Here is an interesting post for those of you interested in avatar appearance and lighting (NSFW: topless avatar images at the link). I've been complaining a lot lately about the way avatars look -- and not just at noon, where the badness is understandable -- and blamed it on the underlying mesh. I mean, if those strong shadows on the sides of the nose show up pretty much whatever you do, lighting-wise, the problem must clearly be with the geometry, right? The sides of the nose have to be angled weird or something.

Well, it seems that's not the case. Joannah Cramer opened up the avatar in a 3D program and tweaked the material and the lighting, and with the help of a skin, got a result that actually resembles a real human being. Seriously, go look. You'll likely be stunned by how much better it appears than anything in world.