Personally speaking, I have, and there is frankly no excuse for this, I am sorry. I fear that any attempt to tell me that a message of less than 4096 bytes cannot be distributed because, oh, groups or evil or something or other is going to meet with hollow laughter. I am a tolerant sort; please do not lie to my face.

The JIRA issue should one wish to vote regarding this seems to be at https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/VWR-513, not that voting does much except validate a pointless system, but one might as well - and please do, if you would, it costs nothing. In the near future I shall be investigating other possibilities of influence.

http://newbabbage.ning.com/forum/topics/second-aether-salon-november

Please do feel free to attend.

We appreciate that our initial plans to raise the price of all sims to $1000 per minute might have caused some alarm, and we have no intention of stifling the boundless creativity of our subjects. However, it must be said that many of you have been excessively naughty, and used things which are clearly outside of the stated use of Second Life (dancing, selling hair, looking at prim fish). For instance, many of you have been using megaprims - we have been shocked to discover this - and also such scripting techniques as WarpPos.

Our keen ears have detected that you wish to have a greater variety of potential options for your sim hosting.

1. Those of you who used the sims as originally intended - chatting, copybotting, selling Siggy’s waterslide - want that product at the original price point and demand clear and strict discipline regarding usage, or perhaps just clear and strict discipline in general.

2. Some of you have built businesses on your sims, set your rental rates or built your groups and although you acknowledge - or at least you damned well will, once you have met the Green And Purple Waterboard - you built more than we say was intended but did nothing to prevent, a large and rapid price change is too much for you to absorb.

3. Some of you built creations that were between a huge empty hole in the ground and a floating elephant farm and want some kind of “proper region lite” product - a lower price point than a normal region but with the ability to build a certain amount of content.

On this basis, here is how we will be amending our pricing structure and offering you more choice.

1. We are going to retain the sim product at its original price range and its original intended use (Linden trees, plywood, pyramid schemes etc). We will have technical limitations to help regulate their use, but will eventually get around to randomly destroying your scripts. Please apply in writing including your passport and grandmother’s birth certificate - originals only - to continue any sims you might have under this plan.

2. If you want more than a sim we will offer you the choice of moving to a new product called NewSims that is intended for use such as rental, mall building, art gallery construction and so on. These will have the same restrictions that we had for sims under the original price range but shhh. The price for these will be the previously-announced $1000 per minute, and all of your sims will be upgraded to this new and unprecendented level of service unless we receive a letter signed in your blood by next Tuesday begging us not to. (DNA checking on the blood concerned will be carried out by Aristotle, who have not really done a lot else for us lately.) We retain the right to randomly destroy your scripts, only we promise not to do it quite so much.

We believe this is fair.

I would like to finish with the following: recently, we have been quite successful in persuading everyone that Second Life is more reliable, and indeed many of you have agreed, except on the weekends when you are trying to use group chat and find all of your carefully-planned witticisms appearing back to front. Substantially. Period. Our breakthroughs are particularly noteworthy, because they are worthy of note. But you people do insist on abusing your sims with tortured toruses and LOD-tailored sculpties and all of those things that we told you you shouldn’t use. We are deeply committed to improving the world - even in the face of what is basically griefing on your part.

I look forward to seeing the number of pages in the Forum approach 100 in a short space of time. Ideally, you should attempt to reach page 100 at 11pm on Sunday as that is when my time is for the sweepstake.

The stated reasons, in case it had been forgotten, are that those operating OpenSpace areas are overusing them and causing significant issues for others who happen to also be operating areas under the auspices of the same CPU. (Which is entirely believable and has in fact been commented on regularly in the Forums and elsewhere.)

Now, if such a problem is noted, the careful world-owner (the Lab, here) will reasonably wish to attempt to ameliorate the problem. Solutions might include:

(a) Increasing the efficiency of the simulators in question, by means of improvements to hardware or sofware or both, so that this overuse is no longer overuse;

(b) Discouraging owners of OpenSpace areas from said overuse.

