Second Life

Residents with a positive monthly L$ cash flow declines for second consecutive quarter

by Jessica Holyoke

After the banking ban, there are commentators who state that the Second Life Economy is in a recession and then there are the opposing commentators that say that the Second Life Economy is not in a recession. 

According to Wikipedia, a recession “is a decline in a country’s gross domestic product (GDP), or negative real economic growth, for two or more successive quarters of a year.”  Linden Lab does not have figures on GDP or economic growth.  But the Economic Statistics page does provide two numbers that can assist in seeing if there is a recession, Positive Monthly Linden Flow (PMLF) and total User Hours Logged. 

PMLF is the number of unique users that showed profit over a particular month.  On the statistics page, they are grouped by number of users that have experienced a degree of profit in U.S. dollars.  This number is better than the other monthly spending numbers because it eliminates any Alt effect.  For the resident transaction numbers, if I gave an Alt any amount of money, it would be counted in the totals, even though I was not spending money, just shifting it around.

Second Life users with positive monthly L$ cashflow getting harder to find

PMLF does not include land sales.  According to the source, land sales are investments and not receipts.  So they do not get counted as business receipts.  This makes land comparisons more isolated and it takes out any land businesses, like land barons and banks.  PMLF covers the buying habits of everyone who is not in the land business.

In looking at the PMLF, I took the mode, or the central number, of each category except for the $5000 and above category.  For that category, I used $5000.  I then multiplied the amount earned by the number of users in that category.  I then added all of those sums to create a monthly total which is an estimate of the total PMLF.  I was then able to compare the average PMLF for a calendar quarter and track percent growth within that particular quarter.  Growth is measured as the difference of the starting value and the ending value divided by the starting value.

Quarter 3 and Quarter 4 2007 both saw negative PMLF Growth. The percentages were not more than 2%, but they were both negative.  Negative economic growth for two calendar quarters is an indication of a recession.

Total hours logged also decline

THL also avoids the alt effect because it measures how much total time is spent in world.  While certain content creators do not need to spend any time in world, people searching, purchasing and using their products do need to be in world to use their purchases. 

THL growth was negative for Quarter 4 2007.  The only other time it was negative was in Quarter 1 2005.  In talking with wise resident Gwyneth Llwellyn, around that time, the Lindens stopped paying L$500 for each host of an event.  This may have created a negative use rate.

In dividing the quarterly values of PMLF by THL, you get an index I will call the Quarterly Profit per Capita (QPC).  Because of the lack of historic PMLF values, QPC cannot go back before quarter 3 2006.  While QPC is lower now, it is not dramatically lower.  QPC was 0.26 during the Quarter 4 2006 boom and 0.20 for Quarter 4 2007.

Quarterly Profit per Capita

So while total profit might be down, and showing recessionary signs, the strength of the economy based on the people who use it have only slightly slipped.

Total positive monthly L$ flow

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by Kris Dibou, warrior poet/pirate

In order to escape the naggage
I came here without baggage
The women have no saggage;
I love to watch their waggage,
The major cause of laggage.

Pardon me, my mileage;
My petroleum is high gauge.
Nooby with his push cage,
Dressed in red and light beige;
Probably not of age

To play in SL, the rage
Of internet geeks and garbage
In and out, and silage;
Listen to my braggage-
I’m not really a sage

As you can see on this page.
A funny hat with plumage
Sticks above this sewage.
My music is not new age;
I fight with sword at portage.

I pay weekly moorage,
I wouldn’t eat no porridge;
I ask now to the mage:
Where’s the C in rap?

copyright (c) 2008 - Kris Dibou - used by the gracious permission of the author.

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Pierce Kronos reveals he “left the JLU in disgust” in exclusive interview

by Proper Prim, staff writer

A great deal of controversy has been circulating around the Justice League Unlimited of late raising questions about how much is real and how much has been manufactured - is someone is trying to troll and defame the JLU? To learn the truth, I created an alt and went inworld and asked the JLU for interviews for some time before Pierce Kronos finally (hesitantly at first) came forward to talk.

