Labs controlling these problems, they have caused more frustrations with the average individual customer than anything. The same problem is going on before this so called "crack down" from Linden Labs.

Do not get me wrong, rules are needed, but LL could have done a much better job. I have strongly believed they should have done something like that when SecondLife started. Doing it now after 6 years does nothing, but cause problems for the average customer that has never caused any problems whatsoever. Rules and laws done poorly causes lack of freedom from law abiding citizens.

That is why I believe SecondLife is dying, and falling hard. I have many times thought about canceling my accounts from SecondLife. Why I have not done so, I do not know. Where there is life there is hope, I guess. As the weeks and months go by, I am starting to see less and less hope for a future in SecondLife. I keep thinking to myself, there are so much more I can be doing online that has nothing to do with SecondLife.

In the past, I have written great things about SecondLife. Maybe that is why I am still logging inworld. If only things got better, things will start to go right for SL. That is what I hope will happen. It is all up to the ones that run this 3-D virtual reality, Linden Labs. They can turn things around if they really want to do so. If they do start to do right from this point forward, SecondLife could change very quickly. I am sad to say, I do not see LL going to do better anytime soon.

Brandon Bowers

SecondLife Technical Suport SUCKS!!

2009-06-06T11:48:00.004-04:00

The Internet in the 21st Century and Beyond.

Here is a ticket that I have written to Linden Labs about me crashing before I even log inworld to SecondLife:

Ticket Details

Back

Ticket Summary
Ticket #:	4051-6276589
Email Notification (Organization Contact):	Yes
Status:	Work In Progress
Date Created:	16/5/2009 7:39 AM PDT
Date Updated:	6/6/2009 8:42 AM PDT

Ticket Description

Summary:	I logged uot last night, but I am still on the grid. I cannot log back in
If issue is about an Alt account, what account?:
Ticket Type:	Special Questions - Basic account or Guest Login
Basic or Guest Access - only a few ticket types allowed:
Basic Account issues:
Contact Email address:	mjbrandonbowers@gmail.com
Technical issue:
Inworld Issue:
Viewer/web:
What Type of Connection do you Have?:
Operating System:
Web Browser:
What Graphics Card do you have?:
Are there multiple monitors?:
Crash/Error:
Error Message:
Listing issue:
Group issue:
Region Request:
Land issue:
Group name:
Location (region, coordinates):
Accounts issue:
Partner name:
Billing type:
Linden$ Payment:
LL Payment type:
Resident payment issue:
Billing issue:
Charge type:
Credit issue:
Payment type:
Paypal email address:
Real name (on payment account):
Credit Card type:
Transaction Amount:
Transaction Date:
Transaction Time (PST):
Region Change:
Transfer type:
Other person's name:
LandStore Beta agreement:
Region Name:
New name for Region:
Owner of island it will be adjacent to (if any):
Order Date (approx):
Avatar Name:
Registration Date:
VAT questions:
Disabled Issues:
Auction ID:
Class 4 Region Name:
Class 5 Region Name:
I want to be a DPW builder:
Core Skill:
Name of Guest:
Type of issue:
Billing Problem:
L$ and LindeX issue:
Inworld Problem:
Software Problem:
Feedback:
This region is:
The region Class is:
Transaction Type:
Buying Price (will be debited from your account by Linden Lab):
Selling Price (which will be credited to your account, less the transfer fee):
Region Rental Type:
How many regions?:
Region Rental Starting Date:
Region Rental Ending Date:
Terraform:
Wire Transfer Acceptance fee:
Amount you wish to credit your account (in US$):
Your real name, as listed on your bank account:
Earmark funds for::
Please include a description of any moves, renames or changes.
We will waive the fees, provided you make the request below.
Complaint Area:
Complaint Type:
Linden Name:
Mentor Name:
Mole Name:
What date is your region billed on?:
What date do you want us to take down the region?:
What was the Region used for?:
Why are you canceling the Region?:
What is the best way for us to contact you about your experience?:
Phone number:
Re-enable qualification:
Did you check the Knowledge Base?:	No, I did not check the Knowledge Base
Preferred Language:	English
Details:	Last night I logged out fine, but now I cannot log inworld. It states that the system is trying to log me out. I am not inworld at this time from my SL player. Need to be completely logged out so I can log back in. Thank you.
Reference Ticket number:	#4051-6273905
Who are you:
How did you hear about us:
I would like more information about:
Solution Provider Issues:
Solution Provider Directory:
Solution Provider Program :
I need action on an issue :
Linden Lab policy :
Please schedule time with me :
Request for publicity :
I qualify for a wire payout because:
My full Legal Name is:
My Postal address is:
My phone number is:
My Tax ID/SSN is:
Account number:
Bank Name:
Bank Address:
Bank Contact:
ABA Number:
IBAN Number:
SWIFT Number:
Attachment:

Solution

Solved:
(16/5/2009 8:01 AM PDT)

Hello Fraterphoenix Finesmith,

Thank you for your ticket with regards to this technical issue that you have been experiencing; it seems that the problem has been caused by your avatar becoming stuck in-world, in what we refer to as a "stuck presence".

As such we have now cleared your avatars "presence".

Before logging in please clear/delete your Second Life cache, then connect to a different region.

You should also ensure that your internet connection is wired/cable and not wireless. Use of a wireless internet connection is not supported.

How to clear the Second Life cache :-
1) Click "Edit" then "Preferences" in the "Menu" tab.
2) Click on the "Network" tab.
3) Click on the "Clear Cache" button.

How to log in to a different region:-
1) Click "Edit" then "Preferences" in the "Menu" tab.
2) Click on the "General" tab.
3) Change your starting location to either "Aqua" or "Pooley"
4) Quit Second Life
5) Log back into Second Life

If you require any further assistance, then please do not hesitate to contact us.

