Protest Art at Art India Gallery

Last week I attended the opening of a most entertaining exhibit at Art India Gallery in Shekhawati which is curated by Quan Lavender.  As I entered there was a protest going on performed by Saveme OH that lasted about 15 minutes. I guess it was fitting.  


Many of the famous artists of SL were in attendance to view and vote for their favorite form of protest art. The participating artists are: Betty Tureaud, CaraMia Quan, Corcosman Voom, Eupalinos Ugajin, Hugo Krell, London Junkers, Noni Abeyante, Pol Jarvinen, Queen Bish, Riali Sandalwood, Secret Rage, Silene Christen and Sisi Biederman. Prices will be given in 3 categories: 3D art scripted, 3D art non scripted and 2D art. The winners will be voted by public votings and a jury, consisting of art historian and art blogger Rowan Derryth, artist and curator Ux Hax, and art blogger and curator Quan Lavender. 

I was impressed with all the art and found several favorites. Nomination of winners will be at November 23. Quan told me, ”I am glad that so many great entries are here. I think the exhibition is really interesting.”  When you visit you are allowed to vote for as many of the exhibits as you like and you can pick up a notecard about the artist. You may want to visit more than once to really absorb the meaning of the pieces. I plan to return. 

Public voting closes November 18 so you will have plenty of time to enjoy. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Shekhawati/215/32/35   

Gemma Cleanslate

Press Release: Virtual Hallucinations

Discover what it is like to live with Schizophrenia. This clinic was built so people who do not have schizophrenia can experience a bit what life is like for those who do have this form of mental illness. It was built by professors and honors students from the University of California, Davis.

You can go on your own, or we can go as a small group at one of these times:
FRI Oct 12, noon SLT
SAT Oct 13, 4pm SLT
SUN Oct 14 10am SLT

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Sedig/27/44/22

Also, Bryn Oh at Sunday Oct 14 11 AM will give a tour of her "Virginia Along" exhibit about a nearly blind elderly woman with Schizophrenia.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Immersiva/19/128/21

Johnny Cash's Childhood Home in Second Life

Earlier Second Life Newser stated it planned to do an article on a virtual replica of the house Johnny Cash grew up in. Unfortunetly, time constrants and breaking news put those plans aside. Fortunetly Geo Meek did a few snapshots of the place and put them up.

Geo Meek's Virtual Outworlding article can be found Here. The house can be found in ASU Dyess Colony (56, 213, 23).

Derrick Zane: Self-Proclaimed SL Wrestling God or Just A Man With A Passion?

Charlotte Bombastic, whom earlier sent SL Newser her interview with the Digital Wrestling Round Table's producer, is back with another interview. Here, she interviews Derrick Zane, co-founder of Over the Edge Wrestling. Derrick had a few things to say about the virtual wrestling scene, from how he got involved to certain terms unfamiliar to those new to the sport, and a little of what he does when away from the mat.

Read the interview in People.

Stations of the Cross at Via Dolorosa

 Recently, I heard of a Christian sim named Via Dolorosa. Here, residents are invited to virtually relive Christ's carrying of the cross in his journey to Calvary.


We are all asked by Jesus to carry our cross; this sim is the Via Dolorosa where you re-enact the final steps of our Lord to His crucifixion and the Empty Tomb.  At Station 2 you are given a cross to wear and it follows a track for you through the 14 stations of the cross.  Again, this is a must see.... must experience... and reminder of our own cross that we bear.  Peace & blessings - Pet Karu


Via Dolorosa gets its name from the street in ancient Jerusalem believed to be the path Jesus walked carrying the cross, also called the "Way of Grief." Like the real life Via Dolorosa, there are fourteen Stations of the Cross. In real life, the Stations are shrines to "help the faithful to make a spiritual pilgrimage of prayer, through meditating upon the chief scenes of Christ's sufferings and death." The crosses are picked up at the second Station, with a smaller one available for child avatars.


