By now if you regularly read our site you will have realised that I have an itch to rant. Various things annoy many people, usually different things, from lack of customer relations to lag. At points in our day to day lives I am sure things annoy you, why should a virtual world be any different?

I need to make you all aware of one thing, something that should be kept in mind at all times. I may complain, I may moan but I do love this game. People and things annoy me, causing me to ramble on, but through it all I continue to pay for this wonderful colourful experience that is second life. Everyone in second life is allowed their freedom of speech. I have the good fortune to be able to do it here on Rez, it’s my choice to do it, the same as it is your choice to read it. We may not always agree but if we all agreed on everything the world, both real and second would be a very boring place.

I found myself the other day actually shaking my head at my computer screen. Here I was wondering about the ¼ sim I live on. Minding my own business, as I often do, tidying up the land, playing with prims when in drops a….. normally I would say gentleman but he wasn’t. I gather he was excited and that the atmosphere was rather cold his xcite attachment out for the world to see and admire. Shame in this case he happened upon a lesbian. The first and only words out his mouth where “wanna fuck”. I thought to myself how rude. You arrive on my land, don’t even enquire after my wellbeing, don’t even dress for the occasion and presume I will take you up on your delightful offer. As tempting as this question was, even to the most gay of women, I simply retorted with “fuck this” and hit eject.

It made me think however. In what world is this accepted as normal behavior? If a man approached a woman in the street with his tackle showing and that question, she would call the police! Sure most of us have had the delight of walking past a building site… hot sweaty men with jeans too small for them shouting obscenities. We know how delightful an experience that is!

Whilst thinking over the complexities of this situation, I happened upon more ponders. I am a keen reader of classified adverts. Since I explore and shop a lot in this game a classified advert is second nature. I understand that in a digital world the want for shortening words is great so things like ‘u’, ‘nvr’ & ‘gr8’ creep in. As for the great typo… we all do them, in the heat of fast and furious conversations a typo will appear. I wonder in what world however some of these classified adverts are from. If someone has taken the time and care to produce something, then surely it takes 2 extra seconds to market it properly. I watch with keen interest some of the ‘big’ places in sl. Clubs etc…. I have been a few times to some places that have hosts with horrendous spelling. I am not about to get my big red marker out but if you sell something or represent something at least TRY to do it properly. The odd typo is one thing having a language all of your own is quite another!

One further progression in my thinking (and ranting) is to do with selling objects. This world allows endless possibilities. You can create and package anything you want. From glorious fantasy outfits to gothic cathedrals. The depth of knowledge and experience in second life can be truly awe inspiring at times. As I mentioned above being the keen shopper I am, I often look with bemusement upon objects for sale. I have in the past seen absolutely stunning designs of clothes, or a beautifully crafted high prim building boxed up and listed in slx or sold in world with a simple snapshot to sell it. Like I said above if you have taken the time to create these things you have followed a process. For example think of a building…. Firstly you need to think of what style of building and then you must build it, taking time to align and link pieces. You must select a texture to use, one in keeping with your building. If it’s a larger building then you must use a rezzer to package it up… then you take a snapshot and shove it onto a prim? If you have spent a few hours or a day or so creating this surely taking 5 minutes extra to make the most of your creation is advisable? Obviously not everyone has Photoshop (or similar), I accept that, but there are a few things you can do to show dedication to your build. With windlight available as First Look, and soon Main Grid I advise people use it to the best of its ability.

Christmas time is a time of tradition. Chestnuts on an open fire, carefully wrapped presents placed under the tree, kids singing carols at your door, and bare-knuckle fist-fights in the middle of shops between people who left their purchases really late. Here in the UK, one of our traditions is the Queen's Speech, where once a year, the unelected figurehead or our apparently democratic nation speaks to the people about the year gone by, and that which is to come in the year ahead. I couldn't help but think of this, when sitting down in from of my pc, to listen to Phllip Linden (or Rossdale in rl) in his first "Inside the Lab" Podcast, where Linden Lab's head honcho, and therefore defacto President of Second Life, discussed 2007 in Second life, and what next year seems to hold, in an interview with Linden Lab's Director of Marketing Catherine Linden (Smith).

Of course, seeing as this is the head of the company being given a grilling by the head of marketing, this was never going to be the hard hitting, no holds barred, lets have some answers grilling that many of us would like, but to be fair, this is an interesting step in the direction of ore transparency from the company that controls many aspects of our virtual destinies, so I thought I really should hear him out.

They started off discussing the effects of big brands coming into SL, and how this was affecting the world and experience of the grid for us all. A big deal was made of how many new companies are coming in, and while they do discuss the companies who choose to stay, and how these are ultimately the one's that work with the residents to make a better experience for all, but neglects to discuss the companies who are leaving, or why they might be (which as long term readers will know is a concern of mine), and also neglects to mention the company on everyone's lips when it comes to rl business and it's difficulties with SL, Coca Cola. So, there's one issue brushed under the carpet.

To give credit where it's due, they do give some interesting information in the interview, and also put their hands up to some of their own limitations. Phillip explains that the number of unique residents in SL has gone up this year from 1.5 million to 6.2 million (although how they know that these are "unique" considering that I appear to be the only person on the grid without an alt, I do not know). Phillip readily admits that they as a company have struggled to cope with this meteoric increase in the popularity of our little virtual world. This is why, he says, that stability and reliability have become such a priority, which is nice to hear, although many would point out that it would be nice to actually SEE some of this prioritisation in action, rather than the continual bundling on of new toys into the grid. Oh, and it's at this point, I'd just like to briefly mention while listening to this interview, I had a vision of the offices of Linden Research Inc. On the wall, possibly in the lobby, there is motivational pictureframe. The photo in it is something like a bridge crossing a huge chasm, and the motto below reads "The are no problems, only challenges". The repeated use of the word challenge instead of headaches / nightmares / cock-ups / etc... made me smile again and again.

Phillip was then asked about the Gambling Ban, one of the big issues of the year. In response, he spoke about just how international the community has become, and the many "challenges" this presents. There's a discussion about "virtual world law" and how this is a truly interesting time, with discussions going on amongst people of various nationalities. This seems an unspoken nod towards the VAT charges placed on Europeans, but does not, however, actually address the fact that this ban is based exclusively on US law, which was the main cause for protest about it.

