From Linden Lab on June 28, "Watch a Lab Gab Special Live at SL20B with the Founder of Second Life Philip Linden, and Executive Chairman Oberwolf Linden on Wednesday, June 28th at 1:30pm PT." Both Philip Rosedale and Brad Oberwager talk about how Second Life got it's start, how it came to be acquired, and more, including a few funny stories.
Your source of news about the people, places, things, and events across Second Life.
Friday, June 30, 2023
Reader Submitted: SL20B "Econocorn Living"
From DeniseUnicorn Toonie and Kamida Delec, pictures of Denise's "Econocorn Living" Exhibit at the SL20B.
Denise has more pictures of her exhibit on her Flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/139163377@N04/
EOTB: The Moles at The SL20B Arboretum Today
Friday, June 30th at 1:30pm PT - Watch a Lab Gab
Special Live at SL20B with the Moles! The Moles are builders, scripters,
and content creators employed by Linden Lab to work in the Linden Department of Public Works.
Watch it on the Second Life YouTube channel or at the SL20B Arboretum.
From the Linden Blog .
Announcement: DJ Minty At The SL20B, Saturday July 1
DJ Minty of Furry Fashion will be DJing at the SL20B this Saturday, July 1, at 4PM SL time. The Rockin' Unicorn will be playing a list of 80s tunes. Check the event schedule to see which stage she'll be at.
Alt
Alternati
Alternati
Science Circle Events Oh Hiatus, Senchai Library Schedule Changed
Last week's tour of the SL20B was the last scheduled event of the Science Circle (except for a classical music concert the following day). As of now, there are no more events planned until November. So until then or we hear of sooner, the SC announcements are on hold.
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Bixyl Shuftan
Thursday, June 29, 2023
SL Video: "Second Life Mobile - June 2023 - SL20B Update"
From Linden Lab, a five minute video with Grumpity, Mojo, and Patch Linden about the Lab's progress on the Second Life Mobile Viewer. It's looking like it's release won't be until 2024 as Grumpity was saying, "More features are coming in the next couple quarters as we work towards a beta." Grumpity was saying some of the latest work was about getting the viewer to unload old objects so new ones could be loaded as people move to different areas.
EOTB: Styfy and Brett Linden at The SL20B Arboretum Today (Pre-Recorded)
Thursday, June 29th at 1:30pm PT - Watch a pre-recorded
Lab Gab Special at SL20B with Chief Marketing Officer StyFy Linden and
VP of Marketing Brett Linden. Together they focus on both the
acquisition of new users and the retention of existing users for Second
Life.
Watch it on the Second Life YouTube channel or at the SL20B Arboretum.
From the Linden Blog
.
Announcement: DJ Tantari, Merryjest At The SL20B Mandala Stage
When : Fri, June 30, 7am – 8am
Main Teleport: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Astound/118/135/23
Alternative B: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Astonish/189/189/57
Alternative C: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Imagination/67/67/57
Kain "Merryjest" Scalia Live At The Mandala
Alternative B: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Astonish/189/189/57
Alternative C: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Imagination/67/67/57
When: Fri, June 30, 11am – 12pm
Main Teleport: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Astound/118/135/23
Alternative B: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Astonish/189/189/57
Alternative C: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Imagination/67/67/57
Alternative B: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Astonish/189/189/57
Alternative C: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Imagination/67/67/57
Sunweaver Bay's Game Room
A lot's been happening across Second Life lately between the Relay and the SL20B. So it's easy to miss everything else. So I decided to check my local community a bit. In Sunweaver Bay, I noticed someone had set up a new farm. This included cows, and every fox's favorite: chicken.
But the more interesting new place was by Sunweaver BrianL61 Landar: a new amusement park he named "The Game Room."
Welcome to The Game Room, all games are free to play and sorry, there are NO PAYOUTS, please have fun, and bring a friend. from here you can use the teleporter in front of the game room to access other areas on this land, feel free to explore. there is also a shuttle station which will take you too View Point Space Station. BrianL61 Landar
There's plenty of games there, from old ones that were at previous amusement areas to some new ones I haven't seen before, from a disk-tossing target game to the "Madfall" tower that takes you high above the park then sends you plummeting down, to the "Pharoah's Folly" ride. And overlooking it all, in time for the Fourth of July, a Statue of Liberty shooting fireworks.
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sunweaver%20Bay/231/224/22
And of course don't forget the sim's main attraction, Club Cutlass and it's Wednesday-Frida-Saturday events from 6 to 8PM Sunweaver Bay (114/117/757).
Bixyl Shuftan
Wednesday, June 28, 2023
"Second Lifetime" Premium Accounts For Life, Upcoming Ranch Linden Homes Announced at Lab Gab
On Monday June 26, Patch Linden was interviewed in the first of the SL20B's Lab Gab shows. Patch almost always reveals something about what Linden Lab is planning or is about to release, and yesterday was no exception. But the big details involve users with the most cash to invest in their inworld experience.
At the SL19B last year while talking about then upcoming Premium Plus option for accounts,
Patch stated that eventually there would be a 2028 sq meter option for
Linden Homes just for them, double the size of the max available for
Premium residents.
On Monday, Patch stated the homes were just about ready. He would also mention them in the forums.
More land means more land impact. Previous themes have 351 or 175 LI per parcel. These have a whopping 703! Plus a new theme means a new content pack, with wildflowers, hay bales, and such.
They would also be mentioned in the SL wiki in the page about Linden Homes.
