Month: March 2021

Horrible, Funny, and Weird Clubhouse Stories: Imposters, Whale Moaners, and More

I had insomnia again last night, and I am feeling depressed again this morning, on a very grey, gloomy, and overcast day here in Winnipeg.

I finally gave up on trying to get more sleep, got out of bed, and lay down on the sofa early this morning with my iPhone, to check out what was happening in the hot, new, drop-in audio chat app, Clubhouse. People, things are starting to get truly weird.

This morning, at 7:00 a.m. CST/1:00 p.m. GMT, I listened to the London Lunch Club, where they were sharing Clubhouse horror stories. There were also some funny and weird ones that were brought up for discussion! Among the tales told:

  • Someone who hung around various Clubhouse rooms pretending to work for Atlantic Records (until someone who DID work for Atlantic Records called him out publicly)
  • Rooms where people would compete on who could make the best orgasm noises (but scroll down, people, it gets weirder…)
  • People who would take their (volunteer) Clubhouse room moderator status to another level, going into complete control freak mode, and attacking the other moderators in the room
  • People (mostly Americans) who come on stage and give their whole autobiography when introducing themselves to the room 😉 “Americans, please… comprehension skills.”

But Ravina Rawal has shared some truly serious Clubhouse weirdness via Twitter:

PSA: There’s a Whale Moan Room on Clubhouse in which everyone just moans (?) like whales (?) for hours. And now this room is in a MASSIVE fight with someone claiming he started the original Whale Moan Room. So now 1000 people are having a moan-off to settle it…

But, wait, it gets even better:

So I put up my hand, got up on stage in the London Lunch Club, and told the audience about the whale moan, cat in heat, and ice cube chewing rooms, and we all just HOWLED with laughter! There were about 60 people present, and it was a cheerful start to my workday (yes, I am “going in to work” today).

P.S. Clubhouse is invite-only and for iOS devices only (no Android version yet). If you are intrigued by all these shenanigans and want to experience Clubhouse for yourself, I still have one (ONE) invitation left to give out. If you want it, please leave a comment on this blogpost, or ping me via the Contact Me page on this blog, thanks!

By the way, the London Lunch Club has a hashtag on Twitter, #TLLCCH, which you can follow if you want (somebody investigated and confirmed my report on the battle of the whale moaners, and tagged Ravina’s tweet which I shared above).

This Winnipegger wants to thank the members of the London Lunch Club for a much-needed dose of hilarity this morning!

PHHHHWAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGHHHHH!!!!

UPDATED! Pandemic Diary: March 8th, 2021: “Are You Out of Your Godforsaken Mind?!??”

Today is Day 358 since I began working in self-isolation from my apartment for my university library system. Next week, on March 16th, 2021, it will be an entire year that I have been operating this way.

I slept so poorly last night that I took another yet sick day from my paying job, and so far, the only things that I have been able to accomplish by 1:00 p.m. today have been:

  • having a shower and making a pot of coffee;
  • going for a brief walk outside in the sunshine; and
  • creating a pile of 14 months’ worth of pharmacy receipts that I need to submit electronically to my insurance company.

Yes, fourteen months of pharmacy receipts (and please do NOT feel sorry for me; I have a 16-month window to submit pharmacy claims to my insurance company, and I have a well-paying, unionized job with excellent benefits, including pharmacy coverage, up to a certain point when the Manitoba PharmaCare program kicks in).

Yes, as a depressive, I have been avoiding this task for a long, long time, which of course, only makes it worse when I finally do attempt to tackle it (I am the same way about doing the dishes and cleaning my apartment). But I find it truly ironic that the most depressing part of being depressed, is going through the procedures that force you to face your depression, head on, such as submitting pharmacy receipts. I’d rather have a root canal than do this. But I have to face it.

As the coronavirus pandemic has dragged on, my chronic clinical depression has slowly and steadily gotten worse and worse. And, at the one-year mark, I now have to put all options on the table, including taking an extended sick leave from my paying job, something I would not have countenanced even a month ago.

I want to clearly repeat something that I have said before:

IMPORTANT NOTE: Although I suffer from a chronic form of clinical depression, I am not suicidal. I have every intention of living that extra quarter-century to age 80, and beyond! I have to live to witness and document what happens next in the ever-evolving metaverse! But I do need to get some practical matters settled. I hope you understand. 

Please don’t worry about me. I am taking good care of myself and coping with the current situation as best I can.

