Al Reflects on Reflexive Architecture

I got an IM last night from Scope Cleaver, my renowned Second Life architect chum, to join him at a walk-thru presentation by Keystone Bouchard of what is apparently known in the trade as Reflexive Architecture. I opted not to accept a teleport to the event, since I hate being the dork hovering in mid-air right in front of the presenter, blissfully unaware that he is obstructing proceedings while he waits for the site to rez. Instead I found my own way there.

Unfortunately, most of the presentation was over by the time I arrived *D'OH!* but what I saw was quite impressive, and certainly got the brain juices flowing.

The gist of Reflexive Architecture is that a building, at least in Second Life, can be scripted to respond and react to the people in and around it. A basic example might be small room that gets bigger as more people enter it. But once you start thinking in terms of a reactive building then all manner of ideas can flow from it. Howzabout a building that can pick up on key phrases and take appropriate actions? Maybe it just changes colour to suit your mood, or it could retrieve and present information to you as you go along, or fetch you a pina colada or the perfect white russian if you are a tad thirsty. I dunno... use your imagination!

Obviously, such behaviour requires scripted architecture - and Keystone has kindly provided a bunch of scripts on The Arch blog where, incidentally, you will find much more on Reflexive Architecture, including a number of machinima movies. Pictures (like those below) don't really tell you much, since they're basically static. Go and watch the movies. You might be impressed.

In this example, above, the construction consists of what looks to be semi-transparent bands, lying flat on the ground. AS you walk into the construction the bands rise up and create a sort of bubble around you. As you walk through it, so the bubble goes with you. Neat, huh?

By the way, the House That Delivers The Perfect White Russian has not been constructed yet, to the best of my knowledge.

Al's Cannery-Opener

I've already covered a number of arty places in Second Life in previous posts, but it seems no sooner do I get to one than another one opens. Last night I popped along to the opening of another arty place: The Cannery, the latest sim from those intriguingly creative folks at Rezzable.

The art, or SLart (their term, not mine - reminds me too much that it needs the suffix "ibartfast"), takes the form of Second Life "photos". Here's the notecard to tell you more: "An exhibition bringing together six top Second Life photographers and 40 cream of the crop SL photographs by various Second Life artists or SLartists. Opening the 29th of August 2007 at 15:00 SLT. The exhibition will run until November. Shoshana Epsilon and Vint Falken, both accomplished SL photographers and artists, brought together Collin Savon, Melodious Source, Kean Kelly, Nephie Eerie, Rob Danton and Stephen Venkman along with other very talented SL photographers. Vote for your favorite piece! See the results on the web at http://slart.rezzable.com."

The exhibition is housed in and around a deserted, run-down wreck of building - The Cannery - situated in a deserted, run-down wreck of a dockland. The sim seems to be set permanently to midnight, in order to maximise the atmospherics. But even in other day modes the textures and construction are impressive: crumbling walls; rusting containers; broken fences and general dereliction, all lovingly rendered! They have made brilliant use of "lighting", to create a little gem of a place. Not with the same bizarre and brilliant energy of the Greenies sim - but a mini-masterpiece all the same.




And now for the bits I am not so keen on. Working on the classic Art definition "I know what I like", I would describe the bulk of the photos on display as falling into one of two categories: Athena Poster or Comic Book. In both cases, graphically well executed, even attractive to look at, but not Art (using my strict definition above). There are some exceptions which are genuinely more than just sleekly toned bodies, cutesy expressions, or swords'n'sorcery mockups. And I would strong suggest you look for yourself. Who knows, you might even agree with me?


Interestingly, the adjacent sim, Rezzable07, was open. It, too, features a scene of not-so-genteel dilapidation. This time it appears to be an oil or gas platform. Beyond that I have no further information. Oh... and Ebuddy Sandbox 1 was also open. Maybe all the sims are...

Yet Another Tokyo

Yeah... I know... I know. You are getting heartily sick and tired of my Tokyotic Expeditions. But that hasn't stopped me in the past, and so I shall plough on undaunted. On the plus side, this is only a brief post, concerning the sim Tokyo4,On the minus side, this is the only open sim in a cluster of 12!

The sim is entirely given over to an athletics stadium. At the entrance you get a big sign for TBS - Tokyo Broadcasting System. Their website tells me that this is an extensive network of 28 TV stations affiliated with the Japan News Network (JNN). Inside the stadium there are also adverts for Dogatch, which I understand to be a video-on-demand portal. Following the various weblinks, the best I could deduce is that TBS and Dogatch are providing athletics coverage, probably of the current IAAF World Championship in Osaka, of which TBS is an official sponsor.

Much of the build looks relatively rudimentary and far from complete. Whether it is running late for Osaka2007, or early for other athletics events I couldn't say. The track itself looks OK, but the stadium looks like it is a couple of weeks or more from completion and I could find no working links or teleports. Still... at least I could get in. While I was here I also peered over the boundary into Tokyo3. The details (below right) are a little hard to make out, but it appears to be a giant pair of skis, sitting atop a ski jump. My Holmesian logic tells me that this sim, too, is aimed at sporting events, but given the wintry theme, may be in no hurry to open.


So that's another one (or is 2) Tokyo sims ticked off the list.

UPDATE 30/08/07: Judging by this link I wasn't too wide of the mark. Personally, my favourite is still Tokyo Mainland. The hullaballoo about Virtual Tokyo has been somewhat overblown, but then I guess that is to be expected, given the site is owned by Dentsu, Japan's leading advertising agency.

Al Goes to Church

Phew! Well that's a lot of Japanese sites visited in the last few days. I think it's time to come a bit closer to home. My ramblings today took the form of an invitation to the opening of a virtual church. But this is not just any church, this is the Koelner Dom - Cologne Cathedral. A massive building in Real Life, it survived the WWII bombing of Cologne (though not unscathed) because its sheer size made it a great visual indicator for the pathfinders looking to bomb the German industrial heartland, the Ruhr.

The RL building was started over 800 years ago, but was not completed until 1880 - a grand total of 632 years in the making. The SL building, on the Koelner Dom sim, took rather less time. Even so it is (or so I'm told) a 15,000 prim construction. If you are not familiar with SL construction, you will need to take it from me that that is - well - simply huge. I'm not sure that it is that big (yet), since in the current phase it still needs a lot of the interior work completing - a task that will be carried out over the next few weeks. But I can assure you, it is huge!

So what's it like? Well, I took a huge number of pictures (click on each for blowups):




And the interior:



My guide was my friend Piper Pitney, a resident of Cologne, who assured me that this is a stunningly good rendering of the Real Life cathedral - a view borne out in a conversation with another friend who also knows the building well. The quality of the imported textures and graphics, and of the overall construction itself, is something to behold. I hope my piccies give you at least an idea of it.

If you plan to visit, try and do so between 11:00 and 13:00 PDT (SLT), as the sim may otherwise be closed, while the remainder of the work is completed (and to protect against griefers). On the plus side, you stand to get a guided tour from one the Virtuelles Koeln team. The project itself is the product of Seminal3D, a Cologne-based build company whose work I have not seen before, while communications were provided by Medeya.

I have not used the word in a while, so I think I can get away with it... for the city of Cologne the Dom is an iconic building. It is therefore understandable why it forms the centrepiece of a more substantial, multi-sim build. This is still early days, but I understand the next large-scale phase will add more familiar Cologne landmarks - and start to encourage virtual businesses to come and set up shop. However, that is still some months away. In the meantime come and marvel.

I know that replicating RL buildings is not to everyone's taste. But I would hope you'd agree that if it is done, then it should be done well. And this is certainly done well!

