Phishing? No, thanks

Copied from the group notice I've sent to the Builder's Brewery group:

PHISHING? NO, THANKS

So, what is "phishing"? It is just another way for scammers and other, say... "lazy people" to get your login data and, from that moment, take over your account and use it for their own benefit (usually, monetary, but also impersonating you... or even asking for it to be canceled after it!)

It consists in showing you a link to click (or creatively making it look like an official one - read more below,) very similar to the service you have an account in, usually offering discounts, bargains... and when you click them, they redirect you to a page that can even look the same as the login page (from Second Life, this time.)

So we feel safe, enter our login and password, and bam! We're busted. The scammer now has our login data, and they can very quickly log into the SL website, change our password, change the confirmation e-mail and, of course, log inworld, impersonate us, spend the money, use our credit card if we have associated payment info on file (or spend until the last of our L$ if we don't have this payment info...)

If we copy a link, paste it, and notice that the domain name does not finish in .secondlife.com, we can be sure that the website is trying to get our login data.

So, an example:

http://secondlife.marketp.com/	This for sure does NOT come from the official SL web: Don't trust it
http://id.secondlife.com/	It finishes in .secondlife.com: It comes from the official SL web (note the DOT before secondlife.com! http://my_secondlife.com/ is NOT an official SL web!)

There are other ways for scammers to hide the real Internet address so we click in a link and then input our loging data.
The following page: http://www.arb.ca.gov/html/spoof/spot.htm explains some tips to recognize these attempts of phising.

IMPORTANT - The official link to login into our account via the web is very similar to the following (being the most important how it *begins*):

https://id.secondlife.com/openid/login?return_to=https%3A%2F%2Fsecondlife.com%2Fauth%2Foid_return.php%3Fredirect%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fsecondlife.com%252Findex.php&language=en-US

Notice how the link begins:

https://id.secondlife.com/

Here we can read:

https	We're login through the Secure HTTP protocol
id.secondlife.com	The domain name finishes in .secondlife.com (again, note the DOT before secondlife.com)

Read here about a recent case: http://shoppingcartdisco.com/gossip/phishing-scams-popping-up-in-second-life-are-you-next/
This can happen to any of us. It only takes a moment of tiredness to put our login data in the wrong place.

Please, share this notecard: protect yourself by being informed, and protect others by helping them in being informed.

Information is always our best defense against scams.

Take care all,

-- Auryn Beorn

Christmas Challenge and Winners

Thursday 15th, December, I made again a special class for Christmas. This time, it was a challenge and as such was announced:

REDHEAD CHRISTMAS: ARE YOU READY FOR A TEST FROM AURYN BEORN?
Everybody is welcome to stay and watch! But...

PREREQUISITES: (Hold your breath!)

• Building LVL 2
• Basic Scripting for Builders
• QAvimator (poses)
• Sit Target Helper
• Animated Textures
• Particles
• Music!
• Rokuro & Tokoroten
• SculptCrafter (the demo will be enough if you don't own a full version)
• ... and your imagination!

(Students from "Speaking LSL" might have an extra challenge)

Christmas is here! And the naughty elves from North Pole have stolen ALL the supplies from this class! Help Auryn Beorn to recreate all the supplies and remember which were the parameters for her prims!

She only remembers some riddles and is trying to tread a story to recover her memories.

Can you help Auryn in this?
Then join this multidisciplinary class, where you'll learn how to put together all your skills when it comes to develop a real project.

Those who will complete the whole project without assistance and being lag-wise will get a special prize.

The challenge was to build this:


and yes, students had to make everything: the sculpties, the poses, the effects, the scripts (and modify other). Everything.

Students started building the snowglobe. Some sculpted the base, others used regular prims for it.


Then, they started building the log cabin that later had to be sculpted and shrunk, to fit within the snowglobe.


Different tools were used here, from the proposed SculptCrafter to Prim Generator... And even Blender! (first winner used Blender to make it sculpted and still she made the prim version.)




Houses! Many got this done and didn't continue.


Then the fountain, the effects... Last part finally arrived, when students had to create the six poses I was showing.


Few students got to the last part, creating and setting the poses!


It was an exhausting challenge that lasted more than five hours! That's one more reason to be proud of those who endured until the end.

My ISP kicking me for hours from this, 15 minutes before the time was over, didn't prevent that I could evaluate the builds from those who achieved to make it all.

And these are the winners, in order:

eithne Blaylock


(her scripting was minimal and her house is awesome!, only five prims, way to go!)

Elisaveta Vasser



Well done!

I'm very proud of the two of you by having finished it, accomplishing all the goals that were said at class. Low prim, low script, full of details and effects.

Then I've received one more submission, and although the creator didn't meet all the prerequisites, she for sure struggled to do her best with the knowledge she currently has. It's for this reason, for she not giving up and doing her best, why I'm also giving credit to the work from Lita Christenson. Good work!


And, as it was promised, they have received a gift!

I got ready this:


Choose among three poses, and the ballerina will mirror you.

I think I might continue working in this item, adding more poses to it, in the future. This one won't be for sale: it's an exclusive gift for my students, able of finishing the whole challenge, or struggling to do their best with the knowledge they have. Thank you for having made this possible.

And now they want more challenges! This can be FUN!

Second Libations - Revisited

As I was telling here, "Second Libations" is the sim exhibition at LEA from Haveit Neox, an artist that I've had the privilege to meet while teaching.

I've had time for a second visit, and now I have more pictures from it! \o/

View from one of the main builds:


Neat effect to make appear a reflection in a mirror as you approach and move:


The siren, reflected:


In the Lybrarinth:


Centaur waiting for us going down the water:


The sirens show you the way:


And under the water, this is what is waiting for you:






This second visit inspired me to write a little story that I sent to Haveit and is now also a part of this exhibit, wow!



Really, don't miss it! December will be gone before we realize, and you'll hate having missed this one!





An interview with Haveit in PrimPerfect

Second Libations

"Second Libations" is the sim exhibition at LEA from Haveit Neox, an artist that I've had the privilege to meet while teaching.

During this month we have the chance to get immersed in a futuristic story where robots try to bring life back to the humans that controlled them.

These are two pictures I could take during the opening, conducted by Haveit, when he explained the story behind his exhibition. I can't wait for another chance to explore again the whole exhibit, it's an amazing job that makes you feel immersed in this world he built.





Don't miss it!

It truly is an astonishing work, worth it a visit... or more.

Life is all about change

And here's an impending one...



That's not all.

Tomorrow, 9 AM SLT, SL Christmas Expo is open to the public. I'm proud to announce that my store will be there. I've just finished setting all a couple of hours ago. See you there!

Quick Update

This is crazy, I know, but together with the rush of having my store ready for the SL Christmas Expo, I'm also moving my store to a new location... including building the new commercial block.

Very soon I'll say goodbye to Trevelyan, where I've stayed for more than a year. I've already closed the small store and left only the main one. It's going to be crazy to update EVERYTHING in the boxes with the new landmark, but I think, I hope, the change is going to be worth it.

Also, getting ready for the SL Christmas Expo has made me finish items that were kind of in an oubliette, so I'll announce more news in the store than usual, most likely, this weekend.

Once more, stay tuned!

New tools!

I know, I'm always busy.

That's why I'm now so proud of introducing two new tools. One is aimed to instructors and the other one, for builders: a presenter and a multi-door/drawers/lids tool.

So go check the following link, don't miss the news!

Check the Store Blog for news

More news, hopefully, very soon.