I went into the interview with a long list of questions. Could the teen grid allegations have any merit? Is Kalel Venkman really an ‘unbearable power hungry fascist’ as some have described him? What is the purpose of the JLU? What part did JLU play in the Woodbury University situation and Tizzers Foxchase’s permanent removal from Second Life? Near the end of the interview, Mr. Kronos announced that he had ‘left the JLU in disgust’ but also made it clear that there are still those in the JLU whom he likes, respects, even admires and that he will in no way betray their trust by disclosing any sensitive information as Nikola Shirakawa, another former JLU member, once had.

After speaking at length with Mr. Kronos about work, life in general, griefing, Second Life, the PN and the JLU. Pierce seems to be a good guy and I am convinced that not all of the allegations circulating are true - and I suspect that the ones that are true have nothing to do with him. While Pierce wasn’t been entirely forthcoming about his reasons for leaving the JLU, I admire the fact that he has shown his enemies respect by keeping his quarrels private. It is unclear if Mr Kronos intends to continue endeavors as an anti-griefer from outside of the JLU or if he simply intends to settle down and live quietly - either way we wish him the best of luck!

Proper Prim: Are we seeing a decline in griefing lately and if so, what do you think is the cause?
Pierce Kronos: I believe there have been fewer instances of organized and multi-sim griefing since just before the holidays started. It been like, “Where did all the griefers go?” Still, with over 15K sims in SL and God(dess) only knows how many residents, there’s always griefing going on somewhere.

As to why the apparent reduction … the flippant side of me would say it’s because all the griefer boys and “girls” are still playing with the Christmas toys they got from Santa Claus and haven’t broken them yet. Seriousness aside though, I don’t have any idea why it appears to have lessened but I’m fairly certain it will return, if only from a new crop suffering through the growing pains of the maturation process. I would imagine the “decline” is due to various factors as opposed to just one thing or another. Those factors could include improved SL and GTeam protocols, more folks being educated on utilizing Abuse Report procedures, griefers being busy with school and mid-terms, others getting on with their lives, the threat of real life repercussions, that sort of thing.

Proper Prim: What sort of legal implications do you think griefers may face in the future?
Pierce Kronos: That’s really hard to anticipate as all this cyber world stuff is relatively new compared to the history of real life. I imagine there will eventually be continued transition of real world laws into the cyber world; things like harassment, obstruction, slander/libel, discrimination, fraud, and so forth. Denial of Service has financial repercussions as well so there may come more corporate vs individual suing. You also have to remember Linden Lab is based in the US, home of the lawyer and land of the law suit. Besides, you know politicians and lawmakers the world over are just itching to get their mitts on virtual reality so any excuse will become justified.

Proper Prim: What is the real story about the Tizzers Foxchase and Woodbury University situations?
Pierce Kronos: Well that question is gonna open a whole big can of worms especially considering the folks who comment to Herald articles on a regular basis and all the folks who have taken entrenched positions, as it were, either for or against Tizzers.

To understand my perspective, you have to realize I didn’t join the JLU until June of ‘07 so I wasn’t really involved in the whole Woodbury thing as it was already ongoing. I didn’t get to know Tizzers personally until Aree and I started setting out the Perch in Cordova to hang out on, as well as meet and talk with folks in a casual setting. That would have been sometime in October, ‘07 I’d guess because it was prior to the infamous Halloween debacle.

As you can well imagine, we used to get all sorts of folks stopping by to chat and visit and so forth; Tizzers, Alyx, Windowlic to name a few and, of course, various PN in day-old avatars. The latter weren’t too hard to spot because, let’s face it, how many one-day-old new residents even know Cordova exists, much less how to get there? Anyway, over time and several conversations, when we weren’t being griefed, trolled or otherwise harassed by various of the aforementioned day-olds, I had the opportunity to hear Tizzer’s side of things and what he/she was trying to accomplish. So I gave Tizzers the benefit of the doubt despite believing Tizzer’s attempts at griefer reformation were misguided.

