Updates for the week ending: Sunday, September 27th
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.
A lunar eclipse “blood moon” seen Idaho, December 2011 (image: Matt Mills / Reuters)
The night of Sunday 27th / Monday 28th September promises a very special astronomical event for those fortunate enough to have clear skies overhead and are willing to stay up late (in the UK and Europe). It will see a total lunar eclipse take place at the time when the Moon reaches perigee, its closest approach to Earth in its orbit and giving rise to both a so-called “supermoon” and a “Blood Moon”.
A “supermoon” occurs when a full moon coincides with the time when the Moon is nearing its minimum distance to Earth, a distance of roughly 363,000 kilometres (226,875 miles), leading to it appearing 7-8% larger than when seen as a full Moon at other points in its orbit. A “blood moon” is the result of the Earth’s atmosphere, lying between the Sun and Moon, scatter blue light more strongly than red, so the latter reaches the Moon more strongly, giving it a reddish-brown colour when seen from Earth.
A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth and Moon are lined up so that the Earth is between the Sun and Moon, and the latter sits within the Earth’s shadow (image: NASA)
Lunar eclipses are not that rare – this one will be the second of 2015, for example. However, “supermoons” are somewhat rarer. The last was in 1982, and the next will not be until 2033. So, if you want to see a really big blood moon, and you live in Western Europe, West Africa, the Eastern side of the USA and Canada or south America, then the 27th / 28th September is the night to do so. People further afield – eastern Asia, the middle east, eastern Europe and the western sides of Canada, the USA and South America will see a partial eclipse.
In the UK, the period of eclipse will start at around 01:00 BST (00:00 GMT) on the morning of Monday, 28th September, and run through until around 05:00 BST (04:00 GMT). That’s from 20:00 through to around 01:00 EDT in the USA / Canada, and 02:00 through 06:00 CET in Europe).
A total lunar eclipse and the gradual change in the Moon’s colour as seen from Earth which sees total lunar eclipses sometimes referred to as “blood moons” – the result of sunlight passing through the Earth’s atmosphere and striking the Moon’s surface (animation: Wikipedia)
The eclipse brings to a close what is referred to as a “tetrad” of total lunar eclipses – that is, four occurring “back-to-back”, with no partial eclipses between them, the first of which occurred in April 2014 and the “middle two” in October 2014 and April 2015. Some have a misguided view that this “tetrad” as being of particular significance because such events are “rare”, and this particular one started on the Passover.
However, while there can be long periods of time between occurrences of tetrads, they can also pop-up relatively frequently. For example, this century will see a total of nine tetrads occur, the first having taken place in 2003/4. Nor is the fact that this particular series started on the Passover particularly unusual; there have been eight tetrads so far coinciding with Passover since the first century AD.
So, if you are in a position to see the eclipse, you can leave the tinfoil hat on the table and step outside quite safely. Totality should occur around two hours after the eclipse starts (e.g. 03:00 BST in the UK / 04:00 CET, 22:00 EDT on the 27th September), and that’s the best time to enjoy the blood moon in all its glory.
The eclipse will also give NASA the chance to measure the full range of temperature variations during such an event. This will be done by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), a solar-power vehicle which has been observing the Moon since 2009.
Normally during an eclipse, the LRO has most of its systems powered down to reduce the load placed on the battery systems. However, mission controllers are confident they will be able to run an instrument which will allow it to accurately measure the amount of heat loss the surface of the Moon experiences when inside the Earth’s shadow, further helping them to understand the composition of the Moon’s regolith and its function as an insulator.
I learned via Loverdag that Antinéa Torok has announced the forthcoming closure of her beautiful gardens at Caladan, which is set to occur on Wednesday, September 30th.
The Indian themed gardens, which offer visitors a place of peace and relaxation, have been designed by Antinéa to demonstrate her skills in region and parcel design under her AT D&CO brand – and they really are a beautiful place to visit, as I noted in March 2015.
If you have not previously visited the gardens, I strongly urge you to do some before September 30th, and savour the sights and sounds there. Antinéa has created something very special which has been enjoyed by so many, that the gardens will doubtless be missed once gone.
However, the closure of Caladan does not signify the end of Antinéa’s designs in Second Life. As she notes in the closure announcement, her region of Vita Nova will remain in Second Life, and open to visitors.
In contrast to Caladan, Vita Nova has a decidedly Mediterranean look and feel; presenting a place that might sit right at home nestled somewhere along the coast of Tuscany. A hazy sky casts a soft light over a (mostly) low-lying, rural landscape which slopes down to a quiet beach and water front on the east side of the island, where sits the landing point atop a wood deck.
