It’s also really important to me to be able to help out the people who buy my bits and pieces. Communication isn’t easy in OL as I only get offline IMs in my web toolbox, and unless someone’s in our Friends list, you have to do a hit-and-miss attempt to add them as friends in order to be able to IM them back. But we manage.

I’m proud of my items and the fact that they’re all made on OL. Although I actually started the furnishings side on SL (under the Phaedra logo) and have re-used most of the textures in OL that I created for Phaedra, the items in OL are all different to those I had in SL. Similarities are just that.

Although I don’t actually use the Made on the OLG logo, I do make a statement about it in all my product notecards, and I created my own signage which is more in accord with my personal aesthetic. The sentiment however, is mirrored.

I also created a group in OL called The Guild of Merchants. The idea is that members who advertise that they are a member, and part of the conditions of membership are that products are created in OpenLife.

So are you a member of the Guild? And if you’re looking for items to buy – do you look for items bearing either a ‘made on’ or a Guild statement? You should be.

Shai Khalifa
Shai Things Furnishings (Tropicana)
Shai Things Accessories (Tropicana)
Shai Things Underwater (Zanith)
Shai Things Village Life (Zanith)

I saw a photo of the “Elderglen” houses. Clever use of wasted space is the best I can say about that. Cyllindrical walls are a terrible waste of space; they have just over 3/4 the volume of a comparably sized box. Incidentally, I’m taking a pool as to how many days from going live before Elderglen becomes overrun with Gor crap.

You know, I read another review on the Linden Homes, and the blogger offered what I think is a very valid theory: LL is corralling the “desirables” all into one area, so as to show off to the Big Rich Businesses that they’re trying to woo into SL. (source, here)

If that is so, I almost hope my Gorean scenario plays out, just to annoy the Man, lol.

Of course they announced this AFTER I plunked down the ducats for a couple of parcels (okay, 3 now) on the mainland. I will say that the Japanese section was the nicest, but you would probably think the Elderglen fantasy area was quaint, but elf-explanatory. Heh.

What’s creepy is how crowded the houses feel, although there’s space between with little walking paths. Not a lot of chat privacy, anyway.

And you know, since brand new residents are freaked out about finding a safe place to hunker down and process it all, it’s a nice idea. BUT they’re still dumping new residents in Virtual Suburbia, with very little idea of what they can do there, and no ability to learn (much) the hard way. I didn’t see much community-building content there except for some kind of pub or college of alchemy in the Elderglen.

You’ll laugh to hear this, but I created an alt the other day, because I’m foolish enough to be starting to make stuffs to sell, and browsing the Sluniverse and SL blogs convinced me of the usefulness of it having a test customer.

I chose to rezz him at Caledon Oxbridge, having visited there recently. Of course, I sent him the basics of male Victorian Steampunk attire first, so he didn’t look like Dorky McDuckwalk right off the pad.

What a difference! The tutorials are clear (once rezzed) and the stuff you need to know is laid out for you. And there are interesting people hanging about who’re willing to help, not to mention good quality, free AVs (including tinies) AND decent light-duty era-appropriate AOs.

Linden Labs wants to welcome new residents? I can name several groups (not just baronies and estates) that do a MUCH better job at new-AV nurturing. Maybe they should outsource resident education, and concentrate on keeping the hamsters healthy.

At one point, I was sorely tempted to check for an iPhone link to OL.

Please make sure Santa gets Mistletoe’s letter. She’s a good elf.

As to fancy revolvers, Greythistle Twine is all over that. He does some incredible work, have you seen?