Whither Logica?

You may have noted that my rate of posting has dropped somewhat in recent times. Now while I admit that I am spending less time in Second Life, and when I do I am often engaged in building and scripting stuff - I think there is something else going on here. I do still spend way too much time looking for new (or at least, new to me) non-residential islands. However, the chances are few of stumbling upon something new and of sufficient interest as to justify the hassle of putting a post together. Oddly, there's actually a clutch of places I really like, but have not written about (yet). However, I sort of 'missed the moment', failed to write about them and now don't feel fired to do so.

But I digress... I think the main reason why I am finding it a struggle to locate new corporate sims, is that the flood has slowed to a trickle. Sure, I am probably missing many thrilling new sims - but I don't get the impression there is that much happening out there. In fact, it looks like the tide may really be receding - for now at least. I recently noted that BWM had left Second Life. Today, while doing a routine search I noticed that the sim belonging to Logica CMG no longer appeared on the Second Life map either.

I have not seen any announcement about this, and perhaps there is another explanation, but for all the World it looks like they've not renewed their maintenance and the island has been reclaimed. A shame, given the effort that had gone into building it in the first place.

If you know of new corporate sites - or indeed anything non-residential and worth the trip - then do let me know. Alternatively, if you know what's happened to the Logica CMG sim, then I'd love to hear.

VS2008/.NET 3.5 SP1

Don't run away... I know the title of the post looks a bit... well... tekkie. But hopefully, with luck, we can steer a safe course through to the end of this without any palpitations, hot sweats or brains turning to mush. So what's this all about? Why the weird sim name: VS2008/.NET 3.5 SP1? It seems this code is Microsoft's way of communicating with microsofties and microserfs around the globe, who will immediately recognise this as meaning: Visual Studio 2008 and .NET Framework 3.5 Service Pack 1. If you are non-the-wiser (and why should you be?), suffice it to say that this is all about developing solutions for Microsoft platforms. And that's pretty much as far as I go with the technobabble, I hope.

This sim is far from complete, but already there is one corner where people who actually understand anything about the above can go and start picking up information. There's a video by Scott Guthrie, author of the blog linked above, giving an introduction to the use of dynamic data in ASP.NET, and a number of presentations (see pictures below) on other such gubbins - with a bunch of links to pertinent pages, such as the thrilling ADO.NET Entity Framework Overview. (hehe... more technobabble... sorry!)

You will also find a link to Project Manhattan. No... not that one... this one. This is "a community based effort to explore the OpenSim virtual world software. OpenSim is free software that can be downloaded and used by anyone to create their own simulators and grids. This effort is supported by Microsoft... " News of the project is distributed via Twitter. If you hanker for more on the whole OpenSim thang then you should take a deep breath and dive into Tish Shute's Ugotrade blog.

Anyway - this island will presumably grow and develop. But for now, here's some snaps to look at:


Now it's getting technical...

Michelin and Enterprise Architecture

My 'About Me' tells you that I am "a virtual, electronic traveller on behalf of my real, atomic self." Unlike those who, for a variety of reasons, maintain a clear separation between their electronic and atomic selves, I have been happy for the two to overlap. I don't go to great lengths to conceal my atomic identity and regular readers may therefore be aware that, in the atomic world, I work for a large global IT consulting and services company. Furthermore, I work within the Enterprise Architecture group of that company - a role I largely enjoy and that requires much beard-stroking and drawing of boxes. [ I would strongly refute the assertion that architecture is merely "testiculating" - that is: waving the hands about while talking boll*cks ]

Anyway...I digress. Where was I? Oh yeah...

Today I had the opportunity to read a new report from Forrester Research entitled "Case Study: Michelin Uses Second Life For Enterprise Architecture Training." You can now hopefully see the relevance of my preamble and understand why this would pique my interest. I don't intend to go into the report in great detail - but I hope Forrester will not mind me lifting the following quotes, which give a brief summary:

• Michelin’s EA group has launched a private two-island Second Life region designed for training IT pros on architecture concepts. Michelin doesn’t intend to replace — rather, to augment — its traditional classroom training on EA concepts.
• Starting in April 2008, the EA group at Michelin began training IT professionals in Second Life. As of this writing, about 30 IT pros had completed the training, with 170 more expected to finish during the next couple of months.
• Michelin hired French virtual world development company Community Chest to build the Second Life region. It took about two months to build and cost €50,000 to €60,000.

