guess he finally found the straw that broke the camel's back

The Awilda hat is the current Fifty Linden Friday offer at Poison Rouge. As stated, it's going for L$50. But as is tradition, I failed to actually POST this on the 14th, so...go me, I guess.

[[Note from the Editrix: and then failed to post it for several days after. Not only that, but I managed to lose the picture of me IN the damned thing.]]

Did I mention the Darkness event is open now? (Though I'm not sure why I would, Vae.V isn't at that one...it just occurred to me, I guess, because I'm covering the Aza'Telos Monolith set, which was at July's Darkness event...

I am hopelessly behind.)

Oh, and there's a new Merkins vid out, I just realized...but anyway.

So, the Duchess' Garden has evolved substantially since I took these pics, and that's primarily because I took a random port from someone in the Contraption group and found myself in front of the booth there for the Wizarding Faire (which I had been avoiding, because, you know, the transphobia has kind of poisoned the property for me)...and promptly bought the Fournier Conservatory. I think it's still open, though, and if you want a Conservatory of your very own, go here with L$600 and it can be yours.



Meanwhile, we're talking about the Monolith set. At the last Darkness event, it ran L$450; now, I'm not even sure if it's in the mainstore (but you're welcome to check). Pretty sure the L$450 was a discount, though.



So I took out the medium and plonked it down in front of the altar for the Duchess' new garden, AKA, "Em thinks she can build things right now".



It's a pretty set, adaptable, just choose your height and your prim count and the tint, and go.



And it's a lovely glow effect on the runes.

The entire Monolith set compromises about six different options, from small to huge, and glowing and non, and high prim and low prim versions. It am comprehensive, is what I'm saying. It also comes with a tinting HUD. The ones you see in the pics I took (about...halfway to August, I think they were...) have largely been some shade of gold and purple.


This one, one of the huge ones, I rezzed out just behind the Conservatory, for a size comparison...

...and it's absolutely unresponsive, that's odd...Wait...

Did I push the big one over the sim border?!

Turns out, I did--all I had to do was fly over to the far side, and it tinted like a dream (which with my usual fine attention to detail, I forgot to capture in a photo).

If you want to see the Conservatory, the (free, btw) mossy snake statues (also from Contraption), or the Monolith that remains, you're welcome to drop by. The Duchess' Garden will likely be in flux for some time...similar to the Duchess, really.

And if you tire, there's sangria and sweet tea to be had inside the Conservatory. Enjoy.

you're talking so fast that the days turned out slower

Halloweentown has opened? The description's simple enough:

Halloween, pumpkins, haunted, ghost, vampire, wherewolf

"Werewolf? There wolf. There castle." Ah, never mind, let's go explore.



Things seem seasonally appropriate.



Nicely detailed sunflowers.



Happy Halloween, in bones, hanging under a shrouded moon.



I could live here. Granted, the only sale vendor is for the fall bench around the tree, but I could definitely live in a witchy book cottage.



There's a path off to the right from the port-in point, and a row of 'haunted' booths for other vendors. I'm thinking designers are still setting up, because only a few of them were filled. (Though there was a logo up on the right-hand booth, so I'm sure it won't be empty long.)



All in all, worth a wander if you want to see what's on sale, if you just like autumn decorations; they even have a Hallows-themed backdrops for photographs if you want a souvenir of the trip!

when love holds you up for ransom walk away and don't look back

Why yes, it's another store! I don't know though, good places--or even halfway decent places--selling potential things for haunts counts, right?

The blurb says:

Pumpkin, Zombie, Spooky / Tree, Gifts, Snow, Candles Skin, Cross, Kostum, Hat / Nikolaus, Cards, Clothing Camp Fire, Freebies, Blood / Crackers, Freebies, Santa

All right, then. "Nikolaus", "Crackers" and "Santa" throw me a bit, but let's go.



The what shoes shop?



I'm amused that the "Halloween Dungeon" is upstairs.



Because what is life without infringing game rips?



Without a few game rips, even.



Come on, really?



Yeah, I'm done here. If they're this unoriginal for a store, I can't imagine anything they sell adding to a decent haunt.

I walk alone, retrace my steps, where did I go wrong?

Ecstasy Trading has something with a very cumbersome name, "Halloween carnival cemetery Horror Asylum Medieval Fantasy St"...and there it trails off. Guess they ran out of room. The blurb isn't exactly better:

Halloween,haunted,creepy,scary,medieval,furniture,freakshow,romantic,decor,statue,fantasy,landscape,decor,home,garden,skeleton,gore,fall,manor,asylum,candles,cemetery,carnival,full perm,goth,vampire,baroque,magic,circus,club,photography,spooky

The vendor at the base of this...thing...says "Creepy carousel with hanging mannequins". 1), mannequins don't bleed. 2), this is not a carousel. Try again.



Off to the right from the port-in point, there's a passable cemetery build, also for sale.



I don't understand why there's snow.



In all other respects it's just another market, not a haunt.



Nicely detailed tree.



A new interpretation of "dollhouse".



Annnnnd keep in mind it's on Adult land.

I mean, look, obviously a store. I get that, I'm trying to be clear on the differentiation between "store that sells creepy things" and "creepy haunted house". So if you're looking for haunts, steer clear. On t'other hand, if you're looking for that perfect piece to set off your haunted build, you might find it here, who knows?

keep on the path I sent you on

And this sort of sheer, unadulterated, malicious violation of Twisted hunt's own posted rules just confirms I made the right choice to leave the group.

So we're taking another tack, and stepping away from hunting for a bit. This is another store, but clearly, it is a store with a difference.

The blurb reads thusly:

Pandemonium has a collection of dilapidated structures, sim prefabs, parcel prefabs and landscaping products. Great for Halloween. Est. 2009 New Mesh Cemetery Graveyard Gothic Medieval Swamp Dungeon CCS Blood Grunge Zombie Shack Ruins MC Vampire Cliffs

Let's look around.



