2017 Gold Star Lineup

The 2017 Gold Star Judging Panel has now convened. All three judges [Me, Myself and I] have spent endless hours sifting and sorting through blogs over the past year. Reader suggestions for additional sources of blogs and feed lists have aided our efforts, and we appreciate the input.

Without further ado, the following are the Judging Panel choices for outstanding blog-related work in 2017:

** DEARRA SILBERSZTEIN [Dea] – a Gold Star for LITTLE VIRTUAL KEYHOLE, a great name for a Blog Site. Thank you for feeding the flames of our curiosity by allowing us to peep through the little keyhole.

** BRODERICK LOGAN – a Gold Star for A GENTLEMAN’S GAME. From the moment a reader opens the blog, he/she is caught up in this gentleman’s game: expressive photos, unique, often powerful, and original short stories leave the reader craving more from this storyteller.

** NADJA BAXTER – a Gold Star for Blogger-Model, NADJA BAXTER, a force in the modeling world since the early days of SL. Previously, when not blogging and modeling, Nadja designed and sold great shapes. Her shape shop is now closed but her blog posts list her current shape as still being “my own.”

** HIKARU ENIMO – a Gold Star for Photography in Blogging [for the third year in a row]. Every photo so carefully crafted, we wonder if he spends hours upon hours working out every minute detail, or if he knows instantly that it will be perfect and shoots at will. Hikaru Enimo, Male Fashionista

** NEKOTTO RESIDENT – a Gold Star for Photography in Blogging. It is virtually impossible to find a bad photo by Nekotto, and just as nearly impossible to pick a favorite, because they are all so very good. NEKOTTO

** KAI WIRSING – a Gold Star for Photograph in Blogging, for the second year in a row. Kai’s photos continue to fascinate and intrigue. BLUE. Favorite of The Judges: Atreus-02 Eye.

** KAZICLE – a Gold Star for Judges Pick for Best Photo of 2017: DAYDREAM [Did She Run Away, I Don’t Know]. This photo has been featured in IT’S ONLY FASHION, in the column of resident art expert, Cajsa Lilliehook. Kazicle’s photos were also the subject of an article in Hamlet Au’s NEW WORLD NOTES.

** JARLA CAPALINI – a Gold Star for EVEN JARLA GETS THE BLUES, a classy blog, a mixture of art and fashion, with beautifully well-lit photos. Jarla states that she likes “playing with colors, lights and shadows.” Jarla Capalini is, without reservation, the Judges’ top new find for 2017.

** DEVIN VAUGHN – a Gold Star for BISHIE STYLE SL, the second year in a row, for the original STORYLINE sections which accompany his posts. “My blog has a focus on characters and storytelling. I call my format ‘Phototelling’.”

** GIDGE URIZA – a you-go-girl Gold Star for IT’S ONLY FASHION, specifically for “You’ve Lost Your Damn Mind” – a post about “absurd requirements for bloggers.” Quote: “Veteran bloggers, we’re salty. We’ve been there done that. We got the tee shirt. We got the tee shirt when it was a system layer. It had a pants option. Never take for granted a woman who knows what glitch pants are, and how to use them.” Unquote.

** MERICAT IRELAND [ReadMeri] – a Gold Star for a thoroughly enjoyable blog site, as she bids good morning to “picture perusers and word readers alike, morning browsers, lazy day readers, lunch-time lookers….”

** DREAMER – a Gold Star for A DIARY OF MY SECOND LIFE, specifically for reminding readers that May 25th is TOWEL DAY, a celebration of Douglas Adams, creator of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series, who stated, “Never go anywhere without your towel.”

** MATILDA SOON – a dare-to-be-different Gold Star for her decision to blog as a mature avatar-blogger. While others strive for the pixel barbie doll look, Matilda strolls down her own path, proudly displaying every wrinkle on her avatar skin. MATILDA SOON.

** VOLUPTURAPTOR PERL – a Chameleon Gold Star, for the second year in a row, to the one who blogs as IGOTDRESSED. The subject, style and composition of this blog are ever-changing and never stale. One never knows what to expect from IGotDressed, but always knows to expect something different.

** NANIKA SDEVAS – a Gold Star in the Red-is-Beautiful category [and everyone knows we need this category], for Carousel #483, an excellent Second Life portrait. CAROUSEL

** GUINEVERE KIRSHNER – a Gold Star for HUMP MUFFIN, for her coverage of kawaii fashion in second life, and for being oh-so-cute and adorable.

