On April 14th news broke via Trend Micro security that Apple is deprecating support for QuickTime for Windows, despite the fact there are two critical vulnerabilities affecting the package, both of which were identified by Trend Micro under their Zero Day Initiative (ZDI), which will not be patched by Apple despite the fact information on both vulnerabilities, as specified in Trend Micro advisories ZDI-16-241 and ZDI-16-242 being passed to Apple in November 2015.
As a result of these vulnerabilities, which could leave Windows systems vulnerable to hijacking – although Trend Micro stress that there is no evidence so far of either being actively exploited – is to uninstall QuickTime for Windows (QuickTime for OSX is not affected).
The advice on uninstalling has most notably come from Trend Mirco, with the call being repeated across other on-line tech media, such as eWeek and The Register. Apple apparently opted to take the route of deprecating in March 2016 – but hasn’t really gone out of its way to really tell QuickTime for Windows users it is doing so, as ExtremeTech points out: the QuickTime for Windows landing page doesn’t reflect the status of the software, but simply references the “more secure” January update, while the Apple software update tool still pushed QuickTime at Windows users.
QuickTime is still widely used in Second Life for the shared viewing of streamed media, notably in cinemas across the grid (credit: Crap Mariner)
Obviously, the advisory is something all Windows users should heed. With or without the current ZDI vulnerabilities, the application has reached the end of its supported life. However, as Crap Mariner has been pointing out, there are still media systems which utilise QuickTime for streaming into Second Life, many within public cinemas across the grid. While it might be argued has to how widely such facilities are used, the Trend Micro advisory does heighten the need for in-world systems reliant on QuickTime to be updated / replaced.
The following notes and audio were taken from the weekly Bento User Group meeting, held on Thursday, April 14th at 13:00 SLT on Aditi. For details on each meeting and the location, please refer to the Bento User Group wiki page.
Note that this update is not intended to offer a full transcript of the meeting, nor does it present the discussion points in chronological order. Rather, it represents the core points of discussion to Project Bento, grouped together by subject matter were relevant / possible.
Viewer Status
A new version of the project viewer arrived on Thursday, April 14th. Version 5.0.0.313876 brings with it:
Addition of a mFaceChin bone to the face to support the use of appearance sliders
Addition of “Left Hind Foot” and “Right Hind Foot” attachment points
Added or improved support for a large number of sliders, notably those for the avatar shape.
As previously noted, the slider support means that many of the Edit Appearance sliders will work with both the original avatar form (using morphs) and with mesh avatars utilising the Bento skeleton. This means that height can be adjusted via the sliders, the face can be adjusted (eye or mouth position, nose and chin shape, etc.). However, musculature changes are not supported as there are insufficient bones available to properly support this. The update also includes a number of bug fixes, including one for some graphics glitches in the mesh upload preview.
Unless serious problems are encountered when using this version of the viewer, there are no plans to make further changes to either the skeleton or the sliders going forward, and the emphasis on viewer work will primarily be on bug fixing.
The humanoid avatar models on the Bento testing wiki page should also be updated to reflect these changes, and Avatar should have an update to match the skeleton shortly (if not already available).
Sliders and Animations
A point of note with linking the appearance sliders to the Bento bones is that they can change both the position and the scale of the linked bones. Any changes made using them may therefore clash with animations used within the avatar to also reposition the same bones, or may have an impact as a result of the scaling being changed via slider adjustments (Second Life currently doesn’t support the ability for animators to control bone scaling themselves). How to limit the impact of this when users are changing their avatar shapes may be an issue, although initial testing suggests that using bone rotations on those bones which are linked to the shape sliders can reduce the impact of conflicts.
The lack of bone scaling within the SL animation system is recognised by the Lab as a limitation, but is seen as being a separate project, were it to be addressed in the future, rather than something directly encompassed by Bento, due to the amount of work involved in defining the necessary tracks to manage scaling and extending the format for how scaling data is stored and represented.
Moving to Agni
The Lab is still looking to move Bento to the main grid (Agni) during the second quarter of 2016. The final time frame hasn’t been determined, but there may be more on this at the next meeting, however it is likely to be sooner rather than later. This means that the Lab will be focused on resolving the more major / obvious bugs people are currently experiencing and will be looking for feedback on experiences with the latest version of the project viewer ASAP.
Arrival on Agni won’t signify the end of the project, but it will mean that creators will be able to upload and test content on the main grid, and more users will obviously be able to see Bento content. The project will likely be promoted by the Lab through blog posts and videos, and they will be inviting people to submit their own Bento videos and content. Details on how to get involved in this will likely be discussed at the next Bento project meeting.
It has been suggested that once Bento has been moved to Agni, the Mesh Dev in-world group becomes the medium for handling Bento related general discussions and information exchange for content creators, rather than establishing a dedicated in-world group.
Other Items
Partial Joint Offsets / Overrides
There has been some discussion on the forums concerning partial overrides and best practices with regards to the Bento skeleton, and Vir has offered some thoughts on the matter. Some problems have been encountered in using some of the bones within “worn” pets, with offsets with these bones appearing to affect others in the skeleton. However, further investigation is required to determine whether this is a potential issue, or possibly a problem within the models being used.
