Nu Vibez Mag 2014-03 (March) by Nu Vibez Magazine

MARCH GLADNESS Every year around this me the big thing is "MARCH MADNESS". Now one source oﬀers the following deﬁni on of March Madness: Events surrounding the single-elimina on Division I college basketball tournaments performed each spring in the United States. The main tournaments involved are the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship and the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship. The nickname "March Madness" for these championships developed during the 20th century and was the origin of the video and television applica ons of the nickname. Well one thing about Americans is that our love of sports tends to spill over into other aspects of our lives. Interes ngly enough

the inﬂuence of sports related terminology, concepts, events and more can be seen in areas completely unrelated to sports. For example March Madness, while being a sports term, has been used to describe the excitement people feel when car shopping or looking for deals in department stores as Spring approaches. Of all the pop culture cross-overs, nothing quite compares with how sports can transcend its star ng point and mean more than originally intended. Now in keeping with the idea behind March Madness transcending just sports, it describes the way I am feeling about this month's issue of Nu Vibez. While our new editor and team have done an amazing job of taking the magazine forward with both our January and February issues, it's this March issue that has me amped. It seems we have raised the bar yet again this month when it comes deﬁning a cross world magazine publica on. Also with so much going on with Nu Vibez, our parent company and our joint venture partners, I can't help but think that calling my excitement

and enthusiasm, “March Madness,” almost feels like an understatement. With each issue that gets us closer to our SUMMER CELEBRATION, we come another step closer to realizing goals that have been developing for years now. Doing more and being more than just an online RPG, entertainment or escapism, Nu Vibez is a gateway to a present and future that will allow our virtual lives to posi vely impact our actual lives in ways only imagined. So m ay b e , i n ste a d o f March Madness to describe what's being felt here in the Nu Vibez oﬃce, let's call it March Gladness because Glad just has a nicer ring than mad. Expectantly, Scorpinosis Nigh ire Founder/Owner

Photo by Filipa Thespian

No ma er what we do in our day to day lives, the world con nues to revolve. No ma er how bad of a day we might be having, it could always be worse and that is never so evident as when something bad happens to another person, especially when they are a loved one. This month see's a few things I'll men on such as the loss of a talented actor Philip Seymour Hoffman; and the mother of Second Life's own Mankind Tracer requiring some pre y serious surgery resul ng in a stay in the ICU. Our well wishes go out to him and his family! And then there's something much closer to home, well, for me anyway, this past Friday, my 17 yr old son, had a car accident ... more of a fender-bender, he's fine, BUT ... it got me thinking about the difficult day I'd had. When I got him home safe that evening, everything about my disposi on on my day changed! I realized, I actually had a wonderful day! My son was absolutely fine, not a scratch on him, and that is always the best day ever! These are all examples from First Life, but as we all know, our Second Lives can be just as difficult and it is important to always take into considera on, that

things could always be worse and might be for someone else. Being thankful and posi ve about the events of your life and what you do have, will guide posi ve energies your way. With that said, I know in reacent months ... years perhaps, many of us have grown quite disheartened in Second Life and Linden Labs, lashing out in blogs, forums and SL groups but the winds are changing my friends. I declare 2014 the year of "The Ebbe!" Already things are looking up with his personal focus on the needs of SL residents, the re-opening of JIRA, and his short and long-term goals that all focus on rebuilding the community and making it stronger than ever. While there are s ll some pre y serious issues to address, I would suggest, as we move forward, that rather than ge ng angry, take a breath and when repor ng the issue, do it kindly and make a sugges on on what might help the situa on. You may just catch more Ebbe's ... uh, ﬂies ... with honey and helpfulness! All my best, Filipa Thespian, Editor-In-Chief

FOUNDER Scorpinosis Nightﬁre

PUBLISHER Nani Xue

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Filipa Thespian

PHOTOGRAPHERS Filipa Thespian Inara Pey Natacha Haroldsen Wren Noir

CONTRIBUTING AUTHORS Cobra Momiji Daeden Jessop Ethan Ellsmere Filipa Thespian Scorpinosis Nightﬁre Sherri Shepherd

SALES & MARKETING Scorpinosis Nightﬁre Filipa Thespian

SUPPORT Maharet Reverie SaraMae Xaris 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.

62 Cover Story

Sl’s New CEO, Ebbe Altberg

When Geeks Inherit the Earth

A Man [Robot?] of His Word? It’s not likely huge news anymore, that SL has a new CEO, but what is, is what he has beem doing since taking the job!

The hot and popular are now what we call geeks, taking the crown from the jocks.

From Role-Play to Best-Seller? Role-player and publisher Verona Lorgsval publishes her own book, available on

A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Words... Proof that the Linden’s still care about our intellectual property rights. An interview with WrenNoir Cerise.

About Our Cover Art Our cover story this week, our illustrius new leader, Ebbe Altberg who has chosen the Second Life Robot avatar available from the SL Viewer Characters Panel. Photography by Filipa Thespian.

The Butterﬂy Eﬀect

You never know how what you do today will aﬀect us all, tomorrow.

The Trouble With Uganda Uganda bans being gay, at ﬁrst making it punishable by death, settling for life imprisonment. What LGBT SL Residents are doing in reaction.

SL Marketplace, Whose Watching the Store? An Interview with SmantaSJones of LivGlam about Content Theft issues on the SL Marketplace.

Follow the Red Carpet Road First Life Actress, Heather Bloom gives us her take on the 2014 Oscars.

When

GEEKS i n h e r i t By Ethan Ellsmere

the Earth

When Geeks Inherit The Earth - p1

<!-If aliens landed here on Earth and all that was left was our social media data, they would probably conclude that Earth was a planet ruled by those we classify as geeks. Did I say geeks, yes I did, and this article explains why I did. There was a time in pop culture where the geeky guy with the glasses was getting sand kicked in his face by the athlete. Both the girl and the happy ending were only the geek's if he transformed himself into a non-geek and out studded the stud. However, with technologies, communications, social media and other intellectual skill sets being hotter than ever, times have changed. Today we see the Mark Zuckerbergs (and other brains over brawn types) in the spot light, much more than the beefy athletes headed for pro sports. Now the brawny guy is trying to

be geek chic as he rocks his Clark Kent specks and other iconic geek accessories. Even the entertainment industry has changed as yesterdays' nerds are today's big box ofďŹ ce directors and making movies that are geek heaven. The Avengers, Superman, Batman, Thor, Iron man and more were movies that comic collectors dreamed of but never expected to see as part of pop culture's mainstream. Yet here we are now with top ďŹ lm makers like Bryan Singer, Joss Whedon and JJ Abrams (to name a few) that are directing the course of the Hollywood movie machine. Yes revenge of the nerds is more truth than ďŹ ction it seems. What does this role reversal mean, and is it only applicable to rich and powerful geeks? As you may have guessed while we adore the geeks that are part of that exclusive one percent earning bracket, not all geeks are feeling the love. Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014 - 19

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It seems that geeks without at least a visible trajectory towards success are still holding up the walls at proms and bars. The impact for “every day geeks,” of having geeks at the top of the food chain, is somewhat similar to what h a p p e n s w h e n a representative from any minority becomes the center of pop culture attention. On the one hand it makes people aware that greatness can come from places they may have over looked. Public awareness is up and people are more open to things they may have not considered before when it comes to accepting people outside of their superﬁcial or traditional norms.

20- Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014

On the other hand, however, people being open and aware is usually not enough motivation to get them to act differently than they have grown accustomed too unless given very good reason to do so. Still things are undoubtedly better overall for geeks, freaks and nerds. If our love affair continues with smart guys that look like the comic book store owner from the Simpsons, then the subtle take over will continue. Trickle down “geekanomics” will elevate even the book wormiest of guys and girls and on that day we will wake and Geeks will have inherited the Earth. -->

16 - NubyVibez Magazine - January 2014 Photo WrenNoir Cerise

From Role-Play to Best-Seller? - p2

From Role-Play to Best-Seller?

Verona Lorgsval (a.k.a. Victoria Osborne), hits the bookshelves!

By Daeden Jessop

Just about everyone who role-plays in the Gorean community inside Second Life, at one point or another, hears the name, Verona Lorgsval. Most know exactly who this brilliant and well versed woman is, and all who know who she is and what she does, have the utmost respect and admira on for her knowledge, skills and accomplishments. At the top of that list is yours truly. I have worked with, role-played alongside of and learned from this amazing story-teller for most of my 7 (almost 8) years in Second Life and it is my extreme honor and privilege to be able to interview her and bring to you, her amazing news. DA E D E N: We're thrilled to have this opportunity to speak with you Verona, please, tell our readers a bit about yourself, the real woman behind the screen. VERONA: Well I have a degree in Crea ve Wri ng from the University of Washington and I live in the Paciﬁc Northwest. Ever since I was a child I had wanted to be a professional writer, and not just any kind of writer but a fantasy writer. I had come to the sad realiza on that I am a nerd at a young age. In addi on to loving to write I am also a professional gamer. I playtested D&D with Gary Gygax in 1973. In the nine es I became the ﬁrst Magic the gathering woman pro tour player and I also worked with

Wizards of the Coast to help keep their D20 small presses consistent. Through all of this I have been a nurse and a financial counselor for a large hospital. But my heart always yearned to be a writer. Last month my first novel, "The Student Librarian," was released, published by Kodell Group Publishing. DAEDEN: Wow, I'd always known you were “all that” but I never realized just how much of “all that” to credit you with. Verona, you've been in Second Life for some me. As I recall you used to publish the longest running weekly SL news publica on. That is quite a feat if you ask me! Tell us a bit about what you've done here in the past, your accomplishments in SL? VERONA: The Voice of Gor. I ran that newspaper for nearly three years. It became one of the most read papers in Second Life and the largest paper. Many people have asked me, why Gor? It certainly isn't because I agree with John Norman's portrayal of women. I just found the greatest diversity of personali es, and some gorgeous builds all over Gor. The fact that what happened on one sim could impact what happened on another sim. I wanted to create a paper that would let everyone know, in character, what was going on in other ci es. I just kept at it, and was available and learned to delegate. I had a business partner to help me out. Willow Jenipe joined me at the paper when it was s ll in Vonda. Together we helped to create a more cohesive and unified Gor. Even people outside of Gor were reading the paper just to see what was happening. The Voice of Gor got John Norman's a en on and I communicated with him about it. I finally got burned out, and one of my editors took it over so The Voice of Gor has never truly stopped. Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014 - 25

From Role-Play to Best-Seller? - p3

I had started out a scribe, a high caste person in Gor, because I loved to write. The newspaper just seemed to be a good outlet for me to write. It got the a en on of real life publishers, the work that went into it, and the length of me that I ran it, allows me to put it on my very reallife resume.

to get a person with a bachelor's degree and pay them what a high school graduate would be paid. That is if someone could even ﬁnd a job. This piece was published two days before the march on Wall Street and I have heard from people all over the country about the meliness of the piece.

I had planned on running a series of ar cles in Roleplay Guide Magazine, that you had founded and were publishing Flipa, but your own personal tragedy, and the fact that I had burned out on SL with that intensive schedule, meant that those ar cles never came to pass. I s ll write for the Voice of Gor and you can see my weekly column in it. I am just no longer running it.

Well Steve, my publisher, read my op-ed piece and oﬀered me a job as an editor for his company. I have been having a blast with that ever since. So when my book, The Student Librarian, was done he said he would publish it. Now I have a book credit with a small press which means selling the next books will be easier. This is all ed into the work that I did on The Voice of Gor. If I had not come to Second Life, I would not have discovered the role-play of Gor nor been inspired by the size and diversity of this really cheesy series of books, which means, I probably would not have go en my novel published.

DAEDEN: The Voice of Gor has always been “ T H E” publica on for all things Gor, I remember it well! Your history shows some amazing accomplishments but, we're here today because you've done something new -something posi vely fabulous and exci ng -you've wri en and published a book -- in print! What is it called, and what type of book is it? VERONA: The Student Librarian is a murder mystery in a high fantasy se ng. It has dark humor in it, and a complex case solving. I invented nine languages for the book, and those languages, at least the syntax and vocabulary of them, provide clues to solving the murder mystery. I met the publisher for the company when I wrote an Op-Ed piece for our local real life paper. In this op-ed piece I vented my anger and frustra on at the jobless rate, and how employers were changing educa on requirements to high school diploma's for, what had not too many years prior, required a college degree. With so many unemployed educated people they were able 26 - Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014

DAEDEN: Your story has a very interes ng tle and cover too actually. What is this story about? Oh but please, don't give away the ending, I already bought the book and want to read it for myself ;). VERONA: A journey to a mys cal library deep in the heart of The Red Rock Desert proves deadly. Jason Li weiler, a young wizard, is assigned a case involving the murders of several guards, with the darkly beau ful Mortyiene as his partner. Upon arriving at The Library, he befriends a library cat who helps him ﬁnd his ways through the library and inves gate the deaths of the guards. Despite his allergies to cats, he learns to rely upon her knowledge of The Library and its denizens.

From Role-Play to Best-Seller? - p4

DAEDEN: Whatever inspired you to write a book in the first place Verona, and where did your inspira on for this story come from? VERONA: Well actually this concept comes from my D&D back ground. It was part of the world that I DM'd for 20 years. When I was in UW I had an extraordinary teacher named Charles Johnson. He won the na onal books award for his novel "Middle Passage," which was about slaving ships. This teacher loved science fic on and fantasy. He was also a cartoonist and could tell you the difference between silver surfers. I created the character of Jason and put him in a short story. I had already wanted to write a novel about this huge mys cal library, and I am a fan of mysteries, so I took this se ng from my D&D background, the short story from UW, and created a mystery. This is a first book of a series of books. The next one that will come out is called "The Bankers of Zurix."

