Month: February 2015

Get to grips with Firestorm’s Contact Sets with Jessica and TTT

Posted on by Inara Pey

firestorm-logoOn Tuesday, February 17th, the Firestorm team launched the latest in their Tool Tip Tuesday series, with Jessica taking a look at Contact Sets.

Contact Sets provide a way to organise your friends – and other people – into sets or categories, using your own criteria. Thus you can create sets of friends, colleagues, business contacts, and so on. They aren’t necessarily for everyone, but for those who are a member of different role-play groups or combat groups, etc., or who need to manage lists of customers or tenants, etc., and perhaps need a quick way of identifying people, they can be very useful.

By assigning a colour to a Contact Set you can, for example, make it easier to identify members of that group in your Friends list or on the mini-map, or through their name tag in-world – or even in group, IM and nearby chat. So identifying a customer or tenant in a crowd becomes very easy, helping to smooth any communications which take place, while spotting people on the mini-map is also made easier.

And if you have problems reading fancy text people sometimes use in their display names, Contact Sets lets you assign an alias to contacts who do, making it it easier for you to identify them without struggling to read their display name.

Contacts Sets allow you to organise your contacts in a wide variety of ways, making them a powerful tool when needed
Contacts Sets allow you to organise your contacts in a wide variety of ways, making them a powerful tool when needed

Contact lists can also be be shared across accounts. This means that if you use alts for a specific tasks (such as customer care) you can copy one or more Contact Sets from one account to another, making the management of your customers that much easier when using your various accounts.

However, the very power found in Contact Sets can make getting to grips with them a little bewildering – so if you’ve ever wondered what they are all about, but have fought shy of diving into them, Jessica’s introductory video should be just the ticket for you. In it she provides an uncomplicated overview of the major features in Contact Sets and demonstrates how to get started within using them.

Should you want to know more about Contact Sets after watching the video, then be sure to check the Firestorm class schedule for lessons on them, and further guidance can be found in the Firestorm wiki.

Mitch Kapor steps back from the Lab

Posted on by Inara Pey

LL logoAt the end of 2014, Mitch Kapor stepped back as an active member of Linden Lab’s board of directors.

While no formal announcement was made at the time, I recently noticed Mr. Kapor’s name and biography to be absent from the Leadership section of the Lab’s corporate website’s About page, and contacted Peter Gray, the Lab’s Director of Global Communications to enquire.

“Although he remains an investor in and supporter of Linden Lab,” Peter said in reply to my enquiry, “Mitch Kapor stepped back from his role as an active member of the board of directors at the end of 2014, allowing him to devote more of his focus to the mission of the Kapor Center for Social Impact.”

Mitch Kapor (via Twitter)
Mitch Kapor (via Twitter)

Mr Kapor, who  founded Lotus Development Corporation in 1982 and designed of Lotus 1-2-3, is also a co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, was one of the first investors in Linden Lab, and was the company’s very first Chairman of the board, taking on the role in April, 2003.

His decision leaves Dana L. Evan, Bill Gurley and Jed Smith listed as board members for the company.

Dana L Evan joined the board in 2008, bringing with her 20 years of of leadership experience in global finance and operations management, including 12 years as CFO of VeriSign, Inc., where she was a founding executive and a significant contributor to the company’s growth and profitability.

Mr. Gurley joined the board in late 2004, following  a financing round which raised $8 million for the company. The round was led by Benchmark Capital, where Mr. Gurley is a general partner, and with participation from Omidyar Network.

Jed Smith was, alongside Mitch Kapor, both one of the early investors in Linden Lab, and an initial member of the board, most recently serving in the capacity of the board’s Chair. In that role, he was largely responsible for identifying Ebbe Altberg as the right candidate for the Lab’s new CEO, following Rod Humble’s departure at the end of 2013, and was also largely responsible for persuading Mr. Altberg to make the move to the Lab.

