Zennie's Randomness

Day 30 - Favorite song from this time last year

2011-05-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

There were several from this time last year that I loved, but this is the most catchy of the lot, so as the sun is shining, I chose this one.

Train - Hey Soul Sister

I hope you have enjoyed my choices, and who knows, maybe you will do your own 30 days of music.

Day 29 - Song from your Childhood

2011-05-04T07:51:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

There really was only one choice for today, and that is Bette Midler - Wind beneath my wings. This was given to my by my best friend of then, and now, not only did she give me a tape with it on - but she wrecked her homework diary by writing a letter which included the lyrics to this track in it.

This one is for you Pip!

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 28 - Song that makes you feel guilty

2011-05-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

There aren't many tracks that make me feel guilty - I guess I could have chosen something fairly obvious like Michael Jackson - Man in the mirror, or Phil Collins - Another day in Paradise. Instead I chose this track, Hammerfall - Never, Ever. The reason it makes me feel guilty is because it was given to me by someone who was once a big part of my life, about 18 months / 2 years after we split up due to the distance. The break up was his choice, but this track made me feel bad as it was clear that although I had moved on, he was still suffering...

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 27 - Song that you wish you could play

2011-05-02T08:39:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

Following on from the last track, this is one of the tracks that I was taught to play by someone special. It took a suprising amount of time and patience to get it, but I could play a passable version. Sadly, I have now forgotten it, so it is definately suitable for today's choice.

Jean Michel Jarre - Calypso Pt 1
Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 26 - Song you can play on an instrument

2011-05-01T07:40:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

There are a couple I used to be able to murder, sorry, play, on an instrument thanks to many patient hours of someone dear to me (Thank you Tenebrous) but sadly, due to lack of practice I probably can't play any of these now.

The first one I remember trying (and almost succeeding) to play on my keyboard was Love me tender - by Elvis Presley

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 25 - Song that makes you laugh

2011-04-30T08:08:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

I was so tempted to choose something by Weird Al here, but instead I gave in to another of the paradies instead. As Zenobia is my Secondlife "me" I thought it only fair that she get to chose one too as I am hijacking her blog...

So, here you go, brace yourselves... its Foolish Frost - Lindens Lament

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 24 - Song you want to play at your funeral

2011-04-29T09:12:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

I think there was only one real candidate for today's choice - I have always loved the song, and it is somehow fitting for a funeral.

Meatloaf - Heaven can wait

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 23 - Song you want to play at your wedding

2011-04-28T07:36:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

There are several I can think of, but one sprung to the front of my mind, mainly because it is a song that is special to my man and I. Although our first "song" was James Blunt - You're Beautiful, the situation changed and somehow the lyrics to that didn't fit as well as they once did. So when we heard this track, we immediately agreed it was to be "our" song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zl7KaGzYxs

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 27 - Song you listen to when you are sad

2011-04-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

Again, there are many that could have fit the bill for today's choice. I decided once again to cheat a little and give you two! The first is this fantastic track by Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush. It helps to remind me to keep fighting - that others out there believe in me even when I no longer believe in myself.

Peter Gabriel & Kate Bush - Don't give up.

The Second is one by Rob Thomas, lead singer of Matchbox 20 (who I also adore) - its another "feel good" song that helps pick me up. I guess I am ever the optimist and this song appeals to it.

Rob Thomas - Someday

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 21 - Song that you listen to when you are happy

2011-04-26T07:33:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

I tend to listen to a lot of music when I am happy (well I just listen to a lot of music *lol*) but this is a good track to have in the playlist if I am in a good mood, and it tends to get stripped out if I am having a bad day.

Black Eyed Peas - I gotta feelin
Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 20 - Song that you listen to when you are angry

2011-04-25T07:27:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

This is my "angry track" - If someone has pissed me off I tend to have this on loop for hours, if not days. I don't know why, I guess I just relate to it easily, and I guess I also wish I had the strength to actually say this when people trample over my feelings. I am too forgiving, and sooner or later I tend to forgive those that have hurt me, even if I never forget the pain they cause.

Timberland - Apologize

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 19 - Song from your favorite album

2011-04-24T08:26:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

Okay, so this was nearly impossible! So many great tracks, from so many great albums... I guess I settled on this one because it is an AWESOME track, from an equally AWESOME album! But seriously, this was a toughie...

Nickelback - If today was your last day (taken from their Dark Horse album)

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 18 - Song you wish you heard on the radio

2011-04-23T09:24:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

There are many I wish were still played on the radio. One thing I don't think gets enough air play are some of the remixes that are out there, there are so many great ones that you can only find if you hang out in clubs or troll through Youtube. So today's choice is a remix of LeAnn Rimes - Life goes on.

