You WILL accept display names! DX

So, what really is in a name in SL?  Mine?  It's a sentence.  Some people have real sounding or culturally specific names.  Others have AOLish atrocities.  Then there's the people who try to get a 'message' across with their account name... Like... xxx69lickyoudry Felicity. (O.o)

Of course, now we're going to be getting DISPLAY names.  Our account name will be locked to whatever we signed up with, but, with a 7 day minimum we can have any bloody name at all... Well... Unless it's a curse word, on the ban list, or "Linden". (=_=)

But, why Linden?  Eventually that gets dug up at the end of the meeting. (=_=)

[2010/10/07 11:57]  Jack Linden: Drongle, Linden is a real world company with real world brand and protections of that brand. So yes, we will protect that inworld

But, what does that mean? (O.o)

Here's how the crowd understood it. (^_^)

[2010/10/07 11:58]  Ciaran Laval: Linden is also a real name Jack
[2010/10/07 11:58]  Master Kane: Oh and we qare just pissants jack?
[2010/10/07 11:58]  Zoha Boa: ZoHA Islands is a RL company paying +400 K US$ in tier to LL. Why can't you protect us ?
[2010/10/07 11:58]  Cummere Mayo: jack, many of the designers here are real world companies with bradings too
[2010/10/07 11:58]  Cummere Mayo: *brandings
[2010/10/07 11:58]  Imnotgoing Sideways: So, what about Linden St. San Francisco? (^_^)
[2010/10/07 11:58]  Marianne McCann: Hmn. I suspect Voyager might be a company's name out there, maybe others...
[2010/10/07 11:58]  Drongle McMahon: SA are hundreds of other names.
[2010/10/07 11:58]  Aargle Zymurgy: and I'm legally incorporated as well.
[2010/10/07 11:59]  Rigrunner Rang: so again i repeat a person can take no action until they see someone using their TM? There's no protective measures in place for anyone except Linden?

So, yeah, something is inconsistent... I mean...

[2010/10/07 12:00]  Imnotgoing Sideways: But, we get to use our RL names, right... What about when a Frank Linden signs up to SL... It's now everyone but him. (^_^)
[2010/10/07 12:00]  Imnotgoing Sideways: If there's nothing to be afraid of.... There's nothing to be afraid of. (^_^)
[2010/10/07 12:00]  Lamorna Proctor: yeah, you can have any name you like, as long as it's not Linden. What's sauce for the goose should be sauce for the gander

So far, the way I'm reading this is that anyone can have anyone else's name at any time, we can use our real life names, we can make up character names, but our display name can NOT contain "Linden". (=_=)

Stepping back in time...

[2010/10/07 11:38]  Imnotgoing Sideways: Linden Lab was only called Linden Lab because the initial office was on Linden St. in San Francisco. Surely, the name has a history that predates SL. (^_^)
[2010/10/07 11:38]  Lamorna Proctor: Unter den Linde was a street in Berlin years before :)
[2010/10/07 11:38]  Lamorna Proctor: *Linden

So, Linden Research Inc. (Remember when they made that change?) feels the need to protect the "Linden" name.  Why?  It wasn't theirs to begin with.  There are people, places, and streets that use Linden as a name.  Surely, there may theoretically be a genuine reason for someone to name their avatar "Linden" at some point in time.  But, that's blocked? (=_=)

To say they're protecting a trademark means... what? (O.o)

[2010/10/07 11:52]  Cummere Mayo: i asked what procedure you have for takedown notices of trademakred or copyrighted names?
[2010/10/07 11:53]  Cummere Mayo: saying talk to us isnt a procedure

Oh, true that.  Residents have trademarked their names due to business interests and such.  But, its not just that.  We'll be stepping into this with zero knowledge of the grief that will come from mistaken identity, fraud, misdirected Abuse Reports, among many other potential issues.  But, the Lindens aren't choosing to protect their resi... CUSTOMERS!  Paying customers, at that. (=_=)