Proper Prim: Before you go any further, would you go back a moment and give your perspective on the Halloween thing?
Pierce Kronos: Well, I thought it was an incredibly stupid and boneheaded thing to do. I know it’s been posted in comments on the Herald by numerous folks that he/she was merely trick or treating, blah blah, but I mean … really? Anyone with a brain knows Tizzers and buddies went over there to tweak Kal (Kalel Venkman) at his real life address and they were successful even though Kal wasn’t there.

I’ve also heard that Tizzers lead a “raid” on Kal’s house after “stalking” him, tried to intimidate his family members, etc, etc. What it really was, was simply was an unthought-out, bad idea by an immature 19 year-old (or however old Tizzers is supposed to be) who was lucky things didn’t get really out of hand. But, you know, who of us didn’t do incredibly stupid, boneheaded, unthought-out things when we were that young?

I think Kal’s initial anger at the tweaking was justified — I mean it’s one thing to hassle someone in SL, but it’s quite another to take things into real life and to a person’s residence. At the same time, Kal’s old enough and should be mature enough to recognize it for what it really was and to stop referring to it as a “raid.”

Proper Prim: Okay, back to the “griefer reformation”
Pierce Kronos:Right, well, Tizzers would talk to us about just different stuff though one time he/she was all bent out of shape about something and really pissed me off by saying we in the JLU just took orders from Kal and did whatever he directed.. I proceeded to inform Tizzers that Kal was not my general, not my boss and not my father, that each of us (then) in the JLU were individuals and responsible for our own actions or non-actions. One need only read the comments here in the Herald to see how everyone in the JLU is smeared with the same tar that’s constantly thrown at Kalel — you know, guilt by association. There’s a lot of that in SL and in real life too.

Anyway, after that, Tizzers and I seemed to have an uneasy truce. Now that’s not to say that Kalel and others in the JLU did or didn’t file abuse reports for various alleged things. I was never personally knowledgable of Tizzers doing anything wrong until January 1, 2008.

Proper Prim: What happened then?
Pierce Kronos: I filed an Abuse Report on Tizzers for disclosing, without permission, a private conversation between Tizzers and myself to others in Second Life. Within a couple of hours, Tizzers Foxchase was no longer in Second Life. Now it could be that AR was the one that put Tizzers over the top in cumulative “naughty” points and resulted in a ban, or it could be that Tizzers just decided to delete the account for some reason.

By the way, for your readers information, there are three levels of disciplinary action that may be employed by the Governance Team when they determine abuse has indeed taken place: a warning, suspension (1 to 14 days), and lastly, a ban. There is no difference between ban and “permaban.” Too many people call suspensions “bans” and thus call a ban, “permaban”. There’s also an Administrative Log out but that only lasts an hour, so it’s not really an action, more of a time out. I figure, since everyone says Tizzers was banned as opposed to deleting the account, that the Linden cumulative point system is what lead to the removal of that person from Second Life as bans are on a real person, not an account name.

Proper Prim: So you got Tizzers banned from Second Life?
Pierce Kronos: No, Tizzers is the one that got Tizzers banned from Second Life. As to anything else about Tizzers and Woodbury, you should ask someone else. Let’s move on.

Proper Prim: Does JLU really have a presence on the teen grid? Is there another explanation for the existence of the near identical group that was recently uncovered on the teen grid?
Pierce Kronos: There is none nor has been any presence of the JLU on the Teen Grid. As to an explanation, well, you should know that many in the JLU are well old enough to have children, including myself, children who could easily be on the Teen Grid themselves. I suppose younger members of the JLU could well have siblings in that age range also. As I understand it, that teen group wasn’t even active at the time of the “uncovering” otherwise I’d say have a Linden IM the owner to determine the truth in the matter. I’m sure the Lindens could trace the ISPs of anyone in that teen group and compare it to the ISPs of those in the JLU to objectively determine the matter. I wonder if those folks who were so anxious to point the non-retractable finger of accusation bothered to file AR’s on the JLU or just gloried in the insinuations.

