Second Life RSS Magazine

Le Web 3: Second Life firms 'not yet strong enough' (e-Consultancy)

2008-01-15T07:55:00.011-08:00

Despite a raft of headlines about its potential as a shopping environment in recent months, Second Life creator Linden Labs has conceded that few of its resident stores are yet making fortunes in the virtual world. "Most of the brands that have come in have not created a strong enough presence to create a significant business for them at this moment in time," Linden Labs marketing director ...

Le Web 3: Second Life firms 'not yet strong enough' - E-consultancy

2008-01-15T07:55:00.010-08:00

Le Web 3: Second Life firms 'not yet strong enough'
E-consultancy, UK - 39 minutes ago
Despite a raft of headlines about its potential as a shopping environment in recent months, Second Life creator Linden Labs has conceded that few of its ...

Botswana: Second University to Give Palapye New Lease of Life (AllAfrica.com)

2008-01-15T07:55:00.009-08:00

Palapye is one of the fastest growing urban centres in the country. Located between the two major cities of Gabarone and Francistown, the villiage is also the country's main generator of electricity from the Morupule Power Station, which will be undergoing major expansion in two years' time.

GENERAL, LIFE AND DEATH AT SAN FRANCISCO'S HOSPITAL OF LAST RESORT / Hospital's Approach Makes Family's Care A ... (San Francisco Chronicle)

2008-01-15T07:55:00.007-08:00

During her second year as a family health resident at San Francisco General, Dr. Teresa Villela began to treat Marcia Hernandez, who, like her, is a child of Latino immigrants. Marcia was recovering from drug addiction. Not long afterward, Marcia's father,...

The simple life (The Star Online)

2008-01-15T07:55:00.005-08:00

HERE is a lesson for fading showbiz types from singer Rahimah Rahim: It’s possible to be a household name for over 20 years, then retire, live a regular life and be truly happy.

Second Life virtual people 'use as much power as Brazilians' - IT Week

2008-01-15T07:55:00.003-08:00

Second Life virtual people 'use as much power as Brazilians'
IT Week, UK - Dec 6, 2006
Author Nicholas Carr has claimed that virtual inhabitants of the online world Second Life are having a real-world impact. In a recent ...
Sadville 'causes global warming' Register
all 4 news articles

Band to release CD and host release party inside of Second Life

2008-01-15T07:55:00.001-08:00

It's a CD release party without the spilled wine, bouncers and paparazzi. The Sarah Mac band is releasing a CD and hosting their release party inside the virtual Second Life world. The event will happen at 3PM PST on Saturday December 2nd on "Muse Isle" a virtual island made for live music performances.

The band says no artist or band has ever released a CD and held the release party inside a virtual world before. Fans will be able to buy the CD buy using Second Life's Linden Dollar currency. After the purchase, the songs can be downloaded in various formats. Real music bought with virtual money - how's that for 21st century?

Second Life has attracted more business and corporate sponsors in the past months. Last month Dell announced a virtual store inside the game and IBM said it would hold more corporate meetings. IBM already meets dozens of clients inside the game.

Gartner goes 57 Miles to clarify their position

2007-08-15T09:48:00.009-07:00

Filed under: News, Events, Business, Mixed Reality

Connecticut based Information and technology research and advisory firm Gartner, has been in the Second Life part of the news of late with predictions that "80% of active Internet users will be in non-gaming virtual worlds like Second Life by the end of 2011" [via Reuters] followed by a warning that there are 'significant' risks for business in getting involved with virtual worlds [via ZDNet].

Potentially, both these statements are true. The intrepid 57 Miles from Metaversed is gathering Gartner's Steve Prentice, who was responsible for both assertions along with a number of other interested commentators together for a panel discussion about Gartner's assessment and position on Second Life and virtual worlds (which some have described as 'conflicted').

The discussion will take place in Second Life at Noon, on Thursday. Check the Metaversed group or blog for details.

[This is most likely to be an audio-session (technology permitting), so be prepared]

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Today in Second Life - Tuesday 14 August, 2007

2007-08-15T09:48:00.007-07:00

Filed under: Odds and Ends

Today in Second Life we had:

23,602 new signups bringing us to 8,858,703 signups total.

A peak concurrency of 44,595 at 2:17PM, and a minimum concurrency of 25,498 at 1:23AM. Median concurrency for the day was 35,318.

Grid performance was smooth and uninterrupted today. There's something of a surprise right there.

Linden Lab have announced a reduction in the rate of mainland supply.

Remember the grid will be down for two hours tomorrow morning for maintenance, followed by a rolling restart with new software.

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LL's Boston Office Update

2007-08-15T09:48:00.005-07:00

Filed under: Linden Lab

If you've been wondering how LL's new Boston office is shaping up, wonder no more. This article is a nice piece on what's going on there, and more importantly, who's staffing the place.

The guys formerly known as Windward Mark are now official Lindens, all five of them. The article also profiles John Lester, operations director and academic programs manager. There's also a bit in there about how the spreading out of LL is an experiment in virtualizing its own offices. From the article: '"We talk the talk about the Metaverse, and being plugged into a global data-space," says Lester. "Now we want to walk the walk. Instead of all being in the same building in San Francisco, we'll see the world from more points of view, and we'll live where we want to live."'

Of course, this is just the beginning. If and when LL makes it possible to run versions of SL on anyone's computer, then someday YOU could be Linden Lab!

(Thanks, Wade!)

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Gartner goes 57 Miles to clarify their position

2007-08-15T09:48:00.003-07:00

Filed under: News, Events, Business, Mixed Reality

The discussion will take place in Second Life at Noon, on Thursday. Check the Metaversed group or blog for details.

[This is most likely to be an audio-session (technology permitting), so be prepared]

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NMC Symposium Fosters Creativity by Empowering Participants with Knowledge

2007-08-15T09:48:00.001-07:00

Filed under: Educational

The NMC Symposium on creativity continues steadily through this week's schedule. The conference demonstrates that the "medium is the message" by developing an open learning environment within the participating community. The key lies in instructing attendees on the tools they need to empower their own innovative ideas. To achieve their goal, NMC makes use of their professional organizational methods and top-notch educational material, both in "print" and in the form of incredible workshop leaders.

To explore the attitudes, attendee stories, and daily events, I highly encourage you to read the symposium collaborative blog at Creating Pandora's Box. CEO Larry Pixel set the tone of the conference with a compelling speech on why creativity matters, which is now available online.

Read on to see which pieces of the puzzle may have contributed to a positive reaction .

1. Attention to detail - or don't lose your sheep!
This is as old as time, but starting with registration, confirmation, information signs technical support line and ending with greeters/helpers embedded in the experience, the symposium has a key efficiency with which it approaches the idea of a professional conference, even if it's in a virtual space.

Does it make a difference? Check out the opinions of participants.

2. Atmosphere - it all starts from the organizer
Staff was accommodating and their confidence echoed in the attitude of participants. Everyone was ready to troubleshoot any technical problems while newbies felt comfortable asking questions/starting up a conversation.
The topic is creativity, so NMC carefully designed an environment to foster it. Sims were full with various art displays/installations that demonstrated potential and amazing vision. DanCoyote Antonelli is an integral part, as was Daruma Picnic's interactive singing sculpture , Ravenelle Zugzwang artwork and various educational and art pieces by Torley Olmstead/Linden.

3. Approach to new technology - give options!
Voice in SL is, without doubt, a double-edged sword. For some people it works, for others it doesn't. We're all trying to work out a way to best use it during meetings. However, no one knows proper etiquette yet, so why experiment by streamlining, especially in a conference that lasts for many days?
The NMC approach was to make all public announcements over the audio stream and conduct most chats in text. For the adventurous traveler, there was information and troubleshooting signs for getting your audio set up. Furthermore, participants were encouraged to use the audio, if comfortable, while in small groups sessions, where voice would amplify personal connection.

4. Orientation signs
These are very nicely done - highly graphical and with very clear and concise explanations. I'm curious to see what a newbie experience was with these materials.

A larger image gallery of NMC Symposium can be found here.

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Bank Failure in Second Life Leads to Calls for Regulation - Wired News

2007-08-14T21:27:00.001-07:00

Bank Failure in Second Life Leads to Calls for Regulation
Wired News - 14 minutes ago
By Bryan Gardiner 08.15.07 | 2:00 AM The recent collapse of Ginko Financial, a "virtual investment bank" in Second Life, has spurred calls for more ...

