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Last updated:
05/11/2008 10:36 PM
1. The Chicago Tribune - Virtual dinner and a movie? Simulated dating ranks grow. “Paula Weisz’s favorite place to take her dates is the Millennium bar, where she can sip a glass of red wine and have a good conversation. She typically goes on one date per week with men she meets online at OmniDate.com.” 2. [...]
Nurses are one of the most active groups of health professionals in Second Life and I regularly get asked by health professionals what use a virtual world like Second Life is in regard to training. The video below answers that question beautifully: If you’re a nurse in Second Life, tell us what the experience has [...]
I show you how to play parcel music in Second Life — including Internet radio stations — in less than 10 minutes! Yes, it’s really that simple, and along the way, I highlight good things to know.
00:17 - Setup Second Life for playing music
01:49 - Get a music URL from your web browser
02:44 - Play a music URL in Second Life
03:38 - Find Internet radio stations to play in SL
05:19 - View a playlist file to get the music URL (in iTunes)
06:29 - Get the music URL (in Winamp)
06:59 - Get the music URL (in a text editor)
07:29 - More radio stations to get music URLs
08:20 - Working URLs do not end in M3U or PLS
09:38 - Hide a music URL
Related resources:
-Torley Linden 
Watch 150+ video tutorials for your happier Second Life!
by Torley Linden at 05/11/2008 12:55 PM
Last month we glimpsed Truthseeker in his life support tank; here he is out in the open, a gentlemen farmer in an unknown future. Or as he puts it, "Gettin' ready to harvest thuh SPACE-WEED!!! The plasma-fence is fer keepin'...
by SLHamlet at 05/10/2008 11:57 PM
Second Life and the Public Good: A Community Challenge gives real rewards
Los Angeles, CA May 10, 2008
The USC Network Culture Project is hosting a Community Challenge entitled Second Life and the Public Good; request for Proposals is now available on the web at http://networkculture.usc.edu. Teams and individuals can apply to win a three month grant of L$100,000 per month with land to develop their vision for real world action.
A special international session will be held on May 12, 2008 at 9PM PST to ask questions about the new community challenge. Panelists and USC Network Culture hosts will be on hand to answer questions about this new grant cycle within Second Life on 5/12 and 5/15 at Noon at the International Island amphitheatre. Community Challenge panelists include Howard Rheingold, Rik Panganiban, Craig Wacker, Lori Bell and Randall Moss; community leaders from Second Life and social media circles.
Led by Doug Thomas, principal investigator at the USC Annenberg School of Communication, the USC Network Culture project invites the residents of Second Life to imagine new ways that virtual worlds such as Second Life can be used to make a contribution to the public good. Thomas introduced the challenge inworld: “We really wanted to put out a challenge to the various communities that make up Second Life to find ways to use a virtual world to make a difference in the physical world”.
Community Challenge proposals from groups, organizations or individuals will show how Second Life can enhance, develop, or sustain the public good. The best submissions will be selected based on how well they demonstrate the significance of virtual worlds for making an impact on society or culture. Up to three finalists will be selected by community vote to receive sizable grants for a three month development season. The Network Culture group in Second Life will help avatars track progress through the June voting cycle.
Projects may address any social need and could include conservation, human rights and international justice, global peace and security, reproductive health, digital media and learning, or juvenile justice. Finished proposals will be emailed to networkculture@gmail.com and should provide a clear description of how the project uses the abilities of Second Life to advance the project goals.
This Community Challenge is part of ongoing philanthropic research in virtual worlds by the USC Network Culture Project. Thomas notes “We are hoping this challenge will expand the possibilities and opportunities for philanthropy in virtual worlds. Building off the creativity and energy of virtual world residents, we also hope to challenge philanthropic organizations to start taking note of the possibilities that these spaces offer. We are really looking forward to the conversations, collaborations and new ideas that this challenge is sure to produce.”
For more information visit the Annenberg Amphitheatre on International Island at http://slurl.com/secondlife/International%20Island/142/55/30 or contact Evonne Heyning, USC Network Culture events producer, In Kenzo in Second Life at inkenzo@gmail.com.
by Lorelei at 05/10/2008 11:29 PM
This can be anything Second Life-related, from specific content, sites, events, news items, and Residents, to general themes and subjects. Note I say "we", because this forum welcomes possible fashion topics for Iris, and upcoming events for Charlanna. Post here...
by SLHamlet at 05/10/2008 09:01 PM
by SLHerald at 05/10/2008 07:05 PM
Alliance and LearningTimes to Sponsor Conference on History in Virtual Worlds
On June 10, 2008 Alliance Library System, in cooperation with LearningTimes, will offer a one-day conference exploring the possibilities of using virtual worlds to teach history and to promote its appreciation. The conference, titled “Stepping into History: Exploring the Past through Virtual Worlds” will be held entirely in the virtual world of Second Life, allowing participants to attend from any location with a computer and a broadband internet connection. Attendance at the conference is limited to 60 participants, and cost is $45 USD per person. Registration is available at the website www.steppingintohistory.org.
“What if, instead of just talking or reading about history, we could actually be there?” asks John Howard, conference director and Special Projects Coordinator for Alliance. “What if instead of looking at a picture of a historical site, you could actually walk through and explore it? Previously, you could only get this experience by traveling long distances. New virtual world technology allows us to do something quite similar from our computers.”
The conference will not be lecture-based, according to Howard. Instead, participants will take “field trips” into historical locations that have been created in Second Life. They will have time to explore them on their own, then to meet and discuss what they have seen and experienced with simulation creators and other conference participants. Sites will include 19th century America, where participants may run into Abraham or Mary Todd Lincoln; Virtual Harlem, where participants will have the opportunity to hear live music as it might have been during the Jazz Age/Harlem Renaissance; and Renaissance Island, where participants can sit in on a rehearsal for a Shakespearean play in a replica of London’s Globe Theatre.