MeltingDots - Some Work in Progress

This is more a "note to self" than anything else, but while pootling about in Second Life, sticking my nose into this sim or that, I often come across a few places I think may be of interest (if and) when they finally open to the rambling public.

Today's clutch all appear to be under construction by Japanese build company (and Second Life portal site), Meltingdots:

• Fujitsu - the Japanese computer giant - has 3 sims
• Avex Trax - a Japanese record label - has Avexisland
• Mitsubishi - Japanese maker of just about everything - has a single sim
  

They have already opened Virtual AKIBA, a 2-sim site that is basically a hoverboard track. Get your board (it's free!) and have a go. There is also a huge silver screen, showing adverts for a number of Japanese companies. Beyond this, I don't really have a clue what the "AKIBA Project" is all about.

Closer to their home base lies a cluster of sims, including "Walker Orientation." This would appear to be Meltingdots' own orientation zone, which I intend to have a closer look at soon. It is open to the public, and I have had a cursory tour, but not enough to warrant a post. Why "Walker"? Nope... sorry... no idea.

Al Tries Another Tokyo

Out in the now-crowded Western Oceans of Second Life I came across a number of joined sims named "JPL" something-or-other (eg: "JPL Osaka"). They're basically rental areas, mainly targetted at people wanting to set up virtual retail outlets. I only did a quick skim, but in the process spotted something interesting in the distance.

On investigation this turned out to be the Japaland Tokyo sim, which led me to conclude that "JPL" was a convenient abbreviation). A moment's light googling provided me with the website, though as usual, I can't follow a single word of it. The Tokyo sim has some cool giant statues, a fishing lion, some guitar heroes, a metal band (really made of metal) and other treats.

There's also a whole heap of bizarre freebies - such as these:

I know it isn't (hmmm... do I know it isn't??) but at first sight, the one on the left looks like a "Judo Hitler Surfboard".

Aside from these odd quirkies the sim is nothing special - but the freebies are fun.

One of Many Tokyo's - Tokyo Mainland

The buzz at the moment - at least, among those not geeking out the Chicago Hilton at SLCC'07 - is of the opening of Virtual Tokyo. I have to say, though, that my attempts to locate it have thus far been in vain, and I am left wondering if it is a virtual Virtual Tokyo. What my travels have turned up is Tokyo Mainland and I have to say I really like this sim!


It's a bizarrely kaleidoscopic place - humorous and cartoon-like. I think it is supposed to be a commercial sim, offering shops and the like; at least, you can buy micro-sized toy robot avatars there. But so much of the sim is given over to playful views and effects, it is hard to know. Here's a collection of piccies I took of the place, to give you an idea:

To be honest there isn't a lot to do here... at least not yet. I think the sim has not been open long, and it is certainly in need of some interactivity. But it's a fun place to look around.

It is also home to Gouichi Hatakeyama art gallery (not looked inside it yet), that sits perched above the clouds. That yellow asteroid thingy in the picture above also features on the linked website - which contains the 2 English words "Illustration" and "Design."

Ah... now then... maybe it is becoming clearer. This is looking like a showcase sight for a Japanese design company that specialises in cartoon-like imagery. Yes? No? Oh... I give up! If you know, please post a comment and put me out of my confusion.

When Life is More Real in Virtual Worlds

We are familiar with the idea that people role-play in virtual worlds - in effect, real people living unreal virtual lives. Indeed, it is this role-playing aspect that underpins much of the SL-phobia (thinks: "What is the greek for Second Life?") that has afflicted large swathes of the media. However, what goes unreported is the use of virtual worlds as a means of escape from an unreal life.

Now, I think I'm pretty much a regular kind of chap in Second Life. My avatar is a pixel-based extension of my RL self (if somewhat slimmer!), he has my views and outlook on Life, The Universe and Everything - "he" is "me." I believe the same is true for many, many people in Second Life.

Others, particularly those with phyical disabilities, find that virtual worlds provide an exhilirating and liberating experience, allowing them to travel, meet people, make friends, work and network without the need for physical mobility. They can be themselves, free from the constraints imposed by Real Life physiology.

However, I was chatting with a friend recently who revealed another aspect of living in virtual worlds: that some people actually live a more "real" life in SL than in their day-to-day existence. The anonymity of virtual worlds may indeed allow normal folks to go bananas... but it also allow folks whose Real Life is constrained by various social pressures to be themselves. For example, if you live in a community where your worth is judged by the frequency and intensity of your church visits and related activities (like much of the USA), it can be very difficult to "come out" as an atheist who thinks the whole thing is built on a falsehood. The pain inflicted on family, friends and community - and the ostracism that can then follow - may be too much to contemplate. However, your Second Life persona can embody the person you really are on the inside, expressing your true/real thoughts and beliefs. The example given is not hypothetical, and I am sure there are many similar examples across the Second Life community.

To stretch the comparison with the liberating effects for the physically disabled, Second Life can be equally liberating for the societally disabled.

I don't know if I've expressed this very well, but I find it an interesting counter to the negativity discussed at the start of this post, about real people living unreal lives in virtual worlds. The balance is those people living their unreal lives in the Real World, while their real life, at least regarding the things that matter, is lived in virtual worlds.

Al Goes Gallic at Le Bon Marché

I read some stuff a while back about Galeries Lafayette, a prestigious Parisian department store, entering Second Life. But while out and about on my routine rambles around Second Life, I came across an open sim called a9 that appears to be home to one of their competitors - reportedly the first department store in the World - Le Bon Marché. According to wikipedia: "The store was founded as a small shop in Paris during 1838, and was a fixed-price department store from about 1850. It was a successful business, and a new building was constructed for the store by L. A. Boileau and Gustave Eiffel in 1876."

At the moment the sim consists of a single building with semi-transparent walls, but it is clearly under construction, with various objects still floating in mid-air, while the surrounding landscape is devoid of much detail.

As you can see below, it's not nearly ready!

It has a professional look about it - but it does beg the question "Why is it open?"
It is not yet in a fit state to be treated as a soft launch, as there is still too much work outstanding. In this state it therefore actually poses a risk - perhaps, small - of damaging the brand. As I have mentioned before, this is one of the cardinal sins that the "brand police" should be stamping down on. I wonder how much longer it will remain open? Perhaps this post will cause a re-think.

Incidentally, I don't really get the reference to "a9". My best guess is that this is the build company, but a cursory look on Google has not brought up anything of use. There is a group called "a9*SecondLife", but again, this has not revealed anything.

Apologies for a lack of SLURL - to find it, use the "Map" button and search for "a9".
Here's the SLURL.

DePaul CTI

Today, following a tip from a friend, I pootled along to DePaul CTI, the sim belonging to the School of Computer Science, Telecommunications and Information Systems (no wonder they abbreviated it) of DePaul University. Named after Saint Vincent De Paul, the university's main campus was founded in Chicago in 1898 by the Vincentians, but now offers courses around the world. The CTI offers a wide range of courses, including options for online and distance learning.

For reasons best known to the build team, the island is loosely themed on Venice. A number of canals serve to carve up the island, but transportation is not a problem as you can take gondola rides between the various parts of the sim. Thinks: "I wonder if this idea came from the New Media Consortium build?" In any case, gondolas won't get you everywhere (like to the top of a hill, for example) - so there are various "stools of destination", teleports that will whisk you to your destination. The overall build quality is high. There are many excellent, detailed textures, the buildings are well thought-out and there are some nice ideas at play - such as using animated critters from Second Wildlife.