Regards

Stephen
Linden Lab Support

Actions

History
Action Date	Actions	Contact Name	Comment
6/6/2009 8:42 AM PDT	Customer Posted a Comment	FraterPhoenix_Finesmith Finesmith	Doing what you have suggested is not working. Could it be that I need to get a new computer. I have a 2.2GHz processor, 1GB memory, GeForce 8400 video card. I want to continue to use SL, but I cannot do so if I cannot log inworld.
6/6/2009 8:19 AM PDT	Reopened	FraterPhoenix_Finesmith Finesmith	I have done that many times. I even unistalled the SL player and reinstalled it. I have done everything possible on my end to fix this error. I have graduated from Lanier Technical College in Oakwood, GA, in the computer field. So hopefully, I can deal with any issues that might be the problem logging into online accounts. Another words I am not an engineer. :)
6/6/2009 8:05 AM PDT		System	Ran Alert Solution Reminder
23/5/2009 8:05 AM PDT		System	Ran Alert Support Satisfaction
16/5/2009 8:01 AM PDT	Sent Final Resolution	Stephen Ontyne	(See solution)

**********

Bottom line is SecondLife is dead if the support team does not give a damn about doing what is right. All I care about is to log inworld to SecondLife and do my thing. I do not know all about computers, even though I did graduate from Lanier Technical College with a certificate and 3 diplomas in the computer field, but I do know that when an issue is on my end or not.

I highly suggest that anyone that is making money in SecondLife in the Real World, watch your back. Linden Labs are crooks. They have made more than their share of money in the six years since SecondLife has been online. As most technical support, it is not always on your end. Let me talk about the OSI Reverence Model:

Layer 1: Physical Layer
Layer 2: Data Link Layer
Layer 3: Network Layer
Layer 4: Transport Layer
Layer 5: Session Layer
Layer 6: Presentation Layer
Layer 7: Application Layer

At home or at the office, the personal PC deals with the first three layers of the OSI Reference Model. These layers are called the lower layers. The upper layers is called the cloud. The cloud means it can be anything under the sun, and there is no way to control these layers. It is true that 75% of what we do with out computer on or off line is the physical layer. When we log into somethng online, SecondLife or otherwise, then the handshake is established. Once the first three layers pass the threshold, it is no long in our control.

What is our responsibility in the first three layers is how our computer is connected together to the power outlet, the card that will send and receive data, and our connection to the Internet. If you can read this blog than you have the physical layer working. If you are reading this blog online, that means both the data link and network layers are working. Right off, this blog posting is outside of your control.

SecondLife grid is a lot more than simple logging into an online service. All that one deals with is on Servers. One cannot even back up one's inventory to there personal computer. Linden Labs controls everything. This alone is a giant flag to state the issues you face is never on your end. If you do not meet the minimal requirements, the SecondLife Player will let you know before you even log inworld. Once you do meet those requirements then, any bug issues is not, and I repeat not on your end of the OSI Reference Model.

This means that Linden Labs is 100% at least resposnible for any bugs, log in issues, or whatever. When you report an issue to them, and they do not respond in kind, then they are in the wrong. That is why I have posted this ticket of mine. I never like to state a boycot. I do not want to have that type of responsibility to deal with. Though, I will highly warn seriously in putting one's hard earn money into SecondLife. Linden Labs can and has froze accounts both inworld and off world with no reason whatsoever. All that money that is in one's SL account is held at ransom.

I am sure that not all have dealt with any major issue with Linden Labs and SecondLife. All I can say to those people is watch your back. Yes, Linden Labs and SecondLife are in the United States of America, but for some reason LL thinks they are above the law. When it comes right down to it, no one can do anything about LL misjustice. As I cannot do anything about my issues in logging inworld, no one can rightfully vedicate him/herself by the power that LL has over their customers.

Brandon Bowers

Can Virtual Events be as Engaging as Physical Events? - Virtual Edge for Virtual Events, Virtual Meetings & Communities

2009-04-14T13:12:00.001-04:00

Not only can virtual events be as engaging as physical events, they can be even better. When it comes to a 3-D virtual reality, one can do things in that environment more than one could do in real life. You can go places that one may not be able to in real life. With the economy keeping us tied down due to watching our purses, most people cannot afford to go to the local park.

SecondLife - Text100 in SL - Machinima - WELCOME to Second Life Virtual World

Systems like SecondLife allows all of us to do more than ever before. People that cannot walk can sore through this 3-D virtual world. Businesses can train their employees in ways they cannot other wise in real life. Business can gather it people around the world, having meetings, show presentations, and all sort of real time interactions within SecondLife.

People have made real life money in this 3-D virtual world called SecondLife. Due to this realistic environment, there are practically endless things that can be done within SecondLife. For a couple of years now, the cancer research has gotten a lot of real life money from donations inworld (inworld means inside the 3-D virtual world of SecondLife). Please do not think that one can get rich quick in this 3-D virtual reality. That could never happen in real life, and it will not happen in a virtual life.

3D Hospital Training

SecondLife is simply a tool. It is a very powerful tool. Many have gotten married in real life by meeting in this virtual one. This virtual world is more than a dating service, an educational medium, business opportunity, etc. It is all of that and more. As with real life it is how you use something that makes it successful. Nothing is gained by doing nothing or very little. Every action has an opposite and equal reaction.

There might be more hard work in a 3-D virtual world than in real life. How successful something turns out is up to how much is put into it. SecondLife can be an exciting and challenging medium, but anything worth having is not easy. The most important rule I have learned about SecondLife is this: SecondLife is not real life. One must understand that how you treat your customers, students, or whomever cannot be treated in the same manner as in real life.

Another words, you may meet in SecondLife an animal, robot, male, female, or any type of avatar. Unless the meeting is a professional business meeting, you cannot expect the avatars be act as they would in real life. What I mean is they will not act human. The person behind the avatar can be either male or female and be the opposite gender in SecondLife. What is important is how the person behind the avatar interacts with others inworld. How they look does not mean all that much.

I might need to put a safe guard in. Any misconduct, meaning a sexual perversion or violence is not accepted in most places in SecondLife. All this is common sense. It is amazing to me that a few thinks they can do anything they want to in life without consequences for they actions. Morals are just as important in a virtual world as it is in the real one.

I am for one am grateful that Linden Labs (the ones that run and operation SecondLife) has hammered down on the sexual activities. Nothing wrong with sex, but there is a place for everything. In real life, would you go to a town that was infested with prostitution? I would not. To rightfully communicate and interact with others, one must show respect for self and others. This is of course common sense.

