Your life’s a dimestore novel

My love/hate with mesh continues, but I’m really leaning more and more toward the love side. See, check this out. coldLogic, a collaborative effort between a couple remarkably talented mesh designers, has been putting out some really beautiful stuff. Does it look like my body? No. It’s pretty curvy, even in the smaller sizes. But it’s still gorgeous stuff, and with some styling, I’m able to pull it off. True, this outfit gives me a shape that isn’t mine. Astute observers will note that I don’t have tits like that shirt gives me (it’s okay, you can stare. I’ll be right here when you’re done). However, astute observers will also note the more important point: even wearing an entire outfit that slightly adjusts my shape, I still look like me.

So yeah, while I’m still frustrated by a number of things, I’m on board. Plus, more mesh options means more variety. Maybe someday I’ll even get some hottie mesh suits for women. Dear mesh creators: remember how hot Annie Lennox looked in a suit? You know you wanna.

Wearing:
Hairbase: VCD, as usual
Shirt, Trousers: coldLogic — Lane & Fields by coldlogic
Tie: Entente — Les Affaires Tie by Albert Camus
Shoes: Coco — COCO Oxford Shoes by cocoro Lemon
Hat: theosophy — Waterbeck Hat by Trace Osterham
Jacket: Sweetest Goodbye — 4Minute Jacket by Morphine Janick (no longer available)
Bag: Fleshtone — The BlackLeather Satchel by Gisele Mubble
Cigarette: N326 by mame Anthony
Poses: (pda) by Izzy Bereznyak

Ourselves with all our faults and fears

The Festival of Sin opened today. It runs from, uh, today (Feb. 18) til March 3. Dude, wait a couple of days. It’s crazy out there. There are, apparently, a lot of sinners in SL.

I’m one. I’ve been lusting for these boots ever since Gos posted teaser pics. I was horribly envious of the saucy wench, Shyla Diggs, who’d gotten to model them, and may have plotted her demise two or three times. The moment I was able to access them, I shoved some primmy bitches out of my way and snatched them up, like, fuck no, they’re all mine, you can’t have any of them. I know, right? Because once you start buying boots like these, you just can’t stop. Now that I have them, I’m the most awesome creature in all of SL; no one even compares. So I’m just going to post this blog and then go relax: my work here is done.

ANYWAY. Boots, you guys. They’re flawless. Stompy calf-length MESH combat boots — for so long, we’ve been wearing these with sculpts, which just didn’t work quite right. Gospel Voom has made them in mesh now, and they’re stellar. You can wear them folded down, like I am in the pic above; pulled up, like I am below; or just the foot piece, so you can wear them under long trousers. A HUD is included, allowing you to change every part of the boot: the fabric texture of the lining, the leather of the boot, the laces, the sole, or even the metal trim. Once the boots have been released in the Gos mainstore, texture packs and polishes will be available for purchase.

Right now, the boots are only in women’s sizes, because there are some standard sizes for women’s mesh. However, there are some groups working on standard sizing for men (and if you’re a dude and you haven’t participated yet, what the hell are you waiting for?). Once they’ve sorted out some standard sizes, Gos hopes to release these boots for men, with laces instead of ribbons. So male AVs, if you want some seriously gorgeous stompy combat boots, go put your damn digits in. Go. Now.

I’ve blogged most of the other stuff before, except this trapper’s cap from Tonktastic, which is excellent. Texture change, resize, and I look sexy in it. Oh yeah. Well, okay, I don’t look like Elmer Fudd in it, which ultimately is my only requirement.

There will be more later from Festival of Sin once I can handle the lagfest!

Wearing:
Hat: TonkTastic — Ushanka by Tonk Tomcat
Shirt: Vitamen — Ribbed Cotton Tank by Vitamen Hax
Shorts: Ronsem — Jinbei black by Eow Reverie (photoshopped: they don’t actually go with the suspenders like that.)
Boots: Gos — Triumph Boots by Gospel Voom (available at Festival of Sin)
Socks: League — Gartered Socks by Nena Janus
Suspenders: Meriken — Suspenders by Yaszi Mornington
Watch: GBTM — Indian by Beyondthematrix Boa
Tattoo: Garden of Ku — Angels&Demons by Danel Kurosawa
Poses: Del May by Del May; Luba by novalita constantine

Red sky in the morning

There are some events going on. I haven’t blogged them yet. This blog post is not about them. Hey, enjoy the brief respite from event blog posts! Yeah!

