Beth Quander

For beautiful sims in SL you can't go far wrong with: B.C.C, Cours (63, 211, 21) [Leroy], Leroy (165, 79, 25) (go up to the exhibitions in the spheres) World's End Garden, Worlds End Garden (133, 195, 0) (you start underwater, find the bridge to the anywhere door and go up to the surface) Hazardous, Misali (165, 166, 194) (jump on the tile, or just jump!) in my opinion, anyway. Anyone else beat them for sheer loveliness? Fun ones that are also pretty good looking: Owtagetcha Bayou, Montego Beach Northeast (204, 78, 27) (fairground with some very unusual and entertaining rides) Spencer Museum of Art, Spencer Art Museum (56, 36, 21) (has to be seen - and bounced around on a flying pink sofa - to be believed. Still probably my favorite sim in SL) Hope you have a wonderful date!

I don’t know if there’s a big difference between theatres and clubs as I tend to go to the former and not the later. But both have greeters and I assume the MC is the equivalent of the DJ to a large extent. The thing I notice from the posts here is a big difference in preferences between people who’ve been going to clubs for years, and are possibly already loyal to one or more venues, and what an owner or host might be view as their main priority – which is creating loyalty in people who are visiting for the first or second time. I would think that to a large extent the host’s job is towards the new people first and the regulars second. But in both case it involves ‘leading by example’. In a venue where people are greeted and chatted to, a friendly welcoming inclusive culture is more likely to develop among the regulars, I think. I completely agree with Aethelwine and Dillon about the Atomic Palace. A simple, effective greeting and involving routine = happy, chatty, participating returning punters. And Naz plays such eclectic and wonderful tunes you can’t help but get addicted. And I expect it’s entirely true what Czari Zenovka said about their club: “we became popular very quickly with loyal patrons is because the Cigar Girls, Bartenders, Managers/Hosts, and Owners greeted each person "personally" ie. not using scripted greetings”. I went to The Prohibition last week for the first time (I believe it’s pretty new). I was not only welcomed personally by the host and DJ, I was introduced to the other people there like an old friend and valued guest. I thought that was wonderful! I signed up for their group in a flash. Completely agree with everything Sweetkiss Vyper said about the importance of being the ‘host of the party’ and also of being there to support the DJ/MC. I think it’s often underappreciated just how much hard work it is to be a good host/DJ/MC. Its solid concentration and you can’t afford slip ups. “Host puts on a part vips will see and come back… (they) need to know how to have fun and create fun. Bring up themes or just plain simple be funny” – yeah, that’s hard work and it deserves appreciation! I think everything that needs to be said about gestures, capital letters and wow words has been said. I will just add that sound gestures are the absolute worst thing for performers working in Voice. Unlike people talking through the stream, sound gestures will drown out the end of a story or the punchline to a joke in Voice. Bad news for everyone. Re notices – yes. Agree with the people who say they need to be informative, original and tailored to the show rather than generic, for all the same reasons as the personalised greetings are so important – to interest and retain new and irregular customers. Regarding tipping. Again, I don’t know what it’s like in most clubs, but I’m all for pushing it in theatres. Not only have the acts spent HOURS creating a single routine, the set and all the props, and writing the emotes, they paid for all the dance animations and tend to use new ones each time. So making back what they put in is just one aspect, let alone getting paid for their impressive talents. Comedy acts and skits also take time, rehearsal and outlay for props. Personally, I think a good MC should build in a reminder about tipping (and what the tip is actually going towards) for every single act. And the backstage crew should be included too. I think it does no harm at all to let the audience know how much blood sweat and tears went into bringing this entertainment to life. And that adds to the experience, in my opinion. Like those ‘making of’ documentaries that are so darn popular on TV :-) I hope there’s some useful comments in there. My two penn’o’worth anyway :-)

