July 19 Tech Outage Could Cost Over Five Billion Dollars

 

Last Friday, a massive global tech outage affected many thousands from airport travelers to 911 callers to hospital workers as data and communication became unavailable.  Airlines were particularly hard hit, some still having many more delayed flights for days. CNN reported one insurance company stated the crash, "will cost Fortune 500 companies alone more than $5 billion in direct losses."

 

Crowdsrtike would also issue a report about what went wrong, saying that it came from part of it's security system that checks for hacking on customer's computers and smartphones after an update was made which was glitched. While it's updates are screened before being released, there was a bug in the system that allowed it to get through, “despite containing problematic content data.”The result was the "blue screen of death" on millions of computers and smartphones, which could only be delt with by manual operations, sometimes over and over and over.

For more information, check CNN. 

Bixyl Shuftan

It Came From Bellisseria Chat: "The Olympic Flag is Flying"

 

With the Paris Olympics starting today in real life, it was appropriate when Radioactive Rosca announced, "The Olympic flag is flying in Bellisseria," then posted this picture of it on a flagpole at a Linden Home. Someone mused "does it have it's pilot's license?"

 

 

This Saturday at The Science Circle

 

 Saturday July 27

    ~*~

    

    At 10 AM PST   

    Corn

    Dr. Stephen L. Gasior

    https://www.sciencecircle.org/event/corn/

   

      

    ~*~

 

    

    NOTE: Non-members required to register once

    IM Jes Cobalt or Nymf Hathaway

╚══════════════════════════════ The Science Circle (72,129,30) ═╝

 

Frog Museum And Burn 2's Whimsy

 

After her recent break, Gemma Cleanslate has been busy.  At Circuit La Corse, she heard about an unusual place: the Frog Museum. Opening in mid-July, it's a celebration of all things froggy, and offers storytime readings. Also, the Burn2 group is about to have their Summer Burn. This year's theme is "Whimsy," and true to it's name all kinds of amusing builds are being set up in Deep Hole. The art and music Festival starts tomorrow, but Gemma had an early look.

Read Gemma's story in Places. 

Second Life Blogger Network Put On Hiatus

 

A few days ago, Linden Lab announced on the official blog that they would be temporarily pausing the Second Life Blogger Network. 

As we continue to evolve and improve our various community initiatives, we have decided to put the Second Life Blogger Network (SLBN) on a temporary hiatus. This pause will allow us to dedicate resources to upcoming changes and enhancements designed to enrich our community's experience even further. 

 

We sincerely appreciate the incredible contributions that each of you, our esteemed bloggers, have made to enrich the Second Life community. Please know that this decision was made with careful consideration and is not a reflection of the value we place on your work. 

 

The Lab also stated they would be expanding the Second Life Weekly Email Newsletter, and invited people to use the Community Resources Portal. 

 

The Second Life Blogger Network was introduced almost five years ago, in September 2019.  

 

Hat tip: Daniel Voyager

Bixyl Shuftan

Partying On At Scorn And Cutlass

 

 

 Club Scorn may be just a single club, but it has a number of venues on the sim and every Saturday a different one gets used. On Saturday the 20th, a new city ruins venue was revealed for the club's "Post Apocalypse" Night.

 

 

 People showed up as survivors, mutants, robots, and a zombie, "What does a vegetarian zombie say? Graaaaaiiiinnnnssss ..." The people playing the music were DJ Aldi, DJ Poison, DJ Charlee, DJ Squeaks, and DJ Gwen. Several contests were held with a number of winners. 

Scorn is at Elysium Tartarus, the locations of the active venue varies, depending on which one is used.

Cutlass remains one venue (though occasionally the underwater club is powered up for use). On July 24, the theme was "Crazy Stuff."

DJ Jenni played the tunes as people showed up as a watermellon, a jellyfish, an Intermet meme, community leader Rita Mariner in a straitjacket, and more.

Cutlass is at Sunweaver Bay (114/117/757). 

Bixyl Shuftan

Cartoon of The Day: Kittycat Shopping

 

 

 Taken at Kittycats. While there, there was someone in a cat avatar shopping for some food. One wonders what a real cat would be thinking.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Press Release: "Party Line" In Bay City, Sunday July 28

 

JOIN THE PARTY LINE IN BAY CITY

Local Citizens host a party to celebrate Second Life® on mobile devices

BAY CITY, SL (22nd July, 2024) -  With the much-anticipated beta release of Second Life on Mobile Devices, Bay City wants to celebrate! Join Bay City Residents and many others to honor the big news with what we call a “Party Line” in the Bay City Fairgrounds! Bay City’s own DJ, GoSpeed of KONA Stream, will provide a lively set as we take to the conga line and dance the evening away.

The event name comes from the party lines of earlier times, where one could often find a conversation going on your telephone. Of course, with Bay City, “lines” generally refers to the conga line present at most of our events. Join in and jump in the line with us!

Also, while we’re not demanding it, now would be a great time for some 1950s looks/ Feel free to dust off your summer jackets and shirt dresses!

