Inworld

2. S.I.C.

Visit S.I.C. Now >>

3. PARALLEL WORLDS

4. ANTARCTIC STRONGHOLD

5. INNSMOUTH

6. ALIRIUM GARDENS

7. LA PERLA II

Visit La Perla II Now >>

8. SAN FRANCISCO

Visit San Francisco Now >>

9. PARIS

Visit Paris Now >>

10. GRAND CANYON

Visit the Grand Canyon Now >>

Special thanks to Torley Linden for his fantastic photographs!

The Linden Endowment of the Arts (LEA) is proud to announce its first official community event:  The Month of Machinima (MoM) event begins May 4, 2011—and you’re invited. If you enjoy creating and watching world-class machinima, then this is the event for you.

Share your favorite sims and eeriest events!

It’s that time of year again — time to get out your witch’s hats, dust off those broomsticks and don your spookiest, scariest costumes for a frightful Haunted celebration. This spooky season is a favorite in Second Life.

What are your favorite places to celebrate all things ghoulish? Are you a builder, designer, costume expert or fright fanatic? Share your insights! Get into the spirit of the season and help guide Residents to your top spooky spots.

Got a favorite fall hayride location, or an awe-inspiring apple-picking area? Post a link to the scariest sim or the most happening Halloween event locale. Share your frightening favorites — and all the autumn awesomeness! — in the comments section.

Get excited!

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When we announced that we would be closing Teen Second Life and bringing our under-18 Residents to the Main Grid, we also made clear our intention not to compromise the experience that teens have access to. Today, I’m happy share our plan to create rich and enjoyable Second Life experiences for teens, while keeping in mind their security and safety when joining the Main Grid.

A Rich and Secure Experience for Teens

Our goal is to provide a safe, secure, and rewarding experience to all Second Life Residents, no matter their age. Accordingly, we are putting safeguards in place on the Main Grid specific to the following teen age groups:

For 13- to 15-year-olds:

• 13- to 15-year-old Residents will be restricted to the estates of a sponsoring institution.
• These Residents will not have access to inworld search, nor will they be able to purchase from our Web-based Marketplace.

For 16- and 17-year-olds:

• 16- and 17-year-old Residents will have access to all SL regions rated General (i.e., containing content appropriate for all ages), on the Mainland and private islands.
• These Residents will not be able to enter Moderate- nor Adult-rated regions, even if they have payment information on file and/or have used our Web-based identity verification system.
• These Residents will be able to communicate fully with and befriend all other users on the Main Grid. This includes local chat and IM.

With nearly 5,000 General-rated regions in Second Life, the area that will be accessible to our 16- and 17-year-old Residents will dwarf the 100 regions currently available on Teen Second Life, giving them far more space to create, explore, and experience their online environment and what they can do there.

Our 16- and 17-year-old account holders will also be able to communicate fully with all other users on the Main Grid (unless they have been muted or otherwise restricted). This was an important decision for us, and one we think will make Second Life richer for all Residents.

Welcoming Teens in the New Year

Bringing teens to the Main Grid is now less than two months away. We plan to shut down the Teen Grid and transfer accounts to the Main Grid in early January, once the holidays have passed. Here’s what to expect:

• When the teen grid closes, 13- to 15-year-olds will no longer be able to register for Second Life unless they are brought in through an affiliated organization. On the Main Grid, these younger Residents will not be able to travel outside the estates of their sponsoring organizations.
• 16- and 17-year-olds registering for Second Life will be directed to the Main Grid rather than to Teen Second Life.
• We will transfer all 16-17s remaining on Teen SL to the main SL grid, as well as those 13-15s that are affiliated with TSL Resident institutions. This includes all the inventory of those accounts. (The accounts of our other 13- to 15-year-old Residents will become inactive, but will be automatically restored when they turn 16.) All of the land on Teen Second Life will be transferred to the Main Grid. This includes teen mainland, teen private islands, and teen organizations’ estates.