As the inves ga on unfolds, he learns that the murders are part of a deeper plan. Together they uncover a truth that influences the nature of the war itself. The trio discovers that the killer has mo ves more sinister than they can imagine. DAEDEN: Will our readers find a love story in these mystery filled pages? VERONA: Not in the first one, but in the second one we will see a rela onship develop between Jason and a female character. And no, it is not Mortyiene. With Mortyiene I wanted to explore the darker, more evil side of being a woman. She is a complex character and his crime figh ng partner, not a roman c one – though Jason does have feelings for her.

DAEDEN: That is so amazing, that the con nua on of the story is already planned. So many people write one book without thinking ahead to follow up novels … kudos on that one! Ok, so the hot ques on of the hour ... where can we get this fabulously mysterious story you have created for your fans? VERONA: Right now you can get it on Amazon.com. You can also get it at Oregon Books and Games in Grants Pass Oregon. I am hoping to get it in an independent book store in Medford, and maybe Powels in Portland. But right now Amazon is the best source for it. DAEDEN: I no ce that right now it's available in paperback format only. Are there plans to oﬀer it in a reader format, such as Kindle, etc? Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014 - 27

From Role-Play to Best-Seller? - p5

VERONA: My publisher is strangely old fashioned. He likes print. In a couple of months, if it does ok in print format, he will also release an eBook format. So the more people that buy the printed book the faster it will come out in eBook. I can't sign an eBook though, so if you want my autograph, buy the print book. DAEDEN: Where can your fans find you, you know, book signings, or meet the author events to get autographs, or perhaps to par cipate in readings or other get-togethers? VERONA: Well first Friday Art Walk in Grants Pass Oregon for sure in April. I am also working with Steve to set up a book signing and reading at Oregon Books and Games. I hope to be at OryCon this November in Portland Oregon, and the Willame e Writer's Conference. I am more than willing to travel to sci-fi conven ons to meet my fans and sign books. DAEDEN: This is all so very exci ng Verona, we are all thrilled for your accomplishments! Tell us, what is next on your hit parade? VERONA: The sequel to "The Student Librarian," is "The Bankers of Zurix." The biggest bank on Xalaborn, the world in which the series takes place, is run by gnomes. Several gnomes are being killed and the bank manager wants Jason and Mortyiene to find out who is killing these gnomes and why. The inves ga on leads the crime solving team out of the safe administra on levels deeper into the bank as they try to find out more about the deaths. Their inves ga on uncovers genocide and brings the war to the library, disrup ng the fragile peace. This book is going through my writers groups, and the third dra has been completed.

28 - Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014

I am also working on the ﬁrst of an epic fantasy trilogy. The name of the trilogy is called "The Great Wyrm Saga." The ﬁrst book of that trilogy is "Red Sails in the Morning." It is very dark with a high level of violence and is set in the back drop of a massive scale. It has ten point of view characters. I love those huge epic fantasies that have a thousand pages per book. And I have in pre-write, the third of the Jason and Mortyiene Mysteries. DAEDEN: Do you have a blog or fan page that readers can join, somewhere we can go so we won't miss out on any new happenings? VERONA: I have a blog on Good Reads, and a fan of Victoria Lynn Osborne group on Facebook. Feel free to friend me on Facebook or follow me on Twi er. One of my next tasks is to get a web page set up for me now that I have a book out in print. FACEBOOK: h ps://www.facebook.com/victoria.osborne. 925 TWITTER: h ps://twi er.com/victori64083896 GOOD READS: h ps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5 792264.Victoria_Osborne/blog Thank you so much for taking this me out of your day to speak with us. All of us at Nu Vibez are excited to share your story! It is always wonderful to see those we meet in Second Life do amazing things that springboard their skills and accomplishments into Real Life! Don't forget dear readers -- get yourselves over to Amazon.com, search for "The Student Librarian" by Victoria Lynn Osborne and get reading!

A Picture’s Worth A Thousand Words - p1

A Picture's Worth A Thousand Words…

or in this case, an awful lot of “hits” and growth for ar st WrenNoir Cerise!

By Filipa Thespian Photography courtesy of WrenNoir Cerise

For all of us who have been up-in-arms over the S L TO S situa on, this inspira onal story may help you find some confidence and hope for the future of crea vity and ar sts rights inside Second Life. Nu Vibez' own WrenNoir Cerise, a super talented SL photographer, has made the mainstream of Second Life with the inclusion of her work on the Second Life websites and marke ng, world-wide. The hope-inducing part of this is how Linden Labs contacted her to ask her permission to use HER art. It would appear, to the benefit of “good,” their ac ons do not mimic their words. Beyond that though, this easy-to-work with, talented woman is up to so much more than taking pictures of friends, lovers, scenes, stores and products. Have you ever wanted to really truly learn how the magic happens between the click of the camera and the finished piece? No problem, Wren has started an

amazing Photography School to give you EVERYTHING you ever wanted to know but couldn't get an answer to! FILIPA: We are here today with our very own WrenNoir Cerise who is herself, a very inspira onal story! Welcome Wren, tell us about the magnificent and talented woman behind that luscious avatar :). WREN: Ah, you are making me blush! I'm just a simple girl behind an SL camera, really, and just happened to have lucked out with some ar s c genes. In RL I am an ar st working in all sorts of media: drawing, pain ng, po ery, jewelry making, and altered cra s, but NOT photography. In SL I am a photographer first and foremost. FILIPA: You have worked with Nu Vibez as a photographer since the January 2014 issue Wren, much to our great apprecia on! But tell us, how did you get into photography in the first place and how long have you been at it to have developed such mad skills? WREN: It's a funny story. I didn't really get into photography un l I wanted c l o t h e s t h a t I c o u l d n o t a ffo rd . Champagne! Sparkling Couture had ou its I wanted and they also happened to have a monthly photography contest in which the winner gets lots of credit in Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014 - 33

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the store. I bought the cheapest ou it I could afford, styled it, shot a photo, touched it up in Photoshop (learned that in RL college), and submi ed it. It was to my absolute amazement that I got first place the first month I tried! That got me totally addicted to photography. Enzo Champagne believed in me when I was a nobody. I am infinitely grateful to him to this day. That was April 2012 with this photo:

A er that, I started entering whatever photography contest I heard about. When my photos kept ge ng chosen, I kept ge ng more and more encouraged to take more photos. FILIPA: As I recall, your history in the fashion world is not limited to your photography. You are a former Miss Virtual World compe tor are you not? 34 - Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014

We are curious how your path through the illustrious world of SL modeling brought you where you are today. WREN: I am an accidental model, to be honest. I get myself in compe ons because they all start out with photo submissions. If my photo gets chosen, I dash around and try to figure out how to pose and walk. Thankfully, I have some decent style sense that comes from all that artsy stuff in my genes. For the MVW compe on, I really didn't know how to walk a runway so my entry into that contest stopped at that first photo. However, a er that I learned a few things. I was Runner Up for a few contests such as Solo Evane, PurpleMoon Mix & Match contest (where I work as a store model now due to that contest), the Ashraya contest, and OGlam. I was a finalist for other contests like Chop Zuey, TCL Dior, and Vero Modero. At the moment, I am a FineSmith Muse finalist. I am also the winner of the Miss Darcy Seasons of Beauty contest. I also made it through a styling compe on for Posesion Poses. I'm thrilled about all of that, but s ll see myself as a fumbling li le avatar. FILIPA: Wow, I look at all those contests and knowing full well what it takes to enter and then par cipate in them well, that's a lot of work, kudos to you! But … we are gathered here today to share something very exci ng for your career in

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photography are we not? You were recently contacted by Linden Labs about a photograph of yours. Besides the obvious excitement over the reason why for the contact, we felt it poignant, in the heat of the TOS nightmare, to share what they had to say to you or rather, ask you. Won't you, in your words, tell us what happened, what they asked and what has transpired since? WREN: It was a very simple Flickr e-mail that arrived from an SL account last month. Basically, they asked if I would be willing to give them permission to use one of my photographs for the SL login page. They also requested an e-mail where they could send the permission form that I was to ďŹ ll out and return to the LL Legal Department.