The journey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete the 14 Stations. Your avatar will be fully animated via a scripted tour as you travel to each Station. Each of the 14 Stations are marked by a gold disk on the ground, a plaque and an artistic representation on the wall. Upon arriving at each Station, simple touch the plaque on the wall to receive the Station description. A local chat message will whisper that you have arrived at each Station.


Via Dolorosa is run by the Sacred Fish Group.

"We hope you are touched by this experience."

Via Dolorosa (90, 182, 23)

Bixyl Shuftan

Cartoon of the Day

This is what happens when you accept a hug request from a friend *before* you see what she's wearing at a costume party. ;-)

By Bixyl Shuftan

FMODAKFAP: Fairy Magic Occult Dark Arts Kissy Face Action Party

Grey Lupindo reports from her home in Syzygy about it's latest location, FMODAKFAP. A fantasy land of fairy magic and a bit of Victorian and darkness, its definitely worth a look if you're in the area.

Read more in Places.

"Welcome to Hell" at Challenges

 Now that I have recovered from  my visit to The Corner Haunted House ( link to story), I can tell you about another one you will not want to miss! This one created by Hotnwildinnc Solo and Felgood812 is at Challenges. 

The sign at the door is a warning! Welcome to Hell.  If you enter, be prepared for the worst.  There are bloody footprints to follow as your guide through the maze of rooms, each filled with disaster. Every step becomes an adventure as you weave your way through the darkness. Strange images appear as well as torture machines that give more than goose bumps. 

Be wary! Things appear and disappear. The descent into Hell is rapid and unexpected. Fortunately there is a way out! But, it is not over yet. The maze continues. 

For lovers of Halloween this is a real treat!!  Get ready for it! Don’t miss the outside ghouls either! http://slurl.com/secondlife/Challenges/160/189/1156  

Gemma Cleanslate

"Monster Mash" at Club Zero

It was a "Spook-tacular" night at Club Zero Gravity, which held a "Monster Mash" party last night. About two dozen people showed up, invited to wear spooky looks or something else they would not normally wear. Among those attending was owner Nydia Tungsten, who came in an outfit resembling her WoW Death Knight. The 500 Linden prize was doubled to 1000 L after a a winner of the 'sploder won her money back twice after putting it back in. DJ Slashy Sands had a two hour playlist of spooky tunes from "Thriller," to "This is Halloween," to "Monster in my Pants," and more. She ended up getting hundreds of Lindens in tips.

The contest was a five person tie, a first for Club Zero Gravity.

Events at Club Zero Gravity are normally Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 8 PM.

Purrfection Estates (229, 11, 3365).

Scary Fun at ZZ Studios

Grease Coakes was recently invited to the ZZ Studios sim. The sim of Cindy"Zig Zag" Babii is showing a little less of it's adult media theme, and much more of a Halloween one. Grease attended a costume party, then got a look at a zombie maze, and tried to get through "The Madhouse."

Read about the Halloween madness in Events.

Events this Week in Second Life from Oct 9 to Oct 15

Its a week of events across the Grid, from the "Boobiethon" this week, to Madpea's Praying Mary Hunt, to the Halloween places. And of course there are the regularly scheduled DJ club parties, book and poetry readings, races, church services, and talk shows.

Read more in Events this Week.

Technical Difficulties

Due to technical difficulties, "Events This Week" will be delayed until later.

Creations for Parkinson's

Recently Second Life Newser was invited to the Creation for Parkinson's sim. Bixyl Shuftan went there, with his partner Jasmine, where the sim owner Barbie Alchemi gave them a tour. The sim was made both to raise money for charity for Parkinson's, as well as host support meetings, but above all, it was made to be a fun place for all, with dancing events, and lots of picturesque scenery.

Read about the sim in Places.

The Corner is Haunted

Halloween is coming! We are on the watch for haunted houses for you to explore. Vickijo Rivera’s Corner of Revolving Time has a great one set out on Ophelia across from the Corner Shop. Before you enter at the gate, pick up a preloader and wear it to enhance your visuals inside the house. 

