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  • Izzy 17:46 on 25/03/2015 Permalink | Reply
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    A-2-Z Challenge-4-April!

    http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/p/what-is-blogging-from-to-z.html

    Hey Learners!

    Astrid’s challenging us to do A-Z in April! If you’re a blogger, you could Blog A-Z. But everybody can play! Photographers can Flickr A-Z, Chefs can Pinterest A-Z, Tweeters can Tweet A-Z, etc!

    We can setup a place to feature what the participants are up to, or maybe 2 places, 1 inworld and 1 online!

     
  • Izzy 12:16 on 25/03/2015 Permalink | Reply
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    A Few Numbers

    1. There’s a bit over 7 billion people alive today.
    2. About 3 billion of us have internet access
    3. There are about 1 billion webSITES
    4. 75% of those are “parked” so about 250 million sites
    5. Bing indexes about 5 billion webPAGES
    6. Google indexes about 50 billion webpages
    7. In the middle of such vast oceans, the 70 of us @MU have the chance to build a small, real, compelling community. It’s about what we share. About what we give. About what we create together.
     
    • Pearl Grey 20:09 on 25/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      Totally with you on # 7 Izzy. The window is open for a finite time.

  • Izzy 11:14 on 25/03/2015 Permalink | Reply
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    Anthea Sharp arrival point 

    Thank you Neeva for bringing Anthea Sharp 2MU!

    In anticipation of her Sunday Noon SLT talk
    (Noon – San Francisco / 8pm – London / 3am Monday – Hong Kong)

    I’ve set the arrival point for the Dianora Quadrant of MU to Collaborateopolis! (Maria-5)

    Poster for Anthea Sharp speaking at Medici University on Sunday29 March 2015

     
    • Neeva 14:16 on 25/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      Thank you for the great poster and logistical goodness Provost Izzy!

  • Izzy 09:20 on 25/03/2015 Permalink | Reply  

    Easy A

    Don’t stress learners! @MU it’s always an Easy A!

     
  • Izzy 17:13 on 23/03/2015 Permalink | Reply
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    Guy Fawkes Day @MU 

    photo of fireworks over parliament with the superimposed caption "Have a Blast! Guy Fawkes Day!"

    Yesterday my step-brother, enfant terrible, and MU Director of Facilities, Ryan Medici let out an early notice about the upcoming Guy Fawkes Day at MU.

    For anyone who may have been upset by the notice, I apologize. Let me remind you that this IS Medici University! No one ever has to do anything here!

    The Details

    Guy Fawkes Day is, of course, the fifth of November. Since there is no 5 November in Spring Semester, we’ve decided to do a “half-Guy Fawkes Day” and rotate it by 6 months to 5 May.

    • 1 May – Friday – Mayday Celebrations at MU
    • 1, 2, 3 May – Jane’s Walk 2015 – we’re so excited that for this 9th annual Jane’s Walk, MU will become the 1st ever Virtual City to participate in the global event!
    • 4 May – The Monday after Jane’s Walk weekend is Jane Jacobs’ actual birthday
    • 5 May – Tuesday is Guy Fawkes Day @MU

    It’s Always about Choice

    If you’ve familiar with the foundational ideas of MU, espoused around our websites, then you know that no one, not Ryan, or The Chaplain, or I, or anyone else is here to force anyone to do anything. If you want to pick a spot and never move, that’s great. If you want to make a lot of work in that spot, that’s great. If you want to rez a gallery and never come back, well, that’s not great, but it isn’t a violation of any rule since we don’t have any rules, other than be nice to each other, try to get along, be tolerant and inclusive, be supportive, look at each others work, blog about it, share links, and so on.

    Wow! That was a lot of rules for no rules! Basically we have no rules. Except for the golden rule: do unto others as you would have them do unto you. That’s it. It’s really that simple. Oh. And while not “required,” we do encourage working your ass off and doing amazing things!

    At times we might suggest things like Studio Roulette, and before you dismiss it out of hand, I’d urge you to really consider the possibilities, but it will always be your choice. Opt in. Opt out. Your judgement. The only thing that isn’t a choice is that come 1 July, we’ll all be gone and LEA23 will become someone else’s art project and it will look very different.

