SL Video: "You are Here: A Tour of Torley's island!"

 

 

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 From Torley Linden in August 2008, "Friendly greetings! You can learn Second Life in a fun and fast fashion! The enthusiastic Torley is your host, taking you on a tour through tips, tricks, and techniques that'll increase your confidence and make you smile. Whether you're a newcomer or longtime resident, your inworld experience will benefit from these video tutorials."

News and Commentary : Looking Back at Torley Linden

Torley is gone.

If you were a resident in Second Life from 2007 to 2010, Torley was one of the Lindens you heard about the most, if not the Linden you knew about the most. He was the Linden who did various videos for Second Life residents, both tutorials with basic information and tips for more experienced residents. They often started with the cheerful opener "friendly greetings," which became an unofficial trademark of his. So was his going about in bright green and pink avatars, his "watermelon" look.




When interviewed by Saffia Widdershins in 2016, Torley stated he joined Second Life in 2004, "I was in a really hard place in my first life, and I discovered Second Life through various sources ... and I was reading a lot of cyberpunk and transhumanist literature at the time, thinking about a brighter future for my whole life. And I soon found myself – well, there’s no nicer way to put it than I was utterly obsessed with being here every day." After several months, "I basically sent this crazy,  rambling note card to Char linden at the time." She and a few other Lindens "gave me the opportunity to apply. So I went through that. Guess it turned out OK."

Torley would say of his time in Second Life, "I’ve mostly been a nomad explorer. I have had homes, and I have had full regions. I still do in fact. But I think the prime thing that always drives me is really the force of discovery, and to share those discoveries, and I really get curious, and I love asking people 'where did you get your avatar?' or 'did you make these parts of your avatar?' or comment on a cool build they’re making. And finding the connections. I love introducing wonderful creative minds in Second Life to each other, and we’ve had so many over time."



Torley would make his Tips and Tricks videos from 2006 to 2009. They can still be found on his Youtube channel. In February 2010, he would announce there would be new Second Life tutorial videos on their own channel. He would do a few of these newer tutorials, which were not as numerous as the ones he did before. He would explain in the 2016 interview there had been a "shift in focus" at the Lab for him to promote newer features and his time was more limited, "I wish I could clone myself." He did feel that numerous bloggers had helped fill the role he had earlier.

Despite no more of his "friendly greetings" videos, Torely was still around. He would appear at events such as Burn2 and the Linden Snowball fights, either as a Linden or in a "civilian" avatar. And he would appear at the Second Life Birthday as well. Although obviously male in real life, his avatars were often female. He would also post thousands of screenshots on his Flickr page.

In 2017, he would be among the Lindens moved to the Sansar team. There he would remain until last month February 2020, about the time of the layoffs in which the next generation virtual world's staff was reduced to a skeleton crew.

Exactly why Torley was apparently let go, one can only speculate. His old position on the Second Life staff had long been filled by others, but he could have been given a position in public relations, which the also popular Xiola Linden left after stepping down from in January with her leaving Linden Lab. Perhaps he wasn't dismissed, but like Xiola decided it was time to move on. But this is all speculation. Linden Lab isn't talking and neither, at least for now, is Torley.

In any event, the "watermelon man" will remain a part of Second Life history. Whereever he goes, we at the Newser wish him well.

Source: Modem World

Bixyl Shuftan

Torley Linden Gone From Linden Lab

Some sad news for longtime Second Life users. Torley, the beloved Linden noted for his "Friendly Greetings" tutorial videos about Second Life and his fondness for watermelon, is no longer with Linden Lab.

In his LinkedIn account, Torley described his employment with Linden Lab as ending in February 2020, which was the time a number of Sansar's already severely cut staff was hit with layoffs. He had been working on Linden Lab's "next generation virtual world" for three years, and employed with Linden Lab for a few weeks shy of fifteen years.

A few weeks ago, a reader notified the Newser of signs something was wrong, the disappearance of Torley's sims such as "Here." But there wasn't anything else to go on at the time.

Considering Torley's devotion to Second Life, and the number of fans he had, as well as numerous residents whom never forgot him despite his Second Life tutorials eventually ending years ago, this is sad news not just for the users of the virtual world, but Linden Lab as well.

