Jan.8,2008

Lothar arrives at the dump. It's night. There is only one other avatar at the dumpster site. Lothar walks up to Dunn Bing.

[11:08] Lothar Apfelbaum: hi there.

no reaction from Dunn

[11:08] Lothar Apfelbaum: Did you see, it's snowing!

Dunn's head drops on her chest, a sign, that she wasn't active for a little while. She looks exhausted. “Snowing” might not have been the right word. Lothar looks up at the invisible faucet from which clones of perfectly generated flat snow stars are dripping down.

[11:10] Lothar Apfelbaum: I'll come back later….

Lothar walks around the dumpster, checks out, what new garbage has been left. There are two pool tables hovering in the air…complete with the sticks, the balls, the chalk, the pockets, the green felt cover, the heavy wooden frame… Lothar flies up. The decay script has been attached to both tables. Lothar takes a picture. Dunn starts to speak.

[11:15] Dunn Bing: hey
[11:16] Lothar Apfelbaum: hey, you are awake again
[11:16] Dunn Bing: sry.. i was eating…i started creating my first animations
[11:17] Lothar Apfelbaum: did you put the snow up there?
[11:17] Dunn Bing: wasn’t me. or at least cant i remember
[11:17] Lothar Apfelbaum: what kind of animations are you doing?
[11:17] Dunn Bing: wait… im just uploading the first one.. I tried to recreate a “kung-fu-kick” i saw in a movie..
[11:18] Lothar Apfelbaum: that sounds interesting!
[11:18] Dunn Bing: okay.. its there. Lets hope its working..

Dunn kicks up her left leg in a 80 percent angle, smooth and slowly. She is completely balanced and steady. It looks like she has been practicing that stance with the Chinese emperor since 722 BCE.

[11:18] Lothar Apfelbaum: Wow! … I never really looked how these animation scripts are written. Do you understand how they work?
[11:19] Dunn Bing: you cant “write” an animation in a script. You can tell a script to start an amination, or to link different animations.
[11:19] Lothar Apfelbaum: oh, see, I don't even know the basics. How are the animations “defined”?
[11:19] Dunn Bing: The animation is done in an external program.
[11:20] Lothar Apfelbaum: ah, what's the program?
[11:20] Dunn Bing: its called quavimator. It was just invented for second life
[11:20] Lothar Apfelbaum: is it a free software?
[11:20] Dunn Bing: yes
[11:20] Lothar Apfelbaum: you download it?
[11:20] Dunn Bing: yes. Do you want a link?
[11:20] Lothar Apfelbaum: yes
[11:21] Dunn Bing: wait a second then …http://www.qavimator.org/….that is it
[11:22] Lothar Apfelbaum: thank you

A screenshot of Quavimator.

[11:22] Dunn Bing: you can even attach object to the puppets you are animating to see how it looks if your avatar shall be holding something.. I'll redo my umbrella script with that It should work perfect then

A couple of days ago Dunn had given Lothar a version of the first umbrella she had built. Motionless the umbrella looked perfect. When in motion (as in someone walking around holding the umbrella) the individual parts of the canopy, that were connected to the top, but not to the tips of the outer ring (yet), went loose and moved around like the tail of a kite. The picture shows Dunn and Lothar with their umbrellas 3 days ago.

[11:23] Lothar Apfelbaum: I think I told you, I like the imperfect version of the umbrella.
[11:23] Dunn Bing: i like it too , but i just want one “finished” version, just to know how to make it for future things..
[11:24] Lothar Apfelbaum: hey, do you want to become a “part time Owner” of the dumpster as well?
[11:24] Dunn Bing: oh! That would be great! I am honored you are asking.
[11:25] Lothar Apfelbaum: I don't know, if I can do that… let me see…. may be Tempo Strom has to do it…

Lothar tries to make Dunn a part time owner, but it does not work. Tempo Strom, the “real” owner has to do it.

