Getting Naked in Public

That's one of our first Second Life fears as a n00b, isn't it... trying to figure out how to change outfits without ending up NAKED in front of everyone? Yeah, as if no one has ever seen a naked avatar before, but it's only natural that we still have our basic RL instinct to cover up.

Ah, yes: PRIVACY. That's one commodity that is difficult to come by in SL, and it's ironic that once we THINK we have it, we soon come to the harsh realization that there is virtually no such thing as privacy in-world. How many times have YOU gone someplace remote to change clothes, checked the mini-map to be sure there are NO avatars within range, and just as soon as you are naked, some weird guy will somehow sense this and materialize and fly directly over to you? It happens all the time!



True, we can resign ourselves to finally submitting payment information, even though we SWORE we would never spend any real dollars in here, and that we just wanted to see what Second Life was like, but that we would NEVER take it seriously. Uh huh... Well, now we have decided that if we spend just a little money, and get an apartment, or a skybox, even, that NOW we will have all the privacy we need, right? Sure, until we find some creep hovering outside, that is, "camming" in (using camera controls to scan into the room) and watching our every move.

While having our own apartment is nice, and owning a full sim is even nicer, what can we REALLY do about basic privacy, aside from taking drastic security measures to protect what are, after all, PIXELS? It's really quite simple. No need to panic, just remember and understand one thing: LAYERS.

"Layers?" you ask... Yes, layers. Take a good look at your inventory items. I'll admit that at first I had no clue as to why some outfits had duplicate pieces, with symbols next to them seemingly indicating underwear, shirts, jackets, etc. Especially odd when we aren't even looking at a jacket or a coat. Why does it indicate that it's a jacket? Well, it's the jacket LAYER. The implication of this should be obvious: it goes on top! (top or outer layer)

Once this "layers" thing dawns on you, you'll no longer feel like such a n00b, and one advantage to it is that you'll be able to change clothes right in front of everyone, and you'll never have to worry about finding yourself suddenly naked (unless SL is being laggy... ). The other advantage is that you are now beginning to get a sense of style in SL, and that's a GOOD thing! Admit it though; you still do want that skybox, don't you?

Pay attention to what layer your worn items are. Open the folder of the item in question, and if you don't know where to find it (shame on you for not being ORGANIZED... more on this in a second), just type in the word "worn" in the space at the top of your inventory list, and everything you are wearing will be listed right there. Take a look at mine (yes, I learned to organize my inventory a LONG time ago):



Ok, in the above pic of a part of my inventory, notice that my top is worn as a "jacket" layer. This means it will overlap the outside of my jeans. It's the TOP layer. Now, notice that there are other layers of the same red t-shirt in that folder. If I were to wear a different layer, one that would go beneath the jacket layer, I could then safely remove my jacket layer and there would already be a "shirt" layer right there, or even an "undershirt" layer, depending on the need.
Also, notice the supplementary "pants" and "underpants" layers. These can be used to create a tucked-in look, assuming of course that the pants (or skirt) worn is in a layer that is above that. It's all about layers and their priorities, and the upper layers will obviously show above the sub layers.

In the next picture, I am wearing the same outfit as above, but I wanted to show that the jeans I am wearing are actually the "underpants" layer. It really has nothing to do with underwear or anything like that. Notice how the t-shirt is layered over the jeans. I could just as easily have had the t-shirt tucked in by changing the used layers to suit. Capiche?



Notice the other (unused) pants layer... the one used is the absolute lowest, and the blue "pants" icon represents the next upward layer. At any rate, if you pay attention to these layers, you should be able to dress confidently in public.


I mentioned ORGANIZING. Do it now, before it gets out of hand. I'll be happy to organize yours for a modest fee... but seriously, why not get all your ducks in a row now? If you wait it will just get worse.



It's really not as hard as it looks, and you don't need to create a ton of categories. Have a look at how I set mine up:



I made a few basic categories for tops, pants, dresses, and of course SHOES! and hair. Everything else can easily be categorized as needed. I numbered these folders to keep them in place, and I then dragged everything in my inventory to its allocated spot. This makes it a LOT easier to find something to wear and to put together outfits (and that in itself is yet another topic!).

Do yourself a favor and ORGANIZE!

