Reader Submitted: Club Mardi Gras is Back

YuliaV Resident, also known as DJ Yulia, sent this picture of the grand-reopening of Club Mardi Gras. Originally in FP Proteus, it had to be taken down when the sim was closed a few weeks ago. It's owner Nydia Tungsten found a new home for the club. And on Monday February 18th at 8PM SL time, the club and the people there were ready to party with a 5000L prize.

A sim-straining 35 residents were at the club at times. A regular schedule will soon be determined.

"President's Day" Snail Race

Some things that go on in the Grid are quite literally "only in Second Life." Among them are the Giant Snail Races, run by Racer X Gullwing every week. These whimsical events consist of huge snail avatars navigating an obstacle course that consists of bouncing on mushrooms, avoiding a giant frying pan, catapulted by springs, bouncing on balloons over a shark tank, etc.

Each event has a different theme, and on Saturday Feb 16, the race's theme was "President's Day," with the track and snail shells dressed up in red, white, and blue. One snail also sported a large copy of Abe Lincoln's stovepipe hat.

Four races took place that day. The first was won by Kirkland Coba. The second by Tindallia Soothsayer. The third by Oodlemi Noodle

The races take place every Saturday at 11 AM at Devon Dream (150, 102, 777), although you may want to arrive a little early for everything to load. You can also see past races on the Treet.tv archives at: http://treet.tv/shows/snailraces.

Events This Week in Second Life Feb 19 to Feb 25

Valentines Day and Mardi Gras came and went. But that doesn't mean there's no new events. If you like shopping hunts and puzzles, check out "Global Domination," a challenging game that takes you to a number of different cultural settings from around the world. And of course there's our usual selection of church services, races, talk shows, book and poetry readings, and DJ & live music events.

Read the list of happenings in Events this Week.

The ZeroG Skydancers – Staying Power for a Reason

DrFran Babcock had a chance to watch a group of performers in Second Life known as the ZeroG Skydancers. They've been on the Grid for a while, but their shows continue to be spectacular. DrFran writes about the group and their performance.

Read about the ZeroG Skydancers in People.

Flickr Posting Has Little-Known Restrictions

The Flickr photosharing service is very popular among Second Life residents. Many use it to record pictures of Second Life events, such as Daniel Voyager's screenshots of the "One Billion Rising" event last week. But how often do people think about it's rules. That one doesn't use it to post images showing graphic sexuality and violence is obvious, or copy others without giving credit. But as it turns out, there are others not that many are aware of.

Iris Ophellia found out about Cory Edo, a builder and the owner of a furniture store whom ran afoul of Flickr's management. They restricted her account and a number of images were blocked. Unable to "get a straight answer from support after two requests," she checked the Flickr forums, and found "it's not enough to not link a sales site - you can't have pricing, you can't link to your blog."

As Iris pointed out, rules "that almost every other designer, blogger, and photographer in SL" are breaking because they "aren't exactly shared openly by Flickr to begin with."

Cory wrote details on her Plurk account, "and if you get a notice from support about your account, don't bother asking them for details b/c they just give you a c/p response that doesn't clarify any of the above additional stipulations ... keep in mind this is what the forums people on Flickr are telling me, its not in the TOS, I was told to respect the 'ethos' and I guess figure all this out myself. ... I was told that linking to my wordpress blog (that I do not sell anything from directly) was still advertising. Bloggers usually link to the stores that they're featuring, sooo ... "

Cory got some feedback from other Flickr users, Damien Fate commenting, "Well I only use flickr FOR advertising, and I pay for a pro account. If that's not allowed then their loss, I'll remove my pro subscription." Luna Jubilee wrote, "This comes up and around through the sl community every year or so ... flickr reserves the right to remove that photo or set ... up to your entire account. with or without warning." Daphne Klossovsky wrote, "Yeah, we had this problem before too. Someone flagged something and the mods also flagged us for commercial. So I just deleted all text (we don't have prices on our posters). They seemed satisfied with that, But I don't see why you can't link to your blog."

