I thought of another wish for SL! I’m certain all the photographers out there will “amen” to this one!

I wish we had an option to turn on “eye-tracking” where our avatar’s eyes would track with our cameras. There’s nothing so electric in a portrait than eye contact, and getting it to click just right is an enormous pain. Perhaps others know tricks I do not, but using the equipment and techniques I do now, lining up my eyes is completely hit-and-miss! Even if I alt+click myself (a handy trick to try) or move my mouse (another method, but even less reliable), my peepers don’t often want to behave.

Does anyone else have a rant like this to share? A solution to share?

Okay, so the code they gave me from Plurk didn’t work. That’s one of the only issues I have with WP: code is either a hassle or not supported. But at least things are “safer” this way, right admins? Ah well!

Anyway, Thema’s on Plurk! Add me, hotties.

After 248 miles of walking through Second Life, this virtual Gandhi—created by artist Joseph DeLappe—has made it to the real world. At 17 feet tall, this “real life” Gandhi is still larger-than-life!

DeLappe with the 17' tall cardboard MGandhi on display at Eyebeam

The piece reminds me of the game of Telephone, when you start with one phrase whispered in the ear of your neighbor, and they whisper it to others, and eventually the phrase is not the same as the original. This time, a real man who marched in protest against the British Salt Tax in 1930 became an avatar who marched for the civilians who die in Iraq (see a quote from DeLappe on this after the cut), and that pixel representation became a piece of art. The look and form of Gandhi may have changed, but his example of peaceful protest lives on.

Interested in building your own cardboard Gandhi? Click here!

From the blog Reenactment: The Salt Satyagraha Online:

Over the past two years my work has been dedicated to addressing the military and civilian deaths in the war in Iraq. My ongoing protest/memorial within the America’s Army computer game has been the basis of my in-game creative work for over two years now - the “dead-in-iraq” project has been an intensely meaningful experience but also very difficult to undertake - the abuse I receive while doing this work and in reaction to it has been challenging. As well, I’ve been involved in a major project to memorialize the civilian casualties in the Iraq war, this web based project has been very meaningful and rewarding - although, again, addressing difficult subject matter. Both the Iraqimemorial.org project and “dead-in-iraq” have been formative towards my interest in exploring Gandhi, both in terms of the background research regarding the history of protest and in terms of developing the concept for this reenactment in SL.

Check out DeLappe’s site here. You can view the “Tourists and Travelers” exhibit at Eyebeam in NYC through July 19th.

Arkesh Baral of Ephemeral Creations wrote a great beginner’s tutorial for prim adjustment. If you wonder why your hair, jewelry, skirts, belts, or any other prim attachment doesn’t look natural on your body, try the great tips found in that post. After the cut, I’ll add a few others that might be helpful to you.

Does this ever happen to you?
I saw a fashion blog post today that showcased some terribly fitting hair. I know it can be difficult to learn about prim “best practices,” but there are ways to figure out why your attachments don’t work right out of the box. If your avatar or snapshots don’t measure up to your expectations, it’s best to seek out information and tips concerning high res snapshots, prim adjustment, and lighting. But I will touch on some of those topics another time. For now: prims!

A few extra tips for prim-adjustment beginners:
1) Do you know how you should look? If there was a store poster for that item, use it as a model for how something should sit on the body—even on another person’s shape. This is vital for seeing how much hair should show, how lashes sit on the eyes, and how high or low a skirt or pant attachments should be. Guesses only go so far. And those prims sticking out of your forehead are not always fringe

2) If you find yourself frustrated when you can’t zoom in far enough to get a good view of what you’re editing (take the nose ring, for example), press “CTRL+0″ (zero) a few times to zoom much closer. To get out of that zoom mode, press “CTRL+9″.

3) To stick with the hair theme, try focusing on your avatar and then zooming far out, looking down at yourself from a distance. Do you have bald patches that appear as you move further away? If you hair is prim (not sculpted), this probably means it is too small for your head, and you need to stretch it a little bit. Even a small size change can keep your skull from flashing your neighbors.

4) How big are your parts? For example, if your head is size 30, the hair made for a size 50 head will not work. Try to keep your skull between 45-55.You don’t want a peanut head or a balloon skull.

If your feet are sized above 0—and especially if you are female—prim/sculpted shoes will not fit.Most shoe designers create custom shoe shapes for you, but it’s best to stick with the insanely tiny feet since this is a standard in the fashion community.

5) You don’t have to stretch both sides. If a belt (or other like object) doesn’t fit your shape, it is not wise to do it all in one move. This makes the belt not only wider, but thicker, taller, and misshapen. Try stretching one side and then re-centering if you need to. Do all of this is small increments. One small pull to one side might solve the entire problem, if done patiently.

