Mm20050906

Tuesday, September 6, 2005

A Second Life Publication

Free The “Best of Second Life” contest begins in this issue

Inside

By GEORGE BACKBITE Staff writer

Game development competition winner announced - Page 10

Sports THE WEBCOMIC “Plywood,” created by Chrestomanci Bard (L) and Moriash Moreau (R), debuts in today’s issue of the Messenger. - Photo by PHOENIX PSALTERY.

Water polo makes a splash - Page 9

FYI Several Hurricane Katrina events are planned to raise money for those left destitute because of the storm.

Check the events listings to find fundraising events.

Index Perspectives . . . . . . . . . Page 2 Comics .. . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 4 Entertainment News . . . . Page 4 Lifestyles. . . . . . . . . . . . Page 6 Sports . .. . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8 More News . . .. . . . . . . . Page 12

Web Poll Go to our website at www.metaversemessenger. com to participate in our online poll.

This week’s question: “How do you feel about the removal of the ratings system?"

Look for the results from last week’s poll on Page 9.

About Us Volume 1, No. 4 Second Life The Metaverse Messenger Sido (169, 195) Rose from Ash Publishing

Plywood Comic Creators Spill The Beans

By PHOENIX PSALTERY Staff Writer "Plywood," created by Nathan Walton and Monica Young, AKA Moriash Moreau and Chrestomanci Bard, becomes part of the Messenger’s regular features with today’s issue.

When asked how the idea first arose to do a comic strip set in Second Life, Moreau, a SL member since New Year’s Day 2005, said, "The short answer is that I saw ‘Second Theory’ and e-mailed Chres, and said ‘Hey! We ought to do that!’ The longer answer is I’ve been reading comic books… for decades, so all my stories come in picture form. This was perfect, because I have no artistic skill… our actual drawing skills are around the stick figure aesthetic."

Moreau and Bard openly reveal their real names on the "Plywood" website, saying "I guess we’re pretty much in the open now...

Hamlet Linden "outed" us, as it were."

Moreau describes the premise of "Plywood" as "Boy meets world." Bard said that Jon Benton, the strip’s main character, is "a newbie... the first comic strip is his first day in SL, and then it goes from there... the people he meets, the experiences he has... not unlike that which most of us end up dealing with at some point or another."

Moreau describes "Plywood" as being "about SL in the same way "Friends" was

about New York." The strip is very character-driven, but there are things that you probably have to be an SLer to appreciate.

Moreau and Bard said that a typical strip takes four to six hours to produce, not including plotting and scriptwriting.

"Probably another 2 hours per strip, maybe a bit more in the beginning. That’s from start of filming to upload to website.

The scripts… consume a ridiculous amount of time in e-mails and general puttering."

When asked if they had considered attempting to translate the "Plywood" premise and characters to a television show for the upcoming SLTV network, Moreau said, "Oh, sure, if it comes up. But our formula isn’t exclusive or anything. A group of friends hang out in SL. Seems like folks could easily come up with their own versions. Heck, there’s already "Red vs. Blue" and "The Strangerhood."

Bard added, "That, and... I don’t know, I’m kind of attached to the characters we came up with. I think that our experience with stereotypes make them who they are; if someone else were to take over them, it wouldn’t be the same."

Be sure to watch for the continuing adventures of Jon and friends in "Plywood," every week in the Metaverse Messenger.

The complete interview with Moreau and Bard can be found on the Messenger’s website at www.metaversemessenger.com.

The Metaverse Messenger proudly announces the beginning of "The Best of Second Life," a contest in which Messenger readers pick their favorites in a variety of categories.

Katt Kongo, the newspaper’s publisher, said that the contest will be a lot of fun. "Unlike many contests that only have one category to pick your favorites in, the ‘Best of’ is a type of readers’ choice awards," she added.

Ballots for the contest will appear in this issue, and the Sept. 13 issue as well. "We’ll announce the winners in the Sept. 20 issue," said Kongo.

To vote, readers simply cut and paste the ballot into an e-mail form and send it to BestOfSL@metaversemessenger.com. The ballot can be found on page 6.

Readers can also write-in categories that they feel are missing from the ballot and enter a vote in that category, said Kongo. This will only be an option in the Sept. 6 issue though.

The winners in each category will receive certificates and discounted rates on advertising in the Messenger.

SLRR bids are awarded

By KATIER REITVELD Staff writer The Second Life Railroad neared completion on Aug. 26 as the winners of the SLRR station contest saw their stations placed at the correct locations along the railroad line.

This followed announcement of the five winners earlier in the week

by Nigel Linden. The competition was intense with over 50 entrants spread accross the five locations.

The winners were selected from many excellent entries, and were as follows: At station 1, in Tuliptree, Sam Portocarrero produced a modern station which appeared to get the inspiration for its roof design from a suspension bridge, although Portocarrero was unavailable for comment.

The second station, Calleta, was

See SLRR, Page 12

Burning Life rages on

By KATIER REITVELD Staff writer The Burning Life festival, a collection of exhibits of collaborative art and expression, officially opens on Sept. 5.

Maxx Monde has been putting the finishing creations to his selfdescribed "definitely abstract in a sense, perhaps even alien" creation.

Monde also stated in reference to the other exhibits, "I think what is more important is the desire of the participants to make something unique, which I think you see all around you."

One exhibit, "The Water of Life"

by Grimalkin Thereian, has caused some controversy on the forums. .

Thereian said, "The large granite

phallic symbol was built to look like a natural formation; it represents the natural desires and sensuality we as humans enjoy and depend on for continuation of our kind.

The water flowing freely is that desire. The pool, which is built of marble and gold, in contrast to the natural stone, contains that [which] symbolizes the way we seek to contain and control our desires."

There was some indication that Thereian would be asked to remove it, but it turned out that there was a bit of a mixup, and LL has now stated that this exhibit is not too explicit for Burning Life.

Among the other exhibits is a build by Lash Xevious. This was particularly thought provoking and

See LIFE, Page 12

THE “WATER of Life” build by Grimalkin Thereian caused a bit of controversy on the forums when it was reported that LL deemed the structure “too explicit.” More photos can be viewed on page Photo by KATT KONGO.

Perspectives Page 2

The Metaverse Messenger

Sido (169, 195)

September 6, 2005

A Bird’s Eye View Observations on Second Life and its denizens

By Phoenix Psaltery

The Power Of An Idea: Ruminations On The Metaverse Every great result begins with one thing: a concept. An idea. Without the ability to imagine that which no one else has imagined before, no new thing would ever come about.

