Pixel Labs and the “Book”

Imagine a device that would make reading a book within Second Life quicker, or perform Google searches and other things from the Internet within SL? A new virtual tablet called the "book" allows you to do these and more. We take a look at this handy tool and the people behind them: Pixel Labs.

For more, go to Extra Extra

Muse Isle’s “All Things Alice” - Wonderland in Second Life

A friend recently told me about an “Alice in Wonderland” place in Second Life. With the movie by Tim Burton currently in the theaters, it seemed like the right time to give it a look. So I put on my 10/6 hat, and ported over.

I arrived at a small cottage, with a hollow stump and ladder to the side, and a small sign in front, “All Things Alice.” Clicking the sign, it handed over a notecard describing the place. Inside the cottage, clicking either the fireplace or the tiny door led to a small room with a big cake, with the Mad Hatter speaking, “Oh don’t worry, we’re all mad here.” There was also a copy of the Alice in Wonderland Book.

Clicking the hollow stump and selecting “Wonderland” takes you to a spot high above. One will find another copy of the book, as well as a tea table and a chess set. There is also a house with a couple feet sticking out. Going to it, one can rezz a gondola, sit on it, and got for a ride inside the house, going through a series of surreal displays. One is sure to get, what the owner commented in the note card, an “Alice vibe.”

The notecard credits Atom Burma with creating the Wonderland build, “... all the work had to be derived directly from the book, which I read and reread several times, and saw just about every movie version I could find. In many cases the book was far richer, and proved to influence a highly layered attraction in the end. So reference to the book itself proved to be the strong point.” The notecard stated the build took about six months to create.

The book “Alice in Wonderland” was written by English writer Lewis Carroll (real name Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson) in 1865. The book was an instant success, loved by both adults and children, Queen Victoria among it’s first readers, and has never run out of print. The recent movie by Tim Burton is just the latest of many adaptations to film, beginning with a silent movie in 1903. The book has also been the subject of numerous television shows as well as comic books and live performances.

“All Things Alice” is located at the Muse Isle West sim at (62, 89, 23).

Bixyl Shuftan

'Ruination' on sale NOW!

Panama Trick is the pen name of Ruin Quan. He is a 58 year old grandfather living in the magic land of Florida in the USA.
He has created a world which can appeal to us all young and old, strong and weak. Join him in his personal quest for the things that make the world worth living.
Honor, bravery, chivalry and romance
these are all part of his world and he welcomes you into it!

'Ruination' is a tale of good vs evil, redemption, heroes and dark enemies that takes place in a hidden kingdom high in the Himalayas. A stranger was found wandering years ago dazed, confused, beaten and with little knowledge of who he was and how he had come to this place. Adopted by the fighting monks of the Questors, he became the Paladin and eventual ruler of the valley.
In this time the ancient enemy called Ruination would not be satisfied with the small kingdom it would merely be a stepping stone to eventual darkness over the world. The Questor sets forth on a Quest, to find the darkness, to discover its strength and weaknesses and to eventually destroy it. Little did he know that he would be swept into the power of the darkness.
So begins part 1 of 'Ruination'
Published by 10's Publishing at DoubleMM part one is on sale now!
Check out Nazz Lanes interview with the author in MACE

"How to get a second life" - writer interview

After having posted a 3 pieces from the book (links here, here and here) last month, it was time to have a sit down with the author of the book and ask him some questions. James and I welcomed Mr. Madddyyy Schnook in our headquarters and we had a fun and informative talk.




Dixie: Your rez-day is January 1st, 2006. Did you start Second Life on a boring new-years day or did you choose that date for a reason?

Mr. Schnook: It was a new years resolution to change my job and I had actually been in SL in 2005, so I had flu and re-rezzed while on antibiotics on that date. It was a name change from one name to a fresh one...

Dixie: Do you remember your first days in Second Life? How did that go?

Mr. Schnook: The usual opening a club, being so in awe of just what could be done with a little thought and determination. And seeing beyond the sex and gambling.

JamesT: How did you come up with your first name? Whats with the triple letters?

Mr. Schnook: My name goes all the way back to 1985. I used to work on ships in the merchant navy. I went with the currrent trend of blonde streaks and Miami Vice jacket and went to see Maddonna on a world tour. When I got back on board ship I got called Madonna, shortened to Maddy.

