Next Virtual Scavenger Hunt Challenge! (IV)

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Crap Mariner's 100 Word Story Challenge

Crap Mariner wrote:

---

The 100 word stories weekly challenge is where I post a topic to http://podcasting.isfullofcrap.com and then you write and record a story based on that topic. The topic of the next Weekly Challenge is Return Want to give it a shot? Send an email to isfullofcrap (at) gmail.com with the subject of WEEKLY CHALLENGE and the following: The text of your 100 word story on the topic. Your site's URL, if you have a site and aren't ashamed to share it. A topic for the next Weekly Challenge And, if you can, a recording of your story (and any shameless plugs) in MP3 format Everything's due by Saturday at midnight or so. If you can't or don't feel like recording your story, well, go ahead and send the text of the story in anyway. I'll have someone record it for you. Good luck, and as always, keep it brief.

Crap Mariner wrote:

---

100 Word Stories Weekly Challenge #295 This week's 100 Word Stories Weekly Challenge offers up a whole bunch of Christmas stories from SL's Tura Brezoianu, Whiskey Day, Solomon Sixpence, Botgirl Questi, NorvalJoe Parkin, Danny Dwyer, Uriel Wheeler (and son), IshtarAngel Micheline, and Crap Mariner... among others. You can listen via the website: http://podcasting.isfullofcrap.com And feel free to try your hand at 100 word storywriting with Challenge #297: "Return." Thanks, -ls/cm

Crap Mariner wrote:

---

A drabble is a story that is only 100 words long. A friend in college did a bunch of them, and I did a few about Abraham Lincoln in response. Then, "100 Words Or Les Nessman" came about, and a group of writers challenged themselves to write about a topic or write about Les Nessman. I recorded my stories, eventually creating a separate podcast feed and archive. Les Nessman came and went over the years, but mine kept going. I swore that I would write one a day until the day I die. Since I'm not dead, I'm still writing these things. On Sundays, I invite people to write their own stories on a posted theme and we call it The Weekly Challenge. To join in, either follow the instructions on the Weekly Challenge Topic post, or write me at isfullofcrap (at) gmail.com Finally, I perform the most recent stories live in Second Life on the Edloe sim at 5PM SLT (Pacific Time) on Wednesdays.

http://podcasting.isfullofcrap.com/

http://podcasting.isfullofcrap.com/the-weekly-challenge/

http://podcasting.isfullofcrap.com/live-readings/

http://firstlife.isfullofcrap.com/

https://my.secondlife.com/crap.mariner

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Edloe/140/125/71

isfullofcrap (at) gmail.com

@100wordstories on Twitter

Virtual Scavenger Hunt Pictures (I-III)

See Griffin Ceawlin's fantastic original pics responding to the third hunt list on the Second Life Forums at:  http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Games-in-Second-Life/Virtual-Scavenger-Hunt-Challenge/td-p/1306301

Here's a quick tease...



Caitlin Tobias' consistently witty and pretty pics (I-III) can be found on her SLFeed and blog.

https://my.secondlife.com/caitlin.tobias
http://caitlintobias.com/






These are pictures from the intrepid Maryanne who upped the ante on the challenge by using the Utherverse (RLC) and Champions Online to attack the first hunt list.

The First Hunt List: 

1. A sumo wrestler or a monk. 

2. A Star Wars or Star Trek character. 

3. A sleeping bag or jump rope. 

4. A werewolf or a zombie. 

5. A piñata or fireworks. 

This is for you, Mary...

http://forums.utherverse.com/yaf_postst79118_Scavenger-Hunt--inworld.aspx

Next Virtual Scavenger Hunt Challenge! (III)

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ChouChou

Word on the Chouchouholic grapevine is that ChouChou performed a concert today and will be reopening the Chouchou sims next week!


Links:
http://chouchouholic.blogspot.com/
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Chouchou%20V/138/188/21
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avChtg8yopg
http://www.youtube.com/user/chouchouholic

Happy Holidays

Second Scavenger Hunt Challenge! We Have a Winner!

Congratulations to Sylvia Tamalyn (playing for Team Caity) on winning the Second Scavenger Hunt Challenge!




1.  Toilet Seat or Bidet



2.  Soccer Ball or Basketball Hoop



3.  Kindle or Walkman



4.  Clown or Fairy




5.  Breast Pump or Ice Skates and Leg Warmers





p.s.
Let me know if you cannot see those fabulous scavenger hunt pics from Sylvia.  (They might be on a privacy setting or lurking in my cache.)  Thanks.

