Yes, welcome to my lair of evil thoughts and incorrect speech where I don't let go and move on and I talk about whatever I please. On a blog no one ever tells you to shut up. If you don't like what I say, just go elsewhere.

This blog now has a new background and a new theme. It is also using a remotely loaded style sheet. That is a first. It is lush, heavy, and uses a background that has a theme I have never used here before, though I have used it for pressies. Let the show go on! It always does anyway. And yes, we are powered by Blogger.

I am putting a temporary illustration here until I have a logo for this design. Watch this space.

LET'S ROLL THOSE OTHER SITES

The Backfile: this blog's archives.

Ajayu, home of my story, The Sneezeweed Chronicles. Yes, I do fiction.

It will have Oneiro, my own little role play.

Unfettered Soul, my flagship site.

The Silk Purse, my play pretend Brainstorms.

Failed Messiah Religious news never sounded so good.

New York Times. Read the news and be smart.

Terra Incognita

I bought the land last night. I named it Kanatenah. I name everything Kanatenah which was the name of a huge, incredibly beautiful (to downstate eyes), seven story apartment building that burned to the ground in early March of 1998 in Utica, New York. The Kanatenah's twin, the Obliston, survives. The Obliston is run down but it is still good value. No one will ever rebuild or replace the Kanatenah. They don't rebuild them like that any more.

The Kanatenah is 2048 square meters. I pay 875L/week for it. I have enough money out of the gift I received at Christmas to rent it for two years. Two whole years is an eternity in Second Life.

I put the smaller version of the murled house on it and the canopy store structure which is also murled. I planted lots of trees, including a new species, a flamboyant or flame tree. I made a flame tree megaprim texture and put up a double megaprim to hide a neighboring eyesore. I planted lots of trees and some raffelisia.

I think I have species never seen before in Second Life. I'm going to confirm this, but I suspect I am the first with my new trees: the cacao tree (with lots of pods), the peppercorn tree (piper...), the milleta tree (wenge), and the Australian Christmas tree. These are a great alternative to palm trees and create a tropical feel that is authentic. In addition, I think I have Second Life's first raffelisia (not sure of the spelling), the world's largest flower, the one that smells like carrion. Oh it is good that smells don't exist in Second Life!

Second Life can at times suffer from a crisis of imagination. I have the only friendly, modern, beehives. I shouldn't have them, but hey it was that easy. It is very possibly no one cared enough about authentic flora to create new kinds of tree. Palm trees were good enough, and stick a few maples or oaks in if you need leaves. I'll have to confirm all this by visiting some garden centers.

I also need to straighten out the details of paying tier with the landlords. There are two of them. They have been in business for a while and their sim appears successful. I am in it for the long haul. The Kanatenah is in Utopia Portugal XVIII. I'll get an SLURL for any one who is interested.

Burnt Cork

His name was Sizzlin Bacon. It really was. I saw it posted above his head as it flies above the heads of nearly all avies. He was tall. Most avies were tall. He was unusual in that he was African American as is Iyoba. He was dressed like a gangster, baggy pants, tons of bling, expensive sneakers. He did not speak to me (or Iyoba). He was busy with his girlfriend who was caucasian from what I could tell. I saw him in the Hobo Island Sandbox.

Sizzlin is typical of a lot of African American avatars I see, especially male ones. First let's start with his name. Bacon is meat. The meat is hot. Meat is slang for a male organ. Enough said. You all know the myth about black men and sex.

The name was imaginative, but as I looked at Sizzlin I realized that very few self-respetcing, adult, African American, middle aged adults (I've heard the average age at Second Life is thirty-five) would have an avatar that impersonates a gangster. How do you say stereotype? How do you say derogatory?

There are actually almost no real life African Americans in Second Life. There may be some morenas, but the Brazilian conception of race is not the American one. I would estimate the percentage of African Americans in Second Life at less than two percent. Here is how I figure this. I listen to the music. There is house, techno, and trance. There is some hip hop (some of it very ugly hip hop). There is top 40, but there is no old school, no gospel, very little MoTown with the exception of Michael Jackson. I have yet to hear a DJ play a set full of Earth Wind and Fire and The Sugar Hill Gang. It is kind of depressing that the way music divided us in college in the 1980's still divides people in Second Life, if we are divided. African Americans may not feel all that comfortable in Second Life. The music may be wrong. The avatarim sometimes are stereotypical, and there may be the occasional crack. I've heard some disrespectful language that is classist, and some very right wing talk. I wonder what you get when you scratch. Nothing in the TOS prohibits "code words" inserted in the right places.

