Tik-Tok Social Media App Goes Offline, Then Restored

 

 

On the night of Saturday January 18, The social media app TikTok went offline. Those trying to access it instead got the following message:

Sorry,TikTok isn't available right now

A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now.

We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate Tiktok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!

This was the result of a law passed in April last year in which the app would be banned from use within the United States unless it's Chinese-based parent company ByteDance sold it. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court upheld the ban. 

But the next day, Sunday January 19, TikTok was back. President-Elect Trump had stated he would issue an executive order giving the app a reprieve.

Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump's efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!

You can continue to create, share, and discover all the things you love on TikTok.

Since 2018 when it was merged with another app, Musical.ly, Tik Tok has been a sensation, with millions using it to share short videos from funny to serious. It's been especially popular with teenagers and young adults. But while social media platforms have always been subject to criticism, notably for gleaning data from it's users, with TikTok it was moreso due to the parent company being from China, whose government has been criticized for violating human rights and has been increasingly confrontational with the United States. It caught attention in 2019 when other social media was showing images of Hong Kong protests, but they were absent on TikTok. Despite that US election-related posts were on, the company's response to the criticism was that the platform was for entertainment and not politics. But leaked documents showed moderators were told to remove content the Chinese government considered sensitive. Concerns about collected data ending up in the hands of Bejing would lead to the Pentagon bagging the app from all US Military smartphones. Trump in his first administration had issued an executive order to ban US companies from dealing with the app or it's owner and then a second ordering it's sale within 90 days. But those legal efforts collapsed when Biden's Presidency started. But TikTok's problems continued, with stories that the app encouraged extreme dieting in teenagers. Continuing national security concerns would lead the FBI and FCC to ban the app from it's mobile devices. In March 2024, Congress would debate the law that would ban Tik Tok from operating in the US, and President Biden would sign it after it's passage in April. 

 

While many have praised the ban, calling TikTok too much of a security risk, others, notably it's users have protested, some saying they keep in touch with the news or make some money through it.  Ironically enough, Trump who was once a critic, began making use of the app in his 2024 election campaign that year. In anticipation of the ban, some users began signing up with another Chinese app, Xiaohongshu, also known as RedNote (or Little Red Book).

Sources: BBC News, Associated Press, The Guardian

 

Bixyl Shuftan

 

Five More Online Comics, Past and Present

 

 As kids, most of us enjoyed reading the "funny pages" and the comic strips in them. As grownups, we can still love a good comic, and in the age of the Internet we can find some online. Internet comics have one advantage over those in the newspaper, we have a LOT more to chose from and we can go back and read previous strips. The Newser was recently asked to write about a discontinued comic, so here's a look at that and four other comics past and present.

Read the reviews in Extra.

 

Rust: Automotive Addition and "Wacky Races" Part Deux

 

Months ago, Nydia Tungsten and a number of our Second Life friends started playing Rust once more, and with the addition of cars decided to hold a race.  About a month ago, I joined up with them. And when there was talk of another race, I was interested. The moderator build the course, and a date was soon chosen. Several people, including myself, would take part in this new round of "Wacky Races." So who won?

Read the story in Other Grids, MMOs, and Games.

Announcement: This Saturday at The Science Circle - "Alien Exosociology,"

 

"Alien Exosociology: Our Transgalactic Commonalities"

Saturday October 16,

10 AM to 11 AM SL time

Recent military reports of unexplained objects flying in our skies have sparked renewed interest in alien visitors. Some scientists predict that we will have made contact with advanced civilizations on other worlds within 25 years. What might they be like, and — more importantly – how might they act? Steven Van Hook, a researcher in transcultural relations, will consider what universal social traits we could share in common with our galactic alien neighbors.

Auditorium

For more information, Click Here.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/125/132/22 

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"Online Anonymity; How Important Is It To You?"

