Second Life Herald

BettieAnne Baxton -- Post 6 Grrrl

I saw Bettie when I tried to fight the lag on the Retrology sim to collect all the birthday presents they had scattered everywhere. As a total sucker for anything retro/rockabilly the little red-haired pinup beauty immediately caught my eye and I checked her profile. Though only one day in world, she had a perfect skin and shape and was not wearing any of the boxes on her head. A noob? Surely not. I sent her an IM and congratulated her on her perfect alt. She blushed. Some minutes later we were sitting on a park bench and she told me her story. – Bunny Brickworks

Hola, my name is BettieAnne and in RL I am from Argentina. I am the average rockabilly kitten, a girl with a passion for everything vintage, be it fashion, music or lifestyle. My heroines are the movie goddesses of the 40s and 50s and I hope my avatar comes close to them. So when Bunny showed me her flickr stream and offered me to have a classical pinup photo shooting, I immediately agreed.

The Merczateers - One Life, One Fate

One of Second Life’s largest military forces -- from the perspectives of its members, its allies, and its enemies.

by Caine Constantine

When it comes to armed combat in Second Life, there may be no more recognized military force than the Merczateers.

They are massive, clocking in at 254 members as of the writing of this article. With four regions under their direct control – Badnarik, Salamis, Appledore and Amtor – they are the largest military force, in terms of both manpower and land ownership, on the grid today.

With those resources behind them, the Merczateers have created a military force that is, at least among the broad and ever-growing Second Life military community, envied, despised, feared, praised, or admired, depending on who you talk to.

The group has become one of the centers of the community, and almost everyone in the community has an opinion about the Merczateers. Even when its members leave the group, or are ejected from it, they often use their time and experience it to form their own military forces. 

When I first started writing articles for Herald and covered the Task Force Marines, they told me they were no different. Flamethrower Rives, a former Admiral in the Marines, explained.

Robot Closet Sex In Google's Lively Chatrooms

Experience the joy of the lively tentacle

by Pixeleen Mistral, International Affairs desk

players rejoice as robot closet thrusts it's tentacles on demand

Google claims their Lively 3D chatroom is a de-sexualized platform where players can safely interact with each other. But the players have other ideas, and have even found a way have virtual sex - using a piece of furniture provided by Google -- the Robot Closet.

At first blush, the robot closet seems harmless enough, but players soon realized the closet has an animation that causes 4 tentacle-like robot arms to thrust suddenly out of their retracted position, then return to the retracted position. According to reliable sources, Lively players feeling amorously inclined will place a Robot Closet in a secluded chatroom, then position themselves so that the animated arms of the closet appear to thrust from one player into another. Vigorous clicking of the closet follows, to trigger the animation as the avatars pleasure each other.

One might wonder if this will result in an increased demand for one of the more esoteric forms of Japanese anime porn - robot tentacle hentai - as pre-teens and teens enjoy some of their first online sexual experiences with robot tentacles courtesy of Google.

ZOMG!! Military Warfare At Risk!!!

Will Linden Lab allow Second Life Militaries to go extinct?

by Adrastos Fhang

During my time in Second Life, many Second Life residents have gone through harrowing journeys. Upgrade after upgrade, Second Life attempts to become the new ERA for PC Games. In all of these upgrades, many things seem to go right, and then starts to wane. This newer threat puts Second Life Military warfare at risk. Few people have discovered that the newest glitch could put Second Life halt warfare until further notice.

This newest mistake from Linden Labs allows any type of bullets to go through prims no matter if they are damage, phantom, training, etc. Many bases rely on their prims for cover such as the Merczateers in Salamis and many more. With this new impediment in the headlines, Many wonder what will be the turn out of these upcoming events. I searched around for some members of the military community to see their opinion on this situation.