The Hot Seat is Back

Mark Stephens Meadows. Welcome to the hot seat. You wrote I Avatar. I am reading it. I don't think it represents my journey through Second Life, but then again, I made sure to avoid disrespetful cultures and places. I was afraid of harassment and hazing. I also wanted a more conservative experience. I saw things Mr. Meadows hasn't seen. I also know that Second Life and the real world are inseparable. Monetization (paying for things with real money) provides the link.

A satisfied denzien of the Well, Mr. Meadows, made his peace with monetization (The Well is a paid service so it's monetized or it was a paid service back in the day.) before reaching Second Life. I felt uneasy about monetization, but it know it is a lesser evils than some forms of ad support. Think about all those "special offers" which are scams in disguise.

Anyway, I gawked a bit at Gor in the early days of the internet. I've run into a few Gorean stores and toured one Gorean sim in Second Life. I've been in Fur clubs. Both of these subcultures leave me cold. And Mr. Meadow there are REAL Conservative Christians and REAL Shintos in Second Life. The Japanese sims include temples and shrines. I don't understand them. I just see them.

The Conservative Christians have their own islands and their own "ministries." I have a lot to do with them because I am a frum Jew in real life and there are no frum Jews in Second Life or if they are, I have yet to find them. There is a mschitic Lubavitch display but that does not count as real frumkeit or real religious and halachic observance.

And yes, it is possible to be a frum Jew in Second Life, though Iyoba doesn't always act completely frum. There's nothing in Judaism that forbids dancing at clubs or listening to popular music. I stay off Second Life during Shabbos. I try to avoid places with disrespectful language and I try not to cuss.

Now there is a Jewish presence in Second Life. It's been featured in one of the big pupblications. They had a "seder" that featured Jack Daniels. Jack Daniels in real life is chametz! It gets even better, you're not supposed to be online during the first night of Passover. You are supposed to be at a seder in real life. Likewise, having live music concerts on Shabbos (Friday night!) is not shomer Shabbos. I dropped my Jewish group like a hot potato. I am not shy about fighting about religion, but these folks were beyond fighting. They could say: "Oh you're Orthodox...well we're not. I don't think there's an Orthodox presence in Second Life."

I deal better with the Christians at Eternal Creation. I'll leave out the story of the Christians at Yesha. The Eternal Creations Christians provide a sandbox. They accept nonChristians into their group. They used to have a nice dance club, and the language in their area is always respectful. That is important.

I don't have to worry about whether they are practicing their religion in the correct or standardized way or whether they have the best approach for reconciling their faith to Second Life. It's not my religion so it's not my problem.

That said, the Christians I know in Second Life have far less problem with Capitalism than Christians or people in any of the Western faiths should. Read the Bible if you don't believe me. It doesn't endorse laissez faire capitalism and has a rudimentary social safety net of sorts (loans from family and temporary debt slavery). The sabbatical and jubilee years also PREVENT the accumulation of wealth and the formation of a permanent landless underclass.

The Bible also takes a staunch stance against consumerism. One of the Ten Commandments is "Thou shalt not covet..." That is not "Thou shalt not steal..." One can work hard, save one's sheckels, and often purchase the coveted item or at least one that is similar. Coveting is the heart of a consumer economy. Whoops.... Thankfully, I'm not a Christian.

Christians in Second Life also fight with one another. I catch bits and pieces of it since I am clearly NOT in their inner circle. The club is gone. The ice skating rink is somewhere but I don't know where. I think several ministries have gone their separate ways. By the way, their sim plays Christian rock not gospel. What does that tell you?

Evangelical Christians have a vile reputation among some circles of mainstream Second Life. People tell stories of missionaries coming into bondage and sadomasochism sims and preaching that those amusing themselves there are going to Hell. I've never seen that but I did see a BDSM enthusiast asking the Christians to bless her slave via instant message. How do you say "troll?" That said, I've heard stories that Christians themselves told about doing missionary work in "occult sims."

I have to laugh when people say "There are no Christians in..." Usually this applies to MySpace, or Facebook, or perhaps Second Life. Christianity is the most popular religion on the planet, and the majority religion in the United States. Of course there are Christians in Second Life including the Evangelical kind. There are Christian everywhere. I wish I could say that for Jews.

