(OOC / IC) Caledon Wellsian project

(OOC) I was contacted early Sunday by Desmond, seems he had a project for me. I port over to the new Wellsian sim (still being terraformed / tweaked) and see a HUGE gap / inlet. Turns out, we needed a railroad bridge. Per Desmond, something big, solid, and eye catching....and in 25 prims or less. I did it in 29...and Des squeezed out 4 more prims for the overage.

(IC) Hrm, a telegram from the administrator of Caledon Rail. A project for Caledon National Rail? In the rugged Wellsian mountains? Interesting.... With vastly limited resources? How unsurprising.... However, I take this as a challenge and I am not one to turn down a challenge of this nature.

Travelling to the newly surveyed Wellsian Province, I assessed the ruggedly mountainous nature of the site and determine that special materials (megaprims) will be required for the building. After acquiring the required specialized oversized steel beams, I conducted a second survey to determine the exact location of the railway roadbed. Completing this preliminary work, I began the task at hand. The rail administrator wanted something rather stylistic, so I designed bridge for appearance as well as utility.

In design, the bridge is a custom hybrid suspension-support design. The steel superstructure is composed of a series arcs and circles (in fact, I am told part of the upper part resembles a stylized and rounded 'W' for Wellsian. I daresay, this was NOT intentional on my part, perhaps it was a subconscious thought? Perhaps it was just manner in which the arcs intersected?). The reinforced steel deck is supported by suspension rods from the superstructure in addition to an upward curving steel substructure for it to rest on. Both ends are anchored into solid stone piers, built deeply into the solid rock of the Wellsian Mountains.

In the end, the bridge presents an appearance both solid (the decking, substructure and anchor piers), yet airy with the great arcs of steel above. I am quite satisfied with the final outcome of the project, based on feedback from the CR administrator and local residents who have visited the build site.

(OOC) Tentatively resuming activity.

I spoke with Desmond the other night. I can see his point to why he is leaving voice activated. Linden labs is screwing the admins harder than the players on this one.

For the players, they merely crippled text interface with the new communications center in order to try to force us to voice, so they can claim it to be a 'success'.

For admins, they defaulted voice to ON until December even on private sims....after saying it would only be on the mainland. Basically they are handing out free voice-crack on private sims to the short-attention-span illiterates attracted by the opening of registration (thanks again, King Philip!), hoping THEY pressure the admins into paying for voice on private sims, which most seem not to want to do. Rumor also has it this is a way to force admins to from the grandfathered class 4 machines to the pricer class 5 machines. Really, really shitty behavior, LL...you've never been good with truth and decency, but even YOU should be ashamed. And Zee Linden needs to be beaten severely and run out of town like the beancounting scum he is.

I sympathize with Desmond and I consider him a friend...he has turnover, so in a year, there may be less than 1/4 original inhabitants, the rest being new and having no experience with pre-voice. He sort of has to do it, or risk having issues filling plots and meeting tier.

So, since this is not really what I thought it was, Desmond making a good position statement and backing out, but rather the future stability of Caledon after he gets screwed by LL, I decided not to add insult to injury by pulling out and sticking him with potentially unrented land. it takes a lot for me to back down, but this time I am going to do so, in the interest of not harming others. Now granted, I have lost a TON of interest in SL, due to being second-class as a text user, so I will not be around as often or as active...I've actually started slowly returning to my roots, taking up the Wizard position I had abandoned on one of the old-text-based MU*'s. Its rather exhilirating, all text, being a master programmer once again (instead of an LSL hack).

Anyway, the stores are up and opened once again. Myhouse is back in place....still not sure if I am going to replace the Masonic Lodge build in Caledon I, build a factory to show off my machine shop and steam engines, or sell the plot outright (I have an interested party eyeing the prims). Not sure at this time, going to leave it blank until the weekend, then decide.

(OOC) Goodbye Caledon! (and possibly SL)

This has been a rough last two days. With the advent of voice, the usual ration of verbal grief I catch when outside of Caledon and not in a fur sim (due to my Avatar's appearance) has NOW grown to include people verbally assaulting me for not being voice enabled. I knew this was coming, having been thrown out of one EQ2 and 2 WoW guilds when the voice users, aka illiterate AOL chat-roomers, grew to outnumbered those who could type, it was expected. I even had a plan!

I HAD planned to retreat to good old Caledon. Being a semi-RP and themed area and having spoken to the sim owner when voice was first announced by LL and told it would not be enabled there, I thought it would be possible to continue in SL, albeit with a drastically reduced area of access. I was DEAD wrong.

I find out that voice is ON in Caledon, and according to one of the stewards to which I spoke, will remain on. Then I found posts by the sim admin over on the septic tank forums (Second Citizen) saying how if its not too expensive when LL starts to charge, he'll pay for it himself. Nice 180 from a few months ago. :( I went home and immediately tore down all my builds in Caledon...they are just empty plots now...and, as soon as I learn what the going rate is in the four sims I own land, will be selling my holdings.

If you know the going rate for land in Caledon, Caledon Highlands, Port Caledon and SteamSkyCity, please let me know so that I can efficiently liquidate. I do not really want to leave, having been a founding resident of the third sim (Highlands) and heavily invested in the area/theme, but I see no other choice...I cannot and will not PAY Desmond to be a second-class citizen in Caledon. :(

I hear New Babbage did the right thing. They voted, it was NEARLY unanimous to turn voice off and that is what Mayor Sprocket did. Perhaps THEY can use another inventor who is fleeing the coarsening of community due to voice? I don't know....if I can't find a place to live without voice, looks like I will be leaving SL.

Anyway, to those Caledonians sticking it out, good luck and godspeed...and better get those damned microphones ordered now! :(