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 17 - Song that you hear often on the radio

2011-04-22T09:19:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

I don't really listen to much radio these days, so this is a little out of date, but it is the track that I remember being all over the radio when I last listened, luckily I love the track so I didn't mind.

Broken Strings - James Morrison & Nelly Furtado

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 16 - Song you used to love but now hate

2011-04-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

This was another tough one for me, as I adore music. To be perfectly honest, hate is possibly a really strong word - I will still listen to it, but it makes me feel very MEH, where as I used to love it.

Otis Redding - When a man loves a woman

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 15 - Song that describes you

2011-04-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

The first tune I have chosen has long been my "theme tune" - when you say the title, people look at you as if to say "you chose that as your theme tune" but when you actually listen to the lyrics, you will see why I chose it.

Meredith Brooks - Bitch

The other is another I found more recently, and I didn't choose it as a theme, it was chosen for me. I was told that the lyrics fit, still not sure if I am flattered or insulted but I love the track, hope you do too.

Bon Jovi - Wildflower

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 14 - Song that no-one would expect you to love

2011-04-19T07:25:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

There are probably many I could have chosen for today, but I guess most would be surprised by my love of the classical. Most people know I have an ecclectic taste in popular and dance music, but my grandfather gave me a great gift, the love of classical music.

This is one of my favorite pieces - Johann Pachelbel - Pachelbel's Canon in D, this version is performed by the Slovak Chamber Orchestra.

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

My Eggtraordinary Escapades

2011-04-19T02:11:00.000-07:00

I love doing treasure hunts, especally around this time of year when it is so traditional, I mean, Easter Egg Hunts have been around longer then the grid. So when my good friend (and SL baby sister) Elle mentioned that there was a hunt on Escapades, where you got these cute little shoulder pets as prizes - how could I resist?

Quite simply, I couldn't! The Eggtraordinary Eggman Hunt is a lovely, not to hard, introduction to treasure hunting. It is based on the single sim of Escapades - a wonderful little place, full of adventure and memories. For those of you out there of the generation that I am, you may remember the film of "The Goonies", well that is the inspiration for this sim.

The story behind the hunt (as on the SL Destination Guide) is:

"The Eggmen have arrived from another dimension to gather information on our strange world. But when the time comes for the Eggmen to leave, many of their friends do not return. It's up to you and your friends to search the island of adventure and find the missing Eggmen. Can you find them all?"

When you tp over to the sim, you are greeted by several Eggman, who explain the situation to you, and tell you to be on the look out for eggs which conceal their lost crew members. I spent a couple of hours there, found 21 eggs, which I *Think* is all of them, but there is no strict list. The only clue you are given is a spinning icon at the location to indicate that there may be an egg nearby.

I have (for the sake of some of my friends) complied a list of further hints that may help you when you go egg hunting. While I was hunting, one of the eggs didn't deliver the prize, but the owners of the hunt are really helpful and will come over as soon as they can to help you out :)

1. The Eggmen Interdimentional Ship - I'm just an egg, can I be any more obvious?
2. The Rubber Ducky Land Centre - When I grow up I want to be just like my mum
3. The Yammari Depot - Leaving so soon?
4. Meadow of Contemplation - Sometimes it is good to just sit and smell the flowers
5. Fort Escapades - Jesper and Rick - These old bones still hold secrets
6. Fort Escapades - Jesper and Rick - Care to fish with me awhile
7. Sputnik - Well thats just Crate!
8. The Old WindMill & Myrtil's Mess store - I hope you have a head for heights
9. Gadget's Den - Don't sit on me
10. Ev's little Shack - Is it just me, or is it warm in here
11. Tepic's Seaside Extraviganza - You might need an umbrella
12. What Lies Beneath - Flowers look best from above
13. Nemo Beach & SL Goonies Club House - sometimes a little quiet is needed, reach for the skies
14. Little Hawkins Village - The treasure you seek so hard, is nearer them you think, take a deep breath, brave the fall, search the ship.
15. Little Hawkins Village - Sometimes you have to run for cover, down is a good direction
16. Cliffton House - The Airship is about to depart, have you gotten everything safely stowed away
17. The Ranger - I'm glad I don't wobble, one slip and I will be in the drink
18. The Revenge - You know, you can store all sorts of crates and bollocks here
19. Knights Farm - Pass some silver over my palm and you will find what you seek
20. 58, 178 - Gypsies may roam, but I like to stay here
21. Jepers Place (191, 197) - You can easily miss me unless you are leaving.

Hope you have as much fun as I did!

Day 13 - Song that is your Guilty Pleasure

2011-04-18T04:23:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

This is was fairly easy to be honest - not many people seem to approve of people liking artists like Taylor Swift who can be seen to be a bit "cheesy" but I adore this track of hers - hope you do too.

