DrFran’s Alt Goes Shopping

By DrFran Babcock

Yes, I know that Second Life’s™ history is my obsession, but this grid is filled with so many things to do, and ways to be, that I can’t stand focusing on just one thing. With Bix as an editor, the writers are usually free to explore their passions, and that’s a great thing.

One of the things I had done for a while was to have a freebie blog, and it was relatively popular, but a lot of work to maintain. I have stopped that blogging, but I still felt the need to write about the better buys that are out there in this fabulous virtual world. If Hamlet can feature fashion (), so can this revered publication.

However, DrFran doesn’t have the time to go looking for freebies, so she sent out her secret alt, Livre, to hunt for her.  From time to time she will go out looking for items. The rules are that they have to be free, or no more than five Lindens.

The Fall enMeshed Hunt

Sadly, this hunt wasn’t completely set up by the time my alt went looking, but the first gift was worth showing you. It is a burlesque outfit that comes complete with everything including the skirted corset, panties, booties, and even black pigtails. The only problem with the outfit was the booties, in that the texture did not seem to render no matter what I did. However, at 0 Lindens, I am sure you could make use of the hair and outfit for Halloween, or for dancing at your favorite burlesque hall.

This picture was taken at the Moulin Rouge, a fitting location for a corseted lady. Credits:

enMeshed into Fall Hunt #1 Burlesque Outfit includes all you see, including the black pigtail hair (booties, too, but the texture wouldn't rez, so I didn't show it. Wasteland Clothing http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Green%20Goblin/26/115/38

enmeshed into Fall Hunt: http://enmeshedhunts.wordpress.com/enmeshed-into-fall-2013-hunt-hints/

Taste the Rainbow Hunt

This hunt has a lot of really nice freebies, including hair, and some wild glittery lipstick. Today, Livre is showing you the Blacklace Beauty rainbow eyeshadow and lipstick. I think with the right outfits that this makeup can really add a nice finishing touch that is a little bit funky, and a lot chic.

Taste the Rainbow Hunt information: http://chanimations.deviousmind.net/2013/08/09/taste-the-rainbow-hunt-2013/


Blacklace Beauty: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Blacklace/146/148/31

Group Gift Goodies

These were Livre’s favorite finds of her mission for freebies. The exquisitely detailed turquoise blouse was a group gift from Ruby’s Closet, and the group is free to join! The detailing of the buttons pulling over the chest is one of those things that makes me cry with joy. My only criticism of the shirt is the Nehru-like collar. I would have preferred a lower neckline. This did not detract Livre from wearing it all day, along with her group gift hair from Eater’s Coma.

The hair is a very nice gift from another group that is free to join. Your gift hair is actually a HUD that gives you every single color that the hair comes in. The mesh rigging is superb, and the braid moves along with your body. Livre chose the platinum, and it looked just right with the aqua top.

Credits:

Ruby's Closet Aqua Layer Top Group Free to Join http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Blacklace/146/148/31

Hair: Eaters Coma Group Gift This amazing hair comes as a HUD and will give you every color made just with a touch. This is the light Platinum. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SIXTY%20NINE/126/126/501

Me’LanGe Store Hunt

Livre’s last treat is a store-wide hunt for gemstones that contain all kinds of outfits and gift cards. I will show you two of them. One is a ballerina costume in lavender, and the other is a she-devil costume. Each of them comes complete with all the stuff you need, including boots or shoes, and cost only one Linden. The hunt is going on until August 30^th, so you will have to hurry!

Me’LanGe: http://huntsl.wordpress.com/2013/05/28/melanges-treasure-hunt/

So, that’s it for this installment of DrFran’s alt goes shopping. If you like this, let Bix know, and maybe he’ll put Livre on the payroll. Just kidding, of course.

DrFran Babcock

Fear Lurks Redzone Menace

Once upon a time, a man invented a Toilet HUD. Flush! Gulp! LOL And invented the so-called "EVIL" - "DIABOLICAL" and EXTREMELY OVER-RATED SL security device RedZone.

How did this man succeed in pissing off most everyone in Second Life?... his RedZone customers? ROTF LMAO... privacy activists? Linden Labs? and even ordinary SL citizens?

