Saturday, December 30, 2006

Mordecai's Humongous Chain



Written 29 December, 2006

Mordecai’s Humongous Chain

Humongous. That’s a word I’ve always wanted to use in print.

And it is humongous. Mordecai Scaggs’ chain, that is.

Above his land, Mordecai is building a great chain with huge links running from the ground straight up into the sky.

I can’t tell you how impressed I am. It’s an absolutely futile and senseless endeavor. The chain serves no useful purpose. It’s absolutely nonfunctional. It takes up land and uses up prims.

I love that sort of thing.

Why? Because those qualities define art. And the chain is great art. It’s beautiful.

I read about the chain in Mordecai’s blog (see http://scaggslife.blogspot.com/2006/12/400-feet-by-midnight.html)  and IMed him to ask if he would show it to me. He did, flying me upwards in his steam-powered Edwardian hot-air balloon. He loves the balloon and calls it by name, but alas, I forget the name.

At the time of my visit, the chain stretched upwards from the ground to 500 meters.

We attempted to putt around the sim, but soon ran into difficulties, as some residents’ privacy barriers extended even above 500 meters. I was knocked off of the airship and crashed out of SL trying to get back to the chain (there was no losing it; it’s visible for miles).

I’ve not since had a chance to congratulate Mordecai. I did see him briefly last night at a concert, but he was tete-a-tete (sorry, no French accent marks on this keyboard) with his sweetheart Melissa, and I wasn’t about to intrude.

But he reads this blog, so Mordecai, well done! Well done, indeed!

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Photo 1: Mordecai’s great chain

Photo 2: Chey on chain tour. Mordecai is in the airship, but, typical for Second Life, is invisible.

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