At that point, Teen Second Life will be officially closed -- but the experience of teens in Second Life is only just beginning. We strongly believe that teens have as much to contribute to the Second Life community as their adult counterparts, and we do not want to restrict the flow of ideas and information between the two groups. We all have much to learn from each other.

As we continue to focus on making the Second Life experience faster, easier, and more fun for all Residents, we’ve also made a number of improvements to search to provide teens with additional security and control. We look forward to seeing the new kinds of creativity and community our teen Residents will bring to the Main Grid. Welcome, teens!

Zombies have invaded Second Life! There are a ton of stumbling, bloodthirsty freaks just waiting to go on the attack against you. Situated on blood-splattered sims and definitely scare-worthy, these zombies are more gruesome than your average ghoul. Zap ’em dead fast by following one of these step-by-step guides — select the one that matches how much time you have to kill (bad pun intended):

Got an Hour?

• The Quick Kill: Getting Started in Less than an Hour

Got Several Hours?

• Professional Zombie Slaying: A Guide for Hunters with Several Hours to Kill

Got Days?

• Zombie Maniacs: For Zombie Hunts Over Many Days or Weeks

The Quick Kill: Getting Started in Less Than an Hour

Want a brainless diversion with the braindead? If you are new to Second Life (or to zombie-slaying in general), this guide will take you right into the action. Dive in and take out the undead in less time than it takes to watch an episode of “The Walking Dead.”

1. Connect to Second Life
If you aren’t yet a member of Second Life, then join now! It’s fast... and free.
(If you want to learn even more about the basics of SL, we recommend Strawberry Singh’s Newbie Resource Guide). Already a member? Great! Fire up your Second Life Viewer to start zombie huntin'!

2. Choose a Zombie location.
There are tons of Zombie spots to pick from — each is unique and created by a resident of Second Life. For example, a location like the Dead Zone is ideal if you want to immediately immerse yourself in the action and only have 30 minutes or so. So, we’ll start there...

3.Find the Dead Zone –

After you have logged in to Second Life, you can find the Dead Zone through the link above. The Dead Zone is on the Gigi Solace region, so the above link will allow you to view this location on a map. Once you launch the map, it shows you the location that you’ll want to visit. Click “Visit this location”



Inside Second Life, you’ll notice that the Web link has opened a right side panel with a prompt to Teleport into the location: Click that button – and prepare for the zombie attack!

Once you arrive, you will see a sign on the wall to your left. You’ll need to first join the zombie hunting group for this location. Click the sign and accept the group invitation.

After you join the group, you can then grab your free gun to the left by clicking on the sign on the wall.

 

You should now see the gun offered to you in the lower right side of your screen. Select “Keep” to accept the free gun.

Click “Keep” in the message that appears in the lower right.

Click the suitcase icon on the right of your viewer screen to open your inventory, then click the “Recent” tab and right click on the gun in the folder “Dead Zone Free Gun."

Even after you are “wearing” the gun, you won’t see it until you type the word “draw” into the chat window and the gun will appear:

Go into "mouselook” mode by hitting the letter “M” on your keyboard (outside of the chat bar) whenever you want to shoot the gun. Click your mouse to fire.

Get warmed up at target practice, and then make your way to the streets of the Dead Zone to start shooting Zombies!

There are tons of amazing, Resident-created Zombie locations inworld. Here are two more that are especially ideal if you have less than an hour to play:

• Darkness Falls @ Pandemonium
• Zombie Attack

Professional Zombie Slaying: A Guide for Hunters with Several Hours to Kill

If you’re settling in for the evening or your boss is on vacation, you’re probably itching for a Zombie marathon with a bit more staying power. Once you’ve invested a little more time, several SL zombie locations can take you deeper into strategy, costuming, weaponry and exploration.

