Second Life Science Fiction Convention – Nimoy mega-hub
On Friday, March 18th, the 2016 Second Life Science Fiction Convention, organised by the SL Sic-Fi Alliance, opened its doors to sci-fi enthusiasts from across virtual worlds.
Running through until March 27th, 2016, the convention is spread across six regions packed with all things science-fiction, with good representation from OpenSim as well. As usual, the event has been organised in support of Relay for Life of Second Life, and forms one of the RFL of SL mega events for 2016.
Second Life Science Fiction Convention
As this is a sci-fi event, the major areas for activities are located high up in the sky over the six regions, forming a bustling metropolis of stores, activity centres, walkways, and more, with vehicles of various descriptions passing by overhead. There are also some facilities – teleport hubs, entertainment facilities, etc., located at ground level as well.
The Five exhibitor regions are (see here for a full list of exhibitors):
In addition, Stardust Dreams provides entertainment facilities both in the air and on the ground.
Second Life Science Fiction Convention – a time-travelling Allosaurus pops by for a look
When exploring the regions, you’ll find the usual interesting mix of merchants and role-play groups, all with something to offer. The best starting point for explorations is perhaps the mega-hub located in Nimoy.
Details on entertainment, etc., seem a little thin on the ground where the website events page is concerned (or was at the time of writing), so finding out what is going on where and when might be best done via the in-world convention calendar at the Nimoy mega-hub, where you can also pick-up a SLSFC9 uniform (all proceeds to RFL of SL), if you haven’t anything suitably sci-fi to wear (or even if you have).
Second Life Science Fiction Convention
Whatever your interest in science fiction, be sure to set your phaser on fun and head back to the future with a visit to the SL Sci-Fi convention. So say we all!
Open through until the end of March 2016 is Retrospective: Barry Richez, an expansive exhibit reflecting the vast catalogue of work by this expressive artist, who works in both 2D and 3D.
Barry opens his introduction to the exhibit with the words, “Welcome to my Universe,” and thus we are thrust into an environment with a distinctly science-fiction edge to it, in which he has framed his work for visitors to appreciate.
This is actually a journey through three “universes” of art, undertaken via teleport, with the artist recommending visitors proceed through each in teleport order from the arrival point (teleport 01), with station 02 – 11 taking visitors through the Centaurus galaxy, stations 12 – 14 through the Tourbillon galaxy, and 15 – 20 though the Sombrero galaxy.
Station 19 is worth an additional note, as it offers a special exhibition of art by Barry’s partner Lou Robinson, in what I believe is her first public exhibition. The remaining stations are also split into two groups, with 21 through 25 presenting “relaxation places” with Tai Chi, meditation, and dancing, while 26 – 28 teleport visitors to additional poseball spaces in each of the three galaxies, where they can simply float around, meditate or observe.
For maximum impact, visitors should set their viewer to midnight and make sure particles are enabled. I’d also recommend Barry’s suggestion of running through the teleport stations in numerical order as far as station 20, and then perhaps taking more of a random look around.
The sculptures on display tend to be one per level, and some offer opportunities for interaction. The 2D art is displayed in a more gallery-like form, and everything is presented against a galactic backdrop of turning stars, the spaces filled with planets, space ships and space stations (some of which can also be explored at which may contain little treats of their own) alongside of the art.
This is a fascinating trip through the art and mind of the artist; the items on display a veritable kaleidoscope, but in terms of the use of colour and the narrative in the pieces on display, some of which share a gentle humour with the visitor, while others challenge our thinking. The inclusion of Lou Robinson’s art adds a further touch to the exhibition, and has certainly left me hoping we’ll be seeing more of her work in the future; Her fractal images are captivating.
There was no planned Main (SLS) channel deployment / restart for the week. On Wednesday, March 16th, the three RC channels were updated with an improved server maintenance project comprising script fixes and internal improvements. The lack of recent deployments remains down to ongoing infrastructure updates occurring across the Lab’s simulator servers.
SL Viewer
On Thursday, March 17th, the Maintenance RC viewer, version 4.0.2.312269, was updated to the de facto release viewer. This viewer does have an issue with invisiprims, which the viewer renders as solid objects with invalid textures, rather than leaving them transparent, as intended, whether or not ALM is enabled (ALM having previously “broken” invisiprims) – see BUG-11562.
On Friday, March 18th, the HTTP / Vivox viewer was updated to version 4.0.3.312684, which I assume is a rebuild based on the new release viewer, potentially marking this viewer as the next-in-line for promotion (subject to updates with the Quick Graphics RC).
Aditi Inventory Syncing
The new process for syncing users’ Aditi inventory with their Agni inventory has not gone live as anticipated. however, all things being equal, it will be deployed in week #12. This means that, going forward, a user’s Aditi inventory will no longer be overwritten when they change their password and log-in to Aditi, nor will a password change be required to trigger an Aditi inventory sync.
