MS9's "New Life" Diary

[MindStar9]

Ok, so here's the big announcement ...

The JSA Entropia Universe Connection​

JetStar Alliance has created its own forum ... it's nothing extravagant, but rather simple and organized to meet the needs of the JSA soc members, as well as any visiting guests, or registered members outside of JSA. We have much in place already, but are still under construction, so changes will occur as needed.

Zar (rwin at EF) is our Moderator, and has done an excellent job of creating an "Entropia Universe Resources" subforum that makes accessing certain information quite easy. He is my partner in this effort, but all JSA soc members are contributors in this undertaking.

We have a unique subforum called ... "Entropia's Bistro of Edible Humor" ... and was created especially for "The Chef!" ... if you have read other parts of my Diary, then you'll more than likely know (or guess) that "The Chef!" is my IRL guy, and while not a chef by profession, is quite the chef indeed, and has spoiled me rotten with his culinary offerings. Since The Chef! has been an EU gamer for quite some time, he is very familiar with our virtual universe, and therefore, able to offer up recipes like no other, BUT ...

Perhaps the most unique aspect to this is ... that he will also offer the earthly-related recipe to give us an opportunity to try it IRL. He gives the measurement conversions, and information needed to do your own testing of the IRL recipe. He's also created a glossary of terms to minimize or eliminate any confusion. Never let it be known that The Chef! is without humor, as you are sure to chuckle at his offerings. Oh, and yes ... his EU identity is still unknown, so don't even think about asking.

We're also offering ... "The Virtual Couch" ... but it's not what you might think, so check it out for yourself to get the 411 on it. It's a play on words for sure given my IRL profession, but it should make for some interesting discussions.

In addition to the above ... we will have a "Front Page" or home page area, but that is still being worked on. Eventually we will be showcasing our own EU-related news stories and articles but will certainly be mindful of anything produced by the EF Newsroom so that we are respectful of their efforts.

As mentioned above, the forum is still under construction and plenty more content will be added in the subforums, but there's enough there to cruise that might be of interest.

ENJOY!!



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[MindStar9]

Sometimes when things disappear, it's not a bad thing.

I hope everyone is having a super great day, because "I" am!!

 

[MindStar9]

Content removed ... because it served its purpose and I no longer want it to be a part of a positive endeavor.





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[MindStar9]

Just as an FYI...

I was not "removed" from my Moderator position, but "resigned" ... just as I "resigned" from my position as Newsroom Editor. My reasons were private and didn't need to be discussed. I still enjoy a respectful and enjoyable relationship with the forum Administrators, and despite my reasons for vacating my staff positions, they know I continue to be a dedicated and loyal member of this forum.




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[MindStar9]

I love opportunities to write ... it's one of my favorite things, but there are certain things I won't write about in this Diary, and why I'm happy I have two diaries now. One here, and one at our JSA forum to share other type thoughts ... makes it convenient.

My RL writing project is coming along nicely ... what is it? ... can't tell, but when the project is complete I'll reveal it here. What I WILL say is that it's EU-related, but can't say definitively when it will be completed. I'm having an enormously good time with it, but it's preventing me from spending more time ingame and in the forum. The drama that took place the last couple of days was actually a welcome break. Now I can get back to the task at hand ... although the break gave me some food for thought.

To my friends (yes I have them) ... I shall make up for the absence. To my wonderful soc mates ... your incredible support in all I do is tremendously appreciated. To TheChef! ... time isn't always measured by hands on a clock ... sometimes we just need to do things for the convenience and feel-good factor. The recipe is good, but maybe the ingredients need adjusting at times.

Hugs to Lykke and Peter ... I hope your crazy-ass selves are still enjoying each other as much as ever. I continue to read your posts, and wish the two of you nothing but success with your new venture. See you at CND soon.

Have a great week!



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[MindStar9]

Content removed ... because it served its purpose and I no longer want it to be a part of a positive endeavor.





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[MindStar9]

Content removed ... because it served its purpose and I no longer want it to be a part of a positive endeavor.





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[MindStar9]

How about a little EU News:

Wasn’t going to post it, but hey, Lootius decided that I deserved a little treat, so who am I to not give him the glory for such a sprinkling of the golden stuff, eh? Thanks Lootie!

[br]Click to enlarge[/br]

Something else good came out of this ... I also was able to reach Level 9 in attachment engineering during this little run, so I'm getting closer to unlocking BPC. All of my solo ubers and hofs have been in crafting so far, so I guess I'll continue in that direction for a while with a little hunting and mining on the side. I'm about to turn Level 9 in weapons engineering as well, so this is a good thing since I'm getting some nice (L) BP's. Got an OA-105 amp BP but am only 89% efficient, so I'll hang onto that one for a while. I craft nice weapons and amps for the soc, so we're happy.

Hope everyone else is having fun! Ciao till next time!!



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[MindStar9]

Content removed ... because it served its purpose and I no longer want it to be a part of a positive endeavor.





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[MindStar9]

Yesterday was my birthday, and I have a number of people to thank who contributed toward making it a wonderful day.

First, to whomever did the following ad ingame, I thank you very much. I may never learn the name of the thoughtful person who did this, but if you read this Diary, please know that it was appreciated.

Second, to Moonie who organized the party train for the day, beginning with a team hunt at CP, thank you. Even my best virtual gal (big haired) pal Asti, and long-time friend Moonear was able to join in on the fun, although the adventure didn't produce very much at all, including no globals. Our friends Mags and Abby would have joined if it hadn't been so late in the day, but at least we got to say hello at CP before they had to log, so thank you too for the birthday wishes.

Prior to the CP hunt, while we were all standing in the "waiting room" as I call it, Moonie (pyromaniac that he is) set off some fireworks in honor of the birthday, and then said that he had to give me some things prior to the hunt. Upon opening a trade window, I was gifted with a GeoTrek Ortso H45, a BullTac50 amp, 10k of lite BLP ammo, and Moonie's Beast amp to use first before the BullTac50 because there was only one BullTac50 available at auction and he wanted to get several for me. He said not to condition the Beast prior to giving it back because it was part of the birthday gift. He mentioned that JackFree also contributed toward these gifts, so thank you for that too Jack, it was very generous of both of you.

As a sidenote ... Moonie said that Auktuma was in on this as well, and that they had been discussing the birthday for a while. Auktuma crafted the Ortso H45 for Moonie specifically for the birthday gift, but then Auktuma also PM'd me ingame just as I was getting on the flight to CP and said that he needed to see me later. I did meet up with him, but I'll get to that in a minute.

While we didn't have any birthday globals at CP, Moonie and I ended up in a Hogglo hunt later in the evening and managed to at least get one birthday global, so thanks for that MA and Lootius.

[br]Click to enlarge[/br]

I also want to thank Zar (aka "rwin" at EF), for taking the time to create a few JSA banners. I like them all, but certainly have my favorites, like this one ... wonder why?

Thank you to my soc mates and friends ... your contributions to my birthday celebration were greatly appreciated. And Jet (dear brother), pretending to be a white cupcake in your Polaris armor to distract the aliens doesn't work. They aren't fooled by such attempts, so glad that you realized that and switched to an armor that gave them more of a challenge.

Now back to Auktuma ... just when Moonie and I concluded our Hogglo birthday hunt, Auktuma signed ingame. I PM'd him and asked if he still needed to see me, and he said "yeeeesss I DO" ... and then asked what my home town was. I said Sakura, and he was going to meet me there, but since I was still out in the Hogglo fields, there was no problem getting to the Sakura TP quickly with my medium chip ... love that thing.

When Auk arrived at the Sakura TP, the first thing he did was set off fireworks in celebration of the birthday. Thank you Auk, that was very thoughtful, but what followed next knocked my virtual thong off. He proceeded to engage in a trade and placed a couple of gifts in the trade window.

First, while he calls himself a n00b tailorer, he crafted me a "Flower Boheme" blouse, which is pretty rare ingame as I have yet to see anyone wearing one other than one time, and that was a long time ago (not that there aren't any others around, but they are certainly not common by any means). Of course, the blouse is in purple (what else), and it's very nice.

Second gift was a bigger surprise ... Auk had crafted a pair of Bono Shades, and yes, these too are purple. I have linestripe purple shades that were a gift from Freyr quite some time ago, but always wanted the Bonos. I think a little birdie has been spilling the beans about the wish list, although the Flower Boheme blouse was not on that list, so that was quite a suprise indeed.

Well, here are a few pics showing off the new purple additions ...

The shades are really a nice enhancement to any purple combination ...

And certainly top off the signature outfit quite nicely I would say ...

