Emilysamber is an adorable, uber sweet girl I met in RL a few weeks ago. At first I thought she would think I’m a weirdo for passing so much time on Secondlife. But to my big surprise, she jumped in both feet tied, and became an instant SL addict, just like me. I will spend the details about our relationship, let’s just say she made me feel happy lately and Codie needed that.

She is so lovely in RL, when I saw her in this pityful state, I felt I had to do something radical to help her look as lovely in SL as she is in RL. As clever as she is, so focused and so aware of her own tastes, it was a real quick job to get results. After about 3h and 2000L later, we had her look like the real sweetie she is. She is a real redhead, pale skin and freckled. What could Codie want more. She wanted those characteristics on her avatar, so she got a makeover based on those requests.

• HAIR: Calico - Brandy Fire (also Ember 2 Fire and Tabitha 3) - 500L$
• SKIN: Tête-à-pied - Natural Makeup Almond #3 - 500L$
• OUTFIT: Silent Sparrow - Serendipity Suit (woman) - 500L$
• SHAPE: Sincere’s Cutie - Freebie
• EYES: Dramavatar Dark Green #8 (gave her Dark7 and Deep8) - 75L$ worth (gave her)
• SHOES: Tesla’s - Sculptie heels with ankle strap - Black - 349L$
• TOTAL: approximatively 1850L$

BEFORE TRANSFORMATION PICTURES:

AFTER TRANSFORMATION PICTURES:

I guess you will all agree, especially at that derisory price, that this makeover is a total success. Her avie is not yet as cute as she is in RL, but for a 5 days old avatar, i think she nows looks awesome enough to go in her Secondlife with self-confidence and with hope for the future.

I thought it would be funny to make my own color. Indeed, it was fun to do. Always wondered what was Redhawtness color like? Follow the easy compositing guide:

Since it’s the big hype, and that I already have a real life Facebook account (no, don’t ask!), I thought it would be a fun thing to make a Facebook account for my avatar. I know numerous Secondlifers already having an account, registered under their avatar’s names, and everything is good for them. My GF Nadine have an account and she wanted me to join so we could loose more time on teh internetz.

Well I did the stupid mistake of misstating the birth date. Seeing the email address I used was blocked, I had the honesty of appealing of the block but providing all true informations, apart of course my RL name. Remember Facebook displays the name as is, no alias allowed and that every one on your friend list see your name as provided.

Since from what I understand Facebook does not protect anonymity at all, like Myspace and Flickr allows, I thought it would be important to warn the SLitizens about that important fact.

So, here is the bottom line rules about Facebook. From the Facebook Terms and Conditions you CANNOT:

• register for more than one User account, register for a User account on behalf of an individual other than yourself, or register for a User account on behalf of any group or entity;
• impersonate any person or entity, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent yourself, your age or your affiliation with any person or entity;

Of course if you already have a RL Facebook account, and create an account for your avatar, you are in blatant violation of the Facebook terms and services.

Also there’s a few points from “Jonas”, Customer Rep at Facebook. Please note the irony, Jonas actually use a nickname, I am pretty sure that Jonas is not his full legal name, hence protecting his RL anonymity.

• Fake names (or accounts) are a violation of our Terms of Use.
• Facebook requires users to provide their full first and last names
  (i.e. no initials).
• Impersonating anyone or anything is prohibited.
• Nicknames are only permitted if they are a variation of your first or last name.
• Also, nicknames cannot be used in replacement of your first or last name.
• The accepted format is as follows: FirstName ‘Nickname’ LastName.

So well if we are fake people, again Second Life citizens are also Second Life citizens. I wish Facebook does what Flickr did, accept us as real citizens with real Second identities. We have a lifeline, reputations, and do valuable things for our community. It may sound pathetic (but I’m sure you will understand what I mean) but often our Second Lifes becomes as important to us as our other life.
Let me remind you of the Flickr case. SL Flickerites were considered as second class users, and numerous account NIPSA’ed because our 3D art was not considered photography. Flickr came to it’s senses adding a filtering system that allowed SL art to finally be showed on the main Flickr streams and search, if the user wanted to see the 3D art/imagery.