Instead, anyone logging-in to Aditi will automatically have their inventory copied from Agni to Aditi a part of a new process (run at about 06:00 SLT each day). This will happen each time a persona logs in to Aditi, unless their inventory is already flagged for copying, and instead of overwriting a person’s existing Aditi inventory, the incoming Agni inventory will be merged with their existing Aditi inventory, with checks to avoid unnecessary duplication of items each time this occurs and to ensure thing like Trash contents and COF aren’t copied as well.
Other Items
Created Agents for SL?
Lucia Nightfire filed an interesting feature request, proposing the use of created agents in SL. A created agent is essentially the same as regular avatar or bot, but without an internet connection to the server. Created agents have an object-style inventory, and can attach things in a similar manner to regular avatars. Such an approach could allow the development of pets, breedables, ridables, NPC’s, monsters, game enemies, all without the associated cost and complexity of using other means of achieving the same result. See BUG-11368 for more.
What’s now interesting is that the request has been accepted by the Lab. This doesn’t mean it definitely will happen, but it means they are at least interested in considering the potential of the idea.
Kylie Jaxxon recently invited Caitlyn and I to visit the latest iteration of her homestead region The Trace (aka The Trace too), which recently re-opened following a further joint make-over by Kylie and Elvira Kytori (also the owner of White Dunes Estate rentals). As I’ve always enjoyed both Kylie’s and Elivra’s work, it was an invitation I was delighted to accept, and to introduce Caitlyn to The Trace.
The new design, as I commented to Ziki Questi, who was also visiting when Caitlyn and I hopped over, is perhaps the finest in the series of The Trace builds to date. Beautifully scenic, with open vistas at every turn, it is simply a joy to spend time there either wandering or, as Caitlyn and I have done, simply snuggling in one of the many lookout points, and watch the world roll by.
Two rocky shouldered islands make up the current design, one curved and pointing like an arrowhead to the north-west, the second more rounded and sheltered by the arms of the first, lying to the south-east. Between them runs a rocky channel of sea water spanned by the arches of a single bridge made of cut stone. Each island is also distinguished by its flora; the more northerly of the two is topped by long grasses and yellow wild flowers, while the more southerly island is rich in lilac wild flowers, given it the feel of heathland.
A number of houses and cabins at scattered across the islands, giving the impression that this is perhaps a vacation retreat; a place to come to and forget the stresses of every day life. Perhaps these islands are reached via a day trip out from a mainland which hides just over the horizon; far enough away to give the illusion of escape whilst here, but close enough to make a visit convenient.
Board walks lead the visitor across the north island, winding through the grass and flowers to the beaches at either end of the island’s curve. Across the solid span of the bridge, a cobbled road leads up to the top of the island, lilac flowers encroaching upon it, and to one of the flat-topped cabins.
An old lighthouse tower stand guard at the south-westerly edge of the rounded island, waves breaking against the rocks at its feet. Follow the slope down from the cabin towards the lighthouse, and you’ll discover a wooden walkway running around the island’s rugged coastline to a broad expanse of beach, which can also be reached overland from the top of the hill. Across the beach, a small wooden bridge and deck spans the watery channel separating the beaches of the two islands and connecting them – at least at low tide.
As noted at the top of this article, this iteration of The Trace is perhaps the most eye-catching in the series, all of which I’ve enjoyed visiting and exploring. Matched by a perfect ambient sound scape, a windlight which reduces colours to perfect soft tones and colours, and plenty of opportunities for photography and for just sitting and relaxing. certainly, it has already drawn Caitlyn and I back to it more than once – and it may well have the same impact on you.
Thursday, March 17th saw Firestorm release version 4.7.7.408706 of their viewer. Coming four months after the last release, this update is slightly later than planned, but includes a number of important updates from the Lab as well as a good mix of updates, improvements and fixes directly from the Firestorm team and contributors.
As per my usual MO, what follows is an overview of the release, highlighting some of the more significant / interesting changes, updates and fixes to be found in the release, and which I feel will be of most interest to users.
For full details of all changes, and all due credits to contributors, etc., please refer to the official release notes.
This update means that Firestorm 4.6.9 will be blocked in approximately 3 weeks time.
Lab Derived Updates
Firestorm 4.7.7 brings the viewer up to parity with the Lab’s 4.0.1 code base, and so includes the TLS 1.2 and CEF changes. These and other Lab derived changes are outlined below.
TLS 1.2 and Viewers
The reason this release might be regarded as becoming a mandatory update for Second Life users is the integration of TLS1.2 into the viewer – and by “viewer”, I mean all current or upcoming viewer releases, LL or TPV.
TLS, the successor to Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), is a cryptographic protocol for communications security intended to provide privacy and data integrity between two communicating computer application (such as the viewer and the Lab’s servers).
TLS 1.2 is currently being implemented by Linden Lab under the umbrella of their work of fiscal compliance, This involved changes to both the viewer and LL’s servers, the upshot of which means that, once TLS 1.2 has been fully implemented, any viewer that does not support TLS 1.2, will not be able to do any interactions with cashier or anything that involves L$. While there is no precise time frame for this work to be completed, indications from the Lab are that it will be sooner rather than later.
