Thursday, September 27, 2007

A Sutlery For Second Life Soldiers: Dominic Roffo's Old Glory


Dominic Roffo is proud to announce the opening of his store, Old Glory Sutlery. Featuring Union soldier outfits and artwork upstairs by Lily Lewellin, OGS is a small store, but with a great L$800 21-piece Union soldier outfit, a L$150 Kepi (cap) 4-pack and a L$600 Union Officer Sword Pack. Sit by the pot-bellied stove and spin yarns with other history buffs!

Mr. Roffo would like to take this opportunity to thank Lily for the large share of the work she has assumed in creating and maintaining Old Glory, and let her know he appreciates it.

For those south of the Mason-Dixon Line, whether in RL or in spirit, there should be a Confederate Forces release within the next week.

At A Glance: Officer’s Sword Pack (Modify, Copy, No Transfer)

Contents:

Sword Sheath, steel
Sam Browne style belt
Crimson Sash (flexi-prims) or Gold Sash (flexi-prims)

Sword Blade with 3 built-in animations

A great deal of care and work was put into these historically accurate, highly detailed items.


Dominic's Officer's Sword Pack includes items called Gold and Crimson. They both have the same items listed below, the only difference is color of sash. This sword is appropriate for officers of all ranks and all items have been bundled for convenience.

Sword and Sheath (everything except Sword Blade attaches to stomach as an object): The sword is attached and worn hanging from a hook on the belt – per period, it is not to hang forward in front of the waist. This position will not affect unsheathing or sheathing the sword. There is excellent detail on the sword blade, handle and brass knuckle guard. The sheath is shown as the more durable steel type common in the war.

Belt: This is a regulation Sam Browne style belt (strap across shoulder) with all appropriate straps and 1851 U.S. Contract Issue brass buckle – a gorgeously detailed group.

Sash: Constructed of flexi-prims, it comes in two colors, crimson and gold. There were regulations for the appropriate use of each color, but the fact is they were used interchangeably, so regardless of rank or service, Civil War enthuisiasts can simply wear the one they prefer!

Scripted Swordplay

Animation instructions are simple for the sword: attach to right hand.

Sword commands consists of three Draw Sword animations and Sheath Sword.

Each draw has a separate idle pose animation.

Fighting with the sword involves holding the LEFT mouse button down. If it is released it one will need to press it in again to attack.

Officers may also press a directional arrow key or the corresponding W, A, S or D key to attack in that direction.

History of the Model 1850 Sword:

The sword was adopted April 9, 1850 and was the standard until the adoption of the Regulations of 1872. General Orders Number 21 of August 28, 1860 allowed a lighter alternate straight bladed sword called the Model of 1860 to be worn in place of the heavier Model of 1850. Photographic evidence suggests that the Model 1850 was more popular with officers during the Civil War, but in 1872 it was the Model 1860 that replaced the Model 1850. A Model 1850 staff and field officers' sword is much more likely to be Civil War era than a Model 1860, which was used to 1902, and more likely to be postwar.

The Model 1850 staff and field officers' sword was adopted at same time as the Model 1850 foot officers' sword and bears some resemblance to it. The staff and field officer's sword has a more elaborate half basket guard that bears the letters U.S. and other decorations. Both typically have 32 inch etched blades. Both may have leather or steel scabbards. These weapons were privately purchased by the officers and vary in the richness of their decoration. Some are presentation grade, extremely fancy weapons that were not intended for routine use. The design was based on a French pattern. Many of the Model 1850 swords were manufactured in France or Germany and imported into the United States.

Old Glory Sutlery can be found at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Steelhead/67/95/29

RELATED GROUPS: The Civil War, Old Glory Sutlery Group



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Friday, September 21, 2007

One of Second Life's Sharpest Gadget Designers: Golden Oriole


I can't imagine how much time it has taken Oriolus Oliva to make all the items I saw at Golden Oriole, to merchandise and label them. Everything shouts out "quality" from the storefront, a half-open house, to the logos, lettering, and graphic editing.

Endearing amounts of detail -- and that's just the package!

This will be perfect for a small storefront, no matter the era.

Every picture is a work of art.

Live your own Renaissance! Populate your home or office with these fine maps!

