cracking the anatomy

Well, this is an interesting development. Pursuant to that, by the way, I had no idea Ozimals had changed hands--I thought Candy Cerveau and Malkavyn Eldritch were still sole owners and operators, but according to this document, it seems that's not the case.

Also, have an open letter to the Mayor of Austin, Texas, about Alamo Drafthouse's woman-only screening of Wonder Woman; a list of printers which may--or may not--display identifiable "tracking dots"; a mod that turns Fallout 4 into a gloomy, unnerving horror game; and enjoy some shots of the Museum of Failure.

Could you not just die over this? I swear, Build-a-Bear is killing it over their Pokémon line. (Except for Eevee. Eevee still looks odd.)

Also, your weekly reminder that we are, in fact, living in the future.

If you want more, how about a definitive list of essential cyberpunk fiction works? To that end, how about a list of free-to-download works of fundamental, early science fiction in the public domain? Awesomely tasty stuff.

Lastly, looking at getting a rice cooker? Look through this list.

"It has been said, 'Time heals all wounds.' I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone."

~Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy

There's definitely truth in that.

[00:33] Miyu Goodnight: I just spawned inside someone's torso
[00:33] Miyu Goodnight: This is fine

I feel you, Miyu. (Actually, possibly literally--I might have been the torso.) More later.

heard a bump, and somebody screamed

[13:20] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: if any of you have ozimals bunnies in your inventory, get to the store now and get the free timepiece and convert it if you want to keep it. ozimals is no more because of a court order

This is addressed further in the notecard post.

[13:21] Dxxxxx Fxxxxxxx: :0
[13:21] Rxxxxx Sxxxxxxxxx: :O
[13:21] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: pufflings too
[13:21] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: i dont know exactly who the beef was with but they sent a notecard sayng they have a cease and desist order they cant fight
[13:22] Rxxxxx Sxxxxxxxxx: wow
[13:22] Rxxxxx Sxxxxxxxxx: theyve been here forever seems like
[13:22] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: 7 years
[13:24] Zxxxx Hxxx: Amaretto i believe had the case against them
[13:25] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: they have been fightng with amaretto for years yes, but at one point they won against them
[13:26] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: im not sure if its them or someone else
[13:26] Zxxxxx Hxxx: I could be wrong but remember hearing of something between them a while back
[13:26] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: the notecard names the people but rl names
[13:26] axxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: name and shame i say
[13:27] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: "At 8:00 am on Monday, May 15, 2017, I received a Cease and Desist letter from legal counsel representing [Exxxxx Dxxxxxxxxxx] and Akimeta Ltd. This letter demands that I cease all use of Ozimals intellectual property."
[13:27] Kxx Hxxxxxxxx: Lm to Ozimals, please [Pxxxxx]
[13:27] Rxxxxx Sxxxxxxxxx: did they sound like dutch names?
[13:27] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: Magic of Oz
[13:29] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: they do, dont they?
[13:29] Rxxxxx Sxxxxxxxxx: wonder if its sion chickens
[13:33] Axxxxxxxxxxxx Sxxxxxxx: hiya evyerone
[13:33] Axxxxxxxxxxxx Sxxxxxxx: posting breedables is not allowed in group chat
[13:33] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: hi [Axxxx]
[13:33] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: if its sion, i'd expect all the breedables to vanish.
[13:34] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: sorry [Axxxx]. this isnt exactly posting breedables. its announcing the death of one
[13:34] Axxxxxxxxxxxx Sxxxxxxx: oh I see
[13:34] Jxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Eh what happened? I just logged on
[13:34] Zxxxxx Hxxx: Feel like posting the lm was more of the issue
[13:34] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: although i DID post the link to the store for the timepieces to save your favorites
[13:34] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: mea culpa
[13:35] Jxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Which ones?
[13:35] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: [Jxxxxxxx], Ozimals got a cease and desist order from the court, theyre shutting down
[13:35] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: but there is a box full of copyable treats, grow potion, time pieces etc in the store
[13:35] Dxxxxx Fxxxxxxx: wonder if it would work on the babies
[13:35] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: it will
[13:35] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: you can also make any of them big or tiny
[13:36] Kxx Hxxxxxxxx: So how does this timepiece work [Pxxxxx]?
[13:36] axxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i found there address :P shall i get the heavys in? lol
[13:36] Jxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: Ah. Only ones I marginally care about are Kittycats xD I am curious about this legal issue though
[13:36] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: ill send you the notecard i got
[13:37] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: if its someone like sion chickens behind it, they can shut down all the breedables if they shut down ozimals
[13:38] Rxxxxx Sxxxxxxxxx: yeah and thats bad ...
[13:39] Rxxxxx Sxxxxxxxxx: reason i wondered if its them is because i thought back to the oldest breeder, and something rings a bell but i cant remember..
[13:39] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: i think they were. or maybe turtles before them?
[13:40] Rxxxxx Sxxxxxxxxx: turtles came after
[13:42] kxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: so the idea is that someone says breedables are their own copyright idea and no one else should be able to do it, [Pxxxxx]?
[13:43] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: well, someone says ozimals was their own at any rate
[13:43] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: i don't know if other breedables are effected,I was just speculating there
[13:44] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: im just going to take and convert all my special ones so i can keep them. i have. LOTS
[13:44] Jxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: I think someone would have a really difficult idea arguing that in court against a business with some actual backing, such as Kittycats or that other large one I can't recall the name of
[13:45] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: you think ozimals didnt have backing? lol
[13:45] axxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i found a post about akimeta saying about ozimals but that was back in 2009
[13:45] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: they were the first really big one. amaretto came next and they fought in court for a couple years
[13:45] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: theyve been here 7 years, id been breeding them since the first week
[13:46] Kxx Hxxxxxxxx: How does this time peice work, [Pxxxxx]. No instructions came with it
[13:46] Jxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: They're not the most widespread though. The other one is that horses group. Regardless it's still an interesting issue. *goes off to google the briefs*
[13:46] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: first, make sure the bunny isnt hibernating. the sun in the folder will fix that. then just rez it beside the bunny you want and youll get a popup
[13:47] Kxx Hxxxxxxxx: They are all in hibernation lol
[13:47] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: mine too! first rez a sun beside each one
[13:47] Kxx Hxxxxxxxx: Ok
[13:48] kxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: hmmm, I just saw a new store go up with tons of breedables, not kittycats at good prices today, lol
[13:48] kxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: maybe will not be such good prices later, then, huh
[13:49] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: if you see a 'collectable' bunny someplace, id buy it
[13:49] kxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: maybe plenty of "bargains" people hedging their bets then
[13:49] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: if i were you
[13:50] Pxxxxx Pxxxxxxxx: a mutant or an elite

