PostHeaderIcon See the Hazards of Second Life

Yes, Second Life can really screw with your First Life.

Watch out or you'll find yourself in faerie-tale land where everything is dream-perfect, until you open your Real Life eyes. I don't live in the U.K. - but this is a television programme I'd sure like to see. Take a peek at the excerpt here (it's funny,in a tragic sort of way...)
The Land Of Make Believe - The Daily Record
Carolyn fell "virtually"in love with the Avatar of a man living 5000 miles away in the UK. Now, she is planning a visit to meet him because she wants to find out if she is as in love in the real world as she is in the virtual world.All this sounds perfectly reasonable to Carolyn, but less so to her husband, Lee...

PostHeaderIcon Linden Lab Working To Beef Up Second Life

Well, I guess it's official. Havok 4, HTML-on-a-prim and official "Sleek" clients on the way, along with some very interesting voice options, such as phone RL phone numbers and voice mail. Though, I'm more interested in the text-to-speech-to-text idea myself.

Mitch strikes again with that cool, insightful (inside?) knowledge he usually has when he unloads about SL in his columns.

Thanks, dood!

Linden Lab Working To Beef Up Second Life Stability, Usability -- Second Life -- InformationWeek
The company is rolling out upgrades to Second Life's s physics engine, developing a Web browser that will work in-world, and putting the finishing touches on a lightweight client for text and voice chat.


PostHeaderIcon RL Cars in SL?

I've never really understood the whole concept of cars in Second Life. Jet packs, starships, even plain old planes I can wrap my mind around. Boats, too. but cars? Well, to each their own, I guess. Regardless of my understanding why they exist (and sell popularly for big bucks,) they are hear to stay.

For real now.

iMagicLab is opening a customer center in Second Life. Now, this means you can connect to a Real Life car dealer in SL locally down the road or across the world. Supposedly, you'll actually be able to shop for a new RL car in SL.

Okay, when I bought my last truck, I tried to shop for it online through the plain old web. It turned out to be a nightmare. But, that was eight years ago. Things are far better today. And now, from withing SL, you'll soon enough be able to shop models and perhaps 'test-drive' one.

I know, I'm laughing out of my chair, too.
iMagicLab to Open Virtual Customer Center in Second Life
Owings Mills, MD (PRWEB) January 28, 2008 -- iMagicLab is pleased to announce that it will launch a new Automobile Dealer Relations Center (ADRC) for the expanding inhabitants of the virtual world “Second Life”. On the iMagicLab island “AutoLand”, Second Life avatars can visit a new multi-brand showroom, experience custom cars and chat with up to fifty nationwide car dealers at a time about pricing, availability and service issues.

PostHeaderIcon Real Life in Second Life

I've never really understood the whole concept of cars in Second Life. Jet packs, starships, even plain old planes I can wrap my mind around. Boats, too. But cars? Well, to each their own, I guess. Regardless of my understanding why they exist (and sell popularly for big bucks,) they are here to stay.

Now they are here for real.

iMagicLab is opening a customer center in Second Life. Now, this means you can connect to a Real Life car dealer in SL locally down the road or across the world. Supposedly, you'll actually be able to shop for a new RL car in SL.

Okay, when I bought my last truck, I tried to shop for it online through the plain old web. It turned out to be a nightmare. But, that was eight years ago. Things are far better today. And now, from withing SL, you'll soon enough be able to shop models and perhaps 'test-drive' one.

I know, I'm laughing out of my chair, too.
iMagicLab to Open Virtual Customer Center in Second Life
Owings Mills, MD (PRWEB) January 28, 2008 -- iMagicLab is pleased to announce that it will launch a new Automobile Dealer Relations Center (ADRC) for the expanding inhabitants of the virtual world “Second Life”. On the iMagicLab island “AutoLand”, Second Life avatars can visit a new multi-brand showroom, experience custom cars and chat with up to fifty nationwide car dealers at a time about pricing, availability and service issues.
Source

PostHeaderIcon Second Life Validated?

When government, local or not, enters SL. It's a real possibility. This industry rag speaks of a Canadian government office eying SL quite seriously, at least for information distribution. I know the U.K. has a tax advisor in-world. I think that's actually a great idea.

