Under the heading Is the Popular Video Game Fortnite Sinful? (and...what? I mean really, what?), came this:

The video game, Fortnite Battle Royale, is disrupting many a household: Parents tell horror stories of young sons who play it non-stop and suddenly turn violent toward those who oppose their playing.

Okay, so...yes, I have heard of a growing number of cases of "digital addiction", but in nearly every case, it's been kids whose parents pay no attention to them otherwise or young adults, usually in Korea, who have little other social life and get pulled in and sucked down. I am not saying net addiction, game addiction, is false; what I am saying is, if someone has an addictive personality, and games hit them fir st, they're going to be addicted to games. It doesn't matter whether it's Fortnite, PUBG, or Maple Story--the addiction is real.

Each game involves one hundred players who are dropped on a virtual island and shoot each other until a single winner or a team of players has eliminated the other players. The game is offered free of charge, but players can and do buy plenty of helpful accessories in the course of the battle.

Let's define "helpful" here, at least in terms of Fortnight. No item players can buy in the store is anything game-buffing. People who paid for certain packs for the game, or who made certain achievements, can start with a small amount of items that may help in the game-changing sense, but the items actually for sale in the main Fortnight store are all cosmetic. There's a few other arena games that do this too, and I think it's a great trend away from pay-to-win.

Fortnite has been attacked from many angles: Some simply say it is bad for children. Others claim it is highly addictive. The game wastes countless hours better spent in more constructive ways—like homework. And the shoot-and-kill game is undeniably violent and employs profanity.

Sure. It's bright, colorful, simple, and if a child's parents aren't involved in that child's life enough--as in, if they aren't interested in actually parenting their child, listening to their concerns, being open and honest with them--then, sure, Fortnite is an easy out. It doesn't mean that everyone who plays it gets addicted to it.

However, few ask the thorny questions: Is Fortnite sinful? Does it lead to sinful acts? Can playing it be sinful?

You aren't serious. Look, even if someone believes in the base concept of sin, Fortnite doesn't qualify. Note all Christian mortal sins listed in the Bible are sins of covetousness. I want that man's wife. I want that man's cow. I want that man's fine clothing. I want the money that man has. The major, overarching sin in the Bible is wanting a thing, or a person, or a status, deeply enough to steal, lie, injure or kill for it.

Fortnight isn't sinful by that definition.

Someone should be addressing the moral issue.

Why? Or more to the point, why, if, say, a priest hears of a couple who has a digitally-addicted child, why doesn't he find a family counselor for them? Why doesn't he get involved in that family's life and see if the parents are overworked, overwhelmed, just too stressed to cope in any effective way? The game is not the problem. Societal and familial neglect is the problem.

It should at least be the subject of sermons and religious commentary.

Again, why?

And yet the silence surrounding the moral problem of playing Fortnite is absolute. No one wants to touch it.

Because you, Horvat, seem to be the only one who feels this game is sinful, and that the poor kidlings must be protected by almighty faith. Pay attention to the lives of the community, not the games they play, and you'll be much better off.

He followed that up with this: Under the heading What’s Wrong With Video Games?, he wrote:

Are video games harmful in themselves? Do they tear down or elevate our culture? Should they be avoided altogether?

No for the first question. Sometimes both, depending on the game, for the second: Postal comes to mind for the former, and Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice comes to mind for the latter. And no, for the third question.

Most people will agree that “too much” gaming is harmful. Many more will acknowledge that Grand Theft Auto, which glorifies crime, or esoteric and violent games such as The Last of Us, Bioshock Infinite, or Fallout are bad. But the question still stands: How much is too much? How bad is too bad? And what about apparently innocuous games like Angry Birds?

Again, are you kidding? Horvat's blaming Angry Birds for a sinful corruption of society?

Video games are designed to give the player a sense of instant satisfaction. Whenever a virtual goal is achieved, the player gets a rush and tends to want more and more. Gaming presents an imaginary world detached from reality and offers an easy “escape” from the natural limitations humans encounter in this vale of tears. In real life, accomplishment is tied to reality, hard work, effort, sacrifice and talent. But in the make-believe world of video games, you can pretend to be and do things that are completely unrealistic.

Sure. They're called endorphins. You can get them from running, gardening strenuously, working out, hiking, or conversely, by playing games (board and video), discovering new things, and in some cases, even learning--a new language, a new process, a new way of thinking--all of these can potentially be causes for that dopamine rush.

More to the point, though, Horvat, if you're talking about getting rid of everything that causes that endorphin surge, you're going to have to ban all sporting events; all dances; playing music in front of a crowd; READING...And that's just mental on a ridiculous level.

This is further complicated when the person faces problems such as a broken family, depression and addictions. Take the case of Elliot Rodger. This 22-year-old student lived a frustrated life. He despised social interaction, did not have many friends, and became obsessed with World of Warcraft. Rather than overcome his shortcomings, he withdrew and filled the void with gaming and pornography.