1. Sign in to your Second Life Viewer and teleport to the Urban Zombie, where you can find a whole herd of evil zombies ready to devour you. There are tons of zombie spots to pick from — each is unique and created by a resident of Second Life. But a location like the The Urban Zombie is ideal if you are more than a casual gamer and want to really get into the action.

This eerie abandoned city is the perfect location to hunt zombies — explore the haunted alleys and dark passageways, but be on the lookout for not-so-nice visitors!

2. Grab the HUD when you first arrive by clicking on the box.

3. Wear the HUD.
How? First, you’ll find it as a new item (labeled “GRIM COMBAT SYSTEM HUD”) in your Inventory. To open it, drop and drag it to the ground and then click on the item to open/unpack it and “Copy to Inventory.”

In your Inventory,  you can now “wear” the HUD by simply adding it to your current outfit — and you’ll be suited up to go!

For a complete explanation of the HUD and combat features, please see the Grim Combat System notecard that was added to your inventory when you picked up the free HUD. You’ll notice that the HUD features scores and experience points, as well as tracking of quests and missions. If you have the time, this is worth checking out!

4. Equip yourself with a gun.
If you need a free gun, there is a sign to the right of the free HUD that offers you “Free Guns.”  Place your mouse over the sign and wait for the pop-up, then select “Take Copy” and then “Buy.” Don’t worry, it is set to “free,” so you won’t be charged. This item is now in your inventory, so you can drag it from the inventory to the ground to rez it. Then, right-click open and copy to inventory.

In your inventory, you can highlight the gun you want (look under the folder “Urban Zombie Free Guns”) and then right-click Wear to select it.

5. Zap Zombies.
When you are ready for combat, type in “draw” into the chat bar to show your weapon. At this point, you can enter “M” outside the chat bar to enter mouselook and start shooting!

You can buy armor and other accessories nearby — keep an eye out for the signs. Go into mouselook to shoot your guns. Once you’re armed and ready, head over to where the action is — watch your back! These zombies move fast!

Check out these other cool, immersive zombie experiences:

• Miho's Zombie Attack
• The Maze

Zombie Maniacs: For Zombie Hunts Over Many Days or Weeks

For Second Life Residents who simply can’t get enough zombie action in a single session, there are even more zombie-fighting options that will immerse you deeper into the combat gameplay. One example of this is Bloodbath and Beyond. Below we walk you through this experience and point out tips that apply to similar Second Life locations.

Bloodbath & Beyond looks and feels like playing an MMORPG within Second Life. In this fantasy medieval role-playing sim, you fight zombies, skeletons and elves, complete quests for prizes and rewards, drink potions to rejuvenate, and much more. Play with friends and even level up.

1. Learn the rules.

Like most role-play games, plan to start by spending 20 minutes or so reading all the background information. In Bloodbath and Beyond, one wall makes it easy for you to contact the sim owners for help and questions. To really appreciate the intricacies of this game, you should start by reading the rules provided in the notecard that you’ll receive alongside your free HUD.

2. Join the group. Interact with other role-players, ask questions and get notified of fun things and announcements. New to Second Life Groups? Here's more on how they work.

3. Dress the part. A must for enjoying role-play. You’ll see banners at the landing point for Bloodbath & Beyond to help you get started. Note that this particular location has a medieval fantasy theme, so you’ll have the best experience if your dress the part.

4. Carry a weapon. Start with a free weapon and combat HUD. In this location, guns are not allowed so you’ll be given a free starter pack with a longbow and long sword. Your HUD has several advanced features and helps to track scores, experience points, quests and missions. For a complete explanation, please see the Grim Combat System notecard that was added to your inventory when you picked up the HUD.




5. Keep score. Zombie hunters always have guts, but there’s also glory:

So log in to Grimley's Bloodbath and Beyond, kick back and have some fun!