[11:30] Dunn Bing: Today I went to place where weapons were sold. Do you know that there are places where you can participate in that “role-play” games? Like you are a warrior…and got levels…and skills…and become stronger…
[11:31] Lothar Apfelbaum: or stranger
[11:31] Dunn Bing: …and more powerful casts, spells and attacks…
[11:31] Lothar Apfelbaum: does that sound interesting to you?
[11:31] Dunn Bing: Yes! Because I thought…i'd like to be a vagabond with only very few friends. I mean the game got things like your “health” and different attacks deal different damage.
[11:32] Lothar Apfelbaum: Can you do your own things, make your own decisions, or do you have to follow certain rules and regulations?
[11:33] Dunn Bing: There are different games…..with storyline and without..then you got “mana” which is needed for casting magic things, which deals damage as well. You got armor which prevents you from taking the complete damage. I liked the way it's set up. In a fight you got an extra control to make your arrows fly or your sword cut with really cool moves and i thought…we could create our own game right here.
[11:35] Lothar Apfelbaum: wow
[11:35] Dunn Bing: A dumpster battle.
[11:35] Lothar Apfelbaum: here we go
[11:35] Dunn Bing: but it would be a huge project.
[11:35] Lothar Apfelbaum: It might be worth trying it out. May be a mini version of it.
[11:36] Dunn Bing: yes. That’s what I thought of.
[11:36] Lothar Apfelbaum: How long would it take to show me the place you have been earlier? I have 20 minutes left before I have to go.


Actually, Lothar has nowhere to go for the next 2 hours, except to the dumpster. The “20 minutes for a trip” are wishful thinking. He tries to set a time limit. And now, since he has mentioned it to her, made it public, Dunn could remind him in 20 minutes that time is up. Be his alarm clock. There must be a time display on her computer. The chances are slim, but isn't that what one drinking buddy says to the other before they open the bottle, next to which they'll pass out in a couple of hours: “promise, just a little sip”.

[11:36] Dunn Bing: well…. most places can just be entered if you are in such a game. There lots of them. Different ones. Modern ones where you can shoot with guns. Old fashioned ones.. with swords… Asian ones with samurai…
[11:37] Lothar Apfelbaum: but they are all fighter games?
[11:38] Dunn Bing: well.. not only…It’s like you enter a world and become part of it. You are getting a job. You might be a slave first and got your master.
[11:38] Lothar Apfelbaum: oh, I don't like that part.
[11:38] Dunn Bing: me neither, but its just like you get your role in the story and can change then.. within the limits of the world… If a slave is not serving.. he will get punished…
[11:39] Lothar Apfelbaum: well, I am not sure. I don't want to be part of a game, where you have to be a slave first.
[11:39] Dunn Bing: that was just an example… I never took part in a game but I found a place you can see people fighting… Let me see if i find it again. I’ll go there first and then I’ll send you a teleport.

Dunn disappears. A minute later Lothar receives an invitation to teleport to Meiji, Combat Sim of the Tokugawa Shogunate! He accepts and arrives at a place that looks like its way above sea level. The surroundings are barren, mainly stones and gravel. There are no trees or plants, just a few billboards. Lothar thinks it might be cold there.


[11:43] Dunn Bing: lothar?
[11:43] Lothar Apfelbaum: I am here
[11:43] Dunn Bing: I see ah We need to get to the top of the hill.

Dunn starts running up the hill. Lothar follows but then sees this blue river to his left. He walks over and takes a look.

[11:43] Lothar Apfelbaum: hey wait. Did you see the river over there?