Hat Tip: Hamlet Au

Bixyl Shuftan

Eye on the Blog: Limited Release of Project Bento on Second Life

Earlier this week, Linden Lab announced that they were following up their testing of Project Bento, an upgrade in avatar design that would allow for much more detailed avatars with features such as moveable fingers, from being limited to the Aditi testing grid to the main Grid. But this will not be a full release. Residents with regular viewers may see avatars designed with Bento as odd-looking, glitched, or possibly crashing at the sight of them.

This release will be available on Agni, making it available to a much wider audience. However, this is still a limited release, until we’re confident enough that this could be a release candidate and ultimately be part of the release Viewer. Creators, recipients, and anyone wishing to view the new content must be running the latest Bento Project Viewer. 

If you encounter Bento avatars and are not using the Bento Project Viewer, you may see some strangely behaving avatar animations and meshes. If you're using a very old (i.e. no longer supported) viewer, encountering Bento content may even cause a crash; updating to the latest Bento Project Viewer will prevent this problem.



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In this Linden Lab video narrated by Torley Linden, some more examples of what Project Bento can do are shown. But as the scene in 1:27 shows, there are likely some residents whom will only be thinking of using Bento to extend their middle fingers to the virtual world.

The Linden blog entry can be read in full here.

Eye On The Blog: Project Bento Filming Party for the Drax Files Today at Noon SL Time in the Preview Grid

In the Linden Blog, it was recently mentioned that today Draxtor Despres will be doing a filming inworld for an upcoming episode for his "Drax Files." His subject: Project Bento. He wants to see what various content creators have been able to come up with so far with it, and has announced an "open casting call for anyone who has built something with Bento to show off their work."

It should be noted that the filming will not be done in the main Second Life grid, but the Aditi grid, also known as the Preview Grid.

If you’re a creator who’s testing out Project Bento, or one who’s eager to give it a try - now is the perfect time! We’re looking for creators to show off some of the possibilities of Project Bento for an upcoming episode of The Drax Files. There are detailed instructions on how to get started and how to get to the beta grid (aditi) on our wiki page. (TIP:Testing on Aditi does not cost you upload fees!)
 
On January 19th at NOON SLT, there will be an open casting call for anyone who has built something with Bento to come show off their work. Selected creators may be filmed and/or interviewed to be featured in an upcoming episode of the Drax Files. You will need to login to Aditi in order to access the location (secondlife://Aditi/secondlife/Bento%20Island/128/128/23). The location will not be open until NOON SLT on January 10th Information about Aditi and how to access it is located on our wiki.

Content creators "are encouraged to contact" Draxtor about their projects, "video, screenshots, descriptions - the more information the better." Those whom Draxtor choses to appear on his video will be contacted about where and when to meet up for a private filming on Wednesday January 20. Besides Dractor, Torley Linden will be there.

For more information, read the official Second Life blog post here.

(secondlife://Aditi/secondlife/Bento%20Island/128/128/23)

Torley Island

Torley Linden is a familiar name to many longtime Second Life residents. This popular Linden was known for both his watermelon-colored avatars, outfits, and other creations, and  his helpful videos, which always began with "Friendly greetings!" BloodyKitty came across his sim, "Torley Island," which while in a cyberpunk theme, had much of it done up in his trademark pink and light green.

Read more in Places.

SL Video: "What SL Means to Me -- Torley Linden"

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Torley Linden's answer to "What Second Life Means to Me," posted on June 16 2015, "Torley Linden discusses what Second Life means to him in this insightful video. Second Life is an online 3D virtual world imagined and designed by you. From the moment you enter Second Life, you'll discover a universe brimming with people and possibilities.

"Create and customize your own digital 3D persona, also known as your avatar. Be a fashion diva, a business-savvy entrepreneur, or a robot or all three. Changing identities is quick and easy, so if you tire of your avatars outfit or body, shop for a new one in Second Life or from your web browser. Then switch it in seconds.

"Every minute, Residents assemble buildings, design new fashion lines and launch clubs and businesses. There's always more to see and do."

The Burning of the Man 2014

Much has taken place in Second Life in the past week and a half. Among the events was the burning of "The Man" in the Burn2 art and music festival. Second Life Newser was there at the scene, and a number of pictures were taken.

