Second Advice: Blowing Off Steam

By Nydia and Brandi Tungsten


"I FERKIN' HATE YOU!!!"

   How many of us have wanted to scream that phase at our computer or gaming console because the game we were playing just handed us our butts? Or, we raged at an MMO like World of Tanks or World of Warcraft?

   I am here to give you all the best advice on the net about that when it happens to you…….quit!

    No, not rage quit or give up the game, just stop for now or go to another game.

Games are supposed to be enjoyable, something we do to relax and have fun with, hence to word “play." Too many it seems have forgotten that simple fact and feel they must continue to reach a “daily goal” in order to get a bonus or perk that is dangled in front of us like a carrot on a stick. MMOs make use of this to make sure that they can keep players, providing fun for us is secondary to them.

    So, to make sure you still have fun, walk away when you have had enough from the frustration of a game and go do something else. I have almost 100 games on my PC alone, and I play every one of them.

   I have been told by others, “I can’t play any other game because I HAVE to beat this one." Uhm…no you don’t. You play a game until it’s not fun anymore. One way or another, you will probably stop playing it anyways. Either from frustration to the point where you don’t even want to even THINK about getting on that system because you know it is there, or you rage quit and give up on games completely. As for rage quitting, we have all done it, we get so mad we can’t even think straight and hit the power button….literally.

   When you start feeling the heat of anger building, instead of raging at the “Noobs” and telling them that they all need to die in a fire…. step back and ask yourself this, “Am I having fun?” and if the answer is “No”, then log off and move on to something else. Just like in our real-life lives, if you don’t enjoy something, why do it? ( and no, I am not talking about work so don’t blame me if you quit your job *grin*)   Things like, fishing, hiking, bike riding, long walks off of short piers…..

If you don’t enjoy it, why do it? We have a choice, not to mention a duty to ourselves to stay as stress free possible. Even if you REALLY like a game, like Minecraft for example, there have been times I have had to walk away, for many reasons, one of which if you have ever played with me you KNOW how I feel about creeper swarms (shudders). I get SO FERKIN FRUSTRATED I WANT TO   S C R E A M ! !

   But I log out, get some coffee and go on to something else like World of Tanks, WarThunder, Space Engineers, SL, whatever and I play that for a while. Whatever you do, have fun with it.  It’s not worth your anger and rage to TRY and have fun, because if you’re feeling that …. you’re not.

   So for the first time since I started writing for the Newser, I am giving you all homework. Find a new game you have never played before and try it, have fun with it, if you don’t like it, delete it and try another.

   Now I can hear you all saying “Right, like we’re made of money and rush out to buy games.” You don’t have to buy anything. There are enough free games out there that you can get several good ones with nothing out of pocket. A good source for free games is Steam (http://store.steampowered.com/). They have a LOT of them and Steam is free to join. There are other sites as well, but I have not fully explored those yet so I can’t recommend them.

   But find something and give it a try, and if you find a good one, let me know and I will review it here.
As always, until next time, GOOD GAMING TO YOU!!  (and have some fun)

Nydia Tungsten

Commentary: Hackings On the ADI Combat Group

By TheonlyJohnny

In SL, hackings are not new. They've occurred in SL, and all across the web, for years. So it isn't really news that they have occurred. However, recently, there has been a spike in the number of hackings.

In the last month of so, there has been at least 4 hackings, in ADI alone. This is not only strange, due to the fact that all these hacked accounts are in ADI, but also due to the fact that all are amazing fighters for ADI. Looking at the hacked accounts, one can see that it doesn't look random. In fact, it looks like a way to bring down ADI.

**Please note, I will not disclose the names of any of the accounts that have been hacked, for privacy reasons, among other reasons**

The Proof:

Let's take a look at the first account. It has been recovered, however, the account is that of one of the best fighters in all of ADI. He doesn't give up, and he's proficient in all ADI weapons, making him a force to be reckoned with. Like I said, the account has been recovered, however it was still hacked.

The second account to be hacked, also has been recovered. This account is that of an officer in ADI, and of course, another amazing fighter. This account is also proficient in all ADI weapons, and is one of the most beloved accounts, by ADI members.

The third account to be hacked, remains closed. This account is also that of one of the best fighters ADI has ever seen. This account has been with ADI for a while, and has been trained constantly, making this another force to be reckoned with.

The fourth account, a newer member of ADI, remains closed as well. Despite being new to ADI, this account is still that of an amazing ADI fighter. From spot on aim, to amazing use of surroundings, this account knows a thing or two about combat, making me glad it was on my side.

Though the toppling of ADI is just this reporters opinion, the facts do support it. One thing is for sure, you better keep a close eye on your accounts, if you're in SLMC. There is no telling who is next. The best advice I can give, change your password often, and make it extremely difficult.

Theonlyjohnny Resident

Second Life Airlines

By Theonlyjohnny Resident

Whenever someone says Airport people think of long lines at security checkpoints, snobby flight attendants, and long cramped rides. However, in Second Life, that is not the case.