Cory made the decision to go from a pay to free account, "I've just been contacted by another Flickr user (not support) who offered to tell me the secrets of what violates Flickr's TOS and I don't even care. I'm dropping the Pro account and deleting most of the pix ... if I'm paying a company I expect to talk to their support and not a bunch of self-righteous hall monitors in their forums. ... I've gotten the impression they barely tolerate SL users in general, again that whole 'we're a real photography site' attitude. ... "


So what to do? Ophelia wondered if Second Life residents should start looking for alternatives, mentioning "Tumblr" and "Pintrest." One of the people responding to Cory wrote, "I used photobucket before SL...but then switched since flickr was where everyone was hosting." As Ophelia put it, "But unless there is a major shift in where the SL community at large wants to be, most of us will probably cling to Flickr for as long as possible, even if the service is ill suited for our needs."

Sources: Iris Ophelia's NWN article, Cory Edo's Plurk

Bixyl Shuftan

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.

Cartoon of the Day: Cupid's Mischief

Besides a bringer of romance, Cupid was also known as a mischief-maker. Here though, someone else has an idea who to bring it on.

By Bixyl Shuftan

And The Surprise From the Lab: 10 L

Yesterday on the Linden blog, the Lab told readers that those logging in Second Life by 7:30PM would be getting a "surprise" gift. Unless your account had few to no Lindens, or you checked your transaction history, you probably would have missed it unless someone told you. The surprise gift was not a Valentines Linden bear or any other object. It was ten Linden dollars added to your account.

10L. That's a small amount to established players. And in both the official forums and the SL Universe forums, longtime residents expressed their disappointment, some saying they felt insulted. One resident commented, "It's not about the gift or $L. It's about the complete lack of even a little last minute imagination." Some residents did express some support, saying newcomers would benefit a little from the gift, especially since there was no shortage of near-free items costing just one Linden. One resident felt Linden Lab was in a no-win situation. No matter what they did, he commented, there would be no shortage of complaints.

On the blog, Linden Lab did offer suggestions on how to spent the 10L, as well as some suggestions on where to go for Valentines Day.

We hope you’re all having a lovely Valentine’s Day in Second Life! If you logged in during the period to be eligible for the special gift from Linden Lab, today you’ll find an extra L$10 from us in your account by midnight (PT) tonight - it’s just a little something that we hope will brighten your day.

Looking for a last-minute gift for someone special inworld? There are lots of options for less than L$10 in the Valentine’s Day category on the Marketplace - you can see them all here. And, of course there are thousands of items in the entire Valentine’s Day category, which you can browse here.

If you don’t yet have any plans for Valentine’s Day inworld, we’ve got you covered! The Destination Guide team has been sifting through the many and varied recent submissions to highlight a few things you might want to check out today:


The Lab then listed several locations, a shopping hunt, a club, a romance area, the Nortre Dame Cathedral, and the One Billion Rising demonstration.

There were numerous suggestions on the forum posts on what else the Lindens could have done, such as offer a deduction from landowner's tier, one commenting ten Lindens would pay for his land for just seven minutes. But over and over, the "Kiss a Linden" Valentines Day events that went on to 2011 were also brought up, several residents saying the return of the event would have been a much better surprise gift. 

Linden blog, Linden forums, SL Universe

SL Video: "Arcade Series III In SecondLife "

From Aeonix Aeon of the Andromeda Media Group, his latest series of video arcade games, "A quick video showing off the Arcade Series III arcade cabinets in Second Life. Only Polybius is available on Marketplace, but I'm willing to trade it in-world for the others. Some are playable in-world while others are just videos on the screen. All have outbound playable links for your browser. Marketplace Listing: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/... All arcade cabinets are modeled in mesh with an average Land Impact of 8. Realistic dimensions and cabinet plans were used, as well as extensive work for the graphics. Currently, they are being prepared for a free-play arcade soon to open in Second Life, recapturing some of that 80s arcade feel when opened. A custom building is being created for this purpose and is current a work in progress. For more information or the current Series III Arcade list, contact Aeonix Aeon in Second Life. Custom orders and projects are also considered upon review."

Scenes from "One Billion Rising"

 On Thursday Feb 14th, the "One Billion Rising" took place in Second Life. A demonstration for womens rights across the world, the event took place in four sims, OBR Rise, OBR Strike, OBR Dance, and OBR Walk. The Second Life event was part of a larger global event with demonstrations across the planet.  At this exhibit sponsored by Madpea, there were numerous images of avatars with protest signs, such as "In Guatemala, there are two women murdered each day. Stop the violence!!"

 There was a walkway around the four sims with various exhibitions. At the intersection was a stage where large numbers of people could dance. Among the musicians performing there was DJ Quark Allen, who played from 12 Noon SL time to 1PM.