I know you will all be shocked and fall over to hear that I like ties, you guys. But I do. And I have wailed and gnashed my teeth and torn at my hair every time a mesh tie has come out, because they’re all made for men, and I can’t wear them, and I hate that so much about mesh. Hate it.

YOU GUYS. ENTENTE MADE MESH TIES. AND THEY MADE THEM FOR WOMEN, TOO.

Oh hey, Vaki, I don’t think that really merited all the bold and caps and whatnot. SHUT UP YES IT DID, and I might just break out the blink tag for it too.

They’re not the first — Wicked Closet did mesh ties for men and women way back when mesh first went big — but they’re the first to really provide a lot of options for women’s ties. The Entente texture packs are really awesome: pick a color, and you get your tie in a solid, with stripes, with anchors, and with absolutely brilliant little skulls. Seriously, I love these things so much they’re giving my Schadenfreude ties a brief rest (BALL IS IN YOUR COURT, ALLEGORY).

Oh. Also new texture packs on the glasses at Entente. Seriously, you guys, stop making me go broke.

Wearing:
Hair: U.December — October by Kimbo Reitman
Hairbase: Vaya Con Dios, as usual
Jacket: AMERIE — Short Jacket by Amerie Spitteler
Shirt: iruco — Dot shirt by Luco Veeper
Trousers: Tableau Vivant — Gatsby pants by M4rilyn Magic
Tie: Entente — Les Affaires Tie by Snoop Doggy Dogg
Glasses: Entente — Savant Glasses by Bono
Boots: Gos — Urban Boot by Gospel Voom
Gloves: Connors — See-Through Camo by Salah Axel
Poses: Del May Poses by Del May; oOo Studio by Olaenka Chesnokov

Dutch Supreme Court decides theft of virtual goods case

Yesterday, the Dutch Supreme Court decided a long-contested case over the theft of virtual goods. In 2008, two teenagers were convicted of theft after they forced another boy to let them into his home, beat him up, held him at knife point, threatened to kill him, strangled him, and forced him to give up the password to his Runescape account. Once they had his password, they transferred certain items, including an amulet and a mask, out of his account into theirs. One of the teenagers challenged his theft conviction, arguing that the goods he stole had no value, therefore he could not be liable for theft. Yesterday, the Dutch Supreme Court held that the virtual goods did have value, and the theft conviction stands.

A closer look

The court considered whether virtual property is a “good” under Netherlands law. In answering that question, the court had to determine:

• whether virtual objects are “but a visual illusion, consisting of bits and bytes”
• whether virtual objects are merely information
• whether it is one of the goals of Runescape to take the virtual property of another
• whether virtual objects in Runescape are the property of the possessor, or whether the game’s publisher merely grants a right to use.

Addressing each one of these in order:

• The court determined that “[t]he virtual nature of these objects is not in itself preclude it to be regarded as good in the sense of art.” Virtual items have value based on the effort and time invested in acquiring them and the value placed on them by others in the game.
• Yes, virtual items are data, but that data can still be stolen: these objects of data were under the exclusive control of the victim, and they were taken from him by force.
• It may be one of the goals of Runescape to take another’s property, but the thief did not do so within the context of the game.
• Finally, the court found (and this one’s a big deal — I promise I’ll talk about it more below) that while the Runescape Terms and Conditions did retain ownership of all virtual property in the game and grant a right to use, the goods in question were under the “exclusive dominion” of the victim. The court thus compared the goods to a passport, which is “the undisputed property of the State of the Netherlands,” but can be rightfully possessed by its holder and can be stolen by a thief.

So…what does this mean?

What does this mean for other countries (such as the United States, which Second Life uses as its legal forum)? What does this mean for other situations?