There is not just one group, or region, but a full group of groups, each with at least 1 region, that participate in SLA (Second Life Airlines).

Like airlines in real life, these airlines each have different policies, different insignias, different planes, and different colors. However, that doesn't mean they're enemies. They are actually on good terms with one another.

I have joined one airline in particular, HSA (Harmaa Susia Airlines). We are also known as the pack, as our mascot is a wolf. You will be able to read more about HSA in a few days when I crank out the next article, but I will tell you this, we are a family. We work together, and help one another.

Some other airlines are Pagliare Airlines, International Airlines, and Eagle Airways. Each has their own home airport, as does HSA, and each fly between the other airports, in their quest, to provide safe and comfortable travel for the passengers.

Each airlines is always hiring, and I can vouche for two of them. Eagle Airways, and HSA. These two welcomed me with open arms. If you're confused, then don't feel bad, I was too.

It all started about a day before I was hired by HSA. I was looking into joining an airline as a pilot. I met a friendly guy, who was the manager of Eagle Airways. At the time, I hadn't known what the group my friend and his buddies were in, and I thought it was Eagle.

The guy told me that the pilots must provide their own planes, but he tries to help out in getting their first plane. Well I was so pumped, until I saw the group tags over my friend's head, and over his friends' heads. They said HSA. So I asked them about it, and they explained that Eagle and HSA are different, but we still provide our own planes. However, the new pilots of HSA don't really get help getting their first plane, yet we can still use any plane that carries passengers.

Well I then had to explain the mix up to the guy at Eagle Airways, and I was amazed how professional he was about it, even in IMs. He wasn't mad at all. He was very understanding.

So if you ever wish to join an airline, or just ride in one, then come visit us. The parcel I was first taken to, is this one,

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Flounder/126/41/49

It would be great if you could come check it out. You will most definitely be pleased.

Theonlyjohnny Resident

SL11B Press Day

By Bixyl Shuftan

On Saturday June 21st, I headed to a press tour of some of the Second Life Eleventh Birthday (SL11B) sims. Our meeting location was at part of a stage that vaugely resembled a pink brain, part of "The Empires of the Future Are the Empires of the Mind" theme I assumed.

Saffia Widdershins was the one leading the tour group. Among the others there was Daniel Voyager, in the SL11B robot avatar. We were offered a few freebies, such as a stack of hats.

Saffia was communicating with the group through both chat and voice, "Everyone at SL11B is a volunteer - and there are more than 120 of them! That's in addition to the 243 exhibitor spaces - any of which may have up to three builders involved. So you can see that the Birthday is a huge event!"

"I will say - on the Tour we will focus on public builds - but you will see the residents' builds all around - and I REALLY hope that you will explore them as they are AMAZING!!!"

"...we'll take a swift look at another SLB tradition - the time capsule. ... This is where the design for the winning SL11B time capsule will be placed. You can find details about how to enter the contest to design the capsule on the SL11B blog. http://slcommunitycelebration.com/ "

Nearby were reminders of Second Life Birthday events past, "All around us you will see on these platforms the time capsules from earlier years. Each contains the objects that people believed in 2007, 0r 2005 or 20102 would symbolize Second Life. And this year, people can add what they think defines Second Life in 2014. These are a little history of Second Life in themselves and are well worth exploring!"

Next stop was the Cake Stage, "So, welcome to the outside of the Cake Stage and, if you can, it would be worth making sure that you have the Advanced Lighting Model on so that you can see the amazing things that Loki Eliot, the designer, has done on the outer walls with projected lighting. There are also little platforms high above this build with secrets to discover - but we will say no more!"

The stage itself was pretty small. The rest of the area was for the audience, "the Main Cake Stage where a mixture of live and DJ events will be held. Loki Eliot is a well-known designer - many of you may remember his dinosaur from last year, and his fantastic recreation of Linden Lab for SL9B. Do look up and see the fantastic ceiling Loki has created here. There are actually dancing platforms high above the ground so - if you want - let's fly up and take a look!"

Lots of flashy lights were around.

After the Cake Stage, the tour continued.

Heading to the "Live Stage."

Definitely some big hands.

Next was the DJ stage.

Golan Eilde, the stage lead, happened to be there.

We explored around a little. The place has some secret passages, including supposedly a device that allows one to "take over the world." Sounds like someone's been watching a bit much "Pinky and the Brain."

Exiting the DJ stage area, and back at the exhibits.

Lastly, we went to one of the travel pod places, where rezz the little vehicles that allow one to tour about the place without walking. At some places though, they'll turn into balloons or boars.

"From 29 June until 6 July 2014 the sims remain open only without performances on the stages and in the auditorium - it's a chance for people to explore the builds and do the Hunt!"

And so ended the Press Day tour. Since Daniel was there, you can get his impression, and pictures, by reading his blog entry (here).

Enjoy SL11B.