Proper Prim: Does JLU generally encounter resistance from landowners and other ‘neutral’ parties?
Pierce Kronos: Some are pro-JLU, some are thankful for any help they can get, some are neutral, some don’t like the JLU, some are anti-JLU, but really … the grid is 15,000+ sims and growing and I’d say most landowners don’t even know the JLU exists. Of those that do know about the group, the range of opinion runs from praise to condemnation, from being griefers to vigilantes, to wanna-be Lindens, to a self-appointed police force, to a public service group, to a valuable volunteer resource. Some within the group and without see themselves as being heros. Take your pick.

Proper Prim: How do you view what you did? Were you a hero, a vigilante, a griefer?
Pierce Kronos: I really didn’t view it one way or another. All I did was what any other resident of Second Life is empowered to do — abuse report apparent violations of the Term of Service and the Community Standards, try to help educate folks on ways to protect themselves and to provide information to new residents that would ease their transition into a new experience. I will say I enjoyed ARing griefers, be they a day old or two years in world. By definition, griefing causes people grief and anyone who purposefully causes grief to someone else deserves whatever penalties are appropriate.

Proper Prim: What about someone who griefs a griefer?
Pierce Kronos: ::laughter:: I do my best to abide by ToS and CS, others have their own opinions of what’s acceptable. It’s Linden Lab’s platform, they get to decide the rules. If you disagree or don’t like them, either don’t log in or try to get them changed.

Proper Prim: Tell me about Maldavious Figtree who is rumored to have been a JLU member at one point
Pierce Kronos: All I know is I saw him at a couple of meetings, then he trashed a sim, admitted to it and was removed from the JLU. He was/is a scripter or something like that I think. I’m pretty sure he’s listed in the Brainiac database as having been discharged for cause.

Proper Prim: Have there been a few cases of drama within the JLU? What are the primary causes?
Pierce Kronos: Well, having just quit the JLU last week, I’m probably the wrong person to pose that question to. Still, within any group, real life, second life or otherwise, there’s the potential for drama; it seems to be human nature. As I tried to explain to Tizzers that time, the JLU is composed of individuals not clones, not soldiers, not employees, not children either. Individuals have their own views and opinions on things … even when they band together for a common goal or purpose. Some in the JLU, for example, believe in a strict interpretation of ToS and CS, others believe in a more casual, situational application. With such wide ranging views, conflict and associated drama occasionally occurs. Sometimes it’s handled well and sometimes it’s not.

Proper Prim: What can you tell me about the JLU’s standard operating procedures?
Pierce Kronos: I can tell you all about them but I won’t. I may have quit the JLU in disgust but that doesn’t mean I don’t believe in the public service aims and mission of the group. Plus, there are those in the JLU whom I like, respect and even admire for their commitment to their ideals and their efforts to help Second Life be a good experience for all. I am not going to put those particular folks at a possible disadvantage by revealing to all and sundry what can be very effective procedures.

Proper Prim: I take it there are those in the JLU that you no longer like, respect nor admire?
Pierce Kronos: Take it however you want. I was very specific in how I said what I said.

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Serpentine went on to explain that the primary focus of his business is customer service. “We staff a 24/7 Support Group, called the SexGen User Group. Our mentors and enthusiasts can be reached from any time zone. If the asset server eats it, or your product is not delivered we replace it as soon as possible. This is not a dubious business in a box. We use and support everything we create and sell.” The program is free to participate in and all interested parties should contact Stroker Serpentine or Andrea Faulkner.

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SHOCK! - Herald reporter’s in-depth investigations leads to retraction - and two new friends
PN statue and pool declared a historical landmark

by d3adlyc0d3c, ex-griefer

an historical landmark in Ryder sim

The other day I created an alt and went inworld to meet with Fartgina Emert and Equino Faulkland to followup on an story I wrote earlier suggesting that Fartgina Emert was FatNigra of the PN.