The difference between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom (no offense to furries) is the incredibly powerful computer that each of us possesses.

No, not the one on your desk that you’re reading this column on — the three pound mass of grey neural cells that’s inside your skull.

More powerful than the greatest supercomputer, it not only controls both the voluntary and involuntary functions of your body as well as providing an interface to the outside world through the five (some claim six) senses, but it has more storage capacity and faster data access capability than any hard drive in existence.

Stephen King once wrote that “the mind is a monkey,” and indeed it is, able to leap mind boggling distances from topic to topic, sometimes at the most unexpected times and in response to the most unlikely stimuli.

It is this biological supercomputer that has elevated human society above its primitive beginnings, through the ability to conceive concepts both abstract and concrete.

Inventions ranging from the wheel to the microprocessor came about from the ability of the human mind to wrap itself around an idea and bring it to fruition.

Look at far we have advanced in just twenty-five years in one particular area that is important to all SLers: the field of computers.

IBM’s first PC reached the market in 1984 and utilized a micro-

processor that ran at 4.7 megahertz — that’s 4.7 million instructions per second. Pretty impressive for 1980’s technology. It had no hard disk, only a 5¼” floppy drive.

From those bad old days of running BASIC routines, VisiCalc, and WordStar, flash forward to the PC’s twenty-first birthday — 2005.

Today we have access to PCs with CPUs that run at nearly 4 gigahertz — that’s four BILLION instructions per second, a thousand times faster than the original PCs. From the old amber, green, or B&W monochrome monitors, we have graduated to high-resolution, flat screen panels that are capable of displaying incredibly detailed, full color, high resolution images, including the seemingly infinite parade of textures that come together to make up the world we know as Second Life.

The very name of this paper refers to yet another concept, which most, though perhaps not all, readers of this paper will be familiar with.

The common definition of a “metaverse” is a virtual world that is substantially indistinguishable from reality, or so immersive as to make the differences moot.

The more far-reaching implications, however, include the concept that it is possible to use this virtual world to conduct real-world business, such as the ability to hold staff meetings in a virtual office with employees who are scattered around the real-world globe — which, in fact, is a weekly occurrence for the Messenger staff, not to mention the ability to conduct commerce in a manner that will allow any metaverse user worldwide to easily access your business.

See BIRD’S EYE, Page 10

Aluria’s Address This week Phillip Linden held a town hall meeting to discuss the upcoming currency exchange system to be incorporated into the SL user interface, and how it might effect such businesses as GOM. I was at that meeting, and came away with several impressions. The first impression I had was that Phillip Linden was unwilling to be open about the talks with GOM. His reasoning was privacy, but it came across as corporate butt covering. Any pointed question about the upcoming currency exchange, or the talks with GOM, were sidestepped completely, with vague answers or creative misreading of intent.

When I asked, "Will Linden Lab set a base rate for L$ at which other businesses such as GOM, IGE or new blood to the field will be able to speculate and attempt to make a profit? If so, how will LL handle currency valuation issues?"

Phillip Linden replied, "Again, sellers will set prices; we will not hold, create L$, or make a market."

The Metaverse Messenger Sido (169, 195) E-mail: mm@metaversemessenger.com Website: www.metaversemessenger.com Publisher: Katt Kongo Associate Publisher: Phoenix Psaltery Composition: Katt Kongo Phoenix Psaltery Publishing Assistant: Aluria Quatro Office Manager: George Backbite Advertising: Phoenix Psaltery

Distribution: Lola Rosebud News Editor: Katier Reitveld Staff Writers: Katt Kongo Phoenix Psaltery Katier Reitveld Aluria Quatro Sports: Porcospino Brocco

The Metaverse Messenger is published once each week on Tuesday for $L0 per year in Second Life.

Subscribers send an e-mail to subscribe@metaversemessenger.com with avatar’s name. Any erroneous reflection upon the character, standing or reputation of any person, firm or corporation, which may occur in the columns of The Metaverse Messenger, will be gladly corrected upon being brought to the attention of the publisher(s).

The publisher is not responsible for copy ommissions or typographical errors which may occur other than to correct them in the nearest issue after it is brought to the publisher’s attention and in no case does the publisher hold him/herself liable for damages further than the amount received by him for actual space covering the error.

Copright © 2005.The entire contents of this publication are copyrighted by The Metaverse Messenger and the Rose from Ash Publishing Company. No material may be reproduced without the expressed written permission of the publisher.

by Aluria Quatro

This answer seems a bit wrong, as LL does make L$ weekly, in the form of the stipend given to each player.

Jarod Godel asked Phillip Linden, "Why didn't you do this in the beginning, like (SL competitor) There?

Were GOM and IGE 'market research?'"

Phillip Linden replied, "We didn't think that much about it. We weren't sure how quickly the L$ would really become valuable as US$, and GOM came around really early and started doing it. I can't remember the exact date. It was surprising to see such a large amount of trading early on! We didn't think US$ trading would become as relevant as quickly.

So we didn't think it was a priority."

This seems a bit odd to me, as it has been an obvious trend in the MMO market to trade virtual currency for real world currency, as far back as the inception of Ultima Online. Not thinking that it would become relevant, or that it would be on the market quickly, seems to

show a lack of research by Linden Lab, or naivety.

I asked Phillip Linden, "Does LL have an economist in house now, or has it been overlooked? If LL does, who is it?"

Linden replied, "I am still looking for an external economist to serve as an advisor. Feel free to send along ideas. But no, we don't have anyone yet."

Another oddity -- Linden Lab has no economist in house, nor any idea who to recruit to fill the post. Yet they are getting into the economy in a big way by introducing their integrated version of what GOM and IGE have been doing for some time.

By Phillip Linden's own admission, LL didn't think L$ sales would be relevant, and were surprised how quickly it became relevant. And refuses to discuss what LL talked to GOM about, while GOM espouses their version of events, which puts LL in a very bad light.

See ADDRESS, Page 11

Our policy pertaining to letters: The Metaverse Messenger accepts letters to the editor/publisher from our readers. Letters must include a valid SL name and an e-mail address. All letters will be verified before being published, and only letters that address SL matters will be accepted. To submit your letter, either send it via a notecard in-world, with “Letter to editor” in the file name or e-mail it.

