Scylla Rhiadra

AM Radio’s installations will be closing down in six months time. For many of us, the impact of this will seem profoundly personal: AM Radio’s poignant explorations of the nature of memory, of nostalgia, of time, and of love speak to a great many people at a profoundly individual level, finding resonances and echoes in our hearts and memories. Sims like The Faraway and The Refuge certainly have impacted upon my experience of Second Life; they have always been amongst my favourite places here. In the final analysis, however, AM’s imminent departure raises larger issues, about the role, place, and function of art in Second Life. Art has always had an important place here, from the very inception of Second Life as a concept born out of Philip Rosedale’s experiences of Burning Man. Art is, thankfully, to be found everywhere in Second Life, in forms that range from machinima and sim-sized installations, to the idiosyncratic and expressive stylings of individual avatars. One index of Linden Lab’s awareness of the impact of art upon Second Life has been its sponsorship of events like Burning Life (since turned over to private residents), the Second Life birthday celebrations, and, most recently, the creation of the Linden Endowment for the Arts. At the same time, however, with the ending of the discount for educational and nonprofit institutions at the beginning of this year, times have also become tougher for artists and their exhibitors and sponsors. I know of at least one major and longstanding gallery that is on the verge of having to fold due to these new financial pressures. And now, of course, we have the announcement of the upcoming departure of AM Radio who, along with Bryn Oh, has become by virtue of his talent and vision a sort of standard bearer for the place for art in Second Life. There are some here, of course, who will shed no tears for the loss of such art from Second Life – art that didn’t monetize, that wasn’t merely intended to bring more people to a shopping mall or increase traffic at a club, and that had the temerity to “undercut” the “free” market by daring to be . . . free. The Neoliberals among us complain that AM Radio’s effusions – he gave away many of his creations for free – don’t show up on the ledger books in the “assets” column. Art in the view of such people should “pay its own way”; if it is not producing traceable transactions in the monthly accounting spreadsheets , then it is at best “populist” and “middle brow,” and at worst, part of a socialist conspiracy to undercut those artists who are content to yoke art to the profit motive. What such commentators fail to understand is that art in Second Life does “pay its own way.” The health and stability of any society – its “quality of life” -- can be measured by the vibrancy of its art and culture. Second Life is no exception: art is one of the reasons people come here. It is a central and absolutely vital part of the experience of a great many of us, and our experience of Second Life would be diminished immeasurably by its loss, perhaps to the point where we would stop coming here. Linden Lab, despite some of its missteps, recognizes this, even if the Neoliberals don’t. Art is monetized here: it is one of the things that keeps us logging in on a daily basis. What is more, it impacts upon everything else here, setting new aesthetic standards and prodding us to question, to explore, and to discover. I don’t begrudge LL its largely crass perspective on the uses of art in Second Life, in part because I also acknowledge that Linden Lab is not entirely sordid in its approach: I think that they do, unlike their Neoliberal critics, understand the more ineffable and subtle ways in which art contributes to the health of the community here. As to the Neoliberals . . . as Oscar Wilde’s Lord Darlington said of cynics, they know “the price of everything and the value of nothing.” It is to be hoped that Linden Lab recognizes the contributions that AM Radio has made to Second Life, and sees fit to extend their support to his continued presence here, perhaps by means of the Linden Endowment for the Arts. And if they do, the Neoliberals can take some solace, as they return muttering to their shopping malls, in the possibility that maybe, just maybe, LL knows its own business better than they do.

Jane, give me a shout in-world when you can.

Silence is golden, Michael? Conversation and discussion, as exercises in communication, are always worthwhile. Shutting it down merely because there are people who abuse it merely panders to the abusers, and silences the valuable contributions of those who DO have things to say.

