Celebrity Sighting!

Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson from Zoolander stopped by Seven for a fashionable appearance. (I swear to God this is no joke)

*prays the DJ doesn’t play “Relax” from Frankie Goes To Hollywood*

Zoolander Vyper and Hansel Popstar

An interesting debate cropped up today, but in a maddening way, spanned Facebook, various blogs, and of course the inevitable Plurks and Twitters and inworld IMs so you can't see it all properly. What it boils down to is this:

o Harper Beresford launched a blast on her blog against unnamed charities that she felt were duplicitous and stealing money in SL, but without naming names, so who the hell knows what she is talking about. It was one of those classic provincial, narrow-minded, insinuating catty posts that you see emanating from the Plurkers, and it made no sense unless you were, oh, Dale Innis or something.

o Alanagh Recreant, who runs a social entrepreneurship for charity in South Africa, and is reputable as far as we all know, somehow felt the "shoe fits" after she read Harper's screed, or felt that she had to reply to this barrage from Harper, and put up a long self-justifying post, that only dug her in deep on some points, because she is still open to criticism for a) not sufficiently linking her avatar given her money-taking functions and b) demanding that Linden Lab or "America" or "The North" somehow credential her African charity, help it fund-raise, and certify that it is a Good Thing.

o I took both of them on, especially on Facebook, and said Harper is one to talk, as her avatar isn't anywhere linked with anything. She facetiously, astoundingly, proceeded to claim that her avatar had accountability becaues once there was this article mentioning her in a) an obscure Italian magazine and b) Mitch Wagner's column for the computer industry publication Information Week. I blasted that to bits, as someone who knows what it *really* means to have RL and SL names linked.

o I told Alanagh that she has to expect to adapt to real-life regulations ultimately because we can't have Extropian silly notions about global governance structures being built out of handfuls of arrogant and anonymous avatars online and mediated by private software firms in San Francisco.

o Then a kid named Dave who graduated from college recently cockily claimed that online communities and the gut sense of the gruop online of what they can trust does trump real life, and that I'm evil for not giving innovative ideas a chance and wishing to regulate them before they got going.

o Sigh. Whereupon I told him that real life already regulates virtuality, without me saying or doing a thing -- can you spell VAT, casinos, ageplay, banks? 

o Then some anonymous avatar with 3 alts threatened to sue me in Australia -- ROLF -- because I committed the avatar sin of the year: I said I simply don't believe Eshi Osharawa's story completely. If you'd like to get my entire chapter and verse on this, IM me. Harper was the one who flogged her cause to get a green card; Hamlet joined in; all the FIC were pumping it big time. I remained uninvolved...because I was unconvinced -- and remain so. I don't care if this brings me a big SHUN as an unbeliever -- it has to be said. And it's a good example of how causes promoted by little cliques aren't believable on their own.

Sorry, but here's what it's about: I will claw and fight to the death, and be as rude as I need to be about opposing any attempts to arrogate a handful of anonymous avatars to some global power seat online that gets to decide what is valid and what isn't -- the Wikipedification of all life! Over my dead body. It's just that simple. And I represent not some "old media" or "old way of thinking" but in fact the new, but in fact the actual progressive and innovactive, because I don't wish to have us all thrown back into the Dark Ages, where tribes and roving bands decide who lives and who dies, or where lords and ladies of the castle decide what is valid, and where "our votes don't count, but our count votes".

To Rory Serpentine, in response to [...]

I sent M Linden a letter -- I've only sent 2-3 of them so far, I think the others have been more open blogs simply addressed to him. One was to answer his initial blog. I think I've always pretty much said the same thing -- pay attention to inworld business, it's where your bread is buttered.

I use to write to Philip Linden all the time. I would get an answer perhaps one out of 20 times, sometimes very unexpectedly. I'll never forget that startling time I fired off an IM, when they messed with the sun prior to putting in that awful Windlight, and said in angry dismay,

"What the hell did you do to the sun? Put it back!"

And *instantly*, via Blackberry, got an answer, "Why, what's wrong with it?"

Scary, eh? Hehe.

It's like that town hall some years ago where I said I didn't believe Governor Linden existed, and suddenly, there she was in the chat, saying "Why do you doubt Me, Prokofy?" Wild!

No, those days are gone. Nowadays, M is like any other marketing puke. He will be very, very cautious to get involved in blogs, written statements, debates, controversies, etc. He is schooled to be always positive and always spinning. He knows just the right time to swoop down, deus ex machina, into Prad's blog, and say just the right thing, and which sims to grace.

