Category: Second Life

Previewing the Second Life Book Club

Posted on by Inara Pey
The Second Life Book Club studio, Book Club Island

First announced on Friday, March 27th, the Second Life Book Club launches on Wednesday, April 8th as part of efforts to broaden the appeal of Second Life and showcase what can be achieved with a virtual platform, as well as offering SL users a new and informative series focused on the world of literate – which is actually a popular subject among SLers thanks to the long-running work by the likes of Seanchai Library and others.

These are strange times indeed: With the current public health crisis sweeping across the globe, many of us are finding it more difficult to go out and physically do the things that comfort us and bring us joy. Socializing. Shopping. Dancing. We can’t wait to get out and explore in the physical world again – but, fortunately, you can do these things virtually right now in Second Life.

During this time of great anxiety, stress and social isolation, we’ve seen a spike in interest and activity in Second Life as people seek online outlets for comfort and social connections. Many are discovering for the first time how Second Life can bring people together for friendly conversations and fun social activities – such as live music performances, virtual nightclubs and deejay events and even book readings.

– From the Second Life blog post, March 27th, 2020

Hosted in-world at a new venue which uses one of the Lab’s turnkey solutions to help businesses and organisations make use of Second Life (in this case, the Conference Centre design), The Second Life Book Club is, in the words of the official press release (also a blog post) about it, an:

Initiative that enables authors to have real-time book readings, engage in meet-and-greets with their fans and promote their publications in front of a live audience within the Internet’s largest user-created virtual world [ which] will kick off with a multi-author panel that will discuss the new reality of writing and selling books in the age of COVID-19. The event will feature a live Q&A with best-selling authors Matt Ruff (“Lovecraft Country”), Ken Liu (“The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories”), SL Huang (the Cas Russell series) and CB Lee (the Sidekick Squad series).

– Linden Lab, Second Life Débuts Virtual Book Tours, April 7th, 2020

(l-to-r): Matt Ruff (© Lisa Gold); Ken Liu (© Lisa Tang Liu); SL Huang (©Chris Massa) and C.B. Lee (via Twitter) – the first SL Book Club guests

The Second Life Book Club is a monthly event produced jointly by Linden Lab and Draxtor Despres who also hosts episodes.

Shows will take place before a live Second Life audience, with the first edition taking place on 10:00 SLT on Wednesday April 8th, at the Second Life Book Club Island.  Audience space is limited, so if you are unable to secure a seat, it will be streamed live across all official Second Life social channels.

Further programmes and guests will be announced through the official Second Life blog.

Birds and Blue: a Nitroglobus escape in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Nitroglobus: Birds & Blue

As I’ve oft noticed in these pages, through her Nitroglobus Roof Gallery, Dido Haas presents some of the most evocative, engaging art to be found in Second Life. I’m constantly drawn back to the gallery each month as Dido has the ability to draw out the very best in the artists she invites to exhibit there, gracefully coxing their own inner voices to the fore.

However, Dido is herself a gifted photographer, although it is rare that she places her own art into the spotlight at her gallery. It is in part because of this that the latest exhibition at Nitroglobus is so attractive, because for April she offers a selection of her own work. I say “in part”, because Birds & Blue is very much a joint presentation from Dido (photography) and Harry Cover (ImpossibleisnotFrench – 3D elements).

We’ve turned Nitroglobus into a large pond, with the soothing sound of rippling water. Harry added awesome blue boats, barrels and super cool birds he made specially for this installation … For my part selected snapshots from my blog posts, which I made blue to fit into the mood of this installation, and I’ve added pieces of land (thx Miu) with seats and parasols, waving blue flower beds, rusty wind turbines, a beach hut, an animated rock and more… We hope you like to wander around, ‘cos it’s fun and should be enjoyed as such.

– Dido Haas describing Birds and Blue

Nitroglobus: Birds & Blue

The result is a setting that might be said to be much needed in the current times: big enough to have a wander around and enjoy the sounds and the setting; small enough to suit those who would rather just sit and admire the art and let the sounds wash over them and escape daily worries.

