Released….. the Gas Blaster

When the top selling point of an item is “self replicating fart clouds”….. there is something different about it. Taking the suggestion from a young family member, I’ve created the most vile, obnoxious, immature weapon you could ever hold in your avatar’s hand….. the Gas Blaster. The Gas Blaster, as the name sort of suggests, blasts clouds of gas. One shot from the Gas Blaster will create a fart gas cloud which lingers in an area. Not only lingers, but spreads….. doubling in size, up to three times. Of course, what fart cloud isn’t complete without the sound effects….. and plenty of them. If this isn’t enough vile obnoxiousness for you….. the fart clouds are sticky, and if you walk through one….. there’s a chance the fart cloud will stick to you and the only way to escape it is to teleport away. A direct shot will cause a fart cloud to instantly cling to your opponent.

It’s a gas, it’s a blast, it’s the Gas Blaster!

Business, Business, Business

So, I had to give the Dictatorshop a second floor in order to make room for more products….. and now, it seems like I have too much space! Of course, I’m sure I will fill that space before I even know it. There’s several items I’ve been trying to get completed….. from Subspace to a few more unique weapon designs. I’ve been dividing the Dictatorshop into sections, catering to specific areas interests in each section; mature, cages, weapons, etc.

And speaking of weapons….. the Net Gun, for the Capture Roleplay crowd, has been released. It’s modeled after a real-world net gun for capturing animals, so those of you are using bows and arrows or those silly cage guns in order to “capture” your slaves….. it’s time for an upgrade to something to enhance your roleplay immersion. Seriously, it’s one of the more accurate representations of a net gun you’ll find!

A novelty gun for fun is in the works….. I won’t tell you what it is, but I’m sure people will be pleasantly/unpleasantly surprised. And despite the little extra effort I plan to making this one work….. it will be released for an incredibly cheap price. This one is purely for fun, not profit!

The Subspace BETA program has ended, and with the feedback I’ve gotten from the customers, I’m working on putting together the final version of Subspace….. there were only two or three issues people had a problem with, so the final release of Subspace is not far off. And for those of you who don’t know what Subspace is….. it’s a product which has just about every “force” method in Second Life you could imagine. Some people offer force mouselook and force still….. Subspace offers over half a dozen options, and will be offering a few more in the final release. And I have to say, getting all these features to work together in concert with one another….. was quite interesting.

I’ve been holding off working on mature content, such as new BDSM gear, until I find out what the affects of age verification will be, and how it affects the Dictatorshop. Of course, from what I can tell….. it won’t affect the Dictatorshop (itself) at all. The Lindens have said that only things which are explicitly sexual or explicitly violent will have to be flagged as adult, and that places which are BDSM don’t necessarily have to be flagged adult unless it’s a place where people “play”. And well, I have nothing explicitly sexual or violent in the Dictatorshop, by any stretch of the imagination, as I don’t display pictures of my gear “in use”, I only display the gear models themselves. The only thing which may be borderline is the Real Dick, which can be easily transplanted into its own adult section if necessary. As for the rest of Matriarch, it’s a residential island, and wouldn’t be affected. However, it’s always best to err on the side of caution….. so, my output for BDSM gear has slowed…. and I’ve been working on other projects, which have been quite a bit of fun! Designing weapons, for one, can be quite fun!

For anyone interested….. my friend Wrestling Hulka is selling 3D Lighting for something like 18,000 - 20,000 USD. Major products! Major product line! An opportunity to buy an already highly successful business!

And finally, the best for last….. my beloved Emmalyn Wei has become really good at creating poses for Second Life. If you need a pose for something, look her up!

Spreading the Dictatorshop’s Roots

Well….. as most people know, the Dictatorshop had always been a strictly BDSM-based business. However, with the coming changes to Second Life access, it will no doubt change the landscape and economy thoroughly. So, in the chance that the Dictatorshop store has to become an “adult” business (though, I don’t see why since there’s nothing explicitly sexual on display), the Dictatorshop will also have a PG-related substore based on weapons and gadgets….. here are just a few of the releases in the last week or so, and with many more products in the planning stage, keep an eye on the Dictatorshop for new non-BDSM product lines.

Web Slinger: Coincidently released about the same time as the Spiderman III movie (not intentional, really), the web slinger allows an avatar to spin a web from a hand, and pull themselves along the silken spider web. If one feels bold enough, another web could be cast in mid-air, and pull oneself from one web to another, swinging in mid-air. Of course, no web slinging creation would be complete without being able to spin a web around another avatar, ensnaring them

Flamethrower: Wanton, flaming destruction. The flamethrower is a replica of a WWI-II era flamethrower, which is capable of setting anything (or anyone) on fire. The flamethrower, more often than not, has to be seen to be believed….. and tried to experience how much fun releasing a torrent of flame across an area can really be.

S.A.W. (Savage Assault Weapon): What could be more threatening than a union between a rail gun and a circular power saw? An industrial weapon employing cutting edge technology with basic simple savagery…… every person and every dog has a gun. Be different. Be savage. SAW!

Foreign Laws, Ageplay, Etc…..