There is then talk about Second Life's competitors, and those who are incoming, for example the product being developed by Google. Phillip largely downplays their importance by looking down on their "efforts", and talks about the competition as being either imitatory or "not in direct competition". In fact, even goes so far to say that he "hopes to be challenged" by them. Careful Phil. It's when you rest on your laurels, and believe that you are king of the mountain, that someone comes along and show's you that you aren't the biggest dog in the yard. Be warned.

We then look to the future and the year to come. After pointing out that no ne could have predicted all the changes and challenges of 2007, Phillip once again talks about how they are REALLY gonna work on stability and reliability, on every front, be it server, client or support. Then talks about there being a lot more open source involvement, speaking with great pride about how the CSI:NY sims are a great example of what open source can do, with outside workers using the tools LL have given to completely turn SL on it's head, and custom make the world over.

They talk about upcoming trends, and once again the subject of RL business in SL is looked at. Here is the bit that worried me. They talk about how these businesses are putting so much money in and driving forward ideas that they need to work, such as HTML inworld to allow webpages to be viewed. However, after talking earlier about how the best businesses are working within the format, they are now stating that big name companies are walking in, making demands, and Linden Labs are promptly jumping to it. This could be potentially scary, if a big enough company drove enough money to SL's door, and demanded that, for example, they only wanted to provide the music streams, so that they could charge subscriptions to listen. What would happen? Who knows.....

Phillip then says that he thinks that in the future he can see consolidation of virtual worlds, with bigger companies swallowing smaller, to do away with the need to have accounts in various different worlds. Which beggars the question: Who does he have his eye on. I once saw a picture suggesting that most people's favourite Linden, Torley, has an account in Habbo Hotel.
Finally, Phillip was asked if he had a message to us lowly residents. His message was "We're all in this together." He points out that this is still "very early" in the lifeline of SL and virtul worlds in general, and that at the moment, everyone' input is relevant, assuring residents that all our input is shaping this young format. Those who put the hours in, will control the destiny of SL! Or alternatively... Don't give up on us. Everyone will think you're cool if you were here at the start!

So, ultimately, no huge revelations. As I said at the beginning, this seems to be ultimately an exercise in telling us what they want us to know, or even what they want us to hear, and of course admitting things that they can't deny, because they are so painfully obvious anyone who's inworld for 5 minutes can spot them. But marks for effort, and at least we get to hear his voice, and arm ourselves with a whole new set of questions. So, Phil, when are you going to subject yourself to a Voodoo Buwan interview?

To listen to the podcast in it's entirety, check the Linden Blog or click here to download the podcast directly.

Nightclubs. Love em or hate em, you kind of can't avoid them in the hazy crazy rock and roll world of SL. However, if like me you've been to, or even worked in, a few clubs in your time, you'll notice that certain things are a repeated again and again in almost every dance club in SL. From the annoying prim spotlights that get in your way when you're trying to click a dance anim, to the dancing girls trying to chat you up in exchange for tips, to the same old "Best in Certain Colour/Wings/retro decade fashion/etc" competitions, and the "apparently not gambling" sploders and rows upon rows of camping opportunities. All of the above are 'necessary to get people in and make the place a success'. The DJ's (if they have their own) are all people dreaming they were on rl radio, even down to occasional shout outs and even little contests of their own. If anything, the only live DJ's I've seen that behave that way work Weddings and Bahmitzvahs, events that the hip kids in town fairly head down to in order to hear the latest hippest tunes, and get their grooves on to. (And yes, I'm aware of my own limitations, and my own forays into DJing fall under this category. But I never claimed to be a professional DJ. I just like playing songs).

For some time I've accepted that this is just the way things are. You need half naked women and camping to lure in the horny and the naive cash strapped newbies. These crowds will attract others, and they stay because of "fun" contests, and interactive DJ's who let you feel involved with your requests. Oh, and of course, you need the contests to fund the half naked women and camping you used to get the people there in the first place. This is the Law of the SL nightclub.

Fortunately, I have seen that this is all a load of rubbish, and that you can run a successful club based on one thing.... the music! The FAC has no strippers, no paid dancers, no adverts, no attached shopping mall, no camping, no contest boards... none of it. What they do have is superb DJ's mixing tracks, throwing down fierce beats, and making you feel like you're ACTUALLY in a professional nightclub. AND they regularly have large crowds that many of the cheap conformist clubs simply dream of. So, how did they manage it? To find out, I met up with Bowyer Hawks, Founder, owner and occasional DJ at the FAC:

Voodoo Buwan: So, how did the FAC come about?
Bowyer Hawks: Well, when I started to DJ in SL it pretty soon started to look like DJing in RL. What I mean by that is I had to adapt to certain crowds.. and was asked to do this and that from club owners. And that wasn’t really what I was up to. I have done my years in RL clubs.. and it was time for something real with no commercial interests involved. I don’t wanna play music so somebody can sell something. So that’s when the idea about FAC came about.
Voodoo Buwan: Yes, the FAC is very different to other clubs like that.... proper DJing as opposed to radio DJing, no ads and no strippers.
Bowyer Hawks: haha.. yes totally. FAC is a commercial free zone. No games.. nothin for sale, nothing costs anything and nobody makes any money...apart from tips which is up to people to pay if they want. We still have a tip jar but have been thinking about taking it away, as people can tip anyway.
Voodoo Buwan: How do you finance the place?
Bowyer Hawks: I just pay it myself. Its only about 50 US dollars a month and that's very cheap for all that it has given me.
Voodoo Buwan: So, it's not a money making venture?
Bowyer Hawks: Oh no, not at all. I don’t sell anything.
Voodoo Buwan: The choice to not have any dancing girls... what was the thinking behind that?
Bowyer Hawks: Well dancing girls never even entered my mind actually.
Voodoo Buwan: Many clubs claim they are a necessity to get the punters in
Bowyer Hawks: Yes.. I understand that they may see it that way, and when we started FAC we didnt know if it was going to work. But if we weren’t able to do it our way we could see very little point in doing it at all.
Voodoo Buwan: How have you managed to attract such large crowds without the use of things like camping, sploders and strippers?
Bowyer Hawks: I think it’s all about a great team of people with great love for music. When I think about all the people who has helped making FAC what it is I really get tears in my eyes...it’s such a great group of people. If you gather a group of people and do your thing and have fun.. it soon spreads to others who like that very same thing. It’s about patience I guess. It’s also important to think about why you do something and not just try to do it as big as possible. I didn’t open FAC because I wanted a successful club, I opened it because I wanted to hang out with a group of people with about the same taste in music as me and have a good time. In the beginning we thought 8-11 people was huge.. and we had great fun. I remember nights with just 3 avatars and a DJ...for like 4-5 hors..
Voodoo Buwan: So, at the end of the day, the music was the driving force first and foremost, and if anyone else wanted to come along, they were more than welcome?
Bowyer Hawks: and open-minded people who don’t judge others.. so its not a music elite we are talking about here either. But we don’t do trance and hard style.. or breakbeat because its just not what we are about. People like Oda Swain and Aresta Woodget and GW Raymaker should be mentioned here. They have done huge amounts of work to make this a reality.
Voodoo Buwan: What would you categorise they typical FAC playlist as then? What should people expect to hear if they wander along?
Bowyer Hawks: Well, people have very different ideas about what is what in dance music. Some people feel that Vocal house is commercial and some think that minimal and electro is a hype. At the end of the day that’s all just words anyway.
I have been into dance music since the end of the 80s and I have my idea of what I feel is right, and GW and Aresta have theirs.... and others have yet a different view but to make it easy...We do House of all kinds!.. and techno of a softer more artistic kind and we try to stay away from things that sound too much MTV
Voodoo Buwan: The place has a very definitely look to it as well.... what was the inspiration behind the design?
Bowyer Hawks: Well, I wanted to make something that was a bit New Yorkish.. that’s where I have had my best clubbing experiences. There was an illegal after hours place on the lower east side called Save the Robots that I used to hang out at when I was studying in NY.. I got quite a bit of inspiration from that. I wanted a realistic look and feel. So that's why I even had to put in that ventilation in the ceiling
Voodoo Buwan: Finally, is there any advice you would give to anyone thinking about starting up their own club?