It's only a matter of time. So, if you're a resident, consider yourself on the bleeding edge of the future.

Second Life has potential for public sector, says analyst
Governments have been taking tentative steps towards establishing a presence in the virtual world. And while the business case may yet to be proven, there is potential for the public sector to utilize virtual applications such as Second Life, says analyst Alison Brooks.

PostHeaderIcon Woohoo - T.V. Special about the hazards of SL

Yes, Second Life can really screw with your First Life.

Watch out or you'll find yourself in faerie-tale land where everything is dream-perfect, until you open your Real Life eyes. I don't live in the U.K. - but this is a television programme I'd sure like to see. Take a peek at the excerpt here (it's funny,in a tragic sort of way...)
The Land Of Make Believe - The Daily Record
Carolyn fell "virtually"in love with the Avatar of a man living 5000 miles away in the UK. Now, she is planning a visit to meet him because she wants to find out if she is as in love in the real world as she is in the virtual world.All this sounds perfectly reasonable to Carolyn, but less so to her husband, Lee...

PostHeaderIcon Second Life has potential for public sector

Now that will be the one that validates everything. When government, local or not, enters SL. It's a real possibility. This industry rag speaks of a Canadian government office eying SL quite seriously, at least for information distribution. I know the U.K. has a tax advisor in-world. I think that's actually a great idea.

It's only a matter of time. So, if you're a resident, consider yourself on the bleeding edge of the future.

Second Life has potential for public sector, says analyst
Governments have been taking tentative steps towards establishing a presence in the virtual world. And while the business case may yet to be proven, there is potential for the public sector to utilize virtual applications such as Second Life, says analyst Alison Brooks.

PostHeaderIcon Japanese Hotel Industry Using SL to It's Advantage

Naoki's Garden at sunsetSecond Life has it all. Including it's own T.V. channels and news shows (yes, it really does.)

The amazing thing is, there is a hotel chain planning a campaign in Second Life, beginning with T.V. commercials on the virtual T.V. network and rolling on from there.

However, in looking at it, it looks like they might be on to something here.
Solare Hotels and Resorts Implements Japanese Hotel Industry’s
With the goal of establishing 50 locations through Japan by 2010 and to gain recognition for their “Chisun Inn” roadside hotel brand, Solare has begun a campaign using the new communication medium “Second Life.” Because a high ratio of Second Life users are thought to be those who have not had the opportunity to come into contact with this brand, such as young adults and women, who hold the initiative for trip scheduling, a puppy-themed campaign was developed to appeal to this segment.

PostHeaderIcon Commercial Hotel Does Second Life Right

Build it and they will come. Fail.

Second Life has it all. Including it's own T.V. channels and news shows, fashion shows, beauty pageants (how good can you make your avatar look, I guess.) We've all heard about the 'massive marketing failures suffered by real life companies entering Second Life."

The amazing thing is, there is a real life hotel chain planning a campaign in Second Life, beginning with T.V. commercials on the virtual T.V. network and rolling on from there. However, in looking at it, it looks like they might be on to something here.
With the goal of establishing 50 locations through Japan by 2010 and to gain recognition for their “Chisun Inn” roadside hotel brand, Solare has begun a campaign using the new communication medium “Second Life.” Because a high ratio of Second Life users are thought to be those who have not had the opportunity to come into contact with this brand, such as young adults and women, who hold the initiative for trip scheduling, a puppy-themed campaign was developed to appeal to this segment.
Source

PostHeaderIcon "The shine comes off social networking"

Ummm... duh.

Wow, all these news agencies are only now starting to catch-up to what we've all known for the last six months. Still, a fascinating article from the SL newspaper 'Telegraph' in the U.K.
The shine comes off social networking - Telegraph
despite this, Second Life seems to be losing some of its lustre. According to Alexa.com, a web monitoring site, the "reach" of Second Life - the number of global users that visit the site - has been in steady decline over the past year. A particularly sharp drop occurred shortly after Linden Labs, the company behind Second Life, banned gambling in the virtual world last July. More worrying than that, the number of paid-for accounts in Second Life fell in the wake of the gambling ban, with 5,810 premium accounts going unrenewed between July and August. Premium account holders pay Linden Labs a membership fee and a weekly stipend and land ownership privileges in the virtual universe.