Again, this is not an arbitrary decision on the part of either the Firestorm team or Linden Lab; the work is being carried out as a compliance requirement.
Chromium Embedded Framework
Firestorm 4.7.7 includes the Lab’s implementation of Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF) for media management (and more). CEF completely replaces the old llQTwebkit for media management within the viewer, replacing it with current web technologies such as HTML5, CSS3 support and WebGL, which can allow direct manipulation of objects on a browser page displayed in-world with ease.
CEF should also enable things like viewing PDF files in-world, editing PDF documents via Google Docs, etc. See the CEF forum thread for more.
CEF integration into the viewer means that Flash and QuickTime content require third-party support (see this Knowledge Base article on enabling Flash support for CEF viewers, for example). However, because they do rely on plug-in support, there is no guarantee given by Firestorm or Linden Lab that either will work, and are regarded as unsupported.
Other Updates from the Lab
Materials (texture / diffuse, bumpiness / normal and shininess / specular) in the Build floater Texture tab can now be selected via radio buttons, rather than picking from a drop-down list, to make locating and selection them easier (see BUG-10149).
Firestorm replaces the materials drop-down selection menu (seen in version4.7.5, left) with the radio buttons for materials types (right), as also seen in the official viewer
A fix for ALM enabled + full bright + shiny objects failing to display texture on Mac (see FIRE-12681)
A fix for activating Show Avatar Complexity disabling all llSetText (hovertext) viewer is restarted (see BUG-10488)
A fix for show land owner colour overlay is only visible where there is water in deferred rendering (seeFIRE-11654)
A fix for a black screen if ALM is enabled while in wireframe mode and then wireframe is disabled (see BUG-4543)
A fix for rotating an object that is used as grid reference going crazy (see FIRE-2593 and BUG-9419)
A fix for “Ban Member” in the group chatters list context menu being greyed out (see FIRE-16160 and BUG-10500)
A fix for animated agents at high altitudes randomly showing up at 0,0,0 (see bug FIRE-14439 and BUG-6648)
A fix for having to open ‘About Land’ twice to get parcel ban timings to load in the parcel ban list when banned names are not cached (see bug FIRE-17408 and BUG-10831)
A fix for a stuck freeze frame state if snapshot floater is closed with freeze frame left enabled and the viewer window is subsequently resized (see FIRE-16739 and BUG-9952)
A fix for opening a note card with the same name as one already open failing to work (see VWR-2981)
A fix for replacing current outfit with contents of a non-outfit folder creates a folder link in the Current Outfit Folder (see BUG-11274)
A fix for opening an experience compiled script in an object in an adjacent region failing to show the script is compiled with an experience in the script editor (see BUG-8980).
MadPea Games are gradually ramping-up for their next game, offering people the chance to win a Gold Pass VIP access to the game, which includes a personal welcome from Queen Pea, Kiana Writer, plus MadPea himself and many of the MadPea crew who will be on-hand to provide assistance to lucky winners as they take their Gold HUD, outfit and accessories, and enjoy 24 hours access to the game before it opens to the public.
The Interview, a grid-wide mystery puzzle game, will launch on April 3rd. Details on what it is all about have yet to be revealed – but there is a clue in the title, and it involves an organisation called the Goliathus Society.
The curious can check out the vendors who are supplying elements of the successful applicants benefits package (aka prizes), while those wishing to try their hands at gaining early access to the game can have a go at The Interview Photo Contest and / or the Interview Writing Contest.
Interview Photo Contest
For the photo contest, which is open now through until Saturday March 26th, entrants are invited to show the MadPea team exactly what they would wear for THEIR interview with the Goliathus Society. Would it be formal, business, casual or, knowing MadPea, something more in keeping with planning for the unexpected? Show MadPea your best Interview themed outfit for a chance to win prizes!
Interview Writing Contest
For the interview writing contest, which runs until Monday, March 28th, You need to write your best cover letter detailing why you are the best candidate for a job with the Goliathus Society. You’ll need to use your imagination to decide what the society is hiring for, and what kind of skills, assets, and work experience might make you the ideal candidate. Then, in a covering letter, describe to the MadPea team why you are the best possible candidate and why Goliathus Society simply have to hire you!
General requirements for Entry
Both contests are note card only competitions. Entries must be submitted to the BRIGHT PINK mailbox at the MadPea Info Hub
Only one entry per avatar for either contest
Note cards should be titled:
Writing contest: The Interview Cover Letter [your name]
Photo contest: The Interview Photo Contest [your name]
Please only use yours avatar name – not your display name
Cover Letter contest entries must not exceed 250 words
Photo contest entries must include;
A full permission copy of your image ( your image will not be sold, or shared outside of MadPea, But may be used/displayed for promotion on the MadPea blog, website, or notices)
A few sentences explaining why you choose your outfit.
Photos may be edited externally to Second Life, but this is not required
Winners for both contests will be announced by MadPea on Tuesday, March 29th.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 