Bixyl Shuftan

Grease Coakes Turns Seven

By Grease Coakes

First off I want to thank my RL boss that I’ll name Mary to protect her real life identity. She was nice enough to let me work the day before and have today off. Also one of my co-workers I'll name Stan was singing me "happy birthday" yesterday.

 And I think I speak for anyone that birthdays are special whether it's your birthday in the real world or a virtual birthday. Your birthday is your special day no one can take that from you that one day out of 365 days that's yours. Most people celebrate the holidays in December whether it's Christmas or Hanukkah with family and friends. People who live a second life in the virtual universe get two birthdays per year. How can you beat that? In today's fast paced world of either life people should take their birthdays to take time to smell the roses and relax.

Another crazy fact it's my brother's real life birthday today. So my SL birthday and his real-life birthday are the same day.

So I started the day with no events so I figured there would be something going on at the furry club IYC which stands for International Yiff Center at IYC Addictions (153/115/2492) I was right as the furry DJOK Fretwerk AKA Jim Morris was djing. Not many people were active at 5:30am SLT, but it was ok I still handed out my freebie shirts and hung out.

For my fifth and sixth and SL birthdays for readers of the Newser who may not know, I handed out t-shirts that I made myself. I handed out these shirts for a limited time. In IYC I handed out the shirts to everyone in the club. A few furries IMed me in confusion. I explained these are my birthday shirts. I'll get birthday wishes and in fact Chedder Digipaw with account name CyberRatt resident gave me a whole clothes set named League of xtranary Furs. Shyraii Devinna asked for the asset UUID to make my Zapbird shirt better looking for women to show breasts. It's a rare case that I get a party pooper that declines my shirt. I shrug it off and move on.

I gave Shyraii a cookie and she responds by saying, "My fiance ate all my chocolate chip cookies (frown). He's a butthole (grin)." "Dude what's up with that?" I asked. 

So in IYC I hung out with Shy as we were wearing the same shirt dancing together to Loferz Resident AKA TeiTei who announces over voice anyone who says hi gets a cookie. So I say, "Hi Teitei do i get a cookie?  TeiTei went, "YUSH!" *stuffs one in your muzzle* ^_^

Who can say no to a cookie?

Earlier I IMed a human buddy of mine Lia Mistwalker, asking is there any events at SGB which is shorthand for Sounds Gravis Beach at Sounds Gravis Beach (134/21/32). Lia told me, "Sakura spins at 8am to 10am."

I told her, "I'm so there! it's my party and I’ll shake my tail if I want to I turn 7 today." "Happy rez day!" she says

When the party started I went over to SGB and SGB Melody the club owner said this, "And all the girls, please line up and kiss our Furry Grease... It's his rezzday today!"

SGB is always a great place to hang out at. Smooth music and minimal emotes. There's always a conversation going on plus the DJ mixing live. Raphad Noyes who may be related to StJohn Noyes one of my friends from Brahma Yoga class stopped in at SGB with his lady friend Mielerosa (honeyrose58 Resident. He's usually a werewolf but today he was a human. Raphad is a very polite and cultured werewolf/human as he always calls me sir. He mentioned in IM, "You look a bit different, Sir." "Yes indeed Sir Noyes," I answered, "I’m wearing the first avatar I bought in SL." "Interesting."

I IMed Aurora Avila informing her I can make her DJ set today as I usually work on Thursdays, the only day she DJs. She says awesome. We also chit chat about the game she told me about , Guild wars 2.

"I should try the species you showed me," I told her, "the goblin species they are hard to find in PVP (which stands for Player vs Player)." Aurora answered, "They tend to be pretty fugly." "Yeah they are! But all my characters can't be the Charr cats that would be boring."

Over time In real life I get hungry so I plan to leave SL for a bit for food. But before I leave, the girls at SGB plan to make Cesare Drucker the club manager cross dress. They type various things like

Jet Goode: "We can duct tape him to a pole."

Lia Mistwalker: "Mini dress, don’t forget to wax his legs."

Mariete (Mariete Babii): "Just don’t WAX Grease!!!You could kill him."

Luckily I leave before the ladies decide to play dress up with me

After I go out to get Chinese food and popcorn I come back into SL and bounce from SGB to the Ark at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Quarabia/141/123/500. I hang out for a bit then I go to Woods at http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/WOODS/126/163/25 

Then Nydia Tungsten IMs me and says there's s video that I could take part in. She warps me to The Happy Vixen at Purrfection Estates (180/59/22). I warped over and a short while later she starts her chimera and begins recording. Nydia sorts out things as she has to relog and over time the video is complete. Her video is here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfArSuKsqHM&feature=youtu.be.

When it's finished I made a SL card through email to my brother for his real life birthday today.

Afterwards I took another break from SL and logged back on and stop at a few other places but for my SL Birthday it doesn't seem right. I instead warped to my friend Amehana Ishtari and I jump in on a pony party.

