Talk It Up!

Heidi in Second Life

OK, well, I did it. My new iMac arrived this weekend, and once we got everything hooked up and I stopped ooohing and aaaahing over just how big the screen is and just how bright and sharp everything looks on it, I created an avatar and wandered around Second Life.

My avatar? Maia Sucettes. I'm the one in the middle wearing jeans and a sweater.

So far, I've managed to drop a beach ball onto a table, bump my head a lot, whoosh/teleport to Podcast Island, fly around a bit, and generally be rather confused. I met the Island Manager, who was incredibly helpful and drove me in his car to go skydiving. Kinda fun! I didn't quite have the coordinates to visit Lee Hopkins' space, so I just wandered around and tried not to hit my head.

My preliminary comments:

• Creating the avatar is fun. If you've played before, you probably know this. I haven't, so I didn't.
• Moving around, flying, picking up objects and keeping an inventory were pretty easy and intuitive.
• Finding one's way around the map is nearly impossible. I just chose random locations and teleported there until I found something interesting.
• There is a surprising lack of cellulite on avatars.
• My avatar is wearing more clothing than anyone else I've met!
• While I enjoyed wandering, a pre-arranged meetup would probably be much more productive.
• Flying is very handy, and I want it in real life.

Logitech advice

OK, I'm stumped! Two weeks ago, my old Logitech headset bit the dust; the sound no longer transmitted through the headphones. So I went out to get a new one. Radio Shack didn't carry them, so I went to Circuit City. The Skype-approved Logitech 350 set was $55, a bit more than the $30 I'd paid for the original headset a year before. Thinking it was the store's markup, I headed for Best Buy instead. Same thing. Hmm. Back to Circuit City, where I chose a Plantronics headset.

Uh-oh. That's what I get for not going with the brand I know and trust! Turns out it wasn't a USB headset, and my Mac doesn't have a mic input. Back to the store to return the headset. Then to Best Buy to check out their selection. I select the Logitech Skype-approved headset, checking to make sure it's USB first.

When I get home, I discover that while the mic registers my voice, no sound comes through the headset. I check that the device is selected in System Preferences and in Audio HiJack Pro. Nothing. I even read the manual! The only advice is to make sure the device is selected in System Preferences, which I do again. Hmm. I restart and switch USB ports. Nothing. So I call tech support, and they inform me that the headset must be defective--why not take it back to Best Buy and ask the Geek Squad to test it on another computer?

Two days later, I head back to Best Buy and wait in line for a geek. Nope; they can't hear sound through it, either. Aha! So I exchange the headset for another one. Before leaving, I open the package and plug it into my laptop, which I've brought with me. Nothing. I ask the geeks to see if sound will transmit through their systems--and it does! A bad USB port, maybe? But then why would everything else, including the headset mic, work but not the headphones?

The geek suggests I try Google to see if anyone else has run across the problem. So today I did that. Didn't find anything with my specific issue, but one user did say that she had to click "mute" and "unmute" a few times in System Prefs to get the headset mic to work.

Aha! Suddenly I could hear my iTunes music! Problem solved, yes?

NO! when I tried to use the headset for recording in Audio HiJack Pro, all I hear through the headphones is a deafeningly loud, high-pitched feedback squeal. Restarting, changing USB drives, and adjusting the volume and gain make no difference at all. Muting the mic makes no difference.

Any ideas on how to get the new headset to work like the old one? I use AHP to record my Skype calls, and as a podcaster, I'm at a serious disadvantage without it!