Spotlight on Second Life Movie- Interview with Mickey Desantis- Lanai Jarrico Reporting…

Second Life - The Movie Trailer from Michael J Dawson on Vimeo.

For those who are not familiar with the virtual world; Second Life, they are missing out on a phenomenal technological advancement that can be used in so many different ways.

 Many people may have the wrong idea that Second Life is just a game and for some virtual platforms it is. When an economy is introduced to the equation, such as in Second Life, it becomes a means of generating an income and expanding on business and projects that exist in the real world.

Second Life is a virtual world that was created by Linden Lab for the people by the people. Creative minds from all over the world create an avatar and participate in this unique 3D world in a variety of ways. From art, music, fashion and media; content is created all the time.  Relationships are formed and amazing things happen.

The SL Enquirer came across one such character. His name is Mickey DeSantis. Unlike other avatars, his existence is not to be portrayed as a human. Instead, his avatar is part of a project that has tied both the virtual and real world together in a very unique way.

Interview with Mickey Desantis

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Parallel Universes Part III: Cloud Party – Stareyes Galaxy Reporting

Wouldn’t it be great if there was a virtual world for the general public, one that would not require a cumbersome viewer but that could be accessed through your normal browser software?

Wouldn’t it be great if you could create your own mesh objects and clothing and import all of that free to your inventory, and to be shared? Cloud Party (R. I. P.) was such a utopian platform for virtual world enthusiasts until February, when it was bought by Yahoo, Inc. 

I had an account in Cloud Party when it first started about two years ago. I remember going over there and getting excited about learning to build mesh items on Blender, and then importing these over. That joy was short-lived, however, as it became evident that with the hardware at my disposal, mesh creation was out of the question. At that beta stage, avatars in Cloud Party were also very elementary, and although the navigation was not overly difficult, it still had a learning curve. Things got rapidly better, and at its later stages, Cloud Party was a serious contender for content delivery, quality 3-D graphics and art, as well as becoming a platform for socializing in virtual worlds.

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Part 2-How to Chose the right PC Hardware for Second Life – Shaneos Howlett Reporting

In this 2 of a 2 part series – we take a close look at the computer hardware behind SL and what you need to make the experience the best, information is submitted by a trained computer technician that has a diploma in Information Technology.

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Part 1-How to Speed up your PC for Second Life – shaneos howlett Reporting...

In this report we will take a look at how to speed up your experience within SL .

 You will get the best information possible from a trained computer technician that has a degree in information technology. This is the first of a 2 part series – the next will take a closer look at what type of computer you need for SL.

The SL Viewer program – How to upgrade and make significant performance modifications

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Technology and Communication Techniques within SL – Shaneos Howlett Reporting...

There are a few different types of communication methods one can use within Second Life including  Text Chat, Video Chat and Audio Chat.

 Let‘s take a closer look at some of the utilities used for each communication method.

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How to Become a Tech Genius in SL – Shaneos Howlett Reporting

We all know that Second Life is an advanced form of a 3D chat program but how many of us actually know the true full capabilities ?

 Below we will explore some of the features that make SL advanced and a very unique communication platform.

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Lag is a B*tch, and Then You Crash – Stareyes Galaxy Reporting

More often than not, in a social situation on Second Life© (SL), either you experience lag, or hear someone complain about it. Even in instant messages on SL, lag sometimes makes words get mangled and out of context, and sometimes what you say disappears completely.

What is lag and what causes it? How can you minimize lag? Stareyes Galaxy got on SL to find out.

Linden Lab (LL) maintains a web page for the “minimum requirements” to run Second Life, and looking at that page, both the hardware platform and the network connection have a profound effect on how you are able to utilize the capabilities of SL.

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Parallel Universes Part I: IMVU – Stareyes Galaxy Reporting

There are many other virtual multiplayer environments than Second Life ©. Stareyes Galaxy starts on a journey to these in a multipart article series. The first one on her list was “IMVU”.

IMVU boasts 100 million accounts and the concurrent logins are at 50 000 level. The company itself is based in the Silicon Valley and they have backing from several well-known venture capital investors. The target demographic for the community is the 18-24 year-old bracket. On sign-up, personal data is required, so some content will be locked for underage users. The minimum sign-up age is 13.

