Archive for 'Op/Ed'

Op/Ed: Avatars Have No Feelings

by FoxM Ember Is love an emotion or is it a choice? If actions speak louder than words, then an act of love towards someone is profoundly louder than simply uttering those three little words. So, is love here in SL a feeling or an action, a noun or a verb? Although we each must [...]

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Op/Ed: The Linden Lab Mafia

by Intlibber Brautigan In his cyberpunk novel "Snow Crash", which Phillip Rosedale has said a number of times that Second Life is based on, the federal and state governments have imploded from fiscal irresponsibility and a refusal to face reality. In his prequel works, Stephenson’s heroes of the novel "Cryptonomicon" recover a massive cache of [...]

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Op/Ed: Narrative Games

by Bubblesort Triskaidekaphobia  Much has been written about whether SL is a game or something else. Most people I know in game call SL a “virtual world.” Most professors I know in real life call it a “serious game,” although I do not think the eggheads are deliberately implying that SL is serious as opposed [...]

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The Epic Fail of Second Life Groups

The hypergrowth needed to create an online mass media continues to elude Second Life – but why? If Second Life is meant to be more than a 3D Potemkin village construction kit, one might expect the group and chat systems to be top priority – yet chat remains perma-gimped due to basic architectural flaws which [...]

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It Has To Be Said: Internet Lawyers

In the United States, there are a few states left where you don’t have to go to law school in order to be an attorney.  In California, with some restrictions, you can be a lawyer over the internet.   Some states allow someone to "read the law" or simply work with a licensed attorney in order [...]

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It Has To Be Said: Second Life (R) Isn’t Addicting

As I have previously stated, I went to grocery bagger school in the Philadelphia area.  (I must be a grocery bagger, I read it on the Internet.)  And one of the funny things about Philadelphia, besides that the best cheese steaks are neither Pat’s nor Geno’s, is that the rest of Pennsylvania is pretty damn [...]

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Op/Ed: The Positive Feminist

by Meleth Oakleaf This isn't an article about a role-play sim, this is an article in which one reporter tackles a delicate topic and probably pisses off a few readers. Hopefully, beyond just pissing off a few people, I can make people think about an often underrepresented feminist view. I spoke to Pixeleen today about [...]

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It Has To Be Said: What’s in a Name?

by Jessica Holyoke One reason why I am not too worried about people outing my identity is that I have a fairly common real life name.   Pretending my real life name is "Stacey Fox,"  if you Google it, you will find many other people who share my name, some sharing my real life location, [...]

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It Has To Be Said: Why does Second Life Need Social Media?

Please define your virtual social graph to help the Lab gain ad revenue by Jessica Holyoke When the Lindens talk about expanding residents' presence with Social Media, I have to really ask why?  At my closely guarded age, I use Facebook a good deal.  It helps keep me connected with classmates who have moved great [...]

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It Has to Be Said: It Has to Be Said

by Jessica Holyoke Over the months that I have written editorials in the Herald, I have typically labelled the Op/Ed.  Traditionally, Op/Ed means Opposing Editorial.  Someone writes something in opposition to the stated views of the Editorial Board.  However, the Herald does not use an Editorial Board to provide a view point to the community, [...]

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