Check out these other great Zombie-slaying locations perfect for long-term play:

• Zombie City
• Zombie Bloodbath



As we mentioned in our last blog post,  the Customer Support team continues to drive a series of changes to the  way in which Linden Lab delivers support to our Resident community.  We  are examining our support offering from top to bottom, using the data  from our new support system, your survey data, blog feedback, and  industry standard practices to help shape our approach.

Some  of our changes will be apparent to you, like the look and feel of the  new case and live chat systems and our coming self-service tools. Others  will be structural and won't be immediately apparent, like our internal  support tools, but their benefits will reveal themselves over time as  they enable us to address your issues more quickly.

As we approach these changes, we have a number of high-level goals in mind:

• Leverage industry best practices, and our own hard-earned lessons, to create a comprehensive customer service offering.
• Respond to high-urgency, business-critical requests more quickly.
• Better address product and service issues before they become a support interaction.
• Provide all Residents with better self-service tools to help solve issues immediately.

Changes to Support for Basic Residents

As  part of these changes, we are examining the types of support we offer  Residents of all levels, in an effort to provide better, more responsive  service to the most business-critical issues.  Starting on Wednesday,  October 13th, we will simplify and reduce the types of cases that Basic  Residents can file and direct them to our self-service tools on your account page, or search the Knowledge Base or Second Life Answers for solutions.  As a Basic Resident, you can still file cases about  most account issues, billing issues, marketplace issues, and some  technical issues.

Improving Support for Premium and Concierge Residents

As  we increasingly direct Basic Residents to self-service tools, we are  exploring ways that we can better service and support our Premium and  Concierge Residents.  These Residents –who are often landowners,  merchants, and inworld business owners– will continue to be able to file  the full range of cases, have access support via live chat, and in the  case of Concierge Residents, have access to phone support.  As we begin  to see the impact of the changes we have underway, we expect our  response times across all of these channels to improve.

This  announcement is one of many to come soon as we work hard to provide  faster, more effective customer service. We look forward to hearing your  feedback as these changes roll out.

There’s no place like home. Especially when it’s spacious, luxurious, and rent-free! 

Mark your calendars for Fashion Expert Days, held Sunday, Sept. 18 through Wednesday, Sept. 21, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Pacific) in the official SL Community Blogs and Fashion Forums. 

The Schedule of Fashion Experts (subject to change):

Sunday, September 18, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Pacific)

• Iris Ophelia
• Felicity Blumenthal
• Lotus Mastroianni

Monday, September 19, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Pacific)

• Frolic Mills
• Sasy Scarborough 
• Whimsy Winx
• Harper Beresford
• Laylinha Tomsen (in Portuguese)

Tuesday, September 20, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Pacific)

• PopTart Lillehook
• Casja Lilliehook
• Gidge Uriza
• Vick Spitteler (in Portuguese)

Wednesday, September 21, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (Pacific)

• Strawberry Singh
• Lily Karlsbar
• Ponino Oh 
• Thereaver Barrymore (in Portuguese)

Hear What Second Life Resident Fashion Experts Think in Real-time

Each day of the event, as many as five SL Fashion Experts will be standing by to share ideas and images, and to discuss the vibrant fashion scene in Second Life. There will be exclusive Fashion blog posts and insider style tips shared in the Fashion Forums during this interactive community event.

Ask Questions 

Experts will be on call in the community from 9 a.m. through  4 p.m. (Pacific) during all four days of the event (Sept. 18-21). This is your chance to ask these fashionistas any SL style-related questions you can dream up and hear their expert opinions. Newbies can get advice on how to improve their avatar’s appearance, and more-advanced Residents can get the scoop on the latest fashion trends and developments. No query is off-limits — just ask the Fashion Experts!

Share Your Creations

Want to share your own creations? All participants can post and share images of favorite fabulous fashions and creative combinations at this community event. Join the conversation and ask the experts and community what they think of your designs.

Image courtesy of Poptart Lilliehook for Modavia Fashion Marketing.

Don’t miss the fun! Join us live for this special Second Life community event, held on the Second Life Fashion Expert Blogs and Fashion Forums.

