Word: linden
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...host ridiculous ragers. These new residents are happy to oblige, saying they will host for everyone “including freshmen.” The house’s common room on the ground floor, which was decorated with help from Claverly security guard Pearl, faces the alley between Linden St. and Holyoke St. Security can be an issue as the house does not have swipe access, only key access. Sharp says “urinators like to collect in the dark corner” of the alley, and occasionally late-night wanderers swing by in search of the leftover...
Amid low traffic and raunchy behavior, American Apparel and Starwood Hotels are a couple of the big brands that have pulled out of Second Life recently. Linden wants to keep others from jumping ship, since it makes money selling plots of land for as much as $1,675 apiece and charging owners $295 monthly usage fees. Some corporate outposts have figured out how to engage users and get valuable feedback. One of Second Life's big selling points, says Cory Ondreijka, Linden's chief technology officer, is "this porousness with information flowing in both directions." The site's financial success...
...growing pains. But as companies explore why their expensive virtual outposts remain largely empty, Second Life has other, potentially more serious, issues. Governments are scrutinizing the four-year-old site as a possible haven for tax-free commerce, child-porn distribution and other unsavory activity. The dilemma for Linden Lab, the company running Second Life, is how to rein in its creation without alienating hard-core users. Fans love the site as a way to meet people and experiment in self-expression. And companies are drawn to these techno-savvy trendsetters who spent 22 million hours on the site last...
...also running into trouble with governmental authorities. In July FBI investigators prompted Linden to shut down Second Life's casinos because online gambling is illegal in the U.S. German police are looking into allegations that members traded pornographic photos of real children on the site, and several European governments are upset that adult avatars are having sex with childlike ones. Linden responded this summer by banning lewd acts with minors as well as "other broadly offensive content," a move that annoyed longtime users. Soon, grumbled one participant on the site's blog, "the only things left to do on Second...
...Linden is also dealing with other disgruntled users. After it booted Marc Bragg over questionable virtual real-estate deals, the Pennsylvania resident sued the company last year for confiscating property worth thousands of dollars. While Linden won't discuss the merits of pending litigation, it's clear that Second Life's virtual assets have actual value. Linden lets users retain the rights to digital imagery they create on-site, and the result is a thriving economy that's as real as it gets. Attorney Stevan Lieberman made $20,000 last year helping Second Lifers file patents, trademarks and copyrights...