I handed out my shirts and Amehana admits to being busy. However she does agree to an interview about her new book Selkie Skins Castle and Wells soon. Amehana has also written about a woman named Blowing Wind as she goes on a spiritual adventure with a dragon spirit named Ryu. I joked, "Amehana your pony looks pimped out." And she says this, "Ummm... Thank you? *raises her eyebrow, never thinking that word would ever be used for her*" I instead say that her pony is dressed like a diva and she says, "*watches you backpedal*"

I goofed off and relaxed before Aurora Avila starts to DJ at her new club club Midi Bikini Bay (85/196/1022) where she still plays her video game remixes and Japanese songs.

I went to Club Midi and I had a good time just like it was yesterday. Aurora played her mix of video game songs and everyone chit chated about video games or whatever. Aurora still has a nice surprise to anyone who tips her. I felt stress ebb away and relaxed as Aurora played her unique mix of songs.

I guess the point of this article is that in today's fast paced world of Second and First Life that once in a while take time for yourself. I remember talking to a customer at Royal farms in real life and he said don't sweat the small things and always have fun for yourself. Give yourself some me time.

Today I did take time for myself and had a great seventh birthday. It's a rough world out there but if you always have a smile on your face the world will seem a much brighter place. I guess that's the gist of this article is just have fun in life whether it's your real life birthday your second life birthday or your unbirthday.

Grease Coakes

SL11B: Plot Holders

By Gemma Cleanslate

As I have been making my way through the sims at the SL11B I have been looking at the magnificent builds that are appearing already on the plots. But I cannot show you any yet. 

In the meantime, I have been taking some pictures of the quaint and fun plot holders that some builders put down while they work in their own land on their projects to be brought in later. 

I did this last year too ..

Harper Beresford has some on the blog site too. Keep an eye on the SL11B blog for information and fun! 

http://slcommunitycelebration.com/

Gemma Cleanslate

Ripoffing Artists

By Theonlyjohnny Resident

Thieves are always out there. No matter what you do, there will always be thieves. Though the marketplace wasn't void of thieves, before, they used to actually somewhat respect people's wishes. If someone said not to sell something for more than a certain amount, and they sold it, they wouldn't go over that amount.

However, today, it seems as if all people care about is money. From selling freebies in a vendor, for 900 linden (you know who you are), to using bots to promote your own items. One person went beyond that, and decided to not only sell a freebie for 30 linden, but not even give the creators, Arcadia Asylum, credit.

The item in question is a hover scooter, and I know most of you are wondering why it's such a big deal. Well, firstly, Arcadia Asylum's admins work really hard to give people their free items, and they deserve credit for it. Secondly, upon receiving any item from Arcadia Asylum, you will also be given a notecard, that says, and I quote,

"*YOU CAN NOT RESELL ANYTHING IN THIS BOX FOR EVEN ONE LINDEN DOLLAR*."

Now some people wouldn't see the problem, thinking the person might not have read the notecard. However, it's a bit hard not to read a notecard that is named: "*****STOP***YOU MUST READ ME FIRST ***STOP*****". It's nearly impossible to not read it. However, even if they didn't read it, they had the means to, right there, so ignorance is not an excuse.

To make matters worse, the seller also decided to promote the stolen item, in the lowest way possible. He created bots, whose sole purpose was to simply buy from his store, and give the items 5 star reviews.

If you're wondering how I know they're bots, well it's simple. No actual person would buy an item, leave a 5 star review, but will only put "ty" or "nice." They would say why it's so good. Plus, in the seller's store, which is comprised of a bunch of stolen items, most of the people that review his items were made the exact same day. All of the people share one thing in common though, their profiles are all blank. Not even a profile pic or a description, yet most of them have been around for at least 8 months.

It's people like this, that make me weary of going to the marketplace. I don't know if the item was stolen or not. However, there is a way to tell if it was stolen, first off, think back, if you have seen it at another store then there is your answer. Another way, is to ask around. What ever you choose to do, always be cautious.

Theonlyjohnny Resident.

Editors Note: Shortly after Johnny sent me this article, he came across another ripoff. There was a package of furry avatars up for sale for 50L. But upon closer inspection, it contained works from Curious and Aventity which weren't yet retired. Be careful that your "bargain" isn't really from a burglar.

What Happened to 7Seas' Meissa Thorne?

In late May, 7Seas threw it's twice a year "Fishiversary," and their builders and other staff were there to celebrate along with the fishers. But one of the team was not there: Meissa Thorne. The lady whom had once contributed much to the fishing game beloved by many Second Life residents, such as SL Newser reporter Gemma Cleanslate, was gone from the Grid. Her profile page was blank, save for the name and rezz date. There was only an occasional texture at various Fishiversary exhibits to remind people of her.

The Newser came across a rumor that she had some trouble with the IRS and Linden Lab had been pressured by them to ban her. I decided to check things out with the 7Seas team to get the story about what really happened. I got in contact with Jen Shikami, and she was willing to explain what happened.