PostHeaderIcon It's a Griefer's World

Griefers in SL have been around a long time. I remember when they first started appearing. In face, the worst griefers before these organized groups appeared there othat people simply bumping into you and intentionally pushing you around.

So, unlike the SL Herald tabloid blog, Wired magazine (usually just another useless tabloid, I feel) actually has an interesting article based on the last large, organized attack of the Patriotic Nigras. I found it to actually be an interesting read. I've linked it, just in case you might agree.
Mutilated Furries, Flying Phalluses: Put the Blame on Griefers,
"We do it for the lulz," ^ban^ says — for laughs. Asked how some people can find their greatest amusement in pissing off others, ^ban^ gives the question a moment's thought: "Most of us," he says finally, with a wry chuckle, "are psychotic."
Source

PostHeaderIcon Your Tax Dollars Hard at Work

How about I compel you to cough up a chunk of change from your pocket, then turn around and give it away to some radio station so they can experiment with running a radio station in Second Life, even though you are already there, experimenting on your own, running and DJ-ing your own radio station?

Well, as is typical, it's happened.

Your tax dollars are hard at work, working against you... again.

Here’s a cool concept: launch a branded virtual radio station in Second Life.
That’s an idea from WGBH in Boston, and now it has a grant to help. Second Life is an online “virtual world.” WGBH wants to be heard there and is one of several public broadcast entities to receive money for new media initiatives from CPB.
Source

PostHeaderIcon Mutilated Furries, Flying Phalluses: Must-read!

Griefers in SL have been around a long time. I remember when they first started appearing. In face, the worst griefers before these organized groups appeared there othat people simply bumping into you and intentionally pushing you around.

So, unlike the SL Herald tabloid blog, Wired magazine (usually just another useless tabloid, I feel) actually has an interesting article based on the last large, organized attack of the Patriotic Nigras. I found it to actually be an interesting read. I've linked it, just in case you might agree.

Mutilated Furries, Flying Phalluses: Put the Blame on Griefers,
"We do it for the lulz," ^ban^ says — for laughs. Asked how some people can find their greatest amusement in pissing off others, ^ban^ gives the question a moment's thought: "Most of us," he says finally, with a wry chuckle, "are psychotic."

PostHeaderIcon Your Tax Dollars at Work

How about I compel you to cough up a chunk of change from your pocket, then turn around and give it away to some radio station so they can experiment with running a radio station in Second Life, even though you are already there, experimenting on your own, running and DJ-ing your own radio station?

Well, as is typical, it's happened.

Your tax dollars are hard at work, working against you... again.

" Here’s a cool concept: launch a branded virtual radio station in Second Life.

That’s an idea from WGBH in Boston, and now it has a grant to help. Second Life is an online “virtual world.” WGBH wants to be heard there and is one of several public broadcast entities to receive money for new media initiatives from CPB. "

See the full article here.

PostHeaderIcon Banking Meltdown Infects the Virtual World

I'm almost getting tired of hearing about the SL Bank SNAFUs going on, and there are other bloggers doing a well enough job keeping everyone up to date. But, I did find a refreshing perspective on the scenario from (gasp!) Australian media. Yes, it's the same news we already know. In fact not even really a different spin on any of it. It's just an interesting read:
Banking meltdown infects the virtual world
heated discussion in various online forums about what "virtual economy" actually means, whether a virtual bank can be a real investment opportunity, whether real-world money is in fact real, and what the hell does "real" really mean. I mean … really?

PostHeaderIcon Careful, You Might be In Legal Trouble

I ran into this article about the top five myths or 'fumbles' so-called law analysts tend to favor when applying real world law to the metaverse or any virtual world. I read through the list and for me it all looks not only reasonable, but intuitive (as in 'duh' - of course).

I've posted the number one 'fumble below, but if you want to read through the entire list eh way it's presented (5 backward to 1) - then click the following link and have a look.

