One of the things that has always fascinated me in SL is machinima. I’ve tried my hand at a few sort-of videos, but due to hardware constraints, have always restricted myself to putting together things using still images. However, in 2013, I finally got a PC with sufficient omph to produce videos, and in August, I picked up a Space Navigator, and have been slowly getting used to it.
This being the case, I decided to see how I’d manage with a short video piece to see how I’d get on with capture and managing the Space Navigator, and while visiting Giovanna Cerise’s wonderful Il Folle Volo (The Mad Flight) at La Città Perduta, I tried capturing some footage and took a little time to see what I could stitch together.
Now I’ll be the first to admit, the final version is var from perfect and is a little grainy in places; I captured in .AVI HD (720p) but my editing software had issues with importing, so rather than reshoot everything, I opted to convert to .MP4 HD (720p), which may have cost some quality.
The recording software I used was Bandicam; next time around I’ll be trying FRAPS. The editing software used was Pinnacle – which I know isn’t the best. I have Corel VideoStudio, but have yet to really get my head around it (It also wasn’t very keen on Bandicam’s .AVI format).
Anyway, my technique and the quality will hopefully improve as I have more practice / improve my set-up. In the meantime, here’s the first experiment (and my apologies to Giovanna for using her work as a guinea-pig!).
On August 16th I covered the upcoming 2014 Strides Against Breast Cancer across Second Life season, which officially runs through the months of September and October, and forms a part of the RFL SL season.
The organising team’s chair, Jessi Warrhol has now released information on the season’s kick-off event.
Things will start on Sunday September 7th at 09:00 SLT with a pre-event show from T1 radio. The full schedule will be as follows, remember all times SLT, 24-hour clock notation, as usual!
09:00-10:00 – T1 Radio Pre Kick Off Show
11:00-16:00 – Musical Performances
15:30 – While you are dancing away at kickoff, join the team at the special Making Strides broadcast booth for the premiere of the T1 Radio Show “Getting in Stride With Tee and Nuala”.
The kick-off event will be taking place as a special venue alongside the American Cancer Society’s main region – teleport there and follow the signs.
Get Involved!
You can get involved by becoming a member of the Pink Club and being one of the MSABC sponsors for the 2014 seasons. The MSABC sponsorship page provides information on the available sponsorship packages for those interested.
Individuals, businesses, groups and organisations across SL can also provide direct support throughout September and October. Simply request a fundraising toolkit and get started making strides in Second Life!
Survivors and Caregivers
Please register so that the MSABC team can keep you up to date with Strides activities and so that you can receive the special 2014 breast cancer survivor and caregiver packet.
Hunt Participants and Gifts
The I feel, You Feel hunt will run from September 21st to October 31st, and applications are still open for those creators and businesses willing to participate in the hunt and donate gifts. Items do not have to be all pink, and those wishing to provide clothing are asked to consider making both a male & female gift or a unisex item, as the hunt is for everyone. Those stores and businesses wishing to participate in the hunt are asked to complete the hunt application form, and to address any questions to Earth Nirvana in-world.
About Making Strides Against Breast Cancer
Making Strides Against Breast Cancer or MSABC is the largest network of breast cancer awareness events in the United States, uniting more than 300 communities across the country. Every breast cancer walk run during the MSABC’s season is seen as an incredible and inspiring opportunity to honour those who have battled breast cancer, raise awareness on how the risk of breast cancer can be reduced, and to raise money to help the American Cancer Society fight the disease with research, information, services and access to mammograms for women who need them.
Bastet’s Paradise, referred to in the Destination Guide as The Lost Island, is a beautiful enigma inviting exploration. Designed by Tek Scientist, the region is a curious blend, offering a rich landscape for people to enjoy and explore, places to sit, or share or to dance, mixed with curious shades of adventure, fantasy and science-fiction.
The Landing point sits alongside a garden conservatory, complete a barbecue and outdoor kitchen, and offering a place for people to sit and, if they wish, enjoy a meal. All of which sounds nicely suburban; except the conservatory and patio appears to be sitting in a jungle clearing overlooking a river and with elephants standing close by…
So, are we in Africa? Well, not entirely; the ruins a short walk away suggest we might be in South America, while beyond them a rounded tree house suggests something one might find hidden in Middle Earth, while the tiger roaming beneath the trees perhaps points towards the Indian sub-continent. Elsewhere things have a distinctly sci-fi edge to them, suggesting we are in fact on another world, far removed from Earth; so perhaps this place is a far-flung colony deep in space, an Eden created by human hands, where the animals of old Earth wander amidst the broad trees and ancient stones of a long vanished civilisation, and surrounded by tall mountains.
