When Anti-theft Measures Discourage Sales.

/me drags out soap box.

I love my hair,  but I have been wearing it every day for over a year.  I thought maybe,  Just maybe a little variety is in order.  My character is supposed to have Curly hair, and try as I have most Curly hair on SL looks as terrible as dread locks. But, on the lookout I remain.

I came across this on SLex  Xstreet the Marketplace  last night, and thought it was worth a shot, I picked up another while I was at it.

I wait for my delivery (an awful long time these days) .  I unpack my delivery like a good girl should, and I try on the hair,  lo and behold, this is what happened.

 



The hair attempts to Rez on my head, but then quickly disappears, and I am told  not once but twice "[02:19]  [DEMO] Action Womens Hair Debbie - Candy: This DEMO can only be worn/viewed on the Action sim, you can get their by clicking the SLURL--> http://slurl.com/secondlife/Action%20Surf%20Sk8te/39/180/24"

Hmph.  Now, I am not normally one to complain on something that cost me nothing,  but since this touches on a bigger issues, I left this one star review:

So, I admit upfront I didn't read the description all that carefully, because for a freebie demo, I didn't think it would be so complicated.

But, since my connection is super slow of late, I opted not to go to their sim in person just to try on the hair.  As it is very difficult to teleport much less go to a sim with a lot to download.  So I didn't even get to *try* the hair which means lost sales. (at least two)  Downloading this Demo, and searching for it on the Market place actually wasted my time.

Theft paranoia is getting in the way of customer service. I can't support that.

Looks nice from the pictures though!

Protection from theft is a good thing,  and I find it especially admirable to take a proactive step to do this. I once downloaded a hair demo that was "No modify" in my inventory, but very modifyable on my head.  I could have said and done nothing,  I could be wearing it right now! But I did what was right and contacted the seller.  (didn't buy the hair, though.  It was everything I hate about curls in SL) so no one can tell me I am okay with stolen hair.

But it's getting out of control when measures to deture theft make it so inconvenient for your potential customers that they don't buy the hair.  As it turns out, I got lucky with the second Demo, and it let me try it on.



I like it, a lot.  But alas, I can not support such disrespect for customers with my buisness.

Especially since, trying on the hair in the store wouldn't stop a copy bot.  A copy bot steals the *whole* item, with full permissions, so it ends up being worn off the sim anyway,  the big ugly demo box is removed.

It used to be, that the big demo box was a great big source of shame that you were too cheap to buy the hair.  That was deturant enough (even if it is a sort of walking advertisement)  Apparently, "Demo" Images on strands of the hair are not enough now, either.

/me puts soap box away

 

My mother made me wear clothes from fabric left over from the drapes! (and hair!)

or.. "Things that look more like greek clothes than any shit you find in SL"

 

Sheer! With colour! What a concept. Indeed. Not all Chitons were white, some had colour, and living in the mediteranian meant that the fabric was often thin!

 

This one even has the tied waist

 

OMG COLOUR!

By now, you get my point.  There are some great sculpties of curtains out there that would almost work... if wearing a big sculptie on my body wouldn't make me look like a total douche.  It is seriously depressing to me that the easiest garment into the world to make (no sewing involved) is the hardest to find in SL.

There are a lot of togas, even some good ones I think I own almost all of them, but I only wear a few.  Maybe I can get some curtain textures with swags, and tinker.

I'm like that with hair too, I have so much hair but I really only wear a few of them because the Greek hair is not good and the good hair is not Greek. (Yes. I am obsessed, mkay?)  but I did find one I kinda like...





So not the Greek-y hair I sort of lust for,  but it is a little Pre Raphaelite... which almost counts, right?  So anyway, I got the demo... and of course I took some pictures.

^{Korinda takes pictures like Forrest Gump.}

It's nice... but is it her?  Con: it covers up the bark swatch on my face, but I can fix that by mirroring my face texture.   I like how it is sort of pretty and messy at the same time. And long bangs are better than most bangs.  But is it really her?  Will I buy this hair, and then leave it in my inventory because it is too glamorous and not earthy enough?

Lately I have been entertaining the idea of flesh toned faun ears (might be a little more accurate than elf ears...) and sometimes I wonder if I should just give up the ghost on trying to tint plum hair, and go brown.  But, that would be compromising, wouldn't it?

(edit)  or oooh, what if I went black with plum highlights on certain strands? oooh...

Avatar boredom.

It has been a long time since I updated, but to prove I have not abandoned or forgotten this blog, here I am!

Not a lot has been going on that really makes interesting blogging (even if only interesting to me) lets see... busy? (check) ... tired? (check) ...doing what I can when I can? (check) ... working on a project or two? (check) ... having a hard time sitting still while I await changes? CHECK.

I am going through quite a nasty phase of avatar boredom/hate right now. Thooooouuuuuusands of lindens in clothes, and all I can do is find what is wrong with all of them. Thooooouuuuuusands of lindens in hair, nothing seems right, and nailing down a consistent color with tinting is a joke. Oddly it seems the things I was most dissatisfied with about a year ago are the things I am most content with now. Skin, and AO.

I love the concept of what I am in SL, but I have to tell you sometimes, I envy fauns, and Centaurs, and yes, even elves. I even sort of envy shape shifters, and yet can not commit to such. (How's that for Irony?) I think all the time "Wouldn't life be easier if I was just a Mermaid?" The answer for me is really no... because I would have to find *something* to bitch about... like my tail isn't swishy fishy enough or some shit.