Orchestral manoeuvres in Second Life (The New Zealand Herald)

2007-08-14T21:26:00.025-07:00

LONDON - One of Britain's oldest symphony orchestras is to play a concert in Second Life, the virtual internet world, say organisers.

Payday for Doppelganger - Red Herring

2007-08-14T21:26:00.024-07:00

San Francisco Chronicle

Payday for Doppelganger
Red Herring, CA - 7 hours ago
The funding is a timely boost for virtual worlds, given that the yearlong blitz of positive attention lavished on early media darling Second Life has ...
Takahashi: Virtual world Vside hits right note San Jose Mercury News
$11 million in funding for Doppelganger San Francisco Chronicle
DoppelGanger To Launch VSide Virtual Music World in a Few Hours Wired News
all 11 news articles

Rollover Beethoven 2.0: the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic to Rock ... - Appscout

2007-08-14T21:26:00.023-07:00

Appscout

Rollover Beethoven 2.0: the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic to Rock ...
Appscout, NY - 8 hours ago
... and the Beastie Boys, Second Life is taking a decidedly more...sophisticated approach, lining up a virtual gig with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. ...

Second LIfe Sexual Genitalia Spawns Lawsuit - Switched

2007-08-14T21:26:00.022-07:00

Second LIfe Sexual Genitalia Spawns Lawsuit
Switched, NY - 9 hours ago
Second Life is becoming more and more of a mirror of the real world. Real estate, relationships, sex and commerce. Where there's commerce, there are ...

Meet One Of The Top Companies Bringing Real-Life Businesses Into Second Life (InformationWeek)

2007-08-14T21:26:00.021-07:00

Join us in Second Life Tuesday for our Geek Meet with Infinite Vision Media, creators of some of the most popular areas and events in Second Life, which happen to be sponsored by big real-life companies: The Weather Channel's island, Suzanne Vega concert, and Kurt Vonnegut interviews.

Liverpool Philharmonic to play Second Life - Times Online

2007-08-14T21:26:00.020-07:00

PhysOrg.com

Liverpool Philharmonic to play Second Life
Times Online, UK - 11 hours ago
Petrenko, singer Kate Royal and composer Kenneth Hesketh will be represented during the cyber event by animated Second Life characters known as avatars. ...
Liverpool Philharmonic to perform live in Second Life TG Daily
Orchestra to play Second Life Web User
Orchestra makes its virtual debut BBC News
Guardian Unlimited - ABC Online
all 33 news articles

Orchestra to Perform Virtual Concert in Second Life (ABC News)

2007-08-14T21:26:00.019-07:00

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra will perform in Second Life.

Money Trouble in Second Life (Technology Review)

2007-08-14T21:26:00.018-07:00

A series of upsets could spell trouble for Second Life's virtual economy.

Sky News wants Second Life citizen journalists - Journalism.co.uk

2007-08-14T21:26:00.017-07:00

Sky News wants Second Life citizen journalists
Journalism.co.uk, UK - 14 hours ago
Sky News is calling on Second Life residents to become virtual news reporters and submit videos about the 3D world. Sky News has joined forces with ...

Orchestra to play first concert in Second Life (AFP via Yahoo! News)

2007-08-14T21:26:00.016-07:00

An orchestra is to become the first to perform a professional music concert in the virtual online world of Second Life, it said Tuesday.

British orchestra to play first concert in Second Life (AFP via Yahoo! News)

2007-08-14T21:26:00.015-07:00

A British orchestra is to become the first to perform a professional music concert in the virtual online world of Second Life, it said Tuesday.

Banking crisis hits Second Life (Addict 3D)

2007-08-14T21:26:00.014-07:00

Tom Sanders in California, vnunet.com , Tuesday 14 August 2007 at 00:00:00 Accounts converted into bonds to prevent banking meltdown The Ginko Second Life bank has closed due to insolvency.

Banking crisis hits Second Life (Personal Computer World)

2007-08-14T21:26:00.013-07:00

The Ginko Second Life bank has closed due to insolvency. The bank was unable to meet $180,000 in withdrawal requests. Prior to its bankruptcy, the bank held over $700,000 in assets for its account holders.

Banking crisis hits Second Life (vnunet.com)

2007-08-14T21:26:00.011-07:00

Tom Sanders in California, vnunet.com , Tuesday 14 August 2007 at 00:00:00 Accounts converted into bonds to prevent banking meltdown The Ginko Second Life bank has closed due to insolvency. The bank was unable to meet $180,000 in withdrawal requests.... > Read the full article

A Second Life for Windward Mark as Linden Lab’s New Cambridge ... - xconomy

2007-08-14T21:26:00.009-07:00

A Second Life for Windward Mark as Linden Lab’s New Cambridge ...
xconomy - 18 hours ago
If you’ve spent any time in Second Life—or any other virtual world, for that matter—you know that the serious attractions are on the ground, not in the sky. ...
Virtual Heist Spurs Real-life Debate Marketing Vox News
Creator of Second Life's SexGen program dishes out lawsuit MMORPG blog
all 30 news articles

Banking crisis hits Second Life (Computer Active)

2007-08-14T21:26:00.007-07:00

Banking crisis hits Second Life - VNUNet.com

2007-08-14T21:26:00.005-07:00

bit-tech.net

Banking crisis hits Second Life
VNUNet.com, UK - Aug 13, 2007
The Ginko Second Life bank has closed due to insolvency. The bank was unable to meet $180000 in withdrawal requests. Prior to its bankruptcy, the bank held ...
Animazoo opens Second Life shop Develop
Second Life sex program lawsuit bit-tech.net
all 11 news articles

Meet One Of The Top Companies Bringing Real-Life Businesses Into ... - InformationWeek

2007-08-14T21:26:00.003-07:00

Meet One Of The Top Companies Bringing Real-Life Businesses Into ...
InformationWeek, NY - Aug 13, 2007
Join us in Second Life Tuesday for our Geek Meet with Infinite Vision Media, creators of some of the most popular areas and events in Second Life, ...

Does Virtual Cheating Still Count? - ABC News

2007-08-14T21:26:00.001-07:00

Does Virtual Cheating Still Count?
ABC News - Aug 13, 2007
Virtual cheating in digital worlds like Second Life are testing the boundaries of relationships. More and more couples are wondering if virtual cheating ...
Web Sites Spoof Wikipedia, Second Life FOX News
all 42 news articles

Kuurian Expedition continues with Text100 Today

2007-08-14T21:23:00.000-07:00

Filed under: Educational, News, Events, Odds and Ends

Sorry for the late notice, but if you are available at 1 PM SLT or 4 PM EST you will be able to catch the next Kuurian Expedition meeting in Second Life. The presentation in titled, "Who are the new publics of Second Life?" will be given by Text100's Aaron Uhrmacher and Georg Kolb. The presentation will look at the new populace being created by virtual worlds such as Second Life as citizens are able to communicate both online and offline as their physical selves or as virtual. It will also cover the various groupings that are formed due to virtual worlds and how they relate to each other and the implications of them.

Kuurian Expedition is a project out of the University of Indiana Synthetic Worlds Initiative. The meetings are always interesting and provide a glimpse of what is possible in distance learning in virtual worlds. If you have time swing by the Text100 Island at 1 PM SLT today.

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My junk in a box Second Life style

2006-12-29T11:11:00.000-08:00

Filed under: Educational, Odds and Ends

New World Notes was pointing to this video this morning and I practically jumped up out of my chair and started clapping. If you are uninitiated to the pop sensation "My $%&# in a Box" courtesy of Saturday Night Live, it has been the number one download on YouTube and is still building up steam. While juvenile and possibly just plain wrong, it is also hilarious. So, in the spirit of that video I present to you "Prim in a Box" starring Moo Money and an as yet unknown penguin, posted to YouTube by SLHamlet.

Oh yeah, this is not really work safe if you have your audio on. If you mute the audio you should be fine.

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Support the supporters

2006-12-18T20:58:00.000-08:00

Filed under: Entertainment, Educational, Exploration, Mixed Reality

Support for Healing is having some financial trouble keeping their wonderfully helpful island going, along with Support for Healing itself. If you have some spare ellz to donate, or some loose change in your Paypal account, please find a little to give to this generous venture.

Support for Healing provides support for the mentally ill, depressed, suicidal, and confused, as well as those with chronic physical illnesses that severely impact the mental health and stability of the sufferer. Their island in Second Life is a calm and relaxing place, perfect for taking a breather from the stresses of Life or Second Life.

