Month: March 2022

SL19B: theme, music festival & performer applications

Posted on by Inara Pey


June 2022 will mark the 19th anniversary of Second Life opening to public access – and as we’ve all come to expect, a portion of the month will be given over to celebrations at the Second Life Birthday (SLB).

On Thursday, March 17th, Linden Lab officially announced the 2022 Birthday event and it’s theme, and also opened applications for the (now traditional) Music Fest that kicks-off the official celebrations, and also applications for those wishing to perform during the celebrations as a whole.

Dates and Theme

This year the SLB festivities will open on Thursday, June 16th, with the Birthday regions open through until Tuesday, July 5th, and the main celebration events taking place from June 16th through to Sunday, June 26th, 2022. The theme this year is Steampunk.

via Linden Lab

Music Fest

Now in its 8th year, the Music Fest has become the traditional opener for the official celebrations, and this year it will provide three days of live music entertainment between Thursday, June 16th and Saturday, June 18th inclusive.

The Lab is seeking at least a dozen performers, both veteran Second Life musicians and those new to the scene, to provide the music for the festival. Full details on requirements / policies can be found in the Music Fest application form; however, and in brief:

  • Previous sets at the festival run to an hour in length including any required set-up time.
  • There is a 350LI allowance for props and rezzable items for your show, which must be set-up as a part of the performance time.
  • Accepted acts are requested to be at the venue one hour ahead of their appearance, in order to complete final check-out with SLB personnel to ensure everything is ready for their set.
  • There is no payment for participation – however performers will be permitted the use of tip jars, subject to the festival policy notes.
  • All performances and song lyrics must be G-rated.
  • Applications will close on Sunday, April 10th, 2022.

Performer Applications

Linden Lab are looking for all types of performers to join the week-long festivities taking place between June 19th and June 26th, inclusive. DJs, live performers, dance troupes, particle performers and more are welcome to apply.

Performers for the week are asked to complete the official performer application form. Note that applications must be made by the end of Sunday, May 8th, 2022.

Related Links

Questions on the real and the Unreal in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Vibes Gallery: Axiomatic Clarity – RealUnreal
What is it to take a picture?
I ask that to myself and I let that question absorb me subconsciously, continuously as I render what I see into a frame so that elements of composition, light and background fuse in a balance in dependent from the subject.
The subject means nothing. 

– from the introduction of RealUnreal

What is the real nature of a photograph? Once upon a time, cameras and photographs were a means to freeze a moment in time; a memory, something that might become an instant marked in history or a simple sharing of a family activity, a moment of friendship or love or something else.

Vibes Gallery: Axiomatic Clarity – RealUnreal

Today, however, almost everyone has a camera at their fingertips. From the advent of the basic point-and-click “instant” camera through the rise of digital camera to the merging of camera and cellphone / smartphone, we have all become photographers. And with the increase in digital editing software readily accessed through ‘phone and computer, we have all become self-styled digital artists. Further, such is the skill we have developed in using such post-processing editing tools that it perhaps prompts the question: how much of an image remains true – remains real – to its subject, and how much is “unreal”, the result of the photographer imposing their subjective interpretation of their subject through cropping, light and colour adjustments, changes in focus, and other editorial techniques?

These are some of the questions posed in  a new exhibition of images  by Axiomatic Clarity, gathered from both the physical world and Second Life, which is currently on display at Eviana Robbiani’s Vibes Gallery. The title of the exhibition is RealUnreal – which itself references the fact the images offered are from both the physical and virtual realms.

Vibes Gallery: Axiomatic Clarity – RealUnreal
Although the methodology is a good compromise it still does not grasp what I am looking at. Do I know what that is, do I like how it manifests, do I let it change myself?

– from the introduction of RealUnreal

Across the three gallery halls and the spaces between, Axiom presents a marvellous collection of predominantly black-and-white or monochrome images, with two of the halls focused on images from the physical world, and one on images from Second Life. They are all evocative; all have a story to tell. They challenge us to see them as images offered for display and how the artist arrived at their finished appearance; that is, what is the reality of their focus and content, and how much is “unreal” – the result of that subjective imposition placed on each by the artist through the editorial process? Indeed, what does each say about the artist’s approach to photography and developing a balance between the subject of each image, and the story the photographer feels drawn to tell?

