Alphaville Herald

The Return of Jumpman Lane

Suspended over the summer by LL - the coolest guy in SL plans to resurrect SlutMag

by Alessandra Narayan

Some call him controversial, others say he’s just nuts, hated, loved, worshiped, Jumpman Lane, owner of the pornographic/erotic Slut Magazine, calls himself King of Second Life, the coolest man on SL, does what he wants, respects no rules, insults everyone when he wants to and points women and sex as the best thing SL has to offer. After being banned by LL, Jumpman Lane, the ‘enfant terrible’ is back, willing to bring back to life his magazine preferably keeping himself away from problems with the Lab.

Alessandra Narayan (AN) – What have you been up to recently?
Jumpman Lane (JL) – Recently I’ve sobered up RL since the holidays and once again have set about to resurrect Slut Magazine.

AN - Do you think it's possible to be suspended from SL again?
JL – Sure but now that I have Zara Linden on my friends list (I'm a social climber) it’s harder for the average SL tard user to get me in trouble because they don’t know how to write ars for one and my points have gone down. Each year the Gteam lets you start with a clean slate, they don’t care what you did the previous year.

Anti-Furry Church Preaches Hate

Roleplay or improv theatre? hate as an artform with sacred daleks and anti-yiff spray

By Kris Dibou

Cross in St. Devros Church

Jacada Ansar had a vision.  Like some who have visions, Jacada started a church; a church that can could previously be found at Woodbury Longcat sim.  While puzzling over many churches built in the name of love, yet inciting hatred over those who do not believe as they do, Jacada decided to create a church based on hate in order to make a statement.  And who better, in Jacada’s opinion, to direct that hatred towards than the furry community.

During my visit to Jacada’s church, I witnessed two attacks and one redemption.  The whole thing ran like preplanned role play and certain comments made by Jacada reinforced this supposition. 

SpaceJunky Virtual Stage Manager Tommy Parrott

mega prims, WalMart syndrome for content creators, and hot chicks

by JayR Cela

Recently I had the opportunity to meet with the Virtual World band SpaceJunky stage manager;Tommy Parrott. He is a SLDeveloper an accomplished artist. The band has been taking SL and RL by storm, featured in Time Magazine and other publications. There seems to be no stopping them. The music and show are phenomenal,and a large part of it has to do with this SL Developer & content creator. He was so nice as to allow me an interview, I would like to share it with you:

JayR Cela: what exactly is SLDEV and how deeply are you involved with in that organization
Tommy Parrott: Second Life Developers; it is a group for content creators that have had major (Sim sized minimum) projects; It is run by Glenn and Madhavi Linden.

JayR Cela: have you been with them since early on ?
Tommy Parrott: No; I joined about 8 months ago; about 1/2 through my current time existence. I had to fully own Ginsberg first (as it requires Large scale/sim sized projects minimum) and I wasn't really confident at that time my skills would meet their criteria for entrance when I first joined.

JayR Cela: so I take it that you design everything from the ground up, texture's / sculpt maps,sounds,the whole deal?
Tommy Parrott: yes, but I just started scripting, so I mostly modify existing ones to serve my needs ;)

JayR Cela: you must have an extensive background in RL art ?
Tommy Parrott: Not really; I was born an artisan in many fields; I am an accomplished musician (percussionist), an accomplished photographer (I have had my photography in the largest art gallery in Las Vegas; art Encounter), and I am a network engineer in RL; I create networks for clients.

Intellectual Property: A Tiny Affair

Who owns the rights to pictures of Tiny avatars?

by Kris Dibou

an example of the disputed illustrations

As I was working on a story for the Herald (regarding a fellow who was writing a children's book on heart health) including illustrations make from screenshots of Tiny avatars in Second Life, I received this note from Ms. Wynx Whiplash, one of the creators of the Tiny avatars:

  In response to accusations by certain parties; I, Wynx Whiplash, am releasing this statement.  All parties except myself will remain nameless as I do not wish to cause others the harm they seem to wish to cause me.

    Thursday May 8th, 2008, I was contacted by a Second Life resident who claimed to be authoring a pamphlet to educate children on the risks of heart disease and I was informed that images of my work were going to be used.  I was taken aback that I had not been consulted first for the use of the images of my avatars.  The resident told me that he did not require my permission.  I politely begged to differ and was concerned for the reactions of other residents whose work he was also photographing.
    Feeling rather upset that someone felt they could use images of my characters whether I wanted them to or not, I unwisely continued the conversation, trying to be helpful, which is my usual demeanor when speaking to someone via instant message. 

Sex and the SL Mermaid

how does that work, exactly?

I remember staring at the label on the tuna can and pondering this very thing- Chicken of the Sea indeed!  How do they do it? Perhaps they grow legs on land and mate as humans; then crawl back on land to give birth?  Perhaps, much less romantically, the female lays eggs and the male fertilizes them after-the-fact.  But then why lure sailors into the sea to their deaths?  And how do they go to the bathroom?

To answer most of these questions, I sought out the author of the SL book entitled "What Mermaids & Mermen Ought to Know About...MATING", EmeraldEver Cline.

Kris Dibou: What Mermaids & Mermen Ought to Know About...MATING
Kris Dibou: I told my editor about your book, and she was excited to have me talk to you about it
EmeraldEver Cline: :)
Kris Dibou: I see from your profile that you like to write children's books?
EmeraldEver Cline: Yes...
EmeraldEver Cline: Writing a sex education book for mermaids and mermen was a first for me.

Jenn Villota: The Artist as a Young Av

Interview with a new and upcoming artist

by Kris Dibou

When I saw the pics for Jenn Villota’s gallery opening, I could not turn my head, nor scroll away. The thought passed through my head that I was in Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, X-rated editor’s cut. Indeed, it appeared that there were demons here, now released to be diluted into the psyches of the metaversal residents. So when Pix said “Why don’t you interview her?” I took the assignment.

Jenn Villota outside her gallery, "Miso Horny"

I soon found myself in Devil’s Pocket, a fascinating group of sims reflecting the parts of a city most of us do not visit. At first I was perplexed as I gazed into an empty lot. Explains Jenn:

“Well originally my gallery was set up on a friends land he owned the plot but as time went on i think he grew tired of people asking him questions about me and my work. He is very supportive of my work but we had a miscommunication and he abandoned the land the night the Herald ad went up. next morning i freaked out and after IMing back and forth he was able to talk to the owner of the sim Nadir who sold it to me thank god. then i spent all morning …so its all good now i actually really like the crack den the feel of it seems perfect for my gallery.”

Another roadblock I ran into was when I tried the link Jenn's work which had disappeared from Flickr…

Interview With Woodbury University's Edward Clift

"Universities should be made aware that Linden Labs maintains global surveillance on all the activities of their student members and monitors them both on campus and off-site" - Edward Clift

by Pixeleen Mistral, National Affairs desk

Over the last two days, I conducted an interview with Dr. Edward Clift via e-mail, seeking his opinion on the Linden Lab deletion of Woodbury University island from the Second Life metaverse.

I will give Dr. Clift points for affecting a certain style - his Second Life avatar goes by the name MC Fizgig. In real life he is the Deputy Director, School of Media, Culture, & Design and Chair & Associate Professor, Dept. of Communication at Woodbury University, so we can assume a certain level of media-savvy, and perhaps an interest in those that hack the media to advance their own meta-messages - such as the goons and griefers. Here is a transcript of our conversation

pixeleen mistral: Did you pre-pay for the use of the Second Life island? Has Linden Lab refunded the money?
Edward Clift:We did pre-pay for the first six months of the island and have not received a refund.

pixeleen mistral: Do you plan to fight the Woodbury University sim closure?
Edward Clift: Our plan is to fight the Woodbury University closure by a) appealing to Linden Labs and b) speaking out on behalf of academic freedom.

pixeleen mistral: Apparently, Linden Lab felt that there were problems with the activities taking place in the region and with Terms Of Service violations by troublemakers. Were you aware of any of these sorts of problems?
Edward Clift: Woodbury University is a minority-serving institution whose students are often relegated to the margins or unjustly castigated as troublemakers. The fact that Linden Labs waves Terms of Service violations around with no details or supporting evidence reminds me of the Salem Witch Hunt Trials. If people come to an educational island, they seem to say, then we know you are guilty! Let’s burn you at the stake! Look, one of the 11,000 daily visitors wrote a nasty script... Let’s turn their island to grey goo! The truth is we worked diligently to institute a security force including members of the Justice League in an effort to keep problems in check. There was never any communication from Linden until the disconnection as to whether they thought we were doing a good job or not and certainly no chance to take corrective measures in any kind of cooperative fashion.

Step Off the Path

by Fiend Ludwig

Veiled Conundrum: Second Life sculpture by Xantherus Halberd, 2007

[Editor's Note: It's no longer clear to me whether we sent Herald correspondent Fiend Ludwig to interview SL gallerist Xantherus Halberd before or after the metaverse meetup last month that was hosted by Xantherus's typist, New York artist Annie Ok, but here at last we present the resulting article, an excellent look at the very real effect of virtual worlds.
--Walker Spaight]

I planned on this being a simple review of an art gallery opening in Second Life. Drop in for a quick visit. Take a few snaps. Chat with the owner. Write a quick story. Paste in some links. Hit the Publish button.

But it is not that. It a story about a circumstance that has shown me what Second Life really is - the latent future over which floats the path of real life. Step off the path, and, like Bradbury’s Eckels, effect unexpected changes. But I am getting ahead of myself.

“I see all of SL as art. Regardless of how mundane some of it might appear, everything in SL had to be created. It is perhaps the largest online global art collaboration ever,” says Xantherus Halberd who, along with Rhizome Szydlowska, recently opened the »GHava{SL}Center for the Arts« in Second Life. A multilevel build showcasing their work as well as that of a raft of other top tier New York artists, the GHava{SL} Center is crisp, clean, and, well…modest. Halberd and Szydlowska have a floor each dedicated to showing their work, but a visitor must be curious enough to look for the elevator to transport them there. “I like the idea that our personal exhibitions are ones that the visitors find incidentally if they choose to explore further,” says Halberd.

Uri Sells Out. Again!

Herald Founder to be Judge for Coca Cola Virtual Thirst Contest

Herald founder, cyberlebrity and international playah Urizenus Sklar has been tapped to be one of the judges in the Coca Cola "Virtual Thirst" contest. In this in depth interview, Herald stringer Mike "Boat Guy" Allers asks the hard hitting questions and probes the nature of the contest and the trials and tribulations of being a virtual contest judge.

Desperately Seeking Family: Ageplay Adoption Agencies in Second Life

by Muffin K. Smith

Jaelle Akula of New World Adoption

Ageplay in Second Life has received a lot of media attention ever since early March, when Linden Labs distributed notecards to places that cater to people who seek sex with child avatars. The wording of this notecard, as reported in the Herald, includes the line “Linden Lab chooses not to allow the advertising or promotion of age play or related activities in any public forum -- including in-world textures, classified ads, the Second Life forums, or parcel descriptions.” As a result of this rather vague sentence, many people who had child avatars, even those who did not use their avatars for sexual purposes, decided it was a good time for their avatars to grow up and thus ended their SL fling with a second childhood. One major aspect of this story that was largely overlooked, however, is the segment of the Second Life population that does not think that “ageplay” has to mean “sex.”

Second Life children are alive and well, despite the seeming ban on all things involving “ageplay.” A trip to B&R Family Services, Clinic, Foster Home, and Playground (Sunset Beach 105, 206, 23) will usually allow a visitor to find many Second Life children. Kiara Hudson, the manager of B&R explains that the agency enjoys good traffic and is a wonderful place to hang out because “It’s like our own little community, look around, everyone takes care of each other.”

Ludlow Joins Shirkeyjerk

Hotspur, Glendower, Mortimer and Worcester arguing over the future division of the kingdom at Bangor, in 'Henry IV'. Painting by Henry Fuseli.

Let's see if we can reconstruct what happened. First, there was all the fluff and hyperventilation about Second life having 100k then 1 million then 2 million "residents", followed by much ridicule in the SL Blogosphere. This was followed by Clay Shirkey coming along a year later saying there aren't really that many "residents." To which we said "no shit Sherlock" but of course Clay was then feted as the ubergenius of the new millenium by Dan Hunter and other Eggheads on Terra Nova. This was followed by cries of indignation from the SL Blogosphere and cries of hyper-indignation from Clay Shirkey, and then the heavy guns got involved -- as when Henry Jenkins, Beth Coleman and Clay got into a three-way convo about it. Apparently the debate is about played out, because Ludlow is involved now, in part two of an interview on Jenkin's Blog. A few excerpts are below the fold.

Bearded Eggheads Talk about Virtual Journalism and Stuff

Henry Jenkins just posted part one of a two-part interview with our own Nutty Professor -- Peter Ludlow. In it Ludlow has some not very nice things to say about the Avastar, and some marginally interesting things to say about civic responsibility and virtual journalism, and also where the Herald fits in the magic circle ("on the circumference" it turns out), but what might be discussion-worthy is this:

The more interesting question is why people keep repeating "“only a game"” so much. If you google "“only a game”" and “Second Life” together, you get nearly 12,000 hits. It is like a mantra that people keep repeating to keep some thought or idea at bay – and I think the dangerous idea that Second Life shoves in your face every day is this: our wealth is virtual, our property is transient, and our social lives are mediated by technology, nomadic, and often fleeting. I think that when people keep saying “it’'s only a game” they are really saying “the rest of my world isn’'t like this: my wealth is tangible and permanent, my friendships are unmediated and also permanent.” Saying “it’'s only a game” is like saying “this isn’'t how things really are, this is just a bad dream.” People need to pinch themselves, because this ain’'t no dream. This is reality; deal with it.

more quotes below the fold:

Interview With the Agoraphobic: Fighting the Fear in Second Life

by Aidan Aquacade

Meet Roberto, quite an eye-catching avatar who is one of the more interesting characters that can be found frequenting random areas of the Second Life world that we explore from day to day. Above Roberto's head is a floating, spinning, square picture of his real-life self. This floating image of himself is something he calls a "tip hat", where people can pay a small donation to receive a party hat, and witness Roberto doing a dance in return for their kindness. Some of the contributions Roberto receives go toward the cause of making his avatar look as much as possible like his real self. This, however, raises a few questions: Isn't there an easier way to raise the money? Why is it so important for him to look like his real-life image? And what's his motivation for setting out on such a time-consuming and ultimately unrewarding task? The answer is simple: Agoraphobia.

BMW's No-Drive Zone

by Fiend Ludwig

[We sent Herald reporter Fiend Ludwig to test-drive some Beemers in Second Life -- only to find the project could hardly get into first gear.
--Walker Spaight]

BMW New World: Dude, where's my SL car?

Another corporate sim equals another deserted island. This formula, oft trundled out by the not-so-mainstream media seems, in fact, to be true. Most of the corporate sims around Second Life are normally entirely devoid of other visitors. This was certainly the case when I had a look around BMW New World recently. Upon teleporting in, a chat script chimed, "Hi Fiend Ludwig, unfortunately we cannot welcome you personally right now. Please IM Munich Express with any questions you might have. Talk to you soon." Feeling a little smug, I posted a somewhat flippant report on my blog and thought no more of BMW and their New World.

Until Munich Express actually did IM me.

Mea Culpa: Don’t Blame the NY Times for Judygate. Blame Uri.

by Urizenus Sklar

If you read the blogs about journalism (as of course I do), you know that there is a shitstorm brewing over the way the New York Times handled Judy Miller. Critics say that they basically ceded their editorial policy to her, and that she was in effect not a 1st Amendment martyr, but rather someone who was in tight with the administration and the White House Iraq Group, that she became an instrument in their lies about Iraq, and that she was not protecting a source but was in effect aiding her buddies in the White House by protecting them from the special prosecutor. While this is all basically true, I want to say that we should not blame Mr. Keller and Mr. Sulzberger at the Times. Instead, we should blame me: Urizenus Sklar.

It all started when Judy went for a cruise with me on the Herald yacht. She asked me, “Uri, I see what a success you have become, how did you do it? And how can I be a successful journalist like you?” And this is what I told her…

I explained to Judy how my great success had come by joining governmental organizations in TSO and Second Life. How I had initially joined the Sim Shadow Government, was privy to their inner deliberations, and even went on a tagging mission with them. A violation of journalistic ethics? “Judy”, I explained “that thinking is so pre-9-11”. “The job of a journalist today is not to be an outsider, but to be an insider – to be one with the people you are reporting on. Sure, that requires compromises – you gotta give a little to get a little. If you want that security clearance your gonna have to tote some water for the administration – just like I had to do shit for the SSG in The Sims Online and for the Feted Inner Core in Second Life – stuff that I’m not proud of, but look where I am today, cruising the Mediterranean on the biggest yacht you ever set eyes on.”

Judy thought about my words as she spread some of my exquisite beluga caviar on some toast points and washed it down with some Cristal. “Uri”, she said, “you know I want to be an uber-journalist like you, but what if people complain that I have sharp elbows? – I wouldn’t want that.”

“Judy, Judy, Judy, you have to take pride in your sharp elbows. Embrace your mackitude. If they complain that you are out of control, call yourself “Miss Run Amok”.”

Judy began to get my drift. “I see, Uri, I need to get out in front of the criticism – I have sharp elbows and I’m running amok and I’m violating all your old fashioned journalistic ethics, but I’m *proud* of it!”

“That’s the spirit, Judy!”

“But what if the editors at the Times get in my way.”

“Judy, those guys are a bunch of self-doubting guilt-ravaged candy assed white men. Look how the Times dealt with Jayson Blair. Even though you have a different editor, it’s the same story – he’ll be afraid to touch you. Slap those white men around like the pain sluts that they are!

“Uri, you make it all sound so sensible, but one thing.”

“What’s that, Judy?”

“Well, you are a virtual journalist covering events in an online videogame. It’s one thing to join the Sim Shadow Government in The Sims Online, or to suck up to the Feted Inner Core and the Lindens in the game Second Life, but should a reporter really be doing this in the real world? – where thousands of young men and women could be sent to die in a meaningless war because my reporting consists in letting the administration use me to spread lies about Iraqi WMDs which they can then quote as ‘the NY Times reported yesterday’ and thereby use me to orchestrate a drumbeat to war – one based on lies and disinformation?”

“Judy, that thinking is so pre-9-11.”

“Uri, do you have any more toast points?

“Sure babe.”

As the Herald Yacht steamed into the Mediterranean sunset, I knew in that moment that the world had another star reporter. Soon, she would be getting million dollar book deals. Just like me.

EXCLUSIVE: Philip Linden Reacts to GOM Announcement

In an exclusive interview with the Herald, Second Life honchissimo Philip Linden gave his reaction to this morning's announcement that GamingOpenMarket.com would halt trading in L$ as of October 2. Far from stifling competition, Philip sees Linden Lab's move into the currency-trading arena as one that will enable the entrance of even more resident-created services.

The Herald asked Philip whether the company's move meant that there was a limit to the innovation LL would accept in their world. Several residents have expressed concern that anything truly useful would simply be co-opted by the company. Did Philip share their fears? Their pain? Their pecan pie?

"We were caught as surprised as everyone else by the GOM announcement, and are now moving even faster to get our own version of an exchange online," Philip told the Herald in an exclusive interview. (Did I mention this is an exclusive?)

Philip also expressed concern for the SL economy in the short run. "Making this announcement without simultaneously suspending trades seems like the worst possible way to do it in terms of impact on prices and the people using the system," he said. "I don't know why they made that choice. If it was to signal their frustration to LL, I think it was a poor choice because it also has a negative impact on the thousands of people using the system. I am happy to see that in the hours following the announcement, although the price of the L$ briefly dropped, it has remained quite stable."

As to the question of competition, Philip said, "I think it is important that there be many markets with different strategies and features. Outside of GOM, there are multiple currency traders today, such as AnsheChung.com or IGE. We will be adding features like web APIs for currency transactions to make the systems that they have work better and make new systems easier to build."

Philip noted that forum discussions have included the question of whether GOM would sell their service to another resident or residents. "We would be very supportive of such a purchase, and would gladly help out with that transaction in any way that we could," Philip said. "I would love to see GOM continue to operate in the hands of other SL residents, and we would certainly help out."

Philip was unconcerned that GOM's move -- or future move on LL's part -- would discourage other residents from undertaking major projects. "I doubt that residents will shy away from big projects like GOM, given how many incredible opportunities are showing up almost daily now, and how rapidly SL is growing," he said. "We will sometimes need to add features to the SL platform that will compete with resident projects, and I think that is OK and part of growing SL. I think that most entrepreneurial residents are smart and resourceful enough to jump in regardless."

The Herald would like to thank LL for permitting its chief executive the time to respond to our questions. Now back to our regularly scheduled muckraking.

Welcome Respite: Living the Elven Life

by Seldon Metropolitan (photographry by Lexa Lawson)

Standing at the top of the Serenity overlook platform, you can see nearly all of ElvenGlen. Unlike the city sims, which seem to bustle and teem with energy even when unoccupied, there is an eternal calm over the elven land, carefully engineered by its protectors to capture the peace and reverence for life that form the core values of elven society. From my vantage point on the round wooden platform, the sunlight drapes over the thatched rooftops of the market square, flits through the branches of the trees in the magical gardens, and shines brightly off the imposing heights of the royal palace.

Cultivated over the last six months by its dedicated leaders, Wayfinder and Forcythia Wishbringer, Elf Clan has grown to over 280 members since the Herald last visited with them. The simplistic lifestyle and intricate culture of the elven community offers a welcome counterpoint to the club and Tringo way of life that is so prevalent in Second Life society. In order to ensure that their visitors fully experience the botanical marvels that they’ve cultivated, ElvenGlen is entirely a no-fly sim. The walking pace is an excellent way to experience the ambiance they’ve developed. In addition, to maintain the aesthetics of their world, modern looking weapons, gadgets, and vehicles are prohibited inside the sim.

When I first meet with Wayfinder and Forcythia, their striking regal presence makes an immediate impression. The primary architect of the major structures of ElvenGlen, Wayfinder is adorned in swirling green robes, holding a glittering staff that radiates with his power, and accompanied by his tiny dragon familiar. His tone as he speaks about the projects they are working on is one of fierce excitement, and from his speech I can feel the passion that goes into every aspect of the administration of Elf Clan. Forcythia is the water to Wayfinder’s fire, a smooth but steady talker, calling my attention to the flowers and trees she carefully cultivates in her private greenhouse. Together, they have an inexhaustible joy for all things natural and beautiful, which they bring to all aspects of the administration of their clan.

The first place we visit on my tour is the open commons area that serves as the telehub for arriving in ElvenGlen. Here sits the teleport directory that allows quick access to the most remote parts of the sim, as well as a variety of helpful information for those unfamiliar with the elves and their customs. The valley’s few shops line the green here, with a mixture of elven weapons, clothing, home furnishings, and souvenirs for visitors who want to remember their time here. No modern-looking items are allowed, and they don’t allow much space, as they don’t want the focus of their land to be shopping.

Also featured in the open area is the drumming circle, a white pavilion filled with a variety of percussion instruments. These were custom made for Elf Clan by Robbie Dingo, and with some scripting magic, all the drums play in a cohesive rhythm and can change patterns with a touch. The effect with several people playing is quite amazing. The drums all have short sound radii, so walking around the circle while several people play makes the sound change drastically, bringing certain rhythms to the front depending on where you stand. With just four of us playing, the music is infectious; I can imagine that a full drumming circle would be exponentially so.

The Elven Magical Gardens

We encounter the second major feature on our tour a bit further up the central green. The Elven Magical Gardens are an expansive network of raised beds connected by narrow wooden bridges. There are plenty of places to relax amongst the trees and flowers, and the flora is enhanced by a variety of sculptures, fountains, and other artistic works. It’s a serene place, at the very center of the sim both literally and metaphorically. As I walk through the gardens, I get a real sense of comfort and care from the surroundings. Despite my passion for concrete and steel, I can understand the calm and relief that those who care for this garden derive from it.

Continuing our tour, we reach the other side of the garden. I am shown the Orcish embassy, a squat building lampooning the rivalry between the orcs and the elves, and led past the pool where Forcythia’s pet whale, Prince, lives, endlessly leaping out of the water to the delight of onlookers. We wander through Forcythia’s greenhouse, which showcases her newest additions to the flora already present in the valley. Finally, we end up sitting at the fire ring, a circle of cushions around a fire pit in the goblet of a hill on the edge of the sim. Used for intimate gatherings and poetry readings from the notecard-dispensing poetry globes, the privacy of the hilltop gives the area a feeling of protection.

North of the fire circle, we stand at the edge of the hillside looking over a flat plain. A fantastic castle is seen off in the distance. I have come on a unique day, it seems, as the new sim of Elf Haven has just been placed adjacent to ElvenGlen. It isn’t open to the public yet, but the increased space and room for expansion has everyone in the clan excited. With as many members as they have now, there isn’t much room for personal space on the existing sim. They intend to move some of the existing builds to the new land, and a few projects that have been on the backburner because of space restrictions should come to fruition in the near future.

We continue onward, with a few quick stops to see other attractions, and finally wind up at the towering gates of the palace. The soaring heights of the towers reach up into the clouds; Wayfinder apparently did the major construction on the castle in only two days, in his own words, “taking a few years off his life.” Standing over 206 meters tall, the grand doors of the main room open into the throne room, a room with a floor area of over 4,096 square meters, and marked by the glass thrones flanking a giant purple dragon statue. There are several dozen seats arranged before the regal thrones. Apparently, they frequently have standing room only for their meetings. At Wayfinder’s invitation, I take a seat in the throne, and while I don’t feel comfortable, I can understand the allure.

ElvenGlen Castle's Observation Dome

Heading up to the second floor, home to the Elf Clan museum, we peruse the impressive collection of swords and other weapons made by players. They give me a glimpse at the forthcoming historical slide show, a collection of 160 photos detailing the growth of the clan. Then it’s off to the Grand Ballroom, where the more formal festive events are held. Our final destination in the castle is the Observation Dome, the massive translucent sphere adorning the apex of the towering castle. Far below, the rest of the sim looks like a tapestry pattern, layed out in separate panels of inter-connecting whorls. Small dots of people move through the whorls, and from this vantage point, I feel like Zeus or Odin, spying on the mortals below.

Our time running short, we get a quick tour of the games platform, home to the archery fields and the Battlemace arena, and then its time to say goodbye. Overall, ElvenGlen is a beautiful place, full of life and community. For those looking to add a little harmony to their Second Life, the solid, active, Elf Clan offers a base of supportive players who are all ready to look out for one another. I can see myself seeking refuge in the welcoming glades from time to time, and I am eager to see how they will utilize their brand new, wide-open sim.

This is the first in a planned series of travelogues about a few of the unique communities that thrive within Second Life. Herald reporter Seldon Metropolitan would be glad to hear from groups with a unique voice or vision. Feel free to contact him via IM in-world.

Cory Doctorow Comes to Town

"The things that really fascinate me revolve around issues of interest to nerds."

Cory Doctorow is a busy guy. Between co-editing the popular Weblog Boing Boing and working as the European Affairs Coordinator for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, he writes tech-savvy novels that capture the essence of what lies ahead for the wired population. His latest novel, Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town (downloadable for free at Cory's Craphound site), is a fantasy story whose protagonist, Alan, is the son of a mountain and a washing machine. Alan deals with his unique family dynamic while he works on a project to blanket Toronto in free Wi-Fi. Cory graciously agreed to talk to the Herald via phone from his home in London, so we sent reporter Seldon Metropolitan to quiz him on the sexual lives of geographic features and household appliances.

SM: You're coming to Second Life to talk about your new book. Both of your first two novels seemed to deal with more high-concept futuristic science fiction, and Someone Comes to Town seems more practical, at least from the tech perspective. Was there any particular reason for this?

CD: I don't think either of them were particularly about the future. I think that they were speculative. I think that the objective of science fiction isn't really to write about the future, at least not the way I write it. It's to write about the present, by holding up a kind of a distorted mirror to it. I still think I'm writing about the present in Someone Comes to Town. The things that really fascinate me revolve around issues of interest to nerds, I think. One of the issues of interest to nerds that I talk about a lot in Someone Comes to Town, is what it means to be an outsider, what it means to not have that intuitive grasp that everyone else has of how you should behave if you want to be normal.

SM: You did a book club meeting in Second Life before, for Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom. Do you notice any major difference between the crowds at, say one of your normal book signings, and the crowd at a more specialized event like this?

CD: Well, a lot of the book talks I give are to specialized communities; I've talked at the Bay Area Computer Human Interface SIG and that sort of thing. I already speak to pretty geeky audiences. I don't think that's the major difference. The real difference is obviously the communications medium. Most of the signings and things I do tend to start with a reading. It's not really practical to do a reading in game space.

SM: One topic I'd like to hear your thoughts on is the degree to which sexual expression fuels emerging technology. There seems to be this tendency to discount the people who use virtual worlds like Second Life to express themselves sexually as the edge of society, when it seems like a large portion of the economy and social situations are fueled by these endeavors.

CD:I met a guy at the Second Life cocktail party in San Francisco who apparently makes his living making in-game penises. That was pretty interesting; that was pretty surreal. The sexual economy is really interesting. I think that one of the things that makes it so interesting is that we don't know enough about it. There's a tendency to believe that the sexual economy is driven by a small number of very high-volume customers. That seems really odd to me. I guess the question is, has the ease and relative anonymity of purchasing sex goods increased the size of the market, or has it increased the voraciousness of the customers in the market? I think that most people are pretty clear that it has increased the size of the market.

For example, I don't think that women were major purchasers of sexual goods in the era of the dirty raincoat kind of movie theater. There's a healthy women-focused market out there now, that's targeted specifically to them. There's a sex shop around the corner from my flat here in London that men aren't allowed in unless they're accompanied by a woman. I take it that this is all indication of some kind of pent-up demand that wasn't getting filled in the market. I wonder to what extent, however, the sex industry is built around people who just spend a lot of money on sexual goods and to what extent its use is a lot of people spending a moderate amount of money, because there's clearly a lot of money there. It would basically mean that everyone's watching dirty movies, and no one's admitting it, if that were spread evenly. We have to consider the hypothesis that there's a kind of a power law curve here, where you have a small number of people who buy hundreds of pornographic movies, and then a long tail of people who occasionally sample them, or that everyone just lies about watching porn. I don't know what the answer is, but if it's the latter, then it’s pretty clear to me that it can't hold forever–people will just admit it eventually.

What has happened here in the UK is that the definition of porn has shifted and shifted again. You see a lot of magazines here that are really the equivalent of Sports Illustrated, except that they have frontal nudity in them. There's actually a daily newspaper here, called The Sport, that, when I was a kid in the 80s, you would have called porn, [but] you can buy it on the newsstand next to The Guardian and The Times. It's a tabloid, but still it's a pornographic newspaper. I think that part of what is happening is that the consumption of sexual goods is becoming a lot more normalized, but the limiting factor on that is whether this is something that everyone does and no one admits, or whether its something that a small band of hobbyists are willing to spend a lot of money on.

Cory waits for The Sport to hit Second Life

In Denmark and most of Scandinavia, they have completely legalized porn. There are no obscenity laws, its very fluid to get, you can show it on television and so on. If you're watching television in a hotel room, it reaches a certain hour and the TV just flips over from showing you sports and news to showing hardcore pornography. It's like watching late night TV in America and having it flip over to old movies. Its something that's cheap to produce, and serves an audience that are looking for wallpaper at one in the morning, and advertisers are will to advertise at a CPM rate that will make that profitable. And the Danes aren't particularly sex-crazed. There's probably less sex visible in Copenhagen than there is in Las Vegas.

Sex is such an odd topic; I really don't know what the answer is.

SM: One of the big topics in Someone Comes to Town, and peripherally in Eastern Standard Tribe, is the idea of applying the Napster model of trust and cooperation to something physical. Do you think that, with the current pessimistic state of things, it is realistic to expect that kind of free interaction?

CD:Well, it’s not a really hard-to-understand concept economically, that there are some things that are cheaper to give away than to charge money for. Wi-Fi is probably a good example of this. Really effectively locking bad guys out of your network is pretty hard. If you're even remotely technologically active, and the sort of person who is likely to need to add something new to your network every now and again, having a lot of counter-measures in place on your network to keep the public of it out makes it really hard to add your own devices. I just spent a little time debugging a wireless bridge for an X-Box, and having the wireless restrictions turned on made that a thousand times harder.

In contrast, most of us have a DSL account that is so close to free it makes no-nevermind, in cost per bit, usually there's no cap or if there is a cap it's so high that we don't run into it. Most of capacity sits idle, most of the time your access point sits there, not talking to anyone, not doing anything. It really raises the question, why pay the opportunity cost of locking down your wireless network when it doesn't actually cost you anything to let other people use it.

Karmically, there's an amazing advantage of opening up a network, in that if we do that enough there will be lots of other people opening up their networks, and the people who use Wi-Fi at home tend to be people who want to use Wi-Fi on the road. I can't count the times I've had my ass saved by being able to just open up my laptop and hop onto a network. It's like having a porch light. We don't begrudge people who steal our photons, standing in the area of our light reading directions to someone else's house. We don't get upset by this, because it doesn't cost us much. We could take counter-measures against others using our light, but for the most part we don't, and for pretty good reason.

SM: For most accepted things that's true, but there seems to be this trend with counter-intuitively locking out access to others, all in some attempt to preserve profit. You see it with net access in a lot of places and you also see it with digital media.

I believe a lot in making money. I'm not anti-capitalist. I mean, I'm an entrepreneur. I run a small business (boingboing.net) and, before that, I co-founded a software company that I sold. Just because I work for a non-profit, it doesn't mean I'm opposed to making money. I don't think it’s right, however, for people to say that they should earn a profit at the expense of competition.

Consider, for example, that Coca-Cola is able to charge an artificially high sum of money for Coke. They have some state-granted monopolies, they have monopolies over their trademarks and copyrights, and they have good marketing and branding. But mostly, they have physics on their side. Coke costs almost nothing to manufacture, and I speak from knowledge, I started a software company called OpenCola. One of our gimmicks was we made an open-source soft drink. Cola is just not that expensive to make. Even if you want to make it in your kitchen it's not that expensive, let alone in billions of gallons in giant factories.