The ranch theme is your invitation to step into life on the grasslands of central North America. This is farm country, a land of rolling prairie and big sky. It’s a place where you can imagine raising wheat or corn or soybeans and having a few cattle, a horse or two, and a flock of chickens. You might have a barn stocked with hay bales and a tractor and harvest machinery. Or, perhaps, you could have the large garden for vegetables and flowers that you always wanted.
Despite that "selection of specific Ranch homes will not be available until July 10," demand for these houses was high. In Bellisseria chat, it was stated that a day after they were made available, there were no more left to claim. When the next batch will be available is unknown.
The other feature aimed at Premium Plus, and Premium, accounts was "Second Lifetime." This was an option to have a Premium, or Premium Plus account for life.
Be among the lucky few to claim one of the limited edition
SecondLifeTime Premium or Premium Plus plans – available in extremely
limited quantities at SL20B. Each SecondLifeTime plan offers the same
benefits as Premium or Premium Plus – but for a one-time fee for the
rest of your life! Only available while supplies last!
Patch Linden would explain some details at the Lab Gab, and there was also a "Frequently Asked Questions" page. The one-time payment for a lifetime Premium account is $749 USD, and for a lifetime Premium Plus, it is more expensive at $1749 USD. Compared to Premium at $99 USD a year, and Premium Plus at $249 USD a year, it's comparable to a resident paying for several years in advance.
Patch would say that only so many residents can get a lifetime account. Only two hundred residents will be able to get Premium for life, and for Premium Plus for life the limit is much smaller, just twenty. The openings are available on a first-come first-served basis. On the FAQ page, it stated a Premium for life account holder "might not" be able to upgrade to Premium Plus, and anyone wishing to do so would have to talk with a Lab agent to see what could be done.
While it wasn't mentioned by Patch, or the FAQ, it should be reminded that even a lifetime account holder would still be subject to the Lab's Terms of Service, and people have been banned for what some would see as small offenses such as using a parent's credit card.
Patch would discuss other things in the video, such as the upcoming newcomer NUX avatars, the new WelcomeHub area, an SL radio station, the *possibility* of one of the more recent last names being brought back temporarily, and Linden Lab talking to the producers of a TV show about a deal which would have Second Life being a big part of the plot of one episode. This would be the first time since an episode of CSI in 2007.
Bixyl Shuftan
Cartoon of the Day: Tipsy Tips
Taken
at the Happy Vixen. One girl was going around carrying two platters of
suds. Not sure what inspired her, but I could think of one reason some
girls put up with the cat-calls at the bars.
By Bixyl Shuftan
EOTB: Philip and Oberwolf Linden at The SL20B Arboretum Today
Wednesday, June 28th at 1:30pm PT - Watch a Lab Gab
Special Live at SL20B with the Founder of Second Life Philip Linden, and
Executive Chairman Oberwolf Linden. Philip rejoined Second Life in
2022, as Strategic Advisor, focused on helping to shape and build a
better metaverse. Brad Oberwager has spent his entire career in
technology and consumer focused companies as an entrepreneur and board
member.
Watch it on the Second Life YouTube channel or at the SL20B Arboretum.
From the Linden Blog .
Commentary: Second Life Turns 20
It was twenty years go, June 2003, in which Linden Lab officially started Second Life. It had already been in development for a few years, and for months people had joined while it was in beta. Originally called "Linden World," it wasn't the first virtual place online, and few others also came out soon afterwards. It was also not an instant success. For it's first few years, it's userbase was small compared to that of today, and it was relatively unknown to the computer and tech world. But it did have a combination that other places didn't. Not only could people interact with the environment and own a piece of it, but they could build more or less anything they wanted to with prims and scripts, and with the inworld economy they could buy and sell with one another and be able to convert whatever made into real-world money. It was a place like no other online.
Then around 2006, it began to catch on, and it started to grow fast both in population and land area. It was also getting noticed, first by computer and tech circles. And soon it was getting attention in mainstream media. Eventually it would get mentioned on prime-time television, notably on an episode of CSI in which detectives went into the virtual world to catch a killer. And along with the attention came still more people coming in, as well as businesses. Numerous companies such as Circuit City and Honda would get places here, and IBM would sponsor many sims. That people could make money through virtual real-estate also got attention, millionaire Anshe Chung making the cover of one business magazine. Charities such as veterans groups and the Relay for Life would come here. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and other politicians would come here for discussions. By 2008, people were calling Second Life the next stage of the Internet, and it's future. It seemed like in just a few years, everyone online would be in virtual reality.
But, this would not be the case. While millions would come for a peak, Second Life had a learning curve that confused many. For every ten people who logged on, only one or less would stick around after one or two days. People often had to figure out things like Instant Messaging, teleporting, joining groups, etc. on their own. With so many on the Internet having been used to games with clear winning conditions, the open-endedness of the virtual world confused many "How do you play this game, how do you win?" Where you have people, you eventually get troublemakers and people otherwise disagreeing. Some came here just to troll and/or bully, and others would end up causing drama. And of course there was the lag, which could be particularly bad on older computers. When social media such as Twitter and Facebook came around, the masses found them much easier to use, and they would get the millions Linden Lab thought awaited it in the future.