It might actually prove enlightening and instructive. And, I foresee more and more arguments via law between residents and their intellectual rights. I build and create stuff in SL, too. And, I'll admit that if I run across another item that is so similar in design, close enough that from a distance someone who's never seen it before might not really be able to see true differences, my first course of action will be a cease and desist - regardless if thier object was built from scratch and there was some wierd cosmic event that caused them to think the same way I did.

If my product is in world first, I will stake my claim and use the law to protect it. And I would expect, and respect anyone else who does the same thing. It's amazing how many fraudsters there are in SL. Take the 'Business in a Box' examples. Pah-leese. I can run around gathering up freebies all over the grid and bundle them together, too.
So, how do I prove my product was first in-world? Simple. I take two photographs - one stays in-world, the other is saved to disk. The one saved to disk is emailed to myself and printed. Once a week I gather my prints and snail-mail them to myself.

The in-world version has a time and date stamp on it that I can't change. The email version also has time and date stamped all through the header. My killer back-up is the postal snail-mail envelope I mailed to myself. As long as I don't open it. The United States postal cancellation (date and time stamp) is admissible in a court of law.
The number one fumble law analysts make when speaking of law and Second Life:
“If no one’s been convicted, it must be legal!” This is by far the most common fumble analysts make regarding questions in virtual law. It is fed by the (admittedly appealing) idea that virtual worlds are “just different.” It is nonsense. Consider this: nobody has figured out how to kill with a blue laser beam yet. If someone does so though, it would be completely reasonable to say that the act is illegal even before a jury finds a defendant guilty of that particular method of murder. Juries evaluate facts, the law is what it is. The fact that people just recently figured out how to defraud each other using prim-based ATMs, in-world messages, and avatars, doesn’t change the fact that the underlying fraud is, itself, illegal."
Source 

PostHeaderIcon Virtual Law Analysis - Watch it... you might be in trouble here

I ran into this article about the top five myths or 'fumbles' so-called law analysts tend to favor when applying real world law to the metaverse or any virtual world. I read through the list and for me it all looks not only reasonable, but intuitive (as in 'duh' - of course).

I've posted the number one 'fumble below, but if you want to read through the entire list eh way it's presented (5 backward to 1) - then click the following link and have a look.

Commentary: Top Five Virtual Law Analysis Fumbles | Virtually Blind | Virtual Law

It might actually prove enlightening and instructive. And, I foresee more and more arguments via law between residents and their intellectual rights. I build and create stuff in SL, too. And, I'll admit that if I run across another item that is so similar in design, close enough that from a distance someone who's never seen it before might not really be able to see true differences, my first course of action will be a cease and desist - regardless if thier object was built from scratch and there was some wierd cosmic event that caused them to think the same way I did.

If my product is in world first, I will stake my claim and use the law to protect it. And I would expect, and respect anyone else who does the same thing. It's amazing how many fraudsters there are in SL. Take the 'Business in a Box' examples. Pah-leese. I can run around gathering up freebies all over the grid and bundle them together, too.

So, how do I prove my product was first in-world? Simple. I take two photographs - one stays in-world, the other is saved to disk. The one saved to disk is emailed to myself and printed. Once a week I gather my prints and snail-mail them to myself.

The in-world version has a time and date stamp on it that I can't change. The email version also has time and date stamped all through the header. My killer back-up is the postal snail-mail envelope I mailed to myself. As long as I don't open it. The United States postal cancellation (date and time stamp) is admissible in a court of law.

The number one fumble law analysts make when speaking of law and Second Life:
“If no one’s been convicted, it must be legal!” This is by far the most common fumble analysts make regarding questions in virtual law. It is fed by the (admittedly appealing) idea that virtual worlds are “just different.” It is nonsense. Consider this: nobody has figured out how to kill with a blue laser beam yet. If someone does so though, it would be completely reasonable to say that the act is illegal even before a jury finds a defendant guilty of that particular method of murder. Juries evaluate facts, the law is what it is. The fact that people just recently figured out how to defraud each other using prim-based ATMs, in-world messages, and avatars, doesn’t change the fact that the underlying fraud is, itself, illegal.

PostHeaderIcon It wouldn't be so funny, if it weren't so real...

