Second Life Oldbies Tell Sad and Bittersweet Stories of Second Life as It Once Was and What It May Be

Cubey Terra, who is a Second Life oldbie if there ever was one, writes an eloquent and moving short story which imagines a very different SL than what it is now, and what it was when he joined in 2003. I met him right around there when I was still a Linden, and watched as Cubey created one of the first big businesses in SL, an aerospace company with skydiving tours. (I had to wrest this 2004 photo of him from the defunct Linden blog.) Duly inspired, metaverse consultant John Lester, who was once Pathfinder Linden, and before that, an early Resident who in 2004 once made a 9 hour walking expedition across Second Life with me, tells a story of his own.

Comments

[CronoCloud Creeggan]

Where have all the oldbies gone....long time rezzing.
Where have all the oldbies gone....long time ago.

THIS is why I don't delete stuffage and one reason why I started blogging...to remember. SL is so ephemeral, that many things of value, beauty and fun, have been lost. I still have "boxee" my first plywood cube. I try to maintain certain traditions, I tell new folk of some of things that were and some of the things that we did, but I am not all that old.

Perhaps I shall wear the Rocketeer jetpack today.

[CronoCloud Creeggan]

Ahhh, I'm dumb..here's another thought.

Have you noticed that NWN is a kind of oldbie central? Most of the regular readers/commenters seem to be oldbies.

[CronoCloud Creeggan]

Where have all the oldbies gone...long time rezzing....

THIS is one of the reasons I don't delete much inventory and why I started blogging...to remember. SL is so ephemeral that many things of value, beauty and/or fun have been lost. I tell newbies of the old days, and try to keep certain traditions alive. I tell them of sheeping, and why fatpacks used to be called "Willow Packs" I tell them of Dazzle LE sales, and PXP, and Linden Lifestyles. I still have my first plywood cube "boxee".

here's another thought.

Have you noticed that NWN is a kind of oldbie central? Most of the regular readers/commenters seem to be oldbies.

I think I will wear the Rocketeer jetpack today.

[Eggy Lippmann]

I have an insane amount of stuff dating all the way back to Alpha and Beta in my inventory and no patience to sort through it all. One day I will just setup a "show and tell" sort of event...

[Pathfinder Lester]

I'm really glad you picked up on Cubey's story, Hamlet. Thank you.

And your walking tour of the grid will always be one of my fondest memories of the early days of SL.

I still have my 6 yr old printed copy of the walking tour map. It's wrinkled and tattered and stained with coffee cup rings. But I treasure it.

[Pathfinder]

Oh, and I wouldn't call myself a "metaverse consultant" anymore. As of 3 days ago, I'm the Director of Community Development at ReactionGrid.

I'll still be doing some consulting, but moving ReactionGrid forward is my primary focus from now on.