Month: June 2015

Second Life L$ Authorised Reseller programme to close

Posted on by Inara Pey

On Monday, June 15th, Linden Lab announced the forthcoming closure of the Linden Dollar (L$) Authorised Reseller programme, which has been in operation for just over two years.

The programme was originally introduced in May 2013, after Linden Lab had, earlier that month, made changes to their Terms of Service (ToS) which meant that only the official LindeX was the only place where trading in Linden dollars would be allowed.

At the time of the change, the Lab stated their reason for the change was to better protect users from the risk of fraud. However, there was considerable speculation on whether the move was linked to a set of interpretive guidelines (PDF) issued by the US Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement network (FinCEN). As I reported at the time the guidelines were issued, the suggestion was that insofar as the federal government was concerned, the Linden Dollar could be regarded as a virtual currency  a virtual currency (the Lab had “downgraded” it to a game token in 2010 within their ToS), and therefore potentially subject for more rigorous controls to prevent issues of fraud and money laundering.

However, whether or not FinCen’s guidelines were a trigger point for the Lab’s changes to the Terms of Service in 2013, the changes themselves did cause assorted problems for may users outside of the United States who wished to but L$, but who could not, again for assorted reasons, easily use the LindeX.

The Linden Dollar Authorised Reseller logo, introduced with the programme in 2013

The Linden Dollar Authorised Reseller programme was a direct response to the problems users affected by the ToS changes were encountering. It allowed approved bodies to buy Linden dollars through the LindeX and then resell those L$ to users in a variety of international currencies and via numerous payment methods. However, in keeping with the May 2013 ToS changes, these Authorised Resellers were not allowed to buy back L$ from users or cash users out – such transactions would still have to go via the LindeX.

When it was introduced, the Authorised Reseller programme was supported by a wiki page, and was regarded by the Lab as a pilot programme – and its status as such has never changed over the last two years. Nevertheless, it proved to be popular; by early June 2013, just three weeks after it had been launched, some 29 resellers had been approved by the Lab as a part of the programme.

In announcing the closure of the programme, which will take place on August 1st, 2015, the Lab states:

Since then [the introduction of the programme in 2013], we have expanded the payment options for Second Life users, and today, you can easily purchase L$ in more countries than ever before, using a credit card, PayPal, or Skrill, which supports a wide range of payment methods. We’ve found that these options support the vast majority of Second Life users, and we have therefore made the business decision to close the Authorized Linden Dollar Reseller pilot program.

We are contacting program participants directly to detail the next steps for them, and they will have approximately six weeks to sell off their L$ inventory.

As of August 1, 2015, the Authorized L$ Reseller pilot program will be closed, and the LindeX will be the only authorized place to purchase L$.

While the announcement will probably lead to speculation and theories as to why the Lab is taking this step, the stated reason actually seems to be fair enough: when the changes were made to the Terms of Service in 2013, the loss of third-party exchanges for L$ purchases did impact users – but the Lab has, over the last two years, genuinely sought to offer more options by which users can make L$ purchases, all of which enjoy widespread use among Second Life users.

For full details on the closure and on how to buy L$ beyond August 1st, 2015 if you have relied upon a third-party authorised Reseller, please refer to the official blog post.

2015 viewer release summaries: week 24

Posted on by Inara Pey

Updates for the week ending: Sunday, June 14th, 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: 3.7.30.302599, June 12 – hotfix update with MSVCP100.DLL and MSVCR100.DLL files missing form recent Windows releases of the viewer (download page, release notes)
  • Release channel cohorts (See my notes on manually installing RC viewer versions if you wish to install any release candidate(s) yourself):
    • Obsolete platform viewer version 3.7.28.300847 dated May 8 – provided for users on Windows XP and OS X versions below 10.7. This viewer will remain available for as long as reasonable, but will not be updated with new features or bug fixes and will not be promoted to release status (download and release notes)
  • Project viewers:
    • No updates.

LL Viewer Resources

Third-party Viewers

V3-style

  • Black Dragon updated to version 2.4.3.1 on June 14th – core updates: bug fixes for microphone issue and potential crash on start issue (release notes)
  • UKanDo updated to 3.7.29.34273 Beta on June 10th – core updates: latest changes to VMM (release notes)

V1-style

  • Cool VL Viewer Stable branch updated to version 1.26.12.46, and the Experimental branch to version 1.26.13.15, both on June 13th (release notes).

Mobile / Other Clients

  • No updates.

