I was going to make one for normal people, but it involved too many feedback loops and the picture got messy. Therefore, you'll just have to be satisfied with this graphic I made in class, where I show you the general thought process behind those in Second Life who live and love to shrill.
Showing posts with label SL Soaps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SL Soaps. Show all posts
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Monday, July 20, 2009
Oh Rezzable, You Tease
Some time ago, Rezzable (you might know them of Greenies fame) decided the time was right to leave Second Life. Lots of people have delved into the reasons why, but I couldn't care less. Rezzables was just one of a number of people displaying weird and unusual builds. Their selling point was a massive PR campaign and buying out of a lot of famous builders, Starax/Light Waves being the prime example. I got nothing against them, and they got nothing against me.
But then, Rezzable went and discussed releasing what some have called 'Industrial Copybot'. It operates by catching all the objects in a given region, shunting the data into a separate offline file where it can be edited. They promise to erase any sensitive license infringing content from their scans.
They seem genuinely perplexed about the backlash on this. "But we're only using it to back up our own data!" Ok, but why are you releasing it onto the open market then? What do you think will happen when you release what is, in the description of its inner working, Copybot Jr.?
I recall Rezzable being the torch bearer against Copybot many times (with due reason, all their content out there). Why now are they even considering releasing this out there? I think they've gone completely off their rocker. Just read the linked page. They seriously consider charging for this. $75 for the 'Pro' version. Discussing some bugs that need to be fixed (sculpties aren't always picked up by it).
They give the same lame reason the Copybot crowd gave: 'This stuff can be copied whether or not you like it, so why worry if we sell the copier?' "Everyone else is doing it!! Why can't we??"
Really, though, the comments on those posts say everything better than I ever could. Nice one, Greenies.
373
But then, Rezzable went and discussed releasing what some have called 'Industrial Copybot'. It operates by catching all the objects in a given region, shunting the data into a separate offline file where it can be edited. They promise to erase any sensitive license infringing content from their scans.
They seem genuinely perplexed about the backlash on this. "But we're only using it to back up our own data!" Ok, but why are you releasing it onto the open market then? What do you think will happen when you release what is, in the description of its inner working, Copybot Jr.?
I recall Rezzable being the torch bearer against Copybot many times (with due reason, all their content out there). Why now are they even considering releasing this out there? I think they've gone completely off their rocker. Just read the linked page. They seriously consider charging for this. $75 for the 'Pro' version. Discussing some bugs that need to be fixed (sculpties aren't always picked up by it).
They give the same lame reason the Copybot crowd gave: 'This stuff can be copied whether or not you like it, so why worry if we sell the copier?' "Everyone else is doing it!! Why can't we??"
Really, though, the comments on those posts say everything better than I ever could. Nice one, Greenies.
373
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Forum Arguments
There was a big hubbub on Xstreet today.
Oh, by the way, I've taken to reading the forums there lately as I've been starved for entertainment. It's priceless when you throw a bunch of people together and all but force them to interact. So really, saying there was a big commotion doesn't really tell you anything at all.
So that thread is about someone thankful for finding out a family member is a-ok and who makes the grievous mistake of invoking god. Of course it's misconstrued in a hilarious manner, and also resulted in this follow up thread with even more hysterics.
I don't participate in forums. If you see anyone on the forums with my name, it's a faker. Too often someone beats me to whatever I'm about to say and it ends up as a 'me too!' post which clutters the board. Rarely do I have some new angle to think about. If I really want to write an argument, I do it here where I can scale Mount Redundancy Mountain without seeming to mimic someone else.
But that doesn't mean I can't mine them for comedy value!
420
Oh, by the way, I've taken to reading the forums there lately as I've been starved for entertainment. It's priceless when you throw a bunch of people together and all but force them to interact. So really, saying there was a big commotion doesn't really tell you anything at all.
So that thread is about someone thankful for finding out a family member is a-ok and who makes the grievous mistake of invoking god. Of course it's misconstrued in a hilarious manner, and also resulted in this follow up thread with even more hysterics.
I don't participate in forums. If you see anyone on the forums with my name, it's a faker. Too often someone beats me to whatever I'm about to say and it ends up as a 'me too!' post which clutters the board. Rarely do I have some new angle to think about. If I really want to write an argument, I do it here where I can scale Mount Redundancy Mountain without seeming to mimic someone else.
But that doesn't mean I can't mine them for comedy value!
420
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Rheta and Apathy
Rheta Shan died in real life, and died in Second Life. There is at the time of this writing already a massive outpouring of grief and sadness. It seems that everyone feels the sting of this loss. Even for those skeptical of the real life explanation there is pain in knowing that the Second Life avatar they knew isn't coming back.
I should be upset. I should be sad. Shouldn't I? Yet, I can't bring myself to care.
“Is it ignorance or apathy? Hey, I don't know and I don't care.”
The problem lies in Rheta being a complete stranger. Who is Rheta? What did she do? I have no idea. We've never met in Second Life and I'm confident I never knew her in real life. She is a complete stranger (I'm probably worse off for it).
How can I care about someone I never knew? All I have is her blog, which from the sounds of the survivor, might be taken down someday. Her blog is voluminous, having been active since August 2007. I can't take the time to read all that! It'd take at least... two days. I can't even be bothered to read my own blog. She'll remain forever obscure in my heart.
“Everyone talks about apathy, but no one does anything about it”
Prokofy made some commotion concerning whether this is a real death or a faked one so as to enable the user to quit with a conscience. And of course you have people for or against the idea who are fervently posting their opinions and arguments (more of the former than the latter). I've been reading it and I've found... I don't care. I honestly don't care.
How can I possibly care whether I've been fooled or not when the jury is still out whether I should care in the first place? To get involved in that debate requires concern for the state of the first point and since I don't care about it in the first place, it's moot to me.
I feel like a cold hearted evil person because this person has died and my response is a mere twenty sentence discussing whether or not I should care or not. But I harbor no ill will. I don't wish she was dead. I just can't get excited one way or the other.
Maybe I need to get out more and meet more Second Life people so when they die or leave I can write more sadness.
442
I should be upset. I should be sad. Shouldn't I? Yet, I can't bring myself to care.
“Is it ignorance or apathy? Hey, I don't know and I don't care.”
The problem lies in Rheta being a complete stranger. Who is Rheta? What did she do? I have no idea. We've never met in Second Life and I'm confident I never knew her in real life. She is a complete stranger (I'm probably worse off for it).
How can I care about someone I never knew? All I have is her blog, which from the sounds of the survivor, might be taken down someday. Her blog is voluminous, having been active since August 2007. I can't take the time to read all that! It'd take at least... two days. I can't even be bothered to read my own blog. She'll remain forever obscure in my heart.
“Everyone talks about apathy, but no one does anything about it”
Prokofy made some commotion concerning whether this is a real death or a faked one so as to enable the user to quit with a conscience. And of course you have people for or against the idea who are fervently posting their opinions and arguments (more of the former than the latter). I've been reading it and I've found... I don't care. I honestly don't care.
How can I possibly care whether I've been fooled or not when the jury is still out whether I should care in the first place? To get involved in that debate requires concern for the state of the first point and since I don't care about it in the first place, it's moot to me.
I feel like a cold hearted evil person because this person has died and my response is a mere twenty sentence discussing whether or not I should care or not. But I harbor no ill will. I don't wish she was dead. I just can't get excited one way or the other.
Maybe I need to get out more and meet more Second Life people so when they die or leave I can write more sadness.
442
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Canary in the Coal Mine
Ah, Prokofy can add another notch to the 'U GONNA GIT BANN'D' belt.
I think it's unsettling to think that they're putting a knife to his throat on the objection to what he writes. Sure, he goes off like a bottle rocket sometimes over nonsense issues you or I could not care less about. On the whole, however, he does raise interesting points. Discussion would be poorer for lack of him.
Also, I regard him as a sort of 'test' of Linden Lab. Prok doesn't pull his punches but he's not outright flaming, either. He's that curious mix that you want to hate and report and shut up but hasn't ever actually done anything. He's a polarizer. If Second Life were Korea, he'd plant himself right up along the border and moon the North.
In short, he makes me feel safe. As long as LL tolerates him well enough, I can rant and rage on my own, smaller, scale and be immune from complete punishment! If he goes, what's to stop a small fry like me from being smeared across the floor?
I can only hope my active campaign of non-action in Second Life can protect me.
I think it's unsettling to think that they're putting a knife to his throat on the objection to what he writes. Sure, he goes off like a bottle rocket sometimes over nonsense issues you or I could not care less about. On the whole, however, he does raise interesting points. Discussion would be poorer for lack of him.
Also, I regard him as a sort of 'test' of Linden Lab. Prok doesn't pull his punches but he's not outright flaming, either. He's that curious mix that you want to hate and report and shut up but hasn't ever actually done anything. He's a polarizer. If Second Life were Korea, he'd plant himself right up along the border and moon the North.
In short, he makes me feel safe. As long as LL tolerates him well enough, I can rant and rage on my own, smaller, scale and be immune from complete punishment! If he goes, what's to stop a small fry like me from being smeared across the floor?
I can only hope my active campaign of non-action in Second Life can protect me.
Snapshots and Suits
There's talk (and has been for quite some time now) about the potential of screenshots in Second Life. Specifically, the potential for lawsuits! We can't get enough of those. If there is one thing SL has a definite lack it's lawsuits.
The idea is that your snapshot will inevitably contain images of another's work. And since it's a virtual image with virtual pixels and all that, the snapshooter committed the grand sin of theft and copyright violation. Especially with builds, which people seem to be treating as 2D paintings rather than the three dimensional experience they are supposed to be.
Hey, remember those days? The good ol' days when a good build would attract everyone, be blogged about, have billions of pictures taken of them, and be fondly remembered forever and ever. No one seemed to complain and people still seemed to make a living. I can't recall Light Waves banging on my door demanding I forfeit up some cash for the three or so screenshots I took of his builds.
There's no standing for such measures. A snapshot is a snapshot. Even if the intent is to be artistic, I don't see Campbell suing Andy Warhol. And Warhol was nothing if not intent on making a buck. Just because your super special awesome build or toy is in the frame does not mean you can sue me into oblivion and back because I didn't properly credit you if you even allow it at all.
I guess this is an overreaction to the fact that rights can be trampled easily in Second Life. When copybot can swoop in and steal everything (and even just regular ol' people imitating your creations), you lash at everything and possessing digital images of your work becomes a fair target. But I think we all need to step back and consider what is acceptable use and what isn't before we turn on each other and ruin the whole pot.
448
The idea is that your snapshot will inevitably contain images of another's work. And since it's a virtual image with virtual pixels and all that, the snapshooter committed the grand sin of theft and copyright violation. Especially with builds, which people seem to be treating as 2D paintings rather than the three dimensional experience they are supposed to be.
Hey, remember those days? The good ol' days when a good build would attract everyone, be blogged about, have billions of pictures taken of them, and be fondly remembered forever and ever. No one seemed to complain and people still seemed to make a living. I can't recall Light Waves banging on my door demanding I forfeit up some cash for the three or so screenshots I took of his builds.
There's no standing for such measures. A snapshot is a snapshot. Even if the intent is to be artistic, I don't see Campbell suing Andy Warhol. And Warhol was nothing if not intent on making a buck. Just because your super special awesome build or toy is in the frame does not mean you can sue me into oblivion and back because I didn't properly credit you if you even allow it at all.
I guess this is an overreaction to the fact that rights can be trampled easily in Second Life. When copybot can swoop in and steal everything (and even just regular ol' people imitating your creations), you lash at everything and possessing digital images of your work becomes a fair target. But I think we all need to step back and consider what is acceptable use and what isn't before we turn on each other and ruin the whole pot.
448
Sunday, January 18, 2009
The Grid's Finest
Today, I thought of a great idea for a new superhero comic. It is based upon Second Life and would feature the Lindens as the hapless protagonists trying to create a better world. Literally.