FILIPA: I must say, to spite all the nega ve press surrounding the new SL TOS, it brings great hope to my heart that t h e y o b v i o u s l y r e c o g n i ze d y o u r ownership of your art. How did they exactly word their request? WREN: Yes, I absolutely agree!! The Permission Agreement stated: "Linden Lab requests your permission to use the images and/or designs created or prepared by you ... in connec on with the d eve l o p m e nt , re p ro d u c o n , a n d distribu on of the AV Material and all later edi ons of it, for Marke ng Purposes in English and all foreign language transla ons, by Linden Lab or its successors or licensees throughout the world in all media now known or herea er devised." My permission is a world-wide, non-exclusive, royalty-free

The Photo Licensed by Linden Labs Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014 - 35

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(or free-of-charge), perpetual, sublicense-able, and transferable license to use, display, distribute, perform, copy, modify, and prepare deriva ve works of the Content as described and requested. The image was iden ﬁed so it did not give them permission to use just any photo, but rather one par cular one. FILIPA: At ﬁrst blush all that might make many creators in SL nervous, it may seem like they just took all rights away from you but knowing IP law the way I do, I'll just take a sec to clarify that they have gained the rights to use that photo always with your name a ached as creator, for the marke ng of SL, worldwide and that this is not anything out of the ordinary in business. It's a fabulous opportunity for you and your visibility! So, with that said, how has having your 36 - Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014

photography on the home page of both the www.SecondLife.com website AND the h p://Marketplace.SecondLife.com sites aﬀected you and your photography business?

A Picture’s Worth A Thousand Words - p5

WREN: As you can imagine, I've had more requests for photos, friendships, and even people oﬀering to be my model (that is not necessary, so please don't anyone get any ideas of doing that). More people follow my Flickr account now too. It has also been wonderful for my exis ng clients who are now happier than ever that I am their photographer. I want to say that they were happy enough before with just my photos, but I think this made them happier. lol

business. There was a big need for that as well. The SL photographers that I have known do not have a venue for ge ng together and discussing their cra . This is desperately needed so that we can evaluate what we do, grow, learn, and perfect our cra .

FILIPA: Ah but you are not just a photographer oﬀering her services for a fee are you? As I recall, you recently shared with us some informa on about a photography school you are opening. Tell us about it? What inspired the school? Who else is involved in its crea on, its opera on and to teach the students? WREN: Myself and Nariko Okawa opened VISIONAIRE Ins tute in January of this year. We had many people through the years ask us various ques ons on technique and processes that we felt there was a need for people to know how to take a good photo in SL. So the school was started. We have also started another group for current professional SL photographers to come together and discuss whatever is on their mind -- from speciﬁc skill sets to ques ons about the SL photography Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014 - 37

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FILIPA: What are your goals for the photography school? WREN: We want people to be able to take the photos they have always wanted to take but didn't have the skills to pull it oﬀ. We want a genera on of expert photographers to keep pushing the envelope of just what can be done in SL. That will also help keep current SL photography professionals on their toes and not be stagnant. We want a vibrant ar s c community!

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FILIPA: So, if I were a student, what could I learn and what would you be arming me with at the end of my courses? What I mean is, what sort of skills will I possess and what might I be able to do with them? WREN: What sets our school apart (and this is from our students) is that we teach our students to SEE. We don't want to produce mini-Wrens or mini-Narikos, but rather to ﬁnd and encourage the best the student can be. We teach them how to evaluate their own photos as well as

A Picture’s Worth A Thousand Words - p7

photos in general. We teach them the tools available in SL, concepts such as composi on, ligh ng, color theory, even the business aspect of doing photography in SL. We do not teach them how to use post-processing programs such as Photoshop or Gimp. We give them tutorial links for that. There's no reason to spend me on things they can do on their own. We give them homework and at the beginning of each class we do an art cri que. The students learn a lot from the feedback and learn to SEE. FILIPA: So, where can our readers ﬁnd out more about the school and how to par cipate? WREN: For now people can go to our Campus 2 and subscribe to VISIONAIRE Ins tute. This is the SLurl: h p://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/ New/163/237/21. No group spot required. Subscribers will be the ﬁrst to get informa on on when the next semester starts. That should be about mid-April. People can also feel free to IM me or Nariko Okawa and ask any ques ons they want to ask. We are very accessible.

take a gander at the magniﬁcent art you create in your SL photography? WREN: Oh I would love for your readers to look through my Flickr account! Here i s t h e s i te a d d re s s : h p://www.ﬂickr.com/photos/wrennoir Following people is easy on Flickr and they should do it if they want to keep up to date on the most recent posts. FILIPA: Thank you so much for spending this me with us today Wren, we are so excited for you and your accomplishments! Don't forget readers, to check out Wren's website and Flickr. There is much to see here that will sooth your need for eye candy! WREN: Thank you so much for talking with me, Filipa. It's been an absolute pleasure to work with you at NuVibez!

FILIPA: I have to say Wren, I personally and Nu Vibez as a whole, have been very impressed with your work for some me now! Where can we point readers to Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014 - 39

by Filipa Thespian

Cover Photo by Filipa Thespian

Second Life’s New CEO Ebbe Altberg. A Man [Robot] Of His Word? - p1

We've all heard the news, Rod Humble's gone, Ebbe Altberg has moved in as the new CEO. We've all seen FABULOUS repor ng on the subject, all over the net from very reputable bloggers, INCLUDING a wonderful report on a mee ng Ebbe and Pete Linden had with a few select members of the SL press almost immediately a er Ebbe put on his pixel boots...uh, robot feet! Photo from Ebbe’s Twi er

There has been so much nega ve press about the problems we face with what residents feel Second Life has become – Some say it's a corpora on no longer the slightest bit interested in its customers, what they want, what they need or don't need. Many old- mers say that SL was a p a ra d i s e o f c re a ve i n s p i ra o n , regardless of how good the graphics quality or tools were. It used to be that there was telephone-based customer support and those who owned sims had a direct line to Concierge where they received swi service. It used to be that there were A LOT more residents with whom to interact, sell to, buy from and otherwise bump into on the pixel highway of our Second Lives...used to be...un l now?