The fact that cola is not expensive to make really allows Coca-Cola to do a lot of price discrimination, depending on where the cola is intended to be consumed. You might get a can of Coke for 12 cents in Brazil, and the same can is going to cost you $1.25, roughly 1,000 percent more, in New York. Now, why is it that Coke is able to charge 12 cents in Brazil and a 1.25 in New York? Well, it’s basically because physics intervenes on Coke's behalf, and it costs a lot more than $1.13 to ship a can of Coke from Brazil to New York.

Now imagine we invent dirigibles, balloons. They become a really cheap and effective way of transporting things and it crashes the cost of cargo shipping. That arbitrage opportunity that Coke has, that market failure that they're able to insert themselves in, would disappear. Entrepreneurs could lawfully acquire Coke in Brazil and import these goods into New York for pennies per can, instead of dollars per can. They could offer the same product for 13 cents or 15 cents a can.

Now, we can imagine that Coke wouldn't be very happy about this, but that's what the market is for. The market has evolved an answer to the failure that allowed Coke to arbitrage two different price points between two different regions. If Coke then went before the legislature, and said, “We demand the regulation or even elimination of the dirigible industry,” most of us would say, “Now, that's not fair. Your business model wasn't a God-given right; it was an accidental confluence between technology and physics. The historical moment where you could earn a living as an arbitrager of the differential price of sugar across two continents has come to an end.”

In the same way, the ability of the telegraph companies to arbitrage the scarcity of communication bandwidth came to an end when railroads and other alternative technologies came along and made it possible to ship information very quickly and very cheaply and broke their monopolies. The music industry and other industries have come along and they have business that is based on the technologies that enabled them. Well, those technologies have moved on, been improved on, and been displaced. If they don't like that, I can understand that they don't like having their old business models challenged and set aside, but that doesn't give them the right to demand that those new technologies disappear or come under their regulatory or permissive oversight.

SM: How much progress can we really expect, though, when the entertainment industry, and the recording industry in particular, has the money to influence the government in the way it has recently?

I don't think it's about how much money is involved. If you look at the tech sector, its orders of magnitude larger than the entertainment sector. Entertainment in America is about a $60 billion business, consumer electronics and IT are about a $600 billion business, and telecom, inter-networking and so on is a $6 trillion business. Intel is big enough that its gross revenue is larger than the gross revenue of all of the US studios and recording labels put together. So, it's not about money.

There's an understood phenomenon among economists regarding lobbying. Very competitive industries don't lobby, because they tend to be so competitive, that if you take time off from struggling against your competitors to send somebody to Washington to plead for some special privilege for your industry, you tend to get your lunch eaten by your competitors. Once your industry has grown old and stagnant, like the recording industry, you can come to a kind of gentlemanopolist's agreement regarding your lobbying efforts. You can all get together, form an industry association, go to the hill, and start asking for new laws, start asking for the consumer broadband digital television promotion act, the Hollings bill that would have made it illegal to build a computer unless you got permission from the entertainment companies. That's the kind of thing you get when your industry is stagnant; it's what you do instead of competing—you lobby.

Another part of it is that the tech industry has had its lobbying muscles stunted because of its military history. The military don't really have to lobby, they just appropriate budgets, and the budgets themselves are often secret and not very accountable. If your industry was partially funded through the military, as semiconductors and software were for decades, there's not really any kind of evolutionary pressure to develop systems within companies and industries that make them effective lobbyists. That's been a major factor in why the entertainment companies have made so many advances. I think the real thing to take notice of here is not that they have won a couple court battles here and there, or that they get a bill introduced on the floor occasionally, it's how much entrepreneurial activity is aimed at frustrating their will, how many different devices, how many different networks services there are that undermine the monopolies of the entertainment industry, and how many different players there are working on that. Even some of the DRM technology, which I loathe, can be seen as an effort to break their monopoly and put someone else in charge.

Microsoft is so anxious to ship DRM, and it’s not because they believe it will work, because they understand that it won’t. And I don't think it's because they have a great, burning need to help the entertainment industry, because I don't think that the entertainment industry is their largest market segment. I think what Microsoft hopes, is that if all the studios start to package their media in Microsoft's proprietary format, then Microsoft will effectively become the studio, and they will become suppliers of entertainment content of which Microsoft becomes the publisher.

I don't think the cartel is winning, but I think the cartel is losing in a way that is committing a slow spectacular suicide. The cartel is totally clueless of the collateral damage they cause the general public. The fact that most university campuses now wiretap their networks to find and stop what appears to be copyright infringement–I mean, imagine if during the Communist witch hunts of the fifties, that Senator McCarthy had insisted that every university should wiretap all of its phone networks and read all of its mail to stop Communist activity. It’s pretty unlikely that we would have sat still for it.

The record industry has won a victory over free speech and free expression that one of our most odious historic bullies was unable to come near. It's really quite an accomplishment. I think that that's the thing to worry about. It's not really that they're going to shut down P2P. I wrote an editorial for Popular Science yesterday where I mention that there are university students who write P2P applications in 11 lines of perl. The idea that they’ll shut down P2P is pretty unlikely. What they'll do is undermine competition in the marketplace, and they'll undermine speech, and they'll undermine free expression and privacy, which they've done.

SM: One final question. Despite all the karmic good it will bring, the decision to release your new book under a Creative Commons license that will actually allow people in developing nations to profit from it seems almost ridiculous in today’s age. What prompted this decision?

Well, it seemed like the right thing to do. I'm doing all this work for Electronic Freedom Foundation on developing nations, and on copyright trademark and patents at the World Intellectual Property Organization, and pushing the development agenda at WIPO, [in] an effort to make WIPO live up to its promise. WIPO is the UN agency that sets the treaties for copyrights, patents, and trademarks. They used to just be a trade body, an industrial consortium, and they were admitted into the UN on the grounds that they would make humanitarian copyright, trademark and patent treaties, and they have yet to do anything humanitarian. So we're trying to hold them to their promise. I'm involved with this development agenda at WIPO, and looking at it and saying, “How is it that we can turn copyrights, trademarks and patents into an engine for development?” And I thought, “Well, I'm a copyright holder, and there's a good reason to do this. There are good economic reasons to let people in developing nations play with my stuff.”

There's a lot of long-term potential in the developing nations for future markets for my goods. I can lay the ground there. There were a lot of science fiction writers who were widely pirated throughout Eastern Europe that are now seeing some royalties. Now, they are developing a publishing industry there. There were a lot of Philip K. Dick editions being produced in the former Soviet states. It just seemed like a good idea all around, like good karma and good business sense. It's rare that you get an opportunity to do the right thing and to do the good economic thing, and so it seemed natural when that fell into my lap.

Cory Doctorow’s new book, Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town, is available now from Tor Books. Cory will be holding a discussion about his book in Second Life on July 24.

Interview with the Anthropologist

Tom Bukowski (no relation to Charles)

We know they are here. Philosophers, journalists, sociologists, anthropologists, proctologists… And worse! But what are they up to as they skulk around the grid? In this interview our intrepid reporter Montserrat Snakeankle talks to Tom Bukowski, who by day is an anthropologist at UC Irvine and an avid shopper at Fashion Island (ok, I made that last part up) and some of the rest of the time a resident of SL. Tom talks about research methods (both on and offline), and his new book on gay subcultures in Indonesia, and other things too!

montserrat Snakeankle: ok let's start this way: what would you like 2nd life readers to know about you?

Tom Bukowski: oh gosh - I'm a Taurus?

montserrat Snakeankle: for example: some researchers here say that their projects are shall we say, influenced or to some extent approved or disapproved by linden labs. what's been your experience with LL

Tom Bukowski: Personally I've had no problem with LL. I went through the regular human subjects review at my university, which is all they ask. And anyway as far as I'm concerned my greatest ethical obligation is to my friends and acquaintances here

montserrat Snakeankle: so you have not had the experience of LL saying that they want oversight of your project, you have not been censored or had any discussion of that sort with them?

Tom Bukowski: Nope - nothing like that at all. That might be because my research project is so open-ended, or because I'm a more experienced researcher, I don't know. but as I understand it (and my knowledge is limited)...most of the problems that have happened with researchers have involved undergraduates who weren't properly trained or supervised

montserrat Snakeankle: have you discussed your projects on the SL forums? because at least in one case, a researcher got noticed by LL that way.

Tom Bukowski: Not yet, because I still don't have much to say. That will happen. I'm just about to celebrate my first SL birthday but I haven't really got going with my research yet. If you notice the book "The Gay Archipelago" behind you...

montserrat Snakeankle: yes

Tom Bukowski: you'll see that it's coming out in November...

montserrat Snakeankle: congratulations 8-)

Tom Bukowski: ty … Finishing that book and my teaching load at Irvine has been taking up all my time. But I'm really excited about having more time in sl

montserrat Snakeankle: yes it seems like it would! what kind of research to you plan here?

Tom Bukowski: Good question! My idea is that I want to approach sl just like I approach Indonesia, with the same methods and same respect towards my fellow travelers and study the cultures of sl

montserrat Snakeankle: do you expect to have resistance from residents? You know the old "we are not lab rats" thing

Tom Bukowski: so far I have not had one problem

montserrat Snakeankle: what were those approaches, in Indonesia, i mean

Tom Bukowski: lol Okay now there are like 3 questions lemme see -- With my Indonesia research, there are important ethical issues -- I am studying gay men and lesbian women there, in a predominantly Muslim country. I must be very careful to protect their confidentiality. It could have serious real world repercussions. So I am very, very careful about that. The people I work with there respect me. Not once in 13 years have I had someone say "I don't want to be your lab rat" etc.. But I spent a long time there before starting research. getting to know people -- that is very important. Now on to sl.

There may well be people who won't want me to interview them or talk about them in my research, which is fine. Because as an anthropologist I'm trying to study the culture, not the individuals per se. And even the people I do interview or talk to, I will never use their real names or their real screen names, or even identifying info like "runs a great club in the Clunn sim" or whatever. Most of the problems that arise with research happen when people don't protect confidentiality. If you respect people, I find that most of the time they want to be interviewed, they want to share their stories. So my experience is that 99% of what's needed is just common sense and respect. That goes a long way

montserrat Snakeankle: i see. what about the problem of self-selection - for example at your meeting the other day, it seemed to me that people there were kind of stuck in a rut, asking questions that seemed very dated, kind of circular. how will you make your investigations relevant to present day thinking about tech?

Tom Bukowski: Ah, another good question!

montserrat Snakeankle: you flatter me, dr.

Tom Bukowski: For anthropologists doing ethnographic research, self-selection isn't the problem, it's part of the method

montserrat Snakeankle: how so?

Tom Bukowski: Our view is that while random sampling can do useful things, it has important limitations. every method has limitations.

montserrat Snakeankle: what limitations does your field enjoy?

Tom Bukowski: In the case of random sampling, the problem is that the statistical aggregate is taken to stand in for the society or culture -- wait a sec -- let me give you an example: let's say I go to Japan and I want to study Japanese. I do a random survey of 10,000 or 100,000 people. from that data set I could learn a lot about the Japanese language, but I could never learn to speak Japanese. Now, I could also go to Japan and spend an intensive amount of time with 10 or even 5 people, live with them for a year -- and from that data set of just 10 or 5 I could learn Japanese, and with that speak to millions of Japanese speakers. I would not learn every dialect, or every vocabulary item. so there are limitations but i would learn something broadly shared. so that's how anthropologists study things. It's always known to be a limited knowledge. but still useful and can say things that you can't get from surveys. So I don't expect that I will discover the "truth" of sl. But I can learn some of the broad patterns that are emerging. So you don't want to talk only to the same circle of people of course -- but "snowball sampling" is actually good because you want to learn how people interact with each other -- and with surveys you atomize people and their responses. (That Japan language example is in my Gay Archipelago book by the way lol)

montserrat Snakeankle: it sounds like a very interesting book!

Tom Bukowski: lol ty let's hope it sells more than 10 copies lol

montserrat Snakeankle: in a society as diverse as SL, how will you find the "motive" force, if any.

Tom Bukowski: I won't in that sense, just like in my Indonesia research. Anthropologists are always finding what Donna Haraway calls "situated knowledge’s"

montserrat Snakeankle: but it seems like there might be fewer cultural patterns in Indonesia than in SL

Tom Bukowski: Indonesia is the fourth largest country in the world! It's big, so it's not that I think, lol. What I mean is in Indonesia for instance, I claim to have found a widespread set of cultural beliefs and practices that gay men and lesbians engage in... but I'm not claiming all Indonesians or even all gay men and lesbians in Indonesia think that way and in the same way...there can be interesting and widespread cultural things going on in sl worth discussing...but it's not necessary to claim that everyone shares them or that they are motivating forces. All cultures involve debate and they are almost never homogenous, which is fine and interesting!

montserrat Snakeankle: let's talk about haraway for a minute -- if you don't mind, because i think some of her ideas are relevant to my question

Tom Bukowski: Sure - Haraway isn't an anthropologist but she is very influential in anthropology. I know her and she's been at Irvine recently

montserrat Snakeankle: in haraway's book "simians, cyborgs, and women" she talks about salvation history and the garden -- yeah she used to be at ucsc, my native land

Tom Bukowski: I remember that, faintly (been a while since I read the book lol)

montserrat Snakeankle: now haraway suggests that mainstream meatbody culture for the most part clings to the idea of the garden and a culture like 2nd life, which a cyborg culture (although it builds gardens) on some level does not share those origin stories. what do you think about that relative to anthro research here

Tom Bukowski: hmm I’ll have to think about that! ... not only the garden question, but is sl a cyborg culture - because I think cyborg culture and virtual culture might be different things, but then again might not. That’s a very interesting question. that's sorta the kind of question I'm interested in more generally, very basic questions...like what does identity mean in sl when people can have alts or more than one person can control an avie? Or what does embodiment mean here in sl? That's a great question I've been thinking about and I should re-read Haraway to help me think about it

montserrat Snakeankle: the thing here is that identity construction is easy. there's no defined center

Tom Bukowski: I'm interested in a lot of those kind of big questions - language, for instance, is another one -- yes it's definitely different here...trying to figure out what exactly differs here from rl, and what does not, is a really interest gin question to me too. In my gay archipelago book...I actually talk about how I don't use the term "Identity" anywhere in the book, really, what I walk about are subjectivities and subject positions, because in the West the language of identity is really tied up with notions of agency and choice

montserrat Snakeankle: i think that's an interesting position. why did you choose it?

Tom Bukowski: so I think about the ways people can occupy subject positions in different ways the analogy I use is that we have a biological capacity to speak language...but no one speaks "language," we speak English or Chinese or whatever... and there will never be a gene found for those...and in the same way, our subjectivities don't just exist out of thin air...we occupy subject positions that form in culture and history... but how does that work differently here in sl? I don't know yet . that is a very interesting question because there is great flexibility here great choice, but still within horizons of intelligibility so to speak

montserrat Snakeankle: don't you think also that identity construction is involved with whatever fetish objects a community decides is important to it?

Tom Bukowski: Oh yes, definitely, and you really see that with the consumerism in sl, probably (still thinking about that)...but community is another big question....that's actually a very complex term that isn't found in many languages, Indonesian for instance...it tends to presuppose physical proximity, shared institutions, a lot of stuff. so here how do communities work? there are groups neighbors in a sim. all kinds of social groupings. that's another interesting question I plan on learning more about.

montserrat Snakeankle: i wonder how you define community in a world where one person can belong to 12 groups, say. do you define it by nodes around the prson?

Tom Bukowski: yes, that's a great question, and I really don't know yet!

montserrat Snakeankle: patterns of belonging?

Tom Bukowski: Something like that perhaps. I'm at this stage of my life...where I’ve just finished that gay archipelago book (and I have a contract for a second book on gay Indonesians that will be finished in a couple months)...and now I'm starting this new research project...and it's really fun to be in this place of having lots of questions but few answers...and what I find is that most people in sl are also asking lots of questions, and like the chance to talk about those questions

montserrat Snakeankle: well. is there anything else you'd like to tell the 2nd life community?

Tom Bukowski: Uhh...How about this... I'm typing off the top of my head here so hope this sounds good...

montserrat Snakeankle: it sounds great 8-)

Tom Bukowski: Because anthropologists do "participant observation" - that is, participating in the cultures they are researching...

montserrat Snakeankle: i really want to tell you how much i appreciate your time and good humor with this interview

Tom Bukowski: I think that good ethnographic research requires empathy, caring for the worlds you are studying. and I just thing sl is fantastic, and amazing new world my "research" doesn't require a build a house like this lol obviously, I love sl personally as well as intellectually...and I'm just really honored and happy to be part of this new experiment in human sociality I can't wait to see where we go! And I want to say that while there are controversies and grievers and all that...and you can learn about that easily on the forums lol my experience thus far is that...most people here are incredibly generous and patient...in fact, that's one thing I want to research, people who don't know anything about each other in rl share so much and there's so much trust and I find that inspiring in this day and age that people from across the world come together here and what you find, overwhelmingly, is trust and respect. let people know they can come here anytime just to hang to or learn more about me

montserrat Snakeankle: thanks, i will do that...

Tom Bukowski: kewl

The W-Hat Birthday: Cake, Ice Cream and Murdered-Hooker Bloodbath (2/2)

By Neal Stewart

It's the quick and the dead in Second Life. The murdered hooker I found at Baku today is not the murdered hooker she was yesterday. Yesterday's corpse had character. A furry, she lay there with eyes closed and brows wrenched, as though her eternal sleep was wrought by nightmares. And who could blame her? But in today's new face there is nobody home. The eyes stare wide open with the good-natured 2-dimensional expression of a vacant, non-furry, latex sex-doll.

I guess that's celebrity make-overs for you.

In a crowded room, the situation was a bit different 48 hours ago...

Continued from Part 1.

*****

"Oh yeah, take it, take it hard" yells Loksr Mysterio, a W-Hat, pumping away at the bloody, avatar-less, furry hermaphrodite corpse. "Unf unf unf."

"The hand twitches!!!", one observer comments. Then, remembering it's a furry, "Paw?". "I KNEW I saw the foot move" says W-Hat Operating Thetan. Dave Eisenberg explains, "Yeah I made her twitch."

"THERE IT GOES AGAIN"

"I saw the eyes open and close once..." another W-Hat says, "Never saw it again."

"Wait, if her eyes are closed how can I stick my penis in them?" Operating asks.

"Stick it in da mouth," suggests Eisenberg.

Some of the other W-Hats have a go at the corpse. Several at once.

"They kinda look like a rowing team" one onlooker declares.

She's right. They do.

The Australian journalist Hugh Lunn says that one of the hallmarks of bad writers is that they start an article by just asking lots of questions in a row.

Because generally it ensures that they're not actually going to provide any answers.

So here goes:

- Should artists have the right to decide what context their work is used in, once it's been sold? In this case, does a builder have a leg to stand on if their avatar-creation is begenitalled, disembowled and covered in blood?

- To what extent can a group be blamed or held responsible for the conduct of it's members? And under what circumstances?

- Do these pants make me look fat?

- At what point does a private build become public? How many walls must surround it and how thick must they be? If it has windows, what is an appropriate gap to have between blinds?

- Is it valid to be offended by an artwork if the artist claims that it was not their intention? To what extent does an unidentifiable red liquid become real blood, red paint, or Hollywood blood, when the artist designates it as such?

One W-Hat criticized the blood splatter in Dave Eisenberg's murder-scene and characterized it as unrealistic-looking.

Another W-Hat asks, "How the hell is a dead furry transvestite hooker with two dicks unrealistic?"

This is the edited transcript. The unrealism has been preserved but some bits are removed for brev. There were also some parts where I explete and say out loud how much I like the build. These have been removed to make me look less like an embedded U.S. war-correspondent who garrottes one of Saddam's Republican Guards with his camera-strap and then storms the palace.

*****

Dave Eisenberg: Just to clear things up - It's not anti-furry [the murder-scene]. It's the only all-prim av [avatar] that I could find. The only all-prims avs are furries.
Neal Stewart: I've seen human ones before. Starax does some I think. And Stormy Roentgen.

Neal Stewart: How long did it take to make, Dave?
Dave Eisenberg: Couple of days.

Neal Stewart: Why did you make it?
Dave Eisenberg: It was a simple idea. We created an e-Detective agency next door and figured it would be funny to create a crime scene right next door and a dead hooker in bed is the classic crime scene and then we just kept on adding to it.
The whole point is to be morbid and ridiculous at the same time.

Neal Stewart: Who made the original furry?
Dave Eisenberg: She wasn't too happy about it. Lucah. That's why we're going to replace the hooker with someone else.

Neal Stewart: What are you going to replace it with?
Dave Eisenberg: Another hooker. Probably furry too. Someone else is actually going to make me one specifically for this scene.

Neal Stewart: How will it be different?
Dave Eisenberg: It'll have all the blood textures on it already. And it'll actually look like an over-exaggerated hooker with bright red lipstick and lots of make up.

Neal Stewart: Where'd you get the animations?
Dave Eisenberg: Made them myself.
There's also 2 jerk off balls. For more people.

Neal Stewart: Do you think Furrys will be annoyed or upset by this?
Dave Eisenberg: Some probably. But it's not anti-furry so they shouldn't be. A lot of people in W-Hat are furries and they like it.

Neal Stewart: Do you see how it can appear anti-furry?
Dave Eisenberg: The fact that I've used a furry av, yeah.

Neal Stewart: Why use a furry av and not a human one?
Dave Eisenberg: Because I can't find any all prim human avatars and I suck at making my own.

Neal Stewart: Would you use an all prim human avatar if you could find one?
Dave Eisenberg: Definitely, then people wouldn't mistake that it's a dead hooker.

Neal Stewart: Is this the avatar you always wear?
Dave Eisenberg: No, I just got it recently. I modified it, and like how it looks like.

Neal Stewart: What av did you have before?
Dave Eisenberg: Uh, lets see...
9 year old kid

Neal Stewart: :) Why 9?
Dave Eisenberg: Because it's funny.

Neal Stewart: Are you going to keep your new avatar from now on?
Dave Eisenberg: For now yeah. I like it. I change them when I get bored of them or find something new.

Neal Stewart: So you're basically a furry yourself at the moment? :)
Dave Eisenberg: I guess.

Neal Stewart: What do you think about Furries?
Dave Eisenberg: They're furries. I don't know am I supposed to think something about them?

Neal Stewart: Do you dislike them, like them, indifferent, what?
Dave Eisenberg: As indifferent as I would be to anyone else. It depends on the personality.

Neal Stewart: Who else helped you with this build?
Dave Eisenberg: A couple of people from W-Hat and another furry from the forest.

Neal Stewart: Are they a W-hat [the furry]?
Dave Eisenberg: Yeah.

Neal Stewart: Is all the red stuff paint?
Dave Eisenberg: I put the bucket of paint as an inside joke because Feem didn't like how unrealistic this scene looks with blood splatter and wouldn't shut up about it, so I just put a bucket of paint here and told him that it's all paint.

Neal Stewart: I see. So it is all meant to be blood on the walls etc?
Dave Eisenberg: Yeah.

Neal Stewart: There's some conflict between you and some of the other W-hats because of this is there?
Dave Eisenberg: Not really. They all like it.

Neal Stewart: All of them?
Dave Eisenberg: Some are indifferent. Some are worried that it'll get me in trouble with the TOS.
But considering how much stuff I see around SL...
The fact that it's in a mature sim and covered, I don't think there should be any problems. After all, it's just art.

Neal Stewart: What have you seen worse than this?
Dave Eisenberg: Disgusting porn. All of these depraved sexballs, this scene is an over-exaggerated parody of it all.

Neal Stewart: Do you think that porn is worse than gore?
Dave Eisenberg: Not really.
I'm pushing some buttons here.
However this is entirely fake

Neal Stewart: How do you mean it's fake?
Dave Eisenberg: Well like gore you see in movies. Gore in movies is more acceptable than porn.

Neal Stewart: So this blood on the walls is not real furry blood, it's fake - movie blood?
Dave Eisenberg: Well obviously.

Neal Stewart: So, what is the point of the build? To stir up some controversy?
Dave Eisenberg: It wasn't intended like that. And so far there isn't much havok going on. It started as a crime scene next door to an e-Detective agency, as a joke and ended up as this.

Neal Stewart: You mentioned before about 'pushing buttons'. Whose buttons is it intended to push?
Dave Eisenberg: This build is generally pushing the concept of what's allowed and isn't in this game.

Neal Stewart: I see, so it's a joke that evolved into a statement about art and censorship in SL?
Dave Eisenberg: No, it's still pretty much a joke. Some might take it offending, and that's fine but if it's covered, not many people will be seeking this stuff out.

Neal Stewart: Are you confident you won't be banned? Because of this build?
Dave Eisenberg: I probably will, but if Lindens give me a reason on how it breaks the TOS I'll tone it down, or take it off.

Neal Stewart: So how long has it been here for?
Dave Eisenberg: I think a week so far.

Neal Stewart: How is the detective agency going?
Dave Eisenberg: Well, we're still hard at work trying to figure out who did this!
Other than that the e-Detective agency is a joke just as well.

Neal Stewart: Heh heh. So, you don't have clients or anything?
Dave Eisenberg: Nope. It started when someone showed up claiming to be a Detective researching W-Hat. So we decided to make our own e-Detective agency.

*****

I stand there in the W-Hat Super Happy Fun Time Land and look towards the detective agency and crime-scene apartments. I try to see the blood through the blinds in the distance. Next to me, hovering in mid-air without reason or context is a photo of Al from Home Improvement. In a building nearby is a picture of Adebisi the rapist in Oz, the television show about a maximum security prison facility. There's a DragonballZ-style picture of Colonel Sanders and Ronald McDonald, who are about to do battle. There's a beautifully-drawn picture of a female Furry with huge breasts and a solemn expression, saluting with one hand and holding the American flag in the other. The cartoon is superimposed over a photo of the two-towers New York city skyline.

The audio-stream for the land is playing a song that talks about children watching inhumanity, bloodshed and violence on television.

"T.V. is not reality", the song says.

"Neal, for what it's worth," Feem Lomax told me at the party, "We spend an awful lot of time making fun of how people view us as terrorists/griefers".

He then paused to sing the chorus to the Facts of Life theme song. To win L$500.

You take the good, you take the bad,
you take them both and there you have
The Facts of Life, the Facts of Life.

"In Star Wars Galaxies, the Goon Squad used to run around making people sing the Charles in Charge theme when they wanted to join."

"Please step away from the vehicle" says the red and yellow W-Hat TERROR Truck parked near-by.

"Neal: We make fun of people who think we're griefers and terrorists. That's what all the 'cyber-terrorists' propaganda is about."

One W-Hat shouts over the din at the party, "Oh shit who is this 'Neal' fellow? I heard he likes boys confirm/deny?"

"In fact, we make fun of just about everyone," Feem continues.

"Do you make fun of W-Hat though?" I ask.

"Actually yeah, we do."

There's more W-Hat banter. One of them shouts, "FEEM LOVES BUTTSEX. HE TOLD ME TO KEEP IT A SECRET".

The W-Hat Birthday: Cake, Ice Cream and Murdered-Hooker Bloodbath (1/2)

By Neal Stewart

24 hours ago, the W-Hats celebrated their 1-Year Birthday in Second Life at their "W-Hat Super Happy Fun Time Land". "Cake and ice cream for every girl and boy!", read the event listing. In classic W-Hat fashion, a host of neon pigs, robots, smoking chimpanzees and wheelchair-bound Mad-Hatters laughed and danced away to Super Nintendo tracks and hilarious Japanese Pop songs ("shitsukoku matte masu... anata to nara Happiness"). 100 metres from the party is a recent build by one of the W-Hat members. It is a small room with vast quantities of blood splattered across the ceiling, wooden floor-boards and brick-walls. At the centre of the gore is a wooden 4 poster bed containing bloodied sheets and the disembowled corpse of a furry, post-coital, hermaphrodite hooker. The bed has 5 animation-balls; One where you strangle the dead hooker, two where you have sex with it and another two where you sit in the corners of the mattress and masturbate.

"It's my birthday and I'll cry if I want, cry if I want to..."

Call me an asshat but I have a soft-spot for the W-Hats. As their website describes them, "W-Hat is the non-griefing Something Awful goon group on Second Life." I've been a sporadic SomethingAwful reader for several years but not a forum goon. Believe it or not, the forum goons number in at 57,000 members - more than twice the number of Second Life residents. There is a lot at SA that I don't like or doesn't interest me. One story in particular that I recall is too messed-up to even link to. It would make angels vomit and then weep in their vomit. Having said that, I'm a big fan of Photoshop Phriday, JeffK, and feature articles like 'An Introduction to Moféism', 'Breakup With Girlfriend' and 'Getting Awesome With My Dad'.

So, I attended the W-Hat birthday party as myself - a normal but dangerously sexy SL resident. Admittedly however a small part of me wondered if Neal Stewart the Herald writer would also chance upon the next controversy to follow the furry-mimes, the WTC-build and the recent Pope build.

And he did... uh I did.

We did.

For the party, W-Hat member Feem Lomax built a special replica of the original W-Hat building: 3 tiled floors, green, red and blue, linked by elevator shafts. "For a group that is rumored on the forums to get banned a lot, there sure are a lot of folks here =)", Wintermute Mechanique commented. There's smoke and chaos, floating eyeballs, fart-noises, people doing hand-stand dances in a Satanic pentagram with a wooden toilet in the centre.

"I tekki wiki'd your Mom last night", one reveller insists. "She told me it was a tiny tekki wikki though", the other replies. Hovering over the dance-floor is a giant pink birthday cake with a single candle. Beneath this is an 'IRC link' object coded by the 'W-Hat Mother', Masakuzu Kojima. It's impressive. People outside of SL can enter a special IRC chatroom and the object will publicly relay messages back and forth to Second Life. This creates a delightful kind of anarchic tear in the SL 'Matrix' - almost a key-hole sized TAZ. As the party-goers dance, they're chatting with IRC goons like Taliban Bijoux. Taliban is currently banned from SL for a TOS violation ('intolerance') but 'Talibanta's' avatar-less IRC presence is here in SL. So she's here but she's not. Her messages scroll down the screen in green text: "I heard taliban bijoux is the only awesome member they had [the W-Hats] and she should be an officer or something I heard".

The atmosphere at the party is something awful. While the land-stream plays hilarious, syrupy, manic-cutesy teenage-girl Japanese pop songs, the party-goers joke and bait each other. A female dancer is naked except for a toilet plunger on each breast and a third sticking out her butt. The guests talk about a banned W-Hat, 'Jew Filth', whose avatars - including 'Jewish Filth' and 'Negro Filth' - apparently led to Linden Labs dropping the 'Filth' surname altogether [Note: This avatar was pre-W-Hat]. Apparently another player named 'Bukkake' had his name forcibly changed to 'Butterfly'.

"They may take our names, but they'll never take our freeeedom" one of the guests yells.

Despite the TOS-violation tomfoolery there's also some genuine sense of community at the party. Welcomes and friendships. Some of the party-goers have had a falling out and a few of the others are trying to calm them down. Or maybe they're just trying to avoid the potential drahma. About half-way through the party, Feem Lomax delivers an impromptu speech on the subject of W-Hat history:

"In the year 2004, W-Hat grew upon the face of Second Life like a musical chair festering on the side of a republican calendar girl. Immediately after the spaceship landed, THIS VERY HQ was created! It went through several incarnations! What you see here is a conflagration of some of the most important! Anyway so back then there was a lot of cool stuff happening and SL was kind of cool and we liked it! So we stayed here, and decided to make the place a lot more colorful! This sim didn't exist then! We lived somewhere else."

As the speech proceeds, Talibanta is second-guessing Feem via the IRC link, "Feem you're not telling it right". They conduct an amusing "STFU YOU WEREN'T EVEN HERE OMG LIES" debate. Feem continues, "Most people hate us. We can't really do anything about that. I mean, it's true. Half of us are complete assholes who offer nothing to the community. So anyway."

At this point Feem is apparently distracted by the land audiostream (an mp3 of someone screaming a famous anti-SA rant) and fails to finish his speech.

But I like to think that what he was going to say was, "And as for the other half - well, they're complete assholes too".

As the party winds down, I hear snippets about an alleged 'dead hooker crime scene' that has been built in the past few days. "It's gross", Mother Masakuzu tells me.

The official W-Hat position on the build is that the W-Hats do not have official positions.

The build's creator, Dave Eisenberg, is currently a red and black furry - apparently a modified version of the all-prim avatar that the corpse is based on. He leads me to the crime-scene in a huge brick apartment. The murder is next door to a mock W-Hat detective agency that has a Scooby Doo poster on its wall. The first thing you see is the yellow, plastic barrier tape, "POLICE LINE DO NOT CROSS" strung up in a criss-cross pattern over the doorway. Inside, there is blood everywhere - on the floor and two opposite walls, and splattered on the ceiling. A bloody, severed, furry tale is pinned to the brick wall with a knife. Not far from this, the word 'LOVE' has been finger-painted in blood. There's also what looks like a tin of red paint on the floor. Blood-stained hand-prints mark the bed's head-board. The naked furry corpse looks like some sort of rabbit, white, with purple hair and green paws. Apparently it has not only female genitals but two penises, for good measure. There is a gaping wound in the side of the corpse, emitting an animated geyser of blood into the air. The knife is still embedded in the wound and the intestines are hanging out.

The kidneys are in a jar in the fridge.

Word spreads fast in Second Life. People are already IMing me claiming that the builder is deliberately trying to get into the Herald. But how can I ignore what some would describe as a 'griefer build' by a W-Hat member on the W-Hat's 1-Year Birthday? Particularly a build as original as this one. We've seen Nazis, virtual child porn, upskirt photos, sim-nukes, 911 and pope-assassination mockery (the last two from the W-Hats). But gore is new. It presents an exciting opportunity to debate media-violence, gore-censorship and the relationship between sex and horror.

It also presents a great opportunity to call each other fucktards.