Since I have no ability to draw whatsoever (I once drew a picture of my brother, who thought it was a picture of some hairy can of Dr Pepper riding a scarlet loaf of pumpernickel) and my only writing ability is blog posting, which also happens to be my only actual portfolio of any writing at all, I would probably never be hired to publish it. And that is a shame, because all things considered it really can't get any worse than Superman and Batman. By the way, talk about an ego trip. "Super" man. Like the fact that he can fly and shoot laser beams directly from his retinas wasn't clear enough.
So, since I lack the attention span to write actual scripts, I'm going to give you the basic semblance of a few plots I thought out early this morning.
"The Grid's Finest"
Issue #1
In this exciting pilot issue, we are introduced to Philip Linden, a superhero that granted himself the powers of being a superhero in Second Life. He starts his career fighting lag and trying to earn notoriety on Wikipedia. But things go horribly wrong when Griefer McGreifsalot arrives and rezzes out a prim penis!
Issue #2
Philip uncovers a plot by Griefer McGreifsalot to post a Youtube video of two Second Life residents having cybersex. Can Philip reach him in time and save Second Life from negative PR?
Issue #4
In this heart warming episode, Philip Linden is on the trail of a puppy who lost its way. For 60 emotionally packed pages, Philip pursues the poor pup through a trail of traps, dungeons, lag, and an offline sim. Then, Philip realizes that children 18 and younger aren't allowed in SL, so he bans the child who asked him to help find the puppy. For good measure, he also bans the puppy. A tough decision!
Issue #5
The child returns! This time using his parent's credit card, The Helpless Child joins forces with Griefer McGreifsalot in a scheme to bring down the entire grid. Can Philip overcome his good heart and ban the child??
Issue #9
Griefer McGreifsalot escapes from the cornfield. Philip, in a heart pounding adventure, pursues him in the neighboring potato farm. Jimmy Carter guest stars as "Friendly local man who happens to resemble Jimmy Carter".
When interviewed about this issue, Carter said, "They wanted me to be a peanut farmer, but I felt that was cliche. So I asked them, 'what about potatoes?' I think it really changed the pace of the story and I am proud of that."
Issue #10
Griefer McGreifsalot escapes from the cornfield. Philip, in a heart pounding adventure, pursues him in the neighboring peanut farm. Jimmy Carter guest stars as "Friendly local man who happens to resemble Jimmy Carter".
To quote Carter: "I felt we needed to get back to basics. Peanuts. And griefers."
Issue #11
Griefer McGreifsalot escapes from the cornfield. Philip, in a heart pounding adventure, pursues him in the neighboring cornfield. Then, he realizes a pattern and decides to blow up the entire cornfield.
Issue #12
Philip has to deal with the consquences of blowing up the cornfield. Second Life suffers a famine, many families assault him with charges of blowing up their loved ones, and Griefer McGreifsalot gets off due to Philip forgetting to read him his Miranda rights. The pain is accented when Blue Linden reminds Philip that as a private company they don't have to read anyone their rights. A very touching scene involving Philip and a baguette leads to him regaining his sense of justice and duty.
Issue #16
Torley Linden is introduced. By day he is Torley Linden. By night he is ... The Tutorial Maker! Philip, realizing Torley's secret superhero identity, must team up to stop the Malicious Mentor from telling a hapless group of newbies that Second Life sucks!
Issue #19
All of Second Life suffers a blackout. Trouble strikes as The Child strikes again and Philip cannot log in!
Issue #20
Torley laments that Philip sees him only as a tutorial maker, and decides to film Philip saving the day. Unfortunately, he videos Philip changing from his alter ego Philip Linden into superhero Philip Linden! Torley must delete the video before Griefer McGreifsalot finds it!
Issue #21
Peace has reigned in Second Life for almost a week. Philip, bored, decides to slip in as an alt and have some fun. In reality, this is a thinly veiled attempt to have a bunch of babes and hunks run around in thongs to boost falling readership.
Issue #22
Philip wakes up with a massive hangover.
Issue #25
Second Life celebrates its 3rd birthday. But Griefer McGreifsalot causes trouble, and Philip has to duck out of the festivities and save the day!
Issue #28
Philip discovers the Grey Ghoul! At first he attempts to contain it, but he becomes curious and decides to run tests on it. When the lab explodes and the Grey Ghoul grows and grows, threatening to crush everyone in the grid, Philip is forced to admit his shameful secret: Griefer McGreifsalot released the Grey Ghoul. Despite his protests of innocence, Griefer McGreifsalot is banned, and Philip saves the day and his reputation.
Issue #30
Griefer McGreifsalot comes back... with a vengeance! He kidnaps Torley and threatens to have him executed at dawn! Philip scours the grid while Blue Linden find the two in the basement of the lab. Blue beats the crap out of Griefer and then asks him how Griefer thinks about the current state of the grid. It's a cliff hanger as all three forget Torley duct tapped in the basement.
Issue #31
Pressure is put on Philip as Prokofy, chief editor of the Second Life Daily Times, begins to investigate just who Philip Linden is! After much suspense, the day is saved when The Second Life Daily Times office building is destroyed by Griefer McGreifsalot. Philip catches Griefer McGreifsalot and slips him a twenty for saving his secret identity.
Issue #32
Prokofy discovers that Philip paid off Griefer McGreifsalot to destroy his office! As his investigation draws closer to the truth, Philip decides there is only one course of action, and decides to release the Grey Ghoul. Griefer McGreifsalot is blamed once again and once again the day is saved!
Issue #35
Copybot is introduced in this tale of horror! Philip, running up to fight Copybot, is startled as it copies Philip and throws Philip's superhero powers back at him! Even worse, everyone cannot tell the two apart! As the grid burns, the question becomes: WHO WILL SURVIVE?
Issue #39
The Child comes back, this time in an actual child avatar! Philip has to stop him before SL residents become freaked out!
Issue #40
It's a hot summer day and lag on the grid mounts. Despite his best efforts, Philip is confounded and his sidekicks Blue and Torley are forced to take over the Big Job when Philip succumbs to a crash! Can they solve the mystery before the economics report has to be skewed!?
Issue #41
Philip is still out and Copybot returns! Blue and Torley must team up to stop the menance!
Issue #42
It is becoming increasingly likely that Philip is not re logging. To make matters worse, some people are connecting the dots between Philip Linden and his mild mannered secret identity Philip Linden, both of whom have gone missing! To make matters even worse, Griefer McGreifsalot finds the Grey Ghoul!
Issue #43
A new hero arrives! But is she all that she is cracked up to be??
Issue #44
As the mysterious heroine sacrifices her life to save the grid from the Grey Ghoul, Blue and Torley are busy trying to determine whether or not to get rid of the current orientation island.
Issue #45
Philip returns! As a joyous crowd greets him, Philip delivers his explanation: "I was in the bathroom". Festivities are interrupted when Lag Muffin crashes the party... literally!
Issue #46
The Ghost Prim makes her debut. Philip Linden discovers the severed head of one of Griefer McGreifsalot's alts. Soon, the grid is in fear as this masked vigilante begins systematically annihilating the grid's worst elements. Philip must hurry, for when the clock strikes twelve, The Ghost Prim's work will be completed, putting Philip out of a job!
Issue #47
Ghost Prim, having eluded Philip Linden, discovers Griefer McGreifsalot's main account. As he begs for mercy, claiming to have reformed and that he didn't actually kill anyone and no harm was done, Ghost severs his head with a rusty golf club. She then places his head atop a pole at Orientation island to warn newbies of the price of crime. Can Philip stop this menace?
Issue #48
Prokofy and Philip team up to discover the secret of Ghost Prim! Just who is she?? As the number of crashes plummet and lag almost disappearing, time is running out for Philip Linden!
Issue #49
Philip and the gang confront Ghost Prim. Blue is taken out with blow to the forehead, while Torley is distracted with a newbie asking for help. Forced to face Ghost alone, Philip gears for the fight of his life!
Issue #50
As the memorial service for Griefer McGreifsalot is held, a new masked villian, Dirigible Don, attacks! No one is surprised when Ghost Prim kills him five minutes later.
Issue #51
Vigilante Ghost Prim is still on the loose, doing Philip's job nine times more effectively! As mild mannered CEO Philip Linden, Philip discovers the Ghost Prim's secret identity: Sar4h Hax! He is torn between stopping a vicious criminal and allowing her to continue the fight against crime!
Issue #52
As the memorial service for Ghost Prim is held, rumors arise that Philip did not just 'accidently' drop a titanium I-beam upon Sar4h Hax's head. A web of deceit, lies, and surreality is delved through as Philip uncovers the deadly truth! Can he stop the real criminal in time to save Blue Linden from Sar4h's fate??
Issue #54
Trouble abounds when Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Jay serves Philip a subpoena on the case of Sar4h Hax's death. When Griefer McGreifsalot's son, Alabaster McGreifsalot, serves The Honorable John Jay a subpoena of his own, Philip shows Jay the power of true love as he beats Alabaster to a merciful pulp. In exchange for L$ 5,000,000 , Jay agrees to suspend the investigation, much to Prokofy's chagrin.
Issue #55
The current issue! Philip and the Gang convene at headquarters to discuss a somber topic: who will replace Philip when he dies or stops logging in due to boredom? At first light hearted, Blue and Torley take the Replacement contest too seriously in an attempt to win the coveted top spot! Both are foiled when Alabaster McGreifsalot wins! They team together to uncover the hideous villain to Philip! In his gratitude, Philip decides to deny both of them and appoint M Linden as his replacement.
Since I have no ability to draw whatsoever (I once drew a picture of my brother, who thought it was a picture of some hairy can of Dr Pepper riding a scarlet loaf of pumpernickel) and my only writing ability is blog posting, which also happens to be my only actual portfolio of any writing at all, I would probably never be hired to publish it. And that is a shame, because all things considered it really can't get any worse than Superman and Batman. By the way, talk about an ego trip. "Super" man. Like the fact that he can fly and shoot laser beams directly from his retinas wasn't clear enough.
So, since I lack the attention span to write actual scripts, I'm going to give you the basic semblance of a few plots I thought out early this morning.
"The Grid's Finest"
Issue #1
In this exciting pilot issue, we are introduced to Philip Linden, a superhero that granted himself the powers of being a superhero in Second Life. He starts his career fighting lag and trying to earn notoriety on Wikipedia. But things go horribly wrong when Griefer McGreifsalot arrives and rezzes out a prim penis!
Issue #2
Philip uncovers a plot by Griefer McGreifsalot to post a Youtube video of two Second Life residents having cybersex. Can Philip reach him in time and save Second Life from negative PR?
Issue #4
In this heart warming episode, Philip Linden is on the trail of a puppy who lost its way. For 60 emotionally packed pages, Philip pursues the poor pup through a trail of traps, dungeons, lag, and an offline sim. Then, Philip realizes that children 18 and younger aren't allowed in SL, so he bans the child who asked him to help find the puppy. For good measure, he also bans the puppy. A tough decision!
Issue #5
The child returns! This time using his parent's credit card, The Helpless Child joins forces with Griefer McGreifsalot in a scheme to bring down the entire grid. Can Philip overcome his good heart and ban the child??
Issue #9
Griefer McGreifsalot escapes from the cornfield. Philip, in a heart pounding adventure, pursues him in the neighboring potato farm. Jimmy Carter guest stars as "Friendly local man who happens to resemble Jimmy Carter".
When interviewed about this issue, Carter said, "They wanted me to be a peanut farmer, but I felt that was cliche. So I asked them, 'what about potatoes?' I think it really changed the pace of the story and I am proud of that."
Issue #10
Griefer McGreifsalot escapes from the cornfield. Philip, in a heart pounding adventure, pursues him in the neighboring peanut farm. Jimmy Carter guest stars as "Friendly local man who happens to resemble Jimmy Carter".
To quote Carter: "I felt we needed to get back to basics. Peanuts. And griefers."
Issue #11
Griefer McGreifsalot escapes from the cornfield. Philip, in a heart pounding adventure, pursues him in the neighboring cornfield. Then, he realizes a pattern and decides to blow up the entire cornfield.