Dixie: But this interview is not about your first life, I guess. You have become an SL celebrity by writing how-to books, called SL Guides. When did you discover that there was a need for those?

Mr. Schnook: That was in 2005, in August to be precise. I stumbled across a very basic notecard explaing how to make a t-shirt and wanted to learn to make clothes. I managed to learn how to make multilayerd womens clothes and i had a club with my own mall. I showed a few women the notecard I had made from my own memory and it went from there.

JamesT: Those first notecards are collectors items now :)

Dixie: How many SL Guides are there now? Are you still expanding the SL Guides series? And what are they about?

Mr. Schnook: I have over 65 and i have just started expanding them 3 days ago. We have one on advanced texturing, advanced photography, skins, and we have another 200 planned for release this year.

Dixie: Did you write all of the SL Guides yourself, or did you have any co-writers?

Mr. Schnook: i wrote all but 2. 'Business in sl extended edition' and 'snow family' were written by someone else.

Dixie: Let's talk about your RL book, or paper book, called 'How to get a Second Life'. On the cover it says 'Build a successful business and social network inworld'. There already are plenty of 'how to' books about SL, which also cover this topic. What makes your book unique?

Mr. Schnook: imagine a jouney through sl. Day one is you signing up to SL. The last day is your business in place and all your knowledge in place. That's the book from page one to end... The rest is up to you.

Dixie: So the book is more than 1 thing. A beginner's guide to start with, but also about more serious matters, like branding and having a successful business. What part of that has the upper hand, you would say, and why?

Mr. Schnook: It's different because it's not a user guide. It takes you through building, scripting socialising but more importantly it gives you my knowledge of branding and marketing. It's more heavily biased towards marketing and brand recognition in SL. How many times have you seen a fantastic product, and its got some dumb blonde sitting on it without good advertising. I have seen the holodeck 2 years ago and the guy had zero knowledge on how to sell it... He got left behind.

JamesT: Whats the most stupid thing you did in your newbee years?

Mr. Schnook: 'Click here for free lindens', and ended up with a chicken on my head. In a sandbox. Actually, I think i still got that chicken.

JamesT: You have become a celebrity in SL, through the SL Guides and now with a paper book. How does this affect your Second Life experience?

Mr. Schnook: Unfortunately I live in my selfmade prison cell. I go nowhere now or even talk to anyone except close friends. So I wouldn't know about being a celeb, lol.

Dixie: In your book you say that RL branding and marketing also applies to SL. You did marketing etc in RL. Does that help you out a lot? What do you think is the biggest difference between RL marketing and SL marketing?

Mr. Schnook: Knowing your market in sl... There is not really any big difference, although not being to big to be seen as corporate is my main concern... the Anshe effect.

Dixie: You have said that you constantly try to look forward at least 3 months and anticipate on any changes in Second Life. How do you do that?

Mr. Schnook: Also being low profile. I look at what is going on daily. I visit about 15 blogs, newspapers and sites and have friends who I talk to... and I have a nose for business.

Dixie: What are upcoming changes that you are anticipating already?

Mr. Schnook: Windlight is the main one and new viewers and new grids. I have land in a new off-world grid, which hopefully will connect to SL someday. It's good to be a breast of new technology. Like when prims go, importing meshes from 3dmax etc. Meshes are also already used in most 3d shooter games.

Dixie: What is the hottest type of business right now in SL, would you say?

Mr. Schnook: Still has to be fashion and skins. Land trade is a very small minority I think, specially with land bots, were as fashion and skins is more wide spread and accessible. Land prices are driven up because the land barrons keep buying off each other .. lol ..

Dixie: In your opinion, what is the biggest mistake people make when they start or run a business in SL?

Mr. Schnook: thinking they will make lots of money in a short time and expecting to stick a badly done picture of a pair of jeans on a box in a white box in a mall and expecting to make money.

Dixie: So people who are in sl business for the longer period will do better, you think? People who are in it for the long run?

Mr. Schnook: the long run and those who plan what they do. If you plan and market correctly then you will succeed in sl, but to do that takesd time, because it takes time to get to know SL.

JamesT: Did you ever fall in love in SL? or have loving feelings in SL?

Mr. Schnook: lol. Maybe. Not the sex thing, never understood that bit.