Let us quickly look at (a). Increasing the price will not affect the rate of software development - this is one of those immutable laws of the universe, that throwing money at a project is of very little use when existing development is at full speed anyway, and in any case the amount of increased revenue is not that great. Extra revenue could, theoretically, help to add faster hardware, but I have not seen that even mentioned, and the effort required to change said hardware as well as the cost of it would go far beyond the revenue gained here. Thus I do not consider that a price increase could result in any of the solutions in (a) taking place, at least in the short term and almost certainly in the long term as well, given the limited amount of extra resources to be gained by the Laboratory.

So, on to (b) - discouraging folk from their current levels of use. Now, economic disincentives can work, of course. If it is clearly in someone’s financial interest to restrict their usage to only what they need and no more, they may well do so. A tiered system of, er, tier would do this to an extent, though it would involve some sort of resource measurement and management - more on this later.

However, a flat increase is not an economic disincentive, as it has no relation to the level of use. In fact, if anything, it is an incentive to high usage - if one is paying more, one might as well use as many resources as one can, renting out extra parcels, adding in more temp rezzers and all that sort of thing. The only reduced level of use that would result from a flat increase is that some people might entirely abandon their OpenSpace areas, and so, certain folk might find that they were the only ones left sharing a CPU - at which point I suspect that they would be moved onto another more populated CPU and the old one used for some other purpose. A flat price increase will only ever reduce the overall number of areas.

The problem I am thus left with is that I cannot see any possible connection between raising prices and managing sim usage. The stated reasons cannot be the real ones. I am sure somebody will inform me if I have made some sort of gross and embarrassing logical error here, but I do not believe that to be the case. The relevance of sim usage to price increases is about the same as the relevance of, say, the number of cat ears to be found on OpenSpace sims to price increases. (In other words, an amount approaching zero.) Either there has been a sudden - and unusually virulent - outbreak of Irrational Business Decision Syndrome, or another reason must be to blame.

I mentioned the measurement of sim resources used above, and I have heard many folk say things along the lines of “well why don’t they just crack down on the people overusing the areas then?” I am afraid that I cannot answer that, but I can certainly observe that the Blessed Laboratory have shown an intense unwillingness to go anywhere near this throughout all of the history that I have been privileged to observe.

Measuring prim usage is about as far as it goes, and even then, blatant abuses of the prim allowance via temp rezzers has been and continues to be ignored. Estate owners can view a few greater statistics but not in any huge detail, and on the Mainland one does not even have that option, and there are no limits in place as to who can use what resources fairly, unless those resources be prims. There have been complaints of overuse on the Mainland forever and apart from occasional personal attention by occasional Lindens, nothing has been done in terms of real regulation or real tools. Therefore I do not consider it likely that, in this instance, resource reporting and limit enforcement will emerge as solutions in practice - even if they would be a good idea, not just for OpenSpace areas, but everyone else sharing without an overall sim owner as well.

The issue of reduced performance due to OpenSpace Use - or Abuse - does, I am told by reliable sources, have some relevance to reality. However, I would say that there are a number of very good Reasons why this recent action is considered simply Beyond The Pale.

1. “What did you think was going to happen?” Bear in mind that it was in fact Linden Laboratory which increased the allowed number of prims in OpenSpace sims, months ago. Clearly that is tacit encouragement to use those prims. There was complaint that this would distort the land market, but in the main the new OpenSpace sims were greeted well, as they were clearly superior products for many uses.

2. “You knew it was happening and you did nothing.” Everyone knew that OpenSpace sims were being used for all sorts of things apart from Sailing and Occasional Walks In The Park. The Forums were full of advertisements for them as residential, and in fact, complaints were regularly raised that OpenSpace areas were being passed off as full-fat Sims in sales - because on first glance they appear fine, and even on subsequent glances, and in fact they are fine in a lot of cases where certain types of scripting or high occupancy are not involved. Please - the idea that this is an issue that has suddenly appeared out of nowhere is not credible.