Storm Clarence wrote: I was under the impression that what is discussed in the forum is the 'agenda' of the in-world CTUG meetings. I thought the 'topics' on the agenda are what is, and should be, open for discussion. The CTUG agenda is available for all to read and post an agenda item. Each CTUG agenda item *should* be an OP in this sub-forum: Community Feedback, before it is 'formally' brought to the attention of the Lindens (if Lindens read the forum then the Lindens should know what is coming their way in the meeting; they should be prepared.) The OP should be debated by those that want to have a voice on any particular agenda item. The people that attend the meeting hold the Lindens accountable for an answer. I think one of the problems, Storm, is that none of this has been formalized anywhere. I was only barely aware of the existence of the CTUG until relatively recently myself. What Darrius and others are talking about is a more recognized, public, and formalized process, I think.

I think that a forum-based venue for these kinds of discussions is much superior, even while acknowledging some of the drawbacks that Void and Del have raised. LL, on the other hand, may not be so keen. It would be much more difficult to control and contain the discussion here than in-world. ETA: Just thought I'd better clarify. I don't mean anything sinister by "control" or "contain" -- just that the conversations here are more likely to branch off in all sorts of directions, and more prone to digressive or spammish contributions.

Nathaniel Scorpio wrote: If that really is him, what does it say about this place that he's posting there and not here? (I think we all already know the answer to that...) Yeah, it really is him on SLU; he's posted there a few times, most notably in general response to the concerns over RedZone. And yes, it says just about everything you need to know about this place, and LL's attitude to it, that he has never posted in the forums here.

Virtual Harlem is, I am about 99% certain, still there, although some of the original elements are gone or have been changed. Certainly, it still appears in Search, and in the Destinations Guide.

Tank Camino wrote: redzone has on numerous ocassions ejected alts of people ive already banned for various reasons Tank, you can continue to complain about the loss of a system that is gone, and is not coming back. Or you can explore alternative existing methods of security. In any case, this is not the place to debate about the efficacy or ethics of RedZone. Again, I suggest that you post somewhere in the Commerce section, or at SLU, where people can provide some suggestions as to how you might replace RedZone with something more ToS friendly.

Potosi Abonwood wrote: I would like to add also be wary if you've logged onto the RZ site isellsl.ath.cx that is where the harvesting of passwords comes from I believe. Well according to the video on the herald that's where it's done at. This is an important point. Also, anyone who has ever appealed a ban by RedZone had to log on to the isellsl.com site: they are also potentially vulnerable. One of the great unknowns here is what has happened to zFire's database. The original seems to have been deleted by the hackers, but it appears that zFire himself had a backup.

Tank, this thread is probably not the best place to put these posts. A serious suggestion -- if you post it here somewhere in Commerce, or even at SLU, I'm sure you will find people happy to suggest alternate ways of arranging security for your sim, including the use of land tools and orbs.

Josephina Bonetto wrote: I won't use Red Zone and understand the frustration about it but I certainly don't feel you should be hung, drawn and quartered for using it either. Enough has been said about what it does and does not do - I am profoundly disgusted I have been scanned against my will by others and entered into the database but I think your approach is polite and pragmatic. Certainly undeserving of a preach speech. It is for you to make your own, educated, decision. I'm certainly going to be able to forgive someone who has used it, but has, when given the appropriate information, removed it. I am frankly less charitably inclined toward someone who continues to use it even after it has been made clear to him or her that it is a violation of the privacy rights of others. Suggesting that its employment should, in the face of the evidence of the harm it can cause, be left to the individual user's decision is a bit like saying that the wisdom of firing a gun in a crowded place should be left to the discretion of the gun-owner.

Hi Ags. I'm not sure what to tell you. I don't want to sound like a speciesist . . . I mean, some of my best friends have fur, really . . . but I once had a very bad experience with a bunny. It wasn't all his fault, I think . . . it was his extended family. I just couldn't integrate myself properly because there were far too many cultural differences. And having them over for dinner was a nightmare; do you know how long it takes to cook for 576 picky vegetarians? Or how few really interesting recipes there are involving nothing more than carrots, cabbage, and lettuce? Anyway, it was all a bit of a heartbreak, and so . . . once nibbled on, twice shy, I guess. I do have a nice keepsake from the relationship, though, and it even brings me good luck!