Then came the bad press. There came tales of virtual child abuse. And then came the tales of "cyber noogie." People were taking advantage of Second Life's freedom to not just make places of learning and socializing, but also to engage with others sexually. This creeped out some, and became fodder for more sensational stories that were soon pushing aside tales of veterans being aided by the virtual world. It even got to the point Gingrich's visit here was used to attack his opinions. One friend called it a sad fact of modern media, "It is so easier to sell to the public when there is controversy than when the story is constructive."
Linden Lab itself was also seemingly becoming detached from it's users. In the Second Life Fifth Birthday Celebrations, CEO Mark Kingdom made a speech that sounded like the Lab felt the virtual world's first residents would basically have to move aside for future users. There came incidents like the Openspace controversy in which huge price increases were announced. There was the new "Viewer 2" that older residents found awkward to use. Many established residents began feeling alienated, and some began dropping out.
The 2008 recession didn't help matters either. When people are unsure about their money, they cut back on expenses, and entertainment expenses are usually the first to go. So people were less able to pay for sims and virtual goods to begin with. But the bad press and many residents getting frustrated with Linden Lab encouraged people to cut back further, and the Lab began to feel it where it hurt: their bottom line. By 2009, it was becoming clear the virtual world had past it's peak. And in 2010, the Lab finally reacted with cutbacks, notably laying off a third of it's staff. There were other moves as well that hurt people's confidence such as the Teen Grid merger and ending educational sim discounts. It was a time when the virtual world's future was in doubt, some feeling it was doomed.
But Second Life didn't die. Many residents despite the difficulties such as Linden Lab's blunders continued to enjoy living here and interacting with one another virtually. The world despite it's flaws was still the creative and social space it had been. While some places online eventually closed, such as There, The Sims Online, Haboo Hotel, and others, Second Life endured. Indeed when the Pandemic hit in 2020, Second Life had a second wind as both former and new users flocked over here to enjoy virtually what they couldn't in real life. Facebook would try to get in on the action with it's own virtual world, but it only ended up mocked and loosing money while tech media once again began noticing our virtual world.
Second Life has also changed much over time. When it started, people couldn't teleport except at "hubs," and people were charged money for rezzing prims (which they got back when deleted). Both were soon corrected. The way people communicate has changed some with the introduction of Voice. The introduction of mesh and it's improvements has also changed the way things are made here. Some makers have adapted to the new methods. Others have dropped out. The way avatar appearances has also changed. While people can, and do, still get complete packages, more often people are getting heads, bodies, hands, and other body parts for avatars separately to make their own custom look. Shopping has also changed from only buying from people inworld to being able to get from Marketplace and have your items delivered within seconds (usually). In a sense, this reflects the ability of people in real-life to buy from Amazon and other places online in the past generation. But not unlike real-life, the result has been some stores and malls inworld closing down. The number of groups residents could belong to has grown over time, from ten in the early days to 42 for basic accounts, and more for Premium.
The way people are named has also changed over time. When Second Life first started, one could pick more or less whatever first name they wanted (that wasn't a profanity or slur) and pick from a list of last names that was slowly changed over time. The idea was that people with the same last name would have something in common, having came inworld around the same time and having the name would make them something of a "family." But when people didn't like any of the names when making a new account, their options were to either be stuck with a name they hated of not sign up, or were confused by not being able to use their real names. So eventually the Lab changed the system, new users choosing just one account name while having a "display name" that looked larger over their avatars. But with all new people having the default surname "Resident," they stood out and some felt like second-class citizens, and wondered why they couldn't have a last account name. After several years, Linden Lab would bring back last names for new residents, but only as an option that one had to pay a fee for.
Who could go to Second Life and where on it has also changed. It used to be a strict 18 and over only could come here while teenagers could only go to a separate Teen Grid. This would be changed in 2010-11 when the Teen Grid was closed and teenagers could go to General Audience, or be limited to certain General Audience sims where they had permission depending on their age. For a time, Adult sims were limited to only those who provided some real-life ID to the Lab such as a drivers license. But this would be dropped after a short time. But to buy Linden Dollars, one still needs their credit card, and some places such as Linden Realms require a transaction history to fully work well.
The way Linden Lab has interacted with the residents has changed over time. At first, there weren't many restrictions. As long as people didn't grief, cheat, or otherwise misbehave, no worries. But over time came more rules, such as the gambling ban, then the banking ban and other rules such as no buying Linden dollars from anyone but the Lab, no selling gachas, and others. In the early days of the virtual world, the Lindens interacted with the residents a lot, but this would slow down as the grid became larger. In the days of CEO Rod Humble in the early 2010s, events in which the Lindens interacted with the Lindens were closed and there seemed to be a policy of "no fraternization." But it didn't last very long, and after Ebbe Altberg assumed command of the Lab, Lindens slowly began to meet and talk to residents once more. Over time, the Lab would also become more involved with the homes of some of it's residents. In 2008, Linden Moles were involved in the construction of Bay CIty. Then came Linden Homes, a bonus for Premium account holders, which grew in popularity when the Lab began offering then on a new continent in the middle of the Second Life mainland in 2019: Bellisseria. Bellisseria would grow in size, and population, on land, and homes, made all by the Linden Moles, and in the Bellisseria group chat one can frequently talk to the Lindens and Moles. This doesn't mean the Lindens are so involved with all residents, most still live in either private sims and estates outside the mainland or mainland areas outside Bellisseria where the only thing made by the Lindens and Moles around is the occasional Linden bear souvenir, and hear from them only when there's a problem or glitch to fix. But Bellisseria demonstrates just how big a change there's been between the Lindens and residents over the past several years.