    Guy Fawkes Day

    Our 5 May Guy Fawkes Day celebration is indeed an optional Studio Roulette. When we get a little closer to that time, you’ll be able to very easily opt-in or opt-out of Studio-Roulette as you like. Even though MU is all about creativity, change, innovation, new ideas, new connections, new pathways, risk, trying different things, and so on, we all have a tendency to get comfortable and set in our ways. Even though we know we’re getting tossed out on 30 June, we still like to set up fortresses and protect them like they’ll never change. That certainly includes me. Ryan. All of us. Guy Fawkes Day / Studio Roulette is an optional invitation to nudge ourselves out of our comfort zones. An optional invitation to interact with different MU Learners. To see the campus from a different vantage point. To be closer to the center, or more out at the frontiers.

    Men are animals of the earth. They come from Papa, the earth mother, and make their homes on the land. They walk the ground, like Pig and Rat. Walking animals do not know the spirit of motion, as you do. Their world stands still for them, and their footsteps fall always against the steadiness of rock and soil. Winds blow and they crawl inside houses. The red floodwaters rise and they climb to dry caves and sleep poorly in the stale, cold air. What do they learn in these houses and caves? Stillness. Calm. They hope things will never change. Men hate change. But that is not the way things are. Light and darkness. The currents. Death. That is the order. When these men speak, their voices are little because nothing pours into them. They do not want other powers. But the man whose chest swells like the tides, who leaps the sea cliff to hear the roar of the fall, and dives straight into the ocean like a spear — this man is not like the rest. His mana is not only of the earth, but of the sky and water. He swims the lagoons and outer reef to watch the fish. He stands tall on the mountaintops. When he speaks, he will be listened to.

    — Maui, The Demigod, Steven Goldsberry

    photo of people in striped shirts and pirate hats walking with torches in the night

     
    • Paypabak Writer 18:15 on 23/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      I have all kinds of fireworks and I love setting them off! Go go Guy Fawkes!!

      • Izzy 18:17 on 23/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

        Awesomesauce! You certainly don’t have to wait till May for an MU fireworks show! You can call one anytime! Or maybe team up with an Emma Roof Rave.

        But yes, come may, you can be the official MU Pyrotechnician!

    • Neeva 19:09 on 23/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      Come July 1 this sim will be flooded by Neeva’s tears. Then it will dry and we will start planning the Medici University reunion party and inking MU merchandising deals. How about MU the movie? Imagine one just like this university, but filled with movie stars, only everyone is naked….and then…Sharknado!!! I’m switching to the MU creative writing program and starting my script now!

      P.S. I have a lovely, centrally located studio for studio roulette. Well maintained, lightly used. Looking to trade for studio with indoor swimming pool and 60 prim garage + cash in an amount to be negotiated at closing.

    • Fanny 19:28 on 23/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      Guido Faukes still seems to be very popular. SL search found 43 Avatars with “Guy Fawkes” in their name.
      I am looking forward to the fireworks!

      Neeva, I guess there will be enough tears from us to flood the whole sim. Maybe we should warn the neighbors? And I agree to naked!

      P.S. None!

  • Izzy 15:26 on 19/03/2015 Permalink | Reply  

    Free Icons R Gold! 

    Icon of cursor pointing in a browser

    OMG not even watching NeEeEeEeEvA & OoOoOoOoOoNa try on new clothes is as exciting as a Giant Bag of FREE ICONS!

    Visit:

    http://swifticons.com/

    You’ll see 2 icons in the upper-right: “Give us money” and “get stuff free.” You can probably figure out which one to click. Enjoy!

    icon graphic of 2 gold bars

     
    • Oona 00:53 on 22/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      Haha watching me try on clothes is entertaining. We all know this. 😉

  • Izzy 04:16 on 19/03/2015 Permalink | Reply
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    Animated GIFs on a Prim?

    FeelsEmpty Resident came to crit class tonight. They’re making cool animated GIFs!
    http://newhive.com/metypeself/family

    And would like to put them in SL. Feels is totally new to prims and stuff.

    Here’s a 2008 post on how to do it:
    http://www.peregrinesalon.com/anim/

    Here’s a 2010 post:
    https://community.secondlife.com/t5/General-Discussions/Is-there-a-way-to-upload-animated-gifs-as-textures/td-p/182707

    Feels might come by tomorrow, Thursday. If anyone can help them get stuff on a prim that’d be so cool. He can work at Collaborateopolis for now. (I can find him space if he wants to rez a bunch)

     
    • Veyot 12:08 on 19/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      Here’s another good page. I sent it to feelsempty.
      http://www.sl-inspiration.com/2014/08/creating-anumated-gifs-for-second-life.html

      • Izzy 14:59 on 19/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

        Thanks Veyot! I found that page also, but didn’t like it because it’s media on a prim. Media on a prim is cool, and in fact the MU Schedule Kiosks use it, but many viewers won’t let it autostart, and it can be sluggish to load, so I think it won’t be satisfying at all the way FeelsEmpty’s web page is.