Thank you Auktuma, not only for your generous birthday gifts, but also your friendship and the wonderful chats that we have. The ingame knowledge you share is immensely appreciated; especially pertaining to crafting, but more than this, your life philosophies and depth of sharing is more than I ever expected from anyone ingame, and it has been tremendously enriching, so thank you.

To Moonie ... you know how I feel about you, and that will never change, no matter what my virtual and RL present to me. It's an absolute given. Your love, friendship, and generosity never cease to amaze me ... OR surprise me.

To The Chef! ... how do I thank you for your incredible generosity of heart and soul, and for providing me a personal sanctuary to achieve the one dream that has been so elusive. Oh ya ... finish the job for the publishers! Well, you more than anyone know what this is all about, so thank you immensely for your continued unselfish support and belief in what I'm working toward. The rest of the virtual universe (and RL I suppose), will just have to wait for the unveiling.

It was a Happy Birthday indeed. Now whoever you are, fess up to the ingame birthday ad.



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[MindStar9]

I haven't spent too much time ingame lately, but that's because I'm working on some exciting projects IRL. One I can tell you about, the other I can't. Obviously, everyone knows about the official EU Blog, and that several of us have been accepted as contributing bloggers. The finishing touches are being worked on, and we were all asked recently to submit 3 blog entries. I'm assuming it's to have content for the launch. I actually submitted a 4th today since it played off of blog entry #3, but not sure it will be used with the launch.

At any rate, what I am appreciating about this blog involvement is that I am rising to the challenge of the requirement of 250 words or less for each entry. It's quite the restraint indeed, and an absolute opposite from the other project I'm working on, so it takes a different kind of focus in order to accomplish each goal, but don't think for one minute that I'm not using all 250 words.

With regard to RL ... I can tell you that something took place this week that has the potential to make a world of difference in both mine and TheChef's lives. Let's just say that I'm incredibly excited, and the next 6 months are going to be busy, but nonetheless some fun times ahead. Sorry for being so cryptic, but I'll be back to tell you more when some of the details are worked out and available. For now ... all I will say is that life was just kicked up more than a few notches, and it's about damn time.

Ciao till next time! *What's for lunch Chef?*



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[MindStar9]

IRL News:

Unfortunately, this past week, Jet and I lost two more relatives. An Aunt in Wisconsin with cancer who passed just a couple of days ago, and an Uncle in Oklahoma whose funeral Mom was at when it happened. However, while our Uncle was about to celebrate his 80th birthday on the 16th of this month and be honored for his service on a ship during WWII, a surgeon decided differently. Our Uncle had a pacemaker that appeared to be coming through the skin, and he was scheduled to go through a routine operation to move the pacemaker, but unfortunately, in the process, the surgeon punctured his heart ... he never recovered from the patchup. Medical malpractice?

Life is so fragile, and we are often too oblivous to how precious it is. When people are ill, and often gravely, or knowing they only have a certain amount of time to live, they frequently reach out to others in seemingly odd ways. Perhaps their fear of the unknown promotes unusual behaviors, but then how would you behave if you were in their position. Speculation is one thing, living it is another.

On a lighter note ... TheChef! is continuing his tradition of coming home with his own lyrical rendition of a well known song. He develops his lyrics from things happening in our lives right now (and what is planned), and I have no clue what to expect each day. This is Monday through Friday, and each day is a different song with different lyrics. It's my job to not only appreciate his efforts (which I most certainly do of course), but to also guess the song and the artist. Playing as a bass guitarist and singing backup for a long time in a band before getting involved with his other career for 26 years, he's got some skillz. Also a seemingly neverending library of tracks that surprise me. What a fun tradition indeed.


EU News:

It's obviously no secret, that I'm involved with the soon-to-be launched EU Blog, and I'm having a blast. The blogmaster I'm working with is an absolute sweetheart, and quite efficient. She's very timely with responding to emails and answering questions, which is making the process quite easy. My fellow bloggers are hard at work as well, so when the launch date arrives, there should be plenty to dig into right out the Entropia Gateway.

Ingame time has been rather minimal, but that's due to IRL projects. Even though 2 are EU-related, the other is not and all I can say is that I'm in my element for sure. However, I'm about to get busy with some ingame projects as well, and that will be posted when the time arrives.

One thing I can tell you for sure ... I've made a commitment to Ozi to be at his CND Global Maddness event on Sunday to not only participate, but to cover it as the "Picture Storyteller." It all sounds like a fun event, and if ND is spinning the music and commentating, then it should be fun for sure. Hope to see many of you there.

With regard to ingame activities ... I've been switching it up between hunting and crafting and laying off the mining for a while again. I've had the crafting bug and working on getting the skill levels up. I have Level 10 in attachments which unlocked my BPC, about to pop Level 10 in weapons, and just got Level 9 in some other engineering profession I can't remember at the moment. Several others are levels 7 and 8, but still a n00b of course. However, it's coming along nicely and I get to interact with some special people where I craft, so that makes it fun. Ok, I"m off to craft ... talking about it gave me the bug.

Ciao till next time!



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[MindStar9]

IRL News:

Well, TheChef! and I made a decision ... when our lease is up in March, we will be moving to the Chicago area where the majority of my immediate family reside.

Now some of you might say

... why leave sunny Florida and the beaches

for cold winters and people who drive like shit on icey roads.

Let me

and collect my thoughts a moment ... ok, done ... it's because of the following, and in no particular order ...

* the majority of my immediate family and relatives live there or just across the border in Wisconsin

* Xmas is my favorite holiday and there's something sacreligious about decorating a palm tree, lighting up the fireplace, and drinking hot cocoa in 80 degree weather ... and I'm known for going all out with decorating and get-togethers during this time between Xmas and New Year's ... and now that TheChef! is part of the family, you can only imagine how much THAT will kick it up a notch

* I love "real" winters with snow, and a real change of seasons

* with relatives up in age now, I want an opportunity to spend more time with them, and especially Mom ... I really miss our mother/ daughter time together

* because my brother Jet is there, and I also miss the crazy times we have together in person ... virtual on Skype is one thing, but "real" is the best

* because education budget cuts in Florida piss me off (not that they don't happen anywhere else), and regardless of how great your student and faculty evaluations are, if you're not full-time staff, you're low on the totem pole ... I'm still employed by the college I teach at, but many of us have not been given classes the past two terms because of the $1.8 million dollar budget cut, so full-time staff have been overloaded with classes ... just doesn't make a damn bit of sense to me

* because there are more opportunities for both TheChef! and I with the direction we're heading ... besides, a few of my published author friends and publishing contacts are there, and will make it easier when I'm ready to utilize the services offered ... I have a nice network in Florida, but the contacts in the Chicago area rock​

Bottomline is ... I really miss my family a lot, and want to be able to enjoy time with them. I miss the dinner/movie gatherings at each other's homes, the birthday/anniversay/whatever celebrations, and sister time. I miss being able to open up windows for fresh cool air in the Spring and Fall without all the damn humidity, and I miss the city itself where I spent a good portion of my life. Michigan Avenue (the Magnificent Mile) and all the unique shops and restaurants. I could go on and on, but will spare you.

While we still have two months left to the hurricane season, it's been kinda quiet so far, but I would much rather not face the prospect of experiencing a devastating occurrence since we live so close on the water. I'd rather take my chances with snow blizzards and get stranded at home with hot cocoa and mini-marshmallows, than have my damn roof blown off.

We're very excited about this move, and we are researching real estate right now, but we have 6 months to pull it all together, and this is going to be a wonderful project indeed. Projects, projects, projects galore ... it's a wonder that I have any time to play ingame, BUT ...

EU News:

Recently, an old JSA soc mate from down under (Wildfire) has been playing more, and has re-established contact. He and a bunch of friends have been playing another game (not the two most mentioned), and talked a few into joining EU. A group of them started a soc in EU called "Rising Sun" ... and JSA was introduced to them maybe about a week ago. What a fun group of people.

We (some JSA members) have been sharing time with them, and last night, Odd Bunny and I got together with them before Moonie signed in to join us, and we took a trek East of Twin where "Mac" (General/RS) wanted to show a couple of his new soc mates (Angel and Nytridr) the suspended spaceship. They are only a couple weeks into EU, so everything is quite an exploration for them right now.