Saturday October 16

9 PM to 10 PM SL time 

“There is no guarantee that an anonymity-free Internet would be a kinder, gentler Internet.” –Author: Whitney Phillips

“The Internet, my fickle friend, my two-faced enemy, what would life be like without you? Where else can I be anonymously anyone and yet, have no anonymity at all?” -Author: Susan Schussler

Fireside

For more information: Click Here. 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/104/125/1114
 

Gofundme Fundraiser for Maxwell Graf Succeeds

 

Over a decade ago, the Newser wrote about Maxwell Graf, or Timothy Jackson in real life, in 2010 over his deleting his sim to protest content theft. A few years later, he asked for some help to avoid an eviction in real life of himself and his wife, and residents answered generously. But soon after disaster struck and they lost their home anyway. The following year she was badly hurt in an accident. Still, they found a new place and rented it monthly, making plans to get a lasting home. But then the property they were renting was bought, and the new owner told them they had to leave. They did get an offer accepted on a mobile home. But their savings weren't enough. So they started a Gofundme and asked for help. "We are so close to having some stability," he stated, "We need your help desperately to keep from becoming homeless again. Please fund us if you can."

Over the next several days, the fundraiser would collect $4675 US Dollars. Max was happy with the results, and closed the fundraiser.

We have reached our goal ... so have locked accepting further donations, other than continue to keep this open. We have what we needed, what we asked for and more than we dared to home. Thank you to all who shared, reposted, blogged, upvoted, linked, and most of all to all who donated. .. Your kindness and lvoe made every difference. We are lifted by others.

For those still wanting to help out Maxwell, they can purchase items from his Rustica furniture store at Rustica (130/116/58), which has a Marketplace page.

Hat Tip: Ryan Schultz

Bixyl Shuftan
 

Star Relay DJ Matt Carlton Sets Up Redbubble Store Page

  

Matt Carlton has raised plenty of Lindens over time for the Relay for Life, both for her Sunbeamer team and for others. This time, she's hoping to make a little money for herself. So she made an online store page under the name of Kavori-Bluesky. 

I am a Non-Binary, Freelance Photographer that loves to shoot many things, but has a fondness for wildlife and nature, especially weather.

As of this time, there are a total of eight items for sale. Most are wildlife stickers for less than two dollars. But there's also a print and one t-shirt that's normally $19.90. 

Matt's store is on Redbubble. The site was created with the purpose of making it possible for artists to sell directly to consumers as independent agents, to "Give independent artists a meaningful new way to sell their creations." While it was aimed at artists and maybe small companies, it has attracted larger ones, notably Linden Lab, which launched a store through Redbubble in September 2020. 

Bixyl Shuftan
  

Five Past Online Comics

 

A number of  us love a good cartoon strip, and for some of us that includes online comics. But no serial comic strip lasts forever. Real life may force the artist to stop due to growing family and job requirements or other reasons. The artist may decide to end the strip while it's still good, or perhaps they've concluded their tale. And of course the artist (or the writer) may pass away. In this story for today, yours truly describes five comics that are no longer updating for various reasons.
 
Read the story in Extra.
 

Top Five Webcomics of the Sunweaver/Angels Community

 

So what does a Second Life resident do when not going about Second Life, or perhaps do when taking a short break from clubbing or exploring or listening to a science discussion? One activity some do is browse Internet comics, either check up the latest on a favorite strip or browse one they just came across. Among them is Nydia Tungsten, whom decided to see which were the favorites of the others in her community in Second Life, the Sunweavers/Angels. So what were the results?

Read Nydia's story in Extra.

Linden Lab Launches Second Life Merchandise Store Through Redbubble

Numerous companies sell, or grant licenses, brand-name merchandise of products of theirs. This includes multiplayer games, such as World of Warcraft. But there's been no merchandising of products with the Second Life brand. That is until now. On Friday September 25, Linden Lab announced they had a Second Life merchandise store, through the global online marketplace Redbubble.

We heard your requests, and we are very excited to announce the launch of the Official Second Life Merchandise Store, which will be available through RedBubble. The store offers Second Life and Linden Lab branded clothing and accessories, with a very inclusive range of sizes. Don’t worry, we will have both the classic and new logos, so everybody wins.

As the store grows, we will also be adding various collections of designs, some of which will be limited time seasonal offerings. Our first collection will feature Linden Bear-themed merchandise, and will have new designs trickling in throughout the year. Stay tuned for Halloween!