Hollllld up there, happy. You sound like you feel sorry for him, the poor waif turned astray by the evils of digital sin. He had problems off and on since he was eight years old, all right? Did you know that, Horvat? Did you even bother to look into it before picking Elliot's name out of a hat?

Elliot Rodgers was broken before he found video games. He was broken before he found pornography. He was raised in wealth, had every benefit of white privilege, was conventionally attractive, and had entry into the upper echelon of his local society. His own personality drove people away. If he'd gone into therapy, maybe he wouldn't have felt he had to try and torture and kill everyone around him. But his family didn't think counseling was appropriate, he probably thought he was better than anything therapy could give him, and deep down, he was a repugnant, bitter, elitist sexual sadist who fantasized about gutting women and men because it would give him ultimate power over them. This was a person who might have been saved if he had reached out and started the process. Don't blame Elliot's descent into despotic madness on video games.

Another problem with video gaming is the tendency to spend inordinate amounts of time doing absolutely nothing meaningful.

Define "nothing meaningful". The Path taught me about the dangers that can lurk in the most innocuous of places. BioShock taught me that the most gentle, soft words can be used to whipscore a programmed mind. Hells, BioShock Infinite, which many fans deplored, taught me the dangers in organized fundamentalist religion (a lesson, to be fair, I already knew), and how easy it is to treat anyone different from ourselves as both Other, and non-human. Minecraft taught me building as meditation.

And there are so many other examples. Are there big, sprawling MMORPGs whos only point is grinding for levels and achievements? Sure. But there are also little games, thought experiments, and again, do you think anything that is not work for hands or worship in a holy house useless? Because if you do, there goes sports again, gardening for the fun of it, amusement parks, reading, book and poetry clubs, wandering rose gardens, English gardens, tea gardens... what is of value to our lives? What brings us joy? For some people, gaming does that. There is nothing wrong with choosing joy.

But what is the point of engaging in a pastime that has no palpable goal, no real accomplishment and no deeper meaning? Since the purpose of gaming is undefined, players often find themselves compelled to play more and more.

Figures Horvat would be the type to view ever treading upward on the Apollonian path a good thing. Not everything has to have a goal. Hells, not everything has to have a beginning, in terms of activities, or an end, we can just pick up in the middle and carry forward. What's wrong with that?

According to a study featured in Neurology Now, a publication of the American Academy of Neurology, nine out of ten American children play video games--about 64 million. The study found that "excessive gaming before age 21 or 22 can physically rewire the brain."

You're not wrong, early studies do seem to indicate that, though more research is needed before it's a firm conclusion.

"Playing video games floods the pleasure center of the brain with dopamine," says David Greenfield, Ph.D., founder of The Center for Internet and Technology Addiction and assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. That gives gamers a rush--but only temporarily, he explains. With all that extra dopamine lurking around, the brain gets the message to produce less of this critical neurotransmitter. The end result: players can end up with a diminished supply of dopamine.

As I mentioned earlier. If one is predisposed to addiction, or in some cases, depression, where dopamine is naturally reduced, then sure, gaming could prove a 'fix' that is similar to some drugs. And the more someone in that state plays, the more they want to play, because they want that same rush. Here's the important point: this doesn't describe everyone. Should peanut farmers stop growing peanuts because a portion of the population is sensitive? Should wheat fields be short because celiac disease exists?

For the welfare of children, South Korea has regulated the use of video games, treating them like drugs or controlled substances.

True, but South Korea has a radically different culture from ours. First, they have a huge gaming industry, from consoles to computers to smartphones. Games are quite literally everywhere, thick on the ground. Second, Horvat, do you know abut net cafes? Over here they're mostly Starbucks that offer WiFi, but in South Korea, someone can walk in, pay for eight hours, and play the game of their choice for that entire time. One man played until he died from dehydration; he payed for something like two weeks and the cafe let him do that. So who do we blame then? The man who booked that time? The owners of the cafe who never cared to stop him? Or the game? He would have been just as dead if he'd gone down some back alley and purchased a week's worth of black tar heroin, and shot it up all at once. We can definitely blame him for buying the time to game; we can definitely blame the owners of the cafe. But we cannot blame the game; at best, it was a contributing factor to an existing addictive personality who was already descending.

There are countless cases of violence and crime connected directly or indirectly with video gaming. Grand Theft Auto, for example, has created a long death trail in its wake. However, few have had the courage to call its designers and promoters to task, halt its production and reverse the severe damage it has unleashed. Here are only some of the many crimes connected to Grand Theft Auto:

1. A man was stabbed and his copy of the game was stolen;
2. A college student stole a car, kidnapped a woman and slammed into nine parked vehicles. He said he wanted to play the game "in real life";
3. A teenager in Thailand killed a taxi driver in a copycat crime from the game (Thailand banned the game afterwards);
4. An 8-year-old boy in Louisiana shot and killed his 90-year-old caregiver minutes after playing the game (this was ruled a homicide);
5. Students as young as six acted out drug and rape scenes from the game.

