SL OlymPICs

Since its all about olympics in RL i thought lets see if in SL there is something too.
URL : http://www.flickr.com/groups/tinyolympics/

Get your new vendors!

We have released our new vendor styles on SLeXchange - click the image above - they can also be found at our main office on Ian Bernard as always they are free and copiable/transferable so you can give them to your friends too.
The older V5.0 vendors are still available and will continue to work these can also be found on SLX and in all our outlets.

Read our newspaper regularly? this is an easy way to get to us.

The new vendors have a sleeker more professional feel and can fit in anywhere - check them out yourself .

Dana

By Bixyl Shuftan

Click for full size

Eye on the Blog - Changes to Give Residents More Choices

From the BLOG:

Some Residents have told me they worry the Linden Lab Blog is quieter than usual, and that this may reflect a decreased commitment by us to communication. In fact, the opposite is true. We’re making changes to enhance dialogue with you through adding better tools and organization along with fewer constraints.

Limitations of the Current Blog and Forums

The current blog has become unwieldy and messy because there is no way to categorize posts. Tag clouds, categories and search are inadequate tools for finding what you’re looking for. And we often hear that it can be frustrating to try and have meaningful exchanges about the original post because of the 150 message cut-off and the difficulty highlighting key comments among all the messages.Similarly the current forum software is outdated, barely functioning and lacks important features that would enhance conversation between posters.

There follows after this a list of upcoming changes and plans to both the Blog and the Forum tying both more closely together.

Many voices have been raised for a long time about the lack of communication from the Lindens and the forum has, until recently, mostly been ignored by them, not even updating the software needed to keep them running smoothly.

A lot of concern is raised therefore in whether the Lindens will actually bother to maintain a new version - or maybe they are hoping that software can make up for human intervention especially as the moderation with be outsourced (causing more concern about less Linden communication and involvement).

I guess we shall have to wait and see as always with anything proposed by Linden Lab - the proof is in the eating.

Dana

Inventory issues - and some quick fixes

After yesterdays problems with the grid I wasn't too surprised to find I had quite a lot missing from my inventory (I actually had about 10k items missing) and do you know I had forgotten how to clear my cache which is the first thing anyone will tell you to do if you are having issues with SL and especially invent.

So I thought I would post a reminder for anyone else who is also having difficulties this weekend:

(click the image to open it in a new window full size)

Firstly locate the edit button on your top menu bar, go down to the very bottom and click on preferences. This will open the preferences menu. The 3rd tab down should be 'Network' there you can see a button that says 'Clear Cache' click on that.
AFTER you have done this you MUST relog, it won't work until you do and you can expect it to take a little while to reload and also for the objects to appear back in your inventory.
Another fix is also to clear your browsers history.
If these fixes still don't work go to the support portal and file a ticket or ask for live help - I will wish you luck on that one!
Hope this helps some
Dana
sources: WIKI

Warning GRID ISSUES

There is nothing on the blog (as usual) Nothing on grid status page either
but I have been having problems for a few days now with LAG levels being high, failures on teleport and rezzing objects.
Today attempts to rezz almost invariable fail - I would not attempt to buy anything right now either - teleport sometimes works and sometimes doesn't.
Right now I am stuck on the log in screen after 20 minutes and 3 attempts to log back in after trying everything else.
My guess is that maybe it has some connection to the 1.24 Server deploy but that is just a guess - timing seems to much to be a coincidence - come on guys I guess you got it wrong again!
Time 06.30am SLT
I will update you if we get to hear anything.
Dana

UPDATE:
Live chat help -
Aurelie: Hello dana_Vanmoer, what can I help you with?
dana_Vanmoer: I can't log in
dana_Vanmoer: just get stuck with the bar about a 1/4 way up
dana_Vanmoer: I have tried several times in the last 20 minutes
dana_Vanmoer: hello?
Aurelie: it is a known issue
dana_Vanmoer: so why isnt it on the grid status or blog?
dana_Vanmoer: and is there a solution or time frame?
Aurelie: they are trying to fix it
Aurelie: and they are going to put a note on the blog
dana_Vanmoer: so we dont need to know because they are trying to fix it?
Aurelie: not yet
dana_Vanmoer: so i just wait for the 'never there' blog updates?
dana_Vanmoer: a warning on the log in page may be a better alternative instead of people wasting their time
Aurelie: is there anything else i can help you with?
dana_Vanmoer: yes give me some time frame?
dana_Vanmoer: or you suggest i just keep trying?
Aurelie: keep trying
Aurelie: some accounts now manage to log in
dana_Vanmoer: ok thank you for your help
dana_Vanmoer: not much point logging in if nothing works

UPDATE:
[RESOLVED 6:44AM PDT] The problem has been fixed. Logins and teleports should return to normal once the initial rush to log back in subsides.
We are having a problem with a VPN that we are currently investigating. This will have an effect on teleporting as well as blocking some residents from being able to log in. We will have updates on the situation as soon as possible.
(we shall see)

Cartoon of the day

By Bixyl Shuftan

Click for full size image

WALK INTO THE WATER

He walked toward their beach house, the one he and Deborah had worked so hard to get. It was still hard to believe, after all the years of work, of saving and planning that they had finally made their dream a reality. The house on the beach, the 42 foot schooner moored to the dock, everything was perfect. Deborah, his true love and wife of 19 years, by his side, fulfilling everything he could have ever desired in a partner. He had never before been this content with his life. “Surfing,” he though to himself, “I think I’ll go surfing today.”..........................

