big black boots, long brown hair

"You meed a model where you can get a URL, and you're in Second Life, and later you sign up. That needs to be the new user experience," Rosedale said.

He's lost his mind.

Pursuant to that (Linden issues, anyway, not corporate insanity), Arabella Steadham has been IP banned from Second Life. Now, interestingly enough, she's the first person I've heard who's been IP banned, who was also told to log in to check the progress of her case? Which she can't do.

So watch out, all you bloggers. DO NOT CRITICISE LINDENLAB. DO NOT WRITE YOUR THOUGHTS SO OTHERS MAY READ. DO NOT EVEN THINK ANYTHING THAT IS ANTI-LINDENLAB.

I find this extremely hard to believe. Why? Because I'm known, and I think well-known at this point, to be critical of Linden Labs, on more than a few occasions. I've even had Lindens stop in and argue points of definition on issues.

If they were going to get rid of all their critics? I'd be first in line (or at least second--Prokovy Neva, after all, exists), and I'm not.

So what post was she supposedly banned for? Got me. There's no post listed on the 8th--unless she, herself, took it down--and the first post after that is on SL hair and fashion. I really doubt the Labs are going to silence people enthusiastic about big events (like Hair Fair).

Now, Pixeleen Mistral--who makes me look like Mother Teresa in terms of "fair and balanced" reporting--had a small run-in with the Emerald devs back in Aprille, but again, that doesn't touch on recent events, only the controversies plaguing Emerald near August's end. So where's the post Arabella's supposedly been banned for?

This took a bit of digging. Tateru Nino mentioned a controversial post over on the Modular Systems blog--something that, according to Arabella earlier, was going to have zero connection to Emerald. In it, she says:

I wonder why you have not announced that Ascent is simply a new name for Interia + nano, two viewers designed to steal passwords and make content theft so much easier. I wonder why you are happy for the devs to be on that team, when you specifically named them to us as not trustworthy and to never be on the Emerald Team. This was during the time you felt you had the right to dictate who should be on TPV teams. Obviously you have self corrupted your own publicly announced standards.

I don't see it as self-corruption, but maybe that's me--being as Linden Labs is not required to protect freedom of speech, and is a private firm, they have the legal right (which, btw, they rarely exercise) to say who connects to their service and who doesn't; who is on the development team of viewers they deem suspicious; and who stays on that team, if they want TPV directory mentions.

Now, this is the same passage Tateru Nino quoted, but I'm mentioning it again because that's seriously off the rails. The Labs "felt" they "had the right" to dictate? No, Arabella, they have the right--they have every right to do this. Simply because you do not agree with something does not make what the Labs are doing wrong.

The rest of the post gets increasingly shrill, but I think I can go on the record as saying that wasn't what got her banned. Because again--I've criticized the Labs before, and I likely will again, and they haven't banned me. At this point, I'm going to state outright: if you got banned by Linden Labs, you did something to be shut out. What that something is may not be immediately apparent, but there's going to be some valid reason--even if it's a reason we don't agree with.

More from Hair Fair. This time out, Posh:

First off, Posh hair takes a loooooong time to rez in and seems to be entirely sculpted. Immediately puts me off buying anything from them.

This is Hush, in Latte, from the front...

...and back. I'm fairly sure this has some sort of gathered tail end that is, in this pose, embedded in my shoulder.

Indigo in Dirty Blonde. Some adjustment issues with this one, not sure why. Plus it's hat hair. It's a cute hat, but the hat + entirely sculpted pretty much does this hair in for me.

Love Rush in the deplorably named "Fire Crotch". Not impressed, and not in favor of the name at all, so not something I'd even want in inventory.

And Sugar in Midnight, your standard sculpted updo. All in all, nothing I'd want to spend money on.

Posh is on Hair Fair 4.

Eyes: House of Ruin eyes, Thaumaturge: in Forest (sadly, House of Ruin has closed)

Skin: Heartsick Enchant line in Illusion, Very Berry

Outfit: 'Nanshe' dress from Nomine.