I am doing literally everything I can to take good care of myself (antidepressant and anti-anxiety medication, talk therapy, and leaning on my real-life and virtual world social networks). For example, on Sunday I held a one-hour Zoom call with the friends in my (currently suspended) Arts and Entertainment group, just to vent about the truly epic, roller-coaster twists and turns of the past couple of weeks, which was wonderfully therapeutic. I talk to many people, including professionals, about my problems. I take long naps. I listen to music. I go for walks. Every so often, I have had a good cry, and a good rage at the universe. Everything helps.

In the past, I have landed up in a hospital psychiatric ward for treatment of severe clinical depression twice (once after my marriage fell apart, and a second time after a textbook-classic case of hit-the-wall job burnout). So I need to pay attention to what is happening to me, rather than continue to put on a brave face and say that I am fine.

Today, I have been following the news media as they report breathlessly on every single possible aspect of Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan’s bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. And I am absolutely incandescent with rage at how people like Piers Morgan have the audacity to say that Meghan is lying when she says she was pushed to the brink of suicide because of her situation. One person tweeted:

WHEN SOMEONE TELLS YOU THAT THEY ARE STRUGGLING, BELIEVE THEM. I AM DONE WITH SUFFERING IN SILENCE. You will hear about it!

By the way, the only Piers Morgan footage that you need to watch is this clip featuring the magnificent Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, a Black woman who quite rightly took Piers to task for his response: “Are you out of your Godforsaken mind?!??”

God bless you, Dr. Mos-Shogbamimu, for daring to speak truth to power.

Anyway, I’ll keep you posted, one way or another, as to what happens over the next few months as I wait to get a vaccine in my arm, somehow, somewhere, somewhen, God knows when.

Please continue to keep me in your thoughts and prayers, and please stay in touch.

Thank you, and God bless.

UPDATE 5:23 p.m.: Well, I finally had a nap this afternoon to catch up on some badly-needed sleep, and I also had a good cry. And I’ve been listening to a great song by Amy Grant and James Taylor called Don’t Try So Hard on an endless loop:

Today has been a pretty horrible day for me, but I believe it will get better.

UPDATE 8:28 p.m.: Finally, some good news today! My mother called, and she and my stepfather (who are both in their eighties) have been able to make appointments to get their COVID-19 vaccines on March 21st. I am so relieved.

UPDATE March 9th, 2021: Today ITV announced that Piers Morgan is quitting his job at Good Morning Britain. Translation: he was fired, but Piers was given the option to say he was leaving rather than he was fired. Good riddance to bad rubbish!

UPDATED! Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: Bargains and Freebies for Female Avatars to Celebrate International Women’s Day

Have you joined the RyanSchultz.com Steals, Deals & Freebies group yet? I will be posting EVEN MORE news and tips on finding fabulous freebies and bargains in Second Life than I now post here on the blog! More information on this brand new SL group here.

Image source: the IWD website

International Women’s Day (Monday, March 8th, 2021) is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. I did a bit of hunting around, but I could not find any information on what events are taking place within Second Life to mark the occasion, as Inara Pey reported on the festivities held last year (if you do know what’s going on, please let me know!).

However, I do know that, to mark International Women’s Day, a couple of well-known Second Life stores are offering special gifts.

First up is Belle Epoque, where if you join their store group for only L$10, you can pick up this spectacular long gown (sized for Maitreya Lara mesh bodies):

There are five other group gifts you can snap up at the same time, as well as group gifts for several well-known freebie groups, so it’s well worth your time to drop by.

Here’s a pro tip on how to wear a ballgown with such a voluminous skirt: use an animation override (AO) which does not move your legs around a lot. There’s a perfect, FREE one on the SL Marketplace, called Chubby Girl AO by an animations store called [ImpEle] that has long since left the grid. Don’t let the name put you off; it actually has arm poses that put a bit of room between your arms and torso, and many simple, non-convoluted stands—just perfect for this ballgown! Simply add a hands-only AO for your Bento hands (don’t pay for one; you can get one for free from any of the freebie Altamura bodies at the various freebie stores in Second Life, see here for a list of where to find them), and you’re all set!

To celebrate International Women’s Day, AMUI is offering a free L$250 gift card good for anything in the store if you join their group for L$25, which I think is a good deal! There are also a couple of group gifts you can pick up at the same time, including an attractive IWD-themed top; just pay each vendor L$1 and your Linden dollar will be automatically refunded.

