Month: January 2013

Singularity 1.7.3: more than just a vignette

Posted on by Inara Pey

singularityIt’s been a while since the last Singularity update, and the team have been hard at work updating the viewer and making in-depth changes to a range of functionality as well as providing new features and options.

Version 1.7.3.3624 was released on Sunday January 20th, 2013, which saw the viewer gain, among other things:

  • Merchant Outbox support
  • Large group management support
  • HTTP communications updates in line with recent v3 viewers.

Download and Install

The Windows download remains roughly the same size at previous releases, a touch under 23.9Mb. The release notes don’t explicitly mention the need for a clean install, but given I’m looking at the viewer for review purposes, I did my usual and removed the previous version (1.7.2) and all support files prior to installing. The installation process was, as ever, smooth and error-free.

HTTP Updates

Large Groups fulls supported under HTTP in Singularity, in line with recent LL-driven changes
Large Groups fully supported under HTTP in Singularity, in line with recent LL-driven changes (the SL Beta group has over 21K members)

Much work has been carried out on HTTP communications within Singularity in order to bring it into line with ongoing HTTP-based projects underway within the Lab.

Perhaps the most obvious evidence of this work is that this update incorporates Baker Linden’s Group Service code changes to support the management of large groups – which will now load successfully in Singularity and avoid the 10K members cap imposed on the UDP code for handling groups.

Additional work has been carried out on support of HTTP communications which is designed to both improve stability when using HTTP within the viewer and to pave the way for full support of further enhancement of LL’s HTTP services, including the upcoming new server-side avatar baking service.

Merchant Outbox

Version 1.7.3 of Singularity brings with it Merchant Outbox support (World -> Merchant Outbox). As with V3-style viewers, the outbox forms a separate floater, allowing folders to be dragged and dropped from Inventory with the same ease as v3-style viewers.

Right-clicking on objects in the Merchant Outbox provides the usual options of renaming / deleting them, together with an additional option to send them to your Marketplace store (allowing individual items / folders to be sent, rather than the entire contents of the Outbox see comments at the end of this article).

Snapshot Floater

The snapshot floater has been completely overhauled with this release, which now includes an option to upload images to your profile feed at my.secondlife.com.

The new (l) and old (r) Singularity snapshot floaters (click to enlarge)
The new (l) and old (r) Singularity snapshot floaters (click to enlarge)

The new floater is larger when opened-out, but offers a better snapshot preview, and is also somewhat context-sensitive with options; the temporary upload option is disabled, for example, when sending a snapshot anywhere other than to inventory. Aspect ratios have also been improved upon within the new floater as well, providing further flexibility when creating images.

Unfortunately, this release of Singularity does not appear to include the snapshot tiling fix (MAINT-628). I’m not sure if that is because of issues with the code fix or an oversight. However, increasing the images size to anything over my screen resolution when running in deferred mode immediately produced tiling lines – and actually did so on-screen.

Snapshot tiling issue still present: My screen resolution is 1440 x 900. Increasing the image resolution beyond this (in this case 1920x1200) when in deferred mode displays the familiar tiling lines.
Snapshot tiling issue still present: My screen resolution is 1440 x 900. Increasing the image resolution beyond this (in this case 1920×1200) when in deferred mode displays the familiar tiling lines (slick to enlarge)

 

 

Continue reading “Singularity 1.7.3: more than just a vignette” →

Viewer release summary 2013: week 3

Posted on by Inara Pey

This summary is published every Monday and is a list of SL viewer / client releases (official and TPV) made during the previous week. When reading it, please note:

  • It is based on my Viewer Round-up Page, a list of  all Second Life viewers and clients that are in popular use (and of which I am aware) and which are recognised as adhering to the TPV Policy
  • By its nature, this summary will always be in arrears
  • The Viewer Round-up Page is updated as soon as I’m aware of any releases / changes to viewers & clients, and should be referred to for more up-to-date information as the week progresses
  • The Viewer Round-up Page also includes comprehensive links to download pages, blog notes, release notes, etc., as well as links to any / all reviews of specific viewers / clients made within this blog.  