Here's how: RedZone (RZ) is a crappy product... overpriced... and WAY OVER-SOLD.... RZ pretends to be a revolutionary SL land security system, that claims to detect so-called Alternative Avatars (Alts).

It doesn't really. It's a kluge. By deliberately invading people's privacy, RedZone supposedly collects Internet addresses from SL viewers via music and media connections. But due to network address translation, that Internet address could be shared by a million ISP customers! DUH! Not Alts dummy... same ISP!!! Hello AOL! You got mail! lol

Not only that, Toilet HUD genius pulled his marketing right out of Saddam Hussein's playbook... claiming to be dangerous.... wildly fabricating sales figures... pretending to have sold over 20,000 RZs... 6000 in fact on a day when nobody shopped at his store! Except a happy camper on Deluxe Toilet (comes with free HUD) lol... See http://no2redzone.wordpress.com/

And we are led to believe that Toilet HUD guy has collected 5 million Internet addresses! OMG! I didn't know AOL had that many! lol

We all owe a debt of gratitude to Scylla Rhiadra for her thoroughly researched exposes on RedZone.

To protect ourselves, disable your SL media and music streams (Ctrl P Audio&Video tab), and wear this HUD called GreenZone. Buy for free. See "How to Play SL Music Outside SL" below.

In Picture 2, you see GreenZone doing it's job: ALARM! Means RZ haunts this dreadful place. I got RZ alarms at Bad Girls, RAWR store, and the RP sim Radiant Gardens. Places we should all avoid like the plague. I can imagine if your SL business is an a**hole magnet, and your customers are SL a**holes, you might feel a need for a hoax like RZ. You deserve each other! Enjoy! lol

I went to two dozen popular places in SL, music clubs, stores, lots of places... Guess what? No RedZone!!! Any place that uses RZ sucks! Hands down! Boycott their businesses! Join the SL group Green Zone Users for more info.

BUT DUDE! RZ is a bummer! What you really need is THRONE! YEAH! Picture 3 shows Lord Ivan the Terrible THRONE! YEAH! It's like Toilet HUD Revenge! You ride on the backs of Philip Linden slaves and go round vaporizing and ejecting mere mortals! Bwuwahahahah!

Throne and other disgusting inventions of an infantile mind... Ring of Burning Death, Very Paranoid Bug Detector, and our favorite "As Seen On TV" product, the Deluxe Toilet HUD (Picture 1). Lure in unsuspecting SL campers with offers of money... then make rude noises and orbit their butts! Dude! We could have fun ALL day long! NOT!

This article is satire. Orbiting and ejecting are extremely violent acts. Fine for video games if you please. But SL is not a game. Bada bing. Read: SecondLife is Not a Game!»

Also, help fight RedZone and other privacy invading products by voting for this JIRA: https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/VWR-24746?

HOW TO PLAY SL MUSIC OUTSIDE SL

LISTEN on iTUNES, REAL-PLAYER, Windows-Media-Player, or WINAMP - SL music programs are based upon Internet streams...

In Viewer 2, (a) Ctrl-Alt-D to open Advanced Menu, (b) If you are in Viewer 2.4 or later... Advanced > Show Debug Options, then in the box type adminmenu, set the radio button to True and OK (c) Advanced > Show Develop Menu and (d) Develop > Show Admin Menu. Then do World > Place Profile > About Land... Select-Copy the music URL off the Sound Tab... and paste it into your favorite media player (outside SL on your PC).

In Viewer 1 (or Phoenix & 3rd Party Viewers), click on the Region Name in the menubar (top of client)... Media tab... sometimes you will see Music URL there... IF NOT, Ctrl-Alt-D to open Advanced/Admin menus, then Advanced Menu > View Admin Options (or Ctrl Alt V), now click on the region name (top menu bar) then go to Audio (or old Media) Tab. Select and copy the "Music URL".

Paste the Music URL into you PC media player. Shortcut Ctrl U for iTunes and Real Player (CMD U on Mac)... then click in the text box and Ctrl V to paste (CMD V on Mac).

P.S. This video is impossibly funny sendup of RedZone... Ummm LOTS OF F WORDS... Caution! If you want a great laugh you have to watch it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqW0A0PLhQ0

(Originally posted on CNN)

Any1 Gnoid