 

We are so excited for our diverse spectrum of Residents to be able to show their Second Life pride IRL, as well as thankful for the opportunity to let people know that SL continues to grow, adapt, and evolve. 

Taking a look there were a number of products available, from t-shirts, to backpacks, to bags, to logo pins, masks, and more. What was on the front page wasn't all that was available. The water bottle could be in either the Linden Lab logo, the Second Life logo, or have a picture of one of several Linden bears. 

When ordering, one should keep in mind the shipping charges. Ordering both a mask and a water bottle comes to 32.15. But the shipping charges on them are $8.82, more than a quarter of their value. There's also increased charges for getting the items shipped over faster.
 
The idea of a Second Life merchandise site isn't new. It had been suggested on the forums a few years ago. The thread was promptly revived on the sight of the blog post. Comments were somewhat mixed. One criticism was the size of the shipping charges. The reviews confused some people, thinking they were for this particular kind of cup and brand instead of the cup regardless of brand. Another observation was the lack of any actual real-life Linden bears. Prokovy Neva commented, "The thing I'm puzzled by are all those 'bear collector' items. Why wouldn't they then have the bears themselves? Imagine if you could get little Linden bears in RL!"

The blog entry asked residents to keep an eye on the online store as there would be new items for Halloween. Will there also soon be Linden-themed teddy bears for real life? Time will tell.

Bixyl Shuftan

Brandi Streusel Gets Online Store, "Brandi's Online"

Brandi Streusel is known in Second Life as a DJ, as well as having a line of undergarments to sell inworld. But recently, she's gotten a website to sell a few real-life items as well: "Brand's Online,"or just simply called "Brandi's."

"I just opened my first RL online store! Can't wait to add more to it," she would say on Discord, "It really is a great way to start making money. I didn't have to put any money into it."

"Brandi's Online," is hosted on Teespring, which calls themselves "a no risk turn-key solution to you running your commerce business, we handle everything from marketing, production, fulfillment and customer service."

https://teespring.com/stores/brandis-3

Bixyl Shuftan

Gen Con Ends, Sims Up Until Aug. 4

Yesterday, Sunday August 2, was the last day of the Gen Con. The gaming convention that went online due to the Coronavirus ran for four days starting on Thursday July 30. The event has been considered a great success for both those who took part, and for Second Life as well as the event brought a number of people here whom hadn't been here for years or had come here for the first time. Taking in account other places on the Internet, "including Twitch, Discord, Zoom, Roll20, and several other virtual tabletop systems," about forty thousand people took part, and played thousands of games. For those whom were new, there were clothing and avatars available to them to avoid "cookie cutter" appearances.

I was told, though I couldn't find confirmation, that Twitch would be permitting footage of Gen Con events from Second Life, even though the virtual world is on it's list of "prohibited games."

On Saturday night, there was a celebration party. A number of the convention-goers met up at a replica of Indianapolis' Union Station (Gen Con was originally going to be at Indianapolis). The crowd was a mix of longtime residents, such as Ceri Quixote, and newcomers.

Although the events are over, the builds will be around for people to enjoy for a little longer. Tuesday August 4 will be the last day. Some places may require joining one of the con groups to get to. It's unknown whether future conventions will have an online portion for those not able to get to the real-life setting. Though if the mood of this one is any guide, it probably will.

Source: Gencon.com

Bixyl Shuftan

Announcement: This Saturday at The Science Circle - "Online Strategies for Quarantine: An Evening with Pathfinder Lester"

"Online Strategies for Quarantine: An Evening with Pathfinder Lester"

Saturday April 25

10 AM to 11 AM SL time

John Lester (Pathfinder Lester) has worked in software development, product design and management, knowledge engineering and online community building for over 20 years. He has led projects and teams in a variety of settings from startups to Fortune 100 companies, and his diverse background includes neuroscience, perceptually immersive learning, VR, artificial life, fintech, infosec and big data analytics.


With his background in neurology, John developed the first immersive medical education products and online patient support communities while doing research at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. John co-founded the the first computer security hackerspace “The L0pht,” he’s a long-standing member of the oldest white-hat hacker group “Cult of the Dead Cow,” and he led the development of pioneering immersive learning education initiatives for Second Life while working at Linden Lab.


