Reader Submission - I was thinking of getting an Island...............

Hi to those interested to know.

In around December 2006. I was playing Slingo and after I put my coin in a person come upon me to "watch" me play. It was "her" (a guy in RL and it don't matter). She observed me playing and had a friendly chat.. which befriended me. Finding out what I do in SL at that time was the "casino thing" if I may say.

And later on in around January of 2007 as I was going back once in a while to this persons Slingo she would talk to me. Asking me what's up and or what's on my mind. During one of our conversations. I mentioned I was thinking of getting an Island. AN ISLAND?

Yes. And this person was so excited to ask me if it was possible if we could be island partners in "ownership". I said I would do some research and think of it.

Well we had all our "gentleman's agreement" to purchase an island and go in on it 50/50 FIFTY/FIFTY. And we knew there could only be one name on the lease per se. We flipped for who would be that person. And the other would be able to name the island. I got to name the island. I named it Avaron. I wanted just each to have a 4096 and "rent out" the 14 other 4096's. so that we can and or could grow. But my partner just did not want to split me a 4096. He/She wanted to each to have equal of three 4096 size lots. and rent out the remaining ten lots. And that would be enough to cover our tier. I went along with it.
By July as we all know the banning that took place. So my partner then cut me a slice of the island and removed me from her section. As my business was a benefit of my traffic that I could attract. In previous rented land. And my partner knew that I drew people for the games and events I held. And since the business of gaming was basically gone. My partner pushed me to the corner of the sim..and become incommunicable. Degrading my status to nothing. This was for about 6 weeks. And then finally of all my partner returned my items from the Island. I asked to communicate with my partner from Skype as we always have previously. My partner said that she/ "he" had nothing to say to me. And after several attempts to communicate with my partner I was banned from the island that I had initially wanted - the Island I named. The island that I thought we was really partners with.

I have filed numerous complaints with LL about this in game and to various people. But have never had a resolve to the matter. And by January of this year of 2008. I got tired and fed up with it, and took a break. I felt I was ripped off. I felt I was defrauded. And now I find out from reliable sources. that the person had pre planned to defraud me of my 1/2 of the island we purchased together. you know $800 x 2 people = 1600 the cost of the island at that time in 2007. (in other words it took funds of 2 people to buy a server for SL).

My so called partner won't respond. My former partner tried to destroy any tie with me. Even the group that was assigned to the island. Designs unlimited members was being removed except for me. As I was listed as OWNER along the side of my so called partner. I salvaged that by adding some friends of mine that was not in the group. Just to salvage any evidence we had some connection together. I have all the conversation from SKYPE when my partner was unable to use the microphone. Which point out that we were forming a partnership prior to the island being brought on. I have a payment receipt from paypal so stating the reason I was sending my partner 800.00 USD was for the island. So..where am I wrong? by partnering with a thief ?

To make things worse I was seeing I was getting railroaded by this partner. I tried to sell out my side of the island. And that idea was even stopped by this partner. So i got a double screwing! And yet i have tried many times to contact LL even by phone call and was hung up.

what is a person to do in this situation? Take it lightly and let the bully partner get away with it? I think not..and not in this day and age.

Thank you for listening.

Inyur Orbit

Reader submission - DAY AT WORK

by Jacek Shuftan
I remember the first good days in SL when I was starting my in-world adventure. Having a lot of free time I used to IM my friends running their businesses and was surprised when they ignored my invitations at the party etc. Time passed and now I understand them. This short article is dedicated to all newcomers to virtual world.
Situation is typical.

Normal day at work in SL, fourth coffee drunk, cigarettes are going to finish, soon I am trying to communicate with a rich-looking Spanish lady in my shop which is not easy as she doesn't speak English and the babbler doesn't work correctly. With the help of dictionary and by similarity to English I am guessing what she really wants.

I have 10 IM conversations at the same time.

- Talking with my scripter as the product we have launched recently doesn’t always work and we are trying to find out whats is wrong

- Exchanging all the vulgar words with one mall owner who obviously wants to cheat me

- A couple bought my product in a box and doesn’t know how to take it out. They are just writing that if I do not come immediately they will report me to the Lindens.

- My girlfriend says that she will not stand it any longer and if I do not invite her at the party at once – its all over between us.

