Vanity Fair

I must confess I'm having trouble thinking of what additional perks Super Premium would give us (other than perhaps changing your first name-last name combination as many times as you like, which would be a limited use to most people). Another possibility is some new version of mobile access/SL Go, which I could get behind if it worked well. I've always wanted to be able to run SL on my iPad from the comfort of my sofa ;-)

OK this one hits the Uncanny Valley for me. Where did you find this one?

For me the skin is a little too "perfect" to seem real to me.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!

This is misleading. Gifts and tipping between avatars was a minor point, overall there are no cost reductions in Sansar. Don't blame Sansar for this.

From what I've read here on the forums and in other places on the internet, lots of SL users are feeling upset about the changes, one way or another. My blogpost with a summary of the changes and my comments has received over 2,500 views and it hasn't even been up 24 hours yet! (Google "Ryan Schultz blog" to find it.) Basic (non-Premium) account holders are feeling somewhat shafted by the reduction of groups from 42 to 35. It doesn't matter what LL's technical explanation is; what matters is how it LOOKS, and it looks like LL is being petty and cheap. But I personally don't have a problem with the price increase for Premium accounts (although I would love to know what extras the new "super-Premium" accounts are going to have, and how much they're going to cost).

I have tried to summarize all the impending changes here: https://ryanschultz.com/2019/05/29/linden-lab-announces-a-mix-of-good-news-and-bad-news-for-second-life-users/

Sixty is NOT enough. As an SL fashionista I need as many group slots as I can get! As it is I am constantly leaving and rejoining groups to take advantage of deals and hunts.

I totally agree with this comment. I have alts who are at the 42-group limit and having to go back down to 34 groups just to be able to add a new group is going to be a ROYAL. PAIN. IN. THE. ASS. More commentary here: https://ryanschultz.com/2019/05/29/linden-lab-announces-a-mix-of-good-news-and-bad-news-for-second-life-users/ These changes are not a surprise to me, though. Linden Lab has already stated that they want to earn income less from selling virtual land, and more from selling accounts and other fees.

The legacy stipends would not be affected by this, as far as I am aware (and I am envious of any of you that still get them!).

You could try the Altamura Marcus full-body male mesh avatar, which comes in three different ages. It is no longer available as a L$343 deal but it still might be exactly what you are looking for: https://ryanschultz.com/2019/03/09/second-life-steals-deals-and-freebies-get-the-altamura-marcus-full-body-male-mesh-avatar-for-only-l343/

The Oculus Quest will support VRChat, Rec Room and Bigscreen at launch. All are social spaces you can share with other avatars. And we don't yet know what Facebook's social strategy is to connect Oculus RIft, Quest, and Go users with each other. It might be some version of Oculus Home, or something completely different. I bet we'll find out on May 21st.

OK so the "deformers" are basically body shapes that allow you to wear clothing designed for Maitreya, Belleza, or Slink. That's it?!??

My major problem with TMP is their price point and their past marketing practices. They lost a lot of goodwill with designers and users over the years. For example, they only allowed auto hide on clothing they sold, not making it available to outside designers. I really doubt the product will be a success at this price. TMP has come across as greedy in the past and they still do now. Most people don’t trust them with good reason. Even though I really like the look of the male body I won’t touch it at this price. Also, nowhere in their fancy new shopping experience does it say these bodies are Omega compatible. And if the style HUD relies on TMP servers to work properly (like their past bodies and clothing), then that’s another good reason to avoid them. If and when TMP shuts down their servers, you will not be able to change anything on your purchases like skin tones.

1. Strawberry Singh has a very good introductory video on how to set up a mesh body (she uses Maitreya as an example). 2. Maitreya (Lara), Slink (Physique and Hourglass), and Belleza (Freya, Isis and Venus) are the six mesh bodies that have the most clothing available. Use anything else and you will have to work harder finding clothes to fit, especially tight-fitting clothes like bikinis, etc.

I am going to post this information for people who are still looking for a good, free mesh body: Here is a complete and up-to-date list of all the free and inexpensive options for mesh heads and bodies for FEMALE avatars: https://ryanschultz.com/2018/09/24/second-life-steals-deals-and-freebies-free-mesh-heads-and-bodies-for-female-second-life-avatars/ And here is a list of all the free and inexpensive options for mesh heads and bodies for MALE avatars: https://ryanschultz.com/2018/10/04/second-life-steals-deals-and-freebies-free-and-inexpensive-mesh-heads-and-bodies-for-male-second-life-avatars/ I try to keep these two posts as up-to-date as possible.

Yes, but now that Strawberry Singh works for Linden Lab, don't expect her to review any more mesh bodies and heads, unfortunately. It will be interesting to see who picks up the mantle.

This. THIS. It's highly suspicious that they didn't include that in the demos.

Here's my take on the newer Legacy and Classic TMP mesh avatar bodies: https://ryanschultz.com/2019/04/23/the-mesh-project-releases-new-male-and-female-mesh-bodies-why-i-wont-be-buying-one/

For those of you who don't know, TMP has finally released new bodies, but they are expensive, L$5,000 each. Question for anyone who has actually bought the new Legacy and Classic bodies from TMP: is it still true that you rely on the TMP server for changing skintone, etc? If that is still true, then it's a clear strike against it right there. As Skell said, if TMP ever takes their server down, you're screwed. You're really better off to shop elsewhere. Even an upgrade from the older TMP bodies to the newer models costs L$2,500. https://ryanschultz.com/2019/04/23/the-mesh-project-releases-new-male-and-female-mesh-bodies-why-i-wont-be-buying-one/

Here's my take on this. While TMP may have gotten away with charging high prices back when they were pretty much the only game in town, that strategy isn't going to work when there are so many other mesh bodies out there with much, MUCH better desginer support. https://ryanschultz.com/2019/04/23/the-mesh-project-releases-new-male-and-female-mesh-bodies-why-i-wont-be-buying-one/ Which is a shame, because I think TMP has the nicest male mesh body out there. But not at L$5,000.

Wow, you guys have really been exploring! Thank you for all the links 🙂

Signature Gianni and Belleza Jake probably have the most clothing out there. There are still a lot of male fashion vendors who sell in standard sizing as opposed to designs for a specific mesh male body, but as someone said earlier, it's less of a problem for male avatars than female avatars. Shop around and demo demo demo!!!

You might find this useful: https://ryanschultz.com/2019/02/22/you-better-work-a-comprehensive-guide-to-jobs-in-second-life-for-newbies/

I have a blogpost which I keep up to date with all your options for free and inexpensive mesh heads and bodies for male avatars: https://ryanschultz.com/2018/10/04/second-life-steals-deals-and-freebies-free-and-inexpensive-mesh-heads-and-bodies-for-male-second-life-avatars/ You can pick up a very handsome Bento mesh head from LV Designs for only L$500. The Matt head (SL Marketplace link) may not come with all the bells and whistles of the pricier Bento mesh heads from Catwa and other vendors, but it certainly does the job at one-tenth the cost.