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Today we’re shining a spotlight on Cajsa Lilliehook, a pillar of strength and support within the Second Life community. Cajsa's dedication to uplifting artists through her discerning "Cajsa's Choices" and her unwavering commitment to social activism stand as a testament to her influential presence in the virtual world and beyond.
Photo by LessThen ZeroHow long have you been in Second Life and how did you first hear about it?
Since July, 2007. I downloaded demos of several games one night while I was recovering from an injury to my foot. I was so surprised by it and stayed."It's Only Fashion" has been a staple in the Second Life fashion community for many years. What motivated you to start this blog, and fashion blogging as a whole?
Blogging gave a purpose to my shopping. It legitimized what I did in Second Life, at least for me. Now, of course, it is Gidge Uriza and Rose Mistletoe who do all the blogging."Cajsa's Choices" on the New World Notes blog is known for showcasing the artistic talents within Second Life. Can you share what inspired you to start this column and what you look for when selecting works to feature?
It all began with a plurker who posted WTF picture critiques. They were unkind. One of my friends was heartbroken after being named and wanted to quit blogging. She only wrote a few more posts and not long after, she left SL. I wouldn't blame one plurk for her leaving SL, but it played a role. The critic often said it was cruel to be kind about bad pictures and her goal was to help everyone do better pics.I reasoned people would learn from praise for good pics. I began doing plurks about good pics. I started my What I Like column at Shopping Cart Disco, then I wrote a few for It's Only Fashion after SCD closed. I was pretty sporadic when it was for my own site. Then Hamlet Au asked me to write for New World Notes. This is my 99th month writing my column, three days a week, plus a Friday column on blogs I like.
What I look for is hard to describe. I like arresting photos that make me want to stop scrolling. I like it when someone clearly follows some easily explained rule of composition. I like pictures that tell a story, that challenge reality, that say something beyond “look at me.” I love it when someone has a fixation that inspires themes in their pictures, like Skippy Beresford and ships. I love it when pictures are about something.
I like pictures where people wear clothes. They are becoming rare as SL Flickr becomes more and more about the male gaze. I mean count the number of pictures with clothed men and nude, or nearly nude women. Now try to find one with a fully clothed woman and a nude man. I did a lighthearted, but negative column once, trying to stress how boring these implausible bodies are - SL/Flicker Cliche Bingo.
I do want people to let me know they want me to look at their pictures. Every day I find people I had never heard of who just blow me away. They can tag me on a specific picture or send me a Flickr mail or IM me in-world or tag me on social media. I think it's absolutely right and proper to say, "Hey, look at my pictures." I try to find new people by looking at people's favorites so I don't just look at people already in my following list.
What advice would you give to newcomers in Second Life who aspire to contribute creatively to the community, whether in fashion, photography, or other artistic avenues?
Do what you love. Then tell people you did it. I am sure there are people in SL with no creative impulses, but I haven't met them. The hard part about making great art, clothing, houses, music, dance, whatever it is that inspires your creative passion, you have to get the word out because you aren't going to be discovered at a soda fountain in Second Life. I know it's unfair to people who are introverted. I bet there are publicists in SL. There should be.With your interests in real-world book reviews and activism, how do these outside passions influence your contributions to Second Life?
Well, I did try to do YouTube video book reviews but they even bored me. I am an um'er. I might have done better off the top of my head. For a good laugh, check this YouTube channel.My books and my activism are reflections of my values which remain constant in and out of Second Life. I mean, in real life I can't afford a tenth of the clothing I enjoy in SL, but I still oppose systems of oppression and hope for a world where marginalized people are liberated. I mean more than just having laws to protect them from others, but to eventually create a world without precarity in which people can be the people they want to be, free, without fear.
Tell us about some of the other Residents in SL who inspire you and whose work you admire.
Oh wow, have you seen my columns? Hundreds inspire with their pictures. But going beyond pictures, I am inspired by the people who persevere year after year after year.Folks like Daniel Voyager, Inara Pey, and Hamlet Au, who keep writing about Second Life so doggedly. They have their niche and they fill it.
Then there are the Tubthumping heroes who get knocked down and get up again, folks like Gidge Uriza, Maxwell Graf, Nimil Blackflag, Sophia Harlow, and Sanura Snowpaw....and so many others whose real lives can get hard, terrifying, and full of grief, but who just will "never let you keep me down."
Fashion bloggers, well, my friend and blog partner Gidge is my favorite. Have you read her stuff? She is hilarious. I like the bloggers who write about the clothes, that explain why they like them, and even shockingly, they sometimes suggest improvement, bloggers like Gogo, Grazia Horwitz, Sasy Scarborough, and Sydd Sinister.
Again, folks who persevere year in and year out. I guess I am sort of biased toward the old guard. And of course, speaking of persevering, Sasy with Hair Fair year after year. People do great things in Second Life.
Where can people see your work? Please share links to your sites and social media accounts.
Well, my columns are tagged so you can see them all at nwn.blogs.com/nwn/cajsas-choices
flickr.com/photos/cajsa_lilliehook
tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com
singleservingrecipes.wordpress.com (on hiatus until I replace my camera)
goppredators.wordpress.com
itsonlyfashionblog.com
bsky.app/profile/cajsa.bsky.social
twitter.com/Cajsa
linktr.ee/cajsalilliehookThank you, Cajsa, for your invaluable contributions to the Second Life community, and for setting a precedent as one of the original fashion bloggers, inspiring countless others along your journey.
Each of our Spotlight posts features a different Resident to showcase the spectrum of experiences and personalities found in our virtual world. If you have created something inworld that you’re proud of, or have had a deeply meaningful experience that could brighten someone else’s day, please sign up! More info here: https://second.life/spotlight-signup
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Happy Wednesday!