Additional TPV Resources

Related Links

Finding fool’s gold in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Alpha.Tribe
Alpha.Tribe

Artist and avatar creator Alpha Auer has re-opened her region, Alpha.Tribe, after a period of redesign. “This new build revolves around the theme of ‘fool’s gold’,” she says of the new design, which extends on, under and over the region.  In respect of this, the majority of the builds and objects in the region have been given a black and gold finish, with even the sandy seabed carrying the motif, graduated as it is into alternating lines of light and shadow.

The result is an environment which brings together a rich mix of influences and structures which, although very disparate in design and form, are nevertheless unified through the contrasting richness of the gold and ebony of the region’s look.

Alpha.Tribe
Alpha.Tribe

“I have tried to build a sim that is conceptually a bit like my old sim Syncretia,” Alpha continues. “a continuous ecology that tells a story of sorts, rather than a place in which discrete things are presented independently of one another, which is what I had tried to do with the previous build.”

Among the things on offer for explorers to discover lie an oriental pavilion offering an exotic environment in which to relax, or visit a shipyard where a golden ship is under construction. Elsewhere there are gardens, ruins, and high tech designs. Meanwhile, seahorses in rich black and gold, escort Nemo’s Nautilus under water and overhead a huge and ornate airship rises slowly into the sky.

Alpha.Tribe
Alpha.Tribe

Not all of the region is new; the Blueprint City and Pastoral sphere have been preserved, Alpha informs visitors. Careful exploration is encouraged on foot and / or by flying, and there are things to see within the builds as well as around them, and to help visitors reach key points, a teleport system has been provided. Do make sure you use the region windlight settings when visiting; they add considerable depth to the various locales.

Alpha also notes that the region pays homage to creator Arcadia Asylum, also known as Aley. “Many of the prims that you will see on the sim are Aley’s creations which I have modified, and re-textured,” alpha says. “Aley’s ingenuity as a builder has allowed me to create a sim that (although it is only a homestead with limited prims) will hopefully appear as densely built as a full sim and hopefully tell a secret tale that needs lots of prim-detail in order to be properly heard.”

Alpha.Tribe
Alpha.Tribe

To mark the reopening and redesign, Alpha has released two new avatar designs which are in keeping with the theme of “fool’s gold”. These together with the rest of her designs can be found in the region’s gift store, which can be reached via the teleport system.

Alpha.Tribe is well worth a visit, offering a unique and very intriguing environment and design. Recommended.

SLurl Details

Space Sunday extra: Philae, the little lander that could, wakes up!

Posted on by Inara Pey
Rosetta (r),Philae and, behind them, comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko seen in an artist’s impression of the mission
Rosetta (r),Philae and, behind them, comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko seen in an artist’s impression of the mission

On Wednesday, November 12th, after 10 years in space, travelling aboard its parent vehicle, Rosetta, the lander Philae touched down on the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko (67P/C-G). It was the climax of an amazing space mission spanning two decades – and yet was to be just the beginning. Packed with instruments, it was hoped that Philae would immediately commence around 60 hours of intense scientific investigation, prior to its batteries discharging, causing it to switch to a solar-powered battery system.

Unfortunately, things didn’t quite work out that way. As I’ve previously reported, the is very little in the way of gravity on the comet, so in order for Philae to avoid bouncing off of it when landing, several things had to happen the moment it touched the comet’s surface. As it turned out, two of these things didn’t happen, with the result that the lander did bounce – twice.

Philae shortly after departing Rosetta, with the landing legs deployed, the solar panel
Philae shortly after departing Rosetta, on Wednesday November 12th, 2014 with the landing legs deployed, the solar panel “walls” on the sides of the lander clearly visible.

The first time it rose to around 1 kilometre above the comet before descending once more in a bounce lasting and hour and fifty minutes, the second time it bounced for just seven minutes. Even so, both of these bounces meant the lander eventually came to rest about a kilometre away from its intended landing zone. What’s worse, rather than touching down in an area where it would received around 6-7 hours of sunlight a “day” as the comet tumbles through space, it arrived in an area where it was only receiving around 80-90 minutes of sunlight – meaning that it would be almost impossible to charge the solar-powered battery system.

Even so, the lander commenced science operations as planned, and despite having only limited power within its batteries, and insufficient means to fully recharge them, Philae returned almost all of its anticipated science data. However, in the morning of Saturday, November 15th (UK / European time), being unable to charge its solar batteries, the lander “safed” itself and entered a state of hibernation, leaving scientists hoping that as the comet continues towards the Sun, sufficient sunlight would fall across the lander in order for it to successfully recharge its batteries.

It happened. On Sunday, June 14th, ESA operations announced that communications with Philae had been re-established.