Continued in EXTRA EXTRA

New BETA abuse categories - some cause for concern?

On the right you can see the screen print of the AR form, but it a little difficult to read so I will paste the new categories here for you to be able to read, highlighting ones I believe of special note:

Age > Age play

Age > Adult resident on Teen Second Life

Age > Underage resident on Adult Second Life

Assault > Combat sandbox / unsafe area

Assault > Safe area

Assault > Weapons testing sandbox

Copyright or intellectual property violation

Commerce > Failure to deliver product or service

Disclosure > First life information

Disclosure > Remotely monitoring chat

Disclosure > Second Life information/chat/IMs

Disturbing the peace > Unfair use of region resources

Disturbing the peace > Excessive scripted objects

Disturbing the peace > Object littering

Disturbing the peace > Repetitive spam

Disturbing the peace > Unwanted advert spam

Fraud > L$

Fraud > Land

Fraud > Pyramid scheme or chain letter

Fraud > US$

Harassment > Advert farms / visual spam

Harassment > Defaming individuals or groups

Harassment > Impeding movement

Harassment > Sexual harassment

Harassment > Soliciting/inciting others to violate ToS

Harassment > Verbal abuse

Indecency > Broadly offensive content or conduct

Indecency > Broadly visible mature content

Indecency > Inappropriate avatar name

Indecency > Mature content in PG region

Intolerance

Land > Abuse of sandbox resources

Land > Encroachment > Object/textures

Land > Encroachment > Particles

Land > Encroachment > Trees/plants

Trademark violation

Wagering/gambling

Other

All of this, including a full discussion, can be found on the forums HERE after SuezanneC Baskerville found this list and posted it.

The highlighted catagories are cause for concern to many and it is to be hoped this list will be reworded or reviewed before going live.

It is great to see a catagory for 'Copyright or intellectual property violation' but since Linden Lab have always maintained Residents should file a DMCA I wonder what use this catagory actually is?

Trademark violation - Do they mean the SL trademark or the consumers? This seems to mean nothing at all without further explanation.

The main one of concern here is Commerce > Failure to deliver product or service - I would love to know how this one will work, quite apart from increasing AR's to an unworkable level, most failures are due to grid problems. Are customers now going to AR content creators simply because of grid hiccups? It would be confusing, to say the least, and those creators could find themselves punished for something they have no control over. Anyone that has sold through a vendor is SL knows these hiccups occur and the majority are happy to put it right if a vendor fails - but how can they do that if the first they know of a problem with a vendor is a warning from LL? Think again Lindens.

Age > Age play - Since when has been against the ToS to age play? This is going to cause an uproar simply by the wording - what I think is actually meant here is SEXUAL age play but this is not made clear, and it should be. Any child avatar could be Abuse Reported under this category as it stands right now.

Join in the discussion HERE and thank you Suzanne for bringing it to every ones attention.

