Writing to you tonight from Memory Lane, which is to say the Tapestry of Time exhibit at SL18B (http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Impressive/19/128/24). If you’ve not seen it before, the Tapestry of Time is an enormous round with a display for every year from 2003 to the present. Each has a panel of fast facts, a photo display, the time capsule for that year, and a video; all of which recall important events and changes in Second Life that year. This year… *counts on her fingers* there are 19 displays.
I love this exhibit! Every year I end up going through it in meticulous detail. I read every factoid, watch every video, scan every photo, ooh and ahh over the old time capsules. I’m a sucker for this sort of thing. (I do the same thing in RL museums, driving any companions to distraction. As they’re trying to make their way to the gift shop or cafeteria, I’m still reading through the sixth subpanel below a display about some obscure side topic.)
For those of us who have been wobbling around SL for a while, there is a lot of interesting information here. Understanding how SL got to be the way it is may not have a huge impact on how you live it, but I think it helps you feel more involved. It may not be a coincidence that many of the AVs I encounter here are over ten years old.
Most years the center piece of Tapestry of Time is a gigantic clock. It has often been built to harmonize with the SLB theme for the year. This year is different. The hall is dominated by a statue in memory of Ebbe Altberg who we lost just a few weeks ago. This is entirely appropriate.
I think that it says something about SL that passing of its CEO feels like a personal loss not just to those who worked directly with him, but also to many residents in the SL community. I can think of no other company whose customers would be so affected by such an event. He will be missed.
Thinking Outside the Plywood Box 