This party is part of several community-focused parties to celebrate the arrival of Second Life on mobile devices. While not required to enjoy this party, Second Life is available now, for Premium and Premium Plus members, in the Apple and Google Play app stores. You can learn more at https://secondlife.com/mobile

Bay City is a mainland community, developed by Linden Lab® and home to the Bay City Alliance. The Bay City Alliance was founded in 2008 to promote the Bay City regions of Second Life and provide a venue for Bay City Residents and other interested parties to socialize and network. It is now the largest group for Residents of Bay City.


For more information, or to participate in the event, please contact Marianne McCann. 

Reader Submitted SLB Pictures

 

 

 From Zada Bury, "Taken on the SL21B - Adult Event Area (SLB Steamy) - on battlement of the brokenthe church ... shadow in front of the dark sun"

 

 

From Kanida Delec, her checking out the Newser exhibit at SLB Incredible (24/15/21), "I found a lost puppy on the roof, well, it says lost."

Premium and Premium Plus Stipends Delayed

 

One of the perks about Premium and Premium plus is the monthly stipends, or allowance, of Lindens from the Lab. But according to the Grid Status Report, there's been a slight delay.

 

  Investigating - We are aware of an issue where weekly stipend payments to Premium and Premium Plus members may have been delayed. We are currently investigating the issue. Please keep an eye on this blog for any updates.

 

Hopefully this will be resolved soon.

Events This Week at the Sunweaver and Montecito Bay Clubs, and Club Scorn

 

Here's what's going on at the Sunweaver, Montecito Bay, and Scorn clubs.

Club Cutlass: Crazy Stuff, Roads, Steampunk

Happy Vixen: DJ Malit, DJ Arooo, DJ Charlee, DJ Minty, TBA, DJ Scratch, DJ Squeaks, DJ Khyra

Club Zero Gravity: Exotic Animals

Bouncing Bunny Beach Club: Bikinis and Swimsuits

Xanadu: DJ Jesse 

Club Squeaks: DJ Squeaks

 

Montecito Bay:  CAYA, After Dark

Club Scorn: DJ Charlee, Morning Show, Breakfast Show, DJ Aldi, DJ Poison, DJ Charlee, DJ Malit, DJ Gwen

 

Read the schedules in SL Clubbin'

 

Reader Submitted Picture: Early SLB Empty Plots

 

 

From Kamida Delec,who was going about the grounds of the Second Life Birthday on Sunday July 21, and noticed some spots that had nothing but green grass or water. When told it was the last day of the event, "Ah, that explains the empty plot I see time to time."

SL21B Ends

 

 

 Sometime on the night of July 21, probably Midnight, the exhibits of the Second Life Birthday region closed to the public. After about a month, the SL21B is over.

The Newser took some pictures, but sadly due to real life and other needs, we didn't get as many as we wanted. Please send pictures, and any stories, to bixylshuftan@gmail.com.

Trying To Figure Out New Tech

 

If I haven't been writing much lately, there's a reason. Yours truly has been making a tech upgrade. 

 

For years, I had just the old flip phones that came about in the 90s. Then when the company phased them out about a couple years ago, I finally got a smartphone, a simple one. But friends kept telling me I needed to upgrade. So I finally did. I went ahead and got a much better smartphone: a Samsung.

 

Trouble is, the joke about new tech being scary to people over forty, well, there's something to it. It's been something of a struggle trying to get the thing working right, which takes time. Time that cannot be used for writing, or covering events like the last days of the SLB.

But I'll get this figured out. In the meantime, in-depth stories, other than from other reporters and reader submissions, will have to wait.

 

Image credit: PC Mag 

Bixyl Shuftan

Reader Submitted Pictures: Hot Fields At The SLB

 

 

From Zada Bury, "Taken on the SL21B - Adult Event Area (SLB Steamy) - posing on the lava fields in front of the dark red sun"

The SL21B's Last Day

 

 

 Second Life's anniversary celebration is almost over. After a month, the SL21B will officially close tonight at Midnight SL time, possibly a few hours before. So this is the last day for most of us to see the exhibits. 

Hop on over for one last look, including the Newser's exhibit at:

 

 http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/SLB%20Incredible/23/26/21

 

Bixyl Shuftan

Cartoon of The Day: Mobile SL Before Mobile Viewers

 

 

 Of the new mobile viewer, there is one thing seldom mentioned. Some laptops can run Second Life, and have for years. 

By Bixyl Shuftan

 

SL Video: "Happy Birthday Second Life (Part 5)"

 

 

 (click here if the video does not play)

 From Draxtor Despres on July 14, "It is that time of year again where we celebrate the fact that Second Life - due to the ingenuity of its residents - has outlived many a Metaverses. Well, I don't personally find joy in punching down on worlds that came and went so let me be clear: HAPPY BIRTHDAY SECOND LIFE! YOU ARE MY ONE AND ONLY (even if others were to exist .... and they don't ... change my mind?) Join me if you see me and let's wander the grounds of SL21B ! ! !"