It's the holiday season again in Second Life -- and as I understand it in real life too. The gift-shopping mayhem is in full-swing. Here are the top questions in my IM inbox at this time of year...


How do I give a vehicle to someone for Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus?

You buy a helicopter, then find that SL won't let you send it to your friend. How do you buy no-transfer items as gifts? Easy... go to one of the SL shopping websites and have them make the delivery for you.

• SL Exchange - Registration is required, but easy. To go shopping, first you can deposit Linden dollars at an ATM on Exchange Island. Then, when you find the item you want, use the Purchase As Gift button. Items are delivered to the person of your choice with a personalized message from you.
  
  
• OnRez - Registration is required here too. You can deposit L$ to your OnRez account using an ATM or PayPal, then browse the catalogue. Use the Send As Gift button to make the purchase.

Why are you such a jerk, Cubey? Just change vehicle permissions to No-Copy/Transfer!

You should never ever buy a vehicle without Copy permission. Why? SL EATS VEHICLES.

Second Life's quirks (aka, "bugs") often make your items go missing. Asset failures can leave you bald when your hair vanishes, for example. Your favourite furniture might be eaten by a region crash. And region borders eat vehicles for lunch. It's true! I've lost piles vehicles that way, and where they go is a mystery. Maybe they fall through a hole in the space-time continuum and land in a secret place in a corner of the grid where Lindens play with them in their off-hours.


Do you have gift certificates?

No, for two reasons. First, there is no foolproof, secure way to issue and redeem gift certificates in Second Life. The second reason being that, with SL Exchange and OnRez, you can buy the gifts directly.


I hope these answers help you. Good luck in your gift shopping, and a Happy Festivus to all!