Neal Stewart the Herald reporter just wants to be neutral and get the facts about the story but Neal Stewart the Second Life resident finds the scene aesthetically-appealing in some fucked-up way. Like the horror-gore in a Quentin Tarantino film or a Cradle of Filth clip. So the voice in my head says, "Stay out of this, just write the story" but the voice in my keyboard says to Dave, "You should make copies and back them up with other people".

While I'm trying to reddress this internal conflict during the interview, different W-Hats are IMing me conflicting reports. At the same time, I'm also asking them about how I'm supposed to get into the W-Hat group (apparently it's an invisible group - to thwart Abuse Report griefers). They're messing with me, telling me elaborate, fake, super-secret initiation rituals involving staircases and marmosets. It's probably for the best. I'm not sure I want to belong to a club that would have people like me as a member :)

Hillary Clinton recently slammed Grand Theft Auto, claiming that "Children are playing a game that encourages them to have sex with prostitutes and then murder them".

But at this Second Life W-Hat build, the murder is first. And you don't collect $50.

At my SL home, talking with close friends, the sense of identification with my avatar is quite strong. But at the W-Hat sim, after hours of talking to strange strangers amidst bizarre visual hallucinations, auditory insanity and general mind-fuckery, the link is tenuous. So before I know it I'm testing the crime-scene gestures and throttling and humping away at the murdered, furry, hermaphrodite hooker.

Now I feel dirty and am going to have to go into the lounge and watch my Little House On the Prairie DVD's.

But not the episode where Mary Ingalls goes blind.

So, without further ado, here is the interview with Dave Eisenberg. Is he a virtual satirist, griefer, graphical shock-jock, post-modern artist or just an attention-seeker?

Continued in Part 2...

'R.I.P Ryan Dayton' - Teenage 'Air' Profits (Part 2/2)

By Neal Stewart

[Continued from Part I]

Here is Part 2 of our interview with Ryan Dayton - the tech-savvy 14-year-old who claims to have made about $1000 US dollars in the 12 months he has been a Second Life resident. Ryan was banned 11 days ago when his mother revealed his real life age to Linden Labs during a phone call to customer support (the Terms of Service state that you must be 18 or above to enter the Adult grid). It is now Ryan's hope to retrieve his script-work and the roughly $600 USD worth of Linden currency still locked away in his banned account, and to make a new home for himself in the newly-opened Teen Grid. In Part 2 of our interview, Ryan talks about what it was like having to pretend to adults that he was 19. He also shares his thoughts on the Teen Grid, Linden Labs, and what his parents think about his success here in Second Life.

Neal Stewart: How many people do you know of that are under-age residents of SL?

Ryan Dayton: Oh jezzz. Can't say I know any others =)

Neal Stewart: Out of maybe 25 or 30 thousand residents, how many would you guess are under-age?

Ryan Dayton: I have no idea. Sorry, I really don't think there are that many... there's just a few here and there like myself.

Neal Stewart: How many people here, knew you were 14?

Ryan Dayton: About 6. All close friends.

Neal Stewart: It's funny to think that you're the chief officer of a technology business in SL, that you're 14 in real life, and that you have employees in SL that are maybe mid-thirties, late-forties etc :)

Ryan Dayton:Ya I know... LOL. I was in scripting elite. I don't think any of them were underaged.

Neal Stewart: I guess that's something you can't even do in the Real World :) Be a 13-year-old CEO :)

Ryan Dayton: MAYBE.... Doubt it LOL ... But I technically am in a RL business. I make real world money.

Neal Stewart: How do you think the Dayton tech members would feel, knowing that you're 14? Do they all know now?

Ryan Dayton: There are a choice few who know I am. We have told a few others, no one was REALLY phazed by it. I'm sure they were surprised though.

Neal Stewart: Do you think there are tell-tale signs exhibited by underage people in SL?

Ryan Dayton: It depends on the person. Maturity level. No one guessed I was underaged. So it depends on the person.

Neal Stewart: What are your thoughts on the age limit?

Ryan Dayton: Well I don't like them. But how can you trust a kid to stay out of an adult area? They are needed. So the teen grid was the answer.

Neal Stewart: Teens are needed?

Ryan Dayton: Teens are not needed. Teen Grid IS needed. It solves the problem. Teens shouldn't be here. But they are. So the teen grid was a good solution ... That's where I'm going just as soon as I can cash out and pack my bags =D

Neal Stewart: Heh heh. Do you agree with Linden Labs that there should be one grid for adults and one for teens, instead of just one for both?

Ryan Dayton: Yes. They have already started as an 18++ game. So you really can't go back. They would lose all their customers. Plus teens want to be with other teens.

Neal Stewart: Do you basically agree that adults and teens should have separate grids?

Ryan Dayton: Yes, basically.

Neal Stewart: What do you think the new Teen Grid will be like?

Ryan Dayton: I imagine lots of shooting and chaos. LOL.

Neal Stewart: Hahah. What else?

Ryan Dayton: I think its good testing grounds for my arm computer ... I think there will be yelling... fighting... shooting... and lots of suspensions... I also expect to make a lot of money.

Neal Stewart: Hahah

Ryan Dayton: I'm sure not EVERYONE will be nuts, but the majority will be teens shooting each other yes... It will be hectic, but I will be able to start over... If I can compete with 35 year-old programmers then I think I will be el presedente of Teen SL =D

Neal Stewart: Are you familiar with the latest announcements about what the Teen grid will be like?

Ryan Dayton: No.

Neal Stewart: OK. As I understand it, at first:
* Invitation-only. Manned by 2 or 3 Lindens Liasons. Open from noon to 10PM Pacific Time.
* No communication or object-exchange possible with the main Adult grid.
* PG textures only are allowed. LL will be monitoring uploads.
* Teens are able to purchase land on the teen grid, subject to credit-card-holder's permission.
* No adults allowed, except for special occasions where the adults will be pre-screened by LL.
What do you think about those?

Ryan Dayton: Well I know it will be strict. But that's expected. I can't say I like it. I'll have to deal. The invite is only TEMP, it will be open registration within the week I heard. Not that it matters. I haven't settled things here.

Neal Stewart: Do you think LL will be able to effectively monitor uploads etc? To prevent porn?

Ryan Dayton: Nope. But they will try. I can't be sure though. I don't know how many people they have manning the uploads ... Not that it matters - I'm not there for porn =) I'm there for the mula. $_$

Neal Stewart: :)

Ryan Dayton: Hehe. I'm basically here because I like to be able to create anything I want when I want to... It's freedom. It's FUN.

Neal Stewart: Do you think that most of the underage teens currently in the adult grid will go to the teen grid when it becomes available? And leave the adult grid for good?

Ryan Dayton: Maybe. I think they will go back and forth. At least this time they have someplace to go once they are banned.

Neal Stewart: What effect do you think it would have if Linden Labs offered an amnesty to Teens in the Adult grid, ie. they agreed to consider them for the teen grid if they admitted to being in the Adult grid?

Ryan Dayton: I think it would be great..... but from knowing Linden Labs they would never do that ... They are "stuck up".

Neal Stewart: Why do you think that?

Ryan Dayton: Many reasons... I can't blame them.... but they are rude at times. I highly doubt that would happen.

Neal Stewart: Can you give me some examples of rudeness?

Ryan Dayton: Phone calls. The general ''go away...''. I think the customer service is bad. I know they don't have to be nice... I'm here against their Terms of Service... But I can still be mad about it.

Neal Stewart: What sorts of things could they do to improve customer service?

Ryan Dayton: Hmm. I just wish they would take the time to understand things more.... I hate trying to tell a Linden about a problem and then having them say "report a bug". I wish they could be more interactive... I guess ... I want to be able to explain something to a real person.

Neal Stewart: Some SL residents seem to think that the Teen Grid will, for a number of reasons, have a very bad impact on Second Life [1, 2]. That it may even indirectly cause 'the fall of SL' . Can you see that happening?

Ryan Dayton: I don't see how... How would a teen's grid cause the main grids down fall? I can't see it. Unless the main grid doesn't want to lose their traffic. I'm not to sure. My answer is No, I dont see how it could.

Neal Stewart: I think one of the most common suggestions I have heard is that something bad will eventually happen to a teen in the teen grid and the negative publicity, and/or law-suits, will have a huge impact. Something bad involving pedophiles etc

Ryan Dayton: Uhgggg... They should all be lined up and shot [pedophiles] ... Well, I'm sure Linden Labs will be smart enough to protect themselves in the TOS.... And to enforce as much as they can. What happens happens... What you just said sounds totally possible. I can't say it wont happen. But I think LL will do their best ... Another thing is, THERE is full of teens and full of adults. All in harmony. When you have something like SL... And you can upload any picture or stream any video you want. It's possible. All I can say is.. BE SMART. Don't hang with pedophiles. I understand what you mean though.

Neal Stewart: What message do you have for all the underage teens currently in the adult grid?

Ryan Dayton: Keep quite, stay out of trouble, and maybe I'll see you soon.
I really think they should move... It's no fun lying about your age and being around adults who think they can talk about adult things with you ... Me being here, let everyone else out there believe I was an adult, and I'm not... so when they say something to me that would be for adults... maybe a break-up or about their divorce... its like mehhhhhh I don't think they want to be sharing this with a teen ... I actually feel bad... I'm sure they don't want to be talking to be about things they would have with their friend... I may be a friend but I'm not a confirmed adult... And they are sharing private things I don't think they want to be sharing with a 14 year old kid posing as 20.

Neal Stewart: One more question: What do your parents think of your involvement in SL? Do they know you make hundreds of dollars here? Are they amazed?

Ryan Dayton: Yes. they are both amazed and my mom is really really sorry she made that call =)

Neal Stewart: Heh heh. What did she say to you?

Ryan Dayton: Well, the first thing she said when she got home was "How is your world?" I responded, "It isn't there anymore..."
I can tell she felt bad. I never told her about the age limit so she didn't know.

Neal Stewart: Is that what she calls it, "Your world"?

Ryan Dayton: Yes lol. She also calls it 'air'... and she calls it THERE...

Neal Stewart: Air? :) Hahah

Ryan Dayton: Yes, she says I'm making money on air... It's air it's nothing.

Neal Stewart: That is awesome :)

Ryan Dayton: They make fun of me sometimes because I'm on here non-stop. But whatever. lol. They are still amazed... Especially when I got that first check from PayPal.

Neal Stewart: When this interview gets posted at the Herald, technically you're not allowed to visit the website for another four years and will be unable to read it :) So I'll email you a copy in the mean-time :)

Ryan Dayton: Hehe. Ya, I saw that. 18+

The Scribes of Gor

Long time Herald readers will recall our coverage of the Gorean community on TSO – In particular our interviews with Mistress Maria and her slave Toy, and our frequent reports from the Black Rose Castle and Mistress Julianna and her slave Mikal. All of these people are now in SL, and I recently ran into them in the scribery on the new Gorean island Port Kar. For readers unfamiliar with Gorean subculture, it is based on a series of sci fi books by John Norman which describe a planet of slave owners and slaves. Gorean culture and language have been developed and incorporated into BDSM roleplay lifestyles in a number of social MMOs. In this interview we talk to Vivienne Daguerre (formerly Mistress Julianna), who is the librarian in the new Gorean scribery on Port Kar.

Uri, Vivienne and slave Mikal in the library

You: Tell me about the library, Vivienne.
Vivienne Daguerre: the library has existed about a week, so there has been a lot done. [so far we have] basic information, all with permissions, none of it stolen. we have paid great attention to the detail on the book covers... we will reproduce all. Over here we have the first two books of Gor in a format readable within SL without having to go to outside websites. over here we have the writings of our residents.

You: I see Toy has a book here
Vivienne Daguerre: yes, she does. She has a book over here too as does Angelique (Maria from TSO), and Mikal has several here. And this section is to record on scrolls dance and drink/food serves as examples for learning slaves, so we are doing well for the short time we have been here

Books by the locals (Toy, Angelique, Mikal)

You: no kidding. all this all in one week
Vivienne Daguerre: yes, perhaps just a bit over a week

You: who makes the books?
Vivienne Daguerre: mikal and I do. I am the Scribe of Kar, and he is my slave.
I enjoy making textures and have tried to make the books detailed.

You: What would you say the principle mission of the scribery will be?
Vivienne Daguerre: to provide information about Gor to those who seek knowledge of it. To keep city and legal records. To publish the creative writings and thoughts about Gor of the city residents.

You: legal records?
Vivienne Daguerre: yes

You: what are they?
Vivienne Daguerre: one scroll here is the contract for sale/purchase of a slave named kali, the other is a document restoring a Free Woman to her Free status after being punished by being forced to serve as a slave for 3 days. our laws are in this book.

Some legal documents from Port Kar

You: Is there a law making body in Port Kar?
Vivienne Daguerre: yes

You: what is the nature of the legal authority here?
Vivienne Daguerre: Marak is Administrator of Kar. He is the law here and Angelique is his Magistrate. you know her as Maria :)
You: yes
Vivienne Daguerre: She is an excellent choice
You: I would think so
Vivienne Daguerre: She and he made the laws. She is judge. Kazrak as Captain is enforcer

The Laws of Port Kar and rules for slaves.

You: How are they appointed?
Vivienne Daguerre: Marak appointed her, as he appointed me scribe.

You: And who appointed Marak, or does he own the island?
Vivienne Daguerre: he and his wife/slave fey own the island, and he built this. They have done a wonderful job here in creating a place for community to grow

You: When did the island open?
Vivienne Daguerre: only two or three weeks ago, it has not been here long

You: impressive work in a short amount of time. will the Goreans reside here, or just visit?
[Angelique LaFolette and Toy arrive]
Angelique LaFollette: Well, I live here. :)

Angelique and Toy

Vivienne Daguerre: Tal Angelique :)
Vivienne Daguerre: Mikal and I live here as well
Angelique LaFollette: Tal My Lady, Tal Uri.
You: angelique, good to see you
Toy LaFollette: Nidan Mistress Viv, Master Uri :)
You: hello Toy!
Angelique LaFollette: And you chere.
Vivienne Daguerre: some of us have homes here, some just visit.. the residences are full

You: I'm doing a story on the scribery
Vivienne Daguerre: enter and be welcome my love
Angelique LaFollette: I have been Following the Herald chere,,
Vivienne Daguerre: Marak is coming to join us
You: this is like a TSO reunion or something
Toy LaFollette: :)
Vivienne Daguerre: we decided long ago that we would always be friends :)

You: the only one missing is dyerbrook, or should I say Prokofy
Vivienne Daguerre: lmao, Oh I miss him.. hehe
Angelique LaFollette: Oh Please.
Mikal Snakeankle: lol
Angelique LaFollette: and Dyer is writing for the Herald now.
Vivienne Daguerre: *peeks out from article and waves at Dyerbrook*

You: He seems more exercised by the Feted Inner Core these days
Vivienne Daguerre: lol
Toy LaFollette hums when Porkofy is mentioned..... "if I only had a brain" :)
Mikal Snakeankle: lol toy

[Port Kar owner Marak and his slave Fey arrive]
Vivienne Daguerre: and here are the wonder workers Uri

Port Kar owners Marak and slave Fey

Mikal Snakeankle: Greetings Master
Vivienne Daguerre: Tal Marak :)
Vivienne Daguerre: Hello fey :)
Fey Brightwillow: greetings Mistress
Marak Coral: hello Urizenus and welcome to Port kar
Mikal Snakeankle: hey Fey :)
Toy LaFollette: Greetings Master Marak :)
You: thank you Marak
Fey Brightwillow: greetings Urizenus Sir
Marak Coral: Tal Angelique and Vivienne
Toy LaFollette: greetings fey :)

A map of Gor displayed in the library

You: Contratulations on a splendid build
Fey Brightwillow: greetings Mistress Angelique
Angelique LaFollette: Tal marak. :)
Marak Coral: thank you
Angelique LaFollette: Greetings fey.
Fey Brightwillow smiles in greetings to mikal and toy
Marak Coral: we are trying create something unique here

You: Marak I'm here to learn about the scribery today, but I would like to talk to you and Angelique and other people in the magistrate one day soon
Marak Coral: of course I will be happy to assist you in anyway we can

You: how many people live here now?
Vivienne Daguerre: not sure
Fey Brightwillow: last i looked 65 people Mistress
Angelique LaFollette: You have to find out how many Frees, and add their slaves,,
Vivienne Daguerre: thank you fey :)
Angelique LaFollette: I account for Five Collared slaves myself.
Fey Brightwillow: sorry 75 citizens

You: wow, sounds like you will soon have a gorean mini-grid
Toy LaFollette: will be 3 linked sims very soon

You: do slaves count as citizens?
Fey Brightwillow: yes Sir, not all live here, we can not support that many
Angelique LaFollette: Perhaps "Residents" would be a better word.

You: are the other two sims on order or do they exist elsewhere.
Toy LaFollette: toys will be ordered tomorrow

You: congrats Toy
Toy LaFollette: jashi Va :)
Angelique LaFollette: There were 38 here when i Collared my last two Girls,,
Vivienne Daguerre: and the scribery has attracted a number of guests.. many do come here and sit here to read..
Marak Coral: we have about 35 live in residents on the sim, and have about 7 slaves that are collared to the city
Vivienne Daguerre: A class has been held here as well.. which is another good use for the scribery as a centre of knowledge
Toy LaFollette: toy comes here to write also girl finds it very conducive for writing

You: I can imagine.
Vivienne Daguerre: and this is the start point for many curious about Gor, wanting to learn more, and ultimately becoming Gorean.

You: well people, I must take my leave...
Vivienne Daguerre: thank you for your interest Uri :)
Toy LaFollette: be well Master Uri, was nice seeing You again :)
Vivienne Daguerre: Be well Uri.
Fey Brightwillow: a pleasure to have met you Sir
Angelique LaFollette: Be well uri.
Marak Coral: be well Uri
Mikal Snakeankle: i wish You well Sir Uri

You: I'll come back when I'm not busy just to talk sometime
Vivienne Daguerre: you would be welcome
Marak Coral: you are welcome anytime
Vivienne Daguerre: I am no longer so evil Uri... not the bad girl of Alphaville.

You: haha
Vivienne Daguerre: just a nice spinster librarian now :D, hehe
Mikal Snakeankle: /chuckles

You: kari braska

Don't talk in the library, or there will be hell to pay!

'R.I.P Ryan Dayton' - Teenage 'Air' Profits (Part 1/2)

By Neal Stewart

I'm sitting at a vacant, shiny blue conference table in a meeting room at the top floor of Dayton Technologies HQ. Through the heavily-tinted windows I can see birds flying above the swaying palm trees outside. On the floor beneath me is the freshly-built coffin of Ryan Dayton himself. It is a polished, blue coffin mounted on a mahogany plint. Well-wishers have placed roses and about seven hand-sized personal-security devices around the coffin's base. As a resident, Ryan had built and sold these devices. Now they have been edited to display descriptions like, "In memory of Ryan Dayton" and "I will miss you best friend =( " It is estimated that in the 12 months he was a Second Life resident, these devices and similar earned Ryan about $1000 USD.

But the real Ryan Dayton is very much alive. 10 days ago it was Ryan's SL avatar that was perma-banned - or 'executed' as some residents call it. This is because it was discovered that, when he joined Second Life 12 months ago, in real life Dayton was a 13 year old boy.

Last month, in a landmark decision, the United States Supreme Court abolished capital punishment for juvenile offenders, ruling that it is unconstitutional to sentence anyone to death for a crime they committed while younger than 18.

In Second Life however, being younger than 18 IS the crime.

Being an under-18 Second Life resident is a bannable offense according to the Terms of Service. This is a policy that seems to be supported by the vast majority of residents, who cherish the mature space that SL provides. Recently however, Linden Labs made a landmark announcement of their own; the controversial [1, 2] Teen Grid will now be opened. The Teen Grid is planned as an adult-free zone, separate to the Adult Grid, and restricted to teenagers between 13 and 17 years of age. There, Teens like Ryan Dayton will no longer be banned or 'executed' because of what's printed on their RL birth certificates. Instead they will have to do something serious first, like toilet-paper Old Man Lawson's front yard.

Yesterday Ryan and I spoke for several hours. While I sat at his empty conference table in Second Life, he spelt out other-worldly messages to me through a digital Ouija board called 'Yahoo Messenger'. Ryan did not approach the Herald for this interview. His story was discovered when I leveled up on Thursday night to virtual-journalist level 6 (10+5(int bonus * 2 exp)) and was able to track him down.

Beforehand we talked about the RL detention he received that morning for being late to class (he's in Grade Eight) and the Second Life funeral his friends have planned for him next week. The entry for his group 'Dayton Technologies' now lists 19 members and no officer. In this interview Ryan tells us how his secret was exposed, his thoughts on Linden Labs, Second Life and his business here. He also talks about his hope to retrieve the $600 US dollars still locked up in his banned account and his dreams of being reincarnated in the new Teen Grid.

Neal Stewart: Please tell me everything that happened on the day you got banned. Start at the beginning.

Ryan Dayton: Alright. I started my normal day. Got up, took a shower, and got ready for school. It was a normal day until I got home. I was going to log in, but it said my account was disabled, and to visit www.secondlife.com. I did so and all it said was "on hold". I didn't receive an e-mail saying why. It turns out my mom made a call to Linden Lab and told them that I was 14.

Neal Stewart: What did you think when you discovered your account was 'on hold'?

Ryan Dayton: I thought, maybe the bill wasn't paid correctly or something. I am careful online and I do not tell just anyone my real age. My mom said nothing to me about it when she picked me up from school and by the time I found out she was already out for a work appointment.

Neal Stewart: Tell me about your mother's call to Linden Labs.

Ryan Dayton: I had moved the credit card information to her card. My card didn't have the cash on it at the time [Ryan primarily uses a special cash card that is linked to his mother's credit card]. She said it was fine. What she saw was a bill from "Linden Labs" not "Second Life", so she didn't know where the charge was coming from. She called in to find out. From what I heard, she said "my son" a few times - letting them know it was OK with her that I play the game. But but they asked her how old I was and she answered truthfully, not knowing the age limit.

Neal Stewart: Did your Second Life status eventually go from 'on hold' to perma-banned? Or something like that?

Ryan Dayton: Well... It's on hold still. It will remain that way. I'm working on getting some time to log in so I can cash out and back up my valuable scripts.

Neal Stewart: I was wondering about that. Linden Labs don't always let people log in to cash out and back things up do they?

Ryan Dayton: I've already paid for this month and my land fees, so I believe they owe me the time. I have a good deal of money on there from my creations and I think they should seriously think before stealing my hard-earned money.

Neal Stewart: Will you have to try and convince Linden Labs to let you back in for a bit?

Ryan Dayton: Yes. I've already written them an e-mail and I plan to call them on Monday. They re-open then and should get my e-mails. Hopefully I'll get a response from them then.

Neal Stewart: If you had to bet, would you bet that Linden Labs would let you get back into your account for a bit just to cash out etc?

Ryan Dayton: I actually think they wouldn't do it. I really hope they at least give me an hour. I paid for all of April and I think they owe that to me. It isn't easy to start off fresh when you were leading a small business and then having yourself cut off from it.
I was pretty upset the other day. I heard that the Lindens caught a 15 year old, but gave him the privilege of staying online in the main grid till the teen grid comes out. They even said they would transfer his account for him. Yet when I come up as a teen - a scripter and mature person - they say that I will lose everything. I don't think that's fair. But I cant be sure if that's correct or not. But my source says its true.

Neal Stewart: Are you certain that your assets and belongings haven't been erased?

Ryan Dayton: I can't be certain, but I believe they keep things for a long time before they perm-delete everything. My shop and HQ are all still up, and the land is still owned by me [It appears that there is a distinction between being 'on hold' and being genuinely perma-banned].

Neal Stewart: How did you feel when you found out that you had been banned?

Ryan Dayton: Very angry.... very sad. I put a lot of work into my business and I was about to release a new version of my Dayton 9000 Arm computer. But it was gone. [This is the security device mentioned earlier].

Neal Stewart: How much money has your Second Life business made in the 12 months and 5 days you were here?

Ryan Dayton: Let's see... I think I've made a little over 1k USD.

Neal Stewart: 1000 US dollars?

Ryan Dayton: Yes.

Neal Stewart: Wow.

Ryan Dayton And there's about $600 worth of USD on the account right now. That's why I seriously hope I can get that hour, to cash out.

Neal Stewart: Where did most of the money come from?

Ryan Dayton: Most of the money comes from the Dayton 9000. It's a scripted arm-computer I made. It's very popular. It sells itself.

Neal Stewart: Can you buy it on SLExchange?

Ryan Dayton: No. You can only get it at my shop, located in Kaili 70,110.

Neal Stewart: How much does the unit go for?

Ryan Dayton: $700 L a copy (currently about $2.97 USD).

Neal Stewart: How much are you paying in tier at the moment? Or were you before?

Ryan Dayton: $25 USD a month.

Neal Stewart: So what are Dayton Tech's main products/services?

Ryan Dayton: Dayton Tech is a group of builders and scripters developing vehicles, gadgets, guns, and anything thats sparks interest. They are also my beta test group for the Dayton 9000.

[...]

Neal Stewart: Did your friend tell you he was going to make a coffin for you?

Ryan Dayton: LOL. No, I heard about it and it surprised me.

Neal Stewart: What was your reaction?

Ryan Dayton: "WOW"

Neal Stewart: How did it make you feel?

Ryan Dayton: I didn't expect this much attention. I was sad, but it made me happy to see that they cared.

Neal Stewart: People compare perma-bans in SL to a kind of dying. And you have a coffin here and the members of your group are wearing "R.I.P Ryan Dayton" group titles etc. Is it really similar to dying in a way?

Ryan Dayton: Yes I'd say it is. I can't come back. I'm over with. Finished ... That is unless LL will work with me to bend the rules a little. If my mom is able to take over the account, I would still make the move to the teen grid. Because her being the expected user of the account isn't the same person as me. So I've still died.

Neal Stewart: Tell me more about some of the things you have made in SL.

Ryan Dayton: One of the more recent things I made is a server-based vendor. It communicates with a main server to make prices changes etc. That way I don't have to jump all over the grid to make changes. I just change the server. Then the server e-mails all the vendors with the updates. Very proud of that one =)

Neal Stewart: Does it use XML-RPC or something?

Ryan Dayton: No, nothing goes out of the game, unless you count the e-mail leaving the game and coming back in. It's all done with e-mail.... whole lotta e-mail =)

Neal Stewart: Heh heh. How long did it take you to code?

Ryan Dayton: Hmm... maybe 12 hours.

Neal Stewart: How many hours have you spent on SL on average, per day, in the 12 months you have been here?

Ryan Dayton: A lot. I would spend most of my day after school online... which is bad. But it was all spent learning. I don't play that much at all anymore ... I basically spent a few months working really hard at learning the language [LSL] because I saw how much it could bring in... It's amazing... for a game.

Neal Stewart: So maybe four or five hours every day?

Ryan Dayton: Around that. Yes.

Neal Stewart: Tell me about some of the things you have learnt.

Ryan Dayton: Well. Rotations took me a while.... they are a pain. Hehe. I've learnt the basics of a programing language. 3d modeling. Functions, Events, states, constants, variables, flow control...

Neal Stewart: And you learnt all of these purely through SL?

Ryan Dayton: Yes and the LSL wiki.

Neal Stewart: Wow.

Ryan Dayton: I sound really geek. LOL. But I'm not at all. I just have fun coding =)

Neal Stewart: Do you consider yourself a normal American teenager? Or different in some ways?

Ryan Dayton: I think I am normal. I just took a lot of time to learn something and get good at it ... I have friends, I go to parties, the movies. I'm not cooped up on here all day =) It's a "hobby".

Neal Stewart: How did you first find out about SL?

Ryan Dayton: Well. I started off in TSO [The Sims Online]. I heard about THERE.com I played THERE for months, and had lots of fun. I was kinda into the HTML coding at the time because we were learning how to make websites in Tech class. Someone started talking about SL. And how you could do ANYTHING and make anything... be anything. That just sounded awesome. So I checked it out.

Neal Stewart: Were they right? :)

Ryan Dayton: yup =) I was hooked from day 1.

Neal Stewart: How did you feel about the whole under-age thing when you first joined?

Ryan Dayton: Well. I hated lying to everyone who asked. But I had to ... It didn't feel right being in the game. But I couldn't really be a good boy and go off to play THERE again. Hehe.

Neal Stewart: Heh heh. How old did you say you were, to people here?

Ryan Dayton: Well, I started as 13 [in RL]... so I said I was 19... and when my RL birthday came, I turned 14. So I became 20 in the game.

Neal Stewart: How does THERE compare to SL?

Ryan Dayton: Ummm. THERE was fun. But SL has more to offer. SL is better for me. But not for somone who isn't into a game like this.

Neal Stewart: What does SL offer that THERE can't?

Ryan Dayton: In-world 3D modeling and coding of what you make.

Neal Stewart: Would you say that's the best thing about SL?

Ryan Dayton: Making things for fun. And selling them for real life big coin ;-)

Neal Stewart: Heh heh. What would you say is the worst thing about SL?

Ryan Dayton: Age limit, bugs and LINDEN LAB! That's 3... hmm go with age limit.

Neal Stewart: Do you make money in RL in any other ways, other than SL?

Ryan Dayton: No, not really.

Neal Stewart: What sorts of things have you spent the money on, that you have made here?

Ryan Dayton: My Zen Micro MP3 player. $US 249.99.

Neal Stewart: Heh heh. What else?

Ryan Dayton: All the rest is in PayPal. And my bank.

Neal Stewart: Ah, OK. Are you saving for something?

Ryan Dayton: Pretty much. I'm sure I'll see something I want that will be a lot of $$.

Neal Stewart: So, the person who first told you about SL, they were themselves underage too?

Ryan Dayton: Yup. They were banned and moved to THERE.

Neal Stewart: What were they banned for?

Ryan Dayton: Being underage.

Neal Stewart: How were they discovered?

Ryan Dayton: Not sure.

Neal Stewart: Have you been temporarily banned or suspended from SL before, or ever given any official warnings? About anything at all?

Ryan Dayton: Never on this account. The only time I was on hold was because my card needed refilling =)

Neal Stewart: Heh heh. So, in the 12 months you've been here you have had a completely clean record? :)

Ryan Dayton: Yup.

Neal Stewart: How many people do you know of that are under-age residents of SL?

[Continued in Part II...]

Pushers Hit SL's Streets as Diablo Cartel Declares Business First

by Gina Fatale

Castiglione Ramona and Bebop Voxx of the Diablo Cartel

Castiglione Ramona, Diablo Cartel big boss, had grown tired of seeing the proliferation of mom-and-pop mafias in SL, and requested a sit-down with the Herald to set the record straight on recent rumors of his griefing – and to boast about his brand new cartel. Read on, drama lovers. . . .

Gina Fatale: Hi Castiglione, thanks for taking a moment from your busy schedule to sit down with the Herald. Can you tell me what the Diablos Cartel is about and what their main purpose in SL?
Castiglione Ramona: The Diablos Cartel is an SL group for making money. Our purpose is to sell our "substance" and firearms to SL players out there and provide other side services as well.
Castiglione Ramona: Although the group is very new, we are growing quickly.

Gina Fatale: can you be specific as to what "substances" are? and what other services?
Castiglione Ramona: We call the substance Casti. This enhances your avatar in a way that would greatly assist SL players.

Gina Fatale: in other words a drug.
Castiglione Ramona: Yes, you can say that. We also do other jobs like spying or protection for a fee.

Gina Fatale: so besides dealing drugs you also deal in firearms, what kind of firearms have you made and can you tell us how one would purchase such items, do you have a store?
Castiglione Ramona: Well first of all, our pushers or "drug dealers" will be promoted to Arms Dealers after we notice that they are helping a lot.
Castiglione Ramona: Our firearms are more realistic than others in SL. Although they are still quite good. Some of them better than others. We deal in all sorts of weaponry (melee, machine guns, explosives, snipers).

Gina Fatale: How does one join your cartel? are there specific requirements?
Castiglione Ramona: If one was wanting to join, they would speak to one of the lieutenants and arrange a meeting. Then we would have them tested. They would then fill out an application and send it to me (the boss). If I accept, they will be tested once again.

Gina Fatale: do you have a store location (if so tell us where) or are these dealt on the down low
Castiglione Ramona: No we do not have a store. It is much easier to sell if customers could see a demo in person.

Gina Fatale: who usually buys your weapons? mafias? or just the average joe?
Castiglione Ramona: I'd have to say both. Some people just want a nice gun for protection and some mafias want them to go to war with.

Gina Fatale: speaking of mafias there is some talk going around that you have been giving grief to several known families, Bellini, DSM, Costello, The Black Hand. Whats the deal on this?
Castiglione Ramona: Well someone called a hit on me which was pitiful... (i happened to shoot the hitman instead)

Gina Fatale: do you know who called a hit on you and why?
Castiglione Ramona: I suspected it might have been DSM because I shot the Godmother's son for personal reasons.
Castiglione Ramona: After that, the Godmother shot me in a club. Then they all surrounded me in the middle of nowhere and I orbit them all.

Gina Fatale: so is Diablos in a war with DSM?
Castiglione Ramona: Of course not. Just a little misunderstanding

Gina Fatale: what do the other families have to do with it since there is talk you griefed the others as well
Castiglione Ramona: Well now that DSM has a grudge on me, their allies do as well.

Gina Fatale: is Diablos like some of the other mafias we just mentioned? if not tell us why
Castiglione Ramona: We are like a REAL mafia but nothing like the SL mafias. We are all about business. Mafia first. None of this mom and dad stuff
Castiglione Ramona: other mafias are about family mostly, never business first for them

Gina Fatale: so it's safe to assume that Diablos is all business and you won't find the "family" thing in it? Can you tell us your opinion of how successful you see your cartel going in the future?
Castiglione Ramona: I can tell that we are going to be very successful... already on our second day have I made a few thousand by letting my men do the work.

Gina Fatale: would you be bold enough to say that you can possibly be one of the most successful cartels in SL? and one other thing to add to that are you the only cartel in SL?
Castiglione Ramona: Yes we are the first cartel I believe (that actual ACTS as one) and I think that we possibly COULD BE the most successful cartel.