Dixie: Over a year ago, you were ready to quit your day job and earn a living with Second Life. This is probably the dream of many people who are SL addicts. Was that an easy decision to make?

Mr. Schnook: Not really, no. But I had to do it. I was totally fed up with my RL job, I was good but it was hard. So I had enough to see me through a 3 month trial shot at it. And it worked.

Dixie: Now some other practical questions, if you don't mind. What viewer do you currently use most of the time?

Mr. Schnook: I use the official SL viwer but as old as I can. And sleek.

Dixie: Is your book based on a specific viewer, or even computer? (Windows, Linux, Mac)

Mr. Schnook: Mac and Windows, and it mentions alternative viewers.

Dixie: One of those alternative viewers is linked to the CSI:NY thing. What do you think about the whole CSI business? Where did they go wrong?

Mr. Schnook: I think the concept was fantastic, one of my fave shows, being in the UK it was not aired here so I watched it online. But they abandonded the concept to quick. It was not maintained if you know what I mean, a shame really. By the way, I love the Die Hard 4 film set. Another good sim. Static but a good example of what SL can be. Like being inside a movie.

Dixie: Allright, last question. You already had a lot of publicity on your book. RL and SL. If it hits off, which it very probably will, will you be writing more books about Second Life? Or do you have any other plans?

Mr. Schnook: Hmmmmm ... I wanted the book to be more technical than it was, and it originally was. But it never ended up being that way in the end. So if I was to do another book, then it would be a far more technical book.


Again, James and I would like to thank Mr. Schnook very much for this opportunity. We both are great fans of the SL Guides series and are looking forward to seeing more of his work.

This book is published by Fusion Press and is available through Amazon.com and Visionpaperbacks.co.uk.

Chat logs have been used with permission from Mr. Schnook.
SLurl to SL Guides main shop: click here.

Second Life: In-WorldTravel Guide launches inworld

Join Sean for his in world release book party. Three winners will recieve real life copies of Sean's book, and all visitors will recieve a complimentary prize pack including an in world, signed, preview copy of the Second Life: In World Travel Guide just for visiting!

Go to our EVENTS section for more details.

'HOW TO GET A SECOND LIFE' final extract from Madddyyy Schnooks book

Relationships and more

Interacting on SL can be very intense and vivid ­ being a virtual world, you have so much more than typed text to get to know a person. You can do things together, hear each other¹s voices and literally live a second life with another person.
Inevitably, relationships that run deeper than mere friendship can form and this can be thrilling, exciting and emotionally fulfilling. It is possible to become partners with another avatar. This is a bit like getting married, except there are no gender or even species restrictions on who you can marry.
It currently costs L$10 to make a partner request through the SL website and your partner will also have to pay L$10 to make it official. You can partner for romantic, business or any reason you like ­ the choice is yours.
If you want to divorce or dissolve your partnership later on it will cost L$25.
To make a partner request you just need to go to your profile and click on the ‘?’ button next to PARTNER to be given a link to the SL website where you can apply for partnership.
There are a few points you need to remember about forming close relationships in SL, as it can be quite different from RL:
* As with any online interaction, be sensible about the information you choose to divulge about yourself ­ you never know who you might be talking to!
* Some people form relationships in SL when they are having an RL relationship.
While this comes down to personal preference and morality, do think about the impact SL attachments might have on your RL relationship, as well as the impact on the SL person who might not know your relationship status.
* Always remember that behind every avatar is a real person. Just because you are interacting on an avatar-to-avatar basis, it doesn't mean the real people behind them can't form attachments and can't get hurt ­ they can, and they do.
SL is much more than a game when it comes to forming relationships so it is best to operate on the principle of treating others in the way you'd like to be treated.
* When it comes to relationships, drama is rife in SL. Some say it is down to the fast-moving and intense nature of SL. According to many members, a relationship that lasts longer than a month is a rarity. In reality, there are many successful and lasting SL relationships that endure, and some even make the jump to RL love and romance.
Sex in SL
As soon as you arrive in SL, it is hard to ignore the barrage of information about sex clubs, escorts, pole dancing and orgy rooms. In particular, BDSM and Gorean slavery are very popular SL subcultures.
While these can be fun to visit and very liberating, as they offer an opportunity to try all sorts of things that one might not dream of doing in RL, there is more to sex in SL.
The act of sex itself in SL revolves mainly around poseballs and animations.You click on either a pink (usually for women) or blue (usually for men) and let the animation do its thing. If both avatars are wearing good quality skins and you are the sort who is particularly visually stimulated, you might find this arousing in the same way that some find animé porn exciting, but it might not do much for you.
To have good sex in SL consider the following:
* Genitals and skin: Your avatar doesn't come with genitals or nipples ­ for a more realistic experience, you will need to invest in a skin that is more realistic than the default and, in the case of male avatars, purchase some genitals (yes, you read that right!).
It is possible to find basic ‘bits’ in freebie warehouses.
* Penises: Penis attachments need to be removed after you have done the deed as they will still be visible after you put on your clothes.
* Renting rooms: If you are landless, consider renting a room by the hour rather than heading for a sex club (unless exhibitionism is your thing).
* SexGen beds: If you have your own private home, consider investing in aSexGen bed.
This is a scripted sex bed with a menu of various animated Positions your avatars can take. SexGen is the main brand of bed, although there are many others on the market. Shop around as prices can vary considerably for very similar products. You might like to investigate more exotic equipment, such as BDSM devices, if that is what you enjoy.
* Edit the positions: As avatar sizes and shapes are different, do take the time to edit the positions on your bed to suit the size of you and your partner.
It does take patience and time to do, so you could ask your partner to send you details of his/her shape and change your avatar to this shape and make the adjustments yourself when you have a moment. If you have an alt (analternative avatar) it might be preferable to use your alt for this.
* Sexy chat: Words plus pictures are more interesting and exciting so don't be afraid to talk during your SL liaisons. Don't forget to use IM rather than chat to keep your conversation completely private.
* Be prepared: If you are going to have SL sex, make sure that you have an Object that stops animations readily available in your inventory. If something goes wrong and you find yourself ejected from a place while having sex, you might find yourself somewhere unexpected while in flagrante (it does happen!).
If this happens you can quickly use your object to stop your embarrassing animation in an instant.