A lot has changed inworld of SecondLife since it was created nearly 6 years ago. The economy in real life may have hurt how businesses do things in either world, but SecondLife does show promise on how we all might be doing things online in the future. I cannot say what that may be. Time will tell. It always does.

Brandon Bowers

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Can Virtual Events be as Engaging as Physical Events? - Virtual Edge for Virtual Events, Virtual Meetings & Communities

Second Life's span is virtually over as firms decide to get real - Telegraph

2009-03-31T12:14:00.001-04:00

As of 11:02 AM Eastern Standard Time of March 31, 2009, there are 61,851 inworld of SecondLife. On any given weekend there are usually over 80,000 inworld of SecondLife. Where did Rupert Neate, the writer of this article I am blogging about gets the the idea that people do not have time to "play SecondLife?"

First of all, this 3-D virtual reality is more than a game. If people can make real life money using SecondLife, I say it is much more then any game. What about articles like this one: Virtual Worlds in Education: Global Conference in Second Life, March 27-29. Everyone is using this 3-D virtual reality. Here is an interesting article on the medical field using Second Life for training their students: http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/03/30/doctors.second.life/

SecondLife is becoming mainstream on how we all are doing things online. For anyone that writes anything against or negative on the future of technology might need to take the time to do some decent research. Social Networking and 3-D virtual reality are growing faster than any of us can keep up with. It is not going away because of people write negative things about it.

If these tools are not right for person, or someone does not want to use them, then do not use it. There is no reason to be ugly or rude about certain things in life. They will not change because of someone's disgruntlement. There are far too many people using SecondLife for it to die out anytime soon. One day someone may design a better system than SecondLife. Until that time, SecondLife is the leading 3-D virtual reality.

SecondLife is not big just because of Linden Labs, the one that created SecondLife. This 3-D virtual reality is big because of the users that are inworld. Life grows due to the people that live out their lives day by day. Due to interaction, many things goes forward. A writer like J. K. Rowling did not make it big on Harry Potter if it was not for her readers.

We all have our part to play in life. If anyone ever thought that their life has not shown any purpose, then they need to look at their lives through another person's eyes. I personally write my blog postings in all my blogs to enlighten others. After one reads them, they are the one that sees within themselves something new and wonderful. I may never know the outcome or even if someone is inspired by what I right. Just the same, there is at least one person that could have their life turned around by what I write, and I will not know it.

What SecondLife has done for many is to better their lives within a 3-D virtual world. On a daily basis, I have seen within 60,000 - 90,000 people log into SecondLife. Sometimes I do see just under 60,000, but not often. Go to Xstreetsl and see how many things that anyone within SecondLife can buy. Someone had to create these items so they can sell them. They were not manufactured out of thin air.

The more that one does research not only on SecondLife, but anything, they will see how vast that information can be. There is a lot more about SecondLife than one can realize. There is a lot more to life itself than one may realize. That is the true power on anything, the power of the imagination of individuals. So, go out there and follow your dreams. Never know what can be found and discovered.

Blessed Be to Isis and you,

Real Name: Brandon Bowes

Second Life's span is virtually over as firms decide to get real - Telegraph

Smithsonian's Latino Virtual Museum in Second Life - EDUSCAPE - Education in Second Life - Second Life Blogs

2009-03-23T16:21:00.001-04:00

The wonders of art. It shows the creative minds of all different people. That is why I love SecondLife. It can allow one to explore their own creativity. By tuning their creative skills, one can learn more about themselves.

SecondLife can allow others to present their artwork in a manner that they might not do in real life. I live in the state of Georgia and it will cost me a lot to travel to Washington DC just to see the Smithsonian Institute. In SecondLife, students can go on field trips without the school needing extra money. All the classroom needs is a computer for each student. Art is the key to an civilization, and just as important to learn as the other subjects.

In SecondLife one can learn to be creative as well as see the creations of others. Art is not only colors and shapes, but any type of creative medium. SecondLife allows others to be creative at a much lower cost than in real life. The whole idea of Social Networking is self expression. SecondLife is a giant 3-D virtual reality of that social medium. Some even have made real life money by their creativity within SecondLife.

A lot of post-secondary schools are using SecondLife to educate their students. Non-profit organizations like the Cancer Research has gotten a lot of money in SecondLife. More and more corporations are getting on board this 3-D virtual reality. Just about all walks of life have used SecondLife in one way or the other.

At times I have called this 3-D virtual reality, Web3. If one really explores all that SecondLife has to offer, I strongly believe that other people will see how it can be called, Web3. This 3-D virtual world is that powerful. If one is skilled enough, one can rightfully create anything in SecondLife with the fraction of the cost in real life.

I think I may need to reinstate the world outside of SecondLife (SL) as First Life (FL). Second Life is just as real as anything else. The only difference it is in a virtual world. In that case, I could call the world outside of SL as the real world. How ever one may call it, SecondLife can be a very important extension of our lives.

SecondLife is simply a tool. A tool that can do more than a simple screwdriver. This 3-D virtual world is very versatile for just about anyone or any project one can have. The limit to any creative artwork is the imagination of the creator. That is the secret of SecondLife. It is each and every user in SecondLife that makes up this 3-D virtual world.

Like I said, "Art is a very important part of life. Think of a world without it. There would be no motivation or purpose. Even nature itself is a form of creativity. If there were no color or texture to all forms of life, then what is the difference in life and death? Everything would be a pasty black and white movie....YUK!!!

With all things attached to our computer Internet technology, we have the means of not only seeing art, but be apart of that artwork. Everything including art starts with an idea. When we are allowed to fully express that idea in just about every way, than life blossoms. That is the power behind SecondLife.

Blessed Be to Isis and you,

Real Name: Brandon Bowers

Smithsonian's Latino Virtual Museum in Second Life - EDUSCAPE - Education in Second Life - Second Life Blogs

MIT makes research available on the web

2009-03-23T12:57:00.005-04:00

The Internet in the 21st Century and Beyond.

As the communication age grows with the computer technical age, wonderful things have happened. People around the world have not been able to communicate as much as they have done in the past few years. It is far more then just text messaging. If there were ever an age called the "Golden Age," then I might call the time we live in today, just that.