Doing interviews on Second Life (SL) I often have found people who have transferred their online existence from IMVU over to SL. For these new avatars entering SL, the openness and the variety found here is often bewildering but liberating at the same time. I decided to set up an account on IMVU and see what that world is all about, and how the experience compares with SL.

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The Abyss Earth Sciences and Marine Life Observatory – Stareyes Galaxy Reporting

Imagine you were intrigued by a documentary in your youth and seeked a career that would allow you to advance a field of science similar to what was presented in that favorite show you saw years ago.

Yan Lauria has been able to do just that, having seen the Jean-Jacques Cousteau ocean exploration documentaries in his childhood. He is now working as a project manager at JAMSTEC, “Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology”. He is also the main force behind Abyss Observatory, the oceanographic earth science sim on Second Life © (SL). Stareyes Galaxy had the opportunity to interview him and take a tour of the sim.

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Builder News: What is the Materials Project? - Piers Diesel Reporting…

For those who had been waiting for the Materials Project to launch, it could not have come sooner. 

The Materials Project is here to enhance mesh make mesh objects more realistic. However since its launch have creators in SL been using it? Have they found it useful tool for their builds?

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Technology: Oculus Rift – a New Virtual Reality Viewing Accessory- Stareyes Galaxy Reporting…

Oculus Rift is a new virtual reality (VR) viewing accessory that is designed to give VR gamers a new level of user experience. 

The device development was initially financed by Kickstarter, and demonstrator units are now available for developers, together with a software development kit (SDK). Linden Lab is looking into porting this VR experience to Second Life © (SL) users, but there is still a way to go before we can expect the first avatars to enter SL using an Oculus Rift viewer. Stareyes Galaxy had the opportunity to test the demonstrator.

The technology behind the Oculus Rift is quite straightforward. It uses a 6” liquid-crystal display (LCD) and enlarging optics for both eyes. A personal computer (PC) is used to send the viewable content to the display. The user then sees a stereoscopic view of the VR content, as both eyes get their own view, separated by the perspective. The optics focus on the display surface itself, but the perspective seems to be set in infinity. The rendering for the display is done by means of the software, for each eye separately. The viewer uses the same content that is rendered on the PC screen.

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The CTS Wardrobe: Visual Clothing and Inventory Organizer- DoctorKaren Kanto Reporting…

Full disclosure: I have owned the CTS Wardrobe from Carlyle Theas
Solutions for many years now, and find it to be a most valuable utility,
second only to my AO. I am often on the Wardrobe support group helping
people accomplish their goals with the Wardrobe. I love the thing.







Simply put, the CTS Wardrobe is a device for seeing, organizing and
wearing clothes and other items from your inventory. It solves the problem
of "What does that piece of clothing look like?" by creating a visual
inventory, readily accessible from in-world.

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The Talented Chic Aeon: Creating Machinima and Art Together…. Piers Diesel Reporting…

In Second Life we see groups and videos for machinima and people who create videos in SL. 

While looking at what’s new in Machinima, I came across a video which was not only creative but had something about it that kept me watching till the end.

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Technology: Second Life (C) on Text-based Viewers – Stareyes Galaxy Reporting...

Metabolt Chat Screen

There are times when an avatar, logging on, is restricted to low-bandwidth connections. Mobile laptop connections, firewall issues, or just plain choice may be the deciding factors to switch to a non-graphic viewer. Fortunately, the Second Life third-party viewer (TPV) list includes such gems as METAbolt ® and Radegast ®.

Sometimes one has to make a choice whether to log on at all, or to use text-only viewers. One of the earliest text-only viewers was the famous AjaxLife that was developed by then 15-year-old Katharine Berry and gained wide popularity until it fell by the wayside, probably due to the demands of the upkeep. Today, the TPV list has two text-only viewers, METAbolt and Radegast.

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INTERNET LAWS: What is the UK Instragram Act? Can Laws like this Affect Other Social Media Images?- Orchids Zenovka Reporting…

Pandora’s Box   of sorts was opened by the United Kingdom in the form of the “Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act” receiving Royal Assent for consideration as a law. Andrew Orlowski, Executive Editor of the “Register”, a British technology news and opinion website, dubbed it as the “Instagram Act“, and entitled it with the phrase, “all your pics belong to everyone now”. 