And then there are the alternatives to Second Life. This virtual world was soon leaving others in the dust, and in it's early days it seemed like the only real competition was the popular MMO "World of Warcraft," which not unlike Second Life was a ground-breaker in it's field. Eventually would come the OpenSim worlds, but most of these grids would remain very very small compared to Second Life, only a few such as InWorldz gaining somewhat large numbers. With new technology being developed over time, Linden Lab itself would eventually develop an alternative of it's own, Sansar. But it would gain only a small following. So would the virtual space created by Second Life's founder "High Fidelity." Eventually Sansar would be sold off and High Fidelity closing down. Eventually came a next-generation virtual world that did attract larger numbers, VRChat. But while more successful than Sansar it still attracts smaller numbers than Second Life, and has mostly younger users.
Finally, there's that twenty years later, there's that there's a literal new generation of Second Life users. There are people signing up who weren't even born when the Grid first came online. And with this new generation comes new attitudes and ideas. Early on, residents were mostly Boomers and Gen-X, and had certain attitudes about the Internet such as highly valuing privacy. But over time, they would slowly drop in number and there would be growing numbers of Millennials, and lately Gen-Z/Zoomers, who were more used to displaying their real-life identities online.
Then around 2006, it began to catch on, and it started to grow fast both in population and land area. It was also getting noticed, first by computer and tech circles. And soon it was getting attention in mainstream media. Eventually it would get mentioned on prime-time television, notably on an episode of CSI in which detectives went into the virtual world to catch a killer. And along with the attention came still more people coming in, as well as businesses. Numerous companies such as Circuit City and Honda would get places here, and IBM would sponsor many sims. That people could make money through virtual real-estate also got attention, millionaire Anshe Chung making the cover of one business magazine. Charities such as veterans groups and the Relay for Life would come here. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and other politicians would come here for discussions. By 2008, people were calling Second Life the next stage of the Internet, and it's future. It seemed like in just a few years, everyone online would be in virtual reality.
But, this would not be the case. While millions would come for a peak, Second Life had a learning curve that confused many. For every ten people who logged on, only one or less would stick around after one or two days. People often had to figure out things like Instant Messaging, teleporting, joining groups, etc. on their own. With so many on the Internet having been used to games with clear winning conditions, the open-endedness of the virtual world confused many "How do you play this game, how do you win?" Where you have people, you eventually get troublemakers and people otherwise disagreeing. Some came here just to troll and/or bully, and others would end up causing drama. And of course there was the lag, which could be particularly bad on older computers. When social media such as Twitter and Facebook came around, the masses found them much easier to use, and they would get the millions Linden Lab thought awaited it in the future.
Then came the bad press. There came tales of virtual child abuse. And then came the tales of "cyber noogie." People were taking advantage of Second Life's freedom to not just make places of learning and socializing, but also to engage with others sexually. This creeped out some, and became fodder for more sensational stories that were soon pushing aside tales of veterans being aided by the virtual world. It even got to the point Gingrich's visit here was used to attack his opinions. One friend called it a sad fact of modern media, "It is so easier to sell to the public when there is controversy than when the story is constructive."
Linden Lab itself was also seemingly becoming detached from it's users. In the Second Life Fifth Birthday Celebrations, CEO Mark Kingdom made a speech that sounded like the Lab felt the virtual world's first residents would basically have to move aside for future users. There came incidents like the Openspace controversy in which huge price increases were announced. There was the new "Viewer 2" that older residents found awkward to use. Many established residents began feeling alienated, and some began dropping out.
The 2008 recession didn't help matters either. When people are unsure about their money, they cut back on expenses, and entertainment expenses are usually the first to go. So people were less able to pay for sims and virtual goods to begin with. But the bad press and many residents getting frustrated with Linden Lab encouraged people to cut back further, and the Lab began to feel it where it hurt: their bottom line. By 2009, it was becoming clear the virtual world had past it's peak. And in 2010, the Lab finally reacted with cutbacks, notably laying off a third of it's staff. There were other moves as well that hurt people's confidence such as the Teen Grid merger and ending educational sim discounts. It was a time when the virtual world's future was in doubt, some feeling it was doomed.
But Second Life didn't die. Many residents despite the difficulties such as Linden Lab's blunders continued to enjoy living here and interacting with one another virtually. The world despite it's flaws was still the creative and social space it had been. While some places online eventually closed, such as There, The Sims Online, Haboo Hotel, and others, Second Life endured. Indeed when the Pandemic hit in 2020, Second Life had a second wind as both former and new users flocked over here to enjoy virtually what they couldn't in real life. Facebook would try to get in on the action with it's own virtual world, but it only ended up mocked and loosing money while tech media once again began noticing our virtual world.
Second Life has also changed much over time. When it started, people couldn't teleport except at "hubs," and people were charged money for rezzing prims (which they got back when deleted). Both were soon corrected. The way people communicate has changed some with the introduction of Voice. The introduction of mesh and it's improvements has also changed the way things are made here. Some makers have adapted to the new methods. Others have dropped out. The way avatar appearances has also changed. While people can, and do, still get complete packages, more often people are getting heads, bodies, hands, and other body parts for avatars separately to make their own custom look. Shopping has also changed from only buying from people inworld to being able to get from Marketplace and have your items delivered within seconds (usually). In a sense, this reflects the ability of people in real-life to buy from Amazon and other places online in the past generation. But not unlike real-life, the result has been some stores and malls inworld closing down. The number of groups residents could belong to has grown over time, from ten in the early days to 42 for basic accounts, and more for Premium.