While it is impossible to confirm anyone’s identity on the internet - even with an IP address - I am convinced that I was wrong in the previous article. Voice changer software can be used to disguise one’s voice, but at best there would have been delays during interactions, and at worst it would have been painlessly obvious - as anyone who has interacted in voice with certain babyfurs is well aware. There were no indication of voice chnager software during my interview.

In fact, both Equino and Fartgina were pleasant to speak with and overall pretty funny guys.

I am very sorry for dragging both of their names through the mud. It is unfortunate that that happened . Not only is fartgina not FatNigra of the PN, but he is not am employee of the Ryder sims. I assumed that he was an administrator based on his title and the fact that he owned land in the Ryder Haven sim, but I should have dug deeper.

Fartgina and Equino calmly laughed and joked while they told me the story about how the pool, and the Nigra statue came to be.

‘I never finished building the pool and two of my buddies came in and textured it, then Braadworst Barth, another friend left the statue as a joke.’ Fartgina explained.

The statue has been redecorated since my last visit with a red carpet and velvet rope.

group photo

Fartgina explained how he picked his name, telling me how a friend in IRC was making a joke about buying ethiopian kids from a charity organization, and how the 5th kid was named ‘Fartgina’ (pronounced Fart-j-eye-na). I stood and talked with them for about an hour and a half before the discussion turned back to the ‘closed pool’ behind us.

‘I’ve declared it a historical landmark’ Equino joked.

I laughed, and then apologized again to Equino.

‘No worries, we just want the record set straight’, he told me.

I took a group picture with the guys and said my goodbyes before finally contacting a Linden staffer inworld to advise them of who I was so they could ban me.

Fartgina, d3adlyc0d3c, and Equino chat - before d3adlyc0d3c reminds LL staff to ban him

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[Note from Justine- One doesn’t have to visit many SL fashion shows before seeing Fortunate Szondi in the audience. She and I struck up a conversation at one show ages ago and she got herself on the Post 6 list. I’m pleased to present Fortunate Szondi, and as always I hope my pictures do her justice].

OMG my pixels are uncovered!  You know, even though it’s only pixels, there is still some representation of my soul, mind, body connection through Fortunate.  Moderately demure in public, watch out in private.

I’m Fortunate Szondi, I joined SL in May ‘07 when I saw a news story concerning Second Life.  Obviously I love it here, even my early wobble walk, so funny.  Early in my SL experience, I discovered Playboy Island.  Where else on this planet could I walk in, do an interview, and become a Playboy Bunny?  It was so much fun there, dancing, meeting all sorts of wonderful people, sexy and classy.  Eventually, I moved up to be Manager.  Well, like all things, Playboy Island changed and I had to move on to bigger and better things.  I’ll always love it though, my bunny ears, the people, the class…currently evaporated from there.

In comes Fashion, I’m the Producer of Fashion Shows at KaDeWe, a RL German Department Store in SL.  Fashion in SL is bigger than land and how I love it.  The models are the sweetest, I’m blessed to meet the most wonderful designers, and work with the most professional team imaginable.  I also work with Melanie Zhao of Zhao Shoes, and what a blessing that is.  Melanie is the sweetest person on the planet and the shoes!  Best I’ve ever worn….and I own them ALL!  SL only gets better and better.

If you see me say hello, I”m friendly, don’t bite, except in private and I’m so happy to spend time here.  It’s even become RL business for me.  Wonder of wonders.  What will they think of next?  I’m still waiting for my lips to move when I type.  xxoo

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by Victoria Wheeler

invest make believe money in make believe hot companies?

Without much fanfare, Linden Labs announced on January 8, 2008 that any Second Life banking and investment business which might, “offer interest or any direct return on an investment” in ANY currency, would be prohibited from doing so as of January 22, unless these activities were performed by an organization with, “proof of an applicable government registration statement or financial institution charter”. This policy decision followed the past few years maelstrom of SL bank closings about which most of us have heard, and through which many SL residents have suffered.

