Author: Otenth

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Torley’s tips toned down

If you prefer information in a concise form, I’ve watched Torley Linden’s video “Tip of the week” so you don’t have to. Here in brief are the salient points of the first three weeks (with links to the videos on blog.secondlife.com).

  1. Turning off typing animation and sound
    • Ctrl-Alt-D (Opt-Ctrl-D on Mac) to open client menu. Go to Client>Debug settings. Type in “PlayTypingAnim” and set it to “FALSE.”
  2. Moving camera further and better
    • Disable camera constraints is an option under the Client menu (Ctrl-Alt-C). Alt-click and zoom will work at far greater distances from your avatar. This does not yet persist across sessions, but it will in a future release of the client.
    • Limit select distance is another option under the Client menu which will allow you to select objects at a distance.
    • Camera zoom time: Client menu>Debug Settings>ZoomTime will let you change how fast your camera changes position (for instance when you press ESC to bring the camera back to its default position) from a cinematic pan to instantaneous (0 seconds).
  3. Interface tricks
    • You can move minimized windows; the client will remember where they were when you closed them; they will snap to each other. The minimized edit window will show ghosted images of some of the edit buttons if you move it; this is a known bug.
    • Pie menu: If you right-click and hold, you can move over a slice and release to select the option.
    • You can close all windows using an option under the file menu or Ctrl-Shft-W (Cmd-Shft-W on Macs).
    • IM tabs: Alt-left arrow or Alt-right arrow to move across tabs (Option-arrow on Macs), or click and hold to scroll across; if you tab into the contacts tab, you will then be limited to tabbing between groups and friends.
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Duchy of Murdann

The sad disaster on 21 April that brought my cousin Hermione Fussbudget to the head of House Heidrun, as well as the Barony of Wyre, and made me Jarl of Orcadia, has finally resulted in my assumption of responsibility for the Duchy of Murdann in the Firth of Caledon. My parents, Johan Augustus Paderborn, Jarl of Orcadia, and Gudrun Ragnbjorg Heidrun Paderborn, Viscountess of Little West Sniggery and Giggleford, and my aunt, Miss Fussbudget’s mother, Ingeborg Signe Heidrun Fussbudget, Baroness Wyre, died as a result of injuries sustained when Heidrun Meadery’s experimental molasses tanks exploded, flooding production facilities on Wyre. The tanks were the brain-child of my Great-uncle Oskrr Sigurdr Heidrun (a confirmed bachelor), who died immediately in the flood. He was, all too briefly, the 5th Duke of Murdann. It is by a twisted route that I have become the 6th Duke of Murdann.

My great-great-grandmother Lydia Ormsby Aagard was the half-sister of His Grace, James John Ormsby, 4th Duke of Murdann. Because of the several lateral transmissions, including female lines, it has taken this time for the genealogists and researchers at Begonia’s Peepage to certify that I am the male heir. I have now taken possession of Ormsby Hall in Caledon Murdann, which has been somewhat neglected for several years. There is a fine old stone and half-timbered manor house, albeit in some disrepair and unfurnished, but the island itself is densely covered with trees and brush. Access is through a decrepit wooden pier.

Next Sunday, the ninth of September, I will open Caledon Murdann for a tree-felling from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. SLT. A variety of species, suitable for transplantation, will be marked for removal in order to create a more livable space. Guests are requested to take no more than two trees each.

All are welcome to visit Ormsby Hall, and know that I intend it to become once again a place of graciousness and hospitality.

Otenth Haakon Paderborn, Jarl of Orcadia, Duke of Murdann, Viscount Ormsby of Little West Sniggery and Giggleford, Thegn of Aa

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Peace Society opening reception

The opening reception for the Caledon Peace Society on Sunday, 26 August, turned out to be quite a nice event, although I was feeling a bit flustered with preparations. I finished the music playlist just a couple of hours before the event, and I had  last-minute decorating to do, including paring down some of the plants in the Garden of Peace on the upper level in order to free up prims for very simple refreshments. I had placed the informational signs that give information about Nobel Peace Laureates the evening before, so at least I wasn’t doing any scripting!

As it happened, I was in the Garden of Peace when the first guests arrived, and we spent the course of the event on that level, standing in a loose circle and having a fascinating conversation. Mr Drinkwater posed a question that proved most effective for prompting guests: “What peacemaker do you most admire?”

I am sorry to say that at the very end of the event the few of us left were orbited by someone who proceeded to do the same to anyone who came near—including the Duchess of Carntaigh, who then had the basis for banning him and his associate from the Independent State of Caledon. (IMing the individual did not bring satisfactory resolution, and the individuals were reported to have been engaged in similar behavior but a day or two prior in Loch Avie.)

In my distress at my initial orbiting (it happened twice), I quit SL, thus losing the accumulated chat from the afternoon before I had a chance to create a guest list. To all who attended, a most hearty thank you.

For those who have not yet visited, the Baroness Bertha von Suttner chapter of the Caledon Peace Society is adjacent the telehub in Caledon SteamSkyCity, and you are welcome to visit at any time. There is an informational display on the lower level, and a conservatory on the upper level in which I encourage you to take a moment to relax.