But, what has happened since he's taken the helm? Were they the equivalent of campaign promises we're so used to being made but not kept? Or ... dare we dream ... is he serious and true to his word? Well, let's just make a short-list from the full transcript to try to keep "megafocused" and see ...

LONG TERM GOALS: · Making SL appealing to a much broader audience · Get to a massive scale of users that enjoy what we do. · Raising the bar in LL's produc vity, focus and dedica on. · Create a clear vision and mission for everyone to understand and work toward.

Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014 - 43

Second Life’s New CEO Ebbe Altberg. A Man [Robot] Of His Word? - p2

Photo Courtesy of Inara Pey, ModemWorld.Wordpress.com

Clockwise from le : Mal Burns, Saﬃa Widdershins, Daniel Voyager, Pete Linden, Ebbe Linden, Draxtor Despres, Inara Pey, Jo Yardley Original Ar cle with Mee ng Audio & Transcript: h p://bit.ly/1kG7HYu

SHORT TERM GOALS: · Understanding his team, their abili es, talents and how they work together, to ﬁgure out if they are focused and produc ve and if not, make it so. · Looking at the organiza on and understanding how it interacts with their users and partners. · Figuring out if they have a clear path with which everyone is aligned. · Figuring out if they have the best ways of ge ng the best ideas and then being able to implement those great ideas. 44 - Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014

· U n d e rsta n d i n g w h at s o r t o f organiza on LL is and ﬁguring out how to bring it to the status of "world-class" (wash and repeat swi ly). EBBE'S INITIAL FEELINGS AFTER HIS FIRST LOOK UNDER THE HOOD? In regards to how Linden Labs operates a n d h o w t h ey s h o u l d o p e rate … disappointment! THE HOT TOPICS DISCUSSED AT THE MEETING: · The New User Experience and improving User Reten on

Second Life’s New CEO Ebbe Altberg. A Man [Robot] Of His Word? - p3

· Involving Users, new & old in improving the New User Experience/Reten on · The S gma A ached to Second Life · A rac ng Business and Educa onal Users · A "lightweight" viewer/client · Linden Lab's Other Products · Oculus Ri and Other Technologies · SL and the Younger Audience · The Poten al of "Blank Canvas" Crea ve Spaces for Younger People "SO WHAT HAVE YOU DONE LATELY?" Oh how impa ent we have all become. It's been maybe two weeks since this mee ng and already we're looking for results.

WELL ... is there a surprise for us all ... Ebbe appears to be a man of his word! In this very short me, he's opened JIRA back up (Jira.SecondLife.com), much to the praise and gra tude of many relieved residents. For our readers who may have joined a er the JIRA was closed, it is a cket-based bug-tracking system online, through which we have a direct line to LL to report issues and bugs and in some instances, thoughts and ideas. The JIRA is a place where our voices can be heard, where we can help guide the technical side of our SL experience and help the company to more swi ly ﬁnd, troubleshoot and ﬁx those pesky insects that can seriously ruin our SL days.

Photo Courtesy of Inara Pey, ModemWorld.Wordpress.com

Clockwise from le : Pete Linden & Ebbe Linden – Original Ar cle with Mee ng Audio & Transcript: h p://bit.ly/1kG7HYu Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014 - 45

Second Life’s New CEO Ebbe Altberg. A Man [Robot] Of His Word? - p4

Search @EbbeAltberg on Twi er and you will see an explosion of responses to his work and interac ons such as, "thank you for listening to open the JIRA back up. So far, your decisions have made the S L Community regain trust in @LindenLab" (by @neddings), and "Could it be? Mr. Altberg's promises of transparency are real? JIRA is open again! If pa ern con nues, SL may be back on track" (by @michilumin). These are just two of many similar comments and we invite you to ﬁnd him on Twi er (@EbbeAltberg) and take a look.

Ebbe himself invites all "comers" to interact with him on Twi er directly! As a ma er of fact, his twi er page is chock full of his responses to resident's technical issues and ques ons and proof of his actually reading things through, seeking out answers internally, repor ng issues and responding as though he were a tech support guy. When's the last me you ever saw any corporate CEO do that? Wow, how refreshing! There's just one @EbbeAltberg Twi er post that does not show up retweeted on 46 - Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014

his feed, to which we are s ll wai ng on a response, “@EbbeAltberg exci ng to see customers ma ering to #SecondLife again! Thanks Ebbe! You Rock! So, plans on addressing the huge TOS debate?” (by @IamFilipaT)

It would seem that there are some things Ebbe has not yet had a chance to lay his magic upon just yet. Here's hoping its temporary and that when the me is right it will change. We did ﬁnd it interes ng though, that our new CEO appears very open in his statements regarding the problems between LL and its customers: “@ shcoronet @LaskyaClaren @rivenhomewood And we are underserving consumers now. Balance is oﬀ a b i t . N o t e a s y e n o u g h .” ( b y @ebbealtberg).

In the mean me, I think it's important to note here, that those of us who are not in the corporate food chain will never know everything that is going on behind closed doors. It is very likely that there are some huge plans in the works that, un l they are ready or the ming is appropriate, will not be made public but that may just be in everyone's best interests … only me will tell!

Second Life’s New CEO Ebbe Altberg. A Man [Robot] Of His Word? - p5

Keep up the magniﬁcent work Mr. Altberg, all of us are grateful, hopeful and watching with eagerly expectant pixel eyes, li ing them up to look upon the light at the end of the tunnel and chant the praises "all hail Ebbe." We'll just end on an extremely up-beat and posi ve note by sharing a few of our favorite posts from Twi er star ng with … Linden's in SL will come too?:

Nu Vibez Magazine - January 2014 - 47

Second Lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s New CEO Ebbe Altberg. A Man [Robot] Of His Word? - p6

48 - Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014

Butterfly the

By Ethan Ellsmere

effect

The term Bu erfly Effect is more than the tle of an older Ashton Kutcher movie. However that movie (like this ar cle) is about the meaning behind the terminology and why that knowledge is so important to all of us. The term bu erfly effect comes from what is called Chaos Theory. Chaos Theory is a field of study in mathema cs, with applica ons in several disciplines including meteorology, physics, engineering, economics, biology, and philosophy. The name bu erfly effect was coined by a mathema cian named Edward Lorenz and describes the sensi ve dependency on ini al condi ons in which a small change at one place in a determinis c nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state. 52- Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014

To illustrate the meaning of the bu erfly effect, Lorenz used the example of a hurricane being the end result of a chain reac on caused several weeks earlier by a bu erfly simply flu ering its wings. This example to describe the effect, helps m e r e m o r t a l s ( l i ke y o u r s t r u l y ) understand what Lorenz is saying about the power of cause and effect. And as we made reference to earlier, the Ashton Kutcher film by the same tle, also a emps to help us understand this principle of Chaos theory in simplis c laymen's terms. What seems to be the most important informa on conveyed through understand the bu erfly effect is that everything seems to be connected in some way or another. The knowledge that our ac ons have ripple effects we