I am told there are all manner of caves and other hidden gems to discover - but to be blunt, I couldn't be bothered looking. Nice looking place, though:

I'm not too sure who this site is aimed at. I found only limited information about the university, while there are many (many!) meeting places of varying sizes. This suggests to me that the site has a couple of functions, both aimed at their own student body, rather than a channel for attracting potential students and sponsors. First, it provides a great example of what can be built in Second Life by experienced builders, and should serve to encourage some students to give it a go. Second, it provides an environment for students and faculty to meet informally - particularly useful for those who are on distance learning courses. I may have this hopelessly wrong - but that's what it looks like to me.

Avatar Island Orientation Zone

While covering the CyberExtruder personalised face graphics software in the last post, I mentioned that Avatar Island is also about to launch its own Orientatation Zone as part of Linden Lab's outsourcing of Second Life entry. Since I've covered a couple of other such zones, I thought you would be interested to see their approach.

First though, I want to offer my thanks to Trogg Garrigus and Captain Borgnine of CyberExtruder, and Korvel Noh and the team from Cranial Tap, for putting up with my dumb questions and giving me a comprehensive tour of the extruder lab and orientation zone.

The orientation zone is of the "5 and out" model that I have described before. Newcomers are given a set of basic lessons, sufficient to get them started in Second Life. Each lesson is accompanied by a brief description in 5 different languages, but the lesson itself is basically graphical - and is thus language-independent. The newcomer steps through a series of slides that provide the necessary information. The first lesson, shown below, is on movement; the second, inventory; the third, editing appearancs and so on. A nice touch here is the transition from third to fourth lesson. The newcomer is taken below the sea, where s/he can marvel at the sealife (excellent, by the way) and gain an idea of the power of SL. The fourth lesson is about flying and the fifth, and final, lesson is about obtaining goods (freebies! Yay!) and using a teleport (to the Cyber Extruder lab). Throughout, touching blue surfaces will pull up addtional helpful hints (according to the message that appears when you arrive).



The blue circle below is actually part of the flying lesson - but I will leave it to you to go figure it out.


We spoke at length about the approach to orientation. Newcomers will get here either through a registration portal on the CyberExtruder website, or from the generic Second Life website. The workings of the latter are not clear, but what is clear is that different newbies, arriving at different zones, will get different orientation experiences - some better than others. It seems that, for Linden Lab, this is part of their intention. By using a range of different orientation techniques they hope to see what works, and use that as a template for future orientation zones. They've already had a tour of this zone and have been thoroughly impressed.

I am not a huge fan of "5 and out", but I think this is an excellent example of what can be crammed into such a constrained set of lessons.

(Thinks: I can't recall where chat and IM were covered, but they must've been - mustn't they?)

UPDATE: Here's the starting page for the CyberExtruder Second Life Portal.

Facing Up To CyberExtruder

This post first appeared at 3pointD... here with extra piccies!


Are you a Second Life resident who is fed up with your appearance? You’ve scoured the shops, looking for an avatar face that would be unique to you; something that captures the very essence of you — or at least, the persona you wish to project in Second Life. But you just can’t find it. Frustrating isn’t it?

You could opt to make your own, but most of us lack the skills to create something convincing, realistic and actually worth showing in public. Now, though, this need not be a bar to personalising your avatar — after a fashion. CyberExtruder provides a quick and relatively easy solution to your personalisation dilemma. Using a passport-style photograph, their automated conversion software will generate a realistic Second Life face in about a second. Whether you opt to use a self-portrait, or an image of someone else, is entirely up to you, though you might want to think carefully before pursuing the latter route.

The CyberExtruder service is a nice convenience for SL residents who want a more photorealistic face for their avatars, but the results can sometimes be a bit startling.

So how does it work? The CyberExtruder facility is modelled as a laboratory, housing two scary-looking morphing machines. You initiate the process by lying down on an operating table. Your avatar is then taken automatically through a number of stages, in which your face is subjected to a viariety of bizarre operations.


The real work, however, happens outside Second Life. While your avatar is going through the process you are given a link to the CyberExtruder website. Here, subject to handing over the requisite sum, (L$2700 each, or L$5400 for 3) you are able to upload a photo for conversion. By return you receive your new avatar face. Once you have uploaded this into Second Life you are ready to don your new, uniquely-personalised look and venture forth to strut your stuff.

Beware though, you might need to do some fine tuning of skin coloration if you are to avoid giving the appearance of one person’s head on another person’s body! Here’s the effect of the CyberExtruder on Al Kronos, who has resolutely stayed with his newbie look until now.

An improvement? Well, maybe. At first sight I was impressed — but I found it impossible to adjust Al’s skin setting to provide an exact match. It would have been better, for me at least, if the new face had a degreee of transparency at the point that it meets the neck, so that there would be a smoother transition from new face to old body. I have hand-crafted a face (that I am still not happy with) which does just that. Another problem I had was with the re-rendering of the head. Every so often it redisplays, which leads to a seam running down the back of Al’s bald head that bears an uncanny resemblance to a pair of buttocks! I would not like this to be taken as some kind of visual metaphor — especially that one. For those who don’t want to hand-craft, but still want something unique, then CyberExtruder is a useful tool — but I remain undecided about using my new appearance.

CyberExtruder have been around for about eight years, producing personalised avatars for a number of games, including Quake from id Software, The Sims and others from EA Games. Following 9/11 they moved into security, specialising in facial recognition. Now they have seen a potential market in the rapidly growing Virtual Worlds, and have partnered with build company, Cranial Tap, to bring their product into Second Life. They opened their doors a couple of months ago, with a highly successful visit from the Things To Do group that resulted in a lot of positive responses in the blogosphere. Since then they have banked some L$500,000.

Cranial Tap have constructed »Avatar Island« around a central hub housing the CyberExtruder facility, about which a cluster of other vendors, offering complementary avatar products, is arrayed. Floating above the facility is a giant head, which is changed on a regular basis. If you have ideas about whose head you would like to see, you could always drop an IM with your suggestions to Trogg Garrigus. The aim for the island is to build not just a shop but a community, and to this end they are looking at hosting a variety of events ranging from training to parties and live music.

CyberExtruder are looking for best-of-breed vendors to share the island, with the intention of offering the ultimate “pimp my avatar” experience. Vendor participation is by invitation only. At present CyberExtruder have only this one outlet, but are now looking at the development and deployment of vending machines across the Second Life grid. They are also looking at other virtual worlds, but feel it is too early to comment further at this stage.

The lab is a nice piece of design, and the inworld operation is fun to watch. The other shops have not been built by Cranial Tap, and as only minimal guidelines have been specified there is a risk that the island’s appearance would lack cohesion. However, thus far it seems to hang together OK. It is not unique in offering the fulll “pimp my avatar” range of services, but it is a welcome addition.

Incidentally, a new feature of the island, due for launch next week, is an Orientation Zone. Along with a number of other companies, CyberExtruder and Cranial Tap have signed up with Linden Lab to provide a “privatised” orientation experience, as part of Linden Lab’s efforts to improve user retention. Clearly the benefit for the Avatar Island vendors is a steady stream of newcomers who, they hope, will be eager to avail themselves of the services on offer.

But more of this anon...

Brand Protection in Virtual Worlds

The topic of branding should be close to the heart of any organisation setting up in a virtual world. In theory, this new environment should not pose any greater problem than existing communications channels, such as the web, TV or the printed word. However, there is one key difference between this and existing channels: it is an unknown.

I will use Second Life to illustrate my thesis - mainly because it is aVW that I know well, and it is still the VW of choice for organisations.

