Alphaville Herald

Art in Areumdeuli

A new art gallery opens tomorrow night in Second Life's Areumdeuli sim. The Phoenicia Gallery and Studio, located in the heart of Areumdeuli, will be run by colleagues Viola Bentham and Victor Newchurch, and will feature "original works by talented artists from SL and RL." For its opening reception, kicking off on Friday at 6:00pm Linden time, the gallery will display "a selection of figure/nude and erotic photography by several New York-based photographers" (see sample at left). In-world copies will be available for purchase. A sneak peak by the Herald revealed a revealing but tasteful selection of images on the gallery's walls. Get 'em while they're hot.

Talk to Us

Episode #3 of Teh IntarWeb's most lovable podcast -- featuring such playahs as Cristiano Midnight, Aimee Weber, Lordfly Digeridoo, SNOOPYBrown Zamboni and myself -- is now available over at Johnny Ming's site, where, Johnny also reports, there have already been more than 1,000 downloads of the first three shows.

If you want to get involved in this kind of hot pundit-on-pundit action, dial on over to the SecondCast site and send Johnny an email. He's looking for fresh voices, understandably. Till then, we look forward to hearing what you have to say.

Fashion "Exposition" Review: Ambergris Baphomet

by Matthias Zander

I just finished attending a fashion exposition (I'd heasitate to even come close to calling it a "fashion show") for the SecondLife designer Ambergris Baphomet.  It was a very mixed set of clothing and raises some interesting questions about the fashion world in SecondLife in general.  Overall, it was an interesting show with some high points and other very low points.

Tulipmania Takes Over Second Life

by Dow Jonas

The crocuses aren't even up in real life yet, but in Second Life, people are going wild about pixelated tulips.

The craze was started two weeks ago by a modest, unassuming but rather prosperous furniture and prefab creator, Desmond Shang of West Trade Imports Ltd., in Alice, who describes himself as an antiques dealer. In a virtual world where nothing is ever very old and nothing can wear out, he assures himself some cachet by making certain items in a limited one-time, non-copyable edition, stamping them with his trademark and the date, and releasing them in limited quantities.

In a world sated with freebies and copies of just about everything bulging the avatar inventories, the exquisite prim-crafted tulips of Desmond Shang have sparked a Tulipmania worthy of the old meaning of the term for creating scarcity and paying high prices in secondary markets. In this case, just by calling something a collectible, Desmond has managed to create a high level of demand for an item with no intrinsic value in itself. And Slers, it seems, are willing to pay.

Animate Yourself

Phillip Torrone, the Herald's favorite nutjob, sends news that should have Second Life avatars dancing in the streets -- no matter what dance step they prefer. As Torrone reports on the Make Magazine blog, there's now a free avatar animation application, known as Avimator, that will allow anyone to create their own custom animations without recourse to expensive proprietary software. Very cool.

In fact, Gwyneth Llewelyn blogged Avimator about two weeks ago, but Herald staffers were too busy locking our former Editor-in-Chief out of the building to notice. See Gwyneth's blog post for forum linkage as well.

Tonight: Machinimists Tinker in SL

Well, it won't be Cannes, but tonight will see BuhBuhCuh Fairchild hosting a Second Life machinima festival featuring five films created by residents within the world. The films are a mix of genres, from the narrative to educational travelogues/ (and hopefully at least one with guns). Admission's free, and the event starts at 7pm Linden time in the Lukanida sim.

Thanks to Pierce Portocarrero for flagging this to us. Also be on the lookout next year (if all goes well) for Pierce's own documentary following a year in the life of Second Life resident Nephilaine Protagonist as she builds her virtual fashion business into something very real. Or tries, anyway.

"Ship-to-Ship" Services Now Available

The Herald staff had wanted more time to study the deep ramifications of this story, but now that Kotaku is reporting on sexual services available in EVE Online, it was clear that an editorial decision needed to be made.

Kotaku reports on a chat-based cybersex service that has made its way into EVE. But if you're not interested in having another person on the other end of your transactions, there's also a graphical ship-to-ship service available for pod pilots with money to burn. What's perhaps unique about the service is that makes real-world skin shots available within the virtual world, for a much more immersive experience (so to speak). [After the jump: Adults Only, Not Safe For Work]

New SL Developers Circle Develops -- Residents Cry FIC

by Walker Spaight

Seventeen Second Life content-creators met with Linden Lab evangelist Reuben Linden yesterday in an attempt to hash out some of the issues facing in-world developers, and to create some kind of shared resource for people who derive their income from SL activities. But when organizer Hiro Pendragon attempted to go public with a log of the meeting, attendees cried foul, while some forum-watchers saw shades of a new Feted Inner Core developing around the proposed developers circle.

Despite complaints, the stated aims of the meeting seem to have been quite worthy. "I brought you all here because there are questions to be answered," Hiro told the assembled. "Who are the developers in SL? What are our obstacles? What do we realistically charge clients? Where can we find shared resources? The problem is that we have no good means of communication. Today is about establishing that communication. This is not about a union. Nor about any form of government. There is a market in SL that is exploding. If we work together to communicate, share opportunities and/or pass on other opportunities, build networks, know who does what work, share resources, we will be able to expand the market for everyone, and everyone will prosper." Attendees included Adam and Munchflower Zaius, SNOOPYBrown Zamboni, Cristiano Midnight, Hank Hoodoo, Forseti Svarog and Gwyneth Llewelyn, among others.

Crew 88 Vows to Take Back SL from the Perverts (Whores, Furries, Elves and Emo Goths)

Last night I ran across a crew of 4 skinheads brandishing baseball bats, tire irons, and lag inducing weapons, torching a suburban cul de sac in second life. I invited the group – called Crew 88 for purposes of the interview – back to Herald Media Inc. HQ in Jessie for a chat about their motives, their plans, and their methods. In short, they are on a mission to take back second like from all the degenerate perverts (including prostitutes, druggies, furries, elves, Goths, goreans, emos, etc. etc.). So who’s left? Interview below the fold.

Play Money No More: Non-Virtual Goods to Sell for Linden Bux

Cutting out the middleman, SLBoutique founder FlipperPA Peregrine announced at Saturday's Democracy Island event that his virtual commerce site would soon begin accepting Linden dollars in exchange for tangible real-world goods. Read more at the Second Life Future Salon blog where we heard the news. Then call your accountant.

Fashion Show Review: DreamBuilders Mall

by Chipsen Queso

Fresh on the heels of my last highly-commented fashion show review from Cloud Nine, I decided to go out today to a show for an agency I hadn't previously heard of - the Divine Dreams Models. The show featured designs by Sparkle Designs (Leona Kitty), Avide (Inari Saito), and Whispers by Zelinna (Zelinna Jacques). There were certainly positives and negatives to this show.

I've picked out five example outfits out of the 18 outfits that I believe were indicitave of the entire show to present here in this review. The first is "Persian Silk" up above, modeled by Anastasia Ferdinand. This design is unique, but I don't like the color combination at all. What look like attempts at folds in the skirt also could use quite a bit of work to further develop that technique.

This outfit shown above is "Wine," modeled by Vixen Lehane. I personally like this design. The texture could use a bit more detail to give it better appeal, as well as varied textures in the prim skirting in order to give it a better appearance. Other than that, I do like it, and would consider purchasing it if the need arose.

Our next outfit is "Dark Heart with Mask Deep Red," shown by Lola Rosebud. I personally can't stand the mask that is apparently included with this dress. I think it's tacky and appalling. Lola also chose poorly with her poses, and selected ones that make skin show through her skirt. The skirt itself could use a bit more detail and variation, but certainly isn't the worst that I've seen lately.

This dress is called "Chic," and is modeled by the unfortunate Joy Honey. The host of this show called this set "elegant." I would have to strongly disagree. The detail on this outfit is strongly lacking. The skirting looks like it has a slit down the front with Photoshop paintbrushes of random sizes imprinted along the sides of the slit. This outfit could seriously use some major work, and should be revamped with more detail and better painting, and then re-released.

This final dress is "Paris," modeled once again by Vixen Lehane. I tell you what, Vixen sure got the large straw for this show. First she gets the gorgeous "Wine" ensemble, and then finishes up her afternoon with "Paris." The top is very nice, though the skirt itself could use a LOT more detail. Seriously, slapping a color down and painting a few dots isn't a finished product. That's not even close. This model also made the mistake of talking while on the runway, and wearing bling in her nose. Both of these things strongly distracted from the dress itself.

Overall, this show was pretty bland. I was getting very bored towards the end. This certainly wasn't one of the best fashion shows of the year, but it wasn't one of the worst, either. I'd probably give it 2.5 stars out of 5.

I do have a few general comments about the entire show, in conclusion:
1. NEVER talk while on the runway (nemi and Vixen unfortunately did this). It distracts from the outfit you're wearing and makes you look like an attention whore.
2. Don't wear any bling while on the runway. It not only lags the sim, but once again, it distracts from the outfit that is supposed to be the center of the attention while you're out there.
3. Always make sure your hair fits your head. You'd think this would be common sense, but it obviously wasn't for Anastasia.
4. Never let skin show through your dresses. There's something called sliders you can use to adjust your shape (specifically leg muscularity and saddle bags) to prevent this.
5. In a multi-designer show, the host ALWAYS needs to announce who designed the outfit. This is something that Circe forgot to do today.

A Solution to the SL Lolita Gap? Bring on the Goth Lolitas!

by Kendra Charlton

The Lolita look; while it has become increasingly popular in Japan, I have never seen a Lolita in SecondLife. I even joined a Lolita club but I have yet to see any of my fellow group members come online. So I asked myself, "why are there so few Lolitas in SL?" Perhaps the problem is that in SL, anyone can be anything that pops into his or her head; I've come to the conclusion that there must be people with the first lives of Lolitas who don't dress in special in SL because their avatars can be children instead! After all, In SL you don't have to act like a child, you can simply *be* that child. But I still think there is room to develop a branch of the Lolita sub-culture in SL – the Goth Lolita.

Many people are not familiar with the term "Lolita", so allow me to explain. The original term comes from Vladimir Nabokov's famous novel about a man who becomes sexually obsessed with a pubescent girl. In Japan, however, the term doesn't necessarily mean the Lolitas are dressing up for a sexual reason; they dress up so that they can look cute. The actual style can range from Victorian children to baby dolls.

In Japan, the girls who would dress in this manner are characterized under the same traits; they work hard in school, achieve top grades, did not have a happy childhood, and just want to let loose and have fun. You might say these girls have an arrested development as they ride miniature merry-go-rounds, in clothes that look much too small, speaking in the voices of little girls, in the mall on their days off. Given this information, I can only assume many others would come to the same conclusion I stated previously; there isn't a need for Lolitas in SL. However, it could be argued that the fashion of the Lolita is at least needed because it would bring something fresh and different to the gothic fashions of SL.

I have a great interest in bringing the fashion of the Gothic Lolitia to SecondLife because it is so unique. The dresses are usually a combination of black and white, or grey, with lace and ribbon attachments. The skirts are knee length (although the skirts are usually short, the style is very modest) and have a lot of volume, as you can see in my pictures. If dressing to reflect "first life" Lolitas, over-knee socks or stockings would be the first choice, but black fishnet stockings or tights are another choice. As for footwear, shoes or boots with high heels or platforms are the norm, and usually fall under a Mary Jane style. For the Lolitas that would rather not look so childish, frilly, ruffled or lace-trimmed Victorian blouses could be worn with long skirts and jackets. What would an outfit be without accessories? A few accessories that are popular in Japan are aprons, tiny top hats, parasols, lace gloves, and lace headpieces. Some Lolitas even wear bonnets, but it's very rare.

In SecondLife, however, I have only seen lace headpieces and dresses made with aprons, and I often carry an umbrella with me made by Bedazzle from the China Town promotion. Hair, another important aspect, is usually curled to give a porcelain doll look. Of course, the hairstyle is mostly determined by what accessory the Lolita places on her head, especially in a place like SecondLife, where prim attachments must be placed strategically. Make-up is also very important. Unlike my personal style, make-up is usually kept to a minimum, though black eyeliner is often used, and of course the completion is pale so white skin would be a popular choice.