Dana Vanmoer

Cartoon of the Day

By Bixyl Shuftan

Click for full size

COGS in the VAT Machine, by Deltango Vale

As an American living in Europe and, more importantly, as a resident of Second Life since 2006, I have become increasingly concerned by the apparent lack of strategic vision on the part of Linden Lab. At the beginning of 2008, I wrote ‘An Assessment of Second Life’ in which I said:
“Philip Rosedale and the Board of Directors are highly skilled engineers with little or no knowledge of economics, economic history, strategic planning or customer relations. As Second Life grows from a technological startup to a mature business, they are out of their depth. They are making serious mistakes. They are destroying the wealth and confidence of the entrepreneurial class who risked enormous time and money to build Second Life in the first place.”
In May, Mark Kingdon replaced Philip Rosedale as CEO. In July, he gave us his second-month ‘State of the Union Address’. His first major policy review concerns VAT. This is an important issue because it not only affects European entrepreneurs (landowners and content creators), but LL’s solution to this problem will tell us much about the new executive team and the future of SL’s social, economic and commercial environment.
Let me put VAT in context. Linden Lab is no longer a software startup or even a service provider. Linden Lab’s product, Second Life, is more akin to a national economy than a game or social network. The closest historical parallel would be the Virginia Companies of London and Plymouth (1606) whereby the success of the Virginia Company of London depended on the success of Jamestown (1607). Yet this description too is limited. Linden Lab has created the world’s largest realtime, transnational, free-market community.
VAT is a sales tax levied by the European Union on goods and services, passing through the value chain like a bad penny to the final consumer. To the best of my knowledge, Linden Lab got itself into this mess by opening an office in Brighton, England, thereby gaining a physical presence in the EU, thereby acquiring a legal presence in the EU. The most efficient solution to the VAT problem, therefore, would be to close the Brighton office.
Presuming that LL cannot now extricate itself from the EU Tar Baby - even by closing the Brighton office - how should the VAT problem be resolved? Here is what Zee Linden has to say, “Our business in Europe has quadrupled each year since 2004 and already it has more than quadrupled in 2007 through September. As a result, we can no longer afford to absorb these costs for European Residents.”
Yet the conclusion does not follow from the premise. In terms of propositional logic, Zee’s argument is incomplete. In fact, I could draw the opposite conclusion: that as a result of its enormous success in the European market, Linden Lab can afford to absorb VAT - and do so without detriment to non-EU residents. Let’s take a closer look.
COGS (Cost of Goods Sold) is a cost that varies with sales. The simplest way to think of it is the cost of hiring more salesmen or designers when your business grows. Alternatively, think of the cost of electricity for a restaurant. The more customers you have, the more food you cook, the more electricity you use, the higher your electricity bill. Needless to say, it would be stupid to turn away customers in order to save on electricity. You need to measure costs against revenues.
Gross Margin = Gross Revenue - COGS.
By absorbing VAT, Linden Lab would face an increase in COGS. In addition, Linden Lab would face a surcharge on existing European revenues. At the same time, passing VAT onto European entrepreneurs reduces Gross Revenue because 1) existing European entrepreneurs withdraw their financial and human capital from SL, 2) potential European entrepreneurs decide against investing in SL and 3) the reduction of European participation undermines the Network Effect (a term used by economists to describe increasing marginal returns).
In other words, passing VAT onto European residents is not ‘free’. While absorbing VAT reduces Gross Margin, passing it on reduces Gross Revenue. I maintain that absorbing VAT is the lesser cost - especially in the long term. I believe that by passing it on, Linden Lab is turning away customers to save on electricity.
Imparting VAT is akin to charging European customers higher fees based on higher European electricity costs. Such ‘discriminatory pricing’ would make sense if customers and commodities were encapsulated in geographic areas (cars or restaurants in Tokyo versus Paris), but it does not make sense in a realtime, transnational market such as Second Life.
Here is the problem. For a player in Arkansas, the price of a new island is $1000 + $295 per month tier; for a player in Aberdeen, the cost is $1175 + $347 per month. Multiply the difference by 50 sims and it is obvious that no European will create a continent such as Dreamland, Caledon or Paradise dAlliez. Yet, it isn’t just the big players who get hurt. I watched a neighbor’s half-sim mainland store go to the wall the day VAT appeared on her bill.
There is more to it than just money. The once-harmonious relationship between Americans and Europeans has come under tremendous stress as a result of Linden Lab’s current practice of discriminatory pricing. The issue has run like an open sore for months as European entrepreneurs bled out of the game to the catcalls of their American brethren. If SL is to be an American game, no problem, but unless LL reverses its policy of discriminatory pricing, it’s nonsense to pretend Second Life will become a ‘global village’ in the face of massive regional disincentives.
Discriminatory pricing balkanizes the SL community and distorts the transnational market. It creates a set of inworld social and economic conditions that undermine the current and future revenue stream of the company. The result is not the healthy competition of the free market or Olympic Games, but the pernicious business of economic nationalism. A restaurant that turns away customers to save electricity is bad enough, but one that does so by setting higher menu prices for Europeans is unlikely to remain convivial.

Deltango Vale

Finally, common sense is coming back!

Did you ever go over a long period of darkness and gloom to see the end of the tunnel? I believe that Second Life just did this.

Over the months, developments around the grid and Linden Lab finally bring hope that Second Life has a brighter future.

After much waffling, LL has finally understood the importance of not rolling out new land gratuitously, without considering the interests of established users who already own it on the various continents. Supporting the prices is a welcome idea, especially after the destructive introduction of new continents, European sales tax and the wiping of many SL real estate dealers. A serious land strategy is the only way to make sure that those of us who build around here will stay around for the long haul. It is a key for growth and strategic positioning of this 3D world.

My favorite change is a measure that should have been introduced from the start: zoning. LL intends to introduce and actively enforce residential and commercial zones in the future, which only makes sense. It is incredible to think that you can set up a house and see a strip club appearing on neighbouring land on the next day. Having zones will make Mainland ownership more attractive for current estate owners.

Seriousness to manage the business and enhance customer service are also starting to pay off. The efforts of M and Katt Linden are encouraging. Choosing a real CEO to replace Philip Rosedale was an important move on the part of Linden Lab since great founders and engineers are not always the most skilled managers. Having a communications manager like Katt Linden, who takes the time to listen to the community, also is reassuring.

Disastrous management and communications have done much harm to SL in the last 18 months. It is not too late to reverse the trend but LL cannot afford to waste much time since competitors are surely know that 3D worlds will be important in the future. SL has to keep its stranglehold on the market leader position if it is to survive.