Although only recently launched, the early feedback has been very positive. Reading (and badly translating) the builders' blog, it would seem that attendees enjoyed the "gameplay" style of the training - and the use of such an unusual training environment made the sessions held in Second Life particularly memorable. And that can't be a Bad Thing in the context of training!

I don't have any more information about the site - but I would love to look around (*hint* *hint*) as the Forrester report contains some tantalising glimpses.

Yamato - But Not That Yamato

Back in November I posted an entry about a Japanese sim that featured a brilliant reproduction of the battleship, Yamato. However, I have been aware for some time that this was not the only Yamato sim in Second Life, and tonight I made a second foray to one I first visited a few months ago, but decided not to write about: Yamato Isle.

Why didn't I write about it then? Well, to be honest, I thought it didn't warrant it. It was a confused melee and didn't strike me as terribly interesting.

So why have I opted to write about it now? Two reasons really: first, it is one of the lesser known IBM sims, so that gives it some kind of cachet; and second, it was open and I was bored of looking for something more interesting. The island, as the name implies, belongs to IBM Japan - and seems to be their "innovations and creations" lab. Around half the island is open to visitors, while you can also get a reasonable view of the half that is closed.

Given that its role is to offer a haven for developing 3D ideas, it is surprising that it is open to the public. In truth, there is not that much to see here, as it is all rather fractured, though it seems to have more coherence now than when I first visited, towards the tail end of last year. It has a few usable spaces, such as an auditorium - but I don't know if this is in use. The island seems to be managed for IBM by Bananamanh777 Swot (aka Bananamanh777 Spook).

I'm not sure that it's worth making a special trip to see, unless you are some kind of nerdy IBM sim completist - in which case, it is essential to tick this off your list. But then again... you've probably been here already. Anyway, here's a few snaps for you to peruse:




See what I mean? All sorts of bits in development. Of course, if you want the proper, public sim you can always toddle along to IBM Japan. I went there a while back, too - and for this post made a return visit. It still looks very unfinished to me - but you can take a ride-a-cow (or Mooving Cow) tour of the sim!

Company Island - A Work In Progress

This week I have not been quite as active in blogging interesting (or, indeed, not-so-interesting) sites in Second Life as I would normally be. Partly, this is due to a number of RL commitments that have reduced the time I've spent in Second Life, and partly it is due to my continuing work on the company island.

You may recall that we actually acquired the island at the end of December. Since then, when the opportunity has arisen - and the creative juices have been bubbling - I've been doing a "first fix" to get the island into a state where it is of practical use within the company. I don't expect most of the buildings to survive through future reconstructions. Looking at the experiences of a number of friends I am expecting maybe a couple of such reconstructions before we are all happy with the final result. I'm therefore keen to capture the island in its current state - and besides, I've not had much opportunity to go elsewhere recently.

The slideshow below features a number of buildings and a few open spaces... oh... and a giant TV. OK, I think I must've got the idea for the TV from Prados Azules, though I readily admit that mine is very simple and basic compared to theirs. I can't pinpoint any specific influences for the other buildings - but perhaps you can see them more clearly than me. The chairs in the "boardroom" will one day be a tolerable recreation of the real world ones, found at our training facility outside Paris - though, to be fair, they aren't bad now.

So, in the absence of a more usual post, here's my pictures of the company island - a work in progress:

Connect3 is too connected

A slightly strange one this... the Connect3 sim. I stumbled upon while looking for anything promising in this part of the grid. Nearby, I had found the wonderfully named - but rather dull and residential - Fookers sim. I wasn't sure whether Connect3 was the third in a series of Connect sims, or perhaps the precursor to the yet-to-be-created gaming sim, Connect4. I opted for the traditional method for determining such knotty conundrums, and hit the "teleport" button.

I found myself on an almost new sim, belonging to C0nnect3 Systems. Their website tells me that the company "is the leading provider of software solutions and professional services that enable retailers from all industry segments to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their cross-channel and cross-media Advertising, Merchandising and Promotion (AMP) processes." It also tells me they are based in Cerrito, California, and that they have been in business over 14 years. Their clients include Best Buy and Circuit City. Oh... and they have tried their hand at blogging - but appear to have given up about 9 months ago, after posting just a couple of entries.

There isn't very much to say about the sim. There is a little bit of paving that is in need of alignment, as it overlaps in many places resulting in a "migraine attack" effect. At the moment there is a single building, presumably destined to be the main company reception and office, but aside from some client logos, it is yet to be personalised and furnished. Finally, it also has some streaming video of some Best Buy... errr... best buys, which may account for the atrocious lag I experienced on the sim. Click the pic for a bigger pic:

Given the otherwise rudimentary state of the sim, I assume this office is a prefab - and rather nice it is too.