If you are interested in more information about the Gothic Lolita, the following links should provide you with the most information. For info about Vladimir Nabokov's novel, http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Lolita has a run down about the book, and for general information about Lolitas and their style http://www.reference.com/browse/wiki/Gothic_Lolita is very useful and includes a short list of titles Lolitas can fall under. The two dresses shown in my pictures were made by Kyrah Abattoir and can be purchased at one of her many venders throughout SL.

Fashion Show Review: Munchflower at Cloud 9

by Chipsen Queso and the Mystery Collaborator

After a nice, long, refreshing break from the harsh and painful world of SecondLife's modeling industry, I decided to come back to review a show that ended up being harsh and painful. For a change of pace, a highly-respected figure from SecondLife and I collaborated on this review in order to get more than one perspective on the outfits and the models themselves. In other words, two opinions on just how bad they were.

Let's start off with the outfit shown above at the top. The model is the unfortunate Babyblues Boffin wearing "Clover." Instead of being Clover, this outfit should either be called "I Stole Overgrown Ostrich Feathers" or "Venus Flytrap Forever." Perhaps it could even be called "Overgrown Dinosaur Egg," not that you'd even want to touch what's inside of it. The boots make no sense whatsoever. They're just a pair of clodhoppers that don't match. This outfit is a complete and total bust.

This next picture is Gabriel Montagne, wearing Genesis. Yes, that's a male. No, it doesn't look like one. Instead, we at the Herald are speculating that Cher forgot to put on makeup, and somehow ended up in a Munchflower outfit on the Cloud Nine runway, arched backwards. The outfit itself actually is quite nice, it just needs a different look to accent it.

This next picture is the two outfits by Tiffany Martini, "Moonstone" on the left, "Ornaments" on the right. Honestly, Moonstone looks horrid in my opinion, as it has very little detail. Tiffany's poses also distort the dress completely, as well as breaking her ankles. Ornaments is a bit better detail-wise, but both suffer from one huge flaw on the model's side - HER SKIN IS ABSOLUTELY ABOMINABLE! That makeup is from Deep Space 9 or something, and the skin is totally non-detailed. I think I've seen two-year-olds who have created work better than this skin. Just a hint, Tiffany: go out and buy either something by KatanaBlade Anubis or Santana. You'll actually look like an Earthling next show if you do.

This next model is Melyissa Glitterbuck in "Vienne". The dress is actually quite lovely, but Melyissa's shape isn't. A word to the wise: YOU HAVE A PROBLEM IF YOUR HIPS ARE THREE TIMES LARGER THAN YOUR WAIST. Also, those white shoes don't match whatsoever. They're color-changing, so why not change to, oh, I don't know, a deep purple to match the dress? Oh, I'm sorry, that requires a brain.

This trio is Khayman Armitage, Queenie Extraordinaire, and Musimba Yellowknife in Munchflower's "Gauze" sets. The two men's sets come bundled. These are actually quite nice, as are the models. We would like to applaud Cloud Nine for being courageous enough to hire a furry model - that's not something very frequent, and is a refreshing sight.

This final outfit is "Thread," modeled by Mystique Suavage. On first glimpse, it's no wonder this outfit is falling apart - her hips are bigger than her shoulders! Good grief! It seems that Mystique is also currently suffering from the dangerous "Model Colorblindness Disorder," a very serious condition that makes it so that you have no idea how to match the color of your color-changing shoes to the color of your outfit. A black would have been ideal with that outfit in order to match the black in the outfit itself.

Well, it looks like the show came to a close. I'm not a fan of the runway myself - it looks like it's still not completely finished or something. These models need to REALLY work on their shapes and skins. Munchflower, this clothing is honestly lacking a bit. Better luck next time.

By the way, if you're wondering who I collaborated with on this article, let's just say that we've buried the hatchet. ;-) Look at the picture below of yours truly and my collaborator to get perhaps a bit of a glimpse of the future of the Herald fashion section (also including our glorious editor, of course).

Infonet Infiltrated! (Well, Not Really)

Squagmire Stravinsky's Infonet (or is it the g.Net now?) only gets more and more awesome. In fact, so formidable an operation is it that the Grid's own "innernet" has now drawn the attention of cyberpunks and VW hackers. The Herald has learned that the Infonet complex was recently the target of an infiltration exploit that saw a couple of SL residents wandering around in Authorized Personnel Only zones near the beating heart of the Infonet itself. Fortunately, the attack seems to have been driven only by benign curiosity on the part of a couple of young avs out for a good time, and in any case, Squag's security systems are comprehensive enough to deal with an intrusion of this nature. [UPDATE: As Squagmire herself points out, no data was affected by the wandering avatars, who weren't actually interested in the data in the first place, but only in Squag's amazing architectural achievement.]

Note that while you may see evidence in the link above that your correspondent was along for part of the ride, let us assure you that our motives were purely reportorial--and besides, we missed all the good stuff anyway.

Co-Opting the Contraband in EVE Online

As EVE Online's pod pilots know, not everything you can fit in your ship's cargo hold is equally pleasing to the NPC authorities who keep a watchful eye on Empire space. Drugs like Drop and Frentix, radioactive goods like plutonium, forbidden icons like Khumaak, and even the ectoplasm used to make the viscous suspension liquid that keeps capsuleers safe in their pods -- all are considered contraband in various sovereignties throughout the galaxy, with penalties up to and including painful fines, standing losses and, more often than not, the destruction of your ship.

Trade in such goods is understandably rare, though the accomplished smuggler can earn boo-coo ISK (InterStellar Kredits) with the right ship. Now, one EVE pilot is seeking to formalize the contraband market with a new in-game service that will gather market information in one place and enable smugglers to place buy and sell orders for such goods on a dedicated in-game browser page.

The site, EVE Black Market, is not yet available in out-of-game Web browsers, but is only accessible in the browser EVE's pod pilots have access to through their Neocom interfaces. Players can place buy and sell orders on the site, but then must EVEmail or convo each other in order to complete the transactions.

The normal in-game market, of course, already lists orders for contraband. But while the normal market only shows orders in one of EVE's many regions at a time, EVE Black Market aggregates orders from all over the galaxy. EVE's in-game player-to-player escrow system provides the same range of listings, but only sell orders may be placed there, and weeding the few contraband orders out from among the many other items on offer can be tough sledding. By collecting orders for contraband in one place, EVE Black Market could improve the smuggling business for capsuleers all over the galaxy.

Anaesthesia, the Gallente pilot who created the site, has been flitting around the galaxy since June of this year in the employ of uber-guild The Sentinel Corporation, but was not available for comment at press time. The Herald looks forward to bringing you more news of EVE's contraband market -- especially if we can get in on the action ourselves.

Fashion Show Review: Adriana DaSilva

by Matthias Zander

Tonight, I attended a fashion show presented by the SABORLATINO group for a designer I had never heard of, Adriana DaSilva. When Mariposa Martinez, the host, first walked out on the stage (shown above in the Seniorita Gown), I began to immediately think that I would definately have to shop at Adriana's store for my newly SL-wife, but decided to wait through the rest of the show to see. SABORLATINO hasn't gotten the best reviews from the Herald of any agency - did they improve this time? How did the rest of the designs fare? Continue to read on in Adriana DaSilva: The Good, The Bad, and The Horridly Ugly to find out. ;-)

The show this evening seemed to be divided into three parts: a lingerie group with all the models, then a bit of an outfit section with all the models, and then finally a set that was half bikinis and half formal dresses, including two prim dresses. In the same way, I'll divide this review into three sections - The Good, The Bad, and The Horridly Ugly.

The Good

This sexy blue lingerie set (that I never caught the name of) looked great on Dakota White, the model, and surprised me with the fact that the seams actually mostly matched! That's an incredibly hard thing to do, so I was very impressed when this rolled out onto the runway as the second outfit of the evening.

The "Lillies and Lace" set, also modeled by Dakota, was an outfit that surprised me. Before it rezzed, I didn't think I'd like the combination of grey and white at all, but it grew on me while on the runway. The detail on the top is awesome, though the skirt could still use a bit more work and could be more detailed.

The Bad

OK, in "The Bad," I'm going to focus on the models themselves, not the clothes. This pose that is shown here was WAY overused tonight, and really should be deleted from the inventory of anyone who has it. The knee in the air is horrid, ESPECIALLY when wearing short skirts (and this pose was used by ladies not wearing panties and wearing short skirts). It's bad when you see multiple models use that same pose every single time they're on the runway in the same night. A diversity of poses is a good thing!

I'm going to go on a bit of a rant here, so bare with me. Models and model managers always complain that fashion shows are laggy. Well, do you want to know why? It's because of the hair like the hair DON'T that I have a picture of up above. That thing has got to be AT LEAST 100 tortured prims attached to the back of her head, and could be done just as effectively without all the torture. Please, models, before you complain next time, take off your precious bling (yes, that includes particle poofs), your high-prim hair, and any attachments that listen in open chat! Everyone's life would be so much less-laggy.

Finally, there are just some models who shouldn't model certain types of outfits. I won't name names here because I don't particularly want to embarass anyone, but more heavy-set (or realistic, if you wish to call it that) models really shouldn't model lingerie, bikinis, or even non-prim skirts because of the way that SecondLife renders the mesh. I know that some agencies don't want to have models change their shape at all because they want it to remain the model's shape still, but is it too much to ask to get them into a shape that a bikini such as this would look AMAZING on? It wouldn't take that many tweaks to do.

The Horridly Ugly

OK, My first thought when I saw "Lime Cubix" modeled by Sophie Stravinsky was that someone had torn down the curtains from their windows from the 1970s and turned them into a skirt. I'm totally serious here. This is a MAJOR flashback, and it's not a good one in my mind. It's an interesting (and very unique) idea, but it doesn't work. Sorry, try again.

Hmm, I don't really see any detail in this outfit (called Sherbert Belted and modeled by Honor Lehane), do you? I mean, there's a bit in the skirt, but that's about it. Other than that, it's completely and totally detail-less. My huge problem with this outfit, though, is in the model's choice of shoes and pose. The shoes remind me of ones that would come with a Barbie doll, and the pose only enhances that. I hate to say it, but throw that pose in the trash can, find some better shoes, and find an outfit with some detail, please. Sorry, try again.

When the designer IMed me before the show and I told her I'd be honest, I honestly wasn't kidding at all. In that vein of truth, I'll give you my first thoughts verbatim when this "Sunshine" outfit (modeled by Blayze Raine) came out on the runway and rezzed for me. "What baby took a dump all over the front of her pale yellow dress?" Adriana, I'm sorry, but the "bows" on the front of the dress REALLY need a lot of work to look passable. Those don't look like bows at all to me - they look like streams of some kind of putrid liquid coming down the front. I'm sorry, but I can't even give this one a "try again." It just needs some SERIOUS work.

In Conclusion
To be honest, the fashions in the show tonight averaged out to just about a "so-so" in my book. There were some that I absolutely LOVED (the Seniorita Gown being foremost among them), and some that I can't even begin to think to call clothing. The main problem with the show was the models, to be brutally honest. They seemed like they needed a LOT of training, even though they've been working that same stage for months now. Models, WEAR PANTIES, especially if you're on stage in a short skirt. There was one model that I was panning around to try to get a good angle, get a slight upward angle on, and WHOOPS I was looking up her skirt without even trying, and everything was exposed to the SLworld. Second, diversify in your poses, models. That'll make for a much better show next time. Also, learn to count and move in coordination - the times when there were two models on the stage at a time did NOT go well. Finally, and this is a HUGE thing in my mind, DO NOT MOVE WHILE POSING! It only looks tacky, especially when you move from pose point 2 to pose point 3 while in a pose, drop it, and then go into your first one for that pose point! Ugh, I almost clawed my eyes out when a certain model did that tonight. I honestly hope that SABORLATINO works hard, takes my suggestions constructively, and has a great next show.