Issues
Odd deformations seen in the Bento viewer: Medhue’s fly should be standing on all six legs, not standing upright
Deformations: avatars are sometimes still being seen as deformed by some using the Bento viewer (prior to the latest release). The issue is still being looked into by the Lab as to potential cause or causes
Spine Joints: the added spine joints are proving difficult to use in some cases – snakes and similar are proving difficult to animate
“idle” animation state: when transitioning between animations, or when ending an animation, the default animation system uses an “idle” animation (e.g. if an animation generates a look of surprise on an avatar’s face, the “idle” animation will return the expression back to a neutral look when the animation stops running). However, because the default system is unaware of the Bento bones, then these “idle” animations get ignored (so that the avatar’s face remains stuck with the surprised look, for example, or a transition between animation states fails to ease-in / ease-out correctly). To avoid this, one suggestion has been to encourage animators to explicit set their own “idle” animation.
While not directly related to Bento, a long-standing issue was raised at the meeting: that of the default walk failing to play under a variety of circumstances (running an animation unrelated to walking / crossing from one region to another / wearing something / etc), with the result that the avatar appears to “slide” over the ground. While long-standing, it appears a JIRA has never been raised against it, so a request has been made for one to be raised so that the Lab can dig into things outside of Bento.
Opening on Saturday, April 16th, 2016 at Holly Kai Garden is a new exhibition by Silas Merlin. Entitled Mirrored Garden, the exhibit is a rich showcase of Sials’ artistry, and I unashamedly admit that I’m pleased as punch to have having exhibiting at Holly Kai.
Better know in the physical world as Jean-François Le Saint, Silas is a Maître Pastelliste ( Master Pastelist) at the Société des Pastellistes de France, and his work is utterly captivating. so much so, that no opportunity to see it displayed in Second Life should ever be missed.
Mirrored Garden is very much an exhibition of three parts, all interwoven. On either terrace is a selection of Silas’ pastel works, each selection reflected by the words of two poems by Eala Du (CottonSwan), Where Is This Place? and Hands Form Into Puppets. On one terrace, the images focus on human hands: a parent’s loving hand resting on a boy’s shoulder, a teacher assisting a young violinist, children sitting engaged in a game – are all beautifully echoed in Eala’s words. Across the path, the sentiments and freedom expressed in Where Is This Place? perfectly frames Silas’ images of youngsters enjoying the freedom of the seashore.
Centrally placed in each terrace is a sculpture by Silas, one standing as the mirror reflection of the other, albeit with a slight difference between the two. Entitled Mock Fight, these two pieces both embody the title of the exhibition and reflect the youthful freedom and innocence found within the words of Eala’s poems.
The mirror theme of the title can be further found in the pillars directly behind the sculptures – although you will need to have Advanced Lighting (ALM) enabled in your viewer to see it. Set into each pillar is a “mirrored” surface which, thanks to the use of projectors, presents a marvellous refection of each terrace and the art displayed within it when caming across the surface of either mirror – while in one you might even catch Silas looking back at you 🙂 .
Silas’ work, beautifully executed in pastels and carefully uploaded to Second Life is a true delight to see. There is something utterly compelling in the layered textures of the images, their colour tones and depth, which captures the very essence of his subjects in a way photograph and paint cannot easily replicate.
Silas is always seeking ways in which he can extend his artistry; Mock Fight, for example, marks his move towards translating images he has produced in pastels into 3D pieces in-world. This in turn is a step towards his desire to produce models of his art in the physical world via 3D printing. For those similarly wishing to extend their artistry, Silas offers some words of advice in an article in Pastel Artist International entitled The Paper Is Your Playground, which is presented at holy Kai Garden, together with articles in French from Pratique Des Arts and Dessins & Peintures Thematique, which offer a wonderful window into Silas’ world.
As noted, I’m utterly delighted that Silas is exhibiting at Holly Kai Garden, and we’ll be marking the opening of his exhibition at 16:00 SLT on Saturday, April 16th, with a special celebration (dress: smart casual) with music provided by DJ G-Windz (Gerrard Winstanley), all at the public terrace at Holly Kai Garden. I hope we’ll see you there!
Friday, April 15th marked the opening of applications to participate in the SL13B Community Celebration to mark the 13th anniversary of Second Life entering it public beta. Celebrations this year will run from Sunday, June 19th through to Sunday, June 26th inclusive, all under the theme of The Shared Adventure.
In particular, the organisers are seeking applications from exhibitors, performers, presenters and volunteers; applications for the Press Day will open in due course. Those wishing to apply for any of these positions are asked to read the General Event Policies for SL13B, and then proceed as follows:
This year, the celebrations will cover 17 regions offering some 200 parcels for exhibits, as well as the core entertainments stages, Welcome Area, auditorium and so on.