The river looks structured and natural at the same time. It's probably built out of individual pieces that are randomly warped and have a moving water texture running seamlessly around their surface. Is that how it works? Lothar looks at Dunn. There is no way in telling what she is thinking. Facial expressions in SL are pretty limited. Looking at an avatar is like looking at a turtle, trying to read his mind, based on the way he opens and closes his eyes once every 2 minutes. How can you tell?… So Lothar keeps thinking to himself… if the river is really built out of individual elements, like the rest of SL, then the water will never spill over from one water sheet into the next. Each part just keeps running around itself, individually….no interconnection. Lothar feels, that this is sad. And kind of anti-climactic. What will feed the ocean for example? Lothar looks at the river again, this time more positive. His grandchildren will probably swim in it one day. He might have to swim with them…and then…when they get out and sit on the rocks that will gleam in the sunlight he will them his tales from the times, when people were in danger to catch pneumonia from swimming in mountain river's like this, when children drowned in water pockets, got bitten their arms off by sharks…
As he tries to picture the scene, he has a hard time to imagine, how his grandchildren will look like. So instead he pictures some goldfish for now, or some wild salmon jumping upstream….and again he runs in the same problem as before. If there would be salmon in that water, (“in” meaning being part of the flow of the water texture) they would have to run around the same building block over and over again. Like hamsters in a treadmill. Like Lothar with his arrow keys. Left, right, up, down….always in the middle of the screen. Running on the same spot having big time fun getting nowhere. Keeping the wheel running, the screen alive. Just to exercise. Feeling socially responsible to keep the wheel running. Yes, super global thinking. Hamster mentality. Run. Run. Run. Gnaw a little. Run again. Back to the dumpster. Is that how it works? Unfortunately no one ever has discarded a river at the dumpster yet, otherwise Lothar's thoughts might be more clear on that.

Dunn turns around and starts walking up the mountain high speed. Lothar follows trying to keep up with her. The gravel turns into a blue cloud like texture, then into snow. Lothar wishes, he was wearing headphones to hear if his steps do crunch.

On top of the mountain, near the entrance gate of what seems to be some kind of a temple complex, a group of avatars with holes in their stockings, blinking talismen (lucky charmes) and a variety of long, thin weapons, like spears and swords are talking and doing martial arts moves.




Lothar tries to follow the conversation, but is too confused to figure out who is who. They all have names he has never heard before and they are using shortcuts, he does not know. The only thing he understands is “lol” which makes him still feel embarrassed for the person who uses it. He likes Dunn's Smiley face style much better.

[11:44] Dunn Bing: Look here. You should download a plugin called “WindLight”. That makes awesome skies!

Instead of the “windlight” Dunn offers Lothar another an Ninja Hud plugin. Lothar accepts it, and starts doing karate and Kong-fu moves like the others around him.



[11:47] Lothar Apfelbaum: what's up with me?
[11:47] Dunn Bing: :D
[11:47] Lothar Apfelbaum: I am doing strange things

[11:47] Dunn Bing: that the ninja hud i gave you. Lets watch those fighters.


The warriors put their hands in prayer positions and bow their heads before they start a fight. Then, they jump up and down, then there is blood, then one of them lies flat on the ground. Lothar has seen these kind of fights in Freebie places before. They watch for a moment. Then Dunn starts doing a sequence of cartwheels down the pathway.

[11:48] Lothar Apfelbaum: How did you do that?
[11:48] Dunn Bing: just run and you will do that too. Press crtl+r once to switch to runnin, then just walk. Then change to “always run” manually.
[11:51] Lothar Apfelbaum: I am not really getting it.
[11:51] Dunn Bing: in top of your screen should be a button “world”
[11:51] Lothar Apfelbaum: yes
[11:51] Dunn Bing: there must be something like “always run”
[11:51] Lothar Apfelbaum: ok
[11:51] Dunn Bing: just klick it
[11:52] Dunn Bing: u got it!
[11:52] Lothar Apfelbaum: thank you!
[11:52] Dunn Bing: no problem.