Tinted blue for the theme, Dido’s images further offer a means to relax and forget the worries of the world. Offering wide-open views, oft with coastlines and water, each piece sits as a window through which we can escape, perhaps to join Dido as she appears in many of the pictures, and share in her exploration.

When visiting, make sure you make your way up to the high beach house, where two of Dido’s black-and-white self-portraits offer s contract to the blue tones below.

Nitroglobus: Birds & Blue

A different kind of exhibition for Nitroglobus, but one that is nevertheless richly attractive.

SLurl Details

Singularity 1.8.9: the big catch-up

Posted on by Inara Pey

April 2nd, 2020 saw the first full release of the viewer 1.x style Singularity viewer in almost four years with the arrival of version 1.8.9.8338. The last formal release of the viewer had been in June 2016, with the release of version 1.8.7 – although there have been many, many, “nightly” builds of the viewer made available in the interim to help keep Singularity users up-to-date with viewer changes.

As I don’t tend to report on “beta” or “nightly” builds of viewers unless they contain something absolutely vital to users  – were I to try, it’s not unreasonable to say there would be times when I’d be writing nothing other than articles on viewers and clients – this release means there is potentially a lot for me to cover – the to possibly drown you in an ocean of text! To avoid this, please excuse me if I just touch on the core aspects of the update and point you towards the official release notes for a full list of updates.

In Brief

Linden Lab Derived Updates

Given the length of time that has elapsed between the last formal release and 1.8.9, the latter rolls-up a lot of significant releases from the Labs. As a summary, these comprise:

  • Animesh.
  • Bento.
  • Bakes on Mesh (system wearable on mesh bodies / heads – see my Bakes on Mesh Basic Primer).
  • Experiences (World → Experiences from the menu bar).
  • Viewer Managed Marketplace. Actually released prior to the previous full release of Singularity, the Viewer Managed Marketplace (VMM) functionality didn’t make it into the 1.8.6 or 1.8.7 releases, and so arrives for the first time now.
    • The Marketplace Listings Panel can be accessed via either World → Marketplace Listings in the menu bar, or by activating the Marketplace Listings toolbar button (View → Change Toolbar Buttons → check Marketplace Listings).
    • Singularity also allows the listing ID for any Marketplace listing (active or inactive) to be obtained by right clicking on the associated folder in the the Marketplace Listings panel and selecting Copy Listing ID.
    • In support of VMM, Singularity also provides a Marketplace button (View → Change Toolbar Buttons → check Marketplace). Note that this will open the Marketplace in the viewer’s internal browser, regardless of whether links are set to open in an external browser.
Singularity 1.8.9 also features the all-singing, all dancing LL viewer splash screen with tweaks

Singularity Updates

This is actually a huge list of new additions, improvements, updates and fixes. So big, in fact that trying to run through them here would give rise to a novel, rather than a review, as noted. So again, please refer to the official release notes for a complete breakdown.

Availability

At the time of writing, Singularity 1.8.9 had been released in 32-bit and 64-bit flavours for Windows; 64-bit Linux and promised an “emergency” version for OS X that is described as possibly “buggy” and “available soon”. As the download page on the Singu website still listed 1.8.6 as the last formal release for OS X, Mac users interested in Singularity are advised to watch the Singularity website for updates.

Feedback

The Post-Processed Effects (PPE) panel (View → Change Toolbar → Post-Processed Effects) has some interesting real-time graphics processing options.

I’ve not had much time using Singularity 1.8.9, my total hours possibly amount to little more than an afternoon of fiddling. As such this feedback is perhaps a little more subjective in approach than might otherwise be the case.

All of the Linden-derived updates appear to work as expected, and the Singu-developed updates are certainly extensive and I have no significant issues with those I got to play with.