Next Virtual Scavenger Hunt Challenge! (II)

The Rules:
1. All items must be from an MMO or virtual world.
2. You may get into teams (pairs or groups) or do this as an individual.
3. Be the first to get all (one of the two choices for each number) of the items on the list for the win.
4. Provide proof of completion with posted screen shots. You or a team member must be in the shot.  You may use a virtual world forum such as Second Life forum, Utherverse forum, gotVirtual.net, RLetc.com, SC MKII, SLU, etc., and link your post in the comments.
5. Bonus points for creativity.
6. Bonus points for funny or strange chat logs about obtaining the screen-shot items. (Remember to protect the innocent.)
7. Final authority on judging belongs to the hunt organizer.
8.  The prize is bragging rights and entertainment value.

The Second Hunt List:
1. A toilet seat or bidet.
2. A soccer ball or European football or basketball hoop.
3. A Kindle or Walkman (radio and cassette).
4. A fairy or clown.
5. A breast pump or ice skates and leg warmers.

The current teams to beat are Team Caity of Second Life and Team Maryanne of Utherverse and Champions Online.

May the best team win!


p.s.
This was the last hunt list:

The First Hunt List: 

1. A sumo wrestler or a monk. 

2. A Star Wars or Star Trek character. 

3. A sleeping bag or jump rope. 

4. A werewolf or a zombie. 

5. A piñata or fireworks. 

http://www.rletc.com/showthread.php?2498-Scavenger-Hunt-(inworld)

http://caitlintobias.com/

https://my.secondlife.com/leehere.absent

Peptide

Sometimes the dividing line isn't text or voice or big or small or human or furry or dead or alive or Euoropean or North American or even anchovies or pepperoni.  Sometimes it's friend or foe of Pep.  Be mindful of who you "like."

Enjoy.

http://whatleesaid.blogspot.com/2011/06/virtual-world-tribes.html
https://my.secondlife.com/lillie.woodells/posts/4ed8b9f58056df0001002efa
https://my.secondlife.com/livereport/snapshots/4ed85caa6349870a84000001
http://slconfidential.blogspot.com/2011/12/gypsy-quixote-thief-in-slum.html
http://slconfidential.blogspot.com/2011/12/gypsy-quixote-packs-his-bags.html
https://my.secondlife.com/gypsy.quixote
https://my.secondlife.com/aristophanese
https://my.secondlife.com/pserendipity.daniels
http://leeherevw.blogspot.com/2011/02/tongue-in-cheek-rules-for-forum-posters.html
http://leeherevw.blogspot.com/2011/07/pserendipitous-wit.html


ETA1:  "Feed" appears to be the new "sandbox."

ETA2:  I think I will self-quarantine to my own sandbox feed.  Crimes Against Convention 6 or 7 or something.

ETA3:  LOL  Someone clicked "cry."  Awwwwwww.

ETA4:  Oh wait, just checked and apparently my SLFeed would be CAC # 10.

ETA5:  It looks like the primary debate is who pissed in who's feed first.  I don't read SLF or the SLFeeds nearly enough to know.  Maybe some kind soul will come and tell us...or maybe we'll find something good on the telly.

ETA6:  Was that vitriolic?  I didn't even break a fingernail.

FAO: Ishy

We're lookin' for ya, girl.  How in the hell are ya?  Give one of the old whores a shout out, will ya?

The INclusion Question: Communities in the Second Life Community Forum

Nothing creates activity quite like the question of inclusion vs. exclusion... and Attention, which is so vital to our virtual world it deserves capitalization (and probably doctrine and dogma).


Did you know the Second Life official product forum has subforums for two of its communities?  Adults (XXX) and Vampires.  Will Educators, Faeries (and their diminutive brethren), Furries, Gors, Texters and Voicers have subforums of their own soon?  Are subforums offered or applied for?  How does a group qualify?  Is it based on demographics or should we follow the money?  Are the Adult and Vampire communities the largest of the Second Life communities, and if so, by how much?  Do they spend more money or draw more money?  Do they have to maintain certain standards in order to keep their subforums?  If they lose them, where will they go?  Will they be archived?  Why does the Adult community have a separate subforum of its own while the Vampires have a subforum within the People section? Are Adults not people too?  Is there discrimination in the segregation?  What's the message?  Are the Adults finding it difficult to be Adult in a PG world?  Adults and Vampires come with controversy, so what are the current debates?  Who are the vocal minority?  Did the separate subforums soothe the savage drama beast or fire its loins?  Was it a clever maneuver, a thoughtless slip or a non-starter? Who's got the scoop on the rationale behind these decisions and the crystal ball that will tell us what happens next?  Confidentially inquiring minds want to know.



