Exploring Kinset's 3D Immersive Shopping

After yesterday's post, I finally installed the Kinset 3D immersive shopping browser on my PC at home - it is blocked by my employer's corporate firewall - to see what the fuss is about.

For a Second Lifer, the orientation is simplicity itself. In essence, there isn't any - aside from F1 help that tells you how to move about the virtual shopping world. You don't have an avatar, with all the complexity that brings, and the only item you probably need to concern yourself with is your shopping basket.

On starting the browser you find yourself in a central plaza, flanked on 3 sides by shops (including Brookstone). Movement is much the same as in Second Life, using arrow keys or WASD keys on your keyboard, optionally coupled with mouse movements. You can zoom your view with the Z key, or the mouse scroll-wheel. The overall feel is much like SL's "mouselook mode." A nice touch is using the mouse pointer to click on ground further away if you want to move more quickly from place to place.

Since the aim here is to shop 'til you drop, the viewer mode is cunningly setup to zoom into products if they stay under the mouse pointer for more than a couple of moments. Along with the zoomed-in view, you are also presented with a pop-up panel that provides a description and that all-important price. I didn't experiment with actually loading up a shopping cart, so I can't tell you how well this works.

Here's a few screen snapshots to peruse. First up, we have the arrival plaza, followed by a view of the whole site from an adjoining hill:


Here's couple of the stores, Brookstone and ElectroTown.


A couple of product displays, including a view of the description window. OK... the magazine amused me, and I am a huge fan of My Neighbour Totoro.


The Kinset website tells me that "shoppers can chat with store clerks, and shop with friends." However, I am struggling to see how this can be done, since there appears to be no chat facilities and, since I didn't have an avatar I assume I had no visible presence in this world. Certainly I saw no-one else there, and if this is how the system works then it would not be possible to have a shared immersive shopping experience (oo-err!) with friends, since you would not be able to see them or speak to them. Perhaps I missed a vital clue somewhere, or this facility is yet to come.

I suppose I can see that people unused to virtual worlds may find this site a bit strange, but for Second Lifers it is easy to use. It is certainly another fascinating insight into the possible future of the internet, though it will need more features and take some time to overcome common misperceptions(?).

Brookstone Opens 3-D E-Commerce Site

Just to break away from my normal coverage of Second Life, I thought you might be interested to hear about Brookstone, a gadget retailer in the US, who have just unveiled a 3D e-commerce website. The site has been built by Kinset, whose own website describes them as "a leader in the development of 3D immersive online stores. " The stores carry all the major characteristics sought in a virtual world: "Shoppers can chat with store clerks, and shop with friends. It is designed to appeal to shoppers who enjoy shopping, and prefer shopping in stores to shopping on web pages."

To access the 3D immersive online store you will need to download a client component from the Kinset website. Unfortunately, probably due to firewall constraints at work, I have not been able to use the client, as it is unable to access the "asset server." So, for the time being at least, I am not able to comment on the user experience. Instead I will have to rely on the observations in StorefrontBacktalk, an excellent blog about technology in retail. Evan Schuman, the blog's author invited a number of friends and associates to have a go, then pulled together their observations. Apologies for the large slab lifted verbatim, but I think it makes an interesting read - and will no doubt be very familiar to Second Life residents!

In summary, this is a very impressive first effort. That said, the interface needs considerable work. Most of the help screens are not especially intuitive, leaving people with questions such as 'how do I move forward?' Turns out you can use the arrow keys or certain keyboard letters, but both will be blocked apparently if your mouse gets grouchy.
The display does show images of a very long list of items. But the images are small enough that they don't mean anything until the customer is right on top of them and zooms in. The intended effortless walking through the aisles where an attractive product catches your eye isn't working here.
Those were the core complaints, namely that it was difficult to use and, even when it worked, it didn't seem to deliver any advantage compared with the retailer's traditional Web site. Some complained that the site simply didn't work, with mouseclicks ignored. I experienced several of those myself.
The navigation seemed to be the biggest problem. Said one colleague: "Looking at the floor (so I could move around the store) gave me a virtual pain in my neck."
I found that my character would apparently accelerate out of control periodically, giving me no option but to deliberately crash him into the wall to get him to stop. This was simultaneously frustrating and enjoyable, in a Gomez Addams model train set kind of way.
One especially astute observer went through the site and she had the ultimate big picture objection: "My initial take was: what is the point? It's faster to do a text search or browse a category than to browse through this store. You can't see the items until you are on top of them anyway, so there's no advantage visually. It's hard and frustrating to navigate. The rise of the web has contributed to my short attention span. I didn't have the patience to play with this for more than a few minutes."
...
What Brookstone is attempting is an order of magnitude beyond what any other large retailer has tackled. They should be commended for trying and for reminding the industry what the future of E-Commerce might look like.
Indeed, I won't even suggest that Brookstone and Kinset got it wrong. This is extremely dicey stuff they're struggling with and there are no models out there. The problem with being a trendsetter, a true pioneer, is that it's easy to criticize even though they are lightyears beyond what anyone else has done.
Remember how clunky the initial Web sites were? I remember painfully trying to navigate SEC Edgar records—back around 1993—on this new thing called the Web, working with a text browser. Graphical browsers were still many months away.

Interesting eh? I don't know what underlying technology is being used here, but it will be interesting to see how this evolves over the coming months. Kinset have included a number of machinima movies on their website to give you a feel - here's just one of them:


So maybe Retail3.D is not so far away.

Show Me Shiomi

Another short post for you tonight, and another one strictly for Japanese Sim Collectors. This is the island of Shiomi, owned by Japanese v-learning company, SF3. I don't know whether "shiomi" is a genuine Japanese word or is, instead, a play on words, as in the title of this piece. That would certainly be appropriate for a v-learning centre. A bit of Googling does show "Shiomi" as a surname, and also there's a couple of stations by that name - one in Hokkaido, the other Tokyo - while Shiomi Dake is the name of a mountain in Honshu. Perhaps some kind soul from SF3 will tell me what it means!

The sim itself is split into 3 small islands, the largest of which is dominated by a large, shiny and rather well made learning demonstration centre. Despite its size it only has a ground and first floor. Each floor is divided so as to provide a large assembly hall, complete with streaming video (just a Nike ad at the moment), and 3 or more smaller rooms or seating areas. It is furnished largely with seating and tables from well-known Second Life designers, Scope Cleaver and Maximillian Milos. Of the remaining islands, one is largely bare, save for a few palm trees, while the second offers a more relaxed meeting area, with background music and open vistas. For the more adventurous there is a skydiving ride too. And that's about it.

Here are my snaps:


The layout does appear to be designed to allow groups of varying sizes to use the various meeting areas simultaneously without overlapping chat. It is nicely made, if unexciting. However, it does look like it would be capable of addressing its objective of providing a virtual learning environment. I could not determine, though, whether any v-learning sessions have already taken place, nor whether any are planned.

Al Joins Fuji Staff

A short one tonight, since I'm a bit pressed for time. In the same general area as last night's Toshiba island I came across Fuji Staff. At first I assumed it was an island intended for the staff of photographic company, Fuji. While exploring the sim I came across a solitary web link, which told me rather less than I had hoped. However, Google came to my aid, and informed me that Fuji Staff is, in fact, a recruitment agency (d'oh!) - and one of many that have entered Second Life this year.