How has your SL look changed over the years? Share your favorite SL evolution photos in the Group Pool on Flickr and add your comments to the discussion. Check out Eshi Otawara's looks throughout the years here.

Second Life’s 8th Birthday celebration kicks off at 10:30 a.m pacific time!  The community has really created a fabulous celebration that you won’t want to miss. There are so many ways to have fun and stay on top of the action.  

Take a look at the Second Life Birthday page for information on featured events and live twitter content. Another great place to read up on birthday happenings is the community run SL8B blog.  They have SL8B photos, blogs and news!

Here is today's auditorium schedule: (pacific time)

Monday June 20:

12pm         Virtual Learning Spaces:  El Cerrito Village in SL (Troy Vogel)

2pm            Prim Perfect

3pm            Burn 2

4pm            Meet the Artist

5pm            Lessons from Virtual Concerts in the Park (Kate Miranda)

6pm            Making Communities

Don’t forget you can follow us @Secondlife and the #sl8b hashtag on Twitter for more real-time info! Plus, share memories and fondest moments in Second Life history with #slmoment

Grab your free Birthday Bear at the Marketplace and come on in today to enjoy the events!

O shape é a base para ter um avatar legal no Second Life e deve ser a primeira coisa a ser definida. Editar um shape humano no Second Life é relativamente simples, o difícil mesmo é tornar o shape bonito e nas proporções corretas. É claro que o shape deve estar de acordo com o seu gosto pessoal, mas é bom ficar atento para alguns erros muito comuns na hora de editar um shape, como por exemplo, cabeça em proporção muito menor que o corpo, braços muito curtos e mãos muito pequenas. O exagero nas medidas também deixa um resultado não muito legal: mulheres extrapolam nas medidas dos seios e quadris e homens na quantidade de músculos para se sentirem mais atraentes, mas acabam parecendo deformados. Existem vários tipos de padrões de shapes no Second Life: as mulheres podem ter shape de modelo ou cheio de curvas, podem ser gordinhas ou magras, altas ou baixas.

Os homens também podem variar o shape de acordo com o gosto pessoal, dos mais fortes e musculosos aos menores e mais magros.

Outro fator que deve ser considerado ao escolher o seu shape é a skin. Algumas skins ficam melhores em determinados shapes e vice-versa. Ao escolher um shape e uma skin é interessante sempre comprar as versões em demo e provar para ter certeza de que o resultado vai ficar bom.Se você não tem muita habilidade para editar o seu shape, pode facilmente comprá-lo em uma loja especializada. Há várias lojas que oferecem shapes de qualidade no Second Life. Caso você queira um shape exclusivo, pode contratar o trabalho de designers de shapes e neste caso você vai pagar um pouco mais, mas pode valer a pena e é bom pedir indicação para um amigo. Uma coisa interessante é comprar um shape que seja modificável, assim você vai poder fazer ajustes que lhe agradem (não esqueça de salvar uma cópia da versão original antes de mudá-lo). Uma novidade que está sendo inserida com a chegada do viewer 3.0 é a possibilidade de usar shape em mesh. Este tipo de shape já tem skin própria e não pode ser editado, sendo então empregado de forma interessante para a criação de avatares não-humanos.

Para finalizar, não importa se você quer ser humano, um robô ou um pássaro, no Second Life você pode ter a forma que desejar. A sua imaginação é o limite.

ABOUT VICK SPITTELER
Vick Spitteler é residente do Second Life desde fevereiro de 2007, possui uma loja de shapes, skins e poses chamada Art Body Store (http://www.artbodystore.wordpress.com) , é escritora do blog de língua portuguesa Second Ladies (http://www.secondladies.net) e co-criadora do evento de descontos The Tropicalia Bazaar (http://www.thetropicaliabazaar.wordpress.com).