The Pickup Artist

What girl in SL hasn't had this happen: You are out with friends, or by yourself, even. All of a sudden, out of the blue, you get a private message: "Hi"
Ummm, "Hello," I'll usually answer; I won't get rude until things begin to deteriorate. Then it begins: "How r u?" or How old r u?" Uh-huh... here we go.

First off, I don't do text chat. I'm rather adept at typing, and as for text messaging, I have a full-keyboard Blackberry 8900, so I really have no need for the dumb text shortcuts. Besides, it's all rather childish. This is always a negative in my book when things start out this way.

Many times, they aren't even within eyesight. What is with this cowardly approach? Sometimes they will just offer friendship, without even a word. Easy to do, right? Just as easy to reject. CLICK... done. I do recall having one continue to badger me, all while I was trying to shop. I would reject the offer, and he'd resend it. I finally had to come up with some sort of implied insult to make him leave me alone, and of course right away I'm the jerk. How is that... I'm here trying to shop, and he is in a LADIES' store trying to hit on everything he sees?? Nice.

Ah, but some of them are so full of themselves! What about the typical Club Dude, sans shirt, and covered with tattoos? I can usually spot them long before they saunter over, so cock-sure and into themselves.

I decided to go out and track some of them down, and display the pics here. I had fun doing it, so expect a similar entry in the near future. One place I went is a popular beach-type club, typically laggy but ripe with egotistical beach dudes. A lot of them just stand there, as if they expect to get hit on themselves. Exhibit one:



This dude was NEAR the dance floor, dancing by himself. Maybe he was happy with that, I don't know. He never bothered me, but he probably wondered why I was just standing there, as well. Check out the tribal tats. What's up with those baggy pantaloons though? Are huge baggy pants the next SL trend? I wonder if his mother lets him dress like that in RL.


LOL... OK, on to the next victim. This one was standing in nearly the same spot, apparently waiting for something to happen. Again, the tribal tattoos. Wonder what tribe this guy is from. Not TOO extreme, I'll admit, but are some girls actually attracted to this look? Hmmm... maybe the tattooed girls with the kitty ears and the horse tails and the spikey boots. When I left, he was STILL waiting:




BTW, anyone who thinks these guys are HOT should feel free to reply here, likewise if you are "offended" that I am poking fun at them. Remember, it's only a game! Let's try not to get our virtual panties in a knot!

Next up: At least this guy is wearing a shirt... or is it a jacket? Yes, a leather bikers jacket, with baggy shorts (so that his leg tats will show). Spikes, piercings, dressed in black; all dressed up with nowhere to go, and nothing to say. Is it his first try, or is this something he always does and one way or another it works for him? Who knows; I didn't ask, either.




I have a few more to show here. These next three, I have to give credit; at least they were dancing with someone. Shown here anyway for your entertainment:

Another Big Pants guy. I spoke with him briefly, and he was actually quite nice. He was having a great time spinning around and doing his thing... but those pants!




Having fun and doing his thing with his Honey on the dance floor, complete with the obligatory tribal tats:




This one I included just for the tats, but he DOES look the way someone would look at the beach. Nothing wrong with that:




Now THIS dude, bless his heart, was trying soooo hard to look cool, but his collar prim was out of wack. I thought about telling him, but nah... Hey, no tats, and he's wearing a shirt! Bonus points for him!




I saved this one for last because, well, he seemed to be the consummate shirtless tattoed club stud. "Somone" he asked me to call him, and yes, he agreed to be in my blog. Oh, and such a sweetheart! A smooooth talker, laid back... this dude knows what he's doing. Notice that his belt is already undone, and his boots are ready to be kicked off... And NO, I did not go home with him!

Somone:



Hummmm....

Spam, Anyone?

OK, who amongst all you loyal readers likes Spam? Well, the actual FOOD-type of Spam isn't so bad, 'specially on a nice sammich. Some nice French bread, mayo (I actually prefer Miracle Whip), maybe some Swiss cheese, and a touch of yellow mustard... MMMMM!

What we all hate is Internet spam, such as pop-ups and unsolicited E-mail. They have cures for that now: pop-up blockers for your browser, and E-mail filters, which route spam mail (and hopefully not the registration responses we have been waiting DAYS for from various websites)directly to your trash bin. That's all very handy, but what about Second Life spam?



Exactly what IS Second Life spam, you ask. It can take many forms. One is the unsolicited notecard, which can be generated by an automatic NC-giver, sent directly to you by a lurking avatar while you are innocently shopping in a store, or the more anonymous method of somebody spamming the entire body of a given group membership. Some of these can be helpful, but many are just a huge PITA and should be rejected.

