Bid4aCure

Big news!!! The always amazing DJ Jocelyn Sands is again spearheading the annual Bid 4 a Cure event! Further, she's honored yours truly to become a part of this worthy endeavor to bring relief and raise money for research to tackle and hopefully some day eliminate diabetes.

Diabetes, especially Type II, is experiencing a massive upsurge globally. I can remember as a kid, it was "oh, that thing that Mary Tyler Moore has, along w/ that girl in my school who had to take shots after lunch." These days, few of us are untouched by it, either by having it directly, or by having someone--or more commonly, several someones--close to us who have been stricken by it out of the blue.

InType II, the body still produces insulin (unlike Type I), but for some reason, the insulin the body makes has become ineffective, with net results nigh-identical to Type I. Thing is, most folks who develop Type II usually don't know they have it until they've already risked or even done major damage to their bodies. While the primary effects of the illness themselves can lead to shutdowns of the body (coma and eventually death), there are other more pernicious effects as the sugar-saturated blood clogs the fine blood vessels of the body to cause organ failures, major system disruptions, and all manner of serious complications.

I (Arc's player) am in the healthcare profession, and we're suddenly seeing PILES of newly diagnosed diabetics who've suddenly had to relearn how to live their lives. Diet becomes no longer a question of vanity or self-improvement; it can quite literally be daily life-or-death decisions. Further, it triggers an onslaught of overall massive metabolic changes that impact cardiovascular, renal, endocrine, and even neurological and cognitive functioning. It is, quite simply, life-altering.

There is hope, however. Ongoing research is making great strides in offering new treatments to both monitor and control blood sugar effectively to close the life expectancy gap between diabetics and the unafflicted population. Thing is, research takes money, and every drop in the bucket adds up.

To that end, Jocelyn is hosting a massive series of charity auctions of fine virtual goods and services from some of the best designers in the Second Life virtual world. The auctions are set up for the 15th and the 29th of June; additionally, there will be "insulin syringe" donation kiosks set up all around the virtual world. All proceeds will be donated to ongoing research to limit the effects of this illness, with the long-range goal to eventually find a cure to make the dreaded daily insulin shots a thing of the past.

Let's all support Jocelyn in this noble endeavor!!! While I can't build much more than a plywood box, I (Arc) WILL be among the celebrities offered up in the "Win a date with..." auctions. Many of SL's top designers have also committed to donate dresses, houses, furniture, etc. to the cause.

There'll be 2 separate auctions, planned for 6/15 and 6/29. The venue has yet to be decided, although I'll have a SLURL for you as soon as that gets firmed up (based on prior turnouts, we're gonna need a pretty big space for the auction & associated parties, and there are a few sites in the running). Hope to see you there!

Licensing woes

If you've somehow missed the high drama in the blogosphere related to the Second Life virtual world, well, there's been a LOT of drama stirred up by their recent odd about-face on licensing issues. Where they once freely allowed use of their logo and reference to them by name, things are now more...complicated.

Just to clarify, I DO NOT OWN OR OPERATE SL. My views are my own warped musings; Linden Lab deserves neither credit nor blame for them. There. I'm not sure that lets me off the legal hook, but this is a non-commercial blog anyway, so nyah. The infringement laws were designed with the intent of preventing Person A's creation from being co-opted for a profit by Persons B-Z. I'm not co-opting, and I'm darn sure not profiting or looking for profit.

Personally, the idea of using SL as a source of RL income in any way is kinda icky for me; it would cease to be my escape and rather would become just one more damn job, LOL. I go there to get AWAY from the pressures of a RL profession. It's my mini-Vegas. And remember the word "Amateur" means one who does it just for love of doing it. I think that concept doesn't get nearly enough respect...

Gotta dash for now, but I'll revisit this in a more detailed post when I have more time.