As it turned out, Meissa had no trouble with the IRS, "she wasn't having any problems, Jen explained, "we all pay taxes on our SL money nice and legal-like. Instead, this is actually about LL's new identification policy. So it was in February that they started asking for her ID and SSN." She had provided them the information before, but through a third party, Aristotle Systems, "In this case they wanted her to actually send all this info, including a copy of her driver's license, in their helpdesk ticket system, which... well, in terms of privacy, it's reasonable for her to have concerns about whether it will remain secure. She would have been fine with sending the information if it were through some system she'd considered sufficiently trustworthy. But considering how many months we've seen it take for LL to address basic system-wide security issues in the past, I can see why she'd have some concerns."

"The other weird thing is that as you see in that FAQ, they're saying U.S. law requires this 'for users that submit a certain volume and/or amount of Process Credit requests in a year.' But this was February, and the policy was just announced a few months prior. In the prior version of this FAQ they specifically cited the Patriot Act and the IRS limits, but her process credit requests weren't near either of those limits. Odd. So between asking for clarification on that point and asking if there's some more secure way to send this information, perhaps through a third party like Aristotle last time... all we got back was boilerplate responses and repeated links to the same FAQ."  

Meissa offered a third option for the Lab if they were so concerned about legal details, "She also tried requesting to simply never transact $L again, but they wouldn't accept that either. ... Our concern was that if they deleted her account, it could cripple 7Seas, since she created so many of our objects and servers. We've worked around that, but at the time that was a real concern. Plus, honestly, why should she have to go? Why not just stop transacting if that's their real concern? The thing is, they're blaming this on U.S. law, but this doesn't appear to be consistent with U.S. law. If they just said 'This is LL's new policy, because we said so,' then actually that would be well within their rights. I mean, I wouldn't agree, but it's within their rights. But blaming it on apparently inapplicable U.S. laws seems like a cop-out. And sure, maybe I'm misinterpreting them... I'm not a lawyer... but it's not like we got any other explanations either."

With Linden Lab refusing to bend, they began to prepare for her exit, "Well, my last-ditch effort was to talk to the concierge. Though usually they only allow account transfers when the other person is dead and names you as controlling their estate, they have done account transfers before without any fatalities, apparently. So I was trying to gain ownership of her account, since I was already ID-verified, and it's for my business anyway," Jen is the main IP holder fot 7Seas, "But they wouldn't do that either. I decided not to bother lawyering up."

Meissa herself helped her friends prepare for her leaving, "To work around it, she very generously spent the last couple weeks of her existence there transferring as many objects as possible to me. Seven reviewed our code and it'll all work for now as long as her server is still rezzed. If we have to later, we can replace it by cobbling together the parts and contents from my inventory. All the objects she had legal right to transfer, of course. There are builders kits that don't allow that, but I just bought most of those if they seemed relevant. So now I'm just paying her her cut using real life U.S. dollars. It's more like royalties really, I suppose. As thanks for her prior role."

I brought up the "credit requests" again. Jen told me, "She was just withdrawing every couple weeks. The original info LL sent out listed some dollar or quantity threshholds and she was nowhere near them. Not that she was the only one affected -- sounds like lots of people got the same request. Like I said, it's within their rights even without claiming it's required by U.S. law. Not about to deny that. But it is a great example of poor customer service. Giving someone a deadline and then not responding to questions about it, or responding only with irrelevant boilerplate.... that doesn't help. And why not tell people 'To continue conducting transactions in SL, you must ID verify'? Why threaten deletion?  Because I'm real sure that nowhere in the Patriot Act does it say 'Delete people's accounts.' If this is related to some law, they should be able to actually explain that in a way that helps their customers believe this is both truly necessary as well as truly secure. If they can't reassure people of both those things, they aren't going to get positive responses."

Was there any chance of Meissa getting her old account back? Jen felt there wasn't one, "Not unless she forks over ID, and their handling of this whole thing has not made that increasingly likely. We support her right to draw a line there. for sure. And now I'm seriously wondering if it was a mistake to give them my own ID. I mean, think about this -- I do eBay auctions. I send money through PayPal. I sell through Amazon.com. None of them have required me to send them plaintext SSN or a copy of my ID. Which you'd think would happen if this were truly some universal constant of U.S. law -- see what I'm saying? So really, I just have to raise an eyebrow. Of course LL says they keep that very secure and so on. But they are ultimately asking for a leap of faith in response to answers that didn't feel like answers."

A case of "We're Linden Lab, trust us?" I asked. Jen answered, "We only got the 'trust us' response when I managed to get a sympathetic person on the phone. e's the one who said it should be possible to get the account transferred. It's certainly allowable within the ToS since it says you can do it with written permission from LL. o I requested that permission, explained why, pointed out that we have over 100,000 fishers who might miss 7Seas if this really ruined things. And... no. Not even an extension. So there was very little time between when we realized they weren't giving substantive answers, and the end there."