Matthew will discuss the following topics with John

(1) Platforms Pathfinder is excited about

(2) Tools recommended; Apps, websites, podcasts, etc

(3) Strategies

–  Synergies to using a platform and a tool together

–  The role of social media during quarantine

(4) Caution, things not to do or to avoid?
To read more, Click Here.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/The%20Science%20Circle/67/129/32

Online Comics: Five Longtime Running Strips

With the Coronavirus quarantines, more people than ever are looking for their entertainment online. Some are turning to cable TV and Netflix. Others are hitting up Youtube more than ever. And more people than ever are playing online games. But this is not all that can be done over the computer. Since the start of the World Wide Web, artists have been putting pictures up. And it wasn't long before artists began putting up online cartoons, not just one-shot pictures but serial strips that were regularly updated. There are thousands to read, but here's a look at five that have been going for years (and have large archives so those bored by having to stay at home can keep themselves occupied for a while).

Read the story in Extra.

Image Credit: Freefall

Linden Lab Responds to Coronavirus Crisis: Cuts Prices For Nonprofit And Eductional Sims

In real life news, the number one story is the global Coronavirus epidemic. A few months ago, it was limited to China. But in a matter of weeks it has spread around the world. The result has been no shortage of panic and confusion. Travel bans are being set up, and major events are being postponed or canceled. "Social distancing," or avoiding large groups of people, is the best way to avoid catching and spreading the virus. But this means that schools are being closed, as well as charity events. So people are asking how do you educate people and raise money for charity if you can't meet up?

It's a question that those familiar with Second Life have long answered: take it online. And on Friday March 13, Linden Lab announced that it would "Expand Support and Reduce Prices for Education and Nonprofits."

We’ve been getting a lot of questions lately about how Second Life can help organizations, events, and conferences continue to safely and efficiently operate during the coronavirus outbreak.  

Many individuals and organizations are being affected by this unprecedented public health crisis, and we recognize that Second Life can provide an important and valuable way for people to stay in touch with their friends and co-workers amidst new social distancing protocols, mandated remote work requirements, and other precautionary measures.

The Lab has cut the tier for sims that qualify for education and nonprofit discounts down to "a flat $99/month." This "limited-time" offer is effective immediately as of last Friday.

The Lab is also letting businesses, colleges and universities, and charities know that, "We’re also here to assist you if your organization is exploring options in Second Life for new remote solutions for conferences, events or classes. Our support team is standing by to answer questions about how to get quickly started with a new private or public meeting or event space in Second Life. "

The Lab has set up a new webpage, or "micro-site" as it calls the page, "Remote Work and Event Solutions."

Second Life is the Internet's leading user-created virtual world that's been enjoyed by millions of people and organizations across the globe. For the past 17 years, major companies and education institutions have used Second Life for remote meetings, conferences and collaborations.

There would be a link to a page of videos of "case studies," such as Draxtor Despress' video of Istanbul University.

To view the blogpost in full, Click Here.

Sources: BBC News, USA Today  

Bixyl Shuftan

RFL Home and Garden Area to Stay Open Until March 23

The events of the RFL Second Life Home and Garden Expo are over. But the sims themselves are set to remain online until "sometime on the 23 March." So for the next two weeks, feel free to browse the grounds for the sights and items to buy.

The Home and Garden blog lists a number of items up for sale. These include the coffee hot tub mentioned earlier in the Newser. Something for all of you java addicts out there.

Bixyl Shuftan

Gamer Gets Help For Friend Having Seizure 5000 Miles Away

To those who say online friends aren't real friends, the parents of a 17 year old gamer, Adian Jackson, would disagree. They were watching TV in their home in Widnes, Great Britian, while their son was playing games on his computer upstairs. They had no idea anything was amiss until two police cars with lights flashing drove over. The three officers told them they'd gotten a call that something was wrong with the boy. Going upstairs, the boy was found "severely disoriented and not fully conscious of his surroundings." He still had his headset on, and a gamer friend, the one whom had made the call, was still online trying to talk to him.

