I've been spending an awful lot of time the past few days, wandering around the SL5B sims, taking in the sights, and enjoying what's on offer. However, I do feel the need to point out some of what I consider to be stylistic faux pas, not because I feel I am some form of God sitting in judgement over you all (although....), but rather to try to make sure to celebrate some of the best exhibits, and give guidance to some of the worst, so they might think twice before doing the same thing for SL6B. With that in mind:

DO... make a professional looking and stylish building, showcasing what you do inworld, like this superb exhibit by the Metaverse Messenger, with sample articles from every year they have been going inworld.


DON'T... chuck a couple of ugly towers up, with massive images, adfarm style, then decide "Sod it, that'll do, let's go down the pub"


DO... use sculpties to create gorgeous things, the likes of which were never possible before, like these almost painfully cute lil animals created by "Have a Happy Mood".

DON'T... slap a bunch of blobby looking sculpties onto your exhibit to act as an entrance, making it look like a giant felt rather unwell, and vomited over the front of your build.

DO... show off how cool the products that you make and sell inworld are, like in the fantastic DCS combat arena, where fighters demonstrate just what the combat system can do in the custom built battle area, along with using the healing hospital table, and training areas.

DON'T... try to cheekily get past the fact that you aren't allowed to sell at the SL5B sims, by offering exclusive weapons, then making everything in your exhibit a landmark giver, that takes you to the place where you can buy these items.

DO... use some glow to make your builds stand out, with an almost magical quality, like this excellent creative piece by the talented Strawberry Holiday

DON'T... use so much glow, that your exhibit happens to blind anyone who happens to glance at it twice.

And above all else....

DO... try to make your exhibit fun and enjoyable for anyone who sees it, like this tribute to the Lindens by Grim Babies, and the detailed and well constructed stand by Rezzables' aways entertaining Greenies

Anyone who knows me, will know that I'm not the sportiest sort. Sitting around watching teams of grown men attempt to take a ball of some nature, from one end of a place, to another end, is okay for the occasional viewing, but hardly a worthy distraction from the games I can play myself. And as for taking part, that would involve being away from comfortable chairs and my intravenous (although sometimes frustratingly laggy) Internet connection. However, there is one kind of exception to my general disinterest in all things sporty. Not sports, but rather sports entertainment. For the uninitiated, I'm talking about professional wrestling.

Therefore, imagine my delight, when wandering around the SL5B sims, to discover an exhibition of wrestling inworld, being put on by SL's very own brand of raw, impact driven, slobberknockery. The superstars of SLCW, or SecondLife Championship Wrestling, flinging each other around the ring, smacking each other with steel chairs (and anyone else who happened to get too close), all for the entertainment of those watching. And since their exhibition was part of the Metaverse TV exhibit, it seems that an audience is not something they are lacking. Intrigued, I decided to seek out the organiser and manager of this inworld promotion, Ivan Halfpint, at his office at the SLCW Arena, to find out a little more about bringing the world of sweat, spandex and suplex's to the virtual world of SL:


Voodoo: So, How did SLCW come about?

Ivan Halfpint: Well basically I have always been a wrestling fan so when I entered SL back in Nov of 07 I looked for wrestling sims. I only found one - and it was basically not holding any matches or doing anything productive - so I offered to help him manage the promotion - it didn’t materialize so I said the hell with it and started my own. Our roots are much more humble than our current setup. We started in a very tiny arena.

Voodoo: Have the logistics of setting it all up been very tough?

Ivan Halfpint: Well it hasn’t been hard at all really - my business partner Alpin Criss developed the wrestling system that we use and it is very fun and always under construction - besides that all we had to do was rent a piece of land and throw up a building.

Voodoo: How does the wrestling system work?

Ivan Halfpint: Basically it is gesture based - Alpin animates the gestures - there is an attack and a 'sell' - so one person picks the move and starts the attack and the person they are attacking is automatically animated to sell the move.

Voodoo: The animations are particularly good. Are they based on rl wrestling moves, from things like the WWE?

Ivan Halfpint: Yes they are all based on wrestling moves that are real - not just WWE - but some have an amateur background - and some are some old style moves that haven’t been seen in some time - both myself and Alpin are fans of old school wrestling - not so much the new WWE stuff.

Voodoo: Have you had a good response from people? Are there a lot of SL wrestling fans?

Ivan Halfpint: It has grown well beyond our expectations - the response has been amazing - we have grown from literally having just a ring in an empty field to becoming the largest fighting promotion in SL - we hold weekly shows and have a weekly TV program on http://www.metaverse-tv.com/

Voodoo: Yes, how did the web TV deal come about? Did they search you out?

Ivan Halfpint: Well it was the oddest thing. I mentioned the wrestling promotion on a web forum and one of the guys from the TV station seen it and thought wrestling on TV would be a good idea. After some meetings we reached an exclusive deal and the rest is history.

Voodoo: If someone wanted to get involved and become a wrestler, what should they do?

Ivan Halfpint: Just drop by the lobby and pick up an application. We are always looking for new talent and it is alot of fun.