Support for Healing needs your support. Support those who are ready to support you.

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Spotlight - Amsterdam

2006-12-18T20:55:00.000-08:00

Filed under: Entertainment, Shopping, Exploration

Created by Stroker Serpentine, and his able partner Fyre Raine, sim Amsterdam started out as a single sim, that has since grown into a network of 11 sims, with no apparent end in sight. One of the first things that really stands out about Amsterdam is the attention-to-detail. It feels very much like a real place, with signage, advertising, imperfections and litter.

Benja Soon said it made him miss the real Amsterdam, and lauded the accuracy of the design, "If the map went two more blocks to my right, I could visit my old apartment."

Within a week of it opening the stores were already beginning to fill up with hopeful sellers, and the streets and skies started to fill up with visiting avatars. Throughout 2006 the inhabitants, visitors and vendors of Amsterdam have refit and reinvented themselves again, and again. Amsterdam is always busy. In fact it is one of the busiest places in Second Life. Not just because of the realistic feel, but because of the undeniably mature atmosphere.
(Mature content below the fold)

Second Lifers are all over Amsterdam, walking, shopping, chatting, dancing, clubbing. They're dressed, half-dressed and undressed by turns. Amsterdam is unashamed, yet curiously calm. Armed assault is certainly less common here than (for example) a quick knee-trembler in a side-alley. Sex happens in Second Life. Sex happens everywhere that people gather, like gambling, sex is an activity that humanity brings to every place it inhabits.

Metaverse prostitutes (or am I supposed to call them escorts this decade?) of either gender, no gender, or more than one gender calmly negotiate with potential clientele, the discussion is practical, businesslike, and unhurried. You've walked past this conversation a hundred times in a hundred cities in the real world, there's not much difference here in the online world.

For mature entertainment, Amsterdam and it's adjacent regions seem to have the lot. From luxurious, elegant clothing and jewelry, all the way down to the gritty and seamy. Sex sells, and Second Life's Amsterdam sells it very well indeed, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.

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Google TechTalks with Rosedale and Ondrejka

2006-12-18T20:44:00.000-08:00

Filed under: Educational, Linden Labs, Odds and Ends

The above video is from the Google TechTalk series recorded on March 1st of this year. It features Philip Rosedale and Cory Ondrejka showing off Second Life explaining the roots of the Second Life software. It is about an hour long and recorded with closed captioning. So, you can burn a quite hour at work reading along with this one.

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Goo Attack - Attack of the fast, hard to see ... cube thing

2006-12-15T16:43:00.004-08:00

Filed under: News, Odds and Ends

At 5pm ~~Wednesday~~ Tuesday (what was I thinking?) SLT, sim Luskwood got hit with a self-replicating cube. In various regions around Second Life over the next 3-4 hours, several other regions (eg: Kuula, Fairchang Island, and Epilais to name a few) have reported sightings and contacted Live Help.

While not very widespread or impressive visually, the replicating cubes moved very, very quickly, and were not always visible. They were all owned by an avatar named "The Gymnast", now missing from Second Life's directory -- Linden Lab is notoriously swift with the ban-stick when a goo attack takes place.
Vessus Candour was momentarily taken aback by their high velocity. "These were the fastest ones I'd seen," she said, " I thought someone was shooting things at first."

Hardworking Linden Liaisons promptly attended affected locations, closed off scripts on those regions, and cleaned up. Final cleanup is still in progress with scripts still disabled in at least one region, but hardly any of the 12,000 residents on the Second Life grid at present are even aware that something happened.

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Two millionth signup - Today?

2006-12-15T16:43:00.003-08:00

Filed under: News, Accounts, Odds and Ends

Well, we're going to have our two millionth signup very soon. Either shortly before midnight SLT tonight (Wednesday) or in the early hours of Thursday. That's a million signups in ... what? 57 days? Sure, 90% of those people disappear before they've gotten through their first 90 days, but I've met (and still meet) some of the most amazing people.

Everywhere I go, I meet creative, talented, thoughtful, witty, kind or just plain interesting people. People I'd never have had the chance to meet otherwise. People I'd have been too scared to meet otherwise. Sure, these days there's just too many of you for me to ever catch up with, but at least I have the chance.

Sure, resources are stretched, everything's tumultuous, and we've got no idea where we're going...but would you rather be anywhere else? Obviously not - because you're still here.

Four Eyed Monsters Comes to SL!

2006-12-15T16:43:00.002-08:00

Filed under: Events

Yay! Having posted about this previously, I'm happy it finally came to fruition. Four Eyed Monsters looked like an interesting film, but it seemed like I wouldn't ever get a chance to see it, as it was only being screened in selected areas, depending upon written-in requests for showings. While this allowed the film's creators to keep their costs to a minimum, it also meant that you had to travel to one of the screening cities to see it, thus reducing the best form of advertising: word-of-mouth.

However, the Sundance Channel, with the help of the Electric Sheep Company, will create a screening room in SL to premiere the film to residents. For more information on the movie, go to the Four Eyed Monsters site. For more information on the build itself, go check out the Sundance Channel's blog.

(Via elitestv.com)

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Useful Technology Launches in Second Life on 17 December

2006-12-15T16:43:00.001-08:00

Filed under: Educational, News, Interviews, Stories

Nerine Kasei is the energetic and friendly Marketing Manager for Useful Technology Corp (UTC). Useful Technology is preparing to launch Usability Island (despite recent disruption from a fire, and a Second Life software update) as a community-oriented effort in conjunction with their Linxter software. We spoke with her about UTC's upcoming launch in Second Life (on 17 December) and its recent announcement of educational support.

Usability Island is designed with a couple of goals in mind. Product assessment surveys in this case. People will be able to set up booths where they can have their product evaluated by Second Life users, in exchange for some reward (a gift or payment of L$). Useful Technology will be using it to get feedback on the new user interface of their Linxter suite of software. "Our Linxter product is going on closed beta on Friday, Dec. 15. While we put some major major hard labor into it, we're not sure how users will react to it. Thus, we're starting off with something small, the UI in this case, and seeing how the early technology adopters of Second Life react to it.", said Kasei.
People who participate in UTC's UI assessment, from the 17th will be compensated for their part in the survey. UTC is planning a rewards/loyalty program for regulars who provide useful feedback. "I believe that UT and the various vendors using our services truly will benefit from honest answers from the Second Life community," explained Kasei, "For this brutal honesty and verbose answers offered, there are plans in the works for a loyalty program for frequent, excellent testers."

Kasei is enthusiastic about Linxter, UTC's new flagship product, "Linxter is your digital life, in one sweet package. It combines the ease of IM/Email communications with bookmark managers, blogging, advertising, identity management while maintaining 100% security. Under our identity management application, you'll be able to swiftly change your identity on the fly. From work life, to personal life, to that secret hidden life that you don't want anyone to know about, it's managed under one package. When you change identities within our identity book, your bookmarks change, your IM name changes, your email address changes, the ads that you select changes, etc."

So, what's the attraction of Linxter to Second Life residents? Kasei explains, "We'll also be offering support for virtual identities, with Second Life being the first supported. Switch to your SL identity, and you'll be emailing to your contacts under that name, you'll receive directed advertising from Second Life vendors that you have a relationship with, you'll be able IM with your Second Life friends while you're offline, but they are in world. It extends your Second Life persona and gives you the conveniences of the real world."

Kasei also points out portability and convenience as major features, "Everything you send or receive is uploaded into our Amazon Web Services cloud. That means if you're at any computer with Linxter installed, you can retrieve that file attachment you received months ago, or that email you sent yesterday. It's all just there."

UTC is also planning on providing educational support, as previously mentioned, for both Real Life and Second Life topics. Support includes Audio/Video support, inworld advertising and promotion on Usability Island.

More information on product evaluation, being an evaluator, and their educational support programs will be available on Usability Island from the 17th of December, or you can IM Imami Inada (Business Development Manager), Aertisan Fei (Virtual Worlds Manager) or Nerine Kasei herself for more information.

[Update: It is Useful Technology Corp (UTC) not Useful Technology Inc (UTI)]

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Achieve longer and harder classifieds without patches or pills

2006-12-15T16:43:00.000-08:00

Filed under: Entertainment, Shopping, Educational, News, Business, Linden Labs, Exploration

Jesse Linden believes that the issue that plagued the previous attempt to auto-extend classifieds (as recompense for all the problems with the classifieds system since the update) has been found and fixed, and sometime after midnight SLT, we should know whether or not it worked.