First, the bad news. This is a very fact-specific situation. Some dudes beat a guy up and held him at knife point to get his virtual goods. There’s nothing in here about intellectual property theft. There’s nothing in here about copybotting. There’s nothing in here about piracy. If you’re not getting nearly killed for your password in the Netherlands, this probably isn’t the case for you.

Also, other countries may not follow the Netherlands’ lead. However, the Runescape case has been closely watched ever since the 2008 conviction of the two teenagers (the first conviction for theft of virtual goods; there have been others since). The United States has yet to rule on the value of virtual goods (however, the United States has ruled that domain names have value, which is a good start).

Now, the good news. Let’s really look at this. The Dutch Supreme Court has just held that despite an end user license from Runescape retaining all ownership of virtual property in the game, individual players have property rights in virtual objects. Yes. They did. Those items have value because of the time and effort you put into obtaining them, and because of the social value others place on them…and if they are under your exclusive dominion, you have certain property rights to them. That is stop the presses-level news you guys.

We still don’t know exactly what property rights you have. We know that you have enough property rights to assert criminal rights if the object is stolen. We know that the object has value because of your time and effort. If you have property rights to an object of value, can you require access to it (an “easement”) if your account is terminated (this, by the way, was the real meat of the first Bragg v. Linden lawsuit)? Can you sue a game provider if your objects are damaged, deleted, or stolen? Can you assert your rights if a game platform is closed?

Of course, this only applies to virtual goods in the Netherlands right now. But similar decisions are coming down all over the world – in China and South Korea, for example. Virtual world users are gaining more and more rights over the goods they use and own. It’s about time.

The Justitia Legal Resource Village opens.

Pardon the interruption in normal blogging; I’m advertising just for a moment. I’ve been working awfully hard on this.

The Justitia Legal Resource Village is finally open to the public. Justitia is a group effort of several real-life attorneys who wanted to provide Second Life residents with a single in-world location to access legal information and resources. Many SL residents struggle with legal questions and face complex legal issues, but feel that they can’t find attorneys who are familiar with Second Life and virtual worlds.

You’d be surprised. There are numerous attorneys in SL, and several have their offices on Justitia, either in the village or in home offices down below the village. Our specialties include intellectual property, immigration, family law, corporate law, and other specializations, and we’re SL residents. We get it.

The Second Life Bar Association has its new home in Justitia. The SLBA, an organization of in-world attorneys, legal professionals, and others with an interest in law, focuses on education, study, and promoting the rule of law in Second Life. Its Resource Center provides educational tools for residents (always a work in progress, updated as often as I can). The SLBA meets once a month in its office building on Justitia, and will be offering seminars and information sessions open to residents now that Justitia has opened.

Come by the Justitia Legal Resource Village. Explore. Have a snack in our cafe. Drop us a notecard just to say hi. I’ll probably be around as my alt, Agenda Faromet, building something or other. Let me know what you think of the place!

Okay. Done advertising now. Back to your normally scheduled blogging.

All dressed in rag and bones

So as everybody and their pet dog Fluffy knows by now, Entente has just opened. It’s a new store specializing in menswear and unisex wear, and most (but not all, see below) of their garments have women’s versions. They’ve also got men’s skins, hair, hats, shoes, glasses, scarves, socks, and I’m pretty sure they’re offering a kitchen sink in there somewhere.

First things first: for some people, there’s some sturm und drang because the designers behind Entente are designing under pseudonyms. Seriously. People on Second Life are freaking out because someone on Second Life is using a pseudonym. I cannot begin to smack my head enough.

Okay, I’m done dignifying that controversy.

Next: the quality of clothing is, overall, really good. It has a comfortable, cool look to it: casual, relaxed clothing with a stylish edge, like this sweater with a puffy zippered cowl neck, or a classic jacket with a sheepskin shawl collar. These are clothes that anyone could wear to look good without looking like they’re trying really hard to look good. Okay, there’s also an awesome Thriller jacket, but even that is toned down to a casual level.

The hair actually fit me straight out of the box, which surprised me, as it’s meant for a guy’s head. It comes with a hair base, and the combination works together smoothly. The hair textures are a little thick; it could use some softer textures, but otherwise it’s a good hair.