The sim itself is fairly basic, being split into 3 small islands. The first is aimed at social networking, with a bar, a dancefloor and a hot tub/foot spa thing. A large modern office building occupies the second island, with 2 floors of relatively formal seating. The third island has a cafe and a lot of characters based on the letter "F" - and which seem to relate to this webpage, referring to FujiCa! Point - whatever that may be.

I took a few snaps - more to show I'd been there, than anything else:


The build is OK, but nothing spectacular. Most of the textures feel somewhat flat and dull, though the foot-spa was better, with more detailing present. In terms of the overall layout, I thought it had been thought through - with a good social area. The general absence of weblinks or events was more worrying - but maybe this will come in time. Would I recommend a trip there? Well.... only if you are a Japanese companies "completist" like me! Mark you, I did notice that I seemed to have build rights (which can't be right!) so if you are seeking a quiet sandbox, this could be the place for you. But be quick - I doubt such rights will exist for long.

Toshiba Image Festival

Scant pickings tonight, as I surveyed the broad Western oceans in search of something bloggable. At least, that was until I spotted Toshiba. Now it may not always be the case that an island belongs to the company whose name it bears, but this one does. The sim belongs to the Toshiba Corporation, the giant Japanese electronics firm,and appears to be associated with a marketing initiative called A New Digital Odyssey. I take it the prime reason for this is to promote Toshiba's range of HD products, including DVD recorders and TVs, including the Regza, featured in this site.

As part of the initiative the company has commissioned a set of CGI animated movies, depicting an enormous, sky-borne sailing ship, that goes by the name of (ta-daaah!) A New Digital Odyssey. At the beginning of October the company extended their campaign by opening an island in Second Life, though aside from this post I have not come across any decent references to it. The centrepiece of the build is, not surprisingly, a 190-metre recreation of A New Digital Odyssey. As in the CGI movies it is accompanied by flying pink elephants, and overall looks quite stunning. At ground level there are several buildings - some in the form of delicate towers and spires, others are modern, faintly militaristic, metal shells. There's also some wildlife down there - cute giant frog-like critters.

You can pick a free jet skateboard thingy and zoot across from the arrival point to the ship. This is actively encouraged. given that large pinky arrows point you in that direction. Once on the ship you can avail yourself of a rubber rescue raft, should you so choose, before proceeding below deck, where you will find the Image Festival. As part of the Regza promotion, you can view CGI movies from a number of different film makers. There are still some "coming soon..." but there are enough screens to keep you interested. Here's my photos:

The sailing boat:


The view from terra firma:


Frogs, pink elephants and a movie:


Maybe I blinked and missed it, but I found no information on the island at all; no URLs, no notecards, nada. Not exactly a great way to promote your products! I was also expecting to find out more about the festival - but it seems this boils down to the selection of (admittedly interesting) movies already onboard the ship. It seems to me that Toshiba have rather mucked this up. I love the ship (at least from a distance) and the various critters and buildings - they all show an almost classical Japanese anime combination of fantasy and whimsy that can make you go "Wow!" and smile at the same time.

But as a company promotional build it does not really make the grade, for the simple reason that it tells you next-to-nothing about the products being promoted! Also, there seems to be something of a disconnect between the various marketing channels, the web and SL, which seem to be blissfully unaware of each other - and this is compounded by evidently poor communication about the sim to the outside world. All these things could be addressed, but it is a shame to see an interesting and amusing build going to waste.

Al Jets Graphically into Kowloon

I've been on something of a marathon photoshoot this weekend, culminating in the simply stupendous Kowloon sim. Once again, my thanks to my friend Lem for telling me about it.

I want to keep this brief, but a tiny bit of background is in order. The sim is owned and built by Jet Graphics, a Japanese company with (evidently) great expertise in textures and 3D modelling. Although called Kowloon, the sim portrays the grimy, slightly seedy backstreets to be found in many Far Eastern cities. From my own limited travels, I recognised the ambience of both Kowloon and parts of Tokyo.

The sim is a masterpiece in many, many ways: the dense texturing; the ambience; the intricacy of its winding passageways and the amazing array of fabulously bizarre (but inexpensive) goods on sale. You could spend a lot of time here, and still find yourself coming back to explore further. If you tire of exploration, there is a sandbox, and they also host music events - or you could ride one of the slightly grubby (mechanical?) pandas! Here's my photoset - I know they're dark (it really should be seen in midnight mode - the default for the sim), but you can always click on 'em to see a bigger version of the image:


















God knows what it must look like in Windlight! Oh... and a couple of tips: remember to click on doors, many of them will open and, watch out if you head into the theatre, you might not get out again so easily!

Al at Alcatel Lucent

Not far from the Splenda island I featured in the last post, you will find Alcatel-Lucent. Given that both companies are clients of MillionsofUs, this is hardly surprising; MOU seem to want to keep their clients close in Second Life, and their own islands are within a virtual stone's throw.

As usual, before I cover the island,I should give you a potted description of the company. Alcatel-Lucent "provides hardware, software, and services to telecommunications service providers and enterprises" worldwide. Though originating in France, and still headquartered in Paris, the company is truly multinational, employing around 80000 people in 132 different countries and raking in over 18billion Euro a year. While I was there a visitor from US rivals, Cisco, popped in for a look.

As is often the case with MOU islands, I seem to spend ages trying to get into them, give up for a while and then come back to find they've been open for weeks, or even months. Alcatel-Lucent island fits this model perfectly. I finally went back there last night, only to find it has been open to the public for well over a month. In fact, I've nearly missed the opportunity to take part in their competion - but more of this anon.

The island itself is divided into a number of pods, linked by walkways to a central tower, in which you will find an auditorium. The intention is to highlight the role of the company in various circumstances: home; office; partnerships. There's a lot of nice furniture and lighting, and a variety of displays, telling you about how important you are to the company and blah. A nice touch is the presence of a small public sandbox. Freebies come in the form of a T-shirt (meh) and a folder containing I don't-know-what, since I didn't pick it up.

While I can't claim to be bowled over by the island, it is well built - as you would expect. I don't know whether there is a schedule of events for the auditorium, so perhaps the "social stickiness" of the island relies on the presence of a sandbox, and the aforementioned competition - but more of this anon. I must have got something from the site, since I did take a sheaf of photos:



The pods:


Indoors:


So what about this competition, then? Well, I'm glad you asked. Here is the basic info from the notecard available on the island:

Imagine it is the year 2017 and you have the power to create the ideal technology and devices that would fit your lifestyle in your virtual and real-world lives. Technology that would allow you to socialize, communicate, entertain yourself and your friends, get and share information and content, and/or manage appliances and devices in your home.

The Alcatel-Lucent Second Life Island is all about imagining the future and making it happen now. We are opening up our sandbox to the residents of Second Life to inspire them to come up with the future of what the next generation of wireless can bring. This is a call for Xtreme innovation!

Imagine:

• Latency (lag) problems are a thing of the past (wireless and wireline)
• Devices are creative flexible and can be designed to meet your needs (oh, and they are affordable too)
• Wireless streaming of audio and video in real time for unlimited time periods with quality levels equal to the best HDTV
• Always-on wireless connection with simultaneous use of both voice and data
• Or how about having your household appliances, car, laptop, and mobile devices have the ability to talk to each other and send data remotely (and yes, this is all really easy to do)

We want you to submit your ideas! Show us the awesome device or technology that would just make your Second Life…or real life, so much better.