Taylor Swift - You belong with me

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 12 - Song from a band you hate

2011-04-17T07:02:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

Again, I think hate is a strong word - I have very little feelings towards the band, some of the songs are ok, they make me smile and are good, cheesy, boyband tracks - like the one I have chosen for here.

Busted - Falling for you

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 11 - Song from your favorite band

2011-04-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

This was tricky, it was kind of a toss up as to what I chose for here, so I figured I would cheat a little and link to both ;)

I have two bands that I adore more then any other, the first has already put in an appearence on my list - Nickelback. The other is a group I have adored since the 80's with unfaltering loyality. I was lucky enough to attend a concert a few years back that combined both groups, I was in heaven.

So here you are...

Bon Jovi - (You want to) Make a Memory

AND

Nickelback - I'd come for you

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 10 - Song that makes you fall asleep

2011-04-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

This track makes me fall asleep, but in a good way! Enigma have always been on of my favorite bands, and I think this track is one of their most beautiful. It can cause so many emotions in me, depending on what I am feeling at the time, it can make me smile if I am happy, cry if I am low - its delicate, pure tones are just to die for and I think that the sentiment of the lyrics is wonderful.

Enigma - Dream of the Dolphin
Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 9 - Song you can dance to

2011-04-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

There are so many I could have chosen for today, but I have chosen Ke$ha - Tik Tok because it is nice and bouncy, which I look for in a dance track. And I adored the Simpsons "sofa" that paradied it recently on sky, so yeah...

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 8 - Song you know all the words too

2011-04-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

There are many, many songs that I know all the words to - the curse of being a music junkie. I chose this one as it is simply beautiful - I love the message it carries, I wanted to add it in, and the other days I could have used it for, have already been "filled" with other tracks, so here it is...

Sasha - If you believe

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 7 - Song that reminds you of a certain event

2011-04-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have. This is one gave me a bit of trouble, what event to choose - there are many that hold musical memories for me. In the end, I decided on this one as although it reminds me of a sad event, the song is beautiful and not one that many people will know, so I want to share.

Billie Myers - Sleeping Beauty

Incase it doesn't work for you - you can also download the .wma file from here.

Day 6 - Song that reminds you of somewhere

2011-04-11T06:57:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

I have a feeling that this track may suprise a few, others not so much. I adore this track, I think JMJ is a pure genius.It reminds me of very happy times, a fantastic concert and the folly of youth all at the same time.

Jean Michael Jarre - Chronology Pt 4

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 5 - Song that reminds you of someone

2011-04-10T04:36:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

This really follows on from yesterday's song. I heard this song about 3 years after he died, and it made me think of him instantly. It made me smile, it is a comforting type of song.

Train - When I look to the sky

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 4 - Song that makes you sad

2011-04-09T04:28:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

This one is probably going to be one of the easiest on my list. The following song is one that I won't listen too if I can help it, it is simply too painful. It is The Petshop Boys - Numb. The reason it is so painful is that it was the lyrics to this song that were given to me in a photo montage by an Ex who should never have been an Ex, but he gave it to me the evening he collapsed with a stroke, he never recovered and died three days later.

I guess it is a classic case of being careful what you wish for, he wanted to be numb - and his wish was granted.

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 3 - Song that makes you happy

2011-04-08T01:00:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

Lots of songs make me happy, but I chose this one as it never fails to make me smile. Reminds me of so many good times, I loved it the minute I heard it, so much so infact I asked the DJ playing it what it was! So here it is, one of many of the songs that makes me happy...

Basshunter - Angel in the night

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 2 - Least favorite song

2011-04-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

The reason that this has the dubious honour of being my least favorite song, has a lot to do with where I used to work... When I worked for The Bear Factory, we had an Elvis competition going, which included a karaoke session for Elvis look-a-likes (and their bears), and unsurprisingly this was one of the tracks. I think I just heard it so often (and often so badly) that now I cringe whenever I hear it.

Elvis Presley - Teddybear

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

Day 1 - Your Favorite Song

2011-04-06T01:24:00.000-07:00

For those of you that haven't seen what this is about, it is my 30 day music challenge - I hope you enjoy this challenge as much as I have.

This is a really tough one for me, as I adore music. My favorite song tends to change as I hear things, some new on the radio, others older and well loved but forgotten that suddenly appear on an old cassette I have dug out.

One that never ceases to give me chills however is Nickelback - Far Away.

Please enjoy, and come back tomorrow for the next of my challenge :)

My 30 day Musical Challenge.

2011-04-06T01:19:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know, I hang out a lot on Plurk, well a lot of my friends on there started doing this "30 day music challenge". The rules are fairly simple, every day, you choose a song according to the prompts below and share it with your friends.