Lost Innocence III

Yes, as I promised you have a rink side seat to watch me "murl" my house. For those of you who don't know the house sort of exists in Second Life. The reason it sort of exists is that it resides in Iyoba's inventory. I don't have land for it yet. I also don't have land for my store structure either. The reason you get to see the house, is that I have rezzed it in assorted sandboxes.

I also decided to use only half the house. This means I can rent a smaller piece of land. That is good news. I don't need four rooms and neither does Iyoba. Furniture is not my favorite thing to buy or make. I'd rather make plants and Iyoba is out of doors most of the time for obvious reasons.

"Murling" is the art of covering a house or other item with a mural rather than a photo realistic texture. Murals are easier to make. This makes "murling" more fun, and makes building accessible to any one who wants to try it. Let's start with the "murling."

The "murling" took place yesterday, December 22, in the Berkman sandbox. Berkman belongs to Harvard University. Yes, they have a public sandbox. Let's start with the first photo. Here is the house prior to murling.

The second picture shows just the door murled. It's not purple any more!

The next pictures shows that murling is a multipart procedure. In this picture, Iyoba has removed the apple green coloring from one of the torii's surfaces. That is why it is white and it is ready to get the mural texture.

Here is the murling further along. Some surfaces still haven't received the mural.

Now here for a change is the interior view of the house. It's plain white in there. The interior and exterior torus surfaces require different textures and different murals.

And here is an aerial view of a still partially murled house. Note, the ends have not yet received the texture. This house has about a dozen surfaces and is comprised of six prims. That is not a lot of shapes. In fact, those who classify such things would classify this places as ultra low prim.

Now here is a view of the end of the house. I have three mural textures but it is necessary to choose their size and offset to get the right effect. The ends of the house are also very slightly transparent. Translucent would be a better word.

Now let's get back to the inside of the house. It too is murled but with a subtle wallpaper that picks up the outside mural's theme. The theme in case you are wondering is titan arums, one of the world's biggest flowers. I think rafflesia is bigger. You can faintly see the arums in the wallpaper. You can also see that the insides of the ends of the house are unmurled. I bet you are wondering how a house like this feels without windows. Well don't wonder. It has windows.

And here is the interior with a window completed. The house' two end pieces are one way glass, transparent form the inside and barely translucent from the outside.

And here is the house fully murled. If you are a more conventional Second Lifer would you like to live next to a murled house? Would you want one for yourself? Would you like to try making one.

Oh and I also murled the store. Let's start with the store structure in its original state.

And now here is the finished product. Say no more....

Now is the time to get cold feet. I have land picked out. It is a "rat tail" parcel in...I'm not telling you where. I'm not sure I'll be really all that happy with more land. I still have a mess to unsnarl on XStreetSL. They don't get a link and you know why. I guess my innocence is gone and I should just accept it. I'm in deep. I'm spending money. I can keep this up for two years, and who knows where I'll be two years from now.

Lost Innocence II

Part I was "Where I've Been" in the previous blog. I've run into a few minor beaurocratic hurdles with the check (no envelopes in the ATM). I've cleared my charitable and conscience obligations. The work begins now if not the actual purchase.

Someone on the Forums suggested I try laying out the build for my sixteenth of an island or less to see how much land and prims I needed. I did not lay out everything, just the large structures, but judging from my 512, I use seven prims for every prim used in structure or maybe less. This depends on whether one considers Goofy Kitty, my white chinchilla cat couch, a structure or a decoration or a piece of furniture.

To do the prebuild layout, I rezzed a very large building platform. The texture on it is called building grid with which I can measure square meters. The platform was 3600 square meters. I rezzed it at 664 meters in the air above the IBM Public Sandbox.

Let's bring on the pictures. Here is the platform by itself.

Here is the platform with the house on it. Yes, that is a house. Yes, it needs a texture. Yes it is very futuristic looking. With another texture than plain spring, green paint, it would look less harsh. I have a possible texture for it. It is huge!

And here is the platform with two structures on it. The second structure is a retail canopy. I made it with Looprez some time ago. I like the way it looks like a flower from on top. All the prims used in this build are tortured toroids except for the canopy's three poles which are sculpties.

This is a piece of the house and all of the canopy more or less from "ground level" on the platform including Iyoba of course. The house is two buildings connected by a breezeway with an awning over it. It looks a bit like catamaran rudders.

