Bots are one of the seven plagues of Second Life (we can do together a list of the other 6 in a post soon including a poll). Was exploring a sim, in the map there was a big group of people in one of the corners and decided to go there to see what was happening there. Arriving there all was empty, actually i was the only one i saw in the sim. Moved my camera to try to find the group of people and found a big black box in the sky with a group of bots, i was really the only one there.

There are some really good and creative uses of bots, from greeters or “mannequins” to artistic expression. But the main use seems to be (sadly) manipulating visits statistics. And that is bad… in all senses. First, they “lie” to the residents, making them think that is a good place to hang. Second, they distort the grid statistics, making all think there are more people on line. And third, they cause lag and reduce performance of the main servers. Actually nobody wins with them but the land owners.

I don’t expect Linden Lab to act against them, is not easy mainly because they use to be controled by “Third parties” software and is really difficult to know when a bot is being used to distort the statistics except if you go personally to check what they are doing. The ones that have the solution are some land owners themselves, there are better ways to attract traffic, like quality content, but it seems some don’t worry about the means when only one aim in mind.

The last day of the year… Well, i know this is just a convention, not something natural, but what’s culture and society but some conventions? When end of the year arrives it seems some feel the need of try to find a balance of our life and see what can be better someway. That last year in SL had a lot of changes for me, time there seems to run fast and everything is so dynamic and subject to changes. Sometimes it changes so fast that you feel lost, people come and goes, everything come and goes there. For the ones who are “off” i’d like to send a postcard:

After this melancholy moment here they come the purposes for my next SLyear:

1. Do something with that “procrastination syndrome” i’m having and start working hard in the things i want to do.
2. Tell my friends someway, at least once a month, how important they are for me.
3. Open a new store. I create a lot of stuff that some people may like (poses, gestures, objects, clothing…) and sure it may be fun to have a store again after i closed some time ago  my furniture shop.
4. Delete from my inventory a lot of stuff, including a “Hooooooo!” gesture (Yeah, i confess i have one of those).
5. Work on an exhibition i had in mind for a long time, something interesting, including Art, Panels, … all kind of expression related to the theme (won’t tell the theme for the moment, is a sekret! ).
6. Try to know better some people i met recently.
7. Laugh more, explore more, have more …

Well, i tried to not aim too high with the purposes so i hope all will be done… even before next December 31st.

Oh… almost forgot it… HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Does your avatar look like your RL one? Well, maybe that’s not the question… for me it should be some like: Is important if your SL avatar looks or is like your RL one?

I’m not only talking about physical appearance, also the question is about gender, ethnic group, clothing style, etc… For some people and for some unknown reasons all this seems to be very important.

Gender seems to be the big question anyway. Prok AKA “The Ineffable” seems to be really interested and worried about Vint Falken RLgender, the reason Prok is so interested about it just is over my imagination, the only possibility i have in mind is that Prok likes Vint or something…

Anyway, i wonder if all this together is so important. Personally i don’t have much problems to share my RLappearance, most of my friends saw pictures of my RLversion, even met with some of them in RL. Is not i have problems with my RLme, is just i prefer to have some privacy and share that only with some people who are important to me.

Why some people seems to get upset if your SLavatar has not the same appearance than your RL one? That is more than stupid, that would be like getting upset because people using furry avatars in SL are not cats in RL. For a lot of people, SL is a way to enjoy the possibility of being different, of being what you want or even hate to be. Is a world were everyone can be as beauty as he/she wants, is all that SO important?

Even if you want only to have SLex with someone, is the RLgender important? I may agree is important in the case you want to “export” that sexual relationship to RL, but if you only are “playing” with someone exclusively in SL, then you are not liking what is that person in RL (mainly because you don’t know his/her appearance), what you like is an avatar and the way he/she speaks. I think most of the bimbo-giant-boobs-oily-skin-a-bit-too-flirty girls in SL are men in RL Playing with stereotypes, possibly some of the bimbo-giant-boobs-oily-skin-a-bit-too-flirty girls in SL are men in RL, i know some of the gay guys in SL are women in RL… so what?

After all that time in Second Life i really thought we all were quite over this question but it seems i was wrong.

Second Life Map, originally uploaded by Nexeus Fatale.

Today was taking a look at the Economic Statistics in the Second Life Web and saw the negative tendency in Resident Owned Islands (or Private Islands) keep going.

This means around 12% of the private islands disappeared in the last 50 days.

But the fun think is the note Linden Lab linked to that statistics:

Please be aware that the Islands Added figures are not currently an accurate reflection of short term change and are therefore misleading. This is because of the way in which they are calculated and will tend to cause the figures to look significantly worse than they actually are (either by overcounting in some cases or under counting in others). In addition, the many Openspace conversions will significantly drop the total island count exaggerating the change in numbers. We are looking at changing this page to provide more accurate data soon.

I’m terrible at “diplomatic” language,  but it seems to mean something like “Oh, don’t worry, actually is not that bad as it seems!!! Is just a small adjustment, we are strong and stuff, blah, blah, blah… Anyway we will adjust the system so it will look like things are not so bad. Kthxbai”, right?

