When I was invited to blog for SLI, one of the very attractive parts of it was that despite the blog being owned and operated by AOL, nothing was sacrosanct. I was told that I would be entirely free to blog anything that I wanted to blog, and that would include criticising SL, Linden Lab, AOL, whatever I saw fit.

I have always liked organisations that can accept criticism, and which are big enough to allow criticism of their operation. I think it is a mark of a mature organisation that it can allow others to criticise and respond openly to that criticism. The Quakers attracted me with one of their Advices and Queries, which are things for members to think about, not proscriptive things-one-must-do, which suggested: "Think it possible you may be mistaken". For "you" read you, me, anyone and us.

I understand that blogs have to ban people who persistently post porn or commercial links or advertisements to viagra etc. But I hate the idea that we have banned someone for making comments we disagree with on the comments to the blog, especially when it seems to me that some of the postings concerned deliberately provoked the comments.

I wasn't informed that we had banned Prokofy; I discovered this from his own blog. I haven't heard yet the justification, and suppose I should restrain myself on this until I have received a reply to my request for information, in case there is something I haven't understood about the situation. This is supposed to be a team blog, but I have not been part of this decision, and I want to make that clear, because it conflicts with my belief in freedom of speech and not censoring people who say things that we find disagreeable.

I am not sure that I will be able to stay here if censorship and not allowing criticism has become part of SLI. You may well find me migrating to VTOR if I don't get satisfactory answers to my questions.

Discussion on the Second citizen forums about the contents of the Wikipedia article on Anshe Chung continues apace, in part fired up by the controversy about her wish to ban stills and film from the CNET griefing incident reported yesterday.

For those who aren't familiar with the concept, the Wikipedia is a web-based encylopedia which is compiled from contributions by the amateur users of the encylopedia. fans say that despite this, the quality and accuracy of the information is similar to conventional encylopedias compiled by experts. It is arguable whether wanting to include the good, the bad and the ugly in a biography indicates partiality or simply a wish for the truth to be published, but for clarity's sake it is easier to portray the groups concerned as pro-Anshe and anti-Anshe.

In the case of the Anshe Chung article, there has been a struggle for supremacy between the pro-Anshe and anti-Anshe contributors which has been going on for some time. Anti-Anshe contributors wish to include her background as an SL escort and sex teacher, which is a matter of record, and the allegations of unscrupulous dealings over land; the pro-Anshe camp are just as determined to expunge those things.

An anonymous source tells me that the January issue of SL Business Magazine will be the last, as the publisher has decided not to continue the .pdf format because it isn't making a profit. He's starting a blog instead, at www.slbusiness.com.

I once got into hot water with the Metaverse Messenger journalists when I stated on a mailing list that I couldn't get into the publication. At the time I hadn't realised that there wasn't a web-based publication and that one had to download a .pdf in order to read it. I'd been on the M2 website, clicking away at links expecting that I would find pages from the publication.

Certain formats seem "open" and certain formats seem "closed" and .pdf for all its uses has always seem closed to me, and therefore feels unwelcoming. I know it has serious uses, but I really don't think that .pdf publications will ever be as popular as web or blog based offerings.

The quality of editorial is high at SL Business Magazine, so I hope that the conversion brings it the success it needs to continue.

Hot on the heels of the Kokomo we-don't-really-want-to-ban-photography pseudo-photography ban, comes the news the Anshe Chung has tried to force various websites to take down pictures of her being griefed during an interview. She DOES want to ban photography if it features anything she's made or owns, it seems. Here at Second Life insider we are nothing if not topical.

I am indebted to Spin Martin for the lead on the Reuters article which outlines the story, and then to various gleeful residents who note that Anshe and her husband have been foolish enough to mess with Boing Boing in the realm of IP and copyrights issues.

It seems that Anshe has decided that she owns not only the IP for the things that she produces, but can also control the use of photographs and film which feature those items. If Anshe thinks that she can censor pictures taken in her sims, I think she is about to find out how dirty it can get.

Popcorn, anyone?

Two people have asked me questions about land pricing in SL over the past couple of days. What makes land worth less or worth more in SL?

I should first issue a disclaimer that I have not made any money on the land market, and so have not followed my own advice. In fact I lost money in heaps buying snowland when it first came out high, and selling it low, and in buying up a lot of worthless land in Darkwood in order to try to help save the themed sim when the Lindens released the land they once held in trust.

There is no simple answer to the question. However. What makes land valuable for one person in SL may make it worthless for another. If you are looking for a quiet residential area with strong zoning regulations, then private sims where land for rental or "buying but not really owning" imposes strong restrictions may be worth a premium, for you.

If on the other hand, you have a yen to build multicoloured skyscrapers and fill them with noisy clubs, quiet land where people only ever teleport to their house and no one explores, will be worthless to you. You may be looking for high traffic land where people get out of the buildings and explore and give you some hope of attracting them to your place.