I should talk. I answered one today, even though I knew better. It was probably sent by someone with a group listing, as I was someplace completely unrelated to the topic of the note at the time it was delivered. The note said:

"Hello Sexies!!

(___________) is sponsoring a Sexy Avi Photo competition!! The Prize is 10K for the sexiest female and 10K for the sexiest male!!!

There is no fee to enter the contest, simply TP to the location and drop a notecard with your full name and pic. This is gonna be an easy and fun way to score some big $L !!

Dont have a sexy photo?? Not to worry, our professional photographers can make you a photo sure to be eye pleasing....see our gallery next door for more info!"

Hmmmm... Well, having nothing better to do at the moment, and always looking for a good story, I thought I'd TP over and have a look. I found a decent pic of myself and set up the NC as requested, and then went to see what this was all about.

As suspected, it was the old "send your friends over to vote for you" type of contest, and they will have to PAY in order to vote... *insert blank look here*

LOL... I binned my NC and did not enter, of course. People were popping in left and right, obviously motivated by the "huge" prize. Yes, folks; $10,000 sounds like a lot of money, and I suppose it is for those who choose not to buy their Linden dollars, but to depend on this sort of thing smacks of desperation and hopelessness. Sure, I could make use of $10K here, but seriously: this contest is in no way a properly judged modeling competition! It's fueled by votes that are PAID FOR by the friends of those who have entered! If you have a lot of friends (or a lot of alts... ) who are actually willing to PAY to see you win such an inconsequential corrivalry, then have at it.

(ALSO, notice that they are actually a photo studio drumming up business. Did you REALLY think they were doing it because they are generous or caring??
"Not to worry, our professional photographers can make you a photo... " Yeah, right.)

Oh, if you REALLY want the LM to this "contest," IM me in-world.

*************

Another common type of Second Life spam is the old "chat spam" routine. Often propagated by purpose-built alts, what they will do is they will join a given group and during a particularly busy time they will then send out a cut-and-pasted message, often including an Url or a Slurl. This will ofttimes result in their bannation from said group, but by then the damage has been done, and those who are interested will have already grabbed the information. It can be particularly annoying, especially in the groups where the general use of group chat is not allowed aside from owner-sent updates. Too much of this will very often result in people leaving the group, which admittedly I have done myself. I personally don't even care, as we are allowed only 25 groups to be listed, and I tend to hover at the upper limit of that. Every once in a while I get the urge to purge, and I clean out all but those I really need.


A third type of spam in SL may not even be considered to be spam at all by some, and like chat spam, can be traced back to the group chat. In one sense it is not really spam, but since it can be annoying, I will include it here. Besides, it's my blog, and I can say whatever I want.

What I am talking about here is those groups that allow open discussion on the group chat channel. While I agree that sometimes this can be beneficial, especially when it is directly related to the group topic, it can easily become just as annoying when it becomes flirtatious and even nasty. A lot of it is people testing the waters, so to speak... and if the owner of the group is weak and does nothing to curb this immature behavior, it is often taken as a signal, or even implied permission, to continue the abusive talk. The problem with this is (and yes, I KNOW you can just click the "x" to close the session) that it sets a bad tone for the group, and many people will more often than not just leave the group. All this is to the detriment of the original group, which was likely formed to support a legitimate SL business or cause. Being "nice" can also be construed as being wishy-washy, and to lose the support of serious group members to avoid hurting the "feelings" of those who strive to disrupt is just, well... unbalanced.

One other form of spam, also group-derived, is an excess of group notices, the likes of which will need to be dealt with upon log-in every day (they won't just go away; they will build up and wait for you!). One way is to quit the group. Culling the herd, if you will.

All that really needs be done is to open that group's info in your SL chat window, then the Contacts tab, then the Groups tab. Open the info on that specific group and uncheck "receive group notices." The whole thing is, if you don't want the notices, and the group chat bugs you, then why in the world would you still want to belong to that group?

BIN IT



Works for me!

The Noob

I knew it.

I DID have a couple of pics of myself as a fresh n00b. I wasn't sure that I had even figured out how to take pictures in SL that early, but I obviously had.



That was on Orientation Island; I felt "safe" there for some reason. I had NO IDEA that lots of people hang out there under the guise of "mentor," undoubtedly checking profiles and looking for vulnerabilities. Visiting any of these "welcome areas" is like watching a freak show. Take the time to have a look, if you haven't already.

