Day: March 14, 2023

2023 SL SUG meetings week #11 summary: “Ban the Bots” Simulator Update

Posted on by Inara Pey
Lyric, January 2023 – blog post

The following notes were taken from the Tuesday, March 14th, 2023 Simulator User Group (SUG) meeting. They form a summary of the items discussed and is not intended to be a full transcript. A video of the entire meeting is embedded at the end of the article for those wishing to review the meeting in full – my thanks to Pantera for recording it.

Server Deployments

  • On Tuesday, March 14th, the SLS Main channel servers were restarted without any deployment, leaving them on simulator version 577734.
  • On Wednesday, March 15th:
    • The BlueSteel & Magnum RC channels will receive the Estate Level Scripted Agent Controls (aka “Ban the Bots”)
      simulator update.
    • The Ferrari and LeTigre RC channels will be started without change.

There was no promotion to the Main SLS channel as a bug on the RC deployment made to Ferrari and LeTigre causing issues for some breedables.

Estate Level Scripted Agent Controls (aka “Ban the Bots”)

This is the simulator update referenced in the March 10th Lab Gab session – see: Lab Gab summary: Grumpity, Mojo & Patch – SL Mobile, land, bots & more – Bots and Policies).

  • The update includes a console variable that can be set by estate managers to either True or False. When set to True it will prevent Scripted Agents from entering regions in an estate.
  • This will be supported in time by a viewer UI update to allow the option to be managed more directly – but it will still be a while before this UI change surfaces in the viewer.
  • There will be a policy change update published soon which will further cover these changes and the operation of Scripted Agents.

Further changes have been suggested within the Lab – notably to traffic – but it has yet to be decided on whether / when these will be implemented.

Viewer Updates

There have been no official viewer updates to mark the start of the week, leaving the various pipelines as follows:

  • Release viewer: Maintenance Q(uality) viewer, version 6.6.9.577968 Thursday, February 2.
  • Release channel cohorts (please see my notes on manually installing RC viewer versions if you wish to install any release candidate(s) yourself).
  • Project viewers:
    • PBR Materials project viewer, version 7.0.0.578613, March 10 – This viewer will only function on the following Aditi (beta grid) regions: Materials1; Materials Adult and Rumpus Room 1 through 4.
    • Puppetry project viewer, version 6.6.8.576972, December 8, 2022.

In Brief

  • A general discussion on scripting – such as adding a TypeScript-style support for writing LSL to script memory, use of C#, use of containers for services, LL selling AWS services through SL for scripters / scripted services, etc. This took up most of the meeting, so please see the video for reference.
  • BUG-227303 – “collisions makes a script stop running and revert its mono status” – this bug is still awaiting work by LL.

Mindful Explorations in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Third Eye Gallery: Thus Yootz 

Currently open at the Third Eye Gallery, curated by Jaz (Jessamine2108), is a selection of pieces by Thus Yootz which might be seen as both enigmatic and also revealing.

For those unfamiliar with Thus, she is an artist based in Greece who has been active in Second Life for over 12 years as a creator, region designer, SL wedding planner, photographer and artist. She studied for a BA and MA in art over 5 years at the Athens School of Fine Arts, studying under masters such as Christakis Tassos, with her physical world art since being publicly exhibited, spanning as it does drawing, painting, etching, sculpture, and photography.

Third Eye Gallery: Thus Yootz 

Within this exhibition, visitors are presented with images reflective of Thus’ broad range, with some of the pieces focused on drawing and landscape work, others of a more abstract nature, and some potentially reflective of Tassos’ work (I fount this possibly evident within The Brides and My Longing, without in any way being derivative).

These are pieces which can each be taken individually, or as a series of explorations through thoughts and emotions and reflections on life and living. But whether these explorations are purely through the mind of the artist (as might most clearly be seen in Real Life Pictures within a Picture) or, due to the pieces presented in the collection perhaps resonating with the observer, an opportunity for self-reflection on these themes, is down to personal interpretation – the artist wisely leaves this open by not imposing any liner notes for visitors.

Third Eye Gallery: Thus Yootz

I admit that – outside of the potential for echoes of Christakis Tassos within a couple of the pieces – I found myself heavily drawn to Three Dancers, Running Away Through the Magnolias and A Mountain of Blossoms for their strong oriental flavour: use of form, colour, texture, their presentation and even their titles, together with the rich vein of abstraction each carries.

But having said that these are pieces which all have something to say to the eyes that pay attention –  and definitely an engaging and richly diverse selection of work from one of SL’s most versatile artists.

Third Eye Gallery: Thus Yootz

SLurl Details

Seanchai Library: stories in voice in Second Life, March 13th-19th, 2023

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 – and this week previews the launch of a very special event.

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 13th, 19:00: The Golden Compass (aka Northern Lights)

Originally published in 1995 as Northern Lights, The Golden Compass forms the first volume in Philip Pullman’s multiverse-spanning trilogy His Dark Materials.

In a world resembling Edwardian England, where magic is commonplace, young Lyra Belqcqua slip into the Retiring Room at the collage where he uncle is about to give a lecture – only to witness the Master of the college add poison to the wine intended for her uncle, Lord Asriel, prior to his arrival in the room. Warning him, she is rewarded by being allowed to remain and witness her uncle’s presentation, in which he discusses something called “Dust”, shows images of the northern lights in which there appears to be a city, and something else called the “panserbjørne”.

At the same time, children within Oxford are vanishing, kidnapped by a sect called the Gobblers, for a nefarious purpose – and Lyra is determined to find out why. In doing so, she is brought back into contact with the Master – who surprisingly gives her an alethiometer, a truth-telling device – and is offered the opportunity to live with the glamorous Mrs. Coulter, which comes as a thrill.

But as the mystery of the missing children deepens and Lyra determines to follow their trail north, so she discovers that Mrs. Coulter is not all she appears to be – and nor is her Dust-obsessed uncle, Lord Asriel.

With Gyro Muggins.

Tuesday, March 14th

12:00 Noon: Russell Eponym

Live in words and music at the Glen.

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 at the Glen.

Wednesday, March 15th, 19:00: Seanchai Flicks

Films, popcorn and fun at the Seanchai cinema space.

Thursday, March 16th, 19:00: Darby O’Gill Tales

Shandon Loring brings tales from the pen of Irish author Herminie Templeton Kavanagh, featuring her hero, the Irishman Darby O’Gill.

Originally published as a series of short stories in McClure’s magazine between 1901–1902, Darby O’Gill’s adventures with the faeries of Irish mythology were brought together in book form for the first time in 1903, under the title  Darby O’Gill and the Good People. The tales proved popular in America, leading to Templeton Kavanagh writing a second volume of tales featuring O’Gill, entitled Ashes of Old Wishes and Other Darby O’Gill Tales, published in 1926. 

O’Gill become the subject of a 1959 Disney film, Darby O’Gill and the Little People, based on the first volume of tales, and somewhat notable for the tuneful appearance of a pre-Bond Sean Connery in his 6th credited film role.

Advanced Notice: Sunday, March 19th: Seanchai Library 15th Edition

Join the storytellers and friends of Seanchai Library as they celebrate 15 years of storytelling in voice in virtual worlds. Details available soon via the Seanchai Library website.