Personally, I can say that I don't completely mind display names, but, I despise the current method being used to implement it.  Add to that, Linden Lab keeps telling us that there won't be a need for protections over our names.  But... They protect their own?  So, if there's no need, why do THEY need it?  That's the whole sticky point for me. (=_=)

I think I have a solution... Opt out. =^-^=

[2010/10/07 11:17]  Imnotgoing Sideways: I'd still love to have an option in my profile that says "Add my account name to the display name blacklist". It can be a tickbox right next to "Hide me In search". (^_^)

People like the idea.  But, will it be implemented.  Heck, it's not even getting acknowledged. (=_=)

I dunno.  I'm seeing a lot of frustrated people who are currently putting a lot of money into SL.  Linden Lab seems to strictly target who they can get far more than who they can keep.  It just smells.  (>_<)

The question is...

[2010/10/07 11:20]  Molly Montale: If being fooled is not a real concern then why will the sur name Linden not be available?

Anyone got an answer?  Anyone?  Bueller?  =^-^=

Meet the... WTF!?! (O.o)

I met E-famous people tonight. =^-^=

We were just kinda hanging out in our sim and Frac dropped in to say "hi". We poked at him for a while to make sure he was still squishy and had a chat. Eventually he went AFK in forever and someone dunked him in the water. (._.)



So, he comes back for a moment and gets back out of the drink. But, not long later a buncha people start landing on his head. Lots of familiar names too. I guess they had a lot to say to Frac, but, I don't run with voice on, so, meh... (=_=)



Then... Uhm... Arabella shows up. Dang! She's taller than I expected! She's nice, though. Had a good chat with her and offered well wishes over the situation down in that area, considering the earth quake and all. (._.)



It was kinda fun... Given our only plans for the night pretty much involved standing around and maybe critiquing each other's clothing. (^_^)

It was like a flash mob of Emerald drama just kinda blew through the sim! =^-^=

Mincing words over words. (^_^)

In reply to a comment here:

A cuff is an extra layer of fabric at the lower edge of the sleeve of a garment covering the arms. In US usage the word may also refer to the end of the leg of a pair of trousers. The functional purpose of turned cuffs is to protect the material from fraying and, when frayed, to allow the cuffs to be repaired or replaced without major changes to the garment.

Cuffs may be made by turning back the material, or a separate band of material may be sewn on or worn separately attached by buttons or studs. A cuff may show an ornamental border, or have an addition of lace or other trimming.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuff

If Prokkie would just un-ban me from his blargh... Oh well. He likes being wrong and silencing voices of dissent. (^_^)y

Chronology of a "Reduced Price" (^_^)

This was too LULZy to let slide. I had a good laugh. =^-^=

I sent my senior tech out to buy us some network cards and he did so (good boy!). I couldn't help but laugh at what he came back with. Sure, it was nothing more special than a box of PCI network cards, but it was the price tags that made me scratch my head. (O.o)



Okay... So, it was $14.99 and they reduced the price to $14.24. But, wait... The "Reduced Price" label was placed UNDER the shrink wrap. So... The price was reduced BEFORE the actual price tag was applied? (o.O)

Hang on... I see more than one sticker. The box looks like it has a stack... I must investigate... (=_=)



DOOOD! DX

The reduced price prior to the current reduced price was $13.99. So, the current reduced price isn't a reduced price at all. It's a jacked up price! DX

Add to that, all this is happening BELOW the shrink wrap. If anything, that $14.99 price tag is the most recent label to be put on the thing. How long ago was it $13.99? (=_=)

Hang on... There's just one more sticker to go... (o.o)



Okay! So the first time the price was "reduced" it was $14.24... Just like it is now. =^-^=

But... How long ago was this? And, why is this whole mess under the shrink wrap? (O.o)

Something smells and it's not the tunafish sandwich I wear under each arm... (=_=)