The Bu erﬂy Eﬀect - p2

may never see or even realize is both wondrous and sobering. The idea that what I do today will have impact on those of tomorrow is confirmed by even the Holy Bible when it presents us with the truth that we are our brother's keeper. I wonder what type of virtual ci zens we would be if we kept the bu erfly effect in mind when we were dealing with ma ers of the heart. Some people in worlds like SL can feel so li le responsibility for how they conduct themselves. A person does not see their ac ons in a cartoon

environment as having actual world consequences but nothing could be further from the truth. Failure to treat one another the way we want to be treated in First Life is bad enough. However in virtual communi es, we can be much worse behind the anonymity of our avatars. How many mes have we heard of broken hearts, false iden es, money scams and worse, being done-to by people in-world with no thought for what

Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014 - 53

The Bu erﬂy Eﬀect - p3

the person being taken advantage of will go through? Grasping the concept of the bu erfly effect has such important meaning when we truly understand the power we each have, the power to heal or hurt one another with that avatar anonymity. I can choose my ac ons be er when I understand their poten al for rippleeffect impact for good or bad. Telling ourselves SL and other virtual connec ons are just a game and in games no one can really get hurt, is a “indenial” mentality. Embracing our connectedness can make us much more aware of when we should get involved with the needs of others or in some cases when we should not. Some mes doing

nothing is the best something we can do when we understand that cause and eﬀect is grounds for looking before we leap. Even now as this ar cle is being prepared, the eﬀect it may have, I can only wonder about. Yet I take some small comfort in knowing that my awareness of our connectedness, at the very least, makes me want to do the best I can for you in presen ng this piece. Maybe someday somewhere someone will be in a posi on of power and do what's right because they remembered a li le ar cle they read in a magazine. Now that, my friends, would truly be worth making a movie about.

Visit the Pyramid Theatre on Olympus Lightning

maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Olympus%20Lightning/97/96/35

54 - Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014

The Trouble with Uganda. Loss of Gay Rights, Just a Beginning? - p1

Photo Courtesy of Crito Gal er

The Trouble with Uganda Loss of Gay Rights, Just a beginning? By Draghan Marksman & Crito Gal er The opinions and personal views on sexual orienta on have grown to historic levels with regard to levels of acceptance. As the scien ﬁc community has proven, sexual preference is part of who we are born to be. S ll, archaic thinking abounds throughout the world with regard to acceptance of this fact aﬀec ng the lives of millions. The ba le of ge ng people to understand the facts about sexual preference is seemingly

insurmountable as personal view points are embedded in deep beliefs which are o en rooted in misguided values inﬂuenced by those that ignore the facts. Changing personal beliefs is compounded when governments also ignore the facts and take ac ons that lead to and promote discrimina on against whole segments of people, viola ng their unalienable rights. The world watched in horror last week as the Uganda government passed into law the An -Homosexuality Act, 2014 (previously called the "Kill the Gays bill" in the media due to the originally proposed death penalty clauses). Passed by the Parliament of Uganda on 20 December 2013 with the death penalty proposal dropped in favor of life in Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014 - 55

The Trouble with Uganda. Loss of Gay Rights, Just a Beginning? - p2

prison, the bill was signed into law by the President of Uganda on 24 February 2014. The Uganda law criminalizes same-sex rela ons in Uganda with provisions for Ugandans who engage in same-sex rela ons outside of Uganda, asser ng that they may be extradited for punishment back to Uganda. It also and includes penal es for individuals, companies, media organiza ons, or nongovernmental organiza ons that know of gay people or support LGBT rights. American evangelists ac ve in Africa are being cri cized for being responsible for inspiring the legisla on by inci ng hatred with excessive speech by comparing homosexuality to pedophilia and inﬂuencing public policy with dona ons from American religious organiza ons. Before the proposed legisla on, many had felt a gradual easing of enforcement of laws designed to punish people for h o m o s e x u a l b e h a v i o r. A m n e s t y Interna onal, however, reports that arrests of people suspected of having homosexual rela ons are arbitrary and detainees are subjected to torture and abuse by authori es. Since the Bill became law, increasing numbers of gay men and women in the capital Kampala have found themselves being thrown out of their homes and taunted and threatened by their neighbors.

56- Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014

The interna onal community has reacted against Uganda. Many Western leaders, who give Uganda some $1 billion in foreign aid annually, warned President Yoweri Museveni that it would greatly complicate diploma c rela ons. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry likened the new an -gay legisla on in Uganda to an -Semi c laws in Nazi Germany or apartheid South Africa. Even the United Na ons High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, urged Uganda to shelve the bill and decriminalize homosexuality. Amnesty Interna onal a n d H u m a n R i g h t s Wa t c h h a v e condemned the bill, calling it a product of a campaign by evangelical churches and an -gay groups that has led to death threats and physical assaults against Ugandans suspected of being gay. To broaden awareness, the Brokeback LGBT Center and the Terra Lascivus Sim in Second Life have set up an exhibi on on this topic that you can visit ll the end of March. The exhibit features photographs by award winning Slovene photo journalist Tadej Žnidarčič. Brokeback is an independent, non-profit organiza on in Second Life that strives to coordinate its ac ons with all other nonprofit GBLT communi es in a spirit of friendship and efficiency. One of Brokeback's missions is to organize events aimed at promo ng LGBT rights

The Trouble with Uganda. Loss of Gay Rights, Just a Beginning? - p3

awareness and AIDS awareness and the coming together of all communi es regardless of origins, sexual orienta on and religious beliefs. It aims to involve heterosexuals in all of its ac ons and ﬁghts against heterophobia with the

same determina on as it fights against homophobia and transphobia. While Brokeback's main goal is the fight against Homophobia and Transphobia, they also fight and campaign against any kind of discrimina on.

Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014 - 57

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Photo Courtesy of Kylie Sabra & SamanthaSJones

Stroker & Mami

Second Life Marketplace - Who’s Watching the Store? - p2

Second Life Marketplace Who’s Watching the Store? An Interview with SamanthaSJones of LivGlam by Kylie Sabra Content the hurts everyone. Some creators are closing down shop because of the losses. When you find that too-goodto-be-true deal on Marketplace, look at the name of the creator. This is one thing the content thieves can't change. So when you see a Utopia dress, for example, make sure that the creator is actually Saby Clary. Love Catwa hair? The creator is Catwa Clip. Educate yourself. Report thieves to both Linden Lab and the actual creator. Ge ng that “deal” has a ripple effect on the Second Life economy. The person providing the stolen goods is not a creator. As I men oned, some don't even have the crea vity to redo the product graphics. Don't be surprised when your wonderful “find” turns out to be an empty box. So what happens when the creators throw up their hands in defeat? Are these thieves going to fill the void? Hardly. Armed with knowledge and a conscience, Second Life residents can go a long way to

slamming the door on content thieves. This in no way alleviates Linden Lab's obliga on to police Marketplace. A er all, they beneﬁt from all sales on Marketplace–legal or illegal. Even at the wri ng of this ar cle, I see a par cularly heinous case of content the s ll up on Marketplace, in spite of the fact that Linden Lab was made aware of this weeks ago. Weeks! In the mean me, the Lab con nues to earn income on these illegal sales, while the true creator wrings their hands in helpless angst; leaving me to wonder … who's watching the store? I've had a number of people both in and out of the United Content Creators of SL group approach me desperately seeking relief from this growing issue. As creators, we put our soul into our work. For many of us, this is our full- me profession. I work 80-100 hours a week and I know I'm not alone. Seeing our work stolen out from under us is painful. Finding our pieces sold on Marketplace for pennies on the dollar–o en using our own graphics is disheartening. As long as Linden Lab considers the to be a “resident-toresident” issue and turns a blind eye; content the will con nue to grow at an exponen al rate. Sadly, I've found that many vic ms are reluctant to go public with this issue. Some are afraid of retribu on by the thieves and others are afraid of retribu on by Linden Lab. Finally, someone has found the courage to bring this inﬂammatory issue to the public stage.

Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014 - 63

Second Life Marketplace - Who’s Watching the Store? - p3

I'm mee ng today with SamanthaSJones of LivGlam.

The warning radar came up and I backed away from the purchase.

Sabra: Samantha, you have become quite the fashion giant in Second Life. I remember coming to LivGlam when it was only a few rooms and I didn't get lost. Things have changed in the space of a year. Tell me who you are now.

She didn't let me go that easily. She came back with names of two well-known designers and claimed that she made mesh for them. She even linked me to a third-party website and showed me the mesh she supposedly created. I s ll held back. I wasn't about to make a L$9,000 purchase without a demo. She was relentless—quick on her feet as well. She then showed me a designer who released a new shoe and asked if I knew of them. I did know them as they are a prominent shoe designer. Again she sent me to a thirdparty website and there was the shoe. She explained that she, like many mesh creators, purchase unrigged mesh. She then adapts it, rigs it and prepares it for fashion designers to use in Second Life. I was ﬁne with that. A lot of mesh designers do that. The fact that she openly admi ed it made me trust her a li le more. I told her I'd be interested in commissioning a shoe from her. She wanted L$70,000 and asked for a 50% down payment. I went ahead and bought the semi-exclusive shoe mesh for L$8,999. However, when it arrived, the box was empty.

Jones: LivGlam supports my SL business partner and myself with a real life income. We also support ten staﬀ members that make nice salaries. You are right. We have grown from a quarter homestead to three sims. Sabra: Samantha, I understand that you are recent vic m of Marketplace fraud. Can you tell me a bit about your experience? Jones: On February 23rd I made a purchase on Second life Marketplace for .::MLX::. Full Perm Mesh Shoes Semi E xc l u s i v e – S E X Y ' s fo r L $ 8 , 9 9 9 h ps://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/M L X-Full-Perm-Mesh-Shoes-SemiE xclu sive- S E X Ys/5793603 (by the publishing of this magazine, the previously referred to link had been removed from Marketplace). When I received my order, the box was empty. Before I bought this item I talked to the seller for an hour to try to ﬁgure out whether or not she was a fraud. I asked for a demo, but she said she doesn't do demos because they can be copybo ed. 64- Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014

I contacted her asking where my shoes were. She had a ready answer. “Oh, I don't put the shoe in the box because I don't want to risk it being copybo ed. You'll get it in an hour.” Two hours later, and in spite of the fact that I s ll didn't have the shoes, she asked me

Second Life Marketplace - Who’s Watching the Store? - p4

for the 50% deposit of L$35,000. Now I'm ge ng worried. To buy some me, I told her I needed to talk to my business partner to make sure I chose the right model. I said, “While we wait for her would you please send my purchase.” She didn't even respond. When my business partner Kim came online, I told her about my interac ons with the woman and Kim did a bit of detec ve work. Apparently, you have to be a sleuth to safely purchase on Marketplace. Kim checked the seller's we b p ro ﬁ l e a n d fo u n d n u m e ro u s complaints. She then Googled the image the seller provided for the market place and found the exact image—no modiﬁca ons—was from an external 3D website. All the seller had done was put the SLINK logo on the picture and posted it to Marketplace. Kim IM'd her and again asked her to send the item. The woman became angry. “Ms Jones hasn't paid the deposit. I'm not going to send the item un l she does.” Keep in mind we did pay for the semiexclusive shoes in the empty box and she is now a emp ng to extort more money from us by withholding delivery of the item we have paid for. We weren't about to pay for anything else un l we received those shoes. The seller told Kim to go ahead and report her to Linden Lab because she knew they would do nothing about the issue.

Sabra: I gather things went from bad to worse. Jones: Indeed. She threatened us. She said we should be ready, because she has many alts and she will bring them to our store and copybot all of our new items and sell them on the marketplace for L$0. She said if we ban her, she will simply create another alt, and another, and another. Sabra: Have you involved Linden Lab in this situa on? Jones: I contacted Linden Lab to report the buyer and was told to submit a cket, which I did. They responded by saying that it was a resident-to-resident issue and were not going to take any responsibility. A er phoning them twice, to no avail, I told them I was going to take this issue public. I was going to make sure that people knew about it. They've had the cket for 48 hours. I asked the Linden Lab employee, I spoke with on the telephone, how soon I could expect a response. She said it could be as long as 72 hours. I told her that in the mean me, I'm going to go public. I once again asked her what the Linden Lab policy was in these cases. She said they don't get involved. Just ten minutes later they refunded the money. No communica on or answer to the cket, just gave me back the money. Sabra: How do you feel about the fact that you had to issue threats to get a response from Linden Lab?

Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014 - 65

Second Life Marketplace - Who’s Watching the Store? - p5

Jones: It's not up to us to be figh ng these ba les. Linden Lab provides the service and they should take responsibility. They can't just sit back and say it has nothing to do with them when they make a percentage profit from sales on Marketplace. That puts them squarely in bed with the people conduc ng the fraud. Perhaps they don't want to make Marketplace secure because they actually benefit from the fraud. Sabra: How much money do you think you've lost in Marketplace fraud over the past year, Samantha? Jones: Between L$60,000 – L$70,000. Sabra: Have you talked to fellow creators that have shared your experience? Have they put a price tag on their losses? Jones: Yes, I have. I cannot men on the person's name because I don't have permission, but in the last week alone, they were scammed out of over L$40,000 on Marketplace. There are only really a handful of good mesh people out there. They really should indicate right on their Marketplace page, and boldly so, that if they are not listed as the creator then it's fake, fraudulent. Many of these scammers don't change a single thing. They just copy the picture and the verbiage and re-post it on Marketplace. Sabra: So a note to our readers, be sure the creator name is listed on the market place lis ng. This is the only thing that a 66- Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014

scammer can't change. I've actually started doing this myself a er becoming awa re o f t h e ra m p a nt , u n p o l i c e d fraudulent ac vi es on Marketplace. Sabra: How do you feel when Linden Lab says Marketplace fraud is not their problem, that it is a resident-to-resident issue? Jones: I'm horrified. I'm not buying a pair of shoes or a skirt for a L$100. I'm spending a lot of money on pre-made mesh—thousands for a single item. A lot of mesh designers don't have an in-world presence. So the only way you can buy is on Marketplace. There has to be some kind of protec on when you spend big sums of money on items. Someone needs to do something about Marketplace fraud. We have a budget. We support three sims and several staff members, If I lose this month's budget due to fake mesh; I won't be able to make new, exclusive designs to release in my stores and that in turn affects my sales. Is that going to stop Linden Lab from shu ng me down if I can't pay my er because they fail to make any effort to stop the increasing illegal ac vi es on Marketplace? No, of course it isn't. Sabra: How do you think Linden Lab's a tude affects the security, or at least the perceived security, of Marketplace? Do you feel confident that Marketplace is a safe place to purchase items? It does seem as if no one is minding the store.