As I said –a typical day.

And here he comes!

Excalibur Chamonicis ( I wonder why they always have such sophisticated names)

- He starts:

 Yo, bro!After a few minutes I find a second to answer

 Hello, I am really busy now. If its something really urgent - go on, but we will talk later, ok?

 Nothing special. It’s my first day in SL. What u doin?

Having a free moment I go on:

- Not now, later pls

 Man. Don't be so bossy! How can I use a freebie penis? Just got it.

 Inventory, wear.

 What's the inventory?

 Email me tomorrow, I will help, but not now, please.

Meanwhile the Spanish lady writes me six digit numbers and I don't know what she means

– maybe its my life deal?.

- Mall owner promises me ban at his land and sudden death.

- Girlfriend informs that she has just got an offer of virtual sex from my friend and if I do not come she will accept it....

 I attached it! - Excalibur shouts – Wanna see? Big fun!

- I receive one TP invitation and ignore it not even having e time to say once more that I am busy.

 Men! Why aren’t you coming? You must see it!

- Next TP – “Sex orgy rooms for all” Ignored again.

That moment my girlfriend visits me in the shop and sees the Spanish girls who talks to me and shows me her new skin ( Does she sell skins?) She got naked so that I could see all the beauty of that work. (It's not bad indeed )

My girlfriend looks at me with big eyes and listens to my excuses that its only business, nothing personal. When the Spanish one slowly puts her clothes on I finally manage to persuade my clients to come to the shop so that I could show how to open the box.

Little nervous they are standing by half naked beauty and my girl.

And at that moment...

 Bro! Wait – I will visit you!

Noooooooo! - I scream waking up my RL neighbours.

But it’s too late.

He lands in the center of our group, naked, with a penis happily attached and a gun in his hands. He shoots to all of us.

 Will kill you all, bastards!!!! hahahaha!

The Spanish girl escapes without hesitations, clients hide in the corners and say that they absolutely want refunds but will not discuss that in such conditions, my girlfriend leaves and removes me from her Friends List.

We are alone in the shop with Excalibur.

 Man! This game is cool! U seen how I killed them?

I sit on the floor and say:

- Yes..... SL is a great game......

Reader submission: Misappropriation of Native American Heritage in SL

Dear Dana,
I am participating in a project in Second Life called Native Lands, which is part of the USC Network Culture Project: SL and the Public Good Challenge. http://networkculture.usc.edu/ Native Lands is a place in SL to create and communicate authentic Native American culture.
A problem we face is inappropriate use of Native heritage in Second Life. The creation and communication of inauthentic, false and fraudulent "Native" culture here, and the volume, both in the sense of amount and sound level, of the false heritage that is being generated here drives out the authentic Native Americans.
At first I assumed most of the misappropriation was innocent. I still believe many non-Natives who try to create or interpret or claim Native heritage in some way are simply misguided.
But there are many others who deliberately misguide, mislead and defraud as a political statement.
In SL, this type of fraud takes three forms:

• Americans who may or may not have Native ancestry, but who are not eligible to be enrolled in a federally or state recognized tribe, and get belligerent about it.
• Inappropriate use of Native imagery in role play - Goreans are in this category.
• People who know they have no Native ancestry, but believe Native culture should be in the public domain for anyone to use or create at will.

Role players and ordinary wannabes are unfortunate but familiar background noise in Indian Country. However, the last category of frauds, the people with no Native ancestry who are using Native culture to advance their political agendas, are a serious problem that we need to address straight away.
Our Native American national symbols must be removed from their property.
Native Americans are dead serious about our National sovereignty. Every Native person has a gaping raw wound covered by that flag. You will certainly get a reaction if you touch it.
When I saw my flag along with a dozen others flying over one of those frauds' collection of fake Indian junk, it literally made me sick to my stomach.
I have no idea why these people are not satisfied with their own ethnicity and nationality. It is very strange. I have called on friends here in Second Life who have professional insights into how to approach the problem.
My two principle contacts in SL are Schmilsson Nilsson of the Understanding Islam project, and a French anthropologist named Sky Light. The worst offenders seem to be French, many of whom speak very little or no English.
I am preparing a complaint of violation of community standards to submit to Linden Labs about one extremely offensive display by a person who goes by the name of W**** S***, who runs an entertainment venue on the N********* sim. I am also looking into legal recourse against a person calling herself q******* H****, who is selling items labelled as Indian made in violation of US federal law.
I dont know how far I will get, but at least I can draw attention to how this has progressed from extremely bad taste to causing real harm to Native Americans in Second Life.
Thanks for your time,
Nany Kayo