September 6, 2005 The Metaverse Messenger Page 3

Entertainment Page 4

The Metaverse Messenger

Sido (169, 195)

September 6, 2005

Dark Dreams moves to new location

By KATIER REITVELD Staff writer

JESSE MURDOCK AND Maureen McLean celebrate the success of Bad Girls Dance and Fetish Club. - Courtesy Photo.

Bad Girls takes number one spot on Popular places list

By GEORGE BACKBITE Staff writer Bad Girls Dance and Fetish Club claimed the top spot on the list of Popular Places Friday with numbers in excess of 40,000.

Maureen McLean, the club’s general manager, said, "We were talking in TeamSpeak, and Jesse [Murdock, club owner] said, ‘Mo, we did it.’ I just knew what he meant."

McLean, who describes herself as goal oriented, said she set a goal to make it to number 20 on the popular places list, then when she met that goal, she replaced it with the goal to reach number ten.

She attributes the club’s success to determination. "Jesse and I wanted to create a fun club with good people and no drama. I heard it couldn’t be done. I wanted to prove everyone wrong," she said.

Murdock said having the number one club in SL feels incredible. "I couldn't have done it without the rest of the team, though, and, of course, all of our excellent patrons. We all made it to number one together and that I think is what feels the best," he said.

To elaborate on the reason that Bad Girls is so successful, Murdock said, "Friendliness, courtesy, professionalism, generosity, humor, originality (we try), maturity, all in all just

damn good people working towards a common goal - fun."

Moonshine Casino recently awarded Murdock a $L10,000 prize for beating Moonshine’s record in dwell. Murdock said that Moonshine Herbst claimed that Moonshine Casino had the highest ever dwell in SL at 36000.

"He then issued a challenge to anyone who could beat it and offered a $10,000L award to the winner," he added. "When Bad Girls went higher than that, he messaged me and told me about the contest, and I claimed it on the forum per the rules," said Murdock.

"And then [I] dropped it in a money ball, and fed out $5L every 20 seconds for the next 12 hours. [I] did the same thing the next day to celebrate the success of the day before," he laughed.

Murduck said his future plans for Bad Girls includes "maintaining the same fresh personality, more specifically, an ever changing one that evolves to provide the customer with the best possible club and social experience in SL." He added, "I believe change is good and a necessity for survival. So what's next? Something bad of course! At Bad Girls, bad is good!"

Editor’s Note: Maureen McLean has since left Bad Girls as its head manager.

The manager of Club Dark Dreams, Elle Zaftig, recently announced that the club has relocated after shutting its doors for a few days.

This was in response to feedback from visitors who tended to have difficulty finding the club from the waypoint.

The new location is a lot easier to find, being immediatly adjacent to the large floor area below the old

club location.

Inside the new location is the familiar dance floor with its mix of goth/BDSM theming, dance poles and cages.

The play rooms are no longer part of the main club, being now located in a sky box mansion, which may be used for specific events, with easily access and easy to find teleporter which the club dancers can point visitors to.

The club reopened on Aug. 26 with a day long, grand opening showing off the club and the mansion.

Slingo scores hit new high

By KATT KONGO Staff writer A new record in Slingo scores was reached recently when Namons Extraordinaire finished a game with 44,000 points.

"I finished the card in the absolutely last round, round 20. [I] got the 5000 plus 2000 for the two lines and the 200 for the final spot," said Extraordinaire, adding, "It was a

Joker that gave me the complete card."

The game took place at South Island (224,115), and Namons said he won "just $300 lindens... it was a small pot."

His high score did not go unnoticed.

"It was immediately announced over the South Island VIP group, so the host was quite excited," he said. "[I] got cheers from all over the place," he added.

The Metaverse Messenger A real newspaper for a virtual world

Having an event?

Want to tell everyone what happened at your last one?

E-mail us the details and we’ll publish it, free! events@metaversemessenger .com

September 6, 2005 The Metaverse Messenger Page 5

Lifestyles Page 6

The Metaverse Messenger

Sido (169, 195)

September 6, 2005

Lost in the Woods

The Scene

By Aluria Quatro

By Aluria Quatro This week's review is based on something soon to happen with me... weddings!

This week I've searched all over SL for places that are romantic, scenic, and lovely for weddings.

And of those places I've found, three have stood out from the others, and I'll be reviewing those this week.

First, Cocktails Ballroom & Wedding Chapel, (Phoenix Isle 77,174.

Cheronne Basset, owner of Cocktails, stated "It all started with me wanting a romantic place for me and my hubby. we loved it so much, we opened it up to the public."

The pastoral beauty of the sim is astounding, with the ballroom tastefully decorated, and both an indoor chapel and outdoor chapel for wedding ceremonies. Trees, fountains, scenic views, all make for a tranquil and lovely setting for a wedding.

I give Cocktails Ballroom & Wedding Chapel 5 stars, a first for me.

See SCENE, Page 11

Minogue ~ Quatro Mandee Minogue, born July 13, 2005, and Aluria Quatro, born July 20, 2005, of the Clan Minogue will be united in marriage on Tuesday, Sept. 6, at 5:15 p.m. at Perilous Pleasures on the Isle of Bliss. A collaring ceremony will also occur. Dress will be Roman/Greek, and a reception will follow.

Send your engagement and wedding announcements to lifestyles@metaversemessenger.com

Editor’s Note: The views expressed in this column does not necessarily reflect the views of this publication.

Additionally, this column is intended to provide helpful information and guidelines to those interested in the D/s and BDSM lifestyle, not as an advertisement for the lifestyle.

Before you get the wrong idea, this is NOT about getting lost amongst a bunch of trees and bushes.

This article is about getting lost in another sense -- a mental, emotional, and physical sense. (This article is written in regards to the SL life, though it holds for RL as well.)

The woods I'm talking about here aren't trees, as I've said before. What I am talking about is the lifestyle of D/s and BDSM. I am writing this in hopes that I can help people who are curious, new, forgetful or whatever.

Please read this with an open mind.

Many new people come into SL daily, while some have been here for what seems like ages. Everyone comes to enjoy themselves and do whatever they choose to do.

The great draw of SL is the freedom to do it all. Some people that

come here are RL lifestylers of D/s or BDSM. There are many that come here who have not had the courage to try it in their first life, and there are some who can not be a part of it in their first life, but are veterans of the lifestyle in SL. Read this next sentence closely.

Boys and girls, the lifestyles that I am talking about are not a game for everyone. It’s too bad a lot of people don't understand that.

Lost in the woods? Yeah! Some people come here with a real wish to experience the lifestyle in a way they feel is safe. Unfortunately, there are a lot of predators.