Is it possess[ion], is it obsession, is it a form of growth?
The deeper to discriminate at a deeper and abstract level, a level where the photographic language borders the inexpressible and even replaces the subject entirely … and I tentatively find that balance.

– from the introduction of RealUnreal

Vibes Gallery: Axiomatic Clarity – RealUnreal

These are complex questions, worthy of being pondered given they are central to the photographer’s approach and execution of their art, with RealUnreal mixing fabulously expressive we have a complex, visually compelling selection of art that draws us into the questions of “reality” vs. “unreality” and the drives that govern a photographer in the creation of their art.

SLurl Details

2022 SUG meetings week #11: summary

Posted on by Inara Pey

Wonderland 2.0, February 2022 – blog post
The following summary notes were taken from the Tuesday, March 8th, 2022 Simulator User Group (SUG) meeting. It forms a summary of the items discussed, and a video of the entire meeting is embedded at the end of the article – my thanks to Pantera for recording it.

Server Deployments

Please refer to the server deployment thread for any latest updates.

  • Tuesday, March 15th saw the SLS Main channel updated to server release 569051, bringing it to parity with the RC channels. This release makes some improvements to the processes of simulator start-up and shutdown, as well as fixing a crash and a subtle bug in LSL math functions.
  • Wednesday, March 16th should see the RC channels restarted without any deployment.

Available Official Viewers

The Performance Improvements viewer was promoted to RC status with the release of version 6.6.0.569349 on March 14th. This viewer may have also absorbed the Tracy Integration viewer updates, which have been withdrawn as a dedicated RC viewer.

All official viewer pipelines remain as follows:

  • Release viewer: version version 6.5.3.568554 – formerly the Maintenance J&K RC viewer, promoted Monday, February 28 – No Change
  • Release channel cohorts:
    • Lao-Lao Maintenance RC viewer, version 6.5.4.569191, issued on March 11.
  • Project viewers:
    • Mesh Optimizer project viewer, version 6.5.2.566858, dated January 5, issued after January 10.
    • Performance Floater project viewer, version 6.4.23.562625, issued September 2.
    • Legacy Profiles viewer, version 6.4.11.550519, dated October 26, 2020.
    • Copy / Paste viewer, version 6.3.5.533365, dated December 9, 2019.

In Brief

  • The Land Team still have yet to settle on a suitable EEP setting for the Mainland in order to alleviate the generally dark see to the day environment there.
  • BUG-231876 “llRequestSimulatorData() frequently and silently fails” – this issue has reproduced by the Lab and is being actively worked on.
  • Further discussions on the issue of vehicles hitting a parcel ban  / ban lines are “bounced” (much like they do on reaching an edge of the grid) rather than avatars being unseated / dumped and the vehicle returned to the owner’s Lost and Found. Feature request BUG-231802 “Prevent vehicles from entering parcels their riders cannot access” has been accepted, but no ETA on implementation.
  • Additional discussions on scripting, and on media control.
    • Scripting options included further requests for parcel teleport routing capabilities, accurately positioning / seating avatars.
    • As conversations at SUG meetings tend to cover the same ground re: certain requests like these, a request was made for LL to provide a general workplan / response to such requests, so that people know what to expect.
  • Feature request BUG-231929 “llCanRez or something equivalent to check if an object can rez at the location it will try to in the future” is a request for a better way of detecting if a prim can be rezzed by an object on land rather than having to write a LSL function.
  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) was raised, with the Lab re-iterating that the capability is being rolled out in stages. As I’ve reported in recent TPVD summaries, the next element is liable to be extending the MFA capability to the viewer – see: SL Wiki: Login MFA.
  • Whilst not a simulator issue per se, some creators at the meeting requested (again) that LL provide in-world mesh editing capabilities and “get rid of primitives” as “you can’t make much of anything with primitives anymore” – a comment that many of us who routinely build with primitives would likely strongly dispute. While there are no plans for LL to “replace” prims, what is likely required are broader options for importing content created using third-party tools.