I don't have any facts and figures to back up my assertion, but I believe that many organisations come into Second Life following the efforts of employees who are already residents and avid advocates of virtual worlds. The objective, definition and approach for the subsequent build will normally fall to the marketing folks who are responsible for brand and channel exploitation. However, the dynamics of environments like Second Life, despite their initial superficial similarity to the real world, are not simple to understand and may often confound expectations. A lack of understanding of the technology, physics and social dynamics of Second Life can lead to well-intentioned but flawed deployments. It does not require an Einstein to see that a poorly thought-out deployment will inevitably reflect badly on an organisation's brand.

An alternative course may be to allow your advocates to run with the build. But your organisation is then dependent on these people understanding and working within the constraints inherent in protecting your brand. These are not necessarily skills I would expect from Second Lifers, who are far more used to behaving in a free and unconstrained manner within the virtual world.

The perceived route of least risk would be to employ a specialist company capable of advising on the marketing approach, as well as managing the construction of the site. There are many such companies plying their wares across a number of virtual worlds. But even this is not without its problems, as the number of corporate ghost sims will attest. More importantly, these companies can only ever act as brand consultants. The organisation itself retains full responsibility and accountability for the protection of its brand.

Consequently, there has to be a level of "brand policing" applied by the organisation on the work of its builders. But if the "brand police" lack Second Life experience, how qualified are they to assess the suitability of the build? They can ensure that the static look and feel meets brand guidelines, but assessing the "usability" of the build is far more complicated. I have seen more than a few sites that meet brand guidelines, yet deliver a wholly unsatisfactory user experience.

In my view, the approach must start with a private build, involving (and educating) the branding folks as soon as possible. Use specialists where appropriate, placing particular emphasis on brand conformance and usability testing, to ensure that both the static and dynamic aspects of the build fully satisfy the brand police. I would not be surprised to find that the brand guidelines are reviewed and extended as a result of the exercise.

Well... it's a thought.

Swedish Orientation Smörgåsbord

You know how it is when you get an idea into your head and can't let it go? Checking out non-Linden Lab orientations zones is the idea currently stuck in mine. The most recent addition to my collection is Second House of Sweden's. As with other orientation zones, there is a registration portal for new residents on their website, which you can find here.

This orientation zone seems to be following the "5 and out" model I've mentioned before - with only a few of the most basic basics covered off in a handful of lessons, before sending the newcomer on his/her merry way into Second Life.


While I agree with the objective of Keeping Things Simple, missing out on such basics (once again) as how to fly in SL, or Inventory 101, seems like a mistake. I did like the list of Swedish-themed sites available by TP from the Swedish Institute.

I have not actually visited the Second House of Sweden sim itself before this little trip. But as it was the destination for new arrivals, I thought I would take a look. I have to say, I was impressed. It looks like an Electric Sheep build, and indeed much of it is. I like the depth provided by the baked textures, and the content (at least downstairs) is well laid out and easily accessible. These days I tend not to feature the "big boys" of SL, like the Sheep, preferring instead to look at the lesser known names. But it's good, once in a while, to get a reminder of the quality that made their reputations.

It's Wild at WWF

I first spotted WWF island some months ago, but I was not aware it had opened until I saw a twitter "tweet" from TerryAnn Antonelli, confirming not only that the island was open, but also it had nothing to do with wrestling. The WWF in question is the World Wildlife Fund.

I confess I only spent a short amount of time looking over the island, so will leave the pictures to tell you most of the story:

I infer from the last picture that the island is in a "soft launch" phase - open to the public, but without any great razzamatazz while the builders elicit feedback. For the freebie-grabbers there are several free items, ranging from a kid's windmill (symbolising renewable energy), through ice creams (courtesy of the relaxed Orang Utan), to your own Panda.

There are numerous creatures gracing the sim, some of which are animated. There is a pathway you can follow around the sim, though at present some of this seems a bit lifeless (ironically) culminating in a "panda forest". I'm not sure about the juxtaposition of architecture and pandas, which doesn't look quite right - but that may be due to my ignorance of Chinese architectural ruins!

There is some information available about the various threats to World wildlife, but the little village where much of this is provided feels like it is still in development. The buildings are there, but the content is a bit light. There are also a few features flagged as "coming soon."

It is at an early stage of deployment, but various notices do give indications of what's to come. We can expect to see live events, music, dancing... the usual SL fun and frolics. However, nothing is scheduled just yet. Go along, have a look, get a panda.

Hmmm... Thinks: "Is the extraction of virtual pandas from their natural habitat actually in keeping with the aims of WWF?"

D'OH! I don't have a SLURL for this - but use the "Map" button and search for "WWF"

Hacking Through Tokugawa

This may be a shocking admission - but I've never actually sat through all of Kill Bill... not even one of the movies. Oh, I've watched bits... but not enough to make me stick with it. So I had not given any thought to the notion that Second Life would include a bunch of ladies who liked nothing more than hacking each other with Japanese swords.

Following a suggestion from Lem Skall, I went over to Tokugawa - actually a 6-sim island - expecting to find an interesting Japanese construction under way. It is certainly that - as you can see from the pictures below - but it is also a popular spot with "killbillettes", all merrily marshalling their martial arts in pursuit of the perfect kill.

At the moment there appears to be 2 completed buildings - the castle and the temple - with more under construction. The castle was quite peaceful when I went - with one person practising their moves on the matting inside. It is an impressive piece of work, occupying almost all of the Entourage sim. I liked the scale and complexity of the castle, and the indoor textures were rich and detailed. The main action, however, was at the temple, where a small crowd were gathered to hack lumps out of one another.

Elsewhere there appeared to be an incomplete tournament venue (middle picture below) - but this seems to require only a little more to complete it. Floating above this was an odd sort of spider's web construction. Its purpose was not at all clear. Furthermore, around the perimeter of the "web" is a picture gallery that I can only suggest the more God-fearing of you, or those of a genteel disposition, should best avoid. I will say that these pictures would suggest that the users of this site are... how should I put this?... "ladies who like ladies (and preferably in ponygirl outfits)." And for pity's sake, don't venture to the higher platform, where many of these "virtual photographs" were evidently taken.

But back to more prosaic matters... why "Tokugawa"? Fortunately, a notecard provides the necessary information: "The Tokugawa shogunate was a feudal military dictatorship of Japan established by Tokugawa Ieyasu and ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family. This period is known as the Edo period and gets its name from the capital city of Edo, now Tokyo... SL Tokugawa... is here for the enjoyment of our guests and their friends. You will find a varied landscape designed to promote relaxation, play, and exploration." The notecard goes on to request you follow a few simple and sensible rules to ensure that everyone can enjoy the site.

It's already an impressive build - whether you like Japanese sword-play or not. I hope to see how it develops. One small point, I noticed that there was an "out of period" motor-boat on one of the sims, in breach of the guidelines. tsk tsk!

Went Down to the (Orientation) Station

Linden Lab are worried about the low retention rate in Second Life. Yes, there's nearly 9 million registered accounts, but after taking away the number of "alt accounts" and the number of non-returners, the figure is somewhat less impressive. Anyone who has been through it, knows that the orientation process - learning how to use SL - can be tricky and frustrating, and there is a strong belief that this is one of the prime causes for people bailing out. Other reasons that are oft quoted, like the clunkiness of the graphics, may take some time to solve - but Linden Lab have recognised a quick solution to the orientation problem: outsourcing.

Since the introduction of the "Registration API", which allows other websites to act as an initial portal into Second Life, there have been a number of experimental non-Linden orientation zones. Perhaps the best know is The L Word, which has been providing such facilities for over 6 months (the link is to one of my first blog posts... so forgive the ropey style!). But there are many more.

