Tag: Second Life

Help MadPea and LLK build a school in Kenya

Posted on by Inara Pey

madpea-logoKess Crystal recently dropped me a line about MadPea’s 2015 Celebrity auction – with the news also now appearing on the MadPea blog; my apologies to Kess for my tardiness in getting this article out.

On September 27th 2015, the MadPea team will be running an auction in support of Feed A Smile / Live and Learn in Kenya – and right now they’re asking for support from folk across SL to make it happen, buy donating their time, interest and talents.

The focus of the auction comes by way of Feed A Smile. You may recognise the name from things like The Drax Files World Makers episode #16. At its heart, Feed A Smile, organised and run by Brique Topaz (Brique Zeiner in the physical world) provides nutritious warm lunches for over 400 children every day, paid for entirely from donations to the project. Over a third of the money directed at the programme comes from donations received within Second Life.

Help build a school in Kenya "Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world" - Nelson Mandela
Help build a school in Kenya “Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world” – Nelson Mandela

Feed A Smile is a part of a larger organisation run by Brique, Live and Learn Kenya (LLK). Right now, LLK is engaged in an ambitious project, and that’s where MadPea – and all who are willing to help – come in, as Kess explains via the note and the blog post:

They are currently in the process of building a school in Nakuru. The first classroom and staff office were opened in January but there is a long way to go with each classroom costing around 19,000 USD to complete. More information about the programme and the credentials can be round on the Live and Learn in Kenya Website.

Maybe you’re a photographer that could offer a portrait or a one-to-one tutorial of your work? A prolific blogger who could share your knowledge with another resident? A store owner or creator willing to give a demonstration or create a unique product. Maybe you’re a DJ or Live musician willing to give an hour show to a winning bidder. The options are endless and you get to choose what you give.

The first phase of the school opened in January, and LLK were there to celebrate with the first young students
The first element of the school opened in January, and LLK were there to celebrate with the first young students

The first elements of the school opened in January 2015, and work is continuing  – and there is a lot still to do. The aim of the auction is to raise L$1.2 million (approx. US $4800 / £3057 / €4229) to help further the project.

The auction will actually be preceded over Friday 25th and Saturday 26th September 2015 with a live music and entertainment event being scheduled to run through to the start of the auction on Sunday, September 27th, and which will take place at a specially built area at !Exodus! Rock Club.

I’ll have more news on the actual event schedule and venue nearer the dates. In the meantime,  if you would like to help with this auction by donating your time and abilities so people can bid for them, head on over to the LLK website and read more about the project, and then complete MadPea’s auction joining form over on Google Docs.

The plans for the completed LLK Nakuru school (click for full size)
The plans for the completed LLK Nakuru school (click for full size)

This is an opportunity to make a real difference in the real world, as Kess and MadPea note:

We’ve seen recently with The Lexi Project just how phenomenal the generosity of SL’rs can be and how we can make RL changes to people’s lives when we work together. Please nudge your favourite SL Residents to join us by asking them to complete the joining form!

If you are a musician  / DJ and are interested in helping support the live entertainments associated with the event, please Kess directly at kess-at-madpeagames.com to register your interest.

Photographs and site plans courtesy of Live and Learn Kenya

Come gather, remember and celebrate the life of Lumiere Noir

Posted on by Inara Pey

lumiereFurther to the sad news of the passing of the Ivory tower of Primitives founder,  Lumiere Noir, Avi Arrow has announced there will be a special Remembrance and Celebration at the Tower in his memory, commencing at 13:00 SLT on Sunday, August 16th.

Ave’s notice reads in full:

A *Remembrance & Celebration* gathering for Lumiere Noir will be held at 1:00pm (13:00) SLT on Sunday 16th of August at the Ivory Tower Library of Primitives http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Natoma/210/164/28 (G-rated) . Bring fondest of memories and dancing shoes.

Lumiere’s passing has been felt right across the grid, such has been his influence on so many over the years, and tributes continue to be paid via his Second Life web profile, and remembrances passed to Avi for display at the Tower itself.  Xiola Linden  posted a brief message on behalf of Linden Lab on Friday, August 14th, in which he was again noted as a friend. colleague and mentor to so many.

Image: Lumiere Noir attending the awards ceremony for  the Imagine Challenge, part of the UWA’s 2010 3D Art & Design Challenge, and at which he addressed the audience and the winners as the ceremony’s Special Guest, having also served on the judging panel. Read more here – including the text of his speech which, in typical Lumiere fashion, was insightful and ahead of the curve. His words  resonate as strongly today on the subjects of virtual art and virtual spaces as ever they did in 2010, such was his vision. (with thanks to the UWA and Jayjay Zifanwee).