Rankings for the evening:
Clothing by Adriana DaSilva: 2 1/2 Stars
SABORLATINO models: 1/2 Star

GREAT BUILDERS OF SL: PART 2: GURGON GRUMBY, A MAN AND HIS DOG

GURGON AND BETA

In this article, the Herald continues its series of interviews with great builders of SL (actually we didn't know there was a series, but what the hey -- I guess there is now!). In the last interview we talked to Yadni Monde, in this interview Monsterrat Snakeankle speaks with his protege Gurgon Grumby.

Montserrat Snakeankle {RdS}: I am here today with Gurgon Grumby, the man who has been described by YadNi Monde as "my greatest apprentice". Thanks for coming, Gurgon, how you doing today?

Gurgon Grumby: I'm very well thank you.

Montserrat Snakeankle {RdS}: Tell us about your pal, here. what's his name?

Gurgon Grumby: the dog? Well I call him Beta, which is not to be confused with a Beta version, but rather meaning second, not Alpha.

Montserrat Snakeankle {RdS}: yes. tell us about Beta, please.

Gurgon Grumby: but people who buy him call him whatever they want. You can Rename Beta by just telling him his name is something else. Well... I started Beta sometime early this year. Yadni Monde asked me to attempt some of the scripting I had been doing with a pet, I was skeptical it could be done when I started, but it ended up turning out fairly well. When I first saw most followers in second life I was really disappointed, nothing more than floating statues that could take only very specific basic commands. Beta is animated, his legs, tail head and ears move using a variety of plotted movements. I've had a handful of people comment on the price being too much, it's actually been a small minority, usually people who are new to SL, or have not seen him perform. Beta represents weeks or months of work

Montserrat Snakeankle {RdS}: Beta is very expressive

Gurgon Grumby: he has a complex chat parsing and dialog script for control that allows you to give him a wide variety of basic dog like commands

Montserrat Snakeankle {RdS}: does Beta chase cats?

Gurgon Grumby: Beta could chase a cat if a scripted cat was in range and moving and you told him to follow it

Montserrat Snakeankle {RdS}: LOL I guess maybe you could make one of those next?

Gurgon Grumby: but he doesn't have his own behaviors aside from some basic movements. An early version I did and decided the bench had its own behaviors, another task that made him check the are around him for targets and then he would interact based on a bunch of integers, based on his mood, what the object was doing etc -- but I decided to put of selling the version that version

Montserrat Snakeankle {RdS}: what I find interesting about Beta is that it is easy to develop an emotional relationship based on his responses. it is easy to respond to him as if he were an actual pet.

Gurgon Grumby: That may have something to do with his head and tail movements...

Gurgon Grumby: I based his general responses on my own dog

Montserrat Snakeankle {RdS}: well you did a great job, I have to say. if a person wants to buy a dog, where would they go?

Gurgon Grumby: Well Yadni Monde, Nani Nino, and myself currently own 75% of Leda, I have a shop there, but we are about to remodel the simulator. Another good friend and great creator Ferran Brodsky has given me shop space at Phobos Design in Chaos.

Montserrat Snakeankle {RdS}: kk so they could go to phobos?

Gurgon Grumby: Yes I have a spot at Phobos Design in Chaos but mostly I sell things from Leda near the junk yard

Montserrat Snakeankle {RdS}: ah ok. now here you seem to have a very complicated set up. what is this desk for?

Gurgon Grumby: Well behind me here is what I'm currently working on, it's a few weeks from being ready to sell. It's basically a Simulator control interface, I call it Sim Sim Simulated Simulator, but that may just be a working name. basically it's a tool set for island owners to give them better control over their islands. Basically it deploys 4 communications and sensor posts which feed information back to this device, it then produces a 3d 1/100 scale representation of all the avatars or active objects in the sim, depending on what it is scanning for

Montserrat Snakeankle {RdS}: does it record what it sees?

Gurgon Grumby: You can teleport to any prim representing any avatar or object. You can also grant security access, or teleport home any icon. Additionally there is a variable detail topographical display, visitor counter, terraforming and multi security level access list and a few other features. it will record the last 250 avatars it has tracked currently that may increase -- I'm planning on waiting for 1.7 to be released before I release this, I want to include a HUD interface.

GURGON AT THE SIM SIM DECK

Montserrat Snakeankle {RdS}: now the question I am asking all builders: what is your opinion of the situation with the GOM tellers and Linden attempted takeover?

Gurgon Grumby: I haven't been following it as closely as I should/could. I have mixed feelings on it, on one hand I see this as a small step forward for Linden labs making second life use real money, on the other hand it may in the short term hurt the economy

Montserrat Snakeankle {RdS}: how does it feel for a builder, though? does the idea that lindens could leverage your work affect your desire to build in SL

Gurgon Grumby: Not too much really, I’m not really a professional content builder, SL represents a small amount of my RL income, perhaps $300-$500 a month. I usually build and script to learn and to test the limits, to see what I can get do, somewhat like someone would do needle point or something I imagine. I'm here for the long hall anyways, I do believe that SL has a huge potential to become the new interface for the future internet. I feel in a sense we are pioneers of Neil Stephenson’s snow crash metavers

Montserrat Snakeankle {RdS}: say more about that please

Gurgon Grumby: I think a lot of people in SL see the potential use of this for a tool Well. It's the 3d avatar based interface imagined by visionaries since the late 80's. I dreamed of this when I owned my first commodore 64

Montserrat Snakeankle {RdS}: what is your reaction to the idea that people have experiences here that are both psychologically and emotionally "real" to them?

Gurgon Grumby: Uh, duh. heheh Of course they have experience that are real to them. There is no doubt at all the what happens in second life is real. You and I are having a text conversation which we will both have mental record of, and it will then be placed on the internet for thousands to read. That makes it real

Montserrat Snakeankle {RdS}: well there is that argument made by some scholars that it is "screen life"

Gurgon Grumby: is this outside in the real world, with wind and rain and sun? No but experience had here are very real -- and the argument about what is in fact real is a very long and pointless debate. The point is that people are actually interacting here, maybe not in the way many people normally do.

Montserrat Snakeankle {RdS}: that's true. sometimes feels like a lucid dream to me. now tell me: how did you come to SL?

Gurgon Grumby: Lets see. A good friend of mine told me I just had to check it out, and I did. At first I had a tough time seeing what the point of second life as a game is. There is no real objectives, no real games in the traditional sense at all.

Montserrat Snakeankle {RdS}: yes that's something that people say about SL. how do you think it works, as a game?

Gurgon Grumby: I wondered around trying to figure out what the point was. I asked maybe a hundred people what they thought it was, and why the played. Some said it's a building game, some said it's avatar based chat, but then it just hit me it's a data interface, the data payload that is carried is really up to the users, it's a user designed world, a dynamic environment, and I just had a gut feeling that in 10 years this would replace Internet Explorer. I would much rather run around in second life than "search the web" and to me it's very much the same sort of thing

Montserrat Snakeankle {RdS}: what about system requirements though? right now the machines that can do SL are expensive.

Gurgon Grumby: ya but 10 years ago they didn't exist. In 10 years they will be cheaper than an old Nintendo if the world doesn't blow itself to hell before then

Montserrat Snakeankle {RdS}: LOL

Montserrat Snakeankle {RdS}: kk any last thoughts for the trusty readers of the Herald, anything you'd like them to know?

Gurgon Grumby: heheh not really

Montserrat Snakeankle {RdS}: I've been talking this morning with Gurgon Grumby and his dog, Beta. I really appreciate the time you've taken to talk with me, Gurgon, thanks!

Gurgon Grumby: Thank you have a good day.

Shape up!

When I'm in game, people often ask me how I am able to keep my avatar in peak form, and whether my RL free weight ripped and pilates tuned body contributes to my outgoing and frankly irresistable virtual personality. The answer, of course, is yes. A healthy real life contributes to a healthy virtual life, and vice versa. Perhaps someday I will write a book on the secrets to being a physical and virtual adonis, but in the meantime SL resident Roquen Mason has opened a business as a consultant on physical and virtual health. In particular, she will be offering her services as a Personal Trainer – in the form of in world consultations . The available consultations include the following:

• Exercise Programming
• Nutrition Advice
• Weight loss advice/programming
• Exercise for pregnancy
• Sport specific training advice
• Strength/muscle building planning and advice
• General fitness and health advice/monitoring and motivation
• General mentoring/counselling

An interview and press release follow.

Uri: How come you want to do this?? Do you think it will be fun, or are you actually worried about us, lol.

Roquen: Because I know that there is a need for it. I'm not saying everyone in SL is overweight but the current statistics in countries such as America and Australia a staggering and somewhat disturbing and according to the World Health Organization:

Globally, there are more than 1 billion overweight adults, at least 300 million of them obese.

Obesity and overweight pose a major risk for chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, and certain forms of cancer.
The key causes are increased consumption of energy-dense foods high in saturated fats and sugars, and reduced physical activity.

I am actually worried about everyone, and I say that in a global sense. There is a lot of misinformation out there about exercise, eating, health and so on, I'd like to play a part in correcting that and helping other people enjoy long full, healthy lives.?

Uri: Do you really think you can accomplish anything by just talking to people?? Wouldn't it be better to tell them to turn off their computer and go to the gym?

Roquen: Yes, I do, and I already do this in RL with clients I never meet in person. It would be simple to tell people to turn off their computer for an hour and go to the gym, however the average person doesn't know how to exercise safely in terms of type, intensity, time. Every day in the gym I work in, I see people training the wrong way for what they want to achieve, sometimes even completely wasting their time, there are certain principles in exercise that need to be adhered to and it takes more than reading a fitness magazine to understand these and put them into practice.? I want to educate people so they have the skills to make their time when exercising or their decisions when eating effective and safe. I can provide information on correct ways to?per-iodize training to achieve certain results, how to allow for adequate recovery from training, how to eat correctly according to their needs. Eating is the other big one, and I am very much looking forward to educating people on how to eat better - whether it is preparing healthier fast snacks to bring back to their computer, or whole meal planning.

Uri: Are you going to be interested in the health of avatars at all -- online mental health, balance in life, positive thinking, anything like that?

Roquen: My whole reasoning for even setting this up is the health of the avatars.? A?sedentary lifestyle can lead to many health problems, one study showed that? 20% of all deaths of people 35 and older were attributed to a lack of physical activity. That's more deaths than can be attributed to smoking. Looking at specific diseases, the risk of dying from cancer increased 45% for men and 28% for women due to lack of physical activity. The risk of dying from respiratory ailments was 92% higher for men and 75% higher for women. That's just the physical effects.?

People who aren't well physically can then have mental problems as a result - they have no "balance in life" as you say. Depression is rife among people who don't exercise, and exercise has been prescribed often and successfully as a way to reduce depression. Someone who is healthy in their body will enjoy their time in SL more, interact better with other people as they will be more alert, have more energy and less depressive tendencies.

Uri: If the idea of avatar health makes sense to you do you think that avatar health can have an impact on r/l health (and vice versa?) -- another way to put the question is this:? Is Uri the avatar such a mack daddy because his typist is physically a finely tuned adonis (and vice versa?)?

Roquen: Yes - as I mentioned in my previous answer - someone who is fit in RL, will have more energy, able to concentrate better, more alert and so on - which will make their avatar health better - and most likely a more enjoyable avatar for others to interact with. Exercise and good eating causes the release of endorphins - which make us feel good. I like to see my service as bridging the gap between RL and SL - and making a connection between the two. I think if avatars are visiting a centre like mine, and being educated, it might create a more healthy and interesting community in SL - where people have more to think about and talk about than SLingo and buying clothing and weapons!

***Press Release***

Second Life Health and Fitness is opening soon!

SL Health and Fitness is a new and exciting service being offered to its residents. It is bridging the gap between Real Life and Second Life and is available to everyone.

A sedentary gaming lifestyle can lead to increases in body fat – leading to overweight and obesity, limited circulation, blood pressure problems, decrease in lean muscle mass, decrease in fitness and therefore heart, lung health and bad eating habits.