It seems that the outsourcing of orientation is now proceeding at speed. I have just been to visit one of the new sims: Orientation Station. This is not yet ready for launch, but it is probably not far off. The "station" is actually one of 5 linked sims, all of which combined will provide the new orientation experience. 4 of these sims appear to be entry points. They are rather spartan at the moment, but from peering into the (closed) sim called Scholar, I am surmising that new residents will arrive at one or other of these sims, and be taken through a comprehensive orientation process. As you can see from the middle picture below, there are at least 18 lessons.



Orientation Station itself in the middle on the 4 entry point sims. Once our newcomer has mastered the basics of the interface, I assume s/he can come here to meet others, get some freebies and move on out. It has a large open-air meeting area, and a couple of riding stables, where you can take a horse (pony?) around a small track. I suppose this teaches newcomers about wearing objects, but I have to say, the accompanying notecard could scare the living bejesus out of someone still wrestling to master the most basic basics. Many of the objects dotted around the sim are from Liam Kanno, of the V3 Group.

I am impressed with the number of lessons available here. I know it could be taxing - and I am not clear if there are options for newcomers to short circuit some of the more abstruse stuff - but it is far better, I think, than the "5 lessons and out" approach that I have seen in a number of other places. I heard that the island group was due to open next week. For more information you shoud contact Dirk Talamasca or Savannah Glimmer, who head up the Metaverse Mentors group that owns the zone. I have not had confirmation, but it seems reasonable to surmise that one of the unique propositions on offer here is one-to-one personal mentoring from volunteers within the group.

I intened to write more on new orientation zones, as there does appear to be great variety between them. If you know of one, then please let me kn0w - as I would like to take a look.

My thanks to TerryAnn Antonelli, a member of the Metaverse Mentors group, for tipping me off about the site's existence.

Another Second Life Conference is Cancelled

I have just received news that SLCC 2007 - Deutschland, due to be held from 21st to 23rd of September in Dusseldorf has been cancelled.

I only actually became aware of the existence of this community conference yesterday, when talking with the guys at anyMOTION, a German SL build company who were one of the sponsors of the event. I had hoped to do my bit in bringing it to your attention. So it was disappointing to receive a mail today, informing me that the event has been cancelled.

I have yet to find out the reasons for the cancellation, but if I do get to the bottom of it then I will let you know.

That makes a second SL conference scheduled for September to be cancelled. The other casualty being SL Conference 2007, which was due to be held in Berlin.

Al Needs Avatar Assistance

I know I've been rather slow on picking this one up... but better late than never, as they say at the undertakers. Europ Assistance, headquartered in Paris, is one of the world's leading assistance providers - in effect, insurance. Their website seems to suggest that their services are perhaps more comprehensive than those offered by most insurance companies - though that could be just my interpretation. Whatever the truth of it, I am writing this post about their new(ish) site in Second Life. Nic at Kzero has already done a piece on this - but I am not sure that I agree with his assessment.

The island is rather basic in content, and in objective. In effect, it is an orientation island. That is, it sets out to provide newcomers to Second Life with an easy introduction to the basics of the environment. In fact, so easy, it misses out one or two quite handy things - like how to fly. As with any other orientation area, it is divided into a series of "orientation stations", and somehow thinks to cram all the essentials of SL into just 5 of these. This leave 2 further stations - one providing you with a "virtual protection sash" (whatever use that may have) and one providing a link to the website. Other than that there is some tropical scenery and a few beach loungers. The latter don't really work properly as they do not allow you to actually lounge - they need pose-balls. Here's a few piccies for you:


For information, the orientation stations come in both English and French.

I would commend you to the Avatar Assistance website, where you will find an amusing and well-made machinima movie. Alternatively, you can click on the shepherd on the Europ Assistance website.

I understand the underlying "assistance" motif however, overall, I think the sim falls flat. I don't feel it adequately services a need, since the level of orientation it provides falls well below that which I think is needed. Further, I am not clear how a n00bie will find their way here in the first place. In terms of features, aside from a weblink it has little going for it - at least, at present. The beach area is small, and lacks facilities and functionality. There is no evidence of events or other activities that might encourage people to return. On the plus side, it does not look like the sim itself should have cost much to assemble, though the supporting website and movie must have cost a shilling or two... so perhaps there is more to come. Let's hope so.

IBM, Virtual Transactions and Spatial User Interface

Virtual World News have just run the following story: "IBM Looks at New Virtual Transactions Methods"

It's not exactly a huge article, so I have taken the liberty of re-printing it whole:
"IBM aims to invest the majority of its research and development dollar into building software that can link traditional transaction systems to modern interfaces, for example, releasing automatic teller machines that link to banks in virtual worlds such as Second Life," said SVP Steve Mills. Of course, IBM also has its eyes on its own platform, Multiverse, so Second Life is likely only one application. The Smart Bank Application simulates high-volume banking environments and links virtual ATMs to real-time authorization from a core banking system over the Web. The ComputerWeekly article highlights three purchases that build into IBM's transaction strategy. The company announced plans to purchase Princeton Softech to give users cheaper storage and greater access to historical data; in July it bought Data Mirror, a package that allows real-time transfer and identification of data; and in June it bought Telelogic to help users develop industry-specific software.

This seems to be something of an emerging trend with Second Life - and doubtless other Virtual Worlds. In effect - and to simplify over-much, I admit - this would see the use of 3D environments as a sophisticated development of the User Interface (UI). Let's step back in time...

WARNING! What follows will fall somewhere between "ludicrously technical" and "childishly simplistic", depending on your knowledge of IT. Sorry.

In the beginning, the UI was a set of manual switches and some flashing lights. Time passed, and in due course along came the punch card and the printer, followed by the teletype. Up until this point, computers were only to be used by people with bad haircuts, beards and pipes - and I'm not being gender-specific. The first great democratisation of the UI came with "green screens" - suddenly ordinary people could use computers, new applications allowed trained people to wallow in the richness of a 24 line x 80 character display, awash with information. The advent of personal computing saw the introduction of the GUI - the Graphical User Interface (thank you, you foresighted folk at Xerox Palo Alto). Graphics helped deliver (supposedly) vastly more intuitive and powerful representations of information through the "windows metaphor" - we entered a world in which each pixel could convey meaning, and computing was open to just about everybody.

Client-server architectures were a logical step forward, linking the friendly user interface of the GUI with the grunt power of enterprise applications - the ones that had previously been accessed through "green screens". The web user interface and multi-tier client-server architectures have been a further refinement. Here, just a tiny slice - the visual display element - is run on the client's own machine, while virtually everything else, the logic and information (the "big chunks") of the application, is stored and run on big, grunty machines elsewhere.

Now we have reached the next logical progression - the Spatial User Interface. In 3D, we are granted spatial depth, freeing us from the limitations of a flat graphical display* and allowing us to build ever more creative metaphors and models with which to take input and deliver information. Visualisations can be more interactive and more compelling than ever before - and it is this that IBM are tapping into. In effect, the virtual world is acting as a spatial user interface to large commercial back-end systems, using multi-tier client-server architectures. I said this is something of an emerging trend, since the Eolus One Project, previously covered in this blog, is also working with the same metaphor (and also includes IBM as one of its core participants). I think we can expect many more such initiatives in the coming months and years.

Interesting times...

* I know we still see Second Life on a 2D surface, but the interaction is spatial. I am also aware of ignoring the brave souls in the world of CAD-CAM. Such is life.

Septeni Rainbow Factory

If you are an active Second Life resident who has not heard of the Greenies (from Rezzable), then I can only conclude that you must have been living under a stone for the last month - and I would strongly suggest you check out the set of postings from my good chum (and rampant blogger), VeeJay Burns, at the eminently Denglish Mindblizzard blog.