Here’s a close-up view of the vendor panel for the International Women’s Day top gift from AMUI, which comes in no less than seventeen different sizes! No matter what brand of mesh avatar body you are rocking, you should be able to find a size that fits you!

Happy International Women’s Day! If I hear of other freebies or bargains, or of any in-world IWD celebrations, I will update this blogpost. If you do know of something that I haven’t mentioned here (either a deal or an event), please leave a comment, thank you!

UPDATE 6:13 p.m.: Scandalize has announced a one-day, 50%-off sale of everything in the store, plus a new group gift of a fatpack of the sexy Ayseha lingerie set. Thanks to moonbubble for finding this!

UPDATE 8:18 p.m.: Ivy Qissentell (I just love that avatar name!) has told me about a couplr of dollarbie items for International Women’s Day that I wanted to share with you.

Loco Como Tu Madre is selling a pink women’s top with a design of women from various countries and walks of life for only L$1, and KAZZA is selling this beautifully detailed floral bouquet for one Linden dollar:

This lovely, resizable pink-and-white bouquet comes with a hold pose, and it has no copy/modify/transfer permissions, so you can buy it and give it to the special woman in your life!

Thank you for your tips, Ivy!

UPDATE March 8th, 2021: Hilly Haalan, a store which has always been among the most generous on the Second Life grid for its large number of free group gifts, has a brand new gift out for International Women’s Day, this complete outfit, which includes the shoes and handbag!

Simply join the Hilly Haalan group for free and click the panel. While you’re here, be sure to visit their Freebie store nearby, to vacuum up literally dozens and dozens of group gifts!

The Hilly Haalan freebie store

And here’s one final free gift for International Women’s Day from 7 Deadly S[k]ins, which you can pick up from the front counter of the in-world store (no group needed):

This Monroe skin comes in the pineapple skin tone, is compatible with Genus Bento heads, and comes in both system/Bakes on Mesh and an Omega applier version. Pick it up quickly, before the end of March 8th!

The Perks of Virtual World/Social VR Premium Memberships: Are They Worth It? What Do You Get?

Second Life (which I still consider to be the perfect model of the mature, fully-evolved virtual world that the companies creating the newer social VR platforms would be wise to study) has two levels of membership: Basic (free), and Premium. How Premium membership in Second Life works: for US$99 a year (or $32.97 quarterly, or $11.99 monthly), you get a set of benefits and perks over free, Basic user accounts:

Second Life Premium Membership (source)

VRChat is another platform that decided to offer a comparably-priced paid premium membership level last December, called VRChat Plus (which I first wrote about here). Now, upon first reading of the perks such a membership would offer me (see below), I was less than impressed (probably because I have been spoiled by all the goodies Second Life Premium memberships offer me in comparison).

Among the (relatively) small number of features for VRChat Plus users is the ability to set a user icon to display in a circle next to your user name:

But in conversation with Voices of VR podcaster Kent Bye last night via Zoom, he raised a point that I had hitherto failed to consider, Given my well-documented, one-man, scorched-earth campaign against Facebook and Oculus for, among other things, forcing Oculus headset users to get Facebook accounts and their toxic advertising-based business model which scrapes and strip-mines users’ personal data, why would I not support an alternative way for VRChat to earn a profit?

I stopped to think of what VRChat would be like with Facebook-like advertising, and I positively shuddered in revulsion. So this evening, I pulled out my credit card and ponied up for a VRChat Plus membership (US$99.99), so I now have the familiar “red Ryan” logo displayed next to my username in world (which has sort of become an icon for my brand, as I use it everywhere else, too). If it helps other users in VRChat recognize who I am, then I think it’s worthwhile.

My familiar “red Ryan” user icon

So, I have decided to do a quick survey of the major social VR and virtual world platforms, and find out whether or not they offer a paid premium service, and if so, what you get for your money.

Second Life

My alt Moesha Heartsong, sitting on the porch of her lovely Victorian Linden Home on the continent of Bellisseria (one of the many nice perks you get with your Second Life Premium membership)

Second Life Premium membership (currently priced at US$99 a year) offers you the following benefits:

  • A weekly L$300 stipend (basically enough to buy a nice outfit or pair of shoes for your avatar every week)
  • A L$1,000 sign-up bonus for first-time Premium users (can only be used once)
  • Priority entry when regions/sims are full of avatars (in other words, if a Basic user and a Premium user both try to get into a packed sim at the same time, the Premium user gets priority; this comes in handy at crowded shopping events, and I have made use of this perk often!)
  • A 1024m² virtual land allotment for use towards a nice starter Linden Home or a parcel on the Second Life mainland; this is another benefit I do take advantage of!
  • Expanded live-chat customer support (which I have used on occasion!)
  • Premium virtual gifts (frankly, kinda useless to me)
  • Exclusive access to Premium areas and experiences (such as building sandboxes)
  • Increased cap on missed IMs (which I never use)
  • Increased group membership limits (I make use of my groups ALL THE TIME! A freebie fashionista can NEVER have too many free group slots for store groups, freebie groups, etc. Basic accounts have 42 group slots, but Premium has 70;)
  • Voice morphing (never used it, myself; most SL users never use voice, anyways)
  • UPDATE 11:36 p.m.: Animesh (animated mesh) creator Medhue tells me that SL Premium members can attach two animesh items (e.g. pets such as Medhue’s delightful animesh cihuahua), while Basic members can only attach one.

Basically, I have three Premium accounts, with two lovely Linden Homes between them (which I think is the major benefit of a Premium membership). More group space and priority access to overcrowded sims are also perks I tend to use a lot.

Sansar

Sansar offers three levels of premium subscriptions (unchanged from when Linden lab owned the platform), which give you:

  • A 45-day free trial of the Marvelous Designer software (used to create avatar clothing in Sansar)
  • Purchase discounts on Marvelous Designer for when you do decide to buy it
  • An increase in the number of Sansar worlds you can create (frankly, I’m not sure most people bother beyond the free Basic account, which lets you create up to 25 worlds)
  • Expedited user support options

Sinespace

The Unity-based Sinespace virtual world/social VR platform, created by Sine Wave Entertainment, offers a truly overwhelming number of Premium levels to choose from:

Premium users can create larger regions/worlds, have a larger number of regions active at one time, and get priority support and user-created content processing and approval, among other benefits.

AltspaceVR

Surprisingly, Microsoft-owned AltspaceVR doesn’t seem to offer any premium accounts (that may change in the future, though).

VRChat

VRChat Plus offers you the following perks (with more promised soon):

  • A nameplate icon: With VRChat+, you can personalize your nameplate with an icon you create! Snap a pic in VRChat or upload your own image on our website.
  • You can send a picture with an invitation to a friend to join you at your location
  • Free slots for up to 100 favourite avatars (as opposed to 25 for basic users)
  • “A limited edition VRCat Badge to display on your profile” (Really? Really?!??)
  • A higher trust ranking in VRChat’s Safety and Trust System

As I said up top, this list is a bit sparse, especially compared to what Second Life offers (and yes, you can be an anime girl in SL, just as easily as you can in VRChat!), but of course, there’s zero VR support in Second Life.

Rec Room

Rec Room offers something called Rec Room Plus at US$7.99 a month, which includes the following benefits:

  • You get 6000 tokens (r6000) monthly, delivered in installments of r1500 per week
  • One four-star gift box per week
  • A 10% discount in Rec Room stores that accept tokens
  • Exclusive access to the RR+ section of the item store
  • 100 saved outfit slots
  • The ability to sell premium inventions/keys for tokens

NeosVR

NeosVR uses Patreon levels to hand out perks to various levels of paying users (more info). For example, at my current “Blade Runner” level ($6 per month), I get:

  • Access to private channels on the official Discord Server
  • Patreon supporter badge in Neos
  • Early access to Linux builds
  • Early Access to Patreon only content (exclusive experiences, work in progress experiences before they’re public)
  • A Neos Mini account with 25 GB of storage
  • Your name in the stars! (your name will appear in the sky in the Neos hub)
  • 30 Neos Credits (NCR) monthly, accumulates

(Note that there is an even less expensive level, the “Agent Smith” level, at just $1 a month. Please check out the NeosVR Patreon page for more details.)

ENGAGE

The ENGAGE educational/corporate/conference social VR platform offers a free, “lite” version, and a premium, “plus” version for €4.99 a month, which gives you space to save your presentations, among other benefits. (They also offer enterprise and educational rates on request.)

Blockchain-Based Virtual Worlds (Cryptovoxels, Decentraland, and Somnium Space)

Of course, the various blockchain-based virtual worlds sell everything using whatever cryptocurrencies they support (for example, a custom, non-randomly-generated avatar username in Decentraland will set you back 100 MANA, Decentraland’s in-world cryptocurrency (which is about US$36 at current exchange rates). It’s just a completely different model than the “freemium” ones offered above.

Thanks to Kent Bye for giving me the idea for this blogpost!