SL12B (2015) Cake Stage – Mitaki Slade
Timeline of Activities
Friday, April 15th: Exhibitor/Performer/Volunteer/Auditorium Applications open
Friday, May 13th: Exhibitor and Volunteer Applications closed
Friday, May 20th: Performer and Auditorium Applications closed
Monday, May 23rd to Wednesday, May 25th: First round exhibitors notified via email
Wednesday, May 25th: regions open to exhibitors
Friday June 10th: Performers notified
Wednesday, June 15th to Friday, June 17th: regions closed to exhibitors for walk-through
Friday, June 17th and Saturday, June 18th: regions open to exhibitors for adjustments
Saturday, June 18th: Press Day
Sunday, June 19th, noon SLT: Opening Day
Thursday June 23rd: The Birthday
Sunday, June 26th: last day of celebration performances and activities
Monday, June 27th to Sunday, July 3rd: regions open for viewing, no performances
Sunday, July 3rd: Staff party
Monday, July 4th to Wednesday, July 6th: Breakdown
Springtime in the northern hemisphere brings with it many things. The changing of the clocks; the longer hours of daylight; the promise of sunshine … eventually; the inevitable turning of thoughts towards lawns and mowers. And the arrival of the Second Life Premium Discount.
The latest offer, launched on April 14th, 2016, see the usual 50% discount on the first instalment of the quarterly membership payment plan, reducing it to US $11.25 (the remaining quarters of the billing period remaining at US $22.50 (European users note that VAT is no longer applied to Premium subscriptions).
The Premium Discount is once again on offer, together with a set of spring / summer gifts
The offer comes with another set of in-world gifts, available from the Premium gift kiosks, and this time takes the form of a set of garden furniture and accessories, namely a breakfast table with food provided in either a 16 LI set or a lower LOD 8 LI set; a garden bench, a set of garden trellises (one with flower heads and one without), plus a pair of plushies (bird and rabbit) which each come in versions which can be rezzed in-world or which can be held. The total LI for the in-world items (minus plushies) is 55 (or 47 when using the “Low LOD” food items), which is rather a lot, coupled with some lacklustre texturing.
Spring 2016 gift: breakfast table and food and chairs, bench, trellises and plushies.
I’ll state up-front that like a lot of people, I’m not a fan of Premium gifts of this type, and do much prefer the broader benefits the Lab has striven to offer of late: access to concierge support, the increase in the number of off-line IMs Premium members can access on next logging-in, and the increase in group slots from 42 to 60 for Premium members, and Experience Keys being available only for Premium members.
However, I also understand that offering benefits of this type isn’t necessarily easy, either, and nor is implementing many of the other ideas that have been put forwards, again as I discussed just over a year ago. In this respect, the Lab is caught between something of a rock and hard place on a number of levels. As such, whether or not to update will remain a consideration of broader issues (such as the added benefits mentioned above), rather than simply looking at perks like this alone.
For those who are interested in the latest offer, it expires on April 25, 2016, at 08:00 SLT. It comes with the usual small print, to whit:
To qualify for this promotion, you must 1) have an existing Second Life (“SL”) basic account or create a new account, and 2) select quarterly (every three months) billing for your SL account. The fifty percent (50%) discount will be applied to your first quarter’s bill and future quarters will be billed at the standard Premium Membership price (currently US$22.50 per quarter). Any Linden Dollar (L$) sign-up bonus will be applied to new accounts or accounts not previously upgraded to Premium Membership after the account has been active for forty-five (45) consecutive days.
Serenity & Tranquility is the name of the homestead region designed by Ron (Veronica Franchini), and which offers a peaceful heaven where those in need of a break from the pressures of the world, physical or digital, or who simply want to hang out with friends and / or lovers, can freely do so. Homestead region.
Surrounded by tall islands and hills, Serenity and Tranquillity offers a rich, low-lying landscape where the trees seem to hold up the sky whilst rivers of flowers meander beneath their outstretched boughs, and sandy tracks lead visitors from location to location, be it the cabin in the woods or the beach or the tiki on the lake or the art gallery, or any one of the romantic spots scattered across the island.
From the landing point, it’s just a short walk to the cabin, and from there to a pair of ancient stone circles, arched pillars still intact, which offer a place to celebrate weddings under the open sky, but sheltered from the sun by the surrounding trees. In the opposite direction to the cabin, you’ll likely find your way to the gallery building toward the north-east corner of the region.
The gallery is the home to portraiture by Tex McDonald, and includes his studio space, together with some of his landscape work. I’ll be honest and admit I’d not previously come across Tex’s work, but it is something I’ll be keeping an eye out for in future. A short distance from the gallery is one of the little romantic spots scattered across the region – the aforementioned tiki hut, which sits out over a small lake served at one end by a little waterfall. Walk around the banks of the lake, and more sitting / cuddle spots will make themselves known.
The south-west corner of Serenity and Tranquility is where the beach is to be found, ideally located for watching the sun set beyond one of the natural breakwaters which sit just off the west side of the region, a lighthouse warning of their presence. With a beach house and a sandy expanse, this corner of the island again offers several places to relax, both indoors and out, together with one of the InTan dance systems spread across the region. Or for those who prefer, a hot tub awaits a walk along a wooden pier.
With a subtle sound scape, and suited to a range of windlight options for photography, Serenity & Tranquility is an ideal setting for getting away from cares and stresses. Recommended.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 