The Cool Cats of Christmas

So, I am busy playing the holidays in RL and in SL. I love this time of year in SL. Maybe it is because this was the time of year when I came back to SL and was able to see what I couldn't see before. Maybe it because I made friends in SL; Adrian, my very first friend, wandered into my little cabin from the snow. In our newbieness, we went to the Winter Festival, and we visited Graceland. Of all the places I lived, that little cabin was the most magical. Don't get me wrong, living in Knightsbridge was lovely, and living where I do now (and yes, it is a secret) is wonderful. But, there was magic in that cabin where I could fit a harp, sofa, and a painting.

So, I am fond of this time of year.

On the 20th, this blog will be one year old. Over time, I have had the good fortune of faithful subscribers. They even stay with me when I get overwhelmed or under motivated to write.

In the year that has gone by, I have met some of the most BRILLIANT people I know. Among them are educators, business people, Linden Lab employees, movers and shakers, students, and other folks.

Over the next few days, I want to highlight some folks that really make a difference in SL in quiet ways. There are people that make a huge difference all the time: Larry Pixel, CDB Barkley, Intellagirl Tully, Noel Finney, AJ Kelton, Lyr Lobo, KJ Hax, KittyGloom Cassidy, Daniel Livingstone, Audio Zenith, Wainbrave Bernal, Jeremy Kemp, Birdie Newborn, Chris Eggplant, Leslie Jarmon, Corwin Carillon, Tim Allen, Frank Taney, Xellesanova Zenith, Kathy Schrock, Ed Lamoureaux, Garret Bakalava, Angela Thomas, Gavin Dudeny, Graham Stanley, North Lamar, Lorelei Junot, Barry Joseph, Angela Thomas, Bryan Carter, Fred from Firesabre, Max Chatnoir, and Eloise Pasteur. They are amazing, and their work reflects their dedication to SL. We write about them often; we love them dearly. But, in addition to them, there are other people out there that quietly work and get little notice.

There is no way I can know them all, and there is really no way to rank them. But, for what it is worth, I am offering up Desi's list of the 12 Cool Cats of Christmas; these are 12 people that never see the spotlight.

The first person on my list is George Kurtz; inworld he is known as Butch Dae. He publishes a list each week called the VIT World Update. The list includes all the known updates to information about technology. This article by CIO on Web 2.0 is an example.

Butch and VIT also created this wicked cool mind map thingy. I don't know how it works, but I use it all the time. If you stop by Collaboration Station, you can see my copy of it. Or, you can get a copy of your own at the VIT World Center.

So, please IM Butch Dae and congratulate him for being my first Cool Cat of Christmas!!!