From the sign you can pick up an information card that tells you to be watchful of bats inside the house. If you catch them you will get a gift! There are 29 of them so get ready to search them out. They are over and under and you will have to look carefully to find them because they are very sly and elusive! Listen for the sounds of... life... ghosts? You decide. Don’t miss the antique pictures on the wall, perhaps the former residents. Stop and study them for  a moment as you pass through the halls. You may find some distant relatives.  

There are three floors of mystery and fun. As you leave the house walk around to the side so you wont miss the cemetery. When you exit the gate you will see a myriad of free Halloween decor for the taking. I love the poofer rugs on the walkway. All this work was done by Zain Darkwatch and Pink Josephina for your haunted pleasure.  

The hunt will be there until November 1. Put it on your list!  http://slurl.com/secondlife/Ophelia/192/148/22

Gemma Cleanslate

Cartoon of the Day: "When Horses Fly"

Lately my partner Jasmine's been raising Amaretto horses. And recently they've come out with a winged variety. But what they didn't tell her: the critters on occasion take off from the ground. And one day while at the ranch, we saw this.

"Horses do fly!" Okay, now that this is happening, we can we expect a balanced budget, a lag-free Second Life, etc.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Upcoming Events in October

Daniel Voyager has a page of various happenings this month in October. From Burn2, to the Swag Fest, to the "Boobiethon" going on right now. And of course lots of Halloween Haunts.

Click Here to see the list, most you can expect to see later in Events This Week.

A Note From The Editor About Recent Articles

I had a few words with a friend on Facebook, who wondered if the Second Life Newser team was losing interest in Second Life. While we've always reported on something related to computers and other virtual worlds on occasion, lately there's been a number of them. Plus, a few of the reporters haven't been as active as usual.

This is for a few reasons. In recent days, there's been a number of developments outside Second Life that concerned at least some residents of the Grid, or which I felt were relevant in some way. For instance, the development of Runescape deciding to involve players in the punishment of offenders I felt would be very interesting to a resident whose favorite sims are plagued by griefers. As for the reporters, some have had real life matters to attend to, and others were busy working away to find and write articles. This weekend I got a number in the mailbox which will appear this week.

If there's something out there you feel isn't getting attention, by all means let us know. And of course we're interested in any Reader Submissions you the readers may have.

Stay tuned for a month full articles of what October in Second Life offers.

Bixyl Shuftan

"Luskcraft" - Luskwood's Place in Minecraft

Minecraft has attracted the attention of a number of Second Life residents. Some communities have gotten servers and established themselves there. Among them, the Grid's oldest community: Luskwood. After a year, the residents of the Big Tree have build quite a number of impressive structures. So big and so many, it's going to take more than one visit to see.

See the pictures in Extra.

SL Video: Gangnam Hamster Style

Remember the "Gangnam Style" Second Life machinima done last month? These new hamster mesh avies added a new twist with what might be called "Hamsterdance Gangam Style" or "Gangnam Hamster Style."

Source: New World Notes

Game Review: Borderlands2

Grease Coakes took a break from Second Life to look over a game talked about by some players: Borderlands2. So what's the plot, how does it play, and is it a great game? Grease provides the answers to these and more.

Read more in Design.

Press Release: Trading Dreams by JL Morin

TRADING DREAMS by J.L. Morin Is Occupy's 1st bestselling novel. Meet the author J.J. Morin LIVE in Secondlife at 2pm SLT on Oct 10tth for an author reading plus audience Q&A. Event Portal: http://INTEROCCUPY.net/ovw17

Organizers will annouce final SLURL location an hour before the event.
RSVP to be notified by email to occupyvw@mail.com. Use Email Subject: RSVP TRADING DREAMS. You must RSVP to be notified!

From occupyvw@gmail.com, advanced copies of Trading Dreams are available free to the Press, Citizen Journalists, and Occupy-or-Occupy-Related Event Organizers.

Teaser: Creations for Parkinsons

A look at the Creations for Parkinson's sim. Due to time constraints, we were unable to finish the article. Stay tuned for details on this picturesque sim.