So what he did with me -- he didn't answer. And he sent me a bear. ROFL. I asked for a bear just as a kind of check (so often you see Lindens seemingly logging in and getting your notecard inventory, but they never respond). And by doing so, of course, he's dissing me. He's saying two things:

o I'm afraid to answer you, as it is polemical and controversial
o I will not bother to answer you because that would validate you, and I'm definitely not going to make the mistake of my predeccesor and do *that* -- because people like you need to get gone from my service.

Philip used to practice the Linden Method (TM) on me, which was to never answer if he didn't like what I said, or if he felt it was "negative". Perhaps once, in three years, he made an outburst, and accused me of being "negative" (that's what criticism always means to such technolibertarian utopians) -- negative, because I hadn't heard from him in ages and wondered if it was still him really answering his email, as he had gotten so important (during the big SL boom of 2007).

Usually Philip only answered me if he was either really stricken by what I said, mystified or found it compelling as a math problem, or if I said enough positive that he felt flattered. It was a very odd sort of correspondence to be in, because you had to lob the ball in *just right* never knowing what would work.

Like, once, I idly wrote, "Oh! I get it now! On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog. But on Second Life everybody knows you're a dog." This seemed so profound to me at the time.

And *instantly*, as if he was always hovering just above my avatar's right ear, waiting for me to "get it" about the great essences of SL, he wrote back, "Right. It's the Turing Test".

And then he fell silent...never answering me for about, oh, three months ROFL. That's how it is with these mysterious Lindens.

So here's my letter, FWIW. Others can take it up if they like.

Dear M,

Happy New Year! SL is as fresh and compelling to me today as it was four years ago when I first logged on and started my small business. Thanks for trying to make it better.

I don't get how Second Life works anymore, not that I ever had a really deep knowledge of it years ago, but I could understand how people like Philip Linden or Robin Linden or Daniel Linden went from A to B, even if I didn't agree with it.

I'm told the hippies have left the Lab, and now the marketing people are in charge. Good! I think...

Well, it's like Russia and communism. When they bury that...*thing* that's lying in state in Red Square, I'll believe communism is gone. And in Second Life, [...]

Linden Lab has fixed the post incorrectly linking to my blog account of Simone's lock-out from Legend City Online.

If you follow the link to Briana Dawson's post which  misstated my post, you will see it has been edited simply -- and without excess explanation -- by Katt Linden as follows:

Last edited by Katt Linden : Yesterday at 08:40 PM. Reason: Title of post linked to is "SL Legend....Locked out of"

Note that LL didn't remove or "sequester" the post as they might have done in yesteryear when the forums were run by amateur Lindens -- residents with a heavy bias toward posters they didn't like -- Lindens who had five minutes before had themselves been residents with ties inworld. Of course, it's always possible that Linden made this rather surgical intervention, atypical of some of their past blunt-axe actions, because they don't mind seeing criticism of opensim worlds.

So, the post remains. The link to my article remains. All this is interesting, and since I filed an abuse report on Briana Dawson under the heading "harassment -- libel" -- it's interesting that such an AR works -- even taking 2 days -- and works with precision, i.e. not removing the entire post, or locking the post -- Katt merely reappears down the line to say "Don't fight in the SL forums" (it may get locked yet -- stay tuned) -- but just fixing one tiny part of the misleading headline, that used to say "Content Stolen".

The Sluniverse.com rabid junkyard dogs, of course, are speaking of me "selling Briana Dawson down the river". Nonsense. I contacted Briana inworld, and had a friendly conversation with her some days ago, explaining to her long before this lawyer's letter was filed on me that she had incorrectly referred to my post, and fanned the hated and allegations springing up everywhere about me. She conceded this in chat as follows:

Conversation December 29, *before* the legal "cease and desist" libel allegation was filed against me:

[8:50]  Briana Dawson: someone just contacted me about a blog on LCO
[8:50]  Briana Dawson: and is now giving me some notecard they say i wil find intersting
[8:51]  Briana Dawson: oh ffs, this is just 1 sided drama
[8:53]  Briana Dawson: no idea why that person contacted me.
[8:53]  Prokofy Neva: yes I've gotten a number of these -- and I stand by the story of Simone. The chat logs simply shed more light on LaLa's dunning of her, and the reneging on the deal. Divas make deals that they seal with air kisses. They break down. Drama ensues. What else is new. But there are larger issues here.
[9:01]  Prokofy Neva: And  I do want to point out that YOU are the one, on e the forums, posting a link to my blog, and headlining it with a headline I didn't use, which is "Content Stolen". I said "Content Creator Locked Out" -- and that puts the content at risk. I did not make a claim it was stolen -- but LaLa hrself takes care of that for me by her beligerent posts about refusing to acknowledge DMCA.
[9:02]  Briana Dawson: ok you are right
[9:02]  Briana Dawson: i did dramatize it, and i was wrong for doing that, i really wasnt thinking
[9:04]  Briana Dawson: i sort of let my dislike of Central Grid bleed over into that.
[9:06]  Prokofy Neva: I don't know the story of Central Grid but by hearsay. But as you have headlined a forums thread that has the junkyard dogs now posting everywhere that Prokofy lies and makes false claims and libels lala for stealing things, you *could* come back and say, the issue is *LaLa's own comments about not recognizing DMCA". That's the thing tow orry about. And we will see what happens in the next 24 hours if her ISP acts.
[9:07]  [...]