The 21st Century has blossomed into something far beyond anyone could ever hoped or dreamed. The power behind all this is not controlled by any one person or group. The Internet is far to vast and powerful to be controlled. We either need to grab on tight with both hands, or wave bye bye as we are left behind in the dust. These new technical and communication trends are not going away. They are here to stay and growing nearly day by day.

Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and MySpace gets tons and tons of communication traffic each and every day. Spite the critics that may say negative things, these social networking services are only growing by the million. The only communication item that is falling behind the 8-ball is the telephone. People are still using it, but I would like to know how much more Internet communication has taken over the old fashion telephone?

Image via CrunchBase

Through Skype and other online voice communication, people can talk to others for very little cost if no cost at all. It will not be long tell we can actually see another person in 3-D over any point around the globe. Like R2D2, we will be able to see live human beings in real time over a projection. I personally would like to meet people face-to-face, like family or friends, but if husband/father or whomever that is working on the other side of the globe, then being able to see that person even in 3-D projection of some sort can make a big difference in not see tjat person at all.

What a way for businessess and even the average person to save money in transportation cost. A grandparent can see their grand children more than just on the holidays. The more options one has, the more things a person can do in life. It is true not all the technical advances is for everyone everywhere, but one might be surprised in how many are using all that the Internet has to offer, right now.

As our technology advances in just about ever field of life, the power is based on the imagination of the user of these technologies. If now more than anytime, one can rightfully state, "Do not allow anyone to tell you that you cannot do anything." With all the advance technologies that is out there and the ones that have not been invented as of yet, there are no excuses for anyone to not work hard at something they really want to do.

With out technologies we have now, we can do things that might not be possible 5 years ago. What we can do in the next 5 years will make the technical wonders we have now old and worn out. I personally have not used any instant messaging software in a long time, even though I have Yahoo IM running on my computer. I can share so much more through social networking than any time in the past. That is how powerful social networking is today.

Sharing online is a fast and growing aspect of life. Due to the "public domain" aspect of social networking, I believe the need for Copyright laws will not be necessary. GNU software is also growing and used more than other software. The ideology of creativity has changed from I possess it to I want to share it with anyone, and allow them to manipulate their copy if they so choose. In this, the word teamwork has a marvelous new meaning.

Megatons of barriers have been removed due to today's fast growing Internet. More and more people can learn in ways they could not without the Internet as it is today. A lot many people fear their privacy might be in danger, but I believe that social networking has more privacy protection than anything in history of the Internet. People do not have to use their real names, but a pseudo name or user name. How much they give out online is all up to them. In most if not all social networking accounts, one can block or accept the ones they want on their friend's list. Full control is at the hands of the user and not the ones that are running the social networking serves.

That is why I believe that Social Networking is so popular today, everyone is in control. They have the freedom to share what they want to with some simple guidelines under the TOS of each service. It would not suprise me one bit to see more and more jobs going online than ever before. That makes me wonder if the reason why jobs are not being found in the conventional world is due to they are running out of positions. How can one fill a 16 oz class if it is full already?

This year over 1,200,000 jobs were lost in two months. If the trends fall on the month of March as with January and February, then that can add another 600,000 plus job loss, making it nearly 2,000,000 people out of a job in 2009. What amazes me the most about our technical advances that it keeps on going spite the job losses. The world is still alive and moving without loosing a beat. That makes me think we need to rethink how we live and do things. Could it be that our economy is not in bad turn, but how we are living?

If it is true that 1 +1 = 11 and 11+ 1 = 111, then could it be just as true for it to move the other direction (111 - 1 = 11; 11 - 1= 1). The point, are we living in the past or in the future? Who is responsible for our own circumstances, fate or ourselves? The choices in our lives belongs to us. What we might do in our lives can make all the difference in how we live tomorrow.

Blessed Be to Isis and you,

Real Name: Brandon Bowers

Second Life brings virtual world to students

2009-03-15T14:47:00.004-04:00

The Internet in the 21st Century and Beyond.

Before I write about this article, this article has links to some videos. It might be at your best interest to watch them. Social Networking a fast growing aspect of life today. If all aspects of life does not get hooked on, then expect dust in the air.

Since Linden Labs created this 3-D virtual reality five years ago, it has climbed beyond all expectations. Nearly everyone around the world is using it, including educators. All aspects of life is using SecondLife. That is how big things are inworld of SecondLife. It all has to due with social networking.

Tell me a time that you can watch CNN without having one of the news casters reading tweets from Twitter accounts. Did you also know that businesses are using all the big wig social networking systems like Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace? So are millions of teenagers that will one day be in the work force in one kind of career or the other. These teenagers will be the ones having the jobs that right now do not exist. These jobs will be the ones that will be using the new technologies that would put what we have today in the dust. That is how fast technology is growing.

Educators, business, and all forms of life are on these social networking system. SecondLife is a 3-D virtual reality of this social networking. Spite what you may read or hear from the critics against social networking and virtual worlds, they are growing and growing by the millions of people constantly using them. Even President Obama uses social networking get all of us in the United States of America to live the best life we can.

That is the wonders of SecondLife. You can change you appearance, gender, outfits, etc. with great easy. Based on what you are doing in SecondLife one can set up their avatar to represent themselves within their surroundings. What is very important is how one communicates with others. As in a job, you do not want your avatar to be looking like something a cat dragged in. How one looks is just as important as how one communicates with others.

That is the main understanding: Communication. We are in the technology age, but the communication age has grown along with technology. After all that is what the Internet was designed for since ARPA. A lot has changed since the ARPANET. Social networking is not a fad that will go away. Actually it is growing faster then any of us can keep up with it.

Some 3-D virtual systems have not made it as big. Right now SecondLife is leading big in the virtual worlds. This has to do with the users of SecondLife then Linden Labs themselves. When a business treats their consumers with respect they deserve, then giant result comes to pass. By the hard work on these users created things in SecondLife, prosperity is the end result.

SecondLife is not without its own problems, but that did not stop things growing big time inworld. The number of people logging in to SecondLife only has increased since 2003. Right now of this posting, there are around 60,000 to over 80,000 people logging into SecondLife daily. I do not think even Linden Labs could have predicted these numbers. The success is in everyone, including Linden Labs.