Issue #12
Philip has to deal with the consquences of blowing up the cornfield. Second Life suffers a famine, many families assault him with charges of blowing up their loved ones, and Griefer McGreifsalot gets off due to Philip forgetting to read him his Miranda rights. The pain is accented when Blue Linden reminds Philip that as a private company they don't have to read anyone their rights. A very touching scene involving Philip and a baguette leads to him regaining his sense of justice and duty.
Issue #16
Torley Linden is introduced. By day he is Torley Linden. By night he is ... The Tutorial Maker! Philip, realizing Torley's secret superhero identity, must team up to stop the Malicious Mentor from telling a hapless group of newbies that Second Life sucks!
Issue #19
All of Second Life suffers a blackout. Trouble strikes as The Child strikes again and Philip cannot log in!
Issue #20
Torley laments that Philip sees him only as a tutorial maker, and decides to film Philip saving the day. Unfortunately, he videos Philip changing from his alter ego Philip Linden into superhero Philip Linden! Torley must delete the video before Griefer McGreifsalot finds it!
Issue #21
Peace has reigned in Second Life for almost a week. Philip, bored, decides to slip in as an alt and have some fun. In reality, this is a thinly veiled attempt to have a bunch of babes and hunks run around in thongs to boost falling readership.
Issue #22
Philip wakes up with a massive hangover.
Issue #25
Second Life celebrates its 3rd birthday. But Griefer McGreifsalot causes trouble, and Philip has to duck out of the festivities and save the day!
Issue #28
Philip discovers the Grey Ghoul! At first he attempts to contain it, but he becomes curious and decides to run tests on it. When the lab explodes and the Grey Ghoul grows and grows, threatening to crush everyone in the grid, Philip is forced to admit his shameful secret: Griefer McGreifsalot released the Grey Ghoul. Despite his protests of innocence, Griefer McGreifsalot is banned, and Philip saves the day and his reputation.
Issue #30
Griefer McGreifsalot comes back... with a vengeance! He kidnaps Torley and threatens to have him executed at dawn! Philip scours the grid while Blue Linden find the two in the basement of the lab. Blue beats the crap out of Griefer and then asks him how Griefer thinks about the current state of the grid. It's a cliff hanger as all three forget Torley duct tapped in the basement.
Issue #31
Pressure is put on Philip as Prokofy, chief editor of the Second Life Daily Times, begins to investigate just who Philip Linden is! After much suspense, the day is saved when The Second Life Daily Times office building is destroyed by Griefer McGreifsalot. Philip catches Griefer McGreifsalot and slips him a twenty for saving his secret identity.
Issue #32
Prokofy discovers that Philip paid off Griefer McGreifsalot to destroy his office! As his investigation draws closer to the truth, Philip decides there is only one course of action, and decides to release the Grey Ghoul. Griefer McGreifsalot is blamed once again and once again the day is saved!
Issue #35
Copybot is introduced in this tale of horror! Philip, running up to fight Copybot, is startled as it copies Philip and throws Philip's superhero powers back at him! Even worse, everyone cannot tell the two apart! As the grid burns, the question becomes: WHO WILL SURVIVE?
Issue #39
The Child comes back, this time in an actual child avatar! Philip has to stop him before SL residents become freaked out!
Issue #40
It's a hot summer day and lag on the grid mounts. Despite his best efforts, Philip is confounded and his sidekicks Blue and Torley are forced to take over the Big Job when Philip succumbs to a crash! Can they solve the mystery before the economics report has to be skewed!?
Issue #41
Philip is still out and Copybot returns! Blue and Torley must team up to stop the menance!
Issue #42
It is becoming increasingly likely that Philip is not re logging. To make matters worse, some people are connecting the dots between Philip Linden and his mild mannered secret identity Philip Linden, both of whom have gone missing! To make matters even worse, Griefer McGreifsalot finds the Grey Ghoul!
Issue #43
A new hero arrives! But is she all that she is cracked up to be??
Issue #44
As the mysterious heroine sacrifices her life to save the grid from the Grey Ghoul, Blue and Torley are busy trying to determine whether or not to get rid of the current orientation island.
Issue #45
Philip returns! As a joyous crowd greets him, Philip delivers his explanation: "I was in the bathroom". Festivities are interrupted when Lag Muffin crashes the party... literally!
Issue #46
The Ghost Prim makes her debut. Philip Linden discovers the severed head of one of Griefer McGreifsalot's alts. Soon, the grid is in fear as this masked vigilante begins systematically annihilating the grid's worst elements. Philip must hurry, for when the clock strikes twelve, The Ghost Prim's work will be completed, putting Philip out of a job!
Issue #47
Ghost Prim, having eluded Philip Linden, discovers Griefer McGreifsalot's main account. As he begs for mercy, claiming to have reformed and that he didn't actually kill anyone and no harm was done, Ghost severs his head with a rusty golf club. She then places his head atop a pole at Orientation island to warn newbies of the price of crime. Can Philip stop this menace?
Issue #48
Prokofy and Philip team up to discover the secret of Ghost Prim! Just who is she?? As the number of crashes plummet and lag almost disappearing, time is running out for Philip Linden!
Issue #49
Philip and the gang confront Ghost Prim. Blue is taken out with blow to the forehead, while Torley is distracted with a newbie asking for help. Forced to face Ghost alone, Philip gears for the fight of his life!
Issue #50
As the memorial service for Griefer McGreifsalot is held, a new masked villian, Dirigible Don, attacks! No one is surprised when Ghost Prim kills him five minutes later.
Issue #51
Vigilante Ghost Prim is still on the loose, doing Philip's job nine times more effectively! As mild mannered CEO Philip Linden, Philip discovers the Ghost Prim's secret identity: Sar4h Hax! He is torn between stopping a vicious criminal and allowing her to continue the fight against crime!
Issue #52
As the memorial service for Ghost Prim is held, rumors arise that Philip did not just 'accidently' drop a titanium I-beam upon Sar4h Hax's head. A web of deceit, lies, and surreality is delved through as Philip uncovers the deadly truth! Can he stop the real criminal in time to save Blue Linden from Sar4h's fate??
Issue #54
Trouble abounds when Chief Justice of the Supreme Court John Jay serves Philip a subpoena on the case of Sar4h Hax's death. When Griefer McGreifsalot's son, Alabaster McGreifsalot, serves The Honorable John Jay a subpoena of his own, Philip shows Jay the power of true love as he beats Alabaster to a merciful pulp. In exchange for L$ 5,000,000 , Jay agrees to suspend the investigation, much to Prokofy's chagrin.
Issue #55
The current issue! Philip and the Gang convene at headquarters to discuss a somber topic: who will replace Philip when he dies or stops logging in due to boredom? At first light hearted, Blue and Torley take the Replacement contest too seriously in an attempt to win the coveted top spot! Both are foiled when Alabaster McGreifsalot wins! They team together to uncover the hideous villain to Philip! In his gratitude, Philip decides to deny both of them and appoint M Linden as his replacement.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Copybot Strikes Again!
It seems, and this is just preliminary reports, that someone has copybotted some of Starax's works. As I said, though, I have little to no clue what actually went on and time will tell. I can say that multiple abuse reports were filed and supposedly a few Lindens were after those who did it. The chances of actually catching the account are slim, though, due to throwaway alt accounts and other such cruft. It could take days, if ever, to sort out.
Of course, others had plenty to say on the matter. Words were thrown out such as 'sacrilege' and 'have people no religion??'. Others said it was 'terrible' and that 'copybot should be banned'. Even among those who did not know of Starax (and yes, there are many people who have not) there was a general sense of sadness that someone should steal another's work.
But, it is important to keep in mind that although this may be a more high profile case there are probably others, toiling in obscurity, whose work has been vacuumed by a copybot. Do these people get any airtime? Probably not. But their anguish at watching their work literally walking away is surely on a comparable level. Even moreso when you are trying to earn a livelihood in Second Life.
And what can the Lindens really do against Copybot? They already claim they can do nothing against the garden variety bots. It is funny that for the past two years or so, Linden Lab has made no significant progress that I can see in combating it. Instead, they rely upon waiting for an abuse report and attempting to track the account (which in all chances has probably been abandoned). The picture in my mind is of a bunch of firefighters trying to stop an arsonist by merely putting out the fires he starts.
So, another day, another CopyBot.
Of course, others had plenty to say on the matter. Words were thrown out such as 'sacrilege' and 'have people no religion??'. Others said it was 'terrible' and that 'copybot should be banned'. Even among those who did not know of Starax (and yes, there are many people who have not) there was a general sense of sadness that someone should steal another's work.
But, it is important to keep in mind that although this may be a more high profile case there are probably others, toiling in obscurity, whose work has been vacuumed by a copybot. Do these people get any airtime? Probably not. But their anguish at watching their work literally walking away is surely on a comparable level. Even moreso when you are trying to earn a livelihood in Second Life.
And what can the Lindens really do against Copybot? They already claim they can do nothing against the garden variety bots. It is funny that for the past two years or so, Linden Lab has made no significant progress that I can see in combating it. Instead, they rely upon waiting for an abuse report and attempting to track the account (which in all chances has probably been abandoned). The picture in my mind is of a bunch of firefighters trying to stop an arsonist by merely putting out the fires he starts.
So, another day, another CopyBot.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Unity
I never quite understood exactly why there were so many denominations of Christianity. Hey, we all worship the same guy, right?
It shouldn't matter how you worship Christ, only the core beliefs should be the deciding factor. That one believes Christ is the son of God, that he has granted and holds salvation for humanity (provided one has faith, of course), and that to those ends we should hold faith in his grace and we should do good works in his name. I think that just about covers it.
I feel like all the different sects are really antsy over the little details that don't make much difference one way or the other. Divorce was a hot button issue, which created the Church of England. Martin Luther had a bone to pick with the Vatican over the selling of 'indulgences' to raise money for the Church's coffers. Still others rejected the Pope as the Vicar of Christ, translated the bible to their own ends, and created their own Churches.
Those are all in the past, however. Let's look at the present. As I said, we all acknowledge Jesus and all that comes with him. If I went to any church of any denomination of Christianity, I couldn't disagree with the core beliefs. It's not like Roman Catholics believe in Saint Peter and Baptists don't. It's not like Anglicans believe in the Holy Spirit and Calvinists don't.
Shouldn't we all band together and admit that at our fundamental basics, we all believe in the same thing. There's differences, to be sure, but that should be at a personal level, between you and God, and shouldn't be interfered with above that level. The community, parish, whatever, that should be the sole reserve of indoctrinating the people with their faith and gathering the community together to worship god. The Church should be uniting, but not overbearing. It is at the personal level where there should be differences for each to reconcile themselves with whatever. If you want to get divorced, whatever, don't expect the church in general to condone it but again, that's you and your spouse's business with God. And so on.
Second Life is something of the same way. The other day, reading through the Official Second Life blog, I read a post on LL discontinuing support for Apple's Panther Operating System. That's no big deal, in my opinion. According to them, only 0.25% of all users ran the OS. Assuming peak concurrency of 60,000, that means only about 150 people are running SL on Panther. It's regrettable that some people will be left behind, but them's the brakes. When I got my new computer with Vista, SL didn't like it. I had to wait a while before LL got around to making it compatible. Oh well.
But what appalled me was the fighting that broke out over it. It started with the Panther people complaining. Fair enough. But then we had a giant debate over whether Mac or Windows (XP and Vista) were better.
I just don't understand what the point is. Shouldn't we all be working towards making SL a more enjoyable experience for everyone? Does it matter what machine is running SL as long as we're all logging into the grid?
The Windows people got nasty enough, suggesting that LL didn't bother with Macs because no one uses them, which just ain't true. Mac does have a sizable market share, not as great as XP perhaps, but great enough that it's not right to ignore them. I don't agree with not bothering to update their version of the viewer, either. I run Windows and am content with it, but I find it terrible that LL (according to the Mac Heads I've talked to) does not bother to work upon their viewer as often. And Linux...
The point is, that we shouldn't be eating each other over who runs what and why. It's silly. We're all running Second Life. We all should be working towards improving each other's SL experience. It does us no good to throw mud over Windoze or whatever witty insult there is for Macintosh. Rotten Apples? Anyway, we should be concentrating on what we share and not what we're running. Anything else is a distraction and detrimental to Second Life.