It has been going on around plurk for a long time, and well, I finally caved in and decided I should give it a go - so here you are... Day one of my very own "music challenge"

day 01 - your favorite song
day 02 - your least favorite song
day 03 - a song that makes you happy
day 04 - a song that makes you sad
day 05 - a song that reminds you of someone
day 06 - a song that reminds you of somewhere
day 07 - a song that reminds you of a certain event
day 08 - a song that you know all the words to
day 09 - a song that you can dance to
day 10 - a song that makes you fall asleep
day 11 - a song from your favorite band
day 12 - a song from a band you hate
day 13 - a song that is a guilty pleasure
day 14 - a song that no one would expect you to love
day 15 - a song that describes you
day 16 - a song that you used to love but now hate
day 17 - a song that you hear often on the radio
day 18 - a song that you wish you heard on the radio
day 19 - a song from your favorite album
day 20 - a song that you listen to when you’re angry
day 21 - a song that you listen to when you’re happy
day 22 - a song that you listen to when you’re sad
day 23 - a song that you want to play at your wedding
day 24 - a song that you want to play at your funeral
day 25 - a song that makes you laugh
day 26 - a song that you can play on an instrument
day 27 - a song that you wish you could play
day 28 - a song that makes you feel guilty
day 29 - a song from your childhood
day 30 - your favorite song at this time last year

Attention all pet owners!

2010-04-15T03:07:00.001-07:00

The following was found posted very low on a refrigerator door.

Dear Dogs and Cats:

The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort, however.. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximise space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years - canine/feline attendance is not required.

The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough.

Finally, in fairness, dear pets, I have posted the following message on the front door:

TO ALL NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:
(1) They live here. You don't.
(2) If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'fur'-niture.
(3) I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
(4) To you, they are animals. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don't speak clearly.

Remember, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:
(1) eat less,
(2) don't ask for money all the time,
(3) are easier to train,
(4) normally come when called,
(5) never ask to drive the car,
(6) don't smoke or drink,
(7) don't want to wear your clothes,
(8) don't have to buy the latest fashions,
(9) don't need a gazillion dollars for college
and
(10) if they get pregnant, you can sell their children ...

The return of Svarga

2010-03-22T07:42:00.000-07:00

Well some of you that have been following my blog for awhile now may remember that I was completely devastated by the loss of the Svarga sim from Secondlife...

I have glad tidings, it seems that this fantastic, unique sim is once more on the grid! I couldn't be happier, and I will be taking my friends over to see it later tonight.

I urge any that haven't visited this sim, to do so, it is truly breathtaking and so much detail that is easily missed.

I have heard rumours that it is now Linden owned, and I hope that this is true and means the LL are listening to their residents and will be paying more attention to sims that deserve their special care like this one.

Many thanks to whoever has made this happen, we the people of SL are grateful to you!

Stolen Flickr Streams

2010-02-25T07:07:00.000-08:00

Ok this really pissed me off this morning, I logged into Plurk and one of my buddies was posting about this guy who is merrily scraping flickr accounts and republishing them on his website under the CCL licence, he even admits that some of the items are stolen with a comment at the bottom of his page of "Danny Howard is 100% responsible for the content on this site, except some of it is stolen. (Sorry about that.)"

I felt sorry for my friend, but didn't think much more of it, till someone pointed out he had done it to ALL flickr accounts, including mine. I went to check this out, viewed one of my photo sets and got the unique set id from the URL (this is the long number in the url) and put it on the end of his URL - hey presto, up came all my snapshots of friends and places.

I told my partner about this as he also had flickr content up there, and he then reported it to Yahoo (who own flickr) under the subject of "Site is scraping Flickr and republishing the images unser Common Creative Rights"

His email read as follows: (if you are going to do the same, feel free to copy and paste substituting your details for his...)

Dear Sir,

I do not know if you are aware of this but the site below is scraping flickr accounts and republishing them on his website under the CCL licence, he even admits that some of the items are stolen.

For example the images on :-

http://dannyman.toldme.com/photos/&photoset=72157612573201206/

http://dannyman.toldme.com/photos/&photoset=72157612573201206/

http://dannyman.toldme.com/photos/&photoset=72157612573201206/

All belong to myself (as fortyniner / fortyniner beck - I am not sure of the exact user name).

You may be interested to know that there are large plurk conversations going on at the moment over this theft, I was notified by my partner who also has some items "stolen".

Is there anything that you can do to stop this?

Regards

It seems to have worked as the site concerned is now displaying this message

"Sorry, photos are offline right now. I have a bug to clear up with how my software uses the Flickr API. You can visit my photos directly at Flickr."

The email address to complain to is copyright@yahoo-inc.com

When two worlds touch

2010-01-22T04:38:00.000-08:00

Today I signed myself up for the 2010 Race for Life, a sponsered 5km walk that is done solely by women to help raise money for Cancer Research. I have been thinking about doing this for quite some time now, mainly because several people I know (both friends and relatives) have been touched by Cancer.