It is not just a first life thing when it comes to these type of people; many here have seen, heard about, and/or experienced these types of people -- thrill seekers, players, predators, and abusive people.

It seems way too easy to find those types. What is not so easy to find are the right people who take the lifestyle seriously.

Some of you reading this will be laughing, or thinking it's a joke. This

See LOST, Page 11

The Best of Second Life Clothing: Best designer of men s clothing ____________ Best designer of women s clothing __________ Best shoes ______________________________ Best boots _____________________________ Best wedding gown designer ______________ Accessories: Best hair _______________________________ Best tattoos ____________________________ Best jewelry ____________________________ Skins: Best female avatar skins __________________ Best male avatar skins ____________________ Best fur skins ___________________________ Best gothic skins ________________________ Best vampire skins _______________________ Places: Best museum ___________________________ Best night club __________________________ Best place to relax _______________________ Best residential community _______________ Best musical venue ______________________ Best casino _____________________________ Best sports venue ________________________

Best sim _______________________________ Favorite store __________________________ Favorite wedding chapel __________________ Favorite restaurant _______________________ Best rental property ______________________ Best banquet/reception hall _______________ Best sandbox ___________________________

People: Favorite Linden ________________________ Best live musician ______________________ Best live helper ________________________ Services: Radio station __________________________ Movie theater _________________________ SL fan site ____________________________ Newspaper ____________________________ Best photographer ______________________

Miscellaneous: Best free items __________________________ Best place to shop out-world (SL Store Website) _______________________________ Games: Best pose balls ___________________________ Best in-game game _____________________ Best genitalia ___________________________ Best place to play Slingo _________________ Best place to play Tringo _________________ Best NEW game ________________________ Creating the World: Best Builder _____________________________ Best Scripter ____________________________ Add your own categories here (make sure to Best animator ___________________________ include who you are voting for is those categories too) ____________________________ Transportation: ______________________________________ Best Automobile maker __________________ ______________________________________ Best Boats ______________________________ ______________________________________ Bests planes ____________________________ ______________________________________ ______________________________________

September 6, 2005 The Metaverse Messenger Page 7

September 6, 2005 The Metaverse Messenger Page 8

Sports Page 8

The Metaverse Messenger

Sido (169, 195)

September 6, 2005

Water polo makes a splash

By PORCOSPINO BROCCO Staff Writer

AN UNIDENTIFIED AVATAR shoots hoops at The Cage, a basketball court in Andromeda. The Cage has both free and upgraded L$25 versions of its scripted basketballs available. - Photo by GEORGE BACKBITE.

SL Gets A Basketball Jones

By GEORGE BACKBITE Staff Writer Pick-up game, H.O.R.S.E., or one-on-one. If those phrases make you perk up your ears and your hands itch to grab a basketball, you may want to head over to Andromeda and check out The Cage, a scripted basketball court run by Issues Ambassador.

The Cage is a no-fly area -- no

Michael Jordan-style long jumps here.

There is a free version of the scripted ball available, but it limits the player's capabilities, as it is not possible to pass the free ball to another player, nor to steal it.

A fully featured ball that allows all those tricks and more is available for L$25. If you're a devoted roundballer, check out The Cage, located in Andromeda (80,101).

In a world where Slingo and Quintzee now rule, there are still some innovative members of the community with original ideas that are still going strong to this day.

Though these games go relatively unnoticed without the glamour and bang of flash of their current day relatives, some can be found that still attract a following.

One such creation is Water Polo, which consists of two teams of even numbers; the players float in innertubes, with the objective of pushing the ball into their colored goal to score.

Usually played over two 5-minute periods, the game can be fast moving and full of teamwork, each team striving to score while blocking the opposing team from scoring.

Located in Lie (97,217) is BZ Beach Water Polo, the location for this long running event. The court itself consists of a large scoreboard, a large red M&M (which is the source of team jerseys and inner tubes), and the pool with red and white goals at opposing ends.

Credit for this game goes to Brock and Binnie Zander. Longtime citi-

AN UNKNOWN avatar enjoys a game of water polo at BZ Beach Water Polo. - Photo by PORCOSPINO BROCCO. zens of Second Life, the Zanders cre- similar to reality; players, when tryated water polo out of curiosity about ing to make a quick change in directhe SL world, seeing just how far it tion, will continue to move in the can go. direction they are going until they Enjoying some time playing with are able to reverse direction. the inner tubes that every citizen of The game is quite responsive, and SL is provided to start with, the cou- practice playing the sport will ple racked their brains to see how improve a player's reaction time and they could make their idea a reality. ability to defend the goal or steal the Recruiting the assistance of a ball. scripter, the Zanders explained the Since the realization and creation basis of their idea, describing the of water polo, Brock and Binnie workings of the game, wondering if Zander have been running events their idea was possible.

Monday through Friday evenings at The physics of the game are quite See POLO, Page 11

September 6, 2005 The Metaverse Messenger Page 10 BIRD’S EYE From page 2

THE GAME “Primmies” won the recent game developer competition. The game was created by a group headed by Jeffrey Gomez. Photo by KATIER REITVELD.

Primmies wins developer competition

By KATIER REITVELD Staff writer Reuben Linden recently announced the winner of the long running game developer competition first announced in late March 2005.

From their short list announced in April, the judges selected the 'Primmies' game, written by a team headed by Jeffrey Gomez, as the winner.

The game is a large 3D structure consisting of a small platform with the main controls at the side, from which a large 'map' is created.

The player attaches the game controller to himself and flies around the map guiding their Primmies around the game, from the start of the map to the destination, using various tools and specialized Primmies to assist.

Tools include ladders, turn blocks, and other devices that the Primmies need to get around obstacles.

The specialized Primmies have special features that allow them to bypass various traps and obstacles that cannot be negotiated with the tools only.

Jeffrey Gomez said, "In brief, how [the game] works is the equivalent of 'hypnotizing' LSL to make it do what it normally can't... [telling it] 'You will not suck at games. You will not suck at data transfer... at the count of three,'" referring to the limitations of the script language Gomez had to use.

Regarding the ideas and concepts behind the game, Gomez said, "...this is a really simple concept at heart. It's basically somewhere between Lemmings, Q-Bert, and a game called 'The Sentinel' in delivery."

Second place went to EVA, created by Gary Bukowski, which is a work of immersive fiction with alternate reality game elements. EVA is set inside Second Life, although game elements take place both in and out of world.

