After some debate, I decided to import the old posts from my Second Life blog that I brought down in a few years ago. There are still some links out there coming back to http://sladventures.sougent.com and/or to http://www.sougent.com so I thought it would be appropriate to do so.
I've created a page tab to bring up only the Second Life related posts and linked it to http://sladventures.sougent.com so that the back links go to only the Second Life tagged posts.
Showing posts with label Second Life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Second Life. Show all posts
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Linden Labs Releases New Policy on Adult Content, Rioting Ensues
In previous posts I mentioned the curious phenomena I like to call the Kerfuffle Syndrome, where every 3-6 months Linden Labs makes an announcement that causes the vocal portion of the Second Life Community to go crazy, and not surprisingly it’s been 3 months since the last such announcement.
Today Linden Labs announced that changes would be coming in regards to “Adult” content (Upcoming Changes for Adult Content) and as one might expect based on past experience there was a huge negative reaction with the usual threats of leaving SL, predictions of the collapse of Second Life, etc. This is both amusing in it’s predictability and sad because it demonstrates an overwhelmingly negative attitude by the vocal members of a community that usually claims an above normal concern for Second Life and its future. But the mentality of the SL community is fodder for a future blog post, perhaps, but for the present I want to offer my take on this announcement. I’m not a Linden Lab’s employee so this is pure speculation, but I think it’s pretty reasonable.
The current world has two types of Sim rating, PG and Mature. As one might expect, a PG Sim should only have content that would be safe for your kid to see watching over your shoulder and a Mature Sim would have stuff that’s more R rated. Up until now, the Mature Sims were also the homes of what would be considered XXX rated material as well, the much reported upon adult entertainment aspect of Second Life that consists of strip clubs, sex clubs, BDSM, Gorean roleplay and the like. Based on the announcement from Linden Labs, I see a 3rd land rating type coming into play, the Adult Sim, which will offer a further distinction of mature vs explicit content. Along with this will come some method of age verification so that this new Adult Sim rating can be restricted to only known real life adults, at least from a legal standpoint. I see this as necessary for legal protection as opposed to a realistic expectation of being able to 100% restrict this content to adults, there’s always a way for an enterprising young person to work around restrictions. This is about due diligence.
This also will afford those adults who aren’t interested in the Adult aspects of Second Life the ability to keep out of areas so marked. This will be especially important to those in Second Life from the educational community or the business community where their Second lives are more job related and they need to be circumspect about where they are seen in SL. Some people see this as a prelude to merging the Teen Second Life Grid with the Main Grid, and that’s possible, but I think that’s only a small part of the reasons behind this, bottom line is that Linden Labs has to protect itself legally, they have to keep Second Life an inviting and safe environment to the educators, businesses and other entities who aren’t in SL running around asking every likely candidate “I can haz sex?”.
What does this mean to those people who engage in activities or run establishments that will be rated adult? If you’re on a private island, probably nothing other than being required to change a setting on your island showing that it is an Adult rated sim. If you’re on the mainland, then likely you’ll have to move to a sim with an Adult rating. How Linden Labs handles this move will be critical, one would hope that they’d do a clean swap of land giving the person moving a comparable amount of land on new Adult rated sims and putting the swapped land on the Mature sim up for auction as they would abandoned land.
I think the only real critical issue here, and one that needs the most clarification, is what the criteria is that rates something as Adult vs Mature. Some stuff is obvious, sex clubs, strip clubs, BDSM clubs aren’t difficult to classify, but there are some that sit on the edge. For example, would an art gallery that displayed tasteful nudes be considered Mature or Adult? My vote would be for a Mature rating and I suspect that Linden Labs will agree with that assessment. Does everyone need to worry about having to take down their private skyboxes and throw away their fancy beds? I don’t believe so, not if they are for private use. Certainly, having a dungeon with any number of kinky items sitting at ground level might be over the edge and be an issue, but what if it’s at 3000m on Mature sim? That will probably just be open to interpretation, handled on a case by case basis by Linden Labs.