I have been friends with Falk Bergman for a long time in SL terms, and so I am very pleased that he is opening his bookshop in Nemesis. Our friendship even withstood standing about for hours and hours with my top off and a different head on, posing for the cover of one of his SL books.

His books are very well made, readable and reasonably priced. One of the most recent is Venus in Furs, the origin of the word masochism, from the name of it's author. His shop is cosy and already a magnet for scripters who like to exchange ideas.

I will post details of the official opening when it takes place in the near future.

Following on from the discussions about permissions being needed to take still photographs in a sim, there is widespread confusion about what permissions are required in order to film machinima in SL. Different people at different times have given confusing opinions.

For those who haven't come across the term before, machinima is animated action which is filmed inside a game or platform, using something which isn't primarily an animation programme.There's a wide variety of film shot in SL, from promotional material for the platform itself, to fictional films, from how-to films, to short advertisements for SL products.

I contacted Catherine Linden to ask for some guidance on the Linden Lab attitude to the question, and received the following reply:
"Linden Lab does not give permission to
anyone to film in Second Life because we don't own the content.
However, I do like to say that filming in Second Life is like filming
in NYC. Generic street scenes and landscapes can be considered
"fair use" but filming individuals without their permission is not
advised, just like in real life."

Yesterday I reported on the apparent ban on photography in the Kokomo sim. I had been to the sim and picked up a notecard from the sim, which included the information that filming and still photography were banned without prior written permission from the sim owners.

I had intended to talk to the sim owners and Linden Lab when they came online around 5pm UK time, but shortly before that I was contacted by CaveCub Milk, who started out our conversation by accusing me of not checking the facts. I had a fairly long conversation with him, during which I understood that the intention was to ban stealing of textures and taking of photographs of avatars appearing in the sim, and recording of live music. I assumed that this would be the end of it -- he had understood that the notecard DID ban photography, and that I had reported it accurately, and as a result, would revise the notecard.

I was therefore somewhat surprised to come online this morning to find a posting from the same person accusing me again of not getting my facts right, on the blog, without any indication that it might be the notecard which was at fault. I posted a replying comment. I was then contacted in world by the same person accusing me once again of not checking my facts. In the course of a long conversation (which yes, folks, I am about to inflict on you in its entirety) I made no headway at all. Eventually I got CaveCub's permission to post the relevant contents of the two conversations in SL to the blog, which appear below. In the interests of not appearing to have edited the conversations, I have not corrected the mistakes or taken out the odd SL comment etc. I have broken off the first conversation at the point where our conversation was no longer about the posting.

It seems that this is the only thing that will satisfy CaveCub Milk, although I am highly doubtful whether people will draw the conclusions he hopes for. I leave you, gentle reader, to draw your own conclusions.

Now that people on basic accounts start SL with no money at all, I have taken to showing them how to make their own picture frame. Although it is a fairly simple task, I find that many people use two or more prims for a picture frame, even when they are on first land of 512 square metres, and have only 117 prims -- or basic building blocks -- to use for a whole house and contents.

Picture frames can be used for SL photographs, for textures and pictures that you upload, and for texture or pictures that you are given in world. Many of the places which carry free stuff also carry textures which can be used for the frame or for the picture within.

Here's how to make your own frame. First, find somewhere where it is all right for you to build. This means a sandbox or your own land, basically, although most people don't mind people building as long as they clear up after themselves.

I make no apologies for plugging the wonders of ROMA sim again. Torin Golding has built a fantastic sim which is brimming with information, free stuff, places to explore. He has been working hard over the holidays, recreating the Roman Saturnalia and creating events which bring people together.

As he points out in his most recent missive to the ROMA group, the sim is a private sim which happens to be open to the public, but is actually his own project. He has put a lot of work into it to date, and is planning to develop it on a lot of levels: there are plans for role playing, and also for events to bring together people with an academic interest in ancient worlds.

If you haven't already been there -- and most especially if you have been there but haven't yet joined the group and attended events -- I exhort you to do so.

I am indebted to Corey Akula for a lead on this story. I was alerted to the fact that Kokomo sim expects people to get permission in writing before taking photographs in the sim. I went there, stumbled around looking for such a warning, found none, took some photographs as I would in any sim in SL.

After I took the photograph, I stumbled out onto a piece of decking and was hit with a notecard, which included the following information:

"RECORDING, FILMING AND STILL PHOTOGRAPHS are strictly prohibited without first obtaining a written release from OKPride.Net LLC and any such infraction of this policy will be considered copyright infringement and pursued using all available resources in a real world court of law."

But... what are they going to sue me for? And can they really be saying that everyone who goes to their sim and takes an unauthorised photograph will be sued? And how long will they be in business if they do?

To be honest, if I hadn't had the tip off that there was a notice there banning all photographs, I shouldn't have explored far enough to find it - it seems a singularly unexciting sim to me. It leaves me with a lot of questions ... do they really think this is the way to behave in SL? Will it win friends and influence people, treating them all as though they were criminal copyright infringers?

