I’ve received a press release from the SL Bar Association SLBA) announcing that Agenda Faromet, who in the physical world is an attorney specialising in privacy and internet law operating out of San Francisco, will be discussing the July 16th, 2014, changes to Section 2.3 of Linden Lab’s Terms of Service and also the recent changes to the Lab’s Skill Gaming policy.
Agenda Faromet (via profile)
The press release reads in part:
Linden Lab has recently announced changes to the Terms of Service associated with Second Life. This change comes almost a year after the major controversy that erupted last year over a substantial change in section 2.3 of the agreement with users of Second Life, related to the license claimed by Linden Lab in works created by creators in-world. Please join us for a lively discussion of the actual language changes from the prior terms of service. Agenda will also discuss other changes implemented by Linden Lab, including the gaming policy.
The discussion is set to take place in the SLBA courtroom, starting at 10:00 SLT on August 2nd.
I hope to be able to attend the meeting and provide a transcript through this blog.
About the SL Bar Association
The SL Bar Association (SLBA) is a group for legal professionals and others interested in legal issues in Second Life. It is registered as a 501(c)(6) organisation in the United States, and operates in Second Life from the Justitia Virtual Legal Resource Village, which serves as a resource for both attorneys and the general public, and has law offices available to rent on the square, along with general legal information on a variety of topics. Rental units are also available at sea level.
Details of SLBA talks and presentations can be found on the SLBA website, together with further information on the association and its members.
RezMela is an interactive training and simulation environment in Kitely. Here I’m dealing with an air crash situation involving a power plant
Update, July 28th: As per the comment following this artilce, the competition deadline has been extended through until August 31st, 2014.
I recently received an e-mail concerning RezMela, a scenario-building tool intended for training and simulation hosted on Kitely, and which is currently running a competition with prizes totalling $500 USD up for grabs.
RezMela, currently in an alpha / beta mode, essentially allows subject matter experts to create and deliver interactive training within a virtual environment. It comprises a classroom-style theory space, where students can learn about and watch presentations on the subject being taught, and a practice space which is dedicated to learning-by-doing, through the use of immersive simulations.
The RezMela theory space, with the Creation and Control board
Simulations – referred to as scenarios in the RezMela documentation – can be rapidly developed and deployed using the Creation and Control (C&C) board. The C&C board provides the subject matter expert with access to a wide range of simulation “primitives” (not to be confused with the basic building blocks of OpenSim and Second Life). These RezMela “primitives” are trees and plants, buildings and structures, vehicles, terrains and so on, and a selection of different types of non-player characters (NPCs), which can be combined to create a required training scenario.
The C&C board presents simple 2D map on which icons representing the various “primitives” can be positioned, rotated, etc. As this happens, the actual simulation objects are placed out in the practice area of the RezMela environment, thus allowing a simulation to be quickly put together. Once the scenario has been built, additional elements such a weather, fires, smoke, dust, etc., can be added, and the time of day for the scenario set. When everything is ready, the scenario can be saved to the RezMela system, allowing it to be instantly recalled and created within the practice space at the click of a button.
The RezMela practice space. the rock formation in the background houses the theory space classroom
NPCs and Objects within a scenario are not necessarily static or empty shells. Building and structures can have interiors, lending themselves to many different uses, and student can interact with various objects and vehicles, while NPCs will respond to stimuli around them. As well as enabling easy creation of scenarios, the C&C board can also be used to deliver classroom videos and presentations on the subject matter.
Combining the theory and practice spaces allows subject matter experts to provide information and guidance on a specific learning / training environment within the theory space via the C&C board, and then monitor students’ performance in real-time as they tackle the challenges presented in the scenario in the practice area.
A prepared scenario being rezzed by the Creation & Control board. The pointing hand indicates the currently selected object
Scenarios can be entirely created from scratch to suit a specific training / teaching requirement, or can be based on physical world situations, such as emergency or disaster management situations which have occurred, allowing students gain additional insight into such situations and events. The system can also be used for educational purposes as well, such as for teaching health and welfare or in teaching environmental matters and so on.
To help explain how the system works, DeepSemphore LLC, the company behind RezMela, have provided a range of videos and a slideshow introducing the basics of the beta system. There is also an in-world campus and workshop regions available to RezMela users where further information can be obtained.