So is this going to be a big deal? Ultimately, I don’t think so. The small time operators of sexually explicit establishments on the mainland will be the ones impacted, certainly, but I think the numbers of those affected will be low in comparison to the majority of Second Life residents.
And honestly, I won’t miss the BDSM club that’s near my land, though so far there’s been no issue with their games occurring while I’m around. Certainly, I don’t want them screwed by Linden Labs, I hope they get an equitable land swap to a decent area on a new Adult sim. In fact, I hope Linden Labs takes the time to set their Moles to work landscaping and making the new Adult mainland sims into pleasant looking places so that any hard feelings about having to relocate are offset by being moved to a nice looking location.
So, what do you think? I’d love to see comments pro or con on the subject.
Sunday, December 9, 2007
There's No Excuse
I was looking through some back issues of Computerworld magazine yesterday and noticed one had an article on Second Life boldly presented on the front cover (Dec 3, 2007 issue).
The article starts with the author stating that he didn't want to do it and considers himself "too old and too serious" to look into Second Life. I guess I have to give him an A for honesty for admitting it, but I feel like the attitude going in doomed the article to be a negative one from the beginning. And indeed, I found that it had a negative tone throughout which is unfortunate because it'll stop people from even looking to see what Second Life is all about. It is one thing to point out the flaws in the experience, but in my opinion this article went beyond that.
He had a negative experience, as I suppose many do, but is there really an excuse for that? An excuse for going in blind and uninformed?
In my opinion, no, there is no excuse for anyone to go into Second Life and not have background information on what it is all about and a vast list of things that interest them to check out.
Do a Google search on the 3 words, Second Life Blog, and you'll get pages and pages of results that even a cursory examination of some of them will give you loads of information on what you can do in Second Life, more than enough information to figure out how to have a good experience. Just reading Natalia Zelmanov's blog, which came up for me on the first page of that search, would be enough to give a person a vast head start just from the tutorials alone, especially her Getting Started in Second Life Guide.
For myself, from the first day I logged into Second Life, I made it a habit to do a Google search every day or so using simply the words Second Life and see what new stuff came up, from articles to blog entries. In the 7 months or so that I've been in Second Life, I've never once wanted for an interesting place to go and see, never wanted for a nice place to go and "dance" and chat with nice folks. In fact, there are places I want to visit and haven't had the time to, things to do that I would like to and haven't.
Ok, so there are going to be some people who just don't get it, who don't see the point in Second Life and that's ok. I don't see the point in some stuff that other people do and enjoy, but I at least hope that if I'm going to try something, I have informed myself about it enough to know that it's something I'm not interested in rather than pass by an opportunity to do something interesting because I wasn't informed.
Second Life boring? In my opinion, definitely not, but it's not going to be handed to you on a silver platter (since when is anything like that?), you have to go out and find the interesting stuff. Might I suggest you begin with a simple Google search on one of your favorite things and add the words Second Life to that search, you might be surprised at what you find.
The article starts with the author stating that he didn't want to do it and considers himself "too old and too serious" to look into Second Life. I guess I have to give him an A for honesty for admitting it, but I feel like the attitude going in doomed the article to be a negative one from the beginning. And indeed, I found that it had a negative tone throughout which is unfortunate because it'll stop people from even looking to see what Second Life is all about. It is one thing to point out the flaws in the experience, but in my opinion this article went beyond that.
He had a negative experience, as I suppose many do, but is there really an excuse for that? An excuse for going in blind and uninformed?
In my opinion, no, there is no excuse for anyone to go into Second Life and not have background information on what it is all about and a vast list of things that interest them to check out.
