NuVIBEZ January 2014 by Nu Vibez Magazine

RIGHT NOW! Since coming to SL, I have developed a New Year's tradi on of remembering the two people most responsible for me being here on this grid. Both of these amazing friends are very dear to me and I can s ll hear them both saying, "you have to check out Second Life". They tried mul ple mes to convince me it was perfect for my innova ve goals in music, ﬁlms, fashion and more. Finally in 2006 I decided to pop in and see what all the fuss was about. Well sadly one of my two special friends had lost her ba le with cancer by then and she never got to see me here. The second has since moved on to other pursuits and we never crossed paths here either. Thinking about what could have been had I not procras nated coming here makes me sad even to this day. However, the lesson I take from that missed opportunity has become my mantra of "Don't Put Oﬀ Till Tomorrow What You Can Do Today" and if you have regrets about missed opportuni es, that mantra may be yours too. 2014 is the year to just do it, but do what you ask? Do what you know you have always wanted to do and needed to do. Let 2014 be your "Field of Dreams." Remember if you at least start to do it now, that which you want as an

outcome can finally come to you. For some, it's finally keeping that New Years' resolu on or star ng that new business venture even though there are no guarantees it will be a success. For others it could be forgiving someone and rebuilding a lost rela onship. Whatever that unfulfilled purpose may be; this is the me act. Speaking of ac ng on things right now, we knew that 2014 called for expansion of the work we started here at Nu Vibez Magazine some me ago. Contributors have come and gone and staffers have been promoted to new posi ons. These changes have freed me to prac ce what I have been preaching in the paragraphs above and will make th e b est year o u r ambi ous publica on as has ever seen. Let me share the two most important changes that promise to make 2014 the year Nu Vibez has been working toward since its incep on. First, Nani Xue is now the publisher of the Nu Vibez Magazine (NVM). If you know me, then you have probably met Nani. If a company can have a soul, she has been that for this company and more for quite some me now. Having her in the publisher's chair lets me know NVM will maintain

the ideas and prac ces we have both come to hold dear. Next, Filipa Thespian is the new Editor-in-Chief. Filipa, or Pip as I call her, is a talent I have wanted on this project for quite some me. Her reless and excep onal work as the art director at BOSL Magazine (2009-2011), along with the crea on of her own Roleplay Guide Magazine, have yet to be surpassed in my opinion. With Pip in charge, all systems are go and expect nothing less than the best. Finally in this ﬁrst issue of the New Year, we have thrown in everything including the kitchen sink. From how the current SL TOS (Terms Of Service Agreement) impacts us all, to hand job robots being created in Japan to enhance virtual interac on while using avatars. Oh and did I men on an exclusive interview with SL's pioneer in the avatar sex i n d u s t r y , M r. S t r o k e r Serpen ne himself? So, as I have said in issue a er issue, while some things change, some things stay the same...readers, strap yourselves in cause Kansas is going bye bye. Happy 2014, Scorpinosis Nigh ire Owner & Founder

Photo by Filipa Thespian

"Give a girl the right shoes, and she can conquer the world." — Marilyn Monroe Happy New Year 'NuViberz': I hope you are wearing amazing shoes as we head into the New Year with much an cipated change ahead. Shoes are symbolic of much more than just looking good. In fact, shoes for women (and some men) are much like cars in that we can psychologically relate them to strength and esteem. Shoes can be a perfect ﬁt, or hard to ﬁll and can be the support you need to walk all of life's journeys. With the right shoes, you really do feel as though you can take on the world. Just when you think things can't get any more exci ng, they surprise you and do. This year we are thrilled about the path Nu Vibez is walking with our new Editor-InChief, Filipa Thespian – who's promised to wear great shoes too. It's a whole new Nu Vibez for a brand new year and wow what a wild ride we have planned for you! You may want to look into some highly suppor ve running shoes, so you can keep up! Thank you sincerely for those who have been with us for years and welcome to those who are new to the Vibez. Nani Xue, Publisher Photo by Wren Noir

Life is a journey, the des na on dependent upon each individual's goals and desires. On this journey we meet many people along the way. Some seek to enrich our lives and our knowledge while others seem to want to create nothing but destruc on around them. Either way, every person who touches our lives, good, bad or indifferent, affects us and the paths we traverse. Through my journey there have been a few people pivotal in making me the person I am today. Two such souls are known throughout these realms as Umberto Giano and Scorpinosis Nigh ire. There are not enough good words to describe these two amazing yet understated men from whom I have learned so much. I spent several years as Art Director for BOSL Magazine, under Umberto's Editor'ship. Together, we grew and took that publica on to heights it had never seen before. While walking that path with Umberto, he became my mentor and one of my very closest friends. I cannot thank him enough for sharing his journey with me. Today, I traverse a new path and am very excited to walk beside Scorp on many projects, but most specifically, Nu Vibez Magazine. Already my life is enriched and I am grateful to him and those on this wonderful team, for all they bring to each other and our readers. Again I find myself grateful beyond words! Get ready, dear readers, for a fast paced, wild ride full of fascina ng experiences, amazing entertainment, and the merging of worlds and insights here-to-fore unknown ;). We're gearing up for The Year of the Dragon as iMoogi TV ignights the television screen; ge ng super sexy at the Return of Stroker and his Sexpot; and will be on the watch for all things ToS and how we all can make SL an even be er place! We will explore topics important to our first lives, second lives and all points in between so strap on your ... fancy walkin shoes and lets set out on this amazing path together! As always, be good to one another and Happy New Year! All my best, Filipa Thespian Editor-In-Chief Photo by Wren Noir

FOUNDER Scorpinosis Nightﬁre

PUBLISHER Nani Xue

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Filipa Thespian

PHOTOGRAPHERS Filipa Thespian Natacha Haroldsen Wren Noir

CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS Cobra Momiji Filipa Thespian Nani Xue Scorpinosis Nightﬁre Sherri Shepherd

SALES & MARKETING Scorpinosis Nightﬁre Filipa Thespian

SUPPORT Yolanda Hellman

The goal of this publication is to provide a unique insight into the world of entertainment and lifestyles be it in virtual communities or real world neighborhoods. Covering the issues important to people whether they are avatars or human beings, NuVibez circulates to a large population of readers online and in virtual worlds. NuVibez is published for those whose interests are varied but focused on being entertained and educated on current events, new entertainment venues and artists and finding ways to improve their online experiences. Opinions of the columnists are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the owner or staff, nor does NuVibez Magazine assume liability for claims of advertisers. Letters to the editor: address changes and other correspondence to: 4nfent@gmail.com. Advertising inquiries and submissions need "Advertising" in the subject line and emailed to: 4nfent@gmail.com.

Cover Story

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About Our Cover Art

Stroker Strikes Back, Part 1

Game Changers

He’s Back and Second Life’s 2nd ever Self-Made RL Millionaire Speaks Out!

Night Clubs in Second Life, breaking the Status Quo and ﬁnding huge success!

Stroker Serpentine is featured in this piece photographed by Wren Noir with Photoshop enhancements and layout work completed by Filipa Thespian.

Building Bridges & Moving Mountains The United Content Creators of S L builds relationships with Linden Labs & Content Creators.

2013, A Year In Review Take a look back with us as we recap the top 10 newsworthy happenings of 2013.

Puzzling It Out

iMoogi TV Lands in Second Life

The Last Lag

Is this The Year of the Dragon? Catch this exclusive inside look into iMoogi and it’s CEO.

The Rock Shoppe

From Masters to Minions? Virtual Reality and Robotics make Sci-Fi less ﬁctional!

What is Asperger ’s Anyway?

Tips and experiences from the trenches on how to save on lag, just by shopping in-world!

Tribute bands that “Pack ‘Em In,” in Second Life.

The Library A look behind the curtains of “The Library,” a c o m m u n i t y o f sophistication and class edged with erotisism.

NVM: Ladies welcome to Nu Vibez Magazine and thank you allowing us to share your stories. CARI: Thank you so much for having us! ROXY: My pleasure. SHINE: The pleasure is ours. NVM: Roxy why do you think the ﬁrst thing that blows new arrivals to SL away is the clubs?

The clubbing industry is the most popular and patronized industry in all of Second Life (SL). From the ﬁrst me you realize you can dance as an avatar while listening to the music you love – you are hooked. Oldie or newbie resident, it does not ma er because the one constant on the GRID is that you have been somewhere with someone at a club. One would even think that owning such an important part of our SL experience would be highly lucra ve and much appreciated. Yet, the opposite has proven true for club owner a er club owner over the years. Clubs generally use the popular opera ng model of relying on ps from visitors and leasing wall space for personal services, yet the opera on of a club tends to cost quite a bit more than what they make. As with anything where opera ng expenses far exceed revenue, most clubs simply “bite the dust.” Fortunately, as in all industries, there are those in clubbing that not only survive, they thrive in mes of feast or famine. In this interview we spoke to the owners of two such clubs, both of which par cipate in the Clubbing Connec on Network (CCN). Club Hard Tails and Dirty 'Lil Secrets are two venues that have managed to grow faithful followings, making them more of the excep ons to how things go with clubs, than the rule. DJ Roxannesmith (Roxy), owner of Club Hard Tails; with SunshineIam (Shine) and DJ Carissa Bluemood (Cari) owners of Dirty 'Lil Secrets (DLS); met with Nu Vibez Magazine (NVM) to share some of their experiences, knowledge and opinions on this great industry in SL. What these amazing ladies had to say will get an “amen” from some and a “go to hell” from others, but one thing's for sure – you will know why these two venues are successful and long-las ng! 16 - Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014

ROXY: I'd say it's the a en on to detail of a club that's the same as one in real life (RL). There's a Live DJ and they can have fun dancing, they get greeted, listen to great music, and chat with people having fun in here from all over the world. NVM: Shine do you recall what you thought when you were introduced to SL Clubbing? SHINE: Since the day I started, I went every day to the first club I was ever in. I thought the feel of 'hominess' was the main thing I liked, but there were some things I would have done differently and that the poten al was there for so much more. NVM: Cari what's different about clubs now from when you first arrived on the scene in SL, or have they actually stayed the same with li le or no change at all? CARI: I think that clubs are evolving and becoming be er, beyond the obvious technology changes and capabili es of doing more in SL. I have been in world for about 5 years so and I have seen a lot of different clubs come and go. There are few that have survived, with those that have hung in there having their own "it" factor that makes them so special and unique. We hope our "it" factor proves to be successful with the other legends. NVM: Roxy, because Nu Vibez works closely with the Clubbing Connec on Network, we see a lot of clubs open and close very quickly. Is that because offering a great club experience for people is more than rezzing a cool build and playing music? ROXY: Oh yes you have to work hard at it, have great music for one, pay a en on to what they like, have good PR work, lots of chat to make them feel at home etc., and also have great staff while keeping costs to minimum.