Venus Petrov wrote: Putting aside your personal comment re: Prokofy, my perspective is that LL has every right to project the image they, as a business entity, choose to project. They have control of this 'venue' and it is their right to control it as they see fit. Since Day 1 of the rollout last week, many asked for the return of a 'GD-like' environment. They listened to the comments and provided this subforum. This is just another area for residents to express themselves to each other. LL is not obligated to open this particular subforum to those outside LL. There are many places residents can post opinion and commentary. This is but one. And I'm not denying that this is LL's right. I'm just not entirely sure that I want to be a party to it.

I think that the recent controversy over these kinds of devices highlights what is going to become an absolutely central issue in Second Life. That issue is only peripherally about security. It's not that security, an end to copybotting and griefing, etc., is not important: it's just that the sorts of technical options employed by these devices (alt matching and IP bans) are notoriously ineffective, unreliable, and easily sidestepped by anyone with even a minimal background in computers and online technology. This is not to say, then, that security isn't an important concern, but it's one that, at the most fundamental level, has to be dealt with by LL, and not by third party content providers,who don't really have the proper tools to do the job right. The real issue to arise from this, and the one that isn't going to go away anytime soon, relates to privacy and datascraping. The newest generation of "security" devices -- and there is more than the one out there that does this -- have opened a Pandora's box by revealing a security hole in SL's media and music streaming, and by showing that large scale datamining are feasible (and, in one case at least, very lucrative) in Second Life. What makes this worrisome, in a sense, is not merely that third-party scriptors are likely to continue to exploit this, but also that LL may be reluctant to move aggressively against their methods because they too may be interested in looking at datascraping, a la Twitter and Facebook, as a lucrative thing to exploit in SL in the future. As for businesses looking for security devices, they need, as a group, to start looking to different kinds of solutions than those provided by this recent generation of "solutions." Putting pressure on LL would help: increasing the size of parcel ban lists, for instance, would be a major step in the right direction. But as privacy becomes more and more of an issue in SL -- as I am sure it is going to now -- merchants are going to need to recognize that this IS a concern of their customers, and that security methods that undercut that are going to backfire. Increasingly, consumers in RL are looking for "ethical" products and businesses. The same is, self-evidently, becoming true in Second Life. Those businesses that acknowledge this, and that don't treat their customers as potential criminals from the moment they enter the sim, are the ones who will prosper in the long term.

Prokofy Neva wrote: I think what you're finding is that the Lindens now are prepared to moderate the forums fairly and not allow any one clique to seize the mindshare or the marketshare by keeping their personal threads in the top view. I hope so, anyway. Anyone who is unhappy with this forum of course has a wide selection of offworld forums now. Anyone else noticed that Prok is sounding more and more like Cato? NOTHING I've seen about these forums so far suggests that LL has any other interest than turning them into a gleaming spanky-clean PR showcase and techie sweatshot for LL. Even the fact that this vaunted new Off Topic forum is out of the public eye reinforces that. Congrats! We've been Zindra-ed!

Well, I missed everyone a great deal. That said . . . I suppose I should say "Never say never." And maybe there will be some sort of positive announcement in the next day or so about a new GD, or an equivalent. But as things stand here, I can't see myself coming back as a regular poster. It's not merely the lack of a GD forum; it seems that it is going to be pretty much impossible to have an open and serious discussion about anything here that isn't fluffy and bunny-like. And if that's the case, I really can't be bothered. I'll keep an eye out here . . . but I'm not very hopeful. :smileysad:

...I hang out at one of the three land marks that every noob (new account) gets in their inventory. And the rudeness there on the part of some of the regular scares away one day old newbies just starting out. I have IM from people who have been treated rudely and say they are done with second life. All because of the welcome areas, help areas and orientation areas that are landmarks in the folders of people starting out. All you need is a LL staff person to randomly drop into those areas with an alt, identify who is beind rude, and then have them punished appropriately. You don't need someone there full time, just often enough, and unpredictably enough to scare away the idiots. The unpredictable part is important, the rude people should have no idea who might be a Linden alt, and when they might show up. Interestingly, I had a thread on the General Discussions forum, about the Ahern Welcome Area, that suggested pretty much exactly this. It was (*ahem*) deleted by the forum moderators. /me shrugs. Still seems to me a good idea. I still can't believe that the issue of "first experience" and retention shouldn't be more of a priority.