ESA Operations announced contact re-established with the comet-landing Philae
ESA Operations announced contact re-established with the comet-landing Philae

So far, some 300 packets of data have been returned to Earth via Philae’s parent craft, Rosetta, as it orbits the comet since communications were re-established at 23:28 GMT on Saturday, June 13th. This data revealed that Philae appears to have been awake for a while, the comet’s “fall” towards the Sun having done the trick, but the Sunday, June 14th contact marked the first time Philae had managed to reach Rosetta.

The initial 85-second communication is still being analysed, but has indicated there are around 8,000 additional packets of data to be returned by the lander, the initial information being largely concerned with information on Philae’s overall condition.

As well as tweeting directly on the resumption of contact, ESA also issued a Tweet “from” Philae announcing the news.

Philae's
Philae’s “Tweet” on the resumption of contact

That there is still some 8,000 packets of data still within Philae’s memory, which is likely to be science data the lander has gathered over the last few days as it has come out of its seven month hibernation. As the comet becomes more active as it continues inward towards the sun-ward, Philae is in a prime position to discover more about these remnants of the earliest history of the solar system.

During its initial 60 hours of operations prior to going into hibernation, The lander discovered organic molecules on the comet, results of which were sent back from Philae’s Cosac instrument (one of the ten science instruments on the lander), thus fulfilling one of its primary mission objectives.

While Philae may have been in hibernation for the last seven months, its parent vehicle, which bears the same name as the mission, has not and has continued to orbit the comet and gather data as the comet gradually sweeps through the solar system towards the sun – it is currently some 205 million kilometres (127 million miles) distant, and will reach its nearest point in August before heading back in to the far reaches of the solar system.

The first image from the surface of a comet, returned to Earth by the Rosetta lander Philae, November 13th, 2014. image: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA
The first image from the surface of a comet, returned to Earth by Philae, November 13th, 2014. image: ESA/Rosetta/Philae/CIVA

Continue reading “Space Sunday extra: Philae, the little lander that could, wakes up!” →

Relay for Life: celebrate 10 years of T1 Radio in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

01 T1Radio Sign - v2011On Sunday, June 14th, T1 Radio will hold a special anniversary party to celebrate ten years of broadcasting in Second Life.

In January 2005 T1 Radio, the official broadcaster for Relay for Life of Second Life, first started broadcasting as Radio dAlliez, operating from the late Alliez Mysterio’s La Vie En Rose club.

The idea for the station came from Alliez and Tony Beckett; they approached Trader Whiplash, at that time new to DJing in Second Life, to take on the role of the station’s DJ. It proved to be a good choice; Trader learned his craft rapidly, offering sets focused on classic rock and roll which both differentiated Radio dAlliez from the more typical pop and electronic music heard in clubs at the time, and proved to be a popular with La Vie En Rose patrons.

By June 2005, with a growing private island residential business with dAlliez Estates, Alliez and Tony were considering closing down the station, but agreed that Trader to take over its running; thus T1 Radio was born, operated by Trader and his best friend, Nuala Maracas. Following the change, T1 Radio continued to operate from Rue dAlliez through until 2011, when it and the Legends Rock Club moved to is own region at Arinultra Cay.

T1 Radio at
T1 Radio at Arinultra Cay

As well as broadcasting a wide range of programmes throughout the week, T1 Radio has, over the years, become synonymous with Relay for Life. The relationship started with the very first RFL of SL season in 2005, when Trader and (himself a leukemia survivor) and Nuala formed the Relay Rockers to assist in fund-raising.

In 2006, a grid-wide issue led to a loss of audio with the scheduled stream, T1 Radio were able to fill the void. the following year, Fayandria Foley invited T1 Radio to be the 2007 RFL of SL broadcaster; the station has continued in that role through until the present day. Such has been the relationship that, in 2014, the American Cancer Society and Relay for Life recognised T1Radio for its dedication and contributions to what has become one of the largest Relay For Life fund-raisers in the world by inducting them in the RFL of SL Hall of Honour.

Legend rock club: home of T1 Radio
Legend Rock club: home of T1 Radio

Other highlights from T1 Radio’s history include:

  • 2006: 1st Relay For Life weekend broadcast
  • 2007: Provides voice to Opening, Closing and Luminaria Ceremonies
  • 2008: 1st Broadcast of Kick Off, Halfway There and Wrap Up
  • 2010: Sponsors 1st Holiday of Hope Ball
  • 2011: Moves To Arinultra Cay
  • 2012: Introduces Relay Rap – the Talk Show For and About the Relay For Life of Second Life
  • 2012: Becomes AviChoice audio producer
  • 2015: Trader and T1Radio are AviChoice finalists and T1Radio and staff garner 5 nominations overall.

