Torley Wong, personable purveyor of technomusicology, discovered and joined the virtual community of Second Life in September, 2004. He was immediately captivated.

"Okay, my mind's absolutely bursting to the brim with ideas and recollections right now, so I'm going to try to get this down in as chaotically ordered a fashion as possible," Torley blogged after his second day in-world. "Despite the fact I couldn't choose the last name 'Wong' and mirror my real name because they likely 'ran out' of them and phased that family name out of the system, I went with 'Torgeson' because of its alliterativity. Punchy as a phat trance bassline." And so, Torley Torgeson was born.

Torley was blown away by the creative possibilities and human dynamics. "...I like Second Life because it's not just a game," Torley blogged. "It goes far beyond the scope of this and while 'social experiment' sounds a little demeaning and limiting, I've seen some incredible things done with this emotional technology."

Torley flung himself into the jaws of Second Life and not only survived, but flourished. His irrepressible personality is evident in every aspect of his communication, from in-world interactions, to forum posts, and of course to his personal weblog. Wong's blog quickly became dominated by postings about Second Life--in fact, it's fair to say that Torley is now blogging exclusively about his Second Life adventures and insights. His accounts, documented with screenshots, offer an excellent counterpoint to New World Notes, SL's official weblog.

Torley's sense of on- and offline self has changed since joining Second Life, perhaps spurred by the onset of hyperacusis, which has shifted his creative energy from making techno music to interacting with SL's virtual environs and residents. Wong is also managing Asperger's Syndrome, a form of Autism. He finds that Second Life gives him a new and enjoyable way to communicate and connect. "In parts of Planet Earth, if you walk down the street in a Star Trek uniform pledging intergalactic peace, you'll get your ass kicked. Sad but true," says Torley's Second Life FAQ. "But I've seen nightclubs in SL where furries, heavy metal bikers, neo-cyberpunks (that's me!), video game characters, and trendy scenesetters all hang out and dance in unison. It's wonderful to have this unity in diversity."

Torley Torgeson (the avatar) underwent an extreme makeover last November, becoming "La Femme Torleyta," or, as Torley also puts it, "Torley Torgeson, JR." His transformation from a male to female avatar had personal and inworld repercussions. "I have been Torley (Jr.) for about ten days now. Ever since that time, a lot has changed," wrote Torley. "Some things were changing far before my female av came into being, but perhaps it was a catalyst in some ways in SL for other developments to take place." Reaction to Torley's avatar and change was mixed. "It is indeed a drastic change from the Sr. to the Jr. and responses to it, in some respects, have been as wildly unique as the individuals involved themselves. I have garnered all sorts of replies from 'Oh, you're still Torley... no big deal' to 'WTF DID U GET A SEX CHANGE FOR?!?'" The beauty of virtual reality, of course, is the ability to experiment with appearance and behaviour. "I have grown increasingly snarky and bratty," Torley blogged, "but continue to enjoy what is perceived as spontaneous, crazy fun. I get a lot of more pleasure out of emoting nowadays *giggles* ::beams:: in large part because of the added variety of methods I can use to express myself."

Torley's coverage of his personal experiences and those of the commuity at large appears to be unstoppable. While always in flux, the digital world continually begs coverage, participation, and experimentation. Torley excels in all of these--to such a degree that some have questioned his "true" identity, suggesting he might be a Linden (SL developer) in disguise. It's the mark of a true celebrity to have a cult following, but Torley appears to have achieved just that. At the very least, there's a Torley rumour-mill buzzing. In January, 2005, Torley addressed some of the gossip. Torley is not a Linden (SL developer) in disguise: "[I'm] not affiliated with them apart from being a happy cat. I'm Officer in several Groups to move towards disproving this, but it doesn't seem to be working as effectively as I'd hoped." Torley is not a troublemaker. "I roleplay but this doesn't extend to stirring up such an unpleasant ruckus. It's against the Community Standards, which I take damn seriously." Torley is not a long-lost Second Lifer in disguise: "...while this does carry a certain amount of honor with it, I can't say I was inworld in the days before custom animations and when prim hoarding was common." With the rumour-mongers nipping at Torley Jr's high-heels, can the paparazzi be far behind?

It used to be that Torley didn't have a "public" to answer to, but by virtue of his personality, outlook and communication skills, Torley has risen to virtual "star" status. Few avatars have achieved this in such a positive way. Torley hasn't engineered his fame, he's earned it. Thanks to his weblog, we'll be able to follow The Torley Effect as it blossoms, hopefully inspiring other digital denizens to great deeds of adventure, disclosure, and compassion.

Update- New World Notes has some intriguing further insights into Torley's way of looking at the world (both actual and digital).