Do a Google search on the 3 words, Second Life Blog, and you'll get pages and pages of results that even a cursory examination of some of them will give you loads of information on what you can do in Second Life, more than enough information to figure out how to have a good experience. Just reading Natalia Zelmanov's blog, which came up for me on the first page of that search, would be enough to give a person a vast head start just from the tutorials alone, especially her Getting Started in Second Life Guide.
For myself, from the first day I logged into Second Life, I made it a habit to do a Google search every day or so using simply the words Second Life and see what new stuff came up, from articles to blog entries. In the 7 months or so that I've been in Second Life, I've never once wanted for an interesting place to go and see, never wanted for a nice place to go and "dance" and chat with nice folks. In fact, there are places I want to visit and haven't had the time to, things to do that I would like to and haven't.
Ok, so there are going to be some people who just don't get it, who don't see the point in Second Life and that's ok. I don't see the point in some stuff that other people do and enjoy, but I at least hope that if I'm going to try something, I have informed myself about it enough to know that it's something I'm not interested in rather than pass by an opportunity to do something interesting because I wasn't informed.
Second Life boring? In my opinion, definitely not, but it's not going to be handed to you on a silver platter (since when is anything like that?), you have to go out and find the interesting stuff. Might I suggest you begin with a simple Google search on one of your favorite things and add the words Second Life to that search, you might be surprised at what you find.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Podcasts and Blogs
One of the reasons I decided to try my hand at a blog about my Second Life was due to the inspiration of a group of folks who have podcasts and blogs about Second Life. Now, if you're new and you want to learn more about Second Life and be entertained at the same time, then check these out. (Click on the links embedded in the post to visit the sites for each and please do see the blogroll in the sidebar for many other blogs which I would mention in this post except that it'd take days for you to read it, it'd be that long. But they are all worthy of your time to look at)
First on my list is what has to be the most useful blog for someone in Second Life to read, and that is Natalia Zelmanov's Mermaid Diaries Blog. This blog is simply incredible, it's got just about everything you could hope for in a blog about Second Life, posts on neat places to visit, tutorials on just about anything you can think of that you would want to see a tutorial for as it relates to Second Life, commentary and advice on an assortment of subjects. If there were only one blog on Second Life that you were able to read (other than the official blog) then this would be the one I would recommend reading, hands down.
Next on my list is a podcast which is one of my "must listen to" podcasts and that is SL under the Radar podcast by Radar Masukami, he interviews some of the more interesting characters in Second Life and also highlights some of the places he's visited. It's one of the most entertaining podcasts I listen to, my favorite episodes have to be #10 and #11, which featured some of Radar's friends and got kinda wild and crazy, but they are probably the best ones he's done. I also like the episode about his visit to New Babbage (episode 16). I recommend that you go back and listen to all the episodes available, they are well worth listening to. My only complaint is that I want more, more, more, I've listened to every episode available and Radar's been slow in posting new shows lately, but I'm hoping to see more soon. They're certainly worth the wait. Radar also has a regular blog called Reading Radar which is a good read, where he does reviews of places visited and people encountered.
Another on my list of "must listen to" podcasts is Going Broke with Daphne and Tamara, which is a podcast on Second Life fashion and good places to buy clothes and shoes and all the accoutrement's necessary for the stylish avatar. Now I'm not really interested in fashion on a conceptual level, whether it be in Second Life or Real Life but I do like to dress nicely in Second Life and am fairly picky about the stuff I wear on a day to day basis in world (yes, I actually change outfits in SL quite often and don't like to wear junk unless it's for a contest). I've been lucky enough to chance upon some really nice outfits in SL and have spent a few thousand lindens on clothing (gasp, yes, a guy spending lindens of clothing instead of weapons, who woulda thunk it?). I have picked up on a few places to look for decent guy's clothing by listening to this podcast, but mainly I just listen to it for the entertainment value, the interaction between Daphne and Tamara, plus their guests, is a real trip and the podcast is usually being listened to by me same day it comes out. I've gone back and listened to all of their podcasts and I have to say they are uniformly well made and great to listen to, though they have noticeably improved over time.
