alpha.tribe island 2011

In the common law of negligence, the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur (Latin for "the thing speaks for itself") states that the elements of duty of care and breach can be sometimes inferred from the very nature of an accident or other outcome, even without direct evidence of how any defendant behaved.

I am being hugely cheeky by appropriating this term (vastly out of its original context, I hasten to add!) in order to describe one of my favorite play activities which involves text that creates representations which tell us what they are meant to symbolize - be it objects or concepts.

I use type in motion, brought about either through animated textures or virtual physics or through particle scripts, to signify "things" and "emotions."

So, are you looking for meaning, my avatar coterie ask their visitors? Oh dear... You are in the wrong place then aren't you? Because, you see, this is the island of...

Nonsense!

And indeed there is even a cube, which has variations of the message mapped onto its 6 surfaces - loud and clear!

And when you click on it - it rains down a whole bunch of other cubes!

A nice deconstructive mess!

And if you sit on one of them - hey you can ride back up into the sky!

Or you could of course wander off to the nearby relaxation area, after all your strenuous shopping...

Where nice cushy balls will tell you to relax... take the weight off... etc etc...

The wireframe Nascar race car is a gift from Hardwarehacker Hoch; and the submarine Desireé, (the fluorescent yellow tip of which can just be seen in the lower image) is a gift from wolfgeng Hienrichs.

In collaboration with Naxos Loon.

This venerable institution was founded in February 2011 and stayed at the disposal of Second Life avatars in need of its services until 2013.

The greeting text read as follows:

Welcome to the Dr. Nax Institute of Virtual Wellness! Do you have a tendency to take life seriously? Do the events around you have an all too great impact upon your well being? Do you feel that you have a mission in life? Do you think that you have been put upon this virtual earth for a deep a reason? Are you looking for “meaning”? Do you take yourself too seriously? Can you no longer laugh at yourself? We have good news and bad news!

If your answers are “yes” to the questions above, then the bad news is that you are suffering from the virtual epidemic “seriousness”. The good news is that you are now at the right place! In the right hands!

Dr. Nax’s treatment program has been developed through 4 years of devoted observation of metaverse behavior. His findings and research have led him to develop his unique regimen which involves personal as well as group therapy sessions, during which you will be able to bare your heart freely – and get whacked on the head for doing so! The doctor is available 7/24 through a carefully programmed chat robot based upon the famous ELIZA Rogerian psychotherapy system! Please lie down on the couch and start to talk. Dr. Nax will lead you with probing questions which will very quickly bring you back to your (non)senses!

However, the therapy sessions are not the only aid at our disposal: Throughout his time in the metaverse the good doctor has also collected a vast repository of therapeutic instruments which are now being put at your disposal at this very location. This is by no means a random collection of so-called “freebies” but an immensely valuable resource, hand picked precisely for its effectiveness in curing delusions of “seriousness” of all descriptions. If used in the prescribed manner (further instructions in the purchase boxes. Please read very carefully!) much benefit will be attained quickly – and painfully!

May you have many wonderful, frivolous, silly, off-the-wall, haphazard, serendipitous days in the metaverse!

Naxos Loon and Alpha Auer