I a bit worried by the way your 'argument' is going here Suspiria. There are likely to be people reading this thread who've experienced bullying because of their sexuality or witnessed it happen to friends or family members. Responses to the points made as "oh don't go pleading special cases, bullying happens to *everyone*" could very well be heard as belittling and dismissive of their situations. It can be as insulting and undervaluing as saying something like “oh you’re not really disabled, you only have chronic pain. It’s not like you can’t walk”. This video was trying to highlight the bullying of a particular group. Trying to shift the focus away and diluting it is not likely to be seen as a supportive and understanding response, in fact probably quite the opposite. So doubling down when someone disagrees with you and points out that it’s not a helpful comparison, as you did to Griffin, doesn’t make you any more right, but it does have the potential to make you look twice as insensitive. I really don’t know where you’re going with the comment about the GAO. I’m not from the USA, but I’m not aware of any serious allegations of corruption in this body – but you’re claiming they have “overwhelming hatred” and made those sources up? Perhaps you could clarify what you mean here, but perhaps tread carefully, as allegations of hatred are serious ones and should probably not be thrown around carelessly. I’m not even going near the last bit as both the comment and your reply to it are heading for incendiary in a forum thread sense, and perhaps this an area everyone should back away from. I’ve been disappointed to see deliberate trolling in these help and discussion forums before, and I hope there’s nothing like that going on here. Bitching about how pathfinding doesn’t work is one thing, bitching about things that make people feel suicidal is something else entirely. I hope people can see the difference.

Yeah. Making a joke out out of bullying AND rape, Randall. You are one classy person

Powerful, moving video Uncommon Truth. Thanks for posting.

You’re trying to call Charles out on his use of the word ‘seek’? You have to try really, really, really hard to troll in these forums, don’t you Awe? And yet again you don’t manage it. I found “seek to subtract” in current use straight away on the old intamanet. Or perhaps I’m wrong. Was it his use of ‘historic’ from the C15th you objected to? Or ‘plumber’ from the C14th? Or ‘strive’ from the C13th? Does his ability to use these words in a perfect English sentence rile you? Is that why you have to nit-pick so deeply to find evidence of his ‘crime’ of being thoroughly competent in two or more languages? How many languages do you speak, Awe? Perhaps you should switch to one of the others, because you’re not impressing anybody in the one you’re using currently. Oh go on – pick Charles up on his typo then! But we’ll still like Charles much more than we like you. Awe, you are a silly, silly person. Go on. Back to the other threads now to call people names and make yourself look sillier. Shoo!

How complicated and involved are your designs for these logos and posters, SLTester2? If they're pretty basic and just involve words and pictures, then PowerPoint plus Snipping Tool can get you a really long way! I use these two every week to create stage props, signs and posters - get it how you want on your desktop, upload the finished article and shove it on a surface. For technofails like myself (who can only use about three tools in Gimp and can build a stage as long as it's all slabs...) it's magical. So like you, I'm also keen to hear other people's tutorials on how to do things more slickly or professionally :-)

My vote is to get Charles dressed appropriately for the role of flannel that he is already so ably fulfilling. Then take him on a photo-shoot that will make his supervisor's hed asplode :-) He certainly has the fee I didn't take from him either to get him started. Oh, how I love channelling Gok Wan...

I did my interview with Charles and he's an absolute darling. It was a real pleasure to help him with his study. My suggestion to others - do the interview first then go to the Wikipedia entry on the concept he's investigating for his thesis and I think you'll be surprised and delighted at why this intelligent young man chose SL as his subject. And I think we'll be seeing a lot more of Charles once his University commitments free up some spare time... Can't wait to read his thesis :-)

*puts up her hand if you're still looking* Three years and still in pretty well daily. Have English, skype, embarrassing stories, all that stuff

Probably too long for a quote Lacy, but I'm hopelessly overblown and verbose... Well, it’s an opportunity for me express my multiple personalities. 7 of my 8 available avatars are in use and they all have the clothes, skins and body parts to play 60 (and counting) humanoid, furry, mechanical and phantasmagorical characters. And I enjoy being every one. I’m endlessly surprised at how many aspects of my personality there are to express, and delighted that SL lets me do that. It’s also an opportunity to explore and develop skills and ideas. I’ve gone from watching people on stage, to writing for those people on stage, to getting up on the stage, to running shows, and even building the damn stage! The opportunity doesn’t really exist in RL, nor the confidence. And it’s an opportunity to meet like-minded people. Given the size of SL, the number of people in here and the inconvenience of my RL timezone, I’m constantly amazed at how easy it’s been to meet so many incredible people. People I have so much in common with, and people I contrast with and complement. Hmmmm. So I suppose I’m saying that for me SL is a land of opportunity. Hurrah!