Lothar cartwheels behind Dunn down the pathway. They go pretty fast. It makes him happy. He did not know, he had that acrobatic side in him.
[11:52] Dunn Bing: A pitty we can't fly here. Did u see that fire effect?…
[11:52] Lothar Apfelbaum: no, I saw just blood.
[11:53] Dunn Bing: There should be “sit” in the bottom right of your screen. klick it.. and choose number 1 in the pop up. The other numbers are empty…
[11:54] Lothar Apfelbaum: what does number 1 do?
[11:55] Dunn Bing: makes you sit as i am at the moment.

Lothar follows the steps and then automatically sits down next to Dunn.

[11:55] Dunn Bing: I need to fix my skirt. Whenever im sitting I am showing way too much leg…
[11:55] Lothar Apfelbaum: I was about to say that. It's a little short, especially for fighting.

[11:55] Dunn Bing: yes :D
But I like the ways its flying when I’m jumping and coming down again.

Dunn jumps up and down in front of Lothar, does a loop in midair.

[11:55] Dunn Bing: See! Don’t look under it :D just at it. Look!
[11:56] Lothar Apfelbaum: yes, it moves nice…

Dunn's skirt moves like Dunn's umbrella. Dunn's umbrella moves like her hair. Her hair moves like the trees. The trees move like the clouds. The clouds move like the green smoke that came out of the nuclear reactor Lothar took apart at the dump a couple of days ago. It's all the same movement….it either flows or it shakes and jitters… They get up and do about 40 continuous cartwheels all the way back the pathway to the gate. I

[11:57] Dunn Bing: great show lothar :D
[11:58] Lothar Apfelbaum: wow, my head turns
[11:58] Dunn Bing: mine too. But everyone must have been watching us.
[11:59] Lothar Apfelbaum: I thought, everybody is only watching themselves in this world.
[11:59] Dunn Bing: I think we looked great doing cartwheels synchron…

They run down the hill back to the point where they had arrived first. From there on, a romantic looking path lined with trees and bushes leads further down the hill.

[12:00] Lothar Apfelbaum: nice place, thanks for showing me.



[12:00] Dunn Bing: lets go back to dumpster. One more thing i want to show you there.
[12:01] Lothar Apfelbaum: hey, me too. I am experimenting with another camera setting and may be some other day we can do the cartwheel thing at the dump again and I can film it
[12:01] Dunn Bing: that would be amazing!
[12:01] Lothar Apfelbaum: Tempo Strom found a camera setting, where one can see oneself from the front. It's a little complicated, but…
[12:01] Dunn Bing: cool. Finally
[12:01] Lothar Apfelbaum: what else did you want to show me?
[12:02] Dunn Bing: how those weapons u just saw work in general…
[12:02] Lothar Apfelbaum: ok

Lothar looks at the pathway in front of him. He does not leave the dumpster very often, so whenever he goes some other place, he tries to appreciate what he sees. All parts of the vegetation are captured in their prettiest stage. The cherry blossom's in spring, the magnolia flowers in late spring, some green tree in summer, the maple trees in fall, the top of the mountain in snow…

[12:02] Dunn Bing: lets get to a more peaceful place.
[12:02] Lothar Apfelbaum: ok
[12:02] Dunn Bing: like the dumpster..
[12:02] Lothar Apfelbaum: yes

Lothar was hoping she would say that. He loves the dumpster. He smiles and they teleport back.


Back at the dumpster the sun is about to raise. Already a new day…so much for the 20 minte rule…
[12:03] Dunn Bing: let me show you some. hope you dont mind if i take my skirt off…got panties on.
[12:03] Lothar Apfelbaum: ok

Now in her underwear she attaches some kind of scissor hands from the new Beowulf movie and some kind of rocket gadget to her thighs.