"Considering the number of people who use 7Seas," I suggested, one would think they'd be more willing to negotiate." Jen answered, "I really didn't want to play the 'Do you know who we are?!' card. Because that's kind of unreasonable, and like I said, it's within their rights to require this of their own volition. But I did want to make sure they understood what this could potentially mean. And that it's not just because she's somehow being too stubborn. Privacy concerns and identity security concerns are totally reasonable, and with this online customer base, they need to be very aware of that. We're pretty open about our RL identities and filing taxes and so on, but I'm sure there are plenty in SL who wouldn't even be comfortable with that. Remember the fuss about age verification? Ultimately, many of the people who agreed to do it only did so because it was through a third party with a reputation for strong information security. That's a totally different scenario than 'Just email us this.'"

"Anyway, that's the scoop on what really happened." Jen told me, "Sure, she could have just said yes and it would've been more convenient for everyone, but I think she actually did the right thing. If they want creators to feel welcome in SL, you can't just give them form-letter threats of account deletion without some clear explanations and rationale beyond 'uh U.S. law do it or else.' I am sure this is all LL's lawyers telling them to handle this in a certain way for risk management reasons. But it's remarkably inflexible. And clearly the folks who knew they'd have to use a third-party like Aristotle for identity verification before... those folks must be gone now. There's so much turnover at LL... that doesn't help assurances of 'Oh we keep this very secure.'"

"I remember when I went to SLCC and half the Lindens I met there had just been fired," Jen talked about her trip in 2010, "It was all terribly awkward, since they already had plane tickets and hotel rooms."

"As for 7Seas... (Meissa) has been our most active team builder for the past few years. Motherhood has cut into my free time, plus my RL job and so on. But I want to be sure the community doesn't feel abandoned, so I have some new plans for what to work on for them next (smile). ... Meanwhile I'm training Sass and some of my builder friends... maybe we'll have more help again soon. Lots of folks have offered but really, I like to work with people I know in RL. More accountability that way."

It was about this time the interview ended, and we went our seperate ways, though before parting, she handed me one of the cardboard cutouts of Meissa. One way of saying she might be gone, but not forgotten.

Bixyl Shuftan

ApRiL FoOl !!

Happy April Fool’s Day from Second Life Newser.

May it be full of meriment, joy, and of course general foolery. ;-)

Bixyl Shuftan

For previous April Fool jokes, check out, 2013, 2012, and 2011. 

Tuna Oddfellow to Resume Performances in Second Life

By Bixyl Shuftan

Tuna Oddfellow, the Second Life performer known for his unique "Odd Ball" caused a stir just after the Terms of Service controversy started when he and Shava Suntzu announced in September that they were stopping all performances. They took the Oddball to InWorldz, where they would perform for many months.Tuna didn't leave Second Life entirely, but returned to play a game with friends, as well as to publicize the Oddball events in the other virtual world.

A few days ago, Tuna announced that the Odd Ball would be returning to Second Life. "I still plan to do shows in other worlds," he wrote in his blog, "and even do a few tricks that are not possible in Second Life. Can you even imagine that? If you color outside the lines and join me in other worlds too you wont be disappointed."

"Let me be clear,this does not mean that the views of our rights to our intellectual property are fixed with a magic wand. On the contrary, nothing is fixed. We have lost some talent in SL and others who would be strong voices for change have been squelched. We need to make noise as a community and on that front I see too many would be crusaders who get burned out. I feel so strongly about this as an artist that I can not be quiet about it, so deal with me please and help me with the battle. I will continue in that fight. I will be fighting for change in Second Life as well as educating people on what they give up by sharing their creations in SL as the TOS stands now."

"My partner Shava Suntzu will not return to Second Life until the TOS is changed so you will need to find us in action in other worlds some times. I hope to teach many of you how to expand your metaverse so we can jump to the best the 3d web has to offer and share without walls."

I would later contact Tuna, and he would have a few more things to say, "So it is strange coming home. But is should be exciting too." He explained events in Second Life had steered him to change his plans, "There is no longer enough focus in SL to (get) activists' voices out, and I need to be one of them here. I will be loud about getting the reform to happen.  will continue my regular shows but also have more political non odd ball events that EulaProtest Resident may visit occasionally." Of the United Content Creators of Second Life group's leader stepping down, "This is a big thing to me. I was really disappointed in their structure and approach and ultimate failure."

So when would Tuna start performing in Second Life again? "My first performance really depends," he answered, "I am eager to get on the horse and ride.  I should have the site set back up today in full working order.  I may do a show over the next few nights. It can be an itching. When you are a metaverse entertainer the object of the game is you can draw an audience at any time with the right notice and the willingness to be playful and truly love your community." Of Shava remaining in InWorldz, "We both are doing things in all worlds. Shava's heart is in Second Life but she will be back here wirth the Odd Ball when they change the TOS. She is a political animal." Tuna described her as taking on a new project, "She is the Privacy Evangelist for Blackphone."