Extracted from How to Get a Second Life ©2007 madddyyy Schnook and Andrew Sullivan is published by Fusion Press.
Available from www.amazon.co.uk, www.visionpaperbacks.co.uk and all good bookshops.

'HOW TO GET A SECOND LIFE' second extract from Madddyyy Schnooks book

Branding:
Your logo or branding is the first and main visual representation of your business that customers will see ­ whether in the search tool, on the front of your premises or even in a vendor ­ and it is important that you get it right.
There are a number of great artists and designers in SL who can help you if design is not your strong point. For example at Textures R Us, by LillyBeth Filth, there is a whole team of artists who do custom jobs. There are even some branding consultants in SL who can advise you to a high level.

Branding is essential in this day and age as recognition of products depends on a memorable image or perception. A strong brand will conjure up emotions,aspirations and memories and will inspire loyalty. In SL, this is mostly achieved with a strong visual image, although slogans can help too.

To achieve a good brand status in SL takes time and there are many design and marketing issues to take on board. As with laying out a shop, it is best not to have a cluttered image for your logo. The name of your business and perhaps an item associated with your trade is enough.
My logo has strong colours and an image of a flying book. The black and yellow colours and the simple font also make it reminiscent of Other 'how to' book series.

Once you have designed your logo put it on everything that you sell or giveaway. A logo is only as effective as how much you use it.
If your business is selling items, you should even put your logo on the boxes you pack items in. If someone leaves one of your boxes in a sandbox you will get free advertising in a high traffic area for several hours.
Make sure your notecard and landmark have transfer and copy permissions so anyone chancing by the box can take a copy if they are interested.

Many RL principles apply to SL branding and I can only really touch thes urface of this topic. One difference in SL is that things move much faster and you will see the results of your work sooner rather than later.
Do remember that once you have settled on a logo you shouldn't change it without a seriously good reason or all your hard work at building up your brand could be lost.

Events
Events are a great way to increase your traffic and bring new customers or clients to your business. Your options for events are as big as your imagination.
It is best to use your imagination and organise an event that will bring potential customers to your premises that might not otherwise visit your business.
You might hold a fashion show, a talk by an expert (which might even be you Once you are established!), bring a well-known figure into SL to do a question-and-answer session or have a party ­ it's entirely up to you. Be sure to tailor your event to your target audience.