Third place went to Tiger Crossing's entry, The Board, which is a board game with the premise that evil magic has taken over the city, turning all residents into playing cards, and forcing outsiders to walk its tiled paths.

It is obvious that there are many enhancements and improvements that lie ahead for the emerging metaverse.

SL members have seen a lot of amazing innovations in our particular world in the last two years. But, if I may, let me present you with my particular vision of what the metaverse may someday be.

Think for a moment about how the use of the particular facet of the internet that we call the World Wide Web has advanced.

Fifteen years ago, when the internet had only recently been birthed from the government’s ARPAnet project, the web was a clunky, textbased system, full of silver backgrounds and black text, good for looking up information, but not much else.

Graphics and downloadable files were kept to a minimum, since most users were connecting to a server at the local university through a dial-up connection of 9600 bps or slower.

Today, the web has become ubiquitous — virtually every business of any size has its website at www.yourbusinessnamehere.com or something similar, including the Messenger.

Today you can sit in front of your computer, open the web browser of your choice, pull up any web site you like, browse the information there, download files, music, video, or even order merchandise with the click of a mouse. We take it completely for granted.

Imagine the day, which I predict

is not that far away, when the various entities that operate virtual worlds similar to SL will establish a standardized protocol for access to their environments.

This will make it unnecessary for you to have a specialized SL client, or a There client, or a TSO client.

Imagine if, today, you were required to use Microsoft Internet Explorer in order to view msn.com or Microsoft.com, but had to switch to Netscape to visit aol.com or netscape.com, and to Firefox to go to mozilla.com — sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? And yet that is how it is at present with SL and other virtual worlds.

Now imagine a few years from now, opening your virtual reality client software and entering the landscape of the virtual world referred to simply as the metaverse. Your exquisitely detailed avatar rezzes at your home location.

A synthesized voice whispers, “Welcome to Second Life. You are now at Sido 175,196.” (That’s the Messenger’s office address, if you’re wondering.)

You greet friends and others that you encounter in the area, just as you do now. Then it’s time to get things done; you begin to walk, fly, or drive in the manner of your choice across the virtual landscape.

Shortly you come to a colorful sign that says, “Welcome to THERE.” You cross over from Second Life to There to visit a friend.

Shortly thereafter, you resume your journey, and cross over another

border marker that says “You Are Entering TSO. Welcome to Jolly Pines.”

Each virtual world has differences in its nature, but your ability to enter and travel through them is seamlessly transparent.

And, finally, within the everexpanding world of the metaverse, there will be access to real-world retailers and other businesses.

Imagine, rather than visiting amazon.com on the web, entering a virtual Amazon Books & More store in the metaverse and being waited on by a customer service rep’s avatar!

Even beyond that, envision walking into a virtual grocer and selecting items from photorealistic grocery shelves, paying for your selections in a manner similar to what we are familiar with in SL, and having them delivered to your real world location in a matter of hours.

Some things won’t be much different in the metaverse than they are on the present-day internet — I predict that we’ll all snicker when we encounter the happy-faced avatars of residents of Yahoo World, and that we’ll still find MetAOLers, with their clunky, primitive-looking avatars, a pain in the rear.

In the flickering light of my computer screen, I smile, close my eyes, and see tomorrow’s virtual landscape… the metaverse, with beautiful meadows and flower gardens to enjoy, amazing cities, and, flooding in through the window of my virtual apartment in NYCOnline, the soft green glow of a *PREEN* store

When money walks....

Advertising talks

THE WINNING BUILDS for the SL Railroad were recently set up in their new locations. They are (clockwise from left) the Calleta station by Nimrod Yaffle, Tuliptree station by Sam Portocarrero, Neumoegen by Fallingwater Cellardoor, Obscure by Jauani Wu and Achemon by Pratyeka Muromachi. - Photos by KATIER REITVELD

September 6, 2005 The Metaverse Messenger Page 11 SCENE Inquiries on use of the Ballroom and Chapels should be sent to Cheronne Basset.

Next I headed over to a PG rated sim. Darkwood Cathedral and Medieval Towers, (DarkWood 153,153). This spot is a gothic castle/cathedral, decorated quite tastefully.

The music feed is quite moody.

Tracks from medieval themed movies play throughout the cathedral. It is definitely the perfect spot for a medieval themed wedding.

I give Darkwood Cathedral and medieval towers 3 1/2 stars. I would have rated it higher, but a PG sim limits some people. Inquiries on use of the cathedral should be sent to Rhiannon Chatnoir.

Last, but not least, is The Lost Gardens (Tuvan 107,147). This sim

ADDRESS Want a job at LL? Well if you're an economist, LL could use you. It seems that when they created a virtual world, they didn't think an economist would be useful.

Naive to not think of an economist when making a world with an economy. SL is an economists' playground -- no taxes, few money sinks, and an ever increasing amount of money 'in the system.'

Does LL want in on the profits GOM and IGE have been making for some time? In this writer's opinion, yes. But will it kill GOM and IGE? I

POLO

Lost

From page 6 is currently being moved to a new island location. The owner is hopeful it will be reopened very soon.

Ancient Roman/Greek in feel, with ruins, waterfalls, pools, lovely views, and other special and romantic locations hidden throughout.

The Lost Gardens have several lovely spots to hold a wedding ceremony, and to just relax and enjoy your time with loved ones. Dane Zander, the owner, was easy to talk to, answering a plethora of questions.

I give The Lost Gardens 5 stars, my second such rating. Inquiries into The Lost Gardens should be sent to Dane Zander.

If you have an establishment you would like to have reviewed, simply send an e-mail to thescene@metaversemessenger.com

From page 2 don't think so -- as long as they stay competitive, responsive, and evolve with the changes that come along, those businesses and others should survive.

LL is simply opening another avenue for currency trading, one that uses the credit card information that LL uses already to bill for account use.

That gives them a leg up on the competition, but some people will undoubtedly prefer not using that method of payment, and will stay with the business that they like.

From page 9

9:00 PM for about a year.

A typical turnout has been two teams of three players, although they have seen teams of six competing in the pool at the same time. The environment at the pool is casual and relaxed. There is rarely any problem getting into an event even if spectators arrive late. "(It's) always a blast to see two players who don’t know each other come together on a team and mesh well scoring," co-creator and coowner Brock Zander commented while outside the pool setting up for

an event.

Promoting teamwork and an excellent activity for citizens of all ages and skill levels, water polo is a gem of a sport that needs to be polished and brought to the light.

