Posts filed under 'Commentary'
In fact, if my IMs-to-email do not deceive me, I’ve been double-tagged. Looks like Grazia got me first, followed by swaffette. Now in all honesty this is the kind of thing where I usually just roll my eyes and hit Delete, but these are nice people, everybody else seems to be playing along, and I don’t want want to get the reputation of being a spoil-sport. Plus, it could be fun. 
 So here we go.
The Rules
- Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
- People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.
- At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
- Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.
Oh dear. I guess you’re going to learn more about me today than you may have wanted to know. Read on…at your peril. (more…)
Post Category: Commentary
December 4th, 2007 at 07:54pmRyan Darragh
By now you have probably already heard about the “CopyBot” and all the associated uproar.  If you haven’t, you can read more about it on the Official Linden Blog (direct links here and here). It’s not my intent to politicize this blog, even just for today, or to takes sides here on the issue.  My role here is that of fashion critic, which is pretty small in the big scheme of things.  :)  But this is clearly having an effect on the SL we know and love, and is of concern to designers and content creators whose work we admire, enjoy and purchase.  So, to let current events pass without comment or at least observation seemed somehow inappropriate.  As much as possible, I’ll make this about my own personal experience.  I’ll also try to keep it brief. (Right now all my friends are singing a rousing chorus of “Good Luck with That!”)
(more…)
Post Category: Commentary
November 15th, 2006 at 03:40pmRyan Darragh
Celebrity Trollop’s post over at our sister site prompted me to take a look a the Second Life statistics page. Her entry is an interesting discussion about spending patterns and retail pricing.
What caught my eye in the new stats is the “In World Business Owners Monthly Profits.” Yes… I am one of those people that gets excited by statistics because they bring tidy order to the world - if this isn’t you the rest of this may be boring.
Looking at just this past month of September 2006, it is interesting to see that 10,356 residents made any profits from the sale of items. LL defines Monthly profits as:
“The Monthly Profit estimate excludes the sale or acquisition of land investments. Linden Lab fees are not yet charged. Note that some businesses accept payment outside the Linden Dollar economy and those numbers are not included in these reports.”
If we compare these stats to the number of residents that logged in during that same 30 day period (234,898), it shows that 4.4% of the active population are making profits… not bad. However, if we look a little further and break it down, there is a distinctive line drawn in these stats. Looking at the chart you see that the number drops rapidly to only 766 residents making more than US$50 a month in profits, or about 1 third of 1 percent (0.33%) of active residents in the last 30 days.
This flies against all of LL’s marketing of SL as a money making platform, with only the smallest fractions of residents making enough to cover even moderate tier costs. Even in the post by LL announcing the new stats they reiterate this false point:
To put it simply, if you have ever thought, ‘oh, only a few people actually make money in Second Life,’ here is ample evidence to the contrary.
Hopefully new and struggling content creators won’t take this as a disheartening statistic, but rather help them understand that, like Real Life, success does not come easy, and those with talent and drive (and time to spend in-world) can succeed. SL is not a get rich quick scheme and you must apply the same RL entrepreneurial thinking and work hard. The flip side might be that success in SL might portend an acumen for business in RL.
Post Category: Commentary
October 3rd, 2006 at 09:59amNicholas Shaftoe
Got kicks? Adidas slam dunked the Second Life™ sneaker scene today by establishing a presence on the grid. The Adidas island was developed by one of the top design groups in SL, Rivers Run Red. Now you can rock some serious kicks for the virtual you! Adidas a3 Microride Astronauts and High Jumpers are currently in effect (and the sneakers actually do something when you activate their features).
Adidas has definitely scored with this hot reality mix. It’ll be on point when you can jack in, order some kicks, and they touchdown at your home a few days later (it’s not an impossibility). For now, my presence on the grid remains fresh and clean with legit pairs of Adidas on my feet.
This is some next level Sneakerplay™ ALL DAY for the sneaker pimp in you. Rock these joints in this reality and the next! Also, big shout outs to the companies getting respect in this post: Adidas, Second Life™, River Run Red, and Sneakerplay™.
Disclosure: Seen in Word: Yes | Review Copy: No | Friends List: No
Post Category: Commentary, Designer Reviews, Shoes
September 16th, 2006 at 11:15amBushidoBrown Hightower
Okay, okay. I know I have been slacking the last few days, but I got some new stuff for ya soon I promise. In the mean time I am pleased to announce the addition of 2 new authors for Second Man.
Barnesworth Anubis, the designer who probably needs little introduction to this audience, will be posting cool finds, fashion tips, and anything that catches his fancy. Let’s hope he posts here more than his own blog. I kid!!
Resident Ryan Darragh will be contributing posts as well. He already has a nice review in the bag ready to post, but I won’t steal his thunder and tell you what it is.
Welcome to both, and we still could use a few more if you are interested.
Post Category: Commentary, General
September 11th, 2006 at 02:42pmNicholas Shaftoe
If you haven’t heard about the death of Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin yet, I’m sorry you heard it here first. While some may say it was inevitable, I am very saddened by the news. He may have been a bit reckless, but his contributions to wildlife education are boundless and will no doubt continue through he immortal medium of television.
Callie Cline felt the same sense of loss and has created a Steve Irwin tribute t-shirt for a minimum L$100 price which will be donated to the Steve Irwin Foundation.
In her own words:
the shirts will be sold in packs of 2. one man’s, one women’s. they will be sold only at FUNK in Elpenor and Feri Beckenbaurer’s Mall, in Feri’s main shop.
They will be sold for donations ranging from 100L to 10,000 L.
I would love to see thousands of SL citizens wearing them from now until his funeral, which may be a national funeral in Austrailia.
If you purchase the shirts, please take your photo with your friends (or alone) and send them to me and I will make a card collage to send to the irwin family from the citizen’s of second life.
Disclosure: Seen in World: Yes | Review Copy: No | Friends List: No
Post Category: Callie Cline, Commentary, New Items, Shirts
September 6th, 2006 at 10:47amNicholas Shaftoe
Welcome to The Second Man, a blog about clothing, skins, and other style for male avatars in Second Life. The forums have been filled recently about laments for the lack of good men’s clothing in Second Life. I agree the options are currently limited, but there is a fair amount of quality clothing out there that folks may not be aware of.
The link to the forum posting above shows that there are as many different tastes in styles as there are men. The female clothing designer community in SL often says “I would make more stuff for men if I knew what they wanted” which invariably leads to every guy responding with their own personal taste, which must be overwhelming, causing the designer to throw up their hands.
My suggestion to these designers is:
- Make what YOU think looks good on a man. Most men need fashion help, and will wear any thing they KNOW a woman finds sexy.
- Find a fashion concious man to use as a consultant. Ask him for pictures and ideas.
- Don’t get stuck on trying to design something that will suit everyone. You don’t design women’s clothes that way. You have a certain style, and certain women shop for that style. Same is true for me.
- Don’t understimate the men’s market thinking we don’t shop. We do, and as the population grows there will be more of us.
Post Category: Commentary
August 17th, 2006 at 11:47amNicholas Shaftoe
