This is the ninth in a series of interviews that are being conducted with new residents, in order to gauge the effectiveness of the orientation process, and to gauge disparities between the preconceptions and the realities of Second Life. The questions may be tailored slightly for each interview; responses may be edited for purposes of clarity.

I caught up with Balut while I was down at the docks doing favors for sailors down at NCI Beach trawling for new folk to interview. Balut is primarily a designer/builder in Second Life, having come to Second Life with a background in animation and modelling. His pet peeve about building in Second Life is size limits for prims - not that he doesn't understand the necessity for it, but he would like to see the process streamlined somewhat. That said, he's pretty keen on sculpties. He would also like to see better building tools introduced - grid markings and alignment tools.