The First 2012 Presidential Debate in Second LIfe

Last night, Oct 3, the first Presidential debate was seen on TV, but it was also seen in Second Life. At least it was watched in two locations: Cafe Wellstone and the Republican Party in Second Life HQ. So how did the different audiences react and who won?

Read more in Events.

Meanwhile, Back in Azeroth

Finally got World of Warcraft up and running. Here's a look at the Pandaren monk I started up. Stay tuned for an article on "Mists of Pandaria."

Cartoon of the Day

By Bixyl Shuftan

Gracie Kendel's "Ce n’est pas une peinture"

Noted Second Life artist Gracie Kendel has been at work again. Known for her "1000 Avatar Project,"she's stepped away from avatar identity and taken another look at three dimensional art. Her sim-scale display, "Ce n’est pas une peinture," is finally up for show, just in time for the artist's rezzday party.

Read more in Design.

Events This Week in Second Life from Oct 2 to Oct 8

October arrives in Second Life, and with it the Halloween events begin to roll in. From Pumpkin Town, to Halloween at Hyde Park to Tribute City's Haunted Fest, one can get an early peek at the ghosts and goblins. And of course there's our regular selection of Live music and DJ events, races, church services, book and poetry readings, and talk shows.

Read the list of happenings in Events this Week.

Runescape Puts Rulebreakers on Public Trial in "Botany Bay"

Bots aren't a problem only in Second Life. In the MMO game of Runescape, they're a problem for both the staff and honest players alike. For those not familiar, a "bot" in Runescape is a player put under the control of "macros" to perform a repetitive task, such as mining and woodcutting. Illegal, if a player is caught, it results in a warning and a short ban. The second time is a more severe warning and a longer ban. The third time results in a permanent ban with the account removed.

Lately, the Jagex staff  "decided to have a little fun" with the disposing of those caught three times. So they came up with "Botany Bay," a dreary prison-looking place that can be visited in only one manner, accept an invitation from a town caller to take part in a "trial" of a three-time offender.

 As we hunt for and identify botters, you - the good citizens of Giellnor - will be the ultimate deliverers of justice! Unrepentant and persistent bot-users will now find themselves banished to Botany Bay. This foreboding island is the staging ground for trials run by the Botfinder General, where there's only one verdict, and justice is swift and uncompromising.


Those accepting a town crier's invitation to take part in a Botany Bay event will be teleported to the courtroom. Rotten tomatoes are available to pelt the condemned, whom is cowering in a small platform in the middle of the court. The players have no say in whether or not the account on trial is guilty, that's already been decided. Instead they decide on a choice of three fates: crushed by a giant limb, fried into dust by an energy beam, or devoured alive by some unknown something from below. Repeat jurors are awarded the "Pitchfork of Vigilantism" and later the "Pitchfork of Justice."

The accounts in question have been banned anyway, so the purpose of these trials is for show. There's just something about seeing a cheater get his/her coming.  There's also the possibility that Jagex also had in mind these trials were to cut down on criticism. By giving these show trials, that would give the impression something is being done about theft.

Such a system could easily be replicated in other MMOs after adaptations, and perhaps Second Life. It's easy to imagine a "Botany Bay" for copybotters. But suppose if such a system was being set up on the Grid? Why not allow the jury to determine an avatar's guilt or innocence?

I  imagine though that those accused of griefing would prefer to take their chances with the Lindens instead of a jury. Suppose someone accused of dropping particle bombs on Luskwood found themselves facing a jury of furred avatars?

Oh well, one can dream.

Source: Jagex

Bixyl Shuftan

Wounded Warrior Benefit Raises Nearly 200,000 Lindens

 On Sunday night, September 30th, Patriot Island hosted their monthly Wounded Warrior Benefit Concert. From about 4PM SL time to just after 9PM (7 to Midnight EST) Singers included Waya Snowpaw, PonDman Haalan, Anj Gustafson, and Jack Kinagree & Lexi Smith.