If your killer idea wins, you will get 50,000 L$ (about 200 USD or £100), while Alcatel-Lucent get the IPR on your idea, from which they hope to make millions. Good, eh? You have until December 1st to submit your ideas. Personally, I'm keeping mine to myself.

Splenda

In the main, Second Life is peopled by a disconcertingly large number of gorgeous avatars - male and female, human and non-human. However, behind each avatar there is a person, sitting in front of a computer screen, somewhere in the real world - and, I am sorry to say, almost certainly not as gorgeous as their avatar. The average SL user, if such a beast truly exists, is usually defined as a tech-savvy, nerdy 30-something with high disposable income. In fact, just the sort of person to have an office job and a generally sedentary lifestyle - with the attendant expansion of waistline that tends to imply. And hence just the sort of person at whom the artificial sweetener Splenda might be targeted.

California-based virtual worlds agency, MillionsofUs, are responsible for bringing the synthetic sugar to our synthetic world a month or so back. They have taken the "cartoony" option in building the Splenda sim, a route that has already been used (not by them) for Vodafone, Ben&Jerry's ice cream and Nestlé's Nesquik. The island has 3 primary structures: a tall glass of something pink and gloppy, topped off with lemon slices; a tall glass of something pale yellow and semi-transparent and a large coffee cup, tipped on its side. Should the fancy take you, there are giant straws down which you can slide, or you can take a ride on a giant lemon ferris wheel. Scattered between the structures are brightly coloured flowers, fruit and assorted confections. The tipped-up coffee cup contains a cafe, with indoor and outdoor seating.

I rather liked the look and feel of the place, and took far too many photos, which I will inflict on you now. I would also like to thank my friend, Lem Skall, for his photos - but more of this in a moment.



Assorted confections:


Lem and the lemon ferris wheel...


Lem's photos:


In terms of functionality there appear to be a few glitches. The "straw slides" did not not work too well, particularly the curly one. I followed instructions to switch off animation overrides, but the slide seemed to stick half-way down. Also, the seating inside the cafe gave me a problem - on standing up I was unable to move (see the last photo above), and had to TP out and back.

Initially, I was struck by the pleasantly cartoon-y nature of the island, but the more I looked, the more baffled I became. Just what is the point of it? There isn't a great deal to see or do here - one visit and you're done. OK, it makes you aware that Splenda exists, but as this sim did not leave me with a burning desire to return, I am not sure that is enough (I knew Splenda existed already, thanks).

The proposition for keeping your attention, and encouraging you to engage with the site, is a competition. You can find out all the details here, but the gist is: you have until 30th November to "create something for all Second Life residents" - a wide brief indeed! The winner gets a 3-night stay at Canyon Ranch in Tucson. A team of judges will select a shortlist, but the actual winner will seemingly be determined by Second Life residents through an open vote. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. Whether this has justified the cost I don't know, and I guess I never will find out.

Africa in Extropia

More often than not my time in Second Life is somewhat squeezed as a result of the various activities I need to cram into it: rambling around the islands and blogging them (that's the real biggy), building and scripting stuff (if only for my own amusement) and chatting with friends. So it is not often that I make the effort to tootle along to one of the many meetings and presentations that occur on a dizzyingly frequent basis in SL. That - plus I can be something of an anti-social git.

Now if you've read this blog before and have actually made your way to somewhere near the bottom of the page, you may have noticed that I am a member of Virtual Worlds Connect. This is a social network, built on the Ning platform, for anyone with an interest in virtual worlds. It is completely agnostic about which worlds, and there is no need to be a member of any of them. As with other such networks, you can join up with old friends and meet new ones (albeit rather asynchronously). One such new chum of mine,and fellow SL blogger, is Sophrosyne Stenvaag. She sent me a notification (via VW Connect) of a presentation today by my SL friend, Alanagh Recreant, of the South African non-profit organisation, Uthango Social Investments. Alanagh was going to talk about the work of Uthango and its Virtual Africa projects in Second Life. How could I not go?

The meeting was held at Extropia Core - about which I will write more on another occasion - and was attended by around 16 people. Sophrosyne hosts such a meeting every Saturday at 1:00PM SLT, and for those unlucky enough to be around, the guest in 2 weeks might well be... ummm... me. Anyhoo...

Alanagh gave a thorough walkthru of the work undertaken by Uthango and the use of Second Life as a tool to assist them. Second Life can fulfil a variety of roles with respect to Virtual Africa. At its most basic, perhaps, it can put technology and other skills providers, regardless of their geographic location, in direct contact with Uthango. It can also act as a vehicle for raising awareness, not only of the challenges facing Africa, but also of the resources, knowledge and skills that Africa has to offer. As an immersive social network it fits very well with the African culture(s), where such networks are a strong component of everyday life. Hopefully, Uthango will also be able to broker African communities learning new skills and learning from each other.

Here's a couple of photos I took of the meeting:


Now you might be thinking: "Hang on, Al... Africa is a big place... this feels like an over-simplification." If you are, then you share my concerns. At the end of the day, Uthango's remit is South Africa, not the entire continent. However, I am not aware (unless you tell me otherwise) of any other direct African engagement in Second Life yet, and so I cannot really object to this apparent inclusiveness that spans all of Africa. I hope (and expect) that other African participants will emerge in Second Life, but until then Uthango is the torch-bearer for the entire continent. It was a good presentation, followed by a lively Q&A.

On a final note - Soph, any chance of some seating next time? My old virtual legs were seizing up by the end! And finally, just for completeness, here's a link to the Extropia blog.

Sogeti Netherlands (and Sweden, a bit)

Last night I got an Instant Message (IM) from my friend VeeJay Burns to let me know that his company island was now open to the public. VeeJay, who blogs at Mindblizzard and is credited with first coining the term "metarati", works for the Dutch division of global IT company, Sogeti, where he is a Project Manager. However, over and above his day job he is also a Metaverse Evangelist within the company, and has been one of the prime movers in them setting up a presence in Second Life.

His division, Sogeti Netherlands, has had a private island in Second Life since around March, 2007. Recently, another division, Sogeti Sweden, moved in next door, resulting in a 2-sim island. I am interested in all of this for several reasons: 1) VeeJay is a friend of mine; 2) we both work in the IT industry and 3) Sogeti is sister-company to my own employer, Capgemini. So does that mean my assessment will be biased? Ummm... yeah, probably! Let's just see how it unfolds.

I gather the principal aim of the Sogeti presence is to provide a virtual space where colleagues and clients can meet, work and socialise. It also provides an area where staff can come to learn about virtual worlds and the (expected) future of the internet: web3.D. Although casual visitors are welcome, the site is not intended as an out-and-out marketing exercise. While using mentors, much of the work has been carried out by the Sogeti team themselves as part of the learning process. If you are reading between the lines, you will no doubt detect a non-too-subtle management of expectations. Certainly that was clear to me when talking about the build with VeeJay. However, I think his concerns are largely misplaced. True, the site does not feature "Wow Moment", jaw-dropping, cutting edge effects - but then, there are few that do, and those are largely related to the media and entertainment industries.

Before you even arrive you will likely have spotted the first piece of company branding - on the map you will see that the Dutch sim is in the shape of a spade (the suit of cards, not the digging implement), while the Swedish sim has a lake in the same shape at its centre. The "red spade" is the company logo. Capgemini, just to be different, uses a blue spade. I will concentrate on the Dutch sim, as the Swedish sim is still deep in construction.

