30 July, 2009

I wish for this nighttime to last for a lifetime

Mostly internet/technological news today, it seems...

Virtual worlds get a 'second life'? Interesting that this was also linked as an article to read on SL's login screens today, because overall, it's not that complimentary to SL.

Disney gearpunk; I don't know what the first one represents, but in order on the rest: Hollywood Tower and the Tower of Terror; Sleeping Beauty's Castle; another shot of the Castle on its platform; Goofy in tear-down; and Dumbo in carrymech mode. Somewhat creepy.

Also, convincing me I so did the right thing in leaving Facebook--Facebook is now using personal photos in their advertising--and yes, completely without asking for permission from the folks to whom the faces belong.

Way to go, Facebook--you've moved creepy net sleaze to a WHOLE new level. Thanks for that.

And Big Brother is watching Kindle users.

I have...no words.

And in strolling through various Hannibal vids on YouTube, the crossing of their videos with their current block of ads moves from sublime to ridiculous...or, at the least, quite funny.

Finally, eBay may shut down Skype. Though I can't help but feel there's wrong being done on both sides of the dispute.

Tomorrow, since I don't have the links today, a brief review of some amazing sculpt work on various Japanese sims. In the meantime, I'm not sure whether I'm pleased or appalled that this blog is steadily turning its attentions from SL to the wider world. I think, more than anything else, I'm ambivalent about the process; but the end goal being finding a new home, far from SL? I'm not that displeased about it, in all honesty. And I can only reaffirm what I've said so many times before: if I and others like me, who came in mid-way in the peak of things, end up leaving? The Labs have only themselves to blame, and their extended history of psychotically poor business decisions.

Still, Linden Labs is doing one thing right, at least: maintaining, even if shakily so. Because there's still nothing else quite like what they do in town. Blue Mars seems the closest, from all reports, but two strikes are already against my ever setting foot on that grid: first, no user-generated content, and second, tech specs far beyond what I currently have. Beyond that, most of the other big upcoming games haven't lived up to their initial buzz (Aion), or never managed to get off the ground in the first place (Stargate Worlds).

We're still waiting for the next SL, in short, and maybe that's part of the problem: no one else can conceive of the next non-game in their search for the next fad game to come along.

So, until then...we're on the grid. Some of us still busy setting it afire, some of us passionately supportive, and then my group, which is disheartened, disillusioned, and desperately wanting for things to improve...but feel as if any word to any Linden will be summarily ignored, so we've stopped bothering.

After all, the last time I felt compelled to write Lindens and plead with them on an upcoming project? Was on Zindra, back when it was still Ursula, and still in the planning stages. And look how well that went.

3 comments:

Dale Innis said...

You don't think it's important for a proper Victorian maid to have good kneeling skills? :)

Emilly Orr said...

In order to properly scrub flagstones at the manor house? Yes. Kneeling in silks, specifically in nadu? Oh, HELL no.

The thing that keeps killing my brain is simple. I don't care if neo-Victorians wear silks; I don't care if neo-Victorians explore fetishes. (Hells, I don't care if neo-Victorians explore fetishes together and hold seminars on the topics involved.)

I do care that all of this is in public, however, and it makes me feel very curmudgeonly and prudish, and that's not me. Well, curmudgeonly, maybe. :) But by and large what makes me keep wanting to shake Bamika until her teeth rattle is that she still is missing the point on how, and what, to advertise concerning her "Maid Training School".

Dale Innis said...

Getting the point across to Bamika seems like an opportunity for some good neo-Victorian RP. :) I did like the ink smudges. (Also I admit Bamika makes me smile, and not being a neo-Victorian myself, so perhaps not qualified to comment.)

hide away, they say, 'cos we don't want your broken parts

Yeah, so...remember that thing I was recovering from? You know, last year ? Yeah. I did it again. So this is Em Faw Down Go Boom part ...