So...that seems to be that.

Now, it's well known I have issues with the very concept of breedables, but they've gotten much better in both script usage and prim counts over the years. It's still a case where I land on a sim that has a significant amount of breedables rezzed out, or even shelves full of the boxes of breedable animals to buy, that I experience pretty significant lag. That's a common issue, not just something I experience.

But this goes a bit deeper for me. I first met Malkavyn when he had a tiny shop for eyes, eyes I instantly fell in love with. He and I talked a bit over the next few months, when I stopped by his store, and when he bought his own sim, Magic of Oz, he told me and others about it. I thought it was an amazing venture, but admittedly, he had a bit of a problem funding it.

Then, a few years after sim launch, he and his partner invented Ozimals. And they were massively popular. The problems of owning a sim disappeared, so much so that they bought another sim just for the Ozimals line.

With Ozimals now shut down, what's going to happen to Magic of Oz?

tombstone hand and a graveyard mine

Well, this is upsetting.

ello, friends.

At 8:00 am on Monday, May 15, 2017, I received a Cease and Desist letter from legal counsel representing [Exxxxx Dxxxxxxxxxx and Akimeta Ltd. This letter demands that I cease all use of Ozimals intellectual property.

I don’t personally agree with this claim, but I do not have the means to fight this in court, therefore I have no choice but to comply.

As of the morning of Wednesday, May 17, 2017, my products and their associated games will cease to function.

This means:
All databases supporting the bunnies and Pufflings will be offline.
Support, both inworld and through the ticket portal, will cease.
All Ozimals inworld groups will be closed.
Pufflings will cease to function.
Any bunny who is Everlasting will continue to function, as he or she does now: without cost.
Any bunny who is not Everlasting will be unable to eat and will hibernate within 72 hours.

This really [fxxking] sucks, and I’m sorry. It was never my intention for the time we’ve all spent with the bunnies and the Pufflings to end like this. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of the support this community has given me over the last seven years. I wish there was more I could say.