The trip there was not without it's casualties ... Nytridr either has a death wish, or doesn't care that as a 2-week old player, challenging a Dak Stalker is generally something you don't do unless you are somehow enjoying a love affair with revival terminals. Angel has another take on it though since she is his wife IRL (how cool is that) ... she says that he just wants to be one of the big boys (paraphrasing), and doesn't realize he's handicapped atm. Handicapped or not, I didn't miss a thing when I saw his handicapped ass make an attempt at mob-herding. Nope, he made JSA proud indeed, despite yet another trip to the revival terminal and a rescue trip to get him back to where we were. It actually made the evening that much more enjoyable.

Once we arrived at the suspended spaceship ... and gawked for a moment or two ... we got busy taking out some bots and warriors, but trekked carefully since there was a nest of spiders lurking on the horizon. There was the occasional crabby ankle biter (tantillion) as well, and when I took a long shot with my Bravo to tag an Old so the rest could play with it, I instead annihilated it. It was SO close to a spider I asked who was brave enough to go loot it. Odd Bunny and Nytridr (masochist that he is) decided they would give it a go, but as they got closer and the spider loomed a bit bigger, they ran back.

I said "YOU wooses" ... you afraid of the itsy bitsy spider? ... I ran out there with my Bravo waving in the air like I was invincible, and right after I looted the ankle biter and started to turn to run back, all I could say was

... I misjudged the distance and was quickly shown the way out. Although, I remained in death state long enough to see the rest of the team sent packing.

We DID manage to get a global ... but that was prior to the spider bite, and it was Nytridr and Odd Bunny who accomplished that, so Gratz to them.

[br]Click to enlarge[/br]

Speaking of death state ... we had a little fun at Zeus playing "Ring Toss" ... but this time I achieved a higher level skill, and more points than usual. I was able to ring toss a couple not only on the fort wall ledge, but actually outside the fort wall altogether. The almost faded skull and crossbones outside the fort wall was Moonie, and the sexy-lookin' bod on the fort wall ledge is Angel, pretty in blue. Unfortunately, I was able to give myself some flight time with this particular take-off as well. No frequent flyer miles, no peanuts, and no in-flight movie either, but at least it doesn't cost 25 ped ...

Thank you "Rising Sun" for your friendship ... and for becoming a fun part of JSA's playtime. The Troxie hunt after the Ring Toss game was a blast too, although it surprised me that Nytridr still hadn't learned his lesson since he was hell bent on entertaining an Atrox Alpha. Thank you for the entertainment my dear, you really helped to make the evening a blast.

Ciao till next time!



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[MindStar9]

Yesterday (Sunday) was quite the day for me ... I got up early compared to my usual time, and joined 41 other people in what turned out to be an incredibly fun event at CND ... "Global Madness III" ... it takes place every Sunday at 12:00 MA time, and if you haven't checked it out, I highly recommend it.

I was not only a participant, but covered it as the "EU Picture Storyteller" to give it some more exposure. You can find the picture storyline here to check out how much fun it was, along with the unbelievable ending. I won't give anything away here for those who haven't already read the storyline. Thanks again to Ozi for the invite, and to ND who always seems to kick it up a notch with his commentating at the events. Had a blast!

If the excitement of the event wasn't enough, it seemed to be just the start of a very special day indeed. After the event I went to the Beta South apt lobby and decided to do a little crafting run before checking out for a while. I love my spontaneous choices, because they tend to produce exciting things like this ... my 5th Crafting Uber since 711's birthday (that would be July 11th) ... and my highest solo uber yet ... all being from crafting ...

[br]Click to enlarge[/br]

Here are dates and amounts of the crafting ubers so far ...

* Crafting Uber #1 ... 7/11 ... 1561 ped ... (06:21 MA time)

* Crafting Uber #2 ... 7/12 ... 1594 ped ... (04:34 MA time)

* Crafting Uber #3 ... 7/12 ... 1853 ped ... (04:52 MA time)

* Crafting Uber #4 ... 8/28 ... 2484 ped ... (05:45 MA time)

* Crafting Uber #5 ... 9/16 ... 2528 ped ... (14:20 MA time)​

As you can see ... crafting ubers 2 and 3 were not only on the same day, but 18 minutes apart. How exciting do you think THAT was. Also, each one has been a higher loot than the previous one. Etopia popped in on me after getting the 5th yesterday and said the big one is on the way. Well my dear, I'll believe it when I see it. However, I also noticed something else interesting ... that 4 out of 5 of them were wee hours of the morning for MA, so I wondered if that might be something significant, but after yesterday's blessing, probably not.

There was something else exciting that happened yesterday ... for me anyways, and I just couldn't be happier. First, it all started with me recently getting both of my original apts back at Treasure Island Platinum Bldg, and Beta South at CND. They've come full circle and I will not be giving them up again.

Anyway ... I'm at CND at the moment and wanted to do my apt there much differently this time, and incorporate more of an artsy feel to it, except for my "MindStar9's Mood Chamber" which will be revealed at a later date. I am really appreciating the EU artistic talents that have emerged as a result of people like Ido and his exhibition galleries. I like supporting other players ingame when I can, and the incredible artwork that has been presented to us has inspired me.

My apt at CND is a "G" unit ... so there's more space to fill, and I'm in the process of doing that now. I've always liked the idea of having a meeting place in the larger living/dining area, but wanted to do it a little different this time. One of my favorite artists is "Slapnuts" whose brilliant African photo art was exhibited at Ido's gallery not too long ago. I absolutely fell in love with it, so it should be no surprise that hooking up with Slapnuts later in the evening after Sunday's event produced yet another step in the direction I'm heading with my decorating.

Moonie and I went to his apt at Beta South ... upon entering, you are just blown away by the beauty of his photo art in a multitude of sizes, not to mention THIS incredible in-your-face offering ...

His photo art is incredible, and I will own more pieces as time goes by, but in the meantime, I used part of my loot income from yesterday to purchase a few to add to the Baboon face I already have. I just couldn't resist ...

Here's a thumbnail of the Cheetah piece ... Moonie said that with the seemingly non-frame feature, it appears as if you're looking out a window into the wild. It's just gorgeous.

[br]Click to enlarge[/br]

I already had the Baboon pic as I said ... so I added the Elephants one that depicts what appears to be a rather tender moment. However, the plan is to get the Elephants photo art at the size of the Cheetahs for the back wall, and replace the smaller Elephants photo with one of his other offerings. I have a few on reserve, so I'm rather excited to say the least. Here's the beginning workings of a different corner in the larger living/dining area ...

I have 4 pieces of artwork in the bedroom ... and as soon as I complete a specific area I'll take more pics. In the meantime, it's no secret that Xmas is my favorite holiday, so naturally I have to have the Xmas stuff in the apt, but it doesn't quite go with the wild animal scene. While I wish that the CND apt balconies were available with glass domes to protect against death from the asteroid air (or non-air), I can still appreciate the hallway that would normally lead to one. I found it quite convenient to store and showcase some Xmas stuff, but also found that Slapnuts discovered a new hangout for himself ... and says that maybe MA will fill the Xmas Nook with lots of pressies this year ...

All in all ... it was a very exciting day. Actually, a rather exciting weekend with Tessa's art exhibit/auction on Saturday too where I acquired yet another piece of artwork from one of our EU artistic talents.

Ciao till next time!!

*Thanks Moonie and Slap for all the fun last night!*



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[MindStar9]

I will be doing two separate posts today ... one IRL News and one EU News

IRL News:

We ordered my new computer yesterday ... it's a DELL dude! We haven't received the confirmation email yet, but that's a formality and takes about one day. Hopefully everything will go fine without glitches. ETA is October 19th atm, so let's see. There's free shipping with 3-5 day delivery once the system is built. I'm having it built with XP for now until more of the bugs are worked out with Vista. I know too many people who have it that have challenges, especially in EU, and I don't want the hassles, nor do I want to have to turn my sound off in order not to crash everytime I die like Jet has to. I'll revisit Vista in the future.