The event was quite packed at times. At the time I dropped by, there were about a total of a hundred and forty residents attending. The lag made for some slow going at times, as well as some crashing. But morale at the "Rising" was very high, and those demonstrating were determined to get their point across.

*Update (Feb 18)* Check out more pictures of "One Billion Rising" on Daniel Voyager's "Flickr" page.

Bixyl Shuftan

SL Video: "Doing the Harlem Shake in Second Life"

In recent days, it seems a new Internet dance video craze has been catching on, the "Harlem Shake." How to describe it, well, Wikipedia's as good a source as any, "Normally, each video begins with one person (often masked) dancing to the song alone for 15 seconds, surrounded by other people unaware of the dancing individual. When the bass drops, the camera transitions to the entire crowd doing the dance for the next 15 seconds, often wearing a minimum of clothes or crazy outfits or costumes while wielding strange props." For several amusing examples, Click Here.

As with many other things in pop culture, it seems it was just a matter of time before it made Second Life.



"Doing the Harlem Shake in Second Life By Kinky Anatra.... Special thanks to Jessie for all the help. Also to Sengir, Dark, Nirrad, James, Aleesa and everyone else "

Check Out "One Billion Rising" Today

Part of a global demonstration for womens rights,  the Second Life Rising "will feature a four-region stage where 200 people can dance together, surrounded by an area of art installations and informational exhibits. A variety of performers will play over the 24-hour period, enabling people all over the world to attend this virtual event no matter their timezone."




The event takes place all day until 11:59 SL time tonight.

OBR Walk (180, 180, 25)

EOTB: Valentines Day Surprise From Linden Lab, But ...

In the Linden blog yesterday Feb 13, there was a promise of a surprise for Second Life residents. All they had to do was log in by 7:30 SL time that evening.

Valentine’s Day is big in Second Life - whether you’re planning on buying something special for your sweetheart on the Marketplace, finding a romantic place to explore together, or just celebrating with friends inworld, Second Life is a great place to enjoy the holiday. To help you have even more fun in Second Life this Valentine’s Day, we have a surprise gift for you! You must log in by 7:30pm PT today to be eligible, so don’t wait! What is it? Well, it wouldn’t be any fun if we spoiled the surprise here - you’ll just have to log in before 7:30pm PT today to find out. 

Logging in though, there was nothing in my inventory from the Lab, no Valentine surprise. Not even a notecard. Perhaps the Lindens had goofed and posted the blog post a day early. On the official forums, some residents had their ideas, one deciding it was best to wait until Valentines Day and see what was up.

Taking a look at the post again, it turned out the Lindens had made an update. Although all one had to do was log in, the surprise wouldn't arrive until later. The Lab stated that residents who logged in on time would get the surprise, but it might not arrive until 11:59PM Feb 14th. For those on the East Coast, that's way in the middle of the night. So for some, its more like an after-Valentine Day surprise.

It does seem things were simpler in the past when the Lab held their "Kiss a Linden" events.

Bixyl Shuftan

Ash Wednesday Forehead Mark

"After the reverly, time to reflect." At least that what comes to mind with the contrast between Mardi Gras or "Carnival," and Ash Wednesday. For those who don't know, Ash Wednesday is the beginning of Lent. For Catholics and more recently some Protestant denominations, the day offers church services in which the observers have their foreheads with a cross-shaped mark made of ashes.

Second Life Marketplace offers several forehead cross marks. Among them, a free one from Edd Thor, whom on his profile described himself as Episcopalian, "Ash Wednesday is observed by some denominations as the beginning of the time of preparation for Easter. A cross made of ashes may be placed on the forehead, perhaps with the words, "Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return." To the best of my knowledge, the church clip art from which these crosses are derived are public domain."

The item can be found on the Marketplace Here.

Cartoon of the Day

By Bixyl Shuftan

Citysphere

In the SL9B By Us1 sim, there's a build that can make one think his or her world turned upside down. And maybe it did as one can walk upside down on the place. Visit the "Citysphere," where one can navigate the streets of a small world, and have one's senses, and viewer,  put to the test.

Read about the location in Design.

At a Tail Sale

Grease Coakes wrote about his recent experiences at a Tail Sale at a furry club. What is a tail sale? It could be described as like a bachelor / bachellorette auction, but there's often more to it than companionship. Grease describes just what goes on at this kind of event.

Read Grease's account in Extra.