How very hyperbolic. Let's take these incidents in order.

The first one, that is theft. That is less about playing the game and needing to commit violence because of it, and more because that individual did not have the game and wanted it. By your own holy book, that's covetousness again. That's nothing to do with gaming. Same man could have been robbed and killed for his watch, for his cash, just because someone hope he'd have something worth selling for drugs.

Second, that story was turned into an episode of Law and Order: SVU. Again, the characters inspired by that story, and the actual man that the story was based on, had both lost touch with reality. If he hadn't had the game to give him the sick thoughts to enact 'for real', it would have been something else. Do video games explain every school shooting, every assassination attempt? Tell that to Lincoln.

Third, Thailand. Thailand takes a very dim view of gaming, or anything that does not directly benefit the culture. Gays are still beaten just for being gay there. I have no problem with their banning the game, as they are a strictly controlled society. I would have a problem in a culture that had more permissive rules.

The eight-year-old. Absolutely, this was a crime. A crime I think hinges on the "intentional" mention. Where did he get the gun? I'm assuming he already had it with him, or hidden nearby, which means this was premeditated. Again, the playing of the game made the death fantasy easier, but by no means caused it. That boy wanted to kill someone. Any trigger could have set him off.

And the last one is just incidental as well. Children who have never played video games have gotten the awful idea to rape their friends, or random little girls; to beat a boy's head in with a pipe and set the body on fire; hells, we can even bring up the Slender Man attempted murder in this light. In all cases these were people mentally unstable enough to consider it, decide on it, and bring it to fruition. No game needed.

There is a chapter in an excellent treatise on horror in literature and cinema by Stephen King, Dance Macabre, that goes into how often murders were committed by people reading his books, where the assailants said they'd gotten the idea from his books. Again, no games needed. And also again, no books needed--they just happened to be what the killers picked up before they decided to kill. It could have been a breakup letter that drove them off the edge. A phone call that went wrong. Something they didn't like on TV. The smell of the air. Unstable people don't really need a cause--they need that one last thing, that last straw, to hit them, before the rampage begins. We can't guard against people like this without being much more invested in mental health, and de-stigmatizing mental health. And that's nothing you want, is it, Horvat, when you can just blame video games instead?

I'm done with this. He's wrong, and shrill, and becoming repetitive. I'm done.

Oh, look, the very very bad idea of deliberately breaking cryptological programs has surfaced again. And as the writer of that article says, this is such a staggeringly flawed idea precisely because it demonstrates both a complete misunderstanding of the internet, and a complete misunderstanding of digital security.

But I'll repeat it here: if governments want effective security to protect their own interests, they want that security tight. Insisting that everyone else accept broken security will do two things: first, it will cause general resentment from everyone (if not outright rebellion when corporations say the hell with that nonsense and pull for working security anyway), and second, it will inspire people to break government security. For the value of the information, for spite, just for the hell of it--the why won't matter. The fact that it will happen does.

Moreover, as the writer also pointed out, there is no cryptographic system on the PLANET that hasn't been broken. There are codes that haven't been broken, but as far as digital security goes, the best we can say is "it hasn't been broken yet."

And that really should daunt governments that keep proposing this ridiculousness. Every country who's actually passed something like this has been hacked. And guess what--every country has been hacked anyway, whether they employ broken security or not. Corporations have been hacked. Individuals have been hacked. There is no privacy. And we need to realize that.

The best cryptography on the internet? Is NEVER TO PUT IT ON THE INTERNET.

At the Tres Chic event recently, since it had just opened, I knew it would be lagged; so I turned down my settings and put jellydolls showing up at anything over 24K. And saw this:



Did she really have four arms, or was it just the mesh glitching?



It looked like she had four arms. I admit I was intrigued.



She did have four arms.



Very articulated arms, though I was beginning to wish that most of Tres Chic wasn't so stark white; it occluded much of her outfit, her robotic attachments, and her hair.



I'm pretty sure they were Bento-rigged, because yes, her robotic arms moved with her real ones.



They even changed hand positions.

I was enthralled, to the point that I didn't even try to find out from whence she acquired these marvelous arms. But it was a great look. Really well done, highly impressive.

This happened on the 27th, but I already had entries lined up for the following days, so. Got this out of the blue while trying to find a hair that matched the current retro look:

[11:09] JotaVico: heyyy
[11:10] Emilly Orr: Hello?

OF NOTE: Jota is not anonymized. Not because I don't think he's being a jerk for IMing me out of the blue, but because he apparently is looking for photographic clients.

[11:12] JotaVico: How are you? Are you interested in photos? I'm looking for new clients. I can show you my flickr with realistic photos? Can i show you my prices?

This is the other reason he's not anonymized, because he did send me the link, and I looked it over. He does fairly good work, if you like duck lips on people. Though I fully realize that may not be his fault, and more the fault of the pouty-runway-model look that's taken over all genders on SL for mesh heads.