Careful exploration is required here, and if you’re into SL photography, you may find you’re spending a lot of time cycling through windlight settings, as so much of the region offers itself to photography and a range of lighting conditions. Do be a little careful in you explorations, however, as the sim surrounds do encroach on the region in places, which can lead to a few problems such as bouncing against the region boundary while roaming. Be aware as well, that if you take to the air, not all the trees are set to phantom, which can also lead to unexpected collisions.
But don’t let that put you off; Bastet’s Paradise really is worth taking time to explore. I loved the otherworldly feel to part of the region – the play of glow and light across surfaces which gave the upward flowing water an entirely “alien” look and feel as it moved across rocky surfaces as if they were shimmering in their own right. Elsewhere, catching sight of distant mountain tops through the trees gave me a feeling of being in Lothlorien or perhaps Greenwood the Great before darkness crept into it, and looking out towards the distant Misty Mountains.
For those who simply want a place to chill, Bastet’s Paradise offers plenty of scope – there are places to sit to be found under trees, on the shoreline, inside the assorted buildings – and even floating out of the water in a giant soap-bubble! Intan dance systems can be found throughout the region as well, and for those wanting a more romantic / intimate space, there’s a teleport system which will carry those who find it up to a skybox overhead.
As always, please refer to the server deployment thread for the latest information and updates.
On Wednesday September 3rd, the Main channel should receive the server maintenance project previously deployed to the three RC channels. This comprises crash mode fixes and fixes for the following:
SVC-2262 – “Incorrect height value in postcard which sent from above 256m” (a postcard being a snapshot sent to e-mail)
BUG-6466 – “Numbers expressed in scientific notation and include a plus sign in the exponent are not parsed as JSON numbers by LSL”, which was thought to have been fixed a while ago, but which in fact resulted in BUG-6657 – “Valid JSON numbers like 0e0 no longer valid after 14.06.26.291532″, prompting the original fix to be rolled back.
Note that due to the Labor Day holiday in the US, this deployment is taking place a day later than usual.
There are no planned deployments to the RC channels for week 36.
SL Viewer
There have been no changes to any of the SL viewers in the release and project channels since my last SL projects update. They remain as per the SL viewer section of my Current Viewer Releases page.
Ferrisquito (l) displays one of the pieces of Bryn’s art
Opening in Second Life at the Rift Horizon Gallery on Wednesday September 3rd at 08:00 SLT is an exhibit by Chance Acoustic entitled A Room for Ferrisquito, featuring elements of Bryn Oh’s work from the period 2008 through 2011, and which will be marked by a special presentation by Art Blue.
The room is situated over the gallery, so if you arrive at ground level, use the teleport sign to reach it. The oval room offers an intimate display space, with images of Bryn’s work, as photographed by Chance, framed around the curved walls, and The Consumerist Sherpa sitting on one side of the floor. Overhead, the Beetlebot presides from a high perch, watching everything.
However, the focal-point for the exhibit is Ferrisquito, an angelic-appearing character, who can be summoned via a wall panel close to the “door” into the room. When summoned, he’ll acknowledge in chat, then duly arrive and stand on a pose ball. Once there, he’ll rez elements of Bryn’s work, displaying them on the floor space around him and sometimes overhead in the upper gallery area which can be reached via the staircase, allowing them to be viewed and examined by visitors.
In all, there are 25 3D pieces of Bryn’s work to be seen, comprising: Under the Poumbrella [poembrella], Mayfly machinima, Downloading …, The Violinist, Run like a fawn, Run Rabbit Run, Mother, Feed me, Steamdragon, Wee little Steamclock, Standby, Carriage, Consume, Poumbrella, Pouncing Fox, Confused eyes, Bryn Oh´s bicycle, The Rabbicorn, 26 Tines, Cerulean, Willow, Angler Girl, The Violinist and Nightmare. Ferrisquito himself is a reference to the icon representing the robot theme park featured in Immersiva, while the room in which the pieces are displayed is seen by the Art Blue and Chance as a time capsule, designed to keep the pieces forever safe and available for display for as along as Second Life exists.