Do you have any suggestions to add concerning attachments?

Just ‘cuz:

Skin: Detour - Josie 3
Hair: Aden - Thema

Goodness gravy! If I have to see one more expo ad, I’m going to go barefoot and naked!

*listens for shouts of protest, only hears crickets*

Shoot, y’all, we’re comin’! Stop with the gigantic monotony! And instead of flashing advertising, why not hand out some $L? I’ve got my eyes on some amazing shoes and (yes, mother) sexy skimpies. I’m only made out of pixels, not money!

Ah well… guess I’ll see you there! Maybe I’ll bring a can and panhandle on the corners or something…

I have just lived through every Junior Higher’s worst nightmare… and lived to tell about it!

The kickass ladies over at Who Let the Dorks Out chose me and my gratuitous granny photo for the Dork of the Week award! Now, this may be silly to most of you, but I was so terrified of being called a dork or being the center of attention when I was growing up. So, of course, now that I’m an adult with a snarky sense of humor and a dirty mind, being a dork is an achievement! I live for this stuff! I eat it for lunch!

Bring it on, ladies. Khaige and I were just getting started

Can’t people read?!? Is everyone just daft to hell?

I swear, if one more person calls me Thelma, I’m going to scream! And after I scream, I’m going to tattoo their names—misspelled—on their foreheads, so they can understand how annoying it is for people to get it wrong over and over and over again. I get this enough in my real life, I don’t need it anymore.

I don’t care if I shouldn’t be this angry about it. I am. It’s a short name, not even hard to read. Why can’t people actually pay attention? I consider pronouncing and spelling a name correctly a sign of respect—in both SL and RL. So when you get it wrong, I feel disrespected, glossed over. That is why it angers me.

Just the other day I replied to a blog post all about names, and the writer replied to my comment and got it wrong! And of course she spoke to me concerning LL making polls to see what users want the ability to change their names. Ha! Irony.

Think before you write! Don’t be an ignorant twitch! And if you know you got it wrong, correct yourself!

Yep, I’m done. For now.

Tell me if you know this man:

Black hair, probably a bit shaggy and down around the eyes
Tan skin, most likely from Abyss
Narrow eyes
Black tattoo
Huge shoulders that could dam a river
Hairless, except for the optional stubble or goatee
Muscular, very tall
Trendy or Neko clothing/accessories

Do you know him? I bet you do. We all do. He is the quintessential SL “everyman”—the prototype for virtual hotness. And, to be honest, I do find guys like this attractive. Very attractive. That’s the point, I’m sure… to make us ladies squirm and drool. But you know what I also find attractive? Being able to tell them apart! finding some individuality, personality, and style!

Who is this man? Here’s one. Oh wait, here. And another, and another… o hai!

Hotties, all.
But what happened to the blond boys? Nerdy boys? Husky boys? Lanky boys? Short boys? Gimme some flavour, boys! Design some new styles! Stretch the limits. And for god’s sake, be proportional! Take the sock out of your pants, yank off your shoulder pads, and show me who you are beyond the typical sex appeal. That would be sexy.

I’ve been very fortunate to be among a few dozen people chosen to submit an art piece into the “Best of 2nd Magazine EXPO” at SL5B. I’m sure many evocative pieces will be shown, so don’t hesitate to take a look! I know I will. Here’s the piece they selected, titled “Tempura, Below”.

I suppose since I’ve shown it here, you (few, but lovely) readers can go not to see my pick, but to check out the other lovely submissions! Have a great time!

Teleport here: slurl

The gates open for public on June 23, 2008.
Meet 2nd Magazine and the artists there from 1pm SLT to ???

I won’t be able to make it because of work, but don’t miss out on the many exhibits and builds at SL5B!

I think I should start a Second Life flickr group that’s called, “I don’t rely on Photoshop to make things look good,” or “Anti-overdoers,” or maybe, “For the sake of all that is holy, stop the heavy-handed after effects! You’re making me nauseous!”

Maybe it’s just me, but art from Second Life doesn’t need to look like every filter took turns sneezing on your snapshot. Sometimes those filters and adjustments are productive (who doesn’t mind a bit of smoothing and softening?), but oftentimes it’s overcompensating for a boring composition or covering the natural grace of an image.

I wonder if it bothers me partially because I don’t have stellar Photoshop skills. I’m sure my shots could be more powerful if I stretched myself further. But one aspect I enjoy most about Second Life is that someone can create a scene or perspective that evokes emotion without any tool except the viewer.

I’m not an artist, nor do I claim to be a “photographer”, but I do enjoy what I take out of the virtual world. I see a lot of amazing, creative expression in this game, and I have much to learn and appreciate.

So, vent over. Back to learning how to make my snapshots prettier