Seems the Last Name list has changed!!!

Apologies if this has been talked about already but it looks like the last name list has changed!!

If it means new last names it's about bloody time, they haven't rotated that list in so long.

Days ago dears. Where have you been?

Unable to connect to game! Website fubars and umm... sleeping. A lot of sleeping!

Not in the habit of creating an alt everyday!

What's weird is that they didn't change ALL of them. My first alt has almost 9400 siblings, but her last name is still available. My second alt's name, which is far more popular at 38,500, is now gone.

Based on Adz's SL namewatch, it looks like the cutoff is about 13,000. Ouch, that is still way too many for each name!

I think 5000 would be a better cutoff.

Good point!
If you join the list here... http://slnamewatch.com/ ...you get notified shortly after the names are rotated.

Its cool that you noticed that, too. The fact that they only added 157 names this time, compared to 315 last time, surprised me. The fact that they left 192 of the old names in place surprised me even more.
<speculation type=free-wheeling>
Before today, my working theory for the name addition and retirement procedure was simply that there is a database table with last names. I know that there are last name ids. For example, the newest name, "Whiteberry," has an internal last name id of 5344. Because of this, I imagined that there was a single table of last names, ids, and a status field indicating active or not active. Then, the "Join Now" page simply runs an SQL query to populate a drop-down box with only the active last names. This seems like the easiest solution. To add names, add rows to the table. To remove names, change their status to retired. In my imagination, all the affected software, for example the Join Now page, would update itself with the new list automatically.

Perhaps the structure and operation is not that simple. Perhaps there are other design considerations I haven't thought of that make it difficult to add and retire names? Maybe they don't have software to assist them. Or maybe the software they have requires the names be added and retired individually. Or maybe the software is inefficient and makes you wait. Or maybe the "Join Now" page doesn't use SQL to make up the list of available names, or an SQL query in this situation would take too much time. In other words, maybe the last name master must manually and carefully add the new names to the selection box? A mistake here could be devastating and ruin alot of SL users' days.
</speculation>

I should work for LL.

Heh, you noticed that too. When I created an alt the other day (before the new names appeared :/ ) I saved the form page to disc, and created a new field with the surname 'Test' and the ID just one digit higher than the highest already available. I thought it might show me the surname not officially listed yet (when I clicked submit) but which is already in the database.

How wrong I was. Thankfully, LL are far more sophisticated than that.

Thanks for slnamewatch btw.

Does W3C have a JIRA? I'd like to recommend this tag be added to the official HTML specification!

Careful. Thats how Braggs got in big trouble and got his account locked.
You're welcome!!!!!!

I posed the question "Why have there not been any new last names in such a long time? " in one of my blogs, the one at http://letterstolindenlab.wordpress.com , a few days ago, and this was Robin Linden's response:
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What do you do with alts that you get just to have a cute or catchy name like "Cheese Burger" or "Rain Cloud" or such?

The onlyalt account I use with any frequency at all now is the SuezanneC Blackflag account. Lately I've had to use that account to join new groups.

I suppose one could have an account just to use for joining chatty groups with - run that account using the SLeek client.

LOL

Cool... it looks like you helped nudge LL into action on this matter. One never knows which communication venues they listen to and which ones they don't. Its encouraging to know that you were heard.
Good question. Yesterday I made Leeroy Jenkins shape and got him some hair... set him up. That was fun, so I guess thats all the reason you need. As for what's next, I'm at a loss. My friend has a club... maybe i'll turn Leeroy Jenkins in to a libsecondlife-driven greeter or bartender.
Other applications include
Alt "bank" that you can deposit / withdraw from, or set as the recipient of you vendor sales.
A place to back up your irreplaceable original creations.
A way to separate different activities in SL and maintain separate friends lists.
A way to get a group bonus on land without actually having a group of different people. (thats not a secret, is it?)
...

Well, hopefully it wouldn't be seen as a cardinal sin as there's absolutely zero money in it; but point taken, and I apologise to LL for that oversight. While I can see the usefulness of a name like Cheese Burger because it's absolutely unforgettable, other names appeal simply from a custom character point of view. Ie. You could go to a lot of work creating an avatar based on a character from a horror movie, but it's hardly worthwhile if your avatar name is Sally Sweetness or something like that. (Although actually, you could *build* a great horror character from that name.)

Robin needs to get with the program.

One curious "fact" of Second Life is that one has to choose their name before they start living in Second Life. Some people are stuck with names that don't fit their persona.

I happened to spend a lot of time choosing mine, I like it. It fits what I do, but I consider myself fortunate.

On the other hand, I do need to tell all people I meet to call me "Wake."

Wake

New names are available today if anyone is interested. Thanks to Adz Childs and slnamewatch.com for the update. Unfortunately, Herman Munster and Barney Rubble were already taken.

So are Thomas Jefferson and Chief Sittingbull but there were 321 new names added, so it will be a fun and hectic time for a lot of alt-namers.

So is California Kondor Taken yet?
Jenna Jameson is taken.
KermitLa Frog, Kermit Frog, and KermitThe Frog are all available.

I bet anton grabbed that one.

Anton?

Oh, and Jennifer Saunders of Absolutely Fabulous is available.

Elizabeth Short (The Black Dahlia) is available.
Ray Romano available.
Spitting Camel is available.
Eddie Munster is available.

I see that "Runningbear" is available as a last name. Wonder what people will come up with that one, eh?

................. Runningbear
Furryassed
Always
Often
Outhowse
Out
Caughtby
Can'tEludeA
NikeShoes
Simi
Bearly
Slowly
Sprightly
Speedy
Stationary
Treadmill
WhyAmI
I'dRatherBe

Furryassed Runningbear - heh
I'dRatherBe Runingbear - I want that one

The vertically-challenged will find both Short and Halfpint have been added.
Also Hotshot and Marksman for those so inclined.

I am anxious to see what is done with Latte. (Tall Latte was available when I looked)