Anyone who has been around the grid of late has noticed that it is becoming much more stable. The unplanned outages have been spectacularly reduced and the planned ones have been very reasonable. This is another key factor to the survival of SL.

A few questions remain, however. How will LL handle finance in the future? Can you have a virtual world without better policy on finance and banking? Is the land supply control only temporary?There is enough land set for sale on the grid to think that holding back on new land should be considered for a long time to come.

More importantly, however: how will Second Life become friendlier to newcomers? We have yet to see decisive moves to make SL more accessible for newbies. In the last months, the growth in time spent online has been attributed mainly to "veteran" users. If SL self-destructs one day, we may look at this issue as the straw that broke the camel's back.

Changes to let you know about

In the next week or so you may notice a few changes here at sl-newspaper.

We are getting ready to bring you a brand new layout that will hopefully make your experience easier and more pleasant.

For the full changes to take place we will have to take the newspaper offline, hopefully for no longer than 12 hours - so if you click to read and can't find us - don't panic we will be back very soon.

We will have some notice of when this is to happen and we will endeavor to let you know.

At the same time we will launch our new vendors

These will be available as a pack initially both at our main office and on SLeXchange.

As always with our vendors they are free and copyable, you can rez them or pass them on to friends to place them at their home or business for ease of access to the brand new SL-Newspaper.com.

The older vendors will continue to work so don't panic - if the newspaper is offline - they will work again once we are back.

We are looking forward to the new look sl-newspaper and hope you will be as excited about it as we are.

JamesT Juno

Dana Vanmoer

Nonprofit Commons Scavenger Hunt

I arrived at the Nonprofit Commons SIM to meet with MeRcEdEs Ochs, the head planner for the first ever Scavenger Hunt sponsored by the Nonprofit Commons group.
She'd sent me the TP request and greeted me as the site rezzed into view. We were at the main entry point. The signs displaying the names of the nonprofits that had offices here were the first to come into view.
I turned to find Merc, as she is called by friends, and saw her av begin to type.
"Hello Nazz, it's nice to finally meet you. Ronnie will be joining us momentarily. I've just offered her a TP." She Said
"Hello Merc, it is nice to finally meet avatar to avatar." I said smiling. "While we wait for Ronnie, we can chat a little about the scavenger hunt. Raising awareness seems to be a challenge for all organizations in SL, how well do you think this kind of event will promote nonprofit awareness in SL?" I asked.
"I think that it will increase awareness very well, because in order to find the clues for the hunt, participants will have to go into each nonprofit building. Hopefully the information in each will catch their eye and they will learn more. Also we will have free gifts in each nonprofit that will give information and a land mark ...so they may return to learn more." Ochs replied and then continued: "There will be note card givers in each participating organization, about twenty-five to thirty between both NPC SIM's."
As she spoke, Ronnie Rhode had arrived. Besides running the 'Garden for the Missing' nonprofit in SL, she is deeply involved with the NPC group. Hearing Merc's response she referred to two of the attractions that people can use when visiting the NPC SIM's. "One thing that I noticed is that the magic carpet and horse-drawn carriage do, when people ride them is they often see one or more nonprofits they want to learn about and when the ride is over, they go over there. This should serve in a similar manner." She said, and then continued: "I'll let Merc speak about the scavenger hunt, she led the team in planning out the event."
"I saw in the event poster that two different dates were listed. Is it one or two events?" I asked.
"The Scavenger Hunt begins on Friday Aug 22nd at 7pm PDT (SLT) with our opening Ceremonies and goes through to Sunday August 24th 8pm PDT (SLT). So it is one event spread over 3 days. We have musical acts planned for the opening and closing ceremonies. We've been working with Circe Broom to book the acts. Both Kim Seifert and Vincent Merricks will perform." Ochs said in reply and then continued: "The opening will of course be the start of the hunt and the closing ceremony is when the prizes will be awarded. We have tons of prizes, but the first prize is L$ 25,000, second prize is two Kiva.org gift certificates and we have various other prizes that have been donated including gift certificates to shops in SL."
"Can you tell me how the hunt will work?" I asked.
"Well, the scavengers will have teams of one or two people. The clues as I said are hidden in various nonprofits on both NPC SIM's. The idea is to have the clues well hidden inside the buildings to get people inside to learn more. The hunters will then have to hunt throughout second life to find the answers to the clues and take snapshots of themselves with the answers. So the team that gets all of the snapshots back to me or Coughran Mayo first will win first prize and so on until we run out of prizes. We are hoping to have enough to be able to give everyone a prize." Ochs said. I asked if she and Coughran were to be the contest judges and she replied, "Yes, but I have a group of wonderful friends who are supporting me on this adventure."
I commented that it would be a busy weekend for them both.
She replied. "Yes it sure will be."
"Merc has been working on this for a couple of months, so the credit is all hers truly. Coughran did the main design and Merc is the executioner." Ronnie said smiling.
"Yes very true ... but Ronnie and Coughran have been my main supports on this ... guiding me through what I didn't know." Ochs chimed in.
I thanked both ladies for their time and told that I thought it would be a great event and wished them success before TP'ing back home to start writing their story.
By Nazz Lane

M&M Creations could be your dream job

Contact: 10 Goosson
Description of job offer: Designer, Assistant
Requirements of the employee
good knowledge of English (client speaks no German)
Photoshop skills, good eye for styling, sales talent
An interest in taking responsibility for projects on their own.
Expected salary: In consultation with the employer
Times Online arrangement with the employer. With work on photoshop its possible to work offlline.