Malkavyn Eldritch

In the meantime, there's coverage of Steelhead Bay by the SL Newser, and by New World Notes. I'm proud that Gearhaven has their small mooring station there to support the cause. May Steelhead Bay thrive.

the forest scares the hell out of me

Minecraft does not need camouflage creepers. But it's all part and parcel of Evil Minecraft, the next "Adventure" expansion for the game.

There's also one fellow who's found another way to turn Minecraft into more of a game. Personally, give me rainbows and lava over Creepigs, cannibal boars, and Endermen--it's...happier.

And there are now more options than you might ever need to get custom Batman skins for the next chapter of Arkham Asylum.

The problem with this video is not that I think it's a bad representation of Oblivion as a game. The problem with that video is I think that it might be a good representation, and that scares me.

The problem with listings like this one, on the Marketplace, is not that listings like that exist on the Marketplace. It's that people on the grid are stupid enough to buy things like that on the Marketplace.

Is it just me? Is this the most boring login screen ever? Maybe it's just me. It does feel sort of like we're logging into a blog, though.

Some more info on the Ozimals vs. Amaretto debate, and how it's heating up off the grid. You're welcome?

[08:39] KittyCats - Kitten: http://kittycats.biz
▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼▼
♀ Kitten

҉ 17 days ♥ 45% ☻ 72%

☪↯ 97% 모☁ 11%

Fur: Genesis - Flame
Eyes: Genesis Water (Shape: Curious | Pupil: Small)
Shade: Natural
Tail: Genesis
Ears: Genesis
Whiskers: Silver (Shape: Guitar)
Size: 44 cm (17.3 inch)

Version: 1.08
Owner: Malaika Arcana
ID: e7547a45-2c77-ec2c-2211-a86fd1579a78
〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓
MOM: Peanut Butter Outlander
Fur: Genesis - Flame
Eyes: Genesis Earth (Shape: Curious | Pupil: Big)
Shade: Natural
Tail: Curious
Ears: Genesis
Whiskers: Silver (Shape: Guitar)

DAD: Burgandy Outlander
Fur: Burmese - Champagne
Eyes: Genesis Meadow (Shape: Curious | Pupil: Big)
Shade: Natural
Tail: Genesis
Ears: Genesis
Whiskers: Silver (Shape: Guitar)
▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲▲

Remind me never to touch someone's breedable kitten again. Dear gods, that's a lot of pointless green to wade through.

In other news, this came up on the Dead Dolls group (of all places):

[08:44] MariBrasileirinha Aboma: .;:+*'`'*+:;..;:+*'`'*+:;..;:+*'`'*+:;..;:+*'`'*+:;..;:+*'`'*+:;..;:+*'`'*+:;..;:+*'http://slurl.com/secondlife/Ferraris 20Estates 2019/74/86/22 Galera, Harry Falcone is launching a new collection of AUGUST! is lisdos sets of clothes, shoes, accessories together for only 145 l $ 145 l $ is true and dressed for only 65 l $ 65 l $ and do not forget the blouses and shorts (note: sunglasses stuck on her shirt shoow) for only tb l run $ 145 to ca:] • • • • •.;:+*'`'*+:;..;:+*'`'*+:;..;:+*'`'*+:;..;:+*'`'*+:;..;:+*'`'*+:;..;:+*'`'*+:;..;:+*'
[08:44] Maxxi Toxx: O_O
[08:44] Pandora Edwyn: i hate people
[08:44] dєlє skчwαlker (delendum): LOL
[08:44] Star Fairymeadow: lol, Pan
[08:44] Emilly Orr: You are a blight and a terror this early in the morning, and I wish one of the mods were on to kick you twice.
[08:45] Christine the PaperDoll (christine34986): they are yummy with cheese and bbq sauce
[08:45] Maxxi Toxx shun the non-belliever.

Which seemed to be the general consensus--shunning, I mean, not cheese and sauce for tender meaty humans.

At any rate. So, I wrote her.