The 2014 Relay for Life weekend in Second Life is upon us, and with over $300,000 USD already raised this year, it look like the weekend is going to be a scorcher. The theme for the weekend is Journey of Promise. As with previous years, the weekend will be focused on the 42-regions Relay Track and activity regions and the American Cancer Society region.
The aim this year is to raise $401,000, with $382,000 already raised. 401 is the form used to mark retirement in the USA, and the plan is to retire cancer!
Event Highlights
The following are the main events scheduled for the weekend – but remember that there are relay laps, entertainment and more going on across the entire weekend. All times are, as usual, SLT.
Saturday July 19th
10:00: Opening Ceremony
11:00: Survivor/Caregiver – CELEBRATE
12:30: Teams Lap
14:00: CRAZY HAT – wear the craziest hat you can find
15:00: CARTOON CHARACTER/ANIME – become that cartoon character of your dreams
16:00: BLACK AND WHITE – wear only black and white during this lap
17:00: SCI-FI/FANTASY – represent the Sci-Fi or Fantasy character that you wish to be
18:00: PIRATES – pull out your eye patches, pirate hats, scarves and more!
19:00: BALD IS BEAUTIFUL
20:00: PURPLE!
21:00: Luminaria Ceremony – REMEMBER
22:00: MOST COLOURFUL – how many colours can you wear?
23:00: 10TH ANNIVERSARY – ONE TEAM!
Midnight: PJ PARTY
The Survivor / Caregiver maze at RFL of SL 2014, seen from above
Sunday July 20th
01:00: HOPPY BALL BOUNCE WITH US – bounce around the track! Find your hoppy balls in the Relay Info Stations!
02:00: SIXTIES (60’s)
03:00: BEACH PARTY
04:00: KIDS and CHILDREN – dress up as a kid, shrink your avatar
05:00: HEROES EVERY DAY AND SUPER – we all have those we consider heroes…who is yours? Superman, parents, doctors, Batman, Wonder Woman, etc
06:00: Fight Back – make that pledge…what will YOU do to fight back against CANCER?
07:00: INTERNATIONAL, CELEBRATE YOUR NATION! – wave your flag, dress up in your colours
08:00: COFFEE AND DOUGHNUTS IT’S BREAKFAST TIME!
09:00: FORMAL HOUR – time to put on your finest gowns and suits and walk the track in those dress shoes
10:00: CLOSING CEREMONY – head over to the Activities Regions and tune in to the stream
11:00: VICTORY LAP
12:30: RAFFLE DRAWS
13:00: SILENT AUCTIONS end
The Luminaria Ceremony and Fight Back
At 21:00 SLT on Saturday July 19th, the Luminaria Ceremony will talk place. The track regions will all be set to midnight and thousands of luminaria will be lit, each one representing a survivor or someone who has passed away from cancer. People are invited to walk the track in silence for one hour as dedications are read over the broadcasting stream.
06;00 SLT on sunday July 20th will mark Fight Back. Pick up your specially made FIGHT BACK ARMY CAP and Fight Back Flags – available at the Relay Stations, and join us as we make our fight back pledges to save a life this year; your own, a friends, a family member, or someone you don’t even know yet.
Where to Start
The best place to start is the Welcome Area, particularly if you’ve not participated in the RFL of SL weekend. Here you can pick-up your track tools, which will record the distance you walk around the track and allow you to chat with friends and those around you and walk at the same time. You can also obtain a reference guide to the luminaria donation colours and detailed of the themed laps for the weekend. Greeters will also be on-hand to answer any questions you may have. Once you’re ready to go, use the teleport to get to the track regions.
Paradise Lost: The story of Adam and Eve’s original sin, the stunning production by the Basilique Performing Arts company, which ran from April through June in its first season run will be returning in August for a second season, commencing August 2nd, 2014.
The news came via an announcement on Canary Beck’s blog on Tuesday July 15th, together with a link to the box office on the SL Marketplace.