Perhaps you don’t spend THAT much time on your computer, but just want a little help in achieving your body image/weight goals, or need motivation to stay on track.

I will be offering my services as a Personal Trainer – in the form of in world consultations at a very fair rate. The services I am offering are online and effective – you can use what I teach you and prescribe for you in your own time, but at the pace I set. Clients have access to the following services which are one on one appointments and individualised for each client.

• Exercise Programming
• Nutrition Advice
• Weight loss advice/programming
• Exercise for pregnancy
• Sport specific training advice
• Strength/muscle building planning and advice
• General fitness and health advice/monitoring and motivation
• General mentoring/counselling

Appointments will be held in Second Life, in either of my two offices and will usually last for about 30 minutes. I can also visit you in your home if you do not with to teleport to my offices. All appointments are individual, and all clients will be required to fill out basic health history screening forms and provide some general information about themselves and their current health/fitness so I can give effective and safe advice.

The appointments can be question answer counselling sessions, or specific advice sessions.. your needs will be analysed in your first appointment and further help will be structured from this to suit your needs. I will be available for email support in between appointments as well, to ensure you stay on track!

Benefits of having a Health and Fitness Coach

- Assistance in achieving your goals and maintaining motivation
- Assurance and peace of mind that the time you spend on exercise, and money you spend on food is going to WORK!
- A mentor who can answer questions, provide direction, motivation and support in what can be for some, a very challenging life change
- A shoulder to cry on when things get tough
- Clear correct, effective and researched advice on correct ways to eat for different goals.

A little about me
In Real Life I am a working and experienced Personal Trainer – currently doing a lot of work in a women’s centre helping with weight loss and toning goals. Also coach an male Australian Champion athlete (sprinter) and myself am a competitive horse rider and training to be s stuntwoman. I have a lot of experience with many different levels of fitness and ability and can coach and mentor anyone from an absolute beginner to an experienced athlete. I am ex army so have skills to motivate and push you to achieve your goals.

If you would like my help – please IM me Roquen Mason, to organise an appointment, or email [email protected]
Walk in appointments will be accepted if I am not with anyone at the time. Offices located at: The Menager in Scafell (207, 39) and just outside Club Rev at Picus.

Pricing Structure
As an introductory offer, appointments will be charged at L$200 for the first 20 residents. After that – appointments will be L$300.

I’m very excited to be offering such a new and different service in Second Life, thankyou for reading,

Roquen Mason

The Messenger's Message: There's A New Newspaper in Second Life

No, the Herald hasn't gone to a broadsheet format. The picture above is cropped from the positively newspaper-sized new entrant into Second Life's fourth estate, the Metaverse Messenger, which launched today. A weekly that will start at six pages, the Messenger is the brainchild of Katt Kongo , an SL avatar with RL journalism experience under her belt who has also hired a healthy editorial staff to help get things under way. Phoenix Psaltery, earlier reported to have been the RL journalist, serves as the paper's associate publisher. The pair will split editing duties between them for the moment.

The Messenger's inaugural number features Herald favorite Squagmire Stravinsky above the fold on the front page, and inside reminisces about the Memoirs of a Salesman in a department called Notecards from the Grid. Planned features include a Linden spotlight recognizing those Lindens that have been most handy at making life easier on the Grid, and plenty of space for advertisements, which the Messenger's sales staff seems to have done a bang-up job of selling into the first issue.

Laying out the Messenger's plans in a front-page feature, publisher Katt Kongo pointed out that the paper will be a strictly PG publication. "There are other venues for more X-rated news and features," Katt said. (Hmm, now who could she have been talking about there?)

The Messenger joins a Second Life media scene which, if not growing by leaps and bounds, is at least not gasping for breath. Besides the Second Life Herald, local papers that have been spotted recently in SL include the Orwood Hour and the Nova Albion News, and there are probably more out there that we don't yet know about. (Please get in touch if you're putting something out; we want to know.) And on the meta-metaverse front, there's Squagmire's own InfoNet FreePress, coming soon to an R4 terminal near you.

Herald publisher Urizenus Sklar, currently engaged in a long undercover investigative assignment in Monaco (the Pope, you know), was unavailable for comment. But we know that if he were here in the Herald's flea-bit offices at the moment, he'd join us in raising a glass to the Metaverse Messenger in the spirit of friendly competition. We look forward to such additions making the Grid a more and more vibrant place to spend time.

We apologize for this interruption. We now return you to our regularly scheduled X-rated news and features.

Fashion Show Review: Zelinna Zacques

by Chipsen Queso

This evening, I attended the innaugural fashion show of the Bella Donna models group of the island of Mirage. This show was advertised as having 20 new wedding designs by the marvelous designer Zelinna Jacques, who is known for her wonderful prim dresses. Though the show faced many problems, the presentation was still decent, but they certainly can get better.

My first surprise when I arrived at the fashion show was the layout of the runway. It was certainly not a typical runway in the slightest bit, but looked a bit like a sunburst with the points connected or a wagon wheel with water, grass, and swans in between the spokes. It is a very elegant and unique look created by black and white marble with accents in gold and water.

The Mirage Plaza runway at the finale of the show with Daphne Molinari at the end

The designs of this show were all gorgeous, in my opinion. Some of them could have been done better, but Zelinna truely worked her magic with all 20 of these. It's a shame that I can't feature all of them in this review, but space is limited! The first outfit that I wish to highlight is the lovely "Classic Elegance" dress modeled by Wiccan Sojourner (pic to follow). The cream and white top with black ribbon accents flows perfectly into the black prim skirt that any woman could wear to a wedding. The black is perhaps not right for this to be a bridesmaid's dress, but it is gorgeous nonetheless.

Wiccan Sojourner modeling the "Classic Elegance" outfit

The second outfit that I want to highlight is Babyblues modeling the "Garden" wedding dress, accompianied by Divivity's matching bouquet. This isn't my absolute favorite because the texture on the bottom layer of the prim skirting is very pixelated and grainy. Other than that, though, this dress is extremely gorgeous and would suit a wedding in a garden anywhere in SecondLife.

Babyblues Boffin modeling the "Garden" wedding dress

The next outfit that I'm going to profile is Queenie Extraordinaire modeling the "Velicia" wedding dress. When I saw her walk out on the runway in that, I believe I stopped breathing for around 15 seconds or so. This dress is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous! Zelinna must be a prodigy with prims, because I've never seen anything like this in SecondLife. The matching bouquet by Divivity is the perfect accent to make the wedding a success.

Queenie Extraordinaire modeling the amazing "Velicia" wedding dress

Finally, I'm going to profile the dress that Daphne Molinari is shown wearing above, the name of which I can't remember (sorry! chat history disappeared when I crashed soon after the show). This dress is absolutely GORGEOUS! I so wish that I had the $L to go shopping in Zelinna's store for this and all the other dresses, but sadly, writing isn't the most advantageous profession. I suppose I'll have to just watch and drool all over myself.

Though the outfits were gorgeous, there were quite a few bumps with the presentation of them. Models were (I assume) relogging and appearing on the stage instead of backstage. Tops weren't rezzing properly. Models were running into the invisible walls left and right. One model even got stuck on the runway, but reacted well considering. They do certainly need to do some work, but with these designs, it's hard to make them look bad.

New SL Machinima

The long awaited machinima video/trailer, Gone in 60FPS is out, thanks to the hard work of Natural Selection Studios. The video, which is a must see, can be found on the studio homepage at www.NaturalSelectionStudios.com . High Quality Download is here. Lower Quality Download is here.

We were happy to see our old friend Yadni Monde piloting a helicopter, even though we were never quite sure which side he was on. Of course what everyone wants to know is when Herald Enterprises will go into the SL Machinima business. Patience: even now we are trying to lure Russ Meyers out of retirement to produce them. Just think what he could do with those sliders!

Skin Review: Logan Bauer

The Herald has decided to take a bit of a break from the five skin reviews originally planned as our first five to review a couple of other skin makers first, some well-known, some not, and some known better for other things altogether. Today, I'm reviewing a male skin by Logan Bauer. Logan made his skins quite a while ago, but they are still available, and while not the most popular skins, some still wear them.

Just like some of the other skins we've reviewed in this series, the first big shock about this skin is its price: for variations with three different colors of hair (both underarm and pubic), this skin is only $L1000. All skins are sold modifyable and copiable (and face-less) so that you can modify the rosiness of the cheeks, etc and save the different variations. A version that comes with a fully-modifyable skin tone (commonly known as a mod-skin) is only $L1500 for the same three hair variations.

Though this skin is nice for some things, it does strike me as pretty cartoon-ish. It is obviously hand-drawn, though perhaps some prefer this look. The head doesn't blend perfectly into the torso (as can be seen above), which is unfortunate. Though the torso-to-leg transition is close (closer than another skin that the Herald has reviewed), it doesn't quite make it. The seams down the arms are also quite obvious.

The back of this skin is actually very well-done, though the lines are perhaps a bit too well-defined to be realistic. I don't want to know how big someone's butt would have to be to cast that definate of a shadow, but it must be about the same size as Jennifer Lopez's (if not larger). The shading does get a bit dark at times on the back, as well.

Certain readers of the Herald will be glad to finally see a "larger" patch of pubic hair on this skin. That is one of the things that, in my mind, makes Logan's skin moderately unique. Sure, it has problems, seams and shading being the two main ones, but for a skin that has well-defined muscles and is obviously fully hand-drawn (not at all photosourced) and with the extremely low price tag that this one carries, the old saying that Chipsen used frequently last week, "You get what you pay for," comes to mind. I give this one two out of five stars because though it does have problems, the price makes up for it.

Skin Review: Kathmandu Gilman

by Chipsen Queso

Continuing with the Herald's series of skin reviews, I recently purchased Kathmandu Gillman's white tiger skin, along with female accessories, in order to review it. I am not a furry, and have never desired to be a furry, but Kathmandu is well-known for his realistic furry skins, one of the ones I have peronsally seen the most being the white tiger. The prices of some of these pieces may shock you just as much as they did me when I first saw them in Kathmandu's shop-at-home catalogue.

Let me begin by giving you a shopping list of what I purchased from Kathmandu and can be seen in these pictures:
White tiger skin (includes matching ears and tail), $L400
White tiger female muzzle, $L100
Variable color pubic patch (includes two versions, one smaller than the other; large version showin in pictures), $L100
Light female nipples, $L50

All-in-all, that brings the total for this skin, including muzzle and "naughty bits" to $L650, which certainly is not bad at all for a skin.

From the front, this skin looks pretty nice, though the nipples do stick out quite a bit. I'm not personally a fan of them at all, but I suppose you get what you pay for when you spend $L50 on nipples. The pubic patch, on the other hand, does blend in nicely when tinted to a black from the lime it begain as. The skin itself does look remarkably realistic, as does the muzzle (a better view of the muzzle can be seen in the first picture shown at the top.

From the left side, the seams of the skin become very apparent because of the unmatched stripes. The right side is better, though it still is not perfect. Once again, I suppose you get what you pay for, with $L400 not buying you a perfect skin in the least. The tail certainly has a problems with mis-matched textures, as do the ears with the wrong face of a prim being textured, but once again, as they was free with the skin, you get what you pay for.

For the price that I paid for this skin, it certainly was reasonably well-done, though there is certainly room for improvement. $L650 is not much at all to pay for a skin, furry or human, which is the only reason this skin gets so much grace from me for its flaws and errors. I do hope that the White Tiger v.2 package that includes male and female versions, genitals, etc has fixed seams, especially as it carries the hefty price tag of $L2200. Overall, I give this skin/avatar three out of five stars because of the low price tag, even though it does have some obvious seam issues.

Skin Review: CherryBomb Hare

by Matthias Zander

Continuing with the Herald's review of skins, beginning with the five creators previously featured in the Herald, I'm happy to bring you a review today of a skin by CherryBomb Hare! The specific skin reviewed today is her dark male skin with the enhanced abdominal features for males (yes, that means male nudity for once in the Herald, for those who have been hoping for that for a while ;-)). The advertisement in CherryBomb's store claims that this skin has the "best abs in game" and has a "perfect color match" for the head, even though it's just a slider head.