[08:47] Emilly Orr: Não anunciar neste grupo para as coisas que não dizem respeito a este grupo.
[08:48] Bad Romance (maribrasileirinha.aboma): a desculpe
[08:48] Emilly Orr: Qual é a sua desculpa?
[08:48] Bad Romance (maribrasileirinha.aboma): de ter mandado aqueele negocio pro grpo
[08:48] Bad Romance (maribrasileirinha.aboma): grupo'
[08:49] Emilly Orr: Então você tem anunciado no grupo Dolls Morto antes?
[08:50] Bad Romance (maribrasileirinha.aboma): n

After that, I gave up. Meanwhile, apparently the folks in the Twisted Thorn group woke up cranky, too:

[07:42] [Jericho the Very Dim]: u al think your smart but ya not lol ...what does open source mean ? huh
[07:43] [Jericho the Very Dim]: and why should u care what i do with my shit

And we were off. Some highlights following that stunningly dim moment:

[07:43] Emilly Orr: Well, because it's deeply tacky if you pass off others' work as your own.
[07:43] [Triple T]: yes of course
[07:44] [Jericho the Very Dim]: your dumb then Emily if u think that...u never use other ppls textures in your builds then sell ??
[07:44] [Jericho the Very Dim]): fkin nazis

It went downhill from there.

Now, to be fair, Jericho the idiot was talking about pulling out poses from someone's OpenCollar build--who had obviously neglected to make their animations no-transfer--to build in an item of his own. And/or pass on to anyone who asked. (That part's unclear.) What is clear is that Jericho is really, really stupid:

[07:45] Emilly Orr: I in particular take umbrage to the term 'Nazi' when applied to "knowing ethics and morality'
[07:45] [Jericho the Very Dim]: i have been in this group for years and you are trying to tell me whats right and whats wrong ?
[07:46] Emilly Orr: If you've been in this group for 'years', Jericho, then you've read enough of Nighty's Terms of Service to understand their meaning.
[07:46] [Twinkle]: and Jericho, you really should be asking the creator of the animations what their TOS is before passing them off
[07:46] [Jericho the Very Dim]: no i shouldnt Star...i know i can use them
[07:46] [Triple T]: maybe ppl leave sl and there animations are free

And he kept not getting it:

[07:47] [Jericho the Very Dim]: i dont need to ask anyone for thier permission
[07:47] Emilly Orr: Why not?

This went on for far longer than it should have, and I take full culpability for my part in prolonging group suffering. Some more (edited) snips:

[07:49] [Twinkle]: lol. he says let me make a chair out of them so i won't be breaking TOS... if he had the permissions to transfer them, why didn't he just state that in the beginning?

[07:50] [Jericho the Very Dim]: coz i know i can..but u lot think i cant so
[07:50] Emilly Orr: And it's not like we can't all make note of the name, and refuse to buy anything he's made. The power of the pocketbook works even in here.
[07:50] [Jericho the Very Dim]: i was making fun out of your comments about TOS

[07:53] [Jericho the Very Dim]: sorry i NEVER stated i am ALLOWED to transfer or give away......i didnt realise i needed to spell everything out for you guys to understand

[07:56] [Jericho the Very Dim]: Emily you said "making a chair and he thinks its not breaking TOS"....im sure u make something with TTT textures and sell.....same thing no ?
[07:57] [Jericho the Very Dim]: just saying...im wrong but everyone else is right ? lol
[07:57] Emilly Orr: I never mentioned making a chair. I had no idea what you were making.
[07:57] Emilly Orr: In point of fact: [07:43] Emilly Orr: Well, because it's deeply tacky if you pass off others' work as your own.
[07:57] [Twinkle]: Jericho, you need to abide by the TOS stated within the specific product.
[07:58] Emilly Orr: Now, generally, when I use textures that I don't create, I credit where I got them in the enclosed notecard. Not everyone does, and as textures, it's not specifically demanded.
[07:58] [Jericho the Very Dim]: so you dont use nightys textures in your builds to sell ? ok
[07:58] [Twinkle]: if someone's TOS states that you cannot use the animations in full perms in your work, then that's what you should do

[07:59] [Jericho the Very Dim]: you all jumped on me as soon as i said i will pass her some
[07:59] [Twinkle]: he said he took them out of other people's collars
[07:59] Emilly Orr: If you took animations out of someone else's build, at the least you need to drop by the maker's store and check their permissions.

[08:00] [Jericho the Very Dim]: open source is just that
[08:00] Emilly Orr: No.
[08:00] Emilly Orr: Open source still has makers' mark provisions

[08:01] Emilly Orr: It's not about me, [Jericho]. It's about whether you want to participate in the culture in which everything must be 'free', because it's on the net, or whether you want to respect that digital art is still art.

