“In Hinduism, Avatar or Avatāra refers to a deliberate descent of a deity from heaven to earth, and is mostly translated into English as “incarnation”, but more accurately as “appearance” or “manifestation”.

Well as I have created some years ago my avatar in Second Life, I haven’t had the feeling to come from heaven to the earth. But yes – first I have dealt with my appearance in this world :0)))

I was a bit gray and  it has needed some time for this metamorphose.

“The Sanskrit noun avatāra is derived from the verbal root tṝ “to cross over”, joined with the prefix ava “off , away , down”……Related to the concept of avatar is that of vibhūti, that is, the idea of manifestations of the divine in various aspects of human life and the natural world.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avatar

Yes we create us in the virtual worlds and this lets feelings in us and also the Divine in us.

But what do we want to be in this worlds? There are so many possibilities.

“Digital media allows us to make both dramatic and subtle changes to our self-representations with an ease not available elsewhere. These changes can greatly affect how we interact with others in virtual environments. For example, facial and behavioral mimicry can make us more likeable and persuasive. In addition to gaining social advantages, our avatars (digital representations of ourselves) can also change how we behave. This occurs via conforming to expected behaviors of the avatar – a process referred to as the Proteus Effect….”

“….I conducted a series of four pilot studies that explore the Proteus Effect. In the first study, I found that participants in attractive avatars walked closer to and disclosed more information to a stranger than participants in unattractive avatars. In the second study, I found that participants in taller avatars negotiated more aggressively in a bargaining task than participants in shorter avatars. In the third study, I demonstrated that the Proteus Effect occurs in an actual online community. And in the final study, I showed that the Proteus Effect persists outside of the virtual environment. Placing someone in a taller avatar changes how they consequently negotiate in a face-to-face setting.”

http://www.nickyee.com/daedalus/archives/001569.php

Over time I have learned to create my own skins and shapes. Every avatar has his or her own character and every character has changed also my behavior a bit and I have expressed new sides of me. My avatar has taught me more about me, than I ever could imagine and sure it is the creation of us in virtual worlds also a very personal art.

From time to time I see now a avatar in a skin, I have created. Sure they are familiar to me, but also they bring much new in this character, which lets me always smile. It seems, we give our avatar a soul – “from heaven to earth”.

If you would like to make your own skins, have a look at the great free templates, which the brilliant creator Eloh Eliot has made:

http://sites.google.com/site/another/resources

Don’t miss, to watch the 1000 avatar project:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwihVB2g8Eo&feature=youtu.be&a

Greetings,
Tesira

Where we will go today? Well that’s clear. Our way dos lead us to Cologne.

Let’s start  in front of the Cologne Cathedral.

“Begun in 1248, the construction of this Gothic masterpiece took place in several stages and was not completed until 1880. Over seven centuries, successive builders were inspired by the same faith and a spirit of absolute fidelity to the original plans.”

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/292

And here today also will start the 3D Carnival street parade in Second Life.

“The “fifth season of the year” as Carnival is called, begins on November 11th at 11:11 AM. But the real “crazy days” do not start before the so-called Weiberfastnacht (Shrove Thursday), the Thursday before Rosenmontag (Carnival Monday). The “crazy days” of Carnival are celebrated with parties on the streets, in public squares and in pubs. Closing times for pubs and bars are suspended for the duration of the festival.

Traditionally the gathering of the colourful Corps troops can be seen on Saturday at the Neumarkt. On Carnival Sunday school groups and borough parades take place all over the city. But the highlight of the street carnival is Rose Monday with the march of “Cologne’s Dreigestirn” or Triumvirate – the Prince, the Peasant and the Maiden – in the kilometre-long Rosenmontag procession going through the city. Carneval ends two days later on Ash Wednesday.”

http://www.koeln.de/cologne_tourist_information/events/cologne_carnival

“If you ever wanted to attend a special German Carnival Parade, then you should not miss the big Germany in 3D “Rosenmontag” (Carnival Monday-which is one of the biggest Carnival days in Germany) event on several regions in the Germany in 3D inworld area – A Resident run project, that is offering a wide variety of content, events and experiences for the German speaking community and is supported by Linden Lab. – I am sure, also as a non-German speaker you are very welcome ”

“Cologne, Koblenz and Munich – plus a number of inworld institutions such as the Magic Builder from GNC and the Greenies are going to perform a Carnival street parade, that is going to start off in front of the Cologne Cathedral, then heading to Koblenz and from there to the Munich region where the  attendees will be welcomed with a dance show. After the parade, Cologne and Munich are inviting to their Carnival Parties.”

https://blogs.secondlife.com/community/community/events/blog/2010/02/15/carnival-parade-and-events-in-germany-in-3d

I have met there already the first Carnival guests. It is a great fun. Meet you there.

Helau & Alaaf
Tesira

Maddy Gyniod has brought  this article on the way of the Second Life History.

Well  I couldn’t determine if the Beach Ball, which was built by Philip Linden on April 4, 2002, or the Beanstalk  from Steller Sunshine, the first resident of Second Life ^® is the oldest object in in SL.

“A beach ball is the answer!”

“Have you been to the Beanstalk (the oldest User-Generated Content in Second Life?”

But from the top I have had a great view and I have found much more places, which tells about the history of Second Life ^®.  This is  really a journey worth taking.

“Reportedly, this all started when Phillip Linden was in the shower. He envisioned this vast green, continuous landscape, distributed across multiple servers…  and went on to build it…..”

Dip in the LindenWorld August 2001:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK3×3FNlleU

Following these  footsteps, I have found the Valentines Sun and an old Map.

“Snakes and birds roamed the land, feeding on abandoned objects. You could shoot trees, watch them catch fire, and it would spread to other trees.You could “Edit” other people’s avatars, and move them around. Steller apparently had lots of fun throwing Mac off of cliffs in the early days. :) No economy, or currency, or permissions, or any concept of ownership. ……”

Have a look at the timeline.

“On March 13th, 2002, the first resident  (Steller Sunshine) joined Second Life and the public beta started seven month later in October. The grid consisted of 16 regions, , the first one beeing called Da Boom, which might be a reference to the Big Bang of the virtual world. Da Boom, as well as the other early region additions were all named after alleyways in San Francisco. This was a nod to Linden Lab’s original location on Linden Street. The original San francisco regions, from November of 2002, included Clara, Clyde, Da Boom, Federal, Freelon, Hawthorne, Minna, Natoma, Ritch, Shipley, Stanford, Stillman, Taber, Varney, Welsh, and Zoe.”

http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/History_of_Second_Life

“Behold the primitar, in all it’s ancient glory! They once were the AV of Linden World, but are now merely a fading memory in SL’s past. Help keep the memory alive and learn more about where SL has been by enjoying this recreation of our avatar ancestor. ”

Here in the Historical Museum of Second Life ^® you can get this avatar and much more information about the good old times of Second Life ^®.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Phobos/220/158/42

Greetings
Tesira