Vick is one of today's Fashion Experts and will be "on call" to respond to comments and answer questions both here and in the Fashion Forums from 9 am - 4 pm, Pacific Standard Time, Tuesday, September 20. 

ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

Choosing Your Shape
The shape is the basis for having a cool avatar in Second Life and it must be the very first thing you define. Editing a human shape in Second Life is relatively simple, the hard part is making the shape a pleasing sight with the correct proportions. Of course the shape should reflect your personal taste, but it is a good idea to pay attention to a few very common mistakes when editing a shape, for instance, the head much smaller than the body, very short arms and tiny hands. Exaggeration in your measurements also leads to a not so cool result: Women tend to exaggerate their breasts and hips measurements, and men often beef up to feel more attractive, but they just end up looking deformed. There are several types of shapes in Second Life: Women may have a supermodel shape or a curvy figure, they may be overweight or thin, tall or short.

Men may also vary their shape according to personal taste, from stronger and muscular to smaller and thinner.

Another factor that should be taken into account when choosing your shape is your skin. Some skins fit better into certain shapes and vice-versa. When choosing a shape and a skin, it's always interesting to buy demo versions and try them on to make sure you like the result.  If you are not skilled enough to edit your shape, you can easily buy it at a specialty store. There are several shops offering quality shapes in Second Life. In case you want an exclusive shape, you may hire shape designers and, in this case, you'll pay a little extra, but it might be worth it and you should ask your friends for referrals. It's a good idea to buy a modifiable shape, so you can adjust it as you like (don't forget to save a copy of the original version before you change it). A new feature introduced in viewer 3.0 is the possibility of using mesh shapes. This type of shape already has its own skin and cannot be edited, so it is used creatively to make non-human avatars.

Finally, it doesn't matter if you wish to be human, a robot or a bird, in Second Life you can have whatever shape you wish. Your imagination is the limit.

ABOUT VICK SPITTELER
Vick Spitteler has been a resident of Second Life since February 2007, has a shapes and skins store called Art Body Store (http://www.artbodystore.wordpress.com), writes a blog in Portuguese language called Second Ladies (http://www.secondladies.net), and is the co-creator of the discount event The Tropicalia Bazaar (http://www.thetropicaliabazaar.wordpress.com).

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "Love Wins" by Jaseyrae Petrovic. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "Evening Walk ..." by Nikolai Warden. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

The first thing I did when I joined Second Life was search for ways to improve my avatar. I wanted to be able to customize it more to my liking. As I hopped from sim to sim, I was pleasantly surprised to discover a small number of stores that carried a variety of ethnic-styled clothing from around the world. Coming from an ethnic background myself, the colors and textures of this attire called out to me.

When I first started fashion blogging, most of my earlier posts were full of colorful silks that I loved to wear. Now my blog, StrawberrySingh.com, has become more mainstream, but I do try to bring in my cultural influences into my pictures as often as possible.

For today's post, I knew I wanted to highlight some of my favorite ethnic designers and sims. The Indian lehenga I am wearing was created by Zaara Kohime of {Zaara}. {Zaara} is full of colorful, ethnic-inspired clothing with rich textures for men and women.

The sim I'm on is Kingdom of Sand, which is a role-playing sim. So, if you hop over there for a visit, please make sure to wear a visitor tag, which is available at the entrance. I adore the architecture of this sim. It has a very realistic quality to it and really does make me feel like I'm out in the desert.

The Kimono I picked up from Sweetaholic. I was amazed at the beautiful textures and styles of the kimonos I saw there and some of them also come with many accessories, such as hair and shoes. You can find traditional and modern kimonos for both men and women here.

The sim I'm on is none other than Japan Tempura Island. There are so many different areas where you can explore, dance, take gorgeous pictures and spend time with your loved ones. The whole sim itself is a must see.

One thing I really love about SL is having the ability to transform myself into whatever I'd like to be. I hope you get a chance to explore the sims and stores I mentioned today.

