Hello 
I'm Siobhan Curran/Kisa Naumova, and this is my weblog. I tend to write about stuff like crossdressing, Macs, code, cats, wine and Second Life, but in general it's just an ongoing conversation about all sorts of stuff. If you'd like to know a little bit more about what this all is, I recommend starting on this page which has a little bit of info on who I am, and what I'm trying to do — or you could dive into my five years worth of archives if you like.
Otherwise, feel free to close this box and explore...
Behind the Scenes at the Microsoft Zune Design Laboratory
"Everyone always says our stuff looks like shit, right? So what happens if we make something that actually does?" — (via Daring Fireball 
)
Wired News: The Last of a Dying Breed
"'Connecting' online with people you never actually see face-to-face doesn't count" — hmm. I kinda disagree.
I wrote about this last week — I just don't understand why people partition their activities and declare of some, "this is real life", and then dismiss the rest as not-real. I suspect there is some simplistic idea about the goodness of nature at the root of it but I could be wrong. So far as I can tell it's all real.
Yeah I read back into your blog Stephanie and found your words on the subject. Sometimes simple ideas are the best ones. The idea I'm espousing is "physically being with people" as opposed to not. Its not a question of whether its real or not. Its about the reality of being social. You can have a fuck load of fun through the computer screen but you cannot "feel" life. Social software is still software. If you can't tell the difference it's because you've forgotten. Time to remember...
I also found a couple of other words on your blog...
"I’ve been in such a funny mood these past two weeks or so. Melancholy; sad inside; weepy and wistful. I can’t be bothered to do anything; I spend most of my time sat here idly clicking on the computer screen. I try to rouse myself but sink back into lethargy all too quickly. I don’t know what’s up with me."
"I’ve been feeling low these past two weeks — bored, restless, mired in self-pity — and so I’ve been spending a lot of time desultorily browsing through my links searching for something to cheer me up and pique my interest."
May I suggest that your feelings and activities are related in that your activities are the cause of your feelings not the product.
Here's a simplistic two-step idea for you — switch the pc off, go see a friend.
Hmm... At this moment, I'm split down the middle on that argument. I've been immersed in the online search for connection for the past two years.
Half-way through the Wired article, I already knew the point that Long was trying to make. In some ways, it put me on the defensive, wanting to justify all the time I've spent making acquaintances (possibly even friends) online. But in other ways, I was completely envious of "John".
Obviously, somewhere in the back of my mind there's this "ideal" existence that I'm striving for. Yes, I agree with you Stephanie. It's all real. Arguments to the contrary are just non-productive.
Me? I'm just looking for an existence that doesn't require justification.
jason
Here's a simplistic two-step idea for you — switch the pc off, go see a friend.
Well, I would, except I don't have many -and they're all too busy with "real life"!
I also found the Wired article interesting but, while I agree that physical interaction with other people is 'better', I don't think you can write-off all the other forms. Travel back in time a bit and you'd find that the 'pool' of a persons friends was limited by how far they could walk in a day. Later, when 'snail-mail' was king, 'pen-friends' became popular. Many of these friendships were deep and lasted a lifetime, often despite the fact that those concerned never physically met. For the first time, people could keep in touch over great distances. So now we have e-friends™ — people from anywhere in the world, and we communicate with them almost instantly. Like pen-friends, maybe we'll never meet; but the potential this interaction has for enriching our lives, by exposing us to new cultures, points of view and ideas should not be underestimated. OK, there is the danger that we'll immerse ourselves in our little bubbles, living vicarious half-lives like some kind of 'virtual voyeur'; but I think the system could become 'self regulating' in that, when conversations become: "What you been up to?" "Nothin', just surfin' the 'net. You?" "Same. God I'm bored!", then it's probably time to get out, smell the flowers and meet some meat!
P.S. "...our stuff looks like shit..."
Oh dear; I think I've wet 'em!
OMG
Not my most flattering look, but still 
A colleague accused me today of going on national telly "in a St. Trinians outfit". I had to correct her 
Eeeek, look out, Yentob's giving you evils!
Saw the clip via YouTube. Bravo! Instantly recognised that music too, it was from Four Tet's album Everything Ecstatic, track 2 — Smile Around the Face
IMHO,
"Real Life" is life outside of:
your room
your job
Because in the 1st one you don't exist in the eyes of others and in the second one you must not exist as you are in the eyes of the high ones.
Fab news about the BBC 1 slot. It really fantastic that your work (your art as well as your Second Life work) is getting exposure. Fucking A. Keep that momentum up — this a rare opportunity so make the absolute most of it. Can't wait for the YouTube clip as I don't have a TV!
Also — loved that Wired News article. Who doesn't know that I love to disagree — but that article raised some really important points which are very close to my heart...
"...It[s] really important for your balance and well-being to get out into the world in your free time and do something -- anything -- that doesn't involve some kind of software."
"We are social animals. We are meant to see each other, speak with each other, touch each other, smell each other."
Yep — what he said... every fucking time...