I missed Sarah Nerd's party due to people forcing me to drink a strange potion, this potion largely erased parts of my memory of last night's debauchery although I do recall turning the microwave on three times and three times witnessing the circuit box turning off my electric downstairs, this is when I realised it might be the microwave causing the problem.

What has this got to do with transferring assets I hear you cry, and the answer is nothing but I wanted to explain my absence was due to circumstances beyond my control!

Right, transferring assets, there's a bit of a hulabaloo about whether residents should be able to take their items to other grids, especially if the other grid doesn't respect permissions.

The crux of the matter seems to be based around perceptions of what an item is. Consumers (that's me) seem to think an item is something they themselves own. Content creators (that's the clever people) seem to think an item is licensed and that they themselves retain ownership.

I can foresee much gnashing of teeth over this issue if it ever becomes an issue. Consumers in most cases haven't ticked boxes on Eula agreements when purchasing items in Second Life and this is a very important issue in terms of ownership.

Linden Lab of course would appear to own everything, and we do click a tick box there to agree to terms of use, so in all reality the power is in their hands.

So where do we all stand? Do consumers believe or even realise that they only have a license to use a product? Do content creators make this abundantly clear? Are we all going to have to start ticking boxes everytime we buy an item, especially if the content creator wants to restrict use of that item on other grids and more to the point, are content creators offering refunds if consumers don't agree to such terms and conditions?

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It has been a long time coming....but I am finally back on line....now I get to test Second Life to see how it runs on wireless. Talk to everyone soon!!!

Shortly after writing my last article, virtual exchange habitue Arnaud Villota called me on a statement I had made regarding patterns of behavior amongst those utilizing virtual exchanges. The comment itself opined little effort and a predelection towards rants with little follow-through. When I'm wrong, I'm wrong.

Vitolla directed me to an SLCAPEX thread that announced the creation of a WSE Watch Group complete with a website. While I have my concerns, I have to admit existing information pertaining to the WSE is spread far and wide. Lots of oddly-titled forum threads laced with off-topic rants often overshadow critical information. It's not a remedy, but it has potential. Done right, it may send a very powerful message. And there's no denying this kind of community response is to be applauded.

To further that pursuit, I'd like to request that anyone who has had their WSE account locked come forward and make it known either as a comment here or at the SLCAPEX thread dedicated to discussing the WSE.

This request is inspired by a message WSE CEO LukeConnell Vandeverre sent to an unknown number of individuals:

(Posted with Vittola's permission):

"[16:07] LukeConnell Vandeverre: (Saved Mon Aug 11 00:07:24 2008) Hello. WSE has over 27000 accounts of which less than 10 are locked due to breaches of the WSE Terms of Service by those users. I've noticed that you have been making it your business to you spread false allegations about the WSE and I'd like to know why you are doing this? what do you stand to gain? Your account isn't even locked. Regards, Luke.

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Readers likely remember that Delicious Demar Enterprises (DDE) was one company entangled in a mass delisting after WSE CEO Lukeconnell Vandeverre (RL: Luke Connell) froze and liquidated ("delisted") several companies due to their congregating en masse without his approval to discuss key issues pertaining to their future on the WSE. DDE itself was not delisted, but the company's namesake and CEO, Delicious Demar, felt compelled to voluntarily delist.

Last week, Delicious Demar announced that Vandeverre had locked her account at some point just before the WSE's "reopening." Decrying the act as a theft of her shareholder's rightful assets(reportedly 234,000L$ PLUS share holdings), Demar summarized Vandeverre's decision as being due to her having

...an opinion that isn't popular with the owner of the WSE - i.e. that it is a highly risky endeavour, and the owner has shown himself to be without honour. In his megalomaniacal mind, that justifies the theft of OUR assets.

Since my own account was locked due to what Vandeverre has phrased "fostering a negative opinion of the WSE," I've no doubt that Demar is correct. In the months between the WSE's abrupt trading halt and reopening, we've seen more than a few instances of frozen accounts, delisted companies, and disappearing announcements.

Appearing at the end of that blog was a comment left by Ivan Halfpint, former advisor to WSE-listed Fund Second Life(FSL)-rebranded "Fund Virtual Shares(FSV)" due to copyright issues- who left due to conflicts with FSL's management in their decision to remain listed at the WSE. Halfpint provided a log of an encounter with Vandeverre, which, while excerpted, would appear to be nothing new, save for the clarification of Vandeverre's position:

(Posted with Ivan Halfpint's permission)

You=Ivan Halfpint

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Friday August 15th at 7pm SL time we will be having an amazing party on the Nerdy Sanchez sandbox and sim celebrating everything NINE INCH NAILS!!!!!!!!! There will be music from DJ Mabb, there will be an amazing stage by Bearinthe Morning, there will be prizes, there will even be a virtual version of Trent look-alike!!!  You can have fun, dance in the mosh pit, meet fellow nails fans, and win lots of prizes including two tickets to see them LIVE on August 22nd at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland if your able to attend.   It will no doubt be an amazing event that will also become a Youtube video shortly after.  So clear off your calander because Friday night, You have plans!!!