NVM: Cari, what are some things clubs are doing wrong that causes people to come a few mes but not come back? CARI: I hate when I land somewhere and no one speaks. That will keep me from going back to a place fast. We like to be very friendly and greet every single person that enters our club. We want to make them feel at home.

Cari

NVM: Shine, do you feel that if clubs would try more things to dis nguish themselves instead of copying “the way it's always been done,” that they would get repeat visitors or be er traﬃc?

Roxy

SHINE: Like I stated before the poten al is there for so much more. A majority of clubs are like, “that DJ is mine,” “that Host is mine,” and “those patrons are mine;” instead of sharing and networking with each other. Also making sure you are paying a en on to everyone personally and not through gestures. Make them feel they belong and always have friends there. NVM: Let me follow-up on that more with you Shine by asking how did you guys know that allowing Voice, for patron interac on during some events, would work so well for you guys? A er all, the rule for most clubs has been the prohibi on of Voice to prevent compe on with the music. SHINE: Personally, I hate text, and I know that most people can mul -task. We listen to the radio and

Shine Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014 - 17

Game Changers, Clubs in SL - p2

Club Hard Tails drive and can do our work with YouTube playing in the background; so therefore I believe we can talk and listen to the DJ and live singers without issue. We usually ask, “who wants in the call,” then have a big group call going while s ll listening to the singer. It is a Voice sim – if you don't like it you can mute Voice or go elsewhere. It works for us, but again it is all about making someone feel as if they belong. NVM: Roxy, by contrast, Hard Tails has “no VIP Voicing” during the shows and that works really well for your crowds enjoying you and the music. Why do you think both of these approaches can have success instead of one successful approach for all?

18 - Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014

R OX Y: Some people like to converse a lot, but in a club, it's a distrac on. Success with Voice depends on the crowd and the DJ. All people are different and from different countries in here, so you have a diverse society. You'll have some who just come for Voice, and some for the music, but if you combine them, it may not work, as you cannot please both at same me. I think you have to specialize in VO I C E or M U S I C/C H AT. I wouldn't combine the two. NVM: This next ques on is for you all. Why is lag the last thing club owners factor into having a successful venue when it's probably one of the most important for repeat and new traffic?

ROXY: Lag is important to me. You can have all the bells and whistles in the club and make it look amazing, but you wont get VIPs – or you can have a basic less-lag club, and you'll get more VIPs. Lots of clubs make that mistake. CARI: You want to make your club as invi ng as possible. You want to make it seem like you are really out in the Real World at a club with the atmosphere and such. But in all honestly lag should be the ﬁrst thing on every club owners’ mind. If your patrons are walking in molasses and crashing le and right, well that's just no fun now is it? SHINE: It was always a main priority with us. That is why we put the club at the highest point on the sim where there would be less lag,

Game Changers, Clubs in SL - p3

then watched our script use. We don't ask people to change their avie to run less scripts like some clubs, instead we adjust our stuff to accommodate them. NVM: You, ladies, are not just owners; you are also entertainers and you all know first hand that clubbers do not really feel a need to show that “Linden Love” while expec ng to be entertained. Why is clubbing one of the only S L industries where the public expects you all to work for free (or peanuts), yet s ll bring them awesome events? SHINE: I think it is because people figure that the place will s ll be there whether they p or not, people don't realize the cost is not just behind the er, but to pay the

singers, to make sure your staff is pped well, the gi s, the contests, the equipment and to always be able to offer new things. I think they just need a peek at the real cost and the me and effort that we put in to making sure they have somewhere to hangout that they like. CARI: I'm not really sure why. I was always a good pper whenever we would go out, no ma er where it was and that was even before we opened our own place. Now that I do know what it costs to run a place, I'm an even be er pper. The er, DJ stream, and sploders – it's not free. I guess they figure it's not like a RL club where they have to pay for drinks so they really don't think about it too much.

ROXY: If the crowd appreciates the music, they will p. But some people expect to be entertained on this game for free, and we are not selling products, we are selling a service. I believe they think clubs run on fresh air :). NVM: It has been suggested by the CCN groups that, by showing clubs like yours to outside companies, a new revenue stream can be created for club owners who bring their “Agame.” How would you feel about becoming the poster kids, as CCN Media Partners, for other clubs and ﬁrst-life companies to check out? ROXY: Would love it! We can bring lots revenue for Real-life businesses. It's a whole new arena of poten al customers! And it brings together people

Dirty ‘Lil Secret

Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014 - 19

Game Changers, Clubs in SL - p4

WORLDWIDE. So it would only get bigger if they did that :). I'd like to set the bar for other clubs and other poten al customers for RL investment. SHINE: This is a social network and I think people are missing that the main word is NETWORK. Neither involved party could be hindered by bringing SL and RL together and yet it can be a fron er of an even be er SL experience. Follow through with the mes – how much shopping and adver sing is going on via the Net? Bringing it in-world is the only step that needs to be pushing forward and we are so ready to be a main factor in that change. CARI: I think that would be AMAZING! The joining of DLS to C C N has been nothing but a posi ve experience for us – a huge step forward in the networking process. Since day one, we have always looked outside of the box in building our business and whoever CCN wants us to work with would

be a posi ve and well looked forward to adventure. NVM: It has also been suggested that by working together as a network, versus clubs compe ng against one another, that more can be accomplished when there are emergency staﬃng needs, crosspromo ons and the like. How do you feel is the best way to go about implemen ng something like this? SHINE: Like above it can't be all mine, mine, mine. Let's make it simple, go back to what we learned in Kindergarten -- it's all about sharing. We network so much within our half sim and I think that has such a posi ve role in our success. We share so much with others, and Scorp can a est to that. Every new idea needs to be shared so all can give their point-of-view to try and think of all the possibili es that can make it fail and then adjust it to get the perfect outcome. CARI: Well I believe that CCN has a great start at this concept –

Dirty ‘Lil Secret - Carissa Carissa Bluemood Bluemood spinning spinning the the tunes tunes 20- Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014

bringing clubs together to help work with each other. I think to keep moving forward with how it's going and ge ng more clubs involved is deﬁnitely moving in the right direc on! ROXY: Cross-staﬃng doesn't work. Each club works hard to get their VIPs and spends lots of cash. They are maybe not willing to share. It would have to be ver y well coordinated, and with so many me zones it's impossible. My experience is that it will not work, but you never know. NVM: Roxy, some have called you queen of the Mash-ups and they love how o en you add new material to your set list. How important is it to take me and really put together an entertaining and fresh set for your crowds? ROXY: Oh very important. I spend three hours a day making fresh music. People can get bored easily and can get normal songs at every club or on the radio! They tend to like variety. I've had it said that

Game Changers, Clubs in SL - p5

Club Hard Tails they come 'cause I surprise them with my mixes.

the club staﬀ since we all know sex sells?

NVM: Cari, we can't men on mash-ups and not talk about how you are also known for having great ones in your sets and play very sexy, fun music. What percentage of a clu bs ' s u cces s d o yo u t h in k depends on great music and great on-mic talk with the crowds?

SHINE: I have always been known to make sexual innuendos out of anything and I love people with a sense of humor, or humour for our Europeans friends [lol]. I come to SL to laugh and we make sure that our staﬀ have nice looking avies and are playful in their personali es, ensuring people leave here with a smile and a laugh to look back on.

CARI: I don't know that I can put a percentage on that to be honest. All the staff helps to make the guests feel welcome. I have heard other D J's say, they aren't a jukebox, but honestly playing crappy music that makes people listen to YouTube instead of your stream during a set, makes no sense to me. I want my crowd to be happy and loving what they are hearing. And I do have a wide taste in music so I enjoy playing different things, even if they don't fit in with the theme at the me. NVM: Speaking of sexy; Shine, as a hostess as well as an owner, how important is it to keep a playful sexy vibe going between the crowd and

NVM: Last ques on. What can we expect from your clubs speciﬁcally in 2014 and clubbing in general? SHINE: I can't speak for the rest of the clubbing scene but for Dirty 'Lil Secret we will be adding more to the club; karaoke, wet t-shirt contests, more charity work, and more of SL's best builders and designers bringing our guests some of the nicest things to have. Cum make our Dirty 'Lil Secret yours. ROXY: New mash-ups, more cash up for grabs, and maybe extending to a larger place! If this works,

clubs in here will explode and that means more explosions of customers for the investors :). CARI: Bigger and be er! We have amazing sponsors and AMAZING VIPs that keep us going. I'd like to see more events for RL benefits. We raised over $100 USD for breast cancer awareness this year, and probably about that much or more for Relay for Life. It's on a small scale here in SL but every bit counts! NVM: Again thanks for squeezing us into your busy schedules and you will defiantly find us partying at both of your hot spots. CARI: Thank you! We look forward to seeing everyone at Dirty 'Lil Secret!! ROXY: My pleasure and TY so much! Nice mee ng you :) look forward to seeing you at my club. SHINE: Again the pleasure was ours, and what be er way to share and network then through such a great magazine as yours. Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014 - 21

2013, The Year in Review - p1

As we stand looking ahead to triumphs and trials awai ng us in this New Year, we would be foolish not to look back and learn from the good and bad of the year we leave behind. A lot has happened ranging from the loss of iconic ﬁgures on the world stage, to the introduc on of the Miley Twerk. If there's one thing on which most agree (at a me where few people can seem to agree on anything these days) it's that 2013, while gone, will not easily be forgo en. As we say goodbye to 2013, let's revisit the top 10 news-worthy happenings we leave behind:

10. Bri sh Sci- Fi Series Doctor Who Turns 50 50 years ago on November 23, the longest running episodic series in all of television history was being born and no one knew it – Doctor Who – and the adventures of this alien “Time Lord,” cavor ng through all of space and me with his human companions, has been entertaining audiences ever since. One of the many noteworthy things about this anniversary of Dcotor Who, is the ﬁnal curtain for the current Doctor, Ma Smith who, on Christmas Day regenerated to be replaced by Peter Capaldi. Usually an anniversary special further established a Doctor's place in the mythos that is Doctor Who. However, this me we have Ma (a very popular actor in the role), hanging up his trademark bow e and fez, with fans and industry insiders really wondering why. Well, all conspiracy theories aside we want to give props to everyone at the Doctor Who camp, past and present, for 50 years of amazing story telling. So why are the happenings of a television series so monumental as to make a 2013 list of best and worst? Doctor Who is a pop culture phenomenon that has spread across the globe with fana cal devo on in ages from the very old to now, the very

young thanks to the exci ng and youthful portrayal by our exi ng Doctor, Ma Smith. So much so that it touches even the role play realms in Second Life, as reported not too long ago by Roleplay Guide Magazine (now WorldsOfRoleplay.com). While a sta c “sim” for role play of this traveling genre was discovered to not be possible, it was reported that groups of fans would travel to other interes ng sims across the grid and among themselves, portray their favorite characters, ﬁgh ng their most feared enemies and crea ng even more stories of the epic me traveler's exploits. Here's to another 50 years!