Lumiere Noir: Remembrance and Celebration – The Ivory Tower Library of Primitives, 13:00 SLT, Sunday, August 16th, 2015.

 

Con-Fusion about education in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
Incorrect thinking: just because a campus region is empty of other avatars doesn't necessarily mean it is "abandoned" (image: UWA campus, Second Life)
Incorrect thinking: just because a campus region in Second Life is empty of other avatars doesn’t necessarily mean it is “abandoned” (image: part of the UWA campus, Second Life)

Second Life (with a nod to the Lab’s Project Sansar) has enjoyed some reasonably good press of late. We’ve seen articles in the likes of Xconomy.com. Variety Online, Re/code, Gamasutra – good golly, Miss Molly, even Moviepilot is getting in on the act.

However, there will still be pieces out there which reflect poorly on matters. Not so much where Second Life is concerned, but on their authors. Such is the case with Patrick Hogan’s piece in Fusion, which John (Johannes1977 Resident) pointed me towards via e-mail.

The title of the piece is enough to set the overall tone: We took a tour of the abandoned college campuses of Second Life.

Patrick Hogan: writing to underline a preconception
Patrick Hogan: writing to underline a preconception?

As one might expect from such a title, this isn’t a reasoned discussion of the whys and wherefores, both good and bad, on the use of Second Life for educational purposes. There is no mention of the work of universities such as Texas A&M, as featured in episode #19 of The Drax Files World Makers, or that of the University of Western Australia. There is no highlighting of the struggle schools, colleges and universities faced as a result of the axing of the education discount or the resurgence of interest following its re-introduction; indeed Mr. Hogan demonstrates he’s not even aware there is an educational discount.

Similarly, no insights are given into how the platform has been used to assist with medical training among nurses and surgeons alike.  There is no pointer to the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) run by the  Universidad de San Martín de Porres (USMP) in Perú, now in its third year, which helps Spanish-speaking educators get started with Second Life simply because it is in demand as a platform for education, and so on.

Nor, frankly should we expect there to be any such discussion, because Mr. Hogan doesn’t appear to be so much interested in Second Life as he does about underlining his own misconceptions about the platform which, like his opening comments, seem to be firmly rooted in 2007.

So does this mean we should ignore what he has to say? No, not at all. Looking through his other articles, Mr. Hogan seems to prefer to skim his subjects with the aim of offering something of a lighter look. As such, he may well be open to gaining a little more educated about this particular topic.

Certainly, and with a view to addressing the readership of the piece, its subjective nature and the misconceptions evident within it should be corrected, starting with the false premise of the piece itself (an “empty” region is in no way indicative of it having been “abandoned”).

These arre not the educational uses of virtual worlds Mr. hogan was looking for...
These are not the educational uses of virtual worlds Mr. Hogan was looking for…

Of course, had he really been interested in his subject, Mr. Hogan could have contacted the Lab, asked a few questions, received some pointers towards various education-related organisations and communities, and been on his way and filling his little corner of Fusion with relevant observations, positive or negative.

But he didn’t. He preferred the lazy route, walking the same, tired furrow that’s all too familiar and boring. His article even manages the obligatory reference to porn that is considered de rigueur for such pieces (check the title byline).

That he does opt to walk this line is really to his detriment, rather than it being any reflection on those who use Second Life or the platform itself.

The passing of Lumiere Noir

Posted on by Inara Pey

lumiere-1_001News is spreading of the sudden passing of Lumiere Noir, the man behind the Ivory Tower of Primitives, who died suddenly on Monday, August 10th, 2015.

Famous for his “Black Spy” avatar, Lumiere joined Second Life at the end of 2003, and originally built the Ivory Tower of Primitives on Noya. Later during 2004, a branch of the Tower was established on Natoma, functioning alongside the original until that was demolished in 2006.

A self-guided, self-paced tutorial and library to in-world building in Second Life, the Ivory Tower has been – and remains – an essential reference centre to all who treasure the art of in-world content creation.

By founding it, Lumiere extended his physical world abilities as a teacher into virtual spaces to great effect and the benefit of others. In Second life he was known as an open friend, excellent mentor, and for his sense of fun the good-natured mischievous twinkle in his eye.

As per the notices placed out around the Tower, objects of condolence from those who knew him should be passed to Avi Arrow, who will place them out.

To Tosha Tyan, his partner in Second Life, and to his family and friends in the physical world I offer my condolences at this time.  Lumiere’s presence and influence will be sadly missed right across Second life by all who knew him, or came into contact with him.

Lumiere's legacy to all in Second Life: The Ivory Tower of Primitives
Lumiere’s legacy to all in Second Life: The Ivory Tower of Primitives

Upcoming changes to land damage in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey

secondlifeAs previously reported in these pages, in April the Lab made some changes to the behaviour of Damage settings on land. At the time, the changes caused a certain amount of confusion in the way they limited people’s abilities to set Damage compared to previous behaviour.