On that basis, were attempts made to stop this use? No. Which leads to:

3. “You’re not even trying to stop it, you’re just trying to cash in.” This may not be an entirely fair characterisation but I have to say that, when the response to what is claimed to be a problem is not to try to fix the problem but to raise prices, it appears both cynical and mercenary, even if it can be passed of as some sort of Economic Disincentive, much as simply raising the Tax upon a harmful item such as Tobacco appears cynical and mercenary even when passed off as a Health Disincentive. As a connected point:

4. “I don’t abuse my sim, why am I being charged extra?” Everyone is being penalised without discrimination, and there is a good deal of variation in the use of OpenSpace areas, from rarely-visited gardens to overpacked clubs full of temp rezzers. Oh and yes:

5. “These are the same issues that the mainland and other areas face, and you’ve ignored those too.” The widespread use of temp rezzers for instance is a menace, has always been a menace and has been effectively ignored as an issue. Similarly abuse of sim resources has been something that people have complained about on the mainland before I was born with little or no effect. Poor sim performance due to overuse and abuse is not exactly exclusive to OpenSpaces, and trying to pretend a sudden concern for these matters falls flat, particularly when that concern manifests itself through a two-thirds increase in tier as opposed to any relevant corrective action at all.

And let us not forget another more contemporary factor:

6. “Oh that is very convenient timing.” Enter the Grid nowadays and one is greeted by an advertisement for the latest Laboratory exercise, Nautilus. A series of residential sims. At the same time, a product noted for its popularity for residential use, and generally quite fine for that, suddenly experiences an enormous price increase. Oh, how coincidental.

I do not, myself, believe in conspiracy theories that this was all some sort of cunning plan by the Laboratory, a “bait and switch” as the phrase has it, to encourage the purchase of OpenSpace areas and then suddenly charge more for them. The main reason that I do not believe these theories is that it would imply a level of long-term planning, and successful long-term planning as well, that I consider utterly unrealistic for the Laboratory.

Closer to the truth I suspect is that there have been issues relating to the grid for a while, a Technical Sort Of Linden has put forward the idea that OpenSpace sims are not helping, the matter has churned around for a few months without any action, and then someone or other has leapt upon the matter as something meaning that (a) an Extra Charge could be Levied and (b) lowered Mainland and Full Sim takeup, as well as takeup for this new Laboratory island group, could be corrected.

And so the fatal word was passed down, until somebody, somewhere, actually had to write a Post, which was composed in the usual brash and insensitive manner (the Lord may know who is employed in the Laboratory’s Public Relations department, but I doubt even He knows why) and sent out without warning, let alone Grandfathering.

And here we all are. Rarely have I heard the word “opensim” said so many times in discussions.

Footnotes

- A Protesting JIRA Vote

Said Contest is being run by the Aethernet Pictorial Establishment “Koinup”, and involves Photography of one’s own personal appearance in the “steampunk” style. The Closing Date is the 16th of October, and the Prize at the moment is a “Skye Steampunk Castle”, apparently a most extensive piece of architecture.

~*~

In terms of News for the Curious as to my Recent Activities, I fear that actually I have not been as active as I might have been, but I am currently making efforts to become more so. My physician has suggested a course of Coca Extract but I dare say that the man is a little too enamoured of that particular Pharmaceutical; he has recently seemed a little too Obsessively Talkative and of a Suspicious yet Boastful Character, and his most respectable Stomach appears to have receded distinctly. A gentleman of his years and profession should possess a Properly Proportioned Abdomen in my opinion, not the physique of a Peripatetic Youth.

Rejecting these suggestions and concentrating more on Industry, I am currently in the process of constructing a particular model of a Percussion Revolver (with support for the Deadwood area) as well as finishing the Ordinal Extensible Cat, a self-salting device of interest to the Nautical.

In terms of things actually released, one that seems tangentially appropriate to mention is the Languagelab Bubble Emoter, an item that I have created on a Contractual Basis and which is available Free, Gratis and For Nothing at the “Greenies Home” region. Said educational device produces, by means of cunning chemical processes, Drifting Bubbles, which travel to a chosen target and deliver a message in one of a number of different languages. Certain phrases have been carefully and idiomatically translated for use here, and whilst the exact texts may be a tad Modern for some readers, the item may perhaps provide amusement and Informative Linguistics.