9. 400 CGI Ar sts picket the Academy Awards and for very good reasons Two of the biggest special effects studios declared bankruptcy in 2013—Digital Domain Media Group who made the famous live-performing hologram of deceased Rap Star, Tupac; and Rhythm & Hues, who won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects this year for their work on Life of Pi, one of two of their works up for the same epic award. How could this be when movies so heavily rely upon CGI to keep us glued to the screen you ask? Well the answer, while not complex, is disturbing. According to one reporter: “Ar sts will regularly not get paid over me, even when working 15hour days and weekends. Studios will renege on contracts, just to see if they can. Companies will hold back payroll for as long as possible.” Hollywood insists on flat rates from the studios, calling them bu on pushers, then extends the workload and length of contract some mes to the tune of 4 mes the original budgeted me and expense. This leaves only one recourse to the special effects company's – to take it, or the studio gives the project and the money, to someone else. The lack of respect that Hollywood has for the VFX/CGI community was on display for all to see Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014 - 25

2013, The Year in Review - p2

when they rushed Oscar winning visual effects veteran, Rhythm & Hues, off the stage during their acceptance speech, while playing the theme from Jaws to prevent anyone from hearing what they had to say about the state of the industry! It is no coincidence; we are told by iMoogi.TV's CEO Tracy Renee, that iMoogi was born this same year. “We have close es to the CGI and entertainment industries already, through our other business dealings, and recognized quickly the problem and vacuum created by such devasta ng abuse of an en re industry. This exact situa on is the fire from which iMoogi was hatched,” she confided in us. Thank goodness 2013 also was the year a company like IMOOGI TV was launched, to be an alterna ve to CGI ar sts looking to be respected and adequately compensated for the amazing work they do. “CGI ar sts do not need someone telling them how to be crea ve, they just need fair distribu on with a true means to mone ze their channels and grow their fan-bases. That, is iMoogi.TV,” Tracy concluded.

8. The Boston Redsocks win the World Series. Who could forget The Boston Redsocks, having won their ﬁrst world series in 95 years! Congratula ons to the players, they worked hard for it.

7. The Cleveland House of Horrors 2013 saw three women set free from a house of horrors in Cleveland Ohio thanks to next door neighbor, Charles Ramsey. They had been trapped in this house for at least a decade. Other neighbors reported calling the police mul ple mes over the years due to seeing so many strange things. Reports of women naked with dog collars crawling through the dirt and a 26- Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014

lady banging on the windows with a baby calling for help all went without follow up by local law enforcement for years.

6. Famous Deaths in 2013 Like the years before it, 2013 had its own list of notable deaths, however due to space limita ons we will only share a few here: Nelson Mandella: South Africa's first black president and an enduring icon of the struggle against racial oppression, died in 2013, Mr. Mandela spent 27 years in prison a er being convicted of treason by the white minority government, only to forge a peaceful end to white rule by nego a ng with his captors a er his release in 1990. He led the African Na onal Congress, a long- me banned libera on movement, to a resounding electoral victory in 1994, the first fully democra c elec on in the country's history. James Gandolfini, 51, beefy, balding actor who personified the Mafia for millions as New Jersey family patriarch Tony Soprano in HBO's acclaimed series, "The Sopranos." He won three Emmy Awards for his performance. He also had dozens of film roles, including CIA Director Leon Pane a in last year's "Zero Dark Thirty." Heart a ack, June 19. Paul Walker, 40, star of the Fast & Furious streetracing movie series. Car accident, Nov. 30. Cory Monteith as Finn Hudson in season three of the Fox television show "Glee" died of a drug overdose, July 13. Lou Reed, 71, hugely influen al songwriter and guitarist who helped shape nearly 50 years of rock music. With the Velvet Underground in the late 1960s, Reed fused street-level urgency with elements of European avant-garde music. As a solo ar st from the 1970s into the 2010s, he was as unpredictable as he was influen al. Cause not given, Oct. 27.

2013, The Year in Review - p3

Roger Ebert, 70. First journalist to win a Pulitzer Prize for movie cri cism, who, on his long-running TV review program (with the late Gene Siskel), wielded the na on's most inﬂuen al thumb. April 4. Margaret Thatcher, 87. Conserva ve Bri sh prime minister who infuriated European allies, found a fellow believer in Ronald Reagan and transformed her country by a ruthless dedica on to free markets. Stroke, April 8. George Jones, 81. Peerless, hard-living country singer who recorded dozens of hits about good m e s a n d re g ret s a n d p e a ke d w i t h t h e heartbreaker "He Stopped Loving Her Today." April 26.

5. Celebrity Breakdowns in 2013 Duck Dynasty's Phil Robertson: It seemed all was smooth sailing for the A&E stars of the hit reality show Duck Dynasty. Wrapping up a 500 million dollar year in overall earnings, no one in the DD camp could have been happier ll the GQ magazine interview of patriarch Phil Robertson revealed controversial views regarding blacks and homosexuals. The ini al response was suspension from the hit show for Robertson and retailers like Cracker Barrell pulled their merchandise from shelves. However all the disciplinary ac ons taken on behalf of the communi es oﬀended by Robertson's remarks, were short-lived. Make me to read Phil's comments and decide for yourselves if this type of speech deserves disciplinary ac ons. Miley Miley Mliey! Now whether this actually qualiﬁes as a celebrity in trouble, me will tell, but it seems the further Miley goes to the Dark Side, and I don't mean of the Force, the more people have been vocal about Miley losing it. With the aid of some of hip hops top talent and producers, a new more urban R rated Miley was born, an image that had many fans asking her to remember her race and stop ac ng

black. However she was unmoved due to the much larger support of her die hard fans and the new cross over ones, and seems to be laughing all the way to the bank or is it the psych ward? A er twerking videos, twerking on married Robin Thicke, breaking up with her ﬁancé Liam Helmsworth and very racy videos, the Miley we thought we knew has le the building. Jus n Bieber: Last year was not very kind to Jus n. He broke up with his girlfriend Selena Gomez, was ge ng in trouble with fast cars, public urina on, alleged pros tutes and that was before the Biebs even broke a sweat. He would go on to curse about a former president and go on to oﬀend visitors at historic sites like the home of Ann Frank and the Great Wall of China. When we last heard from the young crooner he had just announced his re rement. As we said 2013 was not all that for JB!

4. The 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing When the bombs went oﬀ at the Boston Marathon in 2013, it felt like we could be headed for another 911 all over again. A top notch man hunt went into eﬀect and the two men involved were quickly discovered with one being killed during the pursuit to capture them.

3. The 2013 US Government Shutdown From October 1 through 16, 2013, the United States federal government entered a shutdown and halted most rou ne opera ons a er Congress failed to enact legisla on appropria ng funds for ﬁscal year 2014, or a con nuing resolu on for the temporary authoriza on of appropria ons for ﬁscal year 2014. Regular government opera ons resumed October 17 a er an interim appropria ons bill was signed into law. Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014 - 27

2013, The Year in Review - p4

During the shutdown, approximately 800,000 federal employees were indefinitely laid off, and another 1.3 million were required to report to work without known payment dates. Only those government services deemed "excepted" under the An -deficiency Act were con nued; and only those employees deemed "excepted" con nued to report to work.

2. The 2013 Acqui al of George Zimmerman for the Travon Mar n killing SANFORD, Fla. — George Zimmerman, the neighborhood watch volunteer who fatally shot Trayvon Mar n, an unarmed black teenager, igni ng a na onal debate on racial profiling and civil rights, was found not guilty of second-degree murder. He was also acqui ed of manslaughter, a lesser charge. A er three weeks of tes mony, the six-woman jury rejected the prosecu on's conten on that Mr. Zimmerman had deliberately pursued Mr. Mar n because he assumed the hoodie-clad teenager was a criminal and ins gated the fight that led to his death. Mr. Zimmerman said he shot Mr. Mar n on Feb. 26, 2012, in self-defense a er the teenager knocked him to the ground, punched him and slammed his head repeatedly against the sidewalk. I n fi n d i n g h i m n o t g u i l t y o f m u rd e r o r manslaughter, the jur y agreed that Mr. Zimmerman could have been jus fied in shoo ng Mr. Mar n because he feared great bodily harm or death. However juror B29, the lone Hispanic juror in the George Zimmerman murder trial flatly said that she thought Zimmerman was guilty. Yet she s ll voted to acquit.

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1. Obamacare The fumbled debut of the Affordable Care Act, o en dubbed Obamacare was 2013's top news story. The President and his team had high expecta ons for the health-care reform package, but technical glitches on the HealthCare.gov website prevented all that. Out of the millions of uninsured who stood to benefit from wider access to health insurance coverage, just six were able to sign up for such benefits on the day of the website's Oct. 1 launch. Now according to one report: Those numbers didn't rise much higher un l far into November, when technical crews went to work on the troubled site, o en shu ng it down for hours for repairs. Republicans opposed to the Affordable Care Act pounced on the debacle, and a month a er the launch Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius told Americans, "You deserve be er, I apologize." Also apologizing was President Barack Obama, who in November said he was "sorry" to hear that some Americans were being dropped from their health plans due to the advent of reforms -- even though he had repeatedly promised that this would not happen. By Dec. 11, it was announced that nearly 365,000 consumers had successfully selected a health plan through the federal- and state-run online "exchanges," although that number was s ll far below ini al projec ons. And a report issued the same day found that one new tenet of the reform package -- allowing young adults under 26 to be covered by their parents' plans -- has led to a significant jump in coverage for people in that age group.