Shouldn't more stores welcome us in with a giant's screaming skull?



Good to know, I'll keep it in mind if I run into any.



Nice little sitting area, if one needs to rest a bit. No coffee, but no one's perfect.



No one can say P4NDOR4 Quintessa's prices aren't high. But just look at the detail given for her works. Amazing. The aging, the weathering, the moss growing on parts of the stone, the cracks--no sharp angles, no texture flickering, nothing ever that looks pasted just on the surface.



Why is there a unicorn following me around? Does he not know what I do?

Anyway, if you're in need of collapsing ruins, tumbled stones along a path, dilapidated prefabs--Pandemonium is your one-stop shop.

can I get a witness?

Yes, there will be spoilers.

Out on Netflix right now is a horror film called Mercy Black. The trailer looked good. Sort of made it sound like another monster-of-the-week film, but I felt it had potential. Who I originally took for Shannon Doherty turned out to be Daniella Pineda, but she was pretty good in a role that basically wanted her to be alternately dread-filled, trembling and unnerved, and occasionally full-out screamingly frightened for two hours.

Filling out the cast are Lee Eddy as a wonderful librarian, Elle LaMont as the very frazzled sister of Marina (Ms. Pineda's character), Miles Emmon doing a star turn as Ms. LaMont's young son, and Janeane Garofalo as Marina's psychologist.

So what's the issue? Well, here's IMDb's brief story outline:

"Fifteen years after stabbing a classmate to conjure an imaginary phantom known as Mercy Black, Marina Hess is coming home. She's being released from psychiatric care to live with her sister and young nephew. But in the years since her crime, the myth of Mercy Black has gone viral inspiring internet rumors, stories, and even copycat crimes. Marina is haunted by what she has done and the phantom she imagined. Though she would rather leave the past buried, her nephew becomes increasingly obsessed with Mercy Black. To save him, Marina must face her past and uncover the truth behind Mercy Black. What she discovers is a very real and very deadly horror that will stop at nothing to claim her and her nephew."

Which doesn't really describe the film that well, actually.

The basic outline: In a plot device stolen directly from modern-day headlines, a somewhat disturbed girl convinces a friend to help her stab a third female classmate, because--and this is how direct it gets--"Mercy Black" lives in the woods, in a house that is not a house, and must be placated with human sacrifice to take their pain away. It's extremely derivative.

And it goes on its derivative way--the two girls get the friend into the woods, a finger of the friend is chopped off and tossed into the lake, and then they wait for Mercy Black to show up. The last flashback moment is young Marina looking out across the lake and screaming.



We then flash forward, to the last day adult Marina is in psychiatric care. Since childhood, she's been a ward of the state, in psychiatric lockdown. Her doctor has decided it's time to leave. We have no real idea of her age, but we assume she's at least in her twenties, because she doesn't appear eighteen.

With some trepidation, she leaves, returning to the guardianship of her sister, who has a young son by a father that has either absconded or died. (We're never told.) The child is quite serious, unexpectedly so. And hijinks ensue--things like his so-called friend coming over randomly to engage in power-over games which young Bryce dislikes, or standing motionless at Marina's bedside while she's having nightmares.

And from there, it's pretty traditional--sister is dating a jerk who wants to make money off Marisa's pain; town hears the "child killer" has returned to town and does their bit to make her life hell; Bryce spends time with the local librarian, asking her about Mercy Black, only to learn that the invented monster has apparently gone viral, with imitation murders, suicides with notes left mentioning Mercy Black, and scads of fanart from the unhealthily obsessed.

But here's where the interesting thread sneaks in. Marina was hospitalized, not jailed, because it was ascertained she was schizophrenic. Now, I am not crazy about mental illness = danger and homicidal impulses, but here it does seem to work. And, as we move through the scenes, there is a lot that can be interpreted as, Marina is not completely healed yet--she has nightmares, she sees things, she hears things. There is a very real part of this film that keeps popping up, that everything happening is quite likely all in her mind.



When things go off the rails--as, in any horror film, they surely will--there are thin threads of plot that seem to suggest Bryce may be the victim of hereditary schizophrenia. Which is not all that common, but does happen, and I was willing to suspend disbelief on this point. Even two-thirds of the way through the film, the indications are strong that Marina is slipping, and Bryce may be starting the slide into madness as well.



Marina's former psychologist is called by her sister, and she decides from that conversation to take a short leave of absence to see if speaking in person with Marina will tell her whether she's stable, or needs to go back to the ward. While that is going on, Bryce--who has gone off the rails himself--is attempting the murder of his so-called friend, and talking to the vent in his room, believing that Mercy Black is in the walls and asking him to promise her things to become physically incarnate in this world, so she can help him more. It's unnerving whether we believe it's a haunting or a mental concern, it works either way.


There's a lot of deathing. That's not surprising, it's a horror film. What was surprising to me is that Marina, fighting her own fear, actually finds the house that is not a house, and descends into it, and discovers nothing more than a dummy dressed as Mercy and the kind of childhood treasures that believing kids would gather. This pretty much clinches the "it's all in her mind" plot. Great, case closed, creepy film, good visuals, wrap it up...right?

But no. No, in a huge plot twist, the librarian is revealed to be the sacrificed childhood friend, who actually wanted to be sacrificed. She's killed most of the people who died to get to this point. Worse, the dressed-up mock Mercy comes to life underground, and Marina has to fight for survival. This makes no sense with all the work they've done to make this a psychological thriller. And the worst blow of all--the film ends with young Bryce having murdered his first person, while the dread presence of Mercy Black floats behind him.

So...is it all in Marina's mind? Is it an actual demonic presence? Is it another person on a murderous rampage? PICK one, movie, you can't have it going all these directions! It's confusing.