** PEEPSIDESHOW DARKWARD – a Gold Star for PICSBYPEEP. Interesting text, good photos, a blog site after our own hearts, with not only a general search, but also a search by category and a search by month. Three searches in one blog – way to go, Peep.

** TINLIZ WINTERSTORM (Liz) – a Gold Star for WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MESS. In these days of Style Card blogging, it is refreshing to meet a blogger who takes the time to let the reader know the person behind the blog. Sometimes All I Want To Do…Is Stand Here Looking Pretty.

** VIRTUAL EVANGELICAL [Evangelical Resident] – a Gold Star for SOMEONE LIKE YOU. The blog style is romantic and nostalgic, with unique photos and excellent post titles. A perfect example is TIME STEP.

** BAMBI FOXDALE – a Gold Star for telling it like it is: I Don’t Have A Title, because sometimes it is better to just state the obvious. And also because we love your Steaming Punk portrait. FASHION FADES

** EMBER ADORED [Ember Randt] – a Gold Star for PAPER DOLLS, specifically for, “Wish You Were Here.” This photo gives the appearance of an artist’s rendering of the Baja SIMS, with every detail painstakingly applied by brush, from the lighthouse on the left to the small human figure in the lower right corner.

And also for a Second Life portrait which not only captured her Real Life husband’s attention [and we all know just how hard it is to get the attention of a spouse]. but also elicited a response from him, “Humm, that’s really good, almost looks real.”

** COQUETA GEORGIA – a Gold Star for EL ÁTICO DE SL, specifically for this eloquent action photo: “I Cry, When Angels Deserve To Die.”

** CARMILLA MIRABEAU – a Gold Star for Beach Babe. The reader can almost feel the heat. Add a big floppy hat and a pair of sunglasses to keep out the sun’s glare and one might begin to question whether this is real. CARMILLA’S CORNER

** WHISPER MIZIN – a Gold Star for OH HEY ITS WHISP, an unique blog style best described as innocent sexuality, a style often reflected in the titles of her posts: A soft heart in a cruel world.

** KINNAIRD FIACHRA (Kinn) – a Gold Star for MAINLAND MATTERS, explorations of the Mainland Continents in Second Life, with excellent photos of and information about the locations. Kinn has stated that she “… spends an awful lot of time exploring the grid, including the wild frontier that is the Mainland.”

** HONOUR McMILLAN – a Gold Star for POST MENOPAUSAL VIEW (of Second Life). One of the best informative blogs about Second Life, with incredible pictures of incredible places to visit. Honour is now taking her blogging talents to real life with a new blog, THIS FUNDY MIGRANT’S TALE.

** SL BLOGGER SUPPORT – a Gold Star is awarded posthumously to a Second Life Group that specialized in support for those who blog about Second Life. SL Blogger Support has now closed its doors. It will be missed.

** TAO TAKASHI – a Gold Star is awarded posthumously to WORLD OF SL, a blog feed which is no longer active. But during the early days of SL, it was a window to the world of Second Life. In time, it became a window to the whole virtual world community.

** GORGEOUS YONGHO [GoGo] – a Gold Star to the owner of IHEARTSL, a Second Life Fashion and Community Feed, for stepping in and filling the void left after WORLD OF SL closed its doors. Established in 2008, IHEARTSL is now the longest running Second Life Fashion and Community feed.

** CAJSA LILLIEHOOK – a GIANT GOLD STAR for the “What I Like” reviews of Second Life-based photographs in IT’S ONLY FASHION, and also for her profiles of great virtual photographers in CAJSA’S CHOICES, her column on Hamlet Au’s NEW WORLD NOTES. Cajsa calls upon her background knowledge of art to explain exactly what makes a particular Second Life photo an extraordinary photo.

AND, FINALLY:

** GILLIAN GALICIA – a Gold Star for GILLIAN’S ISLAND, specifically for the post titled, “Creating Yourself” because that is an inevitable result of blogging. She quotes George Bernard Shaw: “Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”

Further, READMERI states: “Know your own mind, be comfortable in your own skin and don’t be swayed by anybody else when you feel in your bones you’re right. You probably are.”

** The 2017 Gold Star lineup now comes to an end. Time to say goodby to 2017, a year of good deeds, bad vibes, and things which defied logic. Best wishes for the new year to Bloggers, Blog Readers, and Lovers of Virtual Worlds.

Happy New Year, 2018.

New Shape at Ample Avi – Tryst v2

Xme Xue released a new shape today at Ample Avi, TRYST v2.