It shouldn't matter how you worship Christ, only the core beliefs should be the deciding factor. That one believes Christ is the son of God, that he has granted and holds salvation for humanity (provided one has faith, of course), and that to those ends we should hold faith in his grace and we should do good works in his name. I think that just about covers it.
I feel like all the different sects are really antsy over the little details that don't make much difference one way or the other. Divorce was a hot button issue, which created the Church of England. Martin Luther had a bone to pick with the Vatican over the selling of 'indulgences' to raise money for the Church's coffers. Still others rejected the Pope as the Vicar of Christ, translated the bible to their own ends, and created their own Churches.
Those are all in the past, however. Let's look at the present. As I said, we all acknowledge Jesus and all that comes with him. If I went to any church of any denomination of Christianity, I couldn't disagree with the core beliefs. It's not like Roman Catholics believe in Saint Peter and Baptists don't. It's not like Anglicans believe in the Holy Spirit and Calvinists don't.
Shouldn't we all band together and admit that at our fundamental basics, we all believe in the same thing. There's differences, to be sure, but that should be at a personal level, between you and God, and shouldn't be interfered with above that level. The community, parish, whatever, that should be the sole reserve of indoctrinating the people with their faith and gathering the community together to worship god. The Church should be uniting, but not overbearing. It is at the personal level where there should be differences for each to reconcile themselves with whatever. If you want to get divorced, whatever, don't expect the church in general to condone it but again, that's you and your spouse's business with God. And so on.
Second Life is something of the same way. The other day, reading through the Official Second Life blog, I read a post on LL discontinuing support for Apple's Panther Operating System. That's no big deal, in my opinion. According to them, only 0.25% of all users ran the OS. Assuming peak concurrency of 60,000, that means only about 150 people are running SL on Panther. It's regrettable that some people will be left behind, but them's the brakes. When I got my new computer with Vista, SL didn't like it. I had to wait a while before LL got around to making it compatible. Oh well.
But what appalled me was the fighting that broke out over it. It started with the Panther people complaining. Fair enough. But then we had a giant debate over whether Mac or Windows (XP and Vista) were better.
I just don't understand what the point is. Shouldn't we all be working towards making SL a more enjoyable experience for everyone? Does it matter what machine is running SL as long as we're all logging into the grid?
The Windows people got nasty enough, suggesting that LL didn't bother with Macs because no one uses them, which just ain't true. Mac does have a sizable market share, not as great as XP perhaps, but great enough that it's not right to ignore them. I don't agree with not bothering to update their version of the viewer, either. I run Windows and am content with it, but I find it terrible that LL (according to the Mac Heads I've talked to) does not bother to work upon their viewer as often. And Linux...
The point is, that we shouldn't be eating each other over who runs what and why. It's silly. We're all running Second Life. We all should be working towards improving each other's SL experience. It does us no good to throw mud over Windoze or whatever witty insult there is for Macintosh. Rotten Apples? Anyway, we should be concentrating on what we share and not what we're running. Anything else is a distraction and detrimental to Second Life.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Circle the Herd!
Years ago, around the 1880s to 1890s (and perhaps a little bit beyond) Unions such as the Knights of Labour struggled to give the working man a chair in the board of their company.
The logic was that management at the upper levels was not profoundly affected by their own decisions, as evidenced by Enron. When things go bad due to poor CEOs, the Unions reasoned, the people who really get the shaft are the employees and wage slaves. They are the ones who lose the jobs when the company has to cut corners. And because of this fact, don't they deserve at least a chair in the room when these momentous decisions are being laid?
The problem was that this was a pipe dream for numerous reasons. The first was that the layoffs really hit into the portion of the company which was easily replaceable. If I fire ten high school drop outs, I can hire ten more at the drop of a hat. The workers had no real leverage to exercise against the company in question, since if you didn't like it, you were shown the door where you would see a line coming in waiting to take your position.
Then there was the other more emotional level, which was that there was no way those plebes are going to butt into our affairs. Honestly. Do you really think the CEO of GM is going to listen to his factories when he has to cut jobs due to the fact that no one wants his Suburbans? Look out for number one, after all. Plus you then have a conflict of interests, since the Board is trying to hold a business together while the workers want decent pay against inflation and some semblance of job security. It was doomed to fail.
And that's why you see the rise of Unions that abandoned this ideal. It was a compromise between an idealistic long term goal (the chair in the board) versus a realistic short term (pay raise). It also helped that many Unions switched to more skilled and less easily replaced trades, such as police or screen writers. People who have a skill you can't reproduce with any old Joe, Jack, and Jane.
Of course, some may argue this reduces creativity since you're going to see the same old, same old, from the schools and masters who train the apprentices. This isn't entirely the fault of Unions. The counter argument itself is something of an American dream, that to be properly healthy you need to give everyone a chance. Who knows, you might have someone who single handed builds a multi billion dollar Fortune 50 company. That we could have a Bill Gates (a high school drop-out, I believe) on our hands if we only looked beyond the pale.
Of course, you could also point out that such people have came and went and made their mark. We went everyone to be able to do it, though. Everyone including ourselves. And there is nothing wrong with that, because it's perfectly human to want to succeed and to want to see others succeed. I don't think anyone takes delight in lording over the homeless that you can afford to pay rent and have a roof over your head. The human thing is to try to help them out, give them a leg up.
As with the chair on the board, however, this is an unattainable ideal. There will always be not enough for everyone not matter how hard you try to share the wealth. And if you do succeed it's not sustainable because someone will try to take advantage. Someone will try to take more than their fair share, and others will follow his or her example in a desire to get ahead and you end up back where you started.
Unions look out for number one: themselves. Because if they went and tried to cover everyone, as history proved, they get nowhere. And to those who have the talent but just don't have the credentials (since Unions force membership, and of course the company itself likes to have some evidence you really know your stuff), it's an up hill battle. Those who manage, though, truly shine. One could say it's a form of natural selection.
Prokofy is horrified that the tech industry, video games specifically, displays similar solidarity. That they always seem to circle the wagons, especially when someone (in this case a journalist) challenges them and they perceive it as an attack. And that is where we see this trend towards unionism. They will naturally defend any of their own. I am not being paranoid, either. It may not be conscience, but it's similar to meme propagation.
Meme propagation isn't evil. It just is. It's a trait that slowly evolved in humans, because coordination with your mates is key and if you can't see eye to eye with them, you're going to be picked off by some saber toothed cat. And some memes (thoughts) are very good. For instance, I don't think anyone would argue that spreading democracy is a bad thing. I don't think anyone would debate whether compassion should be eradicated. Memes just... are. The idea of memes isn't good or bad, it's just a fact of life that people will ingrain themselves with whatever seems to be popular at the moment. For these people in technology, they are just defending what they think are destructive memes.
The problem is zealotry. It seems that people cannot compromise. Perhaps, like Unions, in the future there will come to be some middle ground. But these people, and those that push back, are seeing this false dichotomy of 'us versus them'. 'We're always the good guys, that other guy is nuts'. I think Dawkins dabbled into this idea that memes themselves follow a kind of evolution, where the information will fight to survive. And I suppose we can see that kind of thinking here. These people have invested time and money into it, and to watch it die is a blow to be sure.
What annoys me is the condescending attitudes of all parties. In the above mentioned case, tech blogs were calling for the journalist to essentially zombify journalism. Their conditions were an apology and a redo (like the past can be reset, heh) with a set of questions predetermined and set boundaries for ad libbing. In essence, they want to deny the very nature of journalism.
At its heart, journalism is investigating the stories behind the news. It is NOT what you usually see on ABC or NBC or CNN. That is called reporting the news, in fact, it used to be called reading the news. That isn't really journalism to me. True journalism isn't satisfied with the press release, whereas news reading would. Journalists are public and civilian detectives. These days, they have drifted into sensationalism, but the heart is in the right place. Some of the best journalism have found stories that have informed and helped the public effect change that otherwise would never have happened. This is not to say it's always good and pure, sometimes it has been detrimental and even harmed society. But nothing is ever black and white, and on the whole journalism is a good thing. It's even a vital rating in the United Nations as an indication of a healthy, good, and free nation by measuring the amount of freedom the press has.
Because of its nature as a meme intruder, those under fire naturally fire back. This is what we are witnessing here. The industry and its followers are fighting back at an attack. And their return fire is to make demands, OR ELSE. The question that follows is what exactly they are threatening. They are fighting back by passing word around and smearing and skewing the incident. The actual original cause of this incident was rather stupid in hindsight, but it was an intruder, it must be destroyed. This person, and what she represents, is a danger that must be stopped according to them.
And that makes me sad, that they cannot discuss the actual question, but instead attack the messenger. You would think if it was a stupid and easy question, it could be easily answered. I can think of a few instances where a very probing question could be easily answered by those under the gun. Why assault when you can defuse? It's ridiculous on so many levels. If the question warranted the level of disdain as they would have you believe, then what exactly is the big fuss? Wouldn't the person's acts speak for themselves as a reporter and earn them a reputation that isn't so nice? One can debate up and down the pros and cons of Michael Moore, but you cannot deny his films have sparked debates and new views on issues that previously were more or less swept under the rug and forced the 'other side' to reexamine and reinforce their arguments, if they had any.
Nothing is black and white. And as I have said, the initial question was fairly lame. But the response was worse. And the response will probably provoke more examination. Such is journalism, that when one of their own is attacked the rest circle like sharks.
Or nothing may happen at all. This kind of antagonism between older and newer media isn't exactly new. But what the internet has provided is a voice for everyone to weigh in on it. When television supplemented the radio, consumers really didn't have a say except in purchasing (in buying either a radio or a tv, which would reinforce the media of whichever). Now, on the internet, we are encountering something of a true democracy where everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, can voice their opinion and force memes and propagate them.
The problem in democracy is noise ratios. Take the United States. Look at the electoral college. In order to really force a change, one has to convince the entire district to follow whatever it is you're pushing. You cut out all kinds of fringe groups such as complete fascists or communists or anarchists, because those groups would really destroy the system, and what you get is a compromise between many things. You really have to campaign and think through a bill or a candidate, to determine the best for the most amount of people. There is a call to abolish the electoral college and have direct democracy. This would never work that well, for the noise ratio would be too great. It would cause division and less thought, since you now are just considering the base majority. And people can be insanely stupid. Direct Democracy, like Socialism, is a great idea in theory. Too bad people just can't keep it.
The internet is kind of proving the point. Ron Paul is an internet super star. If I turned and trashed Ron Paul on this blog, I would get nine million angry people wishing me hot fiery death. Yet, despite this passion and seeming majority, Ron Paul gets at most seven to five percent of the vote, which is about typical for a third party candidate of sorts. Ron Paul and his somewhat extreme ideals just do not resonate with the interests of districts and states overall. Ron Paul garners on the internet a greater share of supporters than McCain, Hillary, or Obama combined. According to the internet, he should be president.
But that is not what every district wants. Some of his ideas would cause some serious hurt to the economy. Bringing back the gold standard unleashes a hilarious can of worms. You either will instantly render lots of dollars worthless or cause high inflation as prices adjust for too much money being backed by too little gold. Gold itself is traded on the market just like the dollar, so I don't understand the argument that it would stabilize the dollar. There are reasons, you see, why things happen, and the abandonment of the gold standard is one of them. People do not want the consequences. Each district overall does not vote for Ron Paul. He may have the majority of supporters but in each district they sound off that they do NOT want his revolution. And so we come to today. By the way, I'm assuming he has a majority as that is what some folks on the internet would have you believe. The fact that he isn't getting back large returns is due to conspiracies, I am told.
There is no filter on the internet to help you determine who and who isn't credible. And the internet itself isn't exactly verifiable. I could make ninety blogs which all agree with me and to an outside observer it would seem I really do have ninety supporters. Hell, you can see this with campbots. Stores boost traffic, and people trawling for stores cannot see if it's due to camping or not. Some bots are clever and not easy to find which makes it much more difficult.