[11:12] Emilly Orr: You're...kidding, right?
[11:12] Emilly Orr: How did you get my name?

This seemed to stump him, so at 11:20 am, I tried again.

[11:20] Emilly Orr: Okay, if that's too difficult for you, then sure, show me your prices.
[11:22] Emilly Orr ponders the lack of response and peruses your profile.
[11:22] Emilly Orr: You know, for a photographer, having only one pic on the profile is kind of sketchy. No FL pic at all? No info? No picks?
11:23] JotaVico: My photos are in my flickr.
[11:23] Emilly Orr: I asked about your prices.

Wow, way to miss the question entirely.

[11:24] Emilly Orr: And yes, I know that, I saw them. I mean on your profile. You know, the thing that comes up when you hit "Profile" in SL?

So he sent me the notecard of his prices. It's L$3850 for a single person, portrait, and from his Flicker it seems to be shoulders and up, or occasionally neck and up, only. For couple/two people (I guess he means friends) portraits, it's nearly double that, at L$6550. Everything seems to be on the same nondescript black background, no outdoor shots, no non-studio work at all. If this is standard for photographers in SL now, it's news to me.

[11:24] Emilly Orr: Not interested, and it's spelled "available", but thank you. I'll pass it on.

And that seemed to be that. I did mean it when I said it to him, I am passing the information on. And yes, the line below the prices on the notecard he sent read "I'm avaiable now for take the pic?". Riiiight.

I'll leave room for not being an English speaker natively, but still. Way to come off like a jerk and a boring person. Barely anything on his profile, misspelled words, and IMing me out of the blue. (He never answered that first question, by the way--how he ran across my name. Still don't know. Which is also irksome.)

In less snarky news, someone sent me a pastebin link for lower-poly stores. I have no idea who wrote this list, but I'm also passing it on for what value it may be.

This is a list of shops with efficient poly counts and texture usage, good UV maps, and everything they create is modify. These people understand and respect the platform they are creating for. Content from each shop is thoroughly checked using a viewer with enhanced inspect abilities before being added to the list.

If you know of a shop that should be on this list, please contact me. Shops that make it common practice to make their content no modify will not be considered. This is mainly because the average consumer cannot check UVs and textures for themselves, but also because this special snowflake mentality is genuinely harmful to Second Life.

This makes me think it might be a NiranV project about avatar/landscaping optimization, first mentioned on New World Notes. I thought I remembered the original post being somewhere on their blog, but damned if I can find it. I'll ask friends and see if they still remember where it is.

Last update: May 23rd, 2019.

---------------------------------------------------
Top tier. Items from these shops are made to a modern visual standard while staying well optimized. If you are ever wondering what acceptable triangle and VRAM numbers are, look at similar items from these shops to know what to aim for:
---------------------------------------------------

DECO (GutterBlood Spoonhammer)

The only DECO store I found was [DECO], owned by Max Butoh, and it doesn't seem to have an in-world store. The only thing mentioned on Spoonhammer's profile, store-wise, was BLUD Official, which again, has a group, but no apparently in-world store. Neither seem to have a Marketplace presence, either, so...good luck finding them.

Half-Deer (Halogen Magic)
+ILO+ (ZoZo Raven)
G Field (Cerberus Noel)
The Black Forest (Arduenn Schwartzman)

The only thing listed for Arduenn is Warbug, so if the Black Forest is part of that, great. Otherwise I can't find it.

Realist Tek (Jay Taggart)
Birds-E-Mart (Raven Seraph)
JOMO (Xiaoduo Abbot)
Organica (Aki Shichiroji)

My only problem with Ms. Shichiroji's lovely work is that most of her trees have the same shape. I want more out of a tree than curved Japanese maple with varying leaves. That, and I do wish she'd bring back her skins and update them to mesh. That being said, she really does amazing plants, trees and landscaping details.

Schadenfreude (Allegory Malaprop)

This is another case. I love Ms. Malaprop's work, I always will. I wish more of it would be converted to mesh.

---------------------------------------------------
Decent tier. Items from these creators are usable as-is, but are lacking in areas that would make them perfectly efficient, such as wasteful UV maps, or some textures too high resolution (but still better than nearly everyone else).
---------------------------------------------------

NOMAD (Piraiyah Novikov)
Barnesworth Anubis (Barnesworth Anubis)
UTILIZATOR (Utilizator Mode)
fk0724 (fk0724 Resident)

The only thing that shows up under this name is Anhelo? So not sure if that's the same business or not.

Lassitude and Ennui (Jackal Ennui)
HPMD (Sasaya Kayo)
ColdLogic (ColdLogic Resident)

Again, the only thing I could find was neve, but it does say it's a brand made by coldLogic? So maybe that's it?

Violent Seduction (Iki Akiri)
Chin Rey Houses (ChinRey Resident)
OPQ Builders' Supplies (StormKB Resident)

Okay, this one's weird, because it seems to be the same place as Chin Rey Houses? I don't understand, but OPQ is also listed on Chin Rey's profile, so the confusion continues.

