To the Archives - Jeeves!

It is with a slightly heavy heart that I am closing SLC. It will remain as archives in hopes that the Powers That Be cannot figure out a way to close down a non-active site. Most of you in "our world" know of all the politics and drama afoot. Since the title and URL of this blog conflicts with the word mark of the new branding system, we are forced to change or perish.

Since Chic has been doing most of the posts of late and Wonder -- though willing -- would rather be taking pictures than writing, I have decide to simply stop publishing. The articles will remain for those of you that find them or find links to them (those links are supposed to disappear also so this may be a futile effort in keeping some historical record).

Anyway, Chic is blogging at her own new spot called "Chic at Phil's Place" -- http://chicatphilsplace.blogspot.com/ -- (I LOVE it) and will refrain from using any of the "L" words there. She is also writing at iheartsl.com for the moment but it is likely that blog's name will change soon because of rules.

While of of this doesn't greatly affect any of us at SLC since we were so new when the ax dropped, I deeply empathize with those that are having their hard work of months and years destroyed.

May we all find new roads to happiness if the ones we have traveled are no longer available to us ..

Trademark Confussion

There was an oh so funny article at Scarbourgh Flair this morning which referenced a less than funny but very relevant article at analutetia.com on the new policies being put into place by the company that runs our "game". Now of course we know who that is, but after spending over an hour reading the rules (which go on and on and on forever of course) I am not sure what I can and cannot say in my blog. Hence, I will go along with the idea that the simplest way to deal with things is just not to SAY anything.

I have taken off the logo of "the company" -- one which I might add was heavily hinted at as being NECESSARY before (sigh). I cannot change the NAME of the blog. So if it doesn't work and we disappear one day you will know what happened. I am having a difficult time seeing how this is going to help "the company", but hey, it is their ball game.

Since Chic is making most of the posts these days, she may want to continue on her own. Then again SHE may be tired in another three months. Who's to say.

That's what I know. Not much. And as the code in the first article suggested, I am going to enjoy my time in Phil's Place as much as possible and hope that the folks in The Mother Ship have lots of time finding all the thousands of occurrences of their brand name.

Cheers.

Rez Day Reflections

It's my rez day today. I had a few goals attached to the remembrance of it, and those are accomplished. I wanted to get some Explorer sandals in a color more befitting my Dutch Touch garb, visit a few old haunts, explore a new place and take a new profile picture. The profile picture was actually the most needed item on the list. Along the way I had some time to reflect about how quickly time passes in SL.

My first few months in SL I spent a lot of time at both MIA Island and Wisteria. MIA of course (or maybe not "of course" if you are new) for the weekly men's clothing give aways. Wisteria had a very generous Money Tree AND the best 3 for 10 camping around. It was a real score to get a spot there. I heard (I cannot vouch for this personally) that the guitar playing WOMEN got great tips. Divine was always thrilled when she got a job playing there. And in a sense she did consider it a job and answered questions from the people who came by and chatted and gave directions to different items. Me? I washed a lot of windows LOL.


MIA is very changed since I went there last. Now a Coney Island Boardwalk sort of theme. Wisteria is much the same in feel. There is a new island added and the skins have moved from their place across from the furniture. There is a new garden store some ways from the furniture store with fun accessories and plants. I am a gardener in RL and so I am perhaps a bit more interested in that than the readers :D. There is a lot more open area than I remember so the best way to find your way around is look at the buildings on the map. There is still a lot (more actually) camping there, but the days of 3 for 10 seem gone. That is most likely due to bots and camping scripts. SL changes in reaction to US.


Most of my other newbie places are gone. No real surprise since SL is always in flux. My NEW spot to explore (actually several sims) was The Pond, an Australian area. I did a little flying and a little walking. It is very lovely in the residential areas, busier but still very nice in the core. I had a tarot reading at the top of the pyramid maze and took a new photo (Woot for that)!


It's been a good day!

Contest Mania :D

The world's gone mad and we are in the middle of the maelstrom (laughing here). There are SO MANY hunts going on that to find all the hearts or cats, tiny gift boxes or whatever would take 24 hours a day as well as a little help from your friends. Granted the hunts are SO much better than they have been in the past.

We seem to go in waves in SL - much like real life I guess. We went from good stuff in lucky chairs to the 100 plus chairs filled with CR@P (a joke there for a couple of designers who make great stuff - if only those chairs would have been filled with thier goodies). We went from hunts that had nothing but recycled freebies to ones where the designers proudly show us AHEAD OF TIME what we will find. This is a huge step and it "must" be in the right direction -- mustinit?

When someone stumbles on a good idea (giving away good stuff instead of junk for example) and it WORKS, then others follow. I am a bit worried that we, the customers, will become so inundated with wonderful finds and gifts that we will discover our virtual closets overflowing and the desire to actually SHOP a faint memory. This can't be good in the long run.