Anyway, I still think Linden Lab made a terribly wrong marketing decision with the question about Openspaces and their change on products and prices, and we are all paying the consequences. I wonder what Linden Lab is doing with all that empty servers right now, don’t think they are improving performance.

Cold in the streets, even in SL… well at least “virtual cold”.

Is interesting i feel in the mood of dressing “wintery” clothing in winter when there is not winter in SL. I presume i feel my Second Life as an extension of my FL (flesh life), so then some parts of my FL go to SL, in my clothing, in what i build or make..

I think i’m not the only one who does that (even i may run naked in the snow, thing that i wouldn’t do in FL even after drinking a bottle of rum… well, in case of a full bottle maybe i would do it). Anyway, i enjoy a lot winter, the snow, the snowmen, the Christmas cards friends send me, the scarfs, the gloves…

Merry Christmas, dear reader!

I wish you a really happy Christmas, i’m sure Santa will have you all in the “Good” list… if not, well, he is cool enough to give things to the “Naughty” ones.

And i’m sure this next year will be interesting and good for all of us.

My gift is the smile i hope you are having now in your face.

Much love.

The Hot Males, originally uploaded by ::Prad Prathivi @ Amodica::

Prad Prathivi is not only a cool, funny, deliciously sarcastic, great creator and tons of more stuff guy. He is also a friend, even i think i would ask him for money (don’t worry, Praddles, no need right now ). Some days ago he asked me to have a picture, naked together, because we both were included in the list of the 10 Hottest Avatars in SL.

I find the picture pretty cool, is tasty, even sweet. Just two naked friends talking together. Anyway when Prad posted (in Plurk, Flickr, …) the pic was interesting to see other’s reactions.

Some were funny, about our supposed “hawtness” , a few of them expressed doubts about Prad’s sexual preferences.

Ok, i know most of that comments were actually jokes but anyway that made me wonder: “Is it so important?”. People seems to care a lot about other’s sexuality, “bed preferences” and stuff like that, and, ok, i admit can be funny, but at the same time makes me feel weird.

Prad is straight publically, but was “suspicious” of being gay for that image. I posted the image at left and i was not “suspicious” of being straight (maybe yes, but nobody told me). That makes me think the possibility of being gay is still considered negative and something you can be “suspicious” about.

I know people had no bad intention, i know most of them were joking (even Prad, who likes to joke about it) and there is not intention of critic in this post. I’m only trying to say that some comments made me remember there are a lot of things we should change in our society about what is considered “normality” and how is considered “difference”.

Pier (AKA Koinup Burt inworld), one of the creators of Koinup, interviewed me some days ago for the Koinup Blog. I think is an interesting conversation, so wanted to share it with you all:

Raul Crimson is one of the best known Second Life photographers.
He is a acclaimed Metaverse Artist and he is sharing his creativity on Koinup since some time. Some Raul Crimson photos are camping in the coolest sections of Koinup. He’s also managing a cool blog, that I suggest to have a look

Koinup interviewed Raul about his art, tips and projects. Continue to read it….

Here’s the Interview

Q: When you’re creating new art and photos, where do you draw ideas and inspiration from?

A: Normally all come from my imagination, or the things I’m interested in, or fascinated by… Some other artists inspire me too, some modern photographers like David Lachapelle or Pierre et Gilles are really an inspiration to me lately. Also some “classic” artist, like Bronzino, Velazquez, or even El Bosco or the Old Dutch masters are really inspiring. Watching at their works always give me ideas or inspiration. Don’t use to “pre-draw” my works, I have them in mind and work on them, mainly because sometimes the concept grows or changes during the process, so i prefer to work “on-the-go”.

Q: What advice would you give to newcomers and beginners with Second Life art and photography?

A: First, watch and learn… learn new techniques, watch to see what others do helps a lot to learn…
Then, experiment, don’t be afraid to try new ideas, the important is to express yourself, to create the images that are in your brain.
For me the most important things in an image are light, composition and story. Techniques, filters, brushes.. are not an end themselves, are only tools.

Q: Which are your fav works on Koinup and why you love them (if you can, please give me the links)

A: Oh! I have a lot! But will talk about some of them:

Tattered Memory by Bkiddo
This one is wonderful, is not only wonderfully done, has story, is evocative, full of sensibility.

Tandem by Prad Prathivi
Lovely work on light and composition, also evocative, even melancholic.

Lash BlueGirl by lashxevious Another jewel, just wonderfully done, inspiring, imaginative…

Self Portrait by Pilgrim
Really good concept, and lovely work in exploration of the “dark side”.

I have a lot more… but well, don’t want to bore you.

Q: Which Koinup artists you should recommended for the next Koinup Interview?