This leads the visitor to a small marketplace courtyard, where visitors can peruse the little stalls or sit and enjoy a drink at one of several tables scattered across the courtyard, and served from the little red café. A wooden dance stage sits to one side of the walled market, overlooking an open field.
Two dirt tracks also lead away from the courtyard, one to the beach which borders it to the south. The second track offers a path up past vines rich with grapes ripening in the sun, and up to the local villa. Here visitors can again relax, or wander across the cliff tops to an old ruin, or take the wooden steps down to another beach on the west side of the island.
This is another considered design; not too heavy on landscaping, but offering an environment one can enjoy alone, or in the company of others. The approach to the coastal landscaping is such that it is possible to feel one is walking along a coastal region, rather than simply around an island, adding to the feeling of being somewhere on the Italian coast. The music stream provides a pleasing jazz backing (if somewhat interrupted by ads), and the sound scape Antinéa has created suits the environment perfectly. So, even if you do forego the audio stream, do make sure you have local sounds on.
For those wishing to take photos, there are many opportunities, and if you join the AT D&CO group, you can rez props – but do please remember to clear-up when done!
Once again, if you’ve not visited Caladan before, do make sure to make time before September 30th, and don’t forget Vita Nova will also be ready to welcome you.
On Sunday, September 27th, Stand up 2 Cancer In Second Life relaxes the climax of two weeks of music and fund-raising aright acorss the grid in support of the global efforts of Stand Up 2 Cancer (SU2C).
Organised by Still Braveheart, the event has this years been supported by over 150 artists and more than 40 venues. Since launching on September 12th. an incredible L$2,700,685 has been raised through the concerts and events just through in-world donations alone (the totals raised through the UK and USA team pages still have to be tallied). This means hitting the L$ 3 million total on the last day is entirely possible!
Things will kick-off at 10:00 at LC Live! with the conclusion of the SU2C in SL Date Auction – your chance to go on a 2-hour date with an SL performer, venue owner or personality. I’ve also heard a whisper that there will be a very special auction prize as well, so be sure to be at LC Live!
Bones Writer Performs “Stand Up” – the anthem for Stand Up 2 Cancer in Second Life 2015
The Dirty Grind over Jasmine’s Hollow will be helping to close-out SU2C in SL 2015 on Sunday, September 27th
All donations made during Stand Up 2 Cancer in Second Life will be divided equally between Stand up 2 Cancer’s work in Canada, the UK, and the USA. Those who prefer, can donate directly to Stand Up 2 Cancer in the UK and the USA by visiting the SU2C in SL UK team donation page or the SU2C in SL USA donation page.
Stand Up 2 Cancer provides an innovative approach to ending cancer, which puts funds directly where they are needed: into leading-edge cancer research and treatment, and undertaking aggressive research programmes. 100% of all donations made through SU2C goes directly into funding this work, none is lost to “administrative costs” or put aside for CEO or executive salaries, etc. So you can be sure your donations are going directly to where they can do the most good.
This is a great opportunity to support efforts to bring about an end to cancer. so if you’ve not already done so, don’t forget to hop over to one of the venues and enjoy some great entertainment and support a great cause!
Be sure to visit LC Live! before 10:00 SLT on Sunday, September 27th, 2015, and bid for a date with one of SL top live performers or venue owners!
It’s time to kick-off another week of fabulous story-telling in voice, brought to our virtual lives by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s Second Life home at Bradley University, unless otherwise indicated.
Sunday, September 27th
13:30: Tea time at Baker Street
The Valley of Fear, The Strand Magazine, 1915. Illustration by Frank Wiles
“I am inclined to think—” said I.
“I should do so,” Sherlock Holmes remarked impatiently.
I believe that I am one of the most long-suffering of mortals; but I’ll admit that I was annoyed at the sardonic interruption. “Really, Holmes,” said I severely, “you are a little trying at times.”
He was too much absorbed with his own thoughts to give any immediate answer to my remonstrance. He leaned upon his hand, with his untasted breakfast before him, and he stared at the slip of paper which he had just drawn from its envelope. Then he took the envelope itself, held it up to the light, and very carefully studied both the exterior and the flap.
“It is Porlock’s writing,” said he thoughtfully. “I can hardly doubt that it is Porlock’s writing, though I have seen it only twice before. The Greek e with the peculiar top flourish is distinctive. But if it is Porlock, then it must be something of the very first importance.”
He was speaking to himself rather than to me; but my vexation disappeared in the interest which the words awakened.
“Who then is Porlock?” I asked.
“Porlock, Watson, is a nom-de-plume, a mere identification mark; but behind it lies a shifty and evasive personality. In a former letter he frankly informed me that the name was not his own, and defied me ever to trace him among the teeming millions of this great city. Porlock is important, not for himself, but for the great man with whom he is in touch. Picture to yourself the pilot fish with the shark, the jackal with the lion—anything that is insignificant in companionship with what is formidable: not only formidable, Watson, but sinister—in the highest degree sinister. That is where he comes within my purview. You have heard me speak of Professor Moriarty?”