The Dutch sim is modelled as a tropical island, subdivided by 2 broad boardwalks that span the island North-South and East-West. There is a sandbox, a couple of large beach huts, the Red Spade Bar and 2 large outdoor auditoriums. With Christmas on the way, there is also a Santa's Grotto under construction. The white and tomato(?) red brand colours run through the buildings and furnishings. And just to make sure you are in no doubt, there are flagpoles flying the company colours and logo too. Initially I thought this was fine, but the more I think about it, the more I think this is a bit over-the-top. I'd cut down on some of the flagpoles for a start.

The seating in the auditorium has a neat feature. When you take your seat you are placed into Mouselook mode and your focus is directed at the screen ahead of you. This might seem a tad excessive, but the thinking is to make it easy for newbies to attend seminars and presentations. I love the elegant seating in the Red Spade Bar, but then I would, since I made them [grins]. OK, to be honest, they need some fancier sitting animations, but they do the job. I opted to go with the Windlight viewer (and kill my PC's performance) to glean the following pictures:







The Dutch sim is largely complete, but I am still not sure why Sogeti have chosen to open it to visitors. My suspicion is that they want to see how their sim is received in the wider Second Life community, in terms of style, content and brand promotion (earlier management of expectations notwithstanding).

I like what they have done, but have a few suggestions for tweaks they may wish to consider:
1. Reduce the amount of branding (a little, not a lot)
2. Add an orientation area for staff and clients (this may already be planned)
3. Cut down on the amount of tropical vegetation a little. It looks good, but can get in the way.

TV Seculo21

Brazil and the Roman Catholic Church seem to be intertwined to a degree far greater than I, a European atheist (and lapsed Catholic), would expect. Although I failed to get around to blogging about it, I noticed a large Brazillian/Catholic cluster of sims many moons ago at Cancao Nova. Tonight I came across another - TV Seculo21. As you have probably already divined, this is a TV station - and it seems to be related to the Igreja Católica religious organisation. The station describes itself as "educational" (I think) and carries a mixture of religious, documentary, news and current affairs programmes.

The island in Second Life is very much at the formative stage. So much so, in fact, that it really should not be open to visitors. Nothing is even remotely finished... there are plywood buildings and ramps all over the place (plywood is the default texture for newly-made objects in Second Life) and partially complete pathways and lawns. There is a rather well made statue, that I assume was sourced from elsewhere, but beyond that everything is in flux. It looks like the edge of the sim will feature a number of TV studios - but the usage of these studios remains a mystery. There is a 3D model (pictured below) that may show the final plan for the sim. Anyway, for those of you who have a passing interest in places under construction, here's a glimpse:

Sony Style Store Barcelona

While out on my evening amble among the sprawling islands of Second Life I stumbled upon Sony Style Store Barcelona. The name was too tempting to ignore, so being the inquisitive soul that I am, I requested a teleport, more in hope than expectation, and was rewarded with a trip to a sim that still seems to be waiting for its formal opening.

As with any true Englishman, my facility with foreign languages leaves much to be desired. I do have a broad range of "hellos", "thank yous" and "how much's", complemented by an incomplete but colourful set of swear words. But anything more comprehensive than this is asking too much. I offer this preamble as a warning that my acquisition of the basic facts about this sim is likely to be somewhat flawed.

Sony Style is the direct sales division of Sony Corporation, and was formed in Europe in 1999 as "VAIO Direct", selling notebooks and accessories. In 2000 the name was changed to "Sony Style" to reflect the wider product range. For the UK, at least, Sony Style seems to be the branding for Sony's online sales. However, I would assume that this sim might be indicative of something a bit different - given the reference to "Store Barcelona." A bit of light Googling revealed the existence of a Sony Style Store in the Beverley Center in Los Angeles, where it is described as a "concept store designed to educate consumers about integrating technology into their lifestyle and [which] serves as a showcase for Sony's most innovative electronics and entertainment products and services." Now this definition makes sense when it comes to Barcelona, a city so cool it's amazing it's not actually encased in ice. My Holmesian deduction, then, is that this sim is part of the launch of a new, prestigious store - targeted at just the sort of high income tech-heads who frequent Second Life.

But what does it look like? In truth, it's very basic ("minimalist" may be a better term) at the moment. You arrive at a floating platform that offers you a couple of options: a short trip around the sim and registration for the opening event (whenever that will be). The main feature of the sim is a giant - no, make that GIANT - rabbit, that changes colour every few seconds. This is a clear reference to one of the recent Sony Bravia TV adverts, which featured plasticene rabbits in Manhattan:





And that is about it for now, aside from the brand logo emblazoned across the surface of the sim. I actually managed to get inside the rabbit (not as obscene as it may sound) and found some building tools inside. Here are some pictures for your delectation. Sorry, no Windlight as it kills my PC:


The Rabbit changing colour:


Hopefully I now appear (ummm... possibly multiple times... d'oh!) on a mailing list, and will receive further information about the launch in due course.

In a Politik Land

Most of us who spout forth our dodgy views on the future of the internet, web3.D and so on, tend to take web1.0 as our starting point, then sashay through the joys of web2.0 before arriving at our destination. The site I want to mention in this post, Politik Land, is an interesting example of this evolution. The sim belongs to politik.de, which my flaky grasp of German suggests is a portal for those interested in politics and democracy. You can watch a YouTube vid that gives a great overview of the site:



The portal offers a number of web2.0 social networking facilities, with discussion forums, groups and many other opportunities for interaction and participation (assuming politics is your "thing"). And all of this within a user-configurable portal that allows you to select and position the onscreen components. Given this high degree of 2D networking, the logical next step is to add 3D immersive networking - hence this island in Second Life.

The island itself is well laid out, light and airy. Branching off a central hub are 7 zones, with meeting areas of varying sizes, ranging from a couple of seats up to a large open air auditorium. A group of buildings have been set aside for use by (or to provide information about) various German political parties. There are quizzes, web links and regular events. I say "regular" - the most recent I found was November 8th (about 2 weeks ago) that involved a discussion with representatives of 4 political parties.

My lack of German rather hampered my efforts to extract much more from this island - however, you may fare rather better. In any case, here are my snaps:

Virtual Worlds in the Far East

2007 has been a busy year for virtual world announcements in the Far East, so I thought I would take this opportunity to give you a quick roundup of some of the more recent ones that nearly managed to slip through my net. As usual, big thanks to Virtual World News for putting me on their trail. I don't pretend that this is, in any way, a complete list - but it is a start.

Second Life in Korea
First, let's step back a month, to October, during which Linden Lab announced that, as part of their Global Provider programme, T-Entertainment would be providing Second Life services in Korea. I can't find out much about this, but I assume that the large cluster of "sera Korea" sims in Second Life, which depict a map of Korea, are being constructed to tie in with this. According to Noneget Barnes, head of Korean Second Life build company Acid Crebiz, "sera" translates as "sl", so these sims therefore come out as "SL Korea." Y'see? It all seems to fit!

If you are not familiar with it, "the Second Life Grid Global Provider program is designed to assist international online communities in creating their own presence on the Second Life Grid. This program has significant requirements, obligations, and programme fees. It is only available to operators of existing online communities outside the United States. The Second Life Grid offers many international experiences outside of the Global Provider program, which anyone can support or join... The Global Provider program assembles custom resources, support lines, and localizable content for these operators to help them establish a unique presence on the Second Life Grid." I don't have a clear view of how many such providers already exist, but I did post some months ago about Kaizen Games in Brazil, which I believe was the first.