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IMOOGI TV Lands in SL Is This The Year Of The Dragon? Ar cle By Cobra Momiji Photos By Filipa Thespian

It's 2014 and something has come to Second Life -something BIG, breathing fire and ready to spread its wings onto avatar worlds everywhere just as its doing in the physical world. What is this force making its presence known here first via Nu Vibez Magazine? Well it's an IMOOGI, but what is an IMOOGI you ask, for the answer to that ques on (and the others that will naturally follow) we have with us the CEO of IMOOGI TV, Tracy Renee. NVM: Tracy thanks for si ng down with us for this exclusive interview. TR: I'm thrilled to be here, thank you for having me! NVM: The first thing we should cover Tracy is, what exactly is an IMOOGI, and how does that relate to IMOOGI TV? TR: Oh this is my favorite story. An IMOOGI is something very unique out of Korean mythology, a type of dragon. When born, the imoogi, while very large, resembles a king cobra more than a dragon. It has no arms or legs, no wings, no spade tail, nor fins or any other part that would make it obvious to be a dragon. In the lore, during an imoogi's first 1,000 years it must learn and do honorable, good things to nurture and grow spiritually -- not just physically. Always an imoogi must seek to improve upon itself and as it achieves these goals, its missing dragon parts develop and grow. In the end, an imoogi will resemble what is commonly perceived as a dragon, fire or other types of breath and all. Taking the connota ons from that lore, on iMoogi.tv, our content creators are just like the

imoogi of lore in that they start out as one thing and through the interac on, vo ng and input of our viewers and our industry professionals, they learn and grow, evolving into something much more than where they began. NVM: So really, IMOOGI TV gives up-and-coming content creators a chance to be an evolving IMOOGI as well? TR: Yes, definitely. iMoogi is a test marke ng and fan-base genera on solu on for creators, just as much as it is an online television or entertainment network for our viewers. There are two sides to what makes iMoogi what it is. For a creator's content to make it in the world, especially if the final des na on is the big screen, distributors want to see that you have an established fan-base in order to gauge how well the property will do at the box office. Without one, it will be very unlikely they'll take a second glance. It's the primary reason you find nothing but remakes of past successes and comic book hero's coming to life these days. NVM: I no ced something on the IMOOGI TV site called the Hatchery what's that all about? TR: I'm glad you did no ce that Cobra. The Hatchery is where new creators can upload their brand new concepts and works, not requiring iMoogi approval, to compete for viewership and ra ngs. When a property climbs to the top of the ra ngs, we award them their first iMoogi part so to speak, and move them up to their own channel on iMoogi.tv prime me. When this happens, the creator partakes in a share of the revenues generated from adver sing on their property and has the opportunity to earn other iMoogi incen ves and support which includes funding, under the right circumstances. NVM: So we can gather that IMOOGI TV plans on being an online Television network like Ne lix or Hulu that showcases the work of unknown film Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014 - 33

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and being a part of turning it into tomorrow's huge block-buster. We have even more interac ve solu ons on the back burner for later this year. We strongly believe that interac vity is the future of entertainment! NVM: Viewer programmed television sounds amazing but it also sounds challenging. What happens when the public wants a show or web series the cri cs and the industry considers being crap?

iMoogi Enterprises CEO, Tracy Renee

makers, machinimists, and more that could one day be the Peter Jacksons and Stephen Spielberg's of tomorrow. TR: Technically yes, though there are some big differences s ll, from what we're doing to what they do. We are not trying to compete in their space as much as create our own niche in order to best fulfill the needs of the market we know so well, a market that just may be what Ne lix or Hulu might consider a bit too low on the totem pole for them. But with our help, our creators will move up those rungs swi ly! NVM: However unlike either Ne lix or Hulu, IMOOGI TV has a very unique feature that really involves the viewers in a new way they have never been involved before. Please explain the interac ve new role the viewer's play in IMOOGI TV. TR: Fans, or viewers, know what they like, they know how to discern what is good from bad, and even if it's bad, they tend to s ll find things in a property that makes it worthy of going viral. We see it all the me on YouTube. They are highly intelligent beings with valuable insights and opinions and we want to capture that, invi ng them to be a part of taking what they like to watch 34 - Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014

TR: Honestly, if the fan-base is large enough, for whatever reason, in the end the ability to earn revenue from a property will drive it's future success, to spite the "professional" cri c's and their opinions. How o en have you seen A-list movie reviews that shredded the work, yet the box oﬃce far exceeded the producer's greatest expecta ons? While the professional's opinions are very important and highly valued, in the end, it's the audience that decides what it is they want. NVM: Another unique aspect of IMOOGI TV, for those using it to get exposure to launch their careers, is your media partner program. Please tell us how that works. TR: There are so many talented people out there, they have ideas, they have proper es, they have the means to create, but they don't have the educa on, connec ons or wherewithal to turn this crea vity into a career. To become a Media Partner with iMoogi.tv, a creator's property has moved up from The Hatchery to iMoogi.tv prime. That's step one. Once there, the iMoogi team goes to work on bringing quality adver sing opportuni es, of many kinds (not just commercials or sta c ads), to the creator's channel. When this happens, that creator is earning a large por on of those adver sing dollars! Further, it is wri en into our business plan that a percentage of the overall iMoogi proﬁts is reserved for reinves ng not only

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into marke ng of the network to keep our viewership growing but into sponsorship programs from which our creators can beneﬁt. We are ﬁrm believers in “do what you love and you'll never work a day in your life,” and we work hard to help our creator's enjoy that mantra as well! NVM: Now will IMOOGI take a percentage of ownership in any projects that get picked up or even privately funded as a result of the work done by IMOOGI TV to promote that work?

TR: Well, in the Hatchery it's all about what people discover on their own, but once you make it to iMoogi.tv prime, your works and your name become part of the iMoogi.tv mainstream marke ng campaign. We don't just market iMoogi.TV, we market the proper es featured on it and will incorporate these works into our scheduled Live-stream programming, nego ate adver sers for the creator's channel and share that revenue with the creator. It's all about helping these magniﬁcent ar sts to earn a living doing what they love to do ... what they are best at!

TR: Ownership? NO. We don't want to take a property away from its creator. We were founded by creators of content, for creators of content a er all.

NVM: From checking out the site I see you already have some well-established entertainment contributors like Rob Feldman, creator of Earworm Media and the web sensa on Dr. Shroud. Can you tell us more about Rob and how he came to IMOOGI TV?

NVM: Can you elaborate on what it means to have IMOOGI TV promo ng your work once you are voted from Hatchery to featured content on the network?

TR: I met Rob at a real world gathering of content creators. He's been in the industry for a long me

Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014 - 35

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and has es to one of the leading horror magazines out there, Fangoria. He has been proudly welcomed to the studios of well-known animators such as the creators of Cartoon Network's “The Fairly Odd Parents,” as evidenced by their photos and “bragging” on their own website. Not to men on that his property, Dr. Shroud, is on the lips of actors such as Nicholas Cage. Nick himself has expressed to Rob, on numerous occasions, his desire to portray Dr. Shroud. Yet s ll a fair deal with Hollywood remains diﬃcult to achieve.

Right now, Rob is actually working on turning Shroud from a horror cartoon to a live-ac on series modeled a er 70's B-movies. There has even been talk of one of the large internet TV networks picking the show up and yet, he was very excited when he learned about iMoogi and the concepts that created this network. It was a very quick "YES!" when I asked him if he'd bring Dr. Shroud to our viewers, and I hear tell when he has more on the Live Ac on version, our viewers may just be the ﬁrst to see it anywhere! NVM: IMOOGI TV is also showcasing the work of well-known Machinima content creators Pooky 36- Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014

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Amsterdam of Pooky Media, and Draxtor Despres of the now very popular Flufee webisodes correct? TR: Yes, it was a wonderful day when Pooky and Drax moved in. The Flufee series is adorable and it's quite an accomplishment that they were able to make it take off the way they did, resul ng in a huge RL game deal (as I understand it) for the creators of the Flufee avatar in Second Life. Kudos to them, we cannot wait to see what's next. We're working on ge ng their Sci-Fi series moved in, but they are so swamped right now with the current season, we'll just have to wait a li le longer I suppose. NVM: Oh and we also got wind of efforts behind the scenes to get the acclaimed work of Tony Dyson (of Star Wars fame for crea ng R2D2) and Machinima pro Chantal Harvey. Can you confirm that? TR: Yes, that is a definite confirma on Cobra. Chantal and Tony will be moving into their own iMoogi.TV channel very soon now! Fans can expect to find these amazing creators rocking the pages of iMoogi very early in 2014! NVM: Well that's all very cool news which leads us to our final ques on. With such a big 2013 under your belt, what does IMOOGI TV have planned for 2014 and do you think 2014 will be the year of the dragon? TR: Where 2013 witnessed the birth of iMoogi, 2014 will welcome the first stage of growth. We will be sprou ng wings and igni ng the screen with some of the best Indie content available from machinimists, animators, and movie-makers -even recorded live performances. Yes Cobra, I would have to say this is definitely the Year of the Dragon! NVM: Thanks Tracy for talking with us and as they say in the movie business, everyone that's a wrap!!

Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014 - 37

Stroker Strikes Back - p2

There are tales s ll told about when the world was new … the early days of Second Life (SL). One of the most proliﬁc and enduring of these stories was a magnanimous (some might call infamous) man known to us all as, Stroker Serpen ne. A visionary content creator who brought us the original sex pose ball and sex bed, which so popularly became known as, “SexGen.”

STROKER: Probably the biggest beneﬁt was to bring content creators together and through those rela onships they learned just what their content was suscep ble to and could band together to a empt to aﬀect change. Remember the Copybot shop-revolt where everybody closed their doors in protest? It was amazing. Creators were sta ng, "We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore." That would not have happened without bringing the creator's together as a guild which also created awareness. Today, we have the DMCA as a tool and we know that on the extreme, we have li ga on as a tool. More people are aware of the process and their op ons whereas back then, we were all so very naive.

We all had at least one and those of us who were around back then probably s ll have them tucked away somewhere in our inventories collec ng pixel dust. His big claim to fame though, what got him plastered all over the Real Life (RL) news, invited on Television morning shows and the reason behind the mul tude of documentaries made about him, his life and his family was the magnitude of his RL income as a result of SexGen and subsequently, his ba le over intellectual property rights at a me when such issues were s ll so very new to us all!

It's like a pendulum swinging back and forth. Back then it was all the way to one side, today it's gone the other way with so much isola on because people are paranoid over content ownership. Ul mately you have to find your happy medium and let the li le stuff get by you. It's going to happen, if you have a popular product or a financial success – somebody is going to copy you and it may not be that they directly ripped your content. They may just copy your business model, applying it their way but, you know what? That's life. What is it the Japanese say? "Business is war."

For those of you who are not aware, who were not with us in those early days, Stroker was the second ever selfmade RL millionaire earning those millions, each year, en rely from his sales inside Second Life. This was huge news which, became bigger when Copybot hit the scene and the topic of IP exploded all around us.

Before SL, I had been working in a pla orm where the content was totally locked down. The only way you could get content into the pla orm was to submit it for approval and actually have to wait for one of the moderators to then pass the content to you in world while they were online. That's the other extreme. This would s ﬂe the crea vity that we all take for granted. We just have to ﬁnd that happy medium both personally and professionally or it will drive us all insane. If we get caught up in totally locking down our content where it becomes unserviceable, then we have nothing.