The BZ Beach also hosts a showing of the classic cult film "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" every other Saturday evening at 10 pm.

Along with the streaming video of the film itself, they also have props that work in sync with the movie.

The next showing of the film will be Sept. 10.

is serious.

Whether you are in a "Vanilla" relationship or one who is either fulltime or part time in the lifestyle, almost everyone has been hurt at one point or another in a relationship, friendship or acquaintance situation.

The hurt can be caused by accident, or by someone deliberately trying to hurt you; maybe even a combination of both.

Let us now consider a Dominant or submissive that comes to SL, who is honestly wishing to continue with the lifestyle, or even get started in it.

Nine out of ten times a serious Dom/me or sub is going to run into one of a handful of several types of people who are lifestylers.

The first type is the thrill seeker, a person who is in it just for the rush, for the feel of being different.

Second, we have someone who sees the lifestyle as just a game, a role to play. We will call these the players. The player is a person who honestly could care less about the deeper side of the lifestyle as long as they play the role well.

Third, we present the predator.

Predators are those who are out there looking for people to prey on. They are trying to get RL information at every turn; twisting things to their advantage whenever they can, and hoping to get a chance to do what they want with you, be it in SL or RL. Last are the abusers. These are the ones that wrap up the hurt with kindness. Abusers will twist your feelings, hopes, desires, wishes and use them against you. They are the extreme sadists. They are the ones that don't give a damn about you, only themselves.

Take a deep breath. We have good news, when all seems bleak. There is hope, and there are good people.

There are people who are the utmost serious lifestylers, who are committed to the lifestyle and doing things the right way. Unfortunately for the good of the lifestyle, they are

From page 6

the minority.

When you are just getting into the lifestyle (whether it be in SL or RL), the best advice you can ever get is this: Take time to get to know the person and don't ever jump right into a contract, scene, or anything with a new Dom/me or sub.

Several weeks to months of getting to know each other can make a huge difference and show you the truth behind that person's commitment to the lifestyle.

Unfortunately for Dom/mes, these four bad types that we have mentioned previously are the bane of our existence.

We have to be overly cautious of new Dom/mes that we meet, and we have to help protect our beloveds and identify those who fall into the four bad types.

For the submissives, any Dom/me that pushes for an immediate decision on serving (or in offering services - for us Dom/mes) may well be one of the four types I've mentioned.

This isn't always the case, but you should always be cautious.

A real Dom/me is always expected to negotiate a contract with a sub.

A contract (for those who are new) includes everything from rules for the relationship, to the rights and duties of both parties, to the limits that each person has. A Dom/me that does not offer this may not be what they seem.

Take this as a word of caution. D/s and BDSM are cooperative lifestyles, and anyone that tells you differently is lying or is an idiot.

Both sides of the relationship give to it.

Both sides compromise and agree to rules and restrictions. Most of all, both sides should give of themselves everything, especially trust, love, caring, respect, and honesty.

Dom/mes come in all shapes and sizes, some more strict than others, but that doesn't mean that they don't know what they want, that they don't deserve the respect (subs deserve

respect as well), and they don't know what is going on in the lifestyle.

Some people will try to abuse submissives by portraying the stricter Dom/me.

The above reason is why extensive interviews and meetings come in handy. The interviews are there to get the basis down and to see if that Dom/me is right for you. And this is the point where the Dom/me decides if you are right for them.

Let's look at rules for a minute.

Rules, policies and restrictions should be negotiated on between the Dom/me and sub in cases where the Dom/me doesn't have extensive experience in the lifestyle. Well established Dom/mes already know what works and what doesn't, and their rules are generally concrete.

The lifestyle is not all give and take, with one side giving (the sub) and the other side taking (the Dom) or vice versa. If you're in a relationship like that, it isn't real D/s.

Another thing we should all remember is that dictated rules, policies, and restrictions with no input from the sub is a good sign of a bad relationship.

A sub has the right to be 100 percent involved in developing the guidelines and rules of the relationship, and any Dom that doesn't allow that right is an abuser, pure and simple.

I hope this article can assist some people in identifying and avoiding some dangers and pitfalls. I speak to you from experience.

I'm a first life D/s lifestyler and an SL D/s lifestyler. I have been on both sides of the lifestyle, as a Dominant and a submissive. Learn from mistakes that I have seen, experienced, and made, and avoid them.

If you would like further information about D/s or BDSM, the following people have offered to assist those in need: Mistress Mandee Minogue, Master David Valentino, Mistress StarrNix Jade, Sadiya Snow, Stpaulsub Clio or myself.

Advertising works! Contact Phoenix Psaltery for your ad!

SEVERAL BURNING Life exhibits have interesting themes such as Burning Love (above)

by Phil Murdock and Power Trip (below). -

THE ABOVE PICTURE is that of Creation Factory by Thundercloud Partridge, while the photo below is named “There is,” and was built

by Lash Xevious - Photos by KATIER REITVELD.

Photos by KATIER REITVELD.

THE TEMPLE OF the Word build (above) was created by the Messenger’s associate publisher, Phoenix Psaltery. - Photo by GEORGE BACKBITE.

September 6, 2005 The Metaverse Messenger Page 12

Call sent out for cultural content

By KATT KONGO Staff writer Ginsu Linden recently announced via the Second Life forums that SL is opening several areas in-world that will feature language-specific content.

Because of that, Linden Lab has sent out a call to all residents for proposals to build content for these new areas of SL. Said Linden, "To help with the build, Linden Lab will contribute free land, retail or office space, complimentary accounts or other benefits."

He added that the first new regions will focus on Japanese, Korean, and German language content.

Thorval Ayoob, a native German who has lived in Ireland for the past 14 years, thinks adding content for Germans and other cultures is essential.

"Second Life has the potential to become a real global online community, yet so far, it is naturally quite US-centered," he said.

Ayoob said that other nationalities entered the game knowing that they would have to communicate in English and be prepared for strong exposure to the North American culture.

"Opening Second Life to an international audience with language support will be a ground-breaking experience for the grid. Provided it is successful, nothing will ever be the same again," he said.

"We all will have to get used to avatars chatting away in a language we cannot follow, and must not be offended by it. We will be able to truely experience internationalism, merely by teleporting around the world," he added.

Ayoob said that Second Life will be a little less alien for new arrivals speaking German. "The prospect of going in-world and chatting away without the need for translating what you have in mind is very promising.