Updates for the week ending: 20 January, 2013

  • SL Viewer updates:
      • Release version rolled to 3.4.4.268864 on January 15th – release notes
      • Development rolled to 3.4.6.269073 on January 15th, then to 3.4.6.269108 on January 17th and 3.4.6.269229 on January 20th
      • CHUI project viewer rolled to 3.4.4.268981 on Janunary 15, while the development version  rolled 3.4.4.268994 on January 14th, then 3.4.4.269171 on January 17th and 3.4.4.269254 on January 20th
  • Dolphin rolled to 3.4.10.27205 on January 15th – core updates: viewer no longer freezed briefly on opening Places floater for the first time after logging-in; prims rotate correctly even when not looking at them (Henri Beauchamp), updated to latest viewer-dev codebase; release notes
  • Niran’s Viewer updated to version 2.0.7 on January 17th – core updates: rendering updates – release notes
  • Cool VL updates – three versions for the time being, all updated on January 19th:
    • Stable version rolled to 1.26.6.6
    • Legacy version Legacy (v2.6 renderer) rolled to 1.26.4.49
    • Experimental version rolled to 1.26.7.6
    • Release notes
  • Singularity released 1.7.3.3624 on January 20th – core updates: major updates to HTTP communications (Aleric); rendering updates (Shyoti / Siana), including motion blur and vignette; Image pipeline update and tuning (Siana); updates snapshot system (Aleric);  Merchant Outbox implemented (Inusaito and Aleric); Large group management support (Inusaito); Inventory cut’n’paste support for folders (Inusaito); UI setting changes; fixes – release notes
  • Phoenix officially reached end-of-line for SL on December 31st – read more here

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One Billion Rising in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

one-billion

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Saffia Widdershins
E-mail address: 1billionrisinginsecondlife-at-gmail.com
Blog: http://onebillionrisingsl.wordpress.com/

COME AND DANCE: ONE BILLION RISING IN SECOND LIFE
SECOND LIFE® RESIDENTS JOIN GLOBAL CAMPAIGN “ONE BILLION RISING”
TO STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS

 February 14, 2013 to be V-Day’s Largest Day of Action Ever

On February 14, 2013, for 24 hours starting at midnight Pacific Standard Time, Second Life residents will join with activists around the world in a spectacular 24-hour dance event for ONE BILLION RISING, the largest day of action in the history of V-Day, the global activist movement to end violence against women and girls.

one-billion-2ONE BILLION RISING 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 February 14, 2013, men and women in Second Life will join activists, writers, thinkers, celebrities, and people across the world to Walk, Dance, and Rise as a show of unity, individual strength, and the need for change.

The Second Life event 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 regions will have a General maturity rating to allow all residents an opportunity to participate. Pictures are welcome on the event’s Flickr group.

The objective of the event is to raise awareness, not to raise funds; however, information about real-world organisations will be available for those wishing to donate.

One Billion Rising in Second Life is sponsored by: Alchemy Immortalis; Bits and Bobs Animations; Cheeky Pea; The Domineaux Effect; Dutchie; Galland Homes; Garden of Dreams; Gos Boutique; Gwen Carillon Designs/Serenite; Heart Garden Centre; Kaerri; Maven Homes; Meshworx; Prime; Rustica; and Spargel and Shine. In-kind sponsors are: CaLLie CLine; Fruit Islands; Home and Garden Market; KittyCatS!; and Prim Perfect Publications.

Further Information

About One Billion Rising

One in three women on the planet is raped or beaten in her lifetime. That is ONE BILLION WOMEN violated. One billion daughters, mothers, grandmothers, sisters, lovers and friends. On February 14, 2013, V-Day’s 15th Anniversary, we are inviting ONE BILLION women and those who love them to WALK OUT, DANCE, RISE UP, and DEMAND an end to this violence. ONE BILLION RISING will move the earth, activating women and men to dance across every country.