OPQ Gardens and Landscaping (TessJL Resident)

This is listed as belonging to yet a third person, but it's also listed on Chin Rey's profile, and all three of these businesses operate out of Coniston sim, so...baffled, here.

Dysfunctionality (Kalia Firelyte)

And that's the list. All of these (presuming I tracked down the right places, and I tried to do my best) offer either very low-poly mesh items, or reasonably low-poly mesh items, so they will rez in faster and more effectively. Helping, therefore, with the overall lag on SL, and our computers, in general.

Oh, I have to do this, but this is only going to make sense to those who watch Critical Role.

This list was originally posted on disaster-tiefling's Tumblog, but it was reblogged from questbedhead's Tumblog.

Beau: Life-long jock slowly coming to terms with the fact she’s a closet nerd.


Beauregard by TheAleksDemon; Twitter linked only because I can't find the image on any of the other social media links on which Aleks' name turns up. May or may not be available as a print? Not sure.

Nott: Hard-working mother struggles to balance family bonding with burgeoning love of crime.


Nott the Brave drawn by ae-rie No mention of a shop for prints, but feel free to ask.

Caleb: Black Widow, if Black Widow was also a feral wizard.


Caleb by Ornerine/Ari. (I couldn't track down where she posted this exact image beyond the Critical Role wiki, but that at least will let you get in touch with her if you want information on how to get a print.) Also this is a perfectly apt description of Caleb.

Jester: Lovable scamp patiently waiting for it to be her turn to have a mental breakdown.


Jester Lavorre by LeopardMask79. Also see Ginny Di's amazing videos. I'm linking "When She Cheats" as an example of the level of cosplay.

Fjord: Local man would rather 1v1 eldritch demi-god than inconvenience friends.


Fjord drawn by Anna Janiszewska. She has no prints yet, but I think there's nothing wrong in asking.

Yasha: Buff angel just wanted to be gay and eat spiders in peace.


Yasha Nydoorin drawn by atutcha.

Mollymauk: Flamboyant amnesiac still sure he knows more than you.


Mollymauk Tealeaf drawn by Amber Harris. Also see this amazing cosplay of Mollymauk and Caleb from Hollaback Nerds.

Caduceus: Babiest sibling left unsupervised, wanders off with first strangers he meets.


Cadeuceus Clay drawn by Tess Fowler; you can buy prints of this image on her StoreEnvy page.

Obviously, all rights reserved to original artists, do check out their work.

Respect those who serve, remember the fallen, and celebrate the lives we hold. Be safe this Memorial Day, for those in the US.
Elsewhere...presented without comment. Save for to say the shark was seen at Solarwinds, and the performer is Toxie Darkmatter.

Sadly, I have now learned I cannot attend events at Solarwinds. I don't know why, but the first time I went, I ended up crashing three times. So, last night I turned my draw distance down to 64, killed particles, had avatar impostors on, set non-jellydoll avatars to four, took off atmospheric shaders and basic lights, and set most of the photographic options to low. I still crashed. So I can't go back, and it's sad, because Toxie is really, really good.

John Horvat strikes again. I always think I really should unsubscribe from this rather shrill, outraged-to-be-outraged mailing list, but...then he sends me something like this. Under the heading of "No more Satanic items on Amazon", it reads:

Dear [Emilly],

Our petition drive against the Satanic items on Amazon has been rapidly growing, but the Internet giant won't yet let go of its demonic products. Among the items still available are Satanic pendants, statuettes of the demon Baphomet, the Satanic Bible by notorious Satanist, Antonin LeVey, and even children's products with the devil on them.

It's "Anton", Mr. Horvat, but that made me curious. So let's see what he means.

Under a general search under all products for "Satanic" came this statuette of Baphomet, followed by The Satanic Bible by Anton LaVey (name's printed right on the cover, Horvat), and a black tapestry with white printing featuring Baphomet's head in front of a reverse pentagram. Below that is a DVD of a not spectacular movie called "Satanic", a Luciferian seal pendant, and, amusingly, a three-piece duvet cover set with pillowcases featuring the same artwork as on the tapestry.

There's also a brass incense burner that features a ram's head that makes my brain giggle for some reason, a cameo pendant featuring Baphomet on a reverse pentacle, a winged Baphomet Satanic blessing goblet in brass, the book The Satanic Narratives: A Modern Satanic Bible by Damien Ba'al, and a PopSocket stand for smartphones featuring Baphomet's head in black and red. And that's only on the first page.

But... why is this an issue? These are using symbols of a faith that isn't yours, Mr. Horvat. Are you going to get hysterical over seeing Muslim prayer rugs or prayer beads? What about this Messianic Jewish tallit set? Or this 'Tree of Life'-styled Mezzuzah? Or this blue and gold enamel menorah?

