Tateru Nino: You know what the edit window needs? A prim alignment function.
Tateru Nino: Select a bunch of prims, select align on [X|Y|Z] axis, and let them snap together.

The sexiest SL feature of 2007 award goes to… sculpted prims. The lion’s share of the glory for this one apparently goes to Qarl Linden. Will Torus have to give up its tiara and “Most Versatile Prim Type” sash? Only time will tell.

Tat has hit the nail right on the head:

Call it a game, call it a platform, call it a country, call it whatever the hell you want. [Second Life] is a communications medium that is represented as a 3d world. It brings people together, for good or ill.

To reiterate that, Second Life is about communication, expression, and interpersonal connections. What makes SL powerful is the extent and number of ways we can communicate and express ourselves through it: the things we build or buy, the places that we visit, the pictures that we hang on our walls, even (and especially) the avatar that we wear.

Personal expression isn’t new, of course. Linden Lab didn’t invent the idea of dressing to fit our personality, decorating our workspaces with personal effects, or making a picture to express how we feel; these are things people have been doing for countless ages. What is new here is the medium and how it leverages technology to amplify our expression.

Never before has a piece of software let you say This is who I am! in so many ways to so many people in so many places.

Wa-hoo! My cable connection is fixed! No more disconnecting every 10 minutes!

Three travelers came to a split in the road as they were walking together in a hilly country.

The first traveler said, “We come to a choice. Which path shall we take?”

The second traveler thought a moment and said, “If we take the wrong path, we will look like fools.” The third traveler nodded, saying, “Of course. We must be absolutely sure to take the best path.” So the two hesitant travelers sat down in the middle of the road and began to guess and debate as to which path would take them to their destination most swiftly.

The first traveler, being more venturesome than the others, rolled his eyes and started on the first path. After following it for an hour, he came upon a large boulder that blocked the road. Seeing no way to get past it, he shrugged and walked back to the place where the road split.

When he got there, he saw that the other two travellers were still there, now arguing and throwing dirt clods at each other. He said to them, “I’ve tried the first path, and found it blocked. We now know which path to take, and the issue is decided.”

The hesitant travelers stopped their fight and looked at him, aghast. “Aren’t you terribly ashamed, because the path you chose was the wrong one?”

“No,” the venturesome traveler replied. “Aren’t you, because you did not choose any path at all?”

Your assignment, should you choose to accept it, is this: make a new friend in SL!

Too often, I find myself talking to the same people, doing the same things, and hanging out at the same places. Of course, they’re great people, things, and places, but it’s good to experience new things and keep our minds fresh and active!

So, go out there and meet someone you’ve never met before! Get to know them and their interests, and spend some time together! Bonus points if you meet them somewhere besides your favorite hang-out!

Of course, after that you gotta write a blog post and introduce us to your new friend — with pictures, of course!