While I enjoyed the first half, I admit, the notes they drew out of the latter part turned me cold. And I ended up giving a thumbs down on Netflix, for all that the acting was actually decent, the setting worked, and the plot--for the first half, at least--worked. Ultimately, disappointing, which is all the more depressing because it could have been amazing, and stopped itself from being so.

In other news, I count two items that fit the "shabby chic" aesthetic at Shiny Shabby. Do any of the organizers actually know what "shabby chic" IS as a design style??

Shabby chic has nothing to do with nail polish, monochromatic furniture, tropical gowns. It's all about the faded and vintage. Tea-dyed fabrics, vintage ticking fabric, shades of pale rose, pale blue, ecru, sage, beige. The overall vibe is both feminine and worn--either actually vintage distressed antiques, or faux- distressing techniques, using white or cream paint under glaze with lightly applied sandpaper to the wood. There's a French Provincial sub-category, where everything is mercury glass, faded vintage lace, cabbage rose florals. There's another sub-category of Coastal, where the main tones are faded sea or sky blues and teals, tones of sand, pale green, rock grey. Where the main design details are fishing floats and netting, white-painted slats, bare branches and sea grasses in clear glass holders.

What Shiny Shabby is doing with the event is horrific. It's become just another shopping event, no style, no individuality, no originality, and certainly, very little offered for sale that actually is shabby chic. I am disappointed.

and I'm caught in the crossfire of my own thoughts

And today, a clip post. Because reasons.

"A sizable coalition of technology companies has today taken a stand in favor of net neutrality in the form of a letter to the Federal Communications Commission. The group, led by giants including Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Netflix, Twitter, and Yahoo, challenges a proposal the FCC is considering that threatens net neutrality."

Now, this is interesting. There are some big tech giants in this--Google, Netflix, and Amazon among them--and they're all protesting this change as an essential violation of net neutrality. And the thing is, they're right, and the FCC is wrong, so why is the FCC pushing forward with this plan?

The simple answer's usually the right one, and in this case, that means pressure from the government, or the cable companies. My bet's on the cable companies. Comcast, for instance, desperately wants to start charging higher fees for data-heavy video streaming from sites like Netflix, Youtube, Hulu Plus and other streaming sites. The problem with that is, back in 2011, the report was that Netflix accounted for 22% of all internet use, and three years later, it's higher. And the problem with that is how the data's structured in the first place.

Without restructuring how the data's presented to the individual, there's no way to get away from that heavy data hit in the beginning. And without that heavy data hit, Comcast (and other companies) likely wouldn't care about charging different rates to different clients. Or maybe they would, and all of this would've happened eventually. Who knows?

In the meantime, none of these I'd count in the average DIY camp. Still, if you're interested, the pictures don't help much, so...

• HildenDiaz did the actual "Forms in Nature" (aka, "haunted forest" or "forest shadow") chandelier, but if you want to attempt it yourself, watch Threadbanger's Man vs. Pin video first. Recommendations I'd add to that: forget the spherical branch globe, see if you can get a cylindrical or a square base frame instead to add branches to, or at least, a cylindrical or square shape made of twigs, over the round globe. The various branches aren't the worst idea, but remember this picture? Yeah, a skill saw and some thin plywood will likely serve you better. Finally, because you want a really bright light, try to find a 250 watt bulb. (just make sure your light kit is rated for a bulb that high), or go with what the original artists did: a custom-designed LED frame lamp inset that is designed to cast crisp, clean shadows. Without that, it just won't work in the same way.
• Designsponge has the paper orb drop lamp project (along with a popsicle stick/tongue depressor chandelier that looks very stylish).
• Kevin Champeny's Tumblr mentions the construction of his Gummi-bear chandelier; while nylon string, the ring, and mesh of sufficient size and sturdiness could be fairly easily acquired, his personalized casts aren't. How'ver, if you're willing to use Gummi-bear-sized bears, this is a fairly simple way to cast your own. Then all you'd need is a Dremel tool to drill each bear lengthwise for stringing. Use Champeny's Candelier as a tutorial for how to string it all together--but keep in mind, even a smaller-sized Candelier will be significantly heavy, and take some serious time to make.
• Yaroslav Olenev's plastic spoon lamp doesn't have a complete tutorial, but it does have several enlargeable photographs, and sometimes, that'll work too.
• Ludwig Metals made the drum-kit lamp, but Makely Home has a good handle on a smaller version. Plus, this site has a good breakdown on various pendant-light kits and what each lamp might require.
• Tongue and Groove sells Gregory Bonasera's ceramic teacup lights, but in addition to this lovely list of pictorial inspirations, Man vs. Pin made the definitive teacup lamp DIY vid. Don't want a desk lamp? No problem--use the same tricks to make a pendant lamp, or a group of pendants, with teacups of your choice.
• Calabarte makes the gourd lamps, and they are luscious things of beauty. How'ver, since they are ridiculously priced, Makezine has a really simple version (see the video on the Lifehacker site), Martha Stewart has a slightly more upscale version, and the Goods Home Design blog offers a Calabarte-style pictorial tutorial on how to make a gourd lamp.
• made the "Ballroom Luminoso", but to make one yourself, you're going to have to remember the tips from the first lamp: because this one also uses a custom-designed LED rig. Also, you'll need to know how to weld, because these are a lot of bike gears, and they'll all need to be welded to each other. There are some better pictures from the PDF the artists released, but there's not a lot to reproduce this exact design. I did find a gear table lamp made from car parts, but that's not the same thing, is it?
• Graham and Green makes the Jeeves and Wooster pendant lamp set, but if you want a similar look, they're not wrong, and a tutorial really isn't needed. Two hats, two pendant light electrical kits, two bulbs, done. (How'ver, if you really want a step-by-step to the style, try Scraphacker's entry, which also features a history of the bowler hat! Yay!)
• Finding a lace lamp tutorial was not hard; finding one that was applicable to most climates? That was tricky. The trick seems to be to use wall size, not wood glue or wallpaper paste. Everything else uses the same tips we've been talking about--find a low-heat or LED light source, so there's no chance of burning the doilies; get a complimentary lamp kit; and use a smaller bulb if, for some reason, you want a table lamp version. (I wouldn't recommend a desk-size lamp, simply because even an LED light will be too close to the doilies.)
• On the other hand, the cloud night light tutorial proved impossible to find. The sketch of it's here, but the original account on deviantArt has been deactivated. Bother. On t'other hand, the limited instructions given there aren't bad: buy a cheap nightlight, buy a low-wattage lamp kit cord, and use a hobby saw to cut out your cloud shape to cover the actual light part of the night light. Might also toss in a cube of wood or plastic, or even a square of styrofoam, between the light base, and the back of the cloud. Then paint as you will, add other clouds if you like (those can be cut from craft board), and plug in. You're done!
• The cheese grater chandelier was a bit difficult; electrical tape seemed to be the bulk of the DIY tutorials out there, but there is one I found that employs a drill for a less 'junky' look. (Also, that site has a page on cheese grater history, which I found amusing.)