See the pictures in Events.

Cartoon of the Day: Anne and Torley

Picture from Anne Brightstar on Facebook, she wrote that's actually Torley Linden there in the female avatar, quoting, "Torley started out in SL as Torley Torgeson Sr., a young male avatar in his 20s who carried around a synth. Due to some crazy time warp in SL, Torley Torgeson Sr. was replaced by his daughter Torley Torgeson Jr. a few months after joining SL. Torley Jr. was for a time replaced by a Bunny Torley, but eventually came back and the current Torley is once again Torley Jr. (female)." (S)he didn't have an explanation for these "Torley warp holes," though each one always had a preference for the same colors, watermelon pink and green.

But the first thing I noticed in this picture was how shaggy Anne looked in that outfit. Even her hair matched the color of those fuzzy pants.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Remembering Osprey Therian

Last week, noted Second Life resident Osprey Therian passed away. This weekend, residents got together to remember the creative personality and what she accomplished from her creations like the duck on a bike and moth avatars to the games and media productions she was behind. It was a service that only could be done in virtual reality, and ended on a poetically fitting note.

Read the story in Events.

SL Video: "Torley Linden at Autism Society of America"

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Filmed by Geo Meek on 2008

QuickTips: "Meeting and Making Friends"

The next in the series of "QuickTips" videos from Linden Lab about Second Life, "Meeting and Making Friends."

Second Life is a fun and social space, so meeting and making friends is easier when you understand the basic controls and options for chat. Learn about the text and voice chat features that can help you meet and make friends in Second Life in our latest QuickTips video tutorial.

QuickTips - "Getting Help"

The next in Linden Lab's "QuickTips" videos, how to get help for bugs and similar issues.

Second Life is fun — but sometimes you might encounter a problem inworld.

Need help with your land? Have a billing question? We want to help you make the most of your Second Life. This week’s QuickTips video tutorial walks you through the many support options available to both basic and premium Second Life users.

Learn more about our Knowledge Base and Support Portal, as well as Abuse Report options and more.

QuickTips: "Getting a Home in Second Life"

The latest "QuickTips" video from Linden Lab shows off the pluses of owning a virtual home in Second Life, plus how to get one for "free" from the Lab - have a pay account. It does mention even if you're not a Premium, you can still have a home in Second Life.

Second Life Newser is sponsored by a few fine communities where one can get a home, Steelhead, Sunweaver Estates, and Angel Estates (the home of KVXN Radio).

Quicktips - "Finding Interesting Places and Recent Highlights from the Second Life Destination Guide"

This week's Quicktips talks about using the inworld "Search" function, and the Destination Guide on Linden Lab's Second Life website.

Looking for something to do in Second Life? With thousands of places to visit, how do you find the one you’re looking for? This week’s QuickTips video tutorial provides tips on using Search, Events and the Destination Guide to seek and find the cool places you want to explore. Watch our newest QuickTips video tutorial here. 

Every week our Destination Guide editorial team pores through the many awesome submissions for new locations and events. Below are a few of the newest Destination Guide entries that stuck with us. They could be an alien invasion through darklit corridors, an intricately detailed fantasy setting or even a surreally romantic metallic swamp. So if you’re looking for something to stimulate that creative spark, why not take a look below? Or join in the fun and submit your own?

There are other ways to discover new places on the Grid. One can do a websearch ong Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc. for the numerous Second Life realted blogs and websites. And of course there's the Second Life Newser's Places section.

Quicktips "Connecting With Second Life Communities"

In the latest of Linden Lab's "Quicktips" videos, Linden Lab shows how to find and join up with a community.

Millions of people have registered for Second Life -- so chances are pretty good that there’s a community that shares your interest or hobby inworld. Connecting with people who share your interests is easier when you know how to efficiently explore the thousands of Groups and Destinations inside Second Life.

To learn more about how to find friends and connect to conversations that share your interests, watch the QuickTips tutorial video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIocN3YAaME.

