Jennifer Boyle

I sure don't have the answer. I think it would be very counterproductive for LL to do away with free accounts. I probably would not have ever tried SL if I had had to pay to just find out if I liked it or not. I don't know if requiring credit cards for everyone would work, as I understand that it is possible to buy a prepaid card for cash, enter a fictitious name and address for it on the Web, and use it to pay for SL. Also, I believe that in some countries it's not common for people to have credit cards. As for things like driver's licenses, the only way I can see LL checking them would be to require a scanned image be submitted, which I would imagine would be quite offputting to many people and would be very vulnerable to falsification through the use of altered images. And, as I said before, I think the people that need to be kept out because of bad behavior are going to take any measure LL puts into place as a challenge to be overcome.

Dilbert Dilweg wrote: It's a worthless fight Sweetie. You have the nay says that think everyone plays from internet cafes and the families who get banned don't have the ability to discuss their own problems with their family for getting banned. I never played from an Internet cafe, but I've played from plenty of hotels. It seems to me that if I were a griefer and if I got IP banned, the effect would have been to prevent all future guests at the hotel connecting, while all I would have to do to circumvent it would have been to pick a different hotel next time I was in that city. Now, my home IP address, while officially dynamic, never changes. However, until about a year ago when I changed services, it was truly dynamic, and I could change my IP address in a few seconds. So, again, anyone with the kind of service I used to have would be immune to an IP ban, but the unfortunate person who got the address that was banned would be inconvenienced. It's also possible to access SL via a proxy server, which I suspect a dedicated griefer would readily do. I can imagine that people who are enduring sustained griefing could feel so desperate that they want to try something, anything, that might bring relief. It just seems to me that advocates for IP banning assume that the griefer they want to exclude is associated with a single IP address, which isn't true for many people, and can be purposely avoided by people who want to. So, from my perspective, it looks like an IP ban can be easily circumvented by the actual target and is likely to exclude many innocent people. I also suspect that the kind of people who are griefers would see it as an additional challenge to overcome, not something to just accept. If I am wrong in my thinking, can someone explain why?

One thing to keep in mind is that as time passes, more and more people will have shadows enabled more and more of the time, so that baked shadows will be less needed and less acceptable in the future.

I advise extreme caution. I used to buy and sell land to make money. I quit after LL flooded the market with new land and drove prices precipitously downward in the spring of 2008. I got rid of my inventory without losing too much, but it was a close call. I will never reenter that business because I realized that LL can and will, for any reason or no reason, cause completely unpredictable changes in prices. Another thing to consider is that land prices are so low now that it would be hard to make much trading land. The only mainland that I know of that is worth much is double-prim land and adult land, and the latter seems to be steadily declining in value. So, be careful and start small so that if your inventory loses value you don't get killed. If you want to be able to follow general land values, Sarah Nerd posts prices in her profile at which she will but any land offered. Currently she offers L$2.4 per sq m for adult land nad L$0.1 per sq m for other land. To give you an idea how much they have changed, until 2008 a typical price for typical land was around L$10 per sq m.

It seems like we are getting way off topic, but I am going to respond. The United States is consuming way too much imported petroleum and is producing way too much harmful emissions. Lower prices for gasoline will increase consumption and harmful emissions; higher prices will decrease them. We need higher prices. I have seen many well-dressed, middle-aged people riding motorscooters, bicycles, and public transportation in Europe. One of our big problems is that we have so many people who think that they have a God-given right to low-priced gasoline. No one has any right to any price for anything other than the price that a free market offers.

If fragmentation of the cache is an issue, it's easy to avoid by creating a small partition and putting only the cache in it.

