Female Winslet

I always feel amused when discussions come up because I go from the discussion about SL being too female-centric to logging in, DJing, and having people get all excited about “OMG A rl woman! That’s so rare in SL!” It kinda makes me wonder.

The evil cat has retroactively lost a life in the past. I’m down to 4 lives left now!

For much of the summer, I’ve been focused on other, non-SL stuff, so I haven’t really been reading the forums much at all. As it gets colder, I’m spending more time and energy on SL again, so I’m starting to read the forums again. I have to say that reading the mainland forums at least is a nice experience. The posts have changed. Seems like there is a lot more interest in the common good, in mainland appreciation, and in advocating to Linden Lan to make things better. As Ebbe Linden said during SL16B, the lab needs to hear from its users as to what they want when they want change. He was responding to a user question about curbing ban lines and about security orb abuse, but the point goes far beyond that. I’m generally pro-GTFO even though I have chosen for my own reasons not to be a part of them any longer and I’ve moved onto other things personally. But I think there are lots of nice people there and it’s something that gets people looking at, exploring, and thinking about mainland. There are (or were) some sightseeing tours of the mainland as well that were wonderful for the same reason. And I am loving the idea of this group being formed to appreciate mainland and advocate for Linden Lab policies that improve it. Bravo! I don’t know if it’s the influence of Bellisseria or something else, but I feel like maybe I’m sensing a revival of community spirit on the mainland. And that is wonderful!

So true story . . . . I was recently hired as a flight instructor by one of the major aircraft makers in SL. One of the things they asked me to do was to learn some of the really advanced flying techniques that most people don’t know. Suits me well because the reason I like this maker is because of the realism and the learning involved in flying their products. But it does mean a lot more flying than I did before. So I’m flying in and out of the airport where they are located a lot. And just beyond the airport, within the approach path to it, is the Fiji Estates. And, out of the blue, a couple of days ago, I get a message from Jane (not the user’s real name) who tells me in a very hostile way that she saw me in her house and I shouldn’t go in someone else’s house without their permission and thanks to me, her security orb is going to be turned on now. Well . . . I don’t know who this person is or where their house is. But I do know that I haven’t been wandering around inside of anyone’s home. I started to type a sarcastic come back about how I’m sure the person is very important, but I don’t know or care about where their house is. Then I realize that might reflect badly on more than just me. So I tell Jane I haven’t been in the house, explain what I’m doing and why. It takes a bit of convincing, but by the time I get down to explaining in specific terms what I’m doing and which aviation company I’m working for, the conversation turns. We had a friendly conversation from that point forward and parted on good terms. I hope Jane and I cross paths again. I’m sure it probably helps that you can look in my groups and see that I’m in their staff group and they are known for both ultrarealism and for offering instructors. Makes it easy to verify. But the bottom line here, and the reason why I mention the story, is that sometimes people really do get upset over things that are actually a misunderstanding. So take a moment. Breath. Don’t fly off the hand right away. As long as people can talk about it without getting into that irrational anger too far, these things can be worked out and often times people really can part ways as friends, provided that both parties allow it to happen.

I love that song ❤️

I wonder what Dash Agency is.

I know all of us at SLR-SAR are very appreciative of the Bellisseria Oceongraphic Institute stepping in to render aid. But, without intending to disparage the SLCG in any way, I think it is fair to point out that they are the Second Life *Coast Guard* and Bellisseria is a vast continent with vast inland areas and many non-marine hazards. So I am not sure that SLCG is the right responder in those areas or to this type of hazard. SLR-SAR, while more generalized to handle both land and sea operations, is also not the right agency for every emergency. We have seen that when some houses have caught fire and the only response SLR-SAR could provide was air dropped fire suppression, which put out the fire, but also caused serious localized flooding resulting in the entire neighborhood being washed away. We have had to field some phone calls from various Bellisseria residents who reported their houses missing and asked us to search for them, for example. So I hope the Bellisseria government (where did that town clerk go?) will step up and develop a full emergency response system including a fire and rescue department, police, and other first responders so that the Bellisseria Oceanographic Institute can focus on studying the sea, SLR-SAR can focus on maritime and land search and rescue, and the SLCG can focus on maritime search and rescue and law enforcement. 🙂

Well, look, they gotta protect the pickle making industry somehow, right? Otherwise any country could come along and take over the pickle factories.