“All of our field trip sites have tons of educational resources, but we also want participants to actually experience history in various ways” says Howard. The conference will end with a panel discussion with a variety of experts, and with an opportunity for participants to attend a period ball at the Lincoln era White House.
Alliance has partnered with LearningTimes to put on this conference. In addition to helping organize the conference, LearningTimes is setting up the technology for individuals and groups to participate in the conference without having to create a Second Life account. “For those who haven’t done it, Second Life can take a little getting used to” notes John Walber, CEO of LearningTimes. “We have had great success this year in providing ‘simulcasts’ of events in second life, essentially, looking over the shoulder of a participant.” Walber notes that this should make attendance easier for more people. While not quite as “immersive,” the solution is highly interactive, and creates a recording for later playback Conference organizers will also provide an orientation for those who would like to attend the conference in Second Life, but have no prior experience with the program.
LearningTimes and Alliance have created an ongoing on-line community for participants in this and future conferences. Within this community registrants will have access to conference recordings, contribute to on-going discussions, and network with other interested people from around the world after the conference is over.
Full conference schedule and registration information is available at the conference website, http://www.steppingintohistory.org
or people may contact John Howard directly at 309.694.9200.
John S Howard (Corwin Howlett in Second Life)
Special Projects Coordinator
Alliance Library System
600 High Point Lane
East Peoria, Illinois 61611
Phone: 309.694.9200 ext. 2121
800.700.4857 ext. 2121
Fax: (309) 694-9230
Email: jhoward@alliancelibrarysystem.com
Website: www.alliancelibrarysystem.com
skype: john.s.howard7
Systems Build Community
The Alliance Library System is one of nine multitype systems cooperating to provide essential services to the citizens of Illinois.
by Lorelei at 05/10/2008 12:02 PM
So here's a fun if disconcerting exercise: Google your Second Life avatar's name, and be sure to put it in quotes. Note the number of Results you get. Now do the same with your real life name (also in quotes)...
by SLHamlet at 05/10/2008 07:45 AM
We’ve just updated the Quality Metrics page, and the numbers show what you already know: April was not a good month for Second Life Grid availability. Our internal outage tracking tool estimates that about 630,000 usage hours were lost to global system failures over the course of the month, which is about 1.9% of the total (up from 0.06% in February and 0.22% in March), and resident surveys clearly indicate great unhappiness coinciding with these failures. (We define lost usage as how much time Residents would have spent logged in but did not, due to Grid failures; it is meant as a global availability metric and does not cover local failures like sim crashes, inventory problems, and the like. See actual[black] vs predicted[blue] concurrency graph excerpt, right.) I’d like to address the causes for this, and what we are doing about it in general terms.
What happened, and Why?
So, on to why April was so tough: virtually every piece of mission-critical Second Life Grid infrastructure failed catastrophically at least once during the month. Here are the biggest sources of downtime; I list these not to shirk responsibility, but to illustrate the near-perfect storm:
For more information on the systems that make up the Second Life Grid and how, when they fail, they impact the platform, please check the Service Disruptions page. Because component failures are never wholly avoidable, our goal (and the goal of online services everywhere), is to reduce the extent to which the Second Life Grid is affected by the loss of key systems. With a platform this technologically complex, adding the necessary redundancy and failure management is a long process, but we have not been standing still: on average a database crash in April cost about 14,000 lost usage hours, vs 53,000 hours for a similar crash last August (at a time when substantially fewer people were using Second Life). We will continue to reduce the impact (on both logins and in-world functionality) of these crashes, until they cease to be significant, at which point they can come off the Service Disruptions page.
Clearly, though, there is still a great deal of work left to do. Our long term strategy includes specific plans to eliminate the risks associated with all of the failures I listed above. We make progress every day, and continue to hire the best and brightest technical staff at our offices in San Francisco, Mountain View, Seattle, Boston, and Brighton. (See our hiring page.) In the meantime, our service record is not perfect but we are confident that we have identified some key areas to improve and will continue to move forward.
Finally, I’ll mention our new coalesced status reports page, which replaces system status updates on our primary blog. Look there for all Grid-status information, including information about upcoming scheduled outages: http://status.secondlifegrid.net/
by Ian Linden at 05/10/2008 01:11 AM
In my favorite scene from Seven Samurai, the villagers who've spent most the movie resolutely working together to defend themselves from outside attack, come undone with panic. They're about to surrender, when Toshiro Mifune climbs to a high point and...
by SLHamlet at 05/09/2008 11:51 PM
[I have very mixed emotions about this particular feature - it marks the end of an era. One of the all-time sexiest avatars in SL, a great friend, and an amazing photographer is posing as a Post 6 Grrrrl - the Herald's highest honor for avatar art. Sadly, this is also Justine's retirement :-(. Despite my pleas, the incredible Ms. Babii is stepping aside to spend more time enjoying RL. While this is a bittersweet time for all of the staff at the Herald, it is also a special treat for our readers. Justine - its been a great run and I wish you all the best! - the Editrix]
This week I had two things to do in Second Life. I had to help Jaime Wheeler finish up things in the new issue of SexySecond Magazine, and I had to find a model for my last week as the Post 6 Photographer. Yep, that's it, I'm hanging up the camera.
It has been a lot of fun being the Post 6 Photographer. I've met a string of great people who modeled for me week after week. It was also an honor to meet those models who Marilyn Murphy photographed too. The whole ride has been a treat and I thank Pixeleen for wrangling me into it.
I've had a great time in Second Life in general. I hit the ground running and went to work at SLNN, which was full of great people. Then I met Celebrity Trollop and got to work for the Second Style Magazine and the Fashionista blog which was a great experience too. I've been truly blessed here.
So while I recommend Second Life, I'm online less and less. Real Life is getting its claws in me pretty good, and I'm finding I like it. Going out, I thought it would be fitting to do what the models have done and pose here for you. Be gentle, I'm thin skinned, as you can see.
