Okay, I have to admit my weakness to artistic diversions of various musical and colorful persuasions. In simple english, I have become throroughly addicted to Rock Band! I can honestly blame my musically inclined daughter, who loves to sing. She talked me into challenging my musical talents, and now we are totally hooked!

Yep, when I got my first ‘flawless’ on Bon Jovi’s ‘Wanted, Dead or Alive’, it was all over. Next thing we knew, we had earned a new manager, and started getting popular enough to go on tour, hire some roadies, compete for a new tour bus, and we even played our booties off for our very own jet plane! Now we were travelling in style… yeah baby!

I think I started gaining the most enjoyment once we moved out of easy mode, into medium difficulty. By then, speaking for myself, I was much more comfortable, and it seemed much easier to kick back and enjoy playing the guitar without stressing over hitting the correct keys. I was totally comfortable enough to let my fingers fly and have loads of fun with the songs. Some songs are really fun to play, and sound totally rockin’ when we hit the notes just right.

What I love most is that I can do really well singing the songs. I really like to challenge my voice to make each song my own, while keeping the essence of the song intact. Some songs kick me in the butt, and I struggle to match the tones, and I sometimes give up and just hum… LOL

But hey, I did get that ‘flawless’ score in singing ‘Wanted, Dead or Alive’ by Bon Jovi… one of my most favourite songs ever! Although ‘Orange Crush’ by R.E.M. nearly killed me… again, and again… hehehe. I really think all this singin’ action has placed a bit of stress on the mic. I am thinking the Rock Band Official Microphone (PS3, Wii, Xbox360) seems the best option, and I am certain it is the standard mic already in use. I would totally appreciate any feedback on this particular mic, or a preferable option.

Speaking of Rock Band, I think it is just about time for a rock break! Enjoy…

I would like to make special mention of someone whose life and achievements crossed my mind recently. Richard Garriott has lived quite an adventurous life, as to bring about in a soul such as mine, just a bit of envy. Born in Cambridge, England, as the son of astronaut Owen Garriott, Richard, also known as “Lord British”, seems destined to carry a legacy of incredible experiences, on and off planet. Although Richard can accredit his claim to fame to his unprecedented success in creating the still popular game Ultima, he appears to be seeking new adventures in the realms of space, following in his father’s footsteps.

While my son probably played Ultima until his fingerprints wore off, I learned more about Richard Garriott after encountering a totally fun game called Tabula Rasa. Unfortunately for me the game got scrapped due to an overabundance of projects on the table, yet it gave me a glimpse into the fascinating life of Richard Garriott. Now, I know I have an oversized imagination, which seems to kick in, like every second of my life! Yet I believe Mr. Garriott surpasses even my own unlimited zeal for the extraordinary. A man after my own heart, I must say, and I would love to explore as much as this man has been privedged to delve into. In a world where we seem to set our own limitations, I am happy to see someone willing to take a chance and step outside of the bounds of conformity.

Besides being a video game mogul, Richard has also maintained a thirst for adventure and exploration. Not only is he active in the adventure sports of scuba diving, hang gliding, sky diving, caving, and rappelling in addition to other water and winter sports, but Richard also enjoys taking his love of adventure to the next level. He has participated in two expeditions in search of meteorites on the continent of Antarctica during which he was able to witness spectacular views of the continent he still describes as the most beautiful place on earth.

Tracking mountain gorillas in Rwanda and dug out canoeing down the Amazon both seem tame in comparison to his deep ocean hydrothermal vent expeditions in order to study extremophile bacteria and his involvement in one of the first non-salvage dives to the Titanic. Richard also took part in the 2001 Atlantic Sands expedition which discovered and performed salvage operations on the world’s deepest wooden shipwreck which is believed to have sunk in a storm sometime around the year 1810.

Richard is an active member of the Explorer’s Club. And in support of the traditions of the Explorer’s Club, Richard plans on taking the club flag with him on his mission to space.

Well then, aside from wishing I could jump into Richard’s shoes and visit the atmosphere around this planet, I would like to thank Richard for the hours of roleplaying enjoyment he has brought to myself and the world. If anyone is interested in tracking Richard in his imaginative endeavors, please take a few moments to visit Richard Garriott’s Space Mission to see what new adventure this amazing man has in store. And seriously, this mans home alone is as intriguing as his journeys. Richard is an avid collector of some pretty extaordinary objects and art. Did I mention I was fascinated with this man??

I have always enjoyed my journey of keeping my body fit and healthy. I would much rather have fun while getting or staying in shape, so when I discovered the Wii Fit, I was totally overjoyed at the prospect of trying this out! What an amazing concept in technology which allows us to play a video game that actually works more than our hands and our brains!! Of course, this is not the only game that gets our blood pumping, yet it is one game in which adds to my fitness arsenal while satisfying my competitive nature and keeping score! Talk about setting goals with style.

Wii Fit Features

* Wii Fit comes with the Wii Balance Board and requires a Wii console to play. Wii console sold separately.