The other gamer was Dia Lathora of Texas, 5000 miles away. While they were both gaming online, he suddenly stopped talking Dia was able to guess he was having a seizure. She had his address, but not his phone number, so she tried to reach an emergency number. While she couldn't find it, she was able to talk to someone, and though that person was able to explain what was happening.

"We always say to the kids, be careful who you speak to online," Caroline Jackson stated, "but in this case, it was invaluable."

Sources: BBC News, Liverpool Echo

"Bunny is Back" Rita Mariner Back Online

Good news for the Sunweaver community. After a few days of being locked out of Second Life with her main account, Rita Mariner announced yesterday she was able to get back on once more, "I was able to log in as of 2:30 CST (12:30 SLT)."

Rita's banning has raised more than a few eyebrows, at least one estate owner asking if something like this could happen to her as well, having her account frozen because she was sent a form that got lost in the mail or email. It was also brought up that the original Steelhead community closed down partially because the Lab had locked out the estate owner's main account (the bigger reason was numerous real-life difficulties). One person commented, "That's disturbing, and rather draconian. Something like this only reinforces the fact that FinCEN completely controls the Linden Dollar. What the hell happened to Linden Lab's spine?" Another responded, "US government regulations is what happened and LL is not going to go against it."

In any event the bunny is back, and life in the Sunweaver/Angel community can get back to clubbing and preparing for the Relay. Some though are glancing over their shoulders.

Bixyl Shuftan

April Fools In And Out of Second Life At A Glance

The April Fools joke article that we at the Newser pulled last Monday got a bit of chatter. Some loved it, "Hilarious!" Many just gave a chuckle or "laughing out loud." And some didn't like it, "Bix. Yur courting getting murdered here." Thank you all for the comments. For those who loved it, we'll try to be just as funny next year. For those who didn't like it, well, feel free to offer suggestions.

But this wasn't the only April Fools joke around, even in Second Life. Nydia Tungsten made an announcement that she would soon be doing a special calendar, but instead of her usual 12 pictures of anthro females it would be of the new Yinglet avatars. There were a few chuckles, and there were a few asking what a Yinglet was, but everyone quickly realized it was a joke. Marianne McCann of Bay City told me she'd made a joke announcement of leaving Second Life in a group IM chat. Draxtor Despress posted on his Twitter that he was leaving Sansar, followed later by "April Fool."


In the past, Linden Lab had done a couple jokes such as the "Rick Roll" and their parody of the "Mayhem" insurance commercials. But not this year.

In real life, there were some April Fool joke announcements. Probably the one that got the most chuckles was the one from McDonalds about a burger that was all pickles. One Australian city announced they were getting a drug-sniffing bunny on it's force. Australia's Twitter page made a joke image about a koala being born with leopard spots.

In the world of online comics, two I follow had a couple April Fool strips. In "Freefall," cartoonist Mark Stanley included a number of cameos with characters of several other strips. Those going to "General Protection Fault" found a parody of a default page that basically stated "if you can read this, the webmaster needs to get a clue." "The Belfry," which is a list of online comics, had it's page upside down.

With online games, World of Tanks and World of Warships didn't have the joke games they had in the past. But they did have a couple chuckles. World of Tanks had a joke video about the first tank on the Russian field, the MS-1, with the narrator praising it in ways that a used car salesman would be making notes of. For World of Warships, their April Fool was "Skipper," a matchmaking system to assist in making more compatable teams that was a parody of current dating software, "the socially-alienating swipe-based system behind today's hottest dating apps will be your ticket to the perfect team!" As in previous years, "War Thunder" had another April Fools game: "Earth Thunder." In this special game, players fought air battles in flying saucers shooting energy beams at one another over an abandoned city taken over by the aliens (video). Probably the joke game of War Thunder remembered the most was one of their first, the "My Little Pony" fighters in 2013. Years later, I still hear pony fans say they wish the company would bring it back.

So there's April Fool's 2019 at a glance. Hopefully you the readers had a lot of fun, and we'll be back next year with some

new foolery.

