Codex Alpha
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Posts posted by Codex Alpha
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6 minutes ago, Nalates Urriah said:
Not so easy. First you have to figure out what a woman is. Then figure out how to identify one. Then there is the dilemma of what is the RL person behind the avatar and how do they identify...
We are past the day when you can grab someone by the ankle, turn them upside down and ID the sex.
Yeah. Check please. 😕
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1 hour ago, Rolig Loon said:
That's quite possible. If the other cars on the freeway seem to be headed the other direction, maybe they know something you don't.
I guess.. Don't say "Hi" to women in Second Life. Got it.
59 minutes ago, Persephone Emerald said:Here's another likely scenario.
Bore man with feelings of inferiority goes onto an online forum where he can troll women to see how easy it is to upset them.
That's not very nice.
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2 minutes ago, Liaa Nova said:
If I get a 'Hi' IM from a random guy, it's never yet been anything but him wanting to take things further. Why not state what you want rather than put it on the other person to carry the conversation? Hi gets no response, Hi, I love your profile/dress or Hi, I'm new here and was wondering how x works does
That's very sad. I guess I'm the exception after all.
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6 minutes ago, Love Zhaoying said:
Here is how bad people operate:
Step 1. Convince people are you "not bad".
Step 2. Move in and do something bad.
Hasn't anyone ever taught you "Don't talk to strangers", "Everyone wants something", "Nobody is ever friendly / nice without an agenda", etc.? People really believe these things and teach them to friends, family, the younger generation, etc.
That seems like a socially anxious response and assumption, and based in fear or some assumption of ill-intent as a base belief
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19 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:
Whether one considers SL a game or considers it more of a platform might have a bearing on the acceptance of a random 'hi'.
Nope, and probably has more to do with the social anxiety and mental state of the person receiving a simple 'hi' than any measure of ill intent of the person.
19 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:For me, SL is a platform and so scrolling through the member list to start an interaction with a stranger feels as weird as picking a random number from a RL phone book and cold-calling them to say 'hi'.
I can understand, though, that if one views SL as a game it would seem appropriate to scroll though the SL member list and message someone randomly.I don't think the method of initiating contact with someone else is suspect, nor can any intent be assumed from a simple 'hi' as the start of that interaction.
It's not weird, even if they did search through a phone book, or in the context of SL, to search through users that may have similar interests or a profile that catches their eye and want to be social and initiate contact. That's how you make friends...
19 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:Sometimes a resident will act as if my experience is part of whatever game they're playing in SL, for example when someone messaged me out of the blue to inform me that my store was a safe zone for those escaping vampire bites. I just played along, smiling because I generally like playfulness, and so said "that's good to know, thanks for letting me know". Doing so caused no harm to my pursuits as long as they weren't annoying anyone in my store, though I can imagine some people might not appreciate being a cut-out in somebody else's play without their permission.
You'll be alright. They can't harm you.
13 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:Unfortunately I feel a pang of guilt when I don't respond to the random 'hi' IM forwarded to my email. But if I'm not in the mood to respond, I don't. I'm not under any obligation to do so.
Noone said you had to.
13 minutes ago, Luna Bliss said:I don't think I've ever had a good experience from the random 'hi'. I've had a much better experience when someone gives a clearer reason for wanting contact -- something more than just 'hi'.
You would be the exception and not the rule.
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I think this could really catch on though - I'm so into this amazing look, and my 'foot is broken, need medical strap boots' heavy duty dance sandals. Fanny packs are cool too.
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2 hours ago, Rowan Amore said:
I have no problem with someone saying hello/hi. At all. If someone in RL were to walk up to me, smile and say hi and I responded with hello back yet they just stood there and said nothing, I'd walk away or depending on the vibe I was getting, run like hell. Don't IM me then expect ME to come up with the conversation subject. Often times, my hello back is followed several minutes later by, "Oh, I guess you're busy". WTF? YOU messaged ME. SAY SOMETHING.
From the first page of my profile...