So opens The Valley of Fear, which first appeared in serial form within the pages of The Strand Magazine between 1914 and 1915, before being republished as a full length novel. Set prior to the events of Holmes’ apparent death in The Final Problem, the story serves to explore more sinister activities undertaken as the behest of that criminal mastermind, Professor Moriarty.
Join Caledonia Skytower and Kayden Oconnell as they continue with the second in a 6-part reading of what became the fourth and final Sherlock Holmes novel.
18:00: Selections from Pinocchio
An illustration from 1883 and the original Le avventure di Pinocchio, drawn by Enrico Mazzanti and coloured by Daniel Donna
Caledonia Skytower settles down at Magicland’s Golden Horseshoe to read selected adventures from the famous story of Pinocchio, the wooden puppet who comes to life through the granting of a wish, and who then has various adventures and misadventures along his path of life.
It’s a story we’re all familiar with in one way or another, and probably largely as a result of the 1940 Walt Disney adaptation of the tale, which is rated today as both one of the finest Disney features made, and one of the greatest animated films of all time.
But, how many of us are familiar with the original Adventures of Pinocchio, published in 1883 by author Carlo Collodi? For those all too familiar with Disney’s rendering of the little puppet who wants to be a boy, there is much in the book that is familiar – but also much that is very different.
So – what will Caledonia bring? Pinocchio’s adventures as seen through the eyes of Disney, or as put to paper by Collodi – or perhaps a mix of both? Or will she cast her net wider?
Be at the Golden Horseshoe to find out!
Monday September 28th, 19:00: A Night in the Lonesome October
It is the start of the Haunted Month, and the Seanchai staff are marking the arrival and passage of October with readings of Roger Zelazy’s A Night in the Lonesome October. The latter is the last of Zelazy’s published works, and 31 of its 32 chapters (the first being an introductory chapter) each take place on a night in October.
The book is satirical in nature, and is written in the first person – the narrator being Snuff the dog, the companion of none other than Jack the Ripper. The central theme of the book is that once every few decades, when the moon is full on the night of Halloween, the fabric of reality thins, and doors may be opened between this world and the realm of the Great Old Ones. At this time, men and women with occult knowledge gather at a certain location to engage in The Game – an attempt by some to open the doors, and others to hold them closed. Should the Openers ever win the game, the Great Old Ones will come to Earth, remake it in their own images and enslave or slaughter the human race in the process.
Through the month of October, the Players in the game – all archetypal characters from Victorian Era Gothic fiction – form alliances, make deals, oppose one another, and even kill off opposing Players, until the night of October 31st, when the ritual takes place and the fate of the world is decided. Each Player has his or her familiar, an animal companion with near-human intelligence which helps them complete the numerous preparations required to be ready for the ritual on the final night. The majority of the story describes the interactions and discussions of these animals, as described from Snuff’s viewpoint.
Tuesday September 29th,19:00 The Life and Times of The Thunderbolt Kid
Kayden Oconnell reads from Bill Bryson’s memoirs of his childhood, growing up in Iowa in the 1950s. However, given this is Bill Bryson, these are no ordinary memoirs.
Born into an era when “automobiles and televisions and appliances (not to mention nuclear weapons) grew larger and more numerous with each passing year, and DDT, cigarettes, and the fallout from atmospheric testing were considered harmless or even good for you”, the young Bryson held a daydream typical of so many American youngsters of the time: to be a superhero.
For Bryson, this meant spending time wearing a football jersey emblazoned with a lightning bolt together with a towel for a cape whilst spending time righting imaginary wrongs, overcoming evil-doers, travelling faster than a speeding bullet and leaping tall buildings in a single bound and being known as The Thunderbolt Kid.
And it is through the eyes of this childhood alter ego that Bryson allows us to witness his home and family life as he grew up in 1950s Des Moines.
Wednesday September 30th 19:00: Serafina and the Black Cloak
Caledonia Skytower commences a reading of Robert Beatty’s spooky mystery thriller.
Serafina lives a life of total secrecy. While her father may be the maintenance man for the great house of the Biltmore Estate, the wealthy owners of the estate have no idea that he lives in the basement of the house – and much less that his daughter lives there with him.
Not that this is a problem for Serafina; she is quite at home exploring the great house and its grounds whilst avoiding being seen. There’s certainly no need for her to venture into the great forest beyond the estate, and with which, he father has said, lie many dangers.