Repression, Tyranny and Corruption = Economic Stagnation

KREMER, SL - The recent LL blog announcement by Jack Linden that LL is holding off any new mainland land sales indefinitely, due to flat land prices, indicates that there is little new interest in land buying by the general public. This means literally zero economic growth in SL for the past two months. The game gods have succeeded in killing an economy that previously had grown at rates of over 400% annually.

While many could explain it as a reflection of RL economic circumstances impacting individuals disposable income, there are other factors at work here.
It is a proven fact that tyranny begets reduced economic activity. Former users of SL have either left SL, or reduced their usage to the status of free accounts with no land not just due to real life circumstances, as many are well paid professionals in RL who have plenty of disposable income. The reason they are ceasing contributing to the SL economy is they are sick and tired of the creeping fascism in SL.

Lets face it, the casinos, the ad farming, the banking, was all a sign of a healthy, growing, vibrant economy. People joined SL because they liked the idea of earning at least a part of their living in SL, and they were willing to invest their savings and free time here to make that possible. Linden Lab even promoted SL for this very purpose. Unfortunately, people from economically repressive states and countries also joined SL, brought their ranting demagogery with them, and have succeeded in destroying the economy and driving away capital, much as is the case in their real life nations.
In the real world, cultures that ban economic activity such as these wind up in the economic dustbin. The Muslim world, many argue, is underdeveloped specifically because the Islamic prohibitions on charging and paying interest on loans or deposits makes obtaining capital difficult, even in supposedly oil rich countries. If Islam dropped the prohibition on interest, those nations would flower economically, their middle classes would grow with industry, and the supply of disenchanted underemployed individuals to islamist jihadist organizations would dry up because they would be too busy working.


Continued HERE

SL Poetry

We write from the heart
To all poets who feel as I do

We write from the heart

to give peace to our soul

quiet in our minds

our only goal

lifes pain and experience

expressed in rhyme

sometimes extinguishing

the passage of time

shaking hands write

pain from the past

hoping the act will

suppress at last

that which has hurt

and burned deep inside

blurring all emotion

those things that we hide

so we let it all out

put it on show

somehow hoping

we can let it all go

rhyme and poetry

keeping us sane

so here is my poem

my expression of pain

By Dana Vanmoer

©DANA VANMOER

Want to see your Secondlife poems published in our MACE section?

send them on a notecard to Dana Vanmoer in world or by email dana.vanmoer(at)gmail.com

.

Burning life 2008 - The story unfolds

Hidden away on 22 sims out in the SL ocean is the desert playa for Burning Life 2008.... remember the the drama from last year. Well this year will be different... it's a Zero Drama Tolerance Event (no Shakespeare allowed either). Watch the wiki at this link for new details...
http://wiki.secondlife.com/w/index.php?title=Burning_life
Burning Life was first held in 2003 when the grid was still in it's infancy, and this is it's 6th year running.
Because Burning Life is a mirror in spirit of a real life event, albeit with the unique and creative twists only Second Life can offer, we follow suit. Together, we will build a city, and we voluntarily accept many of the same restrictions that Nature imposes on the real thing. We do this to see how creative we can be with the same palette of materials and to revel in the beauty of simplicity. We use the same blank, desert landscape, and many of the things we build are naked or primitive in structure, easily revealing to the casual viewer how they were constructed. Just pretend that you're bringing everything you need with you in your car or truck and you're going camping. Extreme Camping. Really Extreme Camping.

The other thing you need to know up front is this: Both Burning Life and Burning Man are completely non-commercial. There is no buying or selling in this city...no sponsorships, no logos, no advertising, but acts of unconditional gift-giving that play a large part in Burning culture. It's all about about the radical inclusion of participants, it means welcome and respect — with no prerequisites for participation. It's all about us and what we have made for each other to enjoy.