Or maybe you're only concerned with the "evil" faiths. Do you paint pagans and heathens with that brush? Yeah, you probably do.

If you have already signed the petition, consider passing on the word to your family and friends. Our previous petition against Walmart has gotten some Satanic products removed from its site, and Amazon has previously removed anti-Catholic products when customers raised their voices. If Amazon sees more names, they will be more likely to reconsider selling these offensive, Satanic products.

I could care less about what Walmart does, I don't shop there, but I do shop at Amazon, and I value their ability to have a diversity of products to peruse. I won't lie, usually I'm looking at clothing, foods I can't get in my area, electronics or hair care and teeth cleaning products I can buy cheaper there, but...I've had this Vegvisir pendant on my buy list for a bit, and you'd probably hate that too, wouldn't you, Horvat?

There's no accounting for taste. Or intelligence. Not everything has to be a crisis or a holy war, after all. Remember, what we fear we draw to us, and if you don't like Satanism, Mr. Horvat, stop obsessing over it, and fearing it to the point you see it everywhere. Just let it go.

As long as we're edging into political waters, in a sense, let me toss this link out to the world. Considering what's been happening in Ohio, Alabama and Georgia, those two charities may well save some lives. Pass it on.

Telltale Games is apparently sending takedown orders to various digital storefronts, and this makes me insanely glad I already own a copy of The Wolf Among Us. But it is both confusing and hurtful, because there are a lot of really good Telltale games, that tie in to a lot of existing properties, from Minecraft to Borderlands. Yes, I know the company's going under, but...wouldn't their games remaining up and selling help them to pay any extant debts from the closure?

And meet Imma, a 100% virtual Instagram model. Pair that with the AI program that can now create entire photographically-real bodies that never existed, and I think we're entering an era where the best models, the best advertising actors, could easily be AI. Could actual actors be replaced with pure AI creations? Not entirely sure, at least, within the next ten years. If it's a still image, or even if it's a non-talking moving image, I think largely we'll buy it. If it's a moving, interactive, talking AI image, it may not work so well in places where we believe emotion--faked or actual--has to be part of the scene.

I think I walked in after everything was mostly over, sadly, but even the aftermath is kind of interesting:

[12:48] Kzzz Dxxxxxx: wow
[12:48] bxxxx Yxxxxxx: wow nothing

This was the part that convinced me something had gone down.

[12:48] Mxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Well more of us care than are bothered by it.
[12:48] bxxxx Yxxxxxx: unless you are talking bout 
[group name][12:48] bxxxx Yxxxxxx: why annoy us with your boring convo

Okay, so I may have some hint now. For me, it depends on the group. If it's pretty strictly a sales group, and there is generally no non-event discussion in the group, then yeah, tempers will flare if, say, it's a weekend sales event, and mid-week someone brings up some dress she saw on sale in a store that isn't involved in the event. That, I get. Because in some group where the group's description says they're restricted only to advertising that event, discussing that event, say, then extraneous chatter is not wanted, nor needed, and will usually be stomped on by the mods.

But if the group is more open and allowing of chat, there shouldn't be a problem...usually.

[12:48] Mxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Why don't you go comb yourt hair with a weedeater
[12:49] bxxxx Yxxxxxx: lol good one
[12:49] Axxx Hxxxxxx: People are permitted to have polite civil nice conversations, be nice or leave.

Thus speaketh the mod.

[12:49] bxxxx Yxxxxxx: you got me
[12:49] gxxxxxxxxxx: [bxxxx] did your parents teach you to just walk away if you don not like something?
[12:49] Wxxxxx Vxxxx: seriously ? this is like 3rd person causing problems

Damn, I hate missing things.

[12:49] Wxxxxx Vxxxx: is it same one on alts?
[12:49] bxxxx Yxxxxxx: good one girls
[12:49] Emilly Orr: Oh darn, I missed drama. Ah, well.
[12:49] bxxxx Yxxxxxx: you got skills
[12:49] Hxxxxx Lxxxxxxxxxx: Maybe..
[12:49] mxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx closes annoying chat

That is also an option, if a passive-aggressive one. I generally don't announce I'm leaving the chat unless I'm REALLY upset. And even then, it's a passive-aggressive move.

[12:50] Hxxxxx Lxxxxxxxxxx: [Mxxxxxxxx] has brains! :)
[12:50] Ixxxxxxx Txxxxxxx: see that, it's an x button it closes the conversation if you dont want to read it.

Speaking of passive-aggressive...

[12:50] Hxxxxx Lxxxxxxxxxx: It's that easy.
[12:50] Kxxx Dxxxxxx: people can still talk about [group name]. we are not monopolizing the chat.
[12:50] Hxxxxx Lxxxxxxxxxx: We have been talking about [group name] for hours. Every now and then the convo changes.
[12:50] lxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: [12:49] Axxx Hxxxxxx: People are permitted to have polite civil nice conversations, be nice or leave.
[12:50] Ixxxxxxx Txxxxxxx: And we wouldn't ignore a question if it was asked about [group name] anyways
[12:51] Hxxxxx Lxxxxxxxxxx: Do I ever? :P
[12:51] sxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: not sure why some people get bothered by nice conversation

See above.