Voodoo: And apart from the chance to smack someone with a chair without getting reported for griefing, is there the chance to win anything else?

Ivan Halfpint: It’s non for profit but we do offer a 500L$ pot for the wrestler who has the best match.

Voodoo: Finally, are there any tips you would give to anyone else looking to set up anything similar?

Ivan Halfpint: I would say be aware it is pretty time consuming - so don’t try and do everything yourself cause either #1 it will be done half assed or #2 you will get totally burned out. Besides that just have fun with it - don’t be afraid to try new things - and always have lots of patience - you need it.

Just when you believe Linden Lab the creators of Second Life do not actively listen to the paying residents they never cease to amaze you. Whilst facing one of the biggest PR Disasters of recent times, Linden Lab have taken a miraculously large step back and have reassessed their desire to enforce Dazzle, with no alternative option, upon the residents of Second Life.

As I documented in April, Dazzle caused major concern across the Second Life network. Its bright user interface could be held accountable for eye strain and migraines, also not ergonomically suitable for those users with varying degrees of colour blindness. The complaint was not specifically against Dazzle it was against the inability to easily revert to the old style, or for a user friendly option to skin the client, if Dazzle affected you with the health issues mentioned above. With a massive amount of votes and comments on the two Dazzle specific JIRA entries (VWR-5059 & VWR-5080) it now seems that Linden Lab have actually listened to the worried residents.


In the latest Second Life Blog post Ramzi Linden has announced the release of RC11 with 39 crash fixes and the news that Linden Lab will not ship the Release Candidate until it has working skin-ability.


"To start, we are now developing a solution to VWR-5059 - “Ability to switch between the new/old theme” - and will ship that before finalizing the official Second Life Viewer 1.20.

Therefore, in the coming weeks please look for a couple other iterations of this Release Candidate, but perhaps not as frequently. We will deliver an RC12 and RC13 before finishing this 1.20 Release Candidate cycle."

Linden Lab may have taken their time but I am sure I and the hundreds of non Dazzle supporters are both in favour and in shock at this latest development. Potential PR disaster almost averted.

You'd have to have your head severely stuck in a virtual bucket to not know that it's that time of year again, and Second Life is gearing up to celebrate it's 5th Birthday, in a massive event, including the best and finest from all walks of virtual life. Only, it's not been that simple. Unfortunately, Linden Lab, in their great wisdom, decided that certain residents were too risky to be exhibitors and show what they have been up to, at this event, meant to display what we have done in our world, with our imagination. And at the forefront of these who would be allowed to visit the celebration, but not have their say there, are one of the most needlessly controversial and misunderstood groups in our virtual world, those with child avatars.

This has lead to the creation of KIDS5B, an independent splinter event, happening simultaneously to the main event itself, and allowing the kid groups of sl to show what they've been up to. It's a fantastic looking place, with boats, rafts, funfairs, railroads, skateparks, sweets, and so much more that it would keep even the most attention-deficit inflicted kid amused for hours. To allow a little more understanding into the precise roots of the event, and what's going on there, I caught up with Daniel Regenbogen, one of the organisers:

Voodoo Buwan: Would you like to explain why you felt the need to splinter off from the main 5th Birthday celebration?

Daniel Regenbogen: Well, that wasn't exactly our own decision. On May 30th, I heard that contributions by some kid avatars, like Loki Eliot and Marianne McCann, were rejected from SL5B, simply because they showed the life of kid avatars. I sent a mail to M Linden that was answered by Robin Linden, telling me that kid avatars would be allowed to visit, but not to contribute to the SL5B exhibitions. This angered many kid avatars, and out of this anger the idea of doing our own celebrations, Kids5B, was born.

Voodoo Buwan: Was any reason given as to why kid avatars would not be given a voice at the event?

Daniel Regenbogen: No. To quote Robin Linden: "I want to be clear that child avatars are welcome to attend the celebrations, and we look forward to seeing you there. We believe a community sponsorship, however, is not in the best interest of the event or of Linden Lab, so we have to respectfully decline your participation at that level." We guess it is because of some sensational media coverage about sexual ageplay. LL decided to cover their butts instead of taking a stand to support their paying customers.

Voodoo Buwan: How difficult has it been mobilising the child avatar community to organise this?

Daniel Regenbogen: Not difficult at all! Within 24 hours the group was started and the 1st SIM was made available by a sponsor. Work started almost instantly (and it had to, with only 3 weeks to go there was no time for lots of talking and making big plans). The support from the kids community was and is simply amazing. Sure, some had a different opinion about how to deal with LL’s decision, there was some stress and drama involved, but in the end I think we all came together and worked together to make Kids5B happen.

Voodoo Buwan: Have you had many people wanting to exhibit here that you considered inappropriate, given that this is a kids event?

Daniel Regenbogen: No, we didn't have to send away anybody. I think one of the reasons for the amazing support and participation is, that within the kids community many are fed up with the fact, that many people who see a kid avatar for the first time jump to the conclusion that there is some kind of weirdo or pervert behind the avatar - and they see Kids5B as the big chance to show what being a kid avatar really is for lets say 99 percent of all kid avatars. So, no, we didn't have to turn anyone down feeling that what he wanted to show here would be not appropriate.