Incidentally, whether this is a coincidence or not, Cyworld have announded that they will be going 3D in 2008. An amusing volte face following their recent dissing of 3D virtual worlds as requiring too much computer grunt and bandwidth. Now, showing a somewhat remarkable absence of comprehension, SK Communications CEO,Shin Cho, has added: "The key difference between Cyworld 3D and Second Life is that... Second Life mostly provides ready-made content, while Cyworld 3D will focus on providing user-created content."

Second Life in China
You may recall there was some concern in SL circles earlier in the year, when Linden Lab failed to secure the Chinese state-sponsored contract to deliver a massive virtual world. The contract went to Mindark and their Entropia Universe, instead. However, during November, Virtual World News revealed that Linden Lab are, nevertheless, actively engaged in China, through the services of RTMAsia, a firm specialising in "Asian business acceleration to global technology companies." After a little digging I found that the announcement of this relationship dates back to August 2nd. Under the terms of the agreement, RTMAsia will act as direct representatives for Linden Lab in China, responsible for the development of business partnerships, management of business operations and liaison with media and industry bodies. On this basis, it seems that RTMAsia are acting more like local agents than a full-blown global provider partner. Several people have tried (and failed) to get Linden Lab to come clean about a possible office in China. However, given the nature of the relationship with RTMAsia I can see that such a step may not be necessary at this time. As Redline China put it: "Linden Lab is likely to face various difficulties in China such as government regulation, low user awareness and lack of marketing and distribution channels." It strikes me that RTMAsia is the company they have chosen to help steer a safe route through the pitfalls of working in China.

HiPiHi Partnerships
HiPiHi have announced that Intel will be launching an island in their virtual world today, 22nd November. Apparently the HiPiHi grid runs on systems powered by Intel Xeon processors. In addition, Worlds in Motion informs us of two more partnerships for the Chinese virtual world: Centric, an agency specialising in social media and virtual worlds, and 3Di, a Japanese virtual world content and service provider. The successful virtual worlds build and consultancy company MillionsofUs announced their partnership with HiPiHi back in October. Both MOU and Centric are expected to pull their impressive client lists into the virtual world, while 3Di will be offering building services. Incidentally, you may recognise 3Di as the authors of the Movable Life browser-based, text interface for Second Life.

That's enough for this post... but I know I've barely scratched the surface. Updates on the plethora of Chinese virtual worlds will need to wait for another day, as will consideration of what is happening in Japan. Roll on, 2008!

Yamato

Recently I came across a replica of the German WWII battleship, Bismarck. In fact, there is something of a trend emerging for giant ships in Second Life, the largest of which actually spans 3 sims. However, the one I want to mention today is more modest, stretching just the full width of its sim. This is the Japanese WWII battleship, Yamato. Built at Kure, Japan, she and her sister ship, Musashi were apparently the largest battleships ever built and their nine 460mm (18.1-inch) main battery guns, the largest battleship guns ever to go to sea. Commissioned in December 1941, the Yamato served as the flagship for Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto and was active until her sinking in April, 1945, aside from a 4 month break for repairs at the start of 1944, following a torpedo attack by the submarine USS Skate.

The sim itself is a slightly odd affair. Aside from the battleship there is not a great deal to it. At each end of the island is a funicular railway, while the dockside has some nicely textured single-storey brick buildings that appear to be for rent. The funicular goes up to a plateau that is dominated by an ultramodern tower, but there is nothing to indicate what the purpose of this tower might be. I am assuming that this is intended for commercial letting, but I am struggling to see where the costs of the sim are going to be covered. There does not appear to be enough space currently developed to make for a viable rental. That said, it is possible that the sim is still in development, and more buildings may appear on the largely deserted plateau.

Anyway, for your delectation, here are some snaps of the rather splendid battleship:




UPDATE 22-11-07: Fixed typo: thanks to Nock (see comments) for pointing out that this is Yamato, not Yamamoto. Obviously I have confused my admiral and my battleship!

Al Deals With Dealey Plaza

On November 22nd, 1963, John F Kennedy was assassinated as his motorcade drove through Dealey Plaza in Dallas. With the anniversary looming it perhaps should come as no surprise to hear that a recreation of the Plaza has been constructed in the virtual world of Second Life. The work has been carried out by Avatar Promotions, a build company of indeterminate address, but located in the US. Apparently, according to this page of their website, this is NOT a model of the Plaza as it stood in 1963, but rather as it stood in August 2007. A historical version will be produced in due course.

Be that as it may, you can still observe the President's open topped limo as it drives through. In fact, if the mood takes you, you are free to sit in the limo - though aside from learning when the shots were fired, you will not be subjected to any unforeseen unpleasantness. You can visit the location in the book depository from which Lee Harvey Oswald apparently fired the fatal shots, although getting any kind of view out of the window will prove something of a challenge. Alternatively, you can position yourself on the infamous "grassy knoll" from which person or persons unknown may have carried out the assassination on behalf of any of about a dozen secretive, murky organisations. Here are some snaps - though don't expect "the full Zapruder."



The Grassy Knoll and the Book Depository:


The use of Second Life as a 3D visualisation tool has been noted before, and this sim is another example. I don't see it as a faithfully accurate reproduction, but more as an aid to understanding. The immersive 3D experience definitely delivers a "sense of place" that you simply cannot get when poring over maps and photographs. In this regard, it is an interesting idea.

Where I have a problem is the way in which Avatar Promotions are using the sim, which after all attempts to recapture one of the most traumatic days in American 20th Century history, as a vehicle for self-promotion and funding. For example, if you so wish, you could opt to rent office space here - an idea I find quite bizarre. Would I really want to be holding a meeting that is interrupted every minute or so by the sound of 3 shots ringing out from across the Plaza? Or as a visitor, would I find it entirely appropriate to find, say, a saucy clothing store occupying a prominent site on the Plaza?

I do understand that the builders need to get something back for their efforts - but I'm afraid it looked rather too crassly commercial to me. A few tweaks in the direction of a little more subtlety could have achieved as much, without seeming so brazen.

If you are interested - and again I find this in frankly dubious taste - you can apply to attend a special event, by invitation only, on November 22nd: "An enactment of the assassination."

Thomas Cook (Germany)

Back in September I wrote about German tour operator TUI's presence in Second Life. Well it seems like they are not the only Germany holiday company to set up a virtual presence, as today I came across the Thomas Cook Island. I tend to think of Thomas Cook as a quintessentially English tour operator. Indeed, as the UK website tells me, Mr Cook himself actually "began his international travel company in 1841, with a successful one-day rail excursion at a shilling a head from Leicester to Loughborough on 5 July. From these humble beginnings Thomas Cook launched a whole new kind of company – devoted to helping Britons see the world." Mr Cook popped his clogs in 1892, at a respectable 83 years of age, but the company he founded has continued to grow and dversify. The Thomas Cook Group plc is now a €12 billion revenue business, employing 33,000 people globally and providing vacations to over 19 million people each year.

This island in Second Life, however, is not the Group's but rather its German subsidiary. The island also features its charter/low cost airline, Condor, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2006.