The first thing that will surprise most people about this skin is its old-style price: $L5000. Some would see it worth it, though, if the abs truly are the best that are available in SecondLife. Unlike most skins, it is only available in one skin tone: dark. I'll start this review with a review of the overall appearance, and then move on to specific points that could be improved upon.

From a distance, this skin doesn't look too bad, but does look very fuzzy. The belly button is a bit too high on the avatar, and the heart-shaped small pubic patch is very...well, odd. The back, from a distance is very obviously muscled, and as promised, there is no apparent seam where the drawn part becomes the head. The abs, while clearly defined, do appear rather unnatural, especially towards the top.

Problems with this skin really become apparent upon a closer look. For example, take the picture of the back (just above). The shoulderblades look very unnatural and absolutely huge. A little bit of shading there would have gone a long way - this just goes overboard. The spine is also way too defined. It looks almost like it pops out around 6 inches, and is quite unappealing. Towards the bottom of that picture, there is also a VERY obvious seam between the upper and lower body. In my mind, that's a big no-no for a skin, even moreso than on clothing. It's natural for clothing to have seams, but our skin does not have seams at the waist where it abruptly changes color.

The picture just above of the torso area on this skin shows even more problems. First, the seam around the waist is still clearly visible from the front. Second, the problems with the abs become even more apparent with this close view, once again, at the top especially. The third problem is that the nipples appear very fuzzy and undefined. On this skin, they just appear to be deep red or purple dots in the middle of a brown blob. Finally, there is a VERY apparent seam on the inside of each of the arms. This isn't just a minor visibility - on the front of the arms, the skin is red, on the back, it is brown. That's a major flaw with this skin that virtually makes it unwearable for those who wish to look even a bit realistic or who wish to model with the skin.

If this skin has any redeeming points, they are very minor. Even the big toes have a huge pink blob where the nail should be. Probably the best part of this skin is the butt, but that's not saying much. There are certainly far better skins on the market for far less than CherryBomb charges for this skin. I hope that you will take what I have said, CherryBomb, and improve upon these points and come out with a much better skin. I give this skin one star out of a possible five.

Fashion Show Review: Retro Girl

by Chipsen Queso

Tonight, I attended a "fashion show" at a new place called the "cyldane restaurant." Calling this a fashion show is a complete and total affront to the fashion industry in SecondLife. This wasn't a fashion show - this was having 6 outfits walk around a square without posing. The entire thing lasted less than 15 minutes, and started 15 minutes late!

The designs, as we found out at the end were from Keara Morgan, were actually semi-decent in part. Most of the seams matched, which is great! Unfortunately, the stockings had no top and were not semi-transparent, so they looked like grey legs. We never received any outfit names, which makes it hard to review specific outfits. The models also came in quick succession, and then did a final pose on the staircase at the front of the room.

In the end, this is the worst excuse for a fashion show that I have ever witnessed. The building textures were distracting, the number of active scripts in the sim were lagging the entire sim to hell, and the models were quite obviously doing their best industrial-strength Hoover impression. These girls need LOTS more training, an actual host, and a runway before they should even consider another fashion "show."

Skin Review: Hybrid by Santana Lumiere

by Chipsen Queso

Late last year, a former writer for the Herald interviewed five of SecondLife's top skin creators in order to get their view of things. As a bit of a follow-up, we at the Herald's fashion department (being the skin-o-holics that we are) have decided to do a weekly skin review, beginning with the five who were interviewed in the fall. As I own skins by some of these people and Matthias, our fashion editor, owns others, we will have reviews of some male and some female skins.

This week, the review is of the Hybrid skins by Santana Lumiere. These skins come in 13 tones and are party photosourced, partly hand-done, and are absolutely gorgeous.

The Hybrid is also one of the more economical quality female skins on the market, retailing for $L3000 for the basic package of the skin with four different makeup combinations, with extra makeup combinations retailing for $L500 a piece. Matching nail polish (worn on the glove layer) is available, as well. Two of these come with the skin, with extras available from a large selection for the small price of $L30 a piece.

The detail on this skin is exquisite and gorgeous. After much searching, I couldn't find a single seam, which is quite impressive, considering that this IS partially photosourced.

As someone who has ordered custom faces from Santana, I can tell you that she is a joy to work with, and very quick with her work! I had my three custom faces within two hours, even though it was her real life birthday (something I didn't realize until after I had already asked her to do the faces). All she does is set out a board with tons of options for the lipstick and eyeshadow. She said that she was working on other customizable areas, but that that was it for now. You tell her the codes of the pieces that you want, your skin tone (I wear Hedonic myself), and then she gets to work! It's that easy.

I would give this skin four stars out of five because of its price, beauty, and customizability. I would like for it to have more options, though, for customization, and that is the only reason that it is not a full five stars.

Equities Exchange Opens for Business in Second Life

First IPO is successful.

Today the Cyberland Equities Exchange opened for business, with an initial public offering of Cyberland -- an in game land investment company. It is unclear at this point whether additional SL corporations will be allowed to join the exchange (the FAQ says no, but the discussion with Shaun Altman on the SL Forums seems more open to the idea).

The instructions on trading are very clear, and the interface is quite intuitive (very similar to the GOM interface), with buy and sell orders posted. It took me about 5 minutes to open my account and make my first purchase -- 500 shares, woot! Screenshots of the interface and press release follow.

Opening an account requires linking it to your avatar at an atm

Fashion Show Review: PrimAdonna

by Chipsen Queso

Rarely does the debut of a modeling agency also mean the debut of clothing line. Last night's fashion show of the PrimAdonna line by the creators of E by Estrelle and MZ Design was just that. Not only did a reported 7 outfits make their debut, but the Cloud Nine Models had their first runway appearance. Of course, the Herald was there ready to criticize every move that was wrong and every dress that wasn't properly done.

Let me begin by saying that it was refreshing to walk in early to the show and see a proper runway, not a stage. Its curved branches seemed to be hard for some of the models to take during the lag, but that only made it all the more impressive for those who did make it. Secondly, this show didn't just start on time, it started a minute early. I hope that more fashion shows follow this example.

As far as the models themselves go, there are quite frankly some issues that need to be worked out. At one point, a model obviously didn't remember the walk and went down the left side of the runway instead of the middle: a critical mistake. Another model went down the right side as she was supposed to, but instead of going down the middle, she walked backstage. I suppose she was finally coaxed back out, because she did come back out and complete her walk, only after going BACK down the right side.

A high point for the models, though, was the perfectly-executed three person group walk of the "Venice Lace" set (picture shown just below, modeled by Babyblues Boffin, Brit Wishbringer, and Queenie Extraordinaire, L-R). The models even changed poses in unison. That, good people, is practice and precision.

Now, on to the designs. 20 formal dresses were shown in all, including the one up above, Pretty Lolita (modeled by Queenie Extraordinaire). This dress, along with its matching jewelry and shoes, would make a great dress to any semi-formal gothic event. The Venice Lace sets shown just above were very elegant in both jewelry and design, though I would like to have seen perhaps some brighter colors in one of the variations. Finally, Ravish, shown below on Brit Wishbringer (my, they kept her busy!), struck me as a gorgeous and delicate dress, with jewelry that perfectly matched. Sadly, I wasn't able to see most of the shoes included with the outfits because of the prim skirts that were prevalent (many of which were gargantuan), but if the walk replacer that we were told they come with was any indication, they must be wonderful.

All-in-all, this was a good first showing for both PrimAdonna and the Cloud Nine Models, though they do have some places to improve upon, mainly in training their models more on how to handle lag and take the curves of the runway.

Fashion Show: Jaded Visions

by Chipsen Queso

This evening, I attended the Jaded Visions fashion show at the new DoveVogue runway studio. My first surprise was that I wasn't banned from the land. After how much Palomma and I squabbled, I suppose I figured I would be. I also expected that Tipsico would be packed: once again, I was wrong. The studio was never even three-quarters full the entire time. That, though, is honestly quite sad.

The designs this evening were delightful for the most part. The detail was enormous, and even though the seams didn't always match, they were more than passable, and much better than other shows I have reviewed at the DoveVogue studio. There are a few specific outfits that I would like to point out that caught my eye.

First is an outfit that LadySue Perkins modeled. The hostess, Jazmina Firefly, never gave a name for this outfit, but it is quite lovely anyway, and is moderately detailed for the kind of outfit that it is.

Next up is Dark Princess, modeled by Cathy Jackson (shown at top). This outfit is very intricate and detailed, and creates a nice effect. As Jazmina pointed out, it can be worn in many different ways, and perhaps mixed-and-matched with other outfits to create a great ensemble.

Next is what I consider the WORST outfit from the show: "Tarttan Tart." My first reaction when seeing this was to wonder if that was the correct top, because orange and ruby red do NOT go together. This outfit should be burned and everyone who has bought it should be given a colorblindness test, because this is just horrid.

Overall, the outfits were very good and had a good amount of detail. The models did a good job, with only a few bobbles, models coming out at the wrong time, etc. The "runway," however, is of the same loop shape that I absolutely abhor. I'm sorry, but that is NOT a runway. It is a stage. When will the SecondLife fashion industry wisen up to that fact? Soon, I hope.

Fashion Show Review: Liz and Co.

by Matthias Zander

After a bit of a break, the Herald's fashion show reviews are back in action, starting with today's fashion show by the SABORLATINO models of the designs by Lizzie Daguerre. Lizzie's designs are, overall, absolutely gorgeous and simple, yet very detailed. The flowers for this wedding show were provided by Fallingwater Cellardoor of Fallingwater's Flowers and Shiny Things, and the shoes were provided by Tya Fallingbridge of Pixel Mode. Did the SABORLATINO models do the outfits justice and finally do well enough to get a few compliments from the Herald?

Let me start off by saying that I felt at times like I was in an episode of "Sims Behaving Badly" mixed with a bad late-night comedy show on Comedy Central. At times, Mariposa was just trying TOO hard to be funny - and it didn't work. That sim obviously has something wrong with it, because from watching the numbers, I can tell you that it wasn't acting like a normal sim.

As to the outfits, I'll review them in the groups they came in.

First, the "Flowergirl" set. These didn't really catch my eye, and Mariposa seemed to want the models to stay out longer than they should have. Every single one of them wore black shoes, which seemed a bit odd since the dresses came in so many colors. The models did well, though.

Next came the "Jackie" set, inspired by Jackie Kennedy. One of these is shown below, as modeled by SweetSexy Diamond. These were very nice, though very plain. The models had a bit of a collision at the first pose point, though. Girls, I hate to say it, but there shouldn't be two of you standing on top of each other, especially for over 2 minutes!

Next up was a set of two dresses that Mariposa never gave a group name for. The second of the two, "To Love and Cherish," is shown above, modeled by Webgoddess. These are very plain and don't exhibit the normal detail that Lizzie puts in her dresses, which is slightly disappointing. The models, however, did an excellent job handling this set.

Then we were shown a group of formals, beginning with the "Not-So-Little Black Dress," a new twist on an old favorite. Though very plain, it is sure to turn heads a bit. Next was "Cross Your Heart," modeled by Brit Wishbringer (also shown below). This is probably the first design of the entire show that I truly loved. Though simple, it was very elegant. "Pink Lace" was also in this set, but was not very detailed. I was beginning to wonder at this point if Lizzie just left her more detailed things back in her store or if the lag is making the detail disappear.

Next up was the "Dreams" group of five dresses. Just as a hint to Mariposa: when you have five dresses to show at once and three pose points, it works better to have some in between pose points, not bunch them at either side. ;-) With that said, these dresses were nice, but once again, very non-detailed! They were slightly marbelized, but otherwise, looked very plain, and if they didn't have Fallingwater's gorgeous flowers, would be lacking a bit.