Of how he thought InWorldz was doing, "I moved to InWorldz when a lot of real life coming down on our heads with Shava's real life job and health issues.  I love some of what I have seen in InWorldz but I can not say I got as connected as I wished to. InWorldz is doing very well for themselves. InWorldz is a small town not a city. The different styles of worlds fit different needs in people. Some folks for example like worlds with no economy but a gift economy such as OSgrid. I am a resident there too and I have big plans in OSgrid because I make giant interactive art experiences and grids are my canvas. I am even in talks with Metropolis 6th anniversary next month." He would likely be performing at the event, but wouldn't say it was a sure thing, "I will let you know when the ink dries on that plan."

"I have always found ways to reinvent my art and create new experiences so it does not get stale for me or the fans, The Tunaverse. See I love the Tunaverse and they are spread through out the 3d web now. I can't wait to turn more of my dreams into visions for all of you. Remember, I started doing all this because in real life I am a magician. I wanted to give a magicial experience in a world where the first thing people learned how to do was fly."

"I will do more with the art both in and out of virtual worlds and even do mixed realty shows with the Odd Ball projected on a giant wall in the UK while I am in the USA doing my show. People in real life are watching those shows and dancing in Real Life." He talked about Jana Kyomoon (Facebook link) doing "mixed reality" events, "Those happen on the first Sunday of the month most every month. Jana performs her own music at those shows. Sometimes my shows with Jan would happen in InWorldz or other worlds as we go."

"I like to say, I was born in Second Life but I am a metaversalist." For Second Life residents thinking of exploring others worlds for the first time, he recommended InWorldz, and OS Grid, "OSgird is one of the best places to start your hypergrid adventures and that means learning to jump from one hypergrid world to another like a simple TP."

Tuna told me he was still making his plans for his return, " I haven't even begun my thoughts on a few new shows in the works and perhaps an Odd Theater for other performers to play with me." Eventually, it was soon time for us to part ways, "The final word is don't be final and be willing to allow growth and change but always stay odd."

And so, Tuna went on his way, making plans for his artistic return to Second Life.

Bixyl Shuftan

Commentary: "Second Rife"

From Becky Shamen

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sunweaver%20Bay/69/119/32

On Saturday, March 1st, Josh attended the SL Newser's staff meeting and announced that he and Sha had discovered a grand new adventure, a "mission impossible", as they say, and they had accepted it as their new course. We were given Hobdon's choice. For years, we had said, "Heaven is for Heroes", so when we saw the line drawn in the sand, we put on our armor and stepped over.

The History
Few people in SL know that the man behind Josh and Sha is, in RL, a well known Scientist/Philosopher, with over 40 years of hands on experience with technologies, which even today are only guessed at by the majority of the world. I can't tell you what things I know, but if you knew what those things were, you would understand why, even my own family does not know the extent of it. Now, at this point, you might be thinking that I'm just writing science fiction, to sell more newspapers, and that's OK with me, because, well, that's my job. Keep reading.

Return with us now, to the 1930's. There were no personal computers or calculators. If you wanted to crunch some numbers, you either used a pencil and paper, a slide rule or an adding machine, that had gears inside and a hand crank, like a slot machine. The most powerful optical microscopes could not see a virus, unless it was killed and stained.

Then, along comes;

Royal Raymond Rife

 

 (from Wikipedia) Royal Raymond Rife (May 16, 1888 – August 5, 1971) was an American inventor and early exponent of high-magnification time-lapse cine-micrography. In the 1930s, he claimed that by using a specially designed optical microscope, he could observe microbes which were too small to visualize with previously existing technology. Rife also reported that a 'beam ray' device of his invention could weaken or destroy the pathogens by energetically exciting destructive resonances in their constituent chemicals.

Rife's claims could not be independently replicated, and were ultimately discredited by the medical profession in the 1950s. Rife blamed the scientific rejection of his claims on a conspiracy involving the American Medical Association (AMA), the Department of Public Health, and other elements of "organized medicine", which had "brainwashed" potential supporters of his devices.

Interest in Rife's claims was revived in some alternative medical circles by the 1987 book The Cancer Cure That Worked, which claimed that Rife had succeeded in curing cancer, but that his work was suppressed by a powerful conspiracy headed by the AMA. After this book's publication, a variety of devices bearing Rife's name were marketed as cures for diverse diseases such as cancer and AIDS. An analysis by Electronics Australia found that a typical 'Rife device' consisted of a nine-volt battery, wiring, a switch, a timer and two short lengths of copper tubing, which delivered an "almost undetectable" current unlikely to penetrate the skin. Several marketers of other 'Rife devices' have been convicted for health fraud, and in some cases cancer patients who used these devices as a replacement for medical therapy have died. Rife devices are currently classified as a subset of radionics devices, which are generally viewed as pseudomedicine by mainstream experts.

 

 Our stand on this is that we want to know the truth. When two parties give opposite reports of what is the truth, it's a safe bet that one, or both, are not telling the truth. We want to know the truth and will not blindly follow what either side presents. You cannot give knowledge. It must be gained, on an individual level, by creating a hypothesis and testing it for yourself, When the homework is done, then and only then, you can say you KNOW the truth.