Phil – take another look – I gave you the ‘out’ on the fault thing. I think you’ll find we’re actually in agreement on not liking others suggesting to us what we ‘should’ and ‘shouldn’t’ think or do. So far from asking for my garibaldis back – please, help yourself to a custard cream :-)

The figures I generally throw around (and someone quoted some statistics to me from the internet, so obviously they must be true…) are that about 75% of the membership of Second Life is male. But over 50% of avatars in the game are female. I’ve also seen surveys saying that some RL females create a male alt just to get a bit of peace and quiet. Because while shy male avatars are left high and dry like barren islands in the social flow, whack a pair of boobs on an avatar and you are a chat magnet to all and sundry. So RL females are slouching into a hoodie and sneakers in order to gawp at the scenery unmolested. And gregarious RL chaps apparently slip into some stilettos and a short frock just to be included in the conversation. The thing I find most puzzling of all about caring what the RL driver looks like (rather than, as you say Tex, how well they play the part for the situation on the screen) is that the worry is of bumping pixels with the "oft lampooned fat, unshaven, sweaty bloke in a grubby, dirty vest", when it could just as easily (and quite likely) be a fat, unshaven, sweaty woman in a grubby, dirty vest sitting at the keyboard. Seriously – just where’s the difference? I know, I know – the answers will come back as “I can’t answer that question! It’s just a feeling!” or “I don’t know! It’s just my nature!” I’ll leave it as rhetorical.

Phil, Phil, Phil… come over here, sit down. Have this cup of tea. I need to do some aunt-splaning to you… Now I’ll tell you this as gently as I can, but I’m afraid you might be a bit shocked by some of it. “Some good reasons have been given and the biggest one by far, imo, is men playing women because sex between women generally appeals to men.” You’d like to think that, I know. It’s comforting. But it’s more likely because playing a SL women is one of the only ways some RL men will get to have sex with a female avi at all. And unfortunately the reason so many guys in SL “really need to know, or at least have a strong feeling, that a female avatar actually has a female person at the keyboard” is probably because of an unhappy combination of homophobia and that dark and sticky feeling of inadequacy creeping up their spines. Unattractive qualities both. And this is just one reason why not some but many women “object to the idea of needing to prove their gender” to male avis. It’s not so likely to be “an unfortunate consequence of men playing females”. It’s more often down to male avi’s general rudeness and utter dismissiveness across the board. “Hello – I’m from California – are you a woman in RL?” “Well, I don’t give out RL information, I don’t think…” And he’s gone! Poofed away, didn’t even say goodbye. Nothing like that cloying feeling of being completely unimportant and of no interest whatsoever except as a f***hole to really put some zing in your day. And perhaps because RL men running SL females don’t enjoy the sexist disregard and complete objectification displayed by some male avis any more than RL females do, this is another reason to hang out for ‘romance’ with another female avi? So there may very well be several reasons for people to fault this ‘need to know’ and (just to tip you the wink) maybe folks might not take too kindly to being told they ‘shouldn’t’. Now, have you still got some tea left, there? Cos this is the bit you might really not want to hear. “Incidentally, it does happen … where women play male avatars and have romances with female avatars. .. It's uncommon that way round but it does happen.” Phil, brace yourself, it probably happens far more often than you can imagine. You know why? Women running male avis are way better lovers than most guys. Sorry and all, but I think you can take it. So welcome to the club now, consider yourself initiated. Oh – and have a garibaldi, they were made fresh this morning :-)

Not true bebejee. There are some incredibly popular and active groups. But as Pamela (and you yourself) point out, it takes effort to make things happen. And that brings us back to the old adage – “if not you – who?” Only you can judge if the effort is worth it. But seriously – give it a try. If you don’t want to start your own group, be active in the next one you join. I’m a constant bother in several. And no one seems to mind.