This authentic armor will have Oriolus Oliva passing his plate!

Lots of fine glassware and pottery available to decorate with!


Got five minutes? Make your own pottery! I got to keep mine.

Golden Oriole can be found at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Twisster/162/89/31.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Visit our friends in-world!

The following merchants and friends have been kind enough to place a Second Life Merchant Times vendor or vendors on their land in Second Life. If you would like to help out, please come down to http://slurl.com/secondlife/Hawkins/179/110/81 and pick up a Second Life Merchant Times web-linked vendor. I hope to have an update server in place tonight so as more freebies are added to the machine, you won't have to worry about coming back here to replace your vendor.

Without further ado here are our friends and supporting businesses!

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Belial/206/89/45 BuZY Mall and Motel. Home of scalable Chess sets, soccer kick games and great stores :-)

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Yass/45/115/301 JC's Cove -- home of the best beachhouses, tiki and accessories!

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Tuesday, September 18, 2007

SL selling points... from a long, long time ago

For anyone who's ever had to think up a Second Life advertising campaign, I found this scrap of paper tonight, notes I had taken from a sales book from the 1940s:

Wants You Can Satisfy With Your Product

Eating (yes, SL food is actually a viable business! Just visit At-Cas to see!)

Pursuit/hunting (SL combat)

Acquisition/collection/possession (ahem, 20,000 inventory, anyone? :D )

Escape from pain and/or suffering (isn't that what a lot of SL is all about?)


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Wants You Can Satisfy With Your Product (continued)

Escape from fear (this one was difficult to apply... but something that could protect my inventory from loss would be pretty cool. :D )

Avoiding disgusting things (Anti-griefing comes to mind)

Being active (Again, what SL can be all about)

Emotional excitement (Dancing/Platinum beds anyone?)

Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting (Artwork, textures, builds, particles [like rising steam from a prim turkey], prim food)

Mental activity (Games, random scripted eye candy, combat)

Overcoming interference (Your own skybox, all by yourself, no boss, no worries...)


Positive aspects of your product to emphasize

Profitability (A lot of people are in SL to make a profit)

Time-saving (Gawds, I hate lag, so if your product doesn't bust my sim, I just might buy it.)

Effort-saving (A lot of businesses take a few hundred steps a day to run. Cut down the time to execute these steps, increase people's profits and free time.)

Recommended by others (When in SL Rome...)

Easy to get (I hate having to flip through 10 pages of a vendor... make it accessible and it's often an easy sale!)

Easiest thing to do/easiest way to do it (Again...)

Cost (Market competition is tough!)

Pleasantness (SL can very often be a fun place, so selling into that desire for a nice time can pay well.)

Usefulness (My favorite item isn't something complex... it's a Bubble Bee I shrunk down that flies like butter. In second place? My mega-buttoned Tardis!)

Protection (Shield and anti-griefing are viable markets.)

Reputable maker (Branding is alive and well in SL. Word of mouth works wonders!)

Means of selling you can use in an ad campaign

Commands ("Enjoy ______ ... ") ("Use _____ ...") ("Protect _____ ... ")

Exclamation ("THE AMAZING 4-PRIM BATTLESHIP!")

Rhetorical question ("You don't want to be griefer bait, do you?")

Dilemma ("Will you leave your spending money out in the open, free to spend as you want... or will you put it into a secure, stable fund that pays for itself in a half-year?")

Inspiring generalization (think of any ad campaign that gets away with simply calling something "cool")

Picture of satisfaction (from using your product)

Picture of dissatisfaction & loss (from using someone else's!)

Complimentary argument ("If you want ________ [success, low lag, lots of friends, an organized inventory, etc.], here is our product.")

I know these notes are off the beaten path, but it was just a little something I wanted to bat around the Internet for Second Life businesspeople who are stalled for advertising ideas. Let me know how you liked it by posting a comment!

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Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Something Fishy: Second Life's Best Aquatics!

SPECIAL NOTE: Something Fishy has been greatly rewarding just by being explored without any advance knowledge. If you're the sort of person who enjoys plunging smack-dab into the middle of a sim you've heard about, without needing to know any details about where you're going, take this landmark and come back to this article later:

http://slurl.com/secondlife/Something%20Fishy/138/107/22

The moment I arrived at SF, I knew I was in for a great time. Something Fishy's design makes it a great virtual reality, and I didn't want my tour to end.