        I guess even with the texture animation there will still be SL texture load times to deal with, so Feels’ installation will probably never load as fast as the web page, but at least you won’t have to click every face and give it permission to run.

    • Tiffany Mosienko 04:31 on 21/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      Thanks for posting! This info is very useful!

      • Izzy 05:46 on 21/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

        Feels got it to work and it’s really cool… Natsu helped him… sounds like they may have done it a different way… I’m trying to get them to do a little post on how they did it

  • Izzy 17:00 on 18/03/2015 Permalink | Reply
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    Graphic Design 13 – Gimp 4 Dummies

    Photoshop is kind of the Graphic Design standard and many MU Learners use it every day.

    If you get paid to do RL design work, Photoshop isn’t expensive at all. But if you don’t, it’s a damn expensive piece of software!

    Gimp is the free & open alternative. We should have a Gimp class. IDK if anyone we know actually knows Gimp. If You do, we’d love to have you facilitate a Gimp Party!

    But if not, let’s just learn it together! We can start the class and fumble around and use MU/Talk or Slack to post screenshots and tips on what we figure out.

    Does anyone know Gimp?

    What Day / Time would anyone like the Gimp Party to be scheduled for?

     
    • Neeva 18:04 on 18/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      I think you mean we should have a gimp “party.” Right? See post below.

      What would People love to learn about gimp? I used it some before I got my nifty student-priced version of Photoshop.

    • Myra 18:27 on 18/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      I use Gimp a lot, but I certainly don’t know* it. The most common use of it in SL is texturing, so I’d like to learn how to use it better for UV mapping and AO mapping of textures.

      There’s a step-by-step tutorial on how to do this with PS, here:
      https://sldesigner.wordpress.com/2015/02/01/putting-the-fabric-on-full-perm-mesh-templates/

      It would be nice to have a class on how to do the same thing in Gimp. There are some freebie full perm things on the market we could use for demo purposes.

    • Elle 17:37 on 21/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      I have to second what Myra said, “I use GIMP a lot, but I certainly don’t know it” It’s a powerful program, but also complex with a non-intuitive user interface. I think the same could probably be said for Photoshop, which I have hardly ever used.

      • Izzy 22:00 on 21/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

        I don’t actually know how many people want to learn Gimp. I do know that for people without the resources to buy it, Photoshop can be very expensive. Gimp is free and open for everyone. So it’s really a desirable platform.

        I do know that Oona is someone who really wants to be doing graphics but can’t afford Photoshop and doesn’t know Gimp. She’s been hosting at KATYPERRYOPOLIS! and would love to make fliers for events there but doesn’t have Photoshop and is lost with Gimp.

        Part of the reason I expelled all the students, fired all the faculty, and then invited everyone back as learners is that if we are to make progress on our many journeys here at MU, then we must take charge. Nobody needs to be the or an expert to help someone else. So far I’ve done what I can to facilitate Kinesiology 88, Studio Art 1, Studio Art 12, and University 101, and believe me, I’m not even remotely an expert on any of those topics.

        If Myra knows a little, Elle knows a little, and Oona has some desire, that sounds like more than most of our classes start with! I’d encourage the 3 of you to pick a time, invite the campus, and see what can be collaboratively learned. If that causes an expert to crawl out of the woodwork, awesome! But if not, I bet Oona’s desire plus whatever Myra and Elle might know might be enough to let Oona make KATYPERRYOPOLIS! fliers. Since she’s wanted to do things like that for a long time, that’d be a great result for MU’s semester @LEA23!

        • Elle 06:28 on 22/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

          That sounds ok to me. If Oona wants to get us some specifics on what she’d like to be able to do/create before hand it would be helpful. I can role play a GIMP co-teacher. 😉

          • Izzy 07:03 on 22/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

            Awesomesauce!!! 😀

          • Oona 22:03 on 24/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

            How about how to make a flyer? Is that a thing you can do in Gimp? I have been trying to figure out how to put stuff on a tee-shirt without much success if that is something anyone has knowledge of.

    • Myra 00:01 on 25/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      Gimp wouldn’t work well for flyers, because it’s not a publishing tool. It doesn’t do layouts and such. In fact, it’s horrible for handling text.