Voodoo Buwan: So, this event is not only a chance for kid avatars to come together to celebrate sl, but also an opportunity for everyone else to get a better understanding of what it means to be a kid avatar in SL?

Daniel Regenbogen: Definitely! When LL decided to not allow us at SL5B, they actually gave away a chance to allow all residents to better understand us. Kids5B, as much fun as it is for us ourselves, is also a big invitation to everyone, kid, teen, adult, human, furry, robot, dragon, whatever. We are hoping to see many visitors from outside the kids community. I think there is no better way to get to know each other than to celebrate together and talk with each other. We are looking forward to that.

Voodoo Buwan: Finally, have you had any reaction from Linden Labs about this project? And would they be welcome to come visit?

Daniel Regenbogen: I don't know of any direct reaction. Thanks to all the support from residents from all backgrounds, LL changed the decision, and kid avatars now are allowed to exhibit at SL5B. Kids5B has a little "cultural center" there, that also works as a gateway to Kids5B. We offered the same to LL, to put up a gateway from Kids5B to SL5B, but to my knowledge, there was no reaction to that offer at all. Of course, everyone is welcome to visit us, and we would be happy to see a few Lindens here, too. On a final note: I'd like to thank each and everyone who helped with making Kids5B happen - you are amazing! And also a big thank you goes to everyone who supported the rights of kid avatars in forums, blogs, mails to LL and so on. It really made a difference.

Voodoo Buwan: Very recently, there was an occurrence that sent shockwaves through the denizens of Secondlife. It created panic, outrage, complaints, and more. Group chats quickly filled up to discuss it, and the ramifications that it could have on the way you live your secondlife, and it’s impact on our community as a whole. There is barely an sl news website that has not devoted some column inches to it, and Trin and I finally decided it was time for us to chip in, and contribute some thoughts about it. All pretty impressive for a little login dialogue box:
This message, seen by many residents who are on non-premium accounts, popped up at times when the SL grid has been quite full, to tell them that since they are not contributing outside money to SL, they would not be able to log in. The impact of this has been immense, with accusations of "SL for the rich" flying around. So, we ask, "Is it right that non-paying sl residents are sometimes barred from logging in, to make room for those with premium accounts?"

Trinity Dechou: Well, of course I highly doubt anyone would be unaware of the furore that surrounded this action. However to be fair, and I like to be fair, Linden Lab did warn of this for quite a time. It's not a new decision they have taken.

Voodoo Buwan: Yeah, but to announce these changes, ignore the general feeling of disapproval from your customers, until everyone forgets about it, then launch it on everyone, saying "Well, told ya" isn't exactly the best way of doing things. And there is the argument of whether it's the right decision in the first place?

Trinity Dechou: Personally I actually agree with Linden Lab placing some restriction on it. However, whilst agreeing with it, I have also seen some very valid arguments against it. Most multiplayers out there offer a free 'trial'. A 30 day experience then you must pay to play. With these players, you achieve arguably better stability, however everyone playing it paying to do so. You could not hijack your neighbour’s Wireless adsl and then complain to their ISP for problems could you. If you pay for a service you are entitled to complain when you don't get it. If you don't pay....

Voodoo Buwan: Yeah, but at the same time, this is a definite message about who are the preferred members of our community. It prioritises those using SL as a business, or who come on to shop, and with Philip Linden going to US congress, and selling SL to them on it's educational qualities, this seems to go against that, saying you can come on, and learn about the human genome, or experience a virtual tsunami, unless someone wants to come on and buy a dress.

Trinity Dechou: I think the problem is LL get such a bashing from left right and centre it is VERY easy to get caught up in the masses who rush to Linden Village with placards and complain. Lets not blow this out of context, I agree with this decision from LL, however as I said above, I do see very valid arguments against it. This will ONLY happen when there are troubles on the grid; it's not going to happen everyday. They will implement this to reduce logged in residents and bring the equilibrium back. Plus also bear in mind this isn't just premium accounts, it's also accounts who buy linden through lindex as well...

Voodoo Buwan: What strikes me as a little strange, is that seeing that, as you said, LL had warned us this was on the cards a while ago, for 3 or 4 days before the warning started popping up, there was a very different tactic. At times when the grid became too full, logins became totally disabled, effectively capping SL until there was enough room to let others in. Kind of "one in, one out". Then this was obviously abandoned for the "Premium First" tactic...

Trinity Dechou: I might agree with the logic, but in practise LL are very good at missing the nail and hammering their thumb. However, how exactly do LL win? Premium and Lindex users have been complaining about this issue for as long as I have been playing (and paying) for Second Life

Voodoo Buwan: It takes us back to arguments about grid stability, and how, since it has now reached this crux point, this should become priority over bringing out shiny new tweaks and features, for at least the time being. But of course, that is a whole other argument. One thing that I considered is that actually, in all the arguments, the real perpetrators of the situation we are in are being ignored. In SL, there are many people using multiple logins at once, or utilising bot farms, to make their inworld location seem more popular than it really is, for example. Surely these people are the one's jamming up the system, forcing this decision to have to be made in the first place? I can't help but wonder if every resident was only utilising one login at any one time, so not using these bots, would there actually be room for us all to enjoy the sl experience, and at least give LL some more time, to try to give more space, for the populace to expand a bit more.