We’re writing to remind everyone that we’ll be holding our monthly Web User Group meeting today at 14:00 SLT in our usual meeting place, where we’ll be discussing our status with ongoing projects and our near future plans for our web properties. As always, we’ll leave plenty of time for Q&A from the community. This meeting is conducted using voice. We're happy for you to contribute in voice or in text, but you'll need to have your voice settings activated. We look forward to seeing you there.
Keep up to date with all of our user group meetings on our wiki and public calendar.
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🌱🌼🌷
Residents featured in this image:
Top Row (from left to right):
Middle Row (from left to right):
Bottom Row (from left to right):
Thank you for sharing your beautiful images with us! 🌸
For a chance to have your image featured in our social campaigns, submit your work to the Official Second Life Flickr Group.
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Second Life is getting some new, exciting features that will make the world look even better.
Mirrors are arriving soon! While we love the realistic reflections PBR materials enable, mirrors take reflections to a whole new level.
You can create a mirror using a method similar to reflection probes, but with a twist -- when a reflection probe is set to use the “Mirror” option, all surfaces near the probe will exhibit a real-time mirror reflection, including PBR and legacy materials.
We chose this method to enable maximum flexibility. For example, you can create a big wall of mirrors and have minimal performance impact regardless of how many mirrors are on that wall. As long as they’re aligned with the mirror reflection probe, they can all show a mirror reflection.
To conserve performance, mirrors are subject to some limitations. The Viewer will show the effect of only one mirror reflection probe at a time -- the one closest to your camera. Mirrors are planar, so they won’t work very well on the body of a car, for example. Like so many good things in life, mirrors are best enjoyed in moderation.
Applying PBR materials to terrain will be possible in the upcoming featurettes release. You will soon be able to apply most GLTF materials to terrain. Initially, PBR terrain will support normal maps and metallic-roughness maps. Emissive textures will not be visible on some machines and transparent materials are not fully supported. We expect PBR materials on terrain to vastly improve the beauty of SL -- because there’s a lot of terrain out there!
PBR terrain uses triplanar mapping, a texture-mapping technique which is new to Second Life. On steep slopes you will notice far less texture-stretching. To conserve performance, triplanar mapping will be enabled only when the graphics quality setting is set to “High” or greater.
With the advances in GLTF PBR Materials and upcoming Terrain materials, we know it is time to increase the texture size limit to 2K (2048x2048 pixels). We are approaching this change carefully, and are still weighing pricing options for images larger than the current max size. 2K textures will allow artists to add significantly more detail to their creations and do things like efficiently consolidate more UV surface area onto a single asset.
Mirrors and PBR Terrain will be available on the Beta Grid (Aditi) to start with, on the following regions:
- Rumpus Room 2048
- Rumpus Room 2049
- Rumpus Room 2050
- Rumpus Room 2051
Interested in trying out these new features? You can download the Viewer here. Never accessed the Beta Grid before? Here’s information on how to access the Second Life Beta Grid: https://lindenlab.freshdesk.com/support/solutions/articles/31000156725-accessing-aditi
We can’t wait to see what fun and exciting new things residents create with these featurettes!
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The Concierge and Land User Group meeting is a monthly, public meeting for discussion and education on Second Life, useful to both Mainland Residents and Estate owners.
Topics include any issues relating to Customer Relations/Support or concerning Land in general (mainland, islands, Linden Homes, estates, auctions, etc.).
Join Wendi, Vix, and members of the Land team, on Wednesday at 12pm PT at Linden Estate Services. All are welcome.
Keep up to date with all of our user group meetings on our wiki and public calendar.
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Hi Everybody!
I would like to introduce a new member of the Linden Support team, Boxy 5000.
Boxy 5000 is a virtual assistant/support bot trainee.
But wait, wasn’t there already a chatbot who answered questions for premium users? Indeed there was! Boxy 3000 was the earlier model of the trainee chatbot.
We are learning from some design flaws and moving forward with a more advanced bot. Boxy 3000 has been re-invented and given an extra 2000!
But wait a second time! Won’t this bring about the machine apocalypse? Not just yet–Boxy 5000 is more advanced and learns as they go but Skynet is still a few upgrades away.
The upgraded bot will be a 24/7 support option for both premium and non-premium residents! (Previously only available for premium customers.)
Boxy will have the ability to answer commonly asked questions, keep you up to date on current issues, help with ticket submission and in some cases handle a support request.
Boxy has uses for all residents, from early adopters to fresh new faces.
For new and more casual residents Boxy is available to help them find the support they need.
For our seasoned veterans Boxy can offer support options for some specific requests. Specifically, Boxy will be able to submit an abuse report on your behalf and in some cases help with the restart of a region!
Boxy will continue to learn as we go. Boxy might not have all the answers currently, but we will continue to review questions posed and help the bot to better answer your support queries.
We realize that a chat bot is not a substitute for a customer support representative, and this bot is not meant to be. It is however meant to help when we are unavailable or may be experiencing higher call volumes.For premium residents Boxy will only be the first point of contact before being passed to a support representative during office hours. Utilize Boxy to help better explain your issue once you are transferred to a support representative. Outside of office hours Boxy can help or create a ticket for when we are back in the office.
The ability to get an answer to your question or to get your issue resolved without having to wait until our Support Lindens are available is Boxy’s primary directive.
Anyone interested in saying hello to Boxy can access it by logging into our support portal. The Boxy 5000 chat widget should appear in the bottom right hand corner of your screen.
Boxy 5000, it’s advanced…
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