      T-shirts, yes, that it does.

      Oona. I mostly make furniture, but the principles of applying textures are mostly identical. Clothing requires a little more tweaking. I don’t think I want to teach a course, but I’m happy to explain it and load you up with links. : )

      It’s not too hard once you get the hang of it. Once you do, you’ll realize you could spend hours fussing with a texture to get it just the way you want it. Are you sure you really want that? Prepare yourself for the time sink known as SL building! j/k : )

    • Neeva 15:43 on 25/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      How about a gimp learning party where we can ask questions of each other as we all try to make a poster or other work of art. I know people who use gimp for book covers. You can definitely make a flyer with it. Let’s pick a time and get Oona going and learn stuff.

    • Myra 18:05 on 25/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      Here’s one on how to make a flyer in Gimp:

    • Myra 18:15 on 25/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      Yes, I know that invalidates my comment about Gimp not doing flyers, but it further validates my first point – I don’t know Gimp.

    • Elle 00:14 on 26/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      Well after many incantations, slacks(?), help from Izzy and rmarie (ty!). My GIMP 101 class is on the calendar.

      GIMP 101 – Learn basic skills in GIMP open-source software. This class will provide an overview, discussion, optional sharing and support. The course will have a strong guided self-study component. Guidance for further learning on your own and a simple weekly hands-on assignment will be provided at each class.

      Class will meet Saturdays 10 – 11 am SLT @ Tullia 14 for 4 weeks.
      Class starts Saturday March 28th @ 10 am SLT.

      Oona, Myra and Neeva are most welcome continue their discussion then. 🙂
      Good tutorial links are also welcome.

  • Izzy 16:54 on 18/03/2015 Permalink | Reply
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    Schedule of Parties

    Oona, Art, and MediciUniversity Resident were having a conversation today, and they came up with an interesting question, why are they called “Classes”?

    MU doesn’t have “Students” or “Faculty” anymore, but we still have “Classes”?

    Effective today, MU will no longer have any “Classes” or gawd forbid “Courses.” We will still have learning experiences, but they will be called “Parties”.

    TIRED: “Schedule of Classes”
    WIRED: “Schedule of Parties”

     
    • Oona 00:59 on 22/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      But but but, i like classes!

      • Izzy 01:26 on 22/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

        it can be your secret Oona. Whenever anybody says “Party” you can just think “Class” in your mind.

        Somebody sez,

        Party @ KATYPERRYOPOLIS!

        Oona hears,

        Class @ KATYPERRYOPOLIS!

        • Oona 21:57 on 24/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

          haha i like this idea. 🙂 🙂

  • Izzy 03:12 on 15/03/2015 Permalink | Reply  

    Utopia in Four Movements

    I noticed that Tiffany and I were both using the word Utopia, and I couldn’t help but think of the remarkable film/performance Utopia in Four Movements by Sam Green and Dave Cerf. It’s a feature-length work. Here’s the first few minutes:

     
    • Tiffany Mosienko 16:28 on 15/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      This was really great. Thanks for posting, Izzy.

    • Elle 23:47 on 15/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      Utopia, it’s such a great word! Thanks for sharing that, Izzy.

  • Izzy 10:20 on 14/03/2015 Permalink | Reply
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    MU Schedule is Everywhere! 

    Medici University class, event, and activity schedule on a campus kiosk

    Calendar

    Thanks to the many realms wisdom of our own Chaplain Beedit, MU has a state-of-the-art scheduling system! You can see it on the Schedule Page of course, but it’s also found in lots of handy other spots, like here on MU/Talk, on MU/Creativity, and on the post sidebars at MU/Home. The schedule is also on 4 interactive kiosks on the Medici University campus.
    (More …)

     
    • rmarie 15:49 on 14/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      Thank you so much for your organization, attention to detail, and monumental amount of care and thought regarding MU Izzy. I’m so glad we’re all here! Just to add something, the one thing I cannot do is add things to the Timely Calendar in the sidebar. WordPress users need special permission in order to do that. Until we have figured that out, I will continue to watch the schedule page and move things to this level, and help to promote things any way I can. Loves.

      • Izzy 16:45 on 14/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

        Actually, you do have the ability to add Calendar Items. What might be confusing you, or potentially others, is that our one big, messy website is technically 4 separate installations. This “technical” point doesn’t much matter, except that it is 4 different places to be logged in, if you want to post on all of them.

        While the calendar items appear in all the places I described above, you can only post them from one place: “MU/Home”, aka
        http://MediciUniversity.co.uk

        There is no way to post from here at MU/Talk, or the other sections.

