Linden Lab has closed the Mesh/Live Volunteer programme and applications from private full sim owners to join the programme will no longer be accepted.
This can be taken as a further sign that the mesh roll-out is progressing, and according to Charlie Linden some 30% of the Main grid is now mesh-enabled, including both the Magnum and Le Tigre Release Candidate channels (Le Tigre was prepped for mesh last week, and the initial mesh project roll-out occurred on the 10th August).
The public mesh sandbox region (SLurl) is still available for use, which includes two adult-rated sims as well as the G-rated sims.
For those wishing to se mesh on the Main grid, or have a play, the “Viewer 3.0.0″ Beta candidate with mesh support can be downloaded here.
Alongside the release of the Beta of “Viewer 3.0“, Linden Lab have confirmed that the following main grid regions are now all mesh-enabled:
All regions assigned to the Secondlife RC Mesh channel (presumably those sim that have, to date, been a part of the Mesh/Live Volunteer programme
All regions on the Magnum RC channel.
So, if you’re on the Magnum RC channel, want to play with mesh but haven’t been able to – now you can, subject to meeting the upload requirements (having Payment Information On File and completing the upload status tutorial/questionnaire) and possibly the OK from your sim owner.
The “Viewer 3.0.0” Beta candidate with mesh support can be downloaded here.
It appears that Viewer 3.0 is about to arrive on our doorsteps.
Now, before you all start jumping up and down, it’s not another new version of the Viewer – well, not exactly – nor is it in any way an admission that Viewer 2 has “failed”.
Rather, it is all part of the arrival of mesh across the Main grid and not indicative of any major overhaul of the Viewer.
Opensource Obscure was the first to notice the change, and his digging got the following comment from Oz Linden, “the transition to the version number of 3 points to support the introduction of ‘import of 3D models’” (i.e. mesh).
Interestingly, the version number is on the latest development Viewer (3.0.1 (238085), dated 9th August) which does not support mesh; whereas the latest mesh project Viewer issued earlier the same day retains a 2.8 release number (2.8.2.(238103)).
Speculation is that the new version number will be officially announced at this weekend’s SLCC, ahead of the planned completion of mesh roll-out, which is due at the end of August.
Addendum
At 14:48 PDT, Linden Lab announced a Beta release of “Viewer 3.0.0” with mesh support was available for download and trial.
Burn 2, formerly Burning Life, is now gearing-up for action, having just had its Community Day on August 5th.
Scheduled for the week of October 1st through 9th, this year’s event is themed as “Rites of Passage”, defined as “There are moments of crisis and frisson in our lives which inform us that we’ve somehow crossed an inner threshold and are changed. Thus moving from one state of being into an unknown other obliges us to face our innermost insecurities, and it requires faith, a willingness to leap off the ladder of ordered existence. Our theme this year invites participants to join with others in creating rites of passage.”
Burn 2 – originally Burning Life – commenced in 2003 as an in-world extension / interpretation of the annual Burning Man event, dedicated to “community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance”, and held each year in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada.
Until 2010, the event was sponsored by Linden Lab, which also spawned a series of “afterburn” events that would be held throughout the year, including the 2004 Winter Expo and the 2010 Spring Fling.
This year, Burn 2 will, as a non-Linden sponsored event, be centred on two sims, Burning Man – Deep Hole and Burning Man – Silver Seed (SLurls), and the organisers are currently calling for help in a number of areas:
For volunteers to help with the running of the event
Linden Lab today issued the second in their “monthly updates”, covering August. I’m still not sure I like this monthly approach to keeping us informed on things – particularly as most of the “news” is once again somewhat stale.
The new social aspects of web profiles get prominence in the update, unsurprisingly. I’ve nothing against the new system, but I do still wonder at how popular it will prove, compared to the likes (and convenience) of Twitter. I’ve used the Feed aspect a few times, but few of those on my Friends list appear especially captivated with the new toys.
The new-look Viewer 2 (2.8 onwards) log-in / splash screen gets a section as well. There are some things missing from this, as I’ve mentioned in my review of the new screen, and will be poking LL on the matter as well.
The new server-side controls that allow a region’s environment to be better controlled are also reviewed, as are the new privacy capabilities (“Hide Avatar”), which operate at parcel level. Passing mention is made on the work to improve payment methods, and mesh just about gets a look-in with the recent call for further Main grid volunteers.
There are also some shiny new avatars for those to choose from when signing-up to SL / creating additional accounts:
New Avatar choices (image courtesy of Linden Lab)
Personally, the one piece of news the update contained – and most welcome it is, concerns e-mails from LL:
If you’ve unsubscribed to optional news and promotional emails in the past, you can now resubscribe to emails by category. It’s important that you enter the email address that’s connected to your SL account. These subscription options don’t affect the emails you receive for transactions, instant messages from friends and/or customer service responses.
The ability to opt-out of specific e-mail categories from LL has long been a failing of the system, and something I’ve critiqued in the past; that we can now do so on a more granular level is most welcome, and kudos to LL for listening to those of us who have complained over this lack of flexibility in the past.
As a round-up, the blog post is not bad, as an “update” for the month of August its, frankly, disappointing, containing very little that users most likely aren’t already aware of.
This coming weekend will see SLCC 2011 takes place in Oakland, California. The event starts on Friday morning, and continues through to Sunday evening, and will feature in-world events as well and the actual conference event itself.
Keynote speakers for the event are:
Rik Panganiban – “We Built This City: Creating a Better World” 08:00 Saturday 13th
Rod Humble – “The Future of Second Life” 13:00 Saturday 13th
Sunday Linden Keynote panel: John Laurence (SL: Durian Linden), Senior Director, Consumer Product; Jeff Vogt (SL: Vogt Linden), Senior Director, Business Product; Sarah Kuehnle (SL: Esbee Linden), Senior Producer at Linden Lab responsible for Viewer optimisation; and Michael Gesner (SL: Gez Linden), Executive Producer, Consumer Product responsible for in-world experiences; moderator: Peter Gray (SL: Peter Linden), PR Manager at Linden Lab.
Keynote events will be interspersed with other events and breakouts, including features on Mesh and a look at the fascinating From Kansas to Cairo Project which is also the subject of an entry in this month’s Month of Machinima. There will also be screenings of the films, Deep Down‑A Story From the Heart of Coal Country and My Avatar & Me. As I reported recently, an in-world experience associated with Deep Down is currently nominated for an Emmy award. The full conference schedule details all that is on offer – all times SLT / PST, obviously.
For those unable to attend, events will be streamed (via ustream) both in-world (Slurl) and to the SLCC website, as Dirk McKeenan reports:
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 