I'm IM friendly. However, please don't IM me with /me smiles. This shifts the responsibility of the conversation onto me whereas it should remain with you. Also, a 'hello' is fine but don't expect me to respond with more than the same. Have we all lost the art of conversing
You'll be alright, and it's going to happen more. (or not after people read the numerous topics about this on the forums)
10 minutes ago, Love Zhaoying said:If appropriate (not random strangers in public), I like to lead with, "Hey there, how are you today?" - gives the other person something to say. People generally love talking about themselves.
Your greeting is nothing special. It's normal society to ask "Hi, how are you" and they respond "Fine, how are you" and you respond "Good/Great/Fine".
You're not manipulating them to 'talking about themselves' by participating in normal, average and widespread basic communication.
What is actually out of the norm are many posts on this forum that try to make it like someone saying "Hi" is some unwanted action - and believe me it will be THEIR issue only, not the mass of the human civilization.
If anything this behaviour is indicative of social anxiety.
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Sending a message that a "hi" in Second life is unwanted, or a harassment or an 'attack' or any other statement that assumes or portrays ill-intent of others can actually create social anxiety in others.
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1 hour ago, Rowan Amore said:
A simple "Hi" in my experience since 2009, followed by my " Hello" back usually ends in a less than engaging conversation. My Hello is normally followed by several minutes of silence from the person. I guess they are expecting ME to move the conversation along when in fact, it's their responsibility to do so. THEY messaged me. Have something to say. A comment, an observation, something!
Do you honestly walk up to someone in RL, say Hi and then just stand there after they say hello back? How does that go? Why did you say Hi?
Or maybe they were saying "Hello". And that's it. You answer "hello" and be done. If they stand there and not say anything, so what. They probably went afk or went back to reading.
I'm not sure why I even have to explain this SIMPLE and universal interaction by Millions everywhere, even if they're passing each other while walking on the sidewalk.
I saw someone in the area, maybe working on something, I say "Hi", they say "Hi" back (if you're lucky) and it either continues or it doesn't.
Damn this is so weird around here... I need another project to be excited about cuz this is all ....
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On 6/19/2022 at 1:38 PM, Guku Aabye said:
Do you all think that Second Life is less sociable with people now than before?
Yes. it's even more noticeable after being away for 4-5 years and coming back. Everything has changed, the social rules have changed, and people are far, far, far, far,far more sensitive than ever to any number of issues.
10 minutes ago, LittleSparrow Skydancer said:Discord is the new aol… it’s a ⭕️
Discord can destroy or severely decimate inworld participation in many virtual worlds, as most of the energy and chat and information changing happens there instead of inworld.
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38 minutes ago, Persephone Emerald said:
You seem to be responding here to something you imaged I said rather than to what I actually said.
I always say hello back when someone says hello to me inworld. If someone compliments me, I thank them. I engage in polite and friendly conversations. Sometimes I accept friend requests or even offer them myself.
All I said was that if I accept a friend request from a male avatar I may later unfriend them without giving them an explanation. Sometimes I will also turn down friend requests, saying something like, "Do we have anything in common?...I'm sorry, but I already have more friends on my friends list than I can handle." Other times I may accept or send a friend request from a newbie and say, "Feel free to IM me if you need help with anything."
People in SL do not owe each other friendship, entertainment or conversation.
My time and real friendship has to be earned with respect and consideration for my time and feelings.
This is a case of adding on to what you said, and the use of 'you' should be considered 'one'. My experience remains valid.
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Not sure why you're being laughed at OP, but most creators will want to do most of that design by simulating cloth in Marvelous Designer.
You may be referring to "cloth simulation"
Making the computer do the work for you is the first step. It looks like a complicated piece, but the methods used to get ruffles, elasticity, bunching and MOST of the wrinkle effects can be done in Marvelous Designer itself. I'm not much of an authority on Marvelous Designer probably having about 300+ hours into it, but there are many workflows and there are tons of affordable courses to teach you how to do it.