The way people are named has also changed over time. When Second Life first started, one could pick more or less whatever first name they wanted (that wasn't a profanity or slur) and pick from a list of last names that was slowly changed over time. The idea was that people with the same last name would have something in common, having came inworld around the same time and having the name would make them something of a "family." But when people didn't like any of the names when making a new account, their options were to either be stuck with a name they hated of not sign up, or were confused by not being able to use their real names. So eventually the Lab changed the system, new users choosing just one account name while having a "display name" that looked larger over their avatars. But with all new people having the default surname "Resident," they stood out and some felt like second-class citizens, and wondered why they couldn't have a last account name. After several years, Linden Lab would bring back last names for new residents, but only as an option that one had to pay a fee for.
Who could go to Second Life and where on it has also changed. It used to be a strict 18 and over only could come here while teenagers could only go to a separate Teen Grid. This would be changed in 2010-11 when the Teen Grid was closed and teenagers could go to General Audience, or be limited to certain General Audience sims where they had permission depending on their age. For a time, Adult sims were limited to only those who provided some real-life ID to the Lab such as a drivers license. But this would be dropped after a short time. But to buy Linden Dollars, one still needs their credit card, and some places such as Linden Realms require a transaction history to fully work well.
The way Linden Lab has interacted with the residents has changed over time. At first, there weren't many restrictions. As long as people didn't grief, cheat, or otherwise misbehave, no worries. But over time came more rules, such as the gambling ban, then the banking ban and other rules such as no buying Linden dollars from anyone but the Lab, no selling gachas, and others. In the early days of the virtual world, the Lindens interacted with the residents a lot, but this would slow down as the grid became larger. In the days of CEO Rod Humble in the early 2010s, events in which the Lindens interacted with the Lindens were closed and there seemed to be a policy of "no fraternization." But it didn't last very long, and after Ebbe Altberg assumed command of the Lab, Lindens slowly began to meet and talk to residents once more. Over time, the Lab would also become more involved with the homes of some of it's residents. In 2008, Linden Moles were involved in the construction of Bay CIty. Then came Linden Homes, a bonus for Premium account holders, which grew in popularity when the Lab began offering then on a new continent in the middle of the Second Life mainland in 2019: Bellisseria. Bellisseria would grow in size, and population, on land, and homes, made all by the Linden Moles, and in the Bellisseria group chat one can frequently talk to the Lindens and Moles. This doesn't mean the Lindens are so involved with all residents, most still live in either private sims and estates outside the mainland or mainland areas outside Bellisseria where the only thing made by the Lindens and Moles around is the occasional Linden bear souvenir, and hear from them only when there's a problem or glitch to fix. But Bellisseria demonstrates just how big a change there's been between the Lindens and residents over the past several years.
And then there are the alternatives to Second Life. This virtual world was soon leaving others in the dust, and in it's early days it seemed like the only real competition was the popular MMO "World of Warcraft," which not unlike Second Life was a ground-breaker in it's field. Eventually would come the OpenSim worlds, but most of these grids would remain very very small compared to Second Life, only a few such as InWorldz gaining somewhat large numbers. With new technology being developed over time, Linden Lab itself would eventually develop an alternative of it's own, Sansar. But it would gain only a small following. So would the virtual space created by Second Life's founder "High Fidelity." Eventually Sansar would be sold off and High Fidelity closing down. Eventually came a next-generation virtual world that did attract larger numbers, VRChat. But while more successful than Sansar it still attracts smaller numbers than Second Life, and has mostly younger users.
Finally, there's that twenty years later, there's that there's a literal new generation of Second Life users. There are people signing up who weren't even born when the Grid first came online. And with this new generation comes new attitudes and ideas. Early on, residents were mostly Boomers and Gen-X, and had certain attitudes about the Internet such as highly valuing privacy. But over time, they would slowly drop in number and there would be growing numbers of Millennials, and lately Gen-Z/Zoomers, who were more used to displaying their real-life identities online.
How does Linden Lab perceive how new residents have changed? In his recent interview at the SL20B, Patch Linden would say that when Second Life was new, residents seemed mainly interested in building. Residents coming in around 2010, he felt were mainly interested in socializing. Residents entering in the past few years, Patch felt were interested in a combination of the two, thinking many had spent a few years in simpler virtual space like Roblox and now were wanting something more detailed.
I could go on and on with how much has changed from how real-life politics is handled, to some more of Linden Lab's questionable and downright boneheaded moves, to the move to the Cloud Servers a few years ago. But this would require more time, and pencil space. But Second Life and Linden Lab is enjoying an accomplishment that wasn't available to forms of entertainment such as Atari in my younger days, being very much alive and well and kicking twenty years later. As much as we oldbies sometimes call Linden Lab out for mistakes, we have to hand it to them for being able to last, and deliver, for so long.
So what does the future hold for Second Life? Right now, Second Life and Linden Lab are doing quite well. And while there have been a few moves by the Lab that raised some eyebrows lately, the residents are fairly content and happy. It's a safe bet that our virtual world will be around for at least the next several years. There is no reason to believe there won't be a SL25B, and little to believe there won't be a SL30B. Yes, eventually somebody will make a virtual world that appeals to the masses better. And no company lasts forever. But unless there's a worldwide calamity far greater than the recent Pandemic, we'll still be going about the Mainland, Bellisseria, and the private estates for many years to come.