[08:03] [Jericho the Very Dim]: well half of u are saying its ok and Emily your saying its not ok
[08:03] Emilly Orr: It's not okay.

But talking to him was remarkably like talking to a wall. Worse; when I'm finished talking to a wall, I just feel silly. After spending several minutes talking to Old Enough to Know Better, there, I felt silly, drained, frustrated, and cynical.

lake is frozen over, trees are white with snow

Ghost urns! I really, really like these.

Fawkes: QUILTBAG as a term scares me.
me: bwuh?
Fawkes: Queer, Undecided, Intersexed, Lesbian, Transexual, Bisexual, Asexual, Gay.
me: Oh, that.
Yeah, that's an extraordinarily stupid contraction. And what gets me--'queer'
It fits
Like, EVERYONE
Fawkes: Apparently there's also QUILTBAGPIPE.
me: ...pipe?
Fawkes: Pansexual, Indefinite, Polysexual, Everyone.
Emilly sighs
Look, if we're going to include everyone? Then we can just say EVERYONE
Fawkes: Why would we ever do that, then we can't have Quilt Bagpipe patches.
me: Hmm
You make a serious point.

It's true. Now I'm imagining, in addition to little triangles, little gender signs, little flamingoes, and little rainbows--we can have little quilted bagpipes to demonstrate our open-mindedness on the whole gender issue! We're so damned inclusive as a community, why, we'll let in STRAIGHT people, because they're just as gay as we are!

I'm getting too old for this.

But I do want a quilted bagpipe now. Just a little one. Something I can pin on a fabulous hat.

There's a great description on the intersexed side of things on Tumblr; but for the most part, when your acronym is longer than most actual words? Find a new goddamn word.

This may be the first ever casual coat for the triple-J set. And it's quite reasonably priced. If you are one of said damsels so plentifully endowed--or, mayhap, you know one who is--there you go. Simple, attractive, casual--and built for all body types.

About a week ago, I started hearing from friends who follow the SL blog more closely than I do, these days. There was an entry, a week or so back, just packed with typical Torley advice, set in Stepford. What I got from a couple friends was (paraphrasing): "This can't be the same Stepford, right? Torley has to be kidding. Do the Lindens know about Stepford?"

So I checked it out. This isn't the same one. This Stepford seems to be almost excruciatingly "family-friendly", which makes my head spin for a couple reasons:

1. Stepford as a township name cannot be divorced from the 1972 novel by Ira Levin, which--to date--has spawned six sequels or retellings of the source work, as well as becoming a divisive term for any woman who seems to be caving to societal pressure overly much; and

2. Part of the reason "The Stepford Wives" hit such a deep horrific chord in American culture, at least, if not world, was that it was entirely fixed on the struggle of the time--a struggle which persists to this day: what price independence? At what point does social balancing become intolerable conformity? And is what men want, against what women want, in relationships really that different, gender to gender?

But put all of that to the side; there's already a town of Stepford on the grid, and has been for some time--the only abiding change, in fact, seems to be that they've upgraded from a mainland Mature sim to an Adult estate sim. That town of Stepford can be found in Porten Hill, and--before you ask--yes, they still practice gynophagia, or the fine art of whole-female barbecue. (No, I'm not a fan. I just know it's out there.)

So--no, people, the Lindens are not suddenly endorsing wholesale female slaughter, don't freak out. It does make me headtilt a bit to consider they'd pick out a town named Stepford--for any reason--though, to heartily endorse as a winter must-see wonderland. (Especially as it's not, so much, a winter sim).

But then, they seemed to have no problem rabidly partnering with Ozimals, which--as much as I genuinely like the founders--are beset with dramatic, theatrical problems mostly of their own making. Maybe they were thinking like follows like--Ozimals has absolutely abysmal customer service, the Labs have stunningly inept customer service, it's like they were separated at birth. So, y'know, Bad Decision Theatre rages on.

(And I will admit, trying to track down that post a week later, I kept running into other Torley-related things, instead of the winter-festival-in-Stepford-post. Those things are worth mentioning, so are a general how-to-get-winter-sky video post, and how to use the coming depth-of-field setting.)

"Come on Linden Lab, we are your customers... the people who pay your salaries... do something to make our lives better." She's not wrong. And maybe that's the best line to come out of all of this--how many bad decisions, small and large, are we going to put up with before we leave for somewhere--anywhere--else?