My basic workflow would be to create the pattern and effects I need in MD, run a sim to get the folds and such, export a HI poly version (and a Lower Poly version - made with a sim with lower resolution), then add more details as needed (I use Blender), then take the low poly and hi into Substance Painter and texture it there.
Wrinkles, creases and other effects can be added at any stage, but generally letting the computer and cloth simulations to do the work for you is best.
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11 hours ago, Eirynne Sieyes said:
The only thing that has ever bothered me about the iconic Phillip avatar - is that it doesn't even slightly resemble RL Phillip!
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Only in 2022, is it such a chore and such a contested social action (as portrayed by online sources) about saying "Hi".
What it means is how it was meant for centuries. It's a greeting, and you're supposed to say "Hi" back. It's called courtesy.
"Hi" is not a threat. "Hi" is not unwanted attention. "Hi" isn't meant to scare you away in a Premium sandbox. "Hi" doesn't mean someone is hitting on you. "Hi" doesn't mean someone has sexual interest in you.
I wouldn't say I suffer from social anxiety - but I am developing social anxiety only reading how others react to the most simplest of things - in RL a 'hi' can be met with a complete ignore, or 'taken aback' (how strange, do I look like a goblin, lol), or a pensive "hii? (Why are you speaking to me)" type reaction (strange), or any other number of strange encounters with reactions far out of the norm for what I would expect.
50 minutes ago, Persephone Emerald said:I'm an introvert and not looking to add more friends to my friends list, but I do like to tell random people when I think their avatar or pet looks nice. I think complimenting someone is a good way to start a conversation, whether it's their look or their profile. I'll IM someone in a store to tell them if a lucky chair has their name letter on it. I've messaged people to tell them their Linden Home looked good too. Last night I IMed 2 ladies to ask if they wanted gift cards I didn't want. One was AFK and didn't respond. The other continued the conversation and asked if I wanted to be friends.
This is the tricky part for me. I don't want to come across as rude, but I don't really need or want more friends, so most of the time I accept their friend request or send them one myself at this point. If the person has a male avatar and I've met them at an Adult sim, I assume they're looking for a potential virtual sex partner, so I generally try to unfriend them when they're not online. I accidentally unfriended a couple guys when they were online and then got back a surprised IM asking why I unfriended them.
If the person has a female avatar, they're less likely to be interested in a virtual hook-up, so I just let them stay on my friends list. Most are male though. If they or their partner are a DJ, I'll likely start getting spammed for their events, at which time I'll unfriend them as well.
If I said "hello" to you, or complimented you on a product or build or something else you were working on, it would have no sexual intent at all. I'm sure others would agree that if saying 'hello' has become offensive, or giving someone a compliment, or even asking a question or engaging in any way is a 'threat', it can severely damage social interaction in SL.
I still say "hello" if I want or give compliments if I want, I'm not going to change - I'm just reporting the negative responses I get that are not warranted, and it is not me who needs to change but some people's response to an time-honored courtesy.
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What blows me away is that there are no shortage of qualified artists to create interesting and stylized clothing and avatars - they're all over the place. Believe me as a constantly growing artist it can be discouraging, awe-inspiring then after the shock buckle down and raise one's bar for oneself and improve...
Yet companies with thousands and millions of dollars still can't make avatars that are cool.
Companies seemingly refuse to use a standardized base rig so that users can upload their own avatars, and use those avatars on various platforms.
Everyone talks 'metaverse' and a 'universe' to explore between companies, and at the same time each platform still forces proprietary things.
And no, adding stripes to suit pants and suit jacket isn't cool, isn't hip so fire the artist and hire ones that will actually make cool clothing
What users want universally it seems, even if they can't create it themselves, is a unique avatar. Mixing and matching a limited set of stuff means nothing - in the long term a user will want more that represents them.
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Why does it have to be 'dirty old man' rather than 'old man that is appreciating the beauty of youth'? One phrase implies an ill-intent as the default, or that there is something going wrong.
