Invisi-Bots

As posted on my Second Life feed here about a month ago: "Invisible avatars in Hau Koda. Each hast the Harmless-Light-Legal group tag. Each has a kinda 'anime' profile pic (See Rasputin Kriwer for example) and a very basic Bio. No groups shown or Picks. Most were born in April or May 2008. None replied to IMs."

Based on an on-going and recently updated discussion in that thread, the avatars appear to be successors to the "Movie Star" bots that have recently littered the landscape (see here and here). You may recall that I posted about the one pictured at left on my blog here over a year ago. Visiting the site today I found that she moved a little ways up the road (to SLurl), is now invisible like those pictured above, and now has the Harmless-Light-Legal group tag. Her profile has been updated with a cartoonish main picture and "I am VERY much in love with someone. Do NOT ask" in her biography. Further exploration shows that the bots in Hau Koda (SLurl) are gone.

These aren't your typical Infohub bots as I blogged about here. I've yet to be spammed by one in any location nor have my alts. To me they are a mystery still and I'd love to get to the heart of it. I wonder which Linden I could talk to about them. Until I can find out, I think I'll visit various Infohubs and roadsides to gather data.

Here's what I got in about an hour of traveling and writing with my alt that is in the Movie Star group:

• TimLaurin Resident is invisible at Castle Valeria (SLurl) but he isn't sitting and his group tag is "JUST SPAM" ... but he didn't spam me. Lizzie Brunswick, a fully-visible avatar kitted out with freebies did.
• Lots of bots in Zebrasil, but they are labeled as such and are protesting Bloodlines RP players. The bot anmed Damati Resident actually starting pushing around Rickcampos Resident, an avatar that was offering to "bite' everyone in the area.
• Vectix Brooono (Harmless-Light-Legal) was invisible and sitting in the Scenic Ambat Infohub (SLurl) and might have been the one with an object that spammed me for the + PHOTO OF THE MONTH + group, but blocking the owner didn't block Vectix, so it might have been an object hidden near by.
• A bot named NocNRoo Resident and sporting a Meeroo avatar didn't spam me at Hyles Swamp Infohub (SLurl) but another bot (visible and with the group tag Owner !! 2BS !!) name Jerome Grau did spam me with a group invite for a gaming place.
• GREEDBOT Resident didn't spam me in Moose Beach (SLurl) for the gaming place for which he was tagged. Totally n00b in appearance and standing under a dock, I bet he wasn't earning his pay.
• Navik Daxter at the Pooley Stage (SLurl) is a typical, quiet Harmless-Light-Legal bot.
• Nadia Arum, totally visible, automatically offers membership to a nude beach when you arrive at the Ferry Terminal and Infohub in Barbarossa (SLurl), but the five invisible Harmless-Light-Legal bots are quiet.
• Harmless-Light-Legal bot Oxide Grossberg is quietly sitting in full invisibility at the Degrand Infohub (SLurl).
• I seem to have been following Indira Xue from place to place. According to the Real Life Biography in her profile, "If you like to have someone who send groups invites for your groups. I am for hire. I am online 24 hous a day. 7 days a week. For price info send a im to me or to saskia bode." I asked "I seem to be following you from infohub to infohub. Are you the resident behind the Harmless-Light-Legal invis-bots?" but got no reply.

All-in-all an amusing way to spend my lunch time while eating a sandwich, but now it's back to serious stuff ... watching movies on Netflix.