And this leads to a culture of suspicion among those who don't hold the mainstream internet values and try to cut the bullshit, and even to some degree those in the internet culture. Everything is suspect. You see conspiracies everywhere and you can never be sure if the person on the other end is really keeping his word or not. I used to get this all the time, where someone would believe that I had scripted my saxophone to spy on this, or that I would steal it back somehow. People, especially on the Herald, trash trust based business such as the (admittedly stupid) meta card idea and banks.
We have this culture of suspicion. And that is where we then encounter this unionism style attitude and the defensive attitude that follows. When you do hit someone who agrees with you, you defend them unto death. Or if you hit someone who disagrees, who's to know it's not a troll trying to incite an argument? The very freedom of which the internet is so proud is a double edged sword. There are reasons why some limits to freedom are imposed. They are a necessary evil, which in real life serve to protect the greater good (like the fire in a movie theater clause in the first amendment). SL, and virtual worlds and games in general, is experiencing the growing pains as people bringing this common sense idea into a formerly lawless and anarchic meme land.
If only there could be compromise.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
A Goodbye Kiss
Heaton is dead. Or, Heaton Village as we knew it.
It was bought yesterday and was completely wiped out, along with Club Vanity and The Bridge. The new owner is replacing it with various themes every day. I have seen two so far.
And so, one and a half years after it began, Vanity and Heaton village disappear from Second Life, living on only in my snapshots and memories.
And so we kiss Heaton Village and Club Vanity goodbye. It was a slow, agonizing death as Hazel split, and James sold it, and Jayden abandoned it. All the while it sat and rotted. I almost want to say it's better to be forever gone than for it to sit there and betray all the fun times that passed through its halls.
So it goes.
It was bought yesterday and was completely wiped out, along with Club Vanity and The Bridge. The new owner is replacing it with various themes every day. I have seen two so far.
And so, one and a half years after it began, Vanity and Heaton village disappear from Second Life, living on only in my snapshots and memories.
And so we kiss Heaton Village and Club Vanity goodbye. It was a slow, agonizing death as Hazel split, and James sold it, and Jayden abandoned it. All the while it sat and rotted. I almost want to say it's better to be forever gone than for it to sit there and betray all the fun times that passed through its halls.
So it goes.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Drowned
Starax created so many wonderful and memorable creations. One of them is a statue of a man holding a limp woman, titled "Drowned".
One cannot link more than 256 prims together. This as you can imagine is a problem with larger builds and sculptures. So a common technique is to build giant pieces of your sculpture and place them all together to give the illusion that they are all linked into one piece. "Drowned" is an example of this, as the man and woman are each separate statues in their own right.
Why do I bring this up? Because my good friend Jurin (who runs Blackwater Gallery, which is definitely worth checking out and donating to) and self-proclaimed Starax worshipper (which is okay because Nunchuck likes Starax too) happens to have this particular piece on display. Her gallery is becoming renowned through the Second Life Land and people are taking notice and blogging their trips down to Blackwater. One I happened to stumble upon was an article by Stone Culdesac on The Grid Live, which pours over various galleries.
The Open Air Gallery shows how "Drowned" is supposed to be arranged. Now see Blackwater's interpretation?
You may be wondering why I am bringing this up. For you see, some time ago, someone (we never found out who) arranging "Drowned" so that the man appeared to be giving pleasure to the female statue. I don't have a snapshot on hand, but suffice to say, Jurin was both surprised and a tad miffed. Light Waves commented that this new arrangement was clever. We all had a chuckle and moved on.
Now, it seems like the mysterious rearranger has struck Jurin again. The newest pose has the woman leaping into the arms of the man which gets points in my book for being tasteful vandalism.
I wonder what we can expect to see from this mystery vandal in the future.
One cannot link more than 256 prims together. This as you can imagine is a problem with larger builds and sculptures. So a common technique is to build giant pieces of your sculpture and place them all together to give the illusion that they are all linked into one piece. "Drowned" is an example of this, as the man and woman are each separate statues in their own right.
Why do I bring this up? Because my good friend Jurin (who runs Blackwater Gallery, which is definitely worth checking out and donating to) and self-proclaimed Starax worshipper (which is okay because Nunchuck likes Starax too) happens to have this particular piece on display. Her gallery is becoming renowned through the Second Life Land and people are taking notice and blogging their trips down to Blackwater. One I happened to stumble upon was an article by Stone Culdesac on The Grid Live, which pours over various galleries.
The Open Air Gallery shows how "Drowned" is supposed to be arranged. Now see Blackwater's interpretation?
You may be wondering why I am bringing this up. For you see, some time ago, someone (we never found out who) arranging "Drowned" so that the man appeared to be giving pleasure to the female statue. I don't have a snapshot on hand, but suffice to say, Jurin was both surprised and a tad miffed. Light Waves commented that this new arrangement was clever. We all had a chuckle and moved on.
Now, it seems like the mysterious rearranger has struck Jurin again. The newest pose has the woman leaping into the arms of the man which gets points in my book for being tasteful vandalism.
I wonder what we can expect to see from this mystery vandal in the future.
Political Power Playing
Politics in Second Life?
Uh, yea? There are politics everywhere. There are politics in your workplace, in your home, with your friends, with the meter maid who just slapped a parking ticket on your car because you were seven seconds too late even though they saw you running for your car.
The definition of politics is the interactions and processes by which people make decisions upon actions with other people.
According to this, by the strict definition, we've had politics in Second Life for a long time. You could start with Linden Lab opening up Second Life to the first beta tester (some would argue we're all still beta testing, but that is a story for another day) and started receiving feedback concerning the game. You had politics when residents began to bicker and coalesce and agree upon what to do with the land they were buying and renting. You could compile volume upon volume of books listing the political power plays between Joe Shone and Jack Black and their clubs/casinos/stores.
But that's me being semantic. They're really talking about real life politics as we tend to know them. Presidential candidates and political lobbies using Second Life as a staging area and center ring for their campaigns. And on this, I agree with them. Second Life has a shaky record with this.
Senator Edwards attempted (or was it his following?) to build a campaign in Second Life. It wasn't the main lane of attack for him, and in fact it was rather small and isolated. Hardly anyone noticed when it came and when it folded. It was halfway sabotaged when a group of griefers set up a similar build advocating a psychic with a similar last name (Edward as opposed to Edwards). I haven't seen or heard much of any other potential candidate (save for Ron Paul, but does he really count?) starting anything in Second Life. I've seen a few lobbies for upholding the Second Amendment or urging action against global warming, but again nothing with too much momentum.
I think hoping for this kind of thing in Second Life is fatally flawed in two ways. To think that anyone could consider Second Life for a penetrating campaign is hopeless. The grid is too suburban and sprawling, and news in Second Life itself is sketchy, that the message does not get very far. Even in the extremely unlikely event you reached every single Second Life resident, you would only reach anywhere between 200,000 to 300,000 residents (I believe the 500,000 is far too optimistic. I think the actual number, accounting for alts and one month wonders, is actually somewhere between 275,000 to 312,500 residents but I'm low balling here). 300,000 is only about the size of Cincinnati. Consider also that this is spread across the world. Only half of the recipients of your message may be Americans and able to vote for you and possibly your lobby. If I'm French, I might care who becomes President but I'm not going to be able to do much about it. I might even hurt the campaign if I try to help it (since Americans are notorious for often deliberately voting against world opinion). You're just not going to reach many people and many are just not going to care.
The other problem is that people really will not care. Most come into Second Life to relax, socialize, build, and hang out with friends. They want to escape these kinds of pressing world issues and political maneuverings of real life. We already have enough problems with ad farms, right? When the people of Second Life can barely motivate themselves for forcing Linden Lab to reexamine its policies in Second Life or organizing to strike a blow against a resident grabbing power, why should they be expected to take interest in actual politics? Are you really going to garner the support of Dave Triskaidekaphobia, who is only really interested in finding a house and some gorean slaves? I do not hold much hope that it would. The corporate builds ran into this some times ago. Why go to Pontiac or AOL island, when the average resident is going to buy neither of these products? The average resident isn't interested in either. They're running on a cable connection and using Skype rather than AIM, and vehicles in Second Life can be found for free and are useless considering teleportation and poor sim crossings. The interest is just not there.
These are ingrained into Second Life itself and will not be easily changed. Personally, I would not like to see it changed. I'd much rather see Second Life take its own course than to have it become little more than a giant political ad paid for by some presidential or congressional hopeful.
But that's not up to me, is it?
Uh, yea? There are politics everywhere. There are politics in your workplace, in your home, with your friends, with the meter maid who just slapped a parking ticket on your car because you were seven seconds too late even though they saw you running for your car.
The definition of politics is the interactions and processes by which people make decisions upon actions with other people.
According to this, by the strict definition, we've had politics in Second Life for a long time. You could start with Linden Lab opening up Second Life to the first beta tester (some would argue we're all still beta testing, but that is a story for another day) and started receiving feedback concerning the game. You had politics when residents began to bicker and coalesce and agree upon what to do with the land they were buying and renting. You could compile volume upon volume of books listing the political power plays between Joe Shone and Jack Black and their clubs/casinos/stores.
But that's me being semantic. They're really talking about real life politics as we tend to know them. Presidential candidates and political lobbies using Second Life as a staging area and center ring for their campaigns. And on this, I agree with them. Second Life has a shaky record with this.
Senator Edwards attempted (or was it his following?) to build a campaign in Second Life. It wasn't the main lane of attack for him, and in fact it was rather small and isolated. Hardly anyone noticed when it came and when it folded. It was halfway sabotaged when a group of griefers set up a similar build advocating a psychic with a similar last name (Edward as opposed to Edwards). I haven't seen or heard much of any other potential candidate (save for Ron Paul, but does he really count?) starting anything in Second Life. I've seen a few lobbies for upholding the Second Amendment or urging action against global warming, but again nothing with too much momentum.
I think hoping for this kind of thing in Second Life is fatally flawed in two ways. To think that anyone could consider Second Life for a penetrating campaign is hopeless. The grid is too suburban and sprawling, and news in Second Life itself is sketchy, that the message does not get very far. Even in the extremely unlikely event you reached every single Second Life resident, you would only reach anywhere between 200,000 to 300,000 residents (I believe the 500,000 is far too optimistic. I think the actual number, accounting for alts and one month wonders, is actually somewhere between 275,000 to 312,500 residents but I'm low balling here). 300,000 is only about the size of Cincinnati. Consider also that this is spread across the world. Only half of the recipients of your message may be Americans and able to vote for you and possibly your lobby. If I'm French, I might care who becomes President but I'm not going to be able to do much about it. I might even hurt the campaign if I try to help it (since Americans are notorious for often deliberately voting against world opinion). You're just not going to reach many people and many are just not going to care.
The other problem is that people really will not care. Most come into Second Life to relax, socialize, build, and hang out with friends. They want to escape these kinds of pressing world issues and political maneuverings of real life. We already have enough problems with ad farms, right? When the people of Second Life can barely motivate themselves for forcing Linden Lab to reexamine its policies in Second Life or organizing to strike a blow against a resident grabbing power, why should they be expected to take interest in actual politics? Are you really going to garner the support of Dave Triskaidekaphobia, who is only really interested in finding a house and some gorean slaves? I do not hold much hope that it would. The corporate builds ran into this some times ago. Why go to Pontiac or AOL island, when the average resident is going to buy neither of these products? The average resident isn't interested in either. They're running on a cable connection and using Skype rather than AIM, and vehicles in Second Life can be found for free and are useless considering teleportation and poor sim crossings. The interest is just not there.
These are ingrained into Second Life itself and will not be easily changed. Personally, I would not like to see it changed. I'd much rather see Second Life take its own course than to have it become little more than a giant political ad paid for by some presidential or congressional hopeful.
But that's not up to me, is it?
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Details of New Blackwater Project Leaked!
Today, the SL art world was rocked as Jurin J Juran leaked rumors that she might be starting a new project. Little information was provided, save that it required an alt and involved rezzing prims and lots of Instant Messaging.
When asked to comment on this development, Jurin replied, "Oh stop. I'm gonna wear my gossip girl hud and rate you."
Jurin Juran runs the Blackwater Gallery, which can be found on the Blackwater sim.
When asked to comment on this development, Jurin replied, "Oh stop. I'm gonna wear my gossip girl hud and rate you."