Bowyer Hawks: Well. People are different but I think they should think about what it is that they really enjoy. To just have a club full of campers or people who come there to win some lottery is probably not very fun in the long run. Make the exact club that you yourself would want to hang out in and others like you will show up sooner or later. That's when the magic begins.

In this capitalistic metaverse, we all love to shop. Because of this demand for places to fritter away our hard earned Linden Dollars, shopping malls are a dime a dozen. Anyone with any land, seems to throw together big blocky square buildings, divided into regimented cubicles, rent out the spaces to sl entrepreneurs eager to get their wares seen in as many places as possible, and sit back to let the money roll in. Many have clubs attached, in order to attract people to these rectangular towers of uncreative materialism, and maintain some form of flow of curious residents who might purchase the products held within, but as with the construction of the building in the first place, the bare minimum is done. Fortunately, there are still places in SL that show things don't have to be this way.

I first discovered Plunder because it has an outpost of one of my favourite stores there, and having seen before that they are quite good at placing their stores near one's of a similar style, I decided to pop by, and see what other wondrous things were on offer. When I arrived, I was completely distracted from my quest for grubby clothes and battle worn attachments. Plunder is located high, high in the air, unusual for a mall, since it means it doesn't get much browsing traffic, when people are wandering by, happen to notice it, and have to go in for a better look. Which is almost a shame, since if you were lowflying over the grid, and spotted this, that is EXACTLY what you'd do. However, there's a reason Plunder is in the air. The place themed as an floating airship hub, a place for flying craft to gather to trade and meet. Unlike many skystructures, this isn't just, there, high in the air, with no apparent means of support. Each structure, every ship, house, platform or shed is held aloft by balloons, thrusters, propellers, or in some cases, flying robots or giant insects that have been lashed to the build. Here, there is thought, variety and imagination in abundance. This is not a simple money making enterprise, but a labour of love, which makes the customer go "ooOOoo... look at that" as much as "must buy that, gotta have that".


I then noticed one thing, that, to be honest, made my heart sink a little. "Click here to teleport to Plunder Lounge". Even this place, it seemed, is not safe from the club/mall partnership. When I teleported up to the "lounge", I looked around, and was completely amazed. There was no dancefloor. No DJ booth. No podium with half naked dancing girls. No Sploder, no swirling textures, and no comp boards. As described in it's name, it's a comfortable, relaxing lounge, located in the passenger area of a giant zeppelin, where you can chill out and chat with interesting people, while occasionally gazing out at the gorgeous build below you. Which is exactly what I did, with the owner of Plunder, Posy Trudeau:


Voodoo: So, what was the inspiration behind the build here?
Posy Trudeau: Well, my boyfriend Donovan Brennen introduced me to anime... and we watched Laputa Castle in the Sky. It’s a wonderful movie with lots of airships... Steamboy was also an inspiration. I just thought it would be a unique idea in SL and I wanted to do it for a really long time so I finally bought the land and did it. It's truly my pet project. Vendors are here by invite only... rent free... and most are close friends. I'm very fortunate to have very talented designers who are friends ^^
Voodoo: Now each of the vendors areas are very unique, but all keep with the theme.... Did the vendors themselves make those, or did you make the spaces ready to be used?
Posy Trudeau: Well, I know how difficult and time-consuming it is to set up a store, much less building the store itself...so I gave everyone a choice...they could build their own airship, or I would build one for them.
Voodoo: How many of them took the plunge, and made their own?
Posy Trudeau: Several built their own, like Disembodied Hand, Vas Legend and Tyreak Takashi... all incredible builders. I surprised some who were close friends, like Zabitan Assia... he's a HUGE fan of Japanese toys, so I made his store held aloft by a giant Japanese toy robot; and Keishii Roo...who's a Neko...I gave his a gothic cat theme. It was really fun for me ^^. I also purchased a couple of the airships. The one we're in now was a present for me from Donovan :-)
Voodoo: There's a really personal feel throughout the whole project.... do you feel that helps give a warmth to the place, or is there a danger of making it too cliquey and alienating potential customers?
Posy Trudeau: Hmmm... well if the positive comments from customers are any indication, that's not the case. I've gotten wonderful feedback :D and to be honest...my whole purpose in SL is to have fun and do things that I like...and hopefully others will like it too.
Voodoo: So, make something you want first and foremost, and hope that other people will enjoy it too. Not a bad philosophy.
Posy Trudeau: Exactly...otherwise it wouldn’t be fun for me, and would seem too much like work, and I already have a RL job for that, where I have to answer to a boss and please other people. This place is my true creative outlet, where I do things for me. I know that it may sound selfish, but that's how I view Second Life and why I spend hours of my free time here.
Voodoo: Have you had any problems running Plunder, either from customers or from your vendors?
Posy Trudeau: No problems at all...the vendors are all good friends of mine... definitely one of the benefits
Voodoo: Superb.... we should all be so lucky :)
Posy Trudeau: :-)
Voodoo: Finally, what is next for you? Do you have any future plans, either with Plunder or with other projects?
Posy Trudeau: Well... I'm absolutely dying to own my own island...with Plunder in the sky, and my other store Miau Haus on the ground. It would be nice to have Plunder without the neighbouring structures floating around and I have a few friends I'd like to add as vendors. I think it'll be a few more months before I'm ready for that move
Voodoo: Well, best of luck with that, and congratulations on such a great place.

