Thursday, June 10, 2010

At the Linden Memorial

Claudia
Location: Graveyard

Thanks to a tip at New World Notes, I found CodeBastard Redgrave's memorial (direct teleport link) to the Linden Lab staff laid of yesterday.

My fellow malcontent, Pixeleen Mistral of The Alphaville Herald, was at the site too. She agreed with my assessment that it's time to back up any creations one has in SL, just in case. I'll have to get by the House of Usher soon.

Pixeleen

Pix took off to write a story about the layoffs, but she noted that a group of Korean residents were paying homage to the Korean SL staffers, an entire team let go as the Lab focuses more narrowly on North American operations and integration with social networks.

For educators, the loss of Claudia Linden is a final straw. Now that she and Pathfinder have been fired, we have the proof we need to support our claims that the Lab has been ignoring us for a while. As CEO Mark Kingdon noted in his press release, the Lab will focus on its consumer business now.

I'm not optimistic about any of this, even though the idea of Web-based SL client would be indeed very appealing, if it did not gut our inventories and creations made with the older clients.

A resident named Ratatosk Independent was kind enough to get me a memorial armband. She granted permission to quote her. I think her comments are pretty apt for this moment.

Ratatosk Independent: My personal view is that the money hunger of the current board has blinded them for the fabulous opportunity for all man kind.

Ignatius Onomatopoeia: yeah--M is the hatchet man for a bigger agenda

Ratatosk Independent: They see short sighted profit as the ONLY objective when they COULD have been able to create history for how people interact.

Ratatosk Independent: And if it feels as if I was angry, you would be ABSOLUTELY correct. I am FURIOUS of what they do to OUR Second Life.

Ignatius Onomatopoeia: yeah, SL is special. I wonder if they dare to hold Burning Life this year?

Ratatosk Independent: The irony is that tomorrow, they are going to hold a SL jubilee.

Ratatosk Independent: How merry will THAT be?

Ratatosk Independent: And Burning LIfe? Fat chance. Where is the money in CULTURE when you CAN push PORN?
Linden Bears

I often make fun of things I love. I love SL, even if the Lab has infuriated me at times. Right now, it's a grim moment. I sure don't want to be at any SL celebration. Let's hope the Lab has the remaining good sense to cancel whatever they planned for tomorrow.

2 comments:

Tenchi Morigi said...

I think we should start to become comfortable with the thought that LL is now out for one thing .... milk the cow as long as it has milk and then sell it to someone who would buy it for idealistic or sentimental reasons to monetize what is left.

And damn I so wish I would be proven wrong in that fact.

Iggy O said...

The cow is getting smaller, Tenchi.

Hope to see you in an OpenSim world sometime.