I have been running Second Life from a flash drive for a long time. I do it so that I can use different computers. I have gradually refined/improved the Windows batch file that I use to run it. With mnor changes in paths and the executable filename, it should work with any viewer. I thought that it was worth sharing, so here it is: ETA: PLEASE NOTE THAT THE FORUM EDITOR SUBSTITUTED A SMILEY FACE FOR A COLON FOLLOWED BY AN S IN ONE LINE; IF YOU USE THIS FILE, YOU NEED TO CHANGE IT BACK. ETA: Before using it the first time, you should copy the contents of %APPDATA%(Usually C:\Users\Username\Roaming)\SecondLife to W:\Datafiles\SecondLife\Roaming; if you do not do that, any files that are not changed during the first session when you use it will not be preserved. : Created by Jennifer Boyle, a resident of Second Life. : jenniferaboyle@gmail.com : Released into the public domain by the author March 10, 2012 : Offered “as is” without warranty of any kind. Users assume all risk. : This batch file is designed to run Second Life from a flash drive. : After Second Life is closed, it moves the Second Life data files to the : flash drive; the next time it is run, it moves them to the default : location. It optionally does the same with the cache. When I tried : running with the cache on the flash drive, Second Life ran sluggishly, : so I would not do that. : It works on Vista and Windows 7. It has not been tested on Windows XP, : but should work. XCOPY was used instead of ROBOCOPY to make it : compatible with XP. : It expects the flash drive to be W: and stores the data files in : W:\DataFiles\SecondLife\Roaming and the cache in : W:\DataFiles\SecondLife\Local. It expects to find a text file named : EX.TXT containing a list of files, one filename on each line, that are : not to be copied to the hard drive in W:\Datafiles\. Mine has : SecondLife.log, SecondLife.old, and SecondLifeCrashReport.log. : Change the command line switches for SecondLife.exe to whatever you : like. : The first time it tries to copy files from the flash drive, it will : report errors because there are no data files on the flash drive for it : to copy, but it will not damage existing data files on the hard drive. : If, within Second Life, you change the location of the IM and chat logs : to the flash drive, it will decrease the amount of data that must be : copied. @ECHO OFF ECHO. ECHO Please leave this window open. ECHO. ECHO Please choose one of the following: ECHO. :ASKAGIN ECHO Enter 1 to copy cache to hard drive, copy back to flash drive when done, and ECHO delete from hard drive ECHO. ECHO Enter 2 to skip copying cache ECHO. ECHO Enter 3 to copy cache to hard drive but not back to the flash drive, leaving ECHO on hard drive ECHO. ECHO Enter 4 to skip copying cache to hard drive, but copy it to flash drive when ECHO done and delete from hard drive ECHO. SET /P CHOS=Enter 1, 2, 3, or 4 IF %CHOS%==1 GOTO THATSAL IF %CHOS%==2 GOTO THATSAL IF %CHOS%==3 GOTO THATSAL IF %CHOS%==4 GOTO THATSAL ECHO. ECHO %CHOS% is an invalid entry. ECHO. GOTO ASKAGIN :THATSAL ECHO. SET /P FSTNAM=First Name: ECHO. SET /P LSTNAM=Last Name: ECHO. SET /P PWRD=Password: CLS SET "FLDNAM=%FSTNAM%_%LSTNAM%" ECHO Copying Second Life data files... ECHO. : The following five lines copy data files to the : [Usually C:]\Users\Username\Appdata\Roaming folder. The reason it is : so complex is that we are attempting to minimize the time needed by : copying only the files that we need. XCOPY W:\DataFiles\SecondLife\Roaming\browser_profile %APPDATA%\SecondLife\browser_profile /E /C /I /G /H /R /K /Y /EXCLUDE:W:\Datafiles\EX.txt > NUL: XCOPY W:\DataFiles\SecondLife\Roaming\user_settings %APPDATA%\SecondLife\user_settings /E /C /I /G /H /R /K /Y > NUL: XCOPY W:\DataFiles\SecondLife\Roaming\logs %APPDATA%\SecondLife\logs /E /C /I /G /H /R /K /Y /EXCLUDE:W:\Datafiles\EX.txt > NUL: XCOPY W:\DataFiles\SecondLife\Roaming\%FLDNAM% %APPDATA%\SecondLife\%FLDNAM% /E /C /I /G /H /R /K /Y /EXCLUDE:W:\Datafiles\EX.txt > NUL: ATTRIB -A "%APPDATA%\SecondLife\*.*" /S /D /L IF %CHOS%==2 GOTO SCCFHD IF %CHOS%==4 GOTO SCCFHD XCOPY W:\DataFiles\SecondLife\Local %LOCALAPPDATA%\SecondLife /E /C /I /G /H /R /K /Y > NUL: ATTRIB -A "%LOCALAPPDATA%\SecondLife\*.*" /S /D /L > NUL: ECHO Now launching Second Life Viewer... :SCCFHD CD /D W:\Program Files (x86)\SecondLifeViewer :RERUN START "Second Life" /D "W:\Program Files (x86)\SecondLifeViewer" /realtime /wait SecondLife.exe --set InstallLanguage en --settings settings_SL2.xml --multiple --login %FSTNAM% %LSTNAM% %PWRD% ECHO. ECHO Second Life Viewer is closing... ECHO. : The following lines allow you to restart the viewer after a crash : without recopying the data files. ECHO You can restart Second Life or end the session. ECHO. :REENTER ECHO Enter 1 to Restart Second Life ECHO Enter 2 to End Second Life Session ECHO. SET /P FLAG=Enter 1 or 2 IF %FLAG%==1 GOTO RERUN IF %FLAG%==2 GOTO THATSIT ECHO. ECHO %FLAG% is an invalid entry. ECHO. GOTO REENTER :THATSIT ECHO. ECHO Now cleaning up files... ECHO. XCOPY %APPDATA%\SecondLife W:\DataFiles\SecondLife\Roaming /E /C /I /G /H /R /K /Y /M > NUL: RD %APPDATA%\SecondLife /S /Q > NUL: IF %CHOS%==2 GOTO LCOHD IF %CHOS%==3 GOTO LCOHD XCOPY %LOCALAPPDATA%\SecondLife W:\DataFiles\SecondLife\Local /E /C /I /G /H /R /K /Y /M > NUL: RD %LOCALAPPDATA%\SecondLife /S /Q > NUL: :LCOHD CLS EXIT

When I just tap an arrow key, she moves half a meter or so. I would like to be able to position her more precisely than that, within a few cm of a spot.

