The Byzantine Metaverse of Alpha Auer

Somewhere in one of the world's most ancient cities, a woman has built a landmark for humanity's newest society in the metaverse.  The Second Life isle of Syncretia is a place that flickers between the old and new, synthesized reality and imagined dreams, and is without question among the most original locations in SL.  It's a place that defies me as a writer; so unique, haunting, and strange, it's difficult for me to describe in words.  So instead, I show screenshot glimpses, or simply suggest you see it first-hand.  (To do so, click this direct SLURL teleport link to Syncretia.)  The place was created by Alpha Auer, in real life a designer and educator living in the Turkish metropolis of Istanbul-- a city formerly known as Constantinople, and when the Greeks founded it, Byzantium.  (I think that timeline's important to mention, because Syncretia also seems to be layered in history.)  Recently Bettina re-visited Syncretia to write one of her dizzying illustrated journal entries, and noted that Alpha Auer has a blog.  And what a blog, rich with brilliant insights and observations, like this post comparing the narrative space of the Karnak ruins in Egypt to the stories suggested by MosMax Hax's Whitenoise Church in SL, or The Garden of NPIRL Delights; or this post, describing the cruel fairy tale quality of Second Life creation.  Taken together (her story in Second Life starts here) they read like the textual footnotes to the virtual image poem that is Syncretia.  Now, can someone help her stream The Who's "Quadrophenia" there?  Image credit: Left, Alpha Auer; Right, Bettina in Syncretia.

Comments

[Alpha Auer]

Thanks for this post. I love it - obviously. I mean I would, wouldn't I? hhh

I would probably be able to muddle my way through to somehow stream Quarophenia. I have the MP3's right here on my hard drive and I could just put them somewhere on my RL website and then link that up to Syncretia, right? And, if I messed up, one of my engineering students could always be conned into bailing me out, I guess.

The problem is obtaining the legal permission to do so. Without that, Pete Townshend's lawyers would be chasing my sorry ass all over the metaverse - and with excellent reason too, I might add...

[Hamlet Au]

Alpha, far as I know, there's no explicit copyright problem with streaming music in SL; the record industry is way more concerned about *downloads*. I say "explicit" because I've read lawyers' opinions that SL landowners should be paying some kind of performance fee for hosting music, but I believe that's not gone to court. Maybe a reader can help us out here?

[SL Musico]

I think the issue is that the SL stream would constitute a broadcast just like radio and would therefore be subject to radio licensing fees. Hey I love the Who but why not ask one of the multitude of great SL artists if they'd like to contribute to your sim? I'm sure that most of them would be interested and not nearly as difficult as the big record industry can be.

[Alpha Auer]

You see, the thing is that I do not really want "music" at all at Syncretia. ( tsk... tsk... I am being difficult here aren't I?). So, it is in no way a search for "music" as such. There are a lot of "natural" sound effects in place at Syncretia, especially a lot that have to do with water. I love those effects and I would only be willing to sacrifice them for something that has some true meaning for me - which would be the Who in this case. And even then, probably at very specific spots only - not over the entire island...