Scylla Rhiadra

Render only friends. That's one I don't use a lot, but it can be useful at really busy events.

Hey Jude, SL photographer here! What is the particular problem that you're having for photos with the FS PBR update? The lighting? Colours and saturation? The PBR viewers all render light rather differently than the older viewers did, and the result is that some old EEPs (such as CalWL) look washed out, and others too dark. It's a more dynamic range of light, which is actually a good thing, but requires some adjustment. One thing you can definitely do is get some new EEPs that are specifically designed for PBR. Onsu's in-world store has a largish set for L$1, that includes a wide range for different times of day. They look pretty good. Juicybomb has a set for sale on the MP for L$10; it's more varied, but there are some nice ones, including (I think) one that's not a bad approximation of CalWL. https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/JuicyBomb-Eternal-Skies-EEP-Settings-PBR-Ready-Second-Life-Mirrors/26117454 And a search on the MP for PBR and EEP will find quite a good selection of others. Pick some of these up, and experiment a bit: you can probably find some you like. A quick, cheap, and dirty trick that some people use (but that I personally don't like or recommend) is to reduce the "exposure" settings in the graphics tab of Preferences. The other option is to make your own reflection probe to enclose the scene, if it's a place you can build and rez. A reflection probe modifies (and generally reduces) the amount of ambient light hitting the things it encloses. That's probably more than you want to undertake, but in case you're interested, here's a how-to video. If there's another problem that I haven't addressed here, let me know.

I'm sure. And I'm sure that a lot of people who buy flashy yachts just moor them. But there's no question that there's a very active community involved in driving, sailing, and flying in SL. As I've discovered, there's also a large community of horsey people: I found one set of private islands, twelve regions in all, devoted to stables, paddocks, and riding trails. I'm sure that these communities are dwarfed by, for instance, the BDSM one -- although there is also, of course, a lot of overlap. But it's substantial still.

On the subject of LL's attitude towards sexuality, and the degree to which it is ok with promoting that aspect of SL publicly . . . I've just had one of my pics "rejected" by the SL Flickr group. Which, ho-hum, whatever. BUT it's a bit interesting because the pic implies nudity. Implies it, rather than shows it. I'm in the water on a beach, immersed up to just a bit below my armpits. I'm clearly topless, I guess, if you look, but two thirds of my breasts, including my nipples, are completely hidden beneath the water. I've got formal gowns that show more boob. In fact, I've posted the same pic here; it's not even in the Adult section, but in one of the vanity threads. It's that SFW. You can wear dental floss bikinis and get "accepted" on the LL Flickr account, but even suggest nudity? EEEEEK! So much for a "spicier SL."

Yes, but . . . ewwwwwwww.

Isn't this why they invented men???

I don't know. LOTS of men and women have genitalia -- and I suspect more men than women (for obvious reasons). I'd bet that a majority of men do. Not so sure about women. I agree, and have said so numerous times, including here. And yes, it's probably more important than any other single "niche" community. But, as Coffee has pointed out, I think the tipping point for concurrency, the line at which SL ceases to be a worthwhile investment, is pretty narrow, and I suspect that the loss of any one or two smaller communities, including vehicle drivers, might end up being fatal to the platform.

I don't know. I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, there are clearly ARE a lot of vehicle users in SL, whether that means cars, GTFO, sailboats, or, in my case, a Vespa or horse. Probably we should include SLRR enthusiasts in that group? And Drivers of SL is large and very active (I was a member for a while: it was also a very generous group, and I was regularly gifted HUDs, tools, and vehicles there.) On the other hand, GTFO sometimes seems like a blight on the landscape. I'm next to a large and rather ugly one on the Heterocera Atoll RR, that also features an airstrip on the roof(!?!?!?). I've been next to it for years and years, and I don't recall ever seeing it actually being used. It sure does have a big sign, though.

I have no idea. If you've ever been at all sexual active, you might well have one. (And men seem to be odd about this, and want one even if they aren't sexually active!) Of my closest 7 women friends, one (or at most two) owns a mesh vajajay. (I don't -- but I do own a male thingy, which I bought for pics). None of this proves that SL is "only" a porn site, or that most people log in "exclusively" for sex. I have a very large friends list (some 350 or so, although many of those are gone now). NONE of my friends has ever been in SL exclusively or primarily for sex. I just wouldn't know them if they had, because we'd not be hanging out at the same places: we'd likely never have met. Your friends list might consist of 500 perpetually horny men (and women). Who knows? There are many SLs.