I did manage to snap a couple of shots, though photography doesn’t seem to be my strong suit. Bizarre Berry graced us with an angelic fountain, and other guests included Sir ZenMondo Wormser, Miss Soliel Snook, Colonel Exrex Somme, and Mr JJ Drinkwater. I am most sorry not to be able to identify everyone in my photos, nor to thank everyone who attended.

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Identity verification

Of course the hue-and-cry has started already over in the comments on Identity Verification Comes to Second Life « Official Linden Blog. As an estate owner, I’m in the potential beta-tester pool, so I went ahead and tried it out. On the “My Account” page on secondlife.com, there was a new menu choice over on the right for age verification. It took me to a very simple form that asked for my name, address, and either my driver’s license number or the last 4 digits of my Social Security Number.

Although I provide those SSN digits when required to, I never use them voluntarily, and of course, the SSN is not supposed to be used for identification purposes. [ha!] So I gave them my driver’s license number, clicked “verify,” and within moments got a reply that I had been verified, along with a request to take a survey on my experience. Which I did, it taking me to a one-page surveymonkey survey.

See? Nothing so scary.Giving LL payment information should be of much higher concern, should one be nervous about such things.

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Caledon Peace Society

Opening Reception for Caledon Peace Society
Sunday, August 26, 2007
12-3 PM SLT
Caledon SteamSkyCity/117/91

The Caledon Peace Society is established to provide a venue for discussion of issues of peace and conflict.

While many RL conflicts rage about us, and people of good will disagree about solutions to conflict and the use of force or violence, the Caledon Peace Society strives always to be a place where all who come in a spirit of listening and goodwill can find respect, fellowship, and resources.

This event will officially open the Baroness Bertha von Suttner chapter of the Caledon Peace Society. Come learn about the Baroness and other peacemakers, find links to internet resources on peace and conflict resolution, and visit with old and new friends.

There will be musical entertainment provided by Radio Riel, with a specially themed program at 1:00 PM.

The Peace Society is immediately adjacent to the telehub.

Second Life | Community: Events

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I can’t recommend this book

And I was so excited about it: Designing Your Second Life: Techniques and inspiration for you to design your ideal parallel universe within the online community, Second Life by Rebecca Tapley.

The strengths of this book are exactly as the title suggests: design guidance and inspiration. It is not a how-to book—and Tapley is very clear about that. It does have a few step-by-step elements, but few are sufficient to actually accomplish the task described. The chapters that most directly address design elements are the best: chapter two, Designing Your Avatar; three, Designing Your Look; and eight: Designing Your Empire, although none are free of the flaws found throughout the book.

The biggest problem I have with the book is the errors. The second problem I have is misleading opinions. And thirdly, the editor, if there was one, did a terrible job. A few examples:

Errors

p. 15: “512 sq/m [sic] (the smallest possible parcel)” (16 m2 is the smallest possible parcel.)

p. 19: “You can buy mainland property, or part of a private island, or pay Linden Lab to create an entire private island to your specifications. However, you should add in the cost of upgrading your account from Basic to Premium if your Second Life account is currently free.” (No premium account is required to own land on a private sim.)

Opinions with which I take exception

p. 10: “So using the Search feature in-world is tremendously flexible, scalable, and responsive to whatever updates or other changes might happen to SL at large.” (I find it powerful but inelegant, difficult to use, and nothing if not undependable.)

p. 17: “Or you can also earn Lindens quickly and easily by just sitting in a chair, dancing on a disco pad, or filling out a survey.” (I guess it all depends on what you mean by “earn,” “quickly,” and “easily.” Not to mention that you’ll be reviled by most active, long-time residents.)

Bad editing

p. 15: see above (m2 or sq. m. would be correct.)
p. 16: “Second Life is three hundred and sixty degrees different.” (360º is facing back where you started; thus, not different at all.)

And that’s it for chapter one.

Over and over again she uses or introduces terms that have not been defined, or describes scenarios that, I believe, can only be understood if you’re already familiar with Second Life.

Considering the fact that her last chapter, about developing a full sim, takes a Gorean estate as its example, it is indeed bizarre that for nearly two-thirds of the book Tapley keeps referring to things as “naughty.” Finally, on page 122:

By now you’ve probably figured out that “naughtiness” is a synonym for that big elephant in the middle of the virtual living room: sex in Second Life. On the one hand, nobody’s able to really ignore it. Sex and sexual behavior are everywhere in SL. Yet on the other, many residents of SL feel strongly about having naughtiness sprung on them. They don’t want to see it, hear it, or be propositioned with it unless it’s their choice.

If you’re feeling nasty and catty and/or catch me when I’m feeling nasty and catty, I might share with you the rest of the dog-eared pages and marginal notes.

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Tartan tools

Last night after the Radio Riel dance at the Rock Factory, the subject of tartans came up. Here are the online resources I’ve found for generating tartans (registered or created new).