And...then I realized I had forty tabs open from all the research, so...that's what you're going to get. I might revisit this later, but yeesh, closing tabs down now! And keep in mind, all of these are intended as inspirational tutorials, not to encourage outright art theft from the artists mentioned.

In more DIY news, here's a showing of twenty-five nifty home mods. Some are more for style, others are really useful, but all are fairly cool.

Want to know a little bit about the history of crochet? How about tambour stitch, which is thought to be where crochet eventually evolved into crochet?

In new food trends, so-called "female-friendly" restaurants were the next hottest thing, but initial backlash is forcing backers to reconsider. Which is a good thing--I, for one, find the entire idea horrifying. If I go to a steakhouse, I want what I want, not a "smaller", more "feminine" cut for the same--or likely a higher!--price. I also don't want to eat dinner while watching the Pussycat Girls strut down a runway--I like dancers as much as the next person, but unless I'm in a Moroccan restaurant sitting on the floor, keep the dancing girls home. And mirrors on the dessert menu? Say it's for fixing makeup all you want, for many of us, we'd take it as a criticism.

While we're here, have a handy guide to where to pet animals, a lushly beautiful picture series of innovative treehouses, some really, really terrible childrens' toys, and a list of odd things spotted in Australia.

And that's all for now! More later when I have too many tabs open!

when you only make it better, and it better be tonight

The Every Second Man blog purports to have an interview with the person behind the flatterbot ruse currently plaguing Second Life. She claims to make L$40,000 per day with this gimmick, and to that I say: more people on the grid need to be more observant.

Apparently, there are games now where the player can take a picture of whatever's in front of their webcam, and use it as the face of their character. If that sounds scary to you, then...you're likely right. For an example, one player made his in-game character his dog. And Penny Arcade did a comic on the most-commonly seen Tiger Woods game scan back in 2007. (Though any actual nudity is pixelated out, as it does deal with adult topics--sorta--I'll warn that it's NSFW.)

Speaking of NSFW things, this lass explaining the workings of her necklace to a studio audience and her fellow commentators--none of whom can keep a straight face. For those who don't speak French, the Reddit article on this tells me she's saying "Happy. Not happy" when she's pulling the chain that activates the...err...well, just don't watch it at work.

Over in France, apparently, the next big thing is blow-up lamps. Well--they're not actually balloons, they just look like balloon animals. I'd say it's a fun idea, I'm just not entirely convinced it's a fun idea worth over two hundred Euros each.

And in other design news, the spork has been reinvented! With a larger bowl, and actual tines instead of pointy bits. Thing is, though, does it really improve that much over the design of the original spork? Well, maybe if you eat a lot of ramen.

Let me also introduce you to the Cycloptopus by Nemo Gould. He makes sculpture that moves, with a sort of steampunk-futuristic edge. Very fascinating stuph.

To that same end, Greg Petchkovsky's blending of real and digital art is nothing less than astounding. Using high-resolution photographs, digital imaging, and 3D printers, he is changing the physical world around him, one small object at a time. Deeply impressive.

Over on i09, Christopher Salmon's posted the initial animatic--with Neil Gaiman narration--of one of Gaiman's short stories, "The Price". It's fifteen minutes long, and both inspiring and heartbreaking. Go watch. Make a cup of tea and open your heart to wonder. It's well worth the time. And quite possibly, it will be a feature film soon.

Other depression for the day that's worth your time: Amanda Palmer blogging about Amanda Todd, and the phenomenon of internet bullying, and how it really is that much worse than "traditional" bullying. For one, the fights tend to be both longer and more vicious, and for two, the entire world has a chance to jump on the bandwagon--out of boredom, out of misdirected anger, out of their own hurt and resentment--and join in.

But that's not why I'm tossing it up for your perusal. I'm tossing it up because of the comments she's getting. Just as bullying can work as an online mob-mentality gathering of ill will, so can support. And while Amanda Todd will never receive this outpouring of endurance, encouragement and faceless love--in the end, she took her own life, unable to face both her stalker and fellow students who told her, repeatedly, she "needed" to just kill herself because "nobody" liked her--maybe other teens will see it. Maybe other adults thinking of taking their own lives will see it. That's why I think it's worthwhile.

Spinning from that in a 'we are the internet, we need to be better to each other' kind of way, here's a tale about Star Trek fans coming together to help one of their own. In this case, this particular one happens to be dying of an incredibly virulent form of cancer--to the point that he's not entirely sure he's going to be alive by the time the next Star Trek film opens.

The request: friends of his wanted those involved with the film to send the ten-minute special preview to his local theatre. The solution: JJ Abrams brought the entire film to screen for this guy. Marvelous.