Paradise Lost is a stunning production, which sets John Milton’s epic blank verse poem Paradise Lost to dance and the music of the Süssmayr completion of Mozart’s Requiem in D Minor. All performances will commence at 13:30 SLT on the following alternate Saturdays and Sundays through August to October:
August: Saturday 2nd, 16th and 30th; Sunday 10th and 24th
September: Saturday 21st; Sunday 7th
October: Saturday October 11th and 25th; Sunday October 5th and 19th.
I was privileged, along with a number of other bloggers, to be able to preview the production ahead of the first season run. I also had the opportunity to join the creative team behind the production, Canary Beck and Harvey Crabsticks, in conversation about the production’s genesis and technical aspects. So I can say hand-on-heart that my description of the production as “an outstanding masterpiece of performance art in SL” is no exaggeration; Paradise Lost is truly an extraordinary piece, one not to be missed.
So, if you didn’t manage to see the production during its inaugural season, I strongly encourage you to set aside one of the dates listed above and get your ticket(s) now, particularly as, if the original run is anything to go by, they are liable to sell out fast.
Satan prepares to tempt Eve as Adam rests, Paradise lost
On Monday July 7th, Linden Lab CEO Ebbe Altberg and the Lab’s Director of Global Communications, Peter Gray, met with members of the education community to answer questions on the future of education in Second Life.
The video is embedded below, and the transcript is time stamped against it for reference. When reading / listening, please remember:
This is not a word-for-word transcript of the entire meeting. While all quotes given are as they are spoken in the recording and the audio files, to assist in readability and maintain the flow of conversation, not all asides, jokes, interruptions, etc., have been included in the text presented here
If there are any sizeable gaps in comments from a speaker which resulted from asides, repetition, or where a speaker started to make a comment and then re-phrased what they were saying, etc, these are indicated by the use of “…”
The transcript picks-up with the first question asked.
0:04:42 Aldo Stern (AS): Will the educational discount be stable over time, so that education organisations can take [it] into account for their budget cycles? So I think that reflects right off of the top one of the things that people will have a concern about.
0:05:00 Ebbe Altberg (EA). Yes. Well, it’s very unfortunate that back in the day … that the discount was taken away. I thought it was very fortunate that it was re-instituted before I showed-up here, and I can tell you we have absolutely no intent whatsoever to make the pricing worse for you guys. none whatsoever.
And over time, as some of you have heard about, we’re starting work on a next generation platform, I think that ultimately an extremely large and vibrant and successful virtual world, prices have to come down all the time.
Today, we’re constrained by a number of factors: technology, business models, what have you, and user experience, that sort-of limits the size of the market for a product like this. for example, if we were to cut prices in half, we would have to get at least twice the number of users – or more, actually – to end up with the same revenue. Right now, I’m not convinced we have a product that could attract two extra users at half the price.
But I’d be happy to lower prices to get more users and make it up in volume, once we know we have a product that can achieve that. I think it’ll be an interesting conversation at that time, especially with the educational sector. would an even lower price … let’s say we take the current discount that you have, which I think is about a hundred and fifty bucks for a region; if we cut that in half again and say it’s seventy-five bucks, would we have twice as many of you buying simulators? If that’s the case, then it might be worthwhile for us to do; but if it only increases by 5% the number, then it’s just hurting us and our ability to invest in the future.
But I feel very confident in stating that we’re not going to mess with the current pricing you have in a negative way for you.
0:07:55 AS: I think that’s very encouraging to us, and I wanted to ask if anybody had any further comment before the next question?
0:08:08 Comment: Well, it is encouraging to hear that; but I think there are a number of related issues that make the current platform problematical for educators, and a number of questions we’ve identified I think will get at that, if you want to move down the list.
Ebbe Linden (Ebbe Altberg) and Pete Linden (Peter Gray) at the meeting with representatives from the education and non-profits community
0:08:26 Comment: I did want to say something about the pricing real quick. If you did lower the price for educators you might not see the number of buyers go up right away, because I’m not sure if you understand how the education funding cycle works, and probably everyone in the room here can explain that much better than I can. But that is the issue: getting into the funding cycle ahead of time to make sure that you have funds available for your projects. So if you implemented that today, cutting it in half again, you have to give the education community time to get that in their budget and make that happen.