The sad fact is virtually all such SL financial ‘institutions’ were ineptly run at best, Ponzi schemes at worst, and largely the worst case. Although some SL banks being run by financiers with real world creds, and tossing out enough jargon to impress a B-school grad, the bottom line is - Second Life financial trading and banking in particular, has been a bad investment.

One wonders what was behind some of the banks that went under, and I’d like to offer some small insight from personal experience.

Last year this time, I was hired as a freelance writer by a person who owned a reasonably successful SL bank, as they began to launch SL real estate ventures, primarily ‘planned residential communities’. They intended to ‘go public’, which means to offer shares in their firm for investment by any interested parties. This is done through one of the SL stock exchanges. A company publishes it’s business plan (called a prospectus), offers a number of shares for sale, then sits back while the shares are purchased by investors, or not.

I wrote several documents toward this end for my employer, including the initial public offering (IPO)prospectus, progress and special investor reports, as well as descriptive marketing materials for the developments.

This person showed me their real estate properties, and described their business plan in great detail. Communities were laid out on rigid grids under constantly monitored and controlled conditions. I saw the intentionally realistic developments as cold, unimaginative and uninviting. They seemed antithetical to the fantasy spirit of SL. If anything, they were places the typical resident might not want to live for very long. They reflected the values of their progenitor - a business-like convenience that winkingly abided in-world convention, where the high-rolling avatar could ‘play along’ while waiting for his SL investment to produce that promised double digit return.

In my three months of daily association with this person, I observed that they constantly spoke of themselves as ‘a business person’, and repeated their past real world and SL achievements. It seemed as if they were attempting to make themselves legitimate through repetition of such statements. They never once asked a single question about me; had I not volunteered my writing credentials, they may never have known, much less cared, who I was and what I could do for them. They had decided I was the person for the job, someone to do their bidding, and that was it. The pay was generous, so I agreed.

I’ve encountered this personality in the business world before, and while I hesitate to use the dramatic term megalomaniac, their tremendous bravado and self-centeredness was apparent. Having succeeded in an online business in the real world, this person believed they could easily handle their new SL ventures. They viewed SL as yet another chicken poised to be plucked. While believing they are smarter than average, this kind of person has not examined their business risks because their ego prevents them from admitting anything might go wrong due to their lack of experience or information. I believe what happens with many highly ambitious but failed SL ventures is their creators are either fooling themselves, or fooling us, or both.

Also, the failure of high-end profitability of the investment kind in SL just might be because, although SL is delivered via ‘technology’, SL is ultimately about the heart. In spite of the facade of an avatar, SL has the potential to strip a human to the bare bones of their personality, warts and all. Sooner or later, all or part of one’s REAL self could be exposed, even, or perhaps especially, if one runs a profitable SL enterprise. As in the real world, success in SL business is not for persons (or avatars) who are neither experienced, nor honestly in touch with their capabilities.

Through my writing assignments for them, the real name of this SL banker became known to me, and of course, I googled it. I dug up enough information that, while not horrific, showed a history of inconsiderate business behavior. To me, it all added up to an unfortunate situation, and I ‘fired’ myself by flying below this would-be Trump’s ‘radar’, ceasing to respond to requests for more material.

Three months later, their SL bank had closed, and that avatar had disappeared, along with the considerable ‘fictional’ cash reserves of their SL bank. To compound the problem, they had pointed the finger of blame at someone else. I was glad I had seen it coming, and that I never invested a single Linden in their ventures.

The SL stock exchange on which my former employer’s IPO was listed is currently closed. A recorded announcement at that site today informs you the exchange is undergoing rennovation per the Linden’s new investment policy, which they have embraced. I counted, and the word ‘fictional’ in reference to Lindens currency is said SEVEN times by the recorded voice. ‘Virtual’ in relation to currency is mentioned twice. Single references such as ’simulated’, ‘role playing’, ‘not real’, ‘conditional trading system’, and ‘no monetary value’ are also made. In spite of Linden Labs forbidding ATMs, this exchange plans to get around that problem by not providing interest to its ATM customers. Customers will still reap the benefit of the return on their investments, all in make-believe money.