Gina Fatale: Ok thank you again for your time

"Curse of the Burning Seas" Game To Go Beta

During a recent trip to the local tavern, Omega Groshomme spotted the Evil Spaniard Smigmee Pinkerton, lead-developer of "Curse of the Burning Seas", sneaking out a back entrance. He draws his sword!

The exchange is quick and Smigmee's work with the cutlass is no match for Omega's rapier. Smigee is reduced from 'Strong' to 'Panic-stricken'.

"You are a skilled swordsman. I will tell you what I know. Your sister is held captive on a remote plantation. This map may help you on your quest. Also, I am making a new game in SL."

Omega Groshomme: So, Smigmee, tell us about this "game" we have heard so much about.

Smigmee Pinkerton: Well, the game is based in the 1800s. As a player you will choose between British, French, and Pirate navy. You will take control of ships and command them over the Burning Sea. Each player will have an important role on a grand scale. Players will be able to capture other ships, embark in blazing cannon, pistol, rifle, and even sword battles. Players will gain higher ranks, giving them health bonuses, officer uniforms, and permission to command fleets of men.

Omega Groshomme: Wow! Thats amazing. So how will this be done? I mean, like rules and all?

Smigmee Pinkerton: Well, thanks to the beauty of Second Life scripting and building possibilities, and our amazing design team, we have a server created along with "health packs" (built into their factions' appropriate belt) that will control players heaths and stats. Each ship is also fitted with a controlling script to determine hit/attack info along with who and which rank has permission to pilot it. We plan to have a leaderboard to display the current faction in power. [We're] Trying to ensure a constant war-like situation where players meet in the ports and build teams to conquer other factions, as well as in game goals. As far as rules, we have a strict experience system along with all the other core elements of controlling a game such as this one.

Omega Groshomme: This is truly amazing. I mean, I've seen some of the objects and I'm blown away that something like this is in SL. When can we expect the release?

Smigmee Pinkerton: Well, we are so close to opening the BETA test we can all almost taste it.
And let me tell you it tastes good :-P
We have started an OPEN FREE BETA signup un-officially inside of SL. Basically, if people are interested I would recommend going to our website and requesting to join the BETA group via the web forums found on our website. I can not give an exact date as to when the opening will be but I can say the group is filling up fast and testers should sign up now! The reassuring news is we have been playing the game ourselves for testing and it will be amazing. A game concept unlike any I have seen inside or outside of Second Life. I just want to make sure that credit for this project goes to our whole design team, who have been working endlessly towards our goal. Keep it up guys! Our site is http://www.power-surfing.com/cotbs.

Omega Groshomme: I fully agree and I think this will be the biggest thing to ever hit SL and may open doors of the possibilities we have.

Note: 'Curse of the Burning Seas' is not based on Sid Meiers' Pirates. That was just a hook :)

Interview with "Hangin On" Producer Icon Serpentine

By Cienna Samiam

With the advent of 1.6, streaming video is now a reality in Second Life. Theaters and mini-screens are rapidly becoming common across the grid, and everything from movies to animated shorts to comedy and more are finding their way into our virtual living rooms. Amongst the trickling stream of new media, there are also projects that look to take digital entertainment on the 'two way' - instead of bringing new content into Second Life, looking to create content within our virtual world for delivery to the real one.

One of these projects is 'Hangin On', which is currently ramping up for full-scale production. I caught up with producer Icon Serpentine shortly after his call for acting and production crew went out to the forums, and he was kind enough to give SLH the scoop on the direction and plans for the project, along with some hints and thoughts about the future of wholly digital media products…

CS: How did you come to Second Life, and how long have you played?

IS: I've been playing Second Life since November 2003. How I got here is no grand story -- I was just querying google and got the right keyword combo to bring up secondlife.com. I've always been on the lookout for new virtual worlds - from BBSs to MUDs/MUSHes and so on eventually to SL.

CS: Tell us about Simple Ninja Productions.

IS: Simple Ninja is just my little creative company. I use it to support my bigger projects such as Hangin On and I also use it to do freelance creative work. It's just a name and number really, nothing special.

CS: During research for this interview, I noted a reference to your work at www.freeze-dna.com. Share with us your part in that project and tell us -- did that experience play a part in paving the way for 'Hangin On'?

IS: FreezeDNA is a design and advertising firm a friend of mine owns. I just did some creative work for him and developed an animation to display on his website that would showcase the main characters from his recently launched comic-book, Blac Ice. The book has been getting a lot of media attention locally due to its unique ethnic angle on the super-hero paradigm.
I will be doing more work with his company in the future -- redesigning some of his workflow and possibly producing animated shorts.
As far as Hangin On goes, my work with FreezeDNA is rather unrelated. It just pays bills so I can work on projects like Hangin On.

CS: How did the idea for an in-world production occur to you?

IS: It was during one of those "wouldn't it be neat if..." daydreaming scenarios we all sometimes get. I'm a big idea person and come up with a lot of them all the time. To produce a series in SL just seemed like a good one that I couldn't let up.

CS: Most people have very little insight to what is involved in a production like this... can you give our readers a general outline of how this project will proceed -- how many people you expect to be involved, etc.?

IS: Sure -- TV and film seems complicated and glamorous. Many of us are dazzled by the spectacle. We don't often sit down and think about what goes on behind the scenes of a set. Sometimes our DVDs give us a little "behind the scenes" glimpse at what it's like to work in TV/Film... but it's all still showbiz glitz.
Animation in particular has always been a distant realm. Until recently, it was a rather complicated and expensive process. Today animation is accessible to pretty much anyone with a computer. Whether 2D or 3D, computers have sped up and streamlined the process of animation. With the advent of machinema and now SL, it has become even more accessible.
As for the process by which this show will be made -- well it will sort of blend Film/TV production and animation. The animators, writers, storyboard artists, costume designers, and such will prepare for each episode. Then at filming time, a camera crew, technicians, a director, and set/prop people will film each scene. Then we take the captured video and I give it to my post-production team here in Toronto, Canada where it will be sliced, diced, and will have audio added. Finally, it will be ready for viewing and distributed via BitTorrent to our audience -- never leaving the digital realm.
Pretty neat, eh?

CS: That really is a fascinating prospect. So will 'Hangin On' be a "live" show, or recorded and edited for viewing?

IS: People are welcome to watch us film the episodes as long as they don't get in the shots. However, it will be edited and put through post-production before people will download and watch it.

CS: The challenges of creating a tightly orchestrated show in Second Life are somewhat more technical (literally and figuratively). For example -- In traditional mediums, actors have the training to present specific actions and reactions in accord with direction and scripting. How do you plan to meet the need for 'realistic' animations within this genre? Will you rely solely upon actor/tress control of their avatar, or create custom animations as 'mannerisms' for each actor?

IS: 'Acting' is SL is where film/tv blends with animation. We still need "live" actors to be on set however, we have pre-made avatars for the characters and yes -- we will animate them almost completely. There are a few instances where it's technically easier for us to give the actor control of the avatar -- shots where they need to walk a fair distance or run; however for the most part our animation team will be controlling them with animation over-riders, custom gesture sequences, and clever scripting from our scripting department.

CS: Do you intend to make the video filmed in Second Life available in other mediums (i.e., web stream, DVD, etc.)?

IS: Oh definitely! I've been really excited about the release of 1.6! Be prepared to have the ability to watch a show synopsis in-world and then click on a box to get taken to the bit-torrent download for the full episode.
Other mediums will come with demand. If people really do like the show a lot and it starts garnering the attention of more than just SL residents, I'm definitely prepared to author special DVD releases of each season. I hope the show will get to this point, but it's not a requirement for its success.
The show will be successful if I can get at least the first season finished with volunteer work alone! In the future however, if we do reach a point where we're making real money from selling DVD versions and merchandise (both real and virtual), then I intend to share that with everyone who helped make the show. You never know, maybe one day they will actually be 'hired help' rather than 'volunteers.'

CS: Will you be making this series available as streamed video within Second Life; possibly as one of the first 'on demand' video offerings now possible with version 1.6?

IS: I will make episode trailers available to stream on-demand in SL if possible. With in-world URLs, there'll be a button in the theatre that will take your browser directly to the bit-torrent download of the full episode.

CS: Is this project an attempt at a 'proof of concept' for potentially larger projects (as alluded to in your forum posts on the matter)?

IS: Yes definitely. Media is a very powerful component of modern culture. I wholly believe that a shared interactive 3D environment that is now capable of streaming several types of media will open up new ways of interacting with media and culture in ways we've never imagined. I fully intend to take advantage of that and explore many things through media in Second Life.

CS: What about the 'Hangin On' project do you think will attract viewers in Second Life?

IS: Already many machinema shorts have become classic favorites to many residents. I don't know if anyone remembers, "Prims in the Wild" or any of Pierce Portacarraro's work -- but they've been well received.
Hangin On goes beyond the short. We're producing a series of 22 minute episodes with stories and characters I think people will really find funny and attractive. Plus I hope it will also encourage people to be more involved with Second Life and have another reason to love it even more.
For me, when someone creates something new and exciting in SL, it's one more thing I can point to and say, "See? Another reason why Second Life is so awesome."

CS: With the plethora of online video and animated serials available via outlets such as Atom Films (www.atomfilms.com), do you think there is potential for this project to 'cross over' into the mainstream?

IS: Yes of course. We're producing the show in 22 minute episodes just for that contingency. We wrote the show so that the story and characters aren't based around themes and ideas specific to SL. That way people who've never been in SL can still watch it and have a laugh... basically so that it could be picked up by the mainstream if there is an audience outside of SL for it.
However, there will also be ways to involve SL more than just as the animation platform behind the show. We've got a few goodies that will definitely leave a mark with the SL community.

CS: It is unusual to see a production company reaching outside the trade for what is traditionally considered technical or professional work in-trade (e.g., costuming, acting, etc.). Tell us about how your views on the goals for this project effect this choice... is it strictly a matter of being more feasible from an 'in-world experience' stance, less time to produce, an effort to draw the audience close to the production process, or all of the above?

IS: It's all of that. From a technical standpoint -- I can't do everything myself. There are people who are better at making clothes than I am. There are people who can build things faster or better than I can. All of that and there's still the limitation of actors -- I still need avatars to be the puppets!
I'm a busy guy too -- being an entrepreneur, I chase a lot of my ideas down and work on a lot of projects. This is one thing I want to create, but I can't spend all my time on it. I hope that I will find enough interest from volunteers (which I hope to one-day hire and pay if this grows into a commercial venture) to be able to just hold the reins and let the production crew take the initiative.
Also, it is an experience -- we all think TV and Film is such a glamorous industry and never imagine that we have the skills and talents to work in it. This is sort of a hands-on open chance to anyone who's ever dreamed of it to try it out. You can be a part of the team just for the fun of it or to satisfy curiosity - anything really as long as you are as passionate about it as I am.
It also gives people who volunteer their time an opportunity to get credit on a real production. If they really like working on this show and decide that they want to find other opportunities in the field of animation or television and film -- they'll have something to start with and show on their resume. It may not be much -- but imagine if we all worked hard on this show and a television network picked it up! Wouldn't be such a small thing then, would it?

CS: On a more technical note -- will you be storyboarding the show or actually presenting written scripts for your acting staff, or both?

IS: We will have the storyboards on set, but scripts aren't necessary in this production. The reason being is that we'll be adding all the lines in the post-production process.
Typically in animation, there are two ways of recording actors' voices -- before or after. Often, scripts are acted before the animation process is started in order for the animators to work with the emotions in the voices of the actors and draw those emotions in the characters. In the other school of thought, the animators work with the scripts and the actors work with the final product -- adding their voices after the characters have been animated -- both ways present challenges, and in SL we'll have our own.
The major one being that our characters can't be lip-synched! This has been one major hurdle I've been trying to work out which has been delaying production. My first idea was to just use exaggerated body language to compensate for the lack of facial expression. I then thought that perhaps we could do some special effects compositing and add animated and lip-synced mouths to the video in the post-production process. That idea while possible, proved to be too much of a challenge for the resources I have on hand at the moment... so we're going to stick with exaggerated body language. Which also opens up it's own doors to a unique way of expressing our character's emotions.

CS: How will you be handling sound and music for the project?

IS: Post production. I have a team here in Toronto that I've assembled that is willing to work on this project. Music will either be Creative Commons licensed or original compositions by contributors.

CS: Will you have a 'studio audience' or will this be shot 'closed stage'?

IS: I want people to be able to show up and watch us film on set... we'll have to see how that goes however. It's far too easy in SL for someone to jump into a shot and ruin a scene, so we'll have to see how people react to and respect our work. If we have too many problems, then yeah it will be a closed set during filming.

CS: On a more artistic/thematic note -- You have mentioned an interest in "challenging mainstream stereotypes and norms while not being stupid or smug about it." How do you expect this project to accomplish that goal?

IS: Through clever writing and characters. The problem I see in a lot of mainstream media is that people are compartmentalized and categorized and stereotyped. All too often even shows that feature characters not typical in the mainstream like "Will and Grace," expand stereotypes.
Often it's in the name of humor -- which is great. But I think our need to laugh at things is becoming something we depend on because the stereotypes have become far too real for us.
For me, I want this show to not use the stereotypes as a crutch for humor but as ingredients in a social experiment. That way I hope the characters won't become two-dimensional and predictable in the "expected behavior" sense. If they are going to become predictable, it's because people will come to "know" them. Or so I hope.
In less esoteric terms, we have some pretty out-there characters -- i.e.: the "Duo," a pair of preppy emo hair metal gangsta thugs (my personal favorite and characters I think will become instant classics). But we also have other more realistic characters. There's a mix of different lifestyles and personalities... and I think it's a mix that people will be able to feel close to and to which they can relate.
As far as the story and setting go... well some of it is lifted from my real-world experiences, some of it is fabricated from pop-culture simply to spite it. It's light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek, and a little wacky... with some drama mixed in, though I try to stay away from drama since there is FAR too much of it on TV, in music, and pretty much everywhere. This is one show that I hope will lighten people up a bit. And make for a good laugh.

CS: What kinds of issues do you expect to address with the show?

IS: Oh wow... so many. Stereotyping is a big issue and it is presented and dealt with in many ways in this show. For example, there is a character in the show who is lesbian (I won't say who -- you have to figure it out for yourself!). The typical lesbian stereotype of the pop-culture mindset is a sexy, seductive man-hater or else they are the girl-next-door tomboy. In both instances, it is very obvious and a big deal is made out of it. By way of contrast - you may not even notice the lesbian character in our show.
We'll never bring up the issue of this character's sexual identity directly because making a big deal out of it is the stereotype in this angle. We wanted a real lesbian in the show -- one that wants to be like anyone else and not "the lesbian."
It's a difficult situation to approach for some people, which is fine for us -- we're not here to make a drama. We present these issues in a humorous way to open up dialog about them -- partly because they exist, and partly because I barely understand many social interactions. I think that the approach of someone who's not coming into these scenarios with pre-conceived notions and prejudices that are popular and prevalent allows for a certain light-hearted quirkiness that we don't often find in the mainstream.

***

Thanks for your time, Icon! I will be following the production process closely and look forward to speaking with you again when you’re further along in production!

Magellan Misses the Boat to Ansheland

by Walker Spaight

Ansheland resident Iron Perth after a recent desert journey

Though he was the first avatar to set whisky-stained sneaker on the moth-eaten continent to the north of the main Grid, intrepid explorer Magellan Linden seems to have missed the boat to a new sub-continent that sprang up earlier this week southwest of the mainland. Its 14 sims are already filling up with refugees from the old country, and though it has no official name (like all of SL's major land masses), its residents are already calling it after the increasingly Linden-like personage who owns the place: Ansheland.

With the advent of 1.6's new land tools, Anshe Chung, one of the Grid's largest landholders, has taken advantage of the new flexibility to create her own mini-grid -- though one with many more restrictions than are found in Lindenland.

Of the 14 sims in Ansheland, 10 have come online in the last week, with four more in the week or two before that. I asked Anshe if it wasn't risky to buy so many islands at once. "Of course it is," she said. "But interest is strong. And I worked hard to earn money here, so I decided to reinvest and take risk. And it also was not planned like this. I placed several orders over the past three weeks. But Linden Lab was kinda slow delivering, so then they came all at once."

But Anshe is confident that the current market -- and distaste for griefer builds and patchworks sims -- will have her breaking even in a month's time.

While it remains to be seen whether themed sims can attract a sustainable population -- they have not proved popular in the past -- Anshe's strategy is already attracting residents from the mainland. Iron Perth, whose castle is going up in A'ksha Dunes, one of four Arabian themed residential sims in Ansheland, says he moved to avoid the "Lego city" character of the main grid -- and the often intriguing builds of members of the W-Hat group.

Iron Perth's Arabian castle (under construction)

"I stopped paying SL [Linden Lab] because of W-Hat," Iron told the Herald. "They really ruined my first land."

Iron also prefers Anshe's pricing scheme, which offers 4,096 sq.m. for L$1,600 a month with no initial purchase fee, no need for a premium account, and full access to all land functions through deeding.

With a 14-sim sub-continent and 15 sims worth of land for sale on the mainland (as well as five commercial sims she manages), Anshe has become a significant force within the land-based SL economy, holding more than 5 percent of the approximately 600 sims

Her new model may make her an even bigger force, should her themed sims and pricing model prove attractive to residents. With the Grid's economy based largely on how fast new land is released, arrangements like Anshe's could eventually have a significant effect on demand, one that LL will have to take into account in its land-release calculations. The reasoning behind such calculations has still not been made available to residents, however, leaving things difficult to judge.

Some residents are already questioning the effects of having what is in effect a parallel land release system that challenges the Lindens' management of the economy. There will probably be no shortage of residents who prefer the freedom of the mainland and the security of dealing with the company behind the Grid, but the progress of Anshe's experiment in zoning and land management should be edifying to both the Grid's population and the Lindens both.

Ansheland is also designed with open space in mind. In the desert sims, 800 sq.m. of each resident's land is located in a 250m.-high floating city, now under construction by Sophos Casanova Architects. Residents' prims are poolable for use on either lot.

Ansheland's sky city

At ground level, the terraforming and much of the landscaping has been done by Anshe herself. Taking advantage of the huge terraforming limits on private island sims, Anshe has made your Raving Correspondent envious by creating a network of underground caves that will also be available to Ansheland's residents:

Desert bandits have already set up a few unauthorized builds in the canyons below the dunes, however:

A desert oasis in A'ksha also includes a memorial to SL resident illume Skallagrimson, who first rezzed on June 9, 2003:

Other sims are zoned along Victorian themes or by language, though some residents feel there is a lack of diversity in the area, with only a few romance languages represented. Asked why she chose the desert theme for four full sims, Anshe said, "Since one year there is rumors of desert sims coming but it has not happened, so I decided I do it myself."

Tricking Out Virtual Rides: SL Gets its First Aftermarket Performance Shop!

Yeah, you bought your pixilated Audi TT, or maybe you got that sweet Primouth Fury, but you want more than the factory engine that came with it. Thank gopod SL finally has an aftermarket performance shop where you can soup up your engines with some nitrous and other essentials. In this interview Rizzo Ramona introduces us to Omega Groshomme and his aftermarket shop: Omega Performance.

Rizzo Ramona: omega tell us about ur new shop
Omega Groshomme: well... its an aftermarket performance shop for SL car builders
with parts and accessories

Rizzo Ramona: a new addition to sl.. tels us what first inspired u to create a performance shop
Omega Groshomme: in RL I’m a total car performance nut and admirer so it was simple

Rizzo Ramona: tell everybody what we can expect upon entering ur shop
Omega Groshomme: my first idea which is the Nitrous oxide bottles with sound from NOS,nitrous express (NX),and ZEX,as well as purge kits which emit nitrous into the air from the same companies and more to come later,but also am working on exhausts designs,intakes and engines. Its mainly custom orders but i make what i can.

some of the nitrous bottles for the happy muscle car

Rizzo Ramona: and by custom orders u mean?
Omega Groshomme: well its hard to create parts for all the different vehicles out there..so people need to order. they can give me their vehicles and ill add the parts they want. i can make anything and everything that goes on a car..and not expensive either.

Rizzo Ramona: this in my opinion is a really good idea, and great for SL society hehe.... Hopefully we’ll see Pimp My SL Ride and car shows featuring your work in the near future!
Omega Groshomme: thanks!

Ad Astra, and Even Further, Maybe

by Budka Groshomme

Second Life is in many respects an alternative life, a dimension one step away from the mundane reality that marks our daily grind. In here, in this expansive, magical world, there are lions and tigers and, oh my, such wonderful things to see and do.

It occurred to me that perhaps I was not the only SF writer who might have an interest in SL. Perhaps I could find a kindred soul who, like me, longed to escape the world and be charmed by the fantasy SL offers daily.

Bud Sparhawk, kindred soul

After a careful, scientific selection process of asking twenty SF writers I know if they would be willing to be interviewed, I selected the one respondent who agreed to be interviewed: Bud Sparhawk. I asked him to try SL for a few hours before the interview.

Budka: What did you do when you finally got there? Did anything strike your fancy?
Sparhawk: Well, that’s certainly a different place. Not at all like the game world I was half expecting. I was fascinated by the variety of people moving around and the different appearances they took on. I haven’t seen so many weird get-ups since the last SF convention I attended (laughs).

Budka: Before we talk about SL why don’t you say a little about your writing? Most of your work appears in magazines, correct?
Sparhawk: Yes. I generally write “hard SF’ short fiction. Which is to say that it deals more with the scientifically plausible than the outright fantastic. I write very little about science per se, more about the characters involved, such as a future miner on Europa or a sailor on Jupiter. I also have a collection of humorous stories about a grafter named Sam Boone who gets into all sorts of scrapes with outrageous aliens. Sam would be right in his element in Second Life.

Budka: Do you think SL could be useful to you in your writing?
Sparhawk: Based on what you’ve already told me, what I’ve read in the Herald, and some of those references you gave me [yesterday], Second Life looks like it has considerable potential. I could see it being a laboratory to determine how people would react to having so much freedom.

Budka: I assume that since you are used to dealing with alien cultures, and fantastic inventions SL would be a wonderful place to visit. Isn’t it like visiting a fantasy world, a different planet?
Sparhawk: At first what I experienced was overwhelming – too much, oto soon, and too distracting. Being able to fly was pretty amazing, although I kept bumping into invisible things [Ed: Sparhawk uses a Macintosh and was experiencing lag.]

Budka: I wrote an article a while back about how SL might represent the world of the far future, when we’ve eliminated most of our material needs.
Sparhawk: Well, there’s been a lot written about the Vingean post-singularity world. That’s when the rate of acquisition curve for knowledge and power becomes infinite. It isn’t beyond the realm of possibility to believe that might happen – most of us have experienced the steadily increasing rate already. In most stories, the human race becomes something else when everyone has unlimited power and knowledge at their disposal, something we can’t imagine. Other stories concern how people would use their powers to destroy and others – utopias – where everyone turns their interests to the arts, philosophy, or sports – unleashing their creative spirits. Others are less optimistic – think of the 9/11 group with enough power to destroy the world as a real horror scenario.

Budka: Well, every SL resident I’ve run into is highly creative. I haven’t found anyone who isn’t building, constructing, or doing some sort of project. I think SL unleashes that in everyone.
Sparhawk: I think you’re still in the early days when only the creative types, the early adopters, are attracted here. If [Philip] Linden is right about having a million subscribers, how many do you think are going to be interested in creative projects and how many are going to flock to the casinos, skin shows, pornography, and other distractions?

Budka: But won’t the practices and behavior of the current residents affect the newcomers? Won’t we be the examples for others?
Sparhawk: I should point out that you have no “residents.” What you have here is a digital Las Vegas, a Disneyworld, and a gamers’ playground where everyone is a tourist. Second Life will never evolve a culture, society, or real community until it has people living and working here full time. After that it might be considered a model for something in the real world.

Budka: Any final words?
Sparhawk: I think I might get a story or two out of this. Maybe one on how this could benefit shut-ins, paraplegics, or other mobility disadvantaged people. Something with pathos, hope, and a really good cry at the end.

Virtually In Love

The Herald is proud to introduce the writing debut of Second Life's famous nostril-wrestling, Linden-pashing, fashion designer and all-round social butterfly - Aimee Weber. Aimee takes a look at spring-romance, in this that special time of year when, as my parents explained it, all the birds make sweet, sweet love to all the bees singing in the trees and I'm not allowed girls in my bedroom after 8 pm. Yes, it is that time of year when even the pants of our own Herald staff cannot help but feel that faint tug of virtual attraction. Fortunately, Aimee's handy scientifically-proven Gender Verification Test will help you determine whether the RL sack-of-meat on the other end of your SL marriage is actually a He-Man or a She-Ra.

Spring is that magical time of the year when the hardy stock of every village, having survived the oppressive winter, can dispose of their dead and enjoy the carefree days to come. We're all finally free to run through the lush green pastures, ride a jet ski across placid waters, or cuddle with a loved one beneath the stars...all while huddled around our computers, bathed in fluorescent office lighting. As a Second Life user, I can verify that spring is INDEED in the air by simply looking at various online weather services. Lord knows I'm not going to stop a good run of Tringo to look outside.

In SL as it is in RL, spring arouses those primal sexual instincts that dwell in each of us. For Second Life women, these feelings manifest themselves in the form of an irresistible urge to lick our monitors every time Philip Rosedale pops up. Men, on the other hand, are compelled to pause their manly activities, tear down their manly defenses and begin a process of introspection that inevitably leads to that very manly question..."is this internet chick actually a dude?"

When asked about SL's female population on the forum's "Linden Hotline", Robin Linden carefully queried all of the active registration records, and applied the most advance demographic filters available to the existing data, and was able to provide the following comprehensive list of actual, bona fide, genetic women playing Second Life today: 1. Robin Linden.

WAIT! Before you dump your girlfriend Trixie just as she rezzes her newly made M1-A2 Abrams Main Battle Tank, I would recommend relying on your own instincts rather than buying into the "statistics" and "facts". Subtle cues can go a long way in divining a user's gender. For example, do romantic conversations with her inevitably reference the LSL Wiki pages? Does she change her AV's clothing daily or with every major release of Second Life? Is her AV shaped like a golf tee... with a golf ball resting on it... maybe two golf balls?

When subtlety fails you, it's time to be direct. Asking a few questions answerable only by the fairer sex can remove the facade once and for all. However, I urge you to avoid the subject of bra sizes. I'm convinced that all boys upon reaching adolescence are pulled from class to get formal training on everything they need to know about bras. Chest sizes, cup sizes, how to remove them with their minds... you honestly have no chance of stumping a male on the subject of bras. Instead, sit your suspected male in front of the following test and see how they do.

With the problem of deducing a user's gender now solved forever, we must turn to an even more complex question...do we CARE? Some would argue that Second Life is the next logical step in humanity's evolution towards shedding an increasingly irrelevant mortal shell and becoming pure energy fueled by our force of will alone. Still others would argue, "OMFG mY 61RlfR13nd 1Z 4 d00d 111" To shed more light on the subject, I interviewed Torley Torgeson, beloved SL socialite.

Aimee Weber: Thank you for speaking with me today.
Torley Torgeson: Oh no problem Aimee.
Aimee Weber: Just to clarify for my readers, YOU... are a guy?
Torley Torgeson: Well conventional wisdom would say yes, I was in fact born male. However everyday medical discoveries in the areas of genetics combined with a social sexual revolution in the past 50 years have really challenged our, frankly, outdated notions of gender identities.
Aimee Weber: Right. So what you are saying is....YOU... are a guy.
Torley Torgeson: Yes Aimee... I'm a guy.
Aimee Weber: Tell me now, what would I do if I wanted to, say... submit this article to the Pulitzer Prize review board? Is there like, you know, a web site?
Torley Torgeson: Aimee, do you have any questions about ME?
Aimee Weber: Yes of course! Tell me now. Who, exactly, are you? And what do you do?
Torley Torgeson: This interview is over.

The interview may be over, but the debate rages on. Of this much we may be certain: in the spring the sap rises, and so too for SL's amorous men. As for SL's women you ask? We're just gonna keep on licking our monitors.

Off the Grid with Walker Spaight: The Making of a Post Six Grrrl

Diamond Hope, Post Six Grrrl

When I first met Diamond Hope she was standing in Walleye sim wearing shorts, white boots and a skimpy white halter top, a pistol strapped to her right thigh. A ribbon of thong peeked out from below her shorts, inviting my imagination. My imagination, I'm not ashamed to say, took off.

I've never had an interest in cybersex. I still don't. But since I was rezzed I've always been intrigued by how a screen-bound collection of pixels that only look half life-like can stir a certain amount of RL desire.

Di and I talked for a moment and I found myself wondering, How do I compliment her on her looks? And in Second Life what does that even mean? Imagine: "You're a very good-looking girl, Di." (Translation: "My, what facility you've shown in manipulating those appearance sliders, Ms. Hope.")

I found myself facing a whole raft of questions, not just about what lay beneath those skimpy shorts, but about myself and whether it was me or my av that was feeling the faint tug of virtual attraction. Was it virtual at all? And just what was it possible to create with the delicate touch of a slider? To answer my deep philosophical queries, I decided to go straight to the source.

As faithful readers of the Herald will have noticed, this newspaper has a content-sharing agreement with Marilyn Murphy, publisher of Players, SL's in-world erotica magazine. Each week, we feature a new Post Six Grrl drawn from the pages of Players. So I IM'd Marilyn. Was she interested in meeting a fresh face? Would she consider her for a Post Six photo shoot? And, most importantly, could I watch?

Soon enough, we were wandering around the Players Shack (the Players Mansion having been torn down some time ago). After stripping Di down to her thong, Marilyn cast her weather eye over the av before her. "Did you purchase that shape," Marilyn asked, "or did you do it yourself?"

"No, it's my own," Diamond replied, looking slightly shy.

But Marilyn was pleased: "You did a good job."

Marilyn studies her subject

I wondered out loud how long it takes to get a girl ready to shoot. "Frankly, it depends on how well I get on with a girl," Marilyn said. "If she needs a major overhaul, I sometimes just make an av for her. Now I just turn girls away if they are not up to it. There's just no time, and there are a lot of nice well done avs out there now, not like the old days.

"Frankly, Diamond is pretty good just as she is."

But some study was necessary.

"Go into appearance please," Marilyn directed. "Go to torso in shape and tell me the number on your breast gravity. It's right below breast size."

Diamond Hope's breast gravity is 47.

"Good girl," Marilyn said. "Excellent. So many think perky breasts means no gravity, or very little, but the way the Lindens set it up, that is so not the case."

"Now go to legs and tell me what the muscle number is."

Diamond Hope's leg muscles are 80.

"The break at the knee is very pronounced at 80. Make that 50," Marilyn instructed. "You rock, hun, you did way good on her. Whose skin do you wear?"

"Munchflower's."

"Good, hers look good nude."

Like all good SL snappers, Marilyn runs on local lighting. In order to get a better sense of how her girls will appear in the pages of Players or the Herald, she spends an hour or more posing them against various background light sources, then logging off to look over her snapshots in a freeware photo editor. ("I don't have Photoshop," Marilyn says. "I am a computer tard.")

Marilyn's selection of backdrop light sources

Getting the light right

"Almost all the custom poses break an avatar," she tells me. "One place or another it bends the av or doubles it up. Doing nudes is harder cuz you have to hide those breaks."

While Marilyn is off, I take the opportunity to chat up Di -- in my best journalistic style, of course.

Diamond Hope: wow
Walker Spaight: the making of a Players girl!
Diamond Hope: very interesting
Diamond Hope: wow
Diamond Hope: WOW
Walker Spaight: she is pretty impressed with you
Diamond Hope: wow
Diamond Hope: it's all i can say... wow
Walker Spaight: you never thought when you joined SL that you'd be posing for a mag, did you?
Diamond Hope: no never!
Diamond Hope: thx to you!!
Walker Spaight: hehe, i didn't know i had such a good eye.
Diamond Hope: lol
Walker Spaight: what do you usually do in here?
Diamond Hope: i usually work security at da penthouse
Diamond Hope: otherwise i hang out with my sl family
Walker Spaight: Security? a little girl like you?
Diamond Hope: i like the weapons and shields... it's interesting stuff
Walker Spaight: is it a tough job? do you get much trouble?
Diamond Hope: no

When she gets back on, Marilyn puts up three billboard-sized pictures of Security Guard Diamond Hope. "Definitely the close-up is the best for eyes," she says. "To me the eyes are a big fat deal."

The many faces of Diamond Hope

Marilyn takes some more shots, logs off again. When she gets back she does a brief interview with Diamond that I'm not privvy to. "It's kinda private," Marilyn explains.

"np at all," I respond. I'm just here to watch.

The shoot itself is over almost before we realize it. "Shooting for the Herald is relatively easy, it's just a portrait and two pics," Marilyn says. "Now for the magazine we would be here for two hours," -- we've been there for more than an hour already -- "then a make-up session for anything I don't like, and then more if needed. But Players should be known for beautiful girls and good photography, so I work it hard."

The finished product(s)

Work it Marilyn does. Her magazine's tagline, "Totally made in Second Life, by players, for players," exemplifies her ethic. This is all taking place in a virtual world, or a "game" if you will, populated by residents that can be thought of as "players." The fact that Players is a 99-percent in-world production, though, doesn't answer the question of what happens after publication, when its presentation of Second Life's most alluring avatars is designed to leak over to the other side of the client-server divide.

I ask Diamond, in RL a full-time mom who lives in the Midwest, whether this is something she'd ever do outside of SL. No way, is the answer. "One fun thing in this job," Marilyn puts in, "is finding girls who would never do such a thing and getting them to pose." She has shot Jade Lily in the past, she brags, but her biggest coup was probably Nyna Slate. "Nyna is miss PG," she says, "and very well known, top ten forever." Marilyn, who has never had a Linden before, wants Robin bad. "Lindens buy Players, though," she notes.

I leave the Players Shack with more questions than I had when I arrived. Diamond is one of the hottest av's I've met in Second Life. (I get a little surprise when I click on the 1st Life tab on Diamond's profile. Still hot, but very differently so.) Despite what I've seen, I'm still not ready for a virtual relationship with anyone (unlike other members of the Herald staff). But I have to wonder what my attraction means. And I'm not the only one wondering this kind of thing.

