On the risks of high altitude scanners

First, I'd like to thank whoever was responsible for the removal of the "lb v2" scanners. Cursory scanning over my land shows that they aren't present any longer.

While at altitude confirming the removal, I found our good old friend "Acidic Flight 2.25". For those who hadn't heard of this object, they live at 500m high and were found to be extremely compute intensive, running 20 simultaneous scripts, scanning for land, and sending out reports on a very frequent basis.

To the best of my knowledge, the creator/owner of these scanners has not been in game for months, and had stated that he had removed all of them when the community became sufficiently annoyed by their presence. But he also wasn't sure where he had placed them all, so didn't know if he actually had removed them all.

One of the risks of high altitude scanners - hidden from casual observation - is that they do not go away. For all I know, the "Acidic Flight 2.25" was dutifully reporting to some out-of-game receiver that isn't there any longer, lagging my home sim for literally no purpose at all (especially as there is no turn-over of land in my sim).

I went down to find the parcel owner to notify them of the scanner above their land - who typically knows what is 500m above their build? I found that this was sitting above one of the 16m^2 parcels used by the "Acidic Flight 2.25" creator/owner. For a mere L$100/m^2 I was able to buy that parcel and zap the scanner.

How many more of these and similarly hidden objects are out there? It does appear that SL v1.6 may give us a better idea, but it would not have caught this. While I was rogue hunting, I found another active object of unknown provenence sitting 1m below the ground surface. The object was flinging particles (also below ground) and contained at least six tiny, invisible prims. This object is technically "off-world" but possibly missed by the off-world object returner as it is just barely off world; that it sits at the juncture of 4 sims may also have something to do with it.

Second Life is cool in large part because things persist. Some things persist too well.

Now if only we could make a global scanner we could get a list of parcels owned by that "Acidic Flight 2.25" person
*snickers*

That wouldn't be strictly necessary as LL knows who owns what parcels. But you would know that as you are omniscient.

There's one in Tan. Its sort in the corner of the sim where Tan meets Boardman and Kissling. About 500m up. It's not hidden.

I've got a scanner that could easily spot those -- and any other high-altitude scripted objects. The only problem is that a full scan of the grid would take three weeks or so.

Are they still removed? I've still been seeing them around multiple sims.

Someone else said they were gone around that time... i'm wondering if the owner of the satellites didn't do a test with someone, or implement an upgraded feature that temporarily took them down. If you check the main thread on this, you'll see that there are still motherships alive and active as of 6 hours ago.

It's called EXTORTION. Lagging sims, then asking people for L$1600 to make it go away is the very definition of extortion. I paid the extortion in BonnyDoon just to get rid of his scanner awhile back because that was the only way to get rid of the abuse.

Scanner hunting is more fun than Tringo!

bwahahahaha!!!

Hmm... a new game to learn. So if I can get a 3x3 block of scanner, i get 30 points? Or should we score on the first person to find a new scanner?

I can hear the new thread now: "The scanner scanners are killing my sim"!

As of a few minutes ago they are still in world. While flying around at 500m (doesn't everybody?) I found them in no less then 12 sims. In hind sight I should have noted which sims and I am sure I will be floged with over cooked pasta for it.

im writing this from a hospital bed...where im recovering from flying right into one of these invisible little nuisances...three broken ribs, a concussion, and multiple stitches later....im thinking after my short conversation with my lawyer this is going to be worth MILLIONS muah ha ha

I have yet to find any of them. They are certainly not around my area.

Oh, clearly someone who's stood up and defended Pete repeatedly would be a good person to ask whether they have seen land scanners over their land.

*rolls eyes*

I hope Pete's ready for 1.6 when the whole grid, not just forum readers, will see his stuff over their land and wake up to this.

Actually, I went on a one-man scanner hunt the other day, over several sims, to check these claims. I used one scanner script in my vehicle and had object beacons and highlight invisible enabled.

I would love it if you could point out any further landscanners, specifically the infamous "lb v2," by sim, because I sure didn't find anything. Unless, of course, the occasional "Object" or "Sex Ball" is a land scanner.

The other day I flew around the snow sims (I live in Afton) with object beacons and highlight transparent on, somewhere between 400 and 500 meters, with a draw distance of 256.
There's a shitload of sex boxes filled with anim balls... I wonder if these are actually allowed on a PG sim. No suspicious primitives though.
Are they even around? Did someone take them down again?

The "lb v2" scanners are not appearing in their old haunts under their old name. They may have been turned off as they have likely been rendered useless. Or they might have changed their modus operandi, or they may be sparser as their creator has been reported to be vocally annoyed at counter-measures that had been deployed.

But we don't know because their creator didn't bother to tell us anything about them and has a number of alts. He didn't tell us he was putting them up months ago and didn't feel he had to justify the use of them to land owners (and sims owners) they were being sent to. He did express beligerance that his use of the entire grid for solitary purposes was being questioned.

At least he's consistent in his "community be damned approach". If history repeats (or rhymes, as Twain says). They'll be back in the not too distant future. Or the person behind the operation could at conceivably now say what his intentions are; stranger things have been known to happen.

Scanners are not in their usual places in Varney, and active object count is down about 10 now in the sim... haven't tried looking around for new ones, but ...

I'm making a bold assumption here that:
(a) Pete took them down
(b) Pete probably (I'm guessing, I have no knowledge) had an IM with LL that went like this:
LL: "Pete, a lot of people are unhappy that you did this in such a clandestine way. We've taken some crap and spent a lot of time defending you because this isn't against current CS/TOS. As a favor in return to us, can you take these down temporarily while we work out a way for you to do it and the community be satisfied that their concerns are met? We'll even let you be a principle participant in helping to come up with some guidelines."
(c) Pete is remaining silent on what they do because they are, in fact, for his own gain solely.

You all have it wrong. Pete Fats has accomplished his mission of helping Fearless Leader apprehend the notorious Moose and Squirrel. Therefore, the scanner no longer serve a purpose.

Long live Fearless Leader!

And he would have succeeded if not for those meddling kids!

Well after a half hour at my new scanner hunting hobby ( I know I need to get a life) here are my findings

Acidic Flight 2.25:

Brown 142, 177
Green 79, 90
Mauve 142,130
Bisque 158,162

(the last three are on 16m^2 plots owned by the creator of Acidic Flight that are for sale at L$1600)

lb v2

None found

Didn't Mal say that three posts up... WAKE UP NOLAN!!!!!

Yeah yeah!

I didn't know Pete was responding to that. Damn, here I thought Pete was just being clever...