In the meantime, here are the specs to my dream machine:

XPS 720 Black:
Intel Core 2 Duo Processor E6850 (2MB L2 Cache, 3.0 GHz, 1333 FSB

Operating System:
Genuine Windows XP Media Center 2005 Edition w/re-installation CD

Memory:
2GB Corsair Dominator DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz OC'd to 1066MHz-2 DIMMs

Hard Drive:
320GB - Seagate 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16M Cache

Optical Drive:
Dual Drives: 16x DVD-ROM Drive + 16x DVD+/-RW w/ dbl layer write capable

Monitors:
19 inch SE198WFP Widescreen Flat Panel Monitor

Video Cards:
768MB Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX

Sound Cards:
Sound Blaster X-Fi XtremeMusic (D) Sound Card

Keyboard:
Dell Bluetooth Keyboard and Optical Mouse

Floppy Drive and Media Reader:
13 in 1 Media Card Reader and 3.5 inch Floppy Drive

Adobe Software:
Adobe Acrobat Reader 8.1

Speakers:
Dell AS501PA 10W Flat Panel Attached Speakers for Analog Flat Panels

Security Software:
McAfee Security Center with anti-virus, anti-spyware, firewall, 36 months

Office Productivity Software (Pre-Installed):
Microsoft Office Small Business 2007-includes Publisher + Outlook 2007

Digital Media Editing Software:
Roxio Creator 9.0 Premier - Ultimate Burn/Authoring

Top Selling Software:
Photoshop Element + Premier Element

Dell All-In-One Printer 966:
3 High Capacity Black, 2 High Capacity Color, 1 Photo Ink, 2-pk Photo

Can you just color my purple ass HAPPY up in here or WHAT!!! I think I will now be prepared for the CRYSISS game Jet ordered for my birthday which is supposed to be released or shipped November 16th, AND the new stuff MA will be adding next year.

We also included other things, like the Microsoft Office package, because it's something I use all the time. I don't have anything like Paint Shop Pro, etc., so we added the Photo Shop since I have tutorial videos (I have lots to learn). We extended the anti-virus stuff to 36 months because it was less expensive to do it in the front end rather than renewing each year. Got the 3.5 inch drive because I still have several things on disk that I could upload to the computer that I haven't been able to, so this is truly exciting.

I love great sound, so the Sound Blaster thingy is cool... but I have an Alec Lansing computer stereo system that Jet gave me a few years ago (like the one he has) complete with a nice size subwoofer, so I'm sure this will get hooked up to the new computer ... the sound is incredible. TheChef! also got each of us a new battery backup system so we don't lose connection if the power should go out during our hurricane/stormy season. What a difference it makes when both have an interest in virtual worlds.

TheChef! was busy last weekend:

Saturday he whipped up homemade chili ... took several hours of course, and when it was complete, we sat down with a nice bowl of it with shredded cheese on top and watched a movie. It was one of the best movies we've seen in a long time. It was called "Fracture" ... very intense and drama-laden. It will draw you in at every turn.

It's Anthony Hopkins at his best yet again, and there is one conference room meeting that will absolutely have you rolling on the floor, because it's one of those spontaneous occurrences that just captures you unexpectedly, and causes you to put the movie on pause until you can wipe away the tears from lauging so hard.

Here is a link to the official movie site ... the trailer is worth watching for sure, and it will give you a glimpse into this intriguing twist and turn movie that holds you captive. Ryan Gosling does an excellent acting job as well. ENJOY!!

http://www.fracturemovie.com/

Pizza was on the menu for last Sunday:

TheChef! came home after work one day, and he was carrying with him something that made me do a double-take ...

Now, I know imaginations can run wild at this point, and mine certainly did (to his enjoyment of course), but I soon learned that any decent Italian worth his pizza dough needs to have one of these. It's called a "pizza peeler" and it's used to place the pizza on the pizza stones in the oven, so you have to know it was quite a relief to make this discovery.

However, he did say ... "but if you're bad" ...

... I never should have offered him my purple ass, because he didn't hesitate one iota. It was just a love tap though, cuz TheChef! knows I wouldn't hesitate to accept the challenge. We do have fun!

Now for some EU News!!





***

 

[MindStar9]

EU News:

The JSA Research Laboratory is still busy ... we have collected a respectable amount of data now from our mining research, and are continuing to post the results at our forum in the mining area of the Entropia Universe subforum.

If anyone is interested in joining our forum, and either participating in this research, or discussion, please let me know via PM and arrangements will be made. You don't have to just be interested in the research we're doing to join our forum, but it is admin approval only atm, so it's best to PM me if you're interested in joining our crazy crew over there so that I don't delete a registration app of someone I may not be familiar with, or who hasn't PM'd me first. Thanks!

Anyway ... the research is providing some interesting results, so be sure to take a look and form your own opinions. We haven't finished the research yet, and it will most likely be ongoing for a while, but we also intend to get busy with some weapons research as well. We will be crafting some of the weapons we'll be using to help defray cost in this ongoing research, so looking forward to increasing the crafting skills too. I'm heading back to CND today, because I'll be attending the "Global Madness-V" event early in the morning once again, and I'll be doing some mining research up there later today as well.

Speaking of CND ... I am always amazed by the incredibly beautiful terrain of some of the domes, and often find myself taking pics like this one when I am just held captive. I really love CND for its uniqueness.

Kinda looks like tree chopping, huh? ... but I assure you it isn't. It was just one of those moments where time and space stopped for me, and I just had to capture it.

Our mining research isn't the most scientific approach I'm sure, but then getting into that much nitty gritty would drive me nuts. However, we do have some braniacs in our soc who can handle it, and I'm sure that we'll be delivering a theory or two, but in the meantime, it has definitely offered up some food for thought.

It's not uncommon of course, to run into a mob or two along the mining path, so a little "taking care of business" occurs now and then. While out in the Troy fields, I found a few foul who got a little creative in their death spiral. Kinda looks like "foul art" to me, and couldn't help but share it. Mobs will do anything for attention, eh?

Moonie, Jet, Zar, and I enjoyed a "JSA Bot Smack Down" last night ... and had an incredibly good time as always ... even got 3 globals out of it to boot. We do love the bots, but especially the troopers and warriors, so we definitely get busy on these soc hunts. The guys thought they were cute though, all standing nicely next to each other on the hill (l to r - Moonie, Jet, Zar), while yours truly was busy in the trenches getting smacked around by troopers. I think they just wanted me to loot all their long shot wipe-outs and take all the decay!

After the hunt, I got a PM from Mudkicker (Mudgkins to me), and I went to Twin to meet up with him for a minute before signing off for the night. We also ran into Slick from SRHQ, one of our long-time friends, and the fun began at that point.

Slick was his usual nutbar self, and Muddy was just amused watching, but like me, couldn't get over how his previous tall and buff physique had changed so much ...

Muddy decided that he would try to play leap frog, but was challenged since we can't jump on anyone's head any more, but I don't think Slick was paying attention, even though it might look like he is ... I think his peripheral vision was busy contemplating his next move ...

Poor Bifrost ... didn't know what he was in for when he returned from his absence ... although Muddy seemed intent on finding out just what kind of extraction Slick would achieve ...

After all the fun at Twin (forgot to mention that Loki Camaro was playing the "Ring Toss" game and it was funny to watch bodies fly pretty far outside the Octagon) ... it was time to say GNite to my friends and head back to Sakura to meet up with Moonie and Jet. It was late, and it was time for all of us to leave our virtual world.

Upon rendering at the Sakura TP, I was greeted with a barage of launched rockets that nearly pushed me off the edge of the platform. Moonie and Jet were the Sakura TC security guards or something, and decided that I couldn't enter. Those boys and their craziness.

What was even more funny, was when Jet started blasting Moonie with the rocket launcher while they were standing on the steps at the Sakura TC. With each blast, Moonie kept being moved back, and then down the steps of the TC. I didn't understand why Moonie wasn't shooting back. I had them both on Skype and said ... "isn't Moonie there" ... Jet said no, he had to pee, and that he was going to continue blasting him and move him to Troy. OMG ... I can't remember laughing that hard (oh yes I can, it was during the bot/trooper/warrior hunt earlier - JSA is like that).

With each blast, Moonie kept moving further away and into the blossom trees. I couldn't stop LAUGHING. There Moonie was, launcher equipped and ready to shoot, but no retaliation. He was soon practically buried in the blossoms, and I just couldn't wait for him to come back on Skype to discover what had happened, and to hear what he would say. When he got back, he said something like ... "what the hell happened here, was I rerouted to another server or something?" ... OMG, Jet and I just couldn't stop laughing so hard. The two of them have such a crazy-ass sense of humor and are like brothers when they get together. Moonie is definitely family, and I can't wait to move north so that we can all get together for some IRL fun times as well.

Ok, enough of EU for one day ... had to make up for not being here for a while, but been busy, as usual. Hope all is going well for everyone else.

Ciao till next time!

*I'm off to CND and to defend my "not bringing up the rear" position in the Global Madness-V event! You ready for Round 3 my dear Slapnuts?*




***

 

[MindStar9]

What a busy week this has been ... I've been working not only on my IRL projects, and preparing to teach the Winter Intersession at the college, but also been writing a couple more EU Blog entries. Our blogmaster says the more the better so she has something to work with. However, I think after these two, I'm going to wait a while. I know there are a couple of us at least who have submitted several of these entries, but it seems that there is a design to how they are going to upload them. It's coming along nicely, so hopefully when it's launched it will be something everyone will enjoy.