Over the years, T1 Radio has involved a number of well-known names in the world of SL entertainment, including Anthony Wesburn, Java Mama,  Sassyblonde Hebert and Rex Tardis, and Radio Riel’s Gabby Riel. Today, Diana ‘Dee’ Wolfe and Madelyn Majestic continue to broadcast weekly shows.

To find out more about T1 Radio, you can tune-in to their shows via Shoutcast or the TuneIn App, and can follow T1 Radio events and activites through the T1 Radio Listeners Group.

T1 Radio's 10th Anniversary celebrations will take place at Relay dAlliez
T1 Radio’s 10th Anniversary celebrations will take place at Relay dAlliez

Join the Party

The party marking T1 Radio’s 10th anniversary will take place at Relay dAlliez, starting at 15:00 SLT and running through until 19:00, it will feature feature T1Radio’s current air-staff, alumni and special surprise guests. Team Relay rockers RFL of Sl kisoks will be available throughout the celebrations, and all donations made will go directly to RFL of SL.

Space Sunday: imaging tiny worlds, flying saucers, and a matter of size

Posted on by Inara Pey
Dawn mission patch (NASA / JPL)
Dawn mission patch (NASA / JPL)

The joint ESA / NASA Dawn mission to study two of the solar system’s three “protoplanets” located in the asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, continues to intrigue scientists.

Launched in September 2007, and costing US $446 million, Dawn is part of a broader effort to better understand the origins of the solar system and how the planets actually formed; all of which might give us greater understanding of how life arose here on Earth.

The mission has been relatively low-key when compared to the likes of NASA’s MSL rover on Mars or Europe’s Rosetta mission to comet 67P/C-G and NASA’s other mission to tiny world. New Horizons, but the Dawn spacecraft and mission are quite remarkable. The little spacecraft is use ion propulsion to enter orbit around a planetary body and is the first to orbit a dwarf planet and, since its arrival in orbit around Ceres, the first spacecraft from Earth to visit that tiny dwarf planet and the first mission to orbit two separate extraterrestrial bodies.

Dawn arrived at Ceres in March 2015, after a 2.5 year transit flight from Vesta, its first destination, where it spent 14 months in orbit following its arrival there in July 2011. Because of their relative size – Ceres accounts for around one-third of the total mass of the asteroid belt –  both of these airless, rocky bodies are regarded as dwarf planets, rather than “simple” asteroids.  However, they are both very different bodies to one another.

Dawn mission (NASA / JPL) - click for full size
Dawn mission (NASA / JPL) – click for full size

With a diameter of 525 kilometres (326 miles), Vesta is the smaller of these two worldlets, and is technically regarded as water-poor achondritic asteroid comprising a tenth of the mass of the asteroid belt. Its density is lower than the four inner planets of the solar system but higher than most of the moons and asteroids.

A June 6th image of the bright spots within a crater on Ceres, captured by Dawn on June 6th, 2015, from a distance of
A June 6th image of the bright spots within a crater on Ceres, captured by Dawn on June 6th, 2015, from a distance of 4,400 kilometres / 2,700 miles (NASA / JPL) – click for full size

Ceres, with a diameter of 950 kilometres (590 miles), is just 2.5 times smaller than distant Pluto, the target of the New Horizons mission. Its spectral characteristics suggest a composition similar to that of a water-rich carbonaceous chondrite. Like most of the material within the asteroid belt, it formed very early in the history of the Solar System, thereby retaining a record of events and processes from the time of the formation of the terrestrial planets.

Since arriving in orbit around Ceres, Dawn has returned some intriguing images of apparent bright spots within a crater. These were first seen in late 2014, as Dawn made its initial approach to Ceres, and have since been imaged on numerous occasions, and have been tracked as Ceres rotates, eliminating them as being imaging artefacts. Studies of much lower resolution images of Ceres taken by the Hubble Space Telescope also reveal these bright spots – although such is the distance of Ceres from Hubble that where they do appear in HST pictures, they are little more than a single bright blob.

The thinking on the bright areas are that they are water ice  or possibly frozen salt deposits – although they could be something more exotic. Over the last two months, Dawn has been able to image the bright areas, which lie in a crater some 92 kilometres (57 miles) across, situation some 19 degrees above Ceres’ equator. On June 6th, 2015, Dawn returned the best images yet of the bright spots, and these have been added to an animation made up of multiple images of Ceres, showing it rotating about its axis.

At the end of June, Dawn will commence a series of manoeuvres which will gently lower its orbit over the period of 6 weeks, allowing it to get much more detailed images of the surface of Ceres and these strange spots. As the images will also be captured from multiple angles, scientists hope they’ll provide sufficient information for the composition of the bright spots to be understood.

Continue reading “Space Sunday: imaging tiny worlds, flying saucers, and a matter of size” →