Th-that's all folks, it's been a lot of fun!
by Justine Babii at 05/09/2008 11:35 PM
If you're looking for fun an interesting metaverse events to attend this weekend, you want to check out Lanna's List. If you're looking for sites to explore and adventures to go on, here's three recently uncovered by Second Life bloggers:...
by SLHamlet at 05/09/2008 10:55 PM
In the old days, anyone who used technology frequently was pretty much labeled a nerd (geek, dag, dorc). Now even the cool kids do it. What a difference a decade-plus of Internet and mobile makes. Technology is everywhere. I wonder, is this trend going to start changing the basic shape of the technology adoption curve, especially as the Internet generation ages to positions of budgetary power?
It is important to note that while more people use technology, the population does not care any more than before about how or why technology actually works. They just want it to work.
Our job in the virtual worlds space is to focus on the essentials and not over-indulge in the new-new shiny. I feel chastened by being too far ahead of the market over the last couple of years. My own interests have focused a lot on avatar-to-avatar interaction — in other words, real-time human communication. We need to zoom in on the simplest set of interfaces and features that enable communication and expressiveness, and stop ourselves before those interfaces and features run amuck and turn counter-productive.
We’re still hunting for a right middle ground between the over-simplified, non-immersive and the over-complicated full-3D glitz. While I love the full-3D glitz, I am guessing that it is going to take some time before human-computer interfaces and human-understanding/training meet in the middle.
PS it is hard to talk about all this technology ubiquity without a little Cheezburger:
more cat pictures
by Giff at 05/09/2008 10:39 PM
1. Iron Man in Second Life 2. Henry Jenkins in Second Life Talks about Potter Fandom (this one runs for 51 minutes) 3. Tiny Anatine’s “A day in Second Life” Related storiesMay 2, 2008 -- Weekend WhimsyApril 25, 2008 -- Weekend WhimsyApril 18, 2008 -- Weekend WhimsyApril 13, 2008 -- Weekend WhimsyApril 5, 2008 -- Weekend WhimsyMarch 29, 2008 [...]
Charlanna Beresford’s weekly round-up of upcoming SL events… As part of its 50th anniversary, NASA is hosting a mixed reality forum to discuss its future; NASA Deputy Director Shana Dale (SL Xena Dahl) is going to present by avatar in...
by Lanna at 05/09/2008 10:28 PM
This is a thumbnail of an awesomely sexy image by blogging fashionista Leila Carroll, and it's absolutely not safe for work (unless, say, you work at Nerve.com.) Leila created the couple's acrobatic love tango for her store, "! Meya !",...
by SLHamlet at 05/09/2008 10:01 PM
Overstock.com has opened Club O in Second Life to promote brand awareness and distribute information about the day's deals. There's no actual e-commerce there, yet. More info. The University of the Pacific has opened a virtual campus in Second Life....
by Joey Seiler at 05/09/2008 09:09 PM
Foldit asks players to rotate proteins in three dimensions, assemble side chains, shape the backbone, and generate stabilizing hydrogen bonds--all essential tasks as the players contribute towards University of Washington protein scientist David Baker's goals of curing HIV, developing various...
by Joey Seiler at 05/09/2008 08:53 PM
dandellion Kimban is pondering a question that recently occurred to me, and Nicholaz Beresford, too: "What Happened To The Age Verification?" Almost exactly a year ago (an epoch back, in metaverse time), the Lindens announced they were partnering with a...
by SLHamlet at 05/09/2008 08:30 PM
Kevin Alderman, better known as Stroker Serpentine in Second Life, is a strong case for pointing out success of virtual entrepreneurs. He's successfully navigated several lawsuits regarding his virtual world IP, the products of Strokerz Toyz, and now he's bringing...
by Joey Seiler at 05/09/2008 07:14 PM
BreakAway Ltd. announced today that it had been selected by the Medical College of Georgia to develop an immersive, virtual environment to train dental students. The students will guide avatars through the process of assessing patients' physical and emotional readiness...
by Joey Seiler at 05/09/2008 05:46 PM
How much does it cost to open a successful SL nightclub? In a three part series, Second Life business owner ArminasX Saiman calculates the expenses, and estimates the L$ equivalent could run as high as $1000 a month. A steep...
by SLHamlet at 05/09/2008 05:35 PM
Hello everybody! This week on KBAotW, I’d like to introduce you to a little feature called Media On A Parcel. With Parcel Media, you can share your movies, music, images, and even webpages with other Residents on your land. Movie night, anyone?
As always, if you have questions about Second Life, and you think the answer should be in the Knowledge Base, please stop by Documentation Office Hours today at 2pm PDT. We love to hear from you! You’ll find our valiant and scholarly Documentation team lounging on couches at our usual pier-shaped office in Beaumont.
See you there!
Jeremy Linden
by Jeremy Linden at 05/09/2008 05:18 PM
In an interview wrapping up GameIndustry.biz's MMO Week, Club Penguin Co-Founder and General Manager Lane Merrifield talked about whether the kids' virtual world would integrate with other Disney properties since it was acquired last summer. The virtual world itself will...
by Joey Seiler at 05/09/2008 05:11 PM
Apple has patented a "3D remote control system," according to a filing released today. The device is meant to let users direct movement and images on a screen, including a zoom feature letting the user move in and out of...
by Joey Seiler at 05/09/2008 04:07 PM
Singapore will be the hub for Metaversum to take its upcoming mirror world, Twinity, into Asia, reports Today Online. "Singapore is a gateway to Asia, with access to native speakers of the main Asian languages, a stable business and intellectual...
by Joey Seiler at 05/09/2008 02:53 PM
The May edition of Prim Perfect once again invites its readers to go on a Treasure Hunt. This time there are FIFTEEN items waiting to be found, and you need to visit each store to discover their prim count. Instructions on finding the prim count can be found on our Treasure Hunt Information Page. What is your reward? You could win something from the Prim Perfect prize cabinet, generously donated by talented designers and store owners from around the grid.