When it comes to rendering, where you’re looking, how far you can see, what is occluding your view, what to have cached, etc., all has a part to play in what the viewer renders, how fast it can do so and what your overall fps is. In an attempt at rudimentary “like-for-like” testing (e.g. same region, same location, same directions of view, roughly the same number of avatars, same graphics settings, etc), I found Singularly perhaps a little faster in rendering content than either the SL viewer or Firestorm, with average fps reporting pretty much on a par with, or very slightly higher than, those two viewers once rnedering had settled down for any given direction.

What I did notice with respect to 1.8.9, both in comparison to Firestorm and singularity 1.8.7, and when again, using the dame Windlight presets is that 1.8.9 produces a much more natural rendering result on my system  – gamma, haze, tone, etc., – than I’ve noted with either Firestorm or the SL viewer when using the “default” settings.

For those who like a v1-style UI coupled with something of a more “power user” range of options, Singularity 1.8.9 is liable to be just the ticket. Hopefully the huge amount of effort put into this release will mean that in future, the viewer will be better able to keep pace with changes coming out of the Lab.  Kudos to all involved in getting it back up to speed.

Related Links

Announcing Le Cirque de la Nuit 2020 in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Idle Rogue Le Cirque de la Nuit

April is upon us, and with it comes a variety of events across Second Life, including Idle Rogue’s Le Cirque de Nuit. Now something of an annual tradition – the first presentation having been in 2014 – this hour-long programme features award-winning animated dance performances based around Erin Morgenstern’s novel, The Night Circus.

So you think you have seen Idle Rogue Productions annual steampunk circus in black and white, “Le Cirque de la Nuit”? Think again! No two editions of “Cirque” are exactly alike, and reservations for this year’s open Monday, April 6th at Noon for the limited six performances. Advanced Reservations are required.

– From the Idle Rogue press release for 2020’s Le Cirque de Nuit.

One of Idle Rogue’s most popular productions, Le Cirque de Nuit will for 2020 offer two rounds of shows over the weekends of Friday, April 10th through Sunday, April 12th and Friday, April 17th through Sunday, April 19th, with individual performances as follows (all times SLT):

  • Friday, April 10th, 22:00.
  • Saturday, April 11th, 19:00.
  • Sunday, April 12th, 15:00.
  • Friday, April 17th, 22:00.
  • Saturday, April 18th, 15:00.
  • Sunday, April 19th, 17:00.

Given their popularity, seats for all performances must be booked in advance. Reservations can be made by contacting Saturday Melody in-world on or after 15:00 SLT on Monday, April 6th. All seats per show will be offered first cone, first serve.

Bloggers wishing to preview the show should contact chryblnd Scribe in-world for information on the Preview performance that is planned for Wednesday, April 8th (time tba at the time this article was written).

Le Cirque de la Nuit: Dax Dover. Credit: Idle Rogue

Directed by Blaze DeVivre,the show might be described as “a steampunk circus in black and white”. It uses Morgenstern’s novel as a background  to present stories of magic, circus and illusion as dance entertainment within an environment created by Gloriana Maertens.

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazement. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

– Cover copy of The Night Circus

This year, the show features an introductory act, narrated by the storytellers of  Seanchai Library, with all of the acts interspersed by displays of colourful fantastical art installations, including pieces by Bryn Oh, Cica Ghost, and equestrian designer H0ney Heart.

Note that should you book seats for a performance, guests attending the show are requested to:

  • Arrive no later than an hour prior to the stated start time of a performance. Music will be provided for entertainment.
  • Use an up-to-date viewer, with Advanced Lighting enabled so that the full effect of ambient and projected lighting can be seen.
  • Keep their complexity level low, and minimise their script load (including by removing HUDs ad well as worn scripted attachments) for the benefit of all the audience and the performers.
Le Cirque de la Nuit: Meegan Danitz. Credit: Idle Rogue

Further information can be obtained via e-mail to idlerogue-at-gmail.com.

Additional Links

2020 viewer release summaries week #14

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

Updates for the week ending Sunday, April 5th

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

  • Current Release version  version 6.3.8.538264, dated March 12, promoted March 18th. Formerly the Premium RC viewer – No Change.
  • Release channel cohorts:
    • No updates.
  • Project viewers:
    • No updates.