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting… well, decidedly worried. It’s at this time of year that you need to ask yourself that important question: What are you going to get all your loved ones to show them how much you care at this special time of year. Well, we here at Rez, as part of our commitment to you, have put together a list of helpful suggestions. All of the below are available to purchase at the listed locations, and because they are transferable, will be able to be passed on to your friend, when you’re curled up by the tree.

For that Special Swashbuckler:
They may think that they’re Captain Jack Sparrow, but unfortunately, but just like Jack at the beginning of the Pirate’s Trilogy, they lack a ship. Make their life complete, with one of the most gorgeous, painstakingly built and complete Pirate Ships I’ve seen in SL. Plenty of room for counting your booty, but make sure they have plenty of land, as something this big and constructed in this detail isn’t exactly low on prims.
Murdock’s Maritimes Pirate Ship (6000$L)
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Inari/151/225/28

For the Shoe Addict:
Constructed using flawless textures, and the very latest in carefully constructed sculpty prims, these shoes are guaranteed to raise the heart rate of any footwear aficionado.
Photorealistic shoes by Tesla (from 359$L a pair)
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Dreamworld%20South/228/224/22

For the Inked Up Punk:
If your friend is well into their tattoos, it’s no doubt that they will already have every celtic band and tribal pattern known to man. So, widen their collection with these fine tats, ranging from some classics, like their sailor style work, to pop culture inspired designs, like their perfect Elvis and Sex Pistols themed inkpacks.
13 Needles Tattoos (from 50$L)
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Earp/196/235/501

For the Bedroom Rockstar:
Help make every word they type hit out like the like a slamming lyric, with this Elvis Microphone typing overider! Every time they type on their keyboard, everyone will gasp as your friend dramtically grabs the mic, strikes a pose like the King, and has the crowd that gathers waiting to see what thought they are gonna rock them with!
Elvis Mic Typing Overider by Remnant (250$L)
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Varado/111/181/31

If Your Partner is being All Work and No Play:
Is your partner spending too much time working on putting together their SL Empire, and not enough on conquering you? Are they chasing the almighty Linden Dollar, when they should be chasing your tail? Well, here’s your answer. Simply give them this professional office desk, and whenever you want them to put aside the spreadsheets and interface with you, click the desk, hop on a poseball, and indulge in dipping the pen in the company ink.
Computer Sex Desk by Pluxor Hax (499$L)
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Edgecumbe/236/53/42

To that Special Someone:
What better gift to give, than a simple heart key on a chain, that let’s your lover know that they have access to you in a way that no-one else does, and your heart is their home forever.
Key to My Heart Necklace by Xessories (250$L)
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Urbane/185/102/22

For the Person Who Has Everything:
The eternal difficult question: What to get someone who seems to have everything they need? Try something extravagant and luxurious, but something that they would not think of getting for themselves and is hard to get,. Personally, I think this beautifully built Christmas Carousel seems to tick all those boxes, and will not only look fabulous in the garden of even the most expensive mansion, but will be the talking point and amusement for all those Christmas parties they have. It doesn’t come cheap, but then if it did, your friend would probably have it already.
Limited Edition Christmas Carousel by Jinxing Creations (6000$L)
http://slurl.com/secondlife/WindHaven%20Isle/130/37/22

For a Grinch:
So your friend hates Christmas, huh? Spend the whole time talking about how commercial it’s gotten, muttering “Humbug”, and chucking cold water over carol singers? Well, that doesn’t mean you still can’t get them a present. This little bundle includes a chalk outline of Father Christmas, sprayed with blood, a discarded Santa hat, and a burning sleigh, for them to place outside their home as a message to any other jolly obese flying OAP’s, to show what’s in store for them if they try to impose their festive jollity on the Mistletoe Challenged!
Santa’s Slain (Chalk outline, hat and crashed sligh) by Numinous (61$L all together)
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Kress/181/83/149


REMEMBER, IF YOU ARE OUT LOOKING FOR PRESENTS, ALWAYS CHECK THE ITEM IS TRANSFERABLE, OR YOU WILL END UP WITH AN INVENTORY FULL OF ITEMS PERFECT FOR YOUR FRIENDS, BUT IMPOSSIBLE TO BE PASSED ON, WHICH CAN BE REALLY, REALLY ANNOYING. DON’T SAY I DIDN’T WARN YOU!

Second Life is a world designed to be shaped by the ideas and imaginations of the many and varied people who call it their second home. However, in order to express your ideas or create and build the designs that you have rattling around in your head, most residents find that they need money, meaning that to an extent, you could be fooled into thinking that the world of SL is only really available to those fortunate enough to be able to afford to finance their own ideas coming to fruition, meaning the wealthy are the only ones able to afford providing content.

Fortunately, there are organisations in existence such as the Foundation for Rich Content (FFRC), a non for profit group set up by sl residents with the goal of “foster diversity and richness in content and events in Second Life”, acting as a kind of arts council within our virtual community, to aid the those who have ideas that would be beneficial, inspiring or entertaining to the residents of SL as a whole, but don’t have the funding to properly get their ideas off the ground. Founded by RyeDin Meiji, the group is largely run by committee, chaired by Persephone Phoenix, with others offering their services to the group, such as Gabe Lippmann working as Treasurer and Jamys Vuckovic as their archivist. To find out a little more about the fine work that they are carrying out, I met up with Persephone, to find out a little more about this collective and what they have been up to:


Voodoo: What was the inspiration behind the founding of the FFRC?
Persephone Phoenix: I am not able to speak for Rye, but the impetus began in the SL forums back in 2005 when Linden Labs cut funding for events. It was a hotly debated topic and I was one of the people voicing concern for events that might die off if they did not find a way to cover costs. Back then, mind you, funding was pretty small, but it might cover some of the costs of tier or prizes for contests, etc; a modest host fee. Anyway, in the midst of all the wet t-shirt contests and other content (content we suspected could be self-sustaining) there were community events, arts and culture events, and sporting events that a few people were rallying around. So there, on the SL Forums, the idea was tossed around about a funding foundation that was resident run that could help support content that enriches the lives of sl residents. And voila, the FFRC was born.