And here is a wide angle shot of the house and the store. Notice how low to the ground they are.

Here is a close up of one side of the house. The door is purple just to make it stand out. there are two rooms connected to a center passage on each side for four rooms in all. It's amazing what you can do with a few good torii!

I did not have patience to do a lot of landscaping on the platform, but I did take two pictures of the house with one of my new trees. This is an Australian Christmas tree. That is what I was trying to re-create. Here it is near the house.

So what did I learn? The house is twenty by thirty meters. It is very large. The store is about twenty by twenty. On the ground this build needs about 3,000 square meters. What makes matters tough is that the structures use only 30 prims. Given my ratio of structure to nonstructure prims, I need only 240 prims for this project. I do have a smaller kiosk and could use only half the house or a smaller house. I have plenty of those in my inventory. If I don't want to pay for prims I don't need, I might be better off on a 1024 on the mainland since I am all ready a premium member.

On the other hand, I really love this build and bumping up to a 1024 involves abandoning my present 512 and going homeless so as not to end up with 1534 of land and paying tier for 2048 for one month. I'm not sure I'm ready for a move that is that awkward. There are 3072 parcels around though they are a bit scarce. I know I definitely DO NOT want to pay for double or extended primmage. I don't need it.

I'm not sure what to do next. I have some texture elements that need to be scanned. I also have a texture for the house. The house, and the store, by the way will never have a "realistic texture." Instead, I'm going to "murl" them. Murling a building means covering it with a mural rather than a realistic texture. Anyone can murl so it is great fun and it is easy to murl well. I'll try and get images of the murling for this blog. I hope I am not creating an "eyesore." I know any place that doesn't want my soon-to-be-murled creations is not a place I want.

Where I've Been

I've been dealing with Second Life and what I have been dealing with isn't so good. Slapt.me which is an alternative to XStreetSL which I have to vacate by the first of the year is a very poor substitute. My freebies which are still selling at XStreet are not selling at all at Slapt.me. Either Slapt.me is not working or it just doesn't get enough traffic.

Moreover, while my new store in Hakata stays put that is all it does. I was lucky to get it. The rent is reasonable and the mall is in a pretty good Japanese sim, but I can't landmark it or put it in search. So much for a basic source of advertising.

Then on Sunday, I found that my Dad sent me Christmas money. I now have enough to rent a large plot of land for a year. That means land from a landlord on an island. I got burned on a store stall. I am once again vulnerable. Also I don't know thing one about buying big land. I need to learn about covenants and put up with the inconvenience of weekly payments. Also, paying this much for Second Life bothers me even though the payments will be out of a gift. I am making sure to fulfill certain obligations before I buy the land. I am also building. I have a large (14 prim!) house with a courtyard for vegetation. I have three new trees. I want to make more plants.

A big purchase like this strips me of my innocence. It is harder to just go out dancing or bushwhacking. A trip to the sandbox feels like a vacation. I guess I'll get happier in world soon. That is despite what I am writing. Linden Lab is either doing something stupid or evil or both. Read on... They aren't doing it to me...yet or are they?

What's Wrong with Nascera

Nascera is the new continent that holds Linden Homes. Nascera is currently a square, about the size of Information Island and about as far from the rest of the mainland continents. It is the home of Linden Homes, Linden Lab's latest attempt to encourage members to go to a premium membership. A Linden Home is a free 512 square meter plot with a ready made prefab house.

There are sixteen models to choose from in four themed neighborhoods. New Premium members who have Linden Homes, can not remove or modify their homes. They also can not terraform or change the landscape surrounding their homes. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT.

The most important features of Nascera are what is NOT there. There are no roads though there may be some poorly defined trails. There are no shopping malls. There is open space but no parks with swimming pools, skating rinks, dance halls, or other public spaces.

This is an utter urban planning trainwreack. Residents of Nascera have no third place where they can hang out and meet others. A third place is a venue that is neither work nor home. Think sidewalk cafe in Paris or coffee house in London or a diner or cafe in the United States or a neighborhood bar anywhere. Nascerites will have to socialize in their yards or invade eachothers' homes. Going into someone else' territory is not the same dynamic as meeting on neutral ground and not nearly so comfortable.

The lack of well defined roads and interesting landmarks means impared walkability. The close together look-alike houses make navigating even harder. Developments in Nascera resemble a morass. It will be very hard for Nascerites to explore.

