There is a controversial new project being tested by Linden Lab called Linden Home.

Linden Home is a series of themed communities with strict zoning policies.  This is something that the Lab has never attempted.  Up until this project, themes and zoning were handled by small business rental agencies in-world.  Which is why it is so controversial.  Many are worried and justifiably so, that the Lab is using their upper hand by herding new users straight to this new housing community.  The preview page for this new project showed considerably larger plots so the plan is all encompassing.  Not only that, but these housing projects are located on a whole new mainland continent.  Which begs the question, what will happen to historic mainland?

One answer to that question could have been revealed in the notes for this community in the Linden blog.  The communities were placed by a scripted bot in under 15 minutes.  Which explains why some of the areas look rather too symmetrical.  But it is a perfect shake and bake virtual neighborhood with an ability to placed anywhere on Linden mainland new and historic.

After a one day preview this week, the beta project was opened to the public and invitations were emailed.  I was one of the chosen Beta testers to my surprise.  The invitation contained a direct link to the new Linden Home signup page.  On that page I was able to view house and theme previews.  The themes now contain four choices, California Modern, A-Frame Mountain Cabins, Japanese Traditional and Fantasy.  Notes on the Linden blog stated that they have more designs on the planning board but these four were chosen for Beta based on their popularity across the grid.

The beta project is, at this point, strictly plots of 512 sqm.  All the themed housing are one floor plans except for a few offered in Modern styles.  Potential residents are only able to choose house theme styles, the location of their future home is randomly generated.

Once house theme is selected and the plot is named, the user is immediately given a landmark link to his/her new home.  The assigned house takes up every inch of the assigned plot with little room for landscaping.  In fact landscaping is discouraged since the planners are worried that it won't be in theme.  However all this depends on how strictly the zoning policy is enforced.  Will the Lindens crack down on people placing crazy object on top of these houses?

I chose the Japanese Traditional theme since it seemed the best planned of all the choices.

The plot is double primmed so a resident can place more objects in it than regular plots.  Also the houses do not count toward plot prim allotment.  The texture work is rudimentary inside the house, nothing fancy.  There are a few drawbacks to the house.  There is no second floor which is possible in the floor plans but not included.  The windows can not be opened.  The house walls are set to glow which means they stay the same during all times of the day cycle especially at night.

As a test of zoning restrictions, I placed objects outside the house.

They are in theme but still a subversion of the theming plan.  They have been outside for almost a day, but they haven't been returned to my lost and found folder nor have a I received any take down IM notice.

The one element the Lab has not tested is sim load for these projects.  As of now these themed communities are set upon 64 sims quite a bit away from old mainland.  Their blog states that only an initial 500 people received Beta invites.  Which means an average of 7 to 10 Beta testers per sim.  However the communities hold an average of 30 to 40 houses per sim.  And in regular conditions, sims work fine until population climbs over 25 then it lags down.  Unless population is strictly controlled these communities could turn into lag hell if there are upwards of 40 people on them along with their guests.

But these problems are mere bumps in the road, because it is obvious that they are mostly ready to go live.  And they will be death knell for small rental agencies who make their bread and butter on small, cheap temporary living quarters.

Pink Lady

The outfit for the day.

Hair - Fri.day - Dylan

Cardigan - Nylon Outfitters - Pink Cheetah

Shirt - BLAND - Posh Red Shirt

Skirt - DeeTaleZ - Golden Wrinkled Skirt

Boots - Zero Number - Used Boots Ami

The Quiet

The ubiquitous AM Radio Sims, everyone goes to visit, so should you.

And more shots of the sim.  Radio specializes in landscapes.

Go directly to the sim via this slurl:

slurl.com/secondlife/IDIA%20Laboratories/150/79/23

Peaceful Moment

Flower and Willow

Japanese culture has a huge influence over the style of Second Life.  Which is surprising considering that Japan has a small number of users in world compared to the U.S. and other countries.  But their Kawaii designs and spare traditional style are perfect fits for VR.

Most Japanese designers are part of the Kawaii crowd.  They have sims filled with curious and adorable animals.  Their avatars look like anime kids come to life, complete with oversized eyes and big feet.  Their clothing designers are some of the most popular in SL.  Their clothing stores consist of basics with an eye for textures.  They lean toward wholesome looks with slightly cheeky touches here and there.

Another popular culture infusion is the Flower and Willow world.  From what I've observed the recreation of Geiko culture seems to be a western obsession.  But one that is supported by many Japanese designers who create period correct traditional furniture and clothing.