Preview of "One Billion Rising"

By Gemma Cleanslate

Today I got a chance to go check out the four sims that will give you lots of room to roam and dance and rise at One Billion Rising.Their names are OBR Walk, OBR Strike, OBR Rise and OBR Dance.  Since the huge Dance floor is in the center on the corner of four sims it will help with lag and allow more people to enjoy the event. Remember this is a 24 hour event beginning at midnight on Valentines Day so you have plenty of time to get there and enjoy. There is an information kiosk on each sim to guide you .

The art installations circle along the edge of the sims, so you can just start in one corner and move all along the outer area to see them. At each exhibit there is a post containing the bio of the artist. Each exhibit in its way acknowledges the theme of the event. Some are celebratory, some define the reason for protest against aggression toward women. Some of the pieces are so subtle and thoughtful.  I recognized several of the artists as soon as I approached the piece. There were many that are new to me and I will be looking into their works. You can read all about these artists on the blog pages. 

There are still preparations going on as final touches are being There are a couple of installations that are disturbing in their content but that is the whole point of the event: to recognize the extent of severe treatment of women all over the world. I hope you saw the SL version of the "Break the Chain" video as well if as the original in real life. Here is the event list and you will find both videos on this page . http://onebillionrisingsl.wordpress.com/event-schedule/ Watch the One Billion Rising blog to get the entry points for Thursday or use the map with the names above. Join the Rising.

All those who did so much preparation for this event are to be congratulated as well as the  many sponsors who helped make it all possible. You will recognize them as you see the posters on the sims.  

It is going to be great!     

Gemma Cleanslate

Events This Week in Second Life Feb 12 to Feb 18

Second Life has two holidays this week, in addition to a major demonstration. Tuesday offers a day of revelry, Mardi Gras, which offers both Jazz and masquerade parties, in addition to some more recent "traditions" involving adult themes. Thursday is Valentines Day, in which for most the revelry gives way to quiet romance and special times for couples. Some singles though would prefer to poke fun at the event in "anti-Valentine" parties.  Also on Valentines Day is "One Billion Rising," part of a worldwide demonstration in support of womens rights and against violence to women. And there is the usual list of DJ and live music parties, book & poetry readings, church services (maybe Wednesday Lent events), talk shows, and races.

See the list of happenings, holiday and otherwise, in Events this Week.

Laura Liberty’s Valentine Town

Valentine's Day is almost here. And that means getting some gifts for a loved one, or perhaps just walking around in a place with a romantic atmosphere. DrFran Babcock found one such place at Builder's Brewery: Valentine Town. There, one can get some candy & flowers, or a card, or just browse around the sights where love truly is in the air.

Read DrFran's article in Places.

Mardi Gras Parade at New Toulouse

Mardi Gras isn't until tomorrow, but the residents of the New Toulhouse sim celebrated a little early. This weekend, they held a parade, complete with floats. Second Life Newser was there, and took a few pictures.

Se more in Events.

Update on "Creations For Parkinsons"

In October, Second Life Newser did an article on the "Creations of Parkinsons" sim, ran by Barbie Alchemi. She was inspired to create the place due to her mother, known in Second Life as Fran Seranade, whom had the illness. Recently, Hamlet Au interviewed Fran, which can be seen Here, in which she talked about how her journey in Second Life has helped her recover much of her physical ability.


Speaking to Barbie, she was happy for the attention this new article brought, and informed the Newser there would soon be some new developments at "Creations." In the meantime, they were still running events there, in addition to the Sunday night "Demo Derby" in Random.

Stay tuned for more.

Image credit: New World Notes

SL Video: One Billion Rising in Second Life

"Tena Clark & Tim Heintz have given us the incredibly powerful song, "Break the Chain," that we hear in this video. As women from around the world in Second Life, we wanted to do our part too. Gorgeous settings, amazing women-behind the avatars, and a bit of fantasy make our video a beautiful addition to the tide of support that's sweeping the globe. Visit our blog, "One Billion Rising in Second Life" to find out more!"

http://www.onebillionrising.org/ 

Cartoon of the Day

By Bixyl Shuftan

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."

Car Show at ZZ Studios

Last week on Feb 2, the adult media company ZZ Studios hosted a car show on it's sim. There were a number of entries, from dung buggies, to replicas of famous cars such as "Ecto 1" from "Ghostbusters, tanks, muscle cars, classic cars, motorcycles, and more. Brandi Streusel, who runs a motorcycle custom painting business from Angel Estates, entered one of her bikes. Company owner Cindy "Zig Zag" Babi was also seen at the event.