Is it Walker Spaight I see strolling over grassy meadows arm in arm with Di (not that she was offering), or is it Walker's typist? Is it time to build a virtual bedroom in the Herald office tower? What's it like for Diamond's typist, a stay-at-home mom with two kids to take care of? Is SL a way to get away from it all, to be something she's not in real life? "SL for me is an escape from RL stresses," Di tells me later, "which can be quite overwhelming at times. But mostly it's a place I can meet my friends and online family, and just have a good time."

SL isn't exactly a game, but it's not much more than a bunch of pixels floating around between 500 or so servers out in California. Or is it more? It certainly stirs more emotions than that description would imply. There's real money floating around in there, why not real emotion, then? For many, what happens on the Grid stays on the Grid. But the connections that develop between av's and the people behind them can't be taken so lightly. There will always be moments when what we experience in the place we call Second Life will be complex enough to also affect what happens Off the Grid.

Prok's Candid Conversations with the Core: Cristiano Midnight, Part Two

Is Prokofy "inner core"? After the enthusiastic reception that greeted Part One of Prokofy Neva's Candid Conversation with Cristiano Midnight (well, contentious reception, anyway), the Herald's crack fact-checking team has double- and triple-checked Part Two for contextual errors and asset-server screw-ups. We're sure our readers will point out any that slipped through, but to do that, they'll first have to read the thing and find out for themselves just how feted our inimitable interviewer really is.

PN: There is a fierce class of content barons and hangers-on who jealously guard their position and don't want competition and don't want their status jeopardized. Some strands of this grouping are howling that their pos-rate stipends were cut, and they will no doubt howl about the leader boards.
PN: It's like a small-town village where the village elders are always trying to set you straight and tell you where you are going astray, and constantly "setting the tone" as arbiters of taste and morals.
CM: And you would be akin to the person who comes along after 2 minutes and tells people who have been there far longer than you how things are.
CM: far longer

PN: So? it's a good corrective
CM: it is only a good corrective if it is an informed corrective. That has been your biggest misstep. You are woefully uninformed about much of what you speak.

PN: Those that come at the 11th hour get their reward in heaven too Cristiano.
CM: ah back to religion

PN: These belief systems that people cling to in SL are quite religious in their nature.
CM: you have a zealot quality yourself my friend

PN: Well you believe that you have access to some "facts" that I am not privy to or wise to, but I challenge that. I haven't heard any persuasive "facts" as to the non-existence of this privileged, self-referential, and rather arrogant and condescending group.
PN: They exist.
PN: You have only to read the forums LOL.
CM: The funny part is nothing seems more arrogant than your posts

PN: And who the hell are they? Setting people straight, sneering at newbies, chastising, correcting, scolding, all the day long.
CM: Give me an example of someone..
CM: This is not the forums, name some names

PN: Oh, names? But you can read them in the forums. Start on day one, and go through all the posts, and you see, all these people, who chastised, sneered, set straight, scolded, warned, berated, etc.
CM: Are there some insufferable people in the forums? Yes - there are some I can't bear myself, and you are definitely not one of them. I tend to save my ire in the forums for established players - though you have attracted it. I agree with you that pushing back against bad behavior is important. We share that need to push - I just disagree with some of your assertions.

PN: Well let me see, there is Kris Ritter, Ulrika Zigzag, Chip Midnight, Weedy Herbst, Hank Ramos, Nolan Nash -- who used to be courteous to me but now he has taken to using nasty intel-type tactics to troll for info and make nasty unsupported allegations.
PN: I mean, who haven't I had a fight with among the regs. Except for the lovely Olympia Rebus, who is far above all that sort of thing
CM: She is lovely.
CM: I have had fights with Kris, Ulrika and Chip myself. I don't find any of them to be shining examples of the feted inner core though.
CM: Chip Midight is interesting - I know you are not a fan. On many topics, we disagree completely - we have had several arguments in the forums, yet I have always found him to be a great guy - and very helpful to people learning to design clothing/skins.
CM: Blaze Spinnakker has jumped on your FIC bandwagon - I really think you should do something about that.

PN: oh, well, I have no patent on the term FIC, I could never have imagined that it would take off as it did, I had no idea it would be come a household word and a mot and even Phil Linden says it.
CM: BTW, the most feted group is on the IRC, you have missed that boat completely.

PN: Who is this "real FIC" that I am completely unaware of? Explain.
PN: I am QUITE prepared to believe that there is an inner core so feted as to be actually invisible.
PN: For example, I met this fellow who told me that he was in business meetings with the Lindens, and then when I asked him if he needed to rent land closer to the telehub, he said, "What is a telehub?" I mean, there are layers of SL that we cannot even begin to imagine.
CM: lol

PN: I am fully aware of the feted IRC regs and their blessed Lindens who frequent IRC
CM: ah but that is not who I am referring to.

PN: Ok, well tell me the most inner feted boat I missed? Is this the boat to the new continent? Being in the flakey outer crust as I am, and not in the FIC, I don't know the inner, inner FIC, sorry.
CM: Please, you are a celebrity.

PN: Actually you'd be surprised, Cristiano. I have loads of customers in the game. They don't read the forums and they have never heard of me, they just want me to put their URLs on their lots, and that's it. It's an entirely different world outside the forums, the forums are completely irrelevant to these people, as are all those forum denizens who think so much of themselves
CM: I wouldn't be surprised, I have loads of customers in game who've never heard of me either. I know the forums represent only a small portion of SL

PN: they say 5 percent
CM: it does represent some of the most involved members though

PN: I think it has some impact because whenever there is someone stupid like Hank attacking some aspect of my business or pandastrong or whatever, in fact, I get more sales LOL
CM: the same thing happened to me when I was attacked in the classifieds forum. The attention did wonders for my Inari store

PN: still, I do believe that the FIC types and their associates or wannabees are quite capable of basically crippling people's businesses, I do see them do that, and I find it atrocious
PN: For example the attacks on Shaun Altman's "Cheap Ratings" or the attacks on Random Unsung's tier donation program, it's just atrocious, by jealous know-nothings who couldn't come up with a new idea themselves.
PN: This notion that you can't make personal attacks is a huge brake on being able to demand consumer rights and transparency of business practices on SL.
CM: I have never been shy about making them when necessary. I don't just randomly target someone - but I have certainly pushed back very strongly against certain people doing some of the very things you have said.

PN: There is appalling fucktardery that goes on in this game and I for one won't stand for it. It is a combination of woeful ignorance and horrid negligence combined with occasional flashes of brutal malice.
CM: fucktardery is a great word, I need to use it more often. I agree, there is a lot of it -- but it is across the whole player spectrum.

PN: It seems that really, you don't believe there is a FIC, but that's because you are IN it.
CM: I acknowledge its existence, I won't attribute all the negativity you do to it though, as I find the people I tend to loathe the most in SL are outside of that scope anyway, and some of the most appalling behavior I've seen has come from more recent players.
CM: I guess that is why I get upset seeing groups of older players in SL maligned so often -- because I have watched so many people put so much effort into building SL, and it irked me when you painted everyone with the same broad brush

PN: Cristiano
CM: Prokofy

PN: I can't get down and genuflect that they "built" SL
PN: this is hogwash
CM: no one is asking you to, but it is not hogwash

PN: this is like saying I have to genuflect to Abraham Lincoln for "building America." I don't buy it, I'm not impressed
CM: you can respect the people who came there before you.

PN: I know it goes completely against the grain, but I don't get all this adulation about things like Neverland or Chinatown
CM: that's fine, it is your opinion -- I have respect for those who came before me

PN: People come back and say Chinatown lags, they couldn't shoot straight, and "all I got was this umbrella" and yet we're all supposed to genuflect?
CM: see that is the thing -- Chinatown is probably one of the most impressive things I've seen in SL, period. It raises the bar on what can actually be done. And I am hard to impress.

PN: read the forums. ppl are saying yes, it is totally awesome, but then they list 100 things wrong, which are wrong with the GAME ITSELF not that project
PN: did you know that the Linden moon reflects in puddles of water in the game normally?
CM: yes, but that is not the fault of the Chinatown developers.
CM: I can't imagine anything impressing you, especially if created by someone else. You seem to have honest contempt for the adulation of the work of others

PN: I react to all the adulation and puffery. When I first came to SL, I flew around and admired all kinds of things. For example, Maxx Monde's towers. I fly around Stillman, and I IM my friends and I ooh and ah over Juro Kothari, Lumiere Noir, and all the rest.
CM: Stillman was my first home in SL. Juro and Lumiere are incredibly talented builders.

PN: I continue to admire many things in the game. For example, the parceling Anshe does on a sim. Or Buck Spinnaker's choice of land to promote.
CM: I find the land resale market to be quite dubious, personally, though I admit I do like your approach.

PN: OK, let's hear about how dubious you find it.
CM: Much of my contempt for the practice was born out of Anshe's actions last summer. There were limited amounts of new sims available, and then she would purchase sims at auction by outbidding people, then turn around and mark it up 50% and resell it to the same people wanting the land.
CM: you may find this crafty, I found it parasitic.

PN: It was normal. Because it was in short supply. Before that, she had to deal with excess supply, and couldn't place proper valuation on the land.
CM: actually before that she didn't exist in the land market. she rose to prominence in the $30/m market. actually at that time a lot of the land was still in smaller parcels.

PN: Someone had to do it, I guess it would be logical to be a young Chinese neocapitalist LOL.
CM: I suppose so. What bothered so many people about it, myself included, is here you had something that was vital to a large aspect of SL, and you had someone dominating it and controlling the market in many ways.

PN: Well that's because socialism breeds oligarchs like that. This is what I always write about. The Lindens subsidize a socialist economy, a state-capitalism or socialism form if you will. It is naturally the case then when you have artificially-induced scarcity alternating with oversupply that oligarchs emerge to create a buffer or conveyor belt.
CM: it is ultimately why I found the market so dubious -- suddenly you had players having to spend hundreds of USD just to get a piece of land. It would be interesting to see a strong competitor emerge against her.
CM: ultimately I don't understand people who turn SL into a full time job

PN: well why not?
CM: I am not passing judgement, just saying I don't understand it
CM: I used to wonder that with Big John. The amount of work it took to keep it on top of the popular places was staggering. and for what? a few hundred bucks a month.

PN: What's sad is that it can't provide more for them, and for others. They put in all that incredible work, and the yield is so low.
PN: I sometimes realize that myself, when I spend two hours of RL helping a customer who is paying me $4 US in rent. I view it as a kind of game of Monopoly, the kind you used to play with your little brother for hours and hours and days with little side rules like "damages" if you roll the dice on somebody's hotel.
CM: I have been very lucky with my business in SL -- it is very low maintenance. Whereas my girlfriend has been plagued by hers -- constant IMs and requests from customers.

PN: Yes, I have such a heavy customer service interface now that I have to run several alts to keep several sides of the business straight so that when I log on, I know I will be doing X or Y straight for some hours.
CM: I think BJ did it for the perceived stature. Anyone who would call themselves Big anything has some issues.

PN: I think it's fun that he called himself Big John. IRL maybe he is 5' 4" and maybe has a tiny dick, who knows?
CM: Actually, you may know him. He came from TSO, and was well known for making the nude patch for TSO.

PN: Hmm, I vaguely remember that guy, yeah. The nude patch was kinda overrated LOL, "not hot" lol.
PN: I found it too lifelike, pictorial. I prefer the artwork in games to be a little cartoonish to keep that quality of another world. I don't want some pasted magazine picture of a dick stuck on a prim.
CM: I feel the same way. I don't get into the sexual side of SL. I specifically chose to avoid it with my business.
CM: I could have made probably double what I do catering to the blow-jobs-and-butt-plugs set, but I decided to avoid it.
PN: Well, discretion is the better part of valour, Cristiano.

But is it Art?

by Budka Groshomme

At La Musee de la Crescent de L'ile de Montmarte are assembled an eclectic mix of objets d'arte spread over a couple of hundred square meters.

Curator Tayzia Abattoir seated before “Watching Smunks Watching” by Sato Moreau

The aesthetic sense of the museum at first seems both chaotic and catholic. There are serious works, trivial works, and some that defy classification by any ordinary critical standard. Some items are of somewhat dubious artistic value but have been accomplished with superb technical execution. Other items that may capture attention are cobbled together with little skill, but resonate at an emotional level.

Many are, simply stated, beautiful.

In an effort to capture why someone would assemble such a collection I interviewed the museum's curator, Tayzia Abattoir.

Budka: Tayzia, can you start off by explaining the why of this place?
Tayzia: I wanted to do something in SL that was different, and to display the talents of other SL members. There are so many amazing artists here. Did you see the paintings? Much of the art hanging inside the museum is on websites, for sale by artists in RL.

Budka: There's a lot here. How long have you been building it?
Tayzia: Since August of last year. At first, the museum was at Crescent, on my own land. Then I moved it here around the end of February, 2005. Montmarte is an art sim, dedicated to the arts and science.

Budka: How did you get the word out to the artists?
Tayzia: Forums, but mostly word of mouth. The Museum isn't that well known yet, but I think, as word gets out, more people will come.

Budka: Now that you're established, does the art come to you or are you still a seeker
Tayzia: Both. Mostly, they come to me, but I spend many hours scouring SL. I feel like a mooch sometimes, scouring and asking for donated art.

Budka: Since you began this project, how many exhibits have passed through your museum?
Tayzia: OMG! Many! In my inventory I've tons of art. It keeps me very busy, collecting, sorting, and displaying.

Budka: What’s your selection criteria for the “art?”
Tayzia: My criteria is simply anything built or created by SL members; that is, an original item built, painted, or created by them.

Budka: So you apply no critical filter?
Tayzia: No. I display anyone's work and the exhibits change often.

Budka: Interesting. Where do you see this going?
Tayzia: Well, I will just continue searching SL for sculpture and art, and continue to display it with rotating exhibits, changing often, to bring people to Montmartre and see the amazing talents of SL members.

Budka: What's the eventual payoff?
Tayzia: No payoff really. It is not for profit for me, however, people sometimes purchase their items from the artists.

Budka: Any other reason?
Tayzia: Well, I'm not really into the club thing or girl/guy relationship thing here, so I needed to do something to fulfill my game play, and this is it. It's my baby and I plan to continue until I'm very, very old and can no longer type.

Budka: So, for you this is about self satisfaction?
Tayzia: Exactly! I just love displaying the art, more so, because I'm not that creative myself. The art amazes me, the way people can paint and sculpt, I can't do it myself, so I'm amazed by their work.

Budka: Where do you get your pleasure out of the art - as a collector, or as a discoverer, or what?
Tayzia: As a displayer really

Budka: For the sake of the art in and of itself?
Tayzia: Yes, more than anything for the sake of art in and of itself. Like I said, I find it amazing.

Budka: Have there been any critics?
Tayzia: Oh yes, but just some controversial pieces that were in PG land; at my other place. It was just a couple of minor comments, but nothing causing trouble.

Budka: Has there been any controversy over something you've put in the museum?
Tayzia: I have some pieces that have criticized religious content. Some of my artists that donate do nudes on build contests.

Budka: No "Jesus in a Bottle of Piss" types of pieces?
Tayzia: No. I would actually do nothing that was in poor content of God or Jesus. Just my personal opinion. I think I've offended a few people.

Budka: Really?
Tayzia: Well, it's my museum! [Laughs] *

As in RL, the question remains: Are these artifacts of the SL builder's craft really art? Is this art for art’s sake, or is there a higher purpose being served by their creation and display? Has SL given to artists a new medium of expression, a new way to view the world and their place in it?

Perhaps someone, someday, will write learned theses on where the items in Tayzia’s collection stand in the continuum of artistic development of the 21st century. Perhaps an electronic archeologist of the future will scour data stores for traces of what the primitive SL artists were doing with their limited machines, their incomplete understanding of this new, electronic medium.

People Who Live In Glass Houses.....

One of the many 512m houses built by Purplestar Anubis

By Cienna Samiam

Greetings from sunny Kymeera! Today, I am enjoying the scenery around the world and I happened to get an urge to look at houses. I found the multi-island getaway and showroom of Purplestar Anbuis (Kymeera 214, 173). Wow. Now I freely admit, I'm not the kind of girl that does windows, but these houses are hard to pass up… if not for looks and features, then for the amazing low prim counts and prices that really make my wallet happy.

I decided to see if I could get some time with Purplestar to talk about what inspires him when making housing and see if he could share with us his story - how he got started, what he enjoys about Second Life, and, of course, the secret of those miniscule prim count houses.

Q: Thank you for indulging me in this interview, Purplestar Anubis. First, let's talk a little about the person behind the architecture. When you are not playing Second Life, what are you doing? (i.e., school, work, etc.)

A: When not in SL, I can be found playing World of Warcraft and City of Heroes. I have actually been recognized by a customer in World of Warcraft. I have a character called 'Purplestar', and he can have pets, and I usually name them 'Anubis'. A young lady I was helping out one day asked me if I play SL and I said I did and she said she just bought one of my houses. It was kind of neat, it was the first time I had ever encountered a customer away from my sales area.

Q: Do you have interest in architecture 'in the real world'?

A: I had aspirations in high school of going into architecture, but computers appealed a bit more to me and so I pursued a career in the IT industry.

Q: How did you get started in Second Life?

A: A friend of mine introduced me to it, he said it was like the Sims Online but WAY better. And after a rough start learning SL and what it was, I began to like it.

Q: What drew you to building houses?

A: At first, building anything was difficult for me, I didn't understand prims and scripts and how they worked. But someone told me about the Ivory Tower of Prims, so I went and did the exercises, and like a light bulb in my head lighting, it all fell into place and made sense. So I went back to my house and started building. I have always liked to design houses, I've doodled designs for houses since I was 8 years old. I was finally able to build a full size 3-d model of the dream house I designed a 5 years ago. It was so awesome to be able to actually walk through that house.

Q: What influences your designs?

A: I don't base my designs too much on houses I've seen in RL. I find my self driving along and looking at a house and saying to my self "Too prim heavy". I'm very prim aware, I know what it's like to have a cool house but no prims left to put in furniture. =)

Purplestar Anubis

Q: I note that you have chosen to provide teleports and security as standard features in many of your homes. Do you think scripted objects in housing will become commonplace as competition rises?

A: From the very start I decided that my houses will have scripted security doors and privacy screens so that even the newest player can have a sense of safety in their home.

I remember the first week in SL, I was placing furniture in my first store bought house, and some strange guy just walks in, and proceeds to look through my entire house without even saying a word, then says "Nice place" and walks out the door and flies off. I though that was SO rude, and the experience definitely influenced features in my houses.

I think scripts will become very commonplace especially as SL is trying to make scripting more easy for the general public. Though I'm not a scripter, I have a friend that helps me make my script ideas reality. I was lucky to find a vendor that sold cheap basic scripts intended to make house and furniture creator's jobs easier.

Q: As a follow up to the last question -- what other kinds of 'valued added' objects can you imagine for houses of the future?

A: One detail I would LOVE to see happen, is a way to place houses more easily. To a new player, the edit window can be almost scary with all the various values and setting they just get scared. A way of centering a house in a plot of land would be awesome.

Q: What is the biggest challenge to you as a home architect in Second Life?

A: That is simple, the restriction on the size of prims, and the fact that you can't link prims that are a certain distance apart. I try very hard to make my houses with as few parts as possible. Most of my houses are 3 parts, the house it's self, the doors, and the privacy screen. I have come up with a special design that can be found in the floor of just about every house I make, and that design is used as a visual cue to the alignment of my house. I clue my customers in to the fact that all you have to do is pick one part of the house that is in the right place, and make the other parts match in the settings area and the house will always look perfect. I'm very detail oriented and try to make sure there are not gaps or misalignments in my designs.

Q: What is the biggest enjoyment to you as a home architect in Second Life?

A: My only goal is to make people happy. I love to hear that my customers like their houses. I also enjoy being able to take an idea in my head and make it "real".

Q: Which of your designs do you take the most pride in having created?

A: I can't really answer that as each house I create is almost like a work of art. Each house has details in it that make it good. I take pride in every house I create. And I also make it known to my customers that I am always available to help. I'm always happy to visit a customer and help them place their house. =)

Q: Tell us a little bit about the designs in your portfolio.

A: I have at present 22 houses on sale ranging in sizes from 12x12 to 30x30 most of my houses are in the 50 prim range and more than half of my houses fit well on the standard 512 sq m lot, I also sell several houses in tower versions for those users that like to live the "high life". =)

I do make other items besides houses, I've made a few simple scripted couches, but my focus has been on various forms of meditation seats, from a single person version to set in the corner of your bedroom or out in the garden, to group version that can handle 16 people. I design most of them with group chat sessions, instead of just standing around talking, it's fun to sit cross-legged and talk, it's more "normal" feeling.

Q: What are your goals for the future of home building in Second Life?

A: It will be nice if prim limits begin to rise, as a builder I am forced to think low prim first, then consider style. As prim limits rise, the possibility of more realistic architecture will begin to appear in SL.

Q: Do you consider your work as influential?

A: I'd never thought of my work in that light but I guess in a way it is.. I make it possible for a new user to have a nice house without a high cost. My houses range in price from as low as $100 to no more than $900. I remember what it was like to be a "noob" not having a clue what I was doing and feeling lost at times. We are a big family and should do what we can for out fellow AV. =)

Q: In follow up to the last question -- what aspects of your work would you most hope to have influence the marketplace and your competitors?

A: Price and features are my main areas of interest. I mean be real, if a premium player only gets $500 a week I sure don't want to have to save for WEEKS to buy a $5000 house.

Q: In closing -- what advice would you give others interested in creating housing in Second Life?

A: Keep it simple, real, and visit the Ivory Tower of Prims. Don't be afraid to experiment with new shapes.

One of Purplestar's 512m houses

A 512m 'Rocket' house.

A Purplestar Anubis custom creation.

Welcome Area Nuked! Lindens Blame Teh Herald.

by Urizenus Sklar and Gina Fatale

So there I was, living the life of leisure that befits a media mogul of my stature, sipping Cristal and keeping track of my investments when I received a story from Herald reporter Gina Fatale. “Why do you trouble me with these trifles?,” I asked, and then Gina explained that all the Herald editors were off on junkets somewhere and no one was left to tend the store. Burdened though I was with more important matters, I took Gina’s story and began reading the subliterate verbal ejaculations of her interview subjects. As near as I could make out, the alleged story was this…

As the Lindens were preparing to move the current welcome area in Ahern to a temporary location in Waterheard for a makeover, a rogue member of the Black Hand Mafia family – Tommy Ramona – fueled by hatred of n00bs and Lindens had “nuked” the entire area with an extreme lag inducing weapons. In Gina’s interview, Gormz Gomez (aka Gormz Gorham on a temporary alt because of an unrelated ban) and Kevin Muromachi shared their eyewitness account and offered inside info on Tommy's plans to take out all of the Mafia bosses in SecondLife (see interview below).

There is no news here, I thought, just a random nuking of the welcome area by an unaccomplished nobody. *Anyone* can nuke the welcome area. But as I was about to spike the story and return to reading The Financial Times, Gina told me that Andrew Linden had contacted her and told her that the nuking was all a plot by these miscreants to get into the pages of the Herald. Aha! I thought, a story after all.

Ahern getting nuked.

Now who could blame these young hooligans for wanting to taste the fame and glory that comes from being written up in the Herald? As Princess Ho Ho so aptly made the point some weeks ago, nothing could be more rewarding than seeing your name in a real live blog! But as much as I could understand such a conspiracy, there was the thorny question of whether the allegation was true or whether Andrew Linden was, well, tripping. The reportorial instincts in me stirred, and I shed my Hugh Hefner satin smoking jacket and slippers, donned my kaki reporter’s duds and plunged back into the game that had made me an international media superstar and a lindenaire.

Andrew Linden confronts nuker Tommy Ramona

OK, if this was a setup, then someone set us up and contacted Gina, so I asked Gina how she heard about the story. She was sent to the crime scene by Herald Gangland Editor Marsellus Wallace. I contacted Marsellus. He had been referred by Herald Style Editor Matthias Zander. He in turn, had been contacted by One Song (aka Mr. Fairplay). I went to visit Mr. Fairplay. And then things got confusing.

Seems Mr. Fairplay was cohabitating at 100 meters with Alyeska Zamboni – a former associate of Baller MoMo King -- a MoMo woman, and probably the last person to set foot inside Baller MoMo’s mansion before it was wiped by the Lindens. But she was also an official in the Street Killaz gang, of which Gomrz and Kevin were members. But wait... One is living with a MoMo woman? Note to Pat the Rat: how come we didn't know this?

While One and I discussed the attack Alyeska insisted that this could not have happened -- her boyz couldn't possibly be part of the conspiracy. Gormz, one of the suspects, was suspended at the time. Well, not exactly, I explained he was on with an alt. It began to dawn on her that she had some frisky little fucktards freelancing in her family. Not good. "Al, we'll discuss this later" said One. Alyeska was becoming aggitated.

One and I stepped aside. “One” I asked, “give it to me straight,” was this a case of freelancing media ho’s trying to get ink?

“Well” said One, “not exactly.” And then he began telling a long complicated story and my head began swimming from the hours of alchohol deprivation. When were these people going to offer me some spiritual condiments? How long had I been sober? My head! The colors!...

In my days as a cub reporter I loved a good nuanced story, but seriously folks I was starting to think about my my speculative positions in the highly volatile Gaming Open Market, and then too about my date at the opera with Anshe Chung. This is a damn blog after all. I’ll just throw what I have up there and let the readers fill in the blanks. I excused myself from One’s skypad and wrote up the story – this story. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I give you Gina’s interview with Gormz and Kevin, while I don my smoking jacket pour myself a single malt scotch and return to The Financial Times. Ciao.

Gina Fatale interviews Gormz and Kevin.

Gormz and Kevin

Gormz Gorham: i can explain it all

Gina Fatale: ok start off by telling me what u witnessed
Gormz Gorham: i was there before it even happened. Tommy Ramona -- the bomber -- is my good friend

Gina Fatale: tommy ramona who is with the blackhand mafia (TBH)?
Gormz Gorham: yes

Gina Fatale: so blackhand ordered a hit on the welcome area because?
Gormz Gorham: nope black hand had no involvement in this attack

Gina Fatale: can you tell us why tommy ramona decided to bomb the welcome area?
Gormz Gorham: he was bored. and i suppose he doesn't like lindens that much rofl. tommy is a nut

Gina Fatale: ok so can you give me the details starting from when you went to Ahern what happened exactly?
Gormz Gorham: ok, tommy was messin with these noobs…
i take it he likes to pick on noobs…and he planted C4s and Nukes all over. the lindens were moving the newbie area i heard so he went there and decided to nuke the place clean. then everybody whipped out their guns and was shooting everybody and all hell jus broke lose right then and there

Gina Fatale: ok i was just there at ahern with you and tommy was still there -- how come he was not banned?
Gormz Gorham: i really dont know it was Andrew Linden that was there
and i suppose he was iming everybody asking what the heck happened

Gina Fatale: and you’re positive this was not an order from Blackhand? it was just something tommy decided to do on his own?
Gormz Gorham: as far as i know it was not

Gina Fatale: you think tommy is interested in coming here to talk
Gormz Gorham: tommy is shut down; they got him

Gina Fatale: he was just at ahern
Gormz Gorham: i know they prolly just now banned him

Gina Fatale: well now he is offline
Gormz Gorham: let me get santino here… hey bro
kevin Muromachi: Hey

Gina Fatale: so Santino (Kevin) you’re saying as far as you know tommy bombed the welcome area cuz he was bored, that's it? lol
kevin Muromachi: naah he talked to me before he did it

Gina Fatale: ok what did he tell you then
kevin Muromachi: He was talkin kinda crazy about how he wanted a ransom

Gina Fatale: how do you know tommy?
kevin Muromachi: oh i knew him since we met on sl. he is a crazy dude. i cant believe he had the balls to do that

Gina Fatale: ok are you also with him in blackhand?
kevin Muromachi: naa i'm not connected to that

Gina Fatale: ok
kevin Muromachi: he actually bought the nukes off me before he did it -- he had over 10 different nukes
Gormz Gorham: i admitt i gave him some nukes too

Gina Fatale: and what was his reason he told you he was going to do this?
Gormz Gorham: he told me he wanted to do reenactment so i forked over some nukes
kevin Muromachi: i gave him some with a special mod to it

Gina Fatale: what kind of special mod
kevin Muromachi: basically everyone he launched was the equivalent to
luanching 7 nukes at one time

Gina Fatale: your the maker of this type nuke?
Gormz Gorham: i am i made my own custom nukes and gave him some
kevin Muromachi: i just added stuff

Gina Fatale: but neither of you knew what he was going to use it for
kevin Muromachi: naa he didnt mention anything
Gormz Gorham: he told me before he was gunna use them for "reenactment"
i knew he was lying through his teeth

Gina Fatale: is there anyway we can confirm that this was not an order from blackhand considering tommy is in that family
Gormz Gorham: im positive, im Family with the black hand, im a leader -- i would know before anybody
kevin Muromachi: when he wanted to start whacking mob bosses, wasnt sure if he was serious

Gina Fatale: he wanted to whack mob bosses?

Gina Fatale: which mob bosses in particular did he say?
kevin Muromachi: he started planing it he said, had a "hit list"

Gina Fatale: and this type of activity is also to be considered just him? or his family?
kevin Muromachi: Its more him, hes just crazy i think lol, the bosses he said treated him with disrespect and wanted to take there businesses -- he said a " Take Over", Those are the words he used

Gina Fatale: so tommy as a one man army was going to take out the SL Mob bosses lol, pretty bold move for a one man army
kevin Muromachi: yes it is for him

Gina Fatale: do you think he will be back? im assuming at this point he is banned
kevin Muromachi: definatly they cant hold a man like him down
Gormz Gorham: nah he ass will be goen for a while, but knowing tommy u cant stop that man

Gina Fatale: im gonna wrap this up now is there anything else you would like to share?
Gormz Gorham: yea, this is my own words, i think tommy is a scumbag for what he did. them defenceless noobs. i felt so bad i wanted to kill him my self but didnt want to get baned

Gina Fatale: but your family? would you say that blackhand is pretty pissed with tommy now?
Gormz Gorham: he will get kicked out for sur

Prok's Candid Conversations with the Core: Cristiano Midnight, Part One

Feted, fetid or fretted? Which are you? In the second installment of the occasional series that takes you, the everyday Herald reader, on a tour of the inner core with the inimitable Prokofy Neva, Prok shines the light on Cristiano Midnight -- probing him on core issues of the Grid's economy, the launch of Snapzilla and his run-ins with Club Elite -- and gets a couple of flames in return.

Mr. Midnight

Prokofy Neva: I have now been informed that you are officially not rich, and not on the leaders' list, so you aren't properly feted. Would you agree? I thought you were as rich as God, with a whole empire.
Cristiano Midnight: I am curious what he is using to define wealth in SL. I do not keep money stockpiled in SL - I have reinvested a lot of it in my web site and other projects. I was on the leaders list prior to grouping all of my land, in terms of land ownership.

PN: Ah-HAH. So you WERE on the leaders' list. Well, what is the leaders' list? I mean, it's all GOM and Anshe, isn't it? It's not a proper measurement.
CM: GOM and IGE own no land - and I grouped my land before Anshe rose to her current echelon of land ownership. I have owned around 100k of land since early in 2004.

PN: So in your view, owning 100,000 square meters of land puts you in the rich category, that's what, about 2 sims or so? Perhaps we should push for a new category of group-owned land: The Latifundistas. Land rich, cash poor.
CM: I don't care about the leader boards personally - I am glad that they have been removed in 1.6 from the UI. I am not cash poor in SL either, but again, not a goal of mine.

PN: well you take the game cash out and turn it into RL dollars for your website development? How many hits a day? Unique hits, not you checking obsessively to see ifyou have hits LOL
CM: Prior to Snapzilla, the site was averaging about 500-800 unique visitors a day - post Snapzilla, the site is up to 3,000 a day. That is visits, not hits - obviously an image heavy site generates a lot of hits.

PN: Now Cristiano, I am going to probe here a minute on this "not a goal" shrugged-off stuff, and this Neualtenberg group membership of yours.
CM: Ok, though I should tell you in advance, I am not an active member of that group at all. I have been to one meeting. I was afk through most of it.

PN: You have cash, businesses, you sell stuff, you work your website -- it's capitalism of sorts. Yet you feign indifference to wealth and support this...this...social democratic *toy* in-world. Why??? you take your game money and sink it into a hole in the Internet? Why? Glory? Fame? what is it you WANT Cristiano?
CM: My web site has no income. And I do not feign indifference - I said that it was not a goal of mine. I do make money in SL - I do quite well at it, honestly, in my own personal metrics. I am not into social democracy - I believe in capitalism myself. I am in no way a socialist, I joined the group to support two close friends of mine, even while having very divergent political views.

PN: There are some very pernicious ideologies promoted in that group, however, for example, this slamming of the so-called “progressive taxation” which is merely bulk discount for larger land investors. That would impact you if you had your land grouped
CM: I have stayed in SL because I enjoy it - it was also the purpose of the site, it was a passion of mine. It’s part of my creativity. When it stops being interesting or fun to me, I do something else.
CM: If you did your homework more closely as an interviewer, you would realize I have slammed Ulrika on that.
CM: I can dislike the ideology and like the person. It is for example how I feel about you.

PN: Saying it is "not a goal of mine" and yet insisting that you do well seems to come off to me like you are trying to show a supreme indifference to the hurrying and scurrying of land dealers and business people in SL, but come off it, I don't buy it. If you don't care about income, why keep your stores open??? Hmm, now this sounds very much like a Catholic concept, hating the sin, not the sinner. Do you attend Mass regularly Cristiano?
CM: I did not say I don't care about it - I said it was not a goal of mine. I don't have a set income goal in mind at all. I am also not a fool and don't just piss money away - if the stores did not offset my costs for certain things, I would not do them.
CM: I have not been to mass in years, Prokofy.

PN: Ah, a recovering Catholic, I see.
PN: Did you give up anything for Lent, Cristiano?
CM: yes, sparring with you in the forums.

