Day: March 20, 2014

SL Share: photo upload to Facebook disabled

Posted on by Inara Pey

secondlifeUpdate April 3rd: As per this LL blog post, the Facebook photo upload has been re-enabled by Facebook.

SL Share is the viewer-side capability which allows Second Life users to share pictures, thoughts, etc., with their Facebook account.

Since its launch, it has proven extremely popular among SL users who have no issue in linking their SL and RL identities, and who see it as a means of telling friends about their SL activities. However, a recent spike in usage of the capability highlighted the fact it is in violation of Facebook’s policy by posting SLurls with images sent to Facebook.

As a result, the Lab has announced that the photo upload capability within SL Share has been disabled by Facebook, and the Lab are now working with Facebook to resolve the issue.

The Lab’s blog post announcing the situation reads in full:

Facebook recently contacted us to let us know that the Photo Upload feature of SL Share is not permitted to automatically include location SLURLs in posts made from the application. We’re working with them to get a hotfix out ASAP, but in the meantime the Photo Upload feature in SL Share will not work, as Facebook has temporarily disabled that part of the application. SL Share’s Status Update and Check-In features will continue to work.

When SL Share’s full functionality is restored, SLURLs will no longer be included when you share a picture using Photo Upload, but you will still be able to let your Facebook friends know where to join you in Second Life by using the Check-In feature.

We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause you and are working to get a fix out ASAP.  We’ll use this blog to keep everyone posted with any updates and will of course let you know once the issue is resolved as well. Thank you for your patience.

SL Sare: the inclusion of SLurls with uploaded images is against Facebook policy
SL Share: the inclusion of SLurls with uploaded images (2nd image from left) is against Facebook policy

The situation likely means that any TPVs what have also included the SL Share capability into their offering will need to adopt any hotfix forthcoming from the Lab once it has been made available.

The [Void] of insomnia

Posted on by Inara Pey

The [Void]
The [Void], LEA 27
Storm Septimus’ newly opened AIR-6 installation The [Void] is not, in the words of one of her friends who witnessed it being built, “a happy fun town”. But then, it’s not designed to be, as Storm explains in the comprehensive introductory notes:

The idea was to create a representation of the space that falls between waking and sleeping, but one born of an exhausted mind.

As such, this is a place where insomnia rules, and the line between reality and the imagination becomes increasingly twisted, mixing the two together the longer the condition goes on, confusing the eye and mind.

The [Void]
The [Void], LEA 27
Insomnia isn’t the easiest of subjects to tackle for many reasons – the most obvious being that few of us ever suffer from it, and for those who do, it isn’t perhaps the easiest sensation to describe, even when willing to do so; particularly once it has gone on so long, our mental faculties are less than optimal unable to correctly process even the most basic sensory inputs.

This is a very dark piece – literally. If your viewer doesn’t automatically switch to the region’s default windlight, flip it over yourself to AnaLu Outdoor City Night (or failing that, Midnight, if your viewer doesn’t have a really dark option). Do bear in mind the images here have been toned-up to reveal details. The darkness is intentional; long-term insomnia is said to induce feelings of confusion, disorientation and upset, and the use of an extremely dark setting of this piece soon induces the same feelings in the visitor.

The [Void]
The [Void]. LEA 27
You start off boxed into a claustrophobic environment where the only sources of light coming from flickering television sets, the first of which will provide information on the installation, the rest of which appear to be literal flashes of random thought from a tired mind (and also, in places, the artist, offering words of comfort).

Nothing is linear here; movement is a case of feeling your way around, walking, falling, flying and discovering things as shapes and forms loom out of the darkness. Here and there, power cables from the different television screens snake through the murky world, offering guidance; but how much guidance rather depends.

The [Void]
The [Void], LEA 27
Frustration is liable to be a common reaction to initial attempts to explore, as will be the temptation to try to “turn up the lights” with a brighter windlight. I’d encourage you to try to resist the latter and accept the former; frustration and confusion are very much a part of the experience, as noted above. Just stay with things, and you will find your way around. Remember, as per the hints card, touch is an important part of the experience, and keys and a heart play important roles in moving you between the various levels of the piece, which range from high in the sky, right down to beneath the waves and back again (the last being the one genuinely bright element o the exhibit).