There also appears to be no place for stores at the info-hub in Elderglen. If Linden Lab includes stores at a later date, they will probably be several sims away from most members. Given the poor walkability, Nascerites will probably teleport just like suburbanites go everywhere by car. In a world where the New Urbanism is popular in real life, Second Life's Nascera is fifty years behind the times.

There are many excellent builds in Second Life that avoid many of the urban planning pitfalls in which Nascera is mired. Akiba and Afrodite XIII spring to mind. Guaruja has seen better days but it is still an interesting mixed use build. The beach at FS City is a lovely, public, temperate beach and also might be something worth imitating.as is the island's park.

Besides missing crucial features that make good neighborhoods, Nascera is not a welcoming place for broad segments of would-be premium members. Again, with Nascera what is missing is more important than what is present. Nascera is NOT a welcoming place for builders. If a user plans to build his/her own house, he/she will have no use for Linden Home. Builders are not welcome on Nascera.

I visited Nascera this evening and found myself in a series of fantasy sims. The houses are architecturally interesting, high prim count, and not diverse, are set amid a weird mismatched set of flora that includes oversized fritillaria and mushrooms and giant redwood trees, and some other kind of trees with plump, gnarled, trunks.

The houses and landscape are as cute as any children's fairy tale book. Some people call them "hobbit houses," but Tolkien's work was far darker than anything available in the fantasy sims. There is a grey castle, but it is full of glowing lavender crystals. No where are there skulls, fountains of blood etc... Demons and vampires are not welcome despite the fact that there are an awful lot of vampires in Second Life and vampires are quite fashionable in popular culture.

There are also "western" or mountain, California, and Japanese themed sims. In addition to there being no place for vampires or demons, there is no place for dragons or quad avatarim, angels (similar to demons), Goreans, those who like dilapidated urban environments, military types, cyborgs, sci-fi enthusiasts. This list is getting quite long.

Also missing is a tropically themed sim even though these are one of the most popular themes in all of Second Life. There is no place where it is OK to run around in a bikini or shorts that are more rips than material and decolltage. There is not even much place to swim.

And remember, the vampire who craves a dark pit with blood red crystals, can't change the color of her castle door or crystals or paint her house black or just tear it down and put up something more appropriate. The swingers can't tear down the cheesey pine trees and replace them with palmettos. The houses and landscape in Nascera are permanent fixtures and can't be modified. Nascera's covenant also outlaws sky boxes and boarding over.

It seems as if Linden Lab has set up Nascera to purposefully not include anything dark, edgy, sexy, or challenging. There is also no space for churches and builders are as I said before out of luck. Nascera seems to be designed so that new premium members never have to deal with "those kind of people."

There is a fancy sociological term for the fate of builders, demons, vampires, punks, steam punks, cyborgs, soldiers, and bikini babes on Nascera. It is marginalization. Marginalization means that your group or culture is so insignificant that it is beneath consideration. Does that feel like a smack in the face? Well it should. As a member of a marginalized group I can feel the sting.

All of this leaves two questions. First, what next (I know this usually goes second, but I need it to go first.) and second, is it right? In a nightmare scenario, the future of Second Life is Nascera. Linden Labs can give and they can take away. After a time they "clean up" the mainland and boot out all the small holders and we all have to find homes in themed communities that keep out those people more or less by design. Maybe building will require a license? Maybe it will require renting estate land? I don't believe this will really happen.

More likely if Nascera is a flaming success (And this is questionable because the kind of mass market folks who would not enjoy living next to a clan of vampires who are not behaving rudely, may not be the kind to want to spend seventy-two dollars a year (six dollars a month) for a premium membership.) it will badly socialize a bunch of newbies who will be perfectly comfortable in their intolerance. Now, I'm a funny person to say it since I am among Second Life's more conservative members, but it is one thing to "sell" free, work safe clothes and visit Christian sims. There are no frum Jewish sims, but Eternal Creations fills the bill. It is another to find another law abiding avie unacceptable for a neighbor because he/she has fangs and wants to suck blood, goes down with his buddies to play first person shooter at Velocity, or has a kajira or two. Narrow minded newbies who don't want to spend time with any body who is too different and who are afraid of what evil might lurk on the mainland won't do themselves or Second Life any good.