Twenty years later, it's still our Second Life, so let's make the most of it.
Bixyl Shuftan
I could go on and on with how much has changed from how real-life politics is handled, to some more of Linden Lab's questionable and downright boneheaded moves, to the move to the Cloud Servers a few years ago. But this would require more time, and pencil space. But Second Life and Linden Lab is enjoying an accomplishment that wasn't available to forms of entertainment such as Atari in my younger days, being very much alive and well and kicking twenty years later. As much as we oldbies sometimes call Linden Lab out for mistakes, we have to hand it to them for being able to last, and deliver, for so long.
So what does the future hold for Second Life? Right now, Second Life and Linden Lab are doing quite well. And while there have been a few moves by the Lab that raised some eyebrows lately, the residents are fairly content and happy. It's a safe bet that our virtual world will be around for at least the next several years. There is no reason to believe there won't be a SL25B, and little to believe there won't be a SL30B. Yes, eventually somebody will make a virtual world that appeals to the masses better. And no company lasts forever. But unless there's a worldwide calamity far greater than the recent Pandemic, we'll still be going about the Mainland, Bellisseria, and the private estates for many years to come.
Twenty years later, it's still our Second Life, so let's make the most of it.
Bixyl Shuftan
Tuesday, June 27, 2023
News In Brief
Busy Fox has been busy. So we have only a little time to tell you what's been going on.
Yesterday at the Lab Gab, Patch Linden gave a few details about upcoming plans by Linden Lab, including the upcoming Ranch Linden Homes, available only to Premium Plus residents. They will be available next month (assuming things go according to plan.
There was also "Second Lifetime," the chance to get Premium, or Premium Plus, accounts for life.
Today, details about the upcoming mobile viewer were released in a video.
More on these stories later.
Events This Week at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay Clubs, and Furry Fashion Lounge
Club Cutlass: Boogie Down, Mythological, Disco Mania
Happy Vixen: Feathers and Fur, Captain Night, Food Fight, Hellhounds, Kawaii, Madkatt Mashup, Best in Red, Leather, Hairstyles
Club Zero Gravity: TBA
Bouncing Bunny Beach Club: CAYA
Xanadu: DJ Jesse
Club Squeaks: Temporarily closed
Furry Fashion Lounge: Rainbows, Cats vs Rabbits, Murder Monsters and Mayhem, Sci-fi, Late Night, Fursonas
Read the schedules in SL Clubbin'
EOTB: Grumpity and Mojo Linden at The SL20B Arboretum (Pre-Recorded)
Tuesday, June 27th at 1:30pm PT - Watch a pre-recorded Lab Gab Special at SL20B with VP of Product Grumpity Linden, and VP of Engineering Mojo Linden. Grumpity heads up Second Life Product, where she has overseen a shift to growth, a stronger, more balanced economy, a movement towards better community cohesion, and an overall forward-looking approach. With over twenty years of experience in the games industry, Mojo is an expert at building teams and launching groundbreaking games across genres that push the limits of their respective platforms.
From the Linden blog.
Monday, June 26, 2023
EOTB: Patch Linden at The SL20B Arboretum Today
Monday, June 26th at 1:30pm PT - Watch a Lab Gab
Special Live at SL20B with VP of Product Operations, Patch Linden. Patch
works to bring the best of product and support based decisions on a
daily operational basis to the virtual world platform for Second Life,
while maintaining oversight on how all of the various teams within
Linden Lab can best work together for the highest good of the Residents
and the business.
From the Linden Blog .
The SL20B National And Global Contests
The Second Life Birthdays have had prizes one can win for some time. But there's a chance to get a real-life prize from a contest here at the SL20B celebrations, in addition to a chance every day to get a free upgrade to Premium for a year, or maybe for life.
Visit the SL20B welcome area and look for the National and Global contest kiosks to win one of many huge prizes! Qualifying U.S. residents can win a brand new Chevrolet Bolt EV car or a high-end ASUS computer in the physical world. Global community members can win one of several special prizes including daily giveaways of One-Year Premium Second Life Subscriptions and more!
Of the two contests, one is open to US residents only, the National Sweepstakes. The other is open to all residents of Second Life, the Global Sweepstakes.
The greater attention is on the National Sweepstakes prizes, as they're higher in value. The Grand Prize is an electric car, a Chevrolet Bolt EV, which has a "suggested retail price" of $27,495 USD. There are also five First Prizes, "Sponsor specified" laptop gaming computers described as worth about $2800 USD.
Of the Global Sweepstakes, the prizes are free upgrades to one's account. The Grand Prize is a free upgrade to Premium for one's account, for life. The First Prize is a free upgrade to Premium Plus for one year. There are also Daily Prizes for a free upgrade to Premium account for one year.
One can enter up to Wednesday July 5 for both the National and Global contests. The drawing for the Grand and First prizes will be "on or around" Thursday July 6. One can enter the draw for the Daily Prize in the Global contest once a day.
To enter, head to SLB Awesome (108/122/35).
Bixyl Shuftan
SL20B Official Guide And Magazine
For the Second Life Twentieth Birthday, Linden Lab issued an "Official Guide and Magazine" (link). One can download it, or thumb through on their webbrowser.