Donations rose steadily throughout the event. As of 6:15PM, 64,500 Lindens had been raised, which became 70,500 L in four minutes, and nine minutes after that 83,400 Lindens. At times, Frets Nirvana, who helped organize the event, stepped in, offering to match donations made by a certain time, "Ok, let's try this, five people give 1k, I will match with 5k."

Attendance was somewhat lower that night than some previous benefits. This may have been due to technical difficulties as yours truly froze a few times, eventually crashed, and had some trouble getting back online. But that didn't stop the fundraising. The last hour had both Jack Kinagree (Zorch Boomhauer) & Lexi Smith (Lexi Luan). They played for an extra ten minutes for last-minute donations to come in, "Great show Lexie and Zorch."

The final total, at least as of 9:15, was 193, 500 Lindens. Frets was thanked for his efforts here, "Frets as always, such a wonderful evening, thank you for bringing so much wonderful talent here to our vets' center, and supporting our Wounded Warriors."

For more on the Wounded Warrior Project, check: http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/

Bixyl Shuftan

Tales From Podex: Robbery Rivalry

He'd get them this time.

It was September 19, or "Talk Like a Pirate Day," and he was ready to once again make his move on the Podex Bank. Most likely they were expecting him, probably to repeat his pirate imitation that somehow ended up falling to pieces of eight. Well, no pirate act this time.

He'd gotten his hands on a flashy "gun." It didn't fire bullets, but instead would let loose a series of bright, blinding lights. He'd dazzle the bank tellers, and while they were half blind with spots before their eyes, he'd go in, get the Lindens, and quickly be back out. Simple as that.

No more of their mocking. No more of their calling him "Clumsy Cooper." Finally he'd get some respect as the professional bank heist artist he was.

He soon got to the bank. No need for a disguise. In his usual dark leather jacket, he began walking up the steps …

"Avast me hearties! This be a stick-up!"

What the hey?

"Ye be givn' me all your pieces o' eight!"

He peeked inside. He saw someone confronting the tellers. With a guitar on his back, he looked like a musician, except for one thing. He was holding a sword, and he was pointing it at the tellers.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Heh, isn't it obvious? Who else could it be but Clumsy Cooper again? Only he could be this brazen and dense."

"But it looks nothing like Clumsy."

"Guess he got better at disguises. Heh heh, nice one Clumsy."

"Arrrr! Who be this Clumsy Cooper? Jes gimme ye gold, and aye not be stickn' ye with me rib poker an' takin' ye guts fer garters."

The tellers just laughed, "Now you just turn around and go, and we won't call the carps on you."

He couldn't believe it! Some other robber was after Podex. HIS Podex! Well, he wouldn't stand for that.

He then walked in, "Now wait just a darn minute!" He confronted the sword-wielding guitarist, "This bank's mine!"

The musician with a most unmusical instrument looked his way, "Who the bloody hell be ye?"

"I'm the guy who has dibs on this bank. I've been trying to get what's mine for over a year now. I'm not going to let you beat me to it."

"Then ye be a lousy cutpurse. Stand back an' leave th' plundering' to me."

"Well what do you know?" One teller commented, "We have two numbskulls who think they can rob us today."

"Shut up!" both robbers yelled in unison, then Cooper raised his weapon, "All right, this ends now!" He pulled the trigger, and …

Nothing.

He pulled the trigger again, still nothing.

One of the tellers chuckled, "Your freebie didn't work as advertised, Clumsy?"

"This thing must be stuck or something." Frustrated, he looked closer at the gun.

POOF!

The gun had gone off, but the light went in all directions, not just forward, and he'd gotten it in the eyes at point blank range, "Ahhhh!"

"Ow, that stung me eye, ye clumsy landlubber!"

Half blinded, Cooper could barely make out the other robber going to him, then he felt a punch to the jaw. He staggered back, then felt a body blow to his stomach. He bent over, walking backward, "Urrrrgh, I'll, get, you."

"Ye be gettin' nowt but a knuckle sandwich ye dumb landlubber." Cooper saw the other robber back up a foot, then suddenly spring forward. He felt a tremendous blow to the chin, and fell backward. He fell over the bank steps, and onto the beach.