Many of the cars were quite detailed. Among them was a police car marked with the company logo (a cop's car with a porn studio's sign?), and there was quite a bit of effort to get the interior realistic, with it's dashboard, steering wheel, radio and "laptop" display, etc.

Between the cars and the avatars, there were over two dozen people at the event, the place could get pretty laggy. Yours truly crashed a number of times while covering the event.

Bixyl Shuftan

Reader Submitted

Fuzzball Ortega sent in this picture of a Relay for Life committee meeting, "Key points that were covered, each member introduced themselves and talked about what they were covering. The technology for RFL has gone smoothly, a few issues, but nothing major." They also talked about Key dates, such as May 21 and 22 as it "is the ACS Birthday Celebration."

SL Video: "En Garde! Tutorial"

From Rifkin Habsburg, "Learn to play En Garde! The strategic fencing game by Reiner Knizia, brought to Second Life by Procyon Games. ... It's a strategic game, so if you're looking for a game where you bash someone over the head by clicking the mouse as quickly as possible, you probably should try a different game. It's not for everyone!"

Ask DrFran: "The Roles We Play"

DrFrab Babcock is back with her column. Her most recent letter  comes from a business co-owner. Business has been good, but she's not so sure her relationship is. So what's wrong and what can help?

Read DrFran's column in People.

Melusina 's Art

Gemma Cleanslate recently attended the opening of an exhibition at the Art India Gallery. Introduced with a 1920's themed party, Melusina Parkin's work with the Art Deco style made quite an impression.

Read Gemma's article in Design.

Press Release: Burn2 Town Hall

Two BURN2 Town Hall Meetings on the Virtual Playa! You are All Invited!

Burning Man - Deep Hole, Second Life,  Saturday, February 9 the BURN2 team will host a Town Hall at 9 AM SLT and 6 PM SLT. The Burning Man Community in SL comes together twice yearly to talk about what they want to see, what they want to do, what has been planned, what should be planned, to learn what’s changed and give input on what SHOULD be changed. So why should you come to a Town Hall? Well you can ...

Find out about BURN2 and how you can be a part of it.

Find out about hosting events on Deep Hole Sim. Yes, you can use the sim for an art event, meeting, weekend performance, classes, you name it!

Get all the info on volunteering...there are no bystanders, YOU make the events at BURN2!

Get a sneak peak into the early planning for the upcoming BURN as we announce the dates!

Find out about this year’s theme...Cargo Cult!

Come early! Lamplighters will be drumming at 8:30 AM and 5:30 PM to get you in the mood!

Please arrive at least 10 minutes early on Burning Man - Deep Hole sim and proceed to Center Camp.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Burning%20Man-%20Deep%20Hole/224/92/25

To keep you occupied between Town Halls we will once again have Paintball on the Playa...or the Zombie APlayaClypse! That’s right...Grab a paintball gun, smoosh paint at the attacking Zombies (they are walking dead anyway) and splatter your friends. Expect Music and DJs too! Wear washable prims only please.

)<>(        )<>(           )<>(           )<>(           )<>(           )<>(           )<>(           )<>(           )<>(          

BURN2 is an extension of the Burning Man festival and community into the world of Second Life. It is an officially sanctioned Burning Man regional event, and the only virtual world event out of more than 100 real world Regional groups.

The BURN2 Team operates events year around, culminating in an annual major festival of community, art and fire in the fall - a virtual echo of Burning Man itself.

We'd like to encourage you to use the following labels and hashtags when you write about the event: Burn2,  #burn2 . We will promote those tags to make it easier for people to find your content

Want more information? Check out these resources

Website: http://burn2.org/

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/groups/burn2/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/BURN2BURNER

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BURN2BURNERS

Contact people:

Emcee Widget

Ronon Carver

Taralyn Gravois

Cartoon of the Day

Another "Darkstalkers" avatar from Club Zero Gravity's Miyuki Naidoo.

By Bixyl Shuftan

Preparing for "One Billion Rising"

From Gemma Cleanslate

 Preparations are well under way for the 1 Billion Rising in Second Life as part of the real life Rising. The four sims are arriving. The djs and performers are ready. Customer Relations Officers are training. Greeters are getting ready to meet you at the gates. Both groups will be able to help you move across the sims to reach your destinations. Saffia Widdershins is creating the official machimima based on the real life one that you can view on you tube :

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=fL5N8rSy4CU#!