To start the hunt, we visit Elements in Design, in the sim of the same name, and look for this DeVine Seating for Winter. Designer Gwen Carillion has created a design that’s ethereal yet curiously practical. There are cushions cradled within the leaves of the vine with poses designed by Pillow Talk and Bits & Bobs. Up to five people can sit within the vine, and the information on the seating says that the units are stackable if you need more seating. For the creative or whimsical businessperson, this could make an interesting alternative to a conference table! There is also a green DeVine available in the store for a warmer look.
To the side of the Elements in Design furniture store is a smaller store, Dreamscapes, dedicated to artwork. There are fascinating tree sculptures as well as wall hangings to discover. I was captivated by an animated sculpture called Souls’ Dance. The intertwined entities - one in cool colors and one warm - slowly revolve, their appearance continually changing. Soft white light pulses around the base of the sculpture, and little sparks of colored light twinkle around their union. I was fascinated for a long time watching it change. Eventually I broke away, remembering the treasure hunt!
For this treasure hunt competition, find as many prim counts as you can for each of the magazine’s treasure hunt items, and send the details to primperfect@gmail.com, including your avatar name and an answer to the tiebreaker question (which you can find in the magazine on page 63). The winner will be the person who is closest to an accurate prim count, and in the event of a tie, the tiebreaker question will be used. Also - you don’t necessarily have to find every prim count to win a prize! Just find as many as you can, and these clues are here to help. You have until June 5, 2008, to send in your entry. Good hunting!
Another clue will be appearing shortly!
by Qwis Greenwood at 05/09/2008 01:54 PM
Rupture, alternately described as a social gaming site or a social network for gamers, is in advanced talks with EA to sell the company for $30 million. “Is it likely to go through?,” a source told Venture Beat. “Yes.” This...
by Joey Seiler at 05/09/2008 01:48 PM
Metaverse shocker -- pirated skins being sold in SL!!!
by Tenshi Vielle, fabulous fashionista - courtesy of shoppingcartdisco
Do you remember a while back, when we were talking about "what ifs" regarding stolen content across virtual worlds?
I think the best case has to be Renderosity.com artists' work being bought then redistributed without their permission (and against their own TOS) within Second Life. And of course, the general community in Second Life is mostly ignorant about what goes on at art sites like Renderosity - or, at least, doesn't think to check there first to see if the content they just purchased in SL is stolen.
One sharp-eyed Second Life community member did notice that a skin she purchased recently appeared to be stolen from Renderosity.com - and emailed the creator, which in turn caused the creator to email me to ask for help and find out how stolen things were handled in Second Life. I guided her towards a DCMA, but I would like to share her email and accompanying screenshots with all of you.
Do you recognize this skin? It's actually from Renderosity.com, Danae's Manhattan collection. It's been warped to fit the templates in Second Life… by none other than Minnu Pallen, the "great" skin creator.
More info below the cut, including Danae's original email to me:
Hello,
My name is Danae Kotsi and I am a professional digital creator vendoring at Renderosity.com for many years. I create photorealistic skin textures for applications such as Poser and DAZStudio and I have been a Top Selling artist in the 3D community for many years.
It has recently been pointed out to me from a member of the SL community that a certain member - seller of your community is using my original, licensed products as their own. The product I am referring to is the "minnu model skins, generation 4". The said SL seller has manipulated these textures against the TOS and License provided in my products and without any permission thus violating all copyright laws.
I have included an image of my product's renders against the ones sold by the SL seller. My work is on the far corners while the copied is in the 2 middle images. As anyone can see the similarities are beyond the scope of mere chance but clearly illustrate that my work has been plagiarized. You can view my full product description here : http://www.renderosity.com/mod/bcs/index.php?ViewProduct=41330
It is clear that my work has been used in the production of the Avatars and most of the differences come from the change in format an the lower resolution - polygons.
As a professional my main income comes from producing and selling works such as the one stolen from me. It takes lots of research, money and many months of hard work to produce just one item and having this stolen by someone and claiming it as their own is very infuriating and insulting.
I have been informed that the said seller - and I refrain using the word artist for apparent reasons - has been selling my altered and stolen work and passing it as her own for a long time. So, I have informed my lawyers and we are currently thinking about the next step which is sure to be requiring immediate withdrawal of the said product and full compensation.
I was referred to you by someone because they said you know and care about the community and also know the seller. I wanted people to know that what is being sold is NOT original work and that ultimately it's your community and the honest buyers that have been cheated and stolen from and not just me.
Thank you for taking the time and reading this long mail. Please see the attached images.
Kind Regards,
Danae Kotsi aka danae
…>>
by SLHerald at 05/09/2008 12:16 PM
In a sign of the continued growth of the worldwide market for virtual worlds technologies both Linden Lab and The Multiverse Network, Inc. have stepped up as early sponsors of Virtual Worlds London (taking place 20-21 October 2008 in London)....
by Virtual Worlds Management at 05/09/2008 06:08 AM
So there I was today watering the fifty foot marijuana plant on my office deck, when beloved libertarian funnyman Drew Carey flew by, then began waving a microphone in front of me. You may spot him too, because Reason.tv's travel...
by SLHamlet at 05/09/2008 12:50 AM
The mainstream media cops fairly regular criticism for its sensationalistic coverage of virtual worlds and rightly so in some cases. A very impressive exception to this rule is an article published this week by the Harvard Business Review. It’s a detailed look at the role gaming worlds like World of Warcraft and Lord of the [...]
