As you may know, the avatar known as Cubey Terra is old and grey. Eventually, the time comes when one has to set aside the business, sit back in the Lay-Z-Boy rocker-recliner, and put up the aching feet while enjoying a nice cold one.



As of today, I'm retiring as "commander" of Abbotts Aerodrome. It's been an amazing and enriching experience, engaging in almost unbridled creativity in Abbotts since February 2004. I'd like to send my thanks to Apotheus Silverman, co-founder of Abbotts, without whom the Aerodrome would never have been called into existence. Also I'd like to thank the mysteriously-absent Reitsuki Kojima, whose friendship and creativity was inspiring to me (where the heck are you??). And thanks to Chage McCoy, whose enthusiasm for the Aerodrome led to new aircraft, new security, and a piece of corporate artwork in the lobby that I can't begin to describe. Really, I can't describe it.

My corner of Abbotts will be empty for a while. When I figure out what to do with my massive inventory of aircraft and gadgets, I may build something new to leave there. I'll be around on occasion, though not very often. Although I won't be designing anything new, I plan to continue to sell Noir SkyLife skyhome kits (as Blanc Noir), and perhaps wander around as a tourist.

To all of the aircraft builders in SL, Abbotts Aerodrome has always been, and will continue to be, a centre for the development of cutting-edge aviation. I hope you'll all lend your support to the remaining members of Abbotts Aerodrome: Chage McCoy, Reitsuki Kojima, Apotheus Silverman, Rei Kuhr, and Arrekusu Muromachi.

Cheers!

Avast ye landlubbers, 'tis Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Arrr.

Link: Talk Like a Pirate Day

I have begun to take a more serious interest in my health and eating well. For example, I now try to park my car at least a couple of blocks away from the office for the exercise. And although I still don't eat breakfast, I take a moment to add half-and-half cream to my coffee, for the nutritional value.

At last! I've perfected the OUI -- the Olfactory User Interface!

Oops. Excuse me... I smell an e-mail arriving in my inbox.

My drive to the cubicle farm this morning was a smoky one, due to a massive fire that's burning out of control in the Burns Bog in Delta, BC, just southeast of Vancouver. The air smells and tastes like peat smoke, and ash is falling to the ground as far away as downtown Vancouver. As I crossed the bridge to Richmond, I saw the massive column of smoke that's rising from Delta. The very thing that has made peat such a valued fuel for thousands of years is going to make this one hard to put out -- they say that bog fires burn slowly, and underground, so that even if it looks like it's out, it may smoulder for weeks and even flare up again.

On the bright side, smokers stepping outside for a puff can spend less on cigarettes now.

Link: CKNW.com: Fire Threatens Portions of Burns Bog

When CTV reported on the event of Lucien Bouchard's death,

political expert Mike Duffy began eulogizing Bouchard, saying he had a "profound impact on Canadian history" before stopping.

It would have been a touching tribute... had Bouchard not been alive and well in his office at the time of the CTV report.

Later, Bouchard was heard shouting, "I feel happy... I feel happy!"

Link: CBC.com: CTV apologizes - Lucien Bouchard not dead

In today's lunchtime adventure, I bought myself a McD's "oriental" chicken salad. With the wilted green lettuce, Paul Newman salad dressing, and sliced up McChicken patty, it doesn't seem particularly "oriental" to me. Unless of course the plastic bowl was made in China.

This week Linden Lab opened up the Second Life 1.7 preview grid to volunteer testers. Although I'm thrilled with some of the great new features, like rotating attachments and the new HUD, that's tempered by the fact that most of my vehicles are currently "b0rk3d" by 1.7.

I'm sure it will be fixed before release -- well I hope it's fixed before release -- but at present, most moving parts on my vehicles will rotate in unexpected directions. For example, the Ornithopter's wings and stabilizers rotate right off the vehicle.

Also broken is the WARP and Infinity speed boost packs, as well as my parachutes. In any attachment where a part resizes, the part slides way out of position. Hopefully that will be fixed too.

But because I have so many vehicles, I can't test them all adequately by myself. I'm hoping people will pop into the preview and take one or two out for a spin, and maybe report new issues to me (by IM or e-mail) and report SL bugs to LL (Help > Report Bug).



You can find the test vehicles at Busy Ben's in Oak Grove. Just right-click the gigantic cube and "Buy" it for zero L$ to get copies of several vehicles and attachments. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Here's a traffic sign that I found near False Creek in Vancouver.



What is that? "Watch for trucks speeding towards walls"? I don't think it turns out well for the driver.