Finally, after around 5 minutes of the "Dreams" being on stage, we had the conclusion: the wedding dresses. First was the "Jackie" wedding gown, to match the "Jackie" dresses. This was nice, but the textures had very little detail. The prim work, though, was very nice. Next was the GARGANTUAN "Elizabeth" wedding gown modeled by Webgoddess Mars and shown below. This was quite gorgeous, and, I'm happy to say, had more of a texture than the Jackie gown. Finally, we had a dress called "It's Your Day," that certainly wan't my style. It had some odd waistbands above the tulle skirt and a gargantuan bow on the back. I certainly hope that if it's ever my day, that gown doesn't show up.

All-in-all, I was slightly disappointed by some of Lizzie's designs. It looks like the SABORLATINO models are finally moving up in the modeling world, though there is always room to improve. All-in-all, it was quite a successful show.

Someone's Been Reading the Herald

Now you too can rake the muck! ValuSoft, publishers of such classic games as Tempest Tetris, Fire Tetris, and Stratosphere Tetris (and you thought Tringo was fun), is bringing out the first title from Black Lantern Studios, a game called Tabloid Tycoon, that lets you "report rumors . . . or create them!" as the company's press release puts it.

According to ValuSoft veep Scott Zerby, "The popularity of tabloid magazines has become a part of our culture. Readers thrive on the gossip, rumors and unusual tales told by the tabloids." (Is he talking about the Herald here?)

Players are put in charge of building a media empire and creating a tabloid filled with content ranging from believable to bizarre. Using both business smarts and creative skills while building the business, gamers create stories based on truth or fiction, and they can even import photos of family and friends directly into the tabloid. Players can share the fun by printing their newspapers, posting the publication online, or emailing their edition to friends.

(Or you could just write for us.)

And did we mention that the word on the rumor mill is that Electronic Arts was originally slated to bring out the game, but got cold feet after contemplating what kinds of stories might run in user-generated newspapers? Or is that something we're making up?

Fashion Show Review - Heart's Desire (DoveVogue)

by Chipsen Queso

My final fashion show of this four day fashion streak brings me to today's fashion show at DoveVogue for Heart's Desire, one of SecondLife's most revered shoe makers. They are made by Heart Wishbringer and Joe Stravinsky. Dove Vogue, I guess, seemed like a logical choice for them because of Dove's reputation as one of the oldest and (supposedly) best modeling agencies in SecondLife. However, was DoveVogue able to overcome their recent drama?

Some of you may be surprised about this considering how critical I've recently been of DoveVogue and their leader, Palomma Casanova, but I actually thought the models did the best that they could this show. The crash in the middle of the first half was well-handled, though it slowed down the already-long show. That was actually the biggest flaw that I saw with this show: it literally ran over two hours. That's good for Palomma's traffic rating, but bad for those of us who got bored.

The shoes themselves didn't vary as much as I would have hoped, but there were some highlights. The boots shown above are the Inquisitors, shown above. Two more styles (the Black Widows and Spurs) are shown below. Other than the the Spurs, Black Widows, and Smoothies, though, all styles had (in my tastes) excessive amounts of spikes. I do wish that some of Heart's Desires jewelry had been shown. A bit was shown, but not, in my opinion, the best. I also would have liked to have seen more styles for men that weren't overly spiky, but every designer can choose to do what they wish, and I respect that. The hair shown at the very end was HUGE. I mean HUGE! I'd estimate that it was over a meter from side to side. The red and black moawk is shown below.

All in all, this was by far my favorite fashion show from the three I have reviewed. At least the designs were better than decent, and the models seemed professional.

The "Black Widows" modeled by Queenie Extraordinaire

The Boots with Spurs modeled by Jeri Zuma

The Red and Black Mohawk

Fashion Show Review - Escade Athel (Percision)

by Chipsen Queso

Well, here it is: yet another fashion show by me! Because of Matthias' connection to the designer featured in this show, he asked me to review this one, as well. Why does it always seem that I get the bad assignments? *le sigh* Oh well. Escade Athel by Mex Thorn is one of Second Life's better-known shoe makers who has recently moved into the realm of making clothing and, I found out tonight, hats. The fashion show was put on by the Percision Models, a group that few have heard of and that obviously can't spell.

My first comment which is also a suggestion to Percision: it's PREcision, not PERcision. If you're going to have a modeling agency in SecondLife, I'd hope that you'd at least get it right. Now that that's off my chest, we'll get to the models and the designs.

The models obviously had no clue what they were doing on this runway. Actually, I'm pretty sure they weren't supposed to be there (they were holding the event at DoveVogue Studio in Davvi, the laggiest runway in SecondLife). It actually got to the point that when one of the models reached the end of the runway, she asked, in open chat, "pose?". I've never heard of that before, but I guess I have now. The other models had no clue what they were doing. When I got to the runway, there were actually no models there yet, which leads me to believe that they weren't even supposed to meet to get their clothing any more than 15 minutes before the fashion show was going to start. The fact that we started 28 minutes late also supports this.

The designs themselves were almost as bad as the models. I'm sorry if I offend anyone, but I could create the same thing in Microsoft Paint and the SecondLife sliders. The prim dresses had shiny applied in the oddest places. The menswear consisted only of two pairs of jeans, neither of which was named by the announcer. As a whole, I wasn't impressed by the designs at all.

Let's hope the next fashion show you see me review will be better than either of the two I've posted tonight!

Fashion Show Review: Canimal (SABORLATINO)

by Chipsen Queso

So, following in tradition with the Herald's fashion show reviews, I went to the SABORLATINO fashion show this past Friday that featured the designs of Canimal Zephyr. Honestly, I think the picture above says it all. Since he is a member of their agency, Matthias asked me to review this show for him, so that no accusations of bias could be thrown around. Well, let's see them throw accusations of bias of what I thought of the show.

I love Canimal's designs. The detail is exquisite and gorgeous, and she designs for both males and females. The models themselves, though, were horrid. The model shown above (Laly Clayton), gave me visions of being hit by an oncoming train, not of a delicate model, though she was in Canimal's glorious "Chii" outfit. It perhaps would have been excusable had she been wearing LOST'S new Chii hair to match the outfit. The rest of the models were better, though they seem poorly-trained to handle the runway. Some came out at odd times and then went backstage, while others seemed absoluteley clueless of what they were supposed to do.

Eventually, I got bored at the fashion show because of the host going on and on about every outfit. She tried to be funny, but every attempt was an utter failure. When a griefer came wearing only his underpants and started being very obnoxious, it took them around 20 minutes to finally remove him. This fashion show sadly suffered from wonderful clothing and the wrong agency to do a fashion show for them. Let's hope Canimal can choose a better agency to do a fashion show for her next time.

Launching the SLInformation Revolution

by Walker Spaight

Squagmire Stravinsky at the controls of the InfoNet R4

The information revolution comes to SL this evening when The Learning Center's own Squagmire Stravinsky unveils her newest creation, the InfoNet R4 information network, in its new and more powerful laptop edition. Squag's launch party starts at 9pm game-time (see Find for details). Don't miss it -- all the scripterati will be there.

Developed by Squagmire singlehandedly over a period of many months, the InfoNet is a powerful in-world information distribution system that resembles nothing so much as a kind of notecard-driven Internet.

Though official details are hard to come by ahead of the release of the portable R4 version, advance word is that the new system has been completely redesigned in a scalable architecture that will make the clunky information-handling tools now available on the Grid look like chipped and molting quill pens.

Accessed via a portable laptop (an in-world laptop, not the one you're viewing Second Life on now), the InfoNet will provide a global, centralized library/database containing free scripts, the latest news reports (including from the Herald), SL history, a non-profit events calendar and much more.

Reports are that users will at some point be able to create and maintain their own information channels on the InfoNet, though whether that functionality has been fully implemented is as yet unknown.

Some of the things Squagmire hopes to implement in future versions include in-world forums and 'blogs, RPG stats trackers, personal and business InfoNet sites, vendor tracking systems and much more.

In fact, the possibilities are nearly endless. By providing residents with a robust system of text and information storage -- something the building and scripting tools notably lack -- the InfoNet could open the door to any number of new applications and new ways to use and contribute to Second Life.

Linden Lab, probably busy working on Web prims for 1.7, has so far turned down applications for developer support for the InfoNet project, according to Squagmire. But if the present InfoNet system is any indication, the R4 should be a uniquely powerful new addition to capabilities on the Grid.

DoveVogue Drama?

by Chipsen Queso

Those who follow the fashion scene in SecondLife undoubtably know about the DoveVogue Runway Studios owned and operated by Palomma Casanova in Davvi. Over the past year, they have become a strong and leading force in the arena of fashion shows and an icon of the fashion industry in their own respect. Palomma herself is a very polarizing figure - those who know her seem to either absolutely love her or absolutely hate her. In the same breath, though, there is a new thing that must be mentioned about DoveVogue: in order to consistantly work for them, you must work for them and only them, including freelance work.

The Herald has obtained a memo sent to most members of the DoveVogue Models group that we assume was supposed to remain secretive and only read by those who it was sent to, but of course, we are here to spill the beans for you ;-). We are told that the original note itself was not able to be transferred - what a pity that in SL, we can copy text from no-transfer notecards and put it on a new notecard that is transferable. Anyway, what follows is the complete text of the notecard in its entirety:

We at DoveVogue Modeling take our committment to you very seriously. Part of our success comes from the strength of our name in the Fashion Market within Second Life... and that strength comes almost completely from you, our modeling talent.

There are a diverse set of opportunities in-world for you to build your reputation and we are dedicated to pursuing them fully on your behalf. In exchange for our committment to your success, we ask that you invest your confidence and efforts fully in DoveVogue.

For this reason, we will be approaching you individually to speak with you about the benefits of an exclusive contract with DoveVogue, and the ways exclusivity can help you reach your goals.

While we support all efforts to bring fashion to the spotlight in Second Life, we wish to ensure our efforts to promote your career with DoveVogue are directed to those of you who wish to maintain a dedicated presence with our agency.

The choice to freelance or contract on an exclusive basis is one that must be considered based upon your interests and desires for your future in modeling. Please take a moment to contemplate your interests and know that, regardless your preference, we at DoveVogue remain loyal to helping you achieve your goals.... for your goals are our goals, and through you, our success is built.

Thank you for your attention, and I look forward to speaking with you on this matter soon!

Sincerely,
Palomma Casanova

Competitive Work/Moonlighting
Reasons why DoveVogue prefers exclusiveness:

1) DV dedicates time and dedication to each model even if the group has a good quantity of models. Models are chosen with care. Models hired are of high quality not just anybody that wants to be a model.

2) DV pays employers to train and style the model, therefore DV wants to see the model well trained and with great looks. All methods learned should be applied to use within DV and not with any other agency.

3) DV wants models to wear DV Agency Tags on outside beauty competitions, not deciding between other agencies which one to wear.

4) 4) Loyalty is important for DV, models should be thinking of upcoming shows from DV and not trying to work their times because they have other shows from other agencies

5) DV makes all efforts to create a real virtual modeling environment, while other agencies just have fun. There's no reason why us at DoveVogue can't be serious models and have fun, too!

6) You are guaranteed to grow and make yourself known as part of the #1 Top Modeling Agency

7) DoveVogue will make sure you achieve your goals as a model and be promoted for future opportunities within the company

8) DoveVogue will offer you their Headquarters as your home place to spend your leisure time

9) DoveVogue will offer their Headquarters as a place to call home where you can find a family

10) DoveVogue does keep up with the latest fashions and ideas. DoveVogue will always be on the "cutting" edge of fashion bringing the best designs for models so they can show the latest designs on the catwalk.

Exclusive Models advantages: (EM)

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

Putting the Pr0n in Second Life

by Walker Spaight

As the lights went down, a hush fell over the crowd...

Complete with obligatory poolside scene, RaAusar Powers's Apollo Theater in Grizedale brought Second Life its first taste of streaming pornography this evening, with a screening of Sophie II: Anal Action before an audience of fifteen eager avatars.

WARNING: Adult content follows. (Though it's pretty soft focus, don't worry.)