As a result, a number of bugs were filed against the changes, including BUG-9098, BUG-9253 and particularly BUG-9422, prompting the Lab to acknowledge there are issues, and promise to look into matters to see if anything could be done to improve things.

As a result of this, the Lab has now come up with a proposal on how Damage can be managed at both the region and the parcel level (there are no plans to offer Damage settings at the estate level) in order to provide region and parcel holders the greatest flexibility on how Damage can be managed on their land, as identified in the various use cases offered through the bug reports.

One of the issues resulting for the April changes to Damage: if the Allow Damage option is disabled at the region level, it could no longer be set at the parcel level - click to enlarge (image courtesy of Whirly Fizzle)
One of the issues resulting for the April changes to Damage: if the Allow Damage option is disabled at the region level, it could no longer be set at the parcel level – click to enlarge (image courtesy of Whirly Fizzle)

The proposal was unveiled by Oz and Grumpity Linden at the TPV Developer meeting held on Friday, July 31st, and the detailed discussion of the changes can be heard via the meeting’s video (11:16 through 19:16). However, in essence, it is being proposed that:

  • The current Region / Estate > Region > Allow Damage function will remain, and is set to off by default – so damage will be disabled at the region level by default
  • A new setting, Allow Parcel to Override Damage will be added to  Region / Estate > Region, which will allow parcel owners within a region to set Damage for their land, even if it is disabled at the region level via Allow Damage. This will be set to on by default
  • The About Land > Options > Safe (No  Damage) option will be unchecked by default – so Damage will by default be on at the parcel level by default.

Thus, under this approach, and by default, parcel owners can still have Damage enabled if they wish, while the region owner can have it disabled in order to make places like public areas safe from unintentional Damage, for example.

However, region owners will be able to retain overall control for setting Damage on a region by unchecking Allow Parcel to Override Damage. This will cause the entire region to obey whatever is set via Allow Damage, and the Safe (No Damage) option in About Land > Options will be disabled / greyed-out for all parcels, preventing parcel holders from changing it.

In addition, further changes will be made to the viewer so that it will only display Damage icons in regions / parcels where Damage is enabled.

Currently, there are no times scales for when these changes (which will involve updates to both the simulator code and to the viewer) might be implemented; the idea at the moment is to gain feedback on the proposal as it stands. Furthermore, the Lab is still examining how they might ensure that any current settings for Damage people have on their land are correctly preserved when any changes are eventually rolled-out (although it is likely some people may have to manually readjust the Damage settings on their land once changes have been made, even with the best efforts on the Lab’s part to avoid this).

Once the changes have been finalised and time tabled for implementation, the Lab will hopefully communicate them ahead of release via a blog post / announcement and through the viewer’s MOTD. I’ll also be covering the changes when they are ready to be deployed.

Lab launches resident-focused Second Life promotional videos

Posted on by Inara Pey

secondlifeOn July 20th, 2015, Linden Lab issued two new Second Life  promotional videos on their official YouTube channel.

Both are entitled Second Life – The Largest-Ever 3D Virtual World Created By Users, and combine footage shot by the Lab (some of which has been seen in past promotional videos) with footage from Draxtor Despres’ outstanding World Makers series.

There’s nothing actually new in this per se; the Lab combined their own footage with some from World Makers in their December 2013 promotional pieces, which I reviewed here.

However, what makes these different is that overlaying the video footage are a series of audio clips taken from the World Makers series (and possibly elsewhere), featuring Second Life users talking directly about the platform.

Thus, unlike the purely music-based videos before them, these offer a very user-centric look at Second Life which makes them compelling viewing, and perhaps the best promotional videos yet produced for the platform.

At a minute in length, the first video can afford to offer a more visual lead-in, with a series of clips from around SL. It can also obviously offer more audio content, and I have to say that the inclusion of a clip of Zachh Barkley talking about his own attraction to SL is particularly effective in adding depth to the piece.

The second video, just 30 seconds in length, offers a more defined view of Second Life ideally suited to the shorter attention span, but which is no less compelling or effective than the longer version.

I’ve long been an advocate of the Lab collaborating with users to produce suitable promotional material for Second Life, both by working with machinima makers and using the creative talents of users themselves.

While these videos move in a somewhat different direction to the one I imagined when writing on the subject, they are nevertheless a move entirely in the right direction. Both showcase Second Life beautifully and in a manner that really speaks to the audience. As such, I hope we’ll see them used widely in promotional campaigns – and see more pieces of a similar nature in the future.

Kudos to the Lab and all involved in their production.