Adrastos Fhang: What do you think of Second Life's latest glitch of any form of bullets going through solid prims easily?
Malcious Vuckovic facepalms
Malcious Vuckovic: i think of it being typical of LL

Op/Ed: Tortured Thoughts

by Jessica Holyoke, Gorean kajira

Torture has been on my mind lately, not only due to my Gorean excursions, but also in real life as well.

Back in June, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia was on the U.S. news magazine show "60 Minutes."  He was asked why is the U.S. government allowed to torture....I mean, use high end interrogation, in light of the Eighth Amendment prohibition of "cruel and unusual punishment." Justice Scalia's response was that torture was not punishment.  He did not go into it much more than that.

Justice Scalia's views usually match a line of thought that says the Executive, in our case the President, can do no illegal act.  But when you look at torture, it is an illegal act.  Not just due to international convention, but rather due to the fact that it has been determined over centuries that a person has a right to bodily integrity and there is a prohibition against battery.  So in looking at torture as a government policy, you also have to look at what gives the government the right to do so.

This of course leads back to the question of the Chinese dissident and the corporate position.  My position on that is the Chinese dissident is one question, one part of the problem.  A policy of torture, or a policy of suppression of speech of any form, is wrong. What a corporation does about it is another question, a different problem.  Did anyone notice that international journalists are not getting unfettered internet access in Beijing and the IOC knows about that?

The Invincible Military's Demise: Drama

by Vinzenz Fiertze

The wars of many,
the invincible crew,
her army at the ready,
Vanguards strength proves true.
With insults some squeeze our necks,
until our faces turn blue,
but it seems that their armies names, we always outdo.
They have no clue,
What they have gotten into.

Let us have a mighty spar,
from parcels, regions, and sims afar.
Put their pickled feelings into a jar.
And cover them avast with feather and tar.

I dare ALL the grid's armies, to supox, come fourth,
and attack me now (I'll be waiting in the north).
And after your defeat,
you will see,
how strong a single VG can be!

Ode to a Hug Attachment

By Kris Dibou, Warrior Poet

To show how much I love her
In the good ol' SL way
I bought a hug attachment
And I put it on today

I typed the slash and h-u-g and
Waited for response
As she raised her arms and moved in close;
SL only taunts!

For I became a poodle dog who
Found himself a leg;
My avi jumping up and down, though
Not to proud to beg

I could almost hear her think aloud
"That will leave a stain..."
I might as well be naked on the

PG sims again

Azdel Slade -- Post 6 Grrrl

Azdel was stubborn in her attempt to become a Post 6 Grrrl and although I thought that we have had enough Nekos so far, the bio she dropped into my inventory was convincing enough to invite her for a photo shoot in Midian City, her favorite hangout. She was different than the other girls so far; openly admitting she wanted to be a sex worker in Midian and more than eager to drop her shirt in public. Considering the term 'virtual' too over-used, she called that night her first 'synthetic' porn shoot. At that point I knew I had found a new type of Post 6 Grrrl. – Bunny Brickworks

As my profile says, I think of myself more as a shape shifter than a Neko or any one avatar. SL excites me because it offers the possibility to create new subjectivities, new selves, beyond what we are limited to in RL.

Yes, I am a shape shifter, troublemaker, trickster, and creator. Perhaps my truest shape is my Astral Dragon form, since dragons are known to shape shift and teleport. Being a dragon is nice, flying over the Isle of Wyrm, spending time with other dragons. I think that Spirit Dragons are also very beautiful.

Outrageous Harassment: Griefers Scramble Police To SL Resident’s RL Home!!!

When will the FBI get involved?

by Stoli Babbage, staff reporter

"Swatting", is a term for a technology-enabled real life attack in which the perpetrator calls the victim's local police department in hysterics to convince the 911 emergency operators the victim is in a hostage situation -- or going on a shooting rampage. By making it appear the call originated from the victim’s phone number, a successful attack results in real life adrenaline-hyped gun-wielding SWAT teams being dispatched to the victim’s home, with dangerously unpredictable results. This is what passes for “lulz” or “fun” after playing the game too long and going snow-blind to virtuality/reality.