On arrival you find yourself in a large glass dome, floating above the island itself. There are a couple of very basic orientation instructions - about how to move you avatar - but it is left to you to find the way out. To exit the dome, click on the Thomas Cook "welcome mat" - which causes a portion of the dome to slide open, letting you out onto a transparent walkway that leads down to the island surface. The island itself is broadly divided into 2 - the tropical side and the snowy , alpine side. As you wander about you will find more orientation tips (in German) and links to various company webpages. There is also a small Condor jet, but it flatly refused to let me even sit down in it - let alone go for a quick trip. Here are my snaps:



The alpine side is smaller, and seems to consist of a large alpine chalet on top of a snowy hill, and not much else. I noticed something high above the chalet, which closer inspection revealed to be a satellite. Why? Beats me.


There are a few places to relax by the beach, and there is some limited orientation information, coupled with the weblinks as mentioned above. But I got the impression that this island really doesn't know what it is trying to be. In fact, if pushed, I would say that it is not entirely complete yet. The alpine elements seemed particularly perfunctory, but the entire island seems to offer little to engage the visitor. This site falls a long way short of that belonging to their competitor, TUI.

And on the all-important issue of freebies?! There may be some, but I didn't find them. Nor any indication of events that might attract visitors.

Al Pays Tribute

The latter part of 2007 has witnessed the creation of a number of memorials: 9/11; Vietnam War Memorial and Armistice Day. One memorial site that had escaped my notice until today is the Tribute Island sim.

To quote from the notecard: "Tribute Island is all about celebrating the lives of the people we've lost and loved. People who have inspired us, entertained us, selflessly protected us, and who have filled our lives with sound and colour. Frome the British Army, Navy, and RAF, to the political, scientific, and Hollywood greats." The island has a number of zones, taking in all of the classifications mentioned plus many more, including: artists; musicians; authors and scientists. The information hub provides a useful map, or you can catch the monorail that stops at various points around the island. I hopped on at the Underground station, which includes a commemorative plaque to those killed in the 7/7 London Tube bombings.

Here are a few of the many memorials here - starting with a map and aerial view, and a glimpse from the monorail:


Military memorials:


Artists, Picasso and Man Ray:


While here are Orson Welles, Gene Roddenberry and Isaac Asimov:


Some are less serious than others - here's Faye Wray and Peter Cushing:


As you can see from these snaps, there is no formal style, as many of the memorials are personal tributes. As a result, the island, at first sight, looks a bit of an eyesore. However, once you've overcome this initial jarring effect, I think you might find it a very absorbing place. There are so many people, from all walks of life, remembered here. Each tribute also links off to pages on an associated website, where more information can be found and comments left.

If you wish to pay tribute to someone not already represented here then you can. As another notecard informed me: "We’re a free-to-use installation space where you can leave a lasting tribute to ANYONE who’s passed away within living memory (since 1950). Just keep your contributions PG, and (for sim security so that we can keep the sim locked down tight) provide a link to an entry on our website (www.lastingtribute.co.uk) so other people can leave a tribute too."

The island owners also host a variety of events which you can discover by joining the island's Second Life group. Apparently there are various freebies and other "easter eggs" dotted about the place. All in all a fascinating example of "user generated visualisation" and a novel idea. I recommend you pop along. In terms of numbers, there is a bias toward British dead, but this is not intended to be a uniquely British site and there are tributes to people from all around the World - as you can see from some of the names above.

Get on Yer Bike for Africa

Here's a press release from my friends on the Virtual Africa project. If you want more information, please IM Alanagh Recreant inworld. All help will be gratefully received!

Virtual Africa raises funds for real world project in Second Life with African bicycles.

[CAPE TOWN, November 12, 2007] The developers of Virtual Africa in Second Life are raising money through the [e]bizikile fundraising drive for an Opportunity Centre in a Cape Town community for unemployed job seekers. From 15 November through the upcoming festive season, residents can purchase virtual African bicycles designed by Shukran Fahid of !BooPeRFunK! for L$250 and next year, participate in a grid-wide virtual bike-a-thon.

“The Opportunity Centre is a revamped cow shed that we need to equip with computers, office resources and mentors to assist job seekers, small entrepreneurs and community members in making their own way out of poverty by actively pursuing their dreams,” said Dorette Steenkamp, co-executive director of Uthango Social Investments, a South African charity working with more than 12,000 people living in poverty. “The [e]bizikile fundraising event is meant to bring attention to how bicycles fit into the economy in African cities and rural towns.”

Second Life residents will also have the option to donate funds to purchase a real life bicycle that will then be bought by the Uthango for a school learner in rural Africa. Photos and interviews of the beneficiary will be streamed back into SL during 2008.

Steenkamp, whose avatar is Alanagh Recreant in Second Life, is working with co-executive director Erna Sittig who is Enakai Ultsch in the popular 3-dimensional virtual world. Through their NGO Uthango Social Investments, they are building Virtual Africa in Second Life as an orientation 'island' to serve as an entry point for Africans to participate in virtual worlds as well to build international awareness of Africa and the issues faced by the continent's people.

“We are encouraging African stakeholders to participate in virtual worlds for networking and commerce as well as educational and fundraising initiatives,” said Ultsch. “Virtual Africa is only one of a number of initiatives we are implementing to help generate economic development and growth at a local level, but it is the first African nonprofit initiative in Second Life.”

The [e]bizikile fundraising event is supported by Charitable Hearts, one of the largest charity groups in Second Life advocating for the work of a few selected charities. The e]bizikile African bicycles will be available from Uthango’s office in Second Life or from dedicated affiliated businesses. Web-enabled vendors donated by Hippo Technologies will dispense the bicycles. Free vendors are still available to interested companies, organizations or individual landowners in Second Life.

For more information about distributing or obtaining a unique African bicycle, contact Enakai Ultsch. Second Life residents can also join the [e]bizikile group or IM Alanagh Recreant for further details. To visit the Uthango offices in Second Life, follow this SLURL.


ABOUT UTHANGO™
Uthango Social Investments is a registered charity located in Cape Town, South Africa. It is the first African-based company and NGO officially in Second Life, where it will launch VIRTUAL AFRICA in 2008. Uthango Social Investments is an investment and development company specialising in sustainable poverty eradication. It focuses on the digital divide, micro-enterprise development, intercultural dialogue, crime prevention, community mental health, and infrastructure development.

http://www.uthango.org/

Fibe Mini

It seems like ages since I last posted about a Japanese sim on Second Life, so I thought I should introduce you to one I actually found ages ago, but failed to get around to blogging: Fibe Mini. Anyone who knows the Real Life me, will know that I am not the most health-food conscious person on the planet. And therefore it should come as no surprise that I rarely partake of the various liquors and potions that are passed off as health drinks. I am, as a result, blissfully unaware of the bizarre veg'n'fruit concoctions that may be available around the World. However, I am now aware of at least one - the aforementioned Fibe Mini.

This particular beverage combines the fibrous pleasures of lettuce with the fruity goodness of lemons and melds the two into a fibre-rich, vitaminic slurpfest, targeted at the health-obsessed denizens of the Asian Pacific Rim. Personally, I think it sounds disgusting - but I maybe you know different. In any case, it seems that the company and its marketing firm have taken a light-hearted, often surreal approach to promoting the product. For example, here's an ad on YouTube:



Or this one - which unfortuntely I can't embed.