Two members of my family have had skin cancer and I myself had a scare so I thought it was finally time to get off my butt and do something. I will be completing a 5km walk on the 16th of June around a local beauty spot, and if you wish to sponser me then you can do so safely, and securely online at my very own digital donation page. It will take just a moment of your time and the amount no matter how large or small, will make so much difference to those who are living with the shadow of cancer over their families.

I want to thank you in advance, for any support you decide to give, and if you choose not to sponser me, please try and find another way to support this fantastic, life saving cause.

Land of the Giants...

2009-12-08T04:54:00.001-08:00

It was something that I have thought several times, but it was only when Penny Paton commented on the Linden First Home Blog that I decided to actually take the bull by the horns and DO something about it.

Her post, that got me thinking was

"You know what would increase interest in land ownership overall? Making it possible for people to do more with their land! This is easier than you'd think, too.

Listen to this. Currently, most avatars in SL are a quarter, to 1/3 taller than is realistic. We're talking avatars that are seven feet, to almost nine feet tall, based on SL's own built in scale. Avatars this large need more space.

On top of that, even, the SL camera is very poorly placed. It sits high above you, looking down at an angle. Even if you zoom in all the way, only the very tip of your avatar's head stays in view. Of course, the SL camera does not play well with prims getting in the way. So what do people do? They raise ceilings in their already huge builds. Of course, things don't look right stretched upwards like that, so they increase the area of their build even more until it looks right to them.

Anyway, the end result is that buildings in SL are massively over sized to compensate for the camera and our huge avatars.

A little bit of math.

Without resorting to megaprims a 10x10m room requires 3 prims if you go absolutely bare bones. On prim for the floor, one for the ceiling, and one for the walls. Cut the wall prim right and you even have a door. Heck, you can cut a prim out by making the floor and ceiling one prim, cut and hollowed. So a 10x10m room requires 2 prims.

Scale that same room up to 20x20m, again without resorting to megaprims. Your bare bones room now requires 14 prims. That's a pretty big jump, isn't it? Do you see what I'm getting at, here?

You can argue that megaprims help with saving prims, but they're not officially supported and come with their own set of limitations and problems. In fact, they're just as likely to encourage a builder to make things even larger, because they can't find a megaprim that's just the right size. And, of course, even assuming larger prims ever did become officially supported, sims are one size only and that's not likely to change. Area is a finite resource, just like prims.

So, when avatars are so much larger, and buildings are up-scaled even more than that, sim size is effectively cut in half.

Linden Lab could effectively make sims twice as large, make that 512m "First Home" parcel effectively twice as large. This applies to vehicles, too. If vehicles were made to scale, instead of made drastically larger to fit our huge avatars and huge roads, then they would have twice the area to drive/fly/sail around in.

Skeptical? Take a floor plan for a house or apartment. Stretch it out so that it matches SL's scale. throw a bunch of plywood cubes at it until you have all the walls, kitchen counters, and all that in place. Try walking around in there. Chances are, your avatar won't even fit through the door. If you do manage to get inside, everything will seem extremely cramped.

Not so if your avatar was the size of a real person, and the camera was positioned so that it wasn't constantly fighting with the ceiling prims.

Afterwards, compare that to-scale floor plan build to your average SL home, or even one of these Linden provided homes once we're able to get a good look at them. Compare how much land they require. How many rooms.

I think you'll see my point. Linden Lab should make a serious effort to encourage better use of scale. They can do this in three ways.

First, provide correct avatar height in the appearance editor. Several open source viewers do this already. This feature needs to be in the official viewer.

Second, scale down the avatars in the Library. If all new residents start out with avatars made to realistic size, then the rest of the grid will eventually follow.

Third, fix the camera. Look at how the video game industry is doing it. Look at some of the camera attachments people in SL have made to relocate their camera. SL isn't Diablo, or The Sims. They're more connected to their unique avatar. The camera should be set up with that in mind.

If you're serious about helping people get the most out of SL, you should seriously consider resizing objects in the Library. Who has ever seen a 1x1m fruit bowl? Give people some realistically sized furniture to get started with, and to compare with their own creations.

All of this, given enough time for the existing userbase to change (and it wouldn't happen overnight) would have the additional benefit of helping SL look a lot nicer. If you're using fewer prims to build your dream house, that leaves you with more prims to furnish and decorate it. And now that we can do so much more with each prim thanks to sculpts, every prim saved really counts.

You might want to look at the size of these "Linden Homes". Toss on a 5'5" to 5'10" bodyshape, move your camera to a lower, more immerse kind of view, and see how big these houses really are."

And she is right, ever since I first started in SL, it struck me how tall everyone was, how huge things were, it struck me again when I tried to adapt RL house blueprints into SL, it just didn't work... Part of this is as the poster in the SL forums says, the camera is the wrong place which means that most people then build things to accommodate the camera. There are various gadgets available to "correct" the camera problem, which I have yet to try but I am starting to do some research on and I will report back when I have something to say.