        When you are logged-in at MU/Home, it’s easy to post a calendar event, you simply go NEW > EVENT, fill out the info, and click publish. The info will populate everywhere. Be sure to include a featured image.

        The following “roles” all are able to create new calendar items, Administrator, Editor, Author, and Event Contributor.

        From that same MU/Home menu shown above, you (as an “administrator”) can select NEW > USER and then set their role as Event Contributor if they’re only going to post events, or set their role as Author if they’d also like to write syllabi.

        • rmarie 17:08 on 14/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

          Ahh, it was the MU Home thing AND not using your correct email address. See, I’m a much better Chaplain than Administrator! Thank you again.

    • Neeva 20:40 on 14/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      I used one of the kiosks at the arrival point to check a class time. It worked great. I’m going to check every time I arrive to just remind myself where and when things are going on.

      • Izzy 22:28 on 14/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

        Awesomesauce!

        Our other idea was to tattoo the schedule onto avatar bodies! 😀

    • Neeva 06:55 on 16/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      Wow the kiosk schedules are turning out to be anazingly useful. Thank you!

      • Izzy 08:13 on 16/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

        awesome + sauce (spicy marinara!) = awesomesauce!

  • Izzy 15:40 on 12/03/2015 Permalink | Reply
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    Big Avatar On Campus

    The awesome Zsophia is working on getting our MU Honor Roll up to date — Go Zsophia!
    http://mediciuniversity.co.uk/honor-roll/

    Which inspired me to add a new Big Avatar On Campus (BAOC) award. Emma’s working on the trophy now. It will be a perpetual trophy where the recipient adds their name or other elements before passing it on.

    (More …)

     
    • Myra 18:40 on 12/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      Gratz, Neeva! You so deserve this. To show how you’ve inspired me, here’s a mini tower of love:




      Is there a tower of BAoC trophies sometime in the near future?

      Gratz, again.

      Myra

    • Elle 21:08 on 12/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      Yay Neeva! Congratulations!

    • Neeva 23:13 on 12/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      Awwwww. /Blush. Thanks! But better than getting the award will be next week’s chance to give it. I know some very worthy BAOCs already, but if you know someone who is really having a breakout week let me know.

      We have this great sim, blogs, studios until June. The Universe has given us this really unexpected gift. What happens now is in our hands. As an artist, writer, photographer, of any level of skill, this is a amazing opportunity to try more, risk more, create more, learn more, and teach more than you ever have before. It’s a chance to make a supportive community. To build a mini-Renaissance from the ground up. So catch fire. Have fun. Show up and do stuff. And let me know what you are doing so i can cheer you on.

      Neeva

  • Izzy 06:38 on 12/03/2015 Permalink | Reply
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    Photo Lighting Workshop w Fanny on Saturday!

    Photo 66 – Virtual Lighting

    Beside your interest there are some requirements:

    • your graphics card should be able to run Advanced Lighting Mode;
    • you should be using Firestorm for viewer;
    • you should know how to take a snapshot;
    • you should know how to create a prim;

    Still there?

    Ok 🙂

    The very most of us take photos and, no matter if real or virtual, photography is always about light. So this is what this class is going to be about as well: The different light sources existing in Second Life, how and when to use, and, maybe most interesting at all, how to build them ourselves.

    Date and time: Saturday, 14th March, 10:00 – 12:00 am SLT
    Place: My studio at MU, Nostradamus 20

     
    • Neeva 18:03 on 12/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      I was soooooo hoping there would be some photography classes! Yay!

  • Izzy 13:52 on 08/03/2015 Permalink | Reply
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    Butter London Kerfuffle! 

    Doing my nails in Butter London Kerfuffle – what else!?

    Butter London Kerfuffle

     
  • Izzy 13:31 on 08/03/2015 Permalink | Reply
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    Raspberry Kerfuffles OMG! 

    photo of raspberry kerfuffle desserts

    Raspberry Kerfuffles, OMG!

     
    • Neeva 20:40 on 08/03/2015 Permalink | Reply

      I dream of a cityscape where the buildings look just so but on a ginormous scale and the colors dazzle your eyes with their crunchy, saturated goodness.