Massoud Hassani, meanwhile, has come up with an absolutely brilliant idea: a low-cost, low-powered mine detonator that can be released over minefields to detonate land mines that have been forgotten. While his main goal (and a worthy one) is the Middle East, I can also see these being used in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos, where there are still mines in place from the early 1960s that have never been found. There are eleven days left on the Kickstarter; help if you can.

I wish I knew where this came from--other than "somewhere on Tumblr"--but it's good advice, nonetheless. Plus, whoever came up with bundling WD-40 and duct tape together is a GENIUS.

And will someone please tell me if Kyary Pamyu Pamyu is a corporate spokesperson, or a band? Either way, her videos are getting very strange.

here I go again, slipping further away

[17:01] Bxxxxx Exxxxxxxx: SL will be taking a short break and enjoying the yummy pills and interesting jacket

Pretty much. The instability will be televised. Or, put another way, for tonight, tomorrow, and the next day--Tuesday through Thursday, essentially--starting at six pm SLT, and going until two am SLT each night, there will be live maintenance. Expect rollbacks, expect unstable sims, expect random restarts, expect a total lack of expected functionality. The usual cautions apply--don't buy anything, don't build anything, don't rez out anything; in fact, try not to be in world if you can at all avoid it.

And now, a bit of relevant conversation from late last night:

[02:49] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i wonder.. if we should rp victorian more seriously?
[02:50] Mxxx Mxxxxxxx: more comically, I think :)
[02:50] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i was just looking at [someone's elaborate [victorian] home..
[02:50] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: they came here expecting to live in [victorian] times.
[02:50] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: or maybe [hoping] too.
[02:51] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: and here we are not doing the rp

Oh, how this takes me back. It seems like only decades ago, I was discussing this very issue on the blog--and wondering aloud how we went from polite, courteous neo-Victorians to the current state of lolpeople-conversation day by day. The strange thing is that the blog entry I'm pulling as an example isn't close to the first time I mentioned manners and etiquette on the blog--but even knowing that, it still goes back to mid-June of 2009.

Nearly three years ago at this point. I was still working for Radio Riel. Hells, I was still living in Caledon. It's bizarre.

[02:54] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i was feeling bad for breaking their victorian mood.
[02:56] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: I don't RP. I might not be [in a given occupation] in RL, but I am as you find here.
[02:57] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: but maybe we should?
[02:57] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: at least a little...
[02:57] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i wonder how hard that would be?
[02:57] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: hmm cheerio?

I am genuinely torn between wanting to weep for the future of civility, and wanting to rampantly encourage any effort towards Victorian/steampunk presentation. I think the weeping is that this gentle seems rather woefully lost in terms of Victorian RP at all, and it occurs to me--far from the first time--to wonder how are people finding Caledon, wanting to move and live in that environment, if they know nothing of Victorian culture?

[02:57] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: That would depend how much you know about the world you're portraying
[02:57] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i dont know what victorians would say?
[02:58] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: not much... actually i should take it as a learning experience and do research on them.

It is never a bad idea to research just about anything. If one has an interest, one should pursue that interest. I consider adult life to be one long learning experience, but then, I enjoy looking things up, reading for pleasure, and finding out new things. Some people don't.

[02:58] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: Which ones? I knew relatives who'd been alive during the Victorian times and apart from my country burr, they spoke much as I do.
[02:58] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: did they have a more strict code of behavior thought? and more codified ... speech?
[02:58] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: Although I do remember my grandmother and her sister pronouncing "off" as "orf"
[02:59] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: like rules?
[02:59] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: They took great care with their manners in public, if that's what you mean.
[02:59] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: yes!
[02:59] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: that is it.
[02:59] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: hmm like only talk about the weather?

What slightly pained me about watching this conversation unfold last night was her wholly innocent bewilderment about the entire topic under discussion. Remember, this is a resident who chose to move to Caledon, over other estates. She wanted to be a part of the culture, the land, the people. While that's laudable--and believe me, Caledon needs every resident she can get, in these frightening times--it's also still confusing.

Think of it like...someone who moved to a trailer park that was devoted to southern Florida's early 1960s culture, in both presentation, lawn decoration, and age of residents, yet prior to this they had only lived in a Manhattan high-rise.

[03:00] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: mr. wxxxxxx? why do you think they were more careful about their interactions?
[03:05] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: Infinitely
[03:05] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: everything was said with the deliberate avoidance of giving offence, unless one meant to
[03:06] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: Something was not "ugly," it was "interesting"
[03:06] Emilly Orr smiles. And even then, giving offense was deliberate, intentional, and also usually courteous, if savagely so.
[03:06] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: The famous "understatement"
[03:06] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx chuckles @ Miss Orr. The REAL masters were those who could give offense obliquely, so the victim wasn't sure what was meant.
[03:06] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: hmm so when they said something was interesting... they meant ugly?
[03:07] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: It could mean either, Miss Cxxxxxxxxx. Much depended on inflection and body language, which can be hard to bring off here
[03:07] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: ooh yes.. that would be difficult.
[03:07] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: hmm.. i guess they will have to be content with having a victorian house...

I wonder if anyone's ever given thought to offering courses at Oxbridge on correct behavior and deportment. Would that help?

[03:07] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: A diplomatic......... pause was useful, for example.
[03:08] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: ooh effective even here, mr wxxxxxx!
[03:08] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx nods. It tells the listener that "something isn't quite right here."
[03:09] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: do you think the body language was different or more subtle?
[03:09] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: Not at all, really
[03:09] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: Much depended on the circles in which you moved
[03:09] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: how so?
[03:10] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: Well, just as it does now. An east end costermonger would hardly have spoken the same way as, say, a Mayfair hostess
[03:10] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: ooh like my fair lady?
[03:11] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: Right.

I will give this young lady full props for this--she's asking the right questions. She seems to genuinely want to learn how to behave in a more Victorian manner, which is the first I've seen of this behavior for far too many months. In its own way, it's refreshing...but I'm enough of a cynic to believe it won't last.