[12:51] Rxxxx Mxxxxx: it is a full moon tonight ? wassup with all the nastiness? they are having a simple convo, if it bothers you, close chat
[12:51] Hxxxxx Lxxxxxxxxxx: Because it makes their SL go DING! and the group window pop up.
[12:51] Kxxx Dxxxxxx: i think some folks are unhappy with themselves so they have a need to make others as miserable as they are

That's not the worst theory, actually. If people are in a bad place, it's easier to see things as negative.

[12:52] sxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: well you can ignore it or turn it off lol
[12:52] lxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: well there is really no need to keep it going
[12:52] sxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: true [kxxx]
[12:53] Kxxx Dxxxxxx: personally i prefer to build folks up. not rip them apart

Cliched, if correct. But it's a truism in comedy, as well--punch up, not down. In other words, don't hurt people below your social status, they have enough problems, and it just comes off as mean-spirited. Same with this, really--help people, don't hurt them out of spite. Harder to live, true, but worthwhile.

What the way to start the morning. Got an email from Flickr:

"Hi Emilly Orr!
♥(`'·.¸ [incomprehensible characters] ¸.·'´)♥ (Kxxxxxxxx Pxxxxxx) is following you!
Follow them too?

Nooo, for two reasons. One: in addition to posting shots of fellatio and other sex acts (which, look, I'm fine with nudes on Flickr, but I tend to prefer erotica over just...y'know, blowjobs in sneakers) which are on the tacky side, two: she has tiny little baby hands. Nope, and double nope.

She does have some good composition, and she's better at lighting than I am, and she has the ability to use shadows in SL. These are good things. I'm just not feeling her subject matter.

In other news, it looks like soon we'll be able to 3D-print furniture, since we can already 3D-print houses, statues, bones, some organs, and skin.

And speaking of homes, how about instructions on how to build an off-grid log cabin, apparently for free? I mean, you'll have to find (or buy) a patch of land, it mostly involves hand work, which will take some time, and there's no power or water instructions, but...hey! Cabin! Just in case.

And for Silent Hill: Homecoming fans (well, can't really say fans, NO ONE is a fan of the buggy, disjointed, badly written mess that is Silent Hill: Homecoming, but I do like some of the situations and the main theme), this is the most singularly original theory I have ever heard on the whys behind the story, and virtue of virtues, it actually makes a lot more of the game make sense.

Don't get me wrong, Silent Hill: Homecoming is still, and forever will be, a buggy, disjointed, badly written mess, but...with that theory in place, it does make some of the major annoyances of the game (from monster designs to the main character's inexplicably bad-ass fighting skills) actually relevant finally.

If anyone has an interest into vintage Asian art, this cache of Taiwanese and Chinese art might help. Right now, only 1,000 books have been digitized--which is still impressive--but the goal of the project is to digitize all 2,500 books in the Library of Congress' Asian Division collection.



In the meantime, a short little Scene from a Chat. See above for why.

[13:10] Emilly Orr: While this is a casual dance, we do generally ask guests to wear more than briefs.
[13:10] axxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: sorry i didnt know i tp here

What? I mean, I check out a lot of landmarks that I've forgotten why I picked them up in the first place. It's a good way to figure out why I have them. But...to not even know that I've ported somewhere? How...how does that work?

At that point, he--and his knock-off Calvin Kleins--ported off.

[13:11] Emilly Orr: Well, you're more than welcome to return, if you care to. :)
[13:11] axxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: thx

And that was that. Strange.

I was fairly amused by this video, all about a spammer's poor attempt to extract money from one of the Utah Outcasts. And I had to think, watching it, how would I handle this letter, had it been sent to me?

Well, first thing, my spam filter would've caught it also, and I generally don't even read spam unless it has a catchy, or particularly amusing, title. Second, my being told they'd grabbed all my Facebook contacts would make me giggle like a five-year-old, because I don't have an account on Facebook. Third, them telling me they'd grabbed my masturbation files from my web cam would also make me laugh hysterically, because one, I have never filmed myself masturbating in front of any electronic device, and two--and two is more important here--I don't own a webcam.

I could not take something like this seriously. They'd be tapping the entirely wrong demographic for these kinds of threats. And the heavy-handed, give us what we want or we will release these files to all your friends, bit? That would also make me laugh. Sure, anonymous whomever. Do that. Feel free, run with it. Go wild. My friends know who I am and what I do, they wouldn't even be shocked.

The most they'd say is probably "Really? That's terrible lighting."

Meanwhile...

[21:12] Second Life: The message sent to (IM Session Doesn't Exist) is still being processed.
If the message does not appear in the next few minutes, it may have been dropped by the server.

That's new. I don't think I've ever seen that message before in my decade-plus of being in SL.