In February, the NPD announced that it would begin tracking subscriptions for virtual worlds, massively multiplayer online games, and casual gaming sites. The first report was released today, pegging the market at over $1 billion. The trend in many virtual...
by Joey Seiler at 05/08/2008 08:35 PM
Gala Networks Europe Ltd., the publisher behind free-to-play portal gPotato.eu and MMOGs Rappelz and Flyff, announced today its latest virtual world, Street Gears. Street Gears, developed by NFlavor Corp, will be "a massively multiplayer roller game where players can challenge...
by Joey Seiler at 05/08/2008 07:23 PM
Sony Computer Entertainment Europe President David Reeves has said that Sony's PlayStation Home is certainly coming out this Autumn, though he declined to pin down a specific month. He went on to say that one of the problems that has...
by Joey Seiler at 05/08/2008 06:16 PM
There's been plenty of previous interest in the idea that virtual worlds present the next haven for terrorism, some more alarmist than others. The last few weeks have brought a burst of research, though, that seems to all be pointing...
by Joey Seiler at 05/08/2008 05:34 PM
Now open for Resident inspection — Bay City! Regions intended for a vibrant urban experience, double primmed for your pleasure. Roads, parks, a movie theater and city services are already in place, maintained by Linden Lab. Close to the offices and shops of Nova Albion, with broad canals usable for travel and tourism — but with broad, clean beaches and plentiful vegetation.
Rail and water trolleys carry the Residents of Bay City about; a balloon tour provides dazzling aerial views of the city. Connections to the world at large by ship, seaplane, dirigible, road and rail are available.
In just over a week, auctions will begin for the many attractive parcels in Bay City’s first twelve Regions. Ranging in size from about 512 square meters to nearly 2000 square meters, the parcels cannot be terraformed, joined or divided by their owners. Buyers will receive a package of textures and objects to help with their building projects.
Governor Linden said in a pre-recorded statement, “We hope that the Residents of this new city will produce interesting and attractive structures, in styles appropriate to the period 1930 to 1960 when most of our buildings were erected. In any case, the Residents of Bay City will form a unique and bustling community.”
Bay City — easily reached by Route 66 from Nova Albion, or by sea via the Straits of Shermerville.
“Bay City — the City by the Bay.” Directions Today: Bay City is so new it doesn’t show on the map yet, but it is there, and it’s worth a visit! To get there, open your Map in-world, search for Cape Haven, and teleport there. Bay City will be SOUTH of you.
You can open the Mini-Map to see which direction you need to go, just fly up above the water (in Cape Haven you land on the ocean floor) and then fly due South to visit the new Bay City — the City by the Bay.” [Edited to add directions for today, -- Katt Linden]
by Michael Linden at 05/08/2008 04:39 PM
Last week Forbes ran a column from Gartner analyst Adam Sarner about Generation Virtual. Sarner's proposition, basically, is that it will become increasingly less important to segment and market to age- or geography-specific demographics like Millenials or Boomers. Instead, Generation...
by Joey Seiler at 05/08/2008 03:21 PM
Thanks to all who came to shop, and all who donated items! Special thanks to Katt Tomsen, Rolig Loon, & Bucky Barkley for setting up vendors for new items and donating the proceeds to the yard sale. We’ve stored away the unsold items for a future sale - so anytime you weed your inventory remember that Abbey Sideways wants your stuff!
by Abbey at 05/08/2008 03:15 PM
From the “I wish I’d thought of that” department:
Miles Beck, who sounds like good friend material, sent me a message requesting a “gift certificate” good for an advertisement in the next issue of Prim Perfect for Rosalie Roux to celebrate her birthday and the opening of her new store Decorum Furniture. What a great idea, Diva says to herself! So, my curiosity piqued, I paid a visit.
As expected from a new retailer, the number of pieces offered is modest so far. The look is contemporary, and though my taste runs to more decorative pieces, I found a lot to like. I was particularly fond of the wall art; here you see one of her wall hangings with an Asian-inspired chest that demonstrates her simple and straightforward aesthetic.
So, happy birthday, Rosalie! And props to Miles for such a thoughtful gesture. Best wishes from Prim Perfect for your success(es).
by divaregina at 05/08/2008 02:47 PM
In a spotlight from the MacArthur Foundation on education in virtual worlds, Numedeon Founder, Chairman, and CEO Jim Bower ran down a flurry of numbers from Whyville. "Overall, of the 3.4 million users who have registered in Whyville since April...
by Joey Seiler at 05/08/2008 02:34 PM
Forbes has an opinion piece from Gartner analyst Adam Sarner about a new kind of demographic breakdown: Generation V, for Virtual (thanks Greg Verdino for the link and thoughts on the piece). Rather than focusing on Gen Xers versus Millenials, Sarner’s argument is that “general behavior, attitudes and interests start to blend in an online environment” across age groups. He writes:
As more baby boomers (who are living longer) and young people go online and participate in a flat virtual environment, the generational distinctions break down. Customers will hop across segments at various times for various reasons and are likely to act like several generations at any given time…
While traditional wisdom has focused on customer identification for one-to-one targeted marketing campaigns, cross-selling and so on, the reality of Generation V members using multiple personae (e.g., Amazon reviewer, eBay seller, Second Life avatar “World of Warcraft” blood elf, digger, blogger, YouTuber)…
…business intelligence and analytics markets will shift from collecting demographic information to psychographic information to better understand these various personae and their behaviors…
Companies will create multiple interactive, virtual environments as a way to orchestrate customer exploration toward purchases.
Not surprisingly, I agree with the latter point. In particular, I believe that these virtual environments will increasingly show up directly on company’s websites, rather than outposts in existing virtual worlds. Since Generation V participants expect conversation and participation, rather than broadcast, websites will evolve to foster this, both asynchronously and in real-time.
I also agree with Sarner’s statement: “To digital natives and Generation V, this is not technology–merely the stuff they use on a day-to-day basis.” I think that is exactly right. The technology has to get out of the way, so that this stuff is easy, accessible, and focused on the experience.
The piece has a lot more than I’ve touched on here, so highly recommend that you read it.
by Giff at 05/08/2008 02:15 PM
This weekend will bring the Convergence of the Real and the Virtual (May 9-11), the first scientific conference to be held inside World of Warcraft. Appropriately, the conference will focus on research conducted around World of Warcraft and, more generally,...
by Joey Seiler at 05/08/2008 02:06 PM
Interview with a new and upcoming artist
by Kris Dibou
When I saw the pics for Jenn Villota’s gallery opening, I could not turn my head, nor scroll away. The thought passed through my head that I was in Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, X-rated editor’s cut. Indeed, it appeared that there were demons here, now released to be diluted into the psyches of the metaversal residents. So when Pix said “Why don’t you interview her?” I took the assignment.
