Audiblog #2: Grievous Robotic Harm

"High on the hills was a lonely doodler,
Doodle-oo, doodle-oo, doo-dle-OOOO!
Loud were the scribblings of the doodler,
Doodle-oo, doodle-oo, doo-dle-OOOO!"

Waayyy waay way wayy back when I first got to SL (ok, not that way compared to some) I came across Patch Lamington's Leaning Towers of Doodles in Amicitia and thought "WOWIEZOWIE!!" An avatar after my own heart! I'm a big doodler, not so much because it's my, umm, preferred medium per se but because I can't draw! But doodling? I can doo!

And so I entered a period of doodledreams, admiring Patch's work from afar, surreptitiously lurking on street corners in Blumfield, consulting the Tarot for any hints of a future and fantasising about changing my last name to Lamington (I couldn't - they were all out of dessicated coconut)...

But like all things, my doodlhimsies faded away and I fixated on something else*.... until...I got an amazing DOODLEBOT in my inventory!!!!!!!!! Complete with wind-up key!! It made my day, and extra-sweet was the fact that Patch remembered my request from long, long ago.
*Proof that the only way to get over an obsession is to replace it with another.

Well, I immediately set Doodlebot up in my studio next to my building bench so I could gaze at him while I worked...

... and then I zipped off to buy that doodle-pad typing overrider with it's own scratchy-scribbling sounds I have long coveted but abstained from buying for fear of igniting another fervent infatuation...

...and THEN I customised the doodle-pad with my own Robot doodle (because the doodle-pad cleverly allows you to do that!)...

...and THEN I met Patch and his whole army of Doodlebots in person (it was a bit scary, they were very impassive and their silence was unpredictable....)

...and THEN Patch took this picture for me....

...and THEN I realised purely by coincidence I was dressed in Doodle colours which thrilled my matchy-matchy-self to bits....

...and THEN I nipped back to my studio just in time to foil an assassination attempt! Those cheeky little buggers, bristling with jealousy and lulled into a false sense of security by the darkness, had crept up on poor Doodlebot and tried to.....tried to....*gasp* I can't bring myself to say it!


I'm so ashamed....it's all my fault, I should have raised them better. Spare the rod, spoil the robot.....

PS: Thank you Torley for teaching me how to add audio in a much niftier way to my blog! If the rest of you want to do it too, the tutorial for Blogger users is here

Audiblog #1

Ummm....so, I got a mic and Skype (I've resisted it for years on the misconception that there;s alot of lag!) and and and and....I thought I'd do an audiblog today. It's a bit stuttery (I'm kinda shy) but.....hehe here goes!
PS: Yes - I say umm, yeah, y'know alot....a helluvalot.
PPS: Yes - any chance to flash my logos...

Idea # 253

Can someone please make a widget that lives on my desktop and tracks my transaction history?

Epileptic - David B.

I'm the wormiest of bookworms and am never more than an arm's length away from a good read. But it isn't often I'm moved to tears.

David B's beautiful autobiographical work, Epileptic is a memoir of isolation, loneliness, and the noble quest for identity, all rendered in stunning, ferocious imagery. He shared an idyllic childhood with his older brother and younger sister, until his brother developed a violent form of epilepsy. It chronicles his evolution into an artist, and how learning to re-envision and recreate the world with his eyes and hands offered understanding and an escape route from the madness and disease that consumed his family.

For those of you who think that comics are for children, think again. Epileptic is a hauntingly sophisticated and emotionally-gruelling story, woven with a dreamlike quality with insights that will resonate with all of us.

What I loved was his portrayal of two sides of human character- his brother who ultimately gave in to his demons, and David, who fought with every ounce of his being. I have had the privilege to meet many people in my travels across the grid. People like his brother, who hide behind their illnesses, using them as a shield to protect them from the harsh realities of life. And people like David, who struggle continually onwards, never giving up and never giving in. I count both as friends - learning from one, and aspiring to the other.

I am reminded that the true beauty of SL lies in its ability to liberate you from the shackles of the physical, and to transport you to the most magical reaches of your mind, and your heart, and your soul. However there is always the danger that if you're not careful, your refuge may become your prison.

As for me? I have wings, and I love using them.

Robot Thrills

Robot, originally uploaded by Torley.

I’m not the gushy kind. Never had posters of famous actors on my wall. When I see a celeb at the club I look the other way. Wouldn't pursue an autograph if my life depended on it. You’ll never catch me pushing on the barricades trying to get a closer look.

I’m just too cool, really.

But…….

http://torley.com/

……I’m gyrating inside.

A Very Long Gestation

My friends have politely refrained from pointing out that despite being a self-proclaimed robot maker, it has actually been quite awhile since I built a new robot.

Distractions, you know.

But after a very long gestation, the Atomic Falcon has finally reared his newborn head. The result of an unlikely and extremely short-lived union between Wonderwoman and Ultraman (they blamed it on cultural issues), the Atomic Falcon was renounced at birth in favour of his respective parents' careers. It's a typical story of neglect, made worse by Atomic's conflicting identity crises. Part-human, part-alien and part machine, Atomic is the anti-thesis of hybrid vigour. Whereas his contemporaries are saving humans from nuclear wars, evil midgets and pesticides - it's all Atomic can do to motivate himself to fly around the atmosphere, keeping a jealous eye on his peers' achievements.