The Vimeo staff has decided that we are no longer going to allow gaming videos on Vimeo. Specifically, we are no longer going to allow game walk-throughs, game strategy videos, depictions of player vs player battles, raids, fraps, or any other video gaming videos that simply depict individuals playing a video game. Videos falling into this category will be subject to deletion as of September 1st; new videos of this type will be removed.

Of course, as a resident of Second Life one immediately says “and so how does this concern me? I am not playing any sort of ‘game’, in fact I have taken time from instructing my employees and dealing with clients and speaking to my latest beau just to read your rubbish, Ordinal, this had best be good”. But, and I hate to say this, in many quarters Second Life is considered a “game”. I know, improbably, but it is regularly placed alongside Chess and Poker and the World Of Warcraft and other Activities Which Actually Have A Point To Them. Certainly I am not at all confident that a proper distinction will be made here when it comes to removing old pieces of cinema (such as, well, all of mine).

Obviously it is, literally, the choice of the folk who own the particular Aethernet Site in question as to what they allow, but ethically speaking when one has a certain community which has served to promote the service one has built up, one has a certain responsibility to it. And regardless of that, good god, were I to upload an hour’s worth of my wandering around Caledon I cannot see how that could be termed as somehow less worthy than a video of myself wandering around London. Or playing with a Cat.

Speaking personally I find myself in a state of Flux now; I am not sure whether my Cinema will be determined as being “machinima” (Good Game - for the moment at least) or “depicting individuals playing a video game” (Bad Game naughty delete in September). I am terribly susceptible to Anxiety and thus may decide simply to remove everything and make it generally known that Vimeo is not a place for Cinematic Artists. However, I would advise anyone wishing to investigate these distinctions to join the folk on the Vimeo General Forum, or perhaps leave a comment on their Journal Entry announcing this. I am sure that Proper and Satisfactory Clarification will be received forthwith.

The Full Set Of Photographs

For the next few hours, available for half price from my Caledon shop! (That is, L$200.) (Not any longer.)

If you wish for more detailed Historical Information, please do read the following….

The Vertical Clock-Loading Pistol was originally designed by Mr Peter Wilks, a clockmaker with no prior experience in Gunsmithery, yet a keen interest in the support of bold Partisans and Rebels fighting against Oppression.

In the cellar of his Whitechapel shop, Mr Wilks (an autodidact by temperament) worked for two years on the design of the Vertical Clock-Loading Pistol. His bold idea was to incorporate a loading mechanism driven by a combination of Gravity and Cunning Clockwork Mechanism, thus avoiding any Jamming of the Mechanism due to Misfiring and also an unusually high Rate of Fire for a pistol, and in this he succeeded admirably.

Yet Mr Wilks was not merely a talented engineer, but a man with a keen interest in Morale and its Maintenance. He included in the Vertical Clock-Loading Pistol a durable music-playing device operating from a series of punched tapes, which would re-energise its revolutionary wielder with one of several inspiring pieces of music.

Several hundred Vertical Clock-Loading Pistols were constructed and distributed around the world to Rebel Movements, where they were greeted with some Non-Plussed Expressions, but used to greater or lesser effect. Unfortunately, the reputation of the Pistol suffered something of a blow as it was discovered that, whilst Jamming was not an issue, the main spring of the Pistol was a tad fragile, and the mechanism required winding at unpredictable times.

The final blow was dealt at the same time as the final blow to Mr Wilks himself. Of Ruritonian extraction (his family having changed their name to more easily enter English mercantile society) he had returned to his homeland with a case of Pistols and six of Ammunition, in order to free Ruritonia from the depradations of the (depraved) Tyrant of the time. He quickly associated himself with a band of Rebels and it was determined that the only course of action would be Assassination.

From the accounts of the sole survivor of his final expedition, the Pistol proved extremely effective in eliminating Lackeys protecting the Palace of the Tyrant, and within a short space of time the plucky band had reached the opulant Bedroom of the fiend. Alas, at the precise point that they were preparing to enter, the stroke of midnight was reached, and the Pistols of the entire band had been set such that they simultaneously chimed in an inspiring but somewhat noisy manner - alerting nearby soldiers, who quickly emerged into the corridor from their guardroom.