Stroker Strikes Back, Part 1 SL's Pioneering RL Millionaire Speaks Out Ar cle by Filipa Thespian Photos by Wren Noir & Filipa Thespian

For the first me since his recent return to SL, this kind, gentle, intelligent and super sexy man speaks out through Nu Vibez Magazine. It was so hot folks, we had to spread it across two issues, saving the most scin lla ng details for our February Valen nes issue! So get ready as Stroker Strikes Back and don't miss the Sexpot on his sim going on right now un l January 15th! NVM: What do you feel has been the overall benefit of your fight in the past over intellectual property rights? Do you feel like it has made it be er for other designers to protect themselves, or perhaps that it's helped educate people?

NVM: A er being on such a long hiatus from SL, what has mo vated such a passionate and powerful man to come-back? STROKER: I knew that I didn't want to go back into contrac ng. I actually tried it for several months, but it didn't oﬀer me the crea vity I enjoyed in SL and I just couldn't bring myself to go back to the grind of ge ng up at 6am to come home at 5pm, eat dinner, watch the Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014 - 41

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news and go to bed only to start it all over again the next day; I did that for half my life. For one thing, I'm a night person and I like sleeping un l 10am! I did that grind for 20 years, working un l 7 or 8pm 6 days a week when I was a contractor. I was very successful with my business too. We were a mul -million dollar organiza on with 40 employees but it was slowly killing me. But contrac ng again just wasn't in the bag as we're in a down economy and construc on was flat. I missed SL, the camaraderie, the crea vity, the social aspects, the adult aspects, the connec ons you can make and the role play. You really can't explain it to what I call "Earth People," because they just don't get it. First of all you really have to have some sort of ar s c bent, even if you're just there to socialize. It requires a degree of crea vity just to be able to communicate so it a racts people with a diverse background of expression whether it is sexual or not. That crea vity could be photography, machinima, ar stry or graphic design; you just don't find this concentra on of crea ve people anywhere else on the web. Sure you can work in Maya, Max or Blender, throw yourself up on TurboSquid and make a living, but there is no social aspect to it, you're just a checkout page. In the end though, the final deciding factor for my return was Mesh … Mesh was my “downfall.” By the me LL finally released their mesh client, I'd already had enough interest in Maya and Blender to make the decision to return. I was an ok prim builder, average. I could make anything I wanted, but everything was just so geometric, boxy and “roundy.” In working with professional modelers and doing rigging for our anima on business, I saw the types of designs that were being created by other companies like Pixar and I knew that if SL did not take advantage of this modeling explosion, someone would. The natural shapes that modeling can do today, with these huge rendering farms, are just amazing. I firmly believe that you're going to see produc on done online within virtual studios one day. One of the biggest expenses for any anima on company is the me it takes to render everything. Think of it, if you're doing instantaneous rendering in an online environment, you have negated the necessity for an en re produc on crew. You don't have to have a 42 - Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014

studio or actors in mo-cap suits. It can all be done in the virtual environment. NVM: We’re all excited to see what you have in store for us Stroker, please, tell us about your new product lines? STROKER: My focus has been en rely on Mami's club, the house and the Sexpot. I currently do not have a product line because I had really lost touch with a lot of the crea ve community during my hiatus and I wanted to see what is available, what the needs of the marketplace are and if they're being met. Mesh is s ll very new and a lot of people are redoing their product lines in mesh right now. So I wanted to get a good feel for it all but, I really wanted to showcase these talented people. As a result, my emphasis has been on the expo. BUT ... I have been working on anima ons and I do know exactly what it is I want to do and I'll tell you when the me is right. I can tell you this though; I'm going to be focusing primarily on fantasy and fe sh. I've allocated a space on my sim for my shop and I've been working on my product-line for the past few months, off and on. I want to go into whimsical designs crea ng fun stuff that may or may not be sexual. I just don't want anything that pertains to real life in my Second Life. Why do that when you have such a limitless pallet of imagina on? I actually made a helicockter and no, that's not a typo – a penis acts as the rotor. I'm going to do stuff that I find entertaining that we haven't seen in SL before – the anima ons are actually secondary. Anima ons for me are a given. I could spend 2 weeks in the studio and flood SL with mo-cap and probably be very successful at it but the anima on alone is just one component of the individual design. You have the scrip ng aspect and the build. You have to have that combina on of good build, good anima ons and good scrip ng that is compelling and fills a need; and you have to be able to sell it. You could create the most amazing "amazeballs sex bed" in SL but if you can't get it in front of the people you want to share it with, then you're really shor ng yourself. You'll get to the point of "why do I bother?" NVM: What is the inspira on behind the new sim design and build that you've created?

Stroker Strikes Back - p4

STROKER: I have a plan, a vision, and am working on it as me allows. I come from the Myst genera on, having spent 6 months in that game. I've even met some of the creators that worked on it and it all kind of opened my eyes. Because mesh is an unlimited pallet, you're not relegated to geometric shapes; it was a transforma on for me. I did the sim en rely in mesh and I see every crack and crevice. So, I'm learning, but it familiarized me with the upload process and op mizing the LI's. I didn't want to do “real,” I wanted to do whimsical, something that was kind of Steampunk-ish. I just didn't want to fall in the trap of realism. I can model the best Henredon furniture set that you've ever seen and make it look perfect, but what have I created? – Something that someone else originally made with their love and a en on in another medium. NVM: Tell us about Stroker's Sexpot and what goes on at your sim that others might want to know about? STROKER: I wanted to stretch my mesh muscle and I wanted to know what people are doing in mesh, what anima ons are out there, what new clothing designs are out there, etc. So, I came to the conclusion that the best way to do that is to have a showcase and reconnect with old friends that are content creators

and make some new creator friends. I think that content the has been a big issue in terms of isola ng us from each other. A lot of people have taken it to the extreme, while others don't care. But the things we do have in common, the tools that we use, the diﬃcul es that we have in produc on and marke ng ... those commonali es bind us into a community, par cularly those of us in the adult market which is a niche. The Sexpot ed together, my mesh appren ceship, the need to network, marke ng and the desire to socialize. It really was a “no-brainer.” Then of course, the Sexpot lets people know, "he's baaack." It gets my name out there. When it comes to marke ng you've got to be in people's faces. That's one reason why it's "Stroker's Sexpot," it puts my name on the blogs and on the landmarks. I also wanted to see how others had changed or not changed the way that they approached their SL businesses. Are you s ll doing the same old things expec ng the same results? Without excep on, everyone I talk to, that hasn't changed their business model, are complaining about how SL isn't what it used to be or that the popula on is dwindling and it's going to dwindle down to nothing. Well, there are s ll a lot of people doing well; I mean look at Tango's – it went nuclear! A considerable por on of the female

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popula on now is wearing Tango's. We went thru the Breedable thing, then the Gatcha phase and now those phenomenon's are integrated into the fabric of SL. But there are s ll some amazing concepts and products that have yet to be designed. If you sit on your laurels, you're going to be ﬂoa ng downstream and I for certain want to be in the rapids!

now considered AVsi er. That's something that I have been focusing on predominantly. I'm working with another developer to create an open source anima on engine. We're going to do the full wiki rollout and oﬀer both an open source version and a no-mod version with the upsells. Why? Because there really isn't a good open source pose ball-less system out there right now.

There are a lot of niches that aren't being met. You don't see a whole lot of fun stuﬀ just for the pure sake of entertaining and a laugh. There are not a whole lot of new tools. We're all using the same oﬄine so ware but who is developing the next Mys -tool? Who is developing the new genera on of huds? I wanted to know and it's been an eye-opening experience. A lot of people are res ng on their laurels and I cau on them, they're going to be le in the dust. If they're not learning to incorporate mesh and the oncoming Occulus Ri , they're going to be relegated to that “oldbee ancient” category of “been there done that.”

To give you a hint on where we're going with it, there's currently no such thing as a universal hud, for any of the anima on engines. We started from scratch and are about 80% complete at this me. This is a contribu on to the community I really want to provide. It's important we get away from the old pose ball systems and we want something persistent in that we'll be able to easily access and save your favorite anima ons so you're not scrolling through 15 menus and sub menus of sub menus to get to the one anima on you really like.

I'm not even going to revitalize SexGen. Instead, I'm crea ng a new anima on system because pose balls are passé! I may have had a hand in crea ng the very ﬁrst one, we're beyond that now. So, I'm crea ng an en rely new anima on system with the focus on the developer. It will be something along the lines of what MLP was (basically an open source SexGen) for what is

44- Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014

As for ac vi es on the sim, we have “Meet and Greets” planned with the merchants so that we can collaborate, introducing animators to animators, for example, and to dispel a lot of that unhealthy compe ve nature. We're crea ng content for a very speciﬁc pla orm, regardless of whether they think they have to be the biggest and best, it really comes down to the crea vity and we all use the same tools. The issue comes when you add money and it becomes a purely commercial

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enterprise, and then you relegate yourself to part of the compe on. Even though I am compe ve by nature and want to be the best that I can be offering compelling products, I have never been one to isolate myself thereby falling into that trap of “I have got to be the biggest and the best.” I never considered myself the biggest and the best, merely a player in the game. N V M: Have you no ced a change in the S L climate/economy since your return? And if so, do you envision it affec ng your success this me around? STROKER: It's more isolated now. More people look at it as "me against Second Life" (as in LL or the grid). With all the notoriety of Copybot and TOS, there's a certain amount of paranoia out there. I've seen that paranoia manifest in ways that are detrimental. People are locking down content to the extreme, taking their crea ons off to SQL databases that may or may not be the most effec ve way to present their products. Some have had some success, others have not. But it's the pendulum thing, swinging both ways. In the middle of the Copybot errup on, we had a Copybot revolt where everyone closed their shops in response to LL's ineffec ve approach. As a result, they've really go en be er now, which is one of the reasons I made the decision to put the past behind me

and make a phoenix reprisal as it were. LL now sees it more as a business rather than some conceptual idea of turning the internet into a metaverse approach. NVM: That's interes ng that you say that, as there is an awful lot of opinion about how they're killing oﬀ the community even more these days because of what they just did with the TOS. What do you think of the new TOS, how do you think it’s going to aﬀect you personally and content crea on as a whole. STROKER: Well, my opinion is just my opinion. I've not done a lot of research, but from the few blog posts that I have read, it seemed to me to be a basic legalese CYA that you see all over the place. You see it in online so ware and in content crea on sites like TurboSquid. The way I look at it is this, and again, this is just my perspec ve, but, if LL wanted to take my content, there is nothing I can do about it! First of all, its residing on their servers and it's not any good to me anywhere but in SL. The scrip ng won't work for me anywhere else. Granted the anima ons are portable, but even the anima ons we use in SL are so rudimentary and short they're not really produc ve and useful in other pla orms. The rig that they use is very simplis c for streaming purposes and they've got a very unique creature there. So my way of looking at it, my content always was their content. Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014 - 45