I also visited another, long-standing SL stock exchange. They appeared to be operational, so I read their policy statement. That policy repeats numerous times that Lindens dollars are ‘VIRTUAL - not real’.

This is great news for potential investors. It surely must mean that even without a cent of real world cash, we can get in on the financial fun by simply telling these institutions to invest our make believe money in their make believe hot companies. I don’t think so. I think some people are in deep denial about Lindens versus real currency.

I predict we’ve not seen the last of this financial derangement, or the possibility that outside governmental and legal involvement may one day bring it all crashing down. It’s still a money hack, and you’re best advised to take your business elsewhere.

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by Kris Dibou, warrior poet/pirate

He thought he found himself in heaven
When all his dreams he seized;
All he wanted for the taking
Or creating, as he pleased

The months flew by and all he tried
Grew tiring in the depth
And degree of concentration made,
To max the width and breadth

Of all he ever fantasized
In this life or the next
Until he cared not for his life.
The governer, he did text:

“I want to go to the other place
Described here in your dream-
For I tire of having each
Of everything, it seems”

The governer laughed with rais-ed brow
And could not hide his face;
“Human know, where we did go
It was the other place.”

copyright (c) 2008 - Kris Dibou - used by the gracious permission of the author.

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Has any unknown person asked you to rez anything in-world?

by Security Orb, Metaverse Homeland Security consultant

This afternoon I spoke to a victim in Sandbox Cordova who was given a malicious object disguised as a gun. Normally guns are not malicious devices in Second Life, and are used for harmless pursuits such as pushing, orbiting, or killing other avatars. However, there are some very dangerous guns being distributed that have a secret payload of pain.

The victim (who will remain anonymous per her request) rezzed an object - which then resulted in a self replication object attack that spread across multiple sims. Fortunately, though the creator of the weapon was soon disappeared from the people list, the victim has been untouched.

As a result of this and other similar attacks, the Metaverse Homland Security Agency is issuing a security alert advising residents that one or more griefing groups have an organized a campaign spamming self replicating prims to random individuals. The objects have enticing names to tempt the unwary to rez them in-world. IF YOU RECEIVE AN OBJECT FROM SOMEONE YOU DON’T KNOW DO NOT REZ IT, DELETE IT IMMEDIATELY.

This kind of attack has been going on for quite some time but multiple sources have advised us that it is gaining more popularity among the griefing community. Linden Lab is able to track the objects being transmitted and ban the responsible parties - but please be wary to avoid any confusion that could cause you to temporarily lose access to your account while the Governance Team investigates. If you think that malicious objects are being spammed it is highly recommended that you contact a Linden Lab G-Team member and notify them of the situation.

While some observers speculated the booby-trapped gift guns may be part of a campaign by the SL Objectivists to cripple the SL Communist’s plans for a perfect gift economy - this seems unlikely. But the question remains - could there be some sort of connection between griefers and Objectivists in the metaverse? Do the Objectivists mind that security experts recommend that gift guns be destroyed unopened?

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[Note from Justine- I knew that Aloe Stradling was attractive from an earlier meeting, but was completely unprepared for the amazon that landed for her Post 6 photoshoot! I really hope my pictures do her justice because you won’t find too many avatars as lovely as she with as extensive a collection of great outfits. Enjoy!]

Hello! My name is Aloe! Hi! Hiiii! Nice to meet you! Hello. I am Aloe! But, I said that already, sorry. Sometimes my mind wanders. What was I saying?  Hi! At my core, I’m a sweet southern girl with the usual wants, dreams, and desires.  Also as usual, that simplistic core has a lot of complicated layers around it. I’m high energy, high enthusiasm, short attention spa- OOH! Something shiny!