With 80s music blasting, sun, seagulls and an airy open setting that extinguished all my lag-filled nightmares, I landed by a bungalow in the center of the island, and immediately noticed the shape of the whole place: a giant fish with bubbles and "Something Fishy" written in huge lettering!

The authentic aquatic tunnel architecture -- never mind the creators just throwing all the fish against a wall and hoping they sold -- drew my eye next, and I wandered through under water, surrounded by exotic fish, jellyfish, treasure chests, starfish, mermaids, and anemones. With the music now off, I easily heard the calls of a few whales, coming from the NSBW (tm) Whale Call (L$190). This handy device has adjustable sound range, volume, and silence intervals to help set any atmosphere in your underwater environs. And for L$149-L$890, Something Fishy offers the Nature's Smart (tm) line of intelligent fish, jellyfish, and whales. The male and female Baby Whales being offered take up 7 meters, 15 prims, randomly surface, spray water, have their own sound effects, and even follow an adult whale (sold separately) around!

Nothing but nice open space in the sky and plenty of eye magnets on the ground.

Go underwater without getting even your avatar wet!


Something Fishy offers the Nature's Smart (tm) brand of realistic SL wildlife products, including this whale and whale call.

As I was walking around... Hey! It was the fish lady, Maggie Morgan! I struck up a conversation with her.

When I asked her the history of Something Fishy, she told me, "It used to be all squished on the mainland, but I was there three years (inspect the blue fish tanks, you'll see they're 3 years old), and it was really really really hard for me to give it up."

I asked her if she had to use a lot of prim plastic bags to carry over the fish. She laughed and said yes.

Maggie Morgan: My items have evolved a lot in the past three years. However, there is still a market for my original fish.

Lionel Oliva: I see... which are they?

Maggie Morgan: The big blue tanks. The fish and tanks are 3 years old. Never changed, tee hee. What else can I tell ya? We have gone from those stiff fish to flexi realistic-looking fish to sculptie dolphins, rays and sharks.

Lionel Oliva: What is your latest and greatest collection?

Maggie Morgan: Well, the latest and greatest are my hawkbill turtles and rays. The dolphins are over here.

Lionel Oliva: Impressive. So I see you can even buy a fish as it's swimming around!

Maggie Morgan: Yeah! The dolphins have sound, and papa, mama and baby are all different, one prim. The tails wiggle too. I made all that stuff down there in the water too.

Lionel Oliva: This is years ahead of the last dolphins I saw.

Maggie Morgan: Thank you, thank you.

Lionel Oliva: How long did it take you to make all this and set it in place?

Maggie Morgan: Oh, this area? I sat on the end of the pier one day and just said to myself... "What would people like to see?" Probably took about 5 hours total. When things actually calm down I might add more. The reef walk took days.

Lionel Oliva: I've always wondered what kick-starts these gigantic businesses.

Maggie Morgan: Well, I'm just a lil' girl in SL who sells the only thing she could learn to create. But I wonder too when I see other businesses. I hung out with this guy who was creating casino machines three years ago, and he said, "We gotta find something for you to do." We found fish. (points to more fish) Are they not cool? They're animated.

Lionel Oliva: Very lifelike. Do you have an art background?

Maggie Morgan: No, I am self-taught in graphics. I work for the government in IT. And actually, the sculpties were not created by me. I have an exclusive contract with an exceptional sculptie builder. (laughs.)

Lionel Oliva: My brother was the same. He started drawing fish when he was 5 or 6... the most amazing collections of color and form you'd ever see from a little kid.
What else do you hope to add here?

Maggie Morgan: I have momma and baby blue whales. Next I want orcas, and I have an idea for my lower-priced line of fish for those who watch their money. Want to see my reef walk?

Lionel Oliva: Sure....

Maggie Morgan: So yes, I think I'm going to make them flexi, but keep the aquarium-seized ones priced low. Nothing to set the world on fire but we have to think of newbies and such. This reef walk took days on end. Here are some really great jellyfish too. They change color at random and are free-swimming in an area selected by their owner.