I attended Global Madness-V last weekend in an effort to defend my not bringing up the rear title in this little contest that Slapnuts and I have going on. It's actually quite fun to banter in the event chat now and then, and makes it more stimulating. Unfortunately (for me anyway), my 2-0 status wasn't strong enough to withstand my fellow purple-loving opponent in this ongoing contest.

The score is now 2-1, but I will be back with a vengence this coming Sunday at "Global Madness-VI" to hopefully increase my lead. In GM-III, I came in second and won me 200 ped, not to mention the decent loot I got, and left Slapnuts in my purple dust to bring up the rear. In GM-IV, I came in 6th, and while Slapnuts always makes a great showing indeed, he was still bringing up the rear and coughing purple dust. In GM-V, my purple got a little rusty, and while I was able to gobal and reach 12th at one point, I eventually slipped to 22nd by the end of the event, and it was I who was eating purple dust. Gratz to Slapnuts for the move forward last week, but it's on like purple kong this weekend my friend, so get yourself ready to engage in battle.

I really enjoy the Global Madness event, because the 80's music rocks, and ND is SUCH the commentator, that it adds a dimension not experienced in events on the planet. That's not to say that planet events aren't fun, not at all, it's just a different kind of experience that is quite stimulating and far more engaging than listening to the usual MA-offered EU music, even though I like that too. I get up at 7am, but TheChef is already up and has the coffee rollin' ... sometimes even making breakfast. Yes, I'm incredibly spoiled, but he says I deserve it, so I'm going to believe that. If you haven't tried the Global Madness event at least once, give yourself an opportunity to experience it ... I think you'll enjoy the energy.

I wasn't alone on my trip to CND for this event ... Moonie and Asti joined me, and while I don't get to see Asti all that often, each time I get together with that big-haired gal pal of mine it's just like yesterday, and is nothing short of entertaining. We took a flight up Saturday so that we didn't have to scramble Sunday morning since it started so early for us ... especially for Moonie because he's on the west coast of Canada and 3 hours behind me.

While at CND and in my apt, Asti admired the East African photo art I purchased from Slapnuts, and wanted to see the big cat, so Moonie and I took her up to his apt, which is two floors up from mine. It wasn't long after arrival that Slapnuts actually joined us, and was able to enjoy the antics that followed.

Asti must have inhaled some asteroid dust, because she seemed to think somehow that the big lion was real. She walked right up to him and said ...
"what up?"

When there was no response, she got a little aggravated and flexed some muscle ...

For being a short sh*t, she's actually quite bold and forward (must be the big hair that gives her the confidence) ... in her whimsical interaction with this enormous picture, she asked how he'd like it if she pulled one of his teeth ... the only thing we could do was shake our heads, watch and laugh ourselves silly ...

Obviously the tooth wasn't coming out ... so instead, she gets all huffy and says ... "since the tooth ain't coming out, I'll just pluck a few of these blonde hairs and make my own hair even bigger" ...

At this point, I knew that it was time to get her out of there before she lost it altogether. However, not before Slapnuts put my elephant picture in the bigger frame to once again see what it is going to look like when I can get it and hang it on the wall in my apt ... it's on reserve.

I actually have this in the smaller version, but will be swapping it out for another one once I get the bigger one.

I also really need to catch up with Lykke, because I want to add one of her pieces of art to the bedroom when I can. I already have 4 different pieces of artwork in there, but need a couple more pieces to finish it off. I also need a nice size piece of artwork in my "Mood Chamber" (maybe even another Silva Mak) ... but it has to be something special and significant, so I'll keep hunting. I also need a TotalTwist, and if there's any way to get a smaller version of the gigantium one at Ido's gallery, that's the one I'm going after. Then there's Malin, his photo art is beautiful too, and I'll need one of his. I guess I may need my own art gallery soon.

Things are going pretty decently lately, and I'm excited about being back in the EF Newsroom as a regular Staff Reporter. I'm going to focus mainly on the Wednesday's Who's Who series, but it doesn't mean that I won't be offering anything else. It depends on time and what the needs of the Newsroom are. For now, it's the WWW only, and I have a great profile that I'm working on that will be presented at the Front Page next week Wednesday the 10th.

Also excited about the new computer I ordered, and that should be here in about a week I think. I know everyone is anticipating VU-9, but I'm hoping it doesn't happen until after the system gets here. I also happened to think ...
VU-9 ... hmmm, wonder if there will be anything purple!

Ciao till next time!!




***

 

[MindStar9]

Talk about nostalgia ... I'm exploring the new VU and certainly not done yet, but wanted to check out Bank Neverdie. It's quite awesome, complete with red carpet, but not going to post a pic here in case it will be included in the Front Page story.

However ... the huge photo I found inside the bank promoted such a flow of overwhelming emotion I had to take this pic and post it ...

It was taken at the old CND disco, before the night club was introduced, and comes right out of the video that JSA did for ND called "A Day in the Life at Club Neverdie" ... we really have to remake that video, and as soon as my dream machine comes next week, I'll be heading to CND to see how the fraps works.

Thanks ND ... it was great to be reminded of just how much we've traveled in this virtual journey since then. It's still just the beginning, and I'm firing up the afterburners.

Be back on the rock soon!

 

[MindStar9]

INTRODUCING THE NEW AND IMPROVED
MindStar9

(I look like a 16 yr old from the 60's)
or a Hairspray musical extra

What I find interesting is ... when I put my coat on, my EU-issue, or any other bra, is removed ... does that mean another 2 pec then since I didn't remove it?

On the EU-issue bra, or any other bra, there are no protruding nipples or dark circles where the nipples would be, BUT ... when you put on a shirt, VOILA ... look at my Boheme shirt and you can see the dark circles where nipples would be, and they are NOT a part of the pattern. When I put the tank top on, it's not full dark circles, but almost a reddish color, nipple-like spot where they would normally be (sorry, didn't get the pic but will add later).

MA CODERS ARE PERVERTS!!



***

 

[MindStar9]

I don't wish to get into any heated discussions, so I'm using my Diary to make something really clear. I have based my most current decision not just on VU 9.0, because that would have been an impulsive move given the short time the VU has been in existence. However, it was a decision based on 2-1/2 years of experience with MA and EU, and much of what has been said by many voices in many threads during this time. I just chose to be mostly quiet and put my faith in what MA was more or less promising, but I feel has yet to deliver.

I believed, I had faith, I've been a staunch supporter and fan-'gurl', but I'm all out of reasons to continue in this vein. This last VU put it over the top for me, and why I titled my thread "The Last Purple Straw" ... because this is exactly what it is for me. I feel it is total disrespect for the player base, other than those who can afford all of the costly changes. I personally feel now that MA only cares about MA, and all their PR about future things, storylines, and bugs being worked out takes a back seat to new cities (with what functions), malls that basically destroyed the CND Mall, and now banks.

There is much in this recent VU that has ruined it for many, all one need do is read the multiple of active threads currently going on at this forum. There is a high level of discontent, disappointment, and disenchantment with what many have considered the best virtual universe since sliced bread. It continues to become more and more of a money pit, and while I've been able to support playing the game as a (now) mid-level player, and working hard to reach this level through natural play, I can no longer justify feeding the coffers of MA.

What I've said in my last purple straw thread is truth, and unless MA pulls some miracle out of its virtual hat, the writing on the tombstone remains.
And just to make it clear ... I am not protesting, I have made a decision.




***

 

[MindStar9]

After a few days of sorting things out, I thought I would make a diary entry to express where my head is at right now ... and give you yet another perspective as a result of what's transpired due to VU 9.0. It's no secret that I've had major issues with this VU, and that I've been rather vocal about it, but even after days of intense evaluating, I stand by what I've shared thus far.

Two things for me are interrelated ... the look of the avatar and the role playing. For over 2-1/2 years, these two components of EU have been key in developing character, personality, and a presence that uniquely identify who you are. I'm not a young person IRL, and I also did not enter this virtual universe from a shooter or profession perspective, but rather with interest in the aspects that were seemingly becoming more parallel to real life. While I have enjoyed hunting, mining, and crafting, it's been the social scene, and the role playing that has kept me endeared to EU.

Regardless of what some think, the people behind the avatars are real, and how they play their virtual pixels is real. A person's RL personality, beliefs, attitudes, perspectives are a part of their avatar, even if they're role playing something other than what they are IRL, because the dynamics are still RL-related. That's the beauty of role playing ... creating an alternate life in a virtual world, where you can exist or live differently than you do in the real world. That's what EU is advertised as being ... an MMORPG ... but it seems that MA in their technology advancement gave no consideration to this with the new avatar creation system.