For more information go to http://www.onebillionrising.org/

About V-Day

V-Day is a global activist movement to end violence against women and girls that raises funds and awareness through benefit productions of Playwright/Founder Eve Ensler’s award winning play The Vagina Monologues and other artistic works. In 2012, over 5,800 V-Day benefit events took place produced by volunteer activists in the U.S. and around the world, educating millions of people about the reality of violence against women and girls. To date, the V-Day movement has raised over $90 million and educated millions about the issue of violence against women and the efforts to end it, crafted international educational, media and PSA campaigns, reopened shelters, and funded over 14,000 community-based anti-violence programs and safe houses in Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Kenya, South Dakota, Egypt and Iraq. Over 300 million people have seen a V-Day benefit event in their community.

For more information go to http://www.vday.org/

Myths, sleuths, ink and plums

Posted on by Inara Pey

Once again, the Seanchai Library will be presenting a round of stories and readings in Voice this coming week, with the continuation of a number of stories and a hike up Mount Olympus…

As always, all times SLT, and unless otherwise stated, events will be held on the Seanchai Library’s home on Imagination Island.

Sunday 20th January, 13:30 – Tea-time at Baker Street

Sherlock Holmes, aided by his ever-faithful diarist, Doctor John Watson, investigates The Adventure of the Cardboard Box.

The affair begins when Miss Susan Cushing of Croydon receives a grisly parcel of two severed human ears, packed in salt.  Inspector Lestrade is convinced that the parcel is a prank on the part of three medical students Miss Cushing was forced to evict from her lodgings due to their unruly behaviour. Lestrade points to the parcel as coming from Belfast – the home of one of the former lodgers – as reason for his suspicions. On examining the parcel, however, Holmes is certain that they are dealing with a far more serious crime, pointing to the poor spelling used to address the parcel, with rough means by which the ears had been severed and the use of course salt as packaging as being indicative of someone with poorer education and lesser surgical skills as might be expected of a doctor-in-training.

Join Caledonia Skytower and Corwyn Allen as they resume reading from the Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes.

Monday 21st January, 19:00 – Notwithstanding: Stories from an English Village

notwithstandingFamous for his more exotic locations and stories such as Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and Red Dog, Louis de Bernieres used England for the setting for a series of short stories written early in his career.

Located in and around the fictional village of Notwithstanding, which is somewhat based on the village of Worley in Surry, where he grew up, the stories were various published in newspapers, etc., prior to being brought together into this single volume in 2009. Semi-autobiographical in places, the stories are rich in English rural detail and contain references to many real-world locations in Surrey, and allow de Bernieres to ruminate on a part of English life he believes to now be vanishing.

Join Caledonia Skytower as she dips into de Bernieres’ England.

Tuesday January 22nd, 19:00: Inkspell (Part 3)

Faerie Maven-Pralou continues Cornelia Funke’s young adult which forms the second part of her Inkworld trilogy. The books chronicle the adventures of teenager Meggie Folchart whose life changes dramatically when she realizes that she and her father, a bookbinder named Mo, have the unusual ability to bring characters from books into the real world when reading aloud. Mostly set in Northern Italy and the parallel world of the fictional Inkheart book, the central story arc concerns the magic of books, their characters and creatures, and the art of reading.

In Inkspell, a year has passed since the events related in Inkheart, the first book in the series. Not a day goes by without Meggie thinking of Inkheart, a book that has characters that come to life. Resa is back. The fire-eater, Dustfinger, wants to go back to his wife daughters-who are in the story. When he finds a crazy, self-absorbed psycho storyteller, Orpheus, who can read him back into the book, he goes into the pages. Soon Farid convinces Meggie to read him into the book so he can warn Dustfinger of Basta. But Meggie has figured out how to read herself and Farid into the book Inkheart.

Wednesday January 23rd, 19:00: Quite a Year for Plums

plumsAnyone who has read the best-selling Mama Makes Up Her Mind or listened to Bailey White’s commentaries on NPR knows that she is a storyteller of inimitable wit and charm. Now, in her stunningly accomplished first novel, she introduces us to the peculiar yet lovable people who inhabit a small town in south Georgia.