[12:04] Dunn Bing: take a look at those
[12:04] Lothar Apfelbaum: hu!
[12:04] Dunn Bing: now watch… now it comes
[12:04] Lothar Apfelbaum: careful

[12:05] Dunn Bing: however
[12:05] Lothar Apfelbaum: it's not my favorite look.
[12:05] Dunn Bing: i dont really got the hang on it yet..
[12:06] Lothar Apfelbaum: the things on your hands look like fans
[12:06] Dunn Bing: yes.wait

She gets out a long spear and by accident pushes it through her leg.

[12:07] Lothar Apfelbaum: oooochhhh. That spear went through your leg.
[12:08] Dunn Bing:

She gets out a new set of fighting tools and starts that rotating thing that happy cheerleaders and policemen do with their sticks and clubs when they want to show off. Invisibly attached or forced by magnetics, at both ends of her weapons, hover two boxes, that move as slick and synchronously as the spears themselves. Lothar imagines two white pigeons sitting in the boxes starting to hate the “warm up phase” before they can fly out to conclude the magic number.

[12:09] Lothar Apfelbaum: why is the box hovering above the objects?
[12:09] Dunn Bing: that is because its just a “demo” of the object. That normally costs like 700 linden dollars..
[12:10] Lothar Apfelbaum: oh, that's expensive.
[12:10] Dunn Bing: yes

[12:10] Lothar Apfelbaum: I wanted to tell you… your left shoe is sometimes disappearing. Have you noticed that?
[12:10] Dunn Bing: yes i make it disappear because I got that “walk and stand” thing on it and when im trying to fight the scripts are blocking each other. That’s why I take the shoe off then.. :D
[12:11] Lothar Apfelbaum: ok…
[12:12] Dunn Bing: oh! I forgot to show you the most important things! I improved my tie. Its now.. more lady like..and watch this…
[12:13] Lothar Apfelbaum: your shoes are blinking?
[12:13] Dunn Bing: yes
[12:14] Lothar Apfelbaum: very sweet detail
[12:14] Dunn Bing: rare.. but they are just the stones on them…how do u like my new tie?
[12:14] Lothar Apfelbaum: looks like a combination of a necklace and a tie
[12:15] Dunn Bing: it is The necklace is holding the tie
[12:15] Lothar Apfelbaum: I like it…
[12:15] Dunn Bing: I thought that would be something new It fits my sunglasses
[12:17] Lothar Apfelbaum: wow, you have been busy
[12:17] Dunn Bing: a little . U noticed my earrings?
[12:17] Lothar Apfelbaum: no, not yet…
[12:17] Dunn Bing: take a look then
[12:18] Lothar Apfelbaum: cool. Can I make a suggestion?
[12:18] Dunn Bing: sure. just go ahead
[12:19] Lothar Apfelbaum: the “bridge” that holds your sunglasses together… I would make it a little more narrow.

[12:19] Dunn Bing: yes.I dont like the shape of the glasses yet either.
[12:19] Lothar Apfelbaum: oh, well..actually…whom am I to say… look at me
[12:20] Dunn Bing: I'll make new ones, but the glass itself is already as it should be..
[12:20] Lothar Apfelbaum: ok, I have to go now…
[12:20] Dunn Bing: u might think about a story or a key-idea for our “new project” [12:21] Lothar Apfelbaum: The dumpster battle? ok. I hope you have enough time to do your homework as well.
[12:21] Dunn Bing: awh.. homework….waste of time.. :P. There are more important things in life then education if u ask me although its not unimportant… I hope u understand what I’m trying to say…
[12:22] Lothar Apfelbaum: yes…well…
[12:22] Dunn Bing: okay then =(). See u around. btw.. i like ur blog! Keep it up!

Dunn refers to this log. After Lothar had decided to publish the first conversation they had, when they met at the dumpster, he went back the next day and asked her, if she would mind. He thought this might be a complicated matter, but Dunn just said “sure” and asked for the address of it. Obviously she had come back to check it out.

[12:22] Lothar Apfelbaum: Thank you! Bye
[12:22] Dunn Bing: bye
[12:22] Lothar Apfelbaum is offline