"Through its vibrant pages, this commemorative magazine dives into the
rich history of the virtual world of Second Life, unraveling two decades
of innovation, creativity, and community building. Hear from the
founder, executive team, pioneering designers, and creative Residents
about the history and future of Second Life. Whether you're a
long-standing resident or a curious newcomer, it is an invaluable
keepsake and source of inspiration, serving as both a nostalgic tribute
and an exciting glimpse into the limitless possibilities of our virtual
world."
https://issuu.com/secondlifeofficial/docs/sl20bguide
Sunday, June 25, 2023
Cartoon of The Day: Abduction Gone Wrong
Taken at the SL20B grounds. Looks like this flying saucer decided to beam up a bovine, but also by accident tractored up one of the aliens on the ground.
By Bixyl Shuftan
SL20B Lab Gab Schedule
From Monday to Friday this week, there will be events in which various Lindens will talk to the residents about what they do in Second Life and answer a few questions about what's going on and what they plan to do. All will be held at the Aboretum at SLB Exhilarate.
On Monday June 26 at 1:30 PM SLT, Patch Linden will speak
On Tuesday June 27 at 1:30 PM SLT, Grumpity and Mojo Linden will be there.
On Wednesday June 28 at 1:30 PM SLT, people will get to see and hear Oberwolf and Philip Linden.
On Thursday June 29 at 1:30 PM SLT, Styfy and Bret Linden will be featured.
On Friday June 30 at 1:30 PM SLT, the Moles will be on stage to speak.
More details are available in the official blog.
Once again, the events will be held at the Aboretum at SLB Exhilarate (229/229/24) . For those who can't be there, watch the event live on Youtube at the Second Life channel.
Bixyl Shuftan
DJ Grease at The SL20B Today
DJ Grease Coakes at The Oroborus
Sun, June 25, 8am – 9am
The Oroborus Stage
Main Teleport: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Mesmerize/140/98/21
Alternative B: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Spellbound/233/219/36
Alternative C: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Pizzazz/17/47/37
Main Teleport: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Mesmerize/140/98/21
Alternative B: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Spellbound/233/219/36
Alternative C: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Pizzazz/17/47/37
Saturday, June 24, 2023
SL Documentary: "Made in Second Life: The Movie"
From Draxtor Despress, which premiered at June 23 at Noon SL time at the SL20B Aboretumn stage, 'Made in SL: The Movie' is a special long-form documentary to celebrate the occasion of Second Life's 20th anniversary.
Filmmaker and Linden Lab contractor @Draxtor Despres initially planned to produce a 10-minute short film, stringing together birthday wishes from as many Residents and Lindens as possible within that length.
After an initial casting call, 17 Second Life Residents came forward, along with founder Philip Rosedale, as well as QA Engineer Mazidox Linden.
Mr. Despres spent 3 months reviewing some 2 TB of personal archival material, searched the web for rare SL footage, and shot brand new footage around the grid.
After the first round of interviews, the 10-minute short ballooned to 120 minutes on paper and eventually became a 47-minute film, a very personal love letter to a world that fosters community and creativity like no other.
Among many past Second Life Residents visible in historical footage and b-roll, the narrative of the film is based on interviews with the following people:
Amber Lyndhurst,
Anjelikka,
Arietu Kyor,i
Ben Dunn,
Bollycoco Dallas,
Chantal Harvey,
Chuu Hikari Akamine,
Feorie Frimon,
Katheryn Llewellyn,
Marianne McCan,n
Mazidox Linden,
Michely Blogger
Moon Adamant
Mystic Flower
Pearl Hyacinth
Peasant Tater
Philip Linden/Rosedale
Streex Foxtrot
Made in SL logo and poster art by Marianne McCann
Enjoy a tribute to your world and to YOUR imagination. Can you spot Peter Gabriel, William Gibson, and Ben and Jerry’s Island?"
Friday, June 23, 2023
SL20B Opening Ceremony
Thursday June 22 was the opening day of the SL20B. At at Noon SL time was the opening ceremony. Patch Linden was the speaker, and gave a speech that lasted about fifteen minutes. It was held at the Mandala Stage at SLB Astound. The event was attended by close to three hundred residents in the four sim area.
"Welcome everyone," Patch greeted after his microphone was finally turned on, "It is with great pleasure and excitement that I invite you to join me in commemorating the 20th anniversary of Second Life, our virtual home. Since it's launch in 2003, Second Life has revolutionized the way we engage and interact with each other, both online and the physical world. Second Life has brought people together in a way that has transcended geographical boundaries like never before, and has provided a place for us to gather in creative collaboration, the result of which is the immersive world we are now celebrating. Over the course of the next eleven days, we will have the opportunity to relive past triumphs, revel in our present accomplishments, and reveal glimpses of what the future may hold for Second Life."
The opening ceremonies would be followed by the opening performance of the Music Fest less than an hour later. Some stuck around. Others would head to other parts of the SL20B, or the Shop and Hop.
Bixyl Shuftan
SL20B "Shop And Hop" Open
For those who love to shop, like finding a good buy or hunting for freebies, or both, then there's an event going on just for them. The SL20B "Shop and Hop." Part of the Second Life Birthday celebrations, it began at the same time as the SLB sims were opened: Thursday June 22 at 10AM SL time.
The SL20B Shop & Hop
is almost here - and this year it is bigger than ever! The grand
unveiling to the public is slated for Thursday, June 22nd at 10am PT,
and this year we're pulling out all the stops with an expanded array of
merchants, sprawling shopping regions, and a treasure trove of gifts!
