Within the pages of SurfWatch is the rich history of Second Life (SL) surfing from the mouths of the surfers that created or developed or promoted or excelled in this virtual sport over the years. Enjoy these interviews and the perspective from these surf legends as SurfWatch begins "The Legends Series".
SurfWatch recently caught up with Analog Jun, known throughout SL surfing for his high quality boards, to find out how he got involved with SL surfing and what projects he's currently working on.
SurfWatch: Tell us where your shops are located and what kind of boards you currently sell.
Analog Jun: I own a main shop at Eastfield sim and directly manage two other shops at Primworks sim and Cocololo sim. I also run about 80 franchise stores all over SL. All the boards now for sale are equipped with a surf script provided by Heather Goodliffe (HG). Our boards are classified into long and short as shown below:
LE* - Long Epic (normal prims are used)
SC* - Sculpted (long board with the use of sculpted prims)
SSC* - Short Sculpted (short board with the use of sculpted prims)
SSCQ* - Short sculpted with Quad fins (short board with the use of sculpted prims and also with four sculpted fins - quad)
For the new boards scheduled for release soon, a new function called, "Adjust Avatar Position" will be added to the script so that they will bein accordance with SLSA surf competition regulations. With the new models, you can take natural snapshots while riding on the board. Like the newest model boards with 6.4 surfing scripts, all the Fins are constructed from sculpted prims (quad for short models). This achieves a realistic feeling when displayed.
SW: How did you get started with SL surfing? Who taught you?
AJ: I rented land by the sea on Okinawa Island when I started SL and I thought of selling some items related to the sea. Deliberate consideration brought to mind manufacturing surfboards. The first original surfboard I made was of very poor quality with no paddle function and not ridable on the waves. I felt quite uneasy on this board at surfing sims. I was once warned by Seano Osumi, the director of the SLSA at that time, who said to me, "Enjoy yourself somewhere else" (laughing out loud). One day someone kindly gave me a board with a HG script. I can no longer remember who it was, but I can still vividly remember the emotional feeling I felt on that excellent surfboard. I learned the skills of surfing on my own and it was only recently that I learned how to "crouch" (laughing).
SW: Where did you surf when you began and where do you surf now?
AJ: I started surfing at Japanese Sunset Beach (JSB). It moved to Brackish sim later and was renamed the Japan SL Surfing Association (JSSA). Many surfers visited there because the sea had epic waves. Unfortunately, JSSA no longer exists, but I believe there are many Japanese who continue to surf. Currently, I often play at Mori Pwani.
SW: What board and script do you currently ride?
AJ: I often embark on a SC* model with version 6.4 surf script from HG. I am personally fond of the designs of SC* Phoenix series and the next new models: SC* Tribal2 series and SC*Dragon series, etc.
SW: How did you get started designing your own boards?
AJ: The design of the model of my first collaboration with HG was, I must confess, tasteless with an all-white rear surface and poor shading effect. It was such a low quality that I no longer sell this model (laughing). Later, I had an opportunity to get together with Sebastian Saramago at Primworks sim, and he kindly showed me a prototype of a 3-D new type surfboard. Sebastian recommended I apply a texture onto a sculpted board. At that time, however, it appeared very difficult for me to apply a texture to a sculpted board, so I asked him to give me a mod/copy-permitted sculpted board for practice. Soon after, I concentrated on the preparation of textures for application to boards but, as I imagined, textures distorted greatly and it was a hard task to get a good balance. Even now, I have to prepare 20-30 textures before I select one with a good balance to finish designing. After that step in the process, I move on to color variations. All the designs and color variations are discarded even when I feel the slightest sense of discomfort. About 70% of the designs are sold as products.
SW: What other products do you sell?
AJ: In addition to surfboards, I sell wet suits, board shorts and bikinis, surf necklaces, beach chairs, inner tubes, and a variety of signs in my shops. Starting this year, I am planning to develop a new apparel brand (GARCONS TOKYO) and a modern architectural brand (GARCONS Design). As the time I can currently allocate to these creative works is limited, I am not yet certain when I'll be able to develop these GARCONS series projects and it may be postponed until next year.
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