"'Break the Chain' aims to raise awareness around the world about V-Day's fastest escalating global campaign to date, ONE BILLION RISING. The ONE BILLION RISING campaign began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS. On 14 February 2013, V-Day's 15th anniversary, activists, writers, thinkers, celebrities and women and men across the world will come together to express their outrage, strike, dance, and RISE in defiance of the injustices women suffer, demanding an end at last to violence against women.”

That is a quote from the youtube page.

You might like to read some quotes from the page Why I am Rising at the SL blog and perhaps add your own: http://onebillionrisingsl.wordpress.com/why-im-rising/

Yes! Men are involved in this and are invited!

You can also view the words of the song on the youtube site and will directed where to download it if you like. I am privileged to be a participant in the dances that will be in the sl machinima that Saffia  is filming and I can’t wait to see it . If you want to learn more about the One Billion Rising in SL and in real-life you can  hear Honour Mcmillan at the Sojourner Auditorium at Noon, 12:00 slt on Friday the 8th of February.  http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Virtual%20Ability/67/175/23

I feel as if I am giving you lots of reading homework! It is worth it. Find out more at www.onebillionrising.org.

Gemma Cleanslate 

Eye on the Blog: "Reaching into Second Life With Leap Motion"

Just after announcing it's purchase of Blocksworld and its release of dio, Linden Lab offered some news for those preferring to stick with Second Life. They had been working on a code for "Leap Motion," a controller that allows one to interact with one's computer using just hand gestures, for use in Second Life.

When our developers first saw the Leap Motion controller they couldn’t wait to get their hands on one. Thankfully, we were able to get a pre-production development kit and built demos to explore its capabilities in Second Life. The demos included tests of flight controls, object manipulation, and avatar gestures. 




 This work was strictly experimental, but it showed the power of Second Life as a platform for exploring gesture-based interactions with controllers like the Leap Motion, and we’re happy to be able to share the code with you as a starting point for your own explorations.

If you have a Leap Motion controller and would like to experiment with the Second Life Viewer, you can find the source code for these experiments at http://bitbucket.org/simon_linden/viewer-rabbit. The indra/newview/llleapmotioncontroller.cpp file contains most new functionality. The Viewer is built to work in several different modes. These modes can be used to control the avatar while flying, send data into Second Life for scripts to intercept, detect hand motions that trigger avatar gestures, or control the camera and avatar movement. To switch between these modes use the "LeapMotionTestMode" value in the Debug Settings, accessible from the Advanced menu.

To give our experiments a shot you will need get the source mentioned above and contact www.leapmotion.com to join their developer program and obtain the SDK. Currently only Windows Viewers are supported, but other platforms could be added by linking in the appropriate Leap Motion SDK.


There was a small thread on the official forums, where several residents expressed mixed opinions. A few liked it, others seemed to feel it was spending $70 for a buggy device. On the Second Life Universe forums, the posters seemed a little more interested about it. Inara Pey noted how due to a bug, one fired a gun sideways like an urban gangster. Hamlet Au thought it was too laggy to be of much use for building, but imagined some creative uses for it in adult areas with the device used for virtual spankings with just a flick of the wrist.

*Addition* Valkyrie Ice has a review of "Leap Motion"  on Aceler8or Magazine.

The Island of Lost Dreams

Second Life Newser recently was sponsored by the Island of Lost Dreams. So what is the place and the people behind it? Bixyl Shuftan was invited by its leader Lisa Salvadori to come on over and have a look. It was a place with never a boring moment, and some interesting friendships.

Read more in Extra.

The Super Bowl in Second Life

Last Sunday, millions across the United States sat down in front of their TV screens, or attended parties next to a TV, as the biggest game in football, the Super Bowl, took place. In Second Life, there was a Super Bowl party taking place at Areo Pines Park. Grease Coakes dropped in to see how the party went.

Read more in Events.

Events This Week in Second Life Feb 5 to Feb 12

It's a week full of events across the virtual world. The LEA arts festival shows off the work of over thirty artists and video producers. Drop by Valentine Town for a visual treat of hearts and candies. And we have our listing of regular live music and DJ events, talk shows, church services, races, and book and poetry readings.

See what's going on in Events this Week.

(updated 3PM SL time)

CBS Says Trekkers Can Still Roleplay Star Trek in Second Life

On Monday February 4, following a few months of worry from Second Life's Star Trek community, CBS finally answered the question of whether or not they had a problem with Trek content and roleplaying in Second Life. In short, they have no objections, as long as no one is making money off of it.

