21 September, 2011

performing on a stool, we've a sight to make you drool: seven virgins and a mule

[18:13] Unseelie Fairy whispers: :░ ᔑ┢┦┢┦┢┦! A TѠiىtҽd нυηtҽr iى coϻiηg! :░
[18:13] Unseelie Fairy whispers: :░ ᔑ┢┦┢┦┢┦! A TѠiىtҽd нυηtҽr iى coϻiηg! :░
[18:13] Unseelie Fairy whispers: ✰'*•.¸Hυϻ... IŤ doҽى ηot look clҽvҽr...¸.•*'✰
[18:13] Unseelie Fairy whispers: ✶♥✶Lҽtى нҽlρ IŤ!✶♥✶
[18:13] Ghost Host : Ѡelςoϻe ţo ℒaŦaץeur! ^;..;^ Ŧinɖ soϻe ƒreakץ ƒreeЪies aţ ţhe enţraηςe oƒ ţhe sɦop!
[18:14] Unseelie Fairy sings: :♩♪♫♬ Ѽђaţ yoυ arҽ lòókίng ƒor ίs noţ ίn ţђίs Яooϻ ♩♪♫♬


Here's a hint, people--if you actually want folks to come by your store--whether or not they're on the Twisted Hunt--do not throw annoying Unicode garbage at us. Because we get cranky and we feel like turning right around and walking out.

Also, if it's 6:21 on a Wednesday--and you're announced as being part of the Woeful Wednesday sale--and you don't have your item out? Yeah, you've completely failed on all counts.

Past the abuse of Unicode characters, this is the second big reason why display names are a bad idea:
[16:47] [Zxxxxxxxxxxxx] Resident: [Pxxxxxxx Axxxxxxx] good day
[16:48] Tiny Cocked Sissy Whore [Pxxxxxxx Axxxxxxx]: and a good day to you also
Now, I grant you, the store I was in wasn't in a PG sim. Nor is the group PG, and this individual is a member of the group (not that I've ever heard them say anything).

But even so, when walking around shopping? I don't think avatars not on Zindra expect to be greeted with anyone proclaiming they have miniature equipment.

[18:12] ~WC~ Trailer Trash Ladies Tummy: Unless you are the one who put this baby in here or the one who will take it out, you are not allowed to touch my belly.

I have two questions.
1. First, I give them points, that's pretty sassy for a tummy talker, but do that many avatars in SL wander around clicking rounded bellies for the hell of it?
2. Since this one stipulates that it's the "Ladies Tummy" version...is there a "Gentlemens' Tummy" version? Because there's trailer trash and then there's outright mutation, which would be terrifying.

Of course, this is SL; terrifying goes hand-in-hand with the mundane, most days.

Apparently, with Champions already being free, and City of Heroes going free (this month, hopefully!), DC Heroes Online decided they would too. So...I guess if you're into tights and crime-fighting--or crime-causing--you have choices now?

Jumping to other impacts on the life--virtual or otherwise--I want to talk a bit about Netflix. First came the official announcement from Netflix, which many of us were irked by. Then came the Escapist's take on it, followed by both Chainsaw Lawsuit and the Oatmeal taking it on. Then a friend found the video version for me, which was galling in every detail. Alexandra Petri gave another version of what their apology letter said to mull over, and the Above the Crowd blog talked about what might really be going on.

All that aside, though, what it comes down to for Netflix subscribers--and I am one--is that we don't want to have to go through this all again. But--just as with Second Life--what's our alternative? Redbox is annoying, Blockbusters still censors their films (though not even six hours after the announcement, Blockbusters was already offering a 30-day free trial of their service to Netflix customers), and

In the meantime, at least according to CNet, one of the big mainstays of Netflix's streaming service, the Starz back catalog, is evaporating in February of 2012. So again, my question is--what's in it for us if we stay? Is this going to happen again where we'll be forced to make choices we aren't happy with to retain service that no longer thrills us?

Yeah, this is sounding like Second Life more and more. Were any of the fired Lindens hired on by Netflix, do we know?

In the meantime, Amazon Prime is gearing up to make a bid for the market--in addition to a service which offers unlimited free shipping on all items, no minimum order size, and same-day shipping for as little as $3.99 per item, they're also adding on unlimited instant streaming of their personal catalog of movies and TV shows.

How'ver, the down side there is huge--they don't have the comprehensive catalog Netflix does (only 2,208 films and 702 TV shows), and they bill yearly. While it works out to a little over $6.50 per month, that's still billed as $79 per year.

To end this on a relatively popular note, Minecraft 1.9 has been "leaked" early, and some of the features that will be coming have been confirmed. Chiefly: snow, which stopped appearing in snow biomes in 1.8, has been fixed.

Which is a good thing, because craftable snowmen--excuse me, "snow golems"--are coming. By all reports they will be friendly, and gleefully throw snowballs at anything hostile in reach. Including creepers. Save...snowballs don't do any damage. So they essentially will suicidally annoy all the monsters that come near them...but not kill them.

So...yay, home defense system, but don't build them too close to your house?

2 comments:

Edward Pearse said...

2. Since this one stipulates that it's the "Ladies Tummy" version...is there a "Gentlemens' Tummy" version?

Trailer Trash Beer Belly perhaps?

Emilly Orr said...

Let's all hope. Because a "Beer Pregnancy" I think no one is prepared to confront.

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 ...