Subsequent forum posts have said that non-LL orbs are allowed as long as they comply with the LL restrictions. Not confusing at all, really. You just have to keep up with what’s going on. 🙂

Hmmmmm so pickle making came to Bellisseria because of this explosion, perhaps.

I got nothin'. This is just amazing and I love it! But neither Ebbe nor Patch was one of the original Lindens so I think they both technically post-date the creation. 🙂 But if you read my original post, you will see that I found it! The Bellisseria pickle factory, which was found in Bellisseria exploded and created a crater on Heterocera? How'd that work?

I like the idea, but I think orbs and ban lines on the mainland outside of Bellisseria would make it hard for such a group to operate. I'd be interested in participating if not for that. What say the chronicles about the ancient pickle factory of Bellisseria?

Easy. GPS coordinates. A/k/a SLUrls. 🙂 OMG. Excellent point! You’re not the town clerk anymore?

Could be one of the avatars from days long forgotten. When I login tomorrow, I will be very disappointed if my house is not surrounded by people wielding pitchforks and complaining about this 🙂

Haven't you ever wondered about Bellisseria's history? Obviously such a well developed place could not pop out of the ground wholly formed. Surely it did not just get pulled up from the ground by some kind of animal. No. Obviously the idea is ridiculous. So I was wondering about Bellisseria's story, where it came from, how it developed, and why people first came to live there before it developed its current construction industry boom. And today I think I may have encountered my first clues. I was strolling through some of the areas near the west coast when I discovered this building here. This is obviously an abandoned barn. So it suggested to me that Bellisseria might have some sort of agricultural history. At least the area around the barn must have served some agricultural purpose. Perhaps this was a place where livestock were kept long ago. Or corn. Or hay. Obviously this must have played some roll in the way that ancient citizens of Bellisseria once were able to deal with their need to make a living. I continued along where I encountered this building behind a clearly different house in an obviously entirely different location and noticed that behind it there was an old building that was just falling apart. Obviously this building was no house. The tank on top is a giveaway that, at one time, it must have served some kind of industrial purpose. I didn't dare go inside considering its condition. And I didn't dare climb up the stairs because I would not have been climbing any sort of Mt. Olive, but rather a dangerous building that should probably be demolished. It's nothing more than a reminder of a Vlasic era that has long since passed, and there was no reason for me to step inside and risk getting hit by a spear or some big chip falling out of the ceiling. Do that and there's be nothing left of me but hamburger. And I'm not the owner of the property anyway (clearly, right? Of course it's not me) and trespassing just wouldn't be kosher. I contacted my fellow Bellisserians letting them know I was in quite a pickle. I could not for the life of me figure out what this meant. After some discussion about how these buildings could fit into the theme of the area, we realized that their condition had to be the result of a lengthy fermentation caused by their exposure to salt, water, and the elements over a long time. So the likeliest scenario was that they were grandfathered in. A check with the Bellisseria Historical Society's records confirmed that these were protected historical sites. In fact, these may have been the first pickle manufacturing facilities in all of Bellisseria! Which just goes to show that the pickle industry in Bellisseria has been important since long before any of us lived there! So now we know what's the dill! Sweet!

Yes, there really are two typists here. But I was rolling on the floor laughing about the town clerk and Mount Molly. Still . . . I did officially recognize the name. But I note that LL has not recognized the official, correct names of Mount Molly or Lia's Airstrip. How disappointing. The good news is that Molly and I don't even know each other and we're really not organized in any sort of organized roleplay. Just two people doing their thing and having fun at it.