This only extends classifieds which were listed last night (December 11, 2006) by one week. It's expected that many people who did place classifieds that ran during the affected week that were one-shot classifieds, or that were no longer running last night may feel that they were unfairly treated.

On one hand, it's understandable that trying to backtrack to the affected period and provide some sort of fair recompense for each and every classified-placer that would have been affected is an expensive and infeasible task, on the other hand it's also to be expected that some of the classifieds that get extended as a part of this (assuming it works as it is intended) will not be ones that were affected by the service outage. Now we're into damned if you do, and damned if you don't territory. Cross your fingers for midnight, and we'll see if anyone's classifieds gain the anticipated inches.

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IBM To Open Islands In Fantasy World 'Second Life' (CBS 5 Bay Area)

2006-12-12T18:40:00.019-08:00

IBM Corp. is launching an ambitious marketing campaign in the hip virtual world "Second Life."

China Life sees $3.6 bln Shanghai listing in Jan (Reuters via Yahoo! Asia News)

2006-12-12T18:40:00.018-08:00

SHANGHAI, Dec 13 (Reuters) - China Life Insurance Co. will launch a 28 billion yuan ($3.57 billion) A-share offer this month and list them in Shanghai in January in what would be the second-biggest share sale ever in mainland China.

IBM to open islands in popular 3-D fantasy world Second Life (The San Francisco Examiner)

2006-12-12T18:40:00.017-08:00

SAN FRANCISCO - IBM Corp. is launching an ambitious marketing campaign in the hip virtual world "Second Life." Big Blue has developed 12 "virtual islands," and most will be open to anyone with a Second Life account starting next week.

IBM to give birth to Second Life business group - ZDNet

2006-12-12T18:40:00.016-08:00

IBM to give birth to Second Life business group
ZDNet - 2 hours ago
IBM will launch an official group in January to deal with Second Life and other virtual realms from which the company hopes to profit. ...
IBM to open islands in virtual world BusinessWeek
IBM to open islands in popular 3-D fantasy world Second Life KESQ
IBM to open islands in popular subscription-based 3-D fantasy ... The Age
all 26 news articles

Second Life: What are the real numbers? - Corante

2006-12-12T18:40:00.015-08:00

Second Life: What are the real numbers?
Corante, MA - 2 hours ago
Second Life is heading towards two million users. Except it isn’t, really. We all know how this game works, and has since the earliest days of the web: ...

SUNDANCE CHANNEL IN SECOND LIFE - Elites TV

2006-12-12T18:40:00.014-08:00

SUNDANCE CHANNEL IN SECOND LIFE
Elites TV, TX - 3 hours ago
Sundance Channel today announced the creation of a virtual screening room within the online community of Second Life (SL). The announcement ...

Sundance Lives a Second Life - Multichannel News (subscription)

2006-12-12T18:40:00.013-08:00

Sundance Lives a Second Life
Multichannel News (subscription), NY - 6 hours ago
The network said the screening room will launch in January with the Second Life debut of independent feature film Four Eyed Monsters, by Susan Buice and Arin ...

Reader Inquiry: Do you have a Second Life? (Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune)

2006-12-12T18:40:00.012-08:00

Do you have a Second Life? We're looking for Second Life members to talk about their experiences for a newspaper story. If you're interested, email John Reinan at jreinan@startribune.com.

iVillage Launches Girls' Nights out in Second Life - Marketing Vox News

2006-12-12T18:40:00.011-08:00

iVillage Launches Girls' Nights out in Second Life
Marketing Vox News - 9 hours ago
As part of a national TV, outdoor and online branding campaign, women's portal iVillage has launched a presence in virtual world Second Life - but unlike many ...

Le Web 3: Second Life firms 'not yet strong enough' - E-consultancy

2006-12-12T18:40:00.010-08:00

Le Web 3: Second Life firms 'not yet strong enough'
E-consultancy, UK - 10 hours ago
Despite a raft of headlines about its potential as a shopping environment in recent months, Second Life creator Linden Labs has conceded that few of its ...
More People Read PSFK Than Visit SecondLife PSFK
all 2 news articles

China Life nears $3.6 bln Shanghai A-share offer (Reuters via Yahoo! Asia News)

2006-12-12T18:40:00.009-08:00

SHANGHAI, Dec 12 (Reuters) - China Life Insurance Co. plans to launch a 28 billion yuan ($3.57 billion) A-share offer in coming months in what would be the second-biggest share sale ever in mainland China.

Maker of the Linxter™ suite responds to the recent removal of paid educational event support by Linden Lab

2006-12-12T18:40:00.008-08:00

Filed under: Educational, News, Business, Odds and Ends

Nerine Kasei of Useful Technology (whom we recently mentioned) offers us the following information about supporting instructor/educators in Second Life, now that Instructor subsidies are no longer paid by Linden Lab. We'll be hearing more about Nerine Kasei and Useful Technology before their launch on the 17th of December.

Plantation, FL - Useful Technology[TM] Corporation, an emerging next generation technology company and makers of the Linxter[TM] software suite, announced today that it will offer educational stipends to instructors who hold their classes on Usability Island, the company's virtual outreach island in Second Life.

As Second Life continues to grow, so do the responsibilities and roles of Linden Lab, the creators of the online virtual world. CEO Jason Milgram believed that while Linden Lab removed monetary support for educators within Second Life, they have instilled enough community spirit to inspire others to follow in their footsteps. Milgram hopes that Usability Island will not only assist programmers, designers and artists, but educators and nonprofits as well.
"Supporting educators within Second Life is an important cornerstone of this user created virtual world." said Milgram. "Useful Technology's goal is to create new paths and opportunities for information exchange. Second Life allows individuals, regardless of geographic location, to interact with each other, as well as organizations and businesses in a way previously not possible. We are glad to be able to extend the use of our island to support educators and provide them stipends, assisting with the continued growth of this multimedia rich interactive world."

After educators register with Useful Technology[TM], they will be granted full access to the Usability Island Educator Center to prepare for future classes. Classes will be required to be open to the general public for free. After a successful class where more than five people attend, an educational stipend will be offered to the instructor.

Instructors will also be given access to other services on Usability Island, such as interactive surveys with immediate result reporting, a public amphitheater for large events and event advertising throughout the island. Also, instructors will be able to rent booth space at the Usability Mall to conduct product or service usability studies at a reduced rate.

Milgram noted that a public beta of the Linxter[TM] software, including secure tools to allow Second Life users to extend their virtual identities while not logged into the virtual world, will be available mid-December. The software will be a free download for end users.

About Useful Technology: Useful Technology[TM] Corporation was founded in 2003 with the goal of creating new paths and opportunities for information exchange. Useful Technology is an IBM Business Partner as well as a member of Microsoft's partner program. Its prestigious advisory board includes: former Secretary of Commerce for the state of Florida, Charles Dusseau; Alfred Seifert, the former Director to the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command at the Pentagon; Gregory Brill, founder and president of Infusion Development; Stephen Rosenthal, the former United States Department of Justice attorney; Arne Themmen, a Senior Vice President with Northern Trust Bank of Florida; and Stephanie Toothaker, a partner with Blosser & Sayfie and a government relations specialist who previously served as Special Counsel to United States Senator Robert Graham assisting the U.S. Senator in his role as chairman of the Senate Intelligence committee.

The makers of Secure Email and The Linxter [TM] Suite, Useful Technology Corporation is headquartered in Plantation, Florida. For more information: http://www.useful-technology.com or call 954-727-8482.

Oops - Linden Lab does NOT extend classifieds

2006-12-12T18:40:00.007-08:00

Filed under: News, Business, Linden Labs

Word is trickling down the line that the automatic extension of classifieds just plain did not work. The extension was already criticized by residents who had one-shot classifieds during the affected period, and obviously are not compensated or benefit from the free extension. However the extension apparently didn't take.

Linden Lab's weekly CommMonkey, Jeska Linden, tells us that the renewal failure is now under investigation. It can only be hoped that someone figures out what went wrong. However now that we've gone past the renewal date itself, it's probably going to take a lot more work to get right. Attitudes among classified advertisement placers range from 'indifferent' to 'livid', with the median being 'bitter'.

Obviously there's issues with any ad-hoc manipulation of the database, outside the normal parameters of the services it was designed to provide.