The Flower and Willow world in SL is a curious mixture of Role Play, Fantasy, Anthropological correctness, and show business.  Entering the world of SL Geisha is easier than in RL.  But that doesn't mean that rules are totally relaxed.  An SL resident cannot just barge straight into an SL Geisha party.

The nicer affairs are strictly invitation only.  So to partake in these events, a resident must join the mailing lists of the various Okiyas in world.  Once a new patron gets into the swing of attending public events, the SL Geiko and Maiko will be sure to add the patron to their personal mailing lists.  And these will almost certainly be for smaller, more exclusive affairs.  Many Ochayas will also be certain to keep track of patrons as well.

As in RL, Geisha parties are whimsical.  They contain jokes, poetry, stories, gossip, music and dancing.  The Geisha and Maiko are charming enough to make even the shyest of patrons feel comfortable.  The parties are also set in some of the most beautifully designed sims and buildings in all of SL.

In RL, this world is almost an exclusive domain for powerful men.  But in SL the parties are always a good mix of male and female patrons.

If you are interested in exploring this beautiful subculture in SL, you can start by looking up the various okiyas in-world.

These are some of the current okiyas holding events:

Nakanoshima Okiya

Blue Lotus Okiya

Pontocho Okiya

Amatsu Shima Okiya

Little Yoshiwara Okiya

Mitsuba Okiya

Karyukai Okiya

Nakamura Okiya

Furries and Nekos have their own special Okiya:  Maneki Neko Okiya

Note:  Patrons of various avatar types are welcome at all Okiya events unless they are a part of traditional RP sims.  Which means they will require human avatars in traditional dress.  However most are very relaxed on rules.

Most of the Geiko and Maiko speak English and they use translators.  So don't be frightened if they greet you in Japanese.  If you attend many of their events, you will soon be comfortable with Japanese greetings.

If you are interested in becoming an SL Geiko, it is best to start as a patron.  Then you can observe the atmosphere and learn what is required of the role.  To become an SL Geiko is a time consuming activity and it requires a lot of commitment.  So a prospective Geiko must decide if she wants to dedicate most of her SL time to this job.

Don't be intimidated by the sims surrounding the okiyas in your initial information search.  Everyone is very friendly and helpful so it won't be long before you can attend a party or Maiko debut.

Green Vision

Saturday around the virtual house look.

Hair - Clawtooth by Clawtooth - Sweet Whispers

Cardigan - Kurotsubaki - Simple Knit

Shirt - BLAND - Stripey shirt

Jeans - Milk Motion - My Boyfriend's Jeans

Shoes - Magi - Take Chucker

Baby Blue

I created a simple blue sky setting along with matching clear waters.  You can download the settings here:
www.box.net/shared/01xtaevn21

The above picture was taken at Bumblebee Island at the Rosehip sims.  Follow the link to see this whimsical place.
slurl.com/secondlife/rosehip/79/211/28/

Virtual Fall

An outfit for virtual fall.

Hair - Fri.day - Eloise
Shirt - BP - Bottan Shirt
Skirt - Huming - Wool Check Skirt
Tights - Twosome - Cozy tights
Boots - Zero Number (ON) - Wo Gomi

Headache Free

I'm all about easy fashion choices in SL.

Hair - BP - First Date
Shirt - Surf Couture - La Plage
Jeans - Decoy - Stevens Jeans

Rustica and Lagnmoor

The biggest and more successful shops in SL have their own sims.  Those sims can be quite beautiful.  A wonderful example is Rustica and Lagnmoor.

The Lagnmoor sim contains a village with prefab houses that customers can buy.  They are nicely made, low prim and contain beautiful textures.  The builds also come with a small amount of furniture included in the box.  So its ready for avatar living almost immediately.

In the above picture, is a view of one of the houses for sale.  Its a called the Crooked house and it has a very fairy tale feel to it.  It is one of the smaller builds, so it doesn't take up a lot of space.  Which is nice, especially if you have a small plot.

Lagnmoor is connected to the main sim, Rustica.  Rustica contains a huge castle which houses the furniture store.

The castle contains many labyrinthine rooms and halls which are fun to explore.

The castle store has many furniture collections for sale that will fit the style of a new Lagnmoor home.

You can visit both of these sims by following the links listed below.

Lagnmoor
http://slurl.com/secondlife/LagNmoor/128/128/0

Rustica
http://slurl.com/secondlife/Rustica/128/128/0

Fashion for the Rest of the Avatars

I'm not one of those glamorous avs that keep up with the latest designers or styles in SL.  I've only just learned to layer things.