I liked the start of your post which seemed positive then ended up being negative.
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13 hours ago, Madison10292018 said:
Those people were not your friends. Real friends would not reject someone over their selection of what computer program to use. They are scum and you are better off without them.
Yes, I am and thanks for that. Been cleaning house the last few years on that matter, both offline and online.
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1 minute ago, Robin Kiyori said:
As someone with low empathy and really poor mentalth health, I've faced allot of stigma and issues offline and online.
people have dismissed my problems, I've had benefits unfairly taken away becaue I wasn't "sick enough" even when struggling to stay alive. People like me are called monsters because of our low or lack of empathy. Even when we have so much compassion and care.
Never mind that my headmates very person-hood is constantly put into question simply because the world can't wrap their head around the fact that plurality exists.
Compassion and care are the root of empathy though. empathy is about beign able to put ourselves in other people's shoes, to try to see their point of view, and to understand it. You don't have to agree with them, or enable them on something you don't want to.. That is empathy. And it's based on having compassion for others and care for others.
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6 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:
You were asking for an example of someone using a stigmatization of mental illness to dismiss those with whom they disagree?
Before I respond, I would point out that you take out 3 words out of an entire post that provides context and just respond to that instead?
How is describing a personality type of someone I and others would have encountered in our lives who are 'predatory, manipulative weirdo types" a stigmatization of mental illness? Where did I equate my experience with an individual(s) to people with mental illness ?
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6 minutes ago, Arielle Popstar said:
I would still be insane in thinking I can change others. One popular definition for insanity is trying the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. I did that for a long time trying to get others to behave and treat me right. I failed and hit a bottom of sorts having become obsessive and compulsive in attempting to change those who were not going to change.
This is a bit iffy position, as we all go through our lives trying to convince others to our point of view. Sometimes it's successful. Hell some of us made a living out of it through sales - Sales is literally trying to change other people's mind, by making a convincing argument.
What you are referring to (which I'm guilty of as well at times) of trying to change people's minds who are not open to changing their minds, or engaging in honest conversation or debate - they will not change their minds because they won't. Sometimes we get suckered in because it's a 'well if I rephrase it this way or maybe say it differently", but I don't know if that's a bad trait. Being able to convince others towards something that you believe will benefit them isn't 'crazy'.
It would just be crazy to engage with an individual that has no interest in learning or changing anything. Also as I may guess that you've had experience with some NPD types, not everyone is like that and to keep your head up and DONT lose your argumentative spirit. Hey I'm taking my own advice here and say we just gotta know when it's no point with some people in our lives is all. There can be some very good benefits from debating things with your friends and even if it can be frustrating at times, sometimes you get a few win points in and maybe even concede a few yourself with new information, and the interaction feels great.
Staying away from predatory, manipulative weirdo types is a pretty good idea though. I've had a few in my personal life that had to go, because they were stuck in some ideal or even a year haha and weren't going to 'grow' or leave it and I had to let it go.
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1 minute ago, Coffee Pancake said:
Good for you, the bullies won.
No, she is correct. If we get defensive or angry or uncomfortable about what someone else says about us, self-assessing our reaction to it is a valuable skill to have.
Psychiatrists will say If we are bothered by other people's words (Not physical damage), that there may be some truth to it, and if we look within, it is strong to admit that maybe they are right - and to make the relevant changes. If not, then we just discard their words and move on.
This is all part of maturing and gaining self-confidence.
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I liked some of the old designs. I'd like to see a high ceiling type warehouse, open floor plan style house as that is my preference. Then I can build to taste. Call it a studio home or whatever.
I don't prefer newer home styles or the Boston Colonial type (which i think the currents seem based on) that IMO have to many walls, to many small rooms, not my style.
Need an artist's studio, warehouse style open floor plan please. Even in my older SL home that I just abandoned, I only used one large room and ignored the rest.