Yet another "must listen to" podcast is the Pod Mafia Podcast, another entertaining podcast which is done in segments where a wide assortment of topics are covered, with musical breaks in between. Gomem Desoto, Stuart Warf and Yxes Delacroix are the hosts and the banter and interaction between the three makes this podcast most entertaining and informative. Having gone back and listened to all the podcasts, I have to say that the addition of Yxes as host was just what the podcast needed, the podcasts prior to Episode 6, frankly weren't that good (sorry guys) and things really picked up by Episode 8 when Yxes was featured, and Episode 9 when she joined the show as a co-host. Gomem and Stuart are naturals to podcasting, but the other previous participants weren't, which isn't meant to be a knock against them, not everyone is going to be able to sit and chatter on about a given subject and be entertaining to listen to. And after listening to the earlier podcasts I got the sense that there wasn't a good sense of direction for the show until the podcast was "restarted" after roughly 6 months, then a few months later when Yxes was added. I think Gomem and Stuart just needed a good "straight man" to work with and Yxes fits that need precisely. I love listening to them and highly recommend the podcast to everyone.
And I can't not mention the very first podcast about Second Life that I started listening to, which lead me to SL under the Radar and all the rest, and that is Will Ross the Travelling Avatar, quick and dirty tips for a better Second Life. It's a short podcast, about 5-10 minutes but the tips he comes up with are pretty useful and it's definitely worth the time to listen. Wish he'd do a longer podcast, even if only slightly longer, so he could go into more detail on some of the topics he covers.
Last, but not least, on my A-list of blogs that I just have to mention is What is this Crap? a blog done by the infamous Crap Mariner (well, he's infamous to me now after hearing about him on some of the podcasts featured above). Crap is a very interesting character, and is very prolific with his blog(s) and other ventures. I don't even have words to do him justice, you just need to go read his blog.
But wait, I simply can't do a blog post on Second Life blogs without mentioning one other blog and that is the blog of..........Mr Watermelon himself, Torley Linden. His blog is definitely the most......colorful, and he's a very interesting character. As you can obviously tell by the Linden name, Torley works for Linden Labs and is probably the most recognizable figure representing Linden Labs in Second Life. He blogs on a variety of subjects, including Second Life and has done and continues to do some absolutely must see video tutorials which are on YouTube, check them out at Torley's YouTube User Page. And you have to visit, in world, Torley's Watermelon Land which is very.............watermelony, just go see it and you'll understand.
Ok, I guess I've written a monster blog post, and here I thought I'd have trouble coming up with something to say in this blog. There are so many good blogs and podcasts related to Second Life, I feel bad that I can't mention them all, but ya gotta stop somewhere. Perhaps I'll do another post sometime and highlight some of the other really good blogs out there.
First on my list is what has to be the most useful blog for someone in Second Life to read, and that is Natalia Zelmanov's Mermaid Diaries Blog. This blog is simply incredible, it's got just about everything you could hope for in a blog about Second Life, posts on neat places to visit, tutorials on just about anything you can think of that you would want to see a tutorial for as it relates to Second Life, commentary and advice on an assortment of subjects. If there were only one blog on Second Life that you were able to read (other than the official blog) then this would be the one I would recommend reading, hands down.
Next on my list is a podcast which is one of my "must listen to" podcasts and that is SL under the Radar podcast by Radar Masukami, he interviews some of the more interesting characters in Second Life and also highlights some of the places he's visited. It's one of the most entertaining podcasts I listen to, my favorite episodes have to be #10 and #11, which featured some of Radar's friends and got kinda wild and crazy, but they are probably the best ones he's done. I also like the episode about his visit to New Babbage (episode 16). I recommend that you go back and listen to all the episodes available, they are well worth listening to. My only complaint is that I want more, more, more, I've listened to every episode available and Radar's been slow in posting new shows lately, but I'm hoping to see more soon. They're certainly worth the wait. Radar also has a regular blog called Reading Radar which is a good read, where he does reviews of places visited and people encountered.