A: Well, is hard to recommend when you see so much great creators, but I think to interview Ryker Beck would be a great idea, she is great in sharing her knowledge and techniques with people. Also Kimberly Mirabeau, who has a wonderful sense for beauty… and also Lano (Lano Ling), he is just someone full of sensivility and with a wonderful technique.

Q: If you should make a reportage from the Metaverse, what places you would love to photograph and share with your friends?

A: Oof! Hard one too! Well, I love some places around, I specially remember Las Arenas Doradas, Crimson Shadow or Creamshop as beautiful places, but I think I’d love to portrait also welcome Areas, Mainland, Infohubs… they are Second Life for many of us. It is always great to go there and see the imagination people have with their avatars.

Q: What are your upcoming projects in Second Life?

A: Projects… he he he… well, I’ll just tell a bit, I’m part of the team for a new magazine for SL, a really new concept with a great team, but can’t talk much about it for the moment… is a secret!
Also some projects of working a new line of furniture with someone, mainly for photography, and also have a plan for a new art and creation area, but this may take a bit…

Q: Are you already exploring other worlds for creative ventures? What have you found there?

A: Well, I’m exploring some other virtual worlds or MMORPG like World of Warcraft, vSide, or the OpenSim new grids, but for the moment I’m more exploring than creating them. I feel comfortable with the tools I have in SL, so for the moment I’m creating more here.

From here, thanks to Pier and all the Koinup team for your great work, and for this interview, of course!

Yesterday the delicious Winter Jefferson posted in his blog about BareRose Tokyo, one of the best known clothing stores in Second Life. And is knows because you can find there some of the best outfits in Second Life for REALLY cheap prices. Normally i don’t write “fashion posts”, but well, BareRose and the work of the team working there deserves it for sure.

Someway BareRose is a “newbie welcome” place, is possibly one of the first stores i ever visited in Second Life and still go there from time to time.

Ok, i should say it, the place is laggy as hell, the vendors are placed maybe too high and takes a century to rezz all textures, but although that is one of the most worthy stores. The products are mainly orientated to Fantasy but still you can find some “formal” or “casual” outfits.

Let me show some of the outfits i have from BareRose, they are not specially bought for this post, just had them some time ago.

And they are only a selection of my BR outfits! I love them all, but have something for the one down left, the Hell Fire, love the jacket, is fully sculpted and nicely done.

Sure everybody can find an outfit for him at BareRose Tokyo (SLurl), so go there and show your favourite outfits!

Sometimes, in the past, i protested for some comments of Philip Linden, the founder of Second Life. Most of the times i though he was having a wrong idea about the community of residents. Anyway, although all that M Linden is making me miss Philip badly. And we are having M for the last six month, so maybe is time to analize his work.

M said in an interview by Dusan Writer some days ago:

80% of our business is focused on the consumer market — which of course includes content creators. We are putting more than 80% of our investment in the consumer market because a good part of our investment in Enterprise crosses over (shared media). We talk about Enterprise because we are doing new things there. We need to talk more about our plans for consumer because we have many big projects under way there.

Ok, is only me? I don’t see where this 80% is going, and i don’t think it is for LDPW and the roads. Either seem to be for software development, because performance is getting worse in the last months although the “lower” impact of Openspaces now that almost 2000 sims disappeared in the last month.

We still don’t know how many islands will be lost until July next month, when the process of changes on Islands products will change. I just know we are having less “land” to explore and enjoy… and more residents (users hours and residents inworld are peeking), and that produces more problems with servers, so the “excuse” of poor performance to change the Openspace product is just going against Second Life itself.

As you may know Reuters left Second Life recently, Eric Krangel (Eric Reuters inworld) wrote a really interesting article talking about his vision of Second Life and why they left. I think you should read it because his opinion is pointy.

Personally i think all that is due the bad work of Linden Lab, Public Relations must be on holidays, Software development to be too it seems, so we just have M saying in an interview basically “All is good, all is ok.”.

Linden Lab acts like if the residents were citizens of a benevolent dictatorship, where M is the “Emperor” and the Lindens, the government. A dictatorship where they do “the best for the nation and its people” under their point of view ignoring the citizens. But they seem to be forgetting we are not citizens, we are customers! They seem to forget Linden Lab derives its revenue from user fees, not compulsory taxes. They seem to forget Second Life is NOTHING without the residents and their creativity but empty virtual land, where teaching virtual classes or making business presentations, of course.

I’d like to quote here, to end this post, something Vint Falken wrote in a blogpost, something that explains also my feelings with Linden Lab in the last times:

Excuse me my bitterness. But I still feel betrayed: a 2 year relationship, that you _know_ is dying. You still wish to fix everything, mainly because of the effort you put into it, because of you’re used to it and because of the mutual friends you now have, not because the butterflies are still there. You keep trying, attempt to be bedazzled again, but the other party just f*cks it up, each time. Eerrr… overreacting, me?

If the resident had the power to vote for Linden Lab CEO, be sure i would never vote for M.

UPDATE (Dec. 02 2008): Just after posting this M published a post in the Official Linden Blog in the same line “We are better than ever and nothing is happening”.