For many native German speakers, this will be a decisive factor for signing up, and staying with it," he said.

However, Ayoob added that it all depends on how welcoming the new German area is, and how welcoming and patient SL residents will be in general.

Ayoob intends to participate in LL's call for proposals to build content for German language content by setting up an in-game translation service.

"Personally, I think this is going to be extremely important for this globalization effort to become a success," he said. "Just think of the hundreds of businesses and localities throughout the grid. If you want to reach German-speaking customers, you will need to provide advertising and product information in German," he said.

"Prospective customers will not part with their money unless they understand fully what they are spending it on. Likewise, if we are trying to draw German players into the world at large, we will need to make it welcoming for them," he added.

Ayoob, who has 14 years experience in translation and localization in the IT industry, thinks he can serve Second Life well by providing this service, but said he is not looking at it as a get-rich scheme.

"As I value my time, I may not be able to offer the service for free for commercial clients, but I could imagine free or discounted translations for operations like newbie cen-

ters and non-commercial operations," he said, adding, "My main aim is to make Second Life more approachable for Germans."

Ayoob said that German speakers would be interested in much the same things as anybody else in Second Life.

"Clubs, games, building and so on will be just as popular with them as with all of us now," he added.

He also said that what Germans are looking for in SL as far as architectural German content is concerned may differ slightly from "tourist" interests, but "I could imagine recreating certain German/Swiss /Austrian landmarks and landscapes may serve very well as attractions for both groups."

"I could also imagine cultural festivities run BY German speakers becoming a people magnet - events like the Oktoberfest or the Love Parade spring to mind," he said, adding, "Typical authentic features may also serve as conversation starters between different cultures and language groups, and that can only be a good thing."

While the deadline for cultural contest submissions has passed, Ben Linden announced via the forums that LL is accepting bids for two areas in the upcoming German Community, an orientation area and a social area, until noon on Sept. 9.

He added that the winning bid will be announced that evening, and construction on the winning bid must be completed by Sept. 16.

To enter a bid on a build in the German community, those interested should submit a notecard to Ben Linden that includes the name of the project leader, the project being bid on, the desired fee, a model of build and/or concept art and photos or landmarks for previous work.

LIFE

From page 1

well worth visiting.

"Power Trip" was unusual and well built, with an interesting twist which has been called "evil" but is definitely fun and smile inducing.

"Burning Love," by Phil Murdock is a thoughtful take on love and takes on its "burning" theme in an interesting and well thought out display, combining lava with pairs of statues in various loving and intimate poses.

"Game Writ Large," by Chingaling Bling is one of the few truly intere-

SLRR

active exhibits and is a fun mix of oversized playing pieces reminding us to have fun in life. All the pieces in the display are interactive, mainly through running into them.

Finally, "Creation Factory," by Thundercloud Partridge is a fun look at creating life with lots of fun touches.

Overall, there is a great mix of imaginative, interesting, and well thought out exhibits throughout all six sims, and well worth a visit.

From page 1

won by Nimrod Yaffle who produced a very old, run down looking station.

Yaffle was also unavailable for comment.

The third station, Neumoegen, was won by Fallingwater Cellardoor.

When asked where she got the ideas, Cellardoor stated, "I don't know where it comes from, really; I sort of just play with prims and see where it goes." Her designs are very organic and the station definitely reflects this, with an organic and peaceful feel to it.

Pratyeka Muromachi won Station

4, Achemon, with a design he said was based on a Japanese farmhouse.

He said he worked with the neighboring land owner to provide the ramp that passengers use to exit the platform. This station is a small stop, with a waiting room and easy access to the exit ramp.

Station 5 at Obscure was won by Jauani Wu who produced a very modern, concrete design, with an interesting approach to the balcony.

Like the winners of stations 1 and 2, the winner of station 5 was unavailable for an interview.

Various groups vie for Lindens’ ear

By KATT KONGO Staff writer In the space of a week, a new group was formed, met with Linden Lab President Philip Linden, angered many forum posters, and inspired several other like-minded groups.

Metaverse Justice Watch was formed in response to several recent events. After a few meetings, a plan was made to meet with Philip Linden, and Anshe Chung was selected as the group‘s representative.

When the meeting with Philip and Robin Linden took place, Chung started by introducing the group, how they viewed SL, and what the group would like to help to achieve for Second Life.

Said Chung, "We make some basic assumption[s], such as, like you, we don't see SL just as a game or replaceable service but as one standard platform and world."

“We also take you by your word when you say ‘Your world, your imagination.’ And we share your analogy of calling Second Life one ‘country,’ which we see us as residents of," she said.

Chung went on to say that most residents present at the meeting have invested considerable time, emotional capital, social capital and financial capital in this country.

"This is what we feel makes us stakeholders. More like you and in contrast to e.g. merely tourists, users, consumers, players etc.," she said.

"We feel that with this new medium, in contrast to normal game worlds, we reach one level where being removed from SL might get close to some African immigrant in the USA who spent their 10 years

building a career suddenly sent back to Africa," she said.

She said that all of that makes the group very interested in helping Linden Lab to make SL the best and most successful place possible.

Chung identified five major areas that were a cause for concern among those present. Those areas were privacy, the question of impartiality of Linden employees, the transparency of law enforcement, the protection of resident investment, and the independence of media and political groups.

Linden suggested that a great way for the group and LL to work together would be to "make the meetings the discussion points for a specific presentation, which is itself a wellformed document that has already been passed around within the community, and has therefore been thought through and has received some support."

Said Linden, "We could then use these meetings as a place to debate whether to adopt the presented topic or feature or policy," adding, "What can help us, is the methodical examination of a topic, a complete design for policy or functionality, and a first pass at gathering community support, which culminates in this sort of meeting."

Linden continued by saying that he supposed this would be like the process of adopting law in most governments, "a process of preparation and debate followed by an open decision."

Chung later said the group could start to prepare one topic and work on a design. "But we might need somebody to talk in between and to ask questions, such as we don't know for example what existing guidelines

for employees you might have in place already," she said.

After some discussion, Linden agreed to disclose portions of the LL employee handbook which are deemed acceptable for the public to read.

He also said that the group should be open to all who are interested.

Said Robin Linden, "Any resident of SL should be able to participate or not, as they choose -- it should be a right of residency in good standing."

At the close of the meeting, Philip Linden said, "This was a great first meeting. Perhaps historic!" Prokofy Neva then asked with a laugh, "Perhaps you will one day sign a Magna Carta?" To which Linden replied, "It would be so inspiring to have a document like that!"