If you want to boost the beauty business, fine ... but at least out the gate give the beauty profession the options to help us recreate our avatars so that they don't look like teenagers. However, even this I have issue with, because why should we have to spend yet more peds on redesigning what was just fine to begin with, or not have the option on re-creation to at least have the opportunity to not look like a 16 year old Barbie Doll throwback from the 60's with absolutely no facial character at all.

Many have expressed similar thoughts, but for me, how do you take something like this ...

... or this ...

and turn it into this ...

... and expect the more mature personality to come through?

There's no depth, no fluid animation, but instead, catatonic eyes, and mouths that don't move. Skin tone is highly polished and washed out, but if I had chosen anything other than the lightest shade possible, it came out too dark in the creation room. I'm glad I didn't choose anything darker, because a lot of people are upset with how dark their skin is, and that it didn't look the same as what it was in the creation room.

The point is ... I can't take all that was MS9's personality, or presence, and continue in the same vein through a 16 year old avatar, or anything that even resembles something from another game that looks very Saturday morning cartoonish. Again, some may say this is silly, because I'm the same person as I've always been, but in this virtual world, I'm not. MS9 no longer exists, and I've made that pefectly clear. Moonie, socmates and others have called me "Star" as a nik, so even though I bear the name MindStar9 ingame, I figured given my new youth, a befitting new avi name would be "BarbieStar" ... how freakin' cute is that, eh?

I've made efforts, and even spent an enormous amount of time with Ido redoing certain aspects that might make her look a little older (thanks Ido, luv ya for this), and while we may have added a couple of years (just a couple), she's still teen-looking, and carries nowhere near the presence that the MindStar9 avatar did. It is with great sadness then that I find myself unable to continue with MindStar9 in the traditional sense, and have made a very solid decision to not do any more news reporting, profiles, EU blogging, or picture storytelling.

I've given countless hours ... writing about, and promoting EU in a multiple of ways, and have been what some call a "fan-gurl" ... but going forward ... I am now this "BarbieStar" character who will not be fully conditioning clothes (have sold them), will not be removing what minimal clothes I have and armor a dozen times a day, and will not be hunting unless the right click nerf is reversed, because it completely spoiled speed play for me. If I mine, it will be to feed into whatever crafting I do. I've also sold all real estate except for my original apt at TI City Platinum Bldg (for nostalgic reasons), and my one at Sakura. I'm a simple player now ... that's it.

However, every Barbie needs her Ken, and since I've been known to call Moonie "MoonieKin" ... he is now known as "MoonieKen" ... guess that worked out ok. And speaking of MoonieKen, he looks, well ... you fill in the blank ...

I have since gained additional height, and he will get his skin lightened when he has an opportunity to. In the meantime, Barbie and Ken are exploring EU as a new virtual couple, but not as the previous Moonie and MindStar9, so if I ever DO decide to hunt, then look for the team name "JSA/Ken & Barbie" to pop up in the global window.

I mentioned as MS9, that some auctioneers and technicians are copy-cats with their hairstyles, and I thought that MAYbe I could do something more unique where they wouldn't mock me, but nooooooo ... and this technician in one of the banks even has to be smug about it ...

Speaking of banks, Ken and I were exploring them the other night, and I have to say that the pyramid bank at Argus is my absolute favorite ...

When I walked inside, and especially at the lower level, the architecture and a very overwhelming presence enveloped me to the point of being rather eerie, but not in a bad way. It almost felt as if I was transported back in time, but the eerie part was, that it all felt familiar. Standing in the hall area on the lower level, it felt as if I had walked it before ...

And the cavern bath (pool) was also familiar, as if I had spent many an hour here sharing life stories. It was quite overwhelming to the point of forgetting that Ken was with me. I was lost in the past somehow, and trying to come to terms with what the feelings were. I will have to revisit the bank many times I think, and perhaps that is where I will be doing my crafting from now on. There's just a sense about the internal environment that says I need to stay ... even move in. Despite it being just pixels, there's a visual stimulus that has taken a very strong hold over me, and I intend to explore it more.

As a topper to the bank tour, I thought I would join MS9 and ND for a little dance. This is a huge (nostalgic) pic on the wall at Bank Neverdie, and I just jumped up and caught the pic before my avi went retarded with the current jump. I'm sorry, but what a sad state of affairs that it's come to this.

Bottomline ... my new computer system with all the bells and whistles is coming this week, they shipped it this last Friday. I will reserve any further comment about visuals until then. However, visuals is one thing, and unless a new creation system is available that doesn't cost an arm and a leg to recreate avatars so that they don't look like rejects from another game, I'm simply "BarbieStar" (Barbie) exploring the planet with "MoonieKen" (Ken) and nothing more. Except for the space inside of the pyramid bank, this is exactly as it feels to me at the moment.

Till Barbie's next journal entry ... (not sure what the latest trendy teen statement is)!!



***

 

[MindStar9]

MY NEW COMPUTER SYSTEM IS HERE

​

My purple ass is quite happy at the moment, at least about the new computer system I ordered finally being delivered. For those of you who don't know what I had built, then scroll up a couple of posts. As soon as TheChef! gets home we're going to set it all up, and then I'm going to have to download EU all over again, along with some other applications, but when it's all done, I'm taking it for a test ride in EU just to see what the differences are with the rockin' new gfx card. I'll be posting pics for sure.

And speaking of TheChef! ... since MA's avatar-annihilating introduction of VU 9.0, the secret of who TheChef! is didn't need to remain a secret any more, because the unique character ingame that TheChef! role played was wiped out. As such, we no longer need to be concerned about how people interacted with his ingame character. Therefore, his post here, and of course here.

TheChef! may not be playing much any more, but I'll be around now and then to see what else MA has up their sleeve, but the decision at this point to no longer openly support and promote EU at the level that MS9 did is solid, and I'm over and done with it. If MA can be so cavalier in their interaction with the community, and be dismissive because thousands more will be entering this virtual universe, then they have certainly given me a clear message ... and looks like a great portion of the community as well.

If we were moving into the future, then MA and I have a different definition of future, because there's nothing futuristic about what just transpired with VU 9.0 whatsoever. Sure, the graphics are nicer, but what used to be a very unique-looking civilization, is now nothing more than a bunch of clones meeting themselves coming and going. Those who think they have tweaked the re-creation system to make themselves look great, fine ... but look in other posts where before and after pics have been offered, or what people's current looks are, and I'm sure you will find yourself along the way. I can't tell you how many Superman look-alikes I have run into (Ido, JackFree, Donald to name a few), or others who are just variations on a theme, but certainly not unique other than hair color, clothes and accessories.

If the CryEngine2 is coming next year, I don't understand why this move was necessary when it's all going to change again anyway. We're getting a whole new engine with a whole new everything, so what was this effort all about, other than generating more revenue for MA, and giving the beauty industry a boost, but still without the skills they unlocked ... I'll never understand that one EVER ... and why those skills, or options had to be available in a future VU release.

I'm done for now, but will be back tomorrow after I have had a chance to experience EU with my new system, and I will be posting pics, as well as sharing some more thoughts. My parting words words for now are ... if some people fear speaking up about their true feelings because they think MA will nerf their loot, then all I can say to that is ... they've got you! I appreciate all the wonderful +reps and incredible comments being made with them, but I would like to encourage you to please be public about these thoughts so that MA realizes that even some of the hard core, long-time gamers are totally pissed off right now after this VU. It's just a suggestion, but please know that I appreciate your support, and totally respect your position to not openly speak up ... even though I wish you would like some others have. It seems from my perspective anyway, that MA doesn't care at all about those who have given their all to help promote this virtual world, and it's a damn shame.

Ciao till tomorrow!!


JUST FOR FUN ... here's "BD" and my brother "Jetboy" representing what seems to be the smallest and largest height available in the new re-creation system. Going to be interesting to see how everyone looks with my new system, so I'll be posting more pics tomorrow.

***​

 

[MindStar9]

I've been playing around with the new computer ... testing this, testing that, but mosting testing things ingame to see how it handles. The other night I took it for a test run at Twin to check out the lag situation there, and VOILA ... it was free and easy. Also ran into a few interesting people ... my old friend Noggin popped up in all his pink glory, lookin' as good as ever, and someone new I hadn't seen before "InCoil" I think his name is, but had to get the pic because the Ambuli with the jeans looks great ...

Ran into a newer friend, Lars ... and he had an interesting color combination of clothes as well, but still quite brilliant with the new system ...