Jurin Juran runs the Blackwater Gallery, which can be found on the Blackwater sim.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Sex And Battery Acid
They say everyone at one time or another has tried their hand at Second Life Sex.
I can understand the language and the words and the thoughts conveyed. But I could never bring myself to do it, I'd feel silly and goofy typing out each and every reaction and detail and what not.
Plus, you might have noticed I have a tendency to go crazy on people and provoke a reaction. Like when I held a dance party on Mia Linden's roof. Or filled Lillee & Shell's with prim babies. I just wouldn't be able to resist on such a thing as cybering. I'd have to do something weird or goofy.
I was discussing this very topic with my good friend Chaos (completely innocent, I assure you), and I had a chance to find what I would be like as a SL lover. Here is the exact quote:
"As I slide my hot, wet pussy down your hard, stiff, virile cock, my nipples start to leak sulfuric acid in delight. It drips on your rock hard abs, burning a path down your abdomen and around your scrotum. You scream in agony, while I scream in delight"
Another day, another discovery.
I can understand the language and the words and the thoughts conveyed. But I could never bring myself to do it, I'd feel silly and goofy typing out each and every reaction and detail and what not.
Plus, you might have noticed I have a tendency to go crazy on people and provoke a reaction. Like when I held a dance party on Mia Linden's roof. Or filled Lillee & Shell's with prim babies. I just wouldn't be able to resist on such a thing as cybering. I'd have to do something weird or goofy.
I was discussing this very topic with my good friend Chaos (completely innocent, I assure you), and I had a chance to find what I would be like as a SL lover. Here is the exact quote:
"As I slide my hot, wet pussy down your hard, stiff, virile cock, my nipples start to leak sulfuric acid in delight. It drips on your rock hard abs, burning a path down your abdomen and around your scrotum. You scream in agony, while I scream in delight"
Another day, another discovery.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
An Essay On The Feasibility Of Comprehension
Many arguments have been proposed on this topic, and many more will still to come. I will explore this subject with utter indifference and complete disregard for any possible scientific basis and evidence to the contrary of my findings which themselves are not supported by any evidence either real or imagined. I invite the reader to accept everything I say, in whole, in the merits of what I have and have not said.
First, I must present the reader with arguments against my thesis, for without dismissing these challenges out of hand I cannot possibly proceed, and it is best to eliminate these nay sayers now while the time is ripe, indeed, first impressions are the best and so we must come upon this unfortunate subject. We cannot ignore, also, the effects of the modern cable modem upon the cathode ray tube, superficially those effects which proceed unnoticed.
The first challenge oft presented is that, being creatures of speech and ignoring the nuances of text and sounds one cannot and will not in this day and age bother to read an entire block of text and thus render any and all attempts at hearing the argument moot. This is absurd in its entirety. One easily seen example is the one between a clock and an alarm. Without the actual text of the clock 'chatting' as it were with the alarm, one would fail it hear and thus oversleep. There are many other counterpoints which I will not bother going over unless time permits.
The second challenge is often devious, and its argument seems completely logical at first glance, such that responding to it requires a complete understanding of the field and logic behind it. Most upon hearing the response to this challenge cannot believe how simple the answer is, yet many still might find it perplexing and so I list it here. One must realize that we must junk all previous notions of any given capacity for research and all forms of Keyes and his theories, for we have no use (if we had any) for them here. Instead, it is better perhaps if we approach the answer to this challenge from the standpoint of a crossing guard might approach the problem of a passing train. That is, perhaps we should consider the possibility of it existing to be implausibly small such that we can place this argument out of mind and out of sight. It is best for one to ignore it. It is a deep and fundamental challenge that we should address but it is simpler for all involved to ignore it until such time that we can formulate an appropriate response, or perhaps forget about it.
Having properly defeating these challenges to our basics, we can now proceed to my basic premise and the heart of my theory. It is, in abstract form, an idea that is not easily presentable but I think it can best be stated as such: That avatars in their present form can sometimes be a representation of their masters, and sometimes they cannot. It is a complex idea, one that many will surely find obscene and perhaps capitalistic. Such a bold hypothesis requires bold evidence, and so I will bold the following paragraphs such that you will understand the importance and solidness of my arguments, and possibly be able to formulate your own and perhaps donate sizable sums of funds and donations to my non profit organization listed below. Such evidence shall be organized in order of least comprehensible to most least specific for your convenience.
Cathode ray tubes also point in the general direction of this trend although this pattern is easily misunderstood as the migration of the members of the therapoda genus. It is important that we define ray tubes as the tubes of ray rather than as is commonly misinterpreted in physics textbooks. It is this that we must work around and this that we ultimately find increasing support for the original thesis, of which one can be sure is diffused to the point that further elaboration is excessive and indeed unneeded. Unnecessary things are often the first things to go, for they are the least efficient, a byproduct of their inherent uselessness. Perhaps they are only useless in our minds, but that is a paper for another day.
At this point, the final piece of the puzzle drops into place. I am confident the reader can see the validity of the previous shards of evidence. If the reader does indeed understand my destruction of the counter-points, evidence, and all logic then I will have successfully proven my hypothesis. Since they are reading to this point in this post then that is direct evidence of the trends of global warming on a universal scale as opposed to a galactic scale. Since this is most definitely the case as provided here, then it can only be assumed to be true.
Little error has creeped into my observations and experiments. Occasionally the lab mice would run in circles and foam at the mouth, but this coincided with their exposure to day time television. Much like a normal human being, the mice predictably fell asleep by the time they read this far down, a point of error being that the underpinning assumption of the fact that mice can read. Until this is proven to be false, I am fairly sure it is true. There were a multitude of other error propagation but I safely and unwisely ignored them in light of the fact that they smashed my original dissertation. In summary, I have proved that someone can type many many many words and still say nothing at all of value, interest, or coherence.
First, I must present the reader with arguments against my thesis, for without dismissing these challenges out of hand I cannot possibly proceed, and it is best to eliminate these nay sayers now while the time is ripe, indeed, first impressions are the best and so we must come upon this unfortunate subject. We cannot ignore, also, the effects of the modern cable modem upon the cathode ray tube, superficially those effects which proceed unnoticed.
The first challenge oft presented is that, being creatures of speech and ignoring the nuances of text and sounds one cannot and will not in this day and age bother to read an entire block of text and thus render any and all attempts at hearing the argument moot. This is absurd in its entirety. One easily seen example is the one between a clock and an alarm. Without the actual text of the clock 'chatting' as it were with the alarm, one would fail it hear and thus oversleep. There are many other counterpoints which I will not bother going over unless time permits.
The second challenge is often devious, and its argument seems completely logical at first glance, such that responding to it requires a complete understanding of the field and logic behind it. Most upon hearing the response to this challenge cannot believe how simple the answer is, yet many still might find it perplexing and so I list it here. One must realize that we must junk all previous notions of any given capacity for research and all forms of Keyes and his theories, for we have no use (if we had any) for them here. Instead, it is better perhaps if we approach the answer to this challenge from the standpoint of a crossing guard might approach the problem of a passing train. That is, perhaps we should consider the possibility of it existing to be implausibly small such that we can place this argument out of mind and out of sight. It is best for one to ignore it. It is a deep and fundamental challenge that we should address but it is simpler for all involved to ignore it until such time that we can formulate an appropriate response, or perhaps forget about it.
Having properly defeating these challenges to our basics, we can now proceed to my basic premise and the heart of my theory. It is, in abstract form, an idea that is not easily presentable but I think it can best be stated as such: That avatars in their present form can sometimes be a representation of their masters, and sometimes they cannot. It is a complex idea, one that many will surely find obscene and perhaps capitalistic. Such a bold hypothesis requires bold evidence, and so I will bold the following paragraphs such that you will understand the importance and solidness of my arguments, and possibly be able to formulate your own and perhaps donate sizable sums of funds and donations to my non profit organization listed below. Such evidence shall be organized in order of least comprehensible to most least specific for your convenience.
Cathode ray tubes also point in the general direction of this trend although this pattern is easily misunderstood as the migration of the members of the therapoda genus. It is important that we define ray tubes as the tubes of ray rather than as is commonly misinterpreted in physics textbooks. It is this that we must work around and this that we ultimately find increasing support for the original thesis, of which one can be sure is diffused to the point that further elaboration is excessive and indeed unneeded. Unnecessary things are often the first things to go, for they are the least efficient, a byproduct of their inherent uselessness. Perhaps they are only useless in our minds, but that is a paper for another day.
At this point, the final piece of the puzzle drops into place. I am confident the reader can see the validity of the previous shards of evidence. If the reader does indeed understand my destruction of the counter-points, evidence, and all logic then I will have successfully proven my hypothesis. Since they are reading to this point in this post then that is direct evidence of the trends of global warming on a universal scale as opposed to a galactic scale. Since this is most definitely the case as provided here, then it can only be assumed to be true.
Little error has creeped into my observations and experiments. Occasionally the lab mice would run in circles and foam at the mouth, but this coincided with their exposure to day time television. Much like a normal human being, the mice predictably fell asleep by the time they read this far down, a point of error being that the underpinning assumption of the fact that mice can read. Until this is proven to be false, I am fairly sure it is true. There were a multitude of other error propagation but I safely and unwisely ignored them in light of the fact that they smashed my original dissertation. In summary, I have proved that someone can type many many many words and still say nothing at all of value, interest, or coherence.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
BEAR
As I've mentioned before (I can't find the post), the path to retention lies in connecting, communicating, and talking with the new people. It doesn't always work, but it at least helps the bleed-off from the one day wonders.
I know this from personal experience.
For there is an infohub that lies in the Bear sim, unimaginatively named "Bear Dream Lodge Infohub". It was in this place that I was born into SL (Orientation Island can be considered prenatal). Thus, Bear holds a place near and dear to my heart. They say your first impression is the most lasting one, that it molds your opinion of a place or person for as long as you know them. An impression that is hard to break, it's said.
My SL birth was literally a baptism in fire and cages. When I arrived, I was caged and surrounded by fire particles. Houses were rezzed on top of me. It was not a fun place to be, in short words. I was pushed around often by machine guns and RPGs. It is very likely that I would have stopped with SL right then and there, except that a few people helpfully suggested that I sit upon a wall on the main brick deck of the Bear Lodge. This brick wall, as we shall soon see, came to be the defining symbol of Bear. So much so that if you go there (at least, in my day, anyway) and inquire about what's the best thing to do at Bear, sitting on the wall will be among the top three.
Having planted on this wall, I took to conversing with the fellow survivors. They were a mixed bunch. Some were griefers themselves, some were obviously underage and sneaking into SL, some were like me and curious about what SL was all about. The one thing that united us was our mutual hatred of the griefing parade that regularly visited Bear in those days. We used to talk about griefing like one would discuss the weather, casual and only of mild interest after a week or so. The key is that the griefing united us, and also forced us to sit and listen to the others sitting around.
And you always had to sit. Standing, you would get caged and orbited. It was almost certain crashing. So you'd always see a row of people, squatting upon this brick wall from end to end, chatting about the latest movie release, or discussing whether they would put their brains in a robot body. Upon further reflection, I guess you could compare it to something of a city in the industrial revolution: everything is dirty and grungy from the factories, and everyone is a wage slave, and you're all united in general scorn for the foremen and owners and in your spare time you make conversation at the pub or the corner store. And because everyone was cramped into rowhomes that were and still are at most fifteen feet wide, you had to deal with jerk neighbors. And over time, you came to understand that they weren't inherently mean, they were just as scared and ticked off at the conditions as you were.
So I came into contact with a lot of folks. Even the biggest jerks soften up over time. You got to know the regulars, and you added to them. You'd engage some newb and talk about the weather, or perhaps you'd help them with something and you fall into a chat about the lag. Something always gives. And the regs came back, and the newbs became regs. It was familiar and comforting, and when someone was out everyone was on edge. Was it bad news? Good news? Had they quit? We became a family. And we'd always sit on the brick wall, the griefers were still running rampant. Soon our family grew and we got used to rezzing sofas and sitting on those, or sitting on the lamps nearby, or occasionally on the decorative fountain. Because the griefers would maul you if you stood, you always sat on something, usually whatever was closest. To not do so was to crash out of SL.