The clause raising hackles is the “Orphan Works and Extended Collective Licensing Clause 77”, which basically allows granting of licenses for orphaned works allowing any act  with them that would otherwise be restricted by copyright and require the consent of the missing owner. The jury is out on the definition of orphaned work which the act describes as – content who’s “owner of copyright in it has not been found after a diligent search made in accordance with the regulations.”  The publisher can obtain a non–exclusive license in respect of a work if after a "diligent search" they can demonstrate to an independent body that the owner cannot be traced. A fee would then be payable which would be used to reimburse the owner if they later made a claim. But as they say, the devil is in the details. Let’s review the article of the now famous “Instagram Act” and its implications on social media including second life and a rethink whether this is a Shakespearean “Much Ado About Nothing” or is there true merit to the vociferous opposition.

A look at the Act

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TECHNOLOGY: Feature Phoenix Viewer New Update- Jessi2009 Warrol Reporting…

The new release of Firestorm has not been without its fans or its critics. The critics have even gotten to Firestorm project manager, Jessica Lyon, who took to the official Firestorm blog this week to voice her frustration at the criticism of the latest Firestorm release. 

I currently use Firestorm as one of my main Second Life viewers, Singularity being the other one that I use frequently.  In the latest release, Firestorm added many features.  The biggest one was the ability to render avatars using the new Server Side Baking process, which will replace the old HTTP way to render avatars.  Server Side Baking is part of the Linden Lab’s Project Shining, which is aimed at improving avatars and object streaming speeds.

In addition to incorporating this major change, Firestorm also has the ability to back up and restore your viewer settings, which is a very helpful command to have, when your computer dies and you have to reinstall Firestorm and you cannot remember all of those special settings. The Firestorm team has also included a more streamlined and easier way to customize some of your favorite viewer settings, by creating a Quick Preferences panel:

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An Added Dimension to SL - Orchids Zenovka Reporting…

We all know the well-known quote   “The Only Constant In Life Is Change.”   - Heraclitus of Ephesus, and the same applies to Second Life, and we shouldn’t expect anything less.  As we approach the 10^th Birthday of this virtual world of ours there are rumblings out there on the grid as to exciting changes that are afoot.  We are all weathering the mesh storm and eagerly await the mesh deformer which will make wearing mesh outfits so much easier and the next big thing is rumoured to be 3D ….

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Pocket Metaverse- The Ultimate Second Life app for Ipad and Iphone- Nehem Resident Reporting…

Often times, our busy real lives keep us from our second lives. But what if you could take second life anywhere? 

As we all know, mobile technology has really taken off in the last few years. We can do virtually anything from ordering a pizza, to making a bill payment online. Now that the tech world has advanced even further, gaming apps are also readily available. As an avid second life user with a busy real life, I needed a way to keep up with business clients, friends and other activities in second life. As I recently switched from android to Iphone, I was unsure of what I would find. I was thrilled to stumble upon an app called Pocket Metaverse. 

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Discovery News: Kinect Sensors Turn House into A Virtual Video Game-TechNewsDaily Reports

Can you imagine being able to scan your surroundings or yourself walking, running, dancing, engaging in combat fighting..... having sex or doing other action packed activities while being able to download it , in real time, to the virtual world? I think these developers are on to something big. Check out this interesting new technology and give us your thoughts on the ways you would use it in Second Life.



 I'm assuming there would be a lot of real dance competitions, Zumba classes and air fist fights with griefers. Not to mention a new wave of escorts that would flock back if there were adult attachments and accessories included. lol - Lanai Jarrico



Read More about it here!
http://news.discovery.com/tech/gear-and-gadgets/kinect-sensors-turn-house-game-130117.htm#mkcpgn=rssnws1

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SLBR News: Update Coming Soon for Phoenix Firestorm! - InKline Media reporting....

SLBR’s techies get their brains around the new Firestorm updates, recently announced on their site. They include some of the following.
Breakdown by Sachiko Cheng
An about land floater: Floaters are menus that when opened shrink to their smallest size. This saves space and saves screen real estate, but it also means you are not able to resize the window. This is already in place for features such as the environment and sun settings.
The ability to save and store custom camera positions.

Read the full story here

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