Last Day to Experience Guernica in SL!

I'm late to calling your attention to the stunning interpretation of Picasso's mural Guernica created in SL by the talented Lizzie Gudkov and London Junkers. The exhibit closes tomorrow, November 30, so don't waste any time in getting out to experience it.

Guernica detail

 I say "experience it" purposely, because this is not a piece that is merely "viewed" or "observed." The original artwork is deeply moving, and bringing it into SL in three dimensions heightens that response.

Guernica detail

Early in my SL, I visited the Starry Night sim, where talented builders had brought the works of Van Gogh into SL in three dimensions. As I wandered the fields of the Starry Night and perched on the chairs at the Night Cafe, I experienced the paintings in a new way, an immersive way. When I later enjoyed the privilege of seeing those same paintings at the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, it was not the hundreds of flat reproductions of the works I'd seen in my lifetime that came back to me, but rather those moments in SL when I passed through the artworks and participated in them. Such is the power of art in SL, to offer people a new view of an old masterpiece.

Guernica detail 

Experiencing Guernica in SL had a similarly powerful effect on me. I haven't had the opportunity to view the original, and I may never, but the three-dimensionality of this interpretation moved me in a way that no mere print could ever do.

Guernica overview

Guernica offers a powerful message about the impacts of war, something that for many of us is blessedly distant from our day to day lives. All the more reason why we should take the time to recognize its horrors and remember its devastations. Visit Guernica in SL before it's gone; it will be time well spent.

See Guernica in SL at LEA6 before it's gone.

GizzA and .:villena:.

I set up most of this look a bit ago when .:villena:. released this incredible fleece parka. The steel blue is totally in this season. To complete the layer effect, the parka is paired with a sweater and tie from PHILO (SEEKER SWEATER - BAT). The pants are GizzA's new Casual Pants in black with black belt. Finishing the outfit are my previously shared [GOS] Desert Boots in Blue Tartan.

Photo taken at the gorgeous Hutchinson Parish. If you need a place for blog photography, fun, or are looking for a wonderful place to live, check it out. It's incredible.

Happy Thanksgiving to all those who celebrate today.

A Celebration of Life - Call for Photos

In order to prepare the Fabrice Snook’s commemoration taking place on Chilipepper on November 23 from 1:00 pm SLT, we need your help.

We’re seeking your pictures (full perm) of our friend Fabrice for a special project to celebrate this man’s time with us in Second Life.  We're looking for all types of tasteful photos-funny, serious, goofy, casual (no adult photos, please).

A special souvenir book will be distributed at this event.

Send your photos to Zaza (Nefaso Resident)
Thank you in advance for your contribution to this project!

Baby It's Cold Outside

Stay warm in this cozy coat from GizzA and stylish pants from [Sleepy Eddy]

Glasses: Kumaki Glasses Style - K_gs dub 1.00 at The Mens Dept.

Coat: GizzA - Padded Coat Male in Blue.

Pants: [Sleepy Eddy] - Corduroy Bush Pants in Off White at The Mens Dept.

Boots: [Gos] - Desert Boots in Blue Tartan

Impunity

xelisa, owner of **Lisa**Style** converses with others after  copybotted items were removed.

Her name was on the boxes. Her name was on the sign. I'm quite sure that her name was on all the clothing inside the boxes. Yet, after the copybotted items were removed, she was still wandering the sim. Don't even bother telling her that her account will be banned, she won't be. She laughs when you say that. She has self-appointed diplomatic immunity. The only way we'll wipe that smug smile off her face is to get Linden Lab to pay attention to us. If they don't care that copybots are hurting their profits, maybe the shareholders will:  But we need some help. Read on for more.

Pretty much a noob looking store, but really nice clothes, right?

All photos except for the 2007 photo and copybotter photo provided by Auster Elan of GizzA.

Arguably, the best gift given to us by Linden Lab are the Intellectual Property Rights that were granted early in the creation of SL. To keep this simple, this means that we are given the rights to what we create in the world of Second Life. We own our work. In the case of what happens in Second Life, we're given copyright over our work (since we're artists, not inventors). This is such a great gift because it means that, other than rights Linden Lab retains to use our photography in marketing (which is generally considered an honor) or our work for other matters as outlined in the provisions of their gift to us, we have the ability to take our work and use it in other worlds. Our outfits can cross over into other virtual worlds. A gorgeous photograph of a beautiful sim can be used as the image on one of those fancy create-your-own credit card things, or even printed out, framed and sold in RL (if the covenant allows, of course...respect our artists). We aren't limited with what we can do with our creations.

Zombie Rez Day Bash!

photo by Eddi Haskell

Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate Merrick's rez day last night in scary zombie style and big thanks to Blithe SL staff Bastien Berboral and Jesse Belavidorico who made it all happen. Tangier was rocked by zombies, skeletons, corpses and vampires, as well as the hot sounds of DJ Lex Solari and friendly greetings of host Christian Holland. MIM Dance Troupe entertained with "Thriller" moves that awed (and frightened) the assembly. Big thanks to our friends Ramses Meredith of Egoisme who generously provided a frightfully fantastic zombie skin for the event and Jacks Rhys of Verse Eye who created some custom zombie eyes for Merrick's special day.

See more photos from this creepy time on Eddi Haskell's blog.

You're a Customer, Not the Resident of a Dictatorship

I tend to keep Blithe away from political issues, but this is something that really matters to all of us. It occurred to me today after a discussion in a Facebook post by Petr Hastings-Vanbeeck that our Second Life mindset may be helping perpetuate Linden Lab's lack of involvement in helping stop the extortion, theft, and harassment by criminals inworld. SL is, by nature, immersive. It draws us in so deeply that we become our avatars, and that's what helps us create businesses, become celebrities, fall in love, and create the stunning environment we've created throughout the grid. 

Sociology in Second Life is intriguing. We've created an incredible city. However, we really lack something essential to any society. We lack a criminal justice system. There is no possible way for us to police someone who violates laws that are in place throughout the real world to protect people. We can't hire police to arrest those who steal, put them on trial and lock them jail. It just can't happen. For this, we depend on Linden Lab.

Here's where our mindset fails us. We see ourselves as residents of Second Life, and Linden Lab as our government. Live Help is our police department and our police department sends us to the courtroom: Abuse Reports. The Abuse Report system is a known failure. Criminals who extort repeatedly, copybot, harass, steal, and grief are given a 4 day suspension, then allowed back in to do it all again while individuals who are victims are perma-banned or ignored. Our government knows how the criminals are committing the crimes and doesn't take steps to eliminate those means. We feel frustrated and paranoid because we are subject to a dictatorship that doesn't care what is happening to it's citizens.

But, what if we took a step back and really looked at our situation? You see, Second Life is not a life, it's a creation of a corporation. We are customers of that corporation. They are not our government, they are the business providing a service to clients. Out here in real life, corporations are subject to laws designed to protect the consumer. In Petr's post, I referred to a case involving a woman who spilled McDonalds coffee in her lap, resulting in massive burns. She received a huge settlement. The settlement was based on the fact that McDonalds knew their coffee was too hot, yet refused to lower the temperature, resulting in damages to a customer. Linden Lab knows their coffee is too hot and their customers are being burnt. 

We don't have the tools to police Second Life, but the corporation that provides the service does. If we approach the corporation through real life means, we're more likely to get their attention than we are through worthless Abuse Reports and calls to ineffective Live Help. Promote this petition. Share with your friends. Blog it. Take control. You're a customer, not the resident of a dictatorship. You don't have to remain a victim.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/linden-labs-punish-criminals-on-your-platform/