Symbolism is strong throughout the piece, such as with the aforementioned televisions. Poppies are also much in evidence here as well, unsurprisingly given their link with opiates and sleep (perhaps the greatest desire of the insomniac), their association with death and remembrance (the memory of times when sleep came), and their classical links with resurrection after death (perhaps mirrored in the insomniac’s mind as their awakening after that hoped-for deep and peaceful sleep they long to experience).

This is a quite powerful piece, assuming you can keep your frustration from getting the better of you – I confess, I read Honour’s post on it in the LEA blog late at night and hopped over only found my own (minor, in the scheme of things) tiredness caused me to get frustrated enough to give up first time around!

The [Void]
The [Void], LEA 27
I understand from the introductory notes that some live events may be planned for The [Void]. Keep an eye on the LEA blog for details.

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Starting spring with a Smile

Posted on by Inara Pey

It All Starts with a Smile, March 2014It All Starts with a Smile, March 2014

When exploring, I often find myself re-visiting familiar regions. There are several reasons for this: they tend to change with the seasons; they are eye-catching; I like spending time sitting in them and keeping an eye on what is going on; they are often dramatically and beautifully remodelled and so on.

It All Starts with A Smile neatly encompasses all of these reasons as Kaelyn Alecto and Maxxster frequently refresh their region with a new look and style – so I tend to get pulled back there very frequently. In this case, however, there was another reason for my visit as well: the region is the subject of its very own photography contest, of which more anon.

It All Starts with a Smile, March 2014It All Starts with a Smile, March 2014

One of the things I love about IASWAS is that when the region is remodelled, it is completely remodelled, offering lots that is new to see and experience while also retaining certain elements which link each rebuild to the last, giving a sense of history to the region.

Following a winter scene with windswept roads, cottages with snow-laden roofs and a small town square offering some shelter against the winter winds, the region is now basking in springtime. and with the change in season comes much to see.

Onyx Isle is now a very rural location. Yes, there is still a small collection of houses and buildings towards the centre of the region which exhibit a Mediterranean feel, with shuttered windows, bright colours, and sreets winding between them with places to sit and eat al fresco.

It All Starts with a Smile, March 2014It All Starts with a Smile, March 2014

Follow the path down from the arrival point, and it will lead you out over the water, past assorted works of art and critters, to the IASWAS cafe, then on around the headland and past a dance floor before it finally returns you to dry land, where you can continue your explorations along a choice of routes. Throughout, there are places to sit and tarry, either on your own or with one or more friends, and enjoy the surroundings. Those who feel particularly active can take a rowing boat around the island while those looking for something a little more relaxing can sit a while and paint if they wish.

This is a place where you’ll want to keep your eyes peeled – there are a lot of subtle details which can be easily missed, not all of which are in plain sight. And for the photographer, there and lots of opportunities for landscape, wildlife and portrait picture-taking, which is just as well, given the aforementioned photo contest.

It All Starts with a Smile, March 2014It All Starts with a Smile, March 2014

This is running from now through until the end of the month, and anyone is invited to join-in. Some L$10,000 on offer to the winner, with Dutchie, Essential Soul & XIAJ   providing store credit/gift cards. There are also second and third place prizes to the value of L$5,000 and L$3,000 apiece provided by Studio Skye. Entries are limited to three per avatar, and should be submitted to the competition Flickr group no later than March 30th. In addition, entrants should note:

  • Pictures HAVE to be taken at It all starts with a smile, and past as well as present of the region are acceptable
  • Pictures may include avatars and do not have to be landscape shots
  • Post-processing is allowed, but not required – a good raw shot will have just as much chance to win
  • Pictures should not contain any nudity.

The judges for the event are Alex Bader, Froukje Hoorenbeek, Steven Dean & superjaix.

Whether you opt to take part in the contest or not, if you’re looking to find early signs of spring in Second Life, It All Starts with A Smile is the place to visit.

It All Starts with a Smile, March 2014It All Starts with a Smile, March 2014

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