Tonight I took my first class with legendary b-boy from back-in-the-day Ken Swift, who has started teaching a fundamentals class at PMT Studios on Tuesday nights.  In his early 40s now, Ken is still a phenomenal dancer and ambassador of the art of b-boying.  Check out Ken Swift dancing as a teenager in the 80s and then him in 2008.

So to get to learn from him in a small setting with 16 or so other students is amazing.

In my experience in the hip-hop world, a good dancer does not necessarily make a good teacher. Since b-boying is such a raw, street dance, even amazing b-boys are often really bad at teaching their skills to others.

Luckily, Ken Swift was not one of those b-boys.  He carefully broke down up-rock and basic floor moves, explaining the history of them and the styling required to do them with old skool flavor.  Doing the most basic steps but with high emphasis on style and expression was a really great exercise for me.

The class closed with a circle or cypher, every student going in to do just a few of the basic moves that we learned in class.  It's a great way to solidify what you know and can pull out on the fly.

I'll definitely be back for more.

1. 7Seas Fishing systems activated at Greenies Lawn. | Rezzable - Our green friends tried a lot of special sports since they arrived in the big house: cockroach hunting, slug racing, worm striking, bubble bursting, iceball fighting, sim destroying, paper boat sailing, … and more. But until now,
2. Avatrian: RMB City to open on Jan 9th - RMB City in Second Life is about to open very soon. It is scheduled to throw its doors wide open to the public on January 9, 2008 at 6 PM (SLT).
3. Hypergrid, or how to teleport between WORLDS using OpenSim - Zonja Capalini - Hypergrid, a short - but very interesting - explanation & a tutorial and how to do it - cross grid teleports - yourself and even how to enable them. Have fun! (And try not to loose to many virtual bits in the process! ;))
4. A Second Life Resident No More | VintFalken.com - Exporting an SL photographer’s Second Life

RGF Estates Corporation owns 450 sims - and growing

by Alessandra Narayan

In this interview, Rich Grainger, CEO of RGF Estates Corporation, says he runs a growing company in the virtual land business, and claims his company is growing at the rate of one new sim per day. An entrepreneur with hopes of becoming a mega-land baron, Mr. Grainger  is willing to reach the top and fight head to head with the big sharks in SL’s estates, but doesn’t plan on issuing an IPO because «RGF doesn’t need one».

Ultimately, Rich Grainger confesses his dream: «Coat the world in a warm blanket of software.» Also, RGF’s CEO explains how his differences with the RGF's prior CEO, Frank Essel, led to a change in command of the corporation.

Alessandra Narayan (AN) – Is it true you said “I’ll make money out of any soul I meet in SL”?
Rich Grainger (RG) - I said I’d sell the souls of all I’ve ever meet to make money, RL or SL.

AN – What's that suppose to mean? That no one can trust you?
RG – I have many who do, more than most. I believe 99% of people like me on my sims. Ask around…

AN – Still, shouldn't there be higher principles or goals rather than money?
RG – Yes, of course, my purpose in life is to coat the world in a warm blanket of software, improve communication, thus increase yield. Example: in Vietnam 1 acre produces 3 bushels of products and in Japan 21. Difference equal to info, crop reports, the more communication, the faster we feed the people, shoe the children.

AN - How many sims do you own now?
RG - 450 approximately.

AN – And you intend to rise that number? And when will it stop?
RG – One per day and I’ll stop when demand stops.

AN – When will you launch an IPO?
RG – No need. Cash positive at the moment. Besides, I have no idea why someone would give away part of a business if capital not needed. So, I don’t intend to launch an IPO and if I did, it would be for something big. Also, I don’t want to be the only large real estate in SL. I think competition will grow all of SL faster and I think SL needs a human anatomy.

AN – Are you thinking of buying smaller corporations?
RG – Yes, but not hostile. Must be unanimous. All agree or no deal.

AN – And did you receive any investment proposal to join you in RGF?
RG - A few from RL and I didn’t reject them, I just don’t have a prospectus or capital need.