For several months, rumors have been circulating that the notorious Patriotic Nigras (PN) griefers were responsible for swatting several of their most outspoken opponents, including Second Life Furnation admin Corsi Mousehold. Until now, those rumors were unconfirmed. However, in recent interviews, Corsi Mousehold has stepped forward to confirm that the rumors are true.

Corsi Mousehold is the owner of “Corsi's Creations” in Gar, and Furnation - a furry sim (anthropomorphic animal role play area). Both the business and the Second Life sims have been under repeated attack by PN members over the last year - part of an escalating round of game-based virtual violence -- although Mousehold tells us that since the Linden Lab Governance Team has begun to step up, the attacks have died down. According to Corsi, "The PN might last a couple minutes in-world before being banned, if that, so we've seen a huge decline in griefing".

Unfortunately, it appears that now that the PN griefing is ineffective in-game, they have graduated to targeting their victims in real life. As Cosri told us, "They actually tried to swat me twice. The second time the police were still standing here from the first."

Lively Lesbian Subtext to Google's 3D Chatrooms?

Google's Lively "Heather" & "Vanessa" Avatars Can't Dance With Boys
Fighting breaks out in Jen's Coffee House

by Pixeleen Mistral, International Affairs desk

I have enjoyed my time in Lively so far, but there are parts of the experience I find troubling - I simply cannot dance with irishJohn36. I met irishJohn36 in Jen's Coffee House, and after sitting chatting with him and another guy named "Photographer", irishJohn36 suggested we get up and dance.

"Photographer" had been IMing me privately asking for photos - I sent him some links to Pixeleen Mistral pictures I found using in Google's image search -- after all, when in Google, do as the Googles do. But "Photographer" wanted much more for his collection and was getting rather insistent and tiresome. IrishJohn36 seemed to be a bit more of a gentleman, and I hadn't danced with anyone yet, so I stood up from my chair and clicked on irishJohn36's avatar to bring up a list of animations I could perform with him. Strangely, dance was not listed - but slap was.

Very soon, a nimbus of guys appeared around me, as irishJohn36, "Photographer", and others started punching, kicking, and dropping anvils on each other, leaving me at the center of a vortex of virtual testosterone violence. That was when irishJohn36 suggested we find another scene to try to dance.

Second Life Herald Opens Lively Office

by Idoru Wellamn, staff writer

Pixeleen Mistral today announced that the Second Life Herald is expanding it's “always fairly unbalanced” coverage of the most vital virtual worlds’ news, by opening a branch office in Lively - internet advertising behemoth Google’s first step toward monetizing the immersive social experience.

Ms. Mistral relaxes in a goth chair on the beach in Lively

Taking a break from decorating the Herald's Lively Google news island with pink google pigs, goth chairs, goth candles, and anything else that might pass as techno-pagan decor, Ms. Mistral said, "Herald readers should look forward to seeing our trademark in-depth reporting and critical analysis expand beyond Second Life and also encompass Google - a company that regularly needs to reminds itself to not be evil. Besides, we can now hold Herald staff meetings somewhere that does not crash continually - running Lively on my MacBook Pro under Parallels is working great!"

Second Life Image Tarnished by Users?

RiversRunRed CEO warns against allowing residents to create 3D content

by Pixeleen Mistral, National Affairs desk

MIT Technology Review writer Brian White advises the metaverse that users may make “shoddy and even offensive content” if allowed to create in 3D worlds -- sentiments echoed by the CEO of RiversRunRed Justin Bovington who praised internet advertising giant Google for hiring partnering with RiversRunRed to create content, and warned against unfettered access to creative tools saying “Many brands have experienced pollution and even counterfeit of their brands in other 3-D worlds or environments--not to mention the questionable material that users put forth that led to a tarnished image for Second Life.”