Then of course, there was Kyll and James ... while several of us like Neomaven, Noggin, Suicide and Sweetthang were attempting to have conversation, these two nutbars were moving from avi to avi doin' the sexy ... kind of an odd couple I would say ... Kyll at one point followed me all the way to the TP when I left ... wonder if he has a thing for Barbie Dolls given his size ... at least he has purple hair ...

I took another pic of my avi at the pyramid (Argus Bank) ... and while I was able to get the hair lighter, it still has a pink sheen to it in certain lighting. I'll have to work even harder on it I guess, and Ido and I will be working on some other things as well to see if I can get some kind of uniqueness to get away from the Barbie Doll look, and if successful, then will reconsider redoing my avi on the 26th ... guess we'll see how it turns out ...

Yes, I have a new Master Coat ... a nice soft seafoam or mist green color. I'm using black accents to pick up the black headband, which was a cool touch by MA, but still so 60's. I won't post a new avi pic at the forum until I'm at the very end of reconstruction and at least a modicum of happy with it to do so. I'm hoping that the additional features that MA said would be available with VU 9.1 will give us an opportunity to become more unique.

Moonie and I were invited on 3 beacon missions Sunday ... Odd Bunny joined us on the third one I think it was. What fun ... first one was with Lykke, VF, CoL and friends ... second one with JohnCapital from TheChosenFew (TCF) and socmates ... then later, Abby and other members from TCF invited us, so we spent a good portion of the evening with bots in the outer limits. I managed to get a new shot of the beacon ship before warp speed to see the graphics difference, and the sky looks so real ...

I also ran into my special friend Toast ... a fellow Chicagoan (maybe we'll meet up when we move there) ... and he was sportin' a new armor that I just had to get pics of ... it's Rutuba ... one of the (L) armors with some massive protection ... you're lookin' rather gladiator there Toast, but sexy ...

Things have been going well with the computer, and I'm testing as much as possible, including video making ... did a short one in the "Fun With The Kerbies" thread (Kerbies = new mob "Kerberos") ... I'll be doing more videos just for the practice. I've decided to gather video of mobs for the EU Mob Idol auditions and add bits of a track to each to make it more fun, rather than just pics with text bubbles. I'll do this in segments, and will probably start with the "A" mobs first and go down the list. All mobs won't be included of course, but more or less the most popular maybe ... or those I can get close enough to for any period of time to capture video without getting annihilated in an instant.

Speaking of new computers ... even though my brother (Jetboy) had all the bells and whistles on his "HP (High Definition) Pavillion dv9000 Wireless Laptop" he just ordered a new XPS 720 like mine, but with a variation of course ... here's his new "rig" as it's being called ...

Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E6750 (2MB L2 Cache,2.66GHz,1333 FSB)
2GB Corsair Dominator DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz OC'd to 1066MHz-2 DIMMs
Dell Bluetooth Keyboard and Optical Mouse
24 inch UltraSharp™ 2407WFP Widescreen Digital Flat Panel
Dual 768MB Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTX
320GB - Seagate 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
EXTRA or 2nd Hard drive for storage 320GB - Seagate 7200RPM, SATA 3.0Gb/s, 16MB Cache
13 in 1 Media Card Reader and 3.5 in Floppy Drive
Genuine Windows® XP Media Center 2005 Edition with re-installation CD
Adobe® Acrobat® Reader 8.1
Single Drive: 16X CD/DVD burner (DVD+/-RW) w/double layer write capability
Sound Blaster® X-Fi™ XtremeMusic (D) Sound Card
Dell WL6000 5.8GHz Wireless Rear 5.1 Speaker System with Subwoofer

He is certainly the boy with the toys ... I just have kitchen gadgets. He's expecting it to ship on Halloween (wait till he sees what a monster it is), and receiving it by November 5th, so it will still be in time for when Crysiss arrives (ships on Nov. 16th). In the meantime, I think I'll take a trip to CND to see how this new system handles the enormous lag I experienced in the apt lobbies, control room, and fertilizer room. If this system still has issues, then it's not me, it's MA. I'll be back to report on it ... but for now ...

Ciao till next time!



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[MindStar9]

Well, MS9 went through yet another avatar re-creation, and while she looks a little similar to the first one after the VU, at least she doesn't seem to look like a total teen any more. I still had to visit Ido to get the hair lightened to white, because the lighting in the creation room was still deceiving. I want to also play with the skin color more because I'm not too happy with it, but Ido was unable to assist with that since he doesn't have it available yet. I wish they would have left the beauty operator skills alone.

Here are a couple of pics taken today ... but only after yet another pleasant visit to Ido's to get the hair lightened up to white ... lighting in various areas really changes the color, but I guess that's true IRL as well, that's why Ido and I went to the 10th floor observation deck of the Platinum building to test the outdoor light ... thx Ido!!

These two pics, after the VU and a couple trips to Ido's, represent the BarbieMS9. I used the Argus Bank pics for the comparison ...

After first visit to Ido's

After second visit to Ido's

My brother and JackFree also redid their avis, and I have to say that they did a damn good job of it ... MUCH better than the last ones. My brother's freaked me out though, because there are many features that resemble him IRL, and this remake of his avi is so much better to look at ... especially considering he's my sibling IRL, but still very young looking. He's not a giant this time, nor small, but average height, although it's hard to tell in the pics ...

Jetboy

Jetboy (closeup)

JackFree (socmate)

Earlier today, Race#1 of the Search and Rescue Event took place and we had a great time. Calypso Rescue Team (CRT 1) and Skillin' Villains won their leg of the race, and they will be competing against the winner of tonight's Race #2, which will be taking place in about an hour from now.

The coordinator of the event is "rwin" here at the forum, but Azazara (Zar) ingame. He will be presenting more of these events in the future as well, and since this is the first try at this type of an event, we've learned some valuable things from our participants as a result, so thank you for that. Good luck to the teams competing in Race #2 tonight ... "The Chosen Few" ... "Rising Potentials" ... and yet another group from ... "Skillin Villains" ... ALSO ... a big thanks to BlackRain for donating the nice prizes. I'm heading out now to help prepare for the race.

Ciao till next time!!



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[MindStar9]

My Purple's Back and You're Gonna Be In Trouble
Hey La Di La My Purple's Back

You can color my ass purple again ... Etopia gave me the HOOK up! When I saw this outfit on one of the shopkeepers in Eto's shop at Twin, I immediately sent a PM. This outfit was made for MS9 ... no doubt about it. I didn't get the fedora though because hats with my new hairstyle look awful. Eto let me try the hat on just to see, and of course, Eto agreed with me.

New Star, New Era ... just as my custom title says. Does it mean that I'm over what MA did with the original MS9 ... NO. It means that if I'm going to continue living with my virtual family and friends, I'm going to have to recreate myself. I'm at least happy that I don't look like StarBarbie any more, and feeling better that I have the purple back ... even though it cost me more than an arm and a leg (Eto's version is much sexier).

I'm in the process of recreating myself ... in more ways than you may imagine, and that will become more evident as time goes on. If we're advancing, then let's advance ... there's a new purple in town, and where that leads is something for you to stay tuned for. The new and improved MindStar9 has stepped into another dimension, and it's going to be interesting who and what we find there.

Fasten your seatbelts, and do not move about the cabin while we're in flight. We are headed for destinations unknown, but every stop will bring with it a new adventure.

Are you ready for MachStar-9?




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[MindStar9]

Been some interesting times lately ... I'm not quite sure what to make of it all, except I do know one thing for sure ... whether this whole notes and RL Swedish soap opera thingy was in the works prior to VU 9.0 or not, attention-diversion is certainly a byproduct. Whether I agree with it or not (and I don't), it was a brilliant move on MA's part to engage the community in partnership with each other to solve some mysteries, although I'm not sure just how swimmingly that's going at the moment.

I got involved only slightly ... mainly from an entertainment perspective, and it produced two of my videos ... Breathing Black Orb ... and ... Halloween Adventures ... but I haven't participated in any of the so-called puzzle solving at EF because it all makes my head swim. While awesome efforts have been made with chat log translations, and deciphering of the notes, it's still all Greek to me and doesn't make a bit of sense with regard to how it is, or will be affecting us as Entropians.

There's speculation, what some are calling good guesses (perhaps because it makes some kind of sense to them), and perspectives that may seem a little plausible, but so far ... I don't see where anything definitive, or proof positive has come out of this with regard to what the hell MA is doing ... or not doing. We've seen spontaneous spawn invasions with the Kerbies, the Armax, and the Argos, but what was it all for? ... server tests? Since there was no secret decoding with regard to anything specific happening at the East Scylla Mtns TP with the Armax invasion, or the black orb with the Argo invasion, the servers weren't quite tested as they were with the seemingly predestined event with the Kerbies that produced lag stall in many areas of Eudoria, and brought multitudes of people crashing to desktop.