Stroker Strikes Back - p7

What I had heartburn over was their ineﬀec veness in keeping my content from being spread across their pla orm without my permission (i.e. Copybot). They made the decision to open source the client, which at the me a lot of us had angst about, but looking back now from a "senior ci zen" perspec ve, I'm kind of glad they did. If they hadn't, we wouldn't have Firestorm and other clients that are far superior, from my perspec ve, for building and crea ng. These third party browsers have taken the needs of the community, combined them and incorporated them into their clients – as opposed to LL's clunky machine through which it takes months and years for a good idea to be implemented into the pla orm. I kind of have a new perspec ve now about IP. I just want my content to be protected within SL. I understand the whole “analog hole” concept in that if it's being streamed to you it can be captured and manipulated. I get that. The diﬃculty I was having was that people were able to just change perm's or copy and become your compe tor anonymously and saturate your market and dilute your brand. That's where most of my issues with LL came from. So, the new TOS to bring it back around is more of the same. They always have had control of our content. It's what they do with it now, in terms of protec ng it

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against those that would use it for their own beneﬁt – that is what's important to me. I have read a few forum posts though, where people are bantering about, “what if they sell SL oﬀ to another company.” While I do vacillate in my feelings on this ma er, I feel it's important to realize that they could have already done that! As far as we know LL is at the reigns, but they have third-party billing, third-party marketplaces and other third-party associa ons. Do we really know whose maintaining our databases? Is GoDaddy maintaining our content? We really don't know. This is a trust rela onship that is based upon, not what you say, but what you do. I think though, that LL has go en much be er in the last 3 years in paying closer a en on to the community. I am not a fan boy by any means though. LL does have their concave mentality and it manifests itself in a lot of clunky implementa ons that have broken content. But I do think now, it's more about the numbers. They have to be more responsive to the community now because frankly, the community is dwindling. There are so many other compe tors for our a en on spans and let's face it, we all have the a en on span of a gnat! Look at Facebook and Zynga which has probably captured 40% of what used to be a several-hundred-thousand concurrency for SL. SL's audience is now in CloudParty,

Stroker Strikes Back - p8

Farmville and Chefville. They each have that crea ve candy bar for the brain appeal, but are also compe ng for that limited amount of me that we as families and responsible real life beings have to spend online. In our li le micro chasm – our li le huddled corner of the web, it's important that our task masters (LL) are responsive and protec ve. That was always my perspec ve. The me we have online today is very precious to us, whether it's a lot or it's minimal. LL has a responsibility from a customer service perspec ve alone, to make sure that the me we grant them is a wonderful experience, is honored and cherished. NVM: In closing, what are the top three things you want readers to take away with them from this ar cle? STROKER: Support your local content creator!!! We do what we do because we love it but it also doesn't pay the bills unless we're compensated in-kind. If the bills aren't paid, we can't keep crea ng content. Respect!!! There doesn't seem to be enough respect for the person behind the keyboard in SL. I think that a

lot of us wield anonymity like a weapon or a tool for our own pleasure and that anonymity is a double edged sword. Collabora on!!! Don't treat everyone like a compe tor. SL could be gone tomorrow and what are we stuck with? A bunch of LSL scrip ng that wouldn't get us 50 cents on Ebay, so take the me to get to know whose work you admire. Drop them an IM and let them know that you find them an inspira on in your work and ask if you can get together over a cup of tea to compare notes. You don't have to share trade secrets, just find the common ground. Fer lize those communi es. All boats rise with the de and that's been the same since day one of SL. Tango for example – she created a market where there was no market as did Breedables and Gatcha. Think outside of the box, find new and original ideas. That's what people gravitate toward. Let's face it, we all have 4, 5 or 6 sex beds and 30+ hairstyles, but we tend to only use the one we like the best. If you just want to be that choice, that's fine – but if you want to be that obsession, that's a whole different ball game! Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014 - 47

Building Bridges & M o v i n g Mountains The United Content Creators of SL Ar cle by Filipa Thespian Photos by Natacha Haroldsen & Filipa Thespian ToS is a hot topic we hear all over the forums and on the blogs these days. In August of 2013, Second Life Creator, Linden Labs, set the virtual world on its ear when they announced the new updates to their Terms of Service, seeming to claim ownership of everything and the right to make it available on other pla orms without the creator's consent or knowledge. But what does this mean really -- to the creators and to shoppers? Kylie Sabra, creator of the United Content Creators of SL, an organiza on of nearly 600 members that started in 2013, joins us to help answer our ques ons, alleviate our fears and provide a hopeful direc on for the future for content creators and shoppers alike. NVM: Thank you so much for joining us Kylie. KYLIE: I'm delighted to be here.

Kylie Sabra, Founder UCCSL NVM: How did the Content Creator community react when the new ToS came to light? KYLIE: There were those few that actually read the ToS who caught on ďŹ rst. Over the next 30 days the news spread grid-wide, resul ng nothing short of fury.

NVM: Tell us Kylie, how the United Content Creators of SL (UCCSL) came to be?

NVM: Well, what is the big deal with the ToS debate? Why are content creator's so upside down over it?

KYLIE: The group started in response to the outcry over the August, 2013 Terms of Service.

KYLIE: In Sec on 2.3 of the ToS, Linden Labs lays claim to content we create; to use in any way,

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Building Bridges & Moving Mountains, The UCCSL- p2

anywhere they see ﬁt, without compensa on to us. They can modify our work without our permission. And there are no limita ons on their powers over our content whatsoever. NVM: What does this problem with ToS mean to SL Residents who are not Content Creators? KYLIE: The immediate impact is minimal. However, if the fury con nues to grow, which it appears to be; we will see more and more quality creators begin to migrate to other worlds. Some of SL's top creators have already started the process. Second Life could begin to look a bit ta ered about the fringes with the loss of these key players. Landholders are dives ng themselves of some or all of their holdings, resul ng in less available land and consequen ally higher rents. N V M : I read some of your inner-group correspondence recently, and you seem to be taking a very posi ve direc on in how you wish to communicate about what can be considered very nega ve topic [ToS]. Why is this, and how does it work? KYLIE: I don't believe threats and demands are the answer. I want to build a coopera ve rela onship between Linden Labs and the UCCSL. That involves me con nually reaching out to them, helping them to see the deeply personal side of this issue. Single mothers who raise their children on their Second Life incomes are just one example. You just can't grasp the hard work of individuals and say it is yours to do with as you please. There are real livelihoods on the line here. N V M: I understand you have had some correspondence with Linden Labs over the ToS issue – where does that stand right now? How did they respond? KYLIE: Kindly at ﬁrst, but the second response felt a li le more like a sigh heaved by an adult irritated by a recalcitrant child; in short, not impressive.

NVM: Building a rela onship with Linden Labs, why hasn't anyone done that before? Why do you feel Linden Labs might want this with the UCCSL as opposed to any organiza ons in the past and how do you intend to go about crea ng this rela onship? KYLIE: The key issue is profit. We need each other for either of us to be profitable. Opening a line of two-way communica on, I would hope we could explore ways to increase profits for both Linden Labs and Second Life creators. When ideas can't flow freely, stagna on sets in and Second Life has lost its entrepreneurial spirit; this isn't good for creators or Linden Labs. NVM: There are creators from all over the world Kylie; it is very exci ng to be bringing them all together. I understand you have some very dedicated and talented people on your team making sure that things are translated and running smoothly. Tell us about them? KYLIE: Trinity Yazimoto was tremendously successful in pulling together people to translate key UCCSL documents into nine-plus languages-even a few obscure ones. Trinity has since le the group to pursue her own vision. However, we will con nue to reach out to the non-English-speaking community, as this issue affects us all.

NVM: OK so we've covered how the UCCSL came to be, tell us about what 2014 looks like for the UCCSL. What is changing, what is staying the same and why is the UCCSL amazing for both creators and shoppers alike? KYLIE: There are many aspects that I've addressed in a "State of the Union" message to the group; one of the most exci ng ones is the crea on of a UCCSL Cer ﬁed Vendor Seal of Approval. We are ironing out details even now. The goal of the seal is to oﬀer consumers some assurance that they are shopping with a vendor Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014 - 51

Building Bridges & Moving Mountains, The UCCSL- p3

UCCSL Landing Zone/Entry

that has solemnly agreed to adhere to a rigid set of ethical and consumer-protec on standards. LoveCat Thei has taken this project under her wing and I'm excited at her ini al efforts. The seal offers consumer assurance and in turn a larger market share for par cipa ng vendors. An addi onal benefit will be a swipe at content thieves in SL. NVM: Your UCCSL documenta on men ons Guilds! What a fantas c idea Kylie. Tell us about the UCCSL Guilds, their purpose and why they are so powerful for creators. KYLIE: The guilds were a medieval concept that brought creators of specific disciplines together to form appren ceships, educate and lobby for rights. So the UCCSL guilds are separate sub-groups that are home to each of the separate kinds of creators in Second Life. NVM: Where does the UCCSL stand on the 52- Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014

topic of content the , what are your goals on this topic in 2014 and why is content the as important for non-creators as it is for those making the goods we buy? KYLIE: I'm working to establish a program similar to "Neighborhood Watch" in the U.S., where neighbors work together to prevent crime in their own neighborhoods by being watchful and repor ng issues to police quickly. We will work to educate all SL residents on the damage caused by content thieves and how to route them out. The phrase that pays is, “Nu Vibez Magazine Rocks My 2014!” Using our website as a central point, we will show people how to react when they spot suspected content the . We can take this prechewed data and give it over to Linden Labs. We will be looking at other ac ons we can ethically take with regard to the data we gather.

Building Bridges & Moving Mountains, The UCCSL- p4

NVM: How can creators of say, clothing, benefit from interac ng with and learning from scripters -- or house builders with photographers? How does the UCCSL work to build rela onships between disciplines and thus further educa on in skillsets and business? KYLIE: We are s ll a young group, whose sole focus was on effec ng change to the ToS, while we will con nue to work toward that goal; we are just now moving the group forward to be a value-added proposi on for its members. Being able give a shout out in our Google+ Communi es for someone outside your discipline to help in finishing a project is invaluable. Need a scripter? Hop on Google+ and ask for one. Each of the disciplines can

communicate within their own sub-group or with the group at large. They can join any and all of the guilds they feel they may need help from. The logical extension of this would be a job-pos ng board on the website. NVM: Thank you so very much for taking the me out of your crazy busy schedule Kylie. All of us at Nu Vibez and especially our readers are grateful for your insights and what we've learned here. Check back each issue readers for updates on the UCCSL and its eﬀorts men oned above. Kylie will be joining us for her regular column (to be named) to keep you up to date on progress, report on the issues and make sure we are informed on all the hot topics that aﬀect our shopping and crea ng experiences.

Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014 - 53

Ar cle by Nani Xue Imagery by SaraMae Xaris

Have you ever opened a puzzle, dumped the pieces out on a table and just sat staring at it, wishing the puzzle would put itself together? Unfortunately, this is not how life's puzzles work. We have to interact with the pieces and bring the puzzle to life with a lot of care, considera on and some mes hair-pulling. Occasionally we even have to call in family and friends to help us with our puzzle, but the end result is usually more than worth it! Asperger's Syndrome (or Disorder) is one of the many pieces of the Au sm Spectrum puzzle, yet when people hear the word “Au sm,” because they do not know any be er, they tend to think of Rain Man. Well, that was a severe "full" Au sm case, not EVERY case. The Au sm Spectrum is referred to as such because there are a wide array of "colors" – quali es, quan es and numbers that go into sor ng out the specific symptoms, allowing an effec ve diagnosis so that the right level of help can be given. There is a reason the Au sm ribbon is composed of different colored puzzle pieces and to try to help you understand them all 56 - Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014

could take a life me. A good star ng point is to focus on Asperger's, about which we tend to hear a great deal of late. Asperger's has only been recognized since the early 1980's – so, in the grand scheme of life, it is rela vely new. Asperger's is a disorder typically characterized by social differences and difficul es, struggles with communica on, as well as behavior repe on pa erns to an almost obsessive degree. Children and adults with Asperger's tend to outwardly lack empathy toward peers while leaning toward being clumsy and awkward; to name just a few of the jigsaw pieces in the larger puzzle of Asperger's. Pa ents can demonstrate many other developmental differences such as "ranking" high on the A D H D scale or displaying sociopathic tendencies. The list could go on and on yet each case is different and how this condi on touches each individual is as unique as a puzzle piece. As people with Asperger's age, they learn to adapt which society o en looks upon as “ge ng be er.” This is not a disease, however, that can be cured or even easily diagnosed.

Puzzling it Out, What is Asperger’s Anyway? - p2

Instead, it is something that must be worked with, by the pa ent and those around him or her. Those who support and take care of those with Asperger's need a great deal of pa ence and understanding coupled with the desire and ability to learn – for a life me. The sum and the whole are all very complex en es. In reality, throughout your life you have probably known someone touched by ASD and not even realized it because they have adapted and learned to mirror what society deems "normal" behaviors. The brain of someone with Asperger's is wired very diﬀerently from the rest of us and while this creates great diﬃcul es throughout life, these individuals typically demonstrate a skill or ability at which they excel beyond reason – an area, strength or brilliance greater than that of an average human.

The one thing you will find more than anything else with those who have Asperger's, is their need to fit in and be accepted as the same as the rest of us! Interes ngly enough, it's their differences that make them stronger than even they are aware. What we must all avoid, is trying to place these unique individuals into a box, or force a rela on and generaliza on such as, "well he looks like anyone else, he doesn't look sick." This is something you would not want to hear right? I will leave you with one of my favorite quotes from some of the Asperger's associa ons and groups to which I belong, "some mes the things we can't change, change us." Just think about it, when the pieces are laid out before you, the puzzle can be beau ful even if not whole.

Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014 - 57

Rock

Shoppe Tribute Bands that Pack 'Em In! Ar cle by Sherrie Shepherd Photos by Filipa Thespian

The Rock Shoppe brings to SL the best in Tribute Bands paying homage to the classic bands of the 70's, 80's and 90's, such as NickelBack, Pink Floyd, Motley Crue, Skid Row, KISS, TOOL, Pat Benatar, Kid Rock, Judas Priest, and current ar sts like P!nk, Adele, the late Amy Winehouse, and more. Co-Owner and Manager of the Rock Shoppe, Highscreen Gumbo, along with Alexander Constan ne, are commi ed to delivering authen c performances while streaming the classic hits of over one hundred and ﬁ y iconic bands based on taped live concert performances. They me culously replicate the physical appearance of the original band members

to include clothing, skins and ta oos, the musical instruments they play, and their performance styles on stage. Highscreen Gumbo himself is a hands-on manager who personally performs with seven of the bands. With a total of 25 performers, Gumbo makes sure that everyone has an opportunity to get up on stage, even if only as a ﬁll-in for an unavailable band member. Some of the band members are actually musicians in RL but Gumbo says, “The love of music has brought everyone together.” He further explains, “we do it for enjoyment and to provide people with a good me.” Each of the bands has a team lead that is responsible for organizing the bands, recrui ng band members, and doing all of the coordina on with the band members by way of group conference IMs. All members of Rock Shoppe Inc. pull their weight as team leads for one to several bands, which contributes to the

Lakasha Resident Portraying Amy Lee of Evanescence

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con nuous growth of the group. Most of the team leaders are also DJs who stream the music for their performances. Gumbo himself stands ready to assist if any problems occur during a performance. Reflec ng on how Rock Shoppe got its start, Gumbo was guided by, and a ributes the credit, to a group of friends with a dream and a love for classic bands. Gumbo's con nuous dedica on to the Rock Shoppe brand and team has helped grow Rock Shoppe into what it is today; a hugely successful business and a widely known and popular choice for countless events around SL. The bands are consistently booked weekly at numerous venues including the Rock Shoppe's own club at Daytona Beach (180,68,23). They perform every night at these clubs, as well as being hired to perform at special Second Life events like the Relay for Life “Fashion for Life.” They normally play to packed crowds with a minimum of 30 to 40 concert-goers at every performance. Gumbo remembers one night in par cular that drew a crowd of 115 that essen ally “locked up” the sim. Gumbo personally builds stages along with some of the other group members, all of whom pay close a en on to making them as realis c as possible to include spectacular ligh ng effects and even designing an elevator pla orm that raises the KISS band to the stage for a drama c effect.

Highscreen Gumbo What sets them apart from other Tribute band groups in SL is their keen a en on to realis c performances. For example, when their KISS Tribute Band performs, they make it a point to interact with the audience as the original band would do,

Wraith Belgar, Random Nirvana & Paul Woodrunner

Portraying Disturbed in concert Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014 - 63

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Daggar1 Daggar, Guitar; Wraith Belgar, Lead; Random Nirvana, Drums; Paul Woodrunner, Bass

jumping from the stage to engage the audience and pulling women on stage to play directly to them. If you a end a Motley Crue performance you'll see them pull ladies on stage when they sing the classic, “Girls, Girls, Girls!” Team Lead AJ Blaylock emphasizes that, “The ability to interact and the quality of the performance are what makes the performances so realis c."

Portraying Disturbed in concert

Always expanding their collec on of bands, several more are in the works. Each new band goes through a thorough session of prac ces before they are booked. Gumbo says that their prac ces are always well a ended by loyal fans, yet keeping the new bands under wraps un l their first performance is an important element to protec ng their crea ve property. As Gumbo asserts, “its fine to copy our crea on a er we've performed but we certainly don't want to be a copy of anyone else.” The team spirit of the Rock Shoppe bands is a big part of the reason for their success. Members con nuously pitch in to apply textures to the stage builds, to do scrip ng, or to just contribute their ideas. Gumbo's RL and SL partner, Kasha, has also helped significantly in assis ng with some stage designs and also to help style the band members in the likeness of their RL rock star counterparts including designing unique skins for the perfect look.

Flealove Mazi on Guitar and Jilley Resident on Drums

Portraying Evanescence in concert 64 - Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014

Rock Shoppe - Tribute Bands that Pack ‘Em In! - p4

Gumbo explains that they do this mostly for the love of music and “we do this for people in here who have never been to a RL concert and haven't been able to see their favorite bands. “ Speaking directly to the SL community, Gumbo says, “ROCK ON!” and “please enjoy what we have to oﬀer.” To book one of the Rock Shoppe bands or to obtain more informa on, contact Highscreen Gumbo. Be sure to check out their Google Calendar, Facebook page, and their blog: Google Calendar: h p://bit.ly/Kd7 n Facebook Page: h p://on. .me/19t121e Blog: h p://bit.ly/KcW0sI Wraith Belgar, Lead Singer - Distrubed Portrayal

Random Nirvana on Drums - Distrubed Portrayal Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014 - 65

From Masters to Minions - p1

In the 2009 Sci-fi thriller "Surrogates," Bruce Willis is a detec ve in a near future where people use android avatars (much more a rac ve than the actual users) to do all their real world tasks outside the home. Even da ng and sex are done via the safety of the Surrogates while the users stay home safe from any poten al, hurt, harm, or even unpleasant weather As in other films, like 2009's “Gamer” starring Gerard Butler, we see a future where our current interac ve environments can be a slippery slope that gateway us into a greater dependence on virtual reality made in our own image in order to escape an unhappy life. Yet our growing desire for a virtual matrix of our own making could be the p of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to moving us closer to bridging the gap between fantasy and reality. Films are o en prophe c when it comes to taking our pop-culture trends to their poten al conclusions, for both good and bad. The Surrogates premise may seem like a future version of something with which we avatar users are very familiar – today, for example, we find the world of the avatar and our physical lives merging and heading into similar scenarios as presented in the movie, Surrogate. It is likely not surprising that our first large leaps into the concept of merging the virtual with reality has to do with sex. Recently a virtual sex simulator called the “VR Tenga,” was unveiled in Japan. The VRT is the product of a joint effort between adult toy company Tenga and virtual reality pioneer Oculus VR, the company behind the immersive virtual reality headset called the Oculus Ri . Unveiled at an Oculus Ri game jam in Tokyo, according to one report, the

device a aches a Novint Falcon—a grip-based, hap c controller—to the Japanese industrial masturbator known as a “Tenga.” Used as intended, the user would insert himself into the Tenga, which is then manipulated by the Falcon; all the while the user views some sort of visual s mula on synced to the movement of the hybrid Falcon/Tenga, on his Oculus Ri Virtual Reality Headset. Hold on to your hats my friends; Linden Labs has also conﬁrmed that they are integra ng the Oculus Ri into our Second Life experiences in 2014. Not only is virtual reality becoming more mainstream, but it seems that robo cs is going through accelerated advancements designed to give machines many more responsibili es currently performed by humans. With that in mind, there is a very short mental leap from the new VR Tenga to the concept of sex robots. A survey conducted in April of this year, showed that 18 percent of respondents believe that sex robots will be available by 2030, while only nine percent way they would have sex with a robot if given the opportunity. Robots are already used in military and law enforcement, yet the version of which we speak here more closely resembles humans and animals than funny looking li le pancake style robots on tracks. Take, for example, the animal-like machines already in existence that can carry heavy packs, climb mountains and even run at great speed. The Boston Dynamics' Wildcat robot, for example, can gallop at a leisurely pace of 16-miles-per-hour and exceed speeds of 25-miles-per-hour at full speed. There are great uses for a robot of this nature for military and even reconnaissance purposes. This could be why informa on and tech giant Google has been buying up robo cs companies Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014 - 69