I strongly think the SL community should pressure Facebook into implementing such filtering system, why not adding an Anonymous filter, disabled by default if they want, that would allow us avatars to search for each other without disrupting the real people in their real lives. Their policy about duplicate account should also be modified to include 2 accounts per user, one nicknamed anonymous account, and one RL account.

With over 1,5 million REGULAR users on SecondLife (past 2 months stats), it is their business choice to do. Ignore that market and keep being the fratboy hangout, or expand to SecondLifers and expand their horizons.

Of course, I remind you that if you want to remain anonymous in SL, you should not use Facebook. Their only privacy protection regarding this is to limit who can search your account. All the people on your friendlist will be able to see your real name, rendering the use of Avatar names in Secondlife completely useless.

Also if you have a “fake” Facebook account, just be warned, they will delete it or suspend it if they suspect that your not using your RL name.

Facebook head honchos surely sleeps at night despite real life harassment, stalking, theft of identity and so on. But they must acknowledge why us SLitizens chose to protect ourselves.

So in conclusion, if you want to meet other nice SL fellows, don’t use Facebook. There are other less nice but functionnal alternatives, like Flickr, Orkut, SLprofiles.com, even Myspace, Youtube, Twitter, and so many others.

I have no idea how I could miss that bit, but Marquez Tone made an awesome music video montage with all of his best SL artwork. Of course theres a few ones of meh, along with awesome shots taken at Code Red. Miss you Marquez, SL is not the same without you.

Link to teh awesomeness video 

Hey sweeties,

After only 6 months I kinda became the focus of attention of some people I guess (ok should I bullshit you with false modesty?). Day after day I cannot realize, or maby I dont want to see it, how people interact with me. Everyday I meet some people I have never seen telling me how they love my work, or how they love me.

Frankly, I never know what to say, and each time I find that incredible. Yeah I work a lot, but no more than many other valuable people in here.

Then, after a while I realized they loved me for what I give them, show to them, because I’m showing sensitivity but strength and try to share that strength with everyone. I listen to them, give them credit and importance, and try never to act like a bitch when not necessary. I just realized they loved me for what I am, inside of my head.

I just wanted to talk to you, all of you people, those following my stream, those reading my blog even if I don’t post for weeks, those who twitt to me everyday, all those fantastic people I just meet randomly and that shows me respect.

I went through some tough times in the last 6 months. A 7 year old relationship ruptured is not without leaving deep scars. I struggle with many personal problems, my RL job is rough even as self-employed. I almost went mad. I want to tell all of you how you just kept me alive.

Every manifestation of love, every compliment, every kiss, every hug, every fuck, every kind comment on Flickr, or my blog, or Twitter. Every single bit counts to me, like a precious moment looking in the eyes a loved one. Every gesture brought toward me made me survive. Made me stronger. Made me what I am today.

Fortunately, things are clearing up for the better for me. And I owe it all to you marvelous people.

People see me as a strong willed, minded, always joyful person. But I’m not. I have my share of drama. What made it all not only bearable, but a drop in the ocean, is having you all awesome people around me. You make me strong. You motivate me. You make my imagination burst into flames and in return, I give all I have.

I know I may sound like I’m often bragging about what I do. It’s true, I’m very proud of my work, how I achieved it, how I manage to do so much. But really, when I look at myself in the mirror, I know damn well I owe it all to you people. You made me feel important. You brought attention on to me, and gawd knows I may be extraverted in SL, this is not the case in my other life.

I’m not saying I hate the attention, au contraire. It makes me feel great, loved, cared for. What could someone need more? My only hope is that you people understand who you really are yourselves. I wish you all understand that what I am, I owe it all to you. You are the extraordinary lovable caring ingenious creative and clever people. I am only the reflection of what you all give to me so generously.

Sorry for the call of heart but I really needed to tell you all this. I’m blessed by your caring. I thrive on your love.

And I love you.