A Trip to Seagull Rock in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Seagull Rock, March 2022 – click on any image for full size
Inara, unfortunately I have to inform you that Sheepville is gone. Since my retirement, I can only commit to running half a region, and I think that eight years of running Sheepville are enough 🙂 . I hope that you will visit my new location, I think it looks nice also even its just half of a region.

With these words, Micky Woodget both informed me of the sad passing on Sheepville, his charming village setting I first visited in 2013, and to which I returned in 2021 (Return to Sheepville in Second Life), a timeless setting both in terms of them mix of eras found within it and in terms of Second Life, where regions can so easily come and go or change beyond recognition from build to build, and invited to visit Seagull Rock, his new setting – and invitation I could hardly refuse.

Seagull Rock, March 2022

Although “only” occupying a quarter Homestead, Seagull Rock captures the spirit of Sheepville perfectly; while the buildings may be more modern in looks than the Tudoresque shops and houses of Sheepville, they sit around a piazza shaded here and there by mature trees and with a fountain sitting towards its centre, all of which helps the setting provide an echo of Sheepville.

Unlike Sheepville, however, Seagull Rock abuts the sea via a small fishing harbour tucked into the south-west corner of the town and from which fresh fish are delivered to the local restaurant as it sits just behind the wharves, and the fish market next door. In fact Seagull Rock takes fresh food very seriously, as can be seen at the local butcher shop, bakery and fresh produce market shop, all of which suggest the local countryside has some rich farmlands tucked away beyond the trees.

Seagull Rock, March 2022

North of the square, a country track winds its way past a meadow that has been given over to a camp site that allows visitors to make use of the local beach, to arrive at a set of steps leading up to a country pub – the Sheep Inn. This again offers a hint of Sheepville in its look and feel; and although this appears to be a popular stopping-off point for locals (and visitors!), it doesn’t prevent the local fallow deer wandering out of the woodlands (which are presented as a backdrop image to one side of the parcel) and availing themselves of the local pond.

The deer, together with some of the signage to be found within the setting (perhaps most notably at the Post Office, complete with its distinctive pillar box outside) once again suggest this is a place for be found somewhere in the UK – although one of the town buildings offers a touch of Tuscany in its lines.

Seagull Rock, March 2022

South of the town, and passing by way of an arch, another track leads to a small cottage. Whilst it might stand empty, the track that connects it with the southern headland’s lighthouse suggests it might have once been the home of a lighthouse keeper, a role that might no longer be required in this age of automation.

One of the things that gives Micky’s builds a certain charm is that although he uses mesh extensively in his designs – the majority of the buildings are those he has made himself – they carry with them a nostalgic feel of being “classic” Second Life, something that can catch the eye and raise a smile among long-term SL users.

Seagull Rock, March 2022

Also, with Sheepville, Micky added a degree of depth to the setting through this use of his own animated characters; with Seagull Rock he continues this theme, but using static characters of the kind that have, over the course of the last year or so, become a staple of many public regions. While no longer his own creations, these characters nevertheless again give Seagull Rock a further depth.

Nicely photogenic under a number of EEP settings, easy to explore, rich in detail and nostalgia, Seagull Rock is a delightful successor to Sheepville, carrying much of its memory while offering something entirely new to appreciate. My thanks to Micky for the invitation!

Seagull Rock, March 2022

SLurl Details

Sci-fi, allegories & stories for St. Patrick’s Day in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Seanchai Library

It’s time to highlight another week of storytelling in Voice by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library. As always, all times SLT, and events are held at the Library’s home in Nowhereville, unless otherwise indicated. Note that the schedule below may be subject to change during the week, please refer to the Seanchai Library website for the latest information through the week.