And there's a LOT of places to shop from. There's a total of 24 sims with nearly five hundred stores to look around and buy from. And this year, some of the stores have adult-rated items. The main area has 400 stores in twenty sims, and the adult-rated area is four sims in size with eighty stores. Items in the stores are discounted at least 20% from their normal costs, though some places are offering up to 50% off at least one item. They also have one free gift available.
Happy shopping, but don't forget to check out the rest of the Second Life Birthday.
Bixyl Shuftan
This Saturday at The Science Circle
Saturday, June 24
~*~
At 10 AM PST
Second Life Birthday 20 Years
By Chantal Jager
https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/slb-20-years/
The Science Circle (72,129,30)
~*~
At 9 PM PST
Second Life Birthday 20 Years
By Jes Stannard
https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/sl-20/
The Science Circle (72,129,30)
~*~
NOTE: Non-members required to register once
IM Jes Cobalt or Nymf Hathaway
╚══════════════════════════════ The Science Circle (72,129,30) ═╝
Thursday, June 22, 2023
The Second Life Twentith Birthday Begins
After weeks of preparation, the Second Life Twentieth Birthday celebrations, or SL20B, are finally here.
The view on the map wasn't perfect, showing old sims and duplicate ones. But one can get a general idea of where the places are by the sim names. .
The main area is made up of twenty sims (one for each year SL has been around). Most are the eighteen general-audience exhibition sims: SLB Beguile, SLB Blissful, SLB Breathtaking, SLB Celabrate, SLB Delightful, SLB Electrify, SLB Enchant, SLB Fabulous, SLB Fantasy, SLB Glamourous, SLB Incredible, SLB Irresistable, SLB Marvelous, SLB Outgoing, SLB Sparkle, SLB Spectacular, SLB Stupendous, and SLB Triumphant. There are two sims there with not exhibits, but infrastructure of some kind: SLB Awesome and SLB Mgnificent.
East of the main area are the four adult-rated exhibition sims: SLB Alluring, SLB Daring, SLB Euphoric, and SLB Irresistable.
Just north of the main area are eight more SLB sims in two groups. The group to the left are the four that make up the Mandala Stage: SLB Amaze, SLB Astonish, SLB Astound, and SLB Imagination. To the right are the four that make up the Town Hall area for the Lab Gab sessions: SLB Dazzle, SLB Fascinate, SLB Exhilarate, snd SLB Wondrous.
There's plenty of streets one can walk down.
Among the many exhibits there is the one of the Second Life Newser, built by the talented Silvia Ametza, representing a science and exploration base on Jupiter's moon Europa, on and underneath the ice. It's located at SLB Fantasy (104/34/24).
The exhibits are open to the general public at 10AM today. There will be numerous Music Fest events, but the main event is the Opening Ceremony at the Mandala Stage, at 12 Noon SL time, conducted by Patch Linden. One can head there at SLB Astound (118/135/23), or one can listen to it live on the Second Life Youtube channel.
Be sure to also check out the SL20B Shop and Hop (described in more detail in another article).
Bixyl Shuftan
SL Video: "Made in Second Life: The Movie - Official Trailer"
From Draxtor Despres for Linden Lab, "Official trailer to a special long-form documentary for Second Life's 20th anniversary, produced by @Draxtor Despres. 'Made in SL: The Movie' is a lag-free ride through the past, present, and future of Second Life, as told by a whole bunch of residents, a few Lindens, and one Philip 'Prim Hair' Rosedale.
"The full documentary will premiere on Friday, June 23rd at 12pm PT at this link: 
• Made in Second Li...
Watch it live with fellow Residents at the SL20B Arboretum: https://secondlife.com/destination/madeinsl-sl20b "
• Made in Second Li...
Watch it live with fellow Residents at the SL20B Arboretum: https://secondlife.com/destination/madeinsl-sl20b "Wednesday, June 21, 2023
SL20B Starts Tomorrow
Taking a ride on a balloon over the grounds of the SL20B. We can't show any pictures of the ground just yet. So you'll have to wait until the event starts tomorrow, Thursday June 22 at 10 AM SL time. At 12 PM is Patch Linden's Opening Speech at http://maps.sec
Linden Lab Touts Motown Area in Second Life, Holds Big Opening Party
While the Lab has made something of a deal over a new place in Second Life, it was doing moreso than usual yesterday, Tuesday June 20. Not only did they announce it in the Linden blog, but also did a press release, and the news was posted in four news sites online.
The legendary music label Motown has officially opened its doors with an all-new presence in Second Life – and we are ready to celebrate!
Please join us inworld at Motown today between noon-3 pm PT to meet and interact with Lindens, Moles, and other members of the Second Life community in this soulful music experience, launched in partnership with Capitol Music Group and STYNGR.
The place had over a hundred avatars in the sim, someone was saying 131 at one point. This included a number of Moles and Lindens, including Patch Linden. I happened to see one lady greet him, " You know I have been in Second Life since 2006 and this is the first time I think we have met. Definitely on this avatar, I think. But I just wanted to say that to me Second Life is still the best MMO. Looking forward to SL20B as well." Patch responded warmly, "Awe thank you! It's a big year for us at 20.... we're almost full adults now (21)!" "On this avi I will be forever 21!"
There was a thread in the official forums about Motown's opening. Response was overall positive.
Was the opening of Motown at this particular date to attract attention to Second Life's Twentieth Anniversary? Probably. But for residents already anxious for a big party, it was very much a welcome event.
Bixyl Shuftan