Meet serious, studious Roger, the peanut pathologist and unlikely love object of half the town’s women. Meet Roger’s ex-mother-in-law, Louise, who teams up with an ardent typographer in an attempt to attract outer-space invaders with specific combinations of letters and numbers. And meet Della, the bird artist who captivates Roger with the sensible but enigmatic notes she leaves on things she throws away at the Dumpster.

Kayden Oconnell is joined by Caledonia Skytower as they continue to read from the novel.

Thursday January 24th, 19:00: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes

timeless-talesMythology: Times Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton was first published in 1942. It covers the classic tales of the Greek and Roman mythology as well as touching upon ancient Norse mythology as well. Within it are tales of Gods and heroes, ranging from the creation of the world through to notable events such as the Trojan Wars and encompassing some of the notable families of Greek mythology – house of Atreus, the royal house of Thebes, and the royal house of Athens. Within the pages lie tales of all descriptions, including those of love.

Join Shandon Loring as he dips a toe into the rich, deep waters of mythology and legend.

Please check with the Seanchai Library SL’s blog for updates and additions to the week’s schedule.

Librarian Emeritus

In March 2008, Derry McMahon founded the West of Ireland Library and Cultural Centre, which later became the Seanchai Library SL. After over four years of building and maintaining the Library’s programme of events she has decided to step back her participation to pursue other interests on the grid, including her burgeoning talent as a visual artist through virtual photography, and spending time with her partner Bear Silvershade (also a retired member of the Seanchai core staff). She remains a part of the Seanchai family, and together with Bear will continue to present stories at the Library or other venues as opportunities arise. Chief Storyteller Shandon Loring, and Lead Caledonia Skytower will continue the good work begun by Derry.

I’d like to pass on my thanks to Derry for all her work with the Library, and wish her (and Bear’s) continued success in all their endeavours, and to remaining a “friend across the water” to both :).

Note that throughout January and February, and to mark Derry’s stepping back from the day-to-day running of the Seanchai Library SL, all donations will go to Derry’s chosen real-world charity, Doctors Without Borders! Have questions? IM or notecard Caledonia Skytower.

Related Links

Wandering through the Morning Dew

Posted on by Inara Pey

But, Mousie, thou art no thy lane
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men
Gang aft a-gley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
For promised joy.

– Robert Burns, To a Mouse, 1786

I don’t often start a blog post with a poem, but in this case, it seemed appropriate, because this last week or so has been marked by my schemes going awry on an almost daily basis, particularly where Second Life is concerned. Following the deployment of the new interest list code, for example, I jumped over to one of my favourite regions I know to be running on BlueSteel, intent on giving a write-up of how the new code works – only for the code to be rolled back …

Nor have recent attempts to blog about another region I frequently visit, but have yet to blog about go any better. Such is the popularity of that region that my PC decided that repeatedly keeling over in a heap and whimpering quietly was preferable to struggling with the load…

Morning Dew
Morning Dew

Sometimes, however, such upsets in the road of life can prove to be serendipitous. For had the best laid schemes o’ avatars named Pey, nae gang aft a-gley (so to speak mangle), then I’d probably not have stumbled upon Teresa Matfield’s wonderful Morning Dew in her region of Westdell.

The home of Teresa’s T-Spot  Design, which provides a wide range of full permission sculpt kits for builders and content creators, the region describes itself as “A peaceful place in an old world theme,” and invites people to, “Visit the old village, the tower ruin, Merlin’s cottage or have a drink at the old Tavern.”

Morning Dew
Morning Dew

The arrival point delivers visitors to the gates of a walled village. Here the weary traveller can seek spiritual sustenance at the little church, cool their feet in the pond or seek sustenance of a different sort at the Drunk Monk Tavern before buying provisions at the little store. Geese and chickens wander the rutted tracks of the village, watched over by a cat who may also have thoughts of sustenance on his mind. It is a tranquil scene, ideally suited to an early morning or late afternoon setting. Amble through the village and you’ll come to the bakery, where you’ll find the teleporters to Teresa’s store in the sky overhead, itself worth a visit if you have any interest in building and / or landscaping.