Photo Credits:

Photo 1 and 2: Strawberry Singh
Skin: Glam Affair – Gio Skin by Aida Ewing
Hair: LeLutka – Brigitte AlmostGoth Hair by Thora Charron
Lehenga: {Zaara} – Frawla crimson by Zaara Kohime
Jewels: {Zaara} - Nizam Collection by Zaara Kohime
Poses: Long Awkward Pose – Bolly All The Time Pose Set by Dove Swanson
Location: Kingdom of Sand

Photos 3 and 4: Strawberry Singh
Skin: Glam Affair – Sakura Skin by Aida Ewing
Hair: Plume – Sakura Onyx Hair by Fauve Beaumont
Kimono: Sweetaholic – Reien 1.0 by Asalt Eames
Poses: Tuty's Creations – MrS Classy Geisha AO by MrSigmund Fride  
Location: Japan Tempura Island 

About the author: Strawberry Singh has been an SL resident since May 2007. She is an avid blogger, photographer and social-media enthusiast. Since December 2007, Berry has been sharing her zeal for fashion, lifestyle and culture via her blog, StrawberrySingh.com.

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "Under the Tuscan Sun" by Derry McMahon. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "I'm not so tough" by Caitlin Tobias. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "Come for us ..." by Migan Forder. Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus

Check out the SL Flickr Pic of the Day, "Moves like Jagger."

Check out the Second Life Pic of the Day, "Winter Break", photo by [Ask❤Ingkeu❤Soonkyu] Don't forget to check out Second Life on Tumblr, Facebook and Google Plus!

A TRUE STORY

I was new, not good with computers, and bored. I was wearing a short skirt and blingy chest rings, blinging far and wide through my freebie leather jacket. It seemed that was the thing to do. Second Life appeared to be lacking in depth and communication and I saw males running around wearing unmentionable attachments. (I had clearly been to the wrong places).

“There must be some sensible people here somewhere” I thought. “Maybe there are some nice people at a yachting club”. I searched and found Nantucket Yacht Club and teleported onto a jetty.

There was a man.

No silly attachments, no fancy skin, no chat up lines. And very oddly… no talking at all!

I said hello, but he did not answer.

Now, when you are new in Second Life, you don’t understand about chat lag, AFK, invisible avatar… so I believed this person was truly ignoring me.

I said “hello” again. No answer.

Off I walked and viewed the boats. Up one jetty, down the next. Then I arrived back where the man was. I said hello again.

Still no reply.

Determined, I asked “Do you have a yacht here?”

Sigh.

I walked away pretty much in disgust really at being ignored several times. Then… as I was leaving… I saw very faintly on my screen…

"...Yes."

Maybe he does not speak English, I thought.

Then the next word from him…

"...Sail?"

This was odd, but clearly this man was asking if I wanted to sail in his boat! I accepted and followed the man as he walked along the jettys to his yacht.

The sailing was just amazing! (Although in silence!)

I had not experienced anything like it! I asked him if I could take photographs. He said yes.

The sea, the land, the turns, the commands, a skipper on a small yacht, sailing it just for me. After a long time out to sea, we returned to the jetty.

The man stood up and walked away — without a word — to the clubhouse.

Well, as I like to talk, I really couldn’t accept this. I followed and walked to him and asked “What language do you speak?”

No reply.

It was puzzling.

There were others in the clubhouse. Ravishal Bentham sent me an IM.

“Have you read his profile?”

I was new, why would I think doing of that?

So I did.

That was the moment that changed my Second Life.

The man's name was Djduerer Zou.

He described himself in his profile:

✲ Friendly, kind, tall, bedridden, sailor.

✲ Can barely type.

✲ Difficulty seeing, too.

✲ It gets worse in the afternoon SLT time.

✲ Slow.

✲ I use gestures to speak.

✲ In my life I am terminally ill (soon dead) with progressive brain disease,  OPCA  also known  as MSA.  

✲ No regrets, lived passionately.

✲ SL is my life.