Zero Drama Tolerance

If you are thinking of volunteering to work on the pre-event set-up, read this: The Burning Life Production Team will be a no-drama zone. It's goal-oriented, get-'er-done work, all accomplished behind the scenes. While it's very fun and satisfying, it is no place for a big ego or someone who needs to be the center of attention or in control. It's collaborative. "Team" is a big word around here; be prepared to work with others and be good at reaching a goal, even if the road to it is not the one you might have chosen if working alone! We're all about "get 'er done, lighten up, and have fun".
Source:http://wiki.secondlife.com/w/index.php?title=Burning_life

Cartoon of the day

By Bixyl Shuftan

Click for full size

SL Models Academy rips off AVENUE Models Academy

It has come to our attention that SL Models Academy has copied and stolen AVENUE Models Academy curriculum and student information wholesale making the same claims to have instructors from Runway Kidz and Runway Magazine. What Vanessa Knoller, Head Instructor of SL Models Academy (and also using the same titles as our Academy) forgot to do was in duplicating the whole Academy Info notecard word for word was to change who to pay to. So it was by chance and a twist of fate that due to a careless copycat and thief that several model trainee applicants came to us with payments for the course.

We wish to announce that there is no association with SL Models Academy who are obviously lying when they say they have the same top models and instructors teaching the course and trying to offer the course for cheap. At AVENUE we are strong perpetrators of originality and preserving the highest levels of quality and professionalism in what we do.

Not only has Vanessa Knoller who happens to be Founder of SL Models Agency tried to ripoff on our Academy she has also imitated our blog site:

The Avenue blog above and the ripped off site below

Imitation can only be regarded as the highest form of compliment but let it be known that we have no association with thieves of any kind in SL least of all SL Models Agency which obviously lacks their own ideas and most of all integrity. AVENUE will never support the same for rip offs of designers and any other creators in SL.

Here is Runway Kidz statement to support this report http://runwaykidz.wordpress.com/

Rusch Raymaker

Along with this press release I also received confirmation IMs from others including Wyntir Jewell who had this to say:

Wyntir Jewell: Dana I was looking on fashion planet and Avenue models had an article about Vanessa knowler who is using their notecard for her agency and academy and copying their blog, I looked at the blog and she is using a pic of me on the front of their blog too, I have put a message on fashion planet saying I have nothing to do with this agency. I have also sent a stern message to ms knowler telling her to remove my pic.

source: http://avenuemodels.wordpress.com/

ACS in SL, the question is why?

Just recently I have heard this question a lot - The American Cancer Society in Secondlife - Why? Why should it mean so much to me? Why did I get involved, I am sure there are UK based Cancer charities in SL, so Why did I get involved?

Every person involved with ACS has a story to tell, every single person who donated a single Linden to the events that have taken place in Secondlife™ has a reason for doing so.

Most will not tell you why, and many thousands did just that this year during a spectacular season for RFL in SL, but do you know why ACS is in Secondlife? Who brought it there? Who has worked tirelessly for the last 4 years to bring ACS and RFL to SL?

Many of these questions I could answer but would be of little interest to you, our readers, but the last Question is why I am writing this today. I am asking for your help.

RFL is in 2nd life because Jade Lily wanted to do a fundraiser here in sl and transfer the funds to his local team he had called Randy when he had the idea, and that is how it was born, it is their hard work and dedication that has brought you events like the Relay for Life. RC brought us ACS island with help from people like The Soj. He is the reason many thousands of people, like myself, have found out about this amazing charity and finally he is the reason many thousands have sought help in a way they would not have done any other way.

Secondlife gives people the opportunity to seek help in a way that is more anonymous than any other. Those needing help don't always know who to ask, they also do not want to see the pity in peoples faces, so they either don't say anything or keep it to close family.
One of the most moving experiences I have ever seen was when a cancer survivor started talking to an ACS representative in SL after years of coping with Cancer alone.

Randal, or RC Mars in secondlife, is the reason, he stays in the background and most don't realise his hard work and dedication. He is not there to make himself known, he has brought ACS to SL to reach out and help those that need it. RC is the Community representative for the American Cancer Society.
Yesterday I got this message:
**Hello all, I am being asked to leave ACS as the Society cuts positions. My job has been eliminated, deemed not a necessity in these economic times. ** RC Mars.

Everyone is confused about ACS long term strategy in SL, with R.C. dismissal coming so soon after such a successful fundraising effort.
If you are so inclined please either call 1-800-227-2345 or go to http://www.cancer.org/asp/contactUs/cus_global.asp and add your voice to ours in asking WHY? LET’S BE HEARD!

Cartoon of the day

By Bixyl Shuftan

Click for full size

Introducing ArtiZan Creative Solutions

ArtiZan Creative Solutions provides innovative scripted devices for a growing range of identified SL business needs, specialising in communication and marketing.


The Mailbox products let you automatically send IMs and items to a list of avatar names, without the use of groups or friends list.Send IMS, objects, notecards, landmarks, photos, textures - anything!Perfect for art galleries, clubs, venues, shops, event planners, artists, musicians, educators, publishers - anyone who needs to communicate information or distribute items to a number of people at once.

Invitations to parties, openings, weddings, performances and other events
Store promotions and new product launches
Media distribution - catalogues, magazine subscriptions, newsletters
Education and distribution of information
Sending product updates and keeping in touch with your customers
Business organisation, staff communication and any other forms of mail you need to send to more than one person at a time.