However, the transcript of the meeting was later posted on the forums and created heated discussion among residents who took offense to many of Chung’s statement, among them "This is what we feel makes us stakeholders. More like you and in contrast to e.g. merely tourists, users, consumers, players etc."

Added to that was a power struggle amongst the group’s officer. At the time this publication went to press, it was unknown whether or not the Metaverse Justice Watch would be able to accomplish its goals or not.

More on the Metaverse Justice Watch will be in the next issue of uijjjjjjjjjjjytgf. A complete transcript of the MJW/Linden meeting is available on the Messenger’s website, www.metaversemessenger.com.

The heated debate on the forums led to many other discussion groups.

One such group, the Resident Action Committee, held its first meeting

Sept. 4 to discuss various concerns of the residents who attended.

At the onset of the meeting, Digerido said of the group, "This is half of a reaction to the other semipolitical groups going on in world right now, and a fermenting of my own ideas."

He then laid down a few rules, saying, "Everyone will have an equal voice during this discussion. There will be no officers, no official spokesmen, none of that political brouhaha."

He said, "From time to time, folks can request a few moments of quasisilence (like I did) to speak a longer line of unbroken thoughts."

Digeridoo said that at the end of the meeting, the log will be collected and posted to the forums and his website. He added that the log will be scanned over, and the main points that were brought up will be filtered down into bullet points.

"These will then be mailed off to Robin and Philip Linden for their readings," he said, adding, "Later in the week, they'll meet with the residents again for another open-ended discussion."

After his comments, chaos broke out as attendees argued over the best way to run the meeting. It was eventually decided to let Digeridoo act as a temporary chairman to direct conversation.

Bluemane Steele began a discussion on "the disconnection between the voting system in place and the issues and bugs being dealt with."

Said Steele, "We currently have a voting system that encourages a ‘priority list’ order to solving bugs." He added, "Your ten votes are locked into issues that are getting passed over."

After a very lengthy discussion on the topic of the voting system with many suggestions on how to improve that system, the group moved on to another subject, one brought up by Drift Monde.

Monde said she would like to see the issues of permissions fixed that give texture creators the same protections as the other content creators.

"And I speak for all texture creators," she said.

Said Monde, "I know that LL knows it’s a problem.. but after almost two years they have done nothing to try to fix it."

She said she feels there is no support for this issue as there are just a handful of people in the business.

"But as you know 90 percent of my collection is out there for free, passed from one to the other or is being sold by someone else," she said.

After discussing that subject at length, Prokofy Neva said that in the Metaverse Justice‘s last meeting with the Lindens, they asked for and obtained an agreement to get a code of conduct from them, extracts from their own employee manual.

"Which I suspect is deficient precisely in the area of how to minimize conflict of interest," he added.

He went on to say, "On matters like endorsements of resident businesses, participation of resident events, giving bids to residents from banks on secret sims and all the rest."

He added, "When we can establish what their rules are for engagement, we can understand better how to next address the problem of their ruination of resident business as happened with GOM because we'd learn whether it is ok to have side secret negotiations with any resident busi-

See GROUP, Page 13

September 6, 2005 The Metaverse Messenger Page 12 GROUP

THIS SCREENSHOT shows what the tool bars in Second Life 1.7 will look like. No date has been given for its release. - Photo by

ness with an aim to take it over or give stock options or whether that is a conflict of interest."

The group had a long discussion of various aspects of Linden behavior, from approachability to showing favoritism.

Jeffrey Gomez then asked, "How do people feel about communication in Second Life, in general?"

He added, "For example, the events browser. The fact we're forced down certain venues that are under watched and don't necessarily work.

The fact the MOTD [Message of the Day] works better than the damned forums for communication."

He then asked, "Just, how do you feel about the systems we use to talk to residents and the Lindens? Can they be better? How would you improve the chat interface, especially for those here expressly for it?"

From page 12

Most present said that SL could greatly improve on its communication venues. Said Prokofy Neva, "TSO was so much nicer and human because you could type in clean paragraphs instead of these choppy sentences."

After much discussion on that topic, Blueman Steele proposed to give an official number, title, and status to all proposals to facilitate talking about them in the forums and referring to them at future meetings.

"The status might be (just ideas here) 1) open for discussion 2) moved/combined/replaced by a new proposal 3)Dead moot, impossible stupid," he added.

Not much was said in response to Steele’s proposal. Ellie Edo was then given the chance to speak, and she said, "I would like it on record that at least Ellie Edo would like to express

support for LL in refusing any compensation, and standing firm that business risk is risk, and LL must progress regardless of hurting some residents in the wider good."

Jeffrey Gomez said that he agreed, "Simply because certain matters like these are precisely why a good business diversifies."

Edo asked, "Should LL compensate people when they lose because things change? It’s yes or no."

After a brief discussion on the possibility of point to point teleporting and the possibility of losing telehubs, the meeting was adjoined.

Digeridoo plans to hold meetings every Sunday, with a Linden follow up meeting midweek, perhaps on Wednesday. For more details on the meeting, read the complete transcript on the Messenger’s website.

PHOENIX PSALTERY.

SL 1.7 Preview Grid Opens

By PHOENIX PSALTERY Staff Writer A preview grid of the upcoming Second Life version 1.7 is now available to existing SL users. The preview client software may be downloaded at www.secondlife.com /downloads/preview.php. The preview grid contains 24 sims.

Several new and interesting enhancements to the SL client are on board fr the 1.7 update, including an enhanced toolbar, which contains a button for direct access to the build and appearance menus and a new separate button that gives players direct access to clothing items.

Preview grid user Kaelin Hailey said, "I love the way they have clothing set up now... it's so much fun to

find your clothes, kind of like having a closet just for your clothes!"

In addition, there is something totally new, a "Heads Up Display," or HUD, which introduces an optional interface similar to that of many first person shooter (FPS) style games.

Also, the SL graphics engine has reportedly been retooled to attempt to maintain a steady 45 FPS throughout SL, rather than allowing it to accelerate to 1,000 FPS or more, thus taking up valuable CPU time on the servers.

Other changes include modifications to both the map and mini-map (which is reportedly slated to be renamed "Radar"), No date has been given for the live 1.7 update.

Halloween is coming...

Are YOU ready?

We are.

The Messenger s Spooktacular Ball Oct. 29 at 8pm Cocktails Ballroom Games, prizes, scary fun!