Second, is it really wise to house new premium members in a plain vanilla (restricted by design) world of sweetness and light, appropriately themed? Getting used to mixed use neighborhoods teaches more. It also teaches the tolerance for those with different ideas that is the start of learning and learning how to get along and make common cause against the real bad actors: scam artists, thieves, and those who overuse system resources.

Rather than create plain vanilla and hoping it sells, Second Life might be better off trying to create some form of regulation of land dealers and land lords to prevent scams and rip offs. They could also zone the mainland to increase and enforce walkability, outlawing obstructions, jungle walls,and ban lines and asking for security orbs to be set to five minutes (That is not a typo. That is the time required to cross a piece of property on a slow connection.) or more. This would improve quality of life and the value of a premium membership tremendously.

Linden Labs might also consider teaching new users about monetization. Monetization means that Second Life doesn't give you free lunch for accepting "free offers." It doesn't assault you with ads. You pay up front and get that for which you paid.

Last, Second Life could get rid of the bait and switch that accompanies living on a 512. Quite simply, huge, multi-roonm houses are out of the question. Even in Nascera, most houses are a single room. Having a 512 show case and teaching how to make the most of a small plot would help users know what to expect when they rezzed their first prefab or built.

What Has Gotten Into Me?

Yes, a midweek blog. What has gotten into me? Well, I want to critique a certain article and I can't because...let's just say it involve people with whom and for whom I work. I'm under a code of omerta, and boy does that expletive deleted, but such is life. I can, however, discuss some of what I would address in my critique more generally.

Let's Talk About....

Any one who is doing any sort of educactional (or perhaps corporate) work in Second Life confronts both sex and sexuality. This sometimes feels unpleasant, disquieting, or threatening. Coming to grips with both aspects of Second Life and then dealing openly with sexuality and addressing its impact on the work place, and the philosophical and social ramifications should help educators, students, and perhaps corporate types live better with the ten thousand pound elephant in the living room.

First, there is sex in Second Life. This is not all that odd. There is also swimming, dancing, and skiing. Second Life is a rich enough visual environment to offer a sense of self image, movement, and place. This fools some people's brains into believing that Second Life is real.

This is not a rational belief. It's just a belief. It is why Second Life can sink itself so deeply into neurons it feels like addiction. It's not addiction. It's just a very good interface and a brain doing what it's supposed to do, but it has interesting consequences. If my avie stands on snow in sandals and a short sleeve shirt, both she and I feel cold. Skiing in Second Life feels a bit like skiing in real life especially on one very good slalom course that has gone out of business. Crossing a rope bridge over a deep gorge can leave me feeling dizzy and nauseated. These are examples of how well Second Life works. It also I hope explains how some people can engage in cyber sex.

Fortunately, for any one who finds the idea of "cybering" uncomfortable, nearly all cyber sex in Second Life is carried on in dedicated facilities for orgies or privately for couples. The chances of running into any one engaged in the act are close to nil. The chances of overhearing dirty talk or moans and groans through thin walls are a bit higher than nil, but still pretty small. To avoid sex or pornography, stay out of areas marked Adult even if you have Payment Info on File.

Also all sex in Second Life is consensual. This includes bondage, orgies, and other strange combinations of polymorphus perversity. To have sex, avies hop on poseballs that are set up with sex animations. If an avie does not want to engage in an act, he/she simply does not get on the pose ball. The Restrained Life viewer which allows one avie to control another is always in the hands of the avie who is being controlled. She sets the degree of control and can stop the game at any point as well.

Finally, all sex in Second Life should be between those eighteen and older. Second Life has an adult grid and the teens are locked away on a separate grid. To sum it up: Sex in Second Life occurs generally in private or in facilities set aside for that purpose. Sex is always between consenting adults.

Sex is essentially a nonproblem for any one in education in Second Life or in the corporate or nonprofit world. Sexuality, however, is another matter. Imagine if you will, that you are downtown at a shopping mall, and half the men are walking around bare chested showing off their tattoos and the women are walking around in either underware, skirts so short they barely qualify as figleaves, or shorts or jeans so torn there is nearly nothing left of them, and of course bare midtiff tops with huge decolltage. Everyone looks like Barbie and Ken. What's going on? Is this Mount Olympus or the underware section of the Penny's catalog. Worse still, there are stores selling body parts: skin, shapes, eyes, and more of that tartware. People buy this stuff, and encourage others to buy it. You wonder what is going on. Welcome to a lot of main land Second Life.