All types a schools are in SecondLife right now. Believe it or not nurses are being trained in SecondLife. In the conventional manner they had to work on dummies. Now they can be trained how to communicate with their patients by the use of real people controlling the (avatars) patients. Business are even training their employees in the means of team working. These two things could not have been done fully without the true interaction that SecondLife gives.

I could go down the list on all the benefits on how SecondLife has improved things in training and doing every day things. What the biggest thing that this 3-D virtual reality gives is the abilities to use less natural resources. By having business meetings and the like in SecondLife, a lot of natural resources are being saved for better use and less of it. The only electricity that is needed is the power to run a computer.

Air travel will be used for less business travel and more for luxury travel. Moderation will the norm on all things when we can use the Internet for transporting of information. Money will also be saved for unnecessary travel. Think about it, how much does the average person travel? How much money can the average person save if they did not have to travel all that much just by using the Internet? That is what SecondLife can solve.

When I was going to school every day, I had to pay for gas. If most of my classes were online and no need to go to a face-to-face classroom, then I could have saved a ton of gas money. Trust me, communicating by email is no way for a teacher to teach or a student to learn. Neither is the use of bulletin boards (BBS). That is not real interactive communication.

Social networking is 100% real interactive communication, if not more. How many students had to wait for a reply to a BBS question or an email from the instructor, and have it done before the exam over what the question was about? With Social Networking it is easier for both to communicate back and forth vs email, BBS, or the old forms of Internet communication systems. SecondLife put reality online for the first time.

Blessed Be to Isis and you,

Real Name: Brandon Bowers

Upcoming Changes for Adult Content in SecondLIfe

2009-03-12T14:30:00.003-04:00

The Internet in the 21st Century and Beyond.

Image via Wikipedia

From what I have read, it seems that Linden Labs is moving in the right direction. Since they are constantly growing with this concept of allowing the users of SecondLife to know what difference in a PG sim vs a mature one, thing will improve and be frustrating for some users. Remember in real life, laws are designed to serve and protect.

The biggest thing about SecondLife is that no political government is having their dirty little hands in these virtual worlds It seems to me that Linden Labs is working hard to keep it that way by showing that they can do their best in controlling who goes into adult sims. It might not be a perfect set up, but I have to admit it is much better then the previous one. The best way to keep children from adult content online is by proper parental supervision. Talking/teaching children about the human body is the best way to control adult content in life.

Image via Wikipedia

By that proper education can the curiosity of sex be controlled. Ignorance does nothing. We need not fear things in life, but learn and understand them. There might be a good bit of pornography online and in SecondLife, but there are tons more in life and in SecondLife that has nothing to do with sex. When I was young, I was asked, "Would you jump into a pool without seeing if it had water in it?" That is what we all must do in SecondLife, "Look before you teleport."

If you do not like chocolate ice cream, then do not eat it. We cannot stop sexual explicit things online or offline. The only thing we can do is use our own judgment, and stay away from things that do not fit our fancy. Life can go on with or without us. I am happy to see that Linden Labs is changing the initial format they had in controlling adult content. I hope they will learn as they grow with this. As the technical age constantly changes, so should we all along with it. Life does not wait for anyone. We either fall behind, or grab on with both hands.

I still strongly perfer that the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) do a much better job in such manners. It would make it much easier for all if children were stopped at the first gate (logging in), than having to stop everyone else due to criminal activities. Sex in itself is not the big issue. Child safety is the big issue. Tht is why I have and will state here, "The Internet is no place for a child. Just the same they need to learn how to use it. Nearly everything is online.

Blessed Be to Isis and you,

Real Name: Brandon Bowers

Fraud and Money Laundering in Second Life Virtual Worlds : Internet Business Law

2009-03-05T16:35:00.001-05:00

I want to point out the difference between a real security issue to a right out hoax. Virtual worlds like SecondLife is a much different platform then the rest of how other activities are done online. With that being said, "You can be scammed in SecondLife."

The biggest scams are the machines that promise free Lindens (L$). Lindens are the money in SecondLife. A person can exchange that L$ to real money. In these free L$ machines, a person fills out surveys. We all have filled out surveys before in real life without a fuss. In these surveys, there is a big fuss....telemarketing.

That is right, you get phone calls, junk mail, and all sorts of pain in the ass things regarding telemarketing. Either in a virtual world or a real one, no one gets anything for nothing, especially money. All of us have to get things the old fashion way, "You earn it!" There are people that have made more money in SecondLife, then in their previous career. There is a lot of good things that are in SecondLife as they are in real life.

This is why I write articles like this one about the one-sided views of negative articles about SecondLife or whatever. Things are not as bleak as they appear in these articles. To know the difference between a legit financial system to a scam, here is the solution: "if it is too good to be true, then it is a scam."

How things are done in a virtual world can be very different in how things are done in real life. The most important aspect of SecondLife there is no real government regulations as in real life. There is order, but SecondLife is governed by the owner of the land or simulation. Linden Labs gives all autonomy to these owners. If you have any complains in SecondLife, talking to these owners.

As far as how crime is committed in a virtual world is much different then in real life. No one can right steal anything. If one sells things in SecondLife all that needs to be done is set permissions on how those items are governed. Another words you can keep others from selling, coping, or modifying the items that you have created.

How crimes are committed in SecondLife is getting another person to do something on its own merit. Be aware that there are hoaxes going around. Like with computer virus hoaxes, there are hoaxes of certain people doing things that really cannot be done in SecondLife. The owner of a land can control permissions on what visitors can do on his/her land. This cannot be overridden by any script or coding.

Hopefully this issue is cleared up, so what is SecondLife all about? There is a lot out there that states that SecondLife is a game. I can assure you, it is much more than a game. You can have fun in SecondLife and take part in 3-D virtual roll playing games, but it is much more than gaming. Like I have stated, people can make real life money in SecondLife. Many major corporations are in SecondLife with their own world: Cisco Systems, Intel, IBM, several universities, etc.