[03:11] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: was it really difficult to change classes?
[03:11] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: in pygmyllion it seemed kind of far fetched..
[03:11] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: The costermonger would have been more blunt; the hostess more florid. Certain expressions were studiously avoided if they alluded to things about which one did not talk. Affectations, in other words.
[03:11] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: *shaw was victorian.
[03:12] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: hmm...
[03:12] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: ...... although he outlived the era by nearly fifty years, yes.
[03:12] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: (1856?-1950)
[03:12] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: i got the impression he carried that over
[03:12] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: he seemed stern and kind of ridged...

I believe she meant "rigid", there. I've corrected some spelling now and again, but that's an entirely different word.

(Oh, and while investigating for examples of accents, I came across this again, which remains delightful, and quite well done. Miss Walker is now teaching particulars in how to master certain accents on her website, and, for collectors of sounds preserved on vinyl, she's put out a pressing priced very reasonably.)

[03:12] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: Many did. Our parents spoke much as their parents did, and we learned in turn from them.
[03:13] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: The Victorians were quite judgmental, yes. There was more emphasis on conformity.
[03:14] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: that is really awesome you have met actual victorians.
[03:14] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: is there anything that you noticed that was different... that stood out?
[03:15] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx shudders. Living in an age that prides itself on its "progressiveness," I take great solace in that.
[03:15] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: Attention to detail, Miss. Even the "lower orders" wouldn't shout across the room, "Do you take sugar?" They'd have offered you a sugar bowl.
[03:16] Cxxxxxxxxx Rxxxxxxx: hmm so manners were more uniform and people actually used them.. unlike now...
[03:17] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx nods. Even the "lower orders" took pride in everyday courtesies.
[03:17] Emilly Orr: There are scattered enclaves where manners are still respected, but in the main, you're correct.
[03:17] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx nods to Miss Orr, trying to remain a proud enclave himself.
[03:18] Emilly Orr fails more than she succeeds, but she does try.

To be fair, I think most of the time, in person (or on the grid), I manage at least snippy tolerance, if not outright civility and restraint; but I've slipped severely on the blog, both in terms of casual address and in terms of cursing. I get frustrated. I admit this. And while I was raised by a parent who forwent harsh language herself, when I hit my early twenties, my friends set was quite given to cursing as a standard of expression. Who we surround ourselves with mold us as adults, as well as as children.

[03:18] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: Much of it was brought about by circumstances, though; they mended things rather than threw them away, and the family unit was tighter and more coherent then.
[03:18] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: Much of it was brought about by circumstances, though; they mended things rather than threw them away, and the family unit was tighter and more coherent then.
[03:19] Emilly Orr: Part of that was due to fewer provisions for divorce, or even annulment.
[03:19] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: Miss Orr! I'd hardly have said that YOUR deportment was in any way a failure! (cuts a bow)
[03:19] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: Right; until 1857 Divorce in England could only be obtained through an act of parliament.
[03:19] Emilly Orr curtseys and thanks you.
[03:20] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: And with no old age pensions, the old folk were either looked after in the family unit, or consigned to the workhouse - often voluntarily
[03:20] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: Children were raised in ways that would seem brutal to today's "progressives," but then children were seen as ambassadors for the parents.
[03:21] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: Thus, a wayward child was a disgrace.

This is chief in understanding much of Victorian culture. Work was paramount--even people we'd classify today as homeless, for the most part, avoided begging by any means necessary--selling flowers, matches, stale bread for feeding the birds--whatever, however, they could earn their own sustenance honestly, most gentles did so. Even in an era with such strict class separation, and an immense amount of prejudice on all sides, this stood out. To make one's own way in the world was considered vital, and occasionally above all other considerations--including love (largely discounted), marriage and parenting.

[03:21] Emilly Orr: The age to begin working was also lower.
[03:21] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: Ohhh yes
[03:22] Emilly Orr is still not entirely convinced that's a bad idea.
[03:22] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: I've a copy of my great-uncle's medical certificate from 1898, which he needed before starting work at age 13
[03:22] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: I don't believe it is, Miss Orr. They learned responsibility from an early age.
[03:23] Emilly Orr: My grandfather--though anything but Victorian--left home at nine. By eleven, he was working as a cook on a wagon train; by thirteen, he was on a ranch as a cowhand.
[03:23] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx whistles with respect. I would point out that my own background is almost entirely London-centric.
[03:24] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: I don't claim to speak on behalf of any other cultures
[03:25] Axxxxxxx Wxxxxxx: Here, the 1870 Education Act made /some/ difference, but kids would still bunk off school to work.

It wasn't that schoolchildren didn't value education--in many cases, in both upper- and lower-classes, they did--but the value of their work towards supporting their families and keeping everyone out of the poorhouse was viewed as a greater priority than learning abstract things they may or may not ever use in their day to day existence.

Overall, I'd say I'm happy to have been logged in last night, to watch this conversation unfold, but there's still more work to be done before the Caledon that was, returns.

(from the scavenging albumn)

I know, I know, they're mannequins, I get that...but this is still creepy.

And while searching down when I first mentioned the diminishing state of Caledonian courtesy, I also ran across this from January 2010: so for more than two years now Caledonian shifts to welcome hubs--when those sims go down--have been shifting to Arapaima Safe Hub, on the Zindra continent. More than two years of solid complaints, and the Lindens still haven't even bothered to look into this.

I mention this now, because with the grid instability to come over the next three days, potentially a great many avatars will be shunted to Arapaima. Good luck, gentles--you may need it.

more gently than anyone, call out my name

[Broadcast] Applebloom: {Lv24 team LFM} Hiya everypony! Ah don't suppose y'all would mind comin' along with me for a mission or few? Ah don't care how strong you are, 'long as we get to have fun!
[Broadcast] Literal Lass: Every....pony? You are prepared to be shot on sight, right?