Thus far I've not posted anything about Greenies, mainly because so many others have already done so, and I do not believe my idle ramblings on the subject would make much of a contribution to the existing lore. So why mention it? Well... the thinking behind the jaw-dropping Greenies sim is that it acts as a shopfront to advertise the skill and virtuosity of the builders. And Septeni Rainbow Factory I believe exists for the same purpose - albeit on a vastly smaller scale!

During my most recent peregrinations around the islands of Second Life I happened upon Bizisland. As it satisfied my most basic criterion - ie: I could actually gain entry - I popped in to look around. Regular readers may start to yawn when I say that this is another Japanese sim - targeted at business clients. Aside from noting that Nomura financial services group has an information building here, I do not intend to dwell on the details of the island.

Rather, I would like to share with you one of the island's businesses, the aforementioned Septeni Rainbow Factory. But first, some pictures, snapped at different times of day:



Inside, there are 3 floors. The ground floor has the "workings" of the rainbow factory, while the top floor has a meeting room. But it is the second floor that is the most interesting to me. As well as a bar area there is a small showroom, some of which is shown below:

A number of plinths support scale models of SL buildings that I assume are available for purchase off-the-shelf or by commission. Clicking the adjacent signs brings up the website of e-research.biz. Perhaps a Japanese reader would correct me, but the company seems to specialise in web marketing and web2.0, and would appear to be yet another such company to see Second Life as a fruitful channel for their business.

The rich "baked" textures used on this build, and the careful detailing of such features as the elevator (below right) convince me that the rainbow factory is intended as a showpiece. It may lack the breathtaking ambition of Greenies, but I think it nevertheless serves its purpose well. It certainly stands out on the bizisland sim!

Just for completeness I have included the map of the build (below left):

Great Hunting in Aoyama

Nobody Fugazi dropped me a comment on the last entry, about Virgin EMI Music Japan, concerning that bizarre logo/strapline - "Great Hunting EMI Artists." So how could I resist a return trip to show you...?


As a minor afficianado of Japanese Rock (at least, I think the Polysics are fantastic, in a J-Devo stylee), I thought I'd snoop into the forbidden zone and see if I could find out a bit more. As you can see from the above, we have the delightful, slightly-out-of-kilter names of Base Ball Bear and Go!Go!7188. But the one that I thought looked the most curious is this one: mass of the fermenting dregs.

(They're rather more melodic than their name would suggest - I think I will may be great, hunting them!).

Aoyama - Virgin EMI Japan

Wikipedia tells me that Aoyama is a neighborhood of Tokyo, located in the northeastern Minato Ward. Once home to various temples, shrines, and samurai residences., its name derives from a samurai named Aoyama Tadanari who held his mansion in this area. Today, along with Shibuya and Harajuku, it is one of the most popular entertainment and shopping areas for young people in Tokyo. And it is also the name of a sim belonging to Virgin EMI Music Japan.

The sim is modelled as a 3-part structure, hovering over the sea. Two of the 3 sections are given over to viewing/listening booths, where around 8 people at a time can sit (with more standing if they wish) to watch an assortment of J-Pop/J-Rock/J-insert-music-genre videos. In total, there are 14 such booths, each hosting a different video. The third section houses a large auditorium (also playing a video) and a gallery, with links to the EMI Japan webpage. In the middle of this third section is a building with the logo "Great Hunting EMI Artists." But sadly this is not open to public access as yet. I am therefore left to ponder the meaning of that logo...


That it is great, hunting EMI artists? If so, with what? At the top of this closed-off building is a large chamber marked "Debut in 2008" - which I thought was kind of interesting...


It's not a spectacular build, but is perfectly adequate for its objective - to allow small groups to view and discuss videos.

Al Gets Cultured by DEsign

Now here's a thing. I have been to this sim, Culturegion, on several occasions in the last 6 months or so, yet I have never actually written about it. I'm not entirely sure why. Perhaps because the "sense of it" has always eluded me. However, I think it's time to put that right.

The island is a labour of love, owned and built by Helfe Ihnen, whose avowed aim is to "help to put intelligent culture into SL." He describes his role as: "curator of DEsign Island in Culturegion. I try to make this a place for culture, intelligent art, experimental architecture, visions and more... Artists, Architects, Designers, Authors and other creative people are welcome." The island features the work of a frequently changing group of artists and architects, and has itself been evolving over time to better accommodate their needs. News of forthcoming attractions, in both German and English, can be found at the DEsign Island website.

At the moment there seems to be 3 major exhbitions:

• "Spatial City" an experimental architecture by Yona Friedman
• University of The Arts, Berlin - Student Show (in the art space)
  
• the sound installations of Pong Blumenthal

Here's a selection of pictures so you can get the feel of the place. First up, a couple of scene-setters - a map of the island, and a view from one of the corners.


Then the art space, where the students' show is housed:



And the "Spatial City":


The intention of the Spatial City is that people will inhabit it, build their own apartments, and watch the structure evolve and grow. I can't claim to have a clue what this will entail - but if you are interested, then pop along and pick up the notecard. As Helfe notes, when talking about build ing the Spatial City: "I dont want to make a profit with this project, but if you can please donate. This SIM is run by a private person /one man company."

Anyway, it looks like 1st September is when this really kicks off. Oh, and you could also join the Design Island Info group in Second Life.

As for the island... it actually has the feel of a personal obsession. Much of the layout feels to me to be "unconnected" and haphazard, yet everything is where Helfe wants it to be. Perhaps I think this is because it is not so different, in my eyes, from New Alville. At the risk of being taken to task, the build looks "Germanic." A number of German sims in SL use stark white shapes without contrast; examples include: Toca Me; BMW; Phase 4 and Wirecard. I find the lack of depth defeats the point of using a 3D environment - and the virtual snow blindness is no fun either! But these are minor quibbles. I think it is a bold endeavour, and I wish Helfe luck. Who knows? I might end up there myself.

First Dabblings with Voice in SL

OK, before I start, I think a confession is in order. Anyone who knows me (even vaguely) in RL will be aware that I hate telephones, and tolerate them only as a Necessary Evil, and even then it is only with great reluctance. There's something about that combination of a voice inside my head, combined with the absence of visual clues, that I find disconcerting, bordering on the distincly unpleasent. Perhaps I'd prefer it if we were all still banging rocks together - who knows?

Anyhoo, that preamble sets the context for my first foray into voice in SL. I know many of you have been vocalising on SL for weeks, or even months. But much as I espouse the virtues of Voice in SL, I have thus far avoided actual involvement myself. However, tonight I finally bowed to the inevitable. Following a request from a friend to give it a go, I thought it'd be churlish to say "no."

After some initial setup issues - which nearly left me with perforated ear-drums and permanent tinnitis - the conversation went well, and an interesting chat was had by both parties. However, I did find the experience left something to be desired.

Plus points:

• It was quick and easy to communicate about a shared experience - such as, I dunno, looking at a sculpture. Which is good for the "immersive, collaborative" thing.
• It added more immediacy to the interaction.
• It allowed more information (or just "wordage" if you prefer) to be exchanged in a short time.

Minus points:

• It seemed almost impossible to multi-task. I had a couple of IM sessions open, and these basically fell to pieces, as I found it hard to devote the necessary thought and typing effort into keeping these conversations going. The "voice in the head" was too pervasive - which is why it's illegal to use mobile phones while driving.

OK, only one minus point (so far) - but it is quite a biggy. It may be feasible to develop strategies to ameliorate the effect, but I do not believe it is just a matter of being a "voice n00b."