Cooper blacked out momentarily. When he came to, he looked around, and saw a SLPD car next to him. Surprised, he stood up. But then saw it was empty.

"All right!" he heard from inside, "You're under arrest for attempted griefing."

"I don't understand," he heard the other robber say, speaking more normally, "How could things have gone so wrong?"

"Well, number one," he heard a teller speak, "you were so busy with Clumsy Cooper, you didn't see us alert the authorities. Number two, your sword broke when you hit the counter because it was a cheap one not much better than a freebie. And number three, criminals are stupid."

"Why you …"

"That will be quite enough," he heard someone else speak, presumably another policeman, "Yes, we saw Clumsy too. Knocked out like a light. We thought he knocked himself out again, then we heard the commotion in here."

"Yeah, we finally found someone as dumb as Clumsy."

"Shuttup!"

"Where you're going, you'll have lots of quiet time. You have the right to remain silent. … "

It was then Cooper decided to sneak away, knowing where the police would be headed next. He slipped away into some vegetation. As he moved further away, he grumbled to himself about another plan gone awry. But at least the guy responsible would be the one getting locked up instead of him.

Back at the bank, the cops did a quick search for Clumsy Cooper, but not finding him radioed the station, and drove off with the suspect in custody. Inside Podex, things quickly went back to normal, reminding themselves even if the robbers had cooperated, they wouldn't have walked away with a single Linden. All business was done through electronic transfer. There was never any threat to the banks' funds.

The Podex Exchange has a record of being one of the safest Linden exchange services in Second Life, the data processing done outside the exchange, and has a record of thousands of satisfied customers. Transactions can be done at their website, or their location inworld at Moonberry (26, 223, 34).

Note: The preceding is a fictional story, written for the dual purpose of advertisement and entertainment.

Bixyl Shuftan

Cartoon of the Day

By Bixyl Shuftan

Press Release: Wounded Warrior Bennefit Concert Tonight

Frets Nirvana and US Military Veterans Group announce ninth 2012 Wounded Warriors Benefit concert for Sept 30, 2012. 

Frets Nirvana, the premier guitar artist in the virtual world Second Life and the US Military Veterans Group announce the first Wounded Warriors benefit for the year 2012.  

More than 30,000 troops have been injured in recent conflicts, many of them suffering traumatic brain injuries, amputations, and severe burns.  Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) provides services and programs to ease their burdens and aid in the transition back to civilian life.

Frets Nirvana states:  “As a result of the support of many in Second Life this effort raised over $9200 in 2011 for WWP.  We hope to meet a target of $12000 in 2012.  We are going for 12 in 12! Year to date in 2012 we have sent over $8000 to The Wounded Warriors project.  So we are getting close!”

Wounded Warriors concerts feature premier Second Life Talent monthly at Patriot Island.  The concert on August 26, 2012 is scheduled from 4-9 PM PST.  Featured artists will be  Waya Snowpaw, PonDman Haalan, Anj Gustafson, KInagree-Smith and Frets Nirvana. 


For more information on the concert, contact Frets Nirvana.

ABOUT WOUNDED WARRIORS  - Wounded Warrior Project began when several individuals took small, inspired actions to help others in need. The resulting objective was to provide tangible support for the severely wounded and help them on the road to healing, both physically and mentally. What had been initially viewed as a small contribution (compared with what the warriors had sacrificed while serving our country) has become WWP's signature program:"WWP backpacks delivered bedside to wounded warriors."  Wounded Warriors program has developed significantly over the last several years to include advocacy, benefits counseling, caregivers retreats, coping/family services, peer mentoring, warriors to work and many other programs for the benefit of United States wounded veterans.

To learn more about the Wounded Warriors Project visit https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/component/option,com_frontpage/Itemid,840/ 

The Sunday Night Demo Derby

For those looking for a more exciting event on Sunday evenings, or want a car race with a twist, check out the Demolition Derby in Random. One gets to participate in a number of races with a number of kinds of vehicles. If you like racing or vehicular combat, you'll have a "smashing" good time.