Ji & Mx: an SL love poem

Ji & Mx
Like all, we met on a dance floor
Choosing our dances with care
Graciously we whirled around
Seeking the points of contact

Like many, our minds opened
Looking for a common ground
Of joyfulness and happiness
Experiencing sadness and pain

Like many, our love blossomed
Tenderness and caring
Intense and exploratory
Giving meaning to a feeling untold

Like few, we crossed the chasm
To seek and find support
In our daily struggle for life
For wisdom and guidance

Entanglements of two people
Caring so much
Being so close
Never to fuse

Carved in glass
We live forever
Capturing the spirit
Of parallel worlds

Mx Maximus & Jiane Renoir, June 10, 2008, Cove Maximus, The Wild Coast (102,3,21)
The glass art is designed and produced by PleaseWakeMeUp Idler Throwing Stones Gallery, Artropolis (170,243,22)

Philosophy Class, anyone?

Second Life is all about fun I heard, a game to be played and enjoyed.. I expected to be making friends, dancing, shopping and visiting exotic vistas in a new world.

This is what I was doing, exploring in Lunata ,when I met the creator of that spectacular place.

Lunata is no more I am sorry to say, but the creator , Herman Bergson, a true renaissance man goes on with his mission.

Each Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 1:00SL he summons us to his lecture hall in the Brandaris, a lighthouse that he built in Wainscot. We meet in his living room which he has transformed it into a temporary lecture hall lacking the university building he had built in Lunata.

The purpose of the class, as stated in the introductory session, was to provide a historical introduction to 100 philosophers who shaped western philosophy.

He said Philosophy comes in parts, like a car, each part is not the car, but all together make the car.

The meetings would provide for new knowledge, and an exchange of ideas and so they do.

Each time we meet I find it much like the days in college classes. The members are bright, entertaining, and full of fun! As Herman presents the lecture there are witty additions provided by a remarkable group of avatars who become people as you listen.

The questions and comments of classmates provide food for the discussion .

I never imagined that in Second Life I would be making such an effort to be available three hours a week for a philosophy class.

Even though we might miss a session or two, no problem. The material presented in class , as well as the complete discussion, is saved for us on Herman’s blog at http://www.thoughts.com/herman_bergson/blog/

So if anyone is inclined to join the philosophy class I am sure you would be able to catch up to speed quickly. We still have about 78 to go !! The car is not nearly finished. The construction has only begun!

Submitted by Gemma Cleanslate

Reader Submission from Ravena Decuir

Everyone likes a good news story in real life or second life and i wish to present one now.

It concerns two people in second life who have defied the odds and been together for nearly a year and married or partnered in second life for seven months. Most partnerships last about three months but this one has gained in strength and respect for each other as it has developed.

We started life in second life as just another couple looking for something that we could not find in real life, to access things in our minds that would be impossible in real life.

We met and became Mistress and submissive and through this we became partners.

We understand what it is really all about this virtual world, we believe that everything is 'between the ears' but also understand that we are real, living human beings at the end of a telephone line sitting in front of a computer screen and acting out our desires in way that cannot be done in real life.

We also believe that our actions in secondlife can be felt by others in real life and that by being irresponsible in our actions we can do harm to others so we are always aware of our actions. Why has it lasted so long? We have a mutual respect for each other, we do things together, we always talk things through and discuss our plans openly and with complete honesty. We will always help others when we can and are always polite to them. It may seem a little twee,or soft to many but it works well for us, we build and are happy to continue building a healthy lifestyle in second life for both of us and our family here.

Our names? I am Ravena Decuir and my partners name is Martina Mastroianni.

We live a full and very active life in second life our real lives too are full and active but thats for us lol.

from Ravena Decuir

Reader Submission from Bixyl

My second story had something of a somber begining.

It was Tuesday, September 11, the sixth year anniversary of that dreadful day.