I shall try contacting OKPride.Net and Linden lab for information. Meanwhile, please say you'll contribute to a fighting fund if OKPride Net comes after me ....

Artworld Market, the editor of the newly-created SLART magazine, warns in his first distributed article of a new form of fraud in SL: the selling of unlimited limited editions.

As I have reported in the past, the growing artists' colonies of SL, are bringing with them real life conventions, including the convention of producing limited editions. Whether by deliberate deceit or clueless new avatar mistake, some of the art purporting to be limited edition is not, in fact limited.

For an experienced avatar it isn't too hard to work out, and like many SL-based frauds, it is just a question of knowing what to look out for ... in this case, checking whether the art is set to sell you its contents or a copy, should be enough.

If you are interested in SLART magazine, search for SLART in the groups list, and you will find an open enrollment list on which to be kept informed. The magazine is due to open with a debut issue in March 2007.

Things have stablised and destablised, apparently, in the 48 hours since Wednesday's update. Having been among the many SL residents who paid a substantial amount of money for a classified this week, the loss of the search function is more than an inconvenience. It isn't until you lose it that you realise how many visitors to our shop and attractions are driven there by the search function.

Stuff which appeared to be fixed in the hours after the update, like transactions, have gone in and out of use, with people reporting to creators that they have bought and received items only to be unable to find them when they next log in. The Linden blog suggests that these items are not lost, just invisible, although the difference is rather a subtle one. Invisible items don't tend to be much use in world.

Oclee and I had planned to hold a series of events in-world to celebrate the opening of the NCC sim next to Nemesis. I have built a huge heart-shaped ice rink, and put in an obstacle course which is just perfect for use with Moopf's skates. But there seems little point in spending money on DJs and contests if very few people are going to be able to find their way to the sim. We will still hold a couple of low-key events over the weekend, but postpone the big skating party until search is working properly.

Moopf has postponed the introduction of his next limited edition skates because there have been so many problems this week. The trails are really popular it seems, but people have been experiencing a lot of problems with actually getting and rezzing the skates -- through no fault of Moopf's. I have been having a lot of fun with them, especially on the trampolines and jump pads I have put into NCC.

I also made a musical ice cave on Nemesis this week, which has been very popular. I love making interactive things which are responsive to people and let them control the experience. I love the ice and snow in Nemesis, and all the Christmassy things in the shop. Christmas is a lot of fun in SL, because you can do whatever you want to do, and make it whatever you want to make it.

Assuming that you can see yourself, find your possessions and see your money, that is!

As it is Saturday, this is your last chance to get these amazing Steamer Icicles, the Steampunk ice skates made by Moopf Murray as part of his limited edition season. Sometime after midday today, the vendors will be updated with the next in the range of skates, and the Steamers will be gone.

I love all the skates Moopf has made -- I've seen the next ones and I love them too -- but the Steamers are fantastic. They're shown here with shiny turned on, as I forgot to do that with the previous picture. Get some while you still can.

For those who haven't read my previous pieces, Moopf is selling special editions of his famous ice skates, a different version each week. In order to be able to buy a special pair at the end of the eight weeks, you have to have purchased six of the eight special pairs. The new skates will be available soon, from the vendors all over SL, including Nemesis. I have been wearing mine more or less continuously, skating around SL. I've only been asked once or twice why my trousers are on fire....

An odd thing: I have been suffering from the most horrible bug, high temperature, man in big boots standing on my head, coughing, limbs aching... caught it from my children, who were ill over the weekend with the addition -- in children only it seems -- of spectacular vomiting. Meet up with one of my neighbours in Nemesis and although he lives in the Netherlands, he and his wife and child seem to have had a very similar thing. Speak to Moopf, and he's ill too, although inclined to wonder if it is bird flu. I'm starting to wonder if it is SL flu, I must say.

There was a scary documentary about the possible effects of bird flu, shown recently on TV here in the UK, postulating what would happen should it mutate and start to affect the human population. It indicated that none of us would have the slightest idea what was going on because there would be whole armies of people off work, and so nothing would be working. It occurred to me that as long as we can keep the power and broadband going, then SL would be the perfect way to keep in touch - you can talk to people and not have them sneeze germs all over you ... or can you?

They seemed to say it wasn't a question of whether it would happen, but when. I don't know whether we would find one of the big Pharmaceutical companies has a side line in scary documentaries which impel governments to order stockpiles of flu vaccine etc, but I shouldn't be surprised. And if they can't assure us that a vaccine would be effective until six months in ... well I'm not sure how much value there is in being scared to death every couple of weeks by their latest doomsday scenario.

It did occur to me that, taken to its logical conclusion, we may soon begin to resemble the people in E.M. Forster's short story "The Machine Stops" and that it does already contain a lot of very prescient material in it. I remember reading the Machine Stops in the 1970s and feeling that it was as far-fetched then as it had been when written. I don't feel that way now.