So last night, I decided that it was now or never to start changing MY Secondlife experience for something a little more realistically proportioned. Firstly with the aid of a Height detector (Thanks Pip for dropping one on me)I checked how tall my Avatar was, and she came out at about 9ft something. I immediately went into edit my appearance and re sized my avatar to a far more realistic 5ft 8" (which is a couple of inches off my RL height) - amazingly this is just 40% of the height of the shape I use for her...

Immediately I started to notice how the things around me were ridiculously over sized... when they had looked perfectly normal before. The farm fence I had brought and put down was suddenly towering over me, as well as my horse, so I went about downsizing it to a more normal height. When I go walking, fences come to about chest height, and horses can look over them rather then through them, which is what now happens at my little home in SL.

The next step for me, as a builder, is to start looking at my creations, and re-making them in more realistic sizes. It is going to be difficult for awhile while so many others seem to cater for the over sized giants that roam SL, and I urge others to join me in this new way of thinking, this new idea to make our SL a little more real.

I have no problem if you want to be someone of Hagrid's proportions, but surely there must be other like me out there searching for that little bit more room and realism.

Important info regarding "Microsoft's Black Screen of Death"

2009-12-02T05:13:00.000-08:00

I was doing some reading today and came across this article about the "Black Screen of Death" - we are all probably familiar with the more traditional "Blue screen of death" but this seems to be something new.

I thought I would share it with you my friends, so that we can get the information out there - please pass this link on to anyone you know who uses a PC with Windows as an operating system.

There have been a few of my friends who mistakenly believed it was only an issue with Windows 7, but the report says that there are suggetions that it also is affect Windows XP and Vista users as well.

A blow to my virtual world!

2009-10-30T02:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first rezzday of my good friend (RL and SL) Pip Scribe. Being that in her first year she has been a busy lass with her Djing, being manager of a mall, so didn't really have much of a chance to explore some of the more beautiful places of SL. I felt it was my duty to readdress this in balance, and do decided to take her to one of my all time favorite beauty spots - Svarga.

For those of you that have never been to (or heard of) Svarga, what made it unique was it held its own eco-system. It had clouds that rained down on flowers that actually grew, and were pollinated by tiny bees that darted back and forth trying to avoid the hungry birds (which you could also feed if you stood really still).

It also held the music castle with its elven drum circle (a real blast if you and half a dozen friends came along to play) as well as the whispering platform, which was an experiment to make music from voice chat.

In addition to all these wonders, it also had many hidden cuddling spots, and mythical creatures, as well as one of my favorite areas, the floatation chamber, which could be reached by a telepod at the base of the main structure. In this chamber you floated in space with lights and patterns swirling around you and gentle music soothing your senses.

I spent hours on this wonderful sim, and never tired of its beauty, always promising myself when I got a better graphics card I would go back and document some of its wonders for my flickr account.

Last night was the first chance I had to get back there, what with the pressures of business, and to my horror I couldn't tp in. So I thought that maybe my landmark was out of date, and used main search. First off, I was surprised to see that it was reporting a traffic of 0 (now it wasn't unusual to get the "sim full" message on tp when I tried, so this should really have warned me of what was to come).

We had already been to Lauk's Nest - this was as a taster for her, and a new experience for me too as I had never been there either and the only other entry on search was the "Svarga Memorial".

Heart in mouth I clicked on this entry, and couldn't believe what I read. It seemed that my beloved Svarga has left the grid for good on the 11th of Aug 09 - I read it twice, somehow trying to make sense of it.

I have read so much about how tier prices are forcing people to give up their land, and how SL was in danger of loosing some of it finest areas, but it didn't hit home that it could effect me until I saw those few lines of text.

I tp'd over to the memorial with Mote and Pip, and there, on the edge of the water, are three of the lovely trees, a few flowers (with a diligent little bee taking care of them) and a marble slab that shows some snapshots from others that loved it as I did, but none of them do true justice to the majesty that we have lost from our virtual world.

Tonight, I will be going in search of some of my other favorite places, praying that they have not too fallen into the mists of time to be just memories of a better time, and if they are still there, I will be stuffing some money into their tip boxes to try and keep them alive for all to enjoy!

If by chance, any at Linden Labs find this entry - I have a heartfelt appeal to send to them, please, please, please, look at the tier policy for places like Svarga, help us to keep some of what makes SL so amazing, don't let yet more beauty fall to dust.

Oh Happy Days!!

2009-08-17T03:43:00.000-07:00

Some of you may already know, but this is for those of you that haven't already heard.

I got engaged!! Yes me, the little wild cat that so many have tried to tame, has finally bowed her head willingly.