Monday, March 14th, 19:00: A World Out of Time

After being cryogenically frozen in the 1970s to await a cure for his (then) incurable cancer, Jaybee Corbell awakes after more than 200 years – to find his own body destroyed and his mind and memories transferred into the “mindwiped” body of a criminal. And that’s is not all that has changed: the Earth is now overseen by an oppressive, totalitarian global government called “The State”, and Corbell’s existence is to be determined by a “checker”; if he is found wanting, he will be discarded.

However, Peerssa, the checker, recommends Corbell as ideal fodder in The State’s attempts to seek out exoplanets suitable for terraforming – whether he wants to join the programme or not. Disgusted by his treatment, Corbell works out a way to take control of his one-person ship on its otherwise one-way mission, and heads toward the galactic core. Entering suspended animation, he is unaware his vessel skims close enough to the super-massive black hole at the centre of the galaxy to experience time dilation.

Emerging from his suspended state, and believing only 150 years have passed, Corbell returns to the solar system to find it again vastly changed: more than three million years have passed, and the Sun has become a bloated red giant, and Earth – well, Earth appears to have been relocated to an orbit around Jupiter, whilst humanity itself had endured extensive changes; and Corbell must face an entirely new set of challenges if he is to survive.

Gyro Muggins resumes reading Larry Niven’s novel.

Tuesday, March 15th

12:00 Noon: Russell Eponym

With music, and poetry in Ceiluradh Glen.

19:00: Haroun and the Sea of Stories

Caledonia Skytower reads the fifth of Salman Rushdie’s major publications and his first since The Satanic Verses. 

Written for the younger reader, but with plenty with it suited to older ears, it is of an allegorical nature and addresses a number of societal problems, particularly those found in the Indian subcontinent.

Dedicated to Rushdie’s son, the book looks at the issues it raises – including that of censorship (unsurprisingly, given the reaction following the publication of The Satanic Verses in 1988) – through the eyes of Haroun Khalifa, the son of a doctor and master storyteller.

Both father and son are struck by afflictions related to Haroun’s mother deserting them; Haroun has a form of attention-deficit disorder, whilst his father is prone to bouts of depression. Both can only be relieved of their afflictions should Haroun’s mother, Soraya, return.

Before then, however, Haroun is set for an adventure and discovery.

Wednesday, March 16th 19:00: The Quiet Man

Released in 1952, John Ford’s The Quiet Man is regarded as a classic Irish-American romantic comedy / drama. Starring John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara (and assorted members of their RL families!) and Barry Fitzgerald, it is a popular choice among critics and film-lovers.

The screenplay for the film was drawn in a large part from a short story of the same name originally published in 1933 in the Saturday Evening Post, and penned by Irish author, Maurice Welsh. Together with a number of other short stories by Walsh, The Quiet Man was gathered into a single volume of his short stories, The Quiet Man and Other Stories, which dealt with many recurring characters living in rural Ireland of the 1920s, and set against the backdrop of the civil unrest which affected the country at that time, while examining the complexities and occasional intrigues of life, love and Irish traditions.

Join Caledonia Skytower as she reads Walsh’s original tale of The Quiet Man, Paddy Bawn Enright to Mark St. Patrick’s Day.

Thursday, March 17th 19:00: Irish Legends: Celtic Myth and Magick

An Introduction to Fairy Lore and Enchantments presented by Shandon Loring.

2022 viewer release summaries week #10

Posted on by Inara Pey
Logos representative only and should not be seen as an endorsement / preference / recommendation

Updates from the week ending Sunday, March 13th, 2022

This summary is generally 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.
  • Note that for purposes of length, TPV test viewers, preview / beta viewers / nightly builds are generally not recorded in these summaries.

Official LL Viewers

  • Release viewer: version version 6.5.3.568554 – formerly the Maintenance J&K RC viewer, promoted Monday, February 28 – no change.
  • Release channel cohorts:
    • Lao-Lao Maintenance RC viewer, version 6.5.4.569191, issued on March 11th.
  • Project viewers:
    • No updates.

LL Viewer Resources

Third-party Viewers

V6-style

  • No updates.

V1-style

Mobile / Other Clients

  • No updates.

Additional TPV Resources

Related Links