We arrive, walk around, look around, take a couple of pictures.

Looking East.

On top of our neighbor's land on the East hovers a grey cloud. Since it's placement in that spot about two months ago, it emits a constant amount of precipitation. Still, plants and ground that are exposed to the heavy rain are unchanged in their outer appearance. The ground is neither muddy nor moldy, the plants don't grow, nor do they rot. Sometimes, depending on the direction of the wind, some rain falls on the dumpster.

Posters from some time ago

a hippo parent

We edit appearance and put on whatever wearable pops up in no particular order in our inventory. By just dragging random items on random body parts that accept attachments (snake skin as whole body skin, shirt on upper body, frog eyes on eyes, pig tails on head, belt buckle on hip, earrings on left ear, shades on nose, fire on right foot, penguin on stomach, camel on leg, etc…) we quickly over do it and start to look and feel disturbed. But who knows…may be the fire that comes out of our shoes as some yellow half translucent flickering animation will flame off the garbage.

We turn around and drop some trash. It's a bed.
We take a picture of it.

Then we touch it. Then we grab the bed. We don't have to walk around to look at it from it's side. We just turn it around. We remind ourselves, that we could not do that so easily with a real bed. We conclude then this must be a small bed. It's a little girl's little doll's bed. But no. In relation to our body height, it seems to be the right size. So may be it's a real size paper model of a bed. But why paper? It could be super light plastic too. What is that bed?
We take it apart. The mattress is an elongated, flattened box seamlessly covered with a green texture that resembles a green bed sheet, except it's really stiff. The folds don't flatten out. It does not move a bit. The bed is clearly dead. We think of autopsy. Autopsies are performed to find out either how the body is constructed (for medical research), or who or what killed it (forensic research). We continue to take the bed apart. We enlarge the individual parts and attach the decay script to some of them. It occurs to us, that the decay script will animate the bed. Probably for the first time. Before it was just a dead bed. Now it's one that shrinks. The opposite of a plant that grows.


This happens with almost every object we find on the dump. Each part we disassemble we enlarge. We ask ourselves: Why? We answer ourselves: to prolong the life span of the part (as bigger the object as longer it takes to decompose). Also, we add, we do this to get a better look at the details, to really see, what this bed is made of. We work with the same intention as people who examine things under a microscope. The only difference is, that they enlarge the details through a special lens. We enlarge the details (physically) by blowing them up - solidly. We “pump” more of the same matter into the object. We stuff more mattress filling and add more bed sheet in order to enlarge. It's like being at an amusement park, where visitors are encouraged to feel like dwarfs, because everything around them is out of scale. A soda bottle looks like a skyscraper. But is that a good example? Aren't there already skyscrapers that look like soda bottles? Real ones, with real people living on the 91st floor bottle neck apartments? They don't feel like dwarfs. They rather feel like giants.
Why don't we just zoom in to see things bigger? It's just a habit that comes with a world where materials don't mean much.

If a prosector takes apart a body and puts its organs, bones, hair, skin, etc into various containers, he will reach the point when the remains, that lay in front of him can not be identified as a body anymore. To prove this, the prosector asks the cleaning lady that arrives at the end of his work day:
“What do you see in front of you?”
“A dirty dissection table.”
Obviously, there is no body anymore. It's gone.

Since we don't have a cleaning lady, (or because we work as each other's cleaning lady) we ask ourselves:
“What do we see?”
“A picture of some pieces that have been stuck through each other.”
The picture is always there. Even though we took it apart. It's invulnerable.“
“Why again?”
“Because there is no Third Life yet for things that die in Second Life.”
“That's pretty deep for such a flat world.”

How to proceed from here? “Shall we get a drop cloth, lay it on the table, lay the computer screen flat onto it, get some breathing protection mask and some formaldehyde, some white gloves, some glass containers, labels, permanent markers, set up a video camera on a >try pot< (tripod), adjust the lighting, put batteries in the external microphone, take a box cutter, cut out parts of the screen, zoom in on the flat screen gel, re-shoot the details, put them into containers, preserve them, label them, compare them, keep trying to understand, edit the video footage, show it to people, have them explain what they think this means, WHY we were are thinking about this bed in the first place?”

We move it up high in the air and attach gravity to it. It falls down, bounces on the ground, and then slowly falls on it's side.

That's where we leave it.

Whooter Walworth had left a birthday table with ballons

- and Star Paule dropped a box with brown slippers right at the landing point. This spot starts to look like a real dump. Upon teleporting to the dumpster, one's avatar is surrounded by empty boxes, some of them still showing their previous content, some reveal their former content only through the title.

Later when we returned to the dumpster, Relder Waco and Scott Kunke were there,

trying to solve a problem Relder had with his Fairy.