If this sim is so incomplete, why am I bothering to post about it? In order to highlight the fact that this sim really is not yet in a fit state to be viewed by bumbling ramblers like me, and should be locked down until it is. If Connect3 are doing this build on their own - and why not? - then they might want to think about bringing in some expertise to help them with basic land and access management. Revealing your work in progress too early could actually work against you, and risks damage to your brand. Get all the basics worked out, including your security and governance, and make sure you don't open access until you are confident the site is in good shape. Regular readers may recall that I am a fan of the largely unannounced "soft launch" - which allows you to iron out wrinkles in the build before going for a full-on public launch. But this sim, in my view, is nowhere near ready for that yet.

Assuming this is the first and last time I see the sim before it is ready for such a launch, I will take this opportunity to wish Connect3 good luck with the build - and I look forward to seeing it again when it is ready!

Logica CMG Revisited

Back in April last year I wrote a piece on European IT giant, Logica CMG and their (then) new - and eponymous - presence in Second Life. At the time, this was planned to be a largely private sim, providing meeting and networking facilities for Logica staff, and it was modelled as a sort of laid-back beachfront, with a lot of water, a few low-key constructions and a chunk of beach. Maybe this reveals how my memory works, but today I was squinting over the map when I noticed Logica CMG again - and I could see immediately that the sim was totally different from the incarnation I witnessed 8 months ago. So I poked the teleport button and went to have a look.

The island is indeed radically different. For one thing, it now seems to be aimed at the outside world, rather than the internal, company world. It is still, despite the company's international credentials, a Dutch build. For example, one of the buildings is only too happy to give me information on the company's many locations - provided I stick within The Netherlands. There's an auditorium, informal meeting and dancing areas, and a number of information zones. There is also a plethora of mini-skyscrapers, emblazoned in the company's non-too-fetching yellow and grey livery, that seem to serve no particular function at the moment. It is a very.... "busy"... place. There's a lot crammed in here, and the cramming is made somewhat claustrophobic by the presence of glass walls and corridors - a lot of glass walls and corridors. Quite what benefit these provide I do not know. The overall impression I have is of a giant hamster cage - though mercifully without the giant hamster.

As far as I can tell, the build is not quite finished. There were a few rough edges, default textures and the like, that are no doubt being ironed out. While I admire the zeal with which they have applied themselves to squeezing so much into a single sim, to me it feels confusing and overdone. I think the old maxim that "sometimes less is more" is something worth pondering. To be blunt, I think the first incarnation worked better - at least, it worked better for me. And here are a few snaps to ponder:

Almaviva

I've been a bit lazy about posting for a number of days, but finally my conscience (or is it my addiction?) has got the better of me and so I thought I would bring you the Italian commercial sim: Almaviva - or more correctly, AlmavivA. I had originally hoped that this would be another Slambling scoop - an event as rare a rocking-horse poop these days. But once again it seems that I am about 6 months too late to claim anything in the scooping department, or indeed the rocking-horse pooping department for that matter.

AlmavivA describes itself as "the Italian Innovation Company" - in effect an IT services company combining Business Process Outsourcing and Customer Relationship Management solutions. In fact, the AlmavivA Group is made up of 20 companies with around 15,000 staff and "collaborators" (that's the word used on the website), mainly in Italy - but also with offices Tunisia, Brazil, Romania and Sardinia. The group’s turnover in 2006 was a very respectable 707 million euros. They opened their island in Second Life way back in July, 2007. You can find here an interview with AlmavivA's Marketing and Business Development Manager, Valeria Sandei. I have taken the liberty of lifting a few quotes I think capture the essence of the interview:

• AlmavivA were up for the 'challenge of trying out new communication and marketing strategies, a new way of “interacting virtually".'
• 'compared to other image strengthening operations, Second Life is a relatively low-cost option...'
• before stressing: 'our presence in the virtual universe is in any case fully consistent with the image of a company that has always focused on innovation.'