PN: Last year, I gave up posting on SLH. I don't know WHY I wasn't moved to do the same for SL forums this year, and gave up chocolate instead.
PN: What do you enjoy most in SL?
CM: I enjoy the creative freedom in SL the most.

PN: Has it been difficult these 40 days Cristiano, not sparring with me? Were you once an altar boy?
CM: Yes, I was an altar boy....and yes, it is always difficult to resist commenting on some of the inane things you say, but I remain strong.

PN: You're doing the Lord's work Cristiano.
PN: You have 2003 on your date, but not at the beta test or whatever.
CM: You do not do your homework, my friend. May 2003 is a beta birthdate.

PN: There is so MUCH I have to learn about the FIC. I studied, but I didn't realize the May thing -- I didn't know when the goddamn beta started. it was only in May of 2003? Sheesh.
CM: My original birthdate in SL was January of 2003. beta ended sometime in June of 2003

PN: Well so you have a lot personally and publicly invested in SL it seems then. Has the beta-test love-fest ended for you? When was the last time you spoke to a Linden, and about what?
CM: I certainly do. Second Life has captured my interest far more strongly than any other environment has. The last time I spoke to a Linden was about 3 hours ago - Reuben Linden advising me that SLUniverse.com had been Boing Boinged, so I might see a traffic surge. I also briefly spoke to Ben Linden on the IRC today.
CM: The beta test love fest..interesting, I never really felt a part of that. I just did my own thing in SL for a long time, I didn't go to events, I just loved to build.

PN: See? Inner, feted, and gosh, I don't know WHAT all. Imagine speaking to a Linden "just three hours" ago. That is truly amazing. What did you and Ben talk about? Do you think he could rebuild that headbanger lodge at Waterhead? Ouch.
CM: Ah I don't even remember what I said, it was in response to some general IRC blather.

PN: Now. I want to understand your attitude toward creativity, creative content, content barons, resale of items, the used items debate, all that. I want to understand just how much of a secret socialist you might be, Cristiano.
PN: OH, and are you in Paris, France, Europe BTW? Do you mind revealing your L? You don't have to. Just wondering.
CM: As a creative person, it is something I enjoy seeing in others as well - it endlessly fascinates me to see what people come up with. I have no problem with the resale of items, nor do I have a problem with people profitting off the items they make. I think there is a very healthy creative market in SL. I don't look down on those who do not create things, not everyone is creative or has the desire to speond the time making stuff - they just want to have fun.
CM: I am in Miami Beach.

PN: So the socialism thing is just purely for the sake of friendships, it is not ideological.
CM: Actually the joining Neualtenberg was for sake of friendship. I don't believe in socialism. I do, however, believe in social responsibility.

PN: Like Nolan Nash, you may have the ethic that says "Prokofy Neva *hurts* SL. He is divisive. We should all get along For The Sake of the Community. He labels groups that don't exist and creates division where it wouldn't occur. He polarizes people."
CM: Nolan and I definitely concur when it comes to you, yes. I do think that you came into SL and maligned a group of people for no purpose. It is very easy for you to put labels on them without knowing them, and to make grandiose claims that have no basis in fact.

PN: Well you can drill me on that at your leisure. I believe there are indeed groups and patterns of behaviour in SL that need to be exposed and discussed, it is vital.
PN: You don't have to befriend each individual and understand their story to see patterns in behaviour as a group.
CM: The fundamental basis of racism.

PN: If the claims are grandiose, let's them debate them, but mostly what they do is just try to ridicule.
CM: Oh I have debated you - what I ridicule is the hyperbole.

PN: Hyperbole is a good rhetorical tool, to wake people up. And racism? Geez. It's not about races.
CM: No, it's not about racism - your statement about groups and patterns is the foundation for a lot of claims made by racists.
CM: There is actually an excellent example of it going on in the forums all the time: the dumb American comments that get perpetrated by some non-American players.

PN: You can't notice patterns and comment on them? That is verboten? That's just plain silly. Of course people form groups and behave with certain patterns, and mind memes, and ideologies, that's a given, it is studied all the time. I believe there really are some national cultures clashing in this game, and that the clash of civilization is really an accurate description for some of the angst that goes on over issues like the resale of used items, or the values of socialism v. capitalism
CM: See you never qualify it though...it is always the entire group.

PN: So?
CM: All established players are corrupt, evil people afraid of change.
CM: It is stupid, honestly.

PN: Who are these people to you that you feel so protective of them? Is this your social set? Your in-group? I mean, what is the nature of this social group that you get so fierce about? Are these the folks you came through beta with, so you have that fierce tribal protective attitude toward them?
CM: Actually, honestly, what is amusing is it covers such a large cross section of second life - yet you try so hard to put things into neat little boxes. There are very few beta players in my social circle of friends.

PN: OK tell me about your social circle. Are they inner and feted or outer and ignored? I remember when you so graciously invited me to your birthday party, I saw all of the SL swankiest there. It was a Who's Who of FIC. I mean, even Schwanson, who was like "five minutes from being Papa" as we say in Russian.
CM: My circle of friends is quite diverse in Second Life, honestly. There are some people I brought with me from TSO/There that form the core of my friendships. The rest have been developed over time.

PN: Oh, who were you in TSO?
CM: My name in TSO was Cristiano - I was a beta tester in Alphaville.

PN: Well I was a beta-tester too, son. I don't think I knew you though.
CM: Probably not - I did not stay in TSO that long, I grew tired of it very quickly. One can only take the same furniture sets so many times.

PN: Well, let's see now. Would you characterize SL as a game? Or...a thingie? as Lordfly calls it. Or...a chat space with 3-D and toys by eltee and Cubey? Or??
CM: I would categorize Second Life as a interactive development platform and virtual world. Definitely not a game.

PN: OK, well it is an endless and often dull debate, I agree. But I am just placing you on the spectrum so to speak. Now, can you tell me how your land went from being grouped to ungrouped?
CM: My land started ungrouped - I eventually put it into a group to make it easier to manage, and to give my girlfriend access to some of the land more easily. It remains grouped, and it has actually increased a little - I believe it's about 105k m of land.

PN: Ok so there is no drama? No club closing. No treacherous officers. Nothing like that in the SL closet?
CM: Nope - the only drama related to my land was the ongoing fight with Club Elite when it resided in Federal. That is what caused me to become a proponent of zoning of sims. I was opposed to the fact that one player could ruin an entire sim for all other land owners, with no recourse.
CM: Club Elite for over a year was the # 1 place in SL for the sex ball set. I owned about 10,000m of land in Federal at the time, with Big John Jade owning about the same amount. He systematically ruined the sim for all the other residents, most of whom moved. A lot of very loud battles ensued, spilled over into the forums time and again, and ultimately Club Elite moved to a private island. Oddly enough, about a month or two later, he sold it and the end of Club Elite's reign was sealed.

PN: I would like to understand how you handle disputes like that, how you involve the Lindens or not, and how others in the community then perceive you.
CM: I did abuse report BJ several times - that was the full involvement of the Lindens in it It was actually quite frustrating. They seemed oblivious to the fact that the sim had 25 FPS and no one could use it, and that Club Elite had events every day. Big John was suspended for a few days, but other than that, nothing came out of it.

PN: now what do you suppose we do about this? some fucktard who lags the sim down to 25, what is your solution for that? Do you believe in more rights for larger property owners?
CM: I don't think it necessarily has to do with how much land you own - I do believe as land owners we should have more rights - it becomes a quality of service issue more than anything.

PN: Well here is a matter of two landowners with roughly the same amount on the same sim, with different outlooks and tastes, and they clash. Who should prevail? and why?
CM: I am not certain what the solution is. I bought up most of Mavericks to avoid Club Elite round 2, that was about all I could do at the time. I could move to a private island, but I don't like them personally.
CM: Although Club Elite was a giant black box with Pamela Andersen on the side, it wasn't about the taste of it, even if it did clash with the rest of the sim. It was about one land owner dominating the resources of the whole sim. Hell, he did it even before 1.2, when we all shared 10,000 prims in the same sim. He would stockpile prims for his club.

PN: What is it that attracts you to the main grid? The fly-bys of strangers? Accessibility for your close friends?
CM: I do like to explore, and I think the main grid invites that - going to private islands always feels semi-intrusive. I do like the fly bys of strangers, I have met a lot of people that way.

PN: What is your main activity in the game then, work or socializing, or a mixture?
CM: work/building, some socializing - I am not that big of an event goer by any means, though I have tried to get out more in SL lately. A lot of times when I am in SL, I am constantly away doing other things.

PN: when you say "away" you mean AFK doing RL stuff in the other windows
CM: both

PN: well why not just shut it off? afraid of missing something? what? How many Ims do you have going? Even right this minute for example.
CM: My ims can vary wildly from none to 20. Right now you are the only IM window I have open.

PN: Wow. I feel honoured to be your only IM, Cristiano. It really feels...intimate. Just the two of us here, all alone in cyberspace.
PN: What are you wearing lol?
PN: hahahahahaha
CM: I am naked, actually.

PN: Yum
PN: Is it really only a half-way sort of life, Cristiano, all that dumb typing to strangers on the Internet?
CM: actually a lot of the people I talk to online are people I know in RL and see on a regular basis

PN: Yes, this part of SL just plain scares me.
CM: Oh, I am not referring to SL people. I do like to get to voice level with people from SL when we are friends - that I do pretty often. Beyond that, I agree - it is scary in a lot of ways. There are some people I would love to meet.

PN: Who?
CM: Just various people among my group of SL friends. I definitely want to meet up with Schwanson, since he lives so close. I wouldn't mind meeting people I am close to - no one in particular comes to mind, except Baccara Rhodes - she is definitely someone I would like to meet in person.

PN: Why?
PN: I have to confess I don't know who she is, but she sounds very important.
CM: Spellbound might ring a bell. That's her group. If the inner core is feted, Spellbound puts on the party.

PN: I guess what I am hearing from y ou Cristiano is that you don't really believe there is a FIC...but I would have to conclude that this could in part be due to your being at the vital center of it. Would that be off the mark?
PN: You have made great sport of this term, putting "faded inner corps" and all the rest on your avatar on the forums. What does the term really mean to you?
CM: I think that in any environment, you always have a group of people that bond based on shared experience, and also who have been around for a long time, through a lot of changes. It is especially apparent in SL because of its nature. I don't deny that there are established and succesful players. What I have pushed back against is your insistince that a) this is a bad thing b) that new players are shut out of this
CM: I actually enjoy the phrase "feted inner core"...though like metrosexual, it has long outlived its 15 minutes of fame. It was at 14:59 the first time you used it.

PN: It is a bad thing because it stops freedom and growth, when these cadres block progress with their smug and superior attitudes and their actual destruction of others' initiative.
CM: You have never shown ways that progress is being blocked..
CM: Anyone standing in the way of progress is a bad thing, I agree with you - and yes, people do resist change.

Look for Part Two of Prok’s Candid Coversation with Cristiano Midnight shortly in the Herald.
[UPDATE: Read Part Two here.]

Bonnano vs. Bellini: Round 2

by Marsellus Wallace

The Heads of the Bellini Family


The discussion of family hoppers, traditional Mafia values and real life versus virtual life combine in this follow up to the battle between the Bellini family formally of The Sims Online and the Bonanno family.


We interviewed the Bellini family first who painted a dark picture of the Bonanno family's ethics and values of La Cosa Nostra. A notecard of a conversation between Stacy Maracas of the Bellini's and Carlo Platini of the Bonanno's was shared to me of which Carlo does not deny the conversation happened. In that conversation Carlo made real life comments towards Stacy of an extreme nature. When confronted Carlo agree with the Herald that those comments were not very professional nor were they called for. However, he stands by what he said claiming he has the right to say that to her simply because of a dispute in an online game. There is no room to involve real life comments like these in MMORPG's. The details of that conversation we will not share. Below are the interviews. Is this fued truly over as both parties say, or is something continuing to build between both of these new families?

Bonnano vs. Bellini: Round 1

by Jackie Brown

It seems a war is brewing between the Bonnano Family, ran by expert weapon maker Vincent Stravinsky and former Kingpin Mafia associate Carlo Platini, and the Bellini Family ran by Stacy Maracas. We got word of this war brewing and requested interviews on both sides of the fence. So far only the Bonnano Family has replied. Here is their side of the story. The main note of interest in this story is how all of this started with someone changing families. Family changers were the recipients of much grief in The Sims Online and that type of social climate is starting to take place within the Second Life Mafia community. For those that don't know what a family changer is, it is someone who keeps changing family's instead of being loyal to one. In the Mafia loyalty goes a long way and earns trust. Keep in mind this is only one side to the story until we hear from the Bellini's.

DISCLAIMER: The below interview may contain statements that some readers may object to. Keep in mind that they are the interviewee's opinions and not that of the Herald. Some parts have been editted to minimize personal attacks. Areas that have been editted are noted in the interview. A copy of the original unedited version is available for viewing if you are one of the parties involved.

You: Ok hello again members of the Bonnano Family, Vincent Stravinsky, Malice Uritsky and Carlo Platini, hear you got a huge war with Bellini now, tell us what started this one...
Vincent Stravinsky: Well, one of their Capos used to be in my family... they told me they had to leave for RL reasons and they went and joined Benelli..
Vincent Stravinsky: So I had him shot..
Vincent Stravinsky: Then
Vincent Stravinsky: The GM of their mafia talked to me telling me not to shoot him..
Vincent Stravinsky: I told her I'd do anything I want because it was personal
You: ok who was this person that was in Bonnano and left to go to bellini
Vincent Stravinsky: So she started cussin me out and sent her husband to me at Rausch... he has a lot of illegal gear so he was impossible to hit
Vincent Stravinsky: Blaydon Loveless
Vincent Stravinsky: AKA
You: Can you give me the GM and her husbands name
Vincent Stravinsky: --CUT FROM INTERVIEW--
Carlo Platini: the GM is Stacy Maracas --LINE EDITTED--
Carlo Platini: --CUT FROM INTERVIEW--
Vincent Stravinsky: and also
You: OK so let me get this correct, Blaydon was in Bonnano, told you he was leaving it for Real Life reasons but then joined Bellini
Vincent Stravinsky: our pet walrus
Vincent Stravinsky: Yeah
Carlo Platini: si
You: Those are some harsh words for the GM, this war seems very personal
Malice Uritsky: Well
You: You order the hit on Tijuana?
Malice Uritsky: Stacy doesnt exactly like the mafia game
Malice Uritsky: She called our tactics childish
You: Ok but Stacy is the GM of Bellini correct?
Malice Uritsky: When we bombed her sim
Vincent Stravinsky: She opened her mouth and started talking about my members
Malice Uritsky: Yes
Carlo Platini: si, after this confrontation...The Anchor proceeded to barret our members, disrespecting us very much
Malice Uritsky: She also said that she wasnt going to fight us
Malice Uritsky: But she wont declare that she has lost
Vincent Stravinsky: So one of my members got pissed and shot her
You: Did you try to have a sit down with the Bellini Family?
Carlo Platini: Si
You: Can you tell us about that
You: How did that go
Carlo Platini: well at first
Carlo Platini: everyone seemed to be getting along until it came down to the requests
You: What were the requests
Malice Uritsky: That she admitted defeat
Carlo Platini: We requested that if the Bellini's would openly say they give up to us
Malice Uritsky: And surrendered
Carlo Platini: Stacy freaked out at this idea
Malice Uritsky: Because that was the terms on which we agreed to sit down on
Carlo Platini: she began cursing and screaming
You: So what was the final outcome of the sit down?
Malice Uritsky: None
Malice Uritsky: lol
Carlo Platini: Blaydon then decided to become Mr.Tough guy
Carlo Platini: so we shot him
Vincent Stravinsky: This was after the first bombing btw...
You: How many times have you bombed Bellini
Malice Uritsky: lol
Vincent Stravinsky: 3 or 4
Malice Uritsky: Who kept track
You: Have they striked back?
Carlo Platini: Si. this was the second day of war...the first day consisted of us bombing them all day
Carlo Platini: On the first attack they fired a few shots
Carlo Platini: but once we brought in a secret weapon they could not hit us anymore
You: Secret Weapon? do tell!
Malice Uritsky: lol
Malice Uritsky: no
Carlo Platini: Well you see, our hitmen are experts at what the do
You: Guess thats why its a secret
Carlo Platini: they*
You: So after the sit down there was more firing exchanged and now you are still at war with Bellini?
Carlo Platini: This brutal beating took place for two more days
Carlo Platini: The terror struck Bellini's decided that instead of admitting they can't beat us they would refuse to strike back
You: So as far as Bellini is concerned there is no war?
Malice Uritsky: May i ass
Malice Uritsky: add*
You: yes please do
Carlo Platini: ...The Bonnano family takes this as a sign of defeat and now declares victory over them
Carlo Platini: go ahead Malice
Malice Uritsky: They called Lindens on us several times during this attack
Carlo Platini: si
Vincent Stravinsky: Yup on every attack
Malice Uritsky: Most of the time
Malice Uritsky: The Linden came to us
Vincent Stravinsky: Big tough Benellis
Malice Uritsky: TElling us that they asked us to leave
Carlo Platini: I have conversations in notecards of the Lindens talking to me asking me to stop attacking them
Malice Uritsky: And we did not
You: How come your family is reported each time you attack and no action from Linden is taken?
Malice Uritsky: Indicating that the owner of the sim Stacy, is the one reporting
Carlo Platini: because I am incredibly sexy
You: lol
Malice Uritsky: lol thats a secret
Vincent Stravinsky: Yes, that we cannot tell you
You: Fair enough
Carlo Platini: (its because I am too sexy)
You: Any final words you would like to say to our readers and the Bellini Family?
Carlo Platini: Victory is ours
Malice Uritsky: Carlo, i think you can say it best, lol
Vincent Stravinsky: What he said
Malice Uritsky: BONANNO OWNS BELLINI
Carlo Platini: ok...here are my final words....
Vincent Stravinsky: BONANNO > BENELLI
Carlo Platini: --CUT FROM INTERVIEW--
You: Err can you translate
Carlo Platini: --CUT FROM INTERVIEW--
You: Alright thank you for your time again gentleman

Invisible Man, or teh Peeping Tom?

by Gina Fatale

I was in between getting dressed the other day when I noticed on the mini-map a green dot beside me, yet I could not see this person. Next thing I know, I was being pushed around the room by this “invisible man.” Thinking on my feet, I asked for an interview for the Herald, which the avatar I’ll call “Mr. Invisible Man” granted to me on the condition that I promised to keep his identity a secret. Apparently he has a spying fetish for naked AVs.

A rare screenshot of “Mr. Invisible Man”

Gina Fatale: So Mr. Invisible, you like going invisible and going into people’s houses? Is this true?
Mr Invisible Man: lol
Mr Invisible Man: yep. I acually find some pretty interesting things about people, e.g., people just standing naked in their homes. in PG sims too.

Gina Fatale: yes like I just was lol. So you’re like a pervert?
Mr Invisible Man: Sometimes.
lol. No, I’m no perve. I do it for fun, lol.

Gina Fatale: then why do you enjoy watching naked people?
Mr Invisible Man: because you never know what you’ll find. I think it’s funny, because the freak out that someone is on the map and they run around looking for me.

Gina Fatale: lol, yes
Mr Invisible Man: when I’m right behind them the entire time.

Gina Fatale: do you talk or scare them?
Mr Invisible Man: sometimes I’ll pop up and say hi then go invisible again. Not a lot. Sometimes I call people names, lol, like call someone a douche and they don’t know where it’s coming from. It’s mostly for fun what I do. Sometimes for blackmail ROFL

Gina Fatale: Are you going to share with us your secret as to how you become invisible?
Mr Invisible Man: lol
Mr Invisible Man: anything else?

Gina Fatale: No, unless you want to say anything to our readers. Should they keep a “look out” for you?
Mr Invisible Man: Actually, I do.
Mr Invisible Man: remember
Mr Invisible Man: you never know who’s watching :)

Gina Fatale: lol alright thank you for your time. I will now remember to look twice when I’m naked lol

Controversial German Designer Returns From Her 8th Suspension - Interview 2/2

Athel Richelieu's screen-shot of the now-erased compound, moments before he abuse-reported it. SS logo in foreground.

by Neal Stewart

In part two of our interview with controversial designer Katja Eisenberg, Katja responds to allegations that she is a Neo-Nazi and connoisseur of racist humour. She explains her true views on Adolf Hitler, George Bush, the recent anniversary of Dresden, illegal swastikas, the SS uniform, and the quality of my fangs. Friend Mike Czukor also presents an alternative view to that of Katja's critics and suggests that Katja is herself the victim of racism.

(Continued from Part 1/2)...

Neal Stewart: Evil L.L.P also claims that you liked to make jokes that they considered racist. Is that true?
Katja Eisenberg: No, I built a Tsunami and asked them if anyone noticed the huge fucking wave right there in front of them and said it was funny how 150 thousand didn't see it. I don't consider that racist.

Neal Stewart: But they say that, in addition to that, you made racist jokes in general.
Katja Eisenberg: Well if I had the time in my busy SL life to remember everything I said then whatever. But I don't remember saying anything racist.

Neal Stewart: So in general you're not into racist humour, if you can call it that?
Katja Eisenberg: No, I am not into racist humor. If I felt the need to bash everyone all day I would still be pissed about the suspension. I honestly don't give a fuck. [...] I am goth. I don't have a problem with anyone. It seems everyone has the problem with me.

[...]

Katja Eisenberg: You have a Family in SL? Because I did. And that was ruined when I was suspended. Now no one seems to believe me.
Neal Stewart: Evil L.L.P was your family?
Katja Eisenberg: No. Mephistophelina was my mother. Malificent Maelstrom is my Aunt. Spencer Ruthledge is my Godmother. Flack Quartermass was my father.

Neal Stewart: Why do you think they misunderstood what you were trying to do with the memorial, and the jokes that they considered racist?
Katja Eisenberg: No. They all knew my intentions with the camp. To build the memorial. They said they had no problem with that as long as LL didn't. LL did so I tore it down. And if my comments seemed racist then Mike who is Arabic wouldn't be my friend. And Grandduke who is impotent wouldn't be my friend and I wouldn't have a girlfriend seeming as I am a woman.

mike Czukor: I'm Arabic? LOL. I'm Greek but...
Katja Eisenberg: Oh. Greek. Whatever.
mike Czukor: Germans took over Greece.
Katja Eisenberg: *giggles*
mike Czukor: I should say 'Nazis'. LOL. And I'm part German and Italian.

Neal Stewart: Some people are only racist towards specific nationalities. Or consider themselves racist in general but willing to make exceptions.
Katja Eisenberg: I am not racist towards anyone. I think there are a few people who are lazy but I don't single out races. I am 4'11 in Real Life. You think I can go about running my mouth off and get away with it? UHM, no.
Neal Stewart: Heh heh.
Katja Eisenberg: Well, 5'3 in shoes.

Neal Stewart: So all the Nazi claims are just BS? You don't in any way identify with the Nazis or any of their beliefs?
mike Czukor: No, Katja helped out a lot of people - including me.
Katja Eisenberg: No, I don't. I love their uniforms and the history. But I don't agree with it.
mike Czukor: She's not a bad person.

Katja's friend, Mike Czukor: "Katja has helped out a lot of people in SL ... She's a great person"

Neal Stewart: What do you agree with?
Katja Eisenberg: I agree with the fact that in WW2 the German Soldiers were only doing their job. The Nazi's plan for a perfect Aryan race was not a very good way to do things. I think the Jewish society in itself is pretty lucky to have such strong beliefs.

Neal Stewart: What do you think is a better way to do things?
Katja Eisenberg: I think a better way to do things first off is not to join in on a war or the extermination of a race in any sense. I think - had Hitler stayed sane throughout his Power - he would or may have done things differently. There is a bunch of things that factored into WW2. The German Soldiers do their jobs just as the American soldiers do their jobs. An order is an order whether you want to or not. And when it's your life or theirs - I think a lot of people would have chose the other person to die.

Neal Stewart: So you believe that Hitler was OK at first but that he became increasingly insane?
Katja Eisenberg: I think Hitler had a lot of problems with Jewish people being that his father beat him. He was of no Jewish blood. So I can't say why he singled them out. I think to start with the beginning of WW2 Hitler was not a bad person. But as he became more and more insane, then he started doing stupid shit like killing off the Jews. I think to hide the fact WW2 happened is bullshit. I love history and to tell me I cannot share history with people is a load of shit and in itself the way Hitler would have acted. How many people die every single day because of their religion? [...] And the Pentagram is supposedly a Pagan culture symbol. Fuck the pagans right up their asses for using a Symbol of the devil to hide behind their religion. The Swastika is a Tibetan peace symbol. Did you know in SL you can't even have a proper Swastika because of all the in-bred little fucks walking around here who don't know history? Fucking pathetic. [...] Gah I really wish I wasn't that time of the month. I am soon to be banned again. Watch the Lindens flip the fuck out.

Neal Stewart: What about your SS uniform? Did you have to change it from the original so that it would be allowed in SL?
Katja Eisenberg: I didn't change shit about it. SL is so shitty, their clothing never comes out perfect enough to even show a Swastika. My uniform has nothing Nazi about it.

Neal Stewart: Aren't the SS, Nazis?
Katja Eisenberg: No, the SS were of the Nazi party but in itself were not Nazi's. Just the Secret Police of the Nazi party.

Neal Stewart: What interests you in particular about the SS?
Katja Eisenberg: They had the sexiest Uniforms. I love the uniform. Doesn't mean I love Nazi's.

Neal Stewart: So, if the Americans had worn the SS uniform and vice versa, you would be interested in the Americans?
Katja Eisenberg: Your god damn right. It's the Uniform. And the Sense of Strength. Not the execution of the Jewish people.

Neal Stewart: How do you mean, 'the Sense of Strength'?
Katja Eisenberg: The German army has always been feared and well trained. They are strong and very much respected. Not even necessarily WW2 Germany.

Neal Stewart: What about the Americans?
Katja Eisenberg: I think the American's are made to be more powerful then they really are. Let's face it - the strongest country in the world is Israel. Their army is so well trained and strong. They are always at war with religion. [...] I think if the Americans saw how President bush who now control's the 4th Reich saw things. How he cheated the UN and broke a bill and only was able to because of the patriotism in the US. There would be a lot less going for the US.

Neal Stewart: So it's not just the SS uniforms you're interested in, it's what you see as their strength?
Katja Eisenberg: The Strength. Brotherhood. Family of a Military that is strong. The Uniforms just make it all the funner. Not even the symbols on the Uniforms. A Plain black SS Uniform with nothing on it - to me would be sexiest of all.

Katja Eisenberg: OMMFG. NEAL, NO. Take those shitty fangs from your mouth this instant. God damnit. Here, take this pair.
Here Katja has noticed that I'm sporting fangs and she gives me 'Angel Fangs 2'.
Katja Eisenberg: Wear those.
Neal Stewart: Heh heh. Thanks. I'll try them later.
Katja Eisenberg: And if I ever see those pathetic fangs in your mouth again I will kick you in your forehead.

Neal Stewart: So, what do you think about the recent debate in Germany about how to regard the bombing of Dresden [Feb 13, CNN.com]? I understand that some people believe you can call the bombing a 'holocaust' in itself.
Katja Eisenberg: I think the bombing is just like the bombings in the war. A bomb is a bomb. It's meant to kill and destroy.

Neal Stewart: So you don't think it's reasonable to compare the bombing of Dresden to the holocaust?
Katja Eisenberg: No. I don't think its anything close to the Holocaust.

Neal Stewart: I understand that Swastikas etc are actually illegal in Germany [Jan 17, ABCNews.com] unless used for art purposes etc. What are your thoughts on that?
Katja Eisenberg: Good. If it's a Peace symbol, that is different. But the Swastika itself, no good.

Neal Stewart: OK, but you believe they should be illegal if used in a Nazi context?
Katja Eisenberg: Not illegal - just more thought out.

mike Czukor: I think those Nazi comments [ie. residents who comment that Kajta is a Neo-Nazi] are racist to Katja because she's German. But not all Germans are Nazis. Very few are.
Neal Stewart: Do you think most Germans in SL are regarded as Nazis?
mike Czukor: Yes, in many peoples opinions. But they aren't. Katja has helped out a lot of people in SL. She's helped the community a whole lot and SL should be thanking her. She helped me out and a lot of my friends.

Neal Stewart: How did she help you?
mike Czukor: Well, she showed me around. She gave me things. Let me join her group and basically introduced me to a bunch of new people that are now good friends. She's a great person. And all this "she's a Nazi" is a bunch of BS.

Neal Stewart: So she has never said or done anything that you think is racist or sympathetic to Nazism?
mike Czukor: No. And furthermore, why do people just sit here and bitch? Isn't SL supposed to be about creating your world? She was recreating history. And the fact that they think the swastika is offensive might be offensive to a Tibetan - because it's their peace symbol. So I think LL should think more carefully.

Neal Stewart: What does your T-shirt say, Katja?
Katja Eisenberg: It's a punk shirt. It says “Napalm Death: Nazi punks fuck off.” In other words, fuck Nazis.

Neal Stewart: Can I get a picture of you in your uniform?
Katja Eisenberg: *giggles* Evidence to ban us.
mike Czukor: LOL. LMAO.
Neal Stewart: Heh heh
mike Czukor: I've served enough banment.
Katja Eisenberg: 8 times for me.
mike Czukor: God.
Neal Stewart: 8?
Katja Eisenberg: Yep, all for the same reason. Misunderstanding.

Neal Stewart: Do you plan to do more builds related to Germany, Katja?
Katja Eisenberg: No.

Katja Eisenberg and Mike Czukor pose in uniform at the Sido sim.

Controversial German Designer Returns From Her 8th Suspension - Interview 1/2

Controversial designer Katja Eisenberg poses here in her SS uniform

by Neal Stewart

Controversial Second Life resident Katja Eisenberg was yesterday released from a temporary 3-week ban imposed for creating Nazi-related group names and officer titles. Katja, who says she is German in her First Life, claims that it was her 8th ban from her Second Life. In this 2-part interview, I question Katja about allegations that she is a Neo-Nazi and has apparently shocked and appalled residents with a host of racist comments and Nazi-inspired builds.

Katja - who contributed building work to the Neualtenburg Projekt and Neuschwanstein castle - is regarded by a number of SL residents as one of the most talented designers in Second Life and a generally helpful person all-round. She was previously a member of the group Evil L.L.P but was, as covered in the interview, eventually ejected from the group. In describing Katja, Evil L.L.P leader Mephistophelina Belvedere uses adjectives like 'incredibly sweet and girlish [...] amazingly funny and witty [...] astonishingly creative' but sometimes also 'bigoted', prone to 'antisemitism' and 'random hostility' - 'one of the most interesting personalities I've ever met. It's just a shame that she was the most horrifying, as well.'

So, what is the truth?

I joined Katja in the Sido sim (Mature) (52, 82) - the location of one of the alleged Nazi camps and previously the Second Life Police Department HQ (both of which are now gone). It is night-time. Katja wears converse shoes, a punk t-shirt and striped grey slacks with blue suspenders. She is brunette, with dark shades, dark make-up and striking green eyes. On her back is a backpack with a purple skateboard sticking out the top. Katja is joined by several people. These include friend Mike Czukor - an imposing figure dressed in formal wear, smoking a cigar.

Both have given permission for the publication of our discussion. References to Lindens that were identified by name have been removed.

Neal Stewart: I understand you've just returned from a ban? When did it end?
Katja Eisenberg: Yesterday.

Neal Stewart: Was it hard having to stay away? What did you do? Hang around the forums? :)
Katja Eisenberg: No, it wasn't hard. It was great - the most excitement I have had in a long time [...] I am not allowed to view the forums.

Neal Stewart: What was exciting, Katja? And why aren't you allowed in the forums?
Katja Eisenberg: Being away was great. It was the best experience ever. And I am not allowed in the forums because I don't take shit from anyone. And that's where cowards go to run their mouths off because they are too chicken-shit to say it to my face.

Neal Stewart: What did you like about being away?
Katja Eisenberg: The fact that real life doesn't have babies who cry and complain. No fucking drama. No bullshit. Freedom to do what you want.

Neal Stewart: When did you get banned from the forums?
Katja Eisenberg: When I was suspended from SL.

Neal Stewart: Do they always do that? Suspend you from both at the same time?
Katja Eisenberg: Nope.

Neal Stewart: Is this a T-Rex? [It's night-time and all I can see is a sculpture of a huge red abdomen with legs and claws. The creator is Starax Statotsky. --Neal]
Katja Eisenberg: No. It's a giant statue of Hitler. Can't you tell?

Neal Stewart: Heh heh
Katja Eisenberg: Just like my supposed death camp I built with ovens and gas chambers - that never fucking existed.

Neal Stewart: So where do you think all these Nazi criticisms come from?
Katja Eisenberg: Uneducated worthless little fucks who don't know their ass from a hole in the ground and couldn't tell the difference between an oven and a refrigerator.

Neal Stewart: So, what did the Lindens say when they banned you for the camp you did recently?
Katja Eisenberg: I wasn't banned for building a camp. I was banned for having a German group name. '3rd Reich' meaning 3rd Empire. And 'SS' meaning 'ja ganz in der nahe society'. But since Linden Labs has labeled me a Nazi, anything that might resemble WW2 History is forbidden [...] Because too many people can't let the past down. And cry about everything. So I am making this giant statue of Hitler to get back at them. [She's joking - it is a model of cerberus (the 3-headed dog of the underworld) - created by the unspeakably talented Starax Statovsky --Neal]

Neal Stewart: What does 'ja ganz in der nahe' mean?
Katja Eisenberg: Figure it out. You are smart. Ask a Linden - since they seem to think my German is badly pronounced. Even though I live in Berlin. What the fuck would I know?

[I look it up with Altavista's Babelfish translator: 'completely in the close society' which I take to mean 'secret society'. -- Neal]

Neal Stewart: What do you mean they think it's badly pronounced?
Katja Eisenberg: Apparently I don't speak very good English. So i gots da get me's an Edjamacation.

