Picture of the Day - 291

"Livin On The Outside" by Spyder Silverfall

If you wish to see more of Spyder's photography, please visit his Flickr photostream here.

Live Long and Prosper!

Statement by the President of the United States of America on the Passing of Leonard Nimoy
"Long before being nerdy was cool, there was Leonard Nimoy. Leonard was a lifelong lover of the arts and humanities, a supporter of the sciences, generous with his talent and his time. And of course, Leonard was Spock. Cool, logical, big-eared and level-headed, the center of Star Trek’s optimistic, inclusive vision of humanity’s future.

I loved Spock.

In 2007, I had the chance to meet Leonard in person. It was only logical to greet him with the Vulcan salute, the universal sign for “Live long and prosper.” And after 83 years on this planet – and on his visits to many others – it’s clear Leonard Nimoy did just that. Michelle and I join his family, friends, and countless fans who miss him so dearly today."

EXCLUSIVE Laird Confesses; "I Use Windlights"

The Much Honored Bock McMillan, laird of Southern Charm, prince of Cascade Falls, Sovereign Ruler of the Commonwealth of Southern Enchantment Region and Outer Territories and finally UN appointed Protector of the Mount Whitney sim in SecondLife, today made a surprising confession during an exclusive interview for this blog.

"Turn Away from the Light" by Bock McMillan

"During most of my life I have been fascinated by photography. When I came into SecondLife some eight years ago I was thrilled by the handy photo-tool in the various viewers. I have used them to the fullest throughout my existence here.  Until recently I have always worked with the natural or preexisting light settings on the sim I have been on, but lately - under the influence of my consort H.R.H. Prince Tomais, I'm sure - I have begun playing around with the Windlight settings when I take pictures. 

"As I am not an accomplished photographer like the prince of my heart, but a mere snap-shooter the extent of "my art" until lately has consisted of snapping the picture at an angle I like and then do some creative cropping. Now I have started playing with the Windlight settings too, just like I have always teased Tomais for doing, but it takes me even longer than it does for Tomais because I have to go through them twice before I can decide on which light I like best.

With a slight shudder a a beautiful blush on his cheeks, the laird continued "I felt a need to make this shocking revelation considering how I have been teasing Tomais for his trying out of all Windlight settings and then some (he has a shitload of extra settings that don't come with the viewers). I have considered founding a Windlight Anonymous (WA), but I am not sure if I will go through with those plans."

All three pictures in this post were shot by the laird himself at the IN SILICO sim. The outfit is The Soft Suit from Shu Mesh and the poses are by Finn Millar and Spencer Roncales of Vice Poses.

SL Photography - March 2015

The March 2015 issue of the SecondLife monthly magazine Photography is out.

To view it please go here: SL Photography Monthly - March 2015 Issue.

Picture of the Day - 290

"Away from the nausea" by Sunny George

If you wish to see more of Sunny George's photography, please visit his Flickr photostream here.

Google Backtracks

theguardian.com today reports: Google has backtracked on plans to ban sexually explicit images from its blogging platform Blogger, in the face of widespread opposition from users.

The company had initially announced a ban on “sexually explicit or graphic nude images or video”, with just a few exceptions for content which offered “a substantial public benefit, for example in artistic, educational, documentary, or scientific contexts”.

It planned to enforce the ban from 23 March, when any user with offending material still on their blog would be forced to turn it into a private site.

Now, the company has backed down. Jessica Pelegio, a social product support manager at Google, wrote: “We’ve had a ton of feedback, in particular about the introduction of a retroactive change (some people have had accounts for 10+ years), but also about the negative impact on individuals who post sexually explicit content to express their identities.

“So rather than implement this change, we’ve decided to step up enforcement around our existing policy prohibiting commercial porn.”

You can read the whole article here: theguardian.com: Google backtracks on porn ban in Blogger

(Tipped by J.M.G.)

Picture of the Day - 289

"Your Music Still Plays" by Io Bechir

If you wish to see more of Io's photography, please visit her Flickr photostream here.