I put together a little list of the "tribes" I had observed in my virtual travels and posted it on RLetc.com and gotVirtual.net a while back.  I thought I'd give it a quick review to see if I noticed more opportunities for SLF subforums.  Who have I missed?  Check it out.  Here's a copy:


I gave it some thought and began building a list of what I perceived to be the "tribes" of virtual worlds:


The Tribes

✣ Bloodlines (vampires, werewolves, etc.) vs. non-bloodlines (live humans)
✣ Faeries and tiny people vs. standard or tall avatars
✣ Furries vs. humans
✣ BDSM & Gor vs. non.
✣ Texters vs. voicers.
✣ Child avis vs. adult avis.
✣ Fantasy-based players vs. reality-based players.
✣ Players vs. residents
✣ Extroverts vs. introverts
✣ Gesture users vs. gesture haters
✣ Rude and careless vs. considerate and thoughtful
✣ Beggars and spammers vs. everyone else
✣ Griefers vs. non-griefers

Under construction.


Links:
http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Vampire-Events-Discussion/bd-p/Vampires
http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Adult-Content-Forum/ct-p/forums_adultcontent
http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Welcome/Community-Guidelines/td-p/1176323
http://gotvirtual.net/community/threads/thats-what-she-said.772/page-6#post-24480

Wasted

I called him.  Spoke to him.  Make of that what you will.

My take?  It's all real.  It is not performance art, calculated griefing or forum gaming.

He says he speaks some English, but struggles with it.  He says he tried to get a job at Linden Lab, but felt he was discriminated against when he was turned down.  He says he has serious mental health issues.  He says he really believes he is posting as a concerned activist working on a good cause.  He says it really does bother him when he is mocked and teased, but he feels he is sacrificing himself for the greater good.  (All of this is information that can be obtained from his public posting and not new information from a private conversation.)

One woman's opinion.

Fine print:
His contact information is freely given, publicly posted and easily accessed.  I will not, however, post it here.


p.s.
He said he would "salute" me on the forums and invited me to speak with him again.  


ETA:  Wasted gave me permission to post about him and our conversation. 


ETA2:  Congratulations to Wasted who has recently obtained a job at a petrol refinery.


ETA3:  I think this is my Wasted "salute."   ;)




Wasted said on gV...

"I can report any crime next to me, If I was living in Washingtong (USA) , I would call the police every day to complain about secondlife."

A Call for Bans on gV

The debate continues...

Appeal to have Ev0l's posting permissions terminated for serial harassment

Lain's Lost It

Forum Feedback

.plan




ETA:

Poll: Who is the real GV Villian ?

SLU Down

That's unusual, isn't it?

It's not just you! http://www.sluniverse.com looks down from here.

Links:
http://www.downforeveryoneorjustme.com
http://www.sluniverse.com/

Second Life Tour

If you were going to take someone on a one-evening tour of Second Life just for fun*, where would you take them?

*Not to get a newb kitted out.




ETA:

SLUnleashed

I created an account there.

http://www.slunleashed.com/

Blog Stats & Search Keywords

I find the blog stats fascinating.  I have my doubts about their reliability...natch.  Right now, using the "Now"  link that supposedly shows two hours worth of data, I see that there have been seven people from Iran and five from the United States looking at my blog and at least one of them got here by searching Google for "virtual game lil peps."  I would love the opportunity to ask secondary questions.

Looking at "All Time" I see that most viewers come from the U.S., the Netherlands, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and Germany.  No surprise there.  There is also an unaccountably high number of people from Latvia viewing all of my blogs (not just this one).

Forum Confidential, Pserendipity Daniels' "Pep's Parenthetical Postscripts," Google, SLF, SC MKII, gV and my own blogs continue to be the top-referring sites to this blog.

Variations of my own name and that of Seicher Rae and Jon Finkel continue to lead the top of the "Search Keywords" list.  Some of the ones lower down the list that amuse me besides "virtual game lil peps" are "realistic pubic hair," "ripped union jack flag shorts," "daddy dom" and "whore wiki."  There have also been some very disappointed searchers for "magic the gathering," I'm sure.  And I'm real curious about the people who got here via "a."

The blog posts that have received the most views are, again not surprisingly, the ones about sex and gV forum moderation.

And y'all are slaves to Windows and Firefox.   ;)



ETA:

This is from today's data.



Really?

Forum Confidential Litmus Test (Scylla Likes It)

Given the lengthy threads I've seen on more than one forum about how participation and enjoyment in and of Forum Confidential is a kind of litmus test for the many who read, but don't post, I could not resist grabbing this for a bit of a mischievous wink and nod.



Links:
http://slconfidential.blogspot.com/2011/09/under-duress-fc-confesses.html
http://www.secondcitizen.net/Forum/forumdisplay.php?f=100
http://gotvirtual.net/community/search/242982/?q=forum+confidential&o=date
http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Lifestyles-and-Relationships/NO-MORE-SECRETS/td-p/960281/highlight/true
http://community.secondlife.com/t5/General-Discussion-Forum/Interesting-web-site/td-p/1084193

p.s.
Did the "Interesting website" discussion get pulled off of SLF?  Bummer.

Who is Mitch Wagner?

I was compared to Mitch Wagner today, so I thought this question worth looking into and answering.  I started by Googling him.