SecondLife is a true metaverse of all sorts of things. It truly is a second life. SecondLife is simply an extension of real life. It can be just as real as anything else. It is how much one puts into this 3-D virtual reality that makes all the difference. Doing business in SecondLife is not a get rich quick scam. It takes a lot of time and hard work to make real money in SecondLife.

Here are some great videos about from YouTube on SecondLife:

Virtual Iowa
Business lessons from the success of Second Life
Fraud and Money Laundering in Second Life Virtual Worlds : Internet Business Law
Tribute Video - Second Life (For the Doctor Who Fans in RL & SL)
Second Life The Purple Rose Theatre
IEEE Islands in Second Life (2009.02.10)

There is a lot more that can be said or shown about SecondLife and what one can do inworld. The only real way to learn these wonders is create a free account, download the SecondLife player, and experience all that SecondLife has to offer.

Blessed Be to Isis and you,

Real Name: Brandon Bowers

The Industry's 10 Best IT Certifications

2009-03-04T11:04:00.005-05:00

The Internet in the 21st Century and Beyond.

To be or not to be certified, that is the question. Having a certification on your plate does say something, but what? As with any test, does passing it actually mean you know the materials. With our economy problems will it really do any good? If the certification one holds is placed in the Smithsonian Institute, how can that help one get a job in the ever so changing technology world?

I am no business consultant nor have any experience in the field of business. It seems to me the ones that have the right experience, and are showing that they are staying up with the ever so fast growing technology world has a better chance of getting a foot in the door to the jobs that have not been created as of yet. I understand that experience is everything. I would even hire a person that has experience over the one that is a gum shoe. I have to admit that if the gum shoe is showing more of an understanding of tomorrow's technology, I would be more interested in that person. That is how fast technology is growing.

Let's face it, the person with 14 years of experience may or may not fully grasp the social media trends. Maybe that is why so many have written articles on the negative of popular social media systems, like Facebook, Twitter, etc. We all need to live life in the forward direction than the past. Just the same, there are a good number that wants to live in the old way of doing things. That is why I write blogs. I want to show that I am keeping up with all that is going on, and I love to write.

In today's Internet, writing is a very important thing. What makes social networking so popular is that one can truly express oneself without sacrificing their privacy. In that I believe that blogging and other online social systems can be a better resume/portfolio than just one page resume. If one can get any business personnel to continue to read post after post of one's blog, then that is saying a lot. If the great work continues, then not only does the writer of that blog got a foot in the door, but a recognition that will last a lifetime. No one cannot get that from a one page resume.

This brings me to a very good point: If the technical world has changed that much, then the understanding of being certified in the information technology field has a new evolution with it also. Who knows, what I have written here in this posting could be an old format on how people in the IT field thinks and does their business. That makes me wonder if a good portion of our economic problems are simple if not complex growing pains as we continue to grow with technology. Either we get on board and ride the new future, or we stay in the past and go down with the ship.

From my little observation of how things are running, I can understand how overwhelming this fast pace technology can be. Just the same, we all can ride the waves and end up safe and sound. Sometimes one can be too safety prone. Fear only destroys progress. I cannot predict the future, but I may be able to see the possibilities of the trends we are riding now. If things change so rapidly, how can a certification rightfully say all that much?

I guess the question needs to be asked, who are the ones that rightfully needs to be certified? Can a gum shoe or entry level person successfully use a certification? Maybe after when a employee becomes more seasoned with his/her understandings can take a certification test. I wonder if a certification would be too much for a gum shoe/entry level employee. Failing the test a few times, might scare the employee away when he/she could be the perfect employee for the job at hand if given the chance to rightfully prove it.

As this article states, "What is more important is what the employers are rightfully looking for." So how can a student fresh out of school know what employers want in regarding to certifications? Right now, it seems that schools are pushing too much on being certified. For most students it cost far too much to pay for these test. If they certification test are meaningless, then why take them in the first place?

Next question that rightfully needs to be asked is what test are needed to be taken. There are tons of different kinds of certification test. Does a student needs to take all of them? Even under the pacific training, there a more than a hand full of different kinds of certification test. These post-secondary schools are not all that helpful in letting the students know which one to take.

The more I look at this situation, the more questions that are needed to be ask then answers. How I look at it, being certified is great and all, but it is up to who you will work for and how far one is willing to go in that field. Climbing the ladder of success is good and all, but one can be happier by staying put. Simply live within your means.

Blessed Be to Isis and you,

Real Name: Brandon Bowers

Twitter, Google Maps Used To Track Down Two Missing Skiers

2009-03-04T00:02:00.003-05:00

The Internet in the 21st Century and Beyond.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the power of social networking. It shows how many are using it today. Who would think that something like this could have the possibilities to save lives. If these services can help track these people, how much more can social networking and other technologies we have today in helping our economy?

It boggles my mind on what will pop up online that would change how we look at life, and how we

Image via CrunchBase

will live it. Looking back from the first PC computer to all that is happening now is breath taking. The possibilities are practically endless. It is getting to be that every thought we can ever have could be a reality tomorrow. I am still overwhelmed on how Twitter was able to run rings around CNN and other news organizations on the attack on Mumbai, India. Now this, amazing!!

It goes to show you, when human beings put their minds to it, nothing can keep them from fulfilling it, other than time. If we live our lives to the fullest, there is nothing that we cannot do. The will to survive in not good enough. Human beings today are going out of their way to betting life all around them. The more we use these technical marvels, the better our lives will become.

Blessed Be to Isis and you,

Real Name: Brandon Bowers

Content Management Systems just don't work

2009-03-02T10:39:00.005-05:00

The Internet in the 21st Century and Beyond.

I have seen in history's past that all types of people get too excited and out of control of new things in life, technology is sure a big one. These corporations know that one must first find out more about this next technology before rightfully using it. Nothing in life is a form fit, and there is no such thing as an "automatic."

I believe that Content Management (CMS) is the wave of the future, but by this article it seems that these organizations forgot about the most important aspect of CMS, management. The core purpose CMS is to organize a complex system regarding web design. I would hate to think if Amazon.com used only static web design on their services. They simply would not sell as much as they do now. All forms of organizations do use some sort of management structure in their business. These organizations realize they had to draw out a detail structure before putting it into action. How is CMS any different?