Read more about the derby in Events.

SL Video: "Greenies 'The Movie' "

From "Sammy Bridges," a machinima on the classic "Greenies" sim, which closed down in 2010. The sim gave the illusion of the avatars shrunk to mouse-size when in fact the kitchen was made super-big.

Roaming the Playa at Burn2

Gemma Cleanslate has been busy at the Playa, the main site of the preparations for the Burn2 event next month. She recently took a little time to take a few pictures of some small items that had been set up while their owners worked on larger exhibits.

See the pictures in Design.

Teaser

The editor was busy last night, and alas did not have enough time to finish his story. Stay tuned for details on the Sunday Night Demo Derby.

Video: "Save City of Heroes"

The effort by it's fans to save the City of Heroes MMO continues, one of whom made this video. More information can be read at http://www.savecoh.com/.

Yoz Linden Leaving Linden Lab

On his Twitter page, Yoz Linden, Yoz Grahame in real life, wrote a message that stated he was leaving Linden Lab.



Thanks for everything, Linden Lab; it's been virtual. Always remember: YOU RUN A F***ING WORLD. This is Yoz Linden Signing out. ONWARDS!

Daniel Voyager listed Yoz's roles as "technical lead for Linden Lab, social applications," and "web infrastructure." A year and a half ago, The Economist printed an article about how as one of the developers of the computer game "Starship Titanic,"  Yoz started an "Employee Forum" on the website which turned into it's own online community. When the company that made the game went under, rather than let the forum simply die, Yoz took it under his wing, "I moved it to my own hosting." Hamlet Au mused at the time if Second Life ever went under, Yoz might come to the rescue once again by taking home some of the servers.

While he probably won't be coming to rescue the Grid should such a day come, it's likely we'll hear from him again on another computer-related project.

Sources: Daniel Voyager, Hamlet Au
Image Source: Twitter, Quora

Bixyl Shuftan

Yes We Have No Pandaria

Tuesday Septemeber 25th was the day "Mists of Pandaria," the next expansion of the MMO World of Warcraft was up for sale. And so huge numbers of WoW players were up and at starting up new characters of the new race and class available in the game. So me being a player of the game, where are the screenshots?

Unfortunately I don't have any, because World of Warcraft stopped working for me.

Expansions to the game are always preceded by a major patch. And in the middle of downloading, it just stopped cold. The suggestions provided by technical support are not working. This is the most trouble I've had in over five years of playing the game.

One friend of mine who's been spending more time in Warcraft and less in Second Life suggested going ahead and scraping the game and reisntalling. But that's going to take quite a bit of time.

In the meantime, any pictures of Pandaren on the Newser in the near future are going to come from others.

Bixyl Shuftan

Cartoon of the Day

Using a Mesh-capable viewer didn't completely eliminate the "invisible pants" problem for me. But these kinds of bugs are a never-ending source of chuckles.

Bixyl Shuftan

Crap Mariner's 100 Word Stories

Crap Mariner is known for a few things in Second Life. One weekly event is about his ability to come up with short stories quickly and tell them to an audience. For more of a challenges, he limits himself to 100 Words. So the event was called "100 Word Stories."

Read more in People.

Events This Week in Second Life from Sept 25 to Oct 1

September comes to a close this week. But the events on the Grid go on. Stop by Madpeas for the Perfumed Cutlass hunt, the Oktoberfest celebrations in the Confederation of Democratic Sims, or the London City Disco Spectacular. And there's our sampling of various live music and DJ club events, races, book and poetry readings, church services, and talk shows.

See the list in Events this Week.

Pop Art Lab to Close

After about five years in Second Life, Pop Art Lab's founder and director Claus Uriza will be taking a break from the virtual world. And with his departure the group and inworld location will be closing down. In the blog, Claus stated the group and place would close in November.

The time has come to step away for a while from virtual worlds. After spending 5 years testing and playing with Second Life and Virtual Worlds platforms, I have decided to take hiatus. It has been a fantastic ride but I don’t think we can push it much further without significant changes in the technologies surrounding these environments.