He's written a couple of blogs.  He says he's a "technology journalist, blogger, social media addict, writer, science fiction fan, and husband" who is also "editor in chief of The CMO Site, an online community and group blog for chief marketing officers at big companies."

Green Apple said in "Mitch Wagner: Journalist Turned Second Life Expert"...

"We discuss his early adopter involvement with Second Life including live virtual interviews inside the platform with many authors, business icons, and even Biz Stone, the founder of Twitter! Wagner gives insight to the media platform’s tools and disadvantages. Mitch is currently the author of the Computer World Tool Talk blog and the Copper Robot podcast.  He is Copper Robot in Second Life."

He looks so familiar.  I feel sure I've encountered him on my internet travels before.

Links:
http://secondthoughts.typepad.com/second_thoughts/2011/09/joshua-nightshades-big-lie-and-the-griefers-exploitation-of-the-suicide-of-nikola-shirakawa.html
http://psishrinkers.blogspot.com/2011/09/nature-and-meaning-of-transgender-in.html
http://mitchwagner.com/
http://wagner.typepad.com/
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100426/1032359169.shtml
http://www.squaremartinimedia.com/mitch-wagner-journalist-second-life-expert/
http://copperrobot.com/2011/02/everyone-has-a-plan-for-fixing-second-life-heres-mine/
http://copperrobot.com/

ETA:

Aha!  I knew I'd seen him before.  There was a metaslurp post on RLetc.com featuring the old Copper Robot last year.


In Case You Missed it: Second Life Press Highlights from ... - RLetc

gV: Don't Tell Them Lee Sent You

Situational Influences

Catfish is on the current HBO rotation.  I also noticed Nev Schulman and Aimee Gonzales, both from Catfish, on the promos for Anderson Cooper's new daytime talk show.

I checked Google news to see if there were any updates on the story, having followed it last year, and I saw this article, "'Catfish' Star, Filmmakers Hook Careers in Hollywood," from August 28, 2011 on ABC News online.  It gives a quick "where are they now" summary.

It also has comments.  Like this one from Skeptic335 which produced a "hunh" moment for me...

"Fascinating! Makes me think about power of "situational Influences" in open society created by people that feel trapped in life's situations it possibly creates less violent stories like "Carfish" and the "6th sense" to more violent stories like murder. I feel that we need to look much farther than how "situational influences" play out in the "Stamford Experiment". Since I had sleep APNEA all my life- which I call "natural water boarding" and the insane police interrogations that one can get if they are falsely accused. I feel that "less intense" "Situational Influences" that play out in real life may be "more intense" than the "dark side of interrogation "brainwashing based on "social interaction, abuse or lack there of. I feel that if we could research it with out "abusing people" and model it we we might find results far more controversial and shocking than the "the theory of evolution. Such a concept doesn't scare me although it scares my superiors and some people in the medical profession but not all."

Links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catfish_(film)
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/catfish-star-filmmakers-hook-careers-hollywood/story?id=14387500
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsL2V36kpjU
http://marketingteacher.com/lesson-store/lesson-consumer-behavior-atmospherics.html
http://www.ehow.com/facts_7214668_situational-influences-leadership.html
faculty.rio.edu/wthoene/.../Situational%20Influences.ppt

Rumble in Los Angeles

Alright, we missed out on the "Rumble in Reno" and the "Rumble in TBD," so we'll have to make do with this remarkably similar story.


"ANTHONY MICHAEL HALL ARRESTED AND RELEASED AFTER DISPUTE WITH NEIGHBOR"

 "The 'Breakfast Club' star was arrested on Monday night on suspicion of disturbing the peace after the neighbor in the dispute told police that Hall had threatened to "beat him to a pulp" after he confronted him to ask why he was ripping up plants in a common area of their condominium complex, according to the Los Angeles Times. The actor allegedly knocked on the man's front door a little later and challenged him to a fight. The unnamed man refused to leave his home and called the police. Police arrived and Hall was taken into custody. According to the Los Angeles Times, Hall was released from custody earlier today and faces a misdemeanor charge that will likely be handled by the L.A. city attorney's office." 

 No streaming video or dancing chickens, though, I'm afraid.

Where are the best places to talk Second Life Sex? (mature-adult-NSFW-XXX)

This question has come up a number of times before, I know, and it has come up again, most recently in SLF, so I decided to post about it here, in gV and on SLU.

Here's my post on gV and SLU:

"Where are the best places (blogs, forums, websites, sims, etc.) to talk about sex in Second Life among adults with a frank and open discussion? Topics might include prim genitalia, etiquette, how-to for newbies, fetishes, paraphilias, NSFW & XXX content, sex sims, sex products, etc. And why? (Why is that the best place?) The question came up in SLF and I thought it might be interesting to get comments and referrals."