The Lab's board (l-to-r): Bill Gurley, Dana L. Evan and Jed Smith
The Lab’s board (l-to-r): Bill Gurley, Dana L. Evan and Jed Smith

Of spring hikes through Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

The Pines at Jacob's Pond, Jacob The Pines at Jacob’s Pond (Flickr) – click any image for full size

Spring has come once more to The Pines at Jacob’s Pond, and with it another beautiful make-over by region holder Holly  (Dacotah Longfall). It is Holly’s well-planned seasonal changes that keep bringing me back to what she disarmingly calls her “backyard”, which forms part of the End of Time family of regions, because every time she reworks the region, something extraordinary appears.

With the snows of winter long gone, Holly presents visitors with her take on a part of the world she loves: the Black Hills of Dakota. Drawing inspiration from Custer State Park in South Dakota, she has created a place of gently undulating countryside through which a trail winds  over grassy plains and under tall trees, looping past a lake and onwards towards her white-painted house (at which visitors are kindly requested to observe her privacy via a polite sign at the gate.

The Pines at Jacob's Pond, Jacob The Pines at Jacob’s Pond (Flickr) – click any image for full size

Throughout the region wildlife can be found, offering some wonderful opportunities for photography. Elk graze within the shade of tall conifers while American bison roam the grasslands, carefully avoiding the gopher holes as geese pass overhead. Elsewhere, behind strung wire, domestic cattle also graze peacefully and horses meander towards Holly’s house, perhaps seeking their barn for the night. There’s a lot more in the way of animals to be discovered, but I’m not going to catalogue them all here; that would spoil an actual visit.

This is a place where hiking boots are perhaps best required, together with a jacket and hiking stick to really feel the part, because Holly has done a wonderful job in creating the look and feel of the Great Outdoors. Those seeking a lot of things to “do” might be a tad disappointed. Those who enjoy photography, and still getting away from it all most likely won’t; there’s enough simple beauty here to capture the heart and eye that the visitor is naturally drawn-into the region, gently and enticing encouraged to follow the trail and discover all there is to be seen.

The Pines at Jacob's Pond, Jacob The Pines at Jacob’s Pond (Flickr) – click any image for full size

If you’ve never been to The Pines at Jacob’s Pond before, I really do urge you to do so; It’s always a place of beauty and delight. And when you do, don’t forget to hop over the water to visit the rest of the End of Time regions.

Related Links

MadTones and whimsy in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
MT-1_001
MadTone – LEA26

I’ve been something of a fan of the work of Lorin Tone and Madcow Cosmos for a good while now; ever since their 2011 Through the Lens of Dreams exhibit (see here) in fact. As I understand that Madcow is not quite so involved in SL nowadays as was once was the case, I was intrigued when I saw that Lorin had been awarded a region as a part of the 8th round of the LEA’s Artists In Residence programme, and wondered what might be popping-up.

MadTone is the title of the exhibit, and it opened on Sunday, February 15th. Developed by Lorin with help from partner Judi Newall, together with Kelly Shergood and Xon Halostar, it presents marvellous visual creations with carefully designed sound scapes, so be sure to have local sounds enabled when visiting!

MadTone, LEA26
MadTone, LEA26

Those who have visited previous installations by Lorin and Madcow are liable to recognise some of the pieces displayed here. There are, for example, items here from the likes of In the Belly of the Whale, the collaborative installation led by Eupalinos Ugajin and Ole Etzel in January 2014, and from Of Sound Mind from September 2012. As such, and while it is not perhaps intended in such a manner, the installation represents something of a retrospective of Lorin’s partnership with Madcow. It’s certainly a reminder of their whimsical creative genius.

Exploration is not as a straightforward as it may seem; there is no set path, and there is a lot to see on land, in the air and under the water. To make sure you get a good feel of all there is to discover, you can hop on to a dragon a short distance from the landing point, and it will take you on a flight around the region and introduce you to points of note within it, allowing you to get a good feel for the installation, ready for a more leisurely explore and play once the dragon has dropped you off (there’s a teleporter system to get you back to the ground if you hop off the dragon at one of the airborne pieces).