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Zee Linden posts new economic data

2006-12-12T18:40:00.006-08:00

Filed under: News, Linden Dollars, Business, Accounts, Linden Labs

Zee Linden announced the posting of five new economic graphs and some supporting data today. Data that we've been hungry for, for quite some time.

This data includes premium user accounts (which grew by an impressive 30.4% in November, to 42,400), user hours (7,464,000 in November, up from 5,722,000 the previous month), land area (254.7 square kilometers) and an interesting set of data about the economy.

For those of us that don't read the raw numbers well, there's some colorful graphs that illustrate the rates and trends, and are well worth the look if you're interested in the growth and health of Second Life as a going economic concern.

There's some interesting lumps and bumps in the data that bears further analysis. While the trends are generally upwards, there's obviously something more complex going on under the surface of these figures.

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Interview: Eureka Dejavu

2006-12-12T18:40:00.005-08:00

Filed under: Interviews

By gar, it's been a while. I've done a few interviews during my time here, but I can easily say that interviewing Eureka Dejavu was by far the easiest one of the lot to do. It's not that the others were in any way difficult or unpleasant, but that conversing with Eureka was like talking to an old friend. This interview occurred over the course of two visits, and the second time was just as easy to fall into as the first.

Eureka is a freelance investigative journalist in her RL, and it was her continuing series for the Huffington Post that caught my attention. She's interested in social dynamics in SL, and who can blame her? Our conversation, however, turned to other things. In fact, it turned so often that it would resemble a bramble bush if presented schematically. I've trimmed out those parts of the interview that concerned personal matters, yet what's left is still good reading. Thanks again, Eureka; I'm looking forward to talking with you again! (More interview after the jump!)

How long have you been a resident, and what brought you to SL?

I first heard about SL only a few weeks ago, and became a resident that evening. [I] decided that as an investigative reporter and columnist it was a world well worth exploring. I worked at AOL ten years ago and wrote an article for the Village Voice, a cover story, about my experiences there as a vulgarity censor. This work in some ways is an extension of that work, journalistically.

It was extremely interesting and surprising, and the things people say about SL now are the same that people said about AOL back then in some ways. By doing this work I am exploring the evolution of virtual social systems. It is a sociology experiment.
What was it like being a censor?

I was a "monitor" of screen names and profiles. I have no particular problem with profanity, having grown up in Brooklyn. I only did it for a few months. I wanted to find out about the internet and AOL. It was a great experience, eye opening. I've been a writer ever since.

What did you do after that?

I am an investigative reporter and columnist, but I also have a business writing intimate stories about people's lives for private use in families so the members can understand one another better, and I am a process observer for families, businesses and other groups, meaning that I write about the dynamics between group members.

Do you have a journalist's education, or did you just fall into it?

I became a journalist in 1999 after seeing Dan Eldon's book, The Journey is the Destination. He was the youngest Reuters photographer ever. Stoned to death in Somalia in 1993 with three other journalists. He left behind a collection of journals that inspired me to become a journalist.

I spent the last year traveling back and forth to New Orleans and the Gulf Coast, writing about corporate profiteering post-Katrina, and participating in a think-tank for the rebuilding effort. So my work these past years has been serious and dark, depleted uranium, Iraq.

How is it affecting you?

Well, needless to say this assignment is much more entertaining although it still addresses the depth of the human condition in a different way. I consider myself a chronicler of the evolution of consciousness, and this is part of the way our minds are changing, and the way we interact.

A good tag line for a movie of SL would be: "When you can have anything you want, what do you want?"

That's a great point because it often fascinates me how people are extensions of themselves here. It is also making me see real life differently.

I am having a problem paying people at the moment.

What's the trouble?

The Linden doesn't transfer. My landlord had to let me slide on rent until I get it worked out.

Your SL landlord, you mean?

Yes. My RL landlord refuses lindens. He is SO behind the times. And may I add that if he showed up here shirtless with a rippling six pack the way my SL landlords do I'd be a little freaked out.

What's the character on the wall to your right?

Dream, because to me this is all a dream.

Was your intention to focus on sexual activity from the start?

No, it's only a part of what I'm doing. As an investigative reporter I'm always looking for interesting ways to get people to read about subjects of substance. Throwing sex, money, and fame into a sociological experiment is a good way to do that.

I started off studying Western philosophy, but ended up with a wild passion for Eastern. I study Buddhism although do not consider myself a Buddhist per se. I think those studies have helped me to make sense of SL/RL, in the sense that many of the Buddhist concepts such as non-attachment are damaged in translation. So many Westerners misinterpret and when they think they are practicing Buddhism in many cases they are half-practicing a twisted interpretation.

SL is an interesting realm and it is like cave paintings to me. It represents the infancy in the next major milestone in the evolution of consciousness. By which I mean that presently, human beings cannot escape the loaded concepts of race, gender, age, etc., but in SL you are limited only by your ability to express yourself, and therefore a new form of segregation, i.e. creative elitism, will arise. This is the best thing that could possibly happen to society, in my opinion, although many people who don't get it disagree with me.

History proves that people cannot transcend cultural conditioning, at least not as a mainstream movement. I see a massive potential here. It is necessary to be conscious about that instead of just allowing it to unfold organically.

For example, why do they have boxes in SL? I blogged about that yesterday. Boxes are a nuisance in RL ... why carry them over?

People still need the comfort of metaphors.

That is so true, and so significant. Everything here is a metaphor. So in order to be "true" to yourself, you start to amplify that dream part of yourself. In my case the thing I cherish most in the world is making true and meaningful connections to people. People either love that or get intimidated by it.

In SL everything is about connections.

I totally agree. It's what keeps me coming back. I cherish the friends I've made in here, because they're friends based on mutual love of concepts.

You said it; love of concepts. All the mundane facts of reality are eliminated, and that is liberating.

There's no other context for our meeting. We're not nice to each other because we work together, or have mutual friends.

There are no relationships of convenience here. I've always been one to eliminate relationships of convenience in RL.

That's a pretty evolved concept.

I may have told you I expected to come in here once and that would be that. I never expected to actually enjoy it, much less find such hope for the future of humanity.

Philip Linden would love to hear that!

Philip and I are becoming friends. We have wonderful philosophical conversations.

Really? How did you meet him?

He got in touch about my blog, and then we just started chatting. The dream symbol is in his honor although he doesn't know that. Because this is all his dream.

He will after this!

That's fine. The critical thing to me is to approach this as a step-at-a time adventure. In other words, I don't do extensive research ahead of time on specific issues, etc. I just explore as things come up, and I don't judge the content of what I see or experience, because I think that would be employing RL mores, etc. in SL.

But then I am torn about that ... I mean, we are all still human beings ... so are we creating avatars as reflections as a part of ourselves, or as autonomous entities? And what are the ramifications?

The short answer is: Yes, to everything. It's all those things, and more.

It's all new. That's what makes it so exciting to explore. It really is fun and I've been hearing stories lately about people who have been disfigured in RL through accidents and other misfortunes, who live here primarily, and they have regained themselves or discovered new parts of themselves. That is huge.

Extinction or evolution are the only two options for a species. We are facing down that fact now, with climate change and global warming etc.

Well, a favorite quote: "There's nothing like the threat of extinction to force evolution".

Who said that quote? Love it.

I'll have to look it up; I don't even remember now.

People say it's sad to interact in a virtual world instead of RL. Mind you I am a very socially gregarious person in RL at times, other times I can go into a fearfully long period of creative solitude. However, we need to radically rethink the way we use resources, and again there's a huge potential here, and that's another reason why I believe this process needs to be guided instead of just kicking back to see how it all unfolds. That's not to say that creative freedom should be monitored in any way, just that the most creative thinkers we've got ought to be giving this process some long, hard thought. How it can be used to help people connect in meaningful ways.

Another favorite, from Anais Nin: "We don't see things as they are; we see things as we are".

I love that quote.

It's something not a lot of people realize, and especially relevant when discussing SL.

"You can't solve a problem on the same level that it was created ... you have to rise above it to the next level". Albert Einstein. And this is the next level.

Buddhism applies equally well here, too, with its concept of Right Thinking.

Yes.

There does need to be a framework of thought that guides us.

That is true, and that's why I enjoy talking to Philip Linden and why I put the dream symbol up, to remind me to touch base with him as my own thoughts on SL develop, and to be mindful of his evolution as this grows.

Long term project, him.