<hi #DAA520>[22:04] Fairy: hi Tempo Strom :)
[22:04] Tempo Strom: hi fairy
[22:04] Fairy: hi Tempo Strom :)</hi>

They were looking for a solution on how to get rid of the fairy. Relder had deleted her a couple of times, but to no avail. The result of his efforts was that he ended up having a pile of fairies in his inventory, but the one sitting on his shoulder, wasn't leaving him.

<hi #DAA520>[22:05] Scott Kunke: lol
[22:05] Fairy: lol.
[22:06] Scott Kunke: shoot the fairy
[22:06] Fairy: You called ;)
[22:06] Tempo Strom: is the fairy a parrot?
[22:06] Fairy: You called ;)
[22:06] Relder Waco: dam fairy cant get rid of it - it keeps coming back
[22:06] Fairy: You called ;)
[22:06] Scott Kunke: kill it !!
[22:06] Fairy: hehe. funny
[22:06] Tempo Strom: that's funny. what can the fairy do?
[22:06] Fairy: You called ;)
[22:06] Scott Kunke: its a pest
[22:07] Relder Waco: looks like it is a pest now
[22:07] Tempo Strom: you can't detach it or dump it here?
[22:07] Relder Waco: no it is not attached
[22:07] Tempo Strom: or, can you attach the decay script to it?
[22:07] Relder Waco: have tried delete and take but it keeps coming back
[22:08] Scott Kunke: kiss
[22:08] Fairy: XOX.
[22:09] Relder Waco: i now have 10 copies of it - it keeps going to inv or trash</hi>

<hi #DAA520>[22:11] Relder Waco: /left
[22:11] Fairy: I will fly on your left :)
[22:11] Tempo Strom: let's see if it starts decaying
[22:11] Relder Waco: ok
[22:12] Relder Waco: /stay
[22:12] Fairy whispers: I must stay here :(
[22:12] Tempo Strom: try walking around if it still follows
[22:12] Relder Waco: just stopped it from following
[22:13] Tempo Strom: ok, what a sad sight, a decaying fairy
[22:13] Fairy: You called ;)
[22:13] Tempo Strom: i have to take a photo</hi>

<hi #DAA520>[22:14] Tempo Strom: still taking a photo brb
[22:14] Fairy: Don't go !!
[22:16] Scott Kunke: FUCK, FUCK, FUCK A DUCK, SCREW A KANGAROO, GANG BANG AN ORANGUTAN, AN ORGY AT THE ZOO!
[22:17] Tempo Strom: what did you say scott? a nursery rhyme?
[22:18] Scott Kunke: nothing playing with gestures</hi>

Relder, Scott and Tempo leave the fairy decaying by itself and started trading some new gadgets. Relder and Scott both had keyboards showing up in front of them when they were typing. Tempo wanted one, too.

<hi #DAA520>[22:22] Tempo Strom: you remember dunn bing who used to come here quite often? I asked her once if she had ever seen a mirror in SL.
[22:23] Relder Waco: yes have not seen her
[22:23] Tempo Strom: she hasn't been back since a couple of month, disappeared from one day to the other.
[22:23] Fairy: It's a lovely day!
[22:24] Tempo Strom: So she could never tell me if she had seen a mirror. have you seen one?
[22:24] Relder Waco: no
[22:24] Tempo Strom: or you scott?
[22:24] Scott Kunke: no
[22:24] Tempo Strom: i wonder if there is somewhere a mirror.
[22:25] Tempo Strom: I mean objects reflect the sun
[22:25] Relder Waco: hummmmm let me ck - i have a connection
[22:25] Tempo Strom: I would be interested.otherwise it might be like with the vampires, you can't see them in a mirror either i believe</hi>

<hi #DAA520>[22:31] Relder Waco: the scripters say that they don't know of a way to make a mirror - only with the camera
[22:31] Tempo Strom: so everything is possible except a mirror - with a camera?
[22:32] Relder Waco: that is what they say
[22:32] Relder Waco: the pest is decaying :}
[22:32] Scott Kunke: Kill the Fairy
[22:32] Fairy: You called ;)
[22:33] Tempo Strom: the fairy slowly says farewell
[22:33] Fairy: You called ;)
[22:33] Scott Kunke: lol
[22:33] Fairy: Was that funny??</hi>
The interest in the fairy decreased at a similar rate as its decaying process and Relder changed his outfit into a warrior.