Version 1 of this shape was given out as a gift in the Peace on Earth Hunt last December. The new Version has a few slight changes to the body. The face, however, is quite different from the original POE version. Check out the new TRYST today, at Ample Avi in Itame, or on SL Marketplace.

CopyBotters and Ugly Avatars

This is Xme Xue. She creates those lovely full figured shapes at Ample Avi.

This is also Xme Xue. She is wearing her default Linden Lab avatar.

Xme – Default Avatar

Xme used to wear her Ample Avi shapes while shopping inworld, to see how the shapes are received by people she meets, basically, giving the shapes a trial run before putting them up for sale. But she had to stop wearing her shapes inworld because of copybotters hanging around the events she liked to visit. In fact, she gave up shopping inworld entirely and only shopped on SL Marketplace.

Then, Xme read about a blogger whose shape had been copybotted, and who had created an ugly avatar to wear while shopping. Xme decided to do the same. But she was not happy in that ugly avatar, so she went all the way back to the default avatar she wore the first day she visited Second Life. Of course, she tweaked it a bit, but it is basically the same default avatar. So, if copybotters want to copy this shape, all they will get is the same shape most people already have in their library.

One of the great joys of Second Life is creating a beautiful version of our own self, but what is the use of having a great shape if you cannot show it off?

This pleasure in our shape has become tarnished, as we need to be looking over our shoulders to see what the other person is doing and moving away whenever a person comes close. We get in and we get out quickly, no longer stopping to make new friends. The real ugly avatars are the copybotters, but they force us to look ugly and act ugly.

A Special Chocolate Valentine

Today is Valentine’s Day, a special day for chocolate sweets. Ample Avi has created a new gift shape for Valentine’s Day, and she is covered in a sweet chocolate skin. A Style Card is included with the shape so you can get this FREE chocolate skin for your own valentine. Group membership is not required for this special gift.

FREE at Ample Avi

Chocolate Valentine also looks good in a regular skin.

Chocolate Valentine will be available for a couple of weeks, then will be removed from the shop. Be sure to stop by Ample Avi and pick up your Chocolate Valentine shape today.

Ample Avi – Main Store
Sim Rating: Moderate [Mature]

Ample Avi – Sea of Fables Shop
Sim Rating: General [PG]

Christmas Eve on the POE5 Hunt.

“the merry bells keep ringing … happy holidays to you.”

It is Christmas Eve and I do not have presents for all my SL friends. I have been hot on the Peace on Earth [POE5] hunt trail, but also taking time to look around the stores for things I can give to my friends. I am about halfway finished with the hunt and halfway finished with my Christmas shopping, and time is running out on the Christmas shopping.

If you are in the first half of my list of friends, you will get a nice gift from me. If you are in the second half of the list – hmmm! — would you settle for a lump of coal? How about a promise to put you in the first half of my list next year, that is, if you are still my friend after this year?

In the spirit of the season, I wish all the people on my list, and all who read this message, a Happy Holiday Season. Whatever you celebrate and whenever you celebrate, may the joy and excitement of the season be yours for now, and all year long.

POE5 — Happy Holiday Hunting!

Song: Happy Holidays – from the musical, White Christmas

POE5 – Amacci Does It with Style.

A friend in SL is a member of the Amacci group (Carina Larsen’s). She called me up, said she had just gotten a notice about Amacci’s POE5 gift, and told me to rush over to Amacci. “You have to see this,” she said [I could hear the laughter in her voice].

I teleported to Amacci, followed the dove path, and this is what I saw:

I just stood there and grinned. Amacci has the fireplace, the photo sign, and the red arrows pointing to the POE5 gift, and the gift is resting on a red velvet cushion. What a nice way of saying, “Here’s your gift, enjoy.”

This is what the POE5 hunt is all about – giving a gift and making people smile.

Way to go, Carina!

Old Habits Die Hard [POE5]

Day 1 of the Peace on Earth Hunt [POE5]. I was heading for the starting point when something pulled me offcourse, and I ended up at ROCKBERRY.

ROCKBERRY has always been my starting point, mainly because of Heather Beebe’s “It’s not hidden, it’s in plain sight” method of presenting her gift. She puts a smile in my day.

This year, she is giving the lovely Skyler skins. You don’t want to miss out on these skins. And, trust me, the gift is not hard to find.

I had said I was going to do the complete hunt this year, from start to finish, and not cherry-pick my way through it. But old habits die hard. So, my pre-starting point was Rockberry, and I will now officially begin the hunt at the official starting point. That is not cherry-picking, is it? Really?