Bixyl Shuftan

Man Behind Fatal "Swatting" Makes Plea For 20 Years in Prison

In December 2017, online gamer Tyler Barris make a hoax or "swatting" phone call that resulted in a man being shot and killed. On February 25, his attorney made a plea offer in court asking that he get a twenty year prison sentence.

The incident happened on December 28, 2017 when Barris argued with another gamer over a $1.50 wager over a "Call of Duty" game. He made a call from his Los Angeles California home at the police department of what he thought was his rival's address at Wichita Kansas, saying he had shot his father and kidnapped the rest of the family, and had poured gasoline around the house. Police responded by sending officers to the address, which was a house owned by Andrew Thomas Finch. Police shot Finch at his front door when his hand moved to his waist, and the unarmed man was killed. Finch was 28, and survived by three children. The man's family has stated he wasn't a game player.

Barris, whose Twitter address at the time was "@SWAuTistic," initially boasted about the event, "That kids house that I swatted is on the news." But hearing someone was dead as a result, his response was to insist he was blameless, "I DIDNT GET ANYONE KILLED BECAUSE I DIDNT DISCHARGE A WEAPON AND BEING A SWAT MEMBER ISNT MY PROFESSION." He changed his Twitter address, but other gamers had taken pictures and shared it. The call and tweets were soon traced to him, and he was soon arrested by local police.

Given a total of 51 Federal charges, some related to other fake phone calls and threats, Barris pled guilty to all of them as part of a plea agreement in return for the shortest time in prison, which is 20 to 25 years. Two other gamers, Casey Viner of North College Hill Ohio and Shane Gaskill of Wichita Kansas (the city the crime took place), have also been charged in the case. They have pled not guilty and are scheduled to go to trial on March 15.

Barris' defense attorney claimed in court that his client's actions were a product of the gaming community's culture, and that being known as a swatter there "became an intoxicant" to him as he spent most of his time indoors playing computer games. His only family has been his grandmother, and has never held a job. "With no guidance, no structure, school, or employment," his defense attorney argued, video games, "became his salve to social acceptance in a virtual world." The defense attorney claimed Barris was genuinely remorseful for what happened. Barris has also written a letter to the Finch family, saying that he thinks every day about the incident and begged for forgiveness.

In April 2018, a glitch at a jail Internet kiosk set up for the purpose of allowing limited functions such as ordering items from the prison commissary allowed Barris temporary access to the Internet, which he used to access his Twitter, posting messages such as "All right, now who was talking s**t? Your *ss is about to get swatted" and "Y'all should see how much swag I got in here."

Tyler still faces separate state charges, including involuntary manslaughter.

Sources:  CTV News, ArsTechnica

Bixyl Shuftan

InWorldz' Sucessor Islandz Comes Online

On July 27, the virtual world on Inworldz shut down. Beth Reischl (Elenia Llewellyn) had promised that a new grid would arise. After almost four months, it arrived. The Islandz virtual grid was open to the former residents of the virtual world on November 14 at 3PM. Elenia had a message for the former residents of the closed virtual world whom had anxiously awaited the new one.

Well, it's taken a while, but we've finally managed to get to the point where we can open our doors to show our residents that we are indeed alive and well! 

First, let me thank everyone for their hard work, their patience and their determination to help us see this through. Without you, we would never have gotten this far! I've watched our community be absolutely amazing, stunning, graceful, patient and so helpful to the myriad of questions from so many.

To begin with, former Inworldz residents should not start new accounts, but login with their old account names and passwords at https://app.islandzvw.com/account. Once they successfully log in on the website, then they can try logging in the virtual world via the viewer, which can be downloaded at https://islandzvw.com/download.php.

For those expecting to appear as what they looked like in Inworldz, they will be in for a disappointment as they appear in the Welcome Area. With inventories completely empty, they won't have so much as a "Ruth" avatar, appearing as a cloud. There are some freebie avatars, clothes, and accessories nearby, so you can at least have a newbie look. But the OARS, or the items residents left at sandboxes to save, are not around yet. There's also only a few sims accessible for most residents.

And so, the success to Inworldz is finally online. How well it does at making the residents of it's predecessor happy, and how successful it is as a virtual world, will take many weeks, probably months, to figure out.

Bixyl Shuftan