As a fan of trinkets and memorabilia, I was thrilled when I saw someone wearing a pewter pendant of the Second Life logo. According to lore, LL hands these out to their new employees, as well as special visitors to the Lab, such as Views attendees. They're worn out in just the right places, with a string I can only describe as possibly plastic looped through it. They seem to carry a special meaning for their owners.

That's why I'm a little put off by First Bling and their replicas of this necklace. I'm sure it will be wildly popular among the SL crowd, but it just doesn't have that old feel to me. They're shiny and new, like many of the residents. I once saw someone trying to hawk their necklace on a website for 80 USD, and wondered how it could possibly sell, because it mostly holds priceless sentimental value.

What can you get for your money there? For $25, you'll get a sterling silver pendant that appears to be the size of the LL version. If you want the larger one, it'll be $35. Not a fan of sterling silver? For $135, or $220, you'll get a large or small gold, or white gold pendant. That's not L, folks.

Read on to find out about their shipping and payment policies ...

On the 8th of March we sought clarification for an ambiguous-seeming sentence at the end of a warning notice that was being distributed by Chadrick Linden. That sentence was:

"Any account asserting an age that does not meet Second Life's minimum age of eligibility will be closed."

What we wanted to know was whether that referred to the claimed age of the avatar (particularly where it came to role-playing purposes). After all, it was pretty clear that the claimed age of the user was covered by this - but what about role-players, you know, role-playing?

Catherine Linden, Linden Lab's press liaison, is seeking out spiritualists, and people who are practicing or forming religions in the world of Second Life. She asks:

"Is there a spiritual element inherent in the virtual experience, or are the two things mutually exclusive? Should there exist a parallel between RL religious beliefs and SL conduct? What intangible, metaphysical qualities do virtual worlds hold? Are you using Second Life as a way to explore and express your spirituality with other like-minded residents? What are the greater philosophical implications associated with all this?"

This is about media coverage and public relations, so those who are uncomfortable with their beliefs, tenets or stories becoming a part of the media probably need not apply, but everyone else who fits the bill should contact Catherine Linden.

Following on from the discussions about permissions being needed to take still photographs in a sim, there is widespread confusion about what permissions are required in order to film machinima in SL. Different people at different times have given confusing opinions.

For those who haven't come across the term before, machinima is animated action which is filmed inside a game or platform, using something which isn't primarily an animation programme.There's a wide variety of film shot in SL, from promotional material for the platform itself, to fictional films, from how-to films, to short advertisements for SL products.

I contacted Catherine Linden to ask for some guidance on the Linden Lab attitude to the question, and received the following reply:
"Linden Lab does not give permission to
anyone to film in Second Life because we don't own the content.
However, I do like to say that filming in Second Life is like filming
in NYC. Generic street scenes and landscapes can be considered
"fair use" but filming individuals without their permission is not
advised, just like in real life."