Posts from the Odds And Ends Category at Second Life Insider

Today in Second Life - Thursday 1 November, 2007

Posted Nov 2nd 2007 2:59AM by Tateru Nino
Filed under: Odds and Ends

The end of one day and the beginning of another

Today in Second Life we had:

27,981 new signups bringing us to 10,614,271 signups total.
A peak concurrency of 51,914 at 2:25PM, and a minimum concurrency of 26,808 at 1:15AM. Median concurrency for the day was 39,933.
The Grid Stability Index for the day was 1.58 (lower is better).
Yes, huge changes are afoot at Second Life Insider. Full details in one hour.
A short notice rolling restart of the grid.
A new viewer release candidate (RC2).
Havok 4 and the beta grid are back up again.

Today in Second Life - Wednesday 31 October, 2007

Posted Nov 1st 2007 2:59AM by Tateru Nino
Filed under: Odds and Ends

Today in Second Life we had:

32,528 new signups bringing us to 10,585,610 signups total.
A peak concurrency of 50,872 at 3:30PM, and a minimum concurrency of 27,105 at 1:05AM. Median concurrency for the day was 39,968.
The Grid Stability Index for the day was 1.84 (lower is better).
Famed teen resident Katharine Berry turns her back on Second Life.
Akela rounds up some of the best Halloween Haunts in Second Life, while Moo brings you an excellent list of Halloween freebies and cheapies!
It turns out that screen legend, and deft comedian Stephen Fry has a Second Life too.
A Second Life grid backbone service failed causing some users to have login problems.
Group IMs have been identified as having some ongoing issues.
Hamlet Au wants to know what you think about the quality of Linden-to-resident communication.
The 18th episode of SLI's very own podcast, On The Inside, is available now with Ansel Gasparini, the author of Second Life: A Guide to Your Virtual World.
Accounts and Inventory on the beta-grid is being wiped and reloaded from the main grid, there are several upgrades, and improvements to Havok.
Grady Booch rocks - but then again, he always has.
DJ Nexeus Fatale gives back to the community.
slscout.com launches a new social networking site for Second Life.
Moo provides a quick primer on encoding video for Machinima.

Nexeus Fatale: DJ For a Cause

Posted Oct 31st 2007 6:53PM by Akela Talamasca
Filed under: News, Events, Odds and Ends, Arts and Culture, Live Performance

Nexeus Fatale, DJ Extraordinaire, has hit upon a great way to give back to the community. His 'DJ For a Cause' mission is to donate his DJ services to anyone, individual or organization, who fits the requirements: Their event must be philanthropic in nature (such as fund raising) and has to embody the Holiday theme of giving to others.

I see this as a great way to promote SL's philanthropic nature, which is embodied in its residents. These days, most of the press goes to sensational events, and not enough to the altruism that I see so often in-world. Nexeus is on the right track with this, and hopes that others will follow this example. You can read more of this here.

(Thanks, Nexeus!)

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'Second Life for Teens', but Without Second Life

Posted Oct 31st 2007 6:34PM by Akela Talamasca
Filed under: News, Odds and Ends

This is your moment of WTF? Dorling Kindersley, who many of you may know through their wonderful Eyewitness Series of illustrated reference books, have created a new game in Habbo Hotel to promote a new Christmas book called Do Not Open. Apparently it's going well, attracting over 1,000 players in its first week.

However, DK is calling this approach the 'Second Life For Teens model' -- but they're not using Second Life to do it! Couldn't they have called it the 'Virtual Worlds For Teens model' instead? Not to assume too much about the intelligence of the average member of the public, but I can see people getting confused about this quite easily. And it begs the question: Does DK have an interest in SL at all?