There has been a lot of furor running about the Second World over the whole age play issue, and while I’m not involved in the ageplay community by any stretch of the imagination, but, I’m going to toss out my two cents…. for no other reason than I’m bored because Second Life is still down…..

The Law, the Facts of, and Second Life Ageplay

There’s been a lot of talk about “the Law” and ageplay and what constitutes child porn and what is legal and what isn’t legal. While I’m not a lawyer, I have heard enough and read enough news to know that in the United States, only images depicting real children in sexual situations are considered illegal. A lot of people have been saying (even Robin Linden) that it’s illegal for Second Life avatars to engage in fake adult/child sex, but this is not so….. there was a law in the United States which once banned virtual/fake child porn, but that law was struck down by the Supreme Court and ruled unconstitutional. The Supreme Court has effectively said, “Unless there’s a real child involved, there can be no child abuse.” and unless the image contains a real child, showing real abuse….. it is legal….. in the United States.

However, just because its legal in the United States, doesn’t make it legal everywhere. In Canada, my country, any representation of child porn is illegal….. and I believe (but can’t be sure of) this is the case in Germany as well…… So, Linden Lab is bending to the laws of foreign countries such as Germany where virtual child porn is illegal. It’s a commendable action, but, it does have serious negative consequences, despite the content. And while I stand by the laws of my country, and I believe images of virtual child porn should be just as illegal as real child porn….. the fact of the matter is, in the United States, where Linden Lab is located, this is not the case.

So, the core question here is: If you start banning Second Life ageplay/images “based on laws in Germany” which is “legal in the United States”….. what kind of precedent is being set? I’m seeing Linden Lab saying they banned ageplay because its illegal, but its not illegal under the country’s jurisdiction in which Linden Lab operates, just illegal in the country which brought it to their attention.

So, what about middle eastern countries? What happens if they come to Second Life and bring to the Lindens’ attention that any woman showing any amount of skin is illegal in their country and want their local laws applied to Second Life as well? Again, showing skin is legal in the United States and Germany, but illegal in strict middle eastern countries. Where does the line of subjecting Second Life to international laws get drawn? How do you ban one facet of Second Life based on laws in one foreign country while completely ignoring laws in others? Where does the line get drawn? How does it get drawn? And what happens when one of these countries hauls Linden Lab in front of an international court/tribunal saying, “Well, they banned that because it was illegal there, they have to ban this because it’s illegal here.”

If ageplay in Second Life were actually illegal in the United States, I think people would have no issue with it being banned. But the fact of the matter that it is legal, that this is what has so many people in an uproar, regardless whether they agree with ageplay or not. Even if Linden Lab has said, “We’re banning ageplay because our company does not want it here.” That would be an entirely different context, and far more acceptable to the community at whole than saying, “We’re banning ageplay because its illegal in Country X.” Once you start outlawing things because of Country X, it’s not long before the rest of the alphabet starts shouting, “Hey! We’ve got laws you need to follow too!”

To me, it’s not the content which is at the heart of the ageplay issue. Most people agree child abuse, and child porn (even virtual) is horrible….. but, many are disagreeing with the context in which it has been banned, and the precedent which is being set by Linden Lab. While yes, you may disagree with the content of ageplay, and you want it banned, many are saying by supporting this ban in this manner, you are agreeing with the context in which it has been banned….. and that is Second Life must be held accountable to foreign communities outside of the United States, and that makes Law in Second Life an international slate which can be written on by any foreign governmental body who chooses to impose its will in Second Life. So, are you prepared to have Islamic Law applied to Second Life? As far fetched as it may sound, what stops them from doing so once the precedent has already been set for them to do so?

In the end, while I don’t understand why an adult would want to play the role of a child having sex with another adult….. and I have no interest in really trying to understand, it is also not my place to tell another adult, “No, you cannot dress like a child and have sex with your partner!” If there are no children being abused, no laws being broken in the country which the ageplayer resides, and no laws being broke in Linden Lab’s country, then exactly, what legal justification is there for such a ban? Linden Lab said it was illegal, “Illegal how?”

The content of ageplay being banned in a legal context without legal justification in the country which Linden Lab resides, is a dangerous context.

So, while I really don’t care if ageplay is banned or not, as the content is irrelevant, I *do* care about the context in which such a ban is being put placed.

I just have to ask, “What content will be banned next under what false context?”

“The BDSM Community are just like Nazis” says Prokofy

Yes, perhaps the title of the post is a little tabloidish and over the top, but it is a good summary of what Prokofy had to say.

“But BDSM, Gor, Ageplayers — these are all groups using force, violence, coercion, deception — they all extol the notions of degradation, rape, humiliation, slavery. They bear everything in common with the Nazis; they bear nothing in common with those intellectual and racial groups destroyed by the Nazis.” — as publicly stated by Prokofy Neva in the Second Life Herald.

If BDSM were a race of people and not a community of people, Prokofy would have made such a self-serving racist remark that it would have made Hitler proud.

