XTERN AND THE BIG APPLE

Compe Lockwood

We have all seen it, lived it, and been saddened by it. The latest and greatest in SL commerce— a store, club, organization, service, you name it. With much fanfare and razzle-dazzle, the adventure in cutting-edge cyber retail opens its doors… for about three weeks before boarding them shut.

Cheer up, oh failed brewer of fine pixels, for you are in good company. Many commercial entities, from corner shops to cornerstone skyscrapers, have turned mercantile majesties into mush. Far too many SL entrepreneurs’ dreams evaporate into orange smoke (and you thought that was slow rezzing).

There are the meek: an individual manufacturer of scripted objects; a housewife, dreaming of spare income breeding SL rabbits of renown; the corner pub with a dance hub that Lindy Hops no more.

They are the mighty: great computer companies; Pizza Hut; Starbucks; Automobile dealerships; and prestigious universities once had SL stakes here. Now they are folded and forgotten like a Santa suit in July.

Yet some SL businesses persevere and even thrive. They defy the odds and go where angels dare not tread— the ever rezzing streets and communities of SL business. How do they do it? What is their secret? We asked one.

Xtern is the owner/operator of Big Apple Entertainment. Some of Second Life’s top performers and deejays perform there.Music from romance to rock, jazz to Motown, blues to Latin, oldies but goodies. It looks easy by design, but don’t try this at home.

He runs his SL venues from RL experience. This club owner’s life is similar in both worlds. In Second Life, he owns Big Apple Entertainment with 48 venues. In the real world, he is a professional session/studio musician, composer, arranger, music director, and teacher with 44 plus years’ experience. An award-winning musician, Xtern continues to perform, tour, record, and teach from the U.S. to the U.K.

When he speaks about SL venue longevity, wouldbe owners should pay heed. Xtern knows what he is talking about and shares success secrets. Feel free to take notes.

Achievement starts with passion in real life endeavors, and the same is true for Second Life undertakings.

“I knew I could make a difference in someone’s life,” Xtern said, in a behind the scenes interview at NY, NY. “There are people here [in Second Life] with disabilities. They might be confined to a bed or can’t walk, can’t talk, etc. SL gives them the opportunity to walk, talk, dance, buy beautiful clothes, cars, planes, a big house, and more.”

His venues provide a welcome for those individuals with RL disabilities. For here, everyone’s the same. Xtern’s goal is to make a difference, and he does. But it takes work.

“Successful people do what unsuccessful people do not want to do,” he adds. “A successful person not only owns the business but will clean the bathrooms. In [SL], it’s the same thing.”

Big Apple Entertainment is not cluttered with managers, assistant managers, publicists, or other over staffed frills. “I do it all, from writing & sending notices to building,” he says. “I only have myself and two incredible hostesses, Evangelina & Tyger, and that’s it. We’re only open five days a week, one set a night; it’s all about keeping it fresh.”

Tyger has been a NY, NY hostess for many years. She mirrors Xtern’s philosophy: “We make guests feel welcome as soon as they arrive. We welcome people, tell them how to dance, make jokes about things, and keep the conversation lively.”

Tyger adds, “I am lucky to work with Xtern, one of the best bosses on the grid and with EvAngelina, a top-notch hostess.”

Other tips from club and business owners would seem obvious but is often ignored. You have to be there for every set, easy right? Be there— to keep your business fresh. Be there— to answer questions and address concerns. Be there— to say Hello. Xtern prides himself on being present at every one of his sets.

Ever notice when landing in a club or shop that is vacant with no signs of life, the owner is not there, either? Typically, a visitor leaves within three minutes because there’s not much to do in Death Valley. On to something else. Xtern is online almost every day. He answers IMs quickly. The same is not true for everyone else. Don’t be like everyone else. Second Life can still be the land of milk and cyber honey. Hopefully, more milk and honey seekers will realize that.

THE POWER OF THE VAMPIRE

COCO ST. GEORGE

It was late at night, and me and my buddy Matt had been drinking at the bar for several hours now. We had discussed every imaginable topic and eventually had come to one of his latest obsessions.

“The power of the vampire,” he told me, fixing his gaze on me as to highlight the seriousness of his words, “is that nobody believes they are real.”

I was aware he had recently read Bram Stoker’s Dracula because he mentioned it every time he could— virtually didn’t talk about anything else — but I never thought he had become a believer.

“Don’t tell me you believe now in vampires, ghosts, and goblins! Next, you’ll be believing in UFOs and conspiracy theories.”

“I will let those words pass because it’s your ignorance talking… if you only knew everything I have read!”

I was about to reply, but the bartender interrupted me to remind us it was almost closing time. I hate when it happens, mainly because I don’t understand why bars tend to close when the spirits are in their best mood, the drinks go down smoother, the snacks are tastier, and the guys look cuter. But discussing the house rules with the bartender made no sense, so we paid and left.

I came back home shortly before dawn, in a hurry to lie down to sleep for the day. But I had a terrible aftertaste and decided to wash first. Combined with the water, Matt’s blood eddied down the drain, and I thought it was a shame my buddy liked to drink a bourbon so cheap it tasted like moonshine. We all know there are no vampires in this world, so how did the myth come to be, and why is it so widespread around the globe? Modern science has some explanations for the origin of the myths of both vampires and werewolves, including symptoms of rabies and a little-known condition called porphyria.

The legend of vampires goes back to the Dark Ages, when the discovery of corpses with no sign of decay after weeks or even months of their deaths and fresh blood on their faces gave rise to the notion that those dead people were vampires who roamed all night long in search of blood. Human blood, of course. But now we know those signs might have been symptoms of rabies. Porphyria, on the other hand, is a condition that makes people hypersensitive to ligh, and, in certain cases, fosters the growth of hair on the face; it can also cause neurological attacks, such as trances, seizures, and hallucinations.

Knowing there is a down-to-earth explanation, though, hasn’t prevented people from believing in the supernatural origin of vampires. Besides, in folk mythology, the character of the vampire has been embellished with a lustful and passionate nature, which makes them irresistibly attractive. Nobody can resist their charms.

It was the Irish writer Bram Stoker who codified the legends and myths into literary form in his book Dracula, published in 1897. Thanks to him, we now know vampires cast no shadow and have no reflection on mirrors; they sleep by day in coffins; and they can be killed by driving a wooden stake into their hearts, turning their bodies into dust.