To list an event you need to do the following:
Select SEARCH and click on the EVENTS tab.
Click on the SEARCH button.
Select CREATE EVENT. A notice will come up asking you if you want to go to the Second Life events web page.
Click on OK to go to the Secondlife.com events page.
Now select ADD EVENT from the Secondlife.com website. You will need to select I AGREE to the rules on creating events.
Add a name for your event. You should be brief, factual and concise here. Next add a description. This should be one paragraph only, and a brief one at that.
Remember to reiterate where and when the event is. You will then need to add the date and time for your event.
Remember to Put the SL time rather than your RL time zone. You should think about which time is most convenient for as many different time zones as possible if you are trying to get people from all over the world.
You should add a duration for your event. The default is only 10 minutes.
Add a category for your event ­ whichever fits your event the best.
You can also add a cover charge for your event where people have to pay to attend. This isn't recommended as nearly all events in SL are free and you won't get many people attending.
Finally, you should add the location for your event from the list and click to SAVE EVENT

Listing your event on the SL website will bring a lot of traffic, but nearer the time, don't forget to 'group notice' your group. Send your group an IM to remind them that your event is starting and let all your friends know via a friends conference IM..
If all this sounds like too much hard work, you could always find a marketing consultant to hold an event for you or look to sponsor an existing event. For as little as a couple of hundred Linden dollars you can sponsor an event and reach around 50 or 60 people in one go.

Extracted from How to Get a Second Life ©2007 madddyyy Schnook and Andrew Sullivan, published by Fusion Press. Available from www.amazon.co.uk, www.visionpaperbacks.co.uk and all good bookshops.

'HOW TO GET A SECOND LIFE' first extract from Madddyyy Schnooks book

Privacy
Sometimes, as in RL, you might feel the need to get away from it all with your avatar. Obviously this is easier to do if you own your own land. Here are some methods of keeping other avatars from bothering you in your personal space:

Lock your door: If you have a house, get a locking script for your door. It is still possible for other avatars to view into your house with their camera, however, and they might even be able to select to look into a house and sit on an object, thereby circumventing the lock.
Tint your windows: Tintable windows can help guard against prying eyes, but it is still possible to cam through them if you know what you’re doing.
Get some security: A more effective way to keep people out is to buy a security system (for example a DT security system) that ejects people who are not on an access list.
Restrict your parcel access: Alternatively you could set up your land parcel allowing access to certain avatars only. You can do this by selecting ABOUT LAND in the WORLD drop-down menu. If you then select the ACCESS tab from the ABOUT LAND window, you can select to limit the access to either a certain group or specific avatars only. This is what creates those well-known and highly frustrating red ban lines that stop you moving into an area.
Stop people logging out there: Ask visitors to log off outside your house so they won’t turn up inside your house again the next time they come back inworld. You don’t want them turning up in your living room ­or worse.
Be careful about giving landmarks: If you give out landmarks to your land, ensure they are outside your house if you don’t want people teleporting straight inside.

Etiquette in SL

Generally speaking, the same rules of courtesy apply in SL as in RL:
People are generally friendly in SL, but sometimes they are busy. If you approach a group of people talking, ask if you can join them instead of assuming you can.
If you talk to someone and they don’t answer you, they may be ‘AFK’ (away from their keyboard). Don’t get upset or bad tempered with them ­ people sometimes need to get up and attend to RL.
Don’t wander into other people’s houses unless you’re invited, and certainly don’t do that if the inhabitants are in there. You wouldn’t do it in real life, would you?
When you meet someone and want to make contact with them, speak to them in open chat as opposed to sending them an IM.
Don’t add people to your friends list until you have taken the time to get to know them, and certainly not if you’ve never spoken at all. You may be disappointed if you get rejected.
Don’t feel pressured into accepting friendship offers from people who are pushing them onto you.
Read someone’s profile before making an advance on them. Many people specify that they are not looking for sex or relationships or have partners to indicate this to the SL world.
Remember that as you gain experience, there will be newcomers finding their way around just like you once were. Welcome them into the SL community with kindness, and offer help and advice should they need it.
Be prepared to keep your roleplay in appropriate areas if it troubles other people.
SL is a 24/7 environment with people from many time zones. Please respect that in customer service situations, business owners need to sleep and eat sometimes… not to mention have a real life too.
If you enjoy a location or service consider supporting the owner’s efforts with a tip if you are able to, as tier is expensive and they work hard to create an enjoyable environment for you.