  • Izzy 13:13 on 08/03/2015 Permalink | Reply  

    Sugata Mitra – a school in the cloud

     
  • Izzy 12:47 on 08/03/2015 Permalink | Reply  

    This Magic Moment 

    Medici-University-1

    This Magic Moment

    http://mediciprincess.com/magic/

     
  • Izzy 05:28 on 07/03/2015 Permalink | Reply
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    She was eating a raspberry kerfufflewith a fork! — and she had on the biggest smile I’ve ever seen, the whole time she was eating the thing!

     
  • Izzy 14:19 on 01/03/2015 Permalink | Reply  

    Happy Convocation Day Everyone!! 😀

     
  • Izzy 08:09 on 20/02/2015 Permalink | Reply
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    Sal Khan

    I wanted to share this inspiring talk by Sal Khan. It’s a great talk in general and he shares so many of our values at MU. Note especially when he talks about empowering the learner to choose their own goals. That’s the core of our philosophy.

     
  • Izzy 14:56 on 15/02/2015 Permalink | Reply
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    Veyot’s moving day video http vimeo com 119676330 

    Veyot’s moving day video!

     
    • Izzy 14:57 on 15/02/2015 Permalink | Reply

      hmm… interesting Veyot – when you paste your URL as a comment, it’s only a URL… but when you paste it in a new post, bam, it’s a video!

      • AlexandreLois1 15:35 on 15/02/2015 Permalink | Reply

        It’s funny that I got to this video …. It turned out quite well.

    • Pearl Grey 17:06 on 15/02/2015 Permalink | Reply

      I absolutely love this! It shows the spirit I see and feel at MU. Very well done Veyot!

    • rmarie 17:29 on 15/02/2015 Permalink | Reply

      Veyot this is so much fun to watch – thank you!!

  • Izzy 12:05 on 14/02/2015 Permalink | Reply
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    Medici University eliminates all students! Oh, and we canned the faculty too! http://mediciprincess.com/learners/

     
    • paypabak writer 22:51 on 14/02/2015 Permalink | Reply

      Brilliant.

    • Veyot 13:01 on 15/02/2015 Permalink | Reply

      It’s fun to watch the learners move in. I made a short MUsic Video called Moving into MU, with the song “Let Me be Your Parachute” by Mirva.

  • Izzy 16:36 on 12/02/2015 Permalink | Reply
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    GO Paypabak, Pearl & Serra for being the first students on the MU Honor Roll!!
    http://mediciuniversity.co.uk/honor-roll/

     
  • Izzy 12:17 on 12/02/2015 Permalink | Reply
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    Creative Writing Department 

    M E D I C I U N I V E R S I T Y

    Office of The Provost

    Dear Annah, Astrid, Diptheria, Glad, Laney, Oona, Ravensong, Wendz & Paypabak,

    I’m pleased to inform you that the 9 of you comprise the largest department at MU!
    (More …)

     
    • Paypabak Writer 14:25 on 12/02/2015 Permalink | Reply

      While I definitely agree with the advice “Read,” I think “Write” is even more important. I will follow your instructions. I have a post on my approach to blogging in SL in polish mode, but I will also pay attention to MU Talk. Now that I seem to have conquered Word Press’s Fortress of Password protocols, I will spend time here as well as inworld.

    • Ananda Crystal 19:02 on 12/02/2015 Permalink | Reply

      here is my wattpad page if anyone would like to read a few little short, short stories. http://www.wattpad.com/user/tlynnbrown66

      I’d be up to getting together for writing sprints if anyone is interested!

    • Pearl Grey 20:58 on 12/02/2015 Permalink | Reply

      I would like to be included please. My interdisciplinary Arts study is partially Creative Writing.

      I’m not quite ready to share my writing just yet. (My SL WordPress blog isn’t where I put my stash.) My strategy is to just write first, then study and edit, repetitively.

      I’d be more than happy to read the work of others.

  • Izzy 11:52 on 12/02/2015 Permalink | Reply  

    20 Artist’s Studios left!

    Aurelia – 1
    Camilla – 0
    Maria – 4
    Nostradamus – 7
    Tullia – 7
    Vashti – 1

     
    • Paypabak Writer 14:20 on 12/02/2015 Permalink | Reply

      Amazing! A very impressive list of people have signed on, too. Congratulations on this brilliant idea, Izzy!

      And Camilla filled up first? I wonder what it was about Camilla? I know I wanted to be somewhat away from the water. Maybe it’s because it is a midline cutting through the island? Anyone else have an idea?

      • Izzy 14:48 on 12/02/2015 Permalink | Reply

        Now 19 studios left, and Aurelia is also sold out!

