Don’t tell anyone, but I decided to get an alt so that I could get the full experience of downloading the ESC viewer and experiencing CSI: NY. In this rendition of my CSI experience, I won’t go into all the troubles I faced getting my alt, my experiences with the Electric Sheep Viewer, OnRez, and the disappointment I felt being unable to meet up with ace reporter Justine Babii, so we could strut our stuff as virtual detectives.

In retrospect, my experiences late Thursday and then again late Friday night, set my mind to wonder at what seemed off kilter, what seemed amiss at CSI:NY.

What I saw, and I speak for myself, were mostly long-time residents who also seemed to be just hanging out to watch the crowd(s). I had memorized all of the fashionable newbie outfits that ESC provided since I knew it would be a bit harder to spot the new newbs. After all, ESC was playing a kinder more generous host than LL (I mean, what the heck are those two blobs of black that are stuck to the head of one of the LL newbie females?). 

I didn’t see many newbies. On several of the less crowded CSI orientation islands, I saw helpers set to “away.” At more lively times and on more populated orientation stations, the helpers would call out every five minutes, “Is there anyone here who is new to Second Life?”

No one raised his or her virtual hand. I kept thinking: can’t you spot me? I am wearing the new newbie clothes, but apparently, detective training didn’t come with their helper training.

Even though I am no detective, if the “helpers” couldn’t spot newbs by our clothes, I can give them a clue:

They were the ones who kept stepping on the crime scene.

I had the hardest time taking a photo of the White Rabbit because newbs kept hopping on him like he was one of those ghastly unicorns that one can mate with in SL (This is a PG web site, so that’s about as far as I am going to go with that!).

It seemed to be taking a long time for things to rez, and the last thing that rezzed for me and apparently others, were the evidence cards that one had to click on to gather the clues.

Cries of “What evidence markers?” could be heard.