Now, aside from the plethora of hunts just over and coming up, we have contests -- also just over and coming up. There was the lingerie contest, the Sexy Second Magazine contest (I made it into that but JUST barely) ongoing photo contests and NEW photo contests.


''One of My Entries for the Lingerie Calendar''

Today someone sent me a notecard and pics about dressing the avatar of a real life author, Sophie Kinsella. I had NO idea who that was so looked her up. Here is Sophie Kinsella's blog as well as contest info. Now, I am not about to go out and spend up to $2000 Linden to dress an avatar so I can meet and greet (wink) and get reimbursment and a book?!?!?!? And you need to be present to win? (Obviously these people don't know about the filling the sim problem in SL.)

I guess if you were a fan it would be different. Now George Clooney? I might go for it (big smile). In that vein the Samara Studios contest is better as you get both goodies and CASH (gasp), but unless you already have an outfit (I have one from my birthday and a pair of shoes from Samara (review) - oh, and a hunt pair of heels too), you would need to buy something in order to enter. So that is a bit dampening. Hard to say what we will do for fame and glory. The ongoing ETD contest at Flickr is certainly simpler as most all of us have ONE piece of ETD designed goods. Still .... (pondering humming here).

At least we can't say there is nothing to do :D

Elitest Reviews :D

I need to make a clarification or two about the "reviews" you will see here on SLC -- especially the freebie reviews. Readers have been wondering why "So and So" posted a review and SLC did not about the (insert freebie here) that came out today. The answer in most cases is that it didn't make the cut.

I am not passing any judgments on what works for YOU, but if the seams don't match, if it is obviously of second quality, if the skirt is way off an NO MOD to boot, if their are transparency issue where you legs disappear (or hair etc.) -- those items will not be mentioned. It doesn't mean one of us didn't try them. I found at least five new things just today that are in the fashion blogs that didn't make it here. So, THAT'S the reason. I have a very full inventory as know that some of you do too. So going and getting stuff we won't keep is just a waste of time. So shoot me if you want (not really - LOL) but that's the way it is here at SLC.

I also had a very bad experience today with a freebie that somehow inserted some code that makes my browser WANT to go to their website. No, I never asked to go there and yes, I do know who it is but not my business to tell. So, those type of issues will also NOT get you mentioned.

BUT as an inclusive website at heart and realizing that lots of folks are not as picky as I am, I will very happily post your freebie blog link on my sidebar if you ask me to. I only ask that you put up a reciprocal link :D on your blog or website. Just send me a note in world.

I honestly feel that the designers who are giving out the best items (or selling them) should be rewarded by their customers -- and certainly by the "media" :D

Introducing Chic

I want to welcome Chic Aeon to the Second Life Colors team. You may remember Chic. I met her at Nuclear Boutique one evening and she modeled for me. Since then she has sent me some tips and pics and such -- some posted and some not (wink).

Looking over my last months items for my upcoming "Top 10 Favorites of the Month" post, I can see that I am a pretty classical gal. Chic on the other hand is the Sn@tch, Silent Sparrow type. Second Life Colors was always meant to be INCLUSIVE and so it seems only fitting to have someone young (in many ways) and enthusiastic in the mix. She also looks GREAT in those tiny tiny short short skirts. She is also new enough to SL that she isn't cemented into the "what is me" idea -- a plus in many ways for this blog.

So, if you have something of interest in that marketing group, send a notecard to Chic.

WELCOME to the team hon!!!!

I AM ...

You Are An INTJ

The Scientist You have a head for ideas - and you are good at improving systems. Logical and strategic, you prefer for everything in your life to be organized. You tend to be a bit skeptical. You're both critical of yourself and of others. Independent and stubborn, you tend to only befriend those who are a lot like you. In love, you are always striving to improve your relationship. You have strong ideas of what love should be like.

A Thought for Designers

OK. I really need to get this off my chest and then I will stop stewing about it all :D

For the last few weeks I have been out looking for great places, fun shopping and "good free stuff". And I have found a lot. AND I AM THANKFUL!!!!! I appreciate all the content creators who are sharing with us.

There is, however, a flip side that I have not mentioned. Most likely you have come across it too, but in case there are any designers reading this blog, I wanted to put it out there...... There are a lot of VERY famous, expensive, couture type shops that are giving away VERY marginal things. No names and no hints. It is not my intention to shake any fingers at anyone.

However, there is a store with some great looking jackets with VERY spendy price tags that gives away T shirts with lovely designs and seams that are not even CLOSE to matching. There is another high class (by reputation and prices) store who is actually giving away BIAB stuff on their main walls right next to outfits that would break my clothes budget for the week. The list, unfortunately isn't a short one.