There are other ways to find communities. Some have their own blogs, or have a prominent resident whom makes the community the main focus of his/her blog, such as Lunar of Steelhead. They can also get attention such as being a presence at a major Second Life event, such as Second Life Birthdays and Relay For Life fundraisers. And of course they can get the attention of Second Life Newser.

SL Video: "QuickTips - Shopping in Second Life"

In the second of the "Quicktips" videos aimed at newer residents, Linden Labs features shopping in Second Life. The introduction on the blog refereed to the first video, suggesting perhaps the newcomer might want a more unique look, and stated one could shop for one.

Our first QuickTips video focused on the simple process of changing your avatar in less than 60 seconds using the free avatars built into the Second Life Viewer. That’s a great skill to have as a newcomer -- but many users want to stand out in style or perhaps just look a bit more unique. Why look like everyone else when there are thousands of fashions and avatar accessories to choose from?

This week’s QuickTips video introduces new users to the fundamentals of how to shop like a pro in Second Life. Watch this clip to learn the basics on discovering places to shop, as well as transaction tips and even unpacking your items.

The video is narrated by the popular Torley Linde, who got a few complements on the youtube page, "Thank you Torley for staying with SL/LL through all these changes. You are a constant that oldtimers can rely on and trust."

Eye on the Blog: New "QuickTips" for Second Life Newcomers

Longtime residents remember Torley Linden and his turorial videos from about six to three years ago. He'd greet watchers with the expression "Friendly Greetings!" Then he would proceed to give instructions about a particular topic, such as editing textures or adjusting preferences. Well, it seems Torley Linden is back and narrating a new series of instructional videos.


Over the next few weeks, you’ll see several new “QuickTips” clips that are designed to help new and existing users learn the basics of Second Life. Forthcoming tutorial clips will help teach the basics of shopping, socializing, connecting with communities, finding interesting places and more.

The first video tutorial in this new series focuses on customizing your appearance in Second Life. One of the first things most Second Life users do upon arriving inworld is to personalize their digital identity to reflect their own style.



The blog post then encourages readers to visit the Knowledge Base's "Controlling Your Avatar's Appearance."

Watching the video, I noticed a few things. It certainly sounds like Torley's narrating it, though it doesn't say who is. It's also noticably shorter than most of Torley's video's, which could go on for ten minutes or longer. This one was exactly one minute long. And of course the "Friendly Greetings" opening was gone.

The Youtube had several comments. People were glad that Torley was back, but to some viewers, the video just didn't seem right. The lack of the "Friendly Greetings," the push to visit Marketplace, it just seemed a bit forced some.

But most everyone feels that the return of these videos is a good thing. The big thing many miss is Torley's "Friendly Greetings" remark.

Bixyl Shuftan

Eye on the Blog: Linden Lab Announces First Set of Advanced Creator Tools Launched

Torley Linden narrates this video of the first of the "advanced creator tools" from Linden Lab for Second Life: teleport agents and temporary attachments. The video seems to be aimed at store owners and gaming area makers, though the blog post also suggested the teleport agents would be useful for scavenger hunts.

To read the Linden blog post, Click Here.

To read the thread on the Linden forums, Click Here.

"Saint Torley’s Day" this Sunday

If you're a fan of Torley Linden, or looking for a fun event with a bit of humor, one might check out "St. Torley's Day" at the Rhianna sim on Sunday, September 18th.

"Torley Linden, Second Life’s 'Resident Enlightenment Manager,' has long been recognized and celebrated as a living saint. The First Church of Rosedale announced today that 'St. Torley’s Day' will take place on Sunday, September 18, with a party at noon, followed by a special service at 2 PM. The party, hosted in Penning by Four Kittens of the Apocalypse, will feature live music by popular Second Life artist Kaklick Martin.

Torley Linden has written innumerable posts on the company’s official blog and created hundreds of video tutorials. He listens and responds to residents, holding weekly office hours and keeping tabs on Second Life content all over the Web, including blogs, Flickr, Twitter, Vimeo, and YouTube. His Saint Day is the Sunday closest to his “rezday” (the day he first entered Second Life), September 15; 2011 will mark the end of his seventh year “in-world.”

The event is at Rhianna (79, 37, 25). For the blog post in it's entirety, Click Here.

Sources: Sammantha Speaks, Daniel Voyager.