Over at the old place, there was no room for anything more than vendors and sales stuff. Here i tried to create an enjoyable environment: swimming with the dolphins; this walk; a beach; you know, more than a store.

Lionel Oliva: Yeah... that's what my publication goes for. Hello JC!

Maggie Morgan: Hiya JC. Welcome to Something Fishy.

Lionel Oliva: This is my friend JC. I have the Times building on his land at JC's Cove.

JC Anvil: Hi you two. This place is cool!

Maggie Morgan: Ty, ty. I'll have to check the Cove out.

JC Anvil: Sweet! Still working on the beach actually. I love your waves here too.

Maggie Morgan: I have the wave guy's vendor here. That's another thing, Lionel. I have quite a few split-profit items. Working with other folks works out well. I've been contemplating buying the hippoVEND System and giving my stuff out for others to sell. Because my fish already swim, displaying them in a vendor took some creativity, which brought me to Jacks.

JC Anvil: My friend 10khz Tone has built a packaging system that will work with his vendor system. It's going to be pretty cool. Are those Aunti Flan's?

Maggie Morgan: Yes, Ante Flan's.

JC Anvil: Ante... lol... I guessed.

Maggie Morgan: I have three little stores here. They all belong to good friends, so they're gratis. My good friend Walter is one of the shop owners. Plus this lady I know has some plants for sale. Did you guys get your free mosaic?

Lionel Oliva: Not yet.



Maggie Morgan: Here. They size to anything and still look good. That mosaic's only free month for the month of September so if anyone wants one he or she should come by ;)

Lionel Oliva: Well, Maggie, that should just about wrap up our interview, but I wanted to thank you for your time and wish you continued success with Something Fishy.

Maggie Morgan: Anytime, Lionel! :-)

Do you think, eat, breathe and sleep fish? (Well, maybe not eat, after you visit :D) This bed can at least take care of the sleeping part. Fish swim around right in the headboard!

Over 100 fish to choose from and dozens on dozens of accessories to accompany your purchases!


The space in SF is luxuriantly designed, with open space, welcoming leisure areas and vendors alternating harmoniously.

A good business helps you forget you're visiting one.

Large and small round aquariums (L$300) stand on a wall in front of a lighthouse.

Wall-mounted aquariums, transparent aquariums, round aquariums... this one changes textures!

Mr. Jellyfish does the wave a few feet from shore as a seagull flies by.

Not exactly a fish person? Take your pick from ducks, jellyfish, dolphins, and several lifelike types of mermaid like the one shown.

Something Fishy can be found at http://slurl.com/secondlife/Something%20Fishy/138/107/22 .


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Saturday, September 1, 2007

SecondLife's Coffin King: Caskets R Us



We stopped dead in our tracks and had a fit of coffin when we saw this sprawling funeral emporium. The owners are gravely proud of their deadlihood and spend hours a day decomposing odes to its Gothic appeal. The CRU crew is two couples, Tiger and Elektra Noh, and owner Naughty Desoto and creative director MsTootsieDoll Lamourfou. As Elektra describes MsTootsieDoll, "she's the visual coordinator/decorator, Naughty's loving wife, and the store would not be what it is today without her :)".


Lost souls welcome!


I wouldn't make a wish on this horse :D

Plenty of atmosphere accompanies your wandering across this giant store, with the sounds of Dark Soma to accompany you on your melancholy way. Try a ride on the merry-go-round, and also look for a free gift!


A tisket, a tasket, we're going in a casket.


Love and death need not be mutually exclusive.


Whatever your eternal rest needs, Caskets R Us has it, from simple tombstones to elaborate mausoleums. These aren't just run-of-the-mill variations on white slabs: you'll find dark stone, moss-covered structures, even tombs with flames, horns, and giant skulls.

For those unfortunate souls afflicted by vendorphobia, there is a chance to haunt the grounds. Structures may be purchased where they stand in CRU's free-standing graveyard, located between the tomb-like vendor section and the haunted house, which is sprinkled with various unsettling apparati. Check out the attic for a setting reminiscent of H.P. Lovecraft.


As for racing fans, there is a CRU racing track! Right click the teleporter in front of the haunted house to warp up.

Caskets R Us Too can be exhumed at http://slurl.com/secondlife/On%20Dok/190/123/91.

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