* Wii Fit combines fitness with fun and is designed for everyone, young and old. Wii Fit players work towards personal fitness goals and they block soccer balls, swivel hips to power hoop twirls, and go big on ski jumps to get themselves there.

* Check your daily progress, set goals, check your Wii Fit Age, and even enter exercise time you’ve done outside of Wii Fit.

* Wii Fit Age is measured by factoring the user’s BMI reading, testing the user’s center of gravity and conducting quick balance tests.

* Training is at the core of Wii Fit. You can spend as much (or as little) time as you want trying out all of the 40+ activities Wii Fit offers.

The Wii Fit Balance Board

The primary tenet of Wii Fit is balance. Your center of balance, the point between your left and right sides when you stand upright, has a lot to do with your health. Those without an even center of balance will be unnaturally compensating for this imbalance, which causes their posture to become misaligned, increasing the possibility of putting unnecessary strain on their bodies. This is where the Wii Balance Board comes in.

Similar in appearance to a step aerobics board, the Wii Balance Board is much, much more. Easily capable of supporting weights up to a maximum of 300 pounds, it is sturdy and precise, able to measure weight and register pressure accurately when placed on a variety of flat surfaces. This advanced level of sensitivity allows for both the wide range of activities found in the Wii Fit software as well as the board’s amazing ability recognize individual players by their weight alone.

Final Thoughts

Maybe, just maybe, this game would hold my interest long enough to challenge my already very shapely body. And perhaps I might even learn a thing or two, which is always a plus in any fitness program we dedicate ourselves to.

Strength, Yoga, Aerobics, and Balance are all great aspects of personal training, and since I already practice Qigong on a daily basis, this just might possibly hold my attention long enough to make me stronger, faster, and so much more beautiful from the inside out!

Okay, I can understand merging servers if named servers have too low of a population to enable the best gaming experience. BUT… why is it taking so long to find my way to the new server???? Message says…

“This server had a very low population and has been merged with a higher population server. All of your characters and guilds now exist on the destination server. If the server select window shows that you have characters on this server then the process has not completed. Please visit the account management page for more information.”

Well then, I did visit the page and must be blind! I cannot find my destination server, and it has been two weeks since I first tried. I just want to play Warhammer. And I want to play on my Rank 12+ characters that I worked so hard to get lots of cool gear and level friendly ranks for!! I love to roleplay, and this was a roleplaying server. I do know it was not highly populated (which suited me just fine), yet I would like to see my characters transfered to a suitable server soon, so I can get my moneys worth.

Now that I ranted just the tiniest bit, I suppose I will have to contact support to get some answers to my dilemna asap. I figure I have been patient long enough. If I am missing something here, then I will just have to backtrack and correct this problem on my own… and it will be my bad. Otherwise, I hope to very soon be running around pretending to be a dwarf or a lovely elf on a mission!

Hmmmm… mayhaps I shall just have to play around with the dark side of my nature for a while until they clear up this mess. A dark elf just may be what I need to vent my feelings of abandonment… muahaha!

What a great feeling it is to log onto the net and explore to my hearts content. There is so much to see and do, that I am amazed with everything I am discovering. My daughter just had a birthday, and besides the usual mall trip, movies, and a day full of mom and daughter special treats, I got her a new computer. I love my computer (which is new as well), but I love hers even better!

Her computer is a slight upgrade from mine, and now we can play in the Virtual Worlds together. We have been waiting months to do this, as before we had to share our play time. Her computer just couldn’t handle the newer graphics. Now we can do what we want, and take our adventures to a totally new level! I am so excited, and after we finish our morning lessons (I homeschool my daughter), we are heading into the realms of Warhammer Online to begin our journey of questing in a land full of great new adventures!!

So far we are both happy with what we are finding in game at Warhammer. We like to roleplay a lot, as this is a great escape from the stresses of this world we live in. We also love to connect with family and friends, and the game serves to bring us together in a place where reality is quite different from that in which we wake to each day. Well then, I had better get to it and finish my work (which is really play), so we can jump into a new land just waiting to be explored!

Enjoy

I just love it when I discover something new on my most avid of interests. Of course, as the title of this blog implies, I am totally into all aspects of the Virtual realms! My friend Jordi over at Hiperia3D News (whom I have the utmost respect and admiration for) has a bit of information to share about the brilliant Richard Garriott, also known as Lord British, who is the creator of the Ultima series, among his many other accomplishments. You may visit Jordi’s post here… Richard Garriott On Motherboard: VBS.TV’s New Technology Video Series.

Having played Tabula Rasa, Richards first adventure into the realms of MMORPG’s, I can attest first hand to the amazing talents of Lord British (aka General British in the lands of Tabula Rasa). Although Richard and his team had to put Tabula Rasa aside for other projects, I strongly feel he will bring some very interesting Virtual fantasies to the table, to satisfy the adventurous spirits of those who feel as I do.