[10:15] pxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: does anyone else just stand on their land kinda like half dressed for hours cause you can't figure out what to wear or is it just me?
[10:15] lxxxxxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: you're not alone

I do that all the time.

In other news, I was sorting through the FaMESHed gifts, so was partially nude (I'd been trying on outfits), when I saw someone land on the porch. I hate when this happens.

[13:54] Emilly Orr: May I help you?
[13:55] axxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: hey was good

"Was good"? Was he kidding? Also, at this point, I was frantically trying to track down a dress, which irked me further, because I shouldn't have had to.

[13:55] Emilly Orr: No, not really. You're in a private residence.
[13:55] axxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i am?
[13:55] axxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: im sorry

Then, instead of porting off, he came down the stairs to stand in front of me. Why?

[13:55] Emilly Orr: Yes.
[13:55] axxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: may i come in plzz

My initial response was, "Not only no, but HELL no," but...I was trying to be polite.

[13:55] Emilly Orr: Shoo.
[13:55] axxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i just need a lil help
[13:55] Emilly Orr: With?
[13:56] axxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: nvm ok

And then he flew off.

I have patience for new friends who don't intrude on private space. I have zero patience for people who just land in my home without warning. New or not, that's uncalled for.

And he was new--all of one day new. Two things on his profile: an RL pick of himself holding up three fingers on his SL bio, and an RL pick of himself on his FL info page. No groups. No bio info. No FL info. No picks.

Grrr.

And a couple of drive-by avatarings for today:



She has a lot going on, and not much that's bad. It's a fun, gothy look. Save for the buttwings.



I checked from the back, and yep...Buttwings.



For contrast, let me present the cutest anime catgirl I've seen in a long time. She was adorable.



And yes, she was as short as she looked.

Did a bit of updating this morning, so now, all the charity links on the left lead to where they're supposed to go, no more redirecting to the blog or wrong links given. Sorry about that. Also, added another tip service--and again, I'd love to be paid for what I do, but I don't insist on it.

There are also two new charities listed at the top of the sidebar. One is supporting the victims of Cyclone Idai, the other victims of Cyclone Fani. Both areas have been hard hit; in India, for Idai, over a million people have been evacuated. So the usual, here: give what you can, if you can, and thanks.



Next, some fashion photography oddity. Or at least product art oddity. It's not like this outfit doesn't have potential, for certain moods. My sole complaint is, why show the bunny ears if they're not included in the set? (And they're not.) Why raise expectations like that?

It's like whenever I come across White Widow's booth at events--it is nearly impossible to tell if they're selling the skin, the hair, the lingerie, or the tattoo. (They make tattoos, but the pictures are always vague enough to confuse. Could also be selling the shape, too.) If I have to stand in place for five minutes trying to figure out what's on offer, the maker is doing something wrong.

But as is, the Meli outfit would have been a guaranteed sale with the ears. Without them? I'm not as interested in forking over L$350 for the combo set. That may be petty, but I'm very much against showing off things that clearly aren't on sale in product art. (Note: I don't mean something like, they're selling lingerie, they're showing hair on the avatar, or they're selling a vehicle, there's an avatar posed next to it. But if I'm buying a dress, I want to see the dress and know that's what's for sale. If I'm buying full-perm templates for outfits to make, I want to buy everything in the product image that is outfit-based. That's not to much to ask, is it?)

Things seemed to be going okay at the Friday dance at Sakura. Then this happened:



I have seen this before. But it has been literally years since I have. Then, it was a case of an older graphics card with zero updates. But my current card? I updated the drivers last week, and today is the first day I've seen this. So what gives?



Worse was knowing this was centered on me. Which usually means I'm the only one who can see it (though that's not always true), so I didn't want to mention it.



Then it switched to the lass to my left. How do I know this? Look in the circled portion: those are the buckles of the dress she's currently wearing.



I was baffled though. Updated drivers, I didn't get it. During all of this, also, I crashed three times. Yes, yes, I know, we're on a homestead, and yes, I know, we were holding a dance, as we are wont to do, ON that homestead, but still...I usually don't crash that often even when there's a large number of people on the sim.

And it kept going for a REALLY long time. Annoyingly long. And, after this started happening, I crashed twice. The third time I crashed? Firestorm reset my graphics setting. Grr.



When it briefly cleared? What showed was that I'd lost the floor entirely. It was just carpets and clouds. This was just before the third time I crashed.



And then the glitching moved to the girl on my right. After this picture, I did crash.

So irritating. Tomorrow, I'll check my graphics drivers, but it hasn't happened all day today, so...still baffled. Was it just a momentary thing, or is it indicative of a larger problem? More grr.

I have found the Panic Flamingo at Fantasy Faire. I must own this. Alas, for me and many others, for Alia Baroque has not yet decided if he is willing to part with it.



We can but beg and hope for an indulgent moment. But seriously...this is so much cooler than the prototypical plastic bird on stilts.