In keeping with this idea of time, the exhibit’s opening will feature a short play by Art Blue entitled Knowing. Lasting 20 minutes, it involves a story of time travel, an attempt to uncover the secrets of life, and the discovery of Bryn’s work; all of which is narrated by an owl, Nervual. Following this, visitors will be invited to enjoy Chance’s images of Bryn’s work, and witness the arrival of Ferrisquito, ready to reveal the 3D pieces he carries with him. Visitors will also be invited to collect a special book of images and text from the exhibition as a keepsake of their visit.
Following the opening of Ferrisquito in Second Life, Art Blue will also be hosting an exhibition on Metropolis grid featuring the room, together with two of Bryn’s 3D pieces – the Beetlebot and the The Consumerist Sherpa, – for which he has had special permission to transfer to Metropolis grid. The exhibit will form part of his Vulcanicus OpenSim art time capsule.
This opening on Metropolis grid will be marked by a special event in which Art Blue will call the room and its surroundings into existence before his audience, the artist giving form to a new “world”. Those wishing to attend the event should contact Thirza Ember via the HG Safari Facebook group, as sitting is limited for the performance.
Sandy Winkler is an assistant professor at NOVA Southeastern University College of Healthcare Sciences in Florida, teaching occupational therapy, and she has brought a unique 3-year study to Second Life: how a virtual world might better serve as a learning environment for amputees when compared to a traditional website.
Dr. Sandra Winkler (via Nova Southeastern University)
The study, entitled Dissemination of Amputation and Prosthetic Evidenced-based Medicine, is funded by the United States Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and Sandy is half-way through the allotted 3-year study period. Enough time to have started gathering and assessing data based on patient studies, and to provide general feedback – although as Sandy herself states towards the end of the piece, it is still too early to draw definitive conclusions.
A core focus of the study is to increase the acceptance of living with an amputation and the use of prosthetics. Both aspects of this work involve overcoming psychological and physiological issues an amputee faces. Physiological in terms of adjusting to life without a limb or limbs, and also in physically learning to use a prosthetic; psychological in terms of mentally adjusting to the loss of a limb pr limbs, dealing with a range of potential emotional issues which inevitably arise from the loss of a limb or limbs, together with the joint psychological / physiological aspect of learning to adopt their lifestyle, activities and mobility to suit the use of a prosthetic or wheelchair.
The work has involved the use of both traditional 2D-based websites and Second Life to assess how amputees respond to information relating to loss of limbs and the use of prosthetics.
The main building at Virtual Health Adventures
The in-world side of the study offers the same information, history and so on, to patients via the Virtual Health Adventures island (VHA), which is supported both by a website of the same name and developmentally by Virtual Ability Inc.
Here amputees can not only read about exercises, learn about mobility using a prosthetic or wheelchair (such as getting the latter in and out of their car), they can experience them via their avatar, the actions and movements of the latter being sufficiently life-like that they can be replicated in the physical world, encouraging patients to repeat the exercises, etc. Such is the sense of identification subjects feel with their avatar, that Sandy notes those who have balance problems with a prosthetic leg in the physical world make a marked improvement in their sense of balance as a result of seeing their avatar get around within Second Life.
Alongside this, VHA offer a range of in-world activities and opportunities for social engagement, with windsurfing, jet skiing, and more on offer by way of activities, together with opportunities to sit and chat with others and / or participate in the aforementioned exercises. These have been shown to offer what might be called a two-step benefit. On the first, there is the obvious social interactive element and the benefits arising therefrom, together with the sheer enjoyment of kicking back and doing things which are fun. In addition, the activities have been shown to assist in dealing with phantom limb syndrome.
The museum in the upper floor of the VHA building
Occupational therapy obviously plays a huge role in adjusting to living with an amputation and learning to operate with a prosthetic limb. The VHA has a special role to play here as well, which is directly focused on therapists and students, allowing them to spend time in-world as an amputee, experiencing first-hand what it is like to have more limited mobility or limited vision, allowing them to better understand situations and circumstances face by amputees and to directly integrate the prosthetic into their own body image, helping them to develop a more empathic bonding with those whom they treat.
While, as noted above, it is still too early to draw definitive conclusions and the VHA’s work, Sandy has a positive view of the potential of virtual worlds. “It’s pretty clear that the virtual world environment is a significant next step in tele-healthcare,” she says. “We live in such exciting times, technology is making huge leaps, and interactions and digital worlds are becoming more and more immersive. If we let our imagination fly, there’s no limit to what can happen.”
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 