Another on my list of "must listen to" podcasts is Going Broke with Daphne and Tamara, which is a podcast on Second Life fashion and good places to buy clothes and shoes and all the accoutrement's necessary for the stylish avatar. Now I'm not really interested in fashion on a conceptual level, whether it be in Second Life or Real Life but I do like to dress nicely in Second Life and am fairly picky about the stuff I wear on a day to day basis in world (yes, I actually change outfits in SL quite often and don't like to wear junk unless it's for a contest). I've been lucky enough to chance upon some really nice outfits in SL and have spent a few thousand lindens on clothing (gasp, yes, a guy spending lindens of clothing instead of weapons, who woulda thunk it?). I have picked up on a few places to look for decent guy's clothing by listening to this podcast, but mainly I just listen to it for the entertainment value, the interaction between Daphne and Tamara, plus their guests, is a real trip and the podcast is usually being listened to by me same day it comes out. I've gone back and listened to all of their podcasts and I have to say they are uniformly well made and great to listen to, though they have noticeably improved over time.
Yet another "must listen to" podcast is the Pod Mafia Podcast, another entertaining podcast which is done in segments where a wide assortment of topics are covered, with musical breaks in between. Gomem Desoto, Stuart Warf and Yxes Delacroix are the hosts and the banter and interaction between the three makes this podcast most entertaining and informative. Having gone back and listened to all the podcasts, I have to say that the addition of Yxes as host was just what the podcast needed, the podcasts prior to Episode 6, frankly weren't that good (sorry guys) and things really picked up by Episode 8 when Yxes was featured, and Episode 9 when she joined the show as a co-host. Gomem and Stuart are naturals to podcasting, but the other previous participants weren't, which isn't meant to be a knock against them, not everyone is going to be able to sit and chatter on about a given subject and be entertaining to listen to. And after listening to the earlier podcasts I got the sense that there wasn't a good sense of direction for the show until the podcast was "restarted" after roughly 6 months, then a few months later when Yxes was added. I think Gomem and Stuart just needed a good "straight man" to work with and Yxes fits that need precisely. I love listening to them and highly recommend the podcast to everyone.
And I can't not mention the very first podcast about Second Life that I started listening to, which lead me to SL under the Radar and all the rest, and that is Will Ross the Travelling Avatar, quick and dirty tips for a better Second Life. It's a short podcast, about 5-10 minutes but the tips he comes up with are pretty useful and it's definitely worth the time to listen. Wish he'd do a longer podcast, even if only slightly longer, so he could go into more detail on some of the topics he covers.
Last, but not least, on my A-list of blogs that I just have to mention is What is this Crap? a blog done by the infamous Crap Mariner (well, he's infamous to me now after hearing about him on some of the podcasts featured above). Crap is a very interesting character, and is very prolific with his blog(s) and other ventures. I don't even have words to do him justice, you just need to go read his blog.
But wait, I simply can't do a blog post on Second Life blogs without mentioning one other blog and that is the blog of..........Mr Watermelon himself, Torley Linden. His blog is definitely the most......colorful, and he's a very interesting character. As you can obviously tell by the Linden name, Torley works for Linden Labs and is probably the most recognizable figure representing Linden Labs in Second Life. He blogs on a variety of subjects, including Second Life and has done and continues to do some absolutely must see video tutorials which are on YouTube, check them out at Torley's YouTube User Page. And you have to visit, in world, Torley's Watermelon Land which is very.............watermelony, just go see it and you'll understand.
Ok, I guess I've written a monster blog post, and here I thought I'd have trouble coming up with something to say in this blog. There are so many good blogs and podcasts related to Second Life, I feel bad that I can't mention them all, but ya gotta stop somewhere. Perhaps I'll do another post sometime and highlight some of the other really good blogs out there.
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