Neal Stewart: Did they say that?
Katja Eisenberg: No it was on the phone when they told me the labels and names used were not properly spelled. Linden Labs can go fuck themselves. They don't know German nor - doubtfully - speak it. They try to find reasons to get rid of so-called 'griefers' - when you build a Military Barracks with German recruiting posters. Not even WW2 Posters.

Neal Stewart: So what labels and names did they criticize?
Katja Eisenberg: 'Untersturmfuhrer' meaning 'Second Lieutenant'. 'Reichsfuhrin' meaning 'Empire Commander'.

Neal Stewart: And they said those were spelt wrong?
Katja Eisenberg: Make sure you take some good photo's of Hitler here. Yes, that is what they said.

Neal Stewart: And they're suggesting that they would allow you to use the names if you spelt them right?
Katja Eisenberg: Nope, can't do that either.

Neal Stewart: So you believe they were just taking a shot at you when they criticized the German spelling?
Katja Eisenberg: Yeah. Oh, it was [Removed] Linden who said that. And [Removed] Linden is a funny little controlling bastard too. He thinks he is some hot shit with his sexy looks and his little computer.

Neal Stewart: How did the phone conversation come about? Did you call them?
Katja Eisenberg: I called them to find out why I was removed from SL after speaking with [Removed] Linden, [Removed] Linden and [Removed] Linden who said nothing that I had done was wrong.

Neal Stewart: So you were banned without an explanation?
Katja Eisenberg: No, they told me that the explanation was because of the name of our group - which they pleasantly removed behind my back.

Neal Stewart: OK. So you got suspended purely because of the group name and not because of the camp? [3 weeks ago Katja helped Grandduke Ferdinand build a compound that the Lindens then removed. The Evil L.L.P. group claims that Katja also built another compound - Auschwitz - on the 17th of January. Evil L.L.P. member Biff Uritsky objected and was planning to 'liberate' the compound with a division of prim tanks :) The compound was removed however and Katja was subsequently ejected from that group.]
Katja Eisenberg: There was no camp.

Neal Stewart: Didn't you build an SS training camp?
Katja Eisenberg: No. I built a German Military barracks and a German Military Hall.

Neal Stewart: But the camp had the SS logo in it didn't it?
Katja Eisenberg: Oh, by the way, you can ask Kimiko who was banned - and so was Grandduke. There was no SS Logo. No SS Logo that stayed here. I built one for a friend and wanted to see how it looked. It was removed shortly after being up.

Neal Stewart: So it wasn't intended as part of the build?
Katja Eisenberg: Had it been intended I would have left it up. You see I really don't give a fuck what anyone in SL thinks. If I feel like doing it, I do. And had it been intended I would have left it up.

Neal Stewart: The person who abuse-reported it took a screen-shot that contained the SS logo in it. [Thank you to Athel Richelieu for providing a copy of his screen-shot --Neal].
Katja Eisenberg: Had he stopped and asked me instead of going to visit his boyfriend he may learn a thing or two.

Neal Stewart: Did the Lindens erase the whole place that same day?
Katja Eisenberg: Now how the fuck should I know that? I was suspended.

Neal Stewart: So it was the same day you got suspended for the group names?
Katja Eisenberg: I would assume so.

Neal Stewart: Who did you do the SS logo for?
Katja Eisenberg: I wouldn't tell you that.

Neal Stewart: Why not?
Katja Eisenberg: Why, so you can rat them out? I don't think so. How stupid do you think I am?

Neal Stewart: So, tell me about the other camp that you built a while back. Evil LLP kicked you out of their group?
Katja Eisenberg: Did you take a picture of good old Hitler yet? No, I had started building a Camp Memorial that a few Jewish people had thought was a very nice idea. I asked the Lindens. They told me to go fuck myself so I changed it into an Asylum. I was kicked out of LLP because some of the fuck-head dicks walking around thought I had hung a Jew in the Tower. No. It was a crazy fellow I had hung in there. [...] And if you think I have a problem with guys who like sucking cock because I have a problem with the gay who reported me. This is my GIRLFRIEND - Kimiko.

Neal Stewart: Who were the Jewish people who supported you?
Katja Eisenberg: I don't fucking know their names. Some of my friends told me a few Jews got word of it and thought it was a lovely idea. And if I seem a little harsh, I think what I can say to being harsh is: “Fuck you and anyone who has a problem with me”. I did nothing wrong and once again someone whines about something and I get into trouble.

Neal Stewart: I don't have a problem with you. I'm just writing up the story.
Katja Eisenberg: Put this in your report: FUCK EVERYONE WHO ASSUMES. FUCK THEM UP THEIR STUPID ASSES.

Neal Stewart: Why did you decide to make a memorial?
Katja Eisenberg: To show I am not a fucking Nazi as so many believe. And that to enjoy history in every aspect, shouldn't be viewed as wrong.

Neal Stewart: Did it have a plaque in it, or a notecard, or were you planning on doing that?
Katja Eisenberg: I didn't get that far into the production. I asked first. Linden labs is trying to build what you would call a "Perfect" world. There is no such thing as a perfect world. They have the need to feel control. If they don't have this feeling, then people like [Removed] Linden will never experience the finer things in life, like Virtual Sex.

Neal Stewart: What do you think they should do to improve things?
Katja Eisenberg: Well they can start by pulling their heads out of their asses. That would help. Then comb the shit from their hair. Then maybe let some people try to explain their job before they go about banning them. And keep in mind as you write your report NEAL that I am fucking pissed off so what you put may or may not get me banned. But you are in a Mature area. And if I get banned for expressing my feelings, I would expect all the people who bash me in the forums and in IM and in your papers to be banned as well.

Neal Stewart: Have you got this 'Dead Jew/crazy guy' texture so I can have a look at it, Katja?
Katja Eisenberg: I never had a texture and it's not a Jew. [She rezzes the object --Neal]

Neal Stewart: Wow, that's pretty wicked-looking.
Katja Eisenberg: Yeah. I know some good builders. And it doesn't look like a Jew to me.

Katja Eisenberg: Have fun writing your report. OH WAIT. Take a Picture of Hitler so everyone knows what kind of a Nazi I am.
Neal Stewart: Heh heh
Katja Eisenberg: Come up here for just a moment, Neal. I will give you a good picture to take before you leave.
Katja Eisenberg: Pee. [Here, Katja squats and produces a urination animation, complete with yellow stream --Neal]
Katja Eisenberg: Take a picture.
Katja Eisenberg: LMAO
Katja Eisenberg: Pee.

Neal Stewart: Golden showers at the Sido sim, eh? Some of the people at Evil L.L.P said that you peed on the hanging guy. Is that true?
Katja Eisenberg: Yep. Right on his head.

Neal Stewart: Why was that?
Katja Eisenberg: Cause I had to pee and me and the hanging dead guy were drinking whiskey together and talking. And I just happened to be sitting on his head.

Neal Stewart: What did he talk to you about?
Katja Eisenberg: Pee. Nothing much. We just hung out and had a few laughs, kicked back some whiskey and then I peed on his head.

Neal Stewart: Evil L.L.P also claims that you liked to make jokes that they considered racist. Is that true?

[To be continued in Part II, which will be posted soon. You may wish to reserve comments until then...]

Katja Eisenberg sits atop the controversial, identity-confused hanging corpse Katja in her Skater uniform. Neo-nazi? Or misunderstood? [Inset:] "I will give you a good picture to take before you leave"

SL’s Baddest Builder, part 1: Yadni the Junkyard Dawg

In his first life, Yadni Monde is a night clerk in a hotel in a secluded corner of France, but in his Second Life ™ he is the baddest architect on the grid. With an imagination fueled by a massive library of classical and fantasy architecture and copious amounts of ganga, he doesn’t just build buildings, but astounding, richly textured dreamscapes – and in some cases, nightmarescapes. Today we bring you the first of a 4 part interview with Yadni, in this installment touching on his history in SL and how the Linden’s recent purging of 6 month old ratings screw the true builders and favor the club owners like Jenna Fairplay that build giant fugly boxes. InYadni’s words, the ratings have become “crappy shit for dancing whores.’ Sacre bleu!

One of Yadni's latest builds -- the entire Bedford Simulator

Urizenus Sklar: Yadni, when did you first come to Second Life?
YadNi Monde: i joined SL on the 30 of March 04
Urizenus Sklar: did you play other mmorpgs before that?
YadNi Monde: i am not online since very long, i tried A Tale In The Desert, where i had only in mind to build, already, which i did, btw, i created a Colossus Statue of Pharaoh
YadNi Monde: then i migrated to there where i was the Permazoners Leader for a while and i had this Gnome Hill on NAda Island, you can still see the pic from time to time on the There.com Site
Urizenus Sklar: did you start building right away when you came to sl?
YadNi Monde: when i first arrived to SL, my first idea was to understand how it worked , so i wandered all the world in search of my first freebies to edit them and KNOW =D
Urizenus Sklar: for how long did you wander?
YadNi Monde: heheh, i guess after three days, when i got my very first land, i had to settle a bit
Urizenus Sklar: is that when you started the junkyard?
YadNi Monde: yes, at that time, no place was having such an organization, and when i came to organize all that stuff, i thought other people might like to have clean folders as i had now, so i created my first boxes and opened very fast
Urizenus Sklar: you mean you made boxes with folders of freebee objects?
YadNi Monde: yes boxes, all with contents arranged by theme, for example, a box of vehicles, another with clothes, and so on, that sell contents and give a clean folder to the buyer, with NO EFFORT for him =D
Urizenus Sklar: and you sold these boxes or gave them away
YadNi Monde: decided to sell them a linden each, to cover the land fees, the time spent organising and hunting freebies all over the world, and eventually to have a chance to expand the junkyard to more than the basic 512 plot
Urizenus Sklar: When did you start your famous builds in second life?
YadNi Monde: i think it was around 15 days after i joined, when i made my very first Avatar, the Earth Dragon =D that was a real HIT =D
Urizenus Sklar: can I see it?
YadNi Monde: of course

YadNi Monde: My Very First Av =D
Urizenus Sklar: wow
YadNi Monde: then i declined it to fire dragon and water dragon, which is even more impressive

Urizenus Sklar: I know you live in France, but do you have a background in the arts?
YadNi Monde: yes i am an ex arts student, i am a stone sculptor, a drawer and a calligrapher for the most important things, i also have a very good knowledge base in computer graphics
Urizenus Sklar: Is that what you do for a job in your first life?
YadNi Monde: alas not, i am just a simple night receptionnist in a little hotel lost somewhere in a remote area in france, i tried, but dunno, bad luck prolly =D
Urizenus Sklar: That sounds rather romantic in a way.
Urizenus Sklar: Is the hotel in a nice part of France?
YadNi Monde: hehe hmmwell a bit frustrating too, but at least i m still free to do what i want with my arts
YadNi Monde: but yes it s in a nice part on summer =D for the rest, a bit rainy =D
Urizenus Sklar: Think of the expressionist painters...
YadNi Monde: poor guys never could feed themselves with their passion
YadNi Monde: waste
Urizenus Sklar: but anyway... back to your SL...
YadNi Monde: heheh kk
YadNi Monde: =D
Urizenus Sklar: when did you make your fist architectural build
YadNi Monde: hmmmm i guess it was for a contest at Edifice Rex Club by Lumiere Noir, i had made a gazebo and received an award for encouraging me to keep up, kinda fourth Prize, i still have it i am proud of that one =D
Urizenus Sklar: and that encouraged you to keep building?
YadNi Monde: oh i didn’t need that to encourage me but let s say it motivated me even more =D
Urizenus Sklar: so what was your next build
YadNi Monde: my next was a Castle for a Friend of mine here, Solace, want a pic or two?
Urizenus Sklar: you bet!
YadNi Monde: here s a little folder
Urizenus Sklar: ty
Urizenus Sklar: Question: where do you get your ideas for your builds?
YadNi Monde: heheh, in my very sick mind =D
Urizenus Sklar: lol, that always helps
YadNi Monde: lol
Urizenus Sklar: does "joint time" help too?
YadNi Monde: hmm i think i can say it does, for me at least, i can better concentrate, and with the appropriate music i simply feel free and begin to go wild, and build ... =D
Urizenus Sklar: do you get influence by pictures of ancient builds or pics from fantasy like Tolkein?
YadNi Monde: i have a very important library of my own with tons of books each one on another subject, can be furnitures from 1900s, medieval architecture, melee weapons, whatever is richly illustrated and detailed has to come to my home =D it s my real food i guess,
YadNi Monde: without em i d be empty and with no culture
YadNi Monde: 37 years feeding from all i can SEE
Urizenus Sklar: so these books, and a little herb, are your inspiration?
YadNi Monde: my personnal inspiration comes from beyond, those are helpers
Urizenus Sklar: from beyond?
YadNi Monde: they are my fuel
YadNi Monde: i see what I’ll build before to build it, in my head, behind my eyes, i know the mood it will have and i just have to drop it here
Urizenus Sklar: but do the ideas come from a spiritual dimension?
YadNi Monde: hmm frankly i don’t think so, they just come from my deep, i don’t see anything spiritual there i guess
YadNi Monde: more like if i had many worlds in me, just waiting to be showed
Urizenus Sklar: What about the textures? where do you find them and what inspires you to use the ones you do?
YadNi Monde: textures are generally given to me, or i can also get some on the web, or even create mine if none is good enuf for the purpose
YadNi Monde: depends
YadNi Monde: and then it s all a matter of the mood i want to translate
YadNi Monde: transmit
YadNi Monde: whatever =D
Urizenus Sklar: do you picture the textures in your head with the build, or do the textures come later
YadNi Monde: i know before to build if i have the good textures in my inventory or not, i know from the beginning the mood i want so i know what textures will fit it
Urizenus Sklar: we should probably turn now to the question of the new ratings system and the fact that they removed ratings from more than 6 months ago. You have views about this, yes?
YadNi Monde: well, just more room for clubbers =C damn it, clubbers in the builders leader boards that just KILLS me
YadNi Monde: shit licking pays, finally
YadNi Monde: i have already said my opinion in a latest thread in the forums and i m not afraid to make myself enemies here
Urizenus Sklar: Well why do you think the Lindens did this?
YadNi Monde: i guess they want the noobs to have a chance to reach the boards in the long term but, here s my question, how did I do then to reach place SECOND ? i began as a noob too, i took hundreds hours to build, i won my place the hard way
Urizenus Sklar: It is distressing that club owners like Big John Jade and Jenna Fairplay can erect a giant box and reach the leader boards of the build category.
YadNi Monde: rofl that makes me laugh out LOUD, but hah, after all, if some like that ...... *evily grins*
YadNi Monde: on the other hand they were giving a lot of money, there is a real effort so i guess it’s not that bad
Urizenus Sklar: but that just means they bought their way to the top of the leader boards
YadNi Monde: yes, you are right
Urizenus Sklar: What do you think the Lindens should do? Go back to the old policy?
YadNi Monde: i think to the point we are now, it would be simpler to just STOP the boards completely, it does not mean anything anymore, it is just crappy shit for dancing whores
Urizenus Sklar: so at this point the ratings only matter to dancing whores?
Urizenus Sklar: like Jenna Fairplay?
YadNi Monde: well if you see any other builder than me in the building leader boards, i have to change my glasses ....
Urizenus Sklar: Well, do you consider Big John Jade a dancing whore?
YadNi Monde: what else can he do ?? just remind me ?
Urizenus Sklar: he can build big boxes and manipulate newbies into being cyberho's for him
Urizenus Sklar: that's something.
YadNi Monde: that answers your question i guess
Urizenus Sklar: yah, I guess.
Urizenus Sklar: In the next two interviews we will cover Good Yadni, Bad Yadni, and Mystical Yadni, but those are about the three islands you build in simcast. What is your next project?
YadNi Monde: SciFi =D hard core dark cyberpunk SciFi =D
Urizenus Sklar: ooooh, where are you going to build? and do you have a sponsor?
YadNi Monde: cant answer the first yet, and yes we have a sponsor, were a little group of greatly motivated and skilled persons
Urizenus Sklar: does the group have a name?
YadNi Monde: YadNi s Crazy Techs Research Group
Urizenus Sklar: sweet
YadNi Monde: =D
Urizenus Sklar: well we better go to our meeting
Urizenus Sklar: 1 down, 3 interviews to go!
YadNi Monde: thanks to you, it was a pleasure
YadNi Monde: and bye bye reader, seeya next time =D

Prok’s Candid Coversations With the Core: Lordfly Digeridoo, Part Two

For those of who you enjoyed SL resident Prokofy Neva's "journalistic" debut last week, in which SL architect Lordfly Digeridoo kindly submitted himself to questions from the rhapsodist of Ravenglass (and even for those who did not), we are overjoyed to present Part Two, in which our interlocutors address questions of the grid's economy. No Linden Town Hall meeting was ever as revealing.

Lordfly Digeridoo: so let's get back to this candid conversation thing. :)

Prokofy Neva: Well, you have made a proposal to the Lindens that they buy up land that you designate as public, but...with all due respect...who the hell are you?Why should the Lindens buy from you?
Lordfly Digeridoo: i didn't say I do it. I was having folks like you in mind, whole-sim buyers that develop an area, and then sell it off.

PN: but why would I sell commons to the Lindens?
LF: so you can preserve the feel of your neighborhood.

PN: well couldn't I do that myself thank you very much?
couldn't I get players to have a stake in it?
LF: no, not unless you wanted to pay tier. people move around in-world all the time.

PN: I cover the tier by renting it. or I get people to donate into it, then they get the prims but don't build on it. Think up some scheme like that, don't involve the Lindens. Who are the Lindens? Just some people with servers? Servers that don't work well sometimes. I can't get into proper worship mode on the Lindens LF, help me out on this.
LF: well, Linden-land remains there, FOREVER. residents don't stay in one place forever.

PN: and they never auction it off? well...
LF: so in 6 months your precious little Ravenglass sim will look entirely different than what it does today.

PN: I know that. it's all good. it's all interesting.
LF: so why bother planning it at all?

PN: the idea is to see what happens in nature, not in some fake zoned thing.
LF: "what happens in nature" is 99% of SL. it's supposed to be order from chaos.

PN: but who wants the administrative headache? everything you propose to the Lindens is a huge amount of work for them. they couldn't police their zoned sims as it was.
LF: i developed my plan with the knowledge that the lindens cannot police anything. did you even READ my proposal?

PN: yes
PN: over and over
PN: to see if they want to buy it as public land forever and ever, they have to make a judgement.
LF: it's either doing it by hand, or coding up a process for it, which shoudln't be that hard, seeing as the auctions are mostly automatic now.

PN: that's not the issue
LF: yes, it is the issue

PN: they would have to see a visual portfolio. they'd have to sit and make judgements. they'd have to have criteria.
LF: why?

PN: because they'd have to decide what they are willing to take a loss on forever!.
LF: i'm saying sell 100% of a sim and let the residents decide where the linden land goes.

PN: and I'm saying it would take them time to judge, to sift through hundreds of requests like that. they'd have to have rigid criteria, and all kinds of "special cases" will emerge.
LF: hundreds of requests? how many people buy up whole sims at a time?

PN: stop thinking of it as your little game with 19,999 other people. you're forgetting that people acquire whole sims over time, sometimes in groups. it's not just the fresh sims.
LF: yes, and they would be ineligible for this plan

PN: ohhhhh
PN: well but that's not FAIR
LF: life isn't fair

PN: what, I reclaim a mouldering slag heap sim and I don't get a deal like that???
LF: no, you don't. that would take linden time and effort, as you say. this is pre-emptive planned landscape design. Imagine a time when the lindens don't sculpt the land anymore, because it's coming. 50,000 residents from now, the lindens will scarcely have the time to design continents.

PN: they sure won't. they will be busy fighting of lawsuits and the g-men for taxes and RICO and all manner of things.
LF: if you make a shitty landscaping idea, you won't sell your land.

PN: but they will have to judge. Look at their idea of beauty, the market in Boardman, yuck.
LF: they want us to run our world. philip wants to lose control of the beast.

PN: But they don't step out of the way! he MADE the beast no one can jump over now!
LF: ?

PN: The inner core, those with the ratings/land/paid tier/inventions with payoffs/riches/land etc. they are a significant obstacle to growth.
LF: uh, they drive growth, last time i checked. cool content = more players. more players = more people making cool content.

PN: they want to set things in world and go offline and just collect.
LF: so you're faulting people for not being by their vendors 24/7? customer service is an IM away

PN: You have no idea. There are all kinds of situations. disputes between neighbors over builds and view, griefers and laggers, calling in Lindens, dealing with griefer viewblockers in the bay, fighting over prims. you could spend your life on it.
LF: seems like your system needs streamlining

PN: yes LF what it needs is not one sim, but four. 99 percent of the trouble tickets relate to the view corridors and lag spreading from other sims.
LF: so... what? you're trying to define what others can put on their land, on other sims? how do you define what is griefing?

PN: If they lag a sim to 37, sure. They ought to be charged for that.
LF: no, they shouldn't. scripters would riot.

PN: Let them, I will fight back.
LF: how would you charge for this? on a CPU cycle basis?

PN: You figure it out
LF: no, it's your idea, YOU figure it out. you can't just sling these random ideas without more ideas to back them up. the hundreds of scripters will rise together and say "fuck no". you would drive people like cubey terra out of business.

PN: well these are the feted inners that block progress
LF: no, you'll drive the newbies out of business too.

PN: yeah well why should MY $40 a month subsidize their fuck-you hedonism? while I sit in 27 FPS with a goddman slide show???? Fuck that shit.
LF: because you get the unconditional ability to build WHATEVER YOU WANT on YOUR LAND

PN: I pay real money for land, and some kid with a script jones is going to dick me out of FPS? somebody has to PAY, LF
PN: PAY
LF: yes, the land owners do. feted inner elite land owners like yourself.

PN: while some kid with a portable dick dances under a strobe light? On my thousands of acres? That kid can hold me and others in 3 sims hostage?
LF: then AR him? boot him from your land? orbit him?

PN: I look at their entire grid, I see that the Lindens just serve the green dots in clumps and they don't care if the clumps even out. that's what it looks like to me, and it sucks big time and their world will not grow as a result.
LF: but their world is growing.

PN: THIS is growth????
LF: 20% a month

PN: oh, they are getting TSO spillout like me and my friends
LF: i dunno, that's explosive growth to me

PN: but that will taper off because they will disappoint people. they don't have a means of fixing the lag issues. they are utterly helpless I've seen them. they can ban somebody for a few days. but they can't address it at the root.
LF: what's the root of the problem? unfettered freedom?

PN: you have to come and see the scene of your crime now LF. I will tp you lol.
LF: ok

Destination: Prokofy Neva's Lighthouse Mall

PN: See, another mall. just what the world needs. I can spy on Anshe's mall from here LOL.
LF: just like every other mall ever.

PN: I know you will greet each new enthusiastic newbie innocent initiative with the jaded feted attitude of the inner core LOL. It's always "been done". it's always 'already tired', whether a mall or a bank or whatever. "It can't be done," you say. You're like old-timers in a village. People have to move away from you to the big city. You're a brake on progress, with your "can't be dones".
LF: i say "can't be done" so hundreds of newbies don't lose all their money on a shaky savings and loan.

PN: well don't worlds need banks?
LF: not this one. you can't do it without contract enforcement.

PN: Well from time immemorial immigrants have always made their own banks without the sort of nice contract systems that you may be thinking of. not all of it is pretty. crude but effective. it's a necessary stage.
LF: effective if there's a common bond of trust, but there isn't

PN: well why don't you trust anyone in SL? what have they done to you in two years to make you so jaded?
LF: people online turn into total morons, for the most part. the griefer shooting his neighbors and saying "FUCK YOU NAZI SLUT" at the welcoming area wouldn't dare do that in the public square of his town

PN: to be sure. what's your solution?
LF: none.

PN: you were telling me yesterday about your crusades
LF: my only stopgap solution is to find like-minded people that aren't morons, and hang out with them

PN: and push out the edges from there?
LF: no, i'm not building an empire. people are stupid in real life, too, you just don't notice it because it's less likely a random person will come by and be retarded. less so in retail, unfortunately

PN: ROFL
PN: but do you think that you and a group of your like-minded inner feted friends can then band together and push out the boundaries against the fucktards?
LF: no, generally i just want to be left alone, anymore. it's fun playing the forum game, but being the center of attention isn't my thing.

PN: have you not found any of the kindred spirits you sought when you began this grand adventure?
LF: i've found a few, for sure.

PN: but you don't really seem to believe in SL as a world, as a realm
LF: i've never developed any meaningful online relationships or friendships prior to SL

PN: you say it's not even a game, not a virtual world but a "thingie". that was your expression, it's not a game, but a thingie
LF: right

PN: Could you elaborate on that?
LF: it's 3D IRC with toys for me to create with. the concept is nice, sure, i'm a big supporter of it.

PN: So it's just your sandbox. With your toys.
LF: pretty much... my toys, and my friends

PN: well but multiply that by one million, and you have a world, but a world based on "my toys and my friends"
LF: sure, i guess... same goes for RL too

PN: which is insular, and selfish, and unsocial, and even destructive
LF: well, do you see me as insular, selfish, antisocial, and destructive?

PN: Hmmm

PN: Let's say "yes" to the first 3, but "no" to the last, because you have made landmarks in the world. you build good houses and buildings, you're among the best architects. I'd like to think aesthetics does track with character, although of course it need not do that. but I'm troubled by your essentially cynical and insular view. there's no vision, nothing higher, really, except perhaps science or knowledge.
LF: well, there is, but it's not my call to do it. LF: i merely observe the economy

PN: what are your credentials for saying antying about the economy?
LF: by that token, what are my credentials for building a house? what are your credentials for being a land owner and community developer?

PN: Your credentials are just being able to work the levers of the game better than most.
LF: so perhaps my credentials at reading a virtual economy is i've participated in it the last 1.5 years

PN: Have you ever bid on the auctions?
LF: yup, twice

PN: really, until you have walked a mile in the land baron's shoes, it is hard to see the issues. On the one hand, their land isn't selling. It is devalued. On the other hand, it's selling like hotcakes. it's like chicken pox around the map. some sells, some doesn't. but we don't have INFORMATION. we are in an unfree country like a communist Romania or Russia. We don't have the most basic fact, which is this: how much first-land is bought by newbs? how much is resold when? PN: when and for how much do they buy their first used land, etc., etc. They don't release those figures, and it is no accident, comrade. They claim that they roll out new sims to adjust to the growing population but we don't get the aggregate to make informed decisions. you can't have free markets without information and feedback like this.
LF: so ask the lindens for information. they usually give it.

PN: I personally think the formula of new-land-rollout = new players to be flawed. it's a racket.
LF: not really. most of the land is owned. the lindens will increase sim rollout until land is no longer mostly owned

PN: Like many young cynical techies, you are never cynical about the Lindens themselves. Most of the land is NOT owned. look at sims: no green dots, unsold land.
LF: uh
LF: most of the land IS owned, buddy

PN: I mean to measure how much land is marked for sale and not selling, versus how much land is sold and staying sold with the owner on it.
LF: you can't define "staying sold" without a time graph

PN: you have to measure the market, the intentions
LF: you're assuming intentions

PN: my point is there is a lot of open inventory
LF: yeah, because the world constantly changes. all a map of a lot of land for sale means is that people move a lot in-world

PN: people do move, because of lag and ugly builds. they are actually conservative by nature. they'd like to stay in their cosy cabins and cosy coves. but ugly people grief them and build ugly crap around them and they cry and leave
LF: and?

PN: lather, rinse, repeat
LF: ...until the neighborhood settles down

PN: neighborhoods don't always settle down
LF: and your solution is?

PN: player-based zoning
PN: mixed with Linden zoning

LF: the lindens don't want to zone

PN: and charging for use of server resources
LF: they want us to define things

PN: ok well we'll zone without them, I'm game
PN: just make them charge for server resources and we've got a deal
PN: OR
PN: let me be lord of the sim like that guy suggested
PN: was it blaze?
PN: let him decide where the public land goes and whether the griefing clubs get booted lol
PN: it will be even more like Russia than Russia
PN: I am more confident in American-style democracy, that groups of people can get together for the common good and can govern themselves, even without Ulrika Zugzwang. they don't need a lot of trappings of socialist democracy toys, they can rely on their own consensus, draw like-minded to like. Indeed, this is what you are ALREADY doing by making something like Grignano, aren't you?
LF: well, we'll see if Grignano works. it's a dictatorship right now, benign though it may be

PN: what makes it a dictatorship for you?
LF: the fact that i own 100% of southern grignano?

PN: hard to hvae a dictatorship on 6,000 sq. m.
LF: not really

PN: I'm going to try dictatorship on 8,192, I'll get back to you LOL
LF: "i don't like you, get out"

PN: I at least tell my tenants that it's not hot to fly around with their "attachments" hanging out LOL.
LF: that's assumed in grignano, it's PG

PN: I'll try to remember LOL
LF: anyways, i'm gonna have to wrap this up

PN: me too. have to go to Valentine's party
LF: yeah, i gotta get ready for V-day myself

PN: chocolates, can't go wrong there
LF: heh, something like that :)
anyways, ciao prok

PN: thanks, that was interesting, no?
LF: sure, hehe

PN: Happy Valentine's

Prok's Candid Coversations With the Core: Lordfly Digeridoo, Part One

The Feted Inner Core: what is it? If you have to ask, that doesn't mean you're not a member. But it certainly exists -- at least according to SL resident Prokofy Neva, who coined the term way back in January, deep in this thread on the SL forums.

Since then, forum traffic indicates the term has caught on. But threads like The Feted Inner Core of Second Life, Feted Inner Core?, and Feted Inner Core - woot! give only a vague idea of just what the Core is and just how it works.

To further enlighten Herald readers, we sent self-appointed Core Monitor Prokofy Neva out into the grid to gather the thoughts of several prominent SL residents who may or may not be members of the Feted Inner Core, as well as those who may or may not belong to the even more exclusive clubs known as the Fetid Inner Core and the Feted Outer Core. [Ed. note: The Herald editorial board is not entirely certain of the membership of these groupings, but we assume that their members will figure it out for themselves once they read their names in our newspaper.]

Prok's first victim interlocutor was Lordfly Digeridoo, who kindly agreed to a long and leisurely chat atop his clock tower in Grignano.

Part One of Two:

PK: I will ask you insulting questions and you can faux get mad if you like LOL. How much have you actually earned here?
LF: Around US$1,000 since January of 2004. Not a gigantic amount, but it did help me get the rest of my classes for my associates.

PK: It's hard for me to think of someone more feted and inner than you, my friend. You epitomize for me the techie kid who is literally paying for college with his dollhouses here. I mean, sheesh, I used to sling hash to pay for college.
LF: I sling prims. You'd be surprised how little I'm connected to the various cliques in SL.

PK: How you have been so busy when you have only what, 6,000 square meters? I thought you were working on an entire city, to hear you tell it!
LF: Well, college and work cut into a lot of my time, as well as more social matters, so I don't get much time to build anymore. And I just found someone special in SL.

PK: Do you have free 4,096 land with paid-up tier? In Grignano?
LF: Yes. I was one of the last ones to snag them up before they ran out. 100% of my land is tied up in Grignano, minus the monolith in Europa.

PK: That's $25/month you save over everyone else, correct? You seem to have gotten a significant leg up over the rest of us with that 4,096.
LF: Eh, it's not that significant of a leg, really.

PK: His this free 4,096 area has given you significant visibility in the game? Or is it more likely your architectural monuments like the SL Public Library?
LF: Nah, that'd be my buildings. My free tier land was never used for much prior to Grignano.

Did Lordfly's free 4,096 give him a leg up in SL?

PK: How did you get started on your path to the inner core? Who gave you your first big break?
LF: Beryl Greenacre.

PK: She gave you a commission?
LF: She actually advanced me the money in order to finish her building. Lemme explain that. Prior to 1.2, if you rezzed a prim it cost you $L10. When I started out, I didn't have much money, so when I made her building, I only got halfway done before I was literally broke.

PK: So your point is we are all living on prim socialism now.
LF: No, we're living in a more sensible approach to server resources now.

PK: So that's why you have this quaint method of still pricing your buildings per prim?
LF: Yup, I can't find an honest price otherwise.

PK: We know that on Ravenglass the 2,048s sold with your house for $19,500. So that's significant.
LF: Yeah, that's huge. That's about 10 times more than I make on any other house.

PK: I want to ask you about those early days, when Bob Bunderfeld was going to be your tutor. But it wound up with a big sign on land you had access to, saying BOBLAND. What was THAT all about?
LF: One of the high water marks of my drama-inducing sludge in the game. Back in the day, the Slate sim was one of the most beautiful Sims in-world. When I moved in in July 2003, the sim was pristine... tree houses, log cabins (that was Bob's), wooden homes... and a railroad. Oh, and a gigantic castle with a flying pirate ship docked on it. I bought my first plot by the river, befriended my neighbors (who are still about the only folks I hang out with in-world to this day), and learned how to build. Fortunately, Olive was a sandbox sim back then, so it was a hop-skip-and-jump away to practice building (money permitting). One day as a newbie I decided I wanted to become a virtual architect, as my "profession" in SL. But, lacking any sort of street credentials, I asked the only fellow architect I knew... my neighbor, Bob Bunderfeld.

PK: How did you do that? You aren't an architect in RL?
LF: I'm a college student in RL. I've been making 3-D stuff on computers since the early Quake days. Aaaaanyways, Bob gave me a test to see if I was worthy to join his building troupe. Fortunately, he rejected me. And upon retrospect it WAS a shitty building.

PK: Ah-HAH!
LF: Regardless, I got over it and moved on. Fast forward a few months. Since then me and my fellow Slater Ezhar Fairlight had made a small garden, a walk bridge across the Slate river, and a clock tower with working gears and chimes. The sim was looking wonderful. About that time (we're in November, I think), Bob started getting grandiose plans to "control" Slate. He began buying up all vacant land and strongarmed various people out of the sim.

PK: Hmmm, control? Grandiose? Why would that be wrong? Was this a question of two feteds duking it out in a changing climate?
LF: Nah, it was a question of him taking control of the Slate Neighborhood Association. Which, sadly, I was a part of starting.