Here are the questions asked by Aleesha Snow that got the ball rolling this go round.

Aleesha Snow said...

"I'm looking into making a foray into the world of SL sex. Before I get involved, I have been noticing that there are so many options as far as body parts, HUDs, and many other things. Some things are stand alone, others need compatible items to work properly. It is all so confusing. I decided to search for information online. Unfortunately, after several hours, was unable to locate anything on the web that wasn't a number of years old and, apparently, no longer pertinent. I'm not sure I am in the right place to even ask this question. Can someone point me to a place where I can get up to date and accurate information on all of this?  Thank You  A~"

Aleesha Snow also said...

"Thanks Ariel, and thanks to all who replied. I really appreciate it. Reading all of your responses have helped but I think Ariel hit the nail on the head. There is just so much that it is hard to ask specific questions. The "genital Attachment" question was one for instance. I personally don't need one and sex for me is more cerebral than visual, yet I didn't know if guys would look at me as cheap or less desirable if I didn't have one. It is things like that. Its good to know that the older information can be relied upon today. I will look at it with a different eye. Guess I need to find my online mentor. Thank you all A~"

Links:
http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Lifestyles-and-Relationships/Finding-Current-Info-on-SL-Sex/td-p/1081169
http://gotvirtual.net/community/threads/where-are-the-best-places-to-talk-second-life-sex-mature-nsfw.2546/
http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/general-sl-discussion/64052-where-best-places-talk-second.html
http://www.sluniverse.com/php/vb/lets-make-sexy-time/
http://whatleesaid.blogspot.com/2011/09/sex-questions-on-second-life-forums-slf.html
http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Lifestyles-and-Relationships/Where-do-YOU-think-the-best-place-to-talk-about-sex-in-Second/td-p/1086709

Earthly Infractions Reported in 'Forum Feedback'

Lias said...

"So Earth gave out infractions t Cato, Lain andI in theew member thread. Here is what each of us got an infraction for:"

[quotes some of the "infracted" posts]

"I asked him to ask that question elsewhere and Lain answered him politely and we were cited for dramatizing the thread.

Where is the appeal process? There is no way to respond to the conversation Earth started to dole out the infraction and no written appeal process in the infraction information area. To be fair an appeal process needs to be available."

"the right to appeal

in the event that an inhabitant is subjected to quarantine or scrubbed, they will be afforded an opportunity to appeal to the community for relief."

If you get banned from gV and wish to appeal, it helps to solicit a sponsor to appeal on your behalf so you don't circumvent the alt rule and create grounds to be banned again.


nina said:

"the right to appeal - people should have an opportunity to make their case against whatever discipline publicly"

nina said:

"opportunity to appeal to the community' could mean many things, not necessarily appealing to a mob. it could mean a single post asking for forgiveness, it could mean an entire thread to discuss the merits of the discipline, it could even mean an appeal judged by a panel of peers. the mechanics arent specified."

nina said:

"i will say this though, the Inhabitant Rights state that pep has the right to appeal his banning. start a thread dedicated to peps appeal and lets see how people feel about the topic"

colleen said:

"Who reps the banned person?"

nina said:

"if there is a case where nobody wants to rep the banned person... that says a lot right there hey"

Links:
http://gotvirtual.net/community/threads/forum-feedback.1114/page-149#post-114818
http://gotvirtual.net/community/threads/new-member-alert.746/page-95#post-114269
http://leeherevw.blogspot.com/2011/08/gv-forum-ban-appeals-process.html
http://leeherevw.blogspot.com/2011/08/forum-feedback-aka-lees-manifesto.html
http://gotvirtual.net/community/threads/standing-invitation-for-scmk-ii-and-slu-people-who-have-an-axe-to-grind.243/page-153#post-60075
http://gotvirtual.net/community/threads/standing-invitation-for-scmk-ii-and-slu-people-who-have-an-axe-to-grind.243/page-152#post-60049
http://gotvirtual.net/community/threads/standing-invitation-for-scmk-ii-and-slu-people-who-have-an-axe-to-grind.243/page-153#post-60094
http://gotvirtual.net/community/threads/our-rights-part-ii.372/page-2#post-11744
http://gotvirtual.net/community/threads/our-rights-part-ii.372/#post-11537
http://gotvirtual.net/community/threads/our-rights-part-ii.372/#post-11497
http://gotvirtual.net/community/threads/phase-2-construction.156/#post-3615
http://gotvirtual.net/community/threads/infraction-appeal-process.2537/#post-115582


ETA:

nina said:

"bear in mind that at the time the inhabitants rights were created we hadnt yet abandoned the idea of community governance." 

 nina said:

"well its true. it was stated that we would continue to use the rights and standards though, so they are alive. peps unbanning is an example of the post-governance appeal process in action. if it is an appeal of consequence or matter it will be addressed i am certain."

nina said:

"it could be done easier than people think. if one had the technical ability to make the websites design reflect the model of governance in use, that would go a huge way toward making something work."

nina said:

"there is no appeal process. infractions came about after the collapse of governance. once inhabitants made it clear that they were not willing to trust one another to have any say in governance and forced mars to permanently move to an internal security policy (mars' best judgement), this is the result. i suppose if one felt so strongly about an infraction they could start a thread in engineering, but i wouldnt hold my breath waiting for a favourable resolution."

nina said (to Cato Badger):

"i loved doing it to 'your mom' and cristiano. i know full well how fun it is, which probably makes it less fun for you thats why i dont hold it against you."