Jenn Villota outside her gallery, "Miso Horny"
I soon found myself in Devil’s Pocket, a fascinating group of sims reflecting the parts of a city most of us do not visit. At first I was perplexed as I gazed into an empty lot. Explains Jenn:
“Well originally my gallery was set up on a friends land he owned the plot but as time went on i think he grew tired of people asking him questions about me and my work. He is very supportive of my work but we had a miscommunication and he abandoned the land the night the Herald ad went up. next morning i freaked out and after IMing back and forth he was able to talk to the owner of the sim Nadir who sold it to me thank god. then i spent all morning …so its all good now i actually really like the crack den the feel of it seems perfect for my gallery.”
Another roadblock I ran into was when I tried the link Jenn's work which had disappeared from Flickr…
“The flickr is still a mystery no explanation just gone but again i think it was actually a good thing the community on flickr is very supportive and full of some amazingly cool and talented people who id like so say are some of best friends…”
Finally, I arrived again at Devils Pocket; I met Jenn Villota outside her gallery, called “Miso Horny”.
Kris Dibou: Which part of the rl world are you from?
Jenn Villota: Seattle
Jenn Villota: im orig from chicago
Kris Dibou: Do you create art in the outside world too?
Jenn Villota: mmm not really
Jenn Villota: working on that one
Jenn Villota: I do work at a creative place
Jenn Villota: …but im kinda low on the pole
Kris Dibou: Is this your first showing?
Jenn Villota: um no actually I had the first gallery up a coupla months ago
Jenn Villota: it was my fetish stuff mostly
Jenn Villota: Various Failures
Jenn Villota: I called it
Kris Dibou: kinda poetic....
Kris Dibou: could be the characters in the works...
Kris Dibou: or sales :))
Jenn Villota: yes maybee
Jenn Villota: I try not to take myself to seriously
Jenn Villota: I just like making the pics
Jenn Villota: and hopefully people will like them
Selections from Revenge is a bitch best served cold
Jenn Villota: This set is the Revenge is a bitch best served cold
Kris Dibou: Where do your ideas come from?
Jenn Villota: well some are inspired from things that happened to me in-world
Jenn Villota: and some are more like therapy for me
Jenn Villota: real life stuff
Jenn Villota: I was involved in a very toxic abusive relationship for 2 years
Jenn Villota: I didn’t realize how awful it was
Kris Dibou: It is hard to see until you get out of it
Jenn Villota: yes
Jenn Villota: so yea I’m over it now but
Jenn Villota: the visions still burn inside me
Jenn Villota: I have to get them out
"...the visions still burn inside me..."
Jenn Villota: we all have our demons
Kris Dibou: So you find SL a good release?
Jenn Villota: sometimes
Jenn Villota: yes
Jenn Villota: but some people leave a lot to be desired
Jenn Villota: like rl
Jenn Villota: I guess
Kris Dibou: oh yes...
Kris Dibou: Naked young avs with their new toys.....and no sense whatsoever
Jenn Villota: yess
Jenn Villota: people are petty and hurtful
Jenn Villota: and they treat the av like a video game character
Jenn Villota: I try to treat people as the deserve
Jenn Villota: but I’m selective of who I talk to
Kris Dibou: You are a good person, Jenn
Jenn Villota: ohh hehe some would say not so
Jenn Villota: I’ve lost a lot of friends ‘cause of my art
Jenn Villota: but gained many more
Jenn Villota: so it’s all good
Jenn Villota: it’s not for everyone
Kris Dibou: a few of us felt a pain that lay beneath
Jenn Villota: yes
Exorcising the demons?
Kris Dibou: Have you used Photoshop long?
Kris Dibou: You seem to be 'very' good at it
Jenn Villota: im ps
Jenn Villota: 2 years
Kris Dibou: im ps?
Jenn Villota: yes
Kris Dibou: ahhh
Kris Dibou: photoshop
Kris Dibou: lol
Jenn Villota: sorry hehe
Kris Dibou: lol
Kris Dibou: takes me a minute on shorthand :) like in Artfox's poem :)
Jenn Villota: ohhh
Kris Dibou: Have you read that one?
Jenn Villota: yess
Jenn Villota: it made me giggle
Kris Dibou: I must say that I could not look away when I saw your paintings
Jenn Villota: smiles
Kris Dibou: I think the underlying force holds one...
Kris Dibou: Do you have models you use?
Jenn Villota: sometimes
Jenn Villota: tho’ it’s easier if I just do it myself
Jenn Villota: hard to direct sometimes
Kris Dibou: Yes, quite understandable
Kris Dibou: and it makes it easier to alter the avs
Jenn Villota: yes
Jenn Villota: one time i was working with a model and she was such a pain
Jenn Villota: so i just went and bought the skin
Jenn Villota: did it my self
Jenn Villota: easier
Jenn Villota: i dont like drama
Kris Dibou: most of us don't :)
Jenn Villota: just want to have fun u know
Kris Dibou: that is why we are here ;)
Jenn Villota: yes!
Kris Dibou: We tend to bring a lot of our baggage in with us..
(Jen lights up a cigarette outside the gallery…)
Jenn Villota: I smoke too much
Jenn Villota: I quit in RL
Jenn Villota: damn it
Kris Dibou: Do any of your rl friends go to SL?
Jenn Villota: a couple
Jenn Villota: one quit tho
Jenn Villota: the other I used to work for in RL
Jenn Villota: he taught me PS a lot
Jenn Villota: I was an intern
Kris Dibou: Oh good! Nothing like a mentor ;)
Jenn Villota: yes I was pretty new to it all
Jenn Villota: it was a game company
Kris Dibou: game company?