PK: So there were economic considerations here. Although whoever controls a sim merely gets to pay tier, LOL.
LF: There was no tier then. Fifteen bucks a month across the board, regardless of how much land you owned.

PK: wait.
PK: run that by me again.
PK: *THERE WAS NO TIER THEN?????*
PK: GASP
LF: There wasn't a tier. Everyone in-world paid 15 bucks a month.

PK: It's worse than I knew, then. You all had all this land and all this space and all these resources without the staggering costs we pay today. To get yourself established and feted by the Lindens
LF: No, SOME did. There were a few folks with 4-5 sims under their account. Everyone was soundly de-feted by the few.

PK: How did they get the sims? Was it an auction?
LF: No, all sims were released as public land. We had the traditional "land rush" for people to run in and snag the land in the sim.

PK: Are you saying that sims people acquired back then, that they didn't pay tier on, remain in their possesssion now?
LF: No, everyone pays tier now. Except the few that bought lifetime accounts.

PK: It's even more feted than I could have EVER dreamed. WOW.
LF: I... guess.

PK: OK so you put up your harassment BOBLAND sign...and then...moved on? and what propelled you?
LF: Well, Bob was strong-arming people, so the remaining folks left the Sim entirely. I didn't approve of it, so prior to me jetting off I bought a piece of land in Teal and erected the sign. That didn't sit well with Bob. He somehow tied it in to me being bitter over him not accepting me into his little building group. (By this time I had my own business going, quite well, for the record.)

PK: OK, so your business was swinging. You were sitting happy on your free 4,096, collecting your ratings welfare.
LF: Er, when? :P My 4,096 allotment was used in two places: 1) Tan, for Tan Tower, and 2) in Grignano. Tan was used to make a large apartment complex to make money and eventually sell it off.

PK (left) grills LD (right)

PK: How much did you make on that deal?
LF: $L25,000. A princely sum back in the day. Now I hear it's small potatoes. Back then the linden dollar was barely at US$0.80/$L250. People were speculating if the Linden would ever hit $1/$L250. Then the land speculation bubble happened, summer of 2004.

PK: Tell me what you see as being the biggest obstacles in the game. I feel that the presence in the game of classes of hardcore geeks and feted designers and so on is a real obstacle to progress and expansion of the game. Some older player makes something, charges a fortune, then doesn't want to do any customer service. There are many rackets like that, holding people hostage to their wares.
LF: Older folks are just as vulnurable to shitty business practices as newbies. The ones that make bad business decisions get hit hard on their reputation.

PK: I'd like to hear what your own main beefs are in the game. What do you find gets in your way, LF?
LF: Eh, drama becomes muted whispers, muted whispers become smear campaigns, smear campaigns become damaged reputations. What gets in my way are cliques, my annoyance with people, a lack of solid economic data. The commercialization of the game is fine by me, because if I don't want to participate in it, I don't have to.

PK: So what are your annoyances? You like the concept of people, yet people themselves annoy you, as you say on your slogan, but who the hell are YOU, Lordfly?
LF: I'm all me, baby. I'm just this guy, you know?

PK: What annoys you about people most? Do you hate malls? Clubs?
LF: It's hard to poinpoint. People take this game WAY too seriously. Clubs are wastes of time. TOTAL wastes of time.

PK: Hmm, why would they threaten a nice architect like you with cool stores with bodily harm??? Over what, exceeding your prim count???
LF: Well, that'd be the other high mark of my drama involvement in SL. In case you hadn't noticed in the forums, I hate bullies. I don't like people that belittle others for no reason. There was a certain club owner that had a space in Federal for a long time. He had recently flared up on the forums, typing truly incoherent posts. Keep in mind he's a native-born English speaker, from St. Louis. He went on to call about 2 dozen people "fags" in-world and on the forums, spouting general hate everywhere. So I got sick of it, and I went over to his club and erected a sign right in front of it: "Chairman Mao says NO to ugly club builds!"

PK: What annoys you then about the game itself? Or is it only the people?
LF: The game itself: Crashing. The people: unwillingness to change.

PK: IS there an inner core that is die-hard? Refusing to reform?
LF: No, it's everyone in SL. Everyone gets used to their little routines, their entitlements, their proceeds, and then the lindens come in and go, "Okay, well, this shit's broken, here's some new rules," and then everyone goes batshit loony.

PK: Well, can you blame them?
LF: Yes, yes I can. The entire point of SL is that it changes constantly. It's a virtual economy of course, but it CHANGES. The entire game changes. Every day thousands of builds go up and down.

PK: Tell me, why do YOU want the Lindens, Lordfly? Do you know them? Have you partied with them? Do they love you to pieces?
LF: Some of the Lindens don't like my attitude on the forums. Others tolerate me because I make good content. A few like me because I have good ideas sometimes. I really like the company, they're a good set of people.

PK: Yes, you do have good ideas and your work speaks for itself.
LF: ack. I have to run, I'm late for a social engagement.

PK: Could they have created a monster, however, in this insular community that lives on its entitlements and fear of change?
LF: I'll answer that question later, I really have to run.

PK: kk. Thanks so much.
LF: ciao.

Look for Part Two of Prok's Candid Coversation with Lordfly Digeridoo shortly in the Herald.
[UPDATE: Read part two here.]

"It"s Not Illegal Yet!" -- Opening the Sports Book in SL

by Walker Spaight

As the rash of Tringo parlors makes clear, gambling is a not unpopular activity in Second Life. Now, just in time for March Madness, a full sports book is coming to SL that will allow residents to indulge their taste for wagering on RL sports like NCAA basketball, Major League Baseball, and whatever else happens to be in season.

The brainchild of TSO refugee Kingey Oz, The Grid Sportsbook will launch as soon as this weekend, offering the chance to bet on NBA and NCAA basketball at first, and expanding to other major sports as they come into season. The Herald spoke to Kingey outside the Second Life Network Building in Atlas as Kingey was considering final touches to put on The Grid Sportsbook vendors (pictured here without data).

The project, which is financed by backers who will remain nameless, will launch with a single vendor at James Miller's lotto terminal in Noyo, but should soon expand to locations all over the grid, according to Kingey.

The project is scripted by Marc Eisenberg, who has created a Web interface that will store games, spreads and results. Fearless Leader is responsible for the prim design of the vendor itself.

Kingey comes to SL's betting scene with similar experience from TSO, where he helped run the MotorCity Sports Book in 2003. "Casinos are big here, and it worked in TSO," Kingey said. "With enough persistence, I don't see why it shouldn't work here."

Previous grid experience with sports betting has not been a smashing success. Usher Caldera, who ran a scripted NFL book last season, told the Herald, "There are lots of gamblers in SL but very few sports fans." (Forum postings show that Satchmo Prototype also briefly ran an NFL book last year.)

Usher, who was kind enough to share his stats with the Herald, said he barely broke even on the venture, and "absolutely didn't make back my investment of time." Usher said his system took in about L$200,000 in wagers over the NFL season, 85 percent of which was paid out to winning bettors. Another 12 percent was paid out to "partners" who hosted his vendors on their land.

However, Usher was not discouraging when it came to future projects: "If it's promoted correctly, it could work, definitely," he said.

The Grid Sportsbook will operate through an XyText display that will allow bettors to scroll through available sports and games and place their bets. As a security measure, bettors receive a receipt which they will have to bring back to the vendor in order to collect their winning bets. Asked about the inventory-eating bugs that have cropped up lately in SL, Kingey said bettors would be free to IM him with any problems, as a full record of bets would also be stored by the vendor.

In the first implementation, bettors will be able to wager only on the point spread on games, but a future version should allow money line and over/under bets as well. Spreads and money lines will be determined from a composite of various Internet sources.

Payout on winning bets will be L$10 for each L$11 wagered. (I.e., total payout on a winning L$11 bet would be L$21.)

Asked about the legality of the operation, Kingey said he had informally polled a Linden about it, and gotten the following response: "It's not illegal yet!"

Outrage Over W-Hat Twin Towers Meets PoMoBabble Defense

by Brody MacDonald and Walker Spaight

New controversy erupted recently over a W-Hat build in Baku sim depicting New York City's World Trade Center towers under attack, as they were on September 11, 2001. But in addition to questions of taste, both the build and the community's reaction to it also raise questions about just how much free expression Linden Lab would like to see in a place where LL "does not exercise editorial control over the content of Second Life" (as the somewhat schizophrenic Community Standards document puts it).

Several SL residents were dismayed to see such a violent depiction of the towers on the grid, complete with flames, planes and crashing trucks. "I had been in the Twin Towers on 9/11," says Gina Fatale. "I don't find any humor in their display at all."

Fatale says she visited Baku sim with an SL resident who in RL is in the military. When the W-Hats in attendance refused to see things their way, her friend opened fire, eventually resulting in his being banned. "I do believe we all deserve to express our views, but not when it comes to racism, or finding humor in something where thousands died," Fatale says. "I don't believe it is moral, making fun of the dead."

But several W-Hats and friends said outraged avatars were simply taking the build too seriously. "Don't try to read a Russian novel's worth of intentions into why the towers are there," said Huns Valen. "The towers are a jab at all those jingoistic idiots that plastered their cars with American flags, when they didn't feel a whit of patriotism the day before."

"When is it going to be okay to make jokes about it?" asked Alexandra DeFarge. "Are we going to get an official memo from the Department of Homeland Security?"

Some residents felt the build went further, actually promoting terrorism rather than simply making a crude joke at the expense of the dead. (Some simply felt is was a crude bid for attention.)

"Once the act of violence itself is glorified in any way, it makes people believe that it is okay to do it again and again," says Mystique Suavage. "It truly offends me. I have a lot of friends and relatives that are in the military. I have seen the effects on their lives, reserves that have been recalled, some that wound up losing their jobs [because their tours of duty were extended]. To have someone recreate a tragedy of such magnitude is truly distressing. There is a line where their freedom infringes upon mine. This not only infringes on mine but upon all of those innocent lives that were lost that cannot defend themselves, and the family members of those victims that are not here to defend their loss."

The W-Hats remain convinced that free speech is better than none at all. "Living in fear supports terrorism more than some pixels," Alexandra DeFarge said.

"It's an example of the absurdity of life," put in Cromulence DeGroot, attempting to clear up the issue once and for all. "Superimposing pop culture over tragedy shows how we manufacture our national outlook through the media," he said (in a fitting example of the absurdity of post-modern commentary).

Bakuzelas Khan, a W-Hat officer, pointed out that no one had come to complain directly to him. And in any case, "I can't take this place too seriously. I dont think people should," he said. "It's not real. It's a fantasy place. So many people get so serious in it, they can't play anymore. I have seen a lot of friends leave because it gets too uptight in here. If the community wants people to STAY, we have to be accepting."

The outrage is all relative, according to the W-Hats. "There are far more disgusting things out there than some people who choose to make fun of knee-jerk patriotism," said Alexandra DeFarge. "Apparently it's okay to make balls that put your avatars into sexual positions or a prosthetic orgasming penis, but it's not okay to write the word FUCK on something in a mature sim."

Nor is it okay to depict a statuary nipple in a PG sim, as Stormy Roentgen found out recently.

This is perfectly in keeping with the Community Standards, which state, "Content, communication, or behavior which involves intense strong language or expletives, nudity or sexual content, the depiction of sex or strong violence, or anything else broadly offensive must be contained within private land in areas rated Mature (M)."

It's not known whether Stormy's stone nipples raised much of an outcry -- certainly no complaints reached the Herald. But in a place that's supposed to be a virtual society shaped by its residents, it seems odd that a piece of art that seems to have offended no one would be removed, while one that ruffled many feathers would be left to stand. Perhaps one day, SL's Community Standards will be just that: standards set by the community, fulfilling the bottom-up promise of interconnective worlds like SL, rather than something dictated from on high that ignores the distributed power that makes places like SL great.

Cousin Vincenzo's Looking Glass War

In the hall of mirrors that is the SL mafia scene, alliegances come and go quickly and deception and betrayal are the order of the day. Vincenzo Gillespie worked for Vincent Stravinsky who in turn was in business with underworld power couple Gina Fatale and Marsellus Wallace. Vincenzo says he was hired to hit Cinda Valentino's casino, as well as a half dozen other clubs in SL. Stravinsky says no such hit was authorized and that Vincenzo is trying to cause trouble for the Stravinsky group because he was fired. All parties agree that Vincenzo was fired, but was it just a cover yer ass firing? In this four-way interview, I talk with Vincenzo, Vincent, and Cinda Valentino associate and Herald employee Mr. Fairplay. What really happened? You decide.

Vincenzo Gillespie: Make it quick I think I be suspended again roflmao
Urizenus Sklar: suspended? for what?
Vincenzo Gillespie: For shooting bombs during the attack
Vincenzo Gillespie: His neighbors he said are going to report me lol
Urizenus Sklar: Vincenzo, rumor has it that you've been chasing around to different club owners and gang leaders claiming that Gina Fatale ordered you to hit them. why?
Vincenzo Gillespie: You mean Cinda Valentino lol
Vincenzo Gillespie: I only hurt her, since Gina did ask for it to be done, she said it will help her club to get more visitors if the competition is dropped :-)
Vincenzo Gillespie: I only hit Cinda
Vincenzo Gillespie: She will deny it and most will believe her but hey, I do not give a rat's ass
Urizenus Sklar: What is the name of Cinda's club?
Vincenzo Gillespie: Some club Valentino club
Vincenzo Gillespie: Payment was well, thanks Gina
Mr Fairplay: So how could that possibly be helping Gina?
Vincenzo Gillespie: Some Valentino club, was a club or some shit I can not remember
Vincenzo Gillespie: All I remember is Gina asking for it to be done, so me being a polite man I was happy to oblige :-)
Vincenzo Gillespie: Was in some person picks, hell if I remember
Urizenus Sklar: Gina says you are angry because you were kicked out of Marsellus Wallace's group
Vincenzo Gillespie: lol
Urizenus Sklar: is that true?
Vincenzo Gillespie: I could care less about that, I got kicked cause I shot Vincent
Mr Fairplay: Valentino Nightclub Casino he is referring to Uri
Urizenus Sklar: Vincent Stravinsky?
Vincenzo Gillespie: Gina and Marsellus aka dick blower
Vincenzo Gillespie: Yes Vincent Stravinsky
Urizenus Sklar: so did you try to frame Gina because you were angry?
Vincenzo Gillespie: After I shot him, Marsellus and Gina got pissed, which I could care less, I also then shot Gina :-) that was when Marsellus kicked me he can blow my left nut
Vincenzo Gillespie: I was not trying to frame anyone, just trying to finish a hit :-)
Vincenzo Gillespie: Not angry hell I do not find anything in this game to get me angry just entertain me
Urizenus Sklar: I understand that you are plotting to fubar the opening of Stavinsky's club, is that true?
Vincenzo Gillespie: What do you think?
Urizenus Sklar: If I had the answer I wouldn't ask
Vincenzo Gillespie: got me on that one
Vincenzo Gillespie: I plead the 5th to that question :-)
Urizenus Sklar: So you are at war with Marsellus Wallace
Vincenzo Gillespie: lol I am one person what can I do.
Vincenzo Gillespie: But ya I will go to war with him lol one man army hahaha
Urizenus Sklar: you can try to frame them and to secure weapons for a global attack
Urizenus Sklar: I overheard you offering to buy a nuke from One Song
Vincenzo Gillespie: Ya I asked him infront of you
Urizenus Sklar: did you want to nuke Stavinsky club?
Vincenzo Gillespie: lol I would if I had a nuke ;-)
Vincenzo Gillespie: Would give you more to write about then eh?
Urizenus Sklar: well then is it fair to say that you are actively trying to find weapons to nuke Stavinsy's club?
Vincenzo Gillespie: Just do what I can to make sure I have entertainment for this game
Urizenus Sklar: Does that include attempting to frame former friends and employers?
Vincenzo Gillespie: I plead the 5th
Mr Fairplay: Ok so let me get this straight who exactly "payed" u to hit on Cinda's place?
Vincenzo Gillespie: Gina
Mr Fairplay: But you mentioned that you ended up shooting her also, now that doesn't make much sense does it?
Vincenzo Gillespie: Sure it does, put shit together my friend, I was working as a Hitman for vincent and Gina they asked me to complete certain jobs
Vincenzo Gillespie: Despite the fact I ended up turning my back on them, i wanted to make sure I completed the jobs they gave me so i could have more people attacking them as well :-)
Vincenzo Gillespie: Though they will deny it but hell why do I care anymore
Mr Fairplay: heya Vincent welcome to this interview
Vincent Stravinsky: Hey
Vincenzo Gillespie: Hello Vincent
Vincenzo Gillespie: So nice to join us :-)
Vincent Stravinsky: So is Vincenzo telling some more fictional tales?
Mr Fairplay: Sure sounds like it.
Vincenzo Gillespie: No fictional tales, just the truth
Vincent Stravinsky: Yeah ok.
Vincenzo Gillespie: If it was lies, why is Marsellus and other trying hard to take me out?
Urizenus Sklar: Vincenzo says he is seeking nukes to demo your club opening, do you have a comment on that vincent?
Vincent Stravinsky: Well... go ahead and do it.
Vincenzo Gillespie: Pass me a nuke? lol
Vincent Stravinsky: My club is in a public PG sim.
Urizenus Sklar: Mr., F, are those nukes still on the market?
Mr Fairplay: As it goes, they aren't I try to not disclose without my client's consent but a big time mafioso in SL has bought rights to it, for L$100K so that I don't resell
Mr Fairplay: so nope they aren't currently available for purchasing
Vincenzo Gillespie: lol
Urizenus Sklar: Vincenzo, why are yo uso angry with Mr. Wallace?
Vincenzo Gillespie: Just never cared for him honestly
Vincenzo Gillespie: He seems to be a load of shit
Urizenus Sklar: but you worked for him
Vincenzo Gillespie: Hell no
Vincent Stravinsky: Vincenzo claims to have gone "legit".
Urizenus Sklar: IC
Urizenus Sklar: So you don't like him, why is that a reason to frame him?
Vincenzo Gillespie: I did not frame anyone.
Urizenus Sklar: you claimed Gina offered you 2K to hit Cinda
Vincenzo Gillespie: I never said Gina offered any money
Mr Fairplay: eh?
Urizenus Sklar: well what did you say then?
Vincenzo Gillespie: In 2k range
Vincent Stravinsky: lol we all have the card
Vincenzo Gillespie: I said gina and Vincent paid me :-)
Vincenzo Gillespie: I did hits for Vincent and Gina
Mr Fairplay: Is that true Vincent?
Urizenus Sklar: 2K to hit Cinda?
Urizenus Sklar: and what does that mean? shoot her once?
Vincenzo Gillespie: never said 2k i just said I got a payment
Urizenus Sklar: well how much was the payment?
Vincenzo Gillespie: That is between me and Gina and Vince
Urizenus Sklar: well they say zero
Urizenus Sklar: what do you say?
Vincenzo Gillespie: Never ask a man how much he has in his wallet, and how much he gets for a job :-)
Mr Fairplay: Vince how much would it cost me to get u talking?
Urizenus Sklar: what I really want to understand is why you are so angry with vincent, Marsellus and Gina
Vincenzo Gillespie: Of course they will say zero...they want to make it look like I hit Cinda for my own reason
Vincenzo Gillespie: Not angry with them, was just Vince
Vincenzo Gillespie: You see Vince was paying me to do things, he later then ripped me off
Vincenzo Gillespie: I was not happy with that, so I shot vince
Vincenzo Gillespie: Then one thing lead to another.
Mr Fairplay: So why is Marsellus after you now?
Vincenzo Gillespie: Since Gina cried to him claiming I am framing her and Vince
Vincenzo Gillespie: Marsellus is there to try and clean things up, what did he do in TSO supposedly?
Vincent Stravinsky: And no it's not true. We didn't hire Vincenzo. He was fired from both Russian Mob and KingPin when he hit Cinda.
Vincenzo Gillespie: Yes to make it look like I did it on my own
Vincent Stravinsky: Vincenzo you're so bad at this.
Vincenzo Gillespie: You see how quick I get fired from kingPin and Mob after completing a job?
Mr Fairplay: Why was he fired Vincent?
Vincenzo Gillespie: So bad at what, the truth?
Vincenzo Gillespie: Look at how Marsellus was in the election scandal on tso
Urizenus Sklar: Vincenzo, why would Gina be angry with Cinda?
Vincent Stravinsky: He was fired because he shot me while I was working.
Vincent Stravinsky: And then insulted the family.
Vincenzo Gillespie: But I always completed the Hits you asked for
Vincenzo Gillespie: And do not deny it
Vincent Stravinsky: Yeah, you did.
Vincent Stravinsky: One hit.
Mr Fairplay: lol
Vincenzo Gillespie: More than one
Vincent Stravinsky: Which was, I believe, Renox Templar.
Vincenzo Gillespie: More than that now :-)
Vincent Stravinsky: Because you framed him to start a war.
Mr Fairplay: Urizenus Sklar: Vincenzo, why would Gina be angry with Cinda??
Mr Fairplay: Answer the question about please Vincenzo
Vincenzo Gillespie: Was business wise my friend, think about it clubs :-)
Vincent Stravinsky: She's not. They don't know eachother.
Mr Fairplay: So why was she contribution towards getting Cinda hit?
Vincenzo Gillespie: I still have a few more clubs to hit for Vincent and Gina
Vincenzo Gillespie: But will have to put them on hold
Vincenzo Gillespie: Since I do not want to get banned so quickly
Vincent Stravinsky: Like I said, Gina and I had nothing to do with it.
Vincent Stravinsky: Vincenzo's been family hopping, trying to start shit.
Vincenzo Gillespie: I have been in one family
Vincenzo Gillespie: I just worked for you as securty/hitman
Vincent Stravinsky: You were in the main group.
Vincenzo Gillespie: Yes
Mr Fairplay: So tell me about Gina again Vincezo
Mr Fairplay: why did she want to hit on Cinda
Mr Fairplay: u still haven't answered the question
Vincenzo Gillespie: Goodness man
Vincenzo Gillespie: Scroll up
Vincenzo Gillespie: I answered it 6 times
Mr Fairplay: still doesn't compute
Mr Fairplay: maybe u want to do a really lengthy explanation over it
Vincenzo Gillespie: Nope
Mr Fairplay: then I say you're lying
Vincenzo Gillespie: I read about ya in the herald, when Tank hired you to get land
Mr Fairplay: and?
Vincenzo Gillespie: Vince and Gina hired me to take out clubs to help them get to the top
Vincent Stravinsky: How would that get us to the top?
Mr Fairplay: gotcha
Vincent Stravinsky: I did a fine job at fixing my club after you bombed it.
Vincenzo Gillespie: Taking out competition my young friend
Mr Fairplay: so how many clubs was it asked for u to hit in total?
Vincenzo Gillespie: Yes but it took you a while :-)
Vincenzo Gillespie: About 6
Urizenus Sklar: which clubs
Mr Fairplay: just for $4000?
Mr Fairplay: and which clubs....
Vincenzo Gillespie: I never said any price
Vincenzo Gillespie: The clubs will stay unknown, since I still need to pay them a visit
Vincent Stravinsky: ::waits for vincenzo to find a few clubs on search::
Vincenzo Gillespie: Do not want to be on ban list so quickly now do I?
Mr Fairplay: Ok I think I got this straight
Mr Fairplay: Vincenzo your a liar
Mr Fairplay: there was never a specific club hit list
Mr Fairplay: Vincent and Gina never hired you to do shit for them
Vincenzo Gillespie: lol how stupid are you man
Mr Fairplay: well maybe 1 time
Mr Fairplay: Vincent might have done
Vincenzo Gillespie: More than once
Vincenzo Gillespie: Plenty of times
Mr Fairplay: to the contrary, its obvious that you made this stuff up
Vincent Stravinsky: Dude, you suck at your job. I'd never hire you to do something important.
Vincent Stravinsky: You let people shoot and throw up in my club when you were on duty for security.
Vincenzo Gillespie: How could i just blow some shit like this out of my ass
Mr Fairplay: Think of it this way why would Vincent pay you money, then want to kill you, for letting the public know that you were hired?
Vincenzo Gillespie: THink of it this way how does a goverment do it?
Mr Fairplay: Doesn't make anysense unless you real go was to stir this shit up?
Vincenzo Gillespie: It's a russian mob
Mr Fairplay: Nope dude, you're really creating an illusion here for us
Vincenzo Gillespie: How do you think mobs, "mafias" "goverments" take care of shit
Vincenzo Gillespie: Why would I do that?
Mr Fairplay: We won't buy it, you're out on your own
Mr Fairplay: This is your private revenge, against Marsellus and maybe Vincent
Mr Fairplay: that much is obvious
Vincenzo Gillespie: The Herald is out to cover it up lol since Marsellus and Gina are in the herald
Mr Fairplay: and I think we heard enough from everyone
Vincenzo Gillespie: ok
Mr Fairplay: have a good day all
Urizenus Sklar: ok, I've heard enough. Vincenzo you get the last word. Anyting you want to add
Vincenzo Gillespie: Yup
Vincenzo Gillespie: Yes all have a good Day :-)
Mr Fairplay: and Vincenzo I want to talk to u in private

Extinct Native American Tribe Finds Second Wind

by Neal Stewart

Duuya Herbst, taking the tribe to SL

"The tribes are taking over the world [...] Tribes are agendas. Aesthetics. Ethos. Traditions. Ways of getting things done. They're competitive. They may not all be based on time-zones. There are knitting Tribes and vampire fan-fiction Tribes and Christian rock tribes, but they've always existed."-- Eastern Standard Tribe, Cory Doctorow

Tavarua 160,78, Deeni Land -- Second Life resident Duuya Herbst is a real-life descendant of the Deeni people, a small tribe among about 15 others living in the northwestern United States, who were virtually wiped out by the U.S. government in the late 1800s. With no surviving pure-blood of the actual Deeni tribe alive today, he is trying to salvage the spirit of his ancestors in an online community and save a language spoken fluently by only 10 or so people on the planet.

Living in Oregon and northern California, the population of pre-contact Deeni and surrounding tribes was over 8,000 strong, Duuya tells me. In just under a century, there remained less than 1,000. In the 1850s, the arriving settlers and federal government that followed them was responsible for what was effectively the genocide of the Deeni people. The government funded the removal of native Americans protecting their homes -- who gold miners considered an obstacle to prospecting. "Eventually a war broke out, " says Duuya, "and the government sent troops. You can guess who won in the end. It's a long, long story that will eventually be online, in Second Life and deeni.org."

Duuya shows me the virtual replica of the dance hall that is host to his RL tribe's "Nadosh" ("feather dance"), a summer/winter solstice ceremony celebrating "Creation and Earth Renewal". Wearing shades, white sneakers and a red jumpsuit jacket with a white campfire logo, his avatar reminds me of a summer-camp counselor. The focus-piece of the hall is the huge photo that lines the back wall.

Deeni hall, Tavarua sim

"You're looking at something that almost got lost from time", Duuya tells me. Pictured are about 20 members of the Deeni tribe in ceremonial dress around a fireplace in front of the very same wall in the real-life hall. Duuya has built a crackling fireplace here that overlaps the 2-D picture of the real one, enmeshing the First Life event with the Second in a blazing orange animation. He stands in front of the photo and gestures towards two figures facing each other in a war-dance, "Me," he says pointing, and pointing again, "My father."

The image is oddly moving, but the way I've become a part of this virtual scene is almost surreal. This is the first time I have seen a Second Life avatar point to a photo of his real-life self. And it happens to be a photo of a very sacred and personal event. "It used to be an 11-day celebration. With each day passing they'd wear the better regalia. Now it's down to three days," Duuya tells me.

There has been something of a rift between Duuya -- who now lives in Southern California -- and the rest of his RL tribe. He accuses some of them of both literal and ideological corruption and believes that the tribe should spend less frivolously so that it can try to buy back the original land of his people.

I ask Duuya if he resents the government because of what happened to the Deeni tribes. "Not at all. Different time period, I wasn't alive then. It is what it is. I don't have an ill-will towards the government. In fact, I served in the U.S. Army mechanized infantry. My job was to take out heavy equipment, aka tanks."

I first encountered Duuya -- who has been in SL since early 2005 -- in the Thinkers group. Among other things, we discussed the ironies of virtual government -- a hotly debated topic in Second Life. Some SL residents advocate player-created governments in-game. Layered on top of this is of course the governing of Linden Lab, which has been described perhaps not so jokingly as a "benevolent dictatorship". Linden Lab is subject to real-world local, state and federal government law in the U.S. As individual players, Duuya and I both live in different countries and are subject to our own different laws. Interestingly, Duuya is also bound by the RL law of tribal government, which he compares to a foreign embassy on U.S. soil.

Duuya's goal is to keep the Deeni language alive (a language which was banned in early federal boarding and public schools) and to create a resilient community that can transcend IRC, SL or multiplayer games. "There is a big absence, a disconnection," he says. "I find a tribal community is something missing from today's world: a support structure." His vision for the community is essentially open-ended, and he stresses that it is not necessary to learn the Deeni language in order to join: "I'd like to think the online version [of the Deeni] would be like a 'family,' in a sense. We spend enough time within these 'worlds' with each other."

Part of the reason Duuya created this online community, he tells me, is because he's been thinking about the finality of what humans do on earth and about what legacies we leave behind when we are gone. It occurs to me that Duuya is himself part of the legacy left behind by the original Deeni people.

I ask how he would deal with leadership or ideological challenges from within his own community. "That's the way of politics. And the beauty of it. I don't want to be some e-God. I don't have time for that shit. LOL. I'd like to see the tribe be able to function without me. For people to feel like they are invested in something, you have to give them some control. A voice."

Duuya leads me outside the hall and rezzes a slick, blue RA-3 Hammerhead aircraft (built by Rick Roentgen) from nowhere. With our discussion still in my mind, I suddenly picture Kicking Bird from Dances With Wolves reaching into his buckskin pouch to produce an Imperial TIE Figther. As the shining spacecraft ascends into the clouds and the forested reservation drops away behind us, the contrast hits me and I'm struck by another of those "Holy shit" moments which seem to be indigenous to Second Life.

Cruising with Duuya

After we've landed, Duuya shows me his virtual home. On each side of the fireplace is an artwork made from eagle feathers."Those feathers are hanging on my wall as we speak" he tells me."In RL?" I ask. "Yeah. If I wasn't tribal it'd be a federal offense to have them."

He shows me a map on his wall, of tribal lands of the Indian nation. "Let me show you where we are from," he says, gesturing to an area of the land marked Siuslaw, near the coast of Orgeon.

We conclude our discussion in the open green fields of SL Deeni reservation land. "The whole Deeni project is really up to the people that are in it and make it what it is. Much like Second Life," Duuya explains. Duuya -- which means "bear" -- has to get back to the monumental task of transcribing the Deeni language into HTML documents and Second Life notecards. "There is no word for Internet," he laughs.

For more information, contact Duuya Herbst or Deeni Land in Tavarua.

Rising from the Ashes: The SimCast Gaming System

by Matthias Zander

Many remember the splitting of ways that the SimCast development team suffered in November of last year, and the call for an open-source gaming system that followed. This was all caused by the departure of the project's head programmer, Azelda Garcia. Like the mythical phoenix, however, the project has risen from the ashes of the old one and is seeming to be better than ever in the opinions of many.

Under the direction of Prong Thetan, the programming skills of Grim Hathor and Mystic Templar, the weapon and armor creation skills of Gurgon Grumby and Evad Yaffle, the animating of Ferran Brodsky, the designing of Osprey Therian, the building of YadNi Monde, the communication abilities of Simone Templar, the sound manipulations of Claire Engel, the enforcing muscle of Mystique Suavage, and the backing of the Herald's own Urizenus Sklar, the project has been reborn and is back with a vengence. This crack team of 12 people continues to work to improve the systems of combat, grouping, and typical game play. Beta testing is expected to begin on Saturday with an event at approximately 7 p.m. SL time, with a full release expected on or around March 1st.

From left to right: YadNi Monde, Gurgon Grumby, Evad Yaffle, Simone Templar, Claire Engel (in the fire), Prong Thetan
Not pictured: Grim Hathor, Mystic Templar, Ferran Brodsky, Osprey Therian, Mystique Suavage, Urizenus Sklar

I recently spoke with Mystique Suavage, the SimCast player who has gained the most levels during the alpha testing phase and was recently promoted to the role of enforcer. She estimates that she's spent between 80 and 100 hours actually levelling in the game over the past two weeks. Out of the current level cap of 160 (20 in each of the 8 classes), she has gained all 160 as of the early morning hours of Friday, February 4.

SimCast from afar

I also spoke with Grim Hathor, the man who took over the role of lead programmer after Azelda Garcia was fired last year. Since her code was available only to her, he had to start over to the very beginning. He said that he "recreated the basics of a gametag and combat in a few days," but has easily spent over 200 hours programming the new tags. Also according to Grim, beta will be a time of general balancing, but that it will last "for months to come." Only time will tell.

Bedford City

Another large thing that some speculate has helped with the rebirth of SimCast is the arrival of the group known as the Kao'an Exiles. Their leader, Sorshia Wishbringer, was kind enough to sit down with me to talk about their origins. Their group originated in the ActiveWorlds chat universe and includes both people who moved to SecondLife from ActiveWorlds and friends they have gained since moving here. The Kao'ans, since moving here, have been actively involved in DarkLife and now in the alpha testing of SimCast, which has generated traffic from many of their 34 members.

Sorshia Wishbringer in front of the SimCast Castle

The SimCast project consists of three sims (SimCast, Midgard, and Bedford), strung together and using the same mainframe to create a unique, immersive gaming environment. Improvements to the system are being made daily as new visitors arrive with their ideas and suggestions. The world is ever-evolving.

Bedford's floating castle

Even while in the alpha testing stage, SimCast got enough traffic to be awarded a "Dwelloper Award" for the month of January. Catherine Omega called it "A reason to quit emailing Philip to tell him how much SL sucks" during a visit on the night of Tuesday, February 1st. Philip Linden, along with many other Lindens, has visited the game. If the current traffic is any indication, the phoenix is rising and flying up, preparing to soar. Keep watching the Herald for more details on the situations developing in SimCast and information as it progresses through beta and into full release.