MadTone - LEA26
MadTone – LEA26

If you enjoy light-hearted, interactive installations with a touch of whimsy about them, I’ve little doubt you’ll find MadTone pleasing to the eye and ear. Similarly, if you’re someone who has enjoyed Lorin’s and Madcow’s work in the past, it offers a happy trip down memory lane. If you’re somewhere between the two – go visit anyway!

And when you do, keep an eye out for the talkative turtle / frog and its Shakespearian insults! 😉 .

Related Links

Berry just wondered, have you ever …

Posted on by Inara Pey

T’other week, Berry did a meme about blogging. I debated doing it, as I’ve done her previous two meme on the same subject, then got sidetracked into other things, and by the time I thought about it, it was far too late in the week. so I thought that this week, I should make more of an effort.

This week she asks fifteen questions on the subject of “have you ever…?” in relation to our experiences in Second Life. Here are my responses:

Have you ever owned a sim in Second Life? – Yes.

Have you ever created content in Second Life? – Yes. Some of it is still available on SLM, but most of it is really dated and I should take it down, frankly.

Have you ever driven a vehicle in Second Life? – Err, umm ….

"Have you ever driven a vehicle in Second Life?" Possibly, possibly ... :)
Have you ever driven a vehicle in Second Life? Possibly, possibly … 🙂

Have you ever gone sky diving in Second Life? – Yes! And the lovely Strawberry Singh once joined me (and will do again, I hope!). Once upon a time I was skydiving regularly in SL, and was part of a jump team (I still have the jump suit to prove it!). I recently pulled my old skydiving launcher and landing zone out of inventory and set both up at home so I can get back into things, and offer friends a chance to try it for themselves.

Have you ever played a sport in Second Life? – Yes, competition and formation skydiving, skeet shooting, combat shooting, car racing, golf. My friend Terag encouraged me to try air pylon racing; I’d be great at it if it wasn’t for the bit about flying around a set course between pylons…

Have you ever gone clubbing in Second Life? – Wait, what? You mean some people may not have been to a club?! Jazz places remain my favourites, although I rarely go along nowadays.

Have you ever fangirled/fanboyed someone in Second Life? – Not consciously, although there are a lot of people in SL I admire a lot. I have, however, frequently been accused of being a Linden Lab fangirl 🙂 .  It’s an accusation I can more than happily live with, because the Lab might have warts here and there (and I’ll point to them when warranted) but the fact is, without the Lab, we wouldn’t have a Second Life.

Have you ever taken a picture of your avatar in water in Second Life? – Yes. I mean it’s one of the requirements of using SL, isn’t it: 😉 . And no, you’re not seeing any, as I’m largely rubbish at taking avatar photos!

Have you ever taken a picture of a sunset in Second Life? – Many times, although things often don’t turn out as I’d hoped. However, I do have one I’m particularly proud of:

Collins Land Collins Land, from September 2013 (click for full size)

Have you ever taken a nude picture of your avatar in Second Life? – Yes, most of which are rubbish. See “swimming” above.

Have you ever dated in Second Life? – Yes.

Have you ever had or attended a wedding in Second Life? – been to quite a few, had one, presided over several.

Have you ever drank, smoked or taken drugs in Second Life? – Yes, but not saying which or when 🙂 .

Have you ever engaged in sexual activity in Second Life? – Yes.

Have you ever been to Bukkake Bliss in Second Life? – No.

2015 viewer release summaries: week 7

Posted on by Inara Pey

Updates for the week ending: Sunday February 15th, 2015

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 Current Viewer Releases 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. This page 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
  • By its nature, this summary presented here will always be in arrears, please refer to the Current Viewer Release Page for more up-to-date information.

Official LL Viewers

  • Current Release version: 3.7.24.297623 – no change
  • Release channel cohorts (See my notes on manually installing RC viewer versions if you wish to install any release candidate(s) yourself):
    • No updates
  • Project viewers:

LL Viewer Resources

Third-party Viewers

V3-style

  • No updates.

V1-style

  • Cool VL Viewer updated on February 14th, the stable branch to version 1.26.12.31 and the legacy branch to 1.26.8.89 (release notes for both)

Mobile / Other Clients

Additional TPV Resources

Related Links