In this 2010 video, Claus describes himself as a "music librarian" who went through a number of CDs every day, selecting the best ones to play at Pop Art Lab, "ten to twenty new albums each week." He had wanted to provide music available for listening in a 3D environment, the style of the location involving futuristic looking builds. There are four listening booths, each representing different genres: rock, pop, electronic, and R&B/hip-hop. The location itself was built in November 2008, and got a boost in traffic after being listed on the Second Life website for a few months.

Claus gave several reasons for the closing. Streaming could be done using other services, he wanted to "focus on real life and real life clients," and it was his observation the "mass adoption of virtual worlds" had stalled, with few musicians and bands from outside Second Life willing to invest here.

Pop Art Lab's group will continue in Second Life, but future updates will be linked to  posts on Facebook, Google, and Twitter to "focus entirely on posting news about music and shiny new tech in social media" including games and virtual worlds. The Facebook page was no longer focused on Second Life. The group will cease streaming music inworld, except on special occasions.

As a final note, I would like to assure that Pop Art Lab loves the Second Life platform, Linden Lab and the people who create the magic in there. During the years, there have been many issues in the way Linden Lab handle(s) Second Life. I want to point out it’s a wonderful platform they have created: especially the unique democratic tools that give everyone without specific skills a golden opportunity to create and visualize their culture, history and lives.

I sincerely hope all who have helped and still help create wonderful experiences inside virtual environments will flourish in the years to come. Lastly, thanks so much to my team behind Pop Art Lab, because without you none of above would ever have happened!

For more information, check out the Pop Art Lab blog, or Daniel Voyager's article.

Info Island DK (187, 109, 225)

Image sources: Pop Art Lab, Al Kohn 

Bixyl Shuftan

A Look at Linden Lab's "Patterns"

Last week, Linden Lab revealed two of the projects they were working on, "Creatorverse" and "Patterns." Seeing the pictures and description of Patterns, some dismissed it as the Lab trying to rip off Minecraft without coming up with anything original. Just after the announcement, gaming Internet magazine IGN published an article by Anthony Gallegos in which he looked at the game and had a few words with Rod Humble about it. His observation was that it was "dramatically different" from the familiar sandbox game.

Rod Humble admitted Minecraft was an influence, "So the notion was you take a very simple 3D Creation tool you take that lovely elegance of the resources that's in Minecraft, and them make the whole thing have physics from the ground up." In both, one has an avatar in a world gathering up resources. But in Minecraft the avatar builds tools which it can use. It doesn't in Patterns. Nor are there monsters and hot lava to make survival a question. The world itself is different, alien looking compared to the familiar grass, trees, and hills. And instead of cubes, the world is made up of triangular tiles, as is the avatar.

What can one do with the triangular tiles? They can be used to create three dimensional blocks. And these blocks can be used to build larger structures. The tiles can come from a variety of materials, wood, stone, clay, etc. And the hardness and weight of the cubes can have an effect on what one can build. Physics and gravity matter here much more than Minecraft. If one keeps extending a horizontal column of blocks, it will eventually break and fall. And a mostly stone column with a clay base will break sooner than a clay column with a stone one.

When working with the world, sometimes the physics acted in ways that surprised the Linden team. The Lindens are hoping to get users on board to continue to see what can be done with the place, as Humble stated in the video trailer from Linden Lab, he wanted "creators in from the earliest possible moment." A few days after the  IGN article was published, Linden Lab began taking pre-orders for the game's "Genesis version" for $9.95. The page stated those buying would be "entitled to have your name featured in the credits of the game in version 1.0."

Hamlet Au commented that  in giving an advance peek to IGN, it looked like Linden Lab was aiming at gamers rather than users of Second Life as more likely to give Patterns a try. He also states he managed to get in touch with Minecraft's creator Markus Persson. Of Patterns, he thought, "Looks great."





Once again, Patterns Genesis can be pre-ordered at: http://buildpatterns.com/buy/.

Sources: IGN, New World Notes  

Bixyl Shuftan