Yes. It's amazing that you can enter this realm, truly start to be conscious and mindful of the process of others, and trust them to share the most important parts, and the most interesting parts, of themselves. Such people in any realm are true pioneers, and that's what interests me. Everything changes all the time and we can either get knocked out by that, get melancholy, or learn to roll with it.

I wonder how he perceives the process, and if it interests him as much as he hoped it would.

I can't see that it would fail to.

Exactly.

Even if only on the level of management, though I'm positive it still exists on the plane of emotionalism.

He gets badmouthed constantly. It's as if people expect him to invent another version of reality, when in fact he's gone beyond that.

It's important to remember that people wouldn't be so passionate about SL if it weren't something meaningful.

An actual real life magazine article came out about my work and I've been swamped with new clients. So I've been so busy! Do you know about my business? Dancing Ink. I write intimate stories about people's lives for private use in families and groups so they can understand one another on a deeper level.

That sounds amazing.

It's a lot of fun but also very intense. If you go to my website, there's a Dancing Ink tab you can check out.

I'll do that! Eureka, thank you so much for talking with me!

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Kiss Sadville goodbye

2006-12-12T18:40:00.004-08:00

Filed under: Odds and Ends, Mixed Reality

Thanks to the efforts of David de Nood and Jelle Attema of EPN, as reported by Adam Reuters, we can chalk up some more media myths about Second Life. Gregarious people with good educations, do well in Second Life, as do those with few Real Life friends and some social impairment. 'Sadville' it isn't.

Pakka's virtual world signal/noise rule-of-thumb says that noise (or unnecessary drama, if you prefer) comes from about 1 in 5 of any population, real or virtual whenever something changes, or has the opportunity to change but doesn't (and also that 1% generate it constantly). That certainly accounts for El Reg's perception of Second Life as 'Sadville'. Now, really, Andrew. Didn't we chat about that sort of thing some years ago? :)

It seems that the majority of us are a fairly happy lot in both our lives, although those of us that are handicapped are happier for having Second Life. There's lots of good eating in that report -- we'll focus in on some tasty tidbits later on. In the meantime you can (and should) go read Adam Reuters' summary, and then the report itself.

Are they having any more fun?

2006-12-12T18:40:00.003-08:00

Filed under: Odds and Ends, Mixed Reality

Plenty of folks express fond wishes that updates in Second Life were more like (for example) those of World of Warcraft. The indefatigable Elizabeth Wachowski, Mike Schramm and David Nelson and their able cohorts over at WoWInsider note that update days are no more fun over at World of Warcraft than they are in Second Life. Of course you're not trying to make a buck out of WoW, unless you're a Gold Farmer or some-such.

What do they complain about over on the other side of the fence? Unduly long times to download the patch, crashes, lag, sudden disconnection, things behaving erratically, or not working at all for days, and 12 hours of downtime to do the update.

It's like a whole different world, isn't it? You know, over there where a company is behaving like a real business with 7.5 million paying customers. They even gave 50 cents worth of credit to compensate for the days of problems.

"The grass is always greener (on the other side of the fence) until you have to mow it."

Predictions for SL: Second Tense

2006-12-12T18:40:00.002-08:00

Filed under: Odds and Ends

The inestimable Hiro Pendragon, over at Second Tense, has posted his tongue-slightly-in-cheek predictions for SL in the year 2007. I can see a couple of these things happening easily, while others are pure flights of fancy (Havok 2, anyone? What're we up to now, Havok 12?).

What do you all see coming up in 2007? Drop a comment with your predictions!

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Zee Linden posts new economic data

2006-12-12T18:40:00.001-08:00

Filed under: News, Linden Dollars, Business, Accounts, Linden Labs

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Place searching spends some time kissing the canvas

2006-12-12T18:40:00.000-08:00

Filed under: News, Linden Labs, Exploration

Like a punch-drunk, exhausted boxer, Search > Places kissed the canvas again for a count of nearly two hours from 14:35 SLT. No reason was given in the official notice, but the event markers for the map are still offline so you can probably guess that it was load and scaling issues. If it isn't (and even if it is) then hey ... we'd love to hear about it.

Pugilistic references aside, though, quite aside from being told when it goes down and when it comes back up, it would be nice to know if we can expect this sort of thing to continue to occur. In case we might be planning on showing around our friends, relatives, co-workers or customers, for example. If there's a strong likelyhood of this sort of thing continuing to happen this week, we might want to reschedule.

Announcement: Metaversatility!

2006-12-12T18:39:00.004-08:00

Filed under: News

There's a new player in town, brushing up against Metaverse Development Companies like Electric Sheep Company and Rivers Run Red: Metaversatility! I'll let the press release speak for itself:

San Antonio, Texas, December 11, 2006 - As virtual worlds receive more and more serious media attention, it has become apparent that development and service companies are needed to build virtual spaces and brands. Metaversatility, Inc. was formed to meet this need. With five founding shareholders, Metaversatility brings a unique blend of skills and experience to the virtual world development sphere.

Metaversatility founders Adrienne Haik (known as Adri Saarinen in Second Life), Dr. Aaron Delwiche, Peter Haik (known as Peter Newell in Second Life), Dr. John Plevyak, and Matt Daly represent a combination of creativity, experience, and academic credentials. Other team members include Rebecca Small (known in Second Life as Haver Cole) as client liaison, Brian Hayes as sales and business development, and Inga Munsinger Cotton as general counsel. They are well prepared to serve the needs of both traditional and exclusively-virtual clients.

Metaversatility offers a full range of metaverse services that spans multiple virtual worlds. Equipped to work in Second Life, There.com, Multiverse, and Open Croquet, Metaversatility also keeps a close watch on developments in other virtual worlds as they emerge. Metaversatility specializes in promotions, branding, and application development as well as metaverse orientation and business strategy consulting. Recent clients include Creative Commons, PopSci.com, the Metaverse Messenger, ICANN, SL Bank, and Dublin in SL.

While excited about the possibilities of the broadening metaverse, the Metaversatility team is also concerned with the social and cultural implications of this expansion. As long-time metaverse residents, they feel it is vitally important to maintain the freedom of imagination and intellectual development virtual spaces often represent.

Metaversatility Inc. is incorporated and headquartered in the state of Texas. For more information about Metaversatility, the team, services offered, and a portfolio of work, visit http://www.metaversatility.com.

Congratulations, Adri and Peter! This couldn't have happened to nicer folks, and I look forward to seeing what you bring to SL!

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Just Askin': How Useful is a Reputation System?

2006-12-12T18:39:00.003-08:00

Filed under: How-To

Currently, you can right-click someone's avatar, and choose 'Rate'. This gives you the opportunity to rate someone in one of three categories: Overall behavior, Skill at appearance, and Skill at building. It costs 25L per rating, and you can leave a little message in the text field that accompanies the ratings. Sure, it's a nice thing to do, but other than that, is it useful?

For one thing, my understanding is that there used to be a Negative option that has since been removed. I can see how that could quickly become fodder for bad feelings, but it can't all be wine and roses. For another thing, wouldn't it be useful to have more categories, or at least, more specific ones? Or a category for scripting?

None of this even ties in to a database, so it's not kept track of by LL; it's just a little thing that the resident in question can tally up, but without knowing the taste, or level of critical thought that the rater employs, there's no way to know if these positive ratings are worth anything. Why is it still in use?

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Place searching spends some time kissing the canvas

2006-12-12T18:39:00.002-08:00

Filed under: News, Linden Labs, Exploration

Thomson NETg responds to the recent removal of paid educational event support by Linden Lab

2006-12-12T18:39:00.001-08:00

Filed under: Educational, News, Odds and Ends

Well, in the wake of the termination of Instructor subsidies, the educational support is just rolling in, isn't it? Thomson NETg describes themselves as an education company that provides online live classes with two instructors and self-paced courses with 24x7 online mentoring across an extensive array of topics to hundreds of thousands of learners and thousands of companies.

For the last seven months, Thomson NETg have been running streaming audio/video classes in Second Life on their own island. Thomson NETg has partnered with the Academy of Second Learning (ASL). Thomson NETg is providing funding to ASL to manage the overall program so they can recruit, train, and deploy "a significant number of instructors in Second Life. Once everything is fully up and running, we are looking to provide in excess of 1,000 free classes per month."

Thomson NETg is looking to ASL to ensure that instructors that participate in this program are certified and maintain a high standard of quality.