Perhaps given this somewhat leftfield approach to promotion it should come as no surprise to find the product in Second Life. I rather like the sim, with its hyperventilating presenters, its rich array of free t-shirts, fun machinery and drinks dispenser. There's really not a lot to it, but it does try its hardest to make a soft beverage made from lettuce and lemons seem like something that may actually be worth quaffing. Anyway, here's a few snaps for you:

Al Moves House

I have been a bit quiet on the blogging front for a few days owing to a half-expected, but not too pleasant, piece of news that left me with some serious virtual house-hunting to do. For the last 8 months or so I have been renting a very nice, good-sized plot of land on the Intentional Growth sim, owned by a friend of mine. Unfortunately, for a variery of reasons she is having to effectively dispose of this quiet and tranquil island, and that means that I need to move on.

This has been a theoretical possibility for maybe a month - but last week it became a concrete fact. Now, I'm not really used to all this virtual land mullarkey, so I was at a bit of a loss to know what to do. I spoke to a few friends - issued an "all points bulletin" on Twitter, then started looking in earnest.

I had not appreciated just how complicated it can be to find the right deal. The "Land Sales" tab in the Second Life "Search" window provided me with hundreds of options. As I read through the lists I had to consider many criteria I had not really pondered before. Did I want themed? If so, what theme? Did I want lots of land but few prims? Or lots of prims on less land? Did I want pre-built or bare earth? Did I want to rent or buy? If I "bought" did I want the ability to re-sell later??

And for each interesting possibility, I had to teleport across to the land in question, see what the neighbourhood looked like and - most importantly - read and understand the covenant. For those who are unfamiliar with the concept, the covenant is provided by the landowner and basically tells you everything you can and can't do. Believe me, there can be huge differences between covenants - and this is often reflected in the price you pay.

So for example: Do you want to be able to build a skybox or platform? If so, are you happy with any altitude restrictions placed on you? Do you want to be able to terraform the land? Do you want to build a skyscraper? Or, indeed, have one on the plot next door to yours? Do you want to run scripted objects? If so, will they be sufficiently lightweight as to be permitted on the plot of land you are looking at? Sliding and rotating textures seem to be a particular bugbear - which is a pain for me, since I love 'em!

Then what about the purpose of the land? Do you want to run a business? If so, is it compatible with the covenant? Not a problem for me - but if you want a topless casino with camping chairs and money trees, then this could be a problem for you.

Negotiating this maze of possibilities while juggling the price and cost/square metre took me a few days. As with any commercial exercise, you are hoping to land The Perfect Deal, while suspecting that you could have done better. And the cost is another mini-minefield in itself. On the plus side, the many private land companies (like Anshe Chung) do not require you to hold a premium account - so that will save you 10USD a month. However, you should be aware that the price you pay comprises 2 elements: the "purchase price" and the tier (or monthly service charge/ground rent/whatever). Linden charge fixed amounts for these if you buy from them. However, each private vendor sets their own balance of the two. Some may opt for a low purchase price and a high tier per month, while for others it is the reverse. Even a single vendor may have multiple price bands depending on the type of land up for sale: low, normal or high prim, for example.

I know many of you live and breathe this stuff - but it was all new and a bit alien to me. It took me a few days before I finally found what (I think) I was after. It's a bit smaller than I had wanted, but it is a corner plot with sea on 2 sides, and waterways on the other 2; I can terraform it; the covenant is fair and sensible, but not too restrictive; the sim itself seems quiet and the price/tier is good value. (Or let me rephrase that: for buying something that does not really exist, it is good value!)

I am now moving in, having stripped out my old place. Here are a few pictures to remind me of where I'm moving from:


and where I'm moving to:

A Bubbly Time at Vranken Diamant

Exclusive brands are not new in Second Life, with luxury lines of clothing, watches and shoes already represented. To be completely accurate, I suppose, I should say that to me these brands class as luxury. However, I do recognise that the truly luxurious and exclusive would have no truck with such low brow, downmarket affairs as Second Life and the hoi polloi who inhabit it. Anyway, I digress... last night I found another brand to add to the list: Vranken Pommery Monopole. Never heard of them? Neither had I, but it turns out the company produces Champagne. Indeed, they are apparently the world's second largest producer of bubbly.

In March 2006, the company announced a new "premium tier", named Diamant, that comprises four cuvées, including two vintage Champagnes and a prestige cuvee. According to a spokeswoman quoted at the time, these tipples are “ideally suited to the demands of the prestige and fine dining sectors of the market”. It is this premium bubbly that is being promoted through the Vranken Diamant island in Second Life.

I found the place completely by accident, and had no idea what to expect. You arrive in front of a long, yellow walkway that leads towards a large, crystalline pyramid in the distance. As you touch down you are offered a bracelet. I am not sure - but I think it may be necessary to wear this. Certainly on my first run through the island, without the bracelet on, I seemed to have problems getting about. So be safe, and put it on.


The walkway disappears into the side of the pyramid - but just keep walking, as this is a phantom surface. Once inside, you will find a diamond. Try clicking on it to see what happens... and choose a door. Depending on your selection you will find yourself whisked off to one of (I think) 8 different and exotic locations. A combination of SL objects and RL phototextures gives each location a great sense of depth, as you can see here:





The picture at the bottom-left really is the right way up, it's my avatar that is upside down. At the bottom right you can see the rather elegant and slightly enigmatic teleports that enable you to get around the site.

I really like this build. It is witty, cleverly done and packs a lot in. I particularly like the near-seamless blending of 3D SL objects with the 2D backdrops. I am not so sure of its use, however. Certainly there are small social areas, and one or two larger ones, but they are not easy to reach unless you already know your way around. It strikes me that the principal aim of the site is to be seen to be witty, shiny... and, well, bubbly. The build appears to be the work of the seemingly perpetually busy Gene Replacement.

If you want to see more, there's a decent machinima movie here, though oddly I did not find any other references to the site. My Google search might have been a bit lightweight, but I found no press announcements or blog posts, yet the machinima was posted several months ago. I know it can be good to be discrete, but this is a strange way to go about promoting your presence!

I would certainly recommend having a look around - but I cannot see that it would keep you coming back (unless you are accompanying a friend who has not been around it yet).

Virtual Vietnam War Memorial

Two months ago I posted a piece about the planned recreation of the Vietnam War Memorial, including the famous Wall, in the virtual world of Second Life. Meme Science have been working hard since then to bring the idea to fruition. It will open to residents on November 7th 2007 at 4pm EST (1pm Second Life time; 9pm GMT) to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the dedication of ‘The Wall’ that took place in Washington DC in November 1982. The build takes in all of the key components of the real world site: Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Wall, the 3 Soldiers Statue, the Vietnam Veteran’s Women’s Memorial as well as much of the surrounding parkland. You can see an introductory movie here.

My guide on the walkabout was Evian Argus (in Real Life Robert Egan) of Meme Science who graciously gave me a wealth of information about the site, both real and virtual. It was a bright, sunny Autumn day in Second Life when I went to have a look around, and the drifts of dead leaves added a poignant metaphorical touch. This was particularly evident at the Women's Memorial, where leaves floated down around the statue.


As I arrived the introductory movie started to play, and as the images unfolded a voice began to read out the names of the dead, to a backdrop of Jimi Hendrix. When the site actually opens this voice will continue on to read all 58,223 names. The technology behind this has used "text to speech" software from Cepstral, with human overrides where it was necessary. The Reading of the Names in Second Life is timed to correspond with the Reading of the Names that will occur in Washington DC. The web site: http://www.TheWallSL.com will help support the project by video streaming in the live dedication given by Colin Powell on November 11th at 1pm EST that will be held in Washington DC. The video dedication will be rebroadcast at The Wall in Second Life within hours of the live broadcast.