Sincerely and deeply,

Codie

Here it is, using again Kisa Naumova’s awesome Chatlog Beautifyer:

 http://sleeds.org/chatlog/?c=77

“Avatrait cordially invites you to join us for the grand opening of our new inworld gallery. Featuring CodeBastard Redgrave, the festivities will begin at 1:00 SLT on Saturday, August 25th.

The new gallery is located at Simuality 62,179,31.

We will be simulcasting to our guests, a live feed from the SecondLife Community Convention in Chicago. In turn, visitors to our exhibit, will see you at the Gallery!

Exciting attire is recommended!.”

I posted a few samples of my new China Red serie on my Flickr stream. This whole 25 picture serie has been created for my upcoming exposition at Avatrait on next saturday, 25th of August 2007. Not only it will also be exposed at Avatrait real world gallery, but I heard it was going to be somehow shown on projector at the SLCC convention in Chicago. I’m so excited I can hardly contain myself!

Those samples on Flickr are NOT what is going to be sold at Avatrait, those are the pictures that have not be selected to be Avatrait exclusives. On 25 pictures, 11 have been selected to be exclusives and will only be avaliable to buy from the Avatrait Art Gallery in Secondlife.

Tired to look like a noob typing in the air with that annoying “tap,tap,tap,tap…” sound? Hate wearing type overriders because you stand up while typing?

Thanks gawd for Torley, here is a rather graphic explanation on how to permanently get rid of that awful sound and anim.

Link here!

I got a link from Mygdala’s blog requesting more explanations about the signification of my choice of name. Here in SL were blessed with that, were all born adults so we can choose how stupid our names sounds. Well here’s my comment reply to her on her article entitled What’s in your name. I thought it would probably be interesting to push it in here, since I hate writing lenghty comments.

[--------- cut here ----------]

Aha dear Myg,

Okay so just for you this is the “God, but why?” of my nick. First, everyone knows I’m a programmer. Hence the “Code”. But why bastard? Maby because it sounds better to my ears than “bitch”. To be real, im a big huge fan of the BOFH. OMGWTF?

Read more here:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/odds/bofh/
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BOFH

But so indelicate! Why such rudeness? Well first, fuck off. Yes this name has been chosen to fend off superficial, inane, insipid minds. Don’t like the name? Don’t talk to me. Also it is quite asexual, I thought I would get less harassment and dick heads if I chose a name that was something other than Lollipop Sucka (okay okay I’m pushing it). And maby some people would hold me in respect, taking me for something else than a hooker or just a fine piece of ass (which I am, really).

It was my mischievous hacker nick before I went into SL. So I searched for last names. I love red, it has always been my favorite color, even since I am a kid. And “grave” sounds so edgy and tough. Sounds like a blood covered tombstone. OK I will take it. So it is quite naturally that Code Red went in mind.

CodeBastard Redgrave. Wow, sounds awesome. And I was born. The looks and booty followed.

Of course, it’s a damn long name. I like long names. It reflects sophistication and complexity. But the downside is that, of course, it’s damn long to write. So people started to nick my nick.

Mairead Fitzgerald called me Red. Then people around shortened my first name to Code. Then some feminized it to Codie, so it soundz kyooter XD *gigglez and smilez*. But I like those shorter nicks too, and the longer ones too like Redhawtness (dear Melodious Source). Also got CodeB, CodeRed, skank, among others.

How to say it properly now, without me pistol whippin you. Let’s try some phonetic breakout à la Myg. CodeBastard is said in one trait like the two separate words. “co-d-bah’stard”. Redgrave sounds probably like “raed’grayv”. Or something like that. Codie is usually pronounced “Coh’dee”.

It always amaze me how people came to actually identify me in an environment as large as SL with Code, Codie or Red. Some people told me they now cannot dissociate myself when simply hearing the “red” word. Which is quite flattering.

Anyways, hopes it sounds like music to your ears Myg!

Love,

Codie,Code,Red,Code Red,the Redhawtness,the Red Queen AKA CodeBastard Redgrave