Trinity Dechou: With the new search these traffic bots are not needed as they once were. Of course many people run alt accounts, businesses use alt 'bank' accounts and such those are usually free. While, I am sure bots do place strain on the servers, so does a 50% growth in active residents within a year. In the past when the grid became unstable, Linden Lab took it offline, while I am sure this will still happen, instead of it being TOTALLY offline it will be restricted login. So surely 'free' accounts aren't actually loosing anything are they?

Voodoo Buwan: Good point, and while I'm not ignoring that the growth in active residents has been huge, the fact that these bot farms are not really needed, doesn't stop me finding them in place after place. I have no problem with alt accounts par se either, as to have an alt bank, that login doesn't necessarily need to be online at the same time as you, still meaning it's one login at one time for one person. I agree, that maybe it's better that some can get in, rather than we are all out, but the system used to be taken down, to apparently make the grid stable for us to ALL be able to come back on (or so we were told). And on my point about bot and simultaneous alts, I can't help feel that it's a little unfair that the non paying residents are being made to suffer for the actions of business accounts, since bot farms and as you said, alt banks, are tools for the business resident

Trinity Dechou: I accept, that many free accounts are the accounts of residents, residents who create and sell products. Those residents then spend their money in the Second Life economy and locking those accounts out, are unfair I agree. However I have yet to find a valid acceptable answer to the question of what LL SHOULD do.

Voodoo Buwan: Which of course, again, brings us to the argument that maybe, yes, they might need to be doing this, but stressing that it would be a short term thing, and then placing their focus squarely in grid stability, and making sl accessible for all, instead of trying to find new ways to make the control panel more sparkly.
Trinity Dechou: Well, as we said, developments are a WHOLE other argument, and another one we don't always agree on, so another day for that. Of course another major complaint is what benefits come from having a premium account? At the moment you get your stipend, and the ability to own land. Not a key attraction puller for many. Perhaps Second Life might change and move more in-line with other online multiplayers like WoW and only offer trials? Or perhaps they will continue to offer free accounts (which the others DO NOT) but at the expense of occasional grid time.

Voodoo Buwan: I think one final point that I would make, is that, at the very least, LL should have a serious look at the way they go about these communications, from a customer service perspective. The phrase "People with free accounts will not be able to access Second Life during this time, to make room for those who have paid for Second Life" might as well have the words "You parasitic scum" added to the end of it, for all the tact and respect it is giving to the residents it is disappointing. It does nothing to improve the image of LL as power mad overlords, who will do what they want, and not care about how it affects you, since they know that we are addicted to SL like the virtual crack it is.

Trinity Dechou: I think my final point would have to agree with Voodoo's PR comments, Linden Lab do need a lesson in correct etiquette. I also think that many people are confused about who this actually affects. Linden Lab would do themselves a HUGE favour if they 'defined' who they perceive their customers to be, i.e premium accounts, lindex customers, content creators etc. However I also have to be fair to the Linden Leaders here and say that free accounts are here in the first place, something which other online multiplayers don't have, so SL free accounts are already 'privileged'.

We have, as we always try to achieve, given arguments for and against this decision from above. Voodoo and I could discuss this all day, but now it's perhaps you would like to join in the discussion? If so, please feel free to leave a comment with any thoughts you have.

Life's pretty funny sometimes. Just when you're feeling that you've hit a rut, and that nothing will surprise you anymore, something comes along and proves you wrong. Second Life is no different. Recently, I've been wandering the grid, and more and more became despondent. With a few notable exceptions, I seemed to be travelling through almost identical sims, with the same houses, the same basic stores, thirsting and longing for something to jump out at me. Something new. Something different. I started to believe that this was it. I'd pretty much seen all there was to see in SL. Sure, there were new interesting little variations, but that's all they were, variations on a theme.

So, I started to try to imagine what I was looking for. And I guess the thing I really thirsted for was detail. There are some great builds around, and most of them have nice little objects and features, but, usually due to prim allowances, the details are always minimal, and almost all the places I went to looked like they'd been thrown up in a couple of days. Where was the effort? Where's the craftsmanship? SL is full of amazing people, with wonderful ideas, but those ideas get made, and then they move on to the next idea, rather than taking the time to fully work that idea to perfection. Ideas are all well and good, but without the workmanship, they are but amusements, after a while. And, I'm as guilty of this as most, to be perfectly honest.

Then, out of the blue, an old friend of mine, who back in the day often pointed me in the right direction of new and interesting places inworld, dropped a landmark on me, without a word of explanation. When the landmark image rezzed, I'll admit that I thought it hadn't been taken inworld, and it piqued my curiosity enough for me to head over to INSILICO (153,131, 3615) to investigate further.


