Is the SL Landscape becoming more dismal?

Be careful though - I've met "new" residents who had signed up 3 months ago, but hadn't actually managed to log in during those 3 months, because they didn't have time and/or needed to upgrade their PC. Or myself - I've been here almost two years, but just haven't done that much building in that time. So don't assume that birthdate is a guide to non-newbishness in any particular discipline

One possibility, by the way, is that there are private islands which have rules specifying that builds must be artistic. This, of course, is a way to make sure people don't get trapped between plywood palaces. Unfortunately, it means that the artists who go there are drawn away from the rest of the Grid.

Who decides what is "Artistic"?

I do.

Why do I get a strange feeling of comfort from that?

It's a tough dirty job but someone has to do it.

There's this set criteria matrix called the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionaire that psychologists use to....oh, wait.....I may be confused.

Ah yes...the AssQ...i've heard of it.

Thanks for all the interesting points of view - I have just been in-world and find one of my properties now faces a "Find God in the Universe" (or some such Holy Rolling advice) revolving sign post. I think whoever it is disapproves of me and my lifestyle.
My SL partner will have a fit and mutter to himself ...

Two of the Four Agreements:

Don't make assumptions.

Don't take ANYTHING personally.

My first job in SL was as an exotic dancers (some would insult me by saying I was a stripper. hmmpf). A church bought land and began building next to our club so the clubs owner created a huge billboard facing their land with the following:

"Judge not lest ye be judged" --Matthew 7.1

I thought it was smart and funny.

Who said they were judging? Did the church do something to invite that sign, other than merely exist?

Extremely good question. The answer makes all the difference when contemplating the sign.

Indeed. It makes the irony ironic in itself so it becomes irony squared; like some sort of irony laser hitting an ironic mirror and returning, ironically, to the sender.

My head hurts.

I agree that is a good point.

As far as I know there were no conversations that took place. They did have scripture on some signs about salvation and such, though they weren't necessarily directed at the club itself.

The sign itself did not specify they were judging. It was just a simple reminder that I found funny.

I've been thinking about this. For those of us who've been around a while, isn't there an element of 'the novelty wearing off' a little. Like, we've been to so many places, seen such amazing things, that we can sometimes feel like 'yeah, we've seen it all before'?

I remember first being here and spending ages examining a huge bird sitting on a telegraph wire at Help Island. I was just amazed how someone could create something so incredible.

Now... well, I probably wouldn't look twice.

And seeing Apollo or Svarga for the first time. Wanting to show people IRL how brilliant these places are. Or diving off a high board for the first time. Doing it over and over just to watch that double gambol! Or scuba diving. Or anything really.

After a while, it's obviously going to take more and more to inspire you. I kinda understand what the OP is saying but I just wonder whether this is part of it.

I know exactly what you mean.

I have to drink LOADS these days to get drunk.

For one of the most original builds, go see "Greenies Home". It takes up the whole sim and it is just amazing. Just follow the chalk marks and keep walking until you enter the main part. There is so much to see and explore. I understand about flying into the ban lines, but I was forced to finally put mine up. Far too many avies thought my land was part of the sex business up the slope. I just got tired of all the intrusions and rude behavior. Since the sex business is still operating in my sim, most of my neighbors with homes have also put up ban lines.

Ad towers are irritating, no question. I would happily give up some of my stipend not to have to stare at a big old floating panel for a long-defunct strip club at 150 metres, carefully placed to block the view from my tower penthouse.

I think there should be scope for people to "visually mute" structures, anyway: it would be a whole new tag in the database, but the idea is simple enough: you can mute something that offends you, at which point you can no longer see it. Other people can; it's just you that can't. When you do so, a message is sent to the owner; if they want to object to your muting for privacy reasons or whatever, they can AR you or choose to negotiate (much like existing privacy issues). I would DEARLY LOVE to apply this visual mute to the campfire-in-midair and picture-of-someone's-dogs which have been floating in the middle of my home sim for the best part of a year. The Campfire's crackling logs and puffs of smoke are on Governor Linden land...!

Well I rent my parcel on Estate land, which makes it some easier to speak with someone about really anoying builds But as regarding to the OP, I really think that not many people put effort in making their buildings/parcels nice to look at, especially commercial venues.

Most commercial parcels I see, contain a huge concrete building, filled with as many shops as possible. Of which most are for available rent If not conrete btw, then at least purple...
Getting the most value out of your space and prims means: put no effort in looks, but stack as many low-prim vendor spaces on your space, leaving most of your prims to rent out.

Since I do not intend to make any money out of SL, I use many prims just to make the parcel nice to look at. The few shops must fit in the environment, so the experience for the people coming to the shops is good. But of course that is not the way to go if you want the renters of your shops to pay the tier for the parcel Well, by not asking any rent I am pretty sure they won't pay my tier anyway

As soon as people find out that big ugly malls don't attract many people anyway, they might put more effort in looks, and we might just find ourselves in a pretty SL!

Cheers, Marcel