From Masters to Minions - p2

le and right. Yet, according to one expert there is another, poten ally more concerning reason that Google has gone into the robo cs business; while Google's previous acquisi ons were companies that made bits and parts of robots, the recent Boston Dynamics deal makes it clear that Google's true ambi on is human-like robots interac ng with ordinary people. “The only reason to buy this company is to make complete androids, systems that can walk around on our sidewalks and right up to our homes," says Illah Nourbakhsh, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and author of the book Robot Futures. Such bots could be incredibly helpful, but also incredibly invasive as they have the ability to send data and pictures back to Google. Google has acquired eight companies in six months but what makes the purchase of Boston Dynamics signiﬁcant is that they are making incredibly mobile full scale robots with func ons that make them highly interac ve with humans. Can anybody say “iRobot?” “With constant connec ons to computer servers over the Internet, the robots will be able to act as two-way connec ons between the digital and physical worlds. Such robots will get cues on how to behave with knowledge of a person's preferences as collected by Google and, at the same me, send data back to Google of observa ons in the real world,” reported Aaron Pressman from Yahoo Finance. Reams of data are also the key to Google's selfdriving cars. Building robo c cars that navigate only by analyzing their surroundings in real me would be extremely diﬃcult. But giving 70 - Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014

the robo c car detailed maps and annotated pictures simplifies the task immensely, as Google's head of research Peter Norvig explained in the New York Times Magazine on December 15. “The flip side of data-driven robots is data-collec ng robots, and that has some privacy advocates worried about Google's ac vi es. A robot in the home could have unprecedented access to a family's ac vi es and preferences,” Pressman goes on to point out. It doesn't take a robo cs scien st to see how closely our current ac vi es with virtual avatars and robo cs, increasingly mirrors the plot lines of Sci-Fi movies. One does not have to stretch their imagina on too far to imagine how effec ve these robot animals would be at running down enemies of the state as Hunter Killers did for Skynet in the Terminator movie series or as the Agents did in the Matrix. What all these movie plots have in common is that progress for the sake of greed or at the expense of our civil liber es (even when the inten ons are good) is a Pandora's box of our making that ends with machine masters and human minions.

The Library is an establishment that caters to the upper crust, those who exude sophis ca on and class and are in search of intelligent conversa on, a shared interest in literature, humorous banter, and diverse forms of entertainment. Arriving for a ďŹ rst visit to The Library, you're immediately accommodated with comfortable sea ng in front of a welcoming ďŹ replace, arranged in a way that encourages group discussions. A glance around at the rows of full bookcases reveals the types of literature available and preferred by the well-heeled members 74 - Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014

of the group. Catching your eye are shelves of classic ero c novels, the full complement of Gorean novels, The Story of O, a wide collec on of themed short stories, and a special sec on devoted to short stories authored and contributed by members of The Library Group. A librarian educates you on the history of The Library itself, which was built in 1895 by a wealthy benefactor who entrusted the Library Associa on with carrying on with his plans for the ins tu on. As you listen intently you can't help but be distracted with the sound of giggling and hushed voices

The Library - Sophis ca on & Class with an Ero c Edge - p2

coming from a hidden corner of the library. A disheveled couple emerges into sight looking sheepish and heading for the basement in a bit of a hurry. Others seem not to pay a en on to the couple and con nue their discussions very nonchalantly. Creator of The Library, Je Roxan, remembers that, “As a boy, I was dropped oﬀ at the Library and le there for hours, which I enjoyed immensely. It was a huge place with many li le corners to get lost in. Before the advent of the internet, the

local library was my first exposure to ero ca through stumbling on to some of the Gorean novels in the sci-fi sec on. It was my first exposure to nudity in art, through the black and white images in the large picture books in the photography sec on. I lived in a very sheltered home, and the library was the knowledge of the world at my finger ps. I think many libraries (especially the large old ones) are places of mystery and wonder and beauty.” Clearly, Roxan's memories of his childhood library experience served as inspira on and coupled with

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his own imagina on gave birth to the concept of The Library which he now shares with its members. Roxan spoke of the role-play aspect of The Library, “I should clarify perhaps that the space is not exclusively for role-playing. I really wanted to create two spaces. The upstairs is a more tradi onal Library venue with a large circle of chairs and couches where people can hopefully ﬁnd intelligent conversa on in local. The basement is meant more for role-playing and mee ng like-minded people for other kinds of deviant ac vi es.” 76 - Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014

A standard has been established in terms of the appearance of visitors to The Library. Roxan added that, “Many years ago I observed a diﬀerence in the avatars at Frank's (Frank's Elite Jazz Club) because of their strict dress code. A certain “type” of person is a racted to that environment. By asking men to wear suits, it provides a bit of an atmosphere of sophis ca on that I believe becomes a library, and sets the tone for great conversa on. I understand that behind every noob is a real person, with real feelings, so I don't want to sound too eli st. But I'm personally a very visual person, and I

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know what I am personally a racted to in an avatar. There really needs to be a place where beau ful smart people can meet and hang out with beau ful smart people. I think The Library is one of these spaces today.” A recent excep on to the dress code standard was an evening of lingerie modeling by willing female members of the group in the basement of the library. However, the gentleman, while encouraged to enjoy the view, were required to wear the customary suit. Another recent event involved a twist on the truth ball game; that being a voluntary “strip” truth ball event.

Roxan oﬀered that, “ We are a rela vely new venue, however, we have met with quite a bit of excitement and the group is growing quickly. We will see where things go, but I feel I owe a good bit of the ini al success to my many great friends. Their enthusiasm has helped make this an enjoyable endeavor. “ Visit The Library at Sultry Night (70,152,579).

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How to save your land from unnecessary lag by shopping in-world Ar cle & Photos By Filipa Thespian Peeling back the bubble-wrap reveals my hearts delight. I am very excited, so I do it slowly, enjoying the an cipa on, the lla on, and the thrill of it all. Revealing one corner, then some water, some more green, another corner, un l ﬁnally my brand new sim is revealed to me in all its pixel-y goodness. Oh how I love a fresh clean canvas ready to be turned into a 3D work of art and func onality. There's nothing quite like building your own sim – pu ng together all the pieces that turn a ﬂat green expanse surrounded by vast oceans of water, into an interes ng, thriving community. I did get to do just this recently, start a new build on my own sim. The in-world home of iMoogi.tv (but that's another ar cle). Oh what fun, what joy it is, terraforming, building, placing furniture, landscaping ... un l the day I am nearly done and THEN I do a sim script check. That one thing we all should be doing constantly from day one to avoid a big problem a er the fact – but don't. 80 - Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014

All progress grinds to a halt as I stare at the ungodly memory drain from all this amazing new furniture I'd just purchased. A er I get beyond my own avatar being at the top of the list with over 7,000, I come to find my very expensive marvelous new beach furniture and some of my equally expensive office furniture is, well, ea ng my sim alive! Not a single one of the beach items I got from this one vendor was under 1,400 on the script counts (some over 3,000). To add insult to injury, my photo studio was over 6000, and the window control system in my office was 6,650 all by itself. When I am finally able to pick my jaw up off the ground and realize "this is why my friends can't move when they land and the sim has to load for them for the first me!" The drain on system resources was INSANE! So, where did I go wrong and how could I have saved myself this aggrava on, embarrassment and ALL THAT MONEY? It takes quite a lot to put a sim together; from terraforming to building your own structures. But nothing is quite as overlooked as knowing how to shop for what you need – be it structures, or the furnishings that fill them. It is so easy to cruise Marketplace, have it delivered and keep on going, never leaving where you stand. It makes this work efficient and quick ... but as we just discovered, in no way painless! Second Life is all about the 3D immersive world and the community that thrives within, yet the more technology improves, the less in-world minded we find ourselves. We're shopping on Marketplace, not in-world and as a result, we're missing some wonderful opportuni es to save ourselves some rather large headaches.

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Marketplace is rather magnificent these days, works generally well, helps keep track and speeds up the shopping process but there are a few things we cannot do and are missing out on aside from the tac le community involvement of shopping 3D with friends. The one that comes to the top of the list to me, when I discovered this script problem on my sim, is CHECKING THE SCRIPT COUNTS! You simply can't do that on Marketplace, but, with the help of a neat li le tool I found, you can go to a store and check the scripts BEFORE you buy! Search Marketplace for "Script Count Prims" and you'll find the tools about which I speak. These fabulous li le morsels of technology can save us tons of lag and money. Be sure to pay close a en on to the fine print – make sure the one you choose is to check PRIMS, not AVATARS as both exist. The one I found useful is "Dvandva Script Counter" but any will do. Stores will not usually let you rezz prims and even if they do, it would be rude to rezz something like this as it has a few prims to it. What I do is "wear it" on Avatar Center. I tried as HUD but it needs to be on s i m . Yo u ca n slide it a tad so your avie isn't in the way, and then just press the bu on to check scripts on parcel. It will list the details of every object, by name, and tell you the memory usage from scripts.

From there, it's easy to get the general idea as to whether or not this creator has a handle on minimizing lag in their scripts ... or not … just by skimming the memory column. If the bulk of the items are low cost in memory, then you're probably safe, but if you're ﬁnding pages of over 1000 or even close to that number, walk away. If an object is responsible for a memory drain of 1,000 or higher, a great general rule of thumb is to ditch it, especially if your sim has venues and hosts events! Remember, your guests are also going to be running scripts, and you cannot easily control what they do, but you can control what you put on your sim! No ma er how gorgeous the build, you will regret what it does to your experience almost instantly if you don't minimize! I myself prefer items that are 100 or less per piece. And yes, they do exist in quan ty and quality. There really is no reason what-so-ever, for a single chair with just a couple of anima ons, to be a m e m o r y d ra i n o f 1400 or more. I found proof of this when the replacement shopping trips began. There are many o p o n s i n comparable beach furniture, from other creators, that have e v e n m o r e anima ons, yet have a memory drain of less than 100. Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014 - 81

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The key take-away here is how important it is to shop in-world for your structures and furnishings! It's what keeps our community truly growing, but also provides us the ability to check these very important elements that Marketplace doesn't share. Check every structure; it may not be the en re build that's a problem, as was the case with my oďŹ&#x192;ces. Make sure you never buy a structure

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unless its copy/mod so that you can turn scripts oďŹ&#x20AC; and save yourself from the black hole of lag. I hope my pain has given you gain! I'm s ll cleaning up scripts and looking for replacements. If you have a great lead into amazing beach furniture and jungle hideaways, hit me up will you? Word of Mouth is s ll the best!