Welcome Rodvik! This post is a really positive sign, and I'm delighted to join with the others here in praising you for jumping in feet first, and getting a first-hand feel for Second Life, the old-fashioned way. I do think, though, that if you are doing anything like a walking tour of SL, you need to ensure that you are taking in the full diversity of what it has to offer. The vast majority of that is positive and enriching, and should leave you feeling pretty good about this new responsibility that you have shouldered. But I want to join with Ceera, above, in suggesting that you need to take a look at the more problematic elements, and the darker side of Second Life as well. Visit Zindra, and really look around: ask yourself whether an adult ghetto that encompasses and forcibly lumps together simulations of loving and consensual sexuality with rape, Dolcett, and snuff role play really serves the community well. Give some thought, maybe, to the message that it sends when SL equates sex and violence in that kind of way. And maybe even consider allowing sex back into Mature areas, reserving "Adult" for the really violent simulations. We are your "customers," but you now find yourself not merely a CEO, but de facto the benevolent (we hope) dictator of a kind of micro-society, with its own diverse culture. Your task isn't merely to make this a better product, as important as that is: it is also to give some thought to the governance of this virtual world. Part of that will necessarily involve listening to its "citizens," and part in making tough decisions that will impact upon not merely our experience of Second Life, but how it is perceived by others. Try to avoid the easy and cheap route of opting for a "Disneyfied" SL: diversity is never a bad thing, per se. But remember, too, that the decisions that you make have political, cultural, and ideological implications. It's hard to be both corporate boss and Solon the Lawmaker simultaneously, I know. But if you pay attention to the dialogues and discussions already underway between residents, you may find that course a little easier to steer than it otherwise would be.

Madelaine McMasters wrote: Nathaniel Scorpio wrote: Madelaine McMasters wrote: You didn't have hands free to swat them? I can neither confirm nor deny the status of my hands at that time. Oh, Scyllllllllaaaaaaa??? I am sooooooooo staying out of this!

Nathaniel Scorpio wrote: Well, once the flies started appearing, she stopped licking. EW! EW! EW! EW . . . !

Argus Collingwood wrote: I have a Stripper Cake we can take to Jail on a visit.And Nat volunteers to jump out of it! I myself am fashioning an old silver spoon into a digging impliment for her. That's the way the Count of Monte Cristo escaped, I seem to recall. Of course, it took him . . . what, 14 years?

It's easy to agree, especially in hindsight, that creating such a display name was not a wise move. The results speak for themselves, and are hardly contestable: this was a bad thing to do. That said, I'm going to cavil a bit with those who are suggesting that Keli "got what she deserved." There was clearly no intent to deceive nor malice here. It was a joke, albeit an ill-advised and, yeah, maybe even foolish one. But, again, it was just foolish, not malicious. And I don't think she deserves to have the full weight of the law thrown at her. I very very much hope that she can sort this out, and that LL proves itself flexible and reasonable enough to make the penalty here match the fairly benign nature of the "crime." And yes, I do get that LL should act against impersonation of Lindens. But justice should always be meted out intelligently, thoughtfully, and with more than a modicum of mercy.

Tolya Ugajin wrote: Is that a new sig? I just bundled up all of your favourite things, and put 'em together in a single descriptive epithet. Pretty cool, no? I knew you'd approve!

Kwant Capalini wrote: if it is her are you so really very surprised? When I saw her asking for an invite to the party I thought it just like old times when a Linden would join in and ask for an invite to a party being discussed it did used to happen. I checked her profile and found out she was not one, but I did have to check to find out. I guess. I confess it never occurred to me that anyone might misread it that way.

Now, please tell me that Kelilinden did not actually get nailed for impersonation.