SteamPunks Seek Sim Funds
by Alphaville Herald on 09/04/06 at 3:10 pm
A new steampunk group is now taking donations for the creation of a steampunk sim in Second Life. Interestingly, they’ve built a model of their proposed cityscape in the Celadon sim, creating what’s in effect a little virtual virtual world. Use the SLurlPane at Herald affiliate site 3pointd.com to go direct to Celadon, and check out the video by SL resident Dagny Hemingway.
Prokofy Neva
Apr 9th, 2006
What’s more interesting about this whole story is that Desmond Shang already worked his ass off making houses and furniture for a year or so, saved up the money to buy a private island, made the theme of it Victorian with the steam punk element, did so well with that first sim’s customers flocking in that he bought another that sold out instantly, and now he’s working on number three I guess, even as he keeps up his other content business.
Desmond’s story is one of those many stories of SL that is unheralded by the Herald because I suppose it just doesn’t appeal at some level to the kind of liberal Free Culture Creative Commons sort of ethic shared by Herald Reporters.
What’s hilarious is that this little mini virtual world model is on the lot of a *tenant* of Desmond’s in the Independent State of Caledon. I think Desmond appears rather bemused by the whole thing, but he can afford to be magnanimous. I even asked him if he minded, he didn’t seem to at all. I think he probably views somebody who has to raise money for a sim by putting out a virtual coffee can into which people will put virtual dimes as probably rather far away from the US $1250 needed to buy and the $195 needed to keep an island.
Perhaps we’ll be surprised. Perhaps the guy who wants others to pay him to do nothing and just get up a big collection to make a sim will do well! We see a lot of people in SL with their hands out: buy me this, buy me that, buy me a sim, Daddy, buy me a private island, Mommy. The work ethic has significantly eroded.
I have to say that whatever sort of Lessig-lesson here of people just chipping in endlessly (and hoping someone rich comes along to donate a big amount) we’re supposed to learn, I can’t help thinking that the old story of the ant and the grasshopper is relevant here…
Dagny Hemingway
Apr 14th, 2006
People have and will continue to put dimes in Jefferson Gould’s tin can because he’s Jefferson Gould. If you don’t know him, you should. He’s really quite amazing.
Either you “get” open source / creative commons or you don’t.
Let me put it simply: an investment in open source brings back 400%.
What’s required as part of the initial investment is part of your soul, so, there’s that.
Giggle.