<hi #DAA520>[22:34] You: draw sword
[22:34] Demise: Sword is now DRAWN.
[22:34] Demise: Sword mode is now MELEE.
[22:35] Tempo Strom: are you 2 practicing sword fights?
[22:35] Relder Waco: going to kill the fairy
[22:35] Scott Kunke: i don't have a sword
[22:36] Tempo Strom: the fairy doesn't seem to be too scared about the sword
[22:36] Fairy: You called ;)
[22:36] Relder Waco: hummmmm no good
[22:36] Fairy: Fairies love good people
[22:36] Relder Waco: sheath sword
[22:36] Demise: Sword is now SHEATHED.</hi>
As the fairy wasn't too impressed by Relder's sword, he returned his sword. A moment later SL crashed and wouldn't let us log in again. - Region down. There wasn't even time to say good bye to the fairy.

The dumpster is full to capacity. Not one single prim is left.
Not that there are particularly many objects or yes, there are some which are identical and many. - Rolando Ember left about a dozen empty Lagweiser Beer bottles scattered among the boxes around the teleporting spot.

But it's not just the beer bottles,

there is a huge Donut (World's Largest Flying Pancake!)

and an oversize corn (Corn on the cob)

right next to a Brain in a Jar.
All were left by Kelci Georgia who had visited the dumpster together with Rolando Ember. And even so Rolando had left so many bottles, we only saw the Brain in the jar and the missing decay % floating around it. So we did what we most often do and right now it was urgent. - We send an IM to the dumpers, reminding them of the necessity for decay script as we otherwise have to delete the objects and they will get returned to their previous owners. That's a feature which is built in into SL and the only way around it, is to apply the decay script, so that the objects can escape their owners, or the owner can escape their objects. (see Relder Wacos problem with the fairy).
The problem with an IM to the owner is that the owner doesn't care or comes back right away to delete the object.

<hi #DAA520>[21:35] IM: Hello Kelci, you have left some trash on the SL dumpster, but forgot to apply the decay script. Please return to do so, as we otherwise eventually have to delete/return the object to you.</hi>
This message is being sent along with a notecard describing the dumpster, its idea and instructions on how to get and how to apply the decay script.
<hi #DAA520>[21:36] Kelci Georgia: ohh i'm sorry i had no idea we had to put a script in it. i thought it was auto-return</hi>
While we were taking pictures of the objects, walking around the dumpster, immersed in framing the trash, the Donut we just wanted to take a picture of, disappeared. Kelci had returned and deleted it while we were trying to document it.
<hi #DAA520>[21:41] Kelci Georgia: i thought it wouldve been autoreturn, i'm sorry!
[21:42] IM: no i liked them, [21:42] Kelci Georgia: haha
[21:42] IM: too bad you took them away already
[21:42] Kelci Georgia: oh im sorry, they were just random things stretched out.
[21:42] IM: I was just taking some pictures
[21:42] Kelci Georgia: aww oops, ill try to put em back if youd like
[21:42] IM: sure yes
[21:42] Kelci Georgia: okay.
[21:42] IM: and if you apply the script, they will decay
[21:42] Kelci Georgia: okay.
[21:43] IM: and be gone eventually
[21:43] Kelci Georgia: which ones did you like the most?
[21:43] IM: hmm all three of them, but the brain and the head were my favorites
[21:43] Kelci Georgia: head?
[21:43] IM: brain in a jar</hi>
One of the instances where I got confused while taking pictures. I wanted to say that I liked the Brain in the jar and the Donut/Pancake the best. But names of objects are not always apparent and trying to type out a descriptive answer is taking too long. What happens instead is loss. Loss of words and loss of a Pancake to be more precise World's Largest Flying Pancake!.
<hi #DAA520>[21:44] Kelci Georgia: oh yeah.
[21:44] IM: sorry my mistake, close though
[21:44] Kelci Georgia: oh thats okay, haha yeah
[21:44] IM: head and brain - i might have a head in SL, but do I have a brain?
[21:44] Kelci Georgia: :) </hi>
Good answer.

We then continued to explore some of the other trash. This is sometimes the best part of it, just trying to figure out what things are, how they work, what they are supposed to do and how we can take them apart. Blazr Aeon's Scrambler V3.3 - Boxed seemed to be promising in this regard and was sitting next to Kelci's corn. The box said no restrictions, everyone can modify it. These are usually the best objects as they allow the next owner to do whatever they want, which is in our case, decay.

Blazr's box contained a game set and when we unpacked it, it asked for permission to take money from our account. But we dismissed the request and instead started taking the box and its contents apart. There were arrows, a machine and signs and they all accepted to decay.
Visually the most interesting part on the dumpster today was a network of “Ban Zones” which KingEddie Weezles had piled up in the center of the dumpster.

These fences are pretty common in SL and we had a couple of neighbors protecting themselves or their property using these fences. Currently only one of them is left. The one around the property on our northside. It had been there when we arrived and it is still there. It looks pretty aggressive yelling NO ENTRY in your face as you approach it. That might be the reason why the neighbor erected a wall of forest wallpaper around.

keep reading→ July 2008