    • rmarie 20:54 on 12/02/2015 Permalink | Reply

      Regarding Camilla, I think you’re right Paypa – that’s where the first studios were, and it goes through the center. The lighthouse is a magic vortex!

      • Vanessa 03:22 on 13/02/2015 Permalink | Reply

        OMG, the Lighthouse is NOT in lame-o Camilla! It’s in majestic Maria! Maria:7, thank you! 😀

        Ordinary avatars sleep in the dry caves of the highlands. They feel safe. They breathe stale air. They do not want higher powers.

        But the avatar who leaps the Eleonora gorge like a spear to plunge into the waters below, she is not like other avatars. All other neighborhoods live in sterile blocks of safety and predictability. Only Maria dares to straddle the chasm of the Eleonora Gorge. Its residents are avatars of insight and power.

        • Xta 21:46 on 14/02/2015 Permalink | Reply

          Maria sounds like the one for Ysidora! Please save her one. Thank you!!

          • Izzy 03:31 on 17/02/2015 Permalink | Reply

            Hello Xta! We’ve made a space for Ysidora at Maria:2. We can help setup anything she might like in terms of Display / Create / Perform etc…

            And it’d be great to do a form of In-world 1850Charla!

      • Vanessa 00:57 on 14/02/2015 Permalink | Reply

        Maria de’ Medici (1540–1557)

  • Izzy 21:59 on 08/02/2015 Permalink | Reply  

    JOBS! JOBS! JOBS!

    OMG MU Has so many job openings! We need you!
    http://mediciuniversity.co.uk/job-opportunities/

     
  • Izzy 16:34 on 05/02/2015 Permalink | Reply
    Tags:   

    Campus Evolution! 

    panoramic view of the MU Campus at LEA23

    MU Campus, 5 Feb ’15

    I just added the 73rd photo to our MU Flickr Group and I took a moment to scroll through all the other 72 images that we’ve posted. When I got back to #1 I was shocked – a little bit by how different the campus looked, but even more by the date! OMG how much things have changed in just 11 days!

    Thank you all for being a part of this experiment / odyssey / investigation / celebration / drunk walk / poem of co-creation.

    panoramic view of the MU Campus at LEA23

    MU Campus, 25 Jan ’15

     
  • Izzy 04:00 on 05/02/2015 Permalink | Reply
    Tags:   

    News Update! 

    poster of a busy dance club with superimposed text "Felicia Day Night"

    Felicia Day Night @KATYPERRYOPOLIS!

    KATYPERRYOPOLIS!

    Our danceteria’s grand opening is Saturday, 10pm SLT – Midnight w/ DJ Myra!

    Class of ’15

    http://katyperryopolis.club/class-of-15/

    We have a brand new Class of ’15 page that shows you what all your friends are up to and what Colleges & Programs everyone is in. If you want to invite more peeps to join us, there’s still space! Available studios here:
    http://mediciuniversity.co.uk/artists-studios/

    Profiles

    We’re started posting your Student (& faculty & staff) profiles on the Student Union (KATYPERRYOPOLIS!) website. You can see a bunch if you scroll down:
    http://KATYPERRYOPOLIS.club

    If you do, or do not have one, either way, it’d be great if you’d send me:

    1. Your Bio (or mission statement, or anything like that)
    2. Your Photo
    3. Any links, like Blog, Website, etc
    4. Any Social Media Links, like Twitter, Facebook, etc

    And we’ll get you updated!

     
  • Izzy 18:21 on 02/02/2015 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: ,   

    Aurelia-1 Annah Leah 

    Black and white photo of Annah Leah's  writing studio at Medici University.

    Annah Leah’s studio at MU:Aurelia:1. Annah is with our Creative Writing Program.

    First on our Medici University Campus Directory is Annah Leah, from Creative Writing, at MU:Aurelia:1. You can visit Annah’s flickr and we hope to be able to share some of her writing very soon!

     
    • Ananda Crystal 06:28 on 03/02/2015 Permalink | Reply

      Here is a link to some of my short short stories. I had friends give me writing prompts and I never had a clue what they might be. The results turned out pretty good though. Hope you all enjoy! http://www.wattpad.com/user/tlynnbrown66

      • rmarie 21:59 on 03/02/2015 Permalink | Reply

        WOW. “The Man on the Park Bench.” Thank you !

    • Ananda Crystal 06:23 on 04/02/2015 Permalink | Reply

      Glad you liked it rmarie! That is my favorite.