We know, from experience, that a single seeker will often have obstacles thrown in their path, by those that don't want the truth known. There is safety in numbers and there are many in SL that would like to see an end to cancer and other diseases. With this in mind, we have started a new SL group, called "Second Rife". The motto of the group is, "There is a cure'. This does not mean we have or know the cure, only that we think it possible that Rife's theories might be something worth experimenting with. The group and it's members seek to [1] learn all we can about the theory and tests done by others, [2] buy or build Rife machines, to conduct our own tests and [3] inform the public of our findings, so they might become interested and add their own research to the mix.

 

We began by finding out how to start a new group in SL. Then Josh created the group and invited Sha in, as a co-founder. The two then began sending group invites to their friends.

For the last few months, Due to a growing lag problem at ground level, our home had been moved to a skybox, above the property Sha rents on Sunweaver Bay. To help make the project more public, she put her house back on the hill top, leaving only a small platform 1000 meter above it, which we both set as "home".

 

Josh created a group logo and began reading everything he could find on the internet. Sha bought a group joiner and donations kiosk and began furnishing the house to make it a good place for people to gather and chat. This project will take her a few more weeks, the end result being a peaceful environment, conducive to creative thinking. The house is opened to the public.

 

Becky "Sha" Shamen

 

Disclaimer: Rife's machines have not been documented to work by any mainstream publication.

A Dragon's Tale: Making a Cross-Continental Journey

By Joshua Xavier

When my sister, Becky "Sha" Shamen, began her reporting career at the SL Newser, her first article was about the continents in SL. While researching for the article, her scouting missions discovered two narrow water passages, between Nautilus and Corsica, and one from Corsica to Gaeta. Since the Blake Sea joined Nautilus and Satori, she claimed that the longest possible, one way journey, in SL, without using a teleport, would span the continents of Satori, Nautilus, Corsica and Gaeta. Rather than attempt the journey herself, she challenged her readers to become the first explorers, inworld, to take this epic adventure themselves.

Now, more than seven months later, Joshua Xavier decides to take up the challenge. Knowing that this journey, at ground level, could not be done with a single means of transportation, because of rough terrain, water crossings and hundreds of sim crossings, he decides on air travel as the most efficient means of travel. Alas, planes and zeppelins are subject to destruction at sim crossings and could often get auto-returned, should he stop to explore sims along the way.

Luckily, Josh had just acquired a new SP Dragon Guardian avatar, named Katzu Kwattle. Unhampered by an external vehicle, Katzu would have an easier time crossing sims and making landings to rest or explore. His only challenges would come from dragon hunters and laggy sims. Like birds and planes, dragons tend to travel in straight lines. With this in mind, Josh gets a map of the four continents, gets out his straight edge and red pencil and lays out a course for Katzu to go by. The journey would start at the Southern tip of Satori, head NE to the Blake Sea, up the Eastern side of Nautilus, cross the Eastern water passage to Corsica, then East to Gaeta. The actual path and the time it took would not matter, as long as the beginning to end were travelled in an unbroken line. Zooming in on a single sim, on the map, Josh found it to measure 4 pixels square. From this he determined the length of one and five miles. From this, it was calculated that the planned journey would be about 25 miles.

Katzu began his journey on an abandoned isle in Yeeowler, at the southern tip of Satori. Little did he know, there would be countless more abandoned parcels and sims along the way. He begins by flying north, to get in from the coast, before turning NE to follow the flight plan. Soon, in the Bagheera sim, He spots Hwy. 8. Checking the map, he sees it follows the planned route, so uses it to guide his path. It seems like following the highways might be a good way to tour continents via land vehicle, until he comes to a large lake where the road stops at a "bridge out" sign. Following the highway works for several more sims, until it passes through a parcel which bans entry to those not on it's list. He finds his way around the area and back to the highway, but the problem keeps happening and it is often hard to find the highway again. He begins to get the impression that mainland inhabitants are not very friendly and welcoming to outsiders. Needing a better way to stay on course, he opens the world map and clicks on a spot, in the distance, which makes a red circle on the map which also shows on the radar and as a red arrow in the air as he flys. Now, each time he has to go around a parcel, the red arrow gets him back on course.

Katzu likes to fly at an altitude below 100m, so that he can enjoy the view and discover points of interest, but quickly discovers this generates it's own set of problems. As he flys, the changing scenery takes time to rez and if he flys too fast can be hit by things that are not seen yet. In one place, he found his progress halted as a building rezzed around him. Flying at higher altitudes, the same problems happened with bumping into skyboxes. Several times, security orbs returned him home, before he even saw what he had run into. Waiting for things to rez and flying around private areas added so much time to the trip that it had to be broken up into three sessions on line. We have shown where each of these sessions end on the map. Each session began by returning to the last location. The final session ended about a mile and a half short of the planned end destination, the East end of Gaeta, when a security orb sent Katzu back home. With that, Katzu decided there was no need to go any farther. He had proved Sha's theory, that such a trip could be made and was likely the first avatar, or at least the first dragon, to have done so.

Joshua Xavier