(Via The Bookseller)

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Booch is no mooch

Posted Oct 31st 2007 6:19PM by Akela Talamasca
Filed under: Odds and Ends

Grady Booch might not be a household name, but he's the Chief Scientist for IBM's Rational Software Corp. unit. In a recent interview with Computerworld, Booch has held forth on a number of topics, including his take on SL. His approach to explaining the value of SL to himself is practical:

"IBM has 50 or so islands that we own [in Second Life]. We've derived business value by using it internally. I can look at the lectures I have done and say, "I have saved IBM money." Certainly the company saves huge costs on employee travel and accomodations by holding meetings in SL. Why isn't this being trumpeted more often as worthwhile to the average user? He has a bit more to say, so go check out the rest of the interview.

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Good Summary of Virtual Worlds Forum Europe

Posted Oct 31st 2007 6:02PM by Akela Talamasca
Filed under: Events, Odds and Ends

Tech Digest does a good job here of highlighting 20 trends gleaned from their recent trip to the Virtual Worlds Forum Europe, and they go like this:

1. Shedloads of virtual worlds will be launched in 2008
2. Teen-focused virtual worlds are huge
3. Brands still get it wrong
4. There's a problem with communication
5. There will be big growth in corporate use of virtual worlds

... and 15 more. It would be boorish and redundant to list all twenty here, even without explanation. You'll simply have to trust me and go check out the list yourselves.

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Halloween Haunts: Spooky Straylight

Posted Oct 31st 2007 7:37AM by Akela Talamasca
Filed under: Odds and Ends, Great Builds

Even the venerable Straylight sim is getting the Halloween treatment! Thanks to Kriss Lehmann for pointing it out to me, else I'd not have seen it. As you'll see in the gallery, apparently a race of spiders has taken over a good stretch of the forest, and an eerie green glow is emanating from afar. But wait! All is not lost! Make your way to the reception area, and look! A jaunty Halloween party awaits all who enter!

I took advantage of the festivities to chat up a fellow canine and enjoyed the orbiting witchkitty on her broom. There are likely more fun things to be seen, but I'm a wolfie on a mission, I am. Go check it out for yourself!

(Thanks, Kriss!)

Gallery: Spooky Straylight

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Halloween Haunts: The Masque of the Red Death

Posted Oct 31st 2007 7:07AM by Akela Talamasca
Filed under: Odds and Ends, Great Builds

Nebulosus Severine has taken a slightly different tack with her build -- she's based it upon the classic horror tale 'The Masque of the Red Death', by E. A. Poe, which can be gotten here. It's recommended that you read through the story to familiarize yourself with the layout of the place, and to imbue yourself with the proper atmosphere so you can truly appreciate what Nebulosus has done here.

In fact, not only should you read through the story, but you should also check out the lovely slideshow put together by Vady; not only is it representative of the sights to be had there, but it's also presented in a notably gothic, decaying-projector style that completely complements the build itself. Bravo, Nebulosus! Old Edgar Allen himself would be proud of you!

(Thanks, Nebulosus!)

Gallery: Masque of the Red Death

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Halloween Haunts: DarkDharma Daguerre's Manor

Posted Oct 31st 2007 6:26AM by Akela Talamasca
Filed under: Odds and Ends, Great Builds

DarkDharma Daguerre is a hell of an artist. Not only is this one fantastic build, but look at her avatar! That alone would be reason enough for coverage, but the classically spooky haunted house is full of little tricks and treats as well. 9 tarot bags of goodies await your discovery, with various surprises contained within. Let it be known that the house itself belongs to Sagittar Spengler, who did us all a favor by letting DarkDharma work her mischief within.

And hey, if you're as impressed as I was with everything, that might entice you into inquiring about her avatar creation business, which is just across the way from this build! I've only taken a few shots, leaving it for you all to discover, which is all the fun!

(Thanks, DarkDharma and Sagittar!)

Gallery: DarkDharma

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Today in Second Life - Tuesday 30 October, 2007

Posted Oct 31st 2007 2:59AM by Tateru Nino
Filed under: Odds and Ends

Today in Second Life we had:

31,133 new signups bringing us to 10,551,423 signups total.
A peak concurrency of 53,256 at 2:50PM, and a minimum concurrency of 27,078 at 1:30AM. Median concurrency for the day was 40,114.
The Grid Stability Index for the day was 1.37 (lower is better).
The Wonderland scandal in the mainstream media has been exposed to an estimated 50 or 60 million people.
Linden Lab data feeds are still giving troubles.
The Public JIRA has been giving troubles through the day.
Four big-name designer brand islands are down right now 'for personal reasons'.
An Evening of Beauty at Tete-a-pied.