Well, first none of what you are seeing is illegal or morally wrong. You could show it to your grandmother or eight year old child, unless you hide the Penny's catalog so they won't see the women's underware.

Still something about it doesn't feel right, and the fear and loathing, has been partially behind many decisions in the nonprofit sector and perhaps the corporate sector as well. Most corporations and nearly all educational entities have set up islands or small continents far from the mainland. There is no plane or boat service in Second Life. Second Life is noncontiguous. To reach the mainland from the walled educational garden, one has to know the name of a mainland sim or have a landmark or use the search engine to find something random. You can't just walk out of the walled garden.

The fear created by pervasive sexuality runs even deeper. A sign in a certain club set up in an educational sim reads No Escorts. I'd like to see a sign in a Second Life whore house or club populated by escorts that says No Nonprofit Sector Workers or Volunteers. I hope all of you can see the patent absurdity of both signs. Now many clubs have rules against sex or against even prostitution. A simple no solicitiation rule would suffice at this club. After all, if an escort is off duty and likes this sort of music, why shouldn't she come to dance? Does what she does with therest of her Second Life time make her deserving of stigma?

Pervasive sexuality also carries with it the fear of going too far. Second Life currently forbids age play. Age play is where one person with a child avie engages in relations with another person with an adult avie. Remember both users are consenting adults. Many people find this repugnant. Others fear that a real child might be playing the child part. Either way it is forbidden.

Actually the whole "age play" issue is a bit more nuanced than "Oh that's disgusing!" and THOU SHALT NOT. Many female avatarot look young. In America (and many other places) many people consider a woman to be at her most beautiful when she is just out of adolescence. Think of all the sixteen and seventeen year old models. The Lolita or teenage female avie who is pretty much adult size is not one bit repugnant in many circles. In fact she is an ideal.

Then there are other cultures that handle the whole child avie issue differently. Japanese female avatarot are often adolescent or post adolescent and delicately built.They wear school uniforms that no school would allow in their dress code or they dress as maids or as members of Japans various fashion cultures. Among Brasilians who come from a country with far more lax proofing, it is not at all uncommon to see mother daughter pairs in clubs. Yes, the child avie is there fast dancing along with an adult avie who plays her parent.

The fear brought on by this whole age play issue, is so pervasive and strong, it has untoward consequences. Iyoba, my avie, is 4'10" though I think she is closer to five feet. For Second Life she is extremely short. Any one with pint size adult avies runs the risk of height discrimination. Getting proofed is not a problem. Iyoba carries her age in her profile so she can be proofed easily in clubs. She's had one bad incident of height discrimination and managed to talk her way back into the club.

Some users also fear being around child avies. They feel anything they do or say around them may be somehow wrong and get them in trouble. There is an endless conversation on the forums of what might happen if and less often what does happen when those under eighteen are let on to or may sneak on to the main grid. The fear of teens on any part of the main grid sends chills down many a users spine even though most users are respectful enough in their behavior that this has got to be a nonissue.

On a different and equally scarey note, avatarot (and maybe avatarim as well) often live in fear of harassment. I've heard stories about rude male avatarim who ask avatarot point blank to hop on a poseball. Other avatarot report being stalked. Back in the world of nonprofit/educational continents, I have heard plenty of talk about certain places being "unsafe."

In addition to the fear it creates, pervasive sexuality pushes norms for appearance in unpleasant directions. I'll leave out the whole Barbie and Ken, or pressure to look like a supermodel in Second Life, for another day. Instead, I can no longer count the times I've heard an avatar (usually female) ask: "is there any way I can cover my belly?" or try to pull a strapless gown up just a little higher. First time shoppers to mainland clothing emporia often react with shock to the wares on offer. They want something more modest, but modest clothing seems not to exist.

Avatarot show up for work in strapless dresses, miniskirts, and or torn jeans and leathers. They don't always dress this way, but it happens far more often than it does in the real world.

So what does one do about pervasive sexuality? First, we need to have the discussion. Basicly, it's a talk about public presentation about how what you do and wear effects others and about how social norms get set in place, and the difference between norms and rules. It is OK to push norms, bend, them and even break them.

Also there needs to be discussion about tolerance issues. What others do does not have to effect you, but you still get a choice in your behavior. Because you don't accept something for yourself, does not mean you have to condemn it in others. The escort is a fine customer if she is not making a disturbance.