So why start a series of style posts?  Well, I figure there should be something for the regular folks out there.  You know, the weekend casuals.  The people who aren't into the glamorous or farfetched.  Perhaps even the more than slightly conservative.

So the pic above is a quick outfit pulled together from old and new adds to my inventory.

Hair - Kurotsubaki - hair dia 7
Eyes - Pulse - Poe
Skin - Second Skin Labs - Evie
Cardigan - Nylon Outfitters - Chinese Florals
Tank - Fishy Strawberry - Poisonous Lotus top
Pants - Gisaci - Journey Tweed
Shoes - Armidi - Vidalia Pumps

All of these designers are easy to find using a quick search.  Just type in their names and their store lists will pop up.  Try to visit their main stores, because those will always have the most inventory. Many of the sims where they establish their flagships are destinations in their own right. So take a look around if you like the surroundings.

Happy Clothes shopping.

Garden Fantasy

My favorite places in all of Second Life are gardens.  I love looking at how other residents set up their small plots of greenery, which makes Flickr's Second Life Gardens and Homes groups some of the regulars that I watch.

Getting land in SL is not cheap.  So that puts a limit on what a single landowner can do.  But the greenery merchants have the resources to create spectacular sims filled with dream gardens for every season.

The first of these gardens that I visited in SL was Creative Fantasy.  I believe on my first visit it was only two sims and shared a third with another merchant.  But now the garden has four sims dedicated to each season.  All of the sims are beautiful, but my favorite by far is Winter.

Winter at Creative Fantasy bucks the Americana/Britannia Victoriana vibe of other gardens and takes it's inspiration from Russia.  Which makes it very unique and a bit exotic for Second Life.

Hidden in the nooks and crannys of the Winter Garden, you can find animals frolicking in the snow. Bears and wolves are the main residents of the Winter Garden but there are deer and others.  Of course, Winter Garden has loads of Holiday decorations and greenery for all an SL resident's needs. Everything is for sale and its hard to exert some self control when wandering around the sim.

You can visit this wonderful area by clicking on this link:

slurl.com/secondlife/spellbound%20woods/145/143/41/

Achieving Harmony

There is an affliction striking innocent avies all over Second Life.  It causes small heads and tiny hands.  But have no fear, there is a cure.

Now I know many in SL love to be tall, giant sized even.  I'm not here to rag on your desire to fee-fi-fo-fum all over Second Life.  Keep that height, work it and enjoy it.  But what I'm here to point out is that sometimes, other av features get left out of all that hormonal growth.  Namely the head and the hands.  When these are too small on your av, it is working against you not for you.

See that av next to me?  She likes being a sexy Las Vegas showgirl type.  But like many she has not resized her head, arms and hands to fit her height.  It makes her general shape look off kilter.   There are quick easy fixes to these problems.

I'm not going to go into the details artists use in figure drawing.  Although to get a better shape in-world, I would urge everyone to google it up.  The next few tips are just quick and nasty fixes.

Right click on your av and choose appearance menu.

Go to the Torso menu, scroll down until you see the arm length option.  Look in magazines, study yourself in a mirror and watch people on TV or the street, you will notice that arm length usually ends around hip/upper thigh level.  Lengthen your arms to the appropriate length so that you av's wrists hang by his/her hips.

Now go to the hands option just below arm length.  In your studies, you will notice that hands will extend from the wrists at the hips and end just above mid thigh level.  Granted some people will have longer arms  and larger hands.  But the wrists at hip level and hands at mid-thigh will take care of most people's tiny hands problem in SL.  If you like really long legs, as does the avatar in the picture, you will probably have to exaggerate arm and hand length just a bit to look proportional.

Now go to the head option in appearance menu.  I've found that the approximate good proportion between height and head size is about 20 points.  So if you are height level 70 in SL, then your head size should be around...you guessed it...90.

Now I know people hate modding hair and most hair is created for a head size of 50.  But if you don't want to look like a microcephalic, you will need to make sacrifices.  So size up your head and size up your hair wigs to fit it.  If you want to keep head size 50, then size down your body to about 30.  You won't be tall but you won't look sickly either.

So make those quick changes and enjoy your gorgeous and proportionate looking av.

Beginning

There are many SL things that I would like to blog about, but they don't exactly fit the style of my regular web page.  So I've decided to move them here.

So Welcome.

I'm not really a creator in SL.  The most I have done is rez a cube.  But I have created many avatar shapes which I enjoy.  And I've also begun to play around with Windlight settings.

The sky in my pic example is one of my own settings.  You can download it here:
www.box.net/shared/3l6btef9b1

Its a moody, windswept theme that is perfect for seaside settings in VR.

Enjoy