Some of you may know Mote (Moteand Bailey) and possibly had dealings with him as he is manager for Beck-Nemeth Enterprises, and owner of Swing Cats. The picture was from this weekend while we were getting ready for what turned out to be a surprise birthday party for me held by my good friend Pip at her new sim.

He and I have been friends for some time, with me helping out part-time at his club. We always got on and had a laugh, he had hinted at his feelings for me, but only very low-key as he knew I was with Crusher.

When I got hurt recently, he was there to help put the peices back together with quiet dignity, not forcing anything, not pushing, just being there - and it was during this time I realised I had come to care about him too. When he asked the question at the start of August, and I took my time to answer, after all it wasn't the sort of thing I could rush an answer to, esp as I had been hurt recently and once again, he was willing to wait patiently, with no pressure.

I accepted, he is so sweet, so kind, and so gentle, and to be honest - exactly what I need. Crush is a great guy, but he is still too wild to tame, and deep down I knew that even if I had tried to hide the fact (even from myself) that I was getting used to the idea that I WANTED to settle down.

Mote and I went shopping, originally to look for bits for the party (which had a fantasy theme) and we drifted into jewellery shops. He asked me for some hints on the type of ring I would like, and I willingly gave them. It wasn't long before he settled on a lovely ring from JCNY for me.

I told a few of my close friends the wonderful news and showed them the lovely ring, and Pip soon decided that we had to have a party to celebrate the happy event. I set about building the purrrfect invite for our party (versions of which will soon be on sale at Paws 4 Thought. We decided that we would hold it at Swing Cats, and invite all that wanted to come join in the fun.

The Party will be at Swing Cats at 12pm SLT (8pm BST) on Thursday 20th of August 2009. Click the link for a teleport to join us, or ask either Mote or I for an invite in-world or pop down to Swing Cats and look for the invite we have put down at the club as a Landmark giver. The picture shows you what you are looking for.

We really hope you will join us there, it is a "come as you are" party, so no excuses that you haven't got the right outfit :P

A sad day for SionChicken fans...

2009-08-13T04:21:00.000-07:00

I have some bad news chicken lovers, with the slow but steady roll out of the V12 release I have had to do some soul searching regarding Clucking Marvellous... I have come to the conclusion that I have to give the breeding up.

I am doing this with great reluctance as I enjoy the breeding programs I have set up. I will continue to sell until Sion stops supporting the V11's but then I will be shutting up shop.

The change to the Chickens that has prompted this is that with the new V12 versions, the eggs (if they are boxed or not) will die if they aren't hatched within 60 days of being laid...

As most of my sales are well beyond this period, this means I am effectively out of business. I am very sorry about this, and apologise to all my loyal customers.

How much of "you" do you put into your virtual lives?

2009-08-11T01:33:00.000-07:00

It might seem an odd question, but it is one I have been giving a lot of thought lately, there have been several events in recent months that have led me to this point.

Me, well what you see is what you get. I have two characters in Secondlife - Zenobia is one. But they are both "me" - different sides of me, facets of my personality if you will, but both rooted in me, the real me, the woman the other side of the screen. I have tried to claim they are completely seperate entities, but in truth, can any writers creation be completely seperate from their creator? I don't think they can - they will always share some of the same views, or values, or maybe just a personality trait or nervous habit, but there will always be SOMETHING of their creator in them.

Zennie is a flirt, she is playful, fun, and a touch wild, she is the girl I longed to be, the party animal that everyone loves, that people want to be near for all her unprodictiablity. She shares her flirtatious side with me, but she has bucket loads more confidence then I ever would - she thinks nothing of dancing on tables, of approaching cute guys, or wearing daring or outragous outfits.

Her Alter-ego (who ironically was my first SL account) is much calmer, still a bit of a flirt, still a little playful, but far more reserved. She is the "grown-up" one, she has a husband, her business, and prefers to chill out with friends then bounce around the grid.

The one thing both my "girls" share is the vulnerability, and that they get from me without a doubt, because although Zen is the life of the party, she doesn't have many "true" friends and gets hurt easily when her world is rocked.

Twice within 6 weeks she has learnt that not everyone is all they seem in a virtual worlds. Where as she wears her heart on her sleeve, others although they seem to be the same, have hidden corners where secrets hide.

I guess it is hard for me to accept this, call it niavity if you wish, but I tar all with my brush, I see the best in everyone - before now, I have never seen that as a flaw in my personality - but now, maybe, I see that it is.

Easter Spirit

2009-04-14T06:36:00.000-07:00

Hello again my friends,

Well easter has snuck up on us but it is as good a time as any to announce my new "side line" business that officially opened this week.

My new store "Clucking Marvellous" sell SionEgg's that I am breeding from my growing brood of SionChickens.

What is a SionChicken I hear you ask, well they are quite simply, AMAZING.