The following letter was the most recent one of a series of exchanges between CBS's legal department, and Anthony Haslage of the IFT group.



Thank you for your patience.  As I and my colleagues have previously discussed with you, CBS Studios is appreciative of the fans of STAR TREK who dedicate their time and energy to supporting the STAR TREK franchise in the real world as well as virtual worlds such as Second Life.

    After our internal discussions, we can advise that CBS Studios is pleased that STAR TREK fans interact and role-play in Second Life, but objects to fans who create and sell unlicensed, real or virtual merchandise featuring the STAR TREK properties.  As I explained during our discussion, when users of Second Life make it a commercial enterprise to sell uniforms, costume emblems, logos, badges, ships designs, props, etc., CBS Studios is obligated to protect against the unauthorized use of its rights.  CBS Studios remains concerned such an approach may cause confusion with its current or future licensed properties.

    With regard to your inquiry about obtaining a license for CBS Studios or a sublicense from its licensee, I have confirmed that at this time CBS Studios does not wish to pursue a license with you to permit third parties to sell virtual goods in the Second Life.

    You mentioned Linden Labs’ prior actions against fans of BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.  We are not aware of Linden Labs policing Second Life on its own initiative to conduct blanket sweeps related to STAR TREK as a result of our prior take-down notice pursuant to the DMCA.  Should you become aware of such activities, we would appreciate your promptly advising us.  In the meantime, should CBS Studios seek to enforce its rights against users in Second Life, CBS Studios will take reasonable steps to notify Linden Labs of the infringements with sufficient detail.

    We hope that this explanation enables your fan communities to continue to enjoy STAR TREK in Second Life.


So it would seem Trekkers in Second Life, after months of worry, can relax again. But in a meeting to discuss CBS in December, it was brought up that some had already made places in other Grids. Whether or not they'll return in another issue.

Bay City Mole Day 2013

Saturday February 2 might have been Groundhog Day to most, but in Bay City it was Mole Day. The Moles in Second Life are the fixers who help the Mainland with stability, and Bay City set a day aside to honor them. DrFran Babcock was there to check out the event and festivities.

Read DrFran's article in Events.

Linden Lab Launches Dio, "Creative and Social Experience"

Just a few days after announcing it's purchase of Blocksworld, Linden Labs unveiled it's latest product: "dio."

In the video Linden released in time for dio, it was branded as a "creative and social experience that allows anyone to make and explore places based on anything." The press release stated users could "create places by adding text, photos, videos, and interactive objects into interconnected 'rooms' that give spatial context to the content you share. You can keep your places private, share them with friends and family, or allow everyone to explore and enjoy them." It also states there was an online chat feature with other users, and in the future one would be able to make money off the places they created.



Rod Humble was quoted as saying, "dio is a new shared creative space on the web. Based around the concept of linked spaces, dio makes it easy and fun to create  or visit experiences of all kinds." He described dio as still being in development, in beta, "but so far our testers have created a vast range of spaces." He also brought up the future ability to make money by mentioning what Second Life's content creators have done, "One of the things that's made Second Life successful is that users were able to monetize their own creativity by selling their creations. Second Life's economy was extremely robots with over $500 million worth of user to user transactions last year." He hoped that by sharing ad revenue with dio space crators and allowing them to sell their spaces, "this will encourage the kid of incredible dedication and creativity we've seen in Second Life."

Forbes writer Carol Pinchefsky wrote about someone from the Linden Lab staff showing some of what dio had to offer, saying it could be used for personal pages, games , and more. He suggested the same features that could be used for a game could be used to make an advertisement for a hotel's page. Of the plans to allow dio users to make money, Pinchefsky called it a welcome contrast to the Instagram service changing it's fine print to sell the pictures uploaded by it's users without permission or giving them a dime, "Linden Lab will be giving rather than taking. It's a great concept, one that I can't wait to see implemented."

Hamlet Au expressed similar optimism about dio. He also noted that in the terms of agreement, transactions would be done in Linden dollars, and mentioned the LindeX exchange. He felt this was a sign there would be some future interaction between Second Life and dio "at least through commerce." Hamlet reported on a dio space created by SL blogger Inara Pey, "it seems to be the most detailed and interactive by far, though there seems to be no sign of it now.