Upon arrival, I was taken aback. You see, this was exactly what I was looking for, and without a word of asking, my friend managed to read my mind, and send me directly where I was seeking. INSILICO is a visually gorgeous futuristic metropolis, where neon signs shine through the darkness, television billboards flash and flicker, and spotlights glare through the mist. High textured skyscrapers tower into the night, while on the ground level, with a reserved smattering of stores, descend down, level after level, each one revealing new things to see. And impressive as the environment is, the closer you look, the details never fail to impress. The full prim allowance of the sim is utilised to glorious effect, along with an impressive use of sculpties, to mean that no corner has been cut. Not only is the detail intricate and well constructed, but also utilises functional innovations at the forefront of sl scripting, like the voice activated wall mounted web browser, which you can use in the public bar, a watering hole where the denizens of this place, along with many folks travelling through this futuristic landscape, can get together to shoot the breeze.

It was here that I met Skills Hak, the creator and owner of the sim, and managed to get a few words, to try to get a better idea of the woman behind this impressive project:

Voodoo Buwan: So, how did this place come about?

Skills Hak: Funny thing is it started with just being a store for my own products and it was so much fun building it, so I had to get my own sim. More prims more space etc… and I added another building and another one… then I thought it would look good if the whole place would look like a city. it wasn’t planned at all, just flowed.

Voodoo Buwan: What would you say your influences are with the build? There's a definite "Blade Runner" feel, but any other input?

Skills Hak: Actually I wasn’t thinking about a movie or book when I made it. Its just what I think what a city of the future would look like. of course we all watched blade runner hehe so I guess there are certain influences, but I'm trying not to use any ideas from movies or books actually. it should be something new

Voodoo Buwan: Is it all your own work, or have you had much assistance?

Skills Hak: Apart from some objects like chairs etc, its all self-made yes. Or like the bottles here. That’s a bit stressful cause I have problems with letting other people work here, when it comes to building lol. I know its silly but I want to keep that high standard

Voodoo Buwan: So, with the project being so personal, was there much thought put towards trying to make the place customer friendly, what with it essentially being a business district?

Skills Hak: The shops are here only to pay the tier and I want to keep the business part as hidden as possible cause I want to start with the rp as soon as possible. We have big plans for roleplay here and are working on a theme atm

Voodoo Buwan: Ah, so it's going to be a lot more than just a mall then?

Skills Hak: Yes if I could I would get rid of the mall completely and only have some shops for my friend, integrated into the RP. I keep the shop and apartment tiers as low as possible too and only accept top notch creators. I don’t want it to be a mall hehe.

Voodoo Buwan: You mentioned a theme. Can you tell me more about that?

Skills Hak: Yeah we are working on the background atm. The theme is quite futuristic: The year is ca 2100 and the city is one of many floating in the sky. The city is built 3600m high in the sky because the ground is covered in a toxic gas. Since the atmosphere collapsed its impossible for humans to live down there. Every city is connected to its own reactor farm on the ground via long cables and actually only androids work down there. The cables are heavily guarded against "rebel cyborg" groups and eco terrorists. We have alot of parties already and some of the brands here will play a role too, like the Gemini cybernetics which will be an evil weapon concern

Voodoo Buwan: So, your vision is more important than being a financial success then?

Skills Hak: I just want to build my "vision" (lol sounds cheesy) and play in it. My financial success I want to have with the products I make, not with a mall.

Voodoo Buwan: So, are you finding it easy to merge other people's, and brands, input into your vision.... it sounds very thought out

Skills Hak: No I think its really hard and I only let very few people work on it like Erik commons who does a project from saijo city here. An institute that uses human brains as information filter, but can’t really talk about that one yet hehe. There will be a redlight district, cyber combat arenas for different melee sorts, an artificial park, apartments all over the city, underground clubs… We are going to have a combat evolutions fight club here too… but all in all I just want to have a nice community. I’m not really into combat myself, Its more about the build and art here and the rp makes it alive.

Voodoo Buwan: Just one more question.... what advice would you give anyone considering trying to follow in your footsteps, and wanting to set up their own place?

Skills Hak: Hmm maybe patience, as I don’t have that. Well, hard to give any advice. Its important a sim grows on all ends at the same time. Not only the build, but the group management, rp things, financial stuff… And don’t be afraid to say no if others are asking to be involved, but don’t 100% get what you’re doing. If you have a vision do it alone!

Diana Allandale (Diana Hunter in RL) is a published real life Erotic writer. She specialises in BDSM novels having spent a long time researching on the internet and finding she could never find what she wanted; a friend challenged her to do better. That she did and Secret Submission was her first, in a long line of published novels.

I met Diana through the Book & Publishing Islands SL Book Fair. I attended a talk given by her where she talked people through writing Erotic Fiction. I must admit this is a subject I hadn’t given much thought too, however I found Diana an extremely interesting person. I managed to grab her for a chat about her writing and how she uses Second Life to research.


Diana, thanks for taking the time to talk to me, can you give us a little bio of you and your novels?