SMS - Subscription Mailbox SystemFully flexible, multi-featured, in-world group mail systemFEATURES
Completely in-world solution - no reliance on web servers
One-time purchase - no ongoing fees
No need for networked servers - can remove duplicate entries
Store lists on notecards or in your own database - no permanent storage in scripts that can fail
Keep as many lists as you want - you have full control
Mix and match Subscriber and Mailbox Systems to suit your own needs
Devices are independent: rez as needed, place wherever you wish.
All are copy and mod (except scripts which are copy only). Rename, change shape or textures as you wish.
Full signup and mailout solution from as little as $600 to a maximum of $1900.
For more details see the Mailbox on SL Exchange or SL Exchange or visit ArtiZan Creative Solutions, Da Vinci Isle

Introducing ..... Who to the What now?

Read the full strip in the RED-Light section

Please remember articles in the Red Light section are strictly 18+

Burning Ember - Real Memories Brought to Virtual Life

“No! Don’t touch it!” her voice shattering the stillness of their quiet evening, enough to wake the children.
“It’s her!” “Oh my… Allen, it’s Mom.” He saw it too, frozen at the sight of the frighteningly accurate and lifelike image of her mother, dead now 5 years, but…alive now, on the computer screen and looking directly at them.
Shifting her gaze, as if with consciousness from her daughter to her son-in-law, and then back again…staring through and past the screen, fixing her gaze upon her daughter.
Her mother’s eyes now – as they always were - full of life, joy, glistening, blinking, looking with seemingly genuine emotion at her daughter, who continued to weep.
“Jeannine… it’s me, Princess. It’s me…” the avatar whispered...................

Continue reading in the EXTRA EXTRA section

Here!

Torley Linden has outdone himself again!!! He has created a new site for the enjoyment and enlightenment of all sl residents that you must visit to appreciate.
You can fly high to see the fabulous builds and enchanting scuptures.
You can settle down comfortably to watch his tips videos in world.
You can listen to his piano music at the piano.
There are fun games to play alone or in competition . We played a game in which you will shoot bubbles at a fish to make it climb a “ladder”.
After the game you an relax on a raft in the pond .
All of Torley’s textures are available for free download along with a few other freebies.
Be sure to stop and read his lovely poetry which you will see on the walls of the sim.
The landmark is Here 45 , 95, 34 .

