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…

Barbie Girls is a place for girls to connect with each other online in the Barbie Girls Virtual World. They can stimulate their fashion senses by styling their own Avatar, decorate their Virtual Room, and earn “B Bucks” for playing various games. Barbie Girls also allows you to walk around with your avatar and meet other members and chat with other girls in a controlled environment.

The site can be a bit slow to load, but the different areas are colorful and imaginative. The games are standard fare and girls can view videos featuring their favorite Barbie™ movies. She can also enjoy an enhanced Barbie Girls® experience with a V.I.P. membership, which would grant her access to exclusive areas, allow her to adopt virtual pets, “spend” B Bucks®, and play a number of great members-only games.

Did someone say fashion and boys all the same sentence? Two of the hottest subjects of most girls, so this Virtual World just may have some kind of special appeal to those girls between the ages of 8 – 15.

Cost: Free for basic membership, $5.99/month for VIP (multi-month discounts available)

As always, our kids safety is top priority. Please always remember to visit a site with your child to decide if it’s the best site for your family rules and values. Although the best of safety measures have been incorporat

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Moviestorm. All opinions are 100% mine.

As I teach my daughter her academics from home, I am always on the lookout for new ways to spice up our curriculum. She is really into writing stories, taking pictures, and putting slide shows together to share with family and friends. This is an art in itself, and when I showed her Moviestorm she got pretty excited! The timing is perfect, as we were looking for a cool movie maker that carries more features than our basic windows movie maker, and we decided to check this out.

My daughter has a project planned for our Artistic Expressions class, and I am interested to see what she can do with this software. She is totally into fantasy, so I imagine she can put her talents to the test with a great plot using her imagination, with colorful characters, animation, and totally cool sets to grab the viewers attention.

We were happy to discover that it is free to download the software, create avatars, and so much more. It sounds great, even for beginners, as it takes no experience to get started. The basic setup is free, yet we do have the option to pay for additional characters, animations, and props. This can definately serve to take a persons creativity to a whole new level!

Basic Features

~ Get going quickly with our library of ready-to-use stock sets, including interiors, exteriors, and even spaceships!
~ Customise the stock sets or build your own from scratch
~ Save your sets and re-use them in other movies
~ Buy more props and sets from the Moviestorm store

Customization Options

~ Use the customisable complete buildings or assemble your own
~ Tintable textures for walls, floors and ceilings
~ Fully animated doors and transparent windows
~ Add your own images to pictures, posters, etc.
~ Resize, modify and recolour props to create unique variants
~ Place props at any angle – no square grids!
~ Add videos to TV and computer screens
~ Animated textures bring props to life
~ Multiple skies give you night, day, sunset, etc
~ Add lens flare from the sun
~ Fully controllable ambient and directional lights
~ Add extra lighting with on-set lights, including streetlights, table lamps, moving spotlights, lasers, and concert lighting rigs
~ Switch shadows on or off for different effects
~ Add background sounds and sound effects
~ Quickly create unique sets by pasting photographic images onto backdrops
~ You can change your set, even in the middle of making a movie

Advanced Features

~ Greenscreen floors and backdrops make it easy to combine Moviestorm footage with other video sources
~ Share your stock sets with other Moviestorm users
~ Import items from Google Sketchup (requires Modder’s Workshop – currently in beta)
~ Create your own props and set dressing using standard 3D modelling tools (requires Modder’s Workshop – currently in beta)

Yep, it is about time I stepped out of a Virtual Reality that was dragging me down. This Life is as virtual as realities can be, and we can create a journey of our choice, whether we know it or not. I have decided not to let circumstances cloud my focus, so I may place my feet on the best Path to move forward in a positive way. I have been totally distracted, and therefor my forward progress came nearly to a complete stop. I know how to turn this around, so that I do not become my own worst enemy.

Does this make sense? If you have ever found yourself so far off base from where you thought you would be in this time of your Life on this planet, then you know what I am talking about. And we all know how Life can knock us for a loop when we least expect it. I simply refuse to stay down, or get turned around, no matter how messed up some things appear to be in any given moment.

My blogs have suffered, and therefor my creative nature has been curbed to the point where I am ready to burst free, and let go of the things that are holding me back. Change my way of thinking, and my world will evolve accordingly. I have been doing this all my Life, so I am no novice when it comes to placing a positive spin on any situation. I have always been given what I need to survive and thrive in this World.

Sometimes I just slip a little and forget how to find my way. I remember again, so I am ready to give this Journey all I’ve got, and bring my best self forward.

Virtual Realities and Worlds provide a way for people to interact in a social aspect, without having to travel too far to meet new people. I do love the outdoors, and am quite active, yet I also love to meet others through virtual avenues.

My daughter is so very close to entering the Teen Scene, that I really need to pay attention to the latest trends in technologies concerning the social spheres. In comes Teen Second Life – a 3D virtual world created by you and for you – where you can join Teens from all over the globe. Create, learn new skills, start a business, meet new people… it’s your world, your imagination.

What is Teen Second Life?