Those in attendance spent the first act of the 17-minute movie muttering wisecracks, but were soon silenced by the stunning performances on the wide-format screen. The Herald will refrain from describing the movie's plot here so as not to give away the end.

As far as RaAusar knew and as far as could be determined by the Herald's pr0n research team (whose initials begin with the letter N and end with the letter S), Sophie II was the first film of its kind to be shown in public anywhere on the Grid.

"Make sure you get my good side."

RaAusar is also proprietor of SL Video Bank, the Grid's first video sales and rental shop, where Sophie II is available, and says he has had "a ton of requests" for pr0n since opening for business with the advent of 1.6. The Video Bank currently has a selection of ten less orgasmically-oriented movies for sale or rent, with a batch of ten more in the works. RaAusar's RL attorney has advised him that because Linden dollars are not considered legal tender, showing of the films is covered under Fair Use statutes.

Sophie's bf -- or is it her co-worker?

Considering that Sophie II was the first pr0n to be shown in the Apollo, it is perhaps no surprise that there were few if any complaints of sticky floors or seats during the movie. RaAusar was too busy in the projection booth during the movie to answer questions from your correspondent. After the film's denouement, however, he expressed his pleasure at the larger-than-usual crowd.

Other have not been as pleased at the prospect of pr0n in Second Life, and questions remain as to how much drahma such screenings will generate, or even whether they will be allowed to continue by Linden Lab. Clause 5.1 (iv) of LL's Terms of Service states that residents may not "take any action or upload, post, e-mail or otherwise transmit Content as determined by Linden at its sole discretion that is harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, causes tort, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable." (Emphasis added.) Whether the Lindens find Sophie obscene or consider her as tasteful as RaAusar's audience did remains to be seen.

Putting the pieces together

The Herald apologizes for the lag-induced quality of the screenshots accompanying this story. According to RaAusar, streaming longer movies in SL is made difficult because of buffering problems, but he is confident there will be growing interest in pr0n films showing at the Apollo, where he is in the process of uploading more such pictures and plans to show up to five short features back-to-back on future evenings.

Look for a spike in sales of high-powered graphics cards in the morning's finance pages.

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!

Fashion Review: Asri Falcone

by Chipsen Queso

It's my pleasure to introduce to you a new fashion writer for the Herald, Chipsen Queso! Chipsen will be doing reviews of clothing lines and fashion shows for us. If you have any clothing you wish for her to review for publication in the Herald, feel free to drop her a folder with the creator's name in it and the names of the outfits up for review. Please direct any questions or comments towards her and she'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Hi everyone! :-) My name is Chipsen Queso. I'm the Herald's reporter on all things going on in the world of fashion! As such, you can expect some reviews of clothing lines, both from established and well-known clothiers, all the way down to the people who have just begun. Today's designer is Asri Falcone, one of SecondLife's more famous clothiers. Her designs can be found on Le Cadre' island.

Out of Asri's clothing, I chose the "Blue Halter" and "Blue Bootie," "Blue Furiously Belted Outfiter," and the "Silver Glimmer Shoes."

Blue Halter and Bootie

I'll start out with the blue halter and bootie set. They're both pretty nicely detailed, but I felt like asking where my pole was when I put them on. The halter retails for $L100, and the shorts retail for $L150. It's a bit odd having shine on my chest, though, in the black of night. The texture also seems to stretch oddly over the lower stomach depending on how you stand. The shorts really aren't my style. They're literally "barely there" and end before your cheeks do. If they're your style, though, you'll love them and their detail, but perhaps not the price. Overall, these two pieces receive a 7/10

Furiously Belted Wardrober Blue

The "Furiously Belted Wardrober" consists of four pieces, plus an underwear layer mod of one of the two pants included. In my opinion, this is the jewel of what I was reviewing. I absolutely love the halter and jacket, both very detailed and made of leather. The long pants on both the pant and underpant layer are also very well-made. The shorts, though, face the same problem as the shorts reviewed just above. They're too short for me and make me want to look for the nearest pole. This beauty of a set retails for only $L350, not a bad deal, but certainly not the best that I've seen. 9/10

Silver Glimmer Shoes

These prim shoes are very lovely in most ways. Though this picture does not show it (I had particles turned off at the time), they do bling! Clubbers, rejoice! I do have a problem, though, with the hyperactive invisiprims used in the making of these. They make a small cloud around each foot that erases any objects in their path and shows the terrain. What a pity for these otherwise-perfect shoes with a great walk replacer. These retail for the (relatively) large sum of $L300. 8/10

It's a pity that I couldn't even scratch the surface of Asri's inventory! She has some amazing-looking stuff, but I couldn't get to all of it because of something called my budget. Overall, I would say that I would shop in her store again, even if the prices are a bit high compared to places with comparable detail and style.

If you have any clothing you would like Chipsen to review, please drop it to her in a folder with the creator's name, and then keep watching for the review!

Game Review: “Settlers of Second Life: Catan it colonize SL gaming?”

Pirate Cotton reviews the new Second Life strategy board-game 'Settlers of Second Life'. Pirate is an opinionated SL blogger (http://www.tinypirate.com) with an interest in gaming and Second Life culture. He brings his considerable experience as co-builder of Dark Life - Second Life's first MMORPG (recently featured front-page at secondlife.com) - and creator of the 'Game Slave' Wiki at http://wiki.tinypirate.com. Will 'Settlers' enslave Pirate's bitter heart or will he rape and pillage the crew and sink her to the bottom of the ocean?

Board-game lovers the world over will need no introduction to Settlers of Catan - aka Die Siedler Von Catan - an award-winning classic first published in Germany in 1995. Fortunately for us game fans, Settlers has erschienen in Second Life, thanks to the Jovian Synthesis design team created by Lex Neva and Sprite Quartermass.

I was unceremoniously invited to match wits with these diabolical fiends and try savage them at their own game.

And also have a nice chat over tea.

Settlers of Second Life sees three or four players battle to build the most houses across a hex-based island map. Each player starts with two houses and two roads and every time the dice is rolled they have a chance of getting one of four resources: land, lindens, scripts and textures. Using these resources they can buy more roads, houses, event cards and upgrades. Along the way the players can trade with each other, do deals, and pick on the leader!

I take my seat and soon the game begins. Playing; myself, Lex, Sprite and Crash Prefect. Everyone places their set-up pieces and I do a miserable job right from the start, unfortunately dooming myself for most of the match. Regardless, I soldier on, remembering I'm here to review and discuss the game - not crush my opponents (“I'll save that for later,” I promise myself).

In essence, Settlers of Second Life is very close to the original game. The rules are the same but with a few changes to maintain a Second Life theme. For example, the 'robber' becomes the 'land baron', 'soldiers' become 'dwell points' and so on. Regardless, it's a lot of fun and a beautifully-made game thanks to Sprite's considerable artistic skills and Lex's elaborate code-monkeying.

Settlers of Second Life: The intellectual man's 'Hungry Hungry Hippos'? Residents get down and dirty in this hot and heavy hex scene. [No groaning!]

I eventually manage to build a couple of roads. At this point Sprite has already started pulling ahead with a new house and road and Lex isn't far behind her. Crash, in his first game, muddles along in his corner. A quick miss-click and I've built my roads in the wrong place. Damn! Fortunately, I have a monopoly on the prims resource, so trading is going my way.

Lex and Sprite tell me that the idea first originated during a conversation about hex-based games. They decided that what Second Life needed was some decent boardgames and immediately set out to make a conversion of the original Settlers of Catan. The project took six weeks to complete and involved a lot of hard work but the positive response from the community already indicates that it was well-worth the effort.

I save up my resources for an event card. Crash has played one already, to build two extra roads, and I'm hoping for an equally good break. I get the 'traffic' event card, giving me bonus victory points if I collect three but, better yet, a chance to move the land baron and steal someone's resource! Oh well, things aren't all bad, I figure, and promptly plunder Lex who has now pulled into the lead.

The game launches this week. Residents can also expect to see a home-version for sale. Keep an eye on the events calendar as there will be Settlers events, with prizes, from Thursday to Sunday. I hope we'll see many more, as this great game should be played by everyone!

Sprite Quartermass and Lex Neva will colonize your heart with this delightful drama-comedy! Settlers is the feel-good game of the year! 4.5 stars!

Review

Learning Curve: About 15 minutes - thanks to the excellent visual tutorial. New players will want to keep the resource guide image open at all times. Matching up land, scripts, lindens and textures to their four colors can be hard for us old-timers.

Gameplay: 8/10 - It's the old Settlers you loved beautifully (and perfectly) converted to Second Life. The re-theming is very well done and feels quite appropriate - considering where the game is played! The original was a great game, and so is this.

Graphics and Sound: 8/10 - Even though this is a board game the board and pieces are simply beautiful and the sound effects occur often enough to be fun, but not so often to be annoying.

Keep factor: 9/10 - I would happily play this game a few times a week if I could.

Overall: 9/10 - You couldn't ask for anything more from a conversion of Settlers, and you would be happy with a lot less. Lex and Sprite have done great work.

Tringo Star

Congratulations to SL resident Kermitt Quirk, inventor of Tringo, the game that's swept Second Life over the last several months. After developing the game on his time off, Kermitt found Tringo becoming one of the grid's most popular pastimes. Now it's about to hit RL, as Kermitt has cut a licensing deal with SF's Donnerwood Media, which plans to develop the game for cell phones and the Web.

Clickable Culture blogs the story here, complete with a clickable link to the Wall Street Journal report, and Linden Lab provides more detail in the current edition of the SL newsletter.

Will this lead to a flood of in-world game development? There's already quite a bit of it, according to Pirate Cotton's Game SLave, a wiki listing all the in-world games SL has to offer. But none have proved as popular (or as annoying to the non-fan, judging from recent forum traffic) as Tringo, which is perhaps not surprising. By combining one of the most addictive computer games (Tetris) with one of the most addicitive of RL (Bingo), Kermitt has managed to create a seemingly perfect game for a virtual world that closely mimics our real one.

Which leads us to the only possible conclusion: Forty years from now, if LL is lucky, Second Life will be filled with blue-haired-old-lady avatars hunched over their Tringo cards muttering over how damn hard it is to fit that "S" shape into the grid and weren't things better back in the 1.5 days anyhow...

Motoring Around the Learning Curve

by Walker Spaight

ahkenatan Grommet

When is a newb not a newb? When his name is ahkenatan Grommet. Having been an SL resident since only the first week of January, ahk has already managed the beginnings of a notable building career that has had some residents wondering whether he isn’t really a feted inner alt.

At Primouth Motors, ahk’s garage in Dosojin sim, he has spent his young Second Life building stunning if prim-heavy replicas of classic cars from decades gone by, as well as a few of his own design. To look at the plot, you’d think he’d recruited the help of one of SL’s veteran builders. Ahk says that on seeing his builds, several residents have asked him whether he isn’t really an alt. But he assures the Herald that he built the entire place with his own two virtual hands -- thus begging the question: Is there really a learning curve in Second Life?

A refugee from Star Wars Galazies, ahkenatan, of course, is modest. “I still have so much to learn,” he said when I saw him at his garage. “I haven't even scratched the surface.”

Though ahk, a helpdesker for a pharmaceutical company, now drives a Hyundai in RL, he says he loves 1950s cars and has owned at one time or another a ‘59 Chevy, a ‘52 Chevy and a ‘64 Imperial, among other vintage wheels.

His vehicular interest is inherited from his father and grandfather, who both owned auto garages in RL. Ahk’s garage in Dosojin is a replica of his father’s garage, where ahk worked in the 1980s. Scattered around it are impressive vehicular builds, including a Primouth Edsel, a Woody, an Imperial, a 50s cop car, and a Primouth Falconbird of ahk’s own design (as well as, strangely, a Delorean).

Primouth Imperial

Ahk’s cars are beautiful, but that beauty doesn’t come cheap to the builder. A Primouth takes anywhere from 140 to 255 prims to assemble, ahk says. To support such objects, ahk has bought up 21,552 sq. m. in Dosojin alone, and also holds land elsewhere in the grid.