I remember a bit ago, some boneheaded journalist seriously eclaiming 'injuries and deaths' in Second Life. A virtual world. Well, Network World has an article that starts out sounds just as ridiculous and idiotic.

Except that the main thrust of the article is very serious, indeed. The stupid part is quoted below. On the face of it,this author is a laughing stock. However, because this soy is so similar to the one I spoke of earlier, from Australia... perhaps this auther still is a bonehead?
Does Al-Qaeda need a Second Life? - Network World
Bad things can happen in Second Life. Just ask presidential candidate John Edwards--whose virtual campaign site was defaced--or the owners of American Apparel--whose virtual store was bombed and invaded by armed avatars who shot and injured several virtual customers. In Second Life, the popular virtual reality game created by Linden Research, these kinds of incidents are referred to as "griefer" attacks.

PostHeaderIcon Interplanetary Second Life


Now this is what I'm talking about!

Everytime we hear of or read about Second Life, the visions of cyber sex and griefers dance through our heads. Thousands of peoploe just wasting their time, right?
What you may or may not be aware of are the beneficial sides of SL and how it's being used in a therapeutic way by so many. handicapped and other people use it to experience what we others call a 'normal' life.

People separated from loved ones use it as an intimate way to remain close while separated so far apart. and now even NASA is considering jumping on that bandwagon.
Imagine flying to Mars to explore the desolate planet. How long will it take to get there? Once there, how long will you stay? And then there's the return trip. Just how lonely will you get there? How do you keep from going stir-crazy?

NASA is looking into that very thing and they have SL and WoW in their sights.
"While aerospace engineers are designing the Ares rockets to be deployed in the Mars missions, a more starry-eyed contingent at NASA is testing networking and virtual reality technologies that they think will connect the first wave of Mars pioneers with their families, friends and colleagues back on Earth, in a 3-D virtual world cut from the mold of Second Life or World of Warcraft."
Source 

PostHeaderIcon NASA Dreams of an Interplanetary 'Second Life'

Now this is what I'm talking about!

Everytime we hear of or read about Second Life, the visions of cyber sex and griefers dance through our heads. Thousands of peoploe just wasting their time, right?

What you may or may not be aware of are the beneficial sides of SL and how it's being used in a therapeutic way by so many. handicapped and other people use it to experience what we others call a 'normal' life.

People separated from loved ones use it as an intimate way to remain close while separated so far apart. and now even NASA is considering jumping on that bandwagon.

Imagine flying to Mars to explore the desolate planet. How long will it take to get there? Once there, how long will you stay? And then there's the return trip. Just how lonely will you get there? How do you keep from going stir-crazy?
NASA is looking into that very thing and they have SL and WoW in their sights.
NASA Dreams of an Interplanetary 'Second Life' for Mars Crew
While aerospace engineers are designing the Ares rockets to be deployed in the Mars missions, a more starry-eyed contingent at NASA is testing networking and virtual reality technologies that they think will connect the first wave of Mars pioneers with their families, friends and colleagues back on Earth, in a 3-D virtual world cut from the mold of Second Life or World of Warcraft.

PostHeaderIcon Even Microsoft needs a Second Life

A fascinating article from the tech news front regarding Microsoft and how adept it is as coming from behind to clobber competition that is way out if front of it.

Remeber Microsoft vs. Netscape for example. Netscape was the defacto standard web browser. Now, for better or worse, it;s Internet Explorer - which is now actually based on Mozilla!

And then there are those of use who remember WordPerfect. But now, everything seems to need to be in Microsoft Word format to be compatible enough to throw around from person to person.

And now - the new "3-D Web" will be the new battleground to be faught. The problem (or benefit, depending on who you ask) is that Microsoft doesn't even see it yet. How fascinating!

Read the article. Then, tell me what you think. Would it be a good thing or a bad thing if Microsoft develops what becomes the defacto 3D Web viewer?
Redmond Developer News | Mastering the Game
Microsoft is spending a ton fighting yesterdays Web 2.0 battles, yet invests a pittance on the area most crucial to Microsofts future. Microsoft very much needs to get a second life, to support the Microsoft pioneers in SL with serious resources and to start to learn its way around SL now -- before its too late

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