Teen Second Life is an international gathering place for teens 13-17 to make friends and to play, learn and create. In Second Life, teens can create and customize a digital self called an “avatar,” fly through an ever-changing 3D landscape, chat and socialize with other teens from all over the world, and build anything from skyscrapers to virtual vehicles. It’s more than a videogame and much more than an Internet chat program – it’s a boundless world of surprise and adventure that encourages teens to work together and use their imaginations.

Who is Teen Second Life for?

As stated above, be a part of a Global Community of teens aged 13-17. Only teens between the ages of 13 and 17 are allowed in (there is a separate version of Second Life for adults) so other than Linden Lab’s staff, Linden Liaisons, who are there to make Teen Second Life a safe and pleasant place to be, teens will interact with other teens their own age. Occasionally we may bring in teachers for special educational projects as well. When that happens we will always let residents know who they are and what type of project they’re working on.

Features

Build what you like, explore as you prefer, communicate across platforms with who you choose, fashion a persona to your exact specifications. All Teen Second Life features are designed to offer its users the most open-ended, customizable experience of any online world on the market. No restrictions or arbitrary guidelines imposed by the developers—only the tools and resources to build your own vision of a better world.

Who makes Second Life?

Second Life is developed by Linden Lab, a company founded in 1999 and based in San Francisco. You can read all about us at www.lindenlab.com. Linden Lab provides the technology but the Second Life residents themselves are the ones who really help shape the world and make it unique.

Get Involved!

I know, kids really hate it when we stick our noses into their business, but it is our job, right? It is up to us to pay attention and stay involved, to a certain point, and make sure our teens are socializing with safety in mind. We don’t need to go too far, and take away their fun, but we do need to stay aware and be certain they keep their wits about them as well. Also, this shows we truly care about them, without taking away all of their independence. If we are open with our interest and concerns from the start, they are less likely to venture off into parts unknown that may carry hidden dangers, whilst hiding their activities from us.

My daughter knows to trust my advice, as I treat her with respect, and offer her the benefit of the doubt in her own judgement. I have taught her well, and when faced with a tough decision or possible dangerous situation, she trusts me to help her out. This kind of open communication keeps her safe, and gives me the peace of mind to allow her the space to learn and grow, while socializing with the wider world.

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!

Virtual world educational environments may not have yet replaced real classrooms, but they are becoming quite integral to the future of education, say the organizers of the 2009 Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference to be held in Second Life, March 27-29. Conference keynote speakers and panels will focus on how virtual world environments can help today’s learners become all they can be, while helping to build the work force of tomorrow.

As this is a Virtual event, it is quite simple to attend. For more information about this fantastic opportunity to catch a glimpse of what the future holds in the Virtual Realms, visit The Education Conference Website.

The three-day conference will be an opportunity for virtual communities from around the world to showcase projects, courses, events, and present research that lead to best practices in education. From presentations on the architecture of designing a virtual classroom and campus to projects that engage middle school students with math, science and languages to the award-winning 3D-Wiki technology created in Second Life used to design a medical clinic in Nepal, the VWBPE conference is dedicated to furthering the creation of innovative, interactive and immersive environments.

Keynote speakers and panelists for the conference represent a wide range of institutions, leading universities as well as K-12 school systems that use Second Life as part of their educational programs.

Hmmmm… I think it is really about time we jumped into the 21st Century as far as education is concerned. Why waste all the time and energy traveling back an forth, let alone taking up space that can be better used, when we can educate ourselves from the comforts of our homes? Socialization isn’t a problem either, as we can connect either virtually with our friends and family (near or far), and will have more time to get together in person to experience Life. Seriously, we need to advance our realities to catch up with the times.

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

As the world changes, growing into a dynamic and technological force in which the internet will play a leading role, it is interesting to track the Virtual applications being employed as they develop. We are entering a phase of develpment in which virtual realities will serve many purposes from expanding our imaginations, to providing virtual productivity in the realms of commerce. The internet is creating powerful ways to connect, and the Virtual Worlds are going to change the way people do business.

So let’s take a look at one such Virtual system which caught my eye with the power it represents.

Virtual Greats is the world’s leading virtual goods sales and distribution system, connecting celebrities, artists, content creators, IP holders, and luxury brands with a new generation of fans through the online trade of likenesses, fashion, catchphrases, and other virtual representations of real-world talent. Based in Los Angeles, Virtual Greats is affiliated with Millions of Us LLC, an agency specializing in virtual worlds and large online communities.

Our three product lines of Artists/Celebrity, IP Holders, and luxury brands, create virtual world extensions of the names and brands we love in real life. By licensing well known movie stars and characters, singers, sports leagues, and consumer brands, Virtual Greats opens a new sales channel previously unavailable before. It’s our goal to bring the clothes, accessories, and likeness of our partners to the virtual world and social network user base, while generating a new and scalable revenue stream.

Are you ready to step into the future and embrace the life of living virtually? Truly I am excited with the advanced technologies that are being revealed and improved. Imagine what the future will bring, as we are still in the infant stages of Virtual applications. Although I love the great outdoors, living in a Virtual World sounds pretty cool, and is a great way to stimulate my huge imagination while giving me new ways to express myself. Welcome to the wonderful Virtual realities on planet Earth.