Voodoo: So, how many people are involved in running the Foundation itself?
Persephone Phoenix: Well it is an open group so the membership is pretty big, but on average we probably see between seven and fifteen people at meetings. We keep it an open group and keep our proceedings public (chatlogged publicly) so that we can obtain the highest degree of transparency possible in Second Life. As a group doing not for profit work, distributing public funds, it is important to us to operate in a transparent fashion. But in terms of people donating tier, or donating money or time on some level, we probably have at least 100 supporters.

Voodoo: Yes, on the subject of funds, you supply grants and funding for events and projects. Where does the money for this come from? Is it all individual donations?
Persephone Phoenix: Yes. Largely we get donations from individuals in second life, however we have sometimes gotten funding from organizations and have something in the works with a corporate presence in SL. In the past, we helped to distribute funds from the RL nonprofit City Stages as part of their awareness-building campaign. I am hoping that we'll be able to distribute a press release, soon, about our involvement in allocating a land grant for a corporate presence in SL. The press release is undergoing the approval process.

Voodoo: How do you decide which particular projects are worthy of funding, as obviously there is no shortage of ideas in SL?
Persephone Phoenix: Ah that's a great question. We meet once per month and four of those meetings per year will be meetings at which we evaluate applications for funding. Anyone is welcome to come and listen or offer opinions (though we try to stay on task as much as possible since there is much to be done at those meetings), but only members of the FFRC who have been members for longer than one month may vote. Voting must occur during meetings. People can proffer opinions via the email group if they won't be there, but to vote one must be present in avatar. Our proceedings are all public and can be found easily by googling SL Foundation For Rich Content. We also require that people don't vote on projects in which they have a vested interest, where there might be a conflict of interest.

Voodoo: I was just about to ask, has anyone ever tried to use the FFRC for their own personal gain, rather than the nature for which it is intended?
Persephone Phoenix: I don't think so, honestly. One thing that speaks well of an application is if the applicant has had a successful history of producing rich content.

Voodoo: How would you define "Rich Content"?
Persephone Phoenix: Ah, well this might well be defined a bit differently by each member. I can only answer for myself, but when I think of rich content, I think of something that brings fun into the lives of SL residents. I also think of things that deepen the experience of residents.

Voodoo: Do you have any personal favourites out of the projects that the FFRC has helped take place?
Persephone Phoenix: Oh several. I really loved the “Vaudeville in SL” project, for example, where we helped fund Osprey Thereian's project that actually produced vaudeville style acts for performances in SL and the “Learn to Sail” project, where we funded classes in the Hollywood Sim that taught people how to use sailboats in SL... I love the Crescent Moon Museum and am proud to have had the FFRC be part of its opening, We've funded many events and provided general funding to The Shelter, which helps so many new residents become acclimatized to SL and we also funded a project that is in the works by Phorkyad Acropolis to produce greek theatre in SL.

Voodoo: So finally, I guess I would ask, if someone wishes to get involved, or has an idea for a project, and would like funding, what should they do?
Persephone Phoenix: Awesome question. If someone wishes to get involved, all they need do is stop by our meeting which is at 1pm SL time on the first Saturday of the month. The group is free to join (search groups and sign up for it to get group notices and see proposals, etc.) If someone were to wish to donate (and each donation is a big help) he or she should donate to FFRC Accounting Control. And if a person or group thinks they have a project that adds to the lives of SL residents, they should grab an application (an updated one will be available soon via the googlegroups page and distributed also at our Sami (228,147) location and on SL Forums) and fill it out. A person could also say hello to me and I'd be happy to pass one along. The easiest way to get information on what the FFRC is doing is to join the group inworld or to join the google group.

With companies and even governments being susceptible to massive security breaches with our personal information, should we trust more people with this information?

The new release candidate viewer has now started the beta testing process of age verification. Now is the time to watch the flood gates open and masses of people come flooding forth with angry fists and others waiting to sign on the dotted line.

Age Verification is a massive question on the internet. It opens a whole assortment of problems and many worried parents across the globe are concerned about their ability to protect their children. If I walked into a shop to purchase a bottle of spirits or a packet of cigarettes I may well be asked to verify my age. This, in theory, protects minors from such substances. In worlds where adults and minors mix, the ability to verify someone’s age is greatly compromised.

In a world where credit card details can be bought and sold on the black market, does this open a completely new world of ‘verified identity’ sales? We want to protect our children from the sexual predators on the internet of course we do, but will the new measures in age verification actually help?

Research states that credit card verification is a more economical and effective check for age. Kids can get access to their parents card information to side step this process, but surely passports and social security numbers are as easily attainable?

Asking people to verify their age does not cut out the sexual predator in our world it simply gives them clearance; it does not stop them doing what they want to do. Surely, age verification gives a potential false security. Reading research from the University of New Hampshire, in 95% of cases where an adult on the internet assaulted children, the child knew they were meeting an adult.

• Do we need age verification? Yes we do, we need to protect minors from such content.
• Is there a foolproof way to do this? No.
• Should something be done? Well that very much depends on whether doing something will actually fix problems and not create new ones.

Occasionally we all go to places that make us go 'wow'. Second Life is a place of immense beauty at times but what does it take to make something gorgeous and then to make it wow? Of course this depends on personal preferences. For me it's something that's constructed well and with the grid thought of. There is so much more to a good build than well aligned, well textures prims; it's forethought and awareness of the software limitations.

Today I got a tp to place described as "somewhere you will love" and oh my did I. The Abyss is essentially a shopping area. Having said this, it's not a big shopping area. There are little pockets of skins, hair and clothing scattered about but not immediately in your face. I spent my time wondering about and occasionally passing comments of 'wow' and 'its pretty' to my teleporter.


At 230 metres in the air, the build here uses the set SL fog level to it's very best advantage. My main admiration for this piece of beauty was the use of light. I am using windlight, a new first looker viewer and frankly its awe inspiring. The images are not post processed they are shots from the area.


I do have a major dislike of many shopping complexes, they do serve a purpose I accept that, however most are usually ill thought-out and put there to make money with no attention to any detail. Abyss on the other hand may have gone a little too far the other way. It is frankly stunning but if you are anything like me you might forget to shop!