Also, I really, really like the glasses. I buy a lot of glasses in SL, and these are a great shape; their HUD makes them easy to resize (and I can tint the lenses any color I want! Check out the awesome purple!); and they work with texture packs, which is an interesting idea. I like the black tortoise shell I’m rocking.

Now for the critique…

Not all of their garments come in both male and female proportions. Normally, this doesn’t bother me, because normally, I’m fine buying men’s clothing and just resizing it…but the sweater I bought comes with a body prim that’s shaped for men and simply doesn’t fit my body. I’ve tried to make it look smooth in the picture, but it still pokes out and buries itself in my leg. Damn shame, because I love the collar.

I’m also not wearing any of Entente’s shoes (I’m wearing some of my favorite old Surf Couture shoes). The demo shoes look very cool, but they’re no mod and don’t resize. For L$450, I’m not going to buy shoes when I can’t see if they’ll look good on me. Here’s the down side of pseudonymity: there are a scant few very well-established designers I’ll pay that much money for shoes and just trust that they’ll look good.

So only a few criticisms. For the most part, it’s a really good new store.

Wearing:
Hair & Hair base: Entente — Thibaut by Mr. T
Sweater: Entente — L’Espace Sweater by Sting
Jeans: Entente — Classic Jeans by Meat Loaf
Glasses: Entente — Savant Glasses by Grandmaster Flash
Shoes: Surf Couture — Boardwalkers by Emma Gilmour
Blemishes: A:S:S — Imperfections by Photos Nikolaidas
Poses: Olive Juice by IsabellaGrace Baroque; Still Life by Gwyneth Reinard

What’s inside an evil man’s eyes

The eyes. Eyes in Second Life are pretty literally a dime a dozen, but good eyes — well, that’s harder. Lately a few designers have started making mesh eyes, which are surprisingly gorgeous. Mesh eyes hold textures much more clearly than system eyes or even prim eyes; it’s something to do with the number of facets or something. However, like all eyes, their quality depends on the artist creating the texture, and few people really get eyes right; it’s one of my biggest SL peeves (P.S.: the cornea is convex and transparent; the iris is concave. Light hitting the top of the cornea will light the bottom of the iris. It’s not hard!). Arkesh Baral of Mayfly has started making really beautiful mesh eyes with gorgeous textures and scripts to easily resize. Beautiful work.

Next.

You guys, this leather jacket from chronokit has just rocked my little world. It comes in a ton of different colors, and the little details really make it exceptional: the leather pulls tied to the zippers, the wrinkles and bulges that make it look like well-worn leather, the thick seams and overall heaviness of garment. It looks like a leather jacket. It hangs like a leather jacket. It just feels so familiar to me.

Ju Weissnicht used to be famous for making the K Boots, which, back in the day, were pretty much the most perfect boots in SL. Recently, she has opened a new store called Ju, and with it, released the Charlie boots. Now…I don’t generally wear heels, but ever since I got these boots, I have worn them nonstop. They’re not only beautifully made (let’s be honest: mesh shoes and boots are hit and miss; not everybody gets the foot right, yeah? Ju gets them dead-on), but the colors are rich and luxurious. More importantly to me, the boots are offered in multiple sizes, and each size comes with an alternate option for those of us who have angled our knees in from the standard 50 setting. As we move more and more towards mesh ubiquity, it’s nice to see designers offer options like that.

Wearing:
Hair: Shag — Hard Day’s Night by Sebastian Aries
Eyes: Mayfly — Deep Sky Mesh by Arkesh Baral
Jacket: chronokit — Motocycle Jacket by Kit Pizzicato
Trousers: League — Jipped Leather Pants by Nena Janus
Boots: Ju — Charlie boots by Ju Weissnicht
Tank: Vitamen — Ribbed Cotton Tank by Vitamen Hax
Tie: Mandala — Smexy Tie by kikunosuke Eel
Gloves: Hermony — Leather Gloves by Hermanni Laville
Facial Scars: Vaya Con Dios — Express Yourself: Scar by Lulu Jameson
Poses: Second Look by Roenik Newell; Long Awkward Pose by Dove Swanson