Beyond the walls of the village, tracks and paths wend their way across the region, each leading to one or more points of interest – such as Merlin’s cottage, as mentioned in the region’s description, and in which a broom busily sweeps the floor, reminiscent of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, albeit without the water.

Morning Dew
Morning Dew

Walk through the woods and past leafy resting spots with birds calling from overhead, and you’ll come to fields of grass where sit cottages and, on the horizon, a tall windmill and house atop a hill. Ruins are also waiting to be found by those willing to seek, rising up against a backdrop of distant hills across the water. There are hills to climb as well, passing standing stones and with paths leading up to a high observation point with a waterfall rushing downward. Here one can stand and watch the sun set between the hills sheltering the bay, or sit with a close one and talk away the hours until the stars come out to share their secrets.

Morning Dew is a superbly photogenic region, with everything within it  – both Teresa’s own creations and those made by a number of noted talents in SL – bought together in a magnificent blend to create an idyllic setting ideal to escape the pressures of the world, and which offers the imagination a myriad of openings for tales to be woven.

Morning Dew
Morning Dew

As is probably more than obvious to regular readers, photogenic, natural regions are a magnet for me; so it’ll come as no surprise that Morning Dew has, from my first visit, captured a part of my heart. Truth be told, there has been a something of a void in my SL in the weeks since Scribbled Hearts at Water Reserve went away. In happening upon Morning Dew, I may just have found something to fill that void quite perfectly.

I didn’t set out to discover or explore Morning Dew; as I said at the top of this piece, my focus for SL today was very different up until things went a little higgledy-piggledy. All-in-all, I’m glad they did, because this is where the magic of Second Life remains; no matter where you roam or what you see, there is always something new to be discovered, and there are always opportunities by which frustration can be turned to joy. Morning Dew has been a joyful discovery for me, and I’ve little doubt I’ll be back as and when I can, if only to sit under the trees and listen to the birds.

So don’t be surprised if you trip over me during your own visit!

Related Links

Changes to the Abandoned Land Policy

Posted on by Inara Pey

secondlifeLinden lab have made alterations to the Mainland Abandoned Land Policy as of January 15th, 2013. The changes see the policy largely rationalised to improve readability, particularly the sections relating to purchasing Abandoned Land, claiming Abandoned Land and triggering an auction.

However, what may cause concern are the changes made to land abandoned in error.

Previously, this was handled as follows (Abandoned Land Policy, June 2011):

When a mainland parcel is abandoned, there is a short period (from one hour to 24 hours) during which an owner can reclaim the land if he/she abandoned it in error. After that period, objects on the land are returned to the original owner, the name of the parcel changes to “Abandoned Land – For Sale,” and ownership transfers to Governor Linden. The land can then be purchased by anyone with a premium account.

The revised policy now states:

When a mainland parcel is abandoned, the ownership of the parcel changes to Governor Linden.  There is no Linden dollar (L$) grant related to abandoned land.  Once abandoned, the parcel settings are amended to reflect the abandoned status and auto-return settings are enabled after one week.

I abandoned my land by mistake!

You should never expect to be able to reclaim abandoned land.  Please use care to make sure that any abandonment action is intentional.  However, if you do make a mistake, please submit a support case as soon as possible.  Include the parcel location and explain that you would like to reclaim a parcel you abandoned by mistake.  We can attempt to make a one-time courtesy effort to recover the land for you.

This effectively means that the automated buy-back of abandoned land is being eliminated. The new code is alrweady live on the Magnum RC. Concerns were raised at the Server Beta User Group meeting that this could make obtaining mainland harder, as use cases exist whereby the short-term abandonment of land can assist with land purchases (such as obtaining a section of abandoned land to increase land holdings without actually trigger a tier rise).  While Maestro Linden himself was in no position to comment on the policy change, he did offer to feed concerns back to the Land Team.

Note this policy relates to Mainland only, and does not apply to private regions.

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