This boggles my mind. I of course am NOT a content creator, but wouldn't it be better to simply not have free items than BAD free items? I realize that the value of a freebie depends on the use it will be put to by the avatar, but as a consumer I would have (and DO have) second thoughts about buying what "looks" like a very lovely jacket from someone who put out things with terribly mismatched seams. If they feel that those items are good enough to give away as examples of their work, how good do their actual products stack up? I am not likely to spend $600 or $700 Linden on a test.

The retailers that "I" remember are the ones that gave out great things -- especially over and over. For example, Digital Dragon Designs gave out many lovely things during Advent. I only picked up a few, but those I took were simply lovely. I REMEMBER them in a positive light--the same with Second Mirage, House of Zen, Samara Studios, and many of the designer mentioned in this blog.

Everything that is free doesn't need to be wonderful, of course. New designers don't have all their skills down in the beginning and their items can still be fun and well intentioned. My problem is with the folks who have seemingly "made it". And, I humbly suggest that they think a bit harder about what they are presenting to their prospective customers :D

Flattery :D

I notice that my "finds" keep showing up in other blogs a day or two or three after I have posted (wink). I have NO problem with this. Nice to know people are reading. I want to reiterate that I ONLY post what I feel is the BEST of the freebies, locales, shopping and the like.

I am a firm believer in a clean and sparse inventory --
yeah for the good stuff!

Thank you content creators!!!!!!

"/me smiles broadly at the great success of her new blog"

And the beat goes on!

Quicknotes: In the Majors

• I notice that Nicky Ree has a new oriental flavored collection, Cherie Dress & Pant Suits, just out for the Chinese New Year (blog, pic).
• Calla gave out necklaces with rotating world globes on Saturday. Yeah!

Last Call

Unless you have been living under a fashion rock this weekend -- and some of you have real lives after all so no need to feel embarrassed -- you know that the works of Ginny Talamasca, Katterina Dagostino and Devyn Carmichael went on final sale for L$100 each ($300 for runway) at Last Call in the Dazzle sim. You can read the announcement here.

As you might expect, the Dazzle sim was unteleportable (is that word?) last night and again this morning. I went to a neighboring sim near midnight -- along with 28 other folks -- and tried to get in. I DID peruse with camera controls and could even purchase, but decided to wait. This is, in part, a feeding frenzy no doubt. But, I hope and believe that for some of us it is as much a tribute to an end of an era and a large piece of SL fashion history.

So, be patient. There is time; the outfits are digital and limitless so there is really no rush. We will all have time to pay our respects and get an outfit for remembrance.

The Returning Pendulum

It's after midnight in my corner of the real world and I need to be getting to bed, but I knew that wasn't going to happen until I put down a few thoughts. Those of us who have been in SL awhile have watched as we went from Lucky Chairs that actually contained worthwhile prizes to the plentiful junkiness of business in a box stores and malls with up to (and maybe over) 100 chairs with things most of us wouldn't want anyway.

I am so gratified to see the designers striking back at this very dark period in SL retail by offering quality merchandise as give aways. It almost seems like there is a contest going on for who can be the most gracious and giving. This is a wonderful thing for all of our wardrobes, but perhaps even a better thing for our spirits. So please thank the designers, offer them some praise and appreciate what they are doing.

I, personally, do not want to go back to where we have just emerged from :D. Support them with your words and your Lindens.

Color me beautiful!

I am a "woman of color" in Second Life. There are not many of us here, but more than a year ago. I have met some gorgeous brown skinned women and some handsome fellows but they are few and far between.

As I contemplated starting this blog, I did a search to see if there was a similar blog in existence. What I found -- instead -- was an article by Destiny Welles entitled My big, fat, lily-white Second Life. It is a well-written article and definitely has many points that I agree with. I do take exception with one point, however.

"Second Life is perhaps the whitest environmet I've ever experienced, and the most middle-class: I'm hard pressed to recall a single conversation with an undeucated resident. By and large, everyone is playing, and everyone has a fairly healthy bank account, as the basic costs of entry - even for a free account - are dictated by some rather pricey computing paraphernalia. Everyone is concerned with arts and science, and speaks with pride about information technology; everyone likes to learn; everyone believes in progress. It is, literally, an online white suburban paradise."

Anyone who has ONLY met this group of educated elite in SL has definitely been hanging out in places other than my haunts.
Wealth does not necessarily equate to educated -- or perhaps well-educated would be a more apt comment. My experiences indicate that the spectrum is wider than Ms Welles believes.

Who we are in Second Life often reflects a cross between who we are in real life and who we would choose to be. Color only plays a part of our persona.