Third, there needs to be talk about modesty and yes some sort of dress code at least for those wearing the nonprofit group's tag and while they are at work volunteering. What they do on their own time should be their own business. If modest clothes are hard to obtain, and they often are, then members of any nonprofit group should either teach clothes making (not that hard) or make clothes to give to others.

Fourth, it's time to break down the walled garden. I can't give many specifics here, but behind the Barbie doll in short shorts and a midriff that reveals more than it conceals is a middle aged mom of middle schoolers and behind the tatooed gangster in rave pants with a side arm bigger than...(Let's not go there. Use your imagination), is a man with questions about high blood pressure or taking care of aging parents. These are just hypothetical, but those mainlanders with slightly dirty minds are customers. In the words of Antonus Jacobus my good friend: "Most people want things better than what they have. They work all day and can't even let their children out to play for fear of crime. No wonder they are on Second Life." I think we need to get back to that idea.

Sad and Vulnerable Part 4

Yes, boys, girls, ladies, gentlemen, COPPA violators, fresh fruits, and rotting vegetables, the saga continues. I finally picked out my store. It was a lovely 50 prim 200 square meter bay on the island of Restless Dream at the Cuba Cabana Shopping Mall. Now what could be bad about that. The landlord, Zizo (Hey Scond Life names are like that), watched me move in with utmost dispatch in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.

Thursday I worked on changing my XstreetSL listings. Friday it was time to put my store in the directory and....all my merchandise was missing. I found a "coalesced" item in my inventory. I wondered if there had been a bad sim crash. I also noticed all the rental boxes were gone.

I came back a couple of hours later and there was no more shopping mall. I rebuilt my store, making a cute kiosk that was much better than the original. I photographed it. I did not think it would be there long. I felt that Linden Lab would not intervene. This was after all a "dispute between users." I knew I was out the two and a half dollars I'd paid. I also knew it would have been really nice if Zizo would send me notice.

Saturday night, my store was gone again, and there was notice from Zizo saying all the tennants could move back in and would have stores at the new location. He and his buddies had moved the sim. So much for my smooth transition out of XStreetSl.

Late on Saturday I returned to my land in Hartley and put everything in inventory. I smoothed the property and brought everything up to grade. I rezzed my retail kiosk complete with vendors. I rezzed Goofy Kitty and some of my furniture and flowers. The new store is prettier than anything I could have rented. I'm not sure I'll go back of Zizo finally remembers me. I'm not sure I want to go back.

I do miss having a house even though Iyoba prefers to sleep with Goofy Kitty outside, but I'm very proud of the house and like displaying it. It is among the best things I ever built. I'm not ready to pay the price to display it or rather I'm not ready to rent from any body again.

December 15 is the day I leave XStreet for good. I'm glad I own unrestricted land. I'm glad I can build. I need to start preparing to load a third vendor. I'm not ready. I'm tired and that's pretty much it.

Korê and Rimona

No, they're not in the same story, but both their tales are alive which is why this blog only gets written to once per week. Both stories have had their first good plot twists, and in Korê's case a second and third plot twist. Actually, the big thunder builds on the horizon. Remember what I said about Kyril long ago. He is still a wildcard in the deck. Ivanna is also trouble. Minerva, the littlest sibling, is a girl of mystery, and all this will stay a mystery because you don't get spoilers.

Rimona, meanwhile knows that Ranier is a danger. She does not know how much of a danger or how much he needs her. Rimona also has to do a disgutingly compassionate act for her younger brother, Eben, a lout who does not deserve his older sister's kindness. This is one rancid brew. If you feel sorry for Ranier, and I don't mean fake pity, that's OK. Just feel sorrier for Moses whom Ranier almost killed.

How do you create justice? That is what Rimona needs to know. She is unsure. The law has failed Moses. The law also failed Moses' whole family when you think about it. Will revenge bring justice? How about monetary compensation? Are apologies meaningful? Is this getting hairy or what?

And yes, Ranier has no remorse. He doesn't need it, and if this creeps you out and makes your skin crawl, well, guess what it's supposed to do that. Ranier is amoral, completely and utterly amoral. Worse yet... well that's spoiler territory. Don't feel sorry for Ranier. Please....

OK and you can find Korê in New York and Keep Me Whole Until Morning here. Read 'em and Weep.