Where was I? Oh yeah!  Hi Herald readers! Sorry about that. I’ve been in SL a little over a year now, and it never ceases to amaze me. So much to see, so much to do, So many amazing people. If you gloss over/ignore the lag, griefers, random idiots, and assorted frustrations , why, Secondlife is just perfect! Is that sarcasm?  I can’t even tell anymore.

When I first came to SL, I was overawed. A place where you can see anything. Do anything. BE anything.  After quickly discovering I had all the build talent of rougly 1/2 a dead goldfish, and, not a particularly talented goldfish, I set out shopping. One of these days, I may stop, but, I wouldn’t count on it. If I’m addicted, well, it’s a helluva lot cheaper than most RL addictions, and, I get to have my second childhood, dressing up my little digital Barbie doll however I want. I even founded a group that survives and thrives, based around sharing these finds; FASHIONISTA RAIDERS, Kind of a combination ‘Hey, Look what I found!, LM swap meet, and ‘Hey, where can I find a ….’ support group. I later learned there were other, similar groups already in existence, but… this one’s mine, and doing quite well. I’m happy with it. I love my fellow Fashion addicts. As a side note, here, look! A monument to my vanity. lol. The Photographer is one Baby Shortbread, and is, in my opinion, one of the best in SL. She’s been  ‘my’ photographer since I was jsut starting out and cutting my fashionista teeth.

Of course, when one has an expensive hobby like buying enough clothes to fill an olympic swimming pool, well, the money’s got to come from somewhere, right? And since large numbers of people have yet to send me vast quantities of Linden for no reason at all, I had to get a job.  So, I did what any other self-respecting, proper young lady would do. I got a job taking off the aforementioned clothes at a Bondage/Fetish club.  Now I’m probably getting an assortment of leers and surprised looks.  Yeah, well, I have fun with it, and it’s a great club. The Twisted Orchid.  Not turning this into an ad, but, I’m getting my shameless plugs in, dammit. Twisted Orchid is a stage/show club, not a ’sex sim’. The guests keep their clothes on, or are removed, and, naked people on stage doing interesting things to one another aside, it is a place to relax and unwind and enjoy. I like it there. I’m the club manager, as of the new year. STILL all excited about that.

I’m fairly sure many of you already have your own opinions of BDSM/Fetish. I’m not here to preach about that. If such a club is not for you, there’s plenty of other places to go. But I’m very happy with my play. Anyone is free to play however they want, provided it doesn’t infringe others, I’m happy with my loving Second Lifestyle, and wish you all the very best in yours. I serve and assist one Mistress Persephone Cordeaux, and could not be happier. Not divulging personal details, but I would like to say it is a healthy relationship. Both personal, and Professional now, as she’s begun the arduous task of making me her shop apprentice.  Let me say right now here in front of the world: I’m sorry for all the times I’ve made you groan in frustration trying hammer the basic creation concepts into my brain, Mistress. That aside, she’s having results. I’m roughly up to the creative abilities of 3/4ths of a dead goldfish now, and improving all the while.  Herald-kateers, say what you will about BDSM setups. My Mistress and ‘family’ treat me with love and respect, and I feel valued and fulfilled. They love me, and I them, and all know there’s more to BDSM than ‘Oooh. Kinky sex’, but, as previously stated, I’m not here to change your mind about anything. I’m here to be the Post 6 Grrl, and look pretty.  Check out the shop if you like. And if you do, check frequently, updates and new releases keep happening. Go figure.

As if I hadn’t already piled enough ‘jobs’ onto my plate, I also work with the Lovely and talented Daeynaries Lane, in a SL vid production company, Digital Memories Ltd. I got to name it! we even have a website. OOOOOH. professional.

When I’m not doing any of the above, I like to wander. I have a number of clubs I’ll relax in, or maybe go shopping, or just explore. I love SL. It’s a perfect way to unwind and have fun. For me, anyway. SL is such a busy place, And I seem to be carving out a comfortable little niche for myself. I don’t know what the future will bring, but, I’m  ready, and curious as a neko to see what unfolds. Whatever tomorrow brings, I want to be there to see is. And, if it looks good on me, probably buy it.

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