I think most people are like me in the sense they have limited things in those, as they were actually quite large, but the texture scale was way out of whack. If you recycled those designs with some modern texture changes (the new houses have good scale now) I'd be interested.
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1 hour ago, LittleMe Jewell said:
They definitely would not do this. LL actually put in ambiance sounds in Bellisseria -- birds, water, and a few other misc sounds. Lots of folks leave the 'sound' thing unchecked because they want to hear the LL provided sounds.
I thought they referred to gesture sounds and object sounds made from objects on your property...
In any case the solution would be to separate region/parcel/LL sounds from ACTUAL gesture (created from avatars) and objects (placed by the owner/renter) of the parcel.
Solutions not abuse reports I would like any platform to gravitate to, first.
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2 minutes ago, Arielle Popstar said:
Let's face it, if S/l can't develop anything of interest to attract and retain new users, the time will come when the market you create for will just shrink more and more until you leave for more lucrative markets that may require you to join Facebook!
Nooooooooooo! But seriously, I would just give up any 3d artistic goals if it mean I was locked into Facebook - I just wont do it.
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7 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:
Mental health has long been weaponized as a means of dismissing or denigrating the very real issues faced both by those with actual mental health issues, and those who have merely expressed a perspective that is "different" from those of the norms of our culture.
How has mental health been weaponized?
How would we see this in practice? Some examples?
What perspectives would be considered 'different' from those of the norms of our culture and how are they dismissed?
7 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:It's a two-pronged attack: employ misinformation and ridicule to stigmatize actual mental health issues in such a way as to silence those who struggle with them, and then throw the accusation of being "mentally unfit" or "unwell" at anyone whose views are perceived as being at all transgressive. At the heart of this approach is an attempt to establish a "norm" of mental health, which is actually a political perspective, and define anyone who falls outside of that norm as "warped" or "crazy" or "unfit."
What kinds of misinformation would be employed and relating to which mental health issues, and how do they silence those that struggle with said mental issues?
Who throws accusations of "mentally unfit" or "unwell" and which transgressive views are we speaking of exactly?
There is a 'normal' range of any issue. It is referred to as a 'bell curve' or 'median' or 'average' or 'general' trend, state or character of a thing, things or persons or groups. When people fall outside of this spectrum, the majority will recognize them as the 'exception, not the rule', and scientifically it makes sense to treat such minority percentages as they are. Hence the 'exception to the rule' should not be argued as a general rule, nor should be an exception used to apply a method, limit, law or rule on the majority.
Who is calling people on the end of the bell curve 'crazy' or 'warped'?
7 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:It's a perspective that can certainly be found in SL, both in-world and, on occasion, in these forums. There are a great many ways to combat it, of which perhaps the most effective is education: understanding mental health issues removes a great deal of the stigma and fear that surrounds them.
All perspectives can be found in SL, both in world and on these forums. It doesn't mean it's wrong or right, it's just a perspective, which is just another word for saying "someone's opinion".
Education is fine, but most people are quite educated on a number of issues, yet still hold their opinion - mainly because they HAVE actually educated themselves, looked at both sides of the equation, and came to their own conclusion over it.
Which ways would you suggest that would help combat a difference of opinion, perception or worldview?
7 minutes ago, Scylla Rhiadra said:it's also useful to employ empathy.
It seems to me that empathy is one important way to learn to understand mental health issues, and is, at the same time, an exercise in mental wellness. Empathy makes us better; it makes us stronger. And it makes us much less afraid.
Yes, empathy is an important trait to have - the ability to put oneself into another person's shoes, to understand their perspective, to recognize their perspective, to respect their perspective...
and yet still disagree with it.
A bit more empathy for everyone and by everyone in this world (on all issues) is certainly needed.
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Posted · Edited by Codex Alpha
We need documentation and updated tutorials to encourage more people to upload custom avatars with any new rig.
And sorry if this offends anyone, without a Avastar prerequisite.
This will open up SL and options to more creators who won't necessarily have a paywall in the way or limited to one workflow that is constantly promoted.