Our first stop on the walkabout was the 3 Soldiers Statue, constructed from over 500 prims. Evian explained that they had investigated the use of "sculpties" but eventually decided to use basic primitive shapes to realise the sculpture:


Next we came to the Women's Memorial, where autumnal leaves fell constantly on and around the statue:


And finally, The Wall itself:




Even in the virtual environment of Second Life, the stark black granite, with its densely-packed rows upon rows of names is a sobering and affecting sight. I did not discover how the wall textures were created (Evian was not sure), since the particular granite used in the real life Wall was specially chosen for its highly reflective qualities and would therefore be very difficult to photograph effectively. Whatever method was used, it was crucial that the names be clear, legible and without distortion - and this Meme Science have achieved very effectively.

At either end of the wall you will find a Search facility. By following the simple instructions you can quickly whittle down the 58000+ names to the one you are looking for, and you will be given the exact position of that name, and guided to the right spot by a large indicator arrow:


Meme Science and their partners have constructed a dignified and respectful recreation of the memorial. They will continue to work with the site, through hosted events, educational events and other activities.

The Vietnam War was fought between nations that are not my own, around clashing ideologies that I do not share, and that resulted in the deaths of untold thousands on all sides. I have no sympathy for those who sent these young men and women into what I believe was an unjust and unwinnable war. But I have great sympathy for those whose lives were blighted by that terrible war: the wounded and the dead, and the comrades and family who still mourn for them.

Al at Arrival01 Rezzable

Just a quickie to round off the weekend. While exploring the Rezzable islands, I found myself in Arrival01 Rezzable. Expecting some sort of orientation island, I was somewhat surprised to find it full of a rich clutter of steampunk-style, Jules Vernian creations - submarines, robots and even an automated orchestra. It all appears to be the work of Madcow Cosmos, leavened with some giant insects and the odd bizarre dinosaur (more usually found on the Stratos Legend Rezzable sim).

This is what you get when you have too much blue cheese before bedtime. The first picture, of the greenie alien was actually taken at Cannery.





Incidentally, a word of caution if you are looking to exhibit at The Cannery. Please make sure you read and inwardly digest the contract before handing over any artwork. This analysis is worth considering carefully.

Spanish Jobs with Infoempleo

I've been meaning to visit the Infoempleo island in Second Life for a couple of weeks now, since discovering that my company's Spanish division had taken part in a recruitment fair there in mid-October. I finally got around to it tonight. It took me a bit of digging to find an English language description of the company, but eventually I found this:

• Infoempleo.com is Spain’s leading employment site for qualified job seekers. With over 15.000 vacancies and more than 1.4 million registered users, Infoempleo is an ideal meeting point for candidates and employers and a comprehensive showcase of the Spanish labour market. Infoempleo is also notable for its specialisation. As well as being a general employment site, we offer nine specialised channels focusing on specific industry sectors. These channels represent an excellent source of information and job opportunities in consulting, finance, construction, auditing, tourism, telecommunications, IT, secretarial and franchising.

They have a rather busy site in Second Life, comprising 4 tall pillars, each supporting a number of interview platforms (each basically a room and some brand information), along with an auditorium at ground level. At the time of writing, it appears to be supporting 19 different Spanish companies. I don't intend to list them, but you can perhaps discern who they are on the sign in the picture set below. Among the list, I spotted several IT consultancies (including the one I work for) and a couple of banks.



The site is perhaps best described as "functional." It is there to do a job, and people will come here because they are interested in the jobs available, rather than to marvel at the architecture. But I was concerned about how close the various platforms were to one another. I'm sure the distances have been calculated (surely!) to avoid "conversational leakage" from one to another. Also, I am not sure whether all of these companies were holding inworld interviews on the same day.

Whatever the truth of the matter, it is encouraging to see Spain taking a role in Second Life. Kzero has some interesting stats (from May'07) on Spanish residents in Second Life, while highlighting in this article (from June'07) the general absence of Spanish companies. Perhaps that imbalance is changing.

Dunder Mifflin Closes in Second Life

It is with heavy heart that I have to inform you of the closure of the Dunder Mifflin office in Second Life. Clearly there is no market for Paper in a Paperless World and so the company has downsized its way out of the virtual world.

In other words, the stage sets built in Second Life by Clear Ink for creating the machinima components of a recent episode of The Office are now closed. The sets were intended to open for 1 day, the day of the broadcast, to host a thank-you party for the virtual world staff and extras for their contribution. However, with so many in Second Life finding their way there, Clear Ink decided to keep the site open a little longer, while talking with NBC about the future.

It would seem that NBC, who are wrestling with other issues at the moment, are not inclined to keep the site open and so reluctantly, the decision was made to close off access. I think it is unfortunate, since a thriving group has grown up around Dunder Mifflin in the last week. Looking at website stats, it is clear that The Office has a significant following among the computer literate, and as a result of the recent episode, a successful extension of "the brand" into Second Life has now taken place. This closure effectively derails that extension - and it may not prove so easy next time. The Second Life success has been serendipitous and due, in part at least, to the directness and veracity of the approach. And getting people to come back is a lot harder than keeping them in the first place.

BBC World

I must have blinked and missed the announcement of this one, since I stumbled across the BBC World island, unsurprisingly called BBC World, completely by accident. BBC World is the BBC's international news and current affairs television channel, and boasts the biggest audience of any BBC channel. It broadcasts worldwide, 24 hours a day. If you've stayed in any hotel room outside the UK, the chances are this has been one of the channels on offer. It also seems to be the first Beeb channel to set up a permantent residence in Second Life, though the Beeb has dallied with the virtual world in the past for specific events.

I gather this site has been in Second Life for about a month, as I found a press announcement dated 5th October that declared: "BBC World holds its first ever Second Life press conference and introduces The Internationalists." It then went on to explain: "The Internationalist campaign is a global advertising and direct marketing campaign, created to introduce [BBC World]’s unique audience to the media trade. The Internationalists are the conscientious consumers, big spenders and opinion leaders populating the world, who are committed to global issues and life-long learning."

So let's take a look at it...



Broadly, the island is divided into a number of areas corresponding to the main subjects covered by the channel: finance; travel; luxury & lifestyle; technology and business & international. There is also a large outdoor meeting area, the World Plaza, that can be used for hosting events. The site is strongly branded, and nicely built.

While here you can also visit a pirate island, that is currently a lot less entertaining than it might sound, and the BBC tower transmitter, which is surprisingly rather more entertaining than it might sound. Why? Well it seems that aliens have a peculiar fondness for the transmitter tower. So much so, in fact, that they are trying to dismantle it and take it home.



The map also shows a jetski ride, but I failed to find it.

But what about the freebies? I found a couple of things, though there may be more. First off, there is a small Buddhist meditation area on the island, where you can help yourself to some freen Buddhist robes. However, if bling is more your thing, you can also find his'n'hers watches, with adjustable blinky bling.

One odd thing, the island is immediately adjacent to Conference Island, despite having no connection with it that I am aware of. Conference Island provides facilities for companies without a Second Life presence to arrange meetings and presentations. Its main feature is a rather good Scope Cleaver bespoke building.