ETA2:

Earth said...

"community governance was abandoned here, gV update - 22.apr.11, prior to the ban appeal resolution.


it clearly states:

it has been determined that the mcp will not be making any further attempts at fostering community governance. this should not result in any drastic changes; most things will remain as they are. but there are a few things worth noting:

• the community standards and the inhabitant rights are still in effect. any changes to either will be at the discretion of the mcp, although community input may be taken on board.

there is already a 'contact us' link in the lower right of the page.


that is not as helpful as one may think. it increases the level of drama more often than not. it would be far easier to deal with most matters if petrol wasnt poured on a developing drama."

ETA3:

nina said...

"everything about the administration has, since day zero, discouraged back-channel negotiations and dealings. to the degree that planet are forbidden to use a non-public venue. the planets are all anon, and tried to remain 100% anon since the beginning. planets cannot be messaged, and can message only one another. i keep my conversations turned off and any email/in-world discussion pretty safe. everything indicates that appeals are supposed to be done publically. it is an appeal to the community, hoping for them to take up your cause. it is not an appeal to mars.

two things that are problematic and infraction-worthy are these things happening in the no-drama zones: telling another they have been reported (escalating drama) and forum-policing (escalating drama).no-drama means no drama. one doesnt need to be swearing or name-calling to incite drama. ive been very good at it at times.

the planets were chosen from the gV community, with diligent efforts being made to ensure that various 'factions' were represented. if at any time one of them is truly going rouge, there is nothing to prevent one from being ousted. if half the people are saying some particular planet is 'corrupt', that would be cause for alarm."

SLFucked Again

Okay, what did I do wrong this time?

I tried to reply to SL8995's "know where i can purchase RL second life items" thread (I have often wanted a real-life version of Senjata Witt's concert T), but when I hit the reply button, either of them, I get bumped out of the thread. So what's up?

I swear I've been able to pull off a SLF reply before.  What am I doing wrong this time?

Hitting "Reply" takes me to this screen:

I don't see anything to indicate that the thread has been locked or that my posting ability has been hobbled.  Glitch?  Temporary insanity?  Brain fart?

Apologies to Storm, but I can't post freely, can't use "adult" language or discuss "adult" themes and the functionality of the SLF forum, no matter which version, has always been so bloody frustrating and, and, and...well, that's why you don't see me there very often.  (Good tips for those who want me off their forums, btw.    ;)   Hey, it worked for SLO.)

Oh, and this is the shirt I want in real.

Links:
http://secondlife.lithium.com/t5/General-Discussion-Forum/know-where-i-can-purchase-RL-second-life-items/td-p/1069567
http://secondlife.lithium.com/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/459465
http://www.rletc.com/showthread.php?2925-Second-Life-Blogorums

ETA:  Shit, did I become a "male" when they revamped the forums?  That's what the little blue man means, yes?  That's the default?  So now I have to go back in and fix my gender?  Aargh.  At least I finally noticed the damn thing.

ETA2:  Alright, damn it, where do you change the little blue "M" man?  I'm clicking through all the "Preferences" and "Settings" and not seeing it yet.

ETA3:  Oh.  It means I'm a "member."  I remember getting the e-mail announcing that.  I thought getting an email telling me I was a member after all this time was a bit...well, anyway, I think I even commented on it here in my blog somewhere.  A little blue M man...really?

ETA4:  What are the colors and symbols for the rest of the levels?  Is there a handy chart?

ETA5:  Oh ffs.  I think I figured out the replying problem.  Depending on which link I click the site "sees" me as either logged in or not logged in and since I was logged in I didn't notice the difference and didn't immediately think to check ('cuz I'm so used to the bloody aggravation of SLF!) when I clicked around.  Let me try that again.

ETA6:  Yup.  That was it.  Depending on how I get in there, it either recognizes me as logged in or it doesn't and if I click on "Sign in" it doesn't actually ask me to sign in, it just changes my status to already signed in and lets me reply.

ETA7:  And a "General Discussion" in each section?  And a borked "Search" that I have to help like a toddler crossing the road?  Argh.  I'm in danger of another SLF rant.  I'm so spoiled by other sites.  Must...stay...away...from...SLF.