We wondered if NCI was going to take advantage of this model to help with class funding and support and to supplement the sponsorship scheme that they recently began. Carl Metropolitan replied, "No--so far, NCI has had good luck in finding our own funding sources. But we can't teach classes for everyone. Multiple funding sources are good for SL education."

He was, however, very positive about the program, "It's a good a thing for education in SL--another choice for Instructors in the post-LL funding world. I think ASL is an excellent choice to administer the program for NETg."

Selaras Partridge, head and manager of ASL, was not immediately available for comment, but we expect to speak with her in the near future about this, and other educational matters in Second Life.

If you're interested in signing with ASL and Thomson NETg as an instructor, you should grab an application form from ASL in sim Eson.

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Maker of the Linxter™ suite responds to the recent removal of paid educational event support by Linden Lab

2006-12-12T18:39:00.000-08:00

Filed under: Educational, News, Business, Odds and Ends

Inventory Migration nearly complete

2006-12-11T18:45:00.002-08:00

Filed under: News, Linden Labs

Jeska Linden, comm-monkey for the week, reports that the week-long migration of some residents' inventories to a new server is 'almost done' and that they're hoping to have the inventory data consistent and correct 'when it is ready'. Apparently no actual ETA is specified, "As of today, this process almost complete."

Residents with missing inventory after that point (whenever it is) should file abuse reports, then contact either Kona Linden or Beast Linden with the tracking numbers that they get in email. Hopefully we'll get an update when that point actually happens.

Active users figure unsticks

2006-12-11T18:45:00.001-08:00

Filed under: News, Linden Labs

After being stuck at 690,800 for one hour less than eight full days, the logged in last 60 days figure has just unstuck itself, and is now showing 789,440. This still doesn't address the rather more mysterious issues surrounding this figure and why it should be so comparatively low.

Right now, we don't know if it means what Linden Lab apparently thinks it means, or how it is derived or calculated, but either it or the signup figures are seriously wrong. We heard from Linden Lab's Community Development Team late on Friday that they are investigating this, and hope to have more information to share on this disparity soon.

To put the disparity into a more everyday frame of reference, about 5,000 people signed up each day over the last 60 days that never logged into SL, even once -- at least according to this metric.

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More Concierge Resources

2006-12-11T18:45:00.000-08:00

Filed under: News, Linden Labs

con·cierge(n)

1. A staff member of a hotel or apartment complex who assists guests or residents, as by handling the storage of luggage, taking and delivering messages, and making reservations for tours.

2. A person, especially in France, who lives in an apartment house, attends the entrance, and serves as a janitor.

Despite the unflattering departmental name, Harmony Linden, Dee Linden, and Ethan Linden have been moved up from Liaison posts to working in Linden Lab's Concierge department. Concierge is responsible for the deployment and support of resident-owned sims (aka Private Islands).

They join Cyn Linden, Fritz Linden, and Jack Linden, already in Concierge, and the able (if very busy) Guy Linden (who is responsible for just about all the mainland-related land-issues), that brings the total Linden Lab, Second Life land team to seven.

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Project to protect Tanguar Haor gives it a new life (News From Bangladesh)

2006-12-11T13:01:00.000-08:00

At last, Tanguar Haor, the second Ramser site in the country, is being put under an intensive joint management programme to protect its diversified ecosystem and resources.(

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2006-12-11T08:00:00.001-08:00

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Cepheid Gets Clearance for Bacteria Test (AP via Yahoo! Finance)

2006-12-11T06:14:00.006-08:00

Genetic analysis systems maker Cepheid said Monday that it received its second clearance from the Food and Drug Administration for a test that identifies a life-threatening bacteria affecting newborns.

Thomson Gale Publishes Second Edition of Landmark Encyclopaedia Judaica (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)

2006-12-11T06:14:00.005-08:00

Thomson Gale, part of the Thomson Corporation , and Keter Publishing House today announce the publication of the Encyclopaedia Judaica, Second Edition.

Fire in two-family home claims life of Wallington man (NorthJersey.com)

2006-12-11T06:14:00.004-08:00

WALLINGTON -- A fire took the life of a man believed to be asleep in bed on Sunday morning, according to Fire Chief Kenneth Friedman.

Former exec has second software life (USATODAY.com via Yahoo! News)

2006-12-11T06:14:00.003-08:00

FOSTER CITY, Calif. - Even in Silicon Valley, 65-year-old Leonard Liu is a rare breed of entrepreneur. The former IBM executive was born and raised in China and Taiwan, and educated at Princeton University.

Kosan's Second-Generation Hsp90 Inhibitor, Alvespimycin, Shows Antitumor Activity in Refractory Leukemia (FinanzNachrichten)

2006-12-11T06:14:00.002-08:00

HAYWARD, Calif., Dec. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Kosan Biosciences Incorporated ( Nachrichten ) presented results from a Phase 1 clinical trial of its second-generation Hsp90 inhibitor, alvespimycin HCl (KOS-1022), showing encouraging signs of anti-leukemia activity in a highly refractory patient population and tolerable toxicity.

NI emigrants seeking better life (BBC News)

2006-12-11T06:14:00.001-08:00

More than 2,300 people emigrated from Northern Ireland last year in search of a better life, according to latest figures.

Kosan's Second-Generation Hsp90 Inhibitor, Alvespimycin, Shows Antitumor Activity in Refractory Leukemia (PR Newswire via Yahoo! Finance)

2006-12-11T06:14:00.000-08:00

Kosan Biosciences Incorporated presented results from a Phase 1 clinical trial of its second-generation Hsp90 inhibitor, alvespimycin HCl , showing encouraging signs of anti-leukemia activity in a highly refractory patient population and tolerable toxicity.

Second Life virtual people 'use as much power as Brazilians' (Personal Computer World)

2006-12-11T04:54:00.005-08:00

Author Nicholas Carr has claimed that virtual inhabitants of the online world Second Life are having a real-world impact. In a recent posting on his Rough Type blog, Carr suggests that the users of each avatar in the virtual word consume as much electricity keeping their online creations functioning as the average citizen of Brazil.

Cisco Systems in Second Life (WebProNews)

2006-12-11T04:54:00.003-08:00

Cisco Systems is the latest company to open an island-two, in fact-in Second Life. How risky would it be to claim to be the first company to open two islands consecutively in SL? Based on experience, I wouldn't try it In an official company press release , the announcement was buried 18 paragraphs into a release that focuses on new technologies added to Cisco's Integrated Services Routers

A Second Life for Your Ad Campaigns (SEO Chat)

2006-12-11T04:54:00.001-08:00

Where consumers go businesses and advertisers follow. With all the attention focused on Second Life it s no wonder that huge corporations from Coca Cola on down have been establishing a presence in this digital world. Is it time for your advertising campaign to start reaching out to avatars ... InSpec Implement and manage your source code and design review process. Be efficient with your

The sometimes misunderstood Second Life - MMORPG blog

2006-12-11T03:42:00.008-08:00

The sometimes misunderstood Second Life
MMORPG blog - 13 minutes ago
We are on the brink of writing another Second Life article but after all of a sudden, it dawned to us that some of you don't have a concrete idea about this MMO ...

Pimco and Fukoku Life Buy Riskiest Japanese Bonds (Update1) (Bloomberg.com)

2006-12-11T03:42:00.007-08:00

Dec. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Pacific Investment Management Co. and Fukoku Mutual Life Insurance Co. are boosting purchases of the lowest-rated investment-grade Japanese bonds as the longest expansion since World War II lifts corporate profits.

Is Second Life sustainable ecologically? (Boston Globe)

2006-12-11T03:42:00.006-08:00

Roughtype What’s a virtual world got to do with ecology? Electricity. Linden Lab consumes an enormous amount of electricity on its 4,000 servers that support 10,000 to15,000 avatars at a time . . . and it’s just getting started. Nicholas Carr ran some numbers. He says an avatar consumes 1,752 kWh per year. That’s lower than the average human being ...

Former exec has second software life (USA Today)

2006-12-11T03:42:00.005-08:00

Even in Silicon Valley, 65-year-old Leonard Liu is a rare breed of entrepreneur. The former IBM executive was born and raised in China and Taiwan, and educated at Princeton University.

Writer's Message (The Press-Enterprise)

2006-12-11T03:42:00.004-08:00

Former Moreno Valley resident Allana Leigh, 27, says writing is her life. The author, who published her second book, "Angelica Regime" on Nov. 20, said writing has touched her from a young age.

Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid (Anime News Network)

2006-12-11T03:42:00.003-08:00

Life isn't easy for teenage soldier Sousuke Sagara, who must split his time between his Mithral assignments as a pilot for the special Arm Slave Arbalest and attending a Japanese high school, where he overzealously continues as the protector for Kaname Chidori.

A Virtual World Campaign with Community in Mind (ClickZ)

2006-12-11T03:42:00.002-08:00

Unlike many brand forays into Second Life, iVillage designs an experience based on the virtual world's users.

Sycamores never gave Bulldogs life (Terre Haute Tribune-Star)

2006-12-11T03:42:00.001-08:00

When Butler pulled within seven points of the Indiana State men’s basketball team at Hulman Center in the second half on Saturday, the Sycamores couldn’t be blamed if they expected the other shoe to fall against a ranked foe.

Huge bugs sighted on Aditi Grid

2006-12-11T03:42:00.000-08:00

Filed under: Linden Labs, Odds and Ends

Residents are expressing concerns publically this weekend on the Linden Lab blog, in addition to filing bug reports about a number of seemingly serious issues that they have encountered on the Preview Grid.

"[I]f this is what we're getting on Wednesday we're all in deep doodoo," said a resident identified only as Beebee, citing movement problems, and disappearing inventory items, particularly clothing.

Miles Sullivan gives repros for two major bugs, "one is an utter showstopper", both involving attachments.

Still, these got caught before Monday. There's still time for the Linden Lab dev team to explore and fix these before the update, if we're lucky.

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Morley, Standard Life Favor Stocks Over Bonds on `Soft Landing' (Bloomberg.com)

2006-12-10T19:57:00.001-08:00

Dec. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Stocks worldwide may be a better bet than bonds in the coming year, even as the $12.5 trillion U.S. economy and global earnings growth both slow down.

Pernicious second-bite taxes quietly taking bigger gulps for Brown (The Scotsman: Business)

2006-12-10T19:57:00.000-08:00

IN TAXES, as in life, it's the little things that irk. Or not so little, as my graph here shows. Just a few years ago items such as capital gains tax, stamp duty and inheritance tax barely figured in coverage of the Budget and Pre-Budget Report.

Fire disrupts no less than two Metaverse operations

2006-12-10T19:37:00.000-08:00

"CAMBRIDGE -- A transformer exploded in the basement of a 17-story office tower in Kendall Square yesterday, killing an NStar employee and leaving more than 100 of the building's 800 workers and visitors suffering from smoke inhalation." -- Boston Globe, via LCMedia.

Ordinarily a terrible and horrifying incident in and of itself, this one carries a whiff of coincidence about it. LCMedia's President Bill Lichtenstein and his staff made it to safety, largely unharmed. Meanwhile Nerine Kasei, Marketing Manager for Useful Technology and her coworker clambered to safety out a window onto a nearby garage in the tow of building contractor John Culhane.

The fire disrupted the coordination of the Darfur event with Mia Farrow last week. We will be getting more details about Ms Farrow's rescheduled appearance as soon as they become available.

Kasei, of Useful Technology (with whom we have an upcoming interview) says that while the fire (and temporary loss of access to their computers and notes) presents a significant hindrance, their company's launch within Second Life will go ahead as planned later this week. Though Nerine and Bill work on the same floor of the building, neither were aware that the other was working daily in the Second Life virtual world.

Ordinarily Extraordinary

2006-12-10T17:55:00.000-08:00

Filed under: Odds and Ends, Mixed Reality

People, people, people. It's all about the damn people. Second Life as a technology platform is almost incidental to what people do in it. Ordinary, undistinguished, normal people. People like you and me. If anything will make Second Life a success, it's the people. If anything will break the back of Second Life and drive it to ruin, it's the people.

"Second Life is a haven for furries."
"Second Life is a haven for goreans."
"Second Life is a haven for pedophiles."
"Second Life is a haven for the sexually perverse."
"Second Life is a haven for gamblers."
"Second Life is a haven for saddo drama queens."
"Second Life is a haven for gambling homosexual furry vampire gorean nazi lesbian child pornographers."

And so on, and so on.

In essence, Second Life is a haven for people. Real, ordinary, normal people. The folks you go to work with. The folks you live at home with. The folks who taught you in school. The folks who gave birth to you. The folks you see on the street or on the bus or on the train. The ones who serve you at the counters of your favorite stores.

Bob in accounts is gay. Julie on your customer support desk is a furry. Susan on the development team is into Gorean culture (so is Jeremy, the guy who comes to service the photocopier, but she doesn't know that). If you're surprised by what people do in virtual worlds, then you'd really be surprised by the interests of the people around you in your daily life.

You see, in the virtual worlds people are just being themselves. Sometimes they're being the self they're afraid to be in Real Life. Sometimes they're trying to figure out just who the heck they are. Wrapped up inside every psyche is a spark of greatness, like a treasured present wrapped in umpteen layers of wrapping paper, string and nigh-impervious gift-wrapping ribbon. Something extraordinary. We've all got our kinks and our quirks (and sometimes the quirk is that we can't see them in ourselves) and our odd bits of behavior.

It doesn't matter.

We're still all people, trying to make sense of ourselves, of each-other, and of the world (well, more than one world, these days). The only thing we can really get wrong is to objectify the others. To treat them as things. Props, scenery, background, props, tools, toys or targets. That's just not right. Not for you and not for them. It denies the capacity to be extraordinary in yourself and in others. And that's a damn shame.

As long as we treat each-other as people, we'll be okay, one way or another.

Postscript: The image above is from 1845 from "Old England: A Pictorial Museum". The accompanying text reads:

"We cannot greatly compliment our forefathers on the sport called mummings, in which men masqueraded as brutes; but it seems they were determined to have mirth, however they procured it. We, perhaps, err on the other hand, and may be too fastidious to be happy."

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Save the Children sells Virtual Yaks

2006-12-10T14:29:00.000-08:00

Milk a yak for the children. No, seriously!

Save the Children with the help of Aimee Weber Studio has started a fun new project in Second Life affectionately called The Yak Shack! This may seem completely random but in reality, yaks can be a lifesaver for children in Tibet. They provide nutritious milk, wool for knitting and are also used for ploughing.

So what of these virtual yaks? Well for L$1000 (100% goes to Save the Children), you get a virtual yak of your very own who will provide for all of your needs in Second Life. You can ride them with the breakneck speed and acceleration you would naturally expect from a yak. You can knit a new sweater from the yak's wool. If you are lonely you can talk to the yak, but they mostly like to talk about themselves (they are very yak-centric.) If you go AFK while on top of your yak, she may get bored and wander off with you on top of her (that's what you get for neglecting your yak!) And of course, you can milk your yak. Yeah I had to read that last bit a second time too.

You can find the Yak Shack on the Northwest side of Midnight City. Just click on the yaks loitering around outside or on the sign inside the Shack.

If you really want to show some yak love, please join us for The Yak Shack Showdown on Saturday, December 16th where residents can display their personalized yaks (I got butterfly wings on mine, but I still haven't figured out how to get stripy stockings on her.) The most creatively customized yak will win her owner a spread in IN THE GRID magazine.

Second Life virtual people 'use as much power as Brazilians' - Computing

2006-12-10T14:27:00.000-08:00

Second Life virtual people 'use as much power as Brazilians'
Computing, UK - Dec 6, 2006
Author Nicholas Carr has claimed that virtual inhabitants of the online world Second Life are having a real-world impact. In a recent ...

Life expectancy in S. Africa drop to 51 (China Daily)

2006-12-10T09:26:00.006-08:00

HIV/AIDS plaguing more than 10 percent of South African population has brought life expectancy in the country straight down to 51 years old from 64, reported South African newspaper Sunday Independent.

Machain 'wanted a better life' (The News-Review)

2006-12-10T09:26:00.005-08:00

Teen murder suspect Rebecca Ann Machain reportedly told a state psychiatrist that she'd killed her 14-year-old nephew in September 2003 so she could have a better life.

Wichita State tames Wyoming in second half (The Wichita Eagle)

2006-12-10T09:26:00.004-08:00

Defending a No. 10 national ranking is tough. Playing in front of a beer-drinking, hollering crowd of real-life cowboys is tough. It's not too tough for Wichita State, however, a theme that remains constant throughout this basketball season. The Shockers handle challenges, no matter where or when they pop up.