RFL over for another season

I found this on YouTube and it seems appropriate to show you hereRELAY FOR LIFE OF SECOND LIFE’S 2008 AWARDSAMOUNT RAISED: 200,000.00 USDATTENDEES: 2,300HALF WAY THERE FAIR AWARDSThe criteria for the Half Way There Fair awards was based on original idea, actual design, the fundraising event itself and team participation during the event
3) Relay Rockers (team capt - Arizona Ballinger)
2) SS Galaxy (team capt - DBDigital Epsilon)
1) Relay Wizards for Spunky (team capt - Shawna Montgomery)
DESIGN AWARDS These designs captured the essence, the reality and scale of the real or imaginary worlds they represented. and truly gave us a world to call our own for a brief and unforgettable moment in time.
#) For over-all atmosphere, ambiance and detail - TracyLynne Carpenters's "Venice"
#) For the clever way they took difficult requirements and made them into a center piece - Bitterleaf Menge and Bjorn Collins "Fortress of Solitude"
#) For the tasteful and enlightening way she incorporated cancer awareness into her theme, Daniva Glitter "Athletic Heroes"
#) For the best storytelling heroes theme, Tya Fallingbridge's "Troy"
SURVIVOR AWARD FOR RFL OF SL 2008 The criteria for this award is that the person must be a valuable contributor to survivorship in Second Life, and/or someone that has gone out of their way to support other survivors. Someone that has set an example in the way they handle their cancer in Second Life and/or Real Life. It is also about being an advocate in sharing their experiences.
LadyKay Gable - for always being ready to step up and help, for her team spirit, and for having a heart of gold.
Artistic Fimicoloud- who died on 5/26/08 but who played a busy and active role in the Survivors Group and in Relay for Life until just a few weeks before her death - for fighting her cancer with her paintbrush and crayons, and for teaching us --- how to live. She may have passed on, but her influence is still very much alive in SL.
MOST LAPS WALKED BY AN INDIVIDUAL AWARDThree people will be awarded the Most Laps Walked by an Individual Award. The criteria for this award is that the person walked the most laps during the actual 24 Relay hours, as declared on the official Relay Lap Counter.
Honorable Mention: Jaelle Akula
Honorable Mention: Viderian Vollmar
3) Pheonix Bright
2) Drenboy Opus
1) Erielle Clary
NEW TEAM PARTICIPATION AWARDThree new teams will be awarded the New Team Participation Award. The criteria for this award is that the team displays "sticking with it/ endurance" attitude.
3) Porta’s Tigers (team capt - Bondagegirl Porta)
2) Romo Pro Vita (team capt - Spaciva Ivanova)
1) Virtual Aggies (team capt - Rachelle Munro)
BEST CANCER AWARENESS CAMPSITE AWARDThree teams will be awarded for the Best Cancer Awareness Campsite. This is the campsite that has the most informative and entertaining display on cancer awareness.
3) (3 way tie) RadioRadio (team capt - Madame Maracas) & Info Maniac Racers (team capt - HollyJean Allen) & Pixels in Pink (team capt - Torrid Midnight)
2) Relay Rockers (team capt - Arizona Ballinger)
1) VBA (team capt - Zoom Dweebie)
BEST THEME DECORATED CAMPSITE AWARDThree teams will be awarded for the Best Theme Decorated Campsite Award. The criterion for this award is all-round design interpretation of the Heroes theme.
3) (tie) Spirit Chasers (team capt - LadyKay Gable) and BBA Hotshots (team capt - MamaP Beerbaum)
2) (tie) Purple Tears (team capt - Jill Caldera) & Friends Fighting Cancer (team capt - Ozz Seattle)
1) (tie) Relay Hope (team capt - Alexandra Fallon) & Relay Racers (team capt - Chelle Moore)
MOST INVENTIVE CAMPSITE FUND RAISING AWARD Three teams will be awarded the Most Inventive Campsite Fund Raising Award. Decided by three independent judges, the criteria for this award is to come up with the zaniest, inventive, craziest, wackiest way of fund raising at their Relay campsite.
3) (tie) Giant Snail Races (team capt- RacerX Gullwing) and Thread (team capt- KiN Raymaker) 2) Relay's Flying Aces (team capt - Cubey Terra)
1) Sailing For Life (team capt - Nber Medici)
***HERO TEAM SPIRIT AWARDThree teams will be awarded the Hero Team Spirit Award. This award is given to the teams whose over-all Relay team spirit and energy to Relay was exemplary.
3) SL Families Against Cancer (team capt. - Jaelle Akula)
2) Dis RFL Team (team capt - Tigerlily Koi)
1) Eternal Beacon Team ( team capt - Dione Kohime)
TOP FUNDRAISING AWARD
Honorable Mention) Passionate Redheads (team capt - Sabine McGettigan) L$2,596,301
Honorable Mention) BBA All Stars (team capt - Nikki Mathieson) L$2,910,178
3) Dis RFL Team (team capt - Tigerlily Koi) L$2,920,937
2) Team Caledon (team capt - Erasmus Margulis) L$3,063,760
1) Relay Raiders (team capt. - Harrythe Burrel) L$10,321,095.
HERO TEAM AWARDThree teams will be awarded the Hero Team Award. This award is given to the teams whose OVER-ALL Relay participation was exemplary.
3) BBA All Stars (team capt - Nikki Mathieson)
2) Relay Raiders (team capt - Haroldthe Burrel)
1) Passionate Redheads (team capt - Sabine McGettigan)
SPIRIT OF RELAY AWARD FOR 2008 One team will win the Spirit of Relay Award. This award will be given to the team that has been voted (by the Team Captains) as the “Spirit of Relay”. The guidelines voting will be handed out at the Relay to the team captains. Start looking now to see which team captures the essence Relay.
THE VOTING TEAM CAPTAINS DECIDED THAT ALL OF THE 2008 RELAY FOR LIFE TEAMS OF SECOND LIFE WOULD BE AWARDED THIS HIGHEST OF HONORS
(Again, you wonderful, giving souls humble me and I am so blessed to have had you each in my life. If you have not received your Award please contact Tayzia Abatoir. Thank you and I look forward to volunteering with you again. Most Sincerely, Fay )

The Wall

On Friday night I got an invite to go and see something new (well new to me) and I accepted the invite and TP'd in..........

Well I have to say I was lost for words at this performance I had never seen anything like it and probably never will again.

The set, the animations, the sheer creativity using the platform like it should be used a perfect amalgamation of creativity, music, dance and the platform.

You can find details in the EVENTS section which will tell you all about the Peacefest that 'The Wall' is a part of next weekend.

After the show I had the chance to chat to Debbie Trilling the creative director she told me when I asked her about the show;

"We created it because we wanted to do something ambitious... to set a new benchmark for live performances in SL. We are all experienced Content Creators, and, 'The Wall' seemed to be a perfect challenge....as well as fabulous music"

They definitely did that - it was a performance like no other, she went on to say "We started building it in Jan 2008, first performance was in April....tonight was the 25th time we have performed it, and now over 1850 people have seen it"

The Wall will be coming to an end soon only 4 more performances are planned so if you want to see it (I recommend everyone seeing it) you need to go soon ;

"It has been a trip..." Said Ms Tilling "But we have been working on it for 8 months now; and we as CARP have a new production premiering on 6th Sept....I want all our energy directed towards that. All previous performance have been for RFL...we raised in the order of 170,000L from this show...tonights performance and next weeks are for SL PeaceFest 08 (Amensty, UNICEF and others)"

I urge everyone to go and see something so out of this world it can truly show you what can be done in this virtual existence.

Dana