You must go and look, take your friends, take a stranger - I don't care just go and experience it! Bask in the brainchild of someone with an amazing amount of lateral thinking.

I complain about them, along with a great deal of people on the grid, however I will also say I wouldn’t want any Linden job. Within any organisation, when something mal-functions it has a knock on wave for other departments and working in that environment is a tough one.

I watched the blog with reports on double billing recently and thought jeez ops. Well turns out upon checking my bank account and email I was affected in this double charge. Never fear though Linden would sort it and I would be refunded. Going along the lines of ‘well mistakes happen’ as long as its rectified to my satisfaction it will be fine, I closed the email and waited for a nice reimbursement of my over charged tier fees.

Few days later I got an email from Linden to say that the current months tier hadn’t been paid and that if that wasn’t rectified within a week my account would be suspended. So of course upon getting this email I double checked the banks end, nothing wrong absolutely fine.

I checked the linden lab site and subsequently the support portal where I raised a ticket about the matter. Finally I got a reply from someone who said he would look into things, would I mind checking with my bank that I could use my card and that linden labs were not blocked from them etc. He also asked me at this point to re-enter my details.

Off I went back to the site, re entered my details and got the update awaiting message. The message states if it still says that after an hour to try again. An hour later it said the same and I tried again. Waited a further hour..... same. I commented back to the original ticket. Stating that the card I was using was the same one I have used for over 18 months now, the account they double charged etc and that my banking provider did not suddenly randomly block Linden Labs.

/me sighs. I must say I find the whole process of the support portal rather tedious. Very much like call centres in the real world I find myself going round in an ever decreasing circle until I am about to disappear up my own ass. Like these call centres with “press option 1” for x,y,z the support portal offers about as many choices. Call me an old fashioned lass if you like, but I actually like being able to talk to someone. Either on the phone or in IM, real time replies make the whole process simpler and rectified quickly.

My helper replies to say the account needs to be manually reset and then my details entered again. He will organise this and contact me when to re-enter my details. Ok, so I’m not overly happy that its taken now 5 days to get an email that says Linden have messed up need to manually override their own system to allow me to input my details (again). I know to de stress I will log in and do some random Trin type things in world. GAH. They suspended me!!!!!! *Air goes blue for a few moments*

I go directly to sl.com and attempt to get into my account. Of course I get a message to say my accounts inactive. I heard towards the portal, which turns out I can’t get into because my accounts suspended! Oh ffs! I trawl through the web and find a phone number. Now being in the UK I now need to dig out the international dial code for the US, since I don’t tend to phone US.

I must say considering it was 4am for Linden telephone support, they did answer remarkably quickly, must have sensed the increasingly pissed off Scottish woman. Quite amusing when you get asked to verify who you are with RL details and the call continues with them calling me Trinity. The gentleman on the end of the phone, fighting off an occasional yawn, tells me that there is a department assigned to my account, however he will lift the suspension so I can at least get in world and into the portal etc. Not often I say this but nice man.

I comment again on the support ticket with the update and notice a worrying thing on my account. I am a premium member, I have been a premium member now for over a year. I pay annually and I paid my annual subscription in September of this year, hence its not due again until September 2008, however according to my account page its due in December 2007!

As things stand at the moment, I am awaiting a reply from the department dealing with my account. I have my suspension lifted temporarily. So who knows, I might be suspended again tomorrow.

While I still can I’ll take this opportunity to rant a little! I wouldn’t want your jobs lindens but sort your archaic systems and allow good paying customers a chance to have a relatively stress free experience. Between the constant lag and asset server problems the last thing ANY of us need are account issues.

Everyone remembers with a very keen fondness the first place they became a regular at in Second Life. The 2nd person I ever met in this game was a little alien called Lord Leafblower. We shared similar interests and thoughts on many things, turned out he had a club. Being a newbie, he helped me a great deal figuring how this pixel world worked.

The Lava Pit was on the mainland in an area called Bradmoor. It was a proper club, the first time I had seen something like it in sl. Wonderful atmosphere, wonderful people and a jolly good time. You could go shooting or take a dip in the Lava Pit hot springs. At Bradmoor I first met Lord Leafblowers partner Aava Jeego, Eximus Hin & antenna stricken Voodoo Buwan here. From this mainland the Lava Pit progressed to its very own island, called Kiva.

Lord asked if I wanted to work at the pit, and since I had seen it grow on the mainland and then move of course I wanted too. It was a truly wonderful place that I spent 95% of my time at (there was no reason to leave) so work there? Genius idea!

THE Lava Pit really was the place to be at the time, I met so many brilliantly colorful people here. Ranging from Big Brother winner Madlen Flint, JamesT Juno & Dana Vanmoer CEOs of sl-newspaper.com, Allasandra Santos, Jenni Briggs, Santanna Suyra, Mama Norfolk, Hajduk Pieck, Eximus Hin, Soulie Steeplechase and of course my initial meeting of a certain Ms Trescothick. At the time The Lava Pit did like no others did, it was a wonderful place to be that also had dancers available, Yes there was sex, the biggest seller in SL, but unlike all places before & after it didn't ram it down your throat (pardon the pun). It was a popular place to be and even made it into the unofficial SL published guide.

The Pit was about the here and now, it filled a huge gap and was a genuinely fun place to be, the owners were there with a friendly greeting but were subtle with it. The staff all friendly and helpful, it was an extremely unique place to work and chill-out however like most good things though, it came to an end on April the 1st 2007.

Really for a great deal of people it was the end of an era, the culmination of months of work. There was no place like it and there will not be again. The mix at the pit was just perfect and perfection is a hard thing to grasp. The Lava Pit went out with one hell of a bang at the final event. Like most other events regularly pulling in 70-90 people at any one time. While The Pit was on a high it closed its doors, in my opinion the only way to do things.

Many of us original pitters have wandered since then, it is an irreplaceable club and experience.

Then, along comes Durell Celt, who makes enquiries into having the pit rebuilt. Upon speaking to Lord Leafblower who explains his SL commitments extend too far to rebuild, however he suggests Aimee Trescothick who takes up the task.

The challenge of recreating something that you were so close too obviously would be a hard one, Aimee however did a wonderful job. The recreated shell of the new lava pit was like stepping back in time. You could wander onto the dance floor and imagine yourself once again surrounded by your friends at a pit event. It was a beautifully spooky rendition.