Halloween Haunts: Dykemare on Elm Street

Posted Oct 30th 2007 8:36PM by Akela Talamasca
Filed under: Events, Odds and Ends, Great Builds

Continuing with SL's best Halloween-themed builds, here's far-and-away one of the creepiest I've ever enjoyed. The fine folk calling themselves ELITE (Electronic Lesbians In Their Element) have created quite an amazing build they call Dykemare on Elm Street.

Great builds are more than mere geometry; excellent textures are of far more value than prim contortions, and these are fantastic! A lot of weathering, cracks, grunge, and overall color choices make for a claustrophobic, decaying site that will have even the most stalwart heart quail in fear. For those brave enough to make the trip, there's also a photo contest, the winner of which will net 3,500L! Go check 'em out!

(Thanks, Kelly!)

Gallery: Dykemare

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Halloween Haunts: Graveyard Dancefloor

Posted Oct 30th 2007 7:01AM by Akela Talamasca
Filed under: Building, Odds and Ends, Great Builds

I got some responses to my call for Halloween-themed builds, so I'm going to give them some love as promised. First, we have a lovely graveyard dancefloor, which can be yours courtesy of Csteph Submariner and SLexchange. I've tested it, as you can see in the Gallery; it's definitely danceable! And don't weep for me, dancing all alone; as a werewolf, I'm obliged now and again to do the odd Monster Mash.

(Thanks, Chris!)

Gallery: Graveyard Dancefloor

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Today in Second Life - Monday 29 October, 2007

Posted Oct 30th 2007 2:59AM by Tateru Nino
Filed under: Odds and Ends

Today in Second Life we had:

26,734 new signups bringing us to 10,519,814 signups total.
A peak concurrency of 53,269 at 3:15PM, and a minimum concurrency of 25,644 at 3:05AM. Median concurrency for the day was 39,775.
The Grid Stability Index for the day was 1.41 (lower is better).
A short burst of problems with the login servers in the early morning.
CNN has announced that they will be coming in to Second Life, gathering news submissions from residents.
Linden Lab says oops, we may have double-billed land-use fees to some residents.
Linden Lab releases the September quality-of-service metrics.

Combat Cards Revisited

Posted Oct 29th 2007 7:01AM by Akela Talamasca
Filed under: Gadgets, Odds and Ends

It's been a while since my last (first) post about Combat Cards, the SL game of strategy and mayhem. In the intervening months, there have been a lot of changes. There are more cards to be played, more locations in which to play them, and more combatants as well. In fact, Combat Cards just finished a tournament that saw the top 4 scorers battle it out to the delight of all. If ever you were intrigued by this idea, now's the time to check it out!

I recently posed to be on one of the cards, and was told that Osprey Therian and Doc Boffin are looking for horror-themed models, so if you think you have an avatar that will fit right in with these, do contact them in-world. Here's a link to their website, and here's their blog, and here is their in-world location. Forget Tringo; this is a great example of an engaging, complex, absorbing game produced entirely within SL! Check out the tutorial here, then go fight the good fight!

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Today in Second Life - Sunday 28 October, 2007

Posted Oct 29th 2007 2:59AM by Tateru Nino
Filed under: Odds and Ends

Today in Second Life we had:

31,387 new signups bringing us to 10,490,916 signups total.
A peak concurrency of 56,181 at 2:25PM (a new record!), and a minimum concurrency of 29,033 at 11:50PM. Median concurrency for the day was 43,077.
The Grid Stability Index for the day was 1.15 (lower is better).
An early morning services failure caused considerable angst at the time, but took place quite early, and the rest of the day ran surprisingly smoothly.
Linden Lab has started a survey on inventory-loss. If you've lost stuff, you're invited to run through the questionnaire.