Why use CMS in the first place? The simplest answer will be that anyone can use it. If one can learn how to use a word processor, then one can use any form of Content Management System. It is not all that difficult. There is not need of special training. The high end of CMS would be what Amazon is doing with their online business. They have to connect to their databases of every order a consumer makes.

As our technology changes and evolves into a better system or how we do things online, there must be a organized structure to be able for us to use it with the less headaches. If things are far to complex to use, then who would use them? In the history of computers, the 21st Century is the most interesting part of it all. We have more and more new hardware and software then ever before. Communicating online has grown beyond anything or anyone has ever dreamed.

Since web 2, or about the same time blogging has shown it head, the whole structure of how we do things online has launched an all new high. It has not stopped growing ever since. In fact it has been growing faster and faster. Spite the critics of Twitter, SecondLife, MySpace, and Facebook, these services are growing and evolving into a wonderful aspect of our lives. None fo these online social networking services could be possible if it was not for some kind of management structure.

Businesses cannot run without this new thing called "Social Networking." It is so important that consumers and businesses communicate in real time with each other. This rightfully kills spamming and junk mail. There is no place for those things in social networking online. The structure of how we do communicate online with these social networking systems is more then giving a price tag, link to buy some item, and throwing a gimmick here and there.

This form of communication cannot be done at all with a static web design website. Those websites simply could not handle the complexity. With Content Management System, the complexity of all that needs to be done with a given website can be managed a lot easier. That is the main idea of CMS. It makes things much simpler to work with.

Blessed Be to Isis and you,

Real Name: Brandon Bowers

Virtual Meetings Get A 2nd Life

2009-03-01T22:08:00.014-05:00

The Internet in the 21st Century and Beyond.

Image via Wikipedia

I have been saying that SecondLife can what will turn this economy around. It seems that it is pointing in that direction by this article. Not only can this 3-D virtual reality can improve on the economy, but it can make a difference in our environment. Instead of using more of our natural resources, companies and al kinds of people can start using 3-d virtual creations.

What might boggle the mind of so many is how can a 3-d virtual world replace the real one? Believe it or not, nothing is being replaced or taken over. SecondLife is a extension of the real world is such a way that it can be possible to do things that might be possible in real life. The biggest obstacle we have is "how much does it cost." In a 3-D virtual world it cost a very small fraction to what it might cost in real life. Anyone can use any form of virtual reality to do things, train others, or whatever that would be impossible in the real conventional world we live in

Technology is a tool, and nothing more. Used right, technology can make our jobs a lot easier. It has never or could ever replace the human being or the wonderful mind of human beings. All the science fiction movies and stories on machines taking over the man is right down silly at best and pure ignorant propaganda on the worse. Computers, machines, or anything else cannot replace anyone now or in the far future. It will be man that will create and control technology. The creation can never replace the creator.

Many companies, schools, individuals have used all kinds of Internet resources. SecondLife is far from the first or best in what is is out there right now. A lot has changed in the technical (computer) field in the 21 first Century. Even with economic downfalls, I still see the wonders making our lives better and better. Jobs might be losing the battle in the real world, but has anyone really see the possibilities of jobs online? Training in any job can be done in ways that could not be possible in the conventional means. The biggest achievement of SecondLife is the combination of people and corporations have been communicating with each other with great easy.

There are many others forms of social networking systems out there: Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, Mixx, Stumble Upon, instant massaging, blogging, etc. I would not be a bit surprised to see new and better forms of communicating with others online. That is the core reason why

Image by luc legay via Flickr

the Internet exist, to communicate. Social networking allows business and consumers to communicate in ways that could never be done before.

Spamming is not social networking. I have blocked many, and continue to block anyone from my Twitter account that all they do is push, sell, or anything of the sort. Social networking is far more then sharing wares online. Respect is also an important thing in social media. Poeple have been fired from their jobs by what they have added to their Facebook account.

In SecondLife, one can be a male, female, robot, animal, or anything they want to be. It how you interact with others that is important. Another words if you would not come up to your boss and tell him/her that they are jerks, then do not do it online. Common sense is the key. There are all walks of life online. By showing tolerance of who and what they are will allow them to do the same for your differences.

In SecondLife, not only meetings can be done. One can look for jobs at a virtual job fair. Business, schools, and all sorts can train their students in SecondLife is ways that might not be possible in the conventional real life. The possibilities are rightfully endless in SecondLife and any social networking medium.

The Social Media Minute 19 Feb 09

2009-02-20T13:35:00.001-05:00

Social media online is where things are happening big time. Either you are using it, or you are going to be left behind the 8-ball with dust in your face. That is the power behind "online social networking."

This is not just my opinion. This is a fact that is about to be put in the Smithsonian Institute on how fast this reality is growing. I have heard several times how important it is to have a Facebook account if you want to get noticed in getting a career job. I am sure that a job resume does tell a lot, but there are tons more that can be said. I believe that social networking online can be a very powerful add-on to a job resume.

Social Network Marketing - The Wave of the Future

Blogging has to be the largest and most important tool in social networking. I have several blogs on different ideologies. I also love to write, share my ideas, and inspire others to live their lives to the fullest. Hopefully in all my blog postings in all my blogs, I do my best to show the bright light of life among all the darkness that surrounds us from time to time. Our economy issues are bad, but history has shown a lot worse.

That is why I believe that social networking is a major tool in allowing us all to go forward no matter what the adversity may be. Communication is the key. Social Networking has torn down a good many barriers that had faced us for decades. We can communicate in real time and respond to what has been said a lot quicker then ever before. In the past we relied on news casters to give us information. Now we can give it out ourselves, a lot faster.

With the use of 3-D virtual reality services like SecondLife, we can do much more then simple communication. We can present and create new ideas in this new environment. People can even make real life money in this 3-D virtual environment. What happens next is anyone's guess, because all it takes is the imagination of hard working individuals, and open minded individuals that will stop at nothing to get it done. When the doors are opened more and more, there is no limit to what mankind can do.

That is what has made Social networking so big. Everyone is allowed to do their own thing in life. It also helps in not having government hands in it. For once, true freedom reigns. The name of the 3-D virtual reality, Second Life, is truly a second life. It can be just as easy or as hard as one's first life. The results one will get is by the old fashion way of doing things, "You earn it."