Well then, if you wish, you may visit Motherboad – Richard Garriott (a set of 3 videos) to get a glimpse into the magical wonders in the life of Lord British. He has an amazing array of objects he has collected over the years, and is a master of many inventions and innovations which dazzle the mind with the imaginative interplay of virtual realities and modern wonders. Enter the realms of the world of Richard Garriott who likes the quote by Arthur C. Clarke “Any technology sufficiently advanced is indistinguishable from magic”. I agree with this to a large degree, and feel the virtual realms are a wonderful aspect of Life. Bring on the wonders to fire up my imagination!

Okay, today I am going to treat my visitors to a little rant. I love to roleplay online. It is fun, challenges my intellect, and gives me the opportunity to morph into a different persona for a little while. Let’s just call it one of my favourite little escapes from a real world which can sometimes drive a girl just a little insane. This is how I balance out my Life, and I love it! My adventurous nature positively thrives on seeking new ways to add excitement to my lessons and teachings on this planet.

Well then, my greatest pet peeve in this area is when I run into non-roleplayers. Perhaps I should explain my distress… My current fantasy escape is Warhammer Online, as mentioned before on this blog. I chose a roleplaying server so I can enjoy what I love to do best with this sort of MMORPG. There are rules pertaining to the roleplaying server, so I feel people should abide by these rules and take their fun elsewhere if they either have NO IDEA what roleplaying is, or if they are just hanging around to bug the serious roleplayers. We pay good money to enjoy our experience!

Life tends to bring along some seriously messed up fools to make our paths just a bit tricky. Humans seem to believe their world is the ONLY world that matters, and it just feels good to mess up someone elses day. Luckily for me I am good at ignoring fools, and I know how to react in most situations while I go trekking along my merry way. It just bugs me upon occasion, and I would like to extent a heartfelt request out into the Universe asking the freaking non-roleplayers to find another server to goof off on!

Whew! Now that I have that off my chest, I am off to haunt the lands of Warhammer Online with my graceful, yet fierce persona. I have more than one role to play, so it is quite interesting to discover new aspects of my own nature as I travel through lands blighted with evil, and surrounded by deadly foes. I am a true roleplayer, and I hope to run across those of like mind upon my journeys.

Cheers!

Business uses of virtual world technologies continues to accelerate, especially in today’s economic climate. Engage! Expo (formerly the Virtual Worlds Conference) is the event for youth and young adult brands, media and agencies to meet and learn how to combine their existing online efforts with the unparalleled engagement opportunities and new revenue streams of attention-based media.

When and Where? March 10-11, 2009 in the Javits Center, New York, NY.

The event includes three tracks with more than 80 speakers. Keynotes include executives from FremantleMedia (American Idol) and Sulake (Habbo): Teemu Huuhtanen, President, North America, Sulake Inc. and David Luner, S.V.P. Interactive & Consumer Products, FremantleMedia Enterprises, just to name a few.

If you wish to get all the details about the upcoming Virtual Worlds Conference, visit Engage! Expo. Here you will find the way a whole new advancement in modern technologies. Virtual Worlds, Social Media, Toys, Games, and Virtual Goods. Advancing technologies at their finest. This is where the action is, so don’t miss it!

A mysterious island in the middle of the sea… After drifting along the precarious currents of a fickle sea, the survivors of a volcanic eruption behold a paridise which may hold hope for their survival. Follow the villagers and create your own adventures as you explore the mysteries of the island of Isola. This virtual land is sure to bring many hours of pleasure as one creates their own world in Virtual Villagers.

How is Virtual Villagers different from Village Sim?

Virtual Villagers is basically the desktop version of Village Sim. Since Virtual Villagers was developed after Village Sim, it has some additional features: 4 addtional puzzles, naming of villagers, more island events, likes and dislikes of villagers, mushroom hunt for children, new original music.

What is the difference between Virtual Villagers 1, Virtual Villagers 2 and Virtual Villagers 3?

Virtual Villagers is a chapter based game. The story is about a group of islanders that flee their island and land on the shores of a new mysterious island called Isola. Chapter 1 is the story of their new life on the southern shores of the island. Chapter 2 continues the story on the western shores and Chapter 3 will take place on the nothern part of the island. In all the chapters the villagers need to find ways to survive and slowly unravel the mysteries of this island. Virtual Villagers 1, Virtual Villagers 2 and Virtual Villagers 3 are all independent games (can be played without having played the other ones. They are though, connected by a common storyline.

Is there anything to do after all the puzzles are solved?

Virtual Villagers, like all of our real-time games, is designed to be open-ended. Each game has clear goals, but the games continue to go on and allow you to play as long as you like. The Island Events will continue to happen, which can dramatically change the way things are going for your villagers. Many people start over to try some new strategies, set some new challenges for themselves (like finishing the game without any villagers dying), or play the game on a different setting.

This game is rated E for everyone, and does cost a fee to play. Lost children and Secret cities? I like the look of it, and it should be quite entertaining for children who love to create and develop. The world play actually looks pretty funny, and there is a bit of humour to add to the game fun. It is quite colourful and the storyline seems interesting enough to keep people happy in their adventures through the island life of Virtual Villagers.