Even at that point, the combined Firepower of the rebels’ Pistols might have overcome the Defenders of Tyranny, but Fate combined with Poor Metallurgy conspired to thwart this; fully half of the band’s Pistols were afflicted with popping main springs, and the soldiers made unpleasantly short work of them with their crude but non-clockwork rifles and sabres.

Ordinal Industries is pleased to be able to provide some support to the family of Mr Wilks, and has of course fixed all of the construction issues that plagued previous models. (Customers are however advised that, legally, the Vertical Clock-Loading Pistol has been designated a Historial Reconstruction rather than a Firearm, and thus all Liability for Injury or Death caused by Aspects of this Reconstruction has been most thoroughly Disclaimed.)

As a point of order, looking back upon the Photographs here I am really not entirely convinced by the current Colour of my Hair. *frowns*

(P.S.: Or Perhaps Actually There Are Still Restrictions)

Whilst I would be very pleased were this not to be an accurate portrayal of the situation I am of the opinion at this time, given numerous confirming sources, that it is quite true.

I penned a short missive of outrage to my brother Cardinal earlier this evening, being constantly in the hope of perhaps reforming him, which ran thusly:

Dearest Brother: whilst we have frequently been in Disagreement about many Matters, I would hope that you would be as outraged as I to see the latest suggestions that Linden Laboratory were prohibiting those who care to appear as Children upon the Grid from producing Exhibits, regardless of their content!

Surely this must contradict your oft-stated positions on the rights due to the Individual. There are clear Political Moves afoot by certain Politicians in the United States (as Mr Twain says, “the smallest minds and the selfishest souls and the cowardliest hearts that God makes”) to demonise anything on the Aethernet with any connection to Children, but certainly at this time to actually portray a child is not illegal or prohibited in any way, and it falls to all persons with any sense in their blasted heads to reject this sort of nonsense as far as is humanly possible - terrible rubbish that will do nothing to protect any actual Child and perhaps even put them in more danger by distorting the risks in the Public Mind.

I can see no reason whatsoever to kow-tow to the Prurience involved here, and indeed the fact that certain Political types and Journalists and suchlike cannot see the image of a Child engaged in Play and Enjoyment (or anything, really) without disgusting thoughts popping into their minds (such as they are) is really a matter that should be taken up with their Physicians, rather than indulged by the Legislature and Court of Public Opinion and certainly Linden Laboratory, a company composed of those whom I had thought to have more sense than this.

The recent clarification that Child-Like Avatars will be permitted attend, but not exhibit, makes the situation even more ridiculous. Clearly the Prurient will take this as confirmation that the Laboratory is quite happy to promote all of the things in their imaginings, and it will simultaneously serve to confirm to the Childrenish concerned that they are not considered worthwhile, and in the category of the Second Class in Second Life.

I popped this into the Shepherds Bush to Whitechapel pneumatic tube array at my local Sorting Office, and was surprised to receive a rapid reply. Alas, he has learnt nothing.

Dear Sister, I was not much surprised to receive your latest missive, as you yourself have yet to grow up in your attitudes to the Real World. Little wonder that you sympathise with these odd types.

Commerce and issues surrounding it are far more important than any of this nonsense about a few being told they cannot build their Fairgrounds or Candy-Floss Stands or whatever it is they do. Whilst it may be the case that there is no actual law involved, I fully support “LL”’s position here - they are taking the best decision to maximise their profits in the current political climate, and, to be quite frank, the group of folk concerned is negligible anyway.

Honestly. If he were not family. This, dear reader, is why I rarely speak to him, apart from his habit of frequently departing for foreign climes at odd hours of the night in order to avoid the Law.

My family correspondence aside, I really am rather perturbed by all this, and, if I did actually have a stake in the events, would be withdrawing it until such time as this were all straightened out. I do not, this year, but rest assured it will not be forgotten.

Additionally

• A statement from Everett Linden on the matter
• A JIRA issue to vote upon