I don't waste a lot of time with all that, although I DO have a folder of freebies that I like to discretely hand out to those who seem to be stumbling along on their first day. Of course, they are always amazed that anyone would help them, not even knowing who they are. The truth is, MOST people in SL are pretty decent and are not looking for anything in return. If you do help out a n00b, they will most likely add you to their friends list. I always accept, knowing that as they become involved in their new "lives" they will forget who I was in the first place. I have never had any of these people come back to bother me later.

The thing to watch for is "alts," or alternate avatars, new personas created by existing avatars for the purpose of having a virtual affair (unbeknownst to their original SL partner), exploiting people and "griefing" (as SL troublemaking has come to be known), or as a means of hiding from bad situations created by the original avatars. More on this later.

There are ways to tell if someone is a true n00b. A REAL n00b barely knows his/her way around. They will keep making mistakes, and they will not be aware of some of the most basic functions available to everyone. Most won't know how to "edit appearance" or what do do with it. Many won't understand about teleporting (the standard SL form of transportation... can you say "Beam me up, Scotty?").

Have a look at their profile; if they are a day old, yet already belong to ten groups, they are most definitely an alt. Most n00bs have an empty profile, if only because they have been overwhelmed and have not yet figured out what they need to do... HOWEVER: I have seen *AT LEAST* one person with an empty profile and a n00b appearance, yet they had a birthdate ranging back to 2006. I mean, WTF, over?? This guy actually tried hitting on me, as well. Do I look stupid? DO I?? Heh.

Another clue: A well-dressed n00b. One day old, and they already have hair from Analog Dog and jeans from DeLa? Uh huh... get ready for the request to "loan" them some money. They are already checking your profile for "Payment info used."

Getting back to the old n00b look though, I was told that the NEW n00bs do not have to look this way when they are first "born," as the Lindens have thoughtfully supplied some better-looking avis to start out with. I'm not familiar with these, but the one thing I remember is the awful helmet hair we all had to endure from the beginning. At first we never knew the difference, but in a short time it became downright embarrassing to be seen with this non-prim hair. If you still have any of this old hair, keep it if you ever intend to go to a U2 concert in SL; they won't let you wear ANY prims in an effort to reduce lag...

They do put on a great concert though:



Yes, that's me on the left, with my friend Sin. Aren't we lovely? Some girls just prefer to go bald; I can't quite get into that, but despite this drawback, they put on a really great concert! BTW, to attend these concerts you'll need to first join their group; do a search and join for the latest updates and concert information.

Oh, where are the concert pics, you ask? Hmmmm, ok... I suppose I'll do a segment on this at another time. You know me, I DO have the pics! TTFN...

The Many Faces of Jamie K.

Hmmmmm, maybe I should have named this The Many Faces of Jamie K. instead of the original title I came up with. Sure, we all start out in Second Life as n00bs, and hopefully we soon figure out how to edit our appearance. Of course, we aren't going to get it right the first time, but everyone has to start somewhere.

I can't find any total n00b pics of myself in SL, but maybe I didn't look hard enough. I did begin saving pics early on however, and once I edited my looks for the first time I thought I was pretty hot. What do you think?



Well?? LOL... While a definite improvement over the basic Linden "Girl Next Door" shape, the look still leaves much to be desired. No wonder I never got hit on when I first started (did I mention that I am NOT in SL for virtual sex? More on this later... )

The shape isn't bad... it just isn't exactly what I wanted. The face looks kinda weird. Maybe it's the n00b skin. Hmmmm... how will I ever afford a decent skin, such as one from Minnu or something?

First things first; I'll do what I can with what I have. The hair has GOT to go. I think it was a freebie from Calla, and I'm not sure it's even available any more (they moved since I first found them, and I'm not so sure they offered the freebies any more). At this time I had not yet discovered the freebie section at ETD, which got many an avatar a good start on SL.

Reading the fashion blogs regarding SL, I had heard of Maitreya hair, so after giving in and buying some Lindens (I had sworn that I would NEVER spend and real money in SL; how WRONG that would turn out to be! More later... ), I wandered over to see what they had to offer. I tried a few demos, and liked the Loelle style so much I bought the whole set of all colors. HUGE investment for me at the time, but money well-spent, I thought:



I was starting to buy clothes too, as I began to tire of the freebies very early in my Second Life. I never bought in to the "stripper look" that seems so prevalent here among n00bs, and since I had been reading the aforementioned fashion blogs already, I had already made up my mind to at least look respectable, if not fashion-model-like. That, I figured, would take some work, but for now... SKIN!