You start with an egg, within 2hrs and adoreable "fluffy" little yellow chick will be running havoc and peeping like mad. Over the coming couple of weeks this chick will slowly grow into a full grown rooster or hen, and if you are lucky enough to have one of each, you can start getting your own eggs.

They come in a variety of colours, allowing you to breed more colours (which is where I come in for those that don't want to spend all that time and money just to get chickens of a certain colour).

They will only eat the Sion biological chicken food - which is available from the creator on Xstreet SL or in world. Just rezz the bowl, and watch the clever little things find it.

They are physical so can be hurt, get sick and die (you have been warned :P) - but if treated well, they can live about a year.

For more information see this listing on xstreetSL or message me in world for a copy of the "Clucking Marvellous" notecard.

See ya later :)

I'm back - did you miss me?

2009-03-05T04:35:00.000-08:00

Well, I have had a period of absence, the reason for which was rather embarressing - I forgot my password (again)!!!

Still enough of that, I am back and have lots to tell you, in my absence of blogging, I have been very busy creating new product lines and have a shiny new website for Paws which has information about me and some of my friends, the business as well as helpful user guides for some of the new products (gift vouchers and my Visitor List Monitor pets).

I have just launched several new ranges - including a range of gifts, with heart shaped message cushions and teddies for all occastions and garden decorations, fountains, gazebo's etc to compliment my wicker furniture that I already had on sale.

Business is booming and I just have no time to build all the ideas that are popping into my head.

I nearly forgot to mention, I have a new store too, specifically for the gifts - check out my profile in world to come visit.

Gotta run, so much to do and so little time ;)

See you all soon

Zennie =^.^=

I was emailed these the other day...

2008-11-05T05:34:00.001-08:00

Someone sent me these in an email and I laughed so hard I nearly cried! I am SOOO gonna have to use someone these on my P4T auto-responder ;)

Out of office responses ;)

1. I am currently out of the office at a job interview and will reply to you if I fail to get the position. Please be prepared for my mood.

2. You are receiving this automatic notification because I am out of the office. If I was in, chances are you wouldn't have receivedanything at all.

3. Sorry to have missed you, but I'm at the doctor's having my brain and heart removed so I can be promoted to our management team.

4. I will be unable to delete all the emails you send me until I return from vacation. Please be patient, and your mail will be deletedin the order it was received.

5. Thank you for your email. Your credit card has been charged £5.99 for the first 10 words and £1.99 for each additional word in yourmessage.

6. The email server is unable to verify your server connection. Yourmessage has not been delivered. Please restart your computer and try sending again.

7. Thank you for your message, which has been added to a queuing system. You are currently in 352nd place, and can expect to receive areply in approximately 19 weeks.

8. Hi, I'm thinking about what you've just sent me. Please wait byyour PC for my response.

9. I've run away to join a different circus.

10. I will be out of the office for the next two weeks for medical reasons. When I return, please refer to me as 'Steph' instead of'Andy'.

Free gift waiting for you in my store

2008-10-25T17:19:00.000-07:00

There is a cute little halloween tee waiting for all at my store now, but only for the halloween holiday.

Swing by and pick one up. It is on three layers for your convienance.

Enjoy and happy holidays.

Zennie

The kitteh learns to growl

2008-10-25T09:14:00.000-07:00

Aloof and animalistic, you belong to the Gangrel Clan. Closely associated with werewolves, you are the shapeshifting vampire. You prefer nature than to live in the city and prefer the company of animals than of humans. You are more known to keep to yourself then to help others. You are the lone wolf of the decendents of Caine.

What Vampire Clan Do You Belong To?

I found this on Myravon's blog, and again, I couldn't resist it. I find it kinda freaky that some of these quizes hit the mark so well, yet on some bits they are so wrong.

For instance, yes, IRL I guess I do prefer the company of my cat then that of most people, yet any that know me will tell you that I am more known to try and help others then keep to myself - if a friend is in trouble, they know to come to me and I will do what I can.

I also find it odd, that me, a neko gal, is a decendent of a canine vampire clan *grins* still, something else anyone that knows me would tell you is I have Never been a conventional type of person. *shrugs*

Why start now :P

Well Helloooo out there...

2008-10-24T15:37:00.001-07:00

Ok, I have been resisting this for awhile now, but hey - the siren song was too strong.

I have been an avid lurker, reading the blogs of others - esp those of my SL friends, but now it is time for me to introduce myself properly.

So, *Extends a hand towards you with a winning smile* Hello - My name is Zenobia Fimicoloud. I am a simple Neko gal who loves to spend time with her friends, chilling or exploring. I also own and run Paws 4 Thought, supplier of feline based furniture, artwork and accessories for you and your SL home.

I am sure I will find randomness to blog here, be patient with me, I am new to this remember ;)