No, no, NO--NO Bronys in City of Heroes!

Party at Jensen's! Otherwise known as, what happens if you kill fifty people, and then let ragdoll physics take over? It's almost awe-inspiring, and deeply absurd.

Speaking of deeply absurd, get prepared for the single most awesome Skyrim mod you've ever heard--and trust me, you want to hear this one--Project Pew. Pew pew pew pew. Hee.

"I present to you the most awkward encounter in the history of everything." Likely hyperbole, but funny nonetheless. In every combat game, there has to be a resident Stiv, right? This player is that man.

For more adventures of Not-Stiv, I'd like to finish with his instructive, step by step video for How to Helicopter. There you go--everything you need to know, all in one place, about how to fly badly, crash into things, and terrorize your friends. I'm sure there's at least one person who deeply needs this information.

Unless that person is Stiv. In that case, he likely already does this.

On a slightly more serious note--and pulling on crafting excellence--may I present to you the homemade Tardis phone charger. Yes, thank you, I would like that on my desk. I'll get right on making one.

The most terrifying lamp in all of existence now exists--and if you know anything about Half Life, the game, you'll know exactly why that's so terrifying. (Even if all you know about Half-Life is the Full Life Consequences version, that's still a terrifying lamp.)

Finally, proving that there is, in fact, a Tumblr for everything...let me introduce you to Hugh Murphy, who sketches T-Rex dinosaurs trying to do things with their tiny, tiny arms.

I was disappearing in plain sight

This article bothers me, and on more than one level. First, it was written recently, which means this is an educational demonstration taking place in part of the virtual world long after education was primally discarded by the Lindens, and post-Teen Grid collapse. (Which I admit still irks me beyond all reason, as it was something that Philip Linden swore to us he would never do, before reversing himself and saying that it was perfectly okay to merge Teen and Adult grids, because seriously, what could go wrong?)

But the most galling thing about that article is that, two-thirds of the way through, the writer comments that fifth graders are the best age to embrace Second Life--because "who knows more" than a fifth grader? And yet the article starts by mentioning how much the writer's third grade student loves Second Life.

Granted, in the main the discussion centers on a specific, highly restricted form of SL, and I'm not even sure that actually exists, in terms of the main grid. It may be entirely separated servers, specifically designed for that museum project. But the average age of a fifth grader in the USA is ten. Ten. And the average age of a third grade student is eight.

I'm still here, I still log into SL, I don't do a lot beyond clear my IMs and clean out old inventory at the moment, but there are things I would likely enjoy doing. And maybe, someday, I'll get back to the point where I want to go to dances, or participate in events. Maybe even make things for sale again, or just play about making things for me. But I am well over the age of majority; anything I choose to do in Second Life, regardless of the type of content, is solely my responsibility.

Setting ten-year-olds--and even worse, eight-year-olds--free to roam the wilds of SL is a terrifying concept. Start to finish.

And this is why Facebook is dangerous.

Also, according to this Reddit thread, double doors in Minecraft might start working much better than they do now: with the added feature set in 1.2 of splitting door data between upper and lower sets, they'll now hinge properly and effectively when set up, as opposed to one side reading always as 'closed' and one side reading always as 'open'.

Which is just in time for the other new feature coming up in Minecraft: zombies being able to knock down doors. So good timing, Mojang. Glad you're pushing both of those out at the same time.

And--while I don't normally get into RL politics on this blog--this hurt my brain too much not to share.

There are folks in Wales building hobbit holes. Not even kidding. The one featured at the moment is gorgeous, and very eco-friendly. Also, speaking of ecology, there's at least one purple squirrel in Pennsylvania. I really can't add anything to that.

ankles displayed, melodramatically laid

So, I found I still had a desire to see what was in the Carrot House, and, after much internal hemming and hawing, off I went.

(from the bizarre album)

And there it was, in all its immensity. When I ported to the center of the sim, things didn't even have to fully rez in before I knew where I was headed. It's monolithic. It's immense. It's beyond huge.

(from the bizarre album)

Thankfully, I don't get pregnant that easily.

(from the bizarre album)

The mariachi offerings still make me headtilt. I didn't realize there was a demand for mariachi performers in SL.

(from the bizarre album)

Apparently, only people with the most up-to-date equipment and fastest internet connections should adopt babies from her monolithic tower. That leaves out...most of the grid, actually.

(from the bizarre album)

Some of the precious treasures referenced above. While Miss Karu does state that any baby can be made neko, mermaid, vampire, undead or multi-hued at the touch of the HUD, she doesn't say that even with that level of customization, they all...pretty much...look like this.

(from the bizarre album)

And then the copyright infringement started! First with Shrek and Fiona (and it's a good thing, Jenia, you picked a Dreamworks project; Disney's lawyers tend towards the feral)...

(from the bizarre album)

...and then with wee li'l Na'vi bébés to boot. (But then, why am I surprised? It seems like a third of the grid, easy, wants to be Na'vi in every detail.)

Now, to her credit, she's been running this business for two years, apparently. And she's not new; she's been kicking around the grid since 2008. More to the point, she's fully committed to working with Mikela Isle's Estate Manager to relocate her--and that stunningly bright, overlarge tower (seven floors! not kidding!)--from Mikela's commercial, partially themed property to one of Solace's light-covenant parcels, where things like the Carrot Monolith won't necessarily stand out. So much.

I mean, it'll stand out. That thing is designed to stand out. Just...not as obviously on a light-covenant sims, where the rules are pretty relaxed about what can--and can't--sit on the sim.

I'll let you know where she moves.

In the meantime, from SL architecture to RL architecture, how does living in a fortress appeal? Apparently, to those Warsaw natives, it appeals just fine. Clean lines (though admittedly blocky construction) and lots of glass give an open-air feel when the house is open; but it closes up tight like a solid concrete brick when it's closed. Defensible? Absolutely. Pretty? In spots. But it's built so sturdily that even a tank would find it difficult to break in. Which may be the point, honestly...