Jenn Villota: yea video games
Jenn Villota: i was painting texture maps
Jenn Villota: stuff like that
Kris Dibou: Was great to meet you
Jenn Villota: u too!
Kris Dibou: Hope your art does well :)
Jenn Villota: thank u!
by SLHerald at 05/08/2008 11:34 AM
I recently did two SL-based talk show appearances to chat up my book, both coincidentally hosted by Australian Residents. I talk Resident frustrations with Lindens (and vice versa), a 3D pot plant carnival, and more with the lovely and talented...
by SLHamlet at 05/08/2008 09:34 AM
Abandon Interactive Entertainment announced today that it would employ Game Center Group to provide end-to-end Customer Relationship Management (CRM) services (including knowledge base management, CRM Hosting, technical, account/billing, and in-game support) for the currently in beta Freaky Creatures. "We are...
by Joey Seiler at 05/08/2008 03:37 AM
Friendly greetings! Torley, enthusiastic teacher of Second Life skills here. For your ease-of-use, I’ve reorganized the big page o’ Video Tutorials so you can faster find what you want to learn. One of the new features is that when you view the lists for “Tip of the Week” (30+ of ‘em) and “Quicktips” (75+!), columns can be sorted by category! Also, I’ll be updating the main page regularly to show highlights from my most recent videos. Experience for yourself.
In addition, I’m continually working on longer-term plans for easier searching of vidtuts, including getting more of them in our Knowledge Base and plugging them in other places as-needed; it’s good to have lots of knowledge, but even better to be able to find it. 
With that being said, it’s only fair I share 20 more quick tips with you! Filmed in Second Life 1.20 Release Candidate, most of these have been suggested by some of you (thank-you!), and they’re a delicious assortment of hints ‘n’ tricks that you’ll learn something new & useful from! As I like to advertise,
“Short on time? Quicktips deliver your knowledge in 2 minutes or less, guaranteed.”
Food for your Second Life:
Add a webpage to your profile
Do this to add extra info or a splash of fun to your existing profile, which is useful for showing others who you are.
Change text and effect colors
Want to change the hue of those dots that come out of your hand when you select stuff? Here’s the ticket, and you can customize chat text tones too!
Click actions make using stuff easier
CLICK ACTIONS ROCK. If you’re not using them, YOU MUST. Why am I TYPING IN ALL CAPS? Watch and find out!
Get high in the sky instantly
Sitting on a cube and repositioning it is a practical, more controlled alternative to flying manually.
Make flexible objects
Once a glorious new feature, now the basis of hair, skirts, and more wonderful creations! Learn how to make flexiprims from scratch.
Make local light objects
Lights can — well, light up a scene! But remember, there can only be 6 lights onscreen at once! I explain why this is, and wear your facelights wisely.
Open a box
A basic skill everyone needs to know! Once you buy something, you often have to unpack it. It’s straightforward once you know how, and here’s how.
Prim and mesh hair differences
Another goodie for newcomers: do you know how to tell which is which and why it matters? Watch and see!
Rebake textures to fix clothing glitches
One of my favorite unfavorite workarounds. Someday, improved texture compositing will (I hope) remedy these glitches, but until then, here’s a tip that’s been passed on and on.
Redock tabs to clear clutter
A simple click helps you clean your screen of stray windows.
Save textures to disk
I used to get asked this question a lot: whether you want to back up some textures or edit them for reuploading, I show you what you should know.
Save your avatar’s outfit
I’m famed for my wide variety of avatars! How do I do it? Each one is an “outfit” within a folder which can be switched in seconds. Stay organized and express yourself!
Sell Original, Copy, or Contents?
If you sell stuff, you MUST know the difference between these. Choosing “Contents” removes the extra steps for unpacking boxes (see above). Make things easy for your customers and they’ll love ya!
Show who’s chatting around you
Another button that isn’t so obvious: click the “< <” in Local Chat or a group IM, and presto, a list of speakers. Good if you find camera controls awkward to gawk at nametags.
Skip popups after reinstalling
Popups — when you don’t wanna see ‘em — are annoying! Dismiss them with a single click and continue forth. Conversely, you can show all of them again, in case you missed any before.
Sort columns for easier selection
Tired of voice chatters in Active Participants shuffling around faster than you can click? You can click columns in this window, and others too!
Take a snapshot
Second Life photography is thriving. It all begins by pressing down a special key, which doesn’t play a melody… but will save a snapshot to disk! Also see my AWESOME GUIDE TO HIGH-QUALITY PHOTOGRAPHY… with, you guessed it, video tutorials!
Texture shortcuts
After you’ve applied 1000s of textures as I have, you’ll be keen to expedite the process.
The 1-prim barstool trick
Primfficiency, building wisely by economizing # of prims while maximizing visual results, has evolved greatly (to sculpties!). The 1-prim barstool trick is fun if you’ve never built before. Torley-bot guides you.
Use Inventory filters
Filters help you narrow down searches and temporarily hide clutter. They’re also (sadly) a cause of perceived (not actual) inventory loss, so make sure to reset them as I demonstrate!
I know, I know, you’ve made it all the way here… and you want to make a comment, right? Thanx in advance for your awesome ideas, because I eat ‘em up like a galaxy of Pac-People munches power-pills… and give you more video tutorials!!!!
DON’T LET THE @#$%ING GHOSTS WIN! 
-Torley Linden
Watch more Second Life video tutorials!
Please subscribe, rate, and favorite my vids on YouTube — it helps me make more of them for you!
by Torley Linden at 05/08/2008 12:55 AM
There is a new Release Candidate available, and a shiny new format for our Downloads page to get it!
A new Second Life 1.20 (RC6) Release Candidate viewer is now available for download from the Test Viewers page (this is the bottom section of the page, not the primary installer in orange at the top of page).
Reminder: Release Candidate viewers are optional viewers that contain the latest round of bug fixes in the upcoming next version of the Second Life viewer. If you have been using the 1.20 (RC5), you will be required to update that installation to this latest version (RC6). But the Release Candidate is always an optional version that you may choose not to use — or better– to have installed side by side on your computer with the main viewer offered on our Downloads page or http://get.secondlife.com.
