Your2ndPlace

Tonight I was chatting with Fugazi about my SL unemployment and prospects for the future. A company or business? Potentially an IPO? I have a great voice and have been paid IRL for voice work in the past, maybe that's an angle? Actually, I might try the latter. Since I'm almost seven feet tall (204CM)and shrugged off my opportunity in basketball for lazy days reading Salinger & Tolkien, maybe I should reap some benefit of my gigantic frame (and vocal cords). Of course, I'm taking offers. But while we were discussing these prospects, something became extremely clear to me: In my 5ish months in Second Life, I've learned some great ways to not make any money in Second Life. I'll share these in Lettermanesque Top-10 style.

10. Slingo: This is a wonderful game...if you're the owner of a gaming parlor. DONATE to the piggy, we'll take a huge cut, and you'll have a chance to win a prize. Since most gaming parlors have a policy requiring that you return a portion of the winnings (usually 20-30%), you'll typically walk away with 50L$. Of course, the establishment takes a cut of the winnings you "re-donate." Decorum requires that you tip the host/hostess 10-20% as well. Like I've always said when it comes to gambling - if you walk away dead even, you win.

9.Slingo Host: Remember when I said decorum required a tip? Yeah, people don't tip. And you'll usually make anywhere from 50-100L$ per hour, but most hosts end up using these funds trying to spice up the pot. Redundant gestures/poses will find you further in the red as you scrape up money to find a shrink.

8. Restaurant owner: Amusingly enough, I've seen this tried over and over again. Problem is...you guessed it: You don't eat in Second Life! Cafes can be pretty cool if you can get acts, but if that's your angle, try a nightclub.

Tonight Spontaneous Rich spoke on the WSE group alluding to more delistings. It was the first I'd heard of this new round of company removals. After checking the World Stock Exchange, I found Rich to be speaking in earnest. One string of delistments was Casper Trebuchet's "Lemur" brand - of which I'm the Chief Communications Officer.

It was not previously reported prior to this article, but this new round of delistments follows a CEO intiative to make inquiries of Luke regarding their future on the WSE.

Full Disclosure? I prompted that CEO discussion.

After initial requested delistings from the WSE, I became concerned that individuals might not have had the full story. And since further delistings were going to occur, I wanted these CEOs to make the best informed decision. That meant giving Luke Connell a chance to explain some of his actions and reassure CEOs of his good faith efforts to bring WSE into the new era. One of the individuals I contacted was Delicious Demar. Why? Because Delicious Demar is one of the most respected businesspeople on SL. She has a good relationship with Luke Connell, and is a leader in her own right. Further, her intentions to stay on the WSE would act as a negation of biases others had.

I should note that Delicious Demar has also had her account locked. 7 of the 14 companies represented at the CEO meeting have been delisted. So it seems there was a leak, and that whoever is feeding Luke Connell his information put a spin on it to suggest it was a mutiny. Trebuchet, who again, I worked for, made it clear on his Lemur Invest Blog that mutiny was the last thing on his mind.

Nobody Fugazi just wrote an article on Phil Rosedale(Philip Linden)'s announcement regarding his resignation as CEO of Linden Labs. Rosedale's announcement created quite a buzz amongst the SL community - as it should- and the questions emerged. Most of them were inquiries into why "Philip Rosedale is leaving Linden Labs."

Having actually read the report, allow me to say that Philip Linden is NOT, repeat, NOT leaving Linden Labs. What he IS doing is stepping down from his CEO position. He will retain his position as Chairman. Now, just to avoid having Philip Rosedale read what I just wrote, and in a blind fit of misassumption, run and write an announcement on whatever virtual exchange he might use for his nonexistent virtual company, allow me to say it one more time: Philip Linden is stepping down as CEO, but retaining his position as LL Chairman. Oh, and Philip Rosedale isn't Investor Merlin, either.

Frankly, I saw this happening sometime ago. Since I've only been at Second Life since November, "some time ago" puts us at about, oh, January 11th. Nobody Fugazi eluded to the reasons why this might have occurred. Rosedale himself said that it seemed people wanted a business leader rather than a creative visionary. The statement struck me as a bit injured. Philip's earlier quotes promoted SL as limitless. Phil didn't count on the machinations of humanity and our evolutionary drive to pay exorbitant amounts of money to play games we probably won't win. Or to take advantage of opportunities that seem "too good to be true." Virgil said that "Fortune Favors the Bold." David Hannum (not PT Barnum)said that "there's a sucker born every minute." Who's right?

Three days late, Monkey Canning appeared this morning and made the following announcement to the AVC group:

AVC a new dawn...

Dear Investors,

There comes a time, when negotiations and democracy fails, to take decisive action, that time is now.

It is my view that the VSTEX have continually failed to serve the investors of AVC's best interests.

Their investigation was to say the least a farce, and so they pushed for an AVC committee to take the burden.

These investigations have served no constructive purpose, and have infact merely pointed fingers and attempted to tarnish the reputations of good men who have sought to do the best by investors, men such as Skip, who's take over of AVC would have been a boon for investors, and Tyrian who took over WJUV to save it from failure.

It is painfully clear that Vstex had their own agenda all along, I make this statement as a conversation was posted on the AVCIC blog between Connie and samantha, this took place before the investors meeting, and before the committee was formed.

In this conversation Sam clearly stated that AVC was being permanetly delisted, and that I would never see any of the assets again. She also went on to state that she had the power to overturn or reject the share holders wishes and follow their own course of action reagrdless. What I find more concearning, is that suddenly all the information relating to this, and also all the other documentary evidence has been deleted from the AVCIC blog.

It is therefore my conclusion that the VSTEX have seriously abused their power, and should not be handling the securities and investments of others as they are not fit for purpose.

AVC will be relisted on the ACE exchange, a new board will be appointed consisting of

CEO Monkey Canning - I will lead the company out of this mess and back to strength, main roles will be striking deals and general overseer.

The idea of blogging in Fugaziland came to me after I finished writing the AVC Investigations Committee Report. I made some friends, some sources, angered a few people, and generally did a good thing.

All in a days work.

Though I probably gave the impression that I was 100% full of myself in the course of that work, the truth is I was trying to provide as much detail for shareholders as possible.

There were nine or ten people at the shareholder meeting today. A couple hadn't read any of the committee's work, two didn't say anything, and two absolutely blew me away with their depth and insight. The remainder of the people were non-shareholders.

What worries me is how ripe the market does seem for ne'er-do-wells. Prior to the committee I thought this was due solely to exchanges not doing their legwork. Come to find out, alot of people aren't asking any questions before they throw their money into an IPO or other investment.

My friend TheLoneWolf Arkin has scolded me on more than one occasion for not doing my "research." Pah. That means reading the prospectus with the flowery prose. He takes it to a whole new level - personal meetings, requests for demonstrations, figures, and all sorts of things. But he gets into the nitty gritty where I hadn't thought. And I'm worried that some aren't even reading the prospectus.

Exchanges have a lot of power in the virtual markets, but if a hearty band of investors makes a fuss about something, no quasi-legal gibberish, hard talk, or information barren announcements are going to feed lindens(or other virtual currencies) into their ATMs. If investors won't touch an exchange with a ten-foot-pole, they'd dry up and go barren. If companies are known for cheating and thievery, hopefully a pissed off investor would go and notify someone of the Nobody Fugazi/Aldon Huffhines stock to have a look.