IT HAPPENED AGAIN!!!!! This fire broke out in North Waddling Region. Apparently it started as a small fire under a barbeque grill under a house boat. But Bellisseria does not have a fire department so, once again, I was the only response available and my ability to response is limited to a heavy duty airborne response that is really more suited to large forest fires than individual structure fires. It takes a while to get in place. And this is what I saw by the time I got there. You can see the fire had grown just a little bit by the time I got there. Instead of a small area under the deck, the whole houseboat was on fire. And you can see that poor homeowner trapped between the fire and the sea! Well, I did the only thing I could do. I loaded up with water, carefully avoided dropping on the poor home owner and . . . . This was the start of my first air drop. Airborne firefighting equipment like this isn't really meant for the degree of precision needed to avoid hitting a nearby victim, but I was able to manage. Unfortunately I crashed before I could circle around to check and see if another drop was needed. And, sadly, communication difficulties kept other rescue services from learning of the danger. But, fortunately, the fire went out after my one drop. 11 tons of water will do that, I suppose! And the moles must be really talented engineers because that houseboat didn't sink and the damage turned out to be only superficial. Another fire put out! But it does show the serious need for better public safety agencies in Bellisseria.

More importantly, the TOS says that the community standards are a part of the TOS. It states the following: 7. RELATED POLICIES The following related policies are incorporated by reference in and made part of this Second Life Policy, and provide additional terms, conditions and guidelines regarding Second Life. [some items in the list omitted] 4. Community Standards [some more items followed this and I didn’t list them out] That would be the reason that I cited the Community Standards as being the place where TOS contains that provision. Wiki entries notably are not a part of TOS, which is why it may sometimes tell you about things that are in TOS but it isn’t a part of TOS itself. Where you are incorrect is in suggesting that these documents that are made part of TOS are “not just a guideline.” The above-quoted language specifically says that some items are just guidelines and if you looked at the full listing of “related policies,” you would even discover that the title of some is “guidelines.” For example “content guidelines” is the item on the list right after community standards. To the extent that Linden Labs says nothing in the TOS is “just a guideline” they would be contradicting the actual language of the TOS and therefore incorrect.

Hearsay in the legal sense has a much narrower definition and more exceptions than most people imagine. Check Federal Rules of Evidence 801-807 to get an idea. You can easily find them by consulting “the Google” if you are curious.

Never mind. I found it myself. It’s in the community standards. Specifically the last sentence of this paragraph: Disclosure Sharing personal information about other users, either directly or indirectly, without their consent—including, but not limited to, gender, religion, age, marital status, race, sexual orientation, alternate account names (including account statuses, such as whether it is on hold, suspended, or active), and real-world location beyond what is provided by them in their user profile—is not allowed. Except for the purpose of reporting abuse or any violation of policies to Linden Lab, the remote monitoring, posting or sharing of conversations without a participant’s consent are prohibited. Available here: https://www.lindenlab.com/legal/community-standards The wiki is a great resource for many things including what people think the TOS says, but it is not actually the TOS itself.

I’ve always been curious about this. I recall some TOS language about not using chat logs for commercial purposes, but can anyone point me to actual language in the TOS that forbids logging at all or forbids copy pasting?

A fax machine, which usually sits in the middle of an office where many people can access it, is, of course, far more secure than an email that goes to only the recipient. Riiiiiiight.

Hehehe when I first opened this thread I thought it was going to be something fun for the various SL search and reescue groups to do! 😉

As things stand, I fear we are going to lose a bunch of people due to botched communications. I have the real life background to read and understand complicated contracts. I read it and discovered it was . . . not all that scary. Not a lot of people have that background so it's not surprising that people got all fussed up. Heck, even I got upset about it before I sat down and read the darn thing. (And yes, I did write a post explaining it that people ignored). I think LL is going to get wounded from this and sadly it is self inflicted and unnecessary.

The downfall of many tech-oriented companies is many people good with machines, but too few who are good with people. That is what I see happening with LL here. They would have been served by just one or two people who could understand and translate the legalese.