I want Ancient Grecian hair that meets my standards, I am not going to get it. I want Ancient Grecian clothes that set me apart from togas and silks and are still good quality without being too fancy, I am not going to get them. This acceptance has lead to a certain blah. I have the Centaur companion, but we never have time to be close (in character and out) and relax together in SL.

It will pass, I'm sure. The mood will shift and I will go "hey, I have some good hair and shit in here!" (well maybe) good news is a friend found me a ride-able goat, so on linden pay day I am so THERE. You won't be able to get me off that damn goat! I do have an idea I am mulling over though, a personal social second life project if you will. Where I will (possibly) set out to do something very annoying and expensive, in a very classy, cheap way. In fact I am pretty sure I am going to do it. And I am going to do it well.

But anyway, and the need to *work* with Corinda's avatar is part of the reason why I am spending a bit more time in my other avatar. She's easy to dress, she's a true escape because she doesn't have responsibilities, and has quite a different personality to Corinda. ('course I am at a stopping point with her too, until Linden pay day which was put off because we had a grownup night IRL, which came out of my personal L fund. And was worth it!)

Not that I don't like my responsibilities... (I do!) but I think whether in Real Work or Second Life Work, we're all a bit saner with a bit of fun here and there.

I just won't be happy until I acheive...

People tease me for always shopping for hair in SL, and it is true I do shop for hair, but I don't buy hair as often as I shop, and when I do buy hair, chances are I only wear it a little while before I decide it isn't right (Demos just don't give me enough time to decide)  Why is it I constantly shop for hair?

Because I still haven't found anything that I find both flattering, and "Greek" enough for Corinda. So, I've been researching hard lately, about what sort of Ancient Grecian hairstyle would look right on my avatar, while expressing both culture and personality, and this is what I have decided on (or rather, fell in love with as if it were meant to be)

^{Ganked without permission from here. hey it's better than hot-linking or waiting for a yes or no email.}

 

Yeah, I know. It just isn't going to happen like that.  I think the only chance I have of getting this hairstyle, is moding something I buy.  I end up heavily moding any hair that I get anyway, it seems.  So I don't know why this intimidates me so.

Another thing I must deal with when it comes to hair, is putting a hair base on my skin.  Now that I have a trail version of photoshop reinstalled, I can see that there is an optional hairbase layer on the skin templates I use,  but it has no actual hair texture,  so I guess it will be clone brushing for me.  Once I find a suitable base texture.  New skin is *not* an option for me. I finally love the skin I am in, I love my bark, I will not change it except to mod my existing one as I go.  That is what makes Open source high quality skin templates so fucking awesome.

One of the obstacles here, will be getting the right colour,  which, I struggle with anyway. I have found the only way I can reasonable get the redish-purple colour that plums are... is by buying browns, and tweaking with tinting. Which means I always have some messed up color on my head before the hair texture rezes, and I never know how PINK my hair looks on other people's screens and in different lighting.  Because, the secret to plum-ifying brown hair, is hot pink.  And I *hate* pink.

So I am sure there is a lot of inconsistency when it comes to what colour of hair I am displaying and when, and it flusterbates me.

I also need to get my body shap down to a suitable grecian woman form.  I feel like I have compromised a lot of those soft, curvy features for the sake of skirts. I need to strip down naked,  resculpt my body, and figure out how to put my clothes on later.

Moving on. If after nearly a year with this avatar, having purchased more toga-type clothes than I wear, I realize I am going to have to get real on Chitons, even if I have to make them.  That's the part I can't do, make them! I can put a texture on a shape, sure... but it's the fold, and wrinkles, and boobie shadows that are a challenge, especially since my working ability with photoshop is very limited.

But I dream of knee length Chitons, held together with cord, and pins at the shoulder, with flexy tufts of fabric that never quite make a sleeve or a mantle.  I want colours,  but not bright colours. unbleached linen/cotton, brown, sage green, with woven greek key on the trim. maybe even some subtle monotone pattern in the fabric.

And ripped! and just a little dirty.  The Goreans are good for providing ripped toga-esque clothes. (Though my favorite is Chernobyl Rasmuson's Wine and grass stained toga.  Only another wino-nature creature could truly capture a pure sort of dirty.)


So how am I going to do all this? I don't know, but I have been whining about it for nearly a year if you count the old wordpress blog... I have to do it.  once upon a time, I never thought I would be able to build a working kiln, or houses, or skins (well I still need a template for those I can't really make them, but edit them)

So, maybe I need to search out templates for bateau and draped necklines, to see if I can combine them.  It's insane though, how the easiest costume to make (literaly a sheet of fabric) is so hard to make in 3-d. Allt he more reason it seems so vein of me, to even attempt to make something so complicated.

Have you seen me?

I am so desperate for this hair, and yet can not find it anywhere.



(Product found at: http://slurl.com/secondlife/ZARA/58/73/30  But not the hair.)

Also, this hair, which is so similar they might be the same:


But even though this kindly vendor offers a note card filled with hair locations from their models,  this one is not included in the list. (Product found here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Chinook/253/128/38) but not the hair.

I have bought a lot of hair lately, which always means a lot of fail, even when you try on the demos firest.  But, such is second life.

On the wise words of my dear brother,  I realize somethings have to change about how I spend my time in SL,  it's about balance.  It didn't occur to me until this morning that perhaps if I played more in the land that I love, that more people would be playing with me, and thus, my work would be done.

Today,  I need to spend some time in the RPM, and Brenn though. fortunately it involves shopping for things. Yay shopping!