Second Life Marketplace - Who’s Watching the Store? - p6

Jones: It's not safe. It's really not safe. I'm not going to make any more major purchases from Marketplace. It's a sad state for new mesh designer who comes to Marketplace to sell their wares. No one is going to know them, trust them or want to buy from them. We constantly have to try to find the next mesh designer for our store's Now, you can't trust anyone and you have to s ck with a small group of people. The whole of Second Life is about crea ng and being crea ve—or at least it used to be. The essence of Second Life is dying. Everything is about stealing. The cheeky thing is the thieves know they will get away with it because Linden Lab will do nothing, and that makes my blood boil. This problem will grow exponen ally as thieves become more brazen, like the woman I dealt with, and more confident that Linden Lab will do nothing to stop them. A er all, why shouldn't they be confident, Linden Lab has made it a policy to do … nothing.

having access to trustworthy new mesh designers is going to hurt the Second Life fashion industry. Sabra: What ac ons will LivGlam take to protect itself from future Marketplace fraud? Jones: LivGlam will not buy any exclusive or semi-exclusive mesh that does not have demos available. Sabra: Samantha, you are, by far, not the ﬁrst creator I've had this discussion with. The others will not take this public where it can have a bright, cleansing light shined upon it. They are too fearful. They fear retribu on from the thieves and even more so from Linden Lab itself. Why are you s cking your neck out? Jones: I paid Linden Lab good money. I pay the Marketplace vendors good money. I work hard for those L's. I want what I paid for. It's just wrong.

Sabra: What ac ons do you suggest that Second Life creators take to protect themselves? What do you think Linden Lab should do to protect Marketplace users? Jones: Un l Linden Lab takes charge and makes Marketplace secure, I suggest we boyco and don't make any more major purchases on Marketplace. Build rela onships with mesh designers. LivGlam creates so much content it's really diﬃcult for them to keep up with us. Not Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014 - 67

Photos provided by Heather Bloom

72 - Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014

Follow the Red Carpet Road - p2

The annual Academy Awards ceremony has never really held me cap vated. Awards like these are subjec ve; how can you compare Meryl Streep to Cate Blanche , or Sandra Bullock, or to, um... anyone? I do love watching the stars sashay along the red carpet, pausing to pose just so for the cameras or speak to over-zealous reporters, a few of whom may be 86-ed a er this year's 86th show (it's Julia Roberts, not Jennifer. How can you mess that up?). This year was different. Let's downshi right past what people are calling host Ellen Degeneres's lackluster and almost bi er opening. All of my personal sites were set on several very deserving nominees. Both “12 Years a Slave” and “Dallas Buyer's Club” were filmed in New Orleans; a city that rose up a er Hurricane Katrina to become the Hollywood of the South. Knowing several of the actors in these films and how passionately my agency worked in pitching them for their respec ve roles made me so proud. Ma hew McConaughey (who hails from Longview, Texas) has certainly shed his silver-tongued, surfer-dude image, alright! Oh, and a shout out to my new Jesus crush Jared Leto for pu ng Bossier City, Louisiana on the map!

Seeing Jared decked out in a white suit ala “Saturday Night Fever”gave me a sudden ﬂashback to my date for senior prom.

Leto snagged the award for Best Suppor ng Actor, and set the bar for an eve n i n g o f eﬀo r t l e s s l y e l o q u e nt acceptance speeches. Ma hew McConaughey, Lupita Nyong'o, and Cate Blanche (all ﬁrst- me Oscar winners) were totally in command of their moments on stage, and yet so gracious. Ok, Blanche blundered a bit with her misuse of the word 'exacerbates' when thanking presenter Daniel Day-Lewis. Was taking the golden boy from him a problem? I'm confused. Not quite sure which word she meant to use. But hey, but if anyone can make a totally inappropriate word choice seem believable, it's Cate. Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014 - 73

Follow the Red Carpet Road - p3

Throughout the evening, several of the celebs presen ng this evening seemed to be having trouble spi ng out simple words and phrases. I blame the show's tech team--it had to be a slower-thannormal teleprompter. Most of the stars were able to shrug it oﬀ, but John Travolta blatantly changing Idina Menzel to “Adele Dazim”? Li le worried about ya, Johann Revolt. It was worse for Kim Novak. Clearly the marione e operators above couldn't get her mouth to open. And what was with my hero Harrison Ford's Heisenberg impression? A hat and glasses, and he would have cleared the en re Dolby Theater. Don't hate, but I might be the only person watching who didn't totally love Darlene Love. Happy to be part of the team accep ng the best documentary award for “20 Feet From Stardom”, Love burst into song with the chorus of one of my all- me fave gospel tunes, “His Eye is on the Sparrow”. Everyone from Bill Murray to Bono seemed inspired by this not-soimpromptu concert. She's already an incredible force of nature with serious champion chops. But this came oﬀ as more of a brazen Broadway moment. Word on her website is that a movie of her life is in the works. How are they gonna cast it? Jennifer Hudson, get ready. 74 - Nu Vibez Magazine - February 2014

The singer who did impress me was that cool white woman in a red dress: Pink. In a tribute commemora ng the 75th anniversary of “The Wizard of Oz”, Pink's rendi on of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” was gold. By the me I thought “Why did they pick Pink?”, she had already won me over. Speaking of Oz, why wasn't “Gone With the Wind” celebrated? Both ﬁlms were released in 1939. Yes, I know the ﬁlm doesn't feature Scarle singing, “As God is My Witness”, or “For the Love of Ashley”, but they could've come up with something. If Ellen was ballsy enough to dress up as Glenda the Good Witch, surely she could have donned Miz Ellen's green velvet por eres.

The biggest bang for my viewing buck this evening (not coun ng the pizza delivery gag) was of course Ellen's selﬁe seen 'round the world. It's my desktop screensaver now. So fun to watch Alisters mugging for Twi er pic! Most people don't realize; however, that this

Follow the Red Carpet Road - p4

whole celeb selfie trend is actually a highly organized, calculated effort to put the paparazzi out of business. Who knows? It could happen. I was invited to my first Oscar party this year, and I have to admit the flash of those cameras in my face wo u ld h ave b een les s th an annoying, for sure, not to men on the opportunity to wear couture and prac ce tripping like Jennifer Lawrence (one of my ac ng coaches actually teaches falling, especially in heels!) But I

stayed behind for the best reason an actor could have: booking a gig! Heather Bloom is a ﬁrst-life actress, author, model and designer with ﬁlms, publica ons and design projects to her credit. For more of Heather's works, projects and products, please visit h p://www.TheHeatherBloom.com.

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