In SL, I stopped by a memorial to pay my respects. I was going to teleport out for the evening, but recalled a recreation of the Twin Towers next to the "New York City Block" area. So I teleported there to see if there was any memorial there, and landed in the middle of a conversation between two ladies, "Hey, there's a fox on your head." ;-)
I greeted them, and they welcomed me into the conversation. It turned out they were both New Yorkers, from Brooklin, and they were in on the design of the place, basing it on their home turf. We discussed 9-11, the ceremonies that day, and a third lady soon joined in.
In the middle of the talk, a guy ported in, and walked up to a couple of the girls. It took a few moments for him to rez, so we thought nothing of it at first. Then below his belt, a certain obviously male extremity appeared.
I wasn't sure what was going on. Was this guy last at a nude beach or somewhere and he forgot? So I typed the first think that came to mind:
"Excuse me, your fly is down."
And the girls burst out laughing. >-D

I wasn't sure how the guy would react.

He reacted by porting away almost immedietly.

One girl spoke, "What happened? I didn't see (him fully rez)."

We explained to her, and concluded it was some creep who was trying to get his jollies by shocking the girls. But instead got humiliated by my one-liner.
One of the girls and I exchanged friendships, and we've continued to keep in touch.
Guess my cheesy puns are good for something after all.

Bixyl Shuftan

Second Life... A peaceful society ?

Being a first time Second Life user, the first couple of days inside where great... Maybe even beyond great ! But as with all social interaction(which is going around a lot in SL ;-), I was bound to learn fast.
Sitting in the train (in RL that is), I was going over the ways I would like to set up things in SL. Going to a pub once in a while, have a drink and chat and start building my own club, invite other avatars. Set up a streaming server... and me and the guys would going to perform live music here. (We still going to... I or we won't be chased away that easily... hehehe). But as I was saying...
I was going to learn fast !
In Second Life avatars must feel a little bit too invincible. Avatars believe they can't be hurt and believing that, they go around hurting others. Especially the other avatars feelings... And so it goes... I was harassed. Me!
Responding in a funny mood that I was in, as stated previously... for SL brings this mindset. I just feel free around here and don't feel acting upon anybody else's feel of freedom in any way. 'Don't be a funny guy... or you'll be next buddy !'
What was that? What was I hearing there... I felt like I was in a pub alright... but then full of drunk people with a hostile feel against me.
That was not why I came to SL. I came here to enjoy myself and have some 'nice' social interaction, and investigate social behavior in SL, hoping to find it less hostile than in RL...
So, 'they' gave me some social interaction alright, but just the kind I was not hoping to find.
Well, maybe I'm being a wimp and just got to get used to this. Or maybe, I don't !
There seems to be a lot of (maybe being just funny) aggressiveness going round... even it's only verbal... it's still aggressive.
I would like to option for an SL vote... not for who is to be the president or something, but one that questions whether avatars would like to see their world evolve into a peaceful society or a hostile one ?!
I'd be very curious as to the outcome.

Reader Submission

Second Life has been full of funny moments. Here's a couple that stick out.
The first relates to my avie. I had started out with the ringtail foxfolk, partly to stand out, and partly as a reflection of my love of science-fiction. A friend gave me some cash to upgrade, but I postponed it for a while, giving some thought on what to upgrade to.
While in a store looking over options, I got the attention of a couple others, "I don't see too many still in their original skin," spoke one. I explained I was thinking over my options. "Well, I'd make a decision soon. The way you are now, people are going to think you're new. With a new avatar, it's going to change how people look at you."
A friend of mine had recently joined Second Life, so the next day I made my decision. I decided to stay a foxfolk, but with my family part redneck, and one of the online sci-fi comics I read it's red foxfolk were traditionally laborers, I got a Luskwood Red Fox avatar.
So did the way people saw me change?

Well, the next day while exploring around, a woman walked up to me, and propositioned me! She was a cyberhooker looking for a few bucks.
I've never "paid for it" in real life, sour love life or no, so I politely declined. I guess since I was out of my "baby coat," she assumed I had cash.
A couple coworkers of mine had plenty of tattoos, piercings, odd hair, filed teeth, etc., and managed to find women to marry them. So perhaps it's not hard to imagine that some girls would go for a "foxy guy." ;-)

Submitted by Bixyl Shuftan

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