Okay, okay, so I did change my shape. I bought a set of skins from The GL (Good Life) after trying the demo. I was influenced by the fact that the entire set offered a very good savings over a single skin, and besides, the set came with a free shape! Yay! Free because no one would ever use it anyway... not that it was BAD or anything, but who wants to just look like another clone? This is why we spend so much on skins, hair, and clothes. If I wanted to be a clone, I would have kept my n00b look. I wanted more. MORE, I tell you!

Well, how about some new hair? At this point I knew I was hooked. Yes, Maitreya makes some nice hair. I had NO IDEA how many other brands I would discover.



What about those zombie eyes, you say? They had to go! A friend of mine recommended I take a trip with her over to Insight for some nice-looking but affordable eyes. I was overwhelmed by the assortment! I picked out some of the more realistic ones, although they have all sorts, including cat eyes (for the "Kittie People" who may be reading).



I know, I know; you can hardly even see them now. My hairstyle is almost covering them. Jamie is starting to shape up nicely though, yes? BTW, this hairstyle is a GUY hairstyle, from Armidi. I do like the shorter styles! Don't limit yourself, try guy styles. Some of them look really good on a female avi, and to be honest: I don't think I have seen ANY male hairstyles that look good on men! Methinks there *MAY* be a market for REALISTIC men's hair, meaning the short styles... SHORT, like military styles, and combed, clean-cut hairstyles. Just an observation on my part, but I have never seen what I consider to be "normal" men's hair here. Can you just picture this style on a man?? LMFAO!

But ANYWAY, I liked this look. It gave me the confidence I needed to give fashion modeling a try! More on this later; that's not the topic of today's entry.
Not one to rest on her laurels, I kept trying to improve my look. I made yet another shape, mainly changing the face this time:



Another look at it, with yet different hair (yes, I know; I am getting addicted):



I love the look of the above picture. BTW, if you hadn't noticed, I'm wearing a different skin in each of those two pics. The previous one is a MM Skin (now known as LeLutka) with hair by Magika, and the one directly above (with the longer hair) is a skin from Pulse, IIRC, and the hair is by Damselfly.

I am always changing my look, and I might have a totally different look from day to day, depending on my mood. However I have settled on a shape that I use now as standard, and I tend to use the skins from Belleza at this time, although, knowing me, that can change at any time. This is my present look, the same pic I have on my profile:



My hair in that picture is from Zero Style, one of my three favorite places to shop for hair. I also like Damselfly and Magika. I must say that Magika has new stuff coming out all the time! A lot of places seem to have the same items for months on end, but if you don't check Magika on a regular basis you'll miss out. My top is from Magika in this last pic too, BTW.

Hope everyone had a nice Easter holiday, regardless of your religious preference.

And, a resounding HOOYAH to the U.S. Navy SEALs who successfully took out the Somali pirates holding the captain of the US cargo ship Maersk Alabama! Awesome outcome to a very troublesome situation!

Tough Titties

Hi. I'm Jamie. Many of you already know me from Second Life. Many more don't; but you will... at least the SL Jamie, anyway. That's all you're going to get; no more, no less. This blog isn't meant to be about me anyway, not the REAL me. If the real Jamie is irrelevant, my SL counterpart is irreverent.

Some of you may think I have a weird sense of humor. A lot of you won't like what I have to say. Some of you are going to say I'm a bitch. Well, TOUGH TITTIES. It's MY blog, and I'll say whatever I want. Feel free to comment if you like (but get nasty and I may edit you out).



SL has its share of weirdos, and I intend to say what I think. I may poke fun at some, ridicule others. Not directly, of course. I'll make veiled references to characters in-world. I'll probably even show a few faces. Some people are easily offended, however, and all I can say to that is: If the shoe fits...

It'll get better, I promise. I want to add some content, and I have some hilarious things to talk about... as well as some interesting things, NORMAL things... after all, SL was meant for fun.

Enough rambling; I'm tired, and my brain hurts. It's late, and I have already logged off SL. Maybe I can come up with something to actually blog about tomorrow. Stay tuned.