Well, wish me luck in avoiding another relapse into those old habits.

Hunters, you will be looking for a small Globe with three doves on it, like the one in the photo above. Hints for the hunt are available on the POE5 blog site.

And the “official” starting point is at SEQUOIASTYLE.

_________________

POE5 – Not a Vision Quest

The Peace on Earth Hunt [POE5] is gearing up for the starting day [December 1st]. Designers are boxing their gifts, trying different hiding places, and creating unique hints for the hunters. For those Designers who are new to the POE hunt:

The POE hunt is not meant to be a vision quest. The hunter cannot gain points or level up to Master Hunter. So, Designers, don’t hide your gifts on the roof, or in some subterranean cellar. Don’t bury them in places where only the most dedicated hunters with the best viewers can find them.

This is the holiday season, a time of giving freely. Don’t be a Scrooge with the placement of your gifts. There is nothing wrong with putting the gift under your tree, or on the fireplace mantle, with flashing red arrows pointing to it, and a large sign which says,”Here it is! Enjoy!”

The gift you give is important, yes, but not as important as the enjoyment you give. The gift may not be opened for days, weeks or months. It may even get lost in the hunter’s inventory, and be forgotten for a year or two. But hunters will remember the experience they had at your store. And that experience may be the deciding factor in whether they come back to your store, or not.

Thanksgiving – A Day of Thanks

It is Thanksgiving Day in the USA, a day to remember all the good things in life during the year 2012, before it winds down to another year.

In RL:
I am thankful for family and family pets, and for a roof over my head, food on my table, clothes on my body, warm heat when I am cold, and cool air when I am hot.

In SL:
I am thankful for the friends I’ve met from far-a-way places, and those nearby. I am thankful for those friends who are still with me and for the memory of those who have passed out of my life.

I am thankful for the designers and creators who have made my life and my avatar beautiful this year. You have allowed me to continue dressing up my Barbie doll, a hobby I have had since childhood.

I am thankful that Linden Lab has kept us all afloat in this Second Life boat in which we sail. It is a journey I never expected to take, but I will always be greatful to the friend who showed me how to get a ticket to the ride.

Finally, I am thankful to the fashion feeds and the fashionistas who keep those feeds alive and well. You enable me to post my occasional rant, rave, or day of thanks on those feeds.

Thanksgiving – the day I give thanks, for all of you.

Normal in Second Life

There are now, and always have been, a lot of discussions about what is considered a normal size avatar in Second Life.

A friend sent me a link to a blog by Honour Mcmillan, wherein she tackles this subject and those she refers to as “Avatar Police,” people who insist that everyone be a size which they, personally, have decided is the correct “normal” for avatars in Second Life.

Honour goes on to supply a link to a fabulous place where you can get FREE complete avatars – beautiful and unusual avatars which would hardly be considered normal by any standards. You can also read about these unusual avatars on the Renoobed site.

Every picture at this location is a work of art. Click on each photo to get the avatar pictured there.

Meilo Minotaur and CapCat Ragu have pulled this collection together. And they have now issued an invitation to you to create your own version of these meta-body avatars and add it to this collection. Look for this notecard near the landing point:

In a place where we have access to an unlimited range of sizes and shapes, defined only by the size and shape of our imaginations, “normal” becomes a moot point.

Cherry-Picking the Peace on Earth Hunt [POE5]

Last year, I blogged about cherry-picking my way through the Peace on Earth Hunt, by going only to certain places for certain things. Sequoia Nightfire, founder of POE, gently chided me for this, saying that I have missed many unique places by doing it that way. So, this year, I am going to try and do the whole hunt, start to finish.

Am I more patient this year than I was last year? No, not at all. But this year, a little helper will be going with me on the hunt. Its name is “Area Search.” I will seriously try to find the gift myself — honestly, I will. But before frustration sets in [around the 20-minute mark], Area Search will point me in the right direction.

Area Search has become my best friend, my mind-saving device. It helps me quickly locate and view items of interest in big, full-sim sized stores, the ones where you land in the middle and have no idea which way to go to find what you want. Area Search is especially helpful in those annoying “no-fly” sims.

Area Search keeps my frustration in check. It may even cure me of my cherry-picking hunt habits.

For more information on the POE5 hunt, which starts on December 1st: POE5 blog:

I Miss My Friend

Four years ago this month, my friend said “Good Night,” and logged out of Second Life. Then, he never logged in again.