Extracted from How to Get a Second Life ©2007 madddyyy Schnook and Andrew Sullivan is published by Fusion Press. Available from www.amazon.co.uk, www.visionpaperbacks.co.uk and all good bookshops.

'How to get a second life'

SL-Newspaper.com are very excited to announce the first ever serialisation of a RL book, starting Saturday for 3 weeks we will be publishing extracts from Madddyyys Schnooks' (RL author Andrew Sullivan) new book concluding with an interview with the man himself!
As far as we know this is a first for SL.

This weeks extract will be on the subject of Etiquette and Privacy.
How to get a second life takes you through from the day you first rez inworld to advanced business hints and tips useful to new and old players alike.
Watch out in world for notices!

How to Get a Second Life ©2007 madddyyy Schnook and Andrew Sullivan is published by Fusion Press. Available from http://www.blogger.com/www.amazon.co.uk,%20www.visionpaperbacks.co.uk and all good bookshops.

How to do EVERYTHING with SL (book review)

In June and July of this year, I reviewed the Official Second Life Guide and the Unofficial Guide to Second Life. Now it's time to look at a book that was published about 2 months ago: "How to do EVERYTHING with Second Life". It's actually one of the many 'How to do everything with ...' books.

Firstly I want to say that I'm eager to learn. And those books that I have reviewed did, actually, teach me something. A few hints, some key shortcuts, I even learned what 'being ruthed' means. I've been on SL for about 9 months now, and to be honest, except for some specialities such as scripting, sculpties and designing clothes, I think I pretty much know my way around SL. I know the basics, and a bit more, I like to believe. So the previous books were nice, and the Unofficial Tourist's Guide was fun because of the places mentioned there.

But this afternoon I received my 'How to do Everything', and since then I couldn't stop reading! Holy Mahony, I wish this book had been published before the other two. This book makes the others obsolete!

Yes, that's a bold statement, I know. But just imagine, this book talks about the same things as the other two, and more. Those had all the elemental stuff in it, but mind you, when do you actually buy a book about SL? Right, when you're already hooked (like the rest of us). And when is that? Yes, when you have found your Second Life. And wouldn't you have the basics under your belt by then? Yes you would.

So, that's the reason I love this book. Of course, it deals with the basics, like enhancing your appearance, making friends, all that stuff. But this book does more. It actually explains things a bit deeper and deals with a lot more topics that might actually help you get to the next stage in your Second Life experience.

Whether it's stories about people's first experiences of owning land, or how to make transparent textures with Photoshop and uploading them. On how to find items that went under water or even under the grass, to reducing lag and increasing performance. Even where to go if you're looking for medieval roleplay, to a great 101 on LSL scripting.

I don't have the space here to tell you everything you can find in the book, but I can give you a quick summary of the contents, to give you a global idea of what the book covers. And there's a free chapter available for download (see link below). And like with the official guide, they picked the chapter that deals with inventory. So if you want, you can compare the both.

Part 1 - Get a Second Life:
SL essentials, communication and good manners, create your look, doing inventory, introducing the interface, advance interface techniques

Part 2 - Venture into the virtual world:
sex and the single avatar, going on a shopping spree, visit exotic lands

Part 3 - Go beyond the basics:
earn a living, buying good land and setting up house, building objects, texturing, scripting

Mind you some of the mentioned topics sound quite basic, but you have to trust me on this one: I am 100% confident that you will learn plenty of new stuff from this book, even if you consider yourself experienced. And if you don't? It's a fun read anyway and it's nice to freshen up on a few topics.

Factual info about the book:
Full title: "How to Do Everything with Second Life"
By: Richard Mansfield
Publisher: McGraw-Hill books
ISBN: 987-0-07-149789-3
No. of pages: 268
Order at: $16.49 at Amazon.com or $24.99 at McGraw-Hill
Look inside the book: first pages and FREE CHAPTER 4

About the author:
Richard Mansfield is the author of 41 computer books which have sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide and have been translated into 12 languages. He is an active Second Life resident.

My opinion:
Information value for starters: 5/5
Information value for advanced residents: 5/5
Graphic quality: 4.5/5
Easy to read: 5/5
Extra's: 4.5/5 (blog with scripting resources and more)

My personal overall rating: 5 out of 5