Amethyst Jetaime wrote: Vesper Kling wrote: I too tossed my invisiprims out a while ago and have never regretted it. Why? You can add alpha masks and the shoes will look fine.

Lool at this thread and the one my post in it links to: http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Fashion/Have-you-incorporated-mesh-into-your-wardrobe/m-p/1419087#M6098 You'll find all the info you need.

Amethyst Jetaime wrote: The best solution is to offer them mod but use a resizer that can be removed That way both camps are happy. I absolutely agree. This is the most convenient thing for the consumer. I am finished buying no mod clothes. I want them to be copyable so I can always keep a backup copy in case I mess them up.

I have started making my own alpha masks, which fit me exactly, which the ones that come with shoes sometimes don't. Also, once you have made one, it is pretty easy to tweak it.

Dora Gustafson wrote: Alpha layers are not supported on older viewers and Invisi prims are not supported with Lighting and Shadows So you better use both:) My experience when the alpha layer was first added was that, while people using V1 viewers could not wear them, the V1 viewers rendered them correctly when others wore them. I remember specifically that I made an invisible avatar, and it was invisible to everyone.

I had heard something about it before, I don't even remember what, but what really got my attention was when SL got hacked in 2006 and a lot of users' info got stolen. That reminded me that SL existed and caused me to join.

When I right click on clothing, alpha layers, tattoos, and objects I always get both add and wear on the menu unless I'm not already wearing one of its kind; then I get wear, but not add. Try putting on one alpha or shirt or whatever and then see what menu you get with another one.

I'm also asking clothing creators to include the texture so we can put multiple texture on one layer if we need to.

Just curious. How long has the club been open? It must one of the oldest, if not the oldest, that's still open.

Some time ago, Lee Quick, developer of Kirsten's viewer, tested a number of cards and found that the GTX 580 worked best for it.

It's easier than you might think. See this thread: http://community.secondlife.com/t5/Your-Avatar/Need-Help-Making-Alpha-Masks/m-p/1381171/highlight/true#M15452 After you download the templetes, load the appropriate one into a program that will allow you to make part of it transparent. (I use paint.net, a free download from http://www.getpaint.net/.) When you see the templates, it will make a lot more sense. For the alpha mask texture, all that matters is that some parts are transparent and some aren't, so you can leave the parts that are to be opaque alone. Just make the parts that you want to hide transparent. If you have to make some parts opaque after making them transparent, you can use any color. You will want to use a viewer that allows "temporary uploads," like Firestorm, when doing this, because there is a lot of cutting and trying the first time you do it.

I love mesh clothing. All the clothing I've bought recently has been mesh. Skirts are especially nice, and are a great improvement over what's been available before. One useful thing that I've learned is that it works better to make my own alpha masks, and it isn't hard. After I made the first alpha texture for each part, I learned that it works as is, or with minor tweaking for other mesh clothing. That makes sense, since a creator would naturally make the mesh item to fit average avatars, and I should deviate from average in the same way for every garment. Another poster mentioned that the alpha masks that come with mesh clothing may mask too much. That's my experience also, and it's a reason to make one's own.

I'm all ears. I've considered modeling for yerars, but never had the right combination of motivation and opportunity.

bigmoe Whitfield wrote: ... "if it can be seen on the screen it can be copied" I have only the foggiest understanding of these things, but I thought what made it possible was that all of the textures making up an avatar are sent to the client. If they were all combined into one texture on the server, wouldn't it be impossible? Also, as I understand it, all textures that one sees are sent to one's client in unencrypted form, so that all an unscrupulous person has to do is obtain the software (which is readily available) to capture them. Why can't they be encrypted? I know that wouldn't deter a determined hacker, but it would raise the bar a long way, probably far enough to deter most people who do it. I was tempted to try Neillife in the past, just to see if what people said about its capabilities was true---people in SL never exaggerate anything, you know. What deterred me was that I thought that someone who wrote a viewer that would copy content indiscriminately would not be above including code that would do all sorts of things I don't want done, like capturing passwords and credit card info. I guess it's a good thing I didn't, as I m might have ended up on the Red Zone $#!tIi$t.

I think it's actually a vehicle. I have a couple of these. To use them, you rez pose balls upon which the avs sit, so they work anywhere you can rez objects and run scripts. Then one can move and the other moves with her. I don't remember where I got them and I'm not inworld right now to look.

Would you mind telling me who made them? I was going to make some, but it's probably worth it to buy them.

1. Almost always, people act and talk the same in all three. Naturally, one will encounter more adult activities in adult sims, but not more rudeness, with the exception of the occasional nude male newbie displaying a high state of arousal for all to see. My house is on Zindra, the adult continent. Nothing happens there that wouldn't be acceptable on mature land, but, on principle, I just don't like having restrictions on what I can do on my own land. 2. Most of the people I encounter in adult sims are usually polite and considerate, like the people in other sims. I think griefers are less common on adult sims. 3. None to which I've been. I don't go to Gorean sims because I despise the whole Gorean idea of women being subservient to men.