ETA8:  'Course, it could just be the day I'm having.   

 


ETA9: Squealing and showering affection on Storm for this.

Storm said...

"This is the best I could do Lee:

http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Forums-Feedback/Crimes-against-convention/m-p/1082813/message-uid/1082813#U1082813"

Crimes against convention

Storm Clarence said...

"I was made aware of this issue from a friend and I, too, attempted to post to this OP and can not. Is the lithium software censoring/moderating our replies, too?"

ETA10:

I'm lovin' Storm's current siggy.  ;)

Gorean Stopover...Who Knew?

I had no idea there was a demand in the virtual market for a relaxing stopover between Earth and Gor.

S0phia Inkpen said...

"Tetrapoli bills itself as a Gorean stopover, as a place to relax, when travelling between Earth and Gor. It has some quiet resting spots....

And others that are more obviously gorean (even to my untrained eye)...

The build itself is fairly well done, nothing extraordinary.

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Tetrapoli/162/179/21

The sim is rated Mature/Moderate (I believe it should have a rating of Adult)"

See pics at Real Travels in a Virtual World in the "Tetrapoli" post.

Cougar Eclipse

I thought this was interesting.  It was interesting to me because of the unusual choices made in marketing this Second Life event, because of the reaction to it (mine included, natch), because of who and what were involved and because of a couple of the coincidences connected with it all.

Virtual Outworlding, a blog published by Thinkerer Melville (aka Selby Evans), advertised a concert in the Eclipse Nightclub and Mall.

"We wil be hosting our very first concert AND this is the FIRST time John Cougar Mellencamp will be in SL, so everyone come down and welcome him to SL and have a great time with us at Eclipse*Nightclub*!!"

Lavalie also posted advertising the event in the "Upcoming Events and Activities" section of the Second Life Community Forum.

"John Cougar Mellencamp!! Sept 2nd! Hello Everyone!!! The subject says it all! John Cougar Mellencamp!! When: Friday - September 2, 2011 Time: 6pm SLT Where: Eclipse*Nightclub* and Mall Click to Teleport In We wil be hosting our very first concert AND this is the FIRST time John Cougar Mellencamp will be in SL, so everyone come down and welcome him to SL and have a great time with us at Eclipse*Nightclub*!!"

People, understandably I feel, took issue with the way the event was marketed.  John Mellencamp (he stopped using the name "John Cougar Mellencamp" in 1990 according to Wikipedia) did not perform live in Second Life at the Eclipse Nightclub.  I know, and for sure, because I went and checked it out.  I checked both the real Mellencamp's official touring schedule site and I went to the Second Life "John Cougar Mellencamp" Eclipse event.  I wanted to know what kind of performance met the parameters of what was advertised.

1.  No actual visit from John Mellencamp operating an avatar in Second Life.
2.  No live music performance in Second Life.
3.  No videos.

So the real John Mellencamp did not perform in Second Life, natch, and a tribute band did not perform live covers of Mellencamp music.

The performance was actually a group of people roleplaying a tribute band using a recording of a live Mellencamp concert.   Avatars using AOs and props on a stage moving and grooving to a recording.  That was the nature of the performance.

Malia Gustafson played the role of Mellencamp and the other avatars in the band were April Dalglish, Lazer Skytower and Aisza (Asia) Serrano.

People at the event seemed to be having a good time.  People on the forum appeared to be either perplexed or motivated to protest.

Some people commented on the misleading advertising.

Some people commented on the potential violation of ToS and copyright law.

I think people might have preferred to see, say, "come see LightNing StrikeS, tribute band, do John Mellencamp at Eclipse" or somesuch.  (There are a lot of other ways this could have been handled, especially after people started commenting on it in the forum threads.)

Lavalie's response was that the show was free.   (The band earned a fee from the club owners and put out tip jars, but there was no entry fee to attend.  I tipped $L50 knowing I was going to take pictures and make a blog post.) She also said that people knew it was not really John Mellencamp.   (It's not clear how she knew what people knew.  I saw at least one person ask her how Eclipse had managed to secure such a famous celebrity for their club.)  Lavalie also stated that because there were live humans operating the avatars on the stage and streaming a recording of a live show, that the Eclipse show was, as advertised, a "live" show.  The avatars' AOs were moving them in real time.  Live.  I feel, as I suspect most do, that this is an incredibly low standard for the definition of a "live" performance.  This would make any performance in which the avatar's operator was not afk and on autopilot, moving to a recording of some sort, a "live" performance.  I'm also now a little curious to know how Lavalie knows no one has done a Mellencamp performance in Second Life before.  (The advertising said this event would be the first time Mellencamp peformed in Second Life.  How does she know?)

So it was free and there was something to see, so get over your bad self.  That seems to be the message from Lavalie.