Jack has wrapped up the mainland discussion forum post and there are a couple issues about this that I find greatly concerning, the main one being "What the bloody hell are they upto?"

I feel there's a classic bait and switch going on here that is going to lead to some unrest. Advertising is a key issue, and I feel they've got something up their sleeve that I'm not going to like.

Jack said "We need to professionalize all aspects of advertising inworld. This includes our relationship with the advertisers, the conditions under which advertising (especially by large networks) is controlled and the guidelines that we wish advertisers to adhere to."

Besides using a Z instead of an S, for which he should be thrown into the channel, I don't like the implications here. They're throwing a fig leaf to the very people who have caused the problems. Those of us who put adverts in our own malls, for our friends, customers or merely because we like something, are in for a raw deal over this I fear. Not all advertising = ad farm. If I want to attach to the wall of a store an advert advertising my private island or another store I should damn well be able to do so. If my neighbour tells me it's too bright, it's too big, it's blighting their view (and attached to a wall this is unlikely) then i'll be a good neighbour, I'll change it, I'll move it, I'll compromise.

However I really don't want to have to pay one of the big ad networks to carry my adverts, I can advertise myself thank you very much. There's no point putting an advert in a place that is going to piss off your neighbours, that's common sense, I don't need a policy to tell me that.

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Land popped up on list for 3.9l a meter for a 6144 so I went to look at it, and it was nice so I was about to buy it but then I hear this girl pleading with Sayuri Yuitza who bought her land with a bot for 1l when she was trying to group it.  Why she's begging for her land back Sayuri Yuitza ejects and bans her and then tp's away.  It's just sad.
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[20:34]  Teleport completed from http://slurl.com/secondlife/NineInchNerds/128/128/14
[20:34]  Connecting to in-world Voice Chat...
[20:34]  Indii Tolsen: I know you understand me
[20:34]  Connected
[20:34]  Indii Tolsen: Sarah
[20:34]  You: Hi
[20:34]  Indii Tolsen: this was a mistake
[20:35]  Indii Tolsen: It wasnt ment to sell
[20:35]  You: What happened?
[20:35]  Indii Tolsen: I was changing the group
[20:35]  You: =(
[20:35]  Indii Tolsen: and I set it for 1L but before I had a chance to buy it it was boufght
[20:35]  Indii Tolsen: please I need it back
[20:36]  Indii Tolsen: I worked hard for it
[20:36]  Indii Tolsen: it was total mistake
[20:36]  Indii Tolsen: its our home here
[20:36]  You: Are you giving it back to her?
[20:37]  Indii Tolsen: she wont answer me
[20:37]  Indii Tolsen: now my house has gone
[20:37]  Sayuri Yuitza: ...............
[20:37]  Indii Tolsen: and all the stuff in it
[20:37]  Indii Tolsen: thats all I get
[20:38]  Teleport completed from http://slurl.com/secondlife/Felipo/114/34/51

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[20:36]  Sarah Nerd: Not sure who she is but I get the impression it's the alt of a shitty landbot who used to be called Celene that used to steal peoples land like that
[20:37]  Indii Tolsen: oh my god

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I banned this guy because I have a free to play greedy table that pays
out at the end. Idea is it's supposed to be fun and give newbs a few L.
I banned this douche for putting prims on the greedy table blocking the
other players from being able to take there turns.

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Amidst the VAT Town Hall feedback on the main forum, buried deep within is a response from Zee Linden that many people have ignored. Largely because too many people seem interested in "neener neener" politics.

VAT complaints by the way should be sent to European politicians, not Linden Lab, although there is the odd issue that Zee doesn't seem to think that charging tier inworld would be that much of an economic issue. Logistically I'd imagine it could be problematic but it would save me VAT at this current moment in time.

However back to the gambling point, here at post #196, Zee Linden:

"On another question, its also unfortunate that in some countries in the EU that gambling is allowed, but because our servers are all in the US these residents cannot gamble. This is something we can fix and we're working on it. In the meantime, unfortunately no gambling."

I hate to point out the obvious here, but generally to run gambling you need to be licensed. As far as I'm aware, gambling as it was in Second Life wasn't technically legal in Europe anyway. That however could be considered a moot point if Second Life can get a legalised gambling entity to run gambling games, and keep out the Americans. Unfortunately that's the way it would have to work.

This does suggest that the gambling ban has either hit Linden Lab's bottom line more than people thought, or that Linden Lab see the potential for growth from gambling. Generally I felt that the reason the economy as a whole wasn't badly hit by the gambling ban was because gambling money tended to stay in gambling circles. For example gamblers would buy Lindens to gamble and they'd spend their winnings on gambling some more.

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