Lecherous Leeches of the Second Life Herald

Villainous, vile, venomous, vigilantes….. that describes many of the people who have posted comments in the Second Life Herald today and last night about Meta Linden.

Anyone who knows Meta, knows Meta is *nothing* like she’s being portrayed by the Second Life Herald and its legions of thoughtless comment mongers. Meta made a simple mistake….. a human mistake….. in Linden Lab policy by asking someone to remove a chat log from a third party website, a mistake which she apologized for. Yet…. for some reason, people decided to start connecting dots and decided to “disclose” Meta’s alt-ID…. which has *what* to do with the issue? Some presupposed or conspiracy theory that Meta had a grudge to settle? This is just horrible, and nothing less than contemptible.

People assumed things. People decided to play vigilante. People got hurt.

And this is the kind of witch hunting some people just loves to do….. and it doesn’t matter who you are, or what you do…. the bottom line is, “If you disagree with us, we’ll find you and we’ll hurt you!”

Simply disgusting!

Adult Verification

Well, we all knew that the adult industry was going to be the next to somehow be constrained after ageplayers, casinos, etc….. and now we know the method.

Adult businesses and areas in Second Life will have to be flagged as “adult content”, and in order to access these areas a resident will have to be verified as an adult by either driver’s license, passport, social security number, etc. I’m undecided whether this move is good or bad.

Adult businesses are going to be the first to suffer, because a lot of people will be unwilling to give out government related information on a website which isn’t government related.  So, it’s a sure fire bet a large section of the adult market will go under from this alone. And because of the size of the adult market in Second Life…. the fallout of that will hit the rest of the economy as well. Of course, the adult industry will slowly recover as more and more people decide to verify…. but, I imagine, for the period of a few months at the very least, as people wait to be verified, the adult business will be all but dead….

However, in my opinion, the system is pointless and redundant. Linden Lab could achieve the very same thing by forcing adult businesses to block unverified (by credit card/PayPal) players from entering these areas. There are people who say, “But a teen can use their parents credit card to register!” and to that I say, “Well, if a teen can use their parents’ credit card to register, it’s a sure fire bet that it’s just as easy for them to get their driver’s license # or SIN/SSN to verify as an adult. They’re often in the same purse or wallet.” So, really, we won’t know if we’re dealing with adults or teenagers who had access to their parents’ no more than we would know if they were teenagers who had access to their parents’ credit card. So, I have to ask, “What is the point of adding this second system?”
The burden of proof can *already* be set by denying entry to unverified people, that needs to be enforced by Linden Lab.

So, what it comes down to….. will people verify? I think half will, half won’t. Many, like myself, have serious issues with giving out government related information to a third party website which isn’t government related….. and what happens if I choose *not* to verify and run an adult oriented island? Do I get restricted from my own island? Banned from entering my own land?

Luckily, for me, the Dictatorshop is large enough, and I’m capable of being diverse enough, to survive the potential brunt of the hurricane which will, no doubt, slam many of the industries head on. And, to people who think the non-adult businesses won’t be affected…. consider that the adult oriented market, which consists of more than 30% of Second Life’s economy, is the primary draw for the general population in Second Life (sorry, but nearly every residential home in Second Life has sex furniture of some sort). If there’s one thing that human history and social evolution has shown time and time again…. if people can’t find something to fight with or fuck with…. they won’t care enough about it to pay for it.
Like I said, while I do expect time for the industry to recover in time….. it’s the initial force of the storm which is going to cause businesses to sink. How will business owners pay for islands, land, etc while the trickle of customers waiting to be verified have no access and no ability to purchase products to support them?

There’s so many questions, so many scenarios…. the truth is, nobody knows how this will affect business in the long run. But I do know, it *will* hurt and kill businesses in the short run.

A New Endeavour

I’ve been looking for something fun to do lately, so, I decided to do some weapons research– and in the last week I’ve released two wonderfully fun weapons with visually impressive displays. And the one thing I wanted to do, was design weapons which plays to the “realism” of weapons, instead of catering to the “quick kill” round. My weapons are scripted for true combat enthusiasts who know that the only good kill is one you earn, not one you just press a button and unplug a life. So……

The Flamethrower: Let’s face it, there’s not enough flamethrowers in Second Life…. and those that are, well, they sputter sparks more than behave like a flamethrower. So now, the Dictatorshop is selling an impressive flamethrower which can be used to ignite anything to flame! The ground, objects, and even avatars, can be set aflame with this fun and devious product. Of course, given its ability to set a sim on fire should someone be so inclined (ahem, Shard), it’s one weapon which should be used responsibly! Damage:10-40% depending on flame exposure!

The Blaster: Yes, there are a lot of Star Wars inspired weapons in Second Life, but where are the ones inspired by the Stormtrooper blaster with its unique red blaster bolt? Well, now it’s available at the Dictatorshop! Each blast, beautifully rendering hardware lighting from firing point to target. Damage: 0-30%, like a typical blaster, sometimes you can’t hit the side of a barn, sometimes you’ll leave a big scar.

Anyway, more weapon design plans are already sitting on my desk….. and it’s really a lot of fun thinking up ways to create various weapons.