The controlled content creation issue raises concerns for significant parts of the Second Life population. Goreans, BDSM communities, ageplayers, virtual escort service workers, furries, and others created much of the novelty that attracted both press and players to the Second Life platform as an escape from a humdrum real life. Unfortunately for these groups, the ad-driven worlds appear to be moving in lockstep toward a real-life in virtual-life vision, while being cheered on by the Technology Review. Recent comments by Linden Lab's own Mitch Kapor also suggest that the freewheeling era may be passing.

Although spreading the corporate message may be less effective while allowing players to actually play their own games in an ad-sponsored social space, the boredom factor may force Google’s hand, as the Technology Review story goes on to state that Google is considering allowing user content creation at some unspecified future date. Presumably the danger of brand pollution must be weighed against to lure of free content to drive viewers to tightly targeted ads - Google's stock in trade.

AOL Tightens Belt, Massively Chokes Off SL News?

"Massively Staff" blogs for free at AOL properties after gaming writers are told to stop posting

by Idoru Wellman, staff writer

Techcrunch reports that AOL has savagely cut their blogging empire's staff, chopping personel budgets up to 25% and telling writers to take a few weeks off while they wait and see if they have a job sometime in August. Even more shocking, AOL has apparently decided to discontinue free bagels - a move likely to send shockwaves through the baking industry as bakers struggle to recover from a one-two punch of fewer blog stories and declining corporate bagel sales.

Reliable sources confirmed to the Herald that a budget-induced blogging gag-order is in effect, and a quick visit to one of AOL's properties - Massively - suggests this is true. The normally steady drizzle of corporate-friendly "news" about Second Life seems to have halted, depriving resident of vital information such as the number of user signups in the last 24 hours - statistics mined from Linden Lab's web site, then uncritically posted along with seemingly identical graphs and an obligatory screen shot from in-world -- a continuation of the proud legacy of the now defunct Second Life Blingsider.

The Pearl:Victorian Brothel/Promiscuous Mermaids

Inventory server mishap creates inseparable siamese-twin stories

Something went horribly wrong when I put the prims holding the notecards for these two stories on Pixeleen's piano at the Herald offices in Jessie sim - I crashed and when I relogged the prims holding the stories were fused - along with the stories! My interview at the Pearl Victorian brothel is now mixed with an impromptu meeting to determine promiscuity in a mermaid sim - what a mess --Kris.
[we'll try the Linden approach and let the readers sort the fused stories themselves - something like coalesced prims from a bad parcel return - the Editrix]

---

The Pearl: Victorian Brothel

by Kris Dibou
photos by Bunny Brickworks

When it was suggested to me that I do an interview at a brothel, I was very excited.  I love broth, especially with crackers.  I was hoping they had beef broth, as I have grown weary of chicken and I wondered if broth was prepared any differently in the Victorian Era.  I decided to dress as a Victorian gentleman and be on my best behavior; surely they would offer me some free broth!

Well, imagine my disappointment when I arrived and found there was no food in the whole house; what is more, I think they sold sex there!  I spoke with one of the people in charge, Ms. Hagar Qinan:

SL Herald - the literary backbone of virtual worlds?

Mario Gerosa Interviews Urizenus Sklar on the New New Journalism
Does this explain all the damn poems?

by Idoru Wellman, Dept. of Literary Salons and Euro-Trash Intellectuals

Mario Gerosa (Frank Koolhaus in SL) wears many hats (some virtual). He is real life editor of Architectural Digest Italia He has also made headlines here and elsewhere with his virtual world projects that include a virtual tourism agency and a convention for the preservation of virtual architecture. He is also author of several books on virtual worlds including Mondi Virtuali and, most recently, Rinascimento Virtuale (The Virtual Renaissance), published by Meltemi Editore in Italy. Of interest to Herald Readers is the interview with our Founder and Spiritual Advisor Urizenus Sklar, republished in English below the fold by the kind permission of Mr. Gerosa and the publisher. (Yes, I know, it's a bit dated. Uri informs me the interview took place a year ago.)