I became interested in writing stories with bondage and D/s themes when she found a dearth of them on the web. Nothing I read seemed to have the romantic element she knew was possible in such relationships.
Each book I write contains a kernel of truth or deeply held conviction from my own life, but don’t ask me where truth ends and fantasy begins…I’ll never tell! When not writing, I am either at my loom, weaving thread lines of a different sort, or playing Mommy-taxi to two teenage children. Married for over twenty-seven years to the same man, I am grateful for all the wonderful encouragement he gives.

Why Erotica and why BDSM?

I'd written two other novels (one in the fantasy genre and one historical novel) that I couldn't seem to sell anywhere. Those still sit on my shelf looking for a home. But then I wrote what became my first published novel, Secret Submission, really without any eye towards publishing, but more for my own exploration of an extreme look at the BDSM lifestyle. I had several questions about the Dominant/submissive dynamic I was struggling with and writing the novel helped me to find some of those answers. Only when it was nearly finished did I discover the website for Ellora's Cave Publishing. Taking a chance, I sent my query and they asked for the first three chapters and a synopsis. I sent them in...they bought it and my career in writing erotic romance was born.

Why did you come into Second Life?

Believe it or not, I came into SL for the express purpose of promoting my RL novels. I'd heard an article on NPR in which they stated that IBM and Toyota and Ford were all creating in-world presences to market their goods. I figured, "Well, if the Big Boys can do it, so can I!"

So I downloaded the client (version 11 way back then!), created my avatar and entered an entirely new culture...one with communities and protocols and rules of behavior that blew my mind. I spent the first two months just wandering, wide-eyed and naive. But I learned and, thanks to some wonderful mentors, opened my first shop just shy of my second month being in-world.

Does Second Life help you to research for novels?

While I have an in-world serial that is set in Second Life, my RL books don't mention the virtual world...yet. So the crossover is only one-way so far...RL imported into SL. My in-world persona is there to promote my RL books.
That said, I do run an ALT that I use for the occasional foray into some of SL's seedier sims. Under her guise, yes...I do go searching for...inspiration .

Does Second Life help you to grow your name and book sales?

This is a hard one to answer. My gut says, "Yes, definitely." But I have no proof. I tend to be data-driven in life, but I've found when it comes to promotion as an artist dependent on royalties, there's no such thing as reliable data. Because bookstores (both brick-and-mortar and online retailers) have pay schedules that usually don't line up with the publisher's dates to cut royalty checks, it's impossible to tell if one promotion worked better than any other on any given month.

Website hits are another indication, but since much of what's on my website is also in my SL bookshops, most people from SL don't bother with my website. As a result, those hits are in a fairly static state.

LOL...That's the long-winded way of saying, "I have no clue if SL has increased my sales or not!" I like to think they HAVE made a difference, though!

You do book readings and give workshops in SL, firstly do you have a regular venue?

Actually, I have several. My writing workshops (which, btw, are NOT erotic in content, but are more geared towards writers who just need a little creative push), are held each Tuesday on Book Island and will be throughout the months of June and July.
I also give readings of my works in-world at the Island of Pain and at Alvargi...I swap Thursdays so that every other week I'm in the other sim. Then I have solo readings I do once a month in places such as the Zurich Opera House and over at the Nudist Paradise. The easiest way to keep up with me inworld is to join Passionate Books, my in-world group. I send notices just before each reading/workshop; I also send out a newsletter at the start of each month with all the upcoming dates.

And, secondly what kind of feedback have you had from Second Life residents?

I came into SL to promote my books...and found instead a world of friends. So many of my readers have become true friends of mine through this new medium called a virtual world. People have taken me into their hearts and welcomed me into their communities in a way I never, ever expected that day in October 2006 when I first rezzed into SL. I am so glad I heard that radio broadcast on NPR that chilly day...and so glad I made the leap into the unknown. I owe a HUGE thank you to all those who come to my readings, who give their talents to my writer's workshops, who stop by and visit my shops and then send me a quick note afterwards. It's their feedback that keeps me coming back in-world.

These days, no matter where you are in the world, you can't turn on a news broadcast without being bombarded with information or talk about the upcoming United States election, which has now been narrowed down to the race between John McCain and Barack Obama to see who will end up in the White House, running the biggest superpower in the modern world. It's understandable why you can't escape these going's on, as like it or not, this election will effect everyone worldwide. Whether it's because your country has a "special relationship" with the states, or that they view your nation less favourably, or even down to the fact that as the biggest corperate power, their decisions have worldwide reprecussions on everything from climate change and investment into renewable energy, to global economics and third world debt. Perhaps one international location more affected than most would be our little virtual world. Despite the fact that SL is very much a community populated by people from every corner of the globe, the fact that Linden Labs is an American company, means that laws passed in the states, can and do have a huge impact on the rest of us, whether we are American citizens or not. Some of the biggest issues of the last year, from the gambling ban to age verification, have been driven by US law, and applied to every resident whether US law applies to us or not.

With this in mind, I set out to have a little chat with those who proudly identify themselves as Democrat or Republican in SL, to try and see if SL was on the agenda in this election, and what the outcomes could mean for all of us.