I said nothing of the sort. I have had sex in SL, albeit many years ago. I am very aware that it's an important component of many people's SL, and conceded as much. In fact, I suggested that probably about half of my friends list was currently sexually active, and another portion occasionally so. I also leave my home regularly, to go clubbing, take pics, meet friends, or whatever. What I objected to was the suggestion that it is the only thing SL is good for, or that it is (and I quote) "exclusively" what everyone logs in for. And despite the fact that I DO travel around a fair bit, riding, exploring, clubbing, going to galleries, etc., and DO go to Adult parcels and regions a lot (both of my favourite clubs are in Adult regions, for instance), I almost never trip over people having sex. I seriously couldn't tell you the last time I did. Again, your experience may differ. In fact, it is obviously does. But you're only groping part of the elephant (and I can guess which part). SL is a complicated beast, and we each of us experience it in our own way. And for many of us (I have no idea if it's "most" or not, and neither do you), sex is just not a very important part of our SL.

Maybe I just haven't found it yet! It wasn't until last night that I discovered how to save a camera position! I'll look again. ETA: Found it, under "Places > Visited" FS has it listed separately under the World menu, but yes, it's the same thing.

So in other, vastly more interesting news, @Saskia Rieko and her partner Konrad have redone Natthimmel once again. They always do a brilliant job, but I have to say that this may be my favourite rendition of the place. It's an imaginative recreation of the ancient Iranian town of Kharanaq -- a mud brick settlement of partially ruined buildings, some of which date back 1800 years or more. For some reason, I decided to visit as an Edwardian tourist. It's just breathtaking. I'll be back for more pics. (This pic is unretouched, although I did adjust the region EEP a bit to change the direction of the sun for the photo.) http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/NewMoon/118/200/22

Stella, you don't know this! I wouldn't say that I spend most of my time exploring, but I certainly do some! It gets a bit boring when people who live in SL bubbles and devote themselves to one activity -- be it sex, or BDSM, or music, or RP, or art, or whatever -- proclaim that THEIR one particular slice of SL is somehow THE KEY element of the platform, when in fact it is the combination of all these things, the ability to take a pic, explore, go dancing, and have sex ALL IN ONE DAY here, are what makes this place pretty magic. I've seen your pics. You don't just explore boring deserted sims. You gamble, you take pics, you arm wrestle with Anubis -- your SL is varied and interesting!

Oh, hun. I'm so sorry!

And as someone who's been using it over the past week, I can affirm that it works beautifully. Very much looking forward to this, which is probably the single biggest thing I miss from Firestorm. Now . . . can we talk about "Teleport History" . . . ? 🙂 Oh, and just to add, I got some great help from the Alchemy support group last night!

No one is denying that sex is important. At a guess, I'd say that almost everyone on my friends list has been sexually active at one time or another (and that includes me), and maybe half are still engaged in it on a regular basis. If I went to some clubs, I'd probably find lots of people wearing sexual attachments. If I go to others (the ones I go to regularly on Friday and Sunday nights, for instance), I am pretty sure I'd find few (and I've done a fair amount of incidental sampling at both places, using the What Is She Wearing HUD to find out what a particular dress or hair style was). Your mileage is going to differ a lot depending upon where you go. What I can assert is that I know nobody who is in SL primarily, let alone "exclusively" for sex. I am entirely sure that some are, but to suggest that "most" are is unprovable and I'm pretty sure an exaggeration. Sex is no more the primary or exclusive point of all that most of us do in SL than it is of what we do in RL. It's an important part of who we are. It does not solely define us.

Who knew, right? I, and pretty much everyone on my fairly largish friends list, have been doing it all wrong! 😕

Exclusively? Are you suggesting that most residents are here only for sex? Or are you misspeaking, because the rest of your post suggests there is much else to do here that is also important and popular? There is absolutely no question that sexuality is an important component of SL culture. And SL would not survive without sex -- without question. (I suspect that there are a number of other "niche" cultures it would die without too, such as, for instance, clubs and music.) But the suggestion -- which I hope you are not making -- that SL is "exclusively" about sex for most residents is nonsense, or at the very least requires some actual evidence.

Honestly, you should maybe get out of the dungeon for a bit! You know, stretch your legs, visit a music club or an art gallery, or a lovely nature region? You'd be amazed at how many of us are not, as you so delicately put it, "jacking off."

I wish I had a suggestion! Maybe RP sims do this sort of thing? Or virtual farming?

I could be wrong, of course, but my impression is that the OP is looking for games within SL?

Oh dear. Yeah.

They do. So has literally every generation of young people going back to at least the Renaissance. It's one of the ways in which languages evolve. In fact, one of the ways Old English slowly changed to Middle English was because hip young Saxons began declining nouns in the same way that the Vikings who settled along the east coast and North of England did.

I teach literature to Gen Z students. This is utter nonsense.

“The Chairman alluding to the problem of young people and their English said his experience was that many did not seem able to express or convey to other people what they meant. They could not put their meaning into words, and found the same difficulty when it came to writing.” -- "Unable to Express Thoughts: Failing of Modern Young People," Gloucester Citizen, 1936