It’s not all prim farm in Dosojin, though. Besides the garage, ahk also plans a ‘50s sock hop, a diner, a drugstore, and a five and dime, though the buildings will be confined to only a few streets.

While the cars will eventually be available for purchase, there’s currently a small problem with them: they don’t run. Luckily for ahkenatan, his build came to the attention of SL’s premier vehicle manufacturer Cubey Terra, who offered him scripting help to get his cars on the road.

Primouth Edsel (Woody at right)

Hopefully the Edsels will work better than the originals.

Game Reviews: #1 Living the Dark Life

by Koden Farber

For those who love role playing games but are so addicted to Second Life they can’t log off to play something else, several in-game games may be the solution. In this report, I begin a series of reviews of in world games. This week we dive into Dark Life. In subsequent reviews we will look at Unreal: SL, SimCast, and whatever else may be on the horizon.

It All Begins Here

Like any new game, there comes a time to make the purchase and to read the manual. So after forking over 500L for a backpack, sword and shield, I made my way to the manual. Ah the manual, the thick, long, extensive manual. The so long it’s practically a quest in itself manual. Funny thing about manuals, either you read them and know what your doing, or you go out into the game blind and stupid bugging everyone who can hear you to tell you the simplest answers. I know that a fair number of people hate to read manuals, but in this case I would recommend it. [Writer’s note: I’m exaggerating some here; the manual is like a 5 minute read tops.]

The in character story itself is a very quick read. It basically tells you that, “everything was fine then the monsters came” in more words than that. Not a bad story line, and lives a lot of room for improvisation. After reading everything, I was pretty anxious to get started.

First stop, shopping

As I ventured from the loading point, I found myself in the main town Navorn. Being about as new as a baby and half as smart, I stumbled into the local outfit store. Feeling frugal, or cheap as the case normally is, I decided to wait a moment until I bought a new outfit. I figured I would play the role of a traveler new in town, the best excuse I could think of on such short notice for why I look nothing like the locals.

It is worth noting that there are scripted and non scripted clothing, the non scripted are bought with lindens, and the scripted are bought with in game gold.

Itching for action

After looking though all the items that are too expensive for a novice to purchase, I decided that it was now time to get myself killed. I proceeded to make my way out of town and find something to kill, or something to kill me. Either way, I knew something was going to die very soon.

I soon found my pray, a little rat, and figured it would be an easy battle.
Stupidly, I clicked when I was standing too far away and didn’t begin attacking till I clicked again and already lost about 15 of my health points. The battle was well fought, and I came out victorious.

Unfortunately, I had soon learned that the rat had friends, and I was soon attacked by another rat. Furthermore, the rat was at full health, and I had only 20 or so health points left. To make a long battle short, I won, but was one hit away from death. Oh the woes a noob like me must face.

Take Two

After my first adventure, I lugged my damaged body back into town and made my way to the shrine. After a few seconds of healing it is time once again to try fighting rats again. I leave the shrine feeling refreshed.

Right about now I wish there was mood music for my adventures, so I decide to whip out my winamp and get a play list going. Now with music in hand, the blood bath will continue once more; ok maybe not but I’d like to think highly of my weak self. After attacking my 4th rat, I find that you apparently gain experience points while battling, and not at the end of battle. I say this because I ended up leveling before I killed the rat.

Now that I have leveled, I need to figure out what the heck I’m going to do with my new found skill points. Speed is pretty important, so I figured two points into than and one into attack would suit me nicely. Unfortunately for me, I nearly died again when another rat tried to take me on when I was low on health. Being the life lover I am, and also a coward, I got my butt in gear and ran back to Navorn to heal up. I decided it would be in my best interest to not explore until I’m at least level 3 or 4.

First Death

Well it was bound to happen sooner or later; I got over zealous and ended up dieing by a rat. Death isn’t so bad; I lost some exp and ended up having to walk back to the shrine to be reborn. On to more adventure!

Spooky Old Cave

I seem to have stumbled upon a spooky looking cave.

Dare I enter it? Oh sure, what’s the worse that could happen to me? Time to find out!

I wonder if this is a bad sign?

Well the cave was a waste of time, nothing happened and nothing was in there. Or maybe I just missed it and didn’t realize it?

A Few Levels Later…

Now that I’m at level 5 with a new sword I had purchased, cost me 50L and 250 gold, I’m ready to go adventuring elsewhere. I decide to ignore all the rats and continue traveling until I find something interesting, this may take a moment… After a while I found a Culiseta to fight, pretty strong and fairly painful. I decided after defeating the Culiseta that I would finish my adventures for today.

Review
Learning curve: 30 minutes

Gameplay: 6/10
The game’s easy to play, a few commands you have to learn and most of them can be hot keyed. There are a few spells to learn and from what I figure they are pretty easy to use.

Graphics and Sound: 7/10
The in game sound is pretty basic though it’s a nice touch that you can set your sex to male or female so your grunts sound correct. The island’s design is beautiful though. You’d almost think you were in a professional game when you play this.

Keep factor: 7/10
I’ve heard there are some people here that RP in groups here, so that should keep you going. Also the game is still in beta, so new features should be added eventfully.

Overall: 7/10
I felt pretty good about the game when I played it. The price is nice considering the amount of work that had to have been put into making this and it is a pretty fun game to play at times. If you have a spare 500L, I recommend trying this game. Buying new items are pretty cheap too; most items will cost you around 50L.

"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!"

Bash and Crash on Unreal:SL's Opening Night

Bedazzle's much-anticipated Unreal:SL kicked off its weekend-long opening festivities last night with a crowded dance party that had everyone in attendance kicking up their heels -- so much so that the sim crashed before the party was much more than an hour old.

Despite the sentiments expressed above, the dancing re-booted itself soon enough, and there was no shortage of residents eager to bump elbows in the streets of Unreal level Chinatown, amid the sounds of rain, the crackle of neon and the clucking of chickens that had strayed into the sim's back alleys.

For more details on the opening festivities, click here. Or just tp over to the Chinatown sim. (Mature, to be sure.)

The wet streets of Chinatown

The view from Abraxas

In development since October 2004, Unreal is Second Life's first in-world first-person shooter. With the success of past Bedazzled projects like Sim Horror and the Gravity Space Station, the game is getting more attention than perhaps any project in the grid's recent memory.

Asked how the party was going from Bedazzled's point of view, chief developer Foxy Xevious responded enthusiastically: "It rocks! We are pleased with the results. One day is all we need to feel proud of what we've accomplished."

Jimmy Thomson, Unreal's chief developer, tuckered out after all his hard work

Your correspondent at work

The Mandarin of Watermelons

Review: Avatara

Avatara is perhaps the first documentary covering a 3D online environment that is shot entirely in character/in game. The choice of subject is a little known and in some ways "prehistoric" online platform called Digitalspace Traveler, which is a voice-based, 3D graphics environment with floating head avatars and some room to customize the meeting spaces. It is prehistoric in its technology, but forward thinking and surviving thanks to its allowing custom content and because of the robust social relationships forged there. The documentary itself is haunting, fascinating, and at times almost impossible to watch.

This DVD is produced by media artists Donato Mancini, Jeremy Turner, and Flick Harrison, all based in Vancouver, and has previously been reviewed in Intelligent Agent and Lancing Michigan's City Pulse. Those reviews are somewhat helpful, but tend to come at the subject from the persepective of little knowledge of online graphical games/platforms, and they tend to be overly impressed by the technology in Traveler which is now so dated it sometimes seems the game engines must be from a Steampunk novel.

This documentary is, in the words of sports journalist Chris "mad dog" Russo, a tough watch. That doesn't mean it's bad qua documentary. This is clearly an important contribution to our understanding of virtual communities, and in particular immersive, 3D voice enabled environments, but OMG is it hard to watch. I had to watch it in chunks because I could only tolerate so much at a sitting, and it also had the effect of making want me to mutli-task (I would let the voice go in the background while I took care of email for example).

Now don't get me all wrong. The video captures from Digitalspace Traveler are positively haunting -- disembodied heads floating in "rooms" that the avatar owners have constructed. The content of what the players say feeds into the whole disembodied head theme as well -- a game full of little Cartesians opining on what's really real (their relations in game space) and on that less compelling realm of res extensa (that's Descartes' name for things in meat space). I found myself wondering whether the documentary was edited to highlight this part of the discourse or whether it really was that dominant of a backround theme in Traveler. The only way to find out would be to spend quality time there and I couldn't bring myself to do that.

I wonder what the interview subjects thought about the production. They come off looking pretty pathetic at times, and at other times they come off looking like their real lives were badly broken. Some of this is based on what they say, some more is based on the rooms that they construct in their spaces, and some of this is based on what you pick up from hearing their voices. It made me wonder how I would read people on TSO or Second Life if voice were always on. Crimey, how would *I* read if interviewed via a floating head avatar. Would this advocate of externalism about mental content sound like a disembodied Cartesian spirit as well? If so, then is this way of interviewing the subjects misleading? I don't know; I'm asking!

It's really hard for an outsider to Traveler to know whether this is a valuable contribution to our understanding of that space. It is good in that in goes into some detail on the interpersonal conflicts that emerge in the space (aka drama) -- but readers of the Herald know that we think the drama is in the details, so I came away wanting more. Probably the single greatest contribution of the documentary is that it pioneers what we should have a lot more of -- documentarties based on life inside MMORPGs. As our lives progressively move into these online environments the need for such endeavors becomes ever more important.

Readers might wonder why these guys started with such an obscure virtual community, given the rich social histories that one could find inside games like TSO and Second Life. One of the producers told me that the obstacle to doing this in SL was financial -- they just didn't have the requisit computer equipment. Hopefully that will change. I'd love to see these guys produce a documentary on life in Second Life.

Sex Furniture, part 1

Sure in so-called real life everyone knows that beds and couches can be used for sex, and maybe even the kitchen table in a pinch, but the options are limited. In Second Life, however, furniture is all about cyber. We thought it would be useful to take our readers on a tour, beginning in this post with a handful of classic pieces. As it happens this installment includes a number of works by Valadeza Anubis, who is one of the leading sex furniture builders. Be sure to send us pointers to your favorites! Its hard to keep up with this biz.


Our model demonstrates one of the handy bondage animations on the leg of the Doms Table, by Valadeza Anubis. 18 Prims.

Valadeza's Doms Table also comes with two chairs, The Dom and the Domme. Here our model demonstrates the bondage animation that is found on the back of The Dom. 15 prims.

Perilous Pleasures Submission Pillow by Alana Monde. 2 prims. Chains are extra.

The Teaser, by Valadez Anubis. 7 prims.

Lock Down, by Valadeza Anubis. 19 prims.

The Work Up, by Valadeza Anubis. 7 prims.

The Cage of Torture by Takan Hannibal. I suppose we could argue about whether this is furniture, but why split hairs...

The Cage deserves a closer look, don't you think? 67 prims.

One Song's Poker Table

Infamous land baron, strip club/escort service operator, and virtual arsonist One Song (aka Mr. Fairplay) has finished his long awaited poker table -- and the result is one of the most complexly scripted single objects in Second Life. We have seen it in operation at The Edge, and at the Red River Valley Saloon. Following are some pics to give you a taste. If you are a high roller you may want to check this out for yourself. Bring lots of Linden Dollars.


On the outside looking in at the Red River Valley Saloon

Appropriate lighting is everything -- gotta save the eyes.

Only the hardcore players are there on Thanksgiving day, but still the pots are over 1K Lindens (around $5) -- when the table fills up the pots get up to 10K Lindens, and Mr. Fairplay envisions pots of 50K ($250 US for the math impaired). But here we start at 60 Lindens. Like, nothing!

Mr. Fairplay and the very distracting manager Terri Bancroft.

Blaze Spinakker folds.

Amazon warrior Haley Mandala waits for the flop. Or something like that.

One Song/Mr. Fairplay himself. Note that he has retired his white suit for a nice plaid "red state" look.

Only dogs play the low stakes table.

Meanwhile, back at The Edge, dealer Evil Fool holds court over a One Song scripted table.