[HMDS] The Global Kids Island Launch Party
Kim and I came up with the plans for the party. During the SuperBowl, of all times, we would open the island to any and all visitors. We would lead people on guided tours of the essay contest and show off the island.
While the Magicians shared the plans with their contacts, and made a posting in the events section of the official SL forums, I worked on adding other material to the island about Global Kids, outside the contest/volcano region. I made a giant book about Newz Crew, our youth-led online dialogue in conjunction with the NewsHour on PBS. I prepared the first Holy Meatballs.
I needed help, however, with X-pressions, out photo program. I didn't have the time, nor the ability, to prepare the students’ work properly. So I returned to my social network made the previous month and checked in with those who had offered to help. Rhiannon Chatnoir, whom I had met ice fishing, was delighted. She said she would be delighted to put something together.
I asked for something that was only possible in SL. I encouraged her to think outside the box. "I can see some exploratory experimental garden that when you click on plants photos pop up. I can see needing to click on something to lie down and the images get projected on clouds that float by." I left the rest to her.
As always, I was amazed by her generosity. Not only was she donating her time, but the work would go to the teen grid, where she would never see it again. In addition, she would make a giant book of the photos, so teens could take with their own copy.
I visited her late one linden night as she was preparing the book. That's when I met Armath, the boy napping in the photo. Armath was the first person to "graduate" from the teen grid. When he turned 18 the Lindens threw him a big party INSIDE a cake then transported him, with all of his inventory, to the main grid, with no option to return.
Rhiannon introduced him as "Armath, the infamous lost boy of the teen grid." We had a lot to talk about, as we shared things in common. We are both grid bridgers. He went from the teen to the main grid, while I was set to tread the same path in reverse.
Armath brainstormed ideas about how he could help with the party and landed on the role of DJ. It turns out he had the knowledge and equipment to pipe a live music feed into the island and include his voice as well. After changing a setting to associate the land with the feed, anyone visiting would be able to listen to any song he played and hear his voice between them.
More importantly, it meant guests would all hear the same sounds, creating a shared aural space to occupy, further reinforcing the feel of a party. Armath said he would provide a space to dance as well. Why people would make their avatars dance, I didn't understand, but at this point I was accepting all offers.
Sunday arrived and the party was a big success. For over four hours, with Armath DJing, Kim giving tours of the volcano region, and Rhiannon completing the X-pressions build, over 80 people visited during the brief window the island was open.
I gave tours as well, loading people up in innertubes while I, paddling backwards, narrated our way around the island. The tubes were branded Global Kids, a sort-of completion present from the Magicians after they read the first Holy Meatballs and saw how much I loved them. I also took people around on a sail boat.
Rhiannon, having finished the photo build, proudly shows of all she collected: the GK T-shirt, the translation ring, the iguana, and the ruby amulet.
All sorts of folks came. A reporter from Wired. A MacArthur Foundation program officer. Even Kim's mom.
And after touring the volcano region, exploring the island, and marveling at Rhiannon's build (each student had their own giant flower pot, each leaf a photo), there was nothing left to do but dance.
Maybe someday I will understand why, but as soon as we started dancing I couldn't stop. It was infectiously fun. It was certainly enhanced by the dance floor with its changing colors and the Star ax’s wand enhancements - balloons, a rainbow, a flying pig - but simply hearing the music and selecting a dance sequence for my avatar was incomprehensibly addictive. I got to pick from moves with names like Club Dance 2, The Butt Shake Dance, Celebrity Walk, and Clog Dance
And I wasn't alone. Everyone dancing was having a blast. In fact, Armath kept telling us it was the last dance... and then we'd keep on going. What DJ is going to stop the music when the people keep dancing!