As the weeks passed with no word from him, I grew concerned. More time passed. The land he owned next to my land was reclaimed by Linden Lab and put up for auction. I bid on the land, but someone outbid me. Now, when I log in, I look over and see someone else in the spot where my friend used to be.

Every year, at this time, I go to the Memorial Gardens and light a candle with my friend’s name on it. I set it in a small boat and send it out to sea. Maybe, it will find him, somewhere.

Then, I go to the Day of Remembrance Memorial Garden and plant a flower with his name on it. Maybe, he will walk by one day and see that he has been remembered.

I don’t know why he stopped logging in. All I know is, I miss my friend.

SWAG – or – SPUG

Swag is a freebie, a bag of freebies, you receive at the opening of a new shop or a new sim, or at a fashion show. “Don’t forget to pick up your swag before you leave.”

Swag is also an event, the SWAG Fest (TSF) (an urban streetwear fashion fair). The SWAG Fest runs through October 31st, 2012. I wonder, do they give away swag at the Swag Fest?

Recently, the blogs have started referring to a style called “swag.” The styles I see at the Swag Fest are Street-Punk-Urban-Gangsta. Shouldn’t the combined style be called S–P–U–G, instead of S–W–A–G?

Riding the Rails in Zindra

In November 2009, the monorail in Zindra was completed, and I took a ride on it the very first day. I had thought the monorail would be somewhat like the elevated train in Chicago, but it is a much more futuristic design.

When you go to one of the stations in Zindra and press one of the big green buttons — here’s where the futuristic part comes in — a big mechanical arm reaches up into a building beside the rail, grasps a pod-shaped vehicle (the “car”), and puts it on the rail in front of you. You click on the car, sit down inside, use your keyboard arrows to control the movement, and off you go!

The Monorail has a roller coaster feel, as it dips and turns, climbs and drops — not recommended for those who get queasy at heights — all the while giving you a great tour of the Zindra business district.

While visiting Zindra today, I decided to ride the monorail again. The first car placed on the rail was upside down. I could not rez another car while this upside down one was in the station, so I hopped inside, upside down, and the car took me to Mosh Central, where it immediately dumped me on the ground.

I then called up another car and it arrived rightside up. We were moving right along (pun intended) until we arrived at a sim which was offline, and the car stopped. Out of my window, I could see pathfinding vehicles dropping off the edge of the sim and into the nothingness. I thought my monorail car was smart to have stopped until it, too, decided to move off the edge of the sim and into the nothingness, with me still inside.

The monorail seems to have picked up a few quirks since its inception. It still gives a great tour of the business district of Zindra, but there is an element of surprise involved now. So, if you like surprises, next time you go to Zindra, hop on one of the cars and ride the rails.

Paranoia Runs Amuck [Amok] in SL.

Paranoia is running amuck in the design field of Second Life. At times, the paranoia is justified (just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you). Other times, like the example below — well, you decide.

I have a friend (let’s call her Jane) who is a compulsive shopper. She buys, seldom tries, and periodically dumps her overflowing inventory. Wave a freebie under her nose and she will follow you anywhere. And while there, she will usually buy three or four other things before she leaves your shop. Don’t get the wrong impression. Jane is a nice lady with a very sharp business head. She just loves to shop, excessively.

Today, while on a shopping spree, Jane stopped at a shapes shop, picked up the freebies, and bought a shape. She then continued with her shopping and buying, buying and shopping. But before she got home, the owner of the shapes shop IM’d her and accused her of being a spy and a thief.

Why? Jane just recently took over the business part of a shapes shop (shapes for small people) which belongs to a friend. Her friend will continue to make the shapes, but does not have time for the business matters of the shop. Jane’s business accumen and her friend’s shape-making skills are a perfect match. Jane updated her profile to reflect this new partnership.

After the owner of the shop accused her of being a spy, Jane immediately deleted the shape, the freebies and the landmark from her inventory. Chances are, however, that Jane would never have gotten around to wearing the shape. Most things in her inventory are never worn.

The owner of the shop had asked Jane why she didn’t just come in as an alt to steal the design. The answer is simple — she did not come to steal. She was just shopping. Jane did not stop to think that she could no longer randomly purchase the things which caught her eye, that there might be a perceived conflict of interest.

Jane has vowed to never go shopping in Second Life again. I had to laugh. If she does not shop, she will burst! But the joy she receives from shopping in SL will never be quite the same.

The moral of this story is, don’t jump to conclusions. If someone steals your design and puts it up for sale, that is the time to act — not 15 minutes after someone purchases something from you.