Recent Comments:
Linden Lab staff gagged? Unable to post to official blog
Massively
Sep 3rd 2008 8:55PM I'm interpreting that picture as a surgical mask now; the main way LL gets around to solving lingering problems e.g. the various communication issues, is through messy major surgery. You don't see any end to the numerous failures of the system UNTIL that part of the system gets an overhaul. It happened with lackluster graphics and with glitchy physics, it's happening with sluggish LSL, and it's starting with the all-around dull communication channels. We wanted various otherwise-impossible prim shapes, and LL waited until someone came along with an all-around solution: sculpted prims. Likewise I tend to figure they won't fully address https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/VWR-386 or SVC-408 until they overhaul animations with the puppeteering project (though that sounds like poor news for everyone who cares about AO's...).
What is Involvium?
Second Life Insider
Aug 22nd 2007 4:52PM "Involvium" just sounds like something that belongs on that list... http://www.secondlifeinsider.com/2007/08/21/rl-to-sl-business-5-rules/
Japanese Catalog Retailer Cecile in SL
Second Life Insider
Aug 22nd 2007 12:48AM Indeed... at least they should switch that BMP save to PNG (for the lossless compression). Though, perhaps it's a bit understandable that they haven't done that yet, as it's only recently that .PNG files became an option for texture uploads in SL.
Self-serving Pity Post
Second Life Insider
Aug 18th 2007 4:19PM Hm. Well I myself never go further than a brief 'Oh hey, great to seeya again!' except with the closest of friends. But come to think of it, I'm the type who would appreciate being able to share my thoughts with a friend, then after taking a break in conversation for a whole month (or however long becomes necessary), continue right on naturally.
Nice picture. Just begging for a bellyrub ;D
LEAVE ME ALONE, BARBIEGIRLS!
Second Life Insider
Aug 10th 2007 1:14AM Ditto to S Trenton's hopes. Either they're joking with you in a bizarre sort of agreement about how awful a Barbie world could be, or somehow somebody's tricked them into thinking you're actually some kind of... well even that excuse would be pathetic. -_-
Amusingly enough, this reminds me a lot of the pro-gambling protesters I met at Torley Linden's office hours, constantly asking him to influence policy in ways he really had no special control over (nor was he even likely to side with them after his personal experience as a recovered gambling addict...).
Calling Bull on 'Bestiality' in SL
Second Life Insider
Aug 3rd 2007 1:22PM Tactless indeed... but hey, it's the women who do the staring... http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,21937537-29677,00.html ;P. Though, I don't want to start a battle of the sexes here, so...
Yes I very much like your arguments CutieP. As far as governing principles go, we shouldn't be able to forbid any acts performed in the appropriate private space, between fully willing participants, and only affecting those participants.
William Gibson to Read from "Spook Country"
Second Life Insider
Jul 21st 2007 2:06PM Did you say "Sun 23 July"? Sunday is the 22nd this July. Is it Monday then?
Is SL just 3D chat? If so, how much better is that? Just Askin'
Second Life Insider
Jul 14th 2007 1:27PM I find that '3D chat' is just a mindless way of describing what's really a hard-to-describe sort of 3D -everything- (to the extent of what LL's servers can currently handle, and what people are willing to adopt it for). Even calling SL a '3D chat with user-created architecture' seems worse than calling the World Wide Web a '2D chat with user-created newspapers'. Which come to think of it, becomes a more complicated analogy than I should try to elaborate on right now.
Anyhow, even 3D chat alone introduces various social elements that you don't get in other online environments. The other people don't leave a flat picture of themselves just sitting there; they stand (or sit) there before you, perhaps looking about or pacing about or even editing something. They can give you eye contact, or stare at another person, or back slowly away. Many visual cues can be swiftly given and taken as to who is trying to form a conversation with whom, as engaged people look at each other and group together. And of course, you can also quickly plop down in front of the whole crowd a 3D representation of any imaginable thing you'd like to discuss, helping to keep that audience engaged. Then when you have to leave, you can walk to the door and step slowly out of the room, unlike somewhat more abrupt, less natural departures from the old chat "rooms".
Yes SL is 3D chat, which is a great thing, but it is also more. How -much- more will be determined by how much we put into it.
Just Askin': Do you see this as a sudden reversal in policy?
Second Life Insider
Jun 2nd 2007 11:25PM Maybe I haven't studied it well enough but I certainly never had the impression that this was SL's kind of policy. I truly hope those official terms don't get rewritten to 'clarify' this.
"1. I see it as a bad case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing, or has done. It is chaos, but not malice."
Yep, assuming stupidity/foolishness/disorder before malice is definitely a good thing. Additionally...
"5. I think LL is just covering bases.. or their asses....
which is okay."
It seems quite possible that the biggest source of this mess around handling policy could indeed be outside of Linden Labs, in the hands of politicians. If this is what Linden Lab has to say to keep themselves out of a huge legal mess, so be it.
Anyhow, I really, really hope that the Lindens can make some clearer sense out of this policy-enforcing conundrum. Hopefully someone can come forward to discuss how Linden Lab may continue to respect citizens' ability to play how they wish in private. At the least, we could actually make sense of this if they tell us that this is all leading to some great news like less division between the Main and Teen grids, or something.
The campaign for equal heights
Second Life Insider
May 21st 2007 5:36PM Looks like this place is still prominently displayed as "most commented on." Perhaps it's still worth trying to discuss.
As for the people feeling threatened that being short is some kind of offense, these fears quite surprised me at first, but then I realized that that's what happens when there are a number of people who like to threaten those with funny-looking avatars; false, intimidating rumors go around.
Now, while I'm not one to fear the Lindens getting things horribly wrong, I agree with the principles stated by YK. If two avatars are unobtrusively taking part in activity that's perfectly acceptable within US law, why bother?
To keep legal matters simple, I sincerely hope that no account will need banning for ANY activity that both (1) occurs between consenting adults (and does not exploit the non-consenting or non-adult, as pictures of children would) and (2) is not publicly advertised (including public displays as open as advertising). Fortunately, violators of #2 shouldn't be too difficult to seek out. In breaking with #1, at least there is usually someone involved with the potential to complain. However, if neither is broken, it's really more effort than it's worth to seek out all of the perpetrators. Amid all that they have to deal with, I think the Lindens would be best off to occupy themselves with real, meaningful complaints.
I would finally like to call some attention to the connected discussion at http://www.secondlifeinsider.com/2007/05/11/transcript-of-the-german-piece-about-age-play/#c4879413
– particularly comments 8 & 9. I'm not sure we really know what we're doing if we're fighting against this... 'abuse' of SL... or whatever we might more legitimately call it.
