I had an outstanding time at the recent Second Life Community Convention here in Boston. It was great to meet new folks, reconnect with old friends, and I had a blast giving my keynote presentation. And a big thank you to everyone who showed up bright and early at 8am on Sunday to listen to me.
If you didn’t catch my keynote, you can watch this video. If you’d like to see my slides more clearly, you can find them here.
I spoke for about 40 minutes. I discussed what I’ve been doing since leaving Linden Lab as well as what I feel are two very important pioneer strategies. These strategies apply not only to people exploring virtual worlds, but to anyone wanting to be successful at life in general. I’ll describe them in detail in a future post, but for now you’ll have to watch the video to learn more.
This will be the underlying theme of my blog posts from now on. How to find clarity in the right goals, how to find the right balance between strategy and tactics, how to deal with unexpected challenges, and how to succeed at doing things. In Online Communities. In Virtual Worlds. In Life.
I chose the title of my blog from a quote by Richard Adams in his book “Watership Down.”
“All the world will be your enemy, Prince of a Thousand enemies. And when they catch you, they will kill you. But first they must catch you; digger, listener, runner, Prince with the swift warning. Be cunning, and full of tricks, and your people will never be destroyed.”
A person’s unique skills and wisdom are precious things. If you understand how they fit in with the challenging world around you, and apply them with the right mix of strategies and tactics, you’ll do much more than avoid being destroyed. Your dreams will take wing and fly.
Please comment on this post and let me know what you thought of my keynote presentation. I will do my best to clarify. And I hope you find my future blog posts entertaining and helpful.
Take care,
-John “Pathfinder” Lester
Be Cunning and Full of Tricks 
I enjoyed listening to your presentation via online stream for SLCC 2010.
Could you add my blog to your “Good Stuff” blog links please. 🙂
Thanks!
Thank you. I read your blog all the time, so I’ve added it.
Great speech, and I love the quote. Whoever was messing with the camera was obnoxious, and I think Tuna forgot to take his medication. Was Tuna the guy handling the camera for most of the video? LOL
Are you going to set up RSS feeds for this blog?
Thanks Bubblesort. The RSS feeds for posts and comments should be set up now. Look at the bottom of the righthand column for the links.
Hi, John,
excellent speech. Congratulations on your new blog, you are off to a great start.
It was fantastic to meet you at SLCC. I’m looking forward to more from your new blog!
Just when I discovered you as a great SL educational resource, you were gone. Your keynote was inspirational and about what grabbed and held me in SL & 3D Immersive Learning Environments.
Although I couldn’t attend, I am thankful SLCC thought to capture much on video…even if the camera operator was apparently operating remotely, without a video feed.
Thank you, Josain. I’m glad my keynote was helpful to you.
Keep an eye on my blog. I’ll still be writing about educational opportunities in SL, so hopefully I can continue to be of help as you explore.
And please feel free to ping me in SL as “Pathfinder Lester.” I’d love to see what you’re working on inworld.
Hi John, glad you are still a “vital force” in virtual world strategic development.
Since you seemed to be pursuing a “hare-centric” theme so far, I will share with you one of my favorite quotes. It reminds me that, although I could easily be the father of many of the young guns in our area of interest, I still have a lot going for me!
* * * *
“What is REAL?” asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. “Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?”
“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.”
“Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit.
“Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.”
“Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,” he asked, “or bit by bit?”
“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”
* * * *
I’m looking forward to following your blog!
Wow, that’s an amazing quote. Thank you for sharing it! I love it.
That’s what happens when follicles have to make room for burgeonning neurones.
Myklos (Michel Karmin)
Myklos, if that’s the case, then I am definitely getting smarter as I get older. lol
I know you aren’t at Linden any more but after listening to your keynote, “We’re not worthy, we’re not worthy” ! 🙂 Ok, on another note, you mentioned above that the theme would be based on 2 strategies, but as you continued, I saw four. Are we getting more bang for our buck?!
I focused on two pioneer strategies: 1) “Predicting the Future” and 2) “Remembering your most Precious Assets.” Then I talked about the components of each. But you’re right, I also talked about the importance of choosing the right kind of Hope (critical planning + optimism) as well as the dangers of tactics without strategy. All very important to pioneers. Maybe I need to tighten things up a bit. I’ll do that in a future blog post. Thanks for the feedback!
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I’m very happy to have encountered your “keynote” from inworld at the convention. I’m still looking into the fractal aspects of your contributions and personnality, and my own are thus propelled and enlightened, though just burgeonning. Any attention from the genius I perceive in you may be a blessing.
Don’t give up on us !
Myklos
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