So moving to voice for regular interaction, am I actually limiting myself to one conversation at a time?

A Concerned Resident Asks For Support

On going into SL tonight I received a notecard. As a (hopefully!) responsible citizen, I thought it appropriate to bring it to your attention:

Dear Aleister Kronos,

The past few weeks I've seen a tremendous amount of inventory loss complaints in various SL related forums. I have also been told by various vendors that they too have been getting a high number of product replacement requests due to lost inventory. In addition to this, I have also experienced inventory loss, twice in one week.

This issue is known as SVC-114 on JIRA, Second Life's bug tracking website. I myself, and a number of other residents have voted on the issue within JIRA. However, the majority of residents are not aware of JIRA, SVC-114, nor how to vote on the issue. Currently the votes on issue SVC-114 is at a paltry 115. With this in mind, I'm reaching out to community leaders in hopes that you too deem it necessary, to build awareness of this issue, by informing your users on SVC-114.

Thank you for your time. Issue SVC-114 is a real problem that affects us all as residents. I hope that you too will help to build awareness on the issue.

I agree with this and think that the issues in recent days make this all the more important that there be a proper resolution. If you are an SL resident, I hope you agree, and do your bit here.

Al Cracks Second Krakow

Hmmm... I really seem to have the travel bug tonight. After my city break in New Berlin I've headed East to see the Second Krakow sim. Here I'm on more familiar territory, since I have actually been to the RL Krakow, though the weather was far less clement than the SL version - with snow on the ground and temperatures that had the brass monkeys worried.

The SL version is a tolerably faithful reproduction of the main town square (Rynek Glowny), complete with Cloth Hall, Bell Tower and Basilica of the Virgin Mary. There's even a stage set up in the right spot (at least, in the same spot as that used for the New Year festivities). Overall, the attention to detail is impressive, but the sim is still waiting for its shops to move in; there is a lot of space for rent.

In terms of the accuracy, here's some SL and RL photos so you can compare and contrast:





Incidentally, the interior shot (of the Cloth Hall) is very akin to the real thing, which is full of small booths selling all manner of souvenir knick-knacks. Even the horse-drawn carriages are in the right place.

I don't intend to get in to a debate as to whether this is the right way to build in SL - but as I'm a fan of deep, complex textures, I rather like it.

Al's City-Break in New Berlin

You may have noticed that, in RL, I rather like my city-breaks. And so it is in SL, too. New Berlin has been around a while now, but as with so much else, it has passed me by - until now. Berlin? A buzzing city, with a chequered history... it should be interesting.

New Berlin spans 2 sims and features a number of familiar Berlin landmarks (assuming you are familiar with Berlin landmarks). The most striking of these are Alexanderplatz and the Fernsehturm TV tower - both, incidentally, located in the former East Berlin. If you pop along to the Berlin in SL website, you will find details of the other buildings and parks to be seen here.

I am not really too sure what to make of the build. As far as I can see, it does not seem to be sponsored by the city of Berlin itself and although it has been open for some months, it appears very much to be a "work in progress." My guess is that it is privately-sponsored, with much of the cost being offset by hosting areas for German companies who would like to be seen as part of the Berlin scene. Examples include TVB, a local Berlin TV company, and Solar Lifestyle, a company based in Berlin, with their Solar Obelisk, which was unveiled in SL and RL on 29th June. Though I would point out that the RL obelisk is actually in Kassel. I have included a couple of pictures of the obelisk below:


There are a lot of nice details in this build, and much to discover. However, despite the fact that the sim is strongly themed, I did not get a strong feeling of coherence about it. I will be the first to confess that this may be due to my ignorance of the RL area in question - photos on wikipedia reveal that it looks quite an accurate representation- but to me it lacked a certain something.

Another Capgemini CTO Blasts Back

The ever-readable Ron Tolido, Dutch CTO at global IT company, Capgemini, joins the party and goes for the virtual jugular. His latest blog entry may amuse, infuriate or both --- enjoy!

Voice Goes Live in Second Life

After an interminable wait - and with little or no prior ballyhoo - "voice" has finally gone live in Second Life. It has been available in the so-called First Look Viewer for a couple of months, but at 3:00pm SLT it made the transition to full live implementation.

It will be interesting to see how voice affects the use of SL. I have suggested in the past, and think it is still relevant now, that it could pose an interesting challenge to the many role players in SL. Hitherto, it was possible to hide behind chat/IM. But with voice there may be some unexpected outcomes. Consider for example:

• The once-masterful Gorean slave master with the (presumed) booming, stentorian voice ends up actually sounding like Mr Bean.
• The gorgeous blonde supermodel who now sounds like John Prescott/George Dubya... you get the drift.

OK... there are filters already around that will help disguise a voice, but I would have to question their effectiveness in many situations in SL. What should a blob of Jello sound like? Or a 12ft tall rabbit?

Then there's the acting. "Dialogue" in chat/IM allows the reader to interpret how the lines should sound. But with voice, you get the lines as they are delivered - and delivery is quite literally a far more difficult act to achieve. Some people will be naturals, and take to the acting like ducks to water. Others - most - will sound wooden and false. No amount of filters is going to fix bad acting, I'm afraid. Maybe we will see a 2-tier world: those who can act and those who can't. Interesting times.

A final thought regarding voice vs chat/IM. If you live alone then you can skip this bit. But for those who don't you will also need to consider the others who share your household. They could now be exposed to some truly bizarre conversations. Or rather, your half of conversations. I thought it worth mentioning :-)

Anyway, if you've not already got it, the new viewer is now available for download. Enjoy - and use it responsibly!

Finally, here is the straight poop from Linden Lab, including release notes and a mention of a new First Look Windlight viewer coming soon.

Capgemini CTO on Virtual Worlds

You might find the following article of interest. It is from the August Technical Briefings by Andy Mulholland, Global CTO for leading IT company, Capgemini. I have already mentioned Andy and his co-CTOs in an earlier post, and would commend you to their blog. I do not necessarily subscribe to all the views here, but I thought you would be interested. For Capgemini legal folk, Andy has cleared this for posting!

IBM and MIT recently co-hosted “Virtual Worlds: Where business, society,technology and policy converge,” which witnessed a strong presence from global corporations spanning diverse industry sectors, from Bank of America to BMW,and General Motors to Target. Toyota stated they were investing six figure sums to reach—what they perceived to be—the next generation of consumers in their own environment.

Virtual worlds are creating massive—or as some would say, disproportionate—interest, with the most popular name in the business today, Second Life, home to nearly one hundred globally or nationally recognizable leading enterprises in addition to its 4.5 million registered citizens. (There is even a Swedish Government embassy for Swedish nationals.) CyWorld is used by 80% of South Koreans under the age of 20, and now the Chinese have announced that they are establishing a virtual world for up to 150 million Chinese nationals to use. For those who wish to keep up with the news in virtual worlds, Reuters has its own bureau in Second Life, and its business reporting service can be found at:
http://secondlife.reuters.com/stories/category/second-life/business/

“What is a 'virtual world?'” is the usual question from those who are not naturally familiar with the Internet. It is formally defined as, “A computer-based simulated environment intended for its users to inhabit, and interact via avatars (computer generated replicas of people)” (source: Wikipedia). This habitation takes the form of a three-dimensional graphical representation of the various aspects of a “normal,” real, physical world with rules such as gravity, topography, locomotion, real-time actions, and communication—until recently only in the form of text, but now real-time voice communication using VOIP is also becoming available. A virtual world is a persistent environment that continues to exist even after you leave, unlike a user-defined application.