It was a running gag that one could always tell someone from the Bear Infohub, because at the slightest sign of trouble they'd sit on something. We all stayed not because we took advantage of the wide and wonderful possibilities of SL, but because we were friends, sisters, brothers, and sometimes married.
And this group, they came to be rooted in Bear. Now, as time went on, people here and there spun off and went their separate ways. Some bought land and moved on, some just quit, and some just went elsewhere. For them, Bear just didn't have the hold it did on others. This kind of worked against those who remained, as it made them tighter than normal. The end result of this is that at Bear infohub today, we have a core group of regulars, 'old'bies, who crowd out both the newbies entering SL at Bear and the people nearby who own land there.
This is really the point of the matter. Because recently someone has taken to starting a campaign against the regs at Bear. They don't understand why people would congregate at an infohub for nigh on a year now. They look at other infohubs, which remain relatively empty. And they just don't understand it.
This is why. Bear has spun out of control, and is turning into more than just a newbie gathering hotspot, it's mutating into a community in and of itself. With the regular show-ups of familiar faces, it's practically a small town. There is no stopping it. You won't be able to dislodge them without destroying the infohub or banning all thirty or so avatars who frequent there. It is just not going to happen. There is even a Bear co-op center, which can be considered an 'expansion' of the infohub, created by these regulars.
This is an extreme case where communication and community have knit together people tightly and keep them in SL. This is the story of Bear in a snapshot, and isn't comprehensive, nor needs to be. With regards to the fate of the 'regs', it will depend upon the Linden definition of the purpose of an infohub, and whether the regs can pass themselves off as mentors. With regards to my theory that other people, rather than owning land or building/scripting junk, hold people, I think it provides an interesting point.
I know this from personal experience.
For there is an infohub that lies in the Bear sim, unimaginatively named "Bear Dream Lodge Infohub". It was in this place that I was born into SL (Orientation Island can be considered prenatal). Thus, Bear holds a place near and dear to my heart. They say your first impression is the most lasting one, that it molds your opinion of a place or person for as long as you know them. An impression that is hard to break, it's said.
My SL birth was literally a baptism in fire and cages. When I arrived, I was caged and surrounded by fire particles. Houses were rezzed on top of me. It was not a fun place to be, in short words. I was pushed around often by machine guns and RPGs. It is very likely that I would have stopped with SL right then and there, except that a few people helpfully suggested that I sit upon a wall on the main brick deck of the Bear Lodge. This brick wall, as we shall soon see, came to be the defining symbol of Bear. So much so that if you go there (at least, in my day, anyway) and inquire about what's the best thing to do at Bear, sitting on the wall will be among the top three.
Having planted on this wall, I took to conversing with the fellow survivors. They were a mixed bunch. Some were griefers themselves, some were obviously underage and sneaking into SL, some were like me and curious about what SL was all about. The one thing that united us was our mutual hatred of the griefing parade that regularly visited Bear in those days. We used to talk about griefing like one would discuss the weather, casual and only of mild interest after a week or so. The key is that the griefing united us, and also forced us to sit and listen to the others sitting around.
And you always had to sit. Standing, you would get caged and orbited. It was almost certain crashing. So you'd always see a row of people, squatting upon this brick wall from end to end, chatting about the latest movie release, or discussing whether they would put their brains in a robot body. Upon further reflection, I guess you could compare it to something of a city in the industrial revolution: everything is dirty and grungy from the factories, and everyone is a wage slave, and you're all united in general scorn for the foremen and owners and in your spare time you make conversation at the pub or the corner store. And because everyone was cramped into rowhomes that were and still are at most fifteen feet wide, you had to deal with jerk neighbors. And over time, you came to understand that they weren't inherently mean, they were just as scared and ticked off at the conditions as you were.
So I came into contact with a lot of folks. Even the biggest jerks soften up over time. You got to know the regulars, and you added to them. You'd engage some newb and talk about the weather, or perhaps you'd help them with something and you fall into a chat about the lag. Something always gives. And the regs came back, and the newbs became regs. It was familiar and comforting, and when someone was out everyone was on edge. Was it bad news? Good news? Had they quit? We became a family. And we'd always sit on the brick wall, the griefers were still running rampant. Soon our family grew and we got used to rezzing sofas and sitting on those, or sitting on the lamps nearby, or occasionally on the decorative fountain. Because the griefers would maul you if you stood, you always sat on something, usually whatever was closest. To not do so was to crash out of SL.
It was a running gag that one could always tell someone from the Bear Infohub, because at the slightest sign of trouble they'd sit on something. We all stayed not because we took advantage of the wide and wonderful possibilities of SL, but because we were friends, sisters, brothers, and sometimes married.
And this group, they came to be rooted in Bear. Now, as time went on, people here and there spun off and went their separate ways. Some bought land and moved on, some just quit, and some just went elsewhere. For them, Bear just didn't have the hold it did on others. This kind of worked against those who remained, as it made them tighter than normal. The end result of this is that at Bear infohub today, we have a core group of regulars, 'old'bies, who crowd out both the newbies entering SL at Bear and the people nearby who own land there.
This is really the point of the matter. Because recently someone has taken to starting a campaign against the regs at Bear. They don't understand why people would congregate at an infohub for nigh on a year now. They look at other infohubs, which remain relatively empty. And they just don't understand it.
This is why. Bear has spun out of control, and is turning into more than just a newbie gathering hotspot, it's mutating into a community in and of itself. With the regular show-ups of familiar faces, it's practically a small town. There is no stopping it. You won't be able to dislodge them without destroying the infohub or banning all thirty or so avatars who frequent there. It is just not going to happen. There is even a Bear co-op center, which can be considered an 'expansion' of the infohub, created by these regulars.
This is an extreme case where communication and community have knit together people tightly and keep them in SL. This is the story of Bear in a snapshot, and isn't comprehensive, nor needs to be. With regards to the fate of the 'regs', it will depend upon the Linden definition of the purpose of an infohub, and whether the regs can pass themselves off as mentors. With regards to my theory that other people, rather than owning land or building/scripting junk, hold people, I think it provides an interesting point.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
At A Crossroads
I can see very clearly three paths laid out before me. I can see the lay of the road, the obstacles, the impending weather conditions, and the Emerald City at each terminal. I am at a crossroads, I think.
There's always a crossroads, even a straight path has a branch or a concrete tunnel a maintenance hatch. But some are minor, and don't affect any outcome. Do I get rocky road or vanilla ice cream? It doesn't matter in the long run, a detail lost to the winds in murky memories. But these three, these three are definitely choices that will have consequences. Take one route, and there will be a major impact. And likely, there will be no going back and this is it.
I honestly believe this will make or break my Second Life.
I am in a unique situation, or perhaps not so unique. You see, I have vectored into this very crossroads that offers three unique possibilities.
Actually, there is a fourth choice. But it is an unacceptable one, a route of failure before failing. I think you might have an inkling as to what I am referring.
So I have these three choices. And I can see each in detail. I think I understand how a chess player feels when they postulate seven moves ahead. I see the risk, investment required, and outcome of each and to be honest all three sound good on grey matter. The key is that once I choose one, I can't even attempt the other two. Why? Because each requires time and concentration that I simply don't have available unless I cut into real life responsibilities and I have a solemn oath that above all things Second Life, real life takes precedence. And each one would hog all of my attention. And therein lies the game.
Which one do I pick? Take too much time and I fall into the fourth and most unacceptable choice. Be hasty and I might regret not considering the other two. What do I want? What would make me happy? What would wear me down? What will I do? Could I keep this up?
All valid questions, yes? But we can't ask too many questions. Then we fall into information paralysis. This strikes many people in math and science, where the sheer volume of information overwhelms a person to the point where they just freeze, and nothing gets done. The volume of information is the high beam, and we're deer. The trick of the game is to be able to sort the relevant from the irrelevant and the necessary from the trash. Deer wearing sunglasses. And part of it is a learned skill, and part is luck, and part is talent. Like all things in life, really.
So what is relevant and what is extraneous? Identify the wheat and the chafe. And at this point, you might think I have succumbed to info paralysis, and that I should just get to the point. But that is the problem with decisions like this. At what point do we divide relevant and irrelevant? What separates the trivial from the important?
I keep coming back to this, you see? It seems to be the crux of the matter. My parents used to call it 'cutting through the crap'. And I have just served a hefty plate of crap just now. Perhaps I should just straighten my thoughts into a singularity. Arrange it out in the simplest possible terms. And there is no rush. But it is a decision that should really be resolved sooner rather than later. That's always for the best.
I guess I have a fear. A fear of choosing wrong. Or perhaps a fear of moving on. The now is fine, but it won't stay that way.
That's about it.
Also, I really need to have a talk with Blogger, and the way it triple (and sometimes quadruple) spaces my posts. It is getting just slightly annoying.
There's always a crossroads, even a straight path has a branch or a concrete tunnel a maintenance hatch. But some are minor, and don't affect any outcome. Do I get rocky road or vanilla ice cream? It doesn't matter in the long run, a detail lost to the winds in murky memories. But these three, these three are definitely choices that will have consequences. Take one route, and there will be a major impact. And likely, there will be no going back and this is it.
I honestly believe this will make or break my Second Life.
I am in a unique situation, or perhaps not so unique. You see, I have vectored into this very crossroads that offers three unique possibilities.
Actually, there is a fourth choice. But it is an unacceptable one, a route of failure before failing. I think you might have an inkling as to what I am referring.
So I have these three choices. And I can see each in detail. I think I understand how a chess player feels when they postulate seven moves ahead. I see the risk, investment required, and outcome of each and to be honest all three sound good on grey matter. The key is that once I choose one, I can't even attempt the other two. Why? Because each requires time and concentration that I simply don't have available unless I cut into real life responsibilities and I have a solemn oath that above all things Second Life, real life takes precedence. And each one would hog all of my attention. And therein lies the game.
Which one do I pick? Take too much time and I fall into the fourth and most unacceptable choice. Be hasty and I might regret not considering the other two. What do I want? What would make me happy? What would wear me down? What will I do? Could I keep this up?
All valid questions, yes? But we can't ask too many questions. Then we fall into information paralysis. This strikes many people in math and science, where the sheer volume of information overwhelms a person to the point where they just freeze, and nothing gets done. The volume of information is the high beam, and we're deer. The trick of the game is to be able to sort the relevant from the irrelevant and the necessary from the trash. Deer wearing sunglasses. And part of it is a learned skill, and part is luck, and part is talent. Like all things in life, really.
So what is relevant and what is extraneous? Identify the wheat and the chafe. And at this point, you might think I have succumbed to info paralysis, and that I should just get to the point. But that is the problem with decisions like this. At what point do we divide relevant and irrelevant? What separates the trivial from the important?
I keep coming back to this, you see? It seems to be the crux of the matter. My parents used to call it 'cutting through the crap'. And I have just served a hefty plate of crap just now. Perhaps I should just straighten my thoughts into a singularity. Arrange it out in the simplest possible terms. And there is no rush. But it is a decision that should really be resolved sooner rather than later. That's always for the best.
I guess I have a fear. A fear of choosing wrong. Or perhaps a fear of moving on. The now is fine, but it won't stay that way.
That's about it.
Also, I really need to have a talk with Blogger, and the way it triple (and sometimes quadruple) spaces my posts. It is getting just slightly annoying.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Look Ma, No Hands!
Metavered discusses using campers as a 'positive force'. And my first reaction is, that campers already are used to liven up an area and create a more scenic build. Having a camper 'mop' a floor, for instance, in a 50's diner build.
Then, as if by telepathy, dandellion Kimban comments in the same vein:
"We saw animated campers long ago. They wipe the windows, clean the floors, dig gardens.... what is new about this?"
And of course, the typical dopey reply given is that Kelly services is using campers as actors rather than just window dressing.
But the thing is, that I can't see what Kelly is doing is any better than window dressing. They have a bunch of scenes, a group performing a surgery etc., but in the end, it's just really fancy camping chairs.