Oh, but how well he flies.

Will he ever achieve his full potential?

Stay tuned for updates.

Ahm Taaahrd!

Someone said that moving house is the 4th most stressful thing you can do after stuff like losing someone you love. I used to think that was utter rubbish because what about things like losing a limb? Or winning the lottery then having the ticket blow out of your hands into the fire? Or getting a REALLY bad perm?

I take it all back.

Even thought I'm not finished, and the store's still a mess, and I haven't set the Tiny stuff up, and...and....

AHM TAHRD!

I'm taking a break tomorrow. If anyone sees me come online, pull out your security orb and boot me back into my first life willya? Momma needs a bubble bath and something easy to make like.....instant noodles!

But if you want to visit our new home please do :)

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Alphanumeric%20Shores/53/79/22

*takes a large slurp of wine straight from the bottle*

Bubbah!

I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat

Muji & Me - guess who's who!

I am very easily distracted.

I was in the middle of making the Watermelon GBB and I take one of my infamous 'breaks' and end up purchasing a new double prim 5120. But I HAD to!!!! The sim was called..... ALPHANUMERIC!!! How can this not be the only home for my robots? Obviously someone visited my gallery, was dazzled with inspiration and immediately went to rename their sim Alphanumeric in honour of Robot! Can you blame me for thinking the world revolves around my robots?

So I am now busy moving the gallery/shop/wotsit over to the new sim and it'll be really different. Alot more fun I think. A proper playground like what I'd always planned for the old tincans. The gallery was just too big - it would never feel finished. Juliet told me this from the beginning actually. So she's rich AND she's right. Damnit.

Huge shoutout to Zayn Till and Tasia Tonic from Metaverse Estates. They are the BEST landlords ever. Totally supportive, open-minded, encouraging and reasonable. You know they won't run out on you. Never too busy to pop round to admire a new product and they looked upon all of their tenant's ventures like proud parents. I will miss you guys *kiss*. WHAT AM I DOING?? WHY AM I LEAVING????!

And oh, did I mention that I was paying for a 11,040sm the same amount Dreamland charges for a 10,048sm tier? <---- there's something grammatically wrong with that sentence but I can't figure it out.

Another exciting bit of news - I have met a FABBO filmmaker who wants to shoot a short film about....DUN DUN DUN.......ROBOTS! How wonderful and fatabulous to meet likeminded people in this crazy metaverse! I'm chuffed beyond chuffed. Check Mujibus' photography (http://mujibus.chez-alice.fr/cariboost1/) and you'll see why I'm thrilled. Hmmm what will the plot be...let's see...oldskool sci-fi fan filmaker meets robotmaker with delusions of taking over the world...I wonder....

So Torley! I have not forgotten about you and the WGBB. THANK YOU for the hookups for animators. Nervous tics sound great....haha....perhaps I should make a Compulsive Ass Scratching robot (arm jerks back, head swivels round, up/down shoulder spasms. Repeat.) With an HUD for males to switch the animation to compulsive scrotum checking. YES, it's still there.

I'm like a cat. I start playing with a ball of string then out of the corner of my eye I see a butterfly and go chasing after that. Then a mouse pokes his head out of a hole and off I go again. Before I know it, I'm in the next meadow.

And that is exactly how it all happened.

Product Testing

As a responsible manufacturer, it is my duty to test all Robot products to ensure safety and durability. Unfortunately our small little enterprise doesn't have access to the same quality control materials that IKEA have (those springs and pounders that emulate 3000 vigourous shags and whatnot).

So Jee and I just ate a whole truckload of cakes (each) and then sat on the sky butlers to see if they would hold up.

I'm proud to say they passed with flying colours.

I had hoped to get a product shot in somehow but if you squint and look to the side, you can get a glimpse of Mr Digit. Barely.

Robot Art

It has been sooooooo long since my last post! All work and no play, really. In SL anyway. The GREAT news is that I've finally gotten the commercial end of Robot going, with listings on SLX and a retail outlet in Geeks Unique. Yay!! I'm so thrilled with anyone who makes a purchase that I am compelled to check out their profile. I mean, you love my robots.....i love you....y'know?

Seriously though - this process has been a great learning curve. I havent built a new robot in awhile, but have learnt to make avatars, hack scripts, work photoshop, gained insights on visual merchandising.....AND most of all, realised that building a business in SL is rooted in the same fundamentals as RL. And, seeing as I'm starting an RL business, the lessons have been invaluable.

I have to say that I am full of admiration for my friend Juliet. She set Bitter Thorns up around the same time as Robot and her sales has grown in leaps & bounds. She has a focus and a drive that I lack. Did I say admire? I really meant jealous as f*ck! I'm going to work on getting her ass over to my part of the world for my RL concept. If you can't beat 'em, USE 'em! *evil grin*

I'm posting all the artwork I've done for my robots. My friend GP was supposed to have done them, but he got shafted by his sim owner* and left SL in disgust. SO I had to do it all by my own fair hand - a blessing in disguise cos it was so much FUN!

Here is the 1st series. These are the flyers with text displayed with the robots in the gallery. The posters are up on the wall without the background text.

Love, Luxe


* Ugh, re island scamming PLEASE be warned. There are some a*holes out there! Check this http://www.secondlifeherald.com/slh/2007/02/island_land_sca.html