Not everyone has been impressed with dio. Iris Ophelia commented that the hype made it look like "possibly the latest and greatest thing." But sitting down to take a look at it, her impression changed. She described the video as misinforming, feeling it suggested moving a character around. She, and a number of other readers, felt "dio is more like a MUCK/MUD/MUSH with pictures than anything else." The idea of using dio to make a store for Second Life merchants she thought "would be one of the least effective uses of the platform," contrasting the "dynamic social experience" of the Bare Rose store to the "comparatively static spaces of dio." She felt dio was easy to use and had much potential, "but it's not the only option, nor is it the best tool for the job."

If you want to check out dio for  yourself (and yes, it really is spelled with a lower case 'd'), go to https://www.dio.com. One of the spaces there is a new rendidtion of a classic computer game from the late 70s, "Adventure the Colossal Cave." There's also a list of tutorial videos Here.

Sources: Linden Lab, Forbes, New World Notes

Bixyl Shuftan

Cartoon of the Day

This punch line of this kind of encounter was used several years ago in Second Life Newspaper, but couldn't resist. ;-)

By Bixyl Shuftan

Figuring Out Viewer 3

As demonstrated in the recent "Relay Rap" article, it seems my Cool VL Viewer is having a harder time in Second Life these days, objects and people taking longer to rezz. Firestorm won't work on my Mac, for whatever reason. So I'm taking a look at the official viewer from Linden Lab, Viewer 3 (or rather, Viewer 3.4.5 as the latest version is called).

So far, it does rezz objects and people faster, sometimes. Other times, it can lag almost as badly. Although items rezz eventually, it seems more likely to freeze up and crash. The interface is quite different from Viewer One and similar Third-Party viewers. I had to look around for the minimap and movement controls for a minute. Looking for the map took time. I still haven't figured out yet how to shout a text beyond 20 meters. And multiple IMs can be a problem.

And oh yeah, if you log off V3 in one avatar, use another in Cool VL (and presumably Phoenix, Singularity, and others) and log out without changing, logging back into Viewer 3, you'll be wearing both avatars. Quirks like these can result in a few surprises.

Hopefully I'll be figuring this out soon.

Bixyl Shuftan

The End for "Flufee"

Since September 2011, the "Fluffee on a Meshion" video series from Pookymedia has been entertaining Second Life residents. But after a year and a half, it seems the videos are coming to an end. Episode 19, "Quo Vadis Fluffah," will be the last.



The videos took a brief hiatus in June 2012, but after the summer there were a few more.

Comments have been coming in on both the Youtube video and the "Superflufee" account, expressing sadness over the news. Producer Draxtor Despress stated in the video he and Pooky Amsterdam didn't own the rights to Flufee. In the comments below, he stated there were differences in opinion "about how to make someone popular in today's world."

And so, the final video shows Flufee driving off into real life. At the end are a few words from Torley Linden wishing Flufee well, "You truly are an iconic character."

New Sponsor

Second Life Newser has a new sponsor, the Island of Lost Dreams roleplay sim.

SL Video: "Podex Exchange"

"The commercial of Podex Exchange - official Linden Lab reseller of lindens. Visit our web page to buy, sell and exchange linden dollars. Thousands of satisfied customers can not be wrong! http://www.podex.info/ "

(Dis)Ability in Second Life Research

This week on Virtual Ability Island, Ambrosia108 Azalee discusses her ongoing research study about Second Life and its disabled residents. Her second discussion is tomorrow at 8AM SL time. For her first, DrFran Babcock was there in the audience, and wrote about the event.

Read about the discussion in Events. 

After the Redheads, Not One Team But Two

Following the announcement to close down the "Passionate Redheads" Relay, people were asking two questions. One, why couldn't the team be saved. And two, what would take it's place. There was another statement issued for further explanations, and not one but two of the Redhead leaders stepped forward with their plans for a new team.

Read more in  People.

128,000 Lindens Raised for Alzheimers/Dementia Research

Yesterday at the "Sweethearts Jazz Original" club, a number of musicians performed to raise money for Alzheimers and Dementia research. Among the singers was Mandkind Tracer (Seth Reagan), and Debi Latte, whom closed the event from 5 to 6PM, "looks like they had a great day. I think they had hit the 100,000 mark right before I started, so that feels good!" When Debi finally got off stage, the amount had gone up to 128,000. There were over three dozen avatars at the club while she was singing.

Debi Latte sings live at a number of clubs in Second Life.