The message back appears to be, "you screwed up, own it, recognize it, apologize for it, don't do it again, exit with some grace, and then, yeah, we"ll get over our bad selves."

I do think it is interesting that Thinkerer Melville aka Selby Evans, a man who runs a website created to help new Second Life residents, a man who says he is a Ph.D. who taught classes in both psychology and computer science, would be so lax about supporting such misleading information on his website.  He attended the concert, so it is not for lack of information.  Maybe Melville thinks we should get over our bad selves too.  Maybe it was an oversight, a brain fart, a favor for a friend or something.  Maybe Lavalie and Melville have not had the opportunity to experience the real live music performers in Second Life yet and do not understand quite how high and specific the expectations are for those of us who have.

The concert may have had more attendees because of this advertising, hell, I would not have gone except to see how they were going to reconcile the event with the advertising, but it has potentially caused longer term damage for the credibility and reputation of Lavalie, Melville and Eclipse.  My hope is that all parties involved will recognize the value of a gracious explanation and apology and remedy the situation.  We'll see...

In the meantime, I will mention the odd coincidences and then post some pictures from and related to the concert.

The odd coincidences?  Thinkerer Melville for one, for me, Randall Ahren, too. Randall's the one who asked about Mellencamp. He also happens to be a supporter of my blogs.  And then I think I saw Pep's new friend Mayalily at the concert.  Imagine my surprise.

I'd love commentary, so please, if you have some thoughts on the advertisement, the event, the nature of "live" shows in Second Life or this blog post in general, comment away.

Here come the pics.

Advertisement for the event on Virtual Outworlding.  That's Thinkerer Melville looking up at the poster.

One of the advertisements for the event on SLF.

This is one of the posters inworld at the venue.

The roleplaying tribute band performing at the Mellencamp concert.

Malia Gustafson as John Cougar Mellencamp.

One of the tip jars.

People seemed to be enjoying themselves.  There was a lot of enthusiastic gesture spamming going on in there.

Mayalily.

Links:
http://virtualoutworlding.blogspot.com/
http://virtualoutworlding.blogspot.com/p/about-author.html
http://virtualoutworlding.blogspot.com/2011/09/media-john-cougar-mellencamp-friday-92.ht
http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Upcoming-Events-and-Activities/John-Cougar-Mellencamp-Sept-2nd/m-p/1067253
http://virtualoutworlding.blogspot.com/2011/09/media-john-cougar-mellencamp-friday-92.html
http://virtualoutworlding.blogspot.com/2011/08/media-alert-john-cougar-mellencamp-in.html
http://community.secondlife.com/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/456709
http://virtualoutworlding.blogspot.com/2011/09/fri-92-john-cougar-mellencamp-acoustic.html
http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Upcoming-Events-and-Activities/Scratch/m-p/1080107#M859
http://gotvirtual.net/community/threads/second-thoughts-redux.1044/page-7#post-113060
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Business District Indigo/217/99/22/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recording_Industry_Association_of_America
http://www.mellencamp.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mellencamp


ETA:

This was Lavalie's reply to me in the "Scratch" thread on SLF for which I thanked her.

"I understand I worded it wrong, obviously people on here know that it's not really him. So I'm going to be the bigger person here.. and accept everyones information and APOLOGIZE for misinforming everyone of what a "LIVE" show is. The post should have read.. "TRIBUTE BAND" I do realize that "Live" means different things to different people. Being that I am new to SL, I didn't know all of the rules (which is definitely something I should have looked up) so THANK YOU for informing me of the correct information. I apologize for being snappy about this, I just didn't see it was wrong in my eyes, but now I see exactly what you were all talking about. So once again.. I am truly sorry for misinforming everyone."

"Thank you for pointing that out and I once again do apologize. I appreciate your input."

I'm not entirely sure what Summer Carillon's connection to the event is, but she also gave an explanatory comment in a post in that same thread.

Ah, mystery solved.  Eclipse appears to be owned by DJ disFUNctional (hercules.fallen) and Summer Carillon is his "summer love" and the co-owner of Eclipse.

ETA2:

Lavalie was advised to notify a moderator and ask to have the thread ("Scratch," which was one of two) pulled.  I see now that the thread is gone.

ETA3:

Next day (9/3).  It looks like both threads have been pulled now.

Also, the Virtual Outworlding blog post has been pulled.

"Sorry, the page you were looking for in the blog Virtual Outworlding does not exist."

Aack.  Scratch that.  The blog post is still there, it's just my link that's borked.  Here are the unborked VO blog post links:

http://virtualoutworlding.blogspot.com/2011/09/media-john-cougar-mellencamp-friday-92.html
http://virtualoutworlding.blogspot.com/2011/08/media-alert-john-cougar-mellencamp-in.html
http://virtualoutworlding.blogspot.com/2011/09/fri-92-john-cougar-mellencamp-acoustic.html