I'm just wondering ... what is all of this going to lead to? It seems incredibly unorganized to me, with activities (not events) that apparently go nowhere, other than to lead everyone on a wild goose chase. Times are miscalculated, even by the external players connected to the soap opera in some way. Attempts are made to get somewhere with all of this, but it seems to bring everyone back to the same place of frustration and confusion ... at least that's what I get from a lot of the posting in the plethora of threads that have garnered thousands of views.

MA certainly has the community's attention ... but just what is their part in all of this, and how is it benefiting EU and all of us? This whole scenario seems to be too fragmented to be a true event or storyline, and no one knows if the black orb is even directly related to the notes activities. Now there's talk of a week-long boycott? ... what's up with that? ... as some have said, there were at least a couple of people in the past who received temp bans from EU as a result of organizing a protest, so why is this suddenly being allowed? If MA is a part of it, then what part are they playing, and for what reason?

It's all discombobulated ... personally, I think this is the worst effort MA has ever made with introducing ... what? ... activities, events, potential storylines? ... not sure what to call it, other than an utter disorganized mess. Sorry, but with these latest goings on, MA is going to have to pull a virtual rabbit outta the hat in order to redeem themselves in the eyes of what seems quite a few of their customers ... not to mention, that while the attention-diversion may have worked, there are still quite a few who have not dismissed the VU 9.0 impact (myself included), and if MA has something in mind to satisfy the community (more than the removed 1 pec), then good for them ... if not ...

Then maybe it doesn't really matter that ... long-term players have invested time and money role playing and developing their characters in readiness for each dimension and direction we are led. That includes every profession, and not just those who role play from a purely entertainment perspective.

As I see it right now ... my question is ... are we actually developing storylines with movement into new dimensions and more of a futuristic civilization, or are we a virtual environment continually being fed with content that might interest us for a moment or two, and then wonder where we go from here. Why not a continuing storyline (or two or three), and why not "real" virtual environment quests that make it exciting and challenging to accomplish, instead of an IRL soap opera that the majority of the global community can't watch, and throwing surprise spawns in various locations that do absolutely nothing but cause massive lag and computer shutdowns.

In my opinion ... the players have created more storyline and event content than MA, while MA seems more occupied with building their empire, rather than continuing the uniqueness that EU once was, which could still be maintained with growth. The Brazil and Chinese factions are all well and good, and the conventions are certainly a valiant effort at generating interest and new players, but at what cost? Is the mindset only to focus on the 6-12 month turnover in order to keep a steady flow of revenue, and without regard to those who have dedicated themselves and their resources to grow with EU?

If so, then I'm afraid that EU will become nothing more than an effort to keep the cash cow fed, while introducing new graphics and content to appease our need for something different. However, unless we can become involved with a true futuristic virtual environment with a storyline or two that will continue to carry us into the next dimension, there will likely be more and more who will lose their interest.

After all ... how long can we look at improved graphics, and new toys, without an exciting adventure that employs them?

I'm having fun doing videos, but my time is quite minimal now. The social environment has drastically changed, and the EU I once thrived in, has now become objects, animations, and avatars that for the most part, don't change armor or clothes. It's a sad state of affairs indeed, but if the intent is just to get people to experience it and play for a while before becoming discontented, while generating more interest within that 6-12 month window, then we have success ... although there will always be those so addicted to the potential of that big win that they won't leave ... and in my opinion, I think that's part of what MA is banking on.

Whatever the case ... let's hope that MA hasn't foresaken those of us who have truly dedicated our time and effort to not only breathe life into EU, but also to promote it for the uniqueness we thought it was worth shouting about.

For now ... I'm on standby, waiting for that VIP shuttle into the next dimension where it all becomes clear.

Ciao till next time!



PS: Here's the latest fun video: Mysterious Flaming Lights





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[MindStar9]

Well, you can color my purple ass a little happier today ... ok, a LOT happier, because Auktuma crafted the Phantom Foot Guards for me. He still remains one of my most special friends ... not because of what he crafts, but because his spirit of friendship is incredibly honorable and consistent no matter what. Each time we meet up, it's the most delightful experience, so thank you Auk for your treasured friendship.

He was rather excited himself ... he said his family surprised him with two signs, which I found hanging in his shop. Moonie actually told me about them earlier when he was over there looking around and ran into Auktuma. I had to get pics of course, so here they are ...

This one you will see upon entering the shop ...

This one is to the left as you enter the shop ...

What incredibly cool and unique artwork ... and what a special thing for the family to do for his shop indeed. Take a look next time you're at the Port Atlantis Mall ... his shop is right next to the televator on the 3rd floor. Great bargains too btw, so check them out.

I don't know about anyone else, but when I alt tab out and come back, I often get a glitch that turns my avatar into a rather comical, but colorful-looking circus creature ... here's what I mean ...

Now THIS cracks me UP ... at least the face is purple, eh? ...

The other day, I took a nostalgic trip to the Corinth Beach, and had to get a couple of pics ... I actually like the new bathing suit (bustier) look ... however, if you look close enough, it actually looks like the coders did a copy and paste with the bombardo script in the boob area ... they also look rather close together too ... oh well, I really wonder about those coders at times ...

And what's a trip to the beach without a little sun bathing ... the bonos come in handy in the bright sun, AND ... I have to say that I like the way the females sit now ... at least they got that part better ...

I'm still on standby ... let's see what else is in store, but ciao for now!!



***

 

[MindStar9]

IRL News:

Well, after a month playing with the new computer, everything seems to work peachy except for the bluetooth keyboard and mouse. Looks like there are issues with signal connection. I've had to frequently add my keyboard as a bluetooth device even after I've been active on the computer for a while, and also every single time I turn the computer on. Even the support area shows others having issues, and I just found out today that my brother who ordered the same system with the bluetooth keyboard/mouse is having the same problems.

I called Dell two days ago, and they were cool with swapping out the bluetooth set for a regular wireless keyboard. I got the Logitech Wave (regular wireless) keyboard ... it came today and I installed it and LOVE it. Here's a pic of it ...

Other than the keyboard issue, all is way cool with this new computer system. I'm very pleased with it.

EU News:

I'm happy to say, that JSA has added a couple more soc members into our nutbar virtual family. "Liz" Mirah who keeps a Diary at this forum, and Arlander "Mac" MacLynster ... both great additions, and while Liz focuses on tailoring, Mac is a major hunter with a superb hunting style. Liz was introduced to us through Zar (rwin at EF), and Mac was actually introduced to us through an ex-socmate (Wildfire), and who recently left the Sun Rising society. We're happy to have both in our soc family.

We've had some nice soc team hunts recently, and one in particular that garnered us 7 globals on big Atrox and Warriors. I posted them in the "JSA Blitz on Atrox and Warriors" thread. I even managed to kill a couple of AOA's on my own finally, but not both at once of course, so I'm pretty proud of myself for that accomplishment. It wasn't without a fap fight though, and with this new computer system, I don't have the major fap lag that some have any more either, even though I still get that damn message about item being busy, blah, blah, blah ... MA really needs to fix that crap.

This weekend is the "Search and Rescue Event" final ... so we're all looking forward to this as well. The date and time is listed, along with the four teams who will be fighting for the win. All teams who participated however, are eligible for the drawing of prizes at the afterparty at the Anshe Bank after the conclusion of the final race. I'm happy that this will be a continuing event, and that we already have some sponsors to assist with the prizes. We could always use more though, so if anyone is interested, please PM either "rwin" or myself at this forum with your ideas ... thanks. Looking forward to seeing everyone this weekend.

I also signed up with "Team Amethera" for the 2008 WoF ... and we had our first practice run last week ... what fun ... and we managed to get 6 globals as well ... I think some of us are ready for another. Lykke is our Captain, and we have a nice crew onboard for the fun. You can bet that I will be skilling as much as possible between now and the time this party gets started, because I would like to at least help all I can to get us as far as we can go. Wasn't a part of the 2007 WoF, but have participated in a couple of FoF's and these events are just great fun. I'd like to see MA create something unique like this, but power to the players for being so creative.

I've been following the Valurite tower event ... I've really enjoyed the banter and the terrain artwork, and absolutely love Star's sense of humor. Both threads can be found here and here. Thanks for all the fun.

That's it for now ... Ciao till next time!




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