The build itself was faultless and transferred once finished to Durell's hands. From here on in its his work. I have been in a few times and witnessed with distress the descent of the pit into its own fiery depths. I will not allow my memories of this wonderful place become tainted by this place. The shell might be the same, but the atmosphere, the people and the times are not even close to it.

Obviously you can tell from my article the love that was felt for THE pit, its like that for the regulars not only me. Trying to follow that would be virtually impossible and I am afraid to say the new pit falls very short of the mark.

The location of the new lava pit is on a tropical island surrounded by palm trees and pretty sand. Left standing open, raw and looking like a wallflower without its natural volcano. The inside has changed somewhat too, with less camping stools. The dancer areas have changed and is no longer subtle about the sexual offerings here. When somewhere is empty the greetings are also empty. I NEVER walked into the original pit to find no-one there. It simply never happened. It does here. The open access teleporter to the upstairs dancing room is a little 'tacky' in my opinion and the rooms themselves leave a lot to be desired. Pictures of rl models with mouths ajar are by no stretch of the imagination subtle.

Obviously parts of the original pit are there in prims but never in heart and soul. I am afraid to say you should never go back. It all makes me feel extremely sorry for the poor lava pit fish.

I watched with interest as people reported about RMS Titanics arrival into second life. Being from a generation of "My Heart Will Go On" I am fully aware of Titanic and her story. Personally not a fan of the film, I never was, however I found the research and construction of the replica for the movie brilliant. It pushed me into looking more into Titanics journey into our world and subsequently her departure from it again.

I watched the release movies for Titanics launch in SL, and like most was intrigued to see how the transition worked. Today I went along to have a look.

You arrive on a tropical beach with teleports in front of you. Found this concept a little odd, Titanic was sunk by an iceberg and set sail from Southampton, don't think there's many palm fans in these places.

I cammed out to get her on my screen, must say she does look pretty special, chimneys pumping out smoke and portcullis style windows along the hull. Time to take the tp's to many locations. I wander through her halls, seeing the ballroom, grand staircase and of course the flying pose-balls on the front.

From a build point of view she is well constructed and thought out, I would think the challenge to bring Titanic into sl would be a large one and building wise she is good. I run into a major problem for me in the 'grand staircase' personally I didn't think it was very 'grand'. Also the ship is essentially a shopping mall, so upon arrival at the staircase of dreams you are surrounded by fashions and toys to buy.

I understand projects in SL must be financed however I personally will put my neck on the line here and say RMS Titanic should never have been made and turned into a shopping complex. The ship itself does have a small area dedicated as a museum, pictures of the ship along with facts and figures. I personally find it a hard bone to swallow when this 'museum' and launch marketing is around Titanic and what she stood for when the main aim inside this marvel is to shop.I think people should see this area, seeing what is possible in SL is of course always wonderful, I am also sure many out there don't have a problem with this being a shopping complex. Visit Titanic Here.

Tonight I was lucky enough to head on down to the AWE, and catch on of the live music performances happening throughout the exhibition. Phemie Alcott is a real life singer/songwriter who has been entertaining audiences in SL for some time now, and armed only with her guitar was keeping the audience enthralled with her soulful music and lyrics. Phemie is very influenced by other female artists like PJ Harvey, Tori Amos, and Joni Michell, and very much wears her influences on her sleeve, including performing a cover of Amos' song "Winter" in her set. Also, since the event was at the Writer's Exhibition, she also performed a song where she had taken a poem by an sl poet, and then put it to music, much to the delight of the crowd. Once she had finished entertaining the throng in attendance, I managed to grab her to have a quick chat about what it's like to be a performer in SL:



Voodoo Buwan: So, what inspired you to start performing your music in SL?
Phemie Alcott: Well, when I first signed up I had noooo idea what this place was about and then someone told me to check out a show so I did and was fascinated by it. I watched shows for like 4 or 5 months alone just watching and listening and then realized that I could do this myself cuz I have been singing since high school..
Voodoo Buwan: Have there been many challenges getting yourself set up and established inworld?
Phemie Alcott: Hahaha…yes…I got a six-channel mixer and figured everything out myself and read Jaycatt's article on streaming which was very useful. I'll never forget the first time I tried to stream…laughing…but once I got it going it was fine…except getting a good balance sonically.
Voodoo Buwan: And have the gigs been easy to come by, once you got the technical stuff out the way?
Phemie Alcott: at first I just blanket IM'd venue owners...some were really nice and gave me a chance right away and others were not so responsive but mainly I've achieved my gigs through word of mouth and just being persistent.
Voodoo Buwan: You mentioned that you have been singing since high school. Do you perform in rl?
Phemie Alcott: I sang for four years in a very serious rock band in the nineties and did pretty well and then quit for a myriad or reasons and then stopped writing & singing for about 7 years and SL has inspired me to start again. I do not have a RL band now..just my career in SL.
Voodoo Buwan: So, apart from the fact there there are computers between you and your rl audience, what kind of differences are there between performing rl and in sl?
Phemie Alcott: that's a great question. You kind of have to rely on chat a bit to feel if there's energy in a crowd as opposed to being in a live room. You have to close your eyes and just believe that people are interested in listening...but the really cool thing is that there are some very intimate moments I've experienced performing in SL that I don't believe you could have in a live room. People really tell you what they think while you're singing which is a unique experience and very cool. You can feel if a crowd is into you or not…
Voodoo Buwan: So, what advice would you give to any other budding musicians thinking about making the leap into performing in SL?
Phemie Alcott: You have to practice and work at it just as much as in RL. I don't like it when I go to a show and the artist is unprepared, unpractised and just sloppy. I would like SL to have a reputation for good quality performers and there really are a ton of them to be had. I think learning a wide range of songs is good too. Stick to your style and don't try to be anyone else. And DON'T get a big head...I hate it when people get cocky just cuz they are getting attention or feel like they are some SL star...grrr...respect the music...that's what it's about.

Tomorrow marks the start of the Autumn Writers' Exhibition (AWE), a fortnight long event organised by a group called Written Word, centred around the fantastic Cookie sim (Click here to visit). Throughout the festival, which has been put together to spotlight writing in all it’s forms, by the many talented residents of SL, there will be events ranging from explosive fireworks displays opening and closing the event, magic shows, writers performances, music acts, lectures, plays, and even book launches (including one being released by some bloke called Voodoo Buwan, who’s launching a collection of his inworld interviews).