I started off by heading over to the base of the Republican Party of SL (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Cosentino/203/29/23), where I met with three high rankings members of the organisation: Tomasi Benelli, Robb Rail and Villie Messerchmitt and sat down with them for a chat:

Voodoo: US law has a high impact on SL, as Linden Labs is an American company. What is the Republican attitude to SL?
Tomasi Benelli: I'm not sure how to answer, as we can't possibly speak for every one of our members. Individuality is one of our strongest foundations
Robb Rail: I don't think there is an official view of SL from the Republican Party in RL
Villie Messerchmitt: Former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich comes to SL and gives speeches. So at least some top republicans are starting to see SL as a tool to get our message out.
Tomasi Benelli: It definitely appears that way. We are starting to see more activity from real life politicians in SL. Whatever adds to making contact with people is always a positive thing.
Robb Rail: But on the other hand some Republicans misunderstand SL, like the Representative that recently came out against SL as being potentially damaging and wants to ban it from libraries and schools, so it is mixed.
Voodoo: So, from a Party perspective, it can to be a useful tool?
Villie Messerchmitt: I believe it will be a useful tool. I have discussed with party leaders in RL about holding WV meetings in SL. Those that are tech savy like the idea, but the older ones are not sure. With high fuel prices in a rural state, that will be away to hold more meetings
Robb Rail: And with voice added, SL has the potential to be great for political meetings that otherwise would be inconvenient because of distance
Tomasi Benelli: It makes it possible to be thousands of miles from each other yet in the same room.
Voodoo: On that line, this election we've seen the candidates trying everything they can to get the word out, even appearing on wrestling shows... Any chance Mr McCain will come to address SL?
Robb Rail: There is always a chance, but I think it is more likely that a surrogate for McCain will show up in SL, if anyone.
Voodoo: I suppose the ultimate question is, why should a US SL resident vote Republican?
Tomasi Benelli: Because they are US citizen first, then SL citizens
Robb Rail: Same reason a non SL US resident would or should vote Republican, lower taxes - which the idea of taxing SL keeps coming up so that may be even more important to SL people. Belief in personal freedoms over government interference.
Voodoo: So, does that mean the Republican party as a whole was against things such as the gambling ban, which had such a big effect here?
Robb Rail: No idea, but in general Republicans are against regulation, so it isn't too far of a reach to think that the gambling ban was against Republican ideals
Tomasi Benelli: I think that any time government says you can't do something that has no particular moral issue attached, it's a violation of the constitution.
Voodoo: Finally, what does being a Republican in SL mean to you?
Tomasi Benelli: It means to me that I am being myself. I feel that Secondlife should accurately portray your own real life self.
Robb Rail: To me being a republican in SL is much the same as being one in rl, except that SL brings me into contact with more liberals than in my rl. Which is good because it gives me a chance to test my conservative theories by debating them, which only enhances my Republicanism in RL, plus SL allows me to meet with Republicans from across the country and to see how different and yet alike we are.

From there, I decided I needed to get a counterpoint argument, as with most things in politics, when you only speak to one side, you only get one part of the argument, and everything seems to make perfect sense. So, I got in touch with the Democratic Party of SL (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Black%20Art/236/114/38) and spoke to two of the organisers for that group, Blue Revolution and CJ Escher, to put the same kinda questions to them:

Voodoo: US law has quite a big impact on SL, since Linden Labs is a US company. What is the general Democrat attitude to things like SL?
CJ Escher: To be honest, I don't think it's on the political radar.
Blue Revolution: I would concur.
CJ Escher: There are blips with the gambling issue and taxation, but I don't think if asked any of the candidates they wouldn't know what a virtual word is. Unless they read Snow Crash.
Blue Revolution: There is a lot of potential for uses in SL but for the most part people concentrate on RL when it comes to political campaigns. There was an episode on one of the TV series last week a friend was telling me about where one of the victims was a 28 year old who played a 14 year old avatar who ran a sex club. That seems to be how the media is portraying things.
Voodoo: Do you feel that they are generally embracing new online technology, or is there more concern about these things?
CJ Escher: I would not think there would be any real experience, however, Obama effectively used Twitter and Clinton had a Twitter account but didn't use it to any real difference.
Blue Revolution: It was during the 2004 presidential primary that we saw a transformation in the Democratic Party on the power of the internet. When Howard Dean raised something like $50 million all the candidates started to flock to it.
CJ Escher: Yes, Ron Paul and Howard Dean have used it to raise money, but they haven't really figured out to galvanize that power and turn it into real votes.
Blue Revolution: Dean, and also Obama, are able to show that having millions of small donors can effectively compete with the people who bundle together the max contribution in the thousands.
Voodoo: So, not a huge chance of Mr Obama coming to SL to try to canvass votes?
Blue Revolution: I wouldn't think so. But there is an opportunity for the Democratic Party to do things in here like having the Dems Abroad meet in here. That would be a way for them to canvass votes and get organized.
CJ Escher: I think there is a real opportunity. It's a great place to start discussions and do some online fundraisers. I think the combination of online efforts like Act Blue and SL can work well.
Blue Revolution: CJ and I actually hosted a fundraiser for a Congressional candidate. (http://www.actblue.com/page/sldemocrats4markpera). The nice thing about some of these online fundraising tools is that it allows people to create their own fundraising pages and invite friends, family, colleagues, neighbours to contribute.
CJ Escher: I think a lot of people are uncomfortable talking to their neighbour in RL about their political views, but SL offers more freedom. You can express yourself with the fear of any type of repercussions in RL. As with everything, the Internet is empowering action at the individual level. And that's true. In RL I always see stories about people who say they thought they were the only Democrat in a neighbourhood until they see a sign pop up in someone's yard. SL is an opportunity for people to feel less isolated.
Voodoo: Would you say that spreading the word is what being an SL Democrat means to you, or is it something deeper?
CJ Escher: I think of it as a way to support the Democratic Party in my Second Life the way I support it in Real Life.
Blue Revolution: Personally, I identify myself as a Democrat more along the lines of an FDR Democrat.
Voodoo: Finally, I suppose my ultimate question is, why should a US SL resident vote Democrat?
CJ Escher: Have you read the news for the past 8 years :-)
Blue Revolution laughs.
CJ Escher: I think the state of the US economy and the world situation speak very elloquently to that point.
Blue Revolution: It's really a difference in philosophy. Is government there to provide protections and opportunity for businesses, or is it there to protect and provide opportunities for people like you and me? The Democratic Party is the party of the people.
CJ Escher: I don't think most people say they were better off than they were when Bush came to office. Change can be a good thing. I think also the Demcratic party offered 2 different perspectives than have ever been seen an election. Modale/Ferraro (sp) was the closest. But this has been a very different year.
Blue Revolution: We're seeing a real race for a change.
CJ Escher: The fact that some disenfranchised groups in the US really see an opportunity for someone like them to be President says a lot too.
Blue Revolution: And now we'll see how Senator Obama works to unify the Democratic Party. Voodoo: And you do you think Democrat in Office would be good news for all of us in this American based virtual world?
CJ Escher: I don't know that it will make any tangible difference in SL. There may be more tech RD, but it will be interesting to see. SL has never seen a Democrat in office. It was born in 2003. I'm old. I was around then.
Blue Revolution: Yes, a Democrat in Office would be good news for virtual worlds. Republicans view taxes as a disease and want to cut them, selling off American infrastructure to private and foreign corporations. Democrats view taxes as investments. With investments in our country’s technology, research and development, as well as the information architecture, everyone in the world will benefit. After all, didn't Bush trade nuclear technology for mangos?

There is certainly a lot to take into account, when watching how this election unfolds, but of course if you are less interested in who's coming in, and are either mourning or celebrating the end of George Dubya Bush's time in office, you might want to pop HERE to pick up your free clock, which will count down to the change of power in the oval office, and a new chapter for us all.

Following the Game Developers Conference in San Fransisco, Vollee, announced that it's bringing Second Life to mobile phones.

Available on over 40 3G handsets, the Vollee client allows users, using their 3G or WiFi connections to fly, teleport and chat to friends in-world on the mobile friendly version.

Martin Dunsby, CEO Vollee has said: "What we have developed is a service which, for the first time, allows you to access a rich persistent virtual 3D world the way it is supposed to be experienced on your phone. This is a true ‘before and after moment' in which mobile is living up to its potential in serving as an always on, connected platform."

Vollee is the only company in the market who can stream high-end games to mobiles, with key changes for mapping mobile keypads to compressing bandwidth, second life on your mobile is quite an experience.

Beta testing has started, users can sign up, for free at the moment, here www.vollee.com/secondlife

In the very first of its kind, the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden has been brought into Second Life as Dresden Gallery. The Dresden Gallery is the first real life museum to be created in Second Life in an exact 1:1 scale.

It opened in-world to the public in May 2007 and until now has had nearly 40,000 visitors. Comprising of the buildings, foyer, 56 halls and cabinets and all 750 masterpieces, Dresden in Second Life is a wonderful visit. Not only can you obtain notecards with information on all the artwork here, you can listen to audio talks of certain works (brought to you by the famous Acoustiguide) but you can also visit the museum 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Dresden features many classical artists such as Titian, Canaletto and Rembrandt. This Neo-Renaissance style building is the famous home for Giorgione’s Sleeping Venus and Raphael’s Sistine Madonna.

On May 10^th 2008 Dresden (real life & Second Life) opened an exhibition - “Canaletto – Views from the Canal Grande in Venice” In line with restoration by J. Paul Getty Trust (Los Angeles) two Canaletto paintings are being displayed at Dresden for the first time. The exhibition focuses on the Canal Grande, a Venetian waterway which was the subject of Canaletto’s work circa 1725. Included in this exhibition is information regarding camera obscura, which was a favourite technique of artists at this time. A total of 26 pieces make up this exhibition ending in late July.

Also it should be noted that a RL conference that takes place in Dresden, Germany with the theme “life in the digital world” will also be shown within the Dresden Sims, today..

If you have an interest in art but find you can’t find the time to actually go to a gallery, I really do suggest a trip to Dresden. I first went to Dresden many months ago and often find I head back, it’s a wonderful way to loose a few hours and be educated all at the same time!