This type of virtual world developed through massive online multi-player gaming,where role playing through the creation of personal avatars was a major part of the attraction; particular examples being World of Warcraft, EverQuest, Ultima Online and Lineage. The attraction started by Second Life was that it does not involve gaming but rather the creation of a world that develops in response to the wishes of its “citizens’’ to provide the kind of environment that they want to “live” in. This has led to the advent of a new term, “Networked Virtual Environments” or NVEs, which are being used to describe online platforms where participants are immersed in a three-dimensional representation. NVEs are potentially the next stage of development of collaboration tools and particularly add extra value when objects are involved, as they can be “seen” more clearly as 3D representations.

Second Life is the easiest to understand commercially, as its proprietors Linden Lab have released historical data showing it to have nearly 2.0 million active users, known as residents (who have been there in the last 60 days). Sales between residents are transacted using Second Life’s own unique currency, the “Linden dollar,” (L$), which had a fluctuating conversion rate of 260–320 to a US dollar in 2005 to 2006.

The Linden can be converted into US dollars by several well-known banks, and some—ING Group as an example—even allow purchases to be made in Second Life on their standard credit cards for recharge to the cardholder in their national currency. Linden Labs makes its money from the sale of “land” to residents, who after purchase have to pay a subscription to continue to own the land. It’s the owners’ challenge to decide how to use the land, which runs all the way from individuals creating their own buildings as “homes” to which they invite their friends for socializing (creating a consequential market for furnishings, etc.), through to businessuse (IBM has over 5,000 employees working in Second Life). The Second Life economy in 2006 was estimated at more than $600 million by an analyst tracking virtual worlds and their growth.

A quick round up of activities in various sectors shows a variety of reasons for their growing presence in the virtual world. Automotive represents a good example to analyze, with most global brands present. General Motors, Nissan and Toyota were early adopters of the ability to offer test drives, which in reality were more like driving games, but this has now broadened into making Second Life a part of the overall marketing mix complete with links into first-world activities. The use of Second Life has now become an industry-wide shift, driven by experimenting with new ways to use 3D experiences to interact with their existing or potential customers.

For the automotive industry with tangible physical products, it is the addition of 3D to represent their products on the Internet that provides critical new capabilities. Launches of new models are made at manufacturers’ sites in Second Life in the same manner as at their own physical premises, including “free gifts” to encourage visitors to attend the launches. The recent launch of the Mercedes C Class saw visitors who registered and visited being offered a free set of Mercedes Racing overalls complete with a helmet for their avatar to wear! Marketers say that the issue is how to market to, and engage with, a generation that has grown up with gaming and being online as a major source of their entertainment and information. On Second Life they can now buy the car of their choice as a 3D model that they can use to drive around and visit different locations in the virtual world.

Johnson Controls see a different approach, with a representation of your house created in a virtual world that you can access from anywhere in the world via an Internet device in order to check if everything is okay, adjust the heating, reset the alarms, etc. In the meanwhile, consumer companies are experimenting with how to extend the rapid growth in “social networking” (Web 2.0 sites such as Facebook, MySpace, etc.) into something that connects to their “brand,” and its use in a virtual world. To summarize, there is a strong belief that virtual worlds will develop as the medium in which the current “Internet Generation” will increasingly combine various aspects of their lives as they link social networks to gaming, to making choices on what and how to buy. Come to think of it, the title of the MIT and IBM event was well chosen indeed.

Judaism in Second Life

There's been a number of articles in recent days about the Jesuits moving in to Second Life. At some point I will check it out, but tonight my travels took me to the Holy City sim, which turns out to be a simulation of the Temple in Jerusalem. It is a construction designed for people of the Jewish faith, particularly those in the Low Countries. To quote the profile of Rabbi Writer: "The 1stLife Jewish congregation has members living all over The Netherlands and Belgium, and so meeting in a 1stlife shul is a problem. Holy City was created to provide a virtual meeting place, a virtual shul, for all of us. And what better synagogue could we possibly have than the One and Only Temple in Jerusalem?"

I'm not big on religion myself, having elected to follow a Godless path many moons ago. But that doesn't mean I can't relate to those who do follow a faith. I admire the effort that has gone into this sim, though as we shall see, I do have some reservations.

The build appears to be at an advanced state of completion - but not quite ready for a public opening. It seems to consist of 2 principal buildings. First, and by far the smaller, is (what I take to be) a model of the synagogue of Delft. The accompanying notecard gave me some background: "In 1942 the German occupiers transported all members of the congregation to death camps. The interior was destroyed by the Dutch during the harsh winter of 1944-1945, and used for heating. After the liberation of Holland from Nazi-rule the synagogue was used as storeroom for the Red Cross. later on the conservatorium used it. In the 1990 local Jews organized and managed to buy the synagogue. They then collected money and had the building restored. Money to reconstruct the interior was not raised. After the restoration several times orthodox prayer services were held, but these did not raise enough interest. In Januari 2006 the Open Jewish Congregation Klal Israel began with monthly services, conservative/egalitarian style. Since january 2007 services are held every two weeks, alternately on friday evenings and saturday morning, with adjustments for holidays." It is a modest building, with some careful detailing to give a feeling of depth and substance.

The second building is, of course, the Temple itself. This dominates the sim, and provides a number of notecards giving information about the various structures within the Temple compound, including the tantalising prospect of discovering the Ark of the Covenant. The effort that has gone into the construction is impressive, but I would suggest that the builder(s) look again at some of their textures. Many seem to be stretched too broadly across their prims, resulting in a high degree of pixellation when viewed up close. Using larger texture images may reduce or eliminate this. Also, some of the wall textures seem too repetitive, and could also do with a degree of rework to make them more realistic. However, these are not big issues to address and overall I like the site. Here's a few snaps I took:

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Before I sign off this post, I thought you might be amused to see what can happen when you use the SLeek SL client. SLeek is great if you don't always have access to a machine capable of running the full client. It gives you chat and IM, but lacks a graphical interface. My friend, Team Mascot, uses it when away on business, as his laptop is not able to manage the full SL viewer. Last night, we found it now seems to have an odd side-effect. Given that Team normally sports a beard, and is usually to be seen wearing a leather jacket and jeans, can you spot the difference?

Back Again - What We Did on Our Hols

Well Mrs K and I are back from our Grand Tour and before plunging back into my virtual travels I thought I'd share a few piccies with you.

Our first stop was at Arras, in Northern France:


We then moved on to Colmar, in Alsace:

The building in the middle, Le Maison Des Tetes, was our hotel for the night. Cool, huh?

We then drove across Germany and into the Czech Republic, and Cesky Krumlov, a little jewel of a place:




On the return leg we stayed overnight in a charming hotel, the oddly named Palmspring, in the back of beyond in the Black Forest - where it rained:


Our final overnight stop was Bruges (or Brugge, depending on your point of view):




A hectic week: 2250 miles; 43hrs actually spent on the road... but it was great fun, and we saw some amazing places.

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And in other news... I picked up a snippet on the IBM Second Life guidelines:
...restrictions could come in the form of such guidelines as the one IBM has put in place for its employees utilizing Second Life. The Associated Press story said that employees do not have an online dress code, but must be “especially sensitive to the appropriateness of your avatar or persona’s appearance when you are meeting with IBM clients or conducting IBM business.”

According to the story, IBM also states that “dramatically altering, splitting, or abandoning your digital persona may be a violation of…trust… In the case of a digital persona used for IBM business purposes, it may violate your obligations to IBM.”

And am left to consider: "What does this mean for my chum, Epredator Potato?"

UPDATE: Epredator has provided some interesting comments to this post. For information, here is the link to the IBM guidelines webpage.