In 1.20 (RC6) Release Candidate, we have isolated and resolved the SmartHeap library error message that occurs on exiting Second Life. We’ve also patched the problem of property lines showing through avatars, objects and the ground. Here are the latest notes:
Changes:
* Changed the descriptor in Group Information window > Notices tab to “14 days” instead of 30
* Removed menu option Advanced > Character > Show Collision Plane
* Property lines are are now hidden behind objects, avatars, terrain, and water by default. When in Build mode, if ‘Tools > Show Hidden Selection’ is enabled, property lines will become visible through objects, etc.
Fixes:
* Fixed: VWR-6389: Runtime Library error after quitting Second Life
* Fixed: VWR-4580: Property lines are visible through avatar, objects and through ground
* Fixed: VWR-6896: Crash when selecting Advanced > Rendering > Info Displays > Lights (and other Info Displays)
* Fixed: VWR-7042: Incorrect tooltip for “Use built-in web browser” option
* Fixed: the spinners are broken in the snapshot UI when upload a snapshot
* Fixed: Create tool’s last 11 shapes are not the proper height (”sphere” looks like an “egg”)
* Fixed: Typographical error in Transfer permissions alert dialog
* Fixed: Crash selecting Edit > Land Owners with Basic Shaders disabled
* Fixed: crash on LLFloaterWorldMap::buildLandmarkIDLists
* Fixed: 3dConnexion device does not default to enabled with 1.20 RC 5
* Fixed: Settings in the Joystick Configuration window reset to defaults on each launch when a SpaceNavigator is connected
Localization Fixes:
* Fixed: XML resizing to repair truncated text in 1.20 localizations
Known Issues:
* As the first release of improved Joystick and 3D input device support, there are minor known issues with camera behavior and/or button-mapping behavior when using the 3dxconnexion SpaceNavigator in a combination of “Flycam” and Build modes.
* IMPORTANT NOTE: There is a known issue in the 1.20 Release Candidate on Macs using Apple’s USB Mighty Mouse and a 3dxconnexion SpaceNavigator. The Mighty Mouse will be erroneously detected as a joystick where the primary mouse button will toggle “Flycam” with unusual behavior. Therefore the support for the 3dxconnexion SpaceNavigator in Second Life does not yet extend to Macs using a USB Mighty Mouse.
We expect this to be the final Release Candidate in the 1.20 viewer series, barring any Showstoppers that you may find. Please of course continue to report any new issues large or small in the Issue Tracker, and be sure to set “Affects Version/s” to “1.20 Release Candidate”.
Thanks to all of you who participate in the RC cycle — posting reproducible steps and system environments, responding to questions, and clarifying and linking — your help to improve the Second Life viewer is greatly appreciated!
by Ramzi Linden at 05/08/2008 12:01 AM
Linden Lab are being quicker off the mark with their metrics, already releasing the Second Life population statistics for April. They show the Aussie active user populations at 12,788, up from last month’s 12,245, with Australia cemented in 11th place worldwide. We spent 571,042 hours in Second Life, making up 1.97% of the overall hours [...]
It can be difficult for the most well-meaning of virtual worlds companies to understand what their customers want. But CCP, the company behind the sci-fi world of EVE Online, thinks they've solved the riddle: have users elect their own representatives.
by Eric Reuters at 05/07/2008 09:47 PM
Hamlet serves late-night joe to Pavig Lok, Tuna Oddfellow, Shava Suntzu One day, a Resident with the implausible name Tezcatlipoca Bisiani was talking mid-20th century art-- specifically Edward Hopper's masterpiece, "Nighthawks". A builder friend was wondering if the coffee shop...
by SLHamlet at 05/07/2008 09:20 PM
BreakAway Ltd. announced this week that it had secured an exclusive license for Pulse!! the Virtual Clinical Learning Lab, a federally-funded project in development at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Pulse!!, currently in tests at Yale, Johns Hopkins, the National Naval...
by Joey Seiler at 05/07/2008 07:15 PM
Stardoll announced today that model, novelist, actress, and America's Next Top Model Judge Paulina Porizkova has joined its community. Stardoll will add virtual renderings of Porizkova's 80s and 90s magazine covers for users to add to their virtual rooms, create...
by Joey Seiler at 05/07/2008 07:03 PM
"Chairman and CEO Christie Hefner said that later this year, the company plans to create new virtual worlds as part of its online mix as well," reports PaidContent. I've been listening to the webcast of Playboy's Q1 2008 earnings call...
by Joey Seiler at 05/07/2008 07:01 PM
Just a reminder, folks: We launched a reader survey last week to get your feedback on where we should take Virtual Worlds News, what services you might want to see, and what you'd like to see less of. We've gotten...
by Joey Seiler at 05/07/2008 05:50 PM
Does your Second Life activity integrate elements derived from your TV watching? A PhD student with the Resident name JoDa Imako is researching the intersection of television and virtual worlds, and because there's so much of that going on in...
by SLHamlet at 05/07/2008 05:26 PM
We've looked at a general attempt to use 3D cameras to control movement 3D environments and one specific to Second Life. The EU-funded project Communication by Gaze Interaction (COGAIN) is looking at eye-tracking, gaze technology to control movement in 3D...
by Joey Seiler at 05/07/2008 05:19 PM
Yesterday we noted that U.S. Representative Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) had asked the Federal Trade Commission to issue a consumer-alert warning about the dangers of Second Life. “During the past five years, social networking Web sites like MySpace, Facebook and Second...
by Joey Seiler at 05/07/2008 04:40 PM
We are delighted to announce that the old Land Store has now been switched off, and the new Land Store made available for the puchase of normal islands and Openspaces. However, as part of our gradual rollout of this new tool, we will not be enabling it for all residents immediately. Instead, we will be enabling it for two specific groups like so:
Slplanet 