And I am doing my best to angle for this mug set. The beauty of that one is they'd look just as good on a bookshelf, than as a mug set in the kitchen!

At least...until they're filled with beverages that should likely be kept farther away from the books...

Lastly, from the depths of the spam folder, I thought this was too amusing not to mention:

From: NENA (spamdejieff@live.fr)
To: prashantkpatel (prashantkpatel@gmail.com)
Date: Jun 22

I am someone's perfect girl.
I hoard books.
I read news all the time.
I subscribe to several magazines and newspapers, not because I have time to
read all of them, but because I like to think I do.
I'm a self-described coffee and cupcake addict.
I'm not an alcoholic, but I do love good beer, good wine and a good time.
I go to plays and musicals because I love them.
I dance because it's fun.
I sing because that's just what I do.
I kind of hate modern art (something my friends like to poke at when they
bring me to various museums).
I overanalyze Lost. I sing along to Glee. I wish I worked at the Buy More.
I'm a nerd, in the "Star Wars is awesome, Star Trek is too, and I think I'd
like Battlestar Galactica if I ever got around to watching it" way.
I Love Harry Potter. No, seriously. Love. Capital "L."
I'm probably the biggest sap you'll ever meet.
I find kids and babies adorable. I don't want my own any time soon, but I
do want them.
I like pretty things. Shoes. Photographs. Pieces of furniture.
I don't like cats because I'm allergic, but I can't wait for the day that I
can get a puppy.
I'm living the dream when it comes to my career, but even I know that
there's something more I need to strive for. I just have to figure out what
that is.
I love baseball and college football, but fair warning, I'm didn't grow up
on the East Coast, so I probably don't like your team(s).
I'm not hot. Pretty, sure. Cute, yes. Hot, not so much. And I'm OK with
that.
My profile is [not included and pretty much unnecessary to mention]

I'm really not sure who this is supposed to be targeting, in all honesty, because the title of this 'dating' pitch?

submisive men seduce me

Ooookay then. So if your thing is geeky under-educated quirky pet-yearning sentimental cupcake-loving cute sports fans, wau, does NENA have your number. Write Jieff--er, I mean, NENA--today!

I was cold and you were fire

So, in the midst of some personal changes, I decided to rebuild the skybox. I'm still deciding what I want to put out on ground level in Winterfell, now that Samhain has come and gone (I haven't gotten around to removing the talking well from Caledon Morgaine; first, I like the way it looks there, and second, the property is still technically for sale).

(I say technically not because I'm contemplating pulling it off the market, but because I've had nary a nibble of interest. Honestly? Don't expect to, either. It's a hard, hard grid for land sales at present.)

I know, most gentles on the grid wouldn't choose black as the starting point for a holiday retreat. But then, I've never been most gentles.

The black wood for the walls, floor and ceiling came from inSight Designs. The stained glass inserts in the walls came from Twisted Thorn Textures. Side one of the skybox contains the little gold 'gloo' tree given out in 2008 as a group gift for New Trails, and an incense bowl I've had for at least four years, made by Azrazael Maracas. The reindeer wreath on that side comes via Prim & Pixel Paradise (it was made by Karra Babii). The skull-and-cane decorations came from Post Mortem Creations. The large holly wreath is from Niven Designs. The smaller skull-and-black-holly wreath I acquired last year at the Soup Kitchen.

I think it came together nicely.

And the inspiration for rebuilding, the De Baza winter fireplace. I honestly don't know if she has it for sale; I got an advance copy, because she's going to be one of the stops on the Twisted Thorn Christmas hunt beginning in December, and I'm tossing around the idea of being another stop.

But it's lovely, it goes perfectly with the black wood, it's double-sided, and all of that decorated pretty is just nineteen prims. Yes, seriously.

unfortunately someone's creeping on the floor

Went searching for haunted houses today, partially to spur me into action haunting my own parcel, and partially because...well, 'tis the season, innit? So off we go searching for haunts.



Maison du Mort, AV Puli Animation's offering for the season, did not disappoint. It's a sedate little haunted house, replete with quirky little props, but with an eye for detail--the rope tying the porch together, the Magic 8 Ball that actually has the ink and floating pyramid seen from the 'shake and look' view--that is, in some locations, sadly lacking these days.



There are, of course, expected--and unexpected!--things to interact with and sit upon--like this crafty mirror--and the feel of the place as a whole is very autumnal, very abandoned old house.



Did I mention the unexpected? But all in all, start to finish, wonderful texturing, some fun fool-the-eye details, and some lovely drifting haunts. I recommend walking through this one, highly.

Next up: SiNNful Beach's haunted house. I admit, I had a pang of strong doubt, considering the name, but they managed to surprise me.



Fun start to finish, the traditional graveyard outside, followed by the haunted mansion--mayhap a bit too much emphasis on Ramos Designs props, but hey. They're running with the Haunted Mansion Ramos is selling this year, it's only fair.



I can't be sure, of course, but it feels very much as if the builder bought the Mansion--it comes unfurnished, but for the built-in fireplace, and, of course, the animated blood tunnel deep inside the house--and then bought nearly one of everything Ramos is selling this year. Sitll, all in all, it works to their advantage, more than it detracts.



If anything, the only thing that does feel a bit contrived is their paintings, scattered liberally throughout the house. It's like they pulled up Google Images and typed in 'scary', and downloaded everything that showed up between pages one and five. There's a lot of haunted paintings here, and they just seem to have zero theme behind them. Woman on fire on one floor, emo moping boy in a hoodie across the room, haunted sepiatones in the parlor, Jonathan Frid by the coffins. No rhyme or reason.

But it's a good use of ten or fifteen minutes, and you won't regret it.

I have a couple more we hit tonight, but it's nearly six in the morning, and I am very tired. They'll have to wait until tomorrow.