Only hard work has given us the wonders of social networking online. If it is easily created, it can be just as easy or even easier to destroy it. There is no such thing as an easy street. In a big way, there is no such thing as luck, other then what you make out of a difficult situation. There might be free software one can download, legally, but nothing is truly free. Someone has to pay for all things in one way or the other.

While a lot are out of a job, getting started using all forms of social networking or social media formats can be very helpful in starting off in a new direction. How many times have we all been told, "To get your foot in the door, you need to know the right kind of people?" That is another powerful aspect of social networking, you can get to know a lot more people then you realize without worrying about giving out too much about yourself online.

Time to give a warning here: NEVER EVER give out any personal information to anyone online for any reason whatsoever. Use a pin (false name) in your accounts if needed. Let the right people know who you are by your character not by your name, mailing address, email, etc. We all have the right to our own privacy, period.

Now get out there and start experiencing the wonders of social networking. There are out there for the taking. Most are free while some are not. The most popular are free, like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Friendfeed, Mixx, and many others. Now go out there and check these services out.

Blessed Be to Isis and you,

Real Name: Brandon Bowers

The Social Media Minute 19 Feb 09

Second Life Attempts to Stage a Rebirth

2009-02-13T15:56:00.001-05:00

If this article does not prove that SecondLife is more then a game, then nothing may be convincing. As with any new technology, it might start as a hobby or fun thing to tinker with. Look at the history of the personal computer. It hardly did anything compared to what it can do in the here and now. We now have the Internet, 3-D virtual realties, like SecondLife, and many more wonders in years to come.

Text 100: Branding building in Second Life

At first SecondLife was a platform for technical geeks to get their feet wet. Now people and businesses are making real life money inworld of SecondLife. Believe it or not, they are making more money in SecondLife then in their previous jobs. SecondLife is not an easy street. There is no such thing. If it is easy to make, then it will be even easier to destroy. To get something done right, it takes a lot of time and hard work.

The success of SecondLife was not done over night. SecondLife has been around for 5 years now. A lot of things have changed and grown beyond the original idea that Linden Lab, the creator of SecondLife, had at the beginning. With the economy bad all throughout the world, could SecondLife or any other future technology be the answer? SecondLife does have a future, but it may not mean it is the solution. Personally, I believe that it will take more than one concept to turn things around for the better. SecondLife may be the form in witch things may progress to a better tomorrow, but there is a lot more that needs to be done in regarding the economic issues.

I have said this and I will say it again, I strongly believe that the major issues we all face throughout the world regarding our economic downhill battle are growing pains of moving from the machine/industrial age to the technical age of tomorrow. Even in the United States of America, most governments, businesses, and even individuals do not use the technology of tomorrow as they should be doing. Progress is not being comfortable within one's surroundings. One must eventually get off their butts and be able to try new things for the better of life, business, or whatever.

Some businesses and individuals are using today's and tomorrow's technology, but sadly not enough of them. Let's face it, the Internet is the most used thing today. The Internet has grown very fast since the 1990s to the present day. It started with BBS (Bulletins Boards) to 3-D virtual reality. How wonderful is that, and how much has it shown that the technology age is here already. The only direction techology is going is forward, faster and faster.

The article states that SecondLife can be difficult for new comers. Of course it is difficult. As with anything in life, beginners do have a ruff start, but through learning and applying what they have learned, the difficulties becomes understood. How many years does a child have to live at home in order to be trained to live as an adult and one day on its own? Using SecondLife is an constant on going process. There might be books out there to learn the basics of how to use SecondLife, but there is not one book on how to live inworld. As with real life, children are raised by parents are guardians. If the child rearing is done right, the children will be ready when they become adults.

Bad training in the basic use of SecondLife is no different. SecondLife is virtual reality of real life. With slight differences, what you can do in real life, you can do in SecondLife. That is why there are so many using this 3-D virtual reality. What will happen tomorrow is anyone's guess.

Blessed Be to Isis and you,

Real Name: Brandon Bowers

Second Life Attempts to Stage a Rebirth

Google plans to make PCs history | Technology | The Observer

2009-01-26T12:44:00.001-05:00

I do not know the percentage, but are people using online storage already? This is not new. Once you have written a document, usually there is no reason to edit it unless for errors. Most information we do store is on CD or DVD disk. I would think the hard drive is used for personal storage for hardly much at all. There might be one thing that it could still be used, and that is portable software.

Problem with portable software, if one's hard drive goes bad, then everything is lost. With so many on the go these days, not all computers will have a USB port to plug into. Online services like GDrive is needed thing. We are in the technology age everyone, we need to start living in it, than fear the constant changes. True, we need to way the pros and cons to see what services are right for us, but we should be embracing them. These companies are designing these things because there is a market for them.

How many could be using a computer on the grounds that they do not have the money to get the needed software for them. Technology is not only becoming cheaper, but ready for use online more and more. I for one am very excited over new things popping up constantly. I would rather be using online services then go back to the old way of doing things on the computer. Remember the 80s? Low memory, all text, slow, system crashing all the time, etc.

With online services, the companies are the one responsible for upgrades. This does not mean that our personal computer will be no more. We have to use something to log onto the Internet. Remember the old technology, WebTV? We know we have to use a PC to go online and use and do all the things available. I for one have been upgrading my video card every year. That is technology for you.

Software + Services Customer Video

Believe it or not, we are better off having online services than you might think. There are things in life that may never be done otherwise. The fear of loosing control over other social networking services will not happen. They are too big to be canceled out due to Google's GDrive or whatever. Unless something pops up better to replace these services mentioned, they will continue to be used my millions of people around the world.

Bottom line, do not fear technology. Embrace it fully. It is simply a tool, and nothing more. Do you fear a hammer or a screw driver? Why fear a virtual tool? Simple find out what works for you and use it. That simple.

Blessed Be to Isis and you,

Real Name: Brandon Bowers

Google plans to make PCs history | Technology | The Observer

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The Social Media Minute 19 Feb 09

Social Network Marketing - The Wave of the Future

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Google plans to make PCs history | Technology | The Observer

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