0:09:27 EA: Absolutely, and there’s way to solve that. I could say, it’s a hundred and fifty bucks now and it’s 75 bucks starting next quarter, so you can put it in your plans. how much advanced notice do you need to be able to get it into your budget cycle?
0:09:48: About a year.
0:09:49 EA: My lord! (Chuckles).
0:09:53: And that’s why, when the funding was cut, it was so devastating, when the discount was cut, because no-one had enough notice to get their funding back up to what they needed, and so it was very frustrating for a lot of educational folks.
0:10:14 EA: I understand. I can’t even begin to understanding the reasoning behind why that whole thing happened. I’m just very glad it was reversed before I came here, otherwise I would have done that myself. So you can at least be confident that we’re not going to make that mistake again.
It’s time to kick-off another week of fabulous story-telling in Voice, brought to Second Life and Kitely by the staff and volunteers at the Seanchai Library.
As always, all times SLT / PDT, and unless otherwise stated, events will be held on the Seanchai Library’s home on Imagination Island.
Sunday July 13th, 12:00 Noon: Aloha! The Blues Brothers!
Get out your pork pie hat and your shades, don a dark suit and make your way to Imagination Island to join “Joliet” Jake and Elwood Blues, who also extend a very special welcome to all representatives of the Illinois law enforcement community who might also choose to attend 🙂 .
Yes, the Blues Brothers are on a new mission from God – this time it’s a special benefit concert for the Community Virtual Library, which provides free library resources and services to the residents of Second Life.
The fund-raiser will have a slightly Hawaiian flavour, so if you have a hula-hula skirt or a particularly loud shirt, don’t hesitate to wear those – Blues Brothers dress code is entirely optional, rather than required!
The party kicks-off at 12:00 noon SLT, and will feature many of the Blues Brothers’ popular hits from the movie, SNL skits and the albums. Also on hand as a special guest – Aretha Franklin!
To join the fun, simply follow the Seanchai library teleport link at the top or bottom of this post and then click on the party poster at the landing point for your taxi to the Community Virtual Library event space.
And, to get you in the mood, one of the classics from Jake, Elwood and the band.
Monday July 14th, 19:00: Space Wars: The Colonel’s Tiger Continues
Gyro Muggins continues reading The Colonel’s Tiger by Hal Colebatch, a story from Larry Niven’s Man-Kzin wars series.
The colony ship Angel’s Pencil is the first human vessel to encounter the Kzin. Following a violent exchange, the Angel’s Pencil relays her situation and the attack on her by the Kzin, including detailed information on the anatomy and physiology of their attackers. While the reports are dismissed by many as an outbreak of psychosis on the colony vessel, for one ARM agent, they trigger a memory about a confrontation between a human and a “tiger man”, which took place in the 19th century on Earth …
Tuesday July 15th, 19:00: More Stories from Ozland Gallery
With Llola Lane.
Wednesday July 16th, 19:00: “Old Woman” – Cailleach Tales
In Irish and Scottish mythology, the Cailleach is a divine hag, and regarded as a creatrix. In Scotland, for example, she is credited with making many mountains and high hills, and is also regarded as the mother of all the gods and goddesses. She’s also said to be the personification of winter.
Find out more by joining Aoife Niphredil at Seanchai Library.
Thursday July 17th
19:00 Shark Myths and Legends
From out of the depths of the sea and the darkness of our imaginations they come; a silent killer armed with razor-sharp teeth, ready to rise up and grab the unwary swimmer or surfer; one of nature’s most finely honed killing machines evolved over millions of years …
Or so popular myth would have us believe; the truth is far different. The reality is that shark attacks on humans are extremely rare. In fact, and as with most other wildlife on this planet, it is actually Man who preys on the shark far, far more than the shark preying on Man.
Join Shandon Loring as he brings to life a selection of true stories about sharks from Shark Life, written by the man who perhaps first shone a light into that deep-seated fear we have when the word “shark” is mentioned: Peter Benchley, the author of (among others) Jaws.
21:00: Seanchai Late Night
with Finn Zeddmore
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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 July-August is WildAid: seeking to end the illegal wildlife trade in our lifetimes by reducing demand through public awareness campaigns and providing comprehensive marine protection.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 