Listen, I admire Kelly's heart. It's interesting to watch avatars camp in ways other than cleaning the floors or window washing. But they say it will help campers interact... no, I'm sorry. Campers don't play SL like you and I. They sit in the pose ball and then they leave to watch TV or whatever else they do. A camper gets nothing out of what their avatar is doing. All that matters is the pay out rate for the camping chair. It's a hands off attitude.
And I can't imagine coming and watching avatars camp, even if the scenes are interesting or amusing, would be a big draw. As I said, it is really nothing more than taking the traditional camping animation to the next level, but it's nothing earth shaking or eye opening. I don't think that it will educate SLifers or raise any kind of awareness any more than free pamphlets advertising for charity causes any increase in donations in real life.
And I disagree with some of the commenters who suggest it will liven up sims. It won't. It will add to the creepy factor, and I suppose that will be a big draw with horror fans, but watching lifeless and non-interacting avatars going through the motions over and over again...
Hands never on the keyboard...
Then, as if by telepathy, dandellion Kimban comments in the same vein:
"We saw animated campers long ago. They wipe the windows, clean the floors, dig gardens.... what is new about this?"
And of course, the typical dopey reply given is that Kelly services is using campers as actors rather than just window dressing.
But the thing is, that I can't see what Kelly is doing is any better than window dressing. They have a bunch of scenes, a group performing a surgery etc., but in the end, it's just really fancy camping chairs.
Listen, I admire Kelly's heart. It's interesting to watch avatars camp in ways other than cleaning the floors or window washing. But they say it will help campers interact... no, I'm sorry. Campers don't play SL like you and I. They sit in the pose ball and then they leave to watch TV or whatever else they do. A camper gets nothing out of what their avatar is doing. All that matters is the pay out rate for the camping chair. It's a hands off attitude.
And I can't imagine coming and watching avatars camp, even if the scenes are interesting or amusing, would be a big draw. As I said, it is really nothing more than taking the traditional camping animation to the next level, but it's nothing earth shaking or eye opening. I don't think that it will educate SLifers or raise any kind of awareness any more than free pamphlets advertising for charity causes any increase in donations in real life.
And I disagree with some of the commenters who suggest it will liven up sims. It won't. It will add to the creepy factor, and I suppose that will be a big draw with horror fans, but watching lifeless and non-interacting avatars going through the motions over and over again...
Hands never on the keyboard...
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Shanghai Sling
Prok has been raising hell about handing Chinese dissidents in Sl over to the Chinese authorities. Let's examine this!
First, we have to consider that in SL, I highly doubt that a Chinese dissident will run around openly broadcasting his/her dissension. More likely, it will be an underground movement through SL, perhaps with a public face but with most of it hidden from view.
Consider that first we have to make sure that the prospective dissident is, in fact, in China. Remember, we're not stifling opposition to China, we're rounding up opposers living in China. China, like everything else in there, heavily monitors its internet traffic, enough that Wikipedia has a policy where you are allowed to use anonymizers (you're normally banned for using one).
So, we have to cut through their web of proxies first. Meaning that China would be asking LL to do a job that they obviously haven't cracked yet, since they're asking LL to do it. If they were in a position to crack down on dissenters themselves, they'd do so and avoid the publicity of asking LL (risking exposing themselves to SL's notoriously anal, responsive, and loud world).
They risk, however, a 'Spartacus' movement, where a bunch of people will claim to also be in China, or using proxies that label them as in China, in order to defend their dissident friends (which I'm sure they will have). LL would be flooded with processing whether these people are telling the truth or not, if you think they wouldn't be, well just take a look at their current procedures for everything else, their wonderful implementation of grey goo griefer fences being the most notable.
And that's just trying to pin down an IP address, which I'm sure would pin point a very public internet cafe or city wide network and thus be unable to be shut down without severely pissing off the population. Let's say for the ease and avoidance of such a scenario, China asks for some names. Uh oh.
For while it's against the TOS to give false information when creating an account or providing billing info, in practice the Lindens only enforce this in matters where they've been directly defrauded or risk a lawsuit (credit card theft, let's say, freezing the 'stolen' account). Because in practice you'd have to hunt down 600,000 or so users who gave addresses as '123 Fake Street' or listed their last name as 'BiteMe'. And I highly doubt Mr. BiteMe lives at 123 Fake Street in Shanghai.
Okay then, just ban the accounts, right? That'll kill two birds with one stone: no need to turn over people to Chinese authorities, and no need to deal with the pesky dissenters causing the ruckus in the first place! Wonderful compromise! Except, we can make free alts on brand new accounts. You'd have the same problem we have with griefers now: How do we build a wall of China that lets people in freely while blocking out the Huns? In SL, you can't. The Lindens have been trying for years now with this problem on griefers, and now if they do it with dissidents as Prokofy suggests, they'd only exacerbate the problem.
What will end up happening is that LL may fool China for a few months, maybe a year, if China ever presses them on it, which may happen as did with Google. Eventually, China will realize the Lindens are giving them the run-around, and will likely just close off all access to Second life. So what? I can hear you saying. Well, imagine if the entire state of California was booted out of SL. That's what. An increasingly significant portion of our population is Chinese, a portion we just can't throw out with the bathwater. I'm not a fan of slippery slope arguments, but this easily could be taken as a precedent as well, as other countries may attempt to pull something similar (imagine if the Dutch had done so while investigating or prosecuting SL).
The point is, that this may be a pointed topic at LL. They do not have the power to rat out the dissidents. Any discussion of this must realize this fact. It is unavoidable, and central to it as with the griefer issue. Because of the way SL is set up and run, neither will be able to be blocked or traced through Second Life.
So, we have to theorize what will happen in the crystal ball. We could always assume that China will ignore SL, and promote HiPhiHi and attempt to force that to its will. That still leaves the elephant in the room, however. We're trying to control and stop these dissidents, not shove them into the outside world and get eggs on our faces, right?
LL could try to bluff their way out of it. Make a few examples of some, threaten the rest. It worked with ageplayers to varying degrees, and didn't stop the griefers at all. The likelihood of it working now is about the same chance as a chasm in Wisconsin opening up and creating a stairway directly to Hell, on which Elvis will climb and return. That is to say, zero.
And of course we've discussed the 'China just bans SL from every point in its hemisphere' option that will likely occur.
So what have the Lindens been discussing on this impending issue? Any group huddles, or at least long range plans? Let's listen into a recent Robin Linden office meeting where she commented on the subject ( in response to one resident's question on what LL would do if China did come a knockin'):
Robin Linden: The problem is ... that I believe those situations will have to be dealt with as they come up.
Robin Linden: I don't think we can make a blanket statement about how we would address such a request.
Robin Linden: It would depend on what they ask for, and who asks for it.
Robin Linden: You guys, it's not about free speech. Just courtesy.
Robin Linden: Honestly? Talked about what we would do SHOULD the chinese government come calling?
Listen to Robin's words. Read them again. Not about free speech? Courtesy? Haven't thought or talked about this yet? It reminds me of checking one's balance when you know you used the ol' credit cards a bit too often. On a good day, you open the envelope and you take what comes. On a bad day, you leave it on the desk, and it just sits and sits. The Lindens are treating RL governmental intrusions into SL as bad credit. They know they'll have to do something about it, and they've had a few close shaves before, but they're not really prepared when the repo depot rolls up their driveway.
I find this a tad scary.
First, we have to consider that in SL, I highly doubt that a Chinese dissident will run around openly broadcasting his/her dissension. More likely, it will be an underground movement through SL, perhaps with a public face but with most of it hidden from view.
Consider that first we have to make sure that the prospective dissident is, in fact, in China. Remember, we're not stifling opposition to China, we're rounding up opposers living in China. China, like everything else in there, heavily monitors its internet traffic, enough that Wikipedia has a policy where you are allowed to use anonymizers (you're normally banned for using one).
So, we have to cut through their web of proxies first. Meaning that China would be asking LL to do a job that they obviously haven't cracked yet, since they're asking LL to do it. If they were in a position to crack down on dissenters themselves, they'd do so and avoid the publicity of asking LL (risking exposing themselves to SL's notoriously anal, responsive, and loud world).
They risk, however, a 'Spartacus' movement, where a bunch of people will claim to also be in China, or using proxies that label them as in China, in order to defend their dissident friends (which I'm sure they will have). LL would be flooded with processing whether these people are telling the truth or not, if you think they wouldn't be, well just take a look at their current procedures for everything else, their wonderful implementation of grey goo griefer fences being the most notable.
And that's just trying to pin down an IP address, which I'm sure would pin point a very public internet cafe or city wide network and thus be unable to be shut down without severely pissing off the population. Let's say for the ease and avoidance of such a scenario, China asks for some names. Uh oh.
For while it's against the TOS to give false information when creating an account or providing billing info, in practice the Lindens only enforce this in matters where they've been directly defrauded or risk a lawsuit (credit card theft, let's say, freezing the 'stolen' account). Because in practice you'd have to hunt down 600,000 or so users who gave addresses as '123 Fake Street' or listed their last name as 'BiteMe'. And I highly doubt Mr. BiteMe lives at 123 Fake Street in Shanghai.
Okay then, just ban the accounts, right? That'll kill two birds with one stone: no need to turn over people to Chinese authorities, and no need to deal with the pesky dissenters causing the ruckus in the first place! Wonderful compromise! Except, we can make free alts on brand new accounts. You'd have the same problem we have with griefers now: How do we build a wall of China that lets people in freely while blocking out the Huns? In SL, you can't. The Lindens have been trying for years now with this problem on griefers, and now if they do it with dissidents as Prokofy suggests, they'd only exacerbate the problem.
What will end up happening is that LL may fool China for a few months, maybe a year, if China ever presses them on it, which may happen as did with Google. Eventually, China will realize the Lindens are giving them the run-around, and will likely just close off all access to Second life. So what? I can hear you saying. Well, imagine if the entire state of California was booted out of SL. That's what. An increasingly significant portion of our population is Chinese, a portion we just can't throw out with the bathwater. I'm not a fan of slippery slope arguments, but this easily could be taken as a precedent as well, as other countries may attempt to pull something similar (imagine if the Dutch had done so while investigating or prosecuting SL).
The point is, that this may be a pointed topic at LL. They do not have the power to rat out the dissidents. Any discussion of this must realize this fact. It is unavoidable, and central to it as with the griefer issue. Because of the way SL is set up and run, neither will be able to be blocked or traced through Second Life.
So, we have to theorize what will happen in the crystal ball. We could always assume that China will ignore SL, and promote HiPhiHi and attempt to force that to its will. That still leaves the elephant in the room, however. We're trying to control and stop these dissidents, not shove them into the outside world and get eggs on our faces, right?
LL could try to bluff their way out of it. Make a few examples of some, threaten the rest. It worked with ageplayers to varying degrees, and didn't stop the griefers at all. The likelihood of it working now is about the same chance as a chasm in Wisconsin opening up and creating a stairway directly to Hell, on which Elvis will climb and return. That is to say, zero.
And of course we've discussed the 'China just bans SL from every point in its hemisphere' option that will likely occur.
So what have the Lindens been discussing on this impending issue? Any group huddles, or at least long range plans? Let's listen into a recent Robin Linden office meeting where she commented on the subject ( in response to one resident's question on what LL would do if China did come a knockin'):
Robin Linden: The problem is ... that I believe those situations will have to be dealt with as they come up.
Robin Linden: I don't think we can make a blanket statement about how we would address such a request.
Robin Linden: It would depend on what they ask for, and who asks for it.
Robin Linden: You guys, it's not about free speech. Just courtesy.
Robin Linden: Honestly? Talked about what we would do SHOULD the chinese government come calling?
Listen to Robin's words. Read them again. Not about free speech? Courtesy? Haven't thought or talked about this yet? It reminds me of checking one's balance when you know you used the ol' credit cards a bit too often. On a good day, you open the envelope and you take what comes. On a bad day, you leave it on the desk, and it just sits and sits. The Lindens are treating RL governmental intrusions into SL as bad credit. They know they'll have to do something about it, and they've had a few close shaves before, but they're not really prepared when the repo depot rolls up their driveway.
I find this a tad scary.
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