I couldn’t imagine to have ever read such a thing or met such a person in SL.

The reality of the situation made my mind whirl. I had been sailing with a man who was living the last days of his Real Life here, in Second Life, living the Real Life that he had known. As a sailor.

My computer was a blur. There was something different here.

Djduerer managed to type:

“dance”

“I think he is asking you to dance,” wrote Ravishal in an IM.

After the short dance, I walked outside and stood my avatar looking out to sea.

Thinking.

I logged off Second Life with a hollow feeling inside but at the same time — a spark — a feeling that there was real life here in these avatars.

After this day I returned twice to see Djduerer, and both times he took me sailing. I dropped the bling chest rings and lengthened my skirt!

I talked to him, not expecting a reply.

I remember once as we were sailing saying to him,

“You must have had a wonderful Real Life at sea."

His answer made me happy and sad at the same time…

”Yes!!!!!!!!!” he said.

Then, a couple of weeks later, I heard that Djduerer had passed away.

Four years — or more — later, when I am helping new people, this experience is never far from my mind.

At no time has anything in Second Life ever taught me so much as the day I met Djduerer Zou and discovered who was really behind the avatar.

I have used my experience of meeting Djduerer to explain to others about Second Life and to help them to have an open mind.

I doubt my presence here meant much to Djduerer. If I kept him company for a few sailings, that makes me happy, but Djduerer’s presence in Second Life meant so much to me.

He taught me the most important lesson I have learned here, and I am grateful for that moment we met — it showed me what online living can really mean.

- Treacle Darlandes

Published with the kind permission of the real-life widow of Djduerer Zou.

Cropping is an element of composition that can change a photo from static to dynamic in seconds.  In shooting people, or avatars in the case of Second Life,  there are four standard crops: full-length, three-quarter, portrait and headshot. The first rule of cropping: Crop close and fill the frame.

For this full-length, I start with a standard snapshot. The 3*3 grid illustrates the Rule of Thirds, namely the subject should be where the lines intersect. It's an approximation of phi, the Golden Ratio. Starting from the left, you can see I put the subject on the vertical third, yet the photo lacks energy because I am looking out of the frame. I want to leave room for the subject to move. With the subject in the center, it's flat and static. In the third, I apply the rule of thirds, but not to the subject, missing the point. Finally, the subject intersects the first vertical line and is looking into the frame – with room to move. This picture has energy.

In this three-quarter you can see the Rule of Thirds at work again and the importance of having the subject look into the frame. Incidentally, if you make composites of multiple pictures, look at where their eyes are and make them look at each other, not out of the frame. The three-quarter crop is the most popular in fashion photography because it fills the frame more than a full-length shot. Crop close and fill the frame.

This portrait set illustrates a couple of points about portraits. You usually should crop below the fullest portion of the breast. Watch your arms and hands and cut them off above the elbow so nobody is fretting about amputation. The crop still works in the left because it's close to the elbow. I placed a slug (“Cajsa”) in these two to illustrate another rule – don't put the slug in the subject's line of sight. Crop close and fill the frame.

Headshots are zoomed close in and can be anywhere from the shoulders up. Don't be afraid to chop off bits of the head. Making viewers think – even about topping off your updo – will make your photo more
memorable. This tip is not about cropping, but about zooming correctly in SL. The left is zoomed with the keyboard, the right is zoomed with CMD-0. CMD-9 resets the picture and CMD-8 will zoom out. Use them and
crop close and fill the frame.

ABOUT CAJSA LILLIEHOOK
Cajsa Lilliehook started It’s Only Fashion in 2008 with Gidge Uriza. She also has a column called “What I Like” highlighting good fashion photography from Second Life at Shopping Cart Disco. 

Cajsa is one of today's Fashion Experts and will be "on call" to respond to comments and answer questions both here and in the Fashion Forums from 9 am - 4 pm, Pacific Standard Time, Tuesday, September 20.