To try and find out more about how this whole thing came into being, I managed to corner the organisers, Jilly Kidd and Hastings Bournemouth, who have put together this non-profit organisation and literary festival, to find out the inspiration behind this mammoth undertaking, and get a little peek behind the scenes at the organisational level of this landmark event.

Voodoo: How did Written Word @ Cookie come about?
Jilly Kidd: Well, when Thinkerer Melville started organising Cookie, he wanted to create a parcel for writers. He asked me to organise it and I asked my good friend Hastings to join me as a partner. He did the build, all the tents, stages and dance floors, and i started getting the writing community together. That has been my dream since I came on to SL in January. i asked INKsters to join in too as they're the biggest writing group and I gave them free space where they've built a beach club for events and socialising. Thinkerer provides it for free and so do we.
Voodoo: So, very much a community spirited collaberation?
Jilly Kidd: Yes. We really work as a team on Cookie

Voodoo: The Autumn Writer's Exhibition is your first big event.... what sort of response have you had?
Jilly Kidd: The artist spaces filled in a few days. We were amazed
Hastings Bournemouth: There would have been more people, if we'd had the space. It was very popular... We've squeezed in a few more people where we can... but it ended up being a lot bigger than we'd originally planned
Voodoo: So, this really seems to be something people have been waiting for? Why do you think it took so long for someone to do this?
Jilly Kidd: One reason, I suppose, is that all of this takes so much time, so not many people would want to do it. I've just really loved it all
Hastings Bournemouth: It was an interesting challenge! And I liked the idea of getting a lot of writers together.
Jilly Kidd: When i came on to SL I looked for a writing community but it was all divided into separate writing groups. I loved this one - the Blue Angel open mic. I really wanted to get the writing community together on a larger scale and connect the groups

Voodoo: Which particular events at the festival are you personally most looking forward to?
Hastings Bournemouth: Me? Well the one I'm doing probably, which is the inaugural writers' circle! It’s happening on Wednesday I think, and is a place for people to gather and share their writing. We’re centring it on fiction but could be whatever people bring along.
Voodoo: And what are you looking forward to Jilly?
Jilly Kidd: i'm really looking forward to the Meet the Author show. The author is Wayne Hoffman talking about his novel Hard, which is about gay life in NY in the 1990s. I'm also really looking forward to the original singer songwriters. Thumper Boucher is fantastic and Djai Skjellerup.
Voodoo: Sounds like there's a wide variety of stuff to look forward to
Jilly Kidd: Most people are looking forward to the fireworks and we have fundraising for Amnesty International. There will be fundraising during the Media Alliance event as they introduced the Amnesty speaker on human rights, Jim Roberts, plus the magician Tuna Oddfellow will be donating all tips from his show to the cause. We will also keep supporting Amnesty International after the event

Voodoo: So... I guess the only other question is what's next for you guys?
Jilly Kidd: Well I want to take the exhibition to other places too and give writers more chance to share and display their work for free. Johnny Austin has said we can have an exhibition at the Joysco Convention Center, so people can see writing can be shared and performed in different ways. That will be called the Writers on Tour - WOT. On Cookie we have a few plans. I want to encourage hobbyists but also help others get to performance and publication stage. We have videos being made and contests monthly, L$5,000 for fiction in November and the same for a one act play in December, and the sim gives writers the chance to perform and film that writing. We'll have workshops for fiction and plays, the poetry reading on Mondays, Meet the Author show on Sundays, and I'm encouraging translation and writers in languages other than English. Plus just having fun and meeting up.
Hastings Bournemouth: When the exhibition is over, we'll be thinking of what to build too - the tents and huts are temporary, for the exhibition. We want to make it interesting and unusual, the sort of space that people will want to visit, and will encourage all these writers to keep coming back.

Voodoo: Well... best of luck with the exhibition, and all your future projects

What's your Achilles heel in SL? You know the kind; the place you ALWAYS go either to hang out or to spend money? One of mine is DE Designs. A wonderfully, beautifully different clothing shop in SL. With a real sense for fantasy, gothic 3D designs DE catches my attention each and every-time.

DE is approaching its 3rd birthday (I know this from the fan group!). With a new outfit planned for the birthday (previews on the blog).

I had the privilege of speaking to DoC Eldritch the owner and sole DE artist.

Trin - DE Designs is approaching its 3rd birthday, can you tell our readers the highs and lows of the last 3 years?
DoC - The high for me is what I have learned personally as far as creating these designs. Taking the 2-D aspect of clothes in SL and making them look as 3-D as possible. This has also allowed me to get into doing more art work. Something I had never done before. When I get im’s from someone saying how much they enjoy and outfit, or how they love a background, that’s my high. Lows, hmmm, I try my best not to get down about things. There are going to be those days when SL isn’t running right, something happens and you get dozens of im’s, someone “sets” you off so to speak or everything just piles up at once and I have to step away. You’re going to have those days in any business be it SL or RL. You learn how to deal with situations, take a breath and focus that energy in what you enjoy doing. It’s easier said then done at times.

Trin - What was your inspiration behind DE?
DoC - For the most part I wanted DE to be somewhere anyone could shop for clothes. Regardless of your appearance and or preferences, I had something to fit. As far as the designs, it really all depends on my frame of mind in a given week to be honest. Some weeks I want to create complex Ladies and Men’s matches, while other weeks I rather do a trendy or formal design.

Trin - Do you do all work on the outfits including promo pictures etc?
Doc - Yes I do. In the last year in particular all my backgrounds have been drawn in Photoshop. A lot of times it may take me just as long to draw the background ad as make the outfit but it is something I enjoy doing now. I have always done all of my ad’s however since day one.

Trin - Roughly how many outfits do you have and what is your favorite style of clothes for designing?
DoC - Its over 1000 I know. I’m not really sure on an exact number however. At this time I enjoy doing the Fantasy style the most.

Trin - Do you have any fashion experience in RL?
DoC - None at all, most of my items lean towards an art, fantasy and or gothic old world look however.

Trin - What does the next 3 years hold for DE Designs do you think?
DoC - Hard to say, I take things day by day. I have expanded somewhat into other things outside of SL but I won’t to the point where it affects me creating for SL. Hopefully there will be more options within SL to expand creations, such as in the last few years with Flex and Sculpt options. A couple more clothing layers as well as another face layer would be great.

I personally adore DE Designs and turn into a child at Christmas when I go there. Its never out of my cache! Check it out in world here and the official blog here.