But when the children on the estate start vanishing, Serafina is forced to join forces with the young nephew of the Biltmore’s owners, and discover the identity of the one they believe to be behind the disappearances of the other children: the Man in the Black Cloak. But in order to do so, Serafina must enter the forest her father has warned her against; and within that forest lies a deeper secret Serafina must confront: that of her own identity.
Thursday, October 1st
19:00: Patrick’s Path
Caledonia Skytower reads a story from her upcoming volume A Trio of Irish Tales II.
21:00: Seanchai Late Night
With Finn Zeddmore.
—–
Please check with the Seanchai Library SL’s blog for updates and for additions or changes to the week’s schedule. The featured charity for August / September is Water for People, “When one person or one family has clean, accessible water, their lives are changed. But when entire regions and countries have water, the world is changed.”
The following notes are primarily taken from the TPV Developer (TPVD) meeting held on Friday, September 25th, 2015. A video of the meeting is included at the end of this report, with any time stamps in the following text referring to it. My thanks as always to North for the recording and providing it for embedding.
On Wednesday, September 23rd, the three RC channels were all updated with the server maintenance package initially deployed to BlueSteel in week #37, comprising internal fixes to improve inventory performance.
Following the RC deployment, there were some reports of issues which seemed to be related to capabilities failures with the simulators concerned, although (at least in one case) no sign of actual caps failures could be seen. It’s not clear how widespread this issue may have been, and those regions that were affected appeared to have the issue resolved with one (or more) restarts.
Server Maintenance in Week #38
The end of week #38 saw several periods of unscheduled simulator maintenance (see here for example), leading to rumours that the deployments for that week were being rolled back. In fact, as reported by Oz at the Simulator UG meeting on Tuesday, September 22nd, the issue was related to the accidental use expired server certificates coupled with some asset server issues, but no actual roll-back of simulator version took place.
SL Viewer
[0:28] There have been no updates to the current RC and project viewers during week #39. There has been a cautious optimism in the Lab that the Mesh Importer RC viewer, version 3.8.4.305119 might be promoted to the de facto release viewer in week #40 (commencing Monday, September 28th), although this may be subject to further possible delay as a result of BUG-10326.
[01:10] The project viewers currently available – Project Azumarill (HTTP updates), the Quick Graphics (Avatar Complexity / graphics presets) and Notifications viewer – are all currently with the Lab’s QA team and competing for RC releases. It is hoped that some or all should move to RC status in the next week or two. However, there is currently some doubt as to whether the issues reported in BUG-10330 affecting the Quick Graphics viewer have actually been fully fixed. A maintenance viewer is also likely to be appearing shortly, either as a project viewer or RC.
[02:35] It is anticipated that the HTTP and Quick Graphics viewers will initially have small RC test cohorts, and their deployment will be “cautious”.
[07:25] The HTTP code changes are liable to be a non-trivial merge for TPVs, particularly those which might be using code paths differently to how that official viewer uses them. As such, the Lab has produced a video explaining the HTTP changes, and the recommendation is for TPVs to watch the video and get a feel for both the changes and their context, prior to attempting any merges.
[03:05] There may be an update to the Oculus Rift project viewer (currently version 3.7.18.295296, dating back to October 2014) coming soon.
CEF Viewer
[03:18] The anticipated Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF) project viewer, featuring updates for media purposes, should also be appearing shortly. This had initially been tipped for a week #38 release, but is currently still awaiting QA clearance. Once available, it is liable to remain as a project viewer for an extended period to allow those with media products, etc., to both test it and update their items with HTML 5 support, as the viewer will not provide QuickTime support and will have Flash support disabled by default.
Inventory Updates
[10;00] and As I recently reported, the Lab will soon be issuing viewer-side updates to improve inventory handling. This work involves two lots of updates that will be made to the viewer. The first will remove all of the old UDP inventory messaging paths which have already been replaced by more robust mechanisms, which will then be followed by simulator-side removal of all support for these messaging paths. this work will then be followed by a two-part operation to refactor much of the inventory handling code in the viewer.
This work shares a lot of common ground with the HTTP project, as such, the first set of viewer changes are unlikely to appear until the HTTP updates within Project Azumarill have reached a viewer release candidate status. However, as this work progresses, it is liable to also require considerable care with code merges within TPVs.
Older Viewers and Code Changes
[11:10] The upcoming viewer-side HTTP changes are unlikely to have an impact on older versions of viewers currently in use. However, the inventory changes will, and are liable to “break” inventory operations on those versions of viewers that do not have the updated code. This will be particularly true with the removal of all UDP support for inventory in both the viewer and on the simulator side (which is liable to occur in early 2016).
[14:07] While there may be concern at the idea of older viewers being “broken” by the inventory changes, the Lab is keen to emphasise the work is being undertaken with the aim to improve the Second life experience, and make inventory operations more reliable than they perhaps have been.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 