The Second Life island is pleasant enough - if unexceptional. This can be explained by the fact that it was self-built by their Service Line System Integration unit. And actually it's pretty good for a first attempt. If I had built it, I'd certainly be rather pleased with myself. Based on a semi-tropical theme, most of the island is given over to pleasant landscaping, with only the occasional building. The principal building is a large, blue-glass office block, where you will find a bunch of information about the company. There is also a sizeable open-air auditorium with an active video screen. Judging from the menu at the side, there is a good choice of (rather worthy?) business videos you can watch. For those wishing to socialise and engage, there is a beach side bar and an amusements room, while for the more intrepid there is a boat trip (though I am not sure if this can be used without a member of staff present). I did not have long to explore, but I did not find a treasure trove of freebies. Here are a few snaps:




This sim is not going to set new standards in corporate builds, but it is straightforward, has all the basics one would need and has served as a valuable training tool for the internal build team. I am not aware of it receiving much press (Google seemed unable to locate much in the way of news or blogs about it), which would suggest that perhaps it could have been promoted better. I am not sure it works terribly well as a public island promoting the brand -after all, it is "just another corp sim." However, I can see that it would work well as a client venue, or indeed as a meeting place for staff from the 20 companies, otherwise spread throughout Italy and, indeed, in place rather further afield.

Centric Virtual - plus the Cory Story

It seems like ages since I last blogged about a Dutch site in Second Life, yet once upon a time I couldn't move without stumbling across a new one. Tonight, however, it is time to redress the balance, with a trip to Centric Virtual. Many folks will associate the word "Centric" with the American marketing agency that specialises in social media and virtual worlds. However, this particular Centric is a Dutch IT firm.

In fact, the company employs around 8,500 in a number of European countries: The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Norway and Switzerland. It offers a comprehensive range of services: consultancy; IT solutions; software engineering; e-business; systems integration; managed ICT services and training. The main feature of their Second Life presence, however, is their Centric Melodies offering. I will need to rely on my pal, VeeJay, to tell me what this is all about, but from what I can make of it, it seems to be a middleware solution, connecting web user and other clients with back-office systems. If you are a Dutch speaker you can find out more in this brochure (pdf).

The Centric Virtual island looks to be under construction. In fact it only has 2 major structures - a Centric Melodies stage and an R&D building, where there appears to be some building experimentation going on. A rudimentary network of paths connects the 2 structures. If your Dutch is up to it, there appears to be a Centric Melodies test system you can try out. A couple of loungers in the stage area will accept chat input and (I'm joining the dots furiously here, you understand!) convey this to a back-office help system.

I took a few snaps:



As you can see, the island is quite bare at the moment, but I assume Centric thought it had enough content to make it worthwhile making it available to the general public. If so, I'm not sure they are right. There is too little to really get much from the site, although I suppose it did introduce me to an IT company I did not know previously... and resulted in this blog post. Hmmm...

+++

The Cory Story

Since every blogger and his/her dog seems to be blogging about the departure of Cory Ondrejka from his post as CTO for Linden Lab I thought I'd add my tuppence-worth. Cory was the 4th employee of Linden Lab, joining back in November, 2000. Prior to this, according to the Linden Lab website, he'd "served as Project Leader and Lead Programmer for Pacific Coast Power and Light. At PCP&L, he brought the 'Road Rash' franchise to the Nintendo for the first time with 'Road Rash 64' and built the core technology teams that completed multiple products for Nintendo and Sony console."

According to a leaked internal email from CEO Phil Rosedale: "As it grows, the needs of our company are changing, and the role of CTO, or technical lead, has also evolved. Therefore, Cory and I are in agreement that our paths, at this point in time at least, lie in different directions. During Cory's tenure the engineering team has grown tremendously, and given the breadth and depth of our technical expertise, we do not foresee any impact on our development plans. Together, we've produced great things in the development of Second Life, and I know Cory will go on to achieve excellence in his chosen field."

While here's a snippet of an internal email that Moo Money posted: "Cory and I have differences in how we think Linden should be run, differences that in the past few months have become irreconcilable... as we change and grow as a company, I feel that we need a different set of strengths in engineering leadership." The full text is here.

As a friend of mine put it, small companies need uber-hackers - they ignite the process, build innovative solutions and get you up and running quickly. I may be doing Cory a disservice, but it seems to me he fits into this category. However, once you have a large (and largely successful) implementation on your hands, your focus shifts from rapid innovation and heads more towards Quality of Service and effective service delivery. The skills for this sort of role are quite different, and this may be where Rosedale has identified a key weakness. God knows, most of us are aware that this has been a key weakness!

Whether this is the role of a CTO is another matter, but if I were in Rosedale's shoes I would be looking to achieve a stable environment (after implementing Windlight and Havok 4!). Next year is going to be tough going for virtual world companies - mainly due to the sheer number that will be available. Second Life needs to get itself fit to fight its corner - and getting a consistent QoS level is a vital part of this. Sharing a common vision is, of course, another.