  • Izzy 14:07 on 30/01/2015 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: ,   

    A Matter of Scale 

    Isabella Medici standing near a tree in the road at Medici University

    Tiny “1-story” Izzy, dwarfed by 1-story house w/vaulted-loft ceiling. Which in turn is dwarfed by many stories tall tree.


    M E D I C I U N I V E R S I T Y
    Office of The Provost


    Dear Campus Community,
    (More …)

     
    • rmarie 20:30 on 30/01/2015 Permalink | Reply

      One thought I had in reading through this is that you’re expressing a covenant. Many estate sims have covenants that the inhabitants are expected to work from. Adapting to these can bring out creativity – like being handed a green crayon. Where does the covenant start and end?

      Scarlett and I were talking about about doing a campus stroll to sort of look at individual areas closely in terms of the “urban” landscaping. I like the idea of Medici being 1100 years old, a bit further east than Florence, with layers of old and new. Maybe urban trees in “new” sections are never more than two times the height of an avatar. Maybe Camille, where the commons has settled, is older so those trees are a bit larger? Which sections do we consider to be newer?

      One idea is to pass out a basic kit for the standard street or walking path, to give that to everyone and have them create the streets and walking paths in their sections, but with the caveat that they can depart using those materials (for example, if the covenant said “use this flagstone,” then in some areas that flagstone might be texturally worn, or a different color, or graffiti’d, potholed, deliberately routed and stacked up by the side of the road, etc). “Reinterpreted consistency.”

      Is it even possible to suggest that sort of meta-consistency to people moving in? What about the SL Art School city and fantastical things that defy the laws of physics? Where does that fit?

      • rmarie 20:35 on 30/01/2015 Permalink | Reply

        Of course, the message here was one of scale. I won’t forget that!

      • Izzy 20:46 on 30/01/2015 Permalink | Reply

        These are wonderful ideas rmarie, care to implement them? 😀

        Re: laws of physics — once again I turn to the sage Penny Patton, in fact it’s right on her profile page if you want to look her up:

        My minotaur avatar is over 7′ tall! Not exactly human sized. In RP sims where you’re playing a character, it just makes sense to make your avatar the size of the character you intend to be playing. Why claim to be a 6′ human or orc then make your avatar 8′ tall? A 12′ tall werewolf isn’t a werewolf, it’s a fuzzy giant.

        Just like writing good fiction, I can accept anything that is consistent unto itself. If you want to do “Impossible IRL” work, well, I don’t expect it to follow the “laws” of RL physics! But, whatever framework it exists in, it should be consistent to that.

        We hate deus ex machina endings because they cheat the narrative contract the storytellers have made with the audience. The audience was willing to “suspend disbelief,” or to use the term Robert Pratten prefers, “active co-creation of belief.” As Pratten says,

        They know it’s fiction, but they want to believe.

        They want to believe, if only you’ll do enough work to let them. So deus ex machina endings suck.

        When I see Impossible IRL work by an artist like Betty Tureaud, it’s great! It doesn’t pretend to be about the laws of RL physics and it shouldn’t have to. But it does “feel” right. It is designed in a way that feels consistent unto itself. That’s really all we can ask of Architecture, Cities, Artists, Avatars, Fiction, or anything else.

        • Newton 22:42 on 30/01/2015 Permalink | Reply

          They are just ideas – probings into how real consistency could really maybe be achieved. Nothing can be done without the participation / feedback / discussion / logistical commitment of others. At least, it’s not as fun.

          As far as deus ex machina, don’t tell Spielberg those endings suck. There’s something about the human psyche that loves them, or maybe it’s cultural. I’m glad the pushing of the envelope is another matter entirely!

          • rmarie 22:45 on 30/01/2015 Permalink | Reply

            Well said brother. Now get to work. 😉

    • Veyot 14:42 on 02/02/2015 Permalink | Reply

      I found another thing that makes a good neighborhood–back doors. I am already planning to remodel my office at MU. The way it is now, if I want to go visit my neighbor Agnes, I have to go out the front door and run all the way around my house. I do have myself set on “always run”, but still, it’s a bother.

      • Izzy 16:12 on 02/02/2015 Permalink | Reply

        That’s so great Veyot!

        IRL Laneways, the small service roads in-between buildings have become popular places either to build small houses or to create things like restaurants that face tiny pedestrian-only streets. These too-small-to-do-anything-with spaces have become sites of civic renewal and social interaction.

        Sadly we didn’t really leave any laneway space between studios, but it’s great that you’ve envisioned a way to create that sort of connection anyway! 😀

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