LL Viewer Resources

Third-party Viewers

V6-style

  • Kokua updated to version 6.3.8.43751 (non RLV) and 6.3.8.46425 (RLV variants) on April 1st – release notes.

V1-style

Mobile / Other Clients

  • No updates.

Additional TPV Resources

Related Links

Secrets, magic & science, poems, and games 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 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.

Sunday, April 5th, 18:30: The Secret Garden

Caledonia Skytower continues this classic of children’s literature  by Frances Hodgson Burnett, first published in 1911, at the Golden Horseshoe in Magicland Park.

Orphaned after losing her parents in a cholera epidemic, young Mary Lennox returns to England from India, entering the care of her uncle Archibald Craven, whom she has never met.

Up until this point, Mary’s childhood had not been happy; her parents were selfish and self-seeking, regarding her as a burden over which they were not obliged to hold much responsibility. Not overly healthy herself, she is as a result  a temperamental, stubborn and unmistakably rude child – and her arrival at Misselthwaite Manor and the relative gloom of Yorkshire’s weather does little to improve her mein.

Her disposition also isn’t helped by her uncle, who is strict and uncompromising, leading to Mary despising him. But her uncle’s story is itself filled with tragedy, particularly the loss of his wife. As she learns more about her uncle’s past, so Mary learns about a walled garden Mrs. Craven once kept, separated from the rest of the grounds and which, since her passing has been kept locked by Mary’s uncle, the door leading to it kept locked, the key to it buried somewhere. 

Finding the missing key and the now hidden door, Mary enters the garden, and her passage into it starts her on a journey of friendship and discovery, one that leads her to the thing she never really knew: family.

Monday, April 6th 19:00: The Higher Space

Gyro Muggins reads Jamil Nasir’s 1996 novella that mixes science and magic.

Bob Wilson is a lawyer with a house in the suburbs, a beautiful wife, and a predictable life. Then he agrees to represent a neighbourhood couple in what looks like an open-and-shut custody case.

But no sooner do the Wilsons take in fourteen-year-old Diana Esterbrook than Bob must ask himself some troubling questions. Is Diana a computer genius or a dangerously disturbed adolescent? Why is his house being bugged? Who is the mysterious man in black? And what about Diana’s birth mother, a convicted kidnapper just released from prison?

Wilson’s quest for answers will lead him to an enigmatic private detective, a meek professor with dreams of immortality, and finally to the secrets of a discipline called Thaumatomathematics a strange blend of magic and science where death becomes the key to beatific ecstasy.

Tuesday, April 7th:

12:00 Noon: Russell Eponym, Live in the Glen

Music, poetry, and stories in a popular weekly session that is finding a new home in Ceiluradh Glen as guest of Seanchai Library.

19:00: Words for Our Souls: Poetry in The Glen

Seanchai Staff share words for our time around the fire.

Wednesday, April 8th, 19:00: No Session

The library will be dark.

Thursday, April 9th:

19:00: What’s in a Username?

Shandon Loring returns to Game On: A Gamelit Anthology, this time to read Angel Leya’s short story, What’s in a Username?

While playing a hot new MMORG called Power, gamer girls Maddy and best friend Amber run into a guy on whom Maddy has an all encompassing crush. 

Given her inability to talk to any guy she likes without becoming a tongue-tied, fumbling wreck, Maddy determines the best way to make her feeling known is through her (albeit male) game avatar.

Things start to go awry, however, as Maddy realises Amber likely also has a crush on the object of her affections. As a result, both of their gaming suffers in their pursuit of the eye-catching player.

But what  no-one playing Power realises is that there is more at stake in the game than they could ever realise.

Also in Kitely – grid.kitely.com:8002:SEANCHAI).

21:00: Seanchai Late Night

Contemporary Sci-Fi-Fantasy with Finn Zeddmore featuring stories from sources including Escape Pod, Light Speed, and Clarkesworld on-line magazines.