WnG Island

Here's another sim that is probably not going to set the pulse racing, but in the manner of philatelists, train spotters and lepidopterists everywhere, I am nevertheless adding it to my collection.

It belongs to Swiss "web and new media agency", WnG. Based in Lausanne, the company has now branched into the virtual world, viewing it as a natural extension of their website. Visitors can get up-to-date company news and register for a newsletter, as well as obtaining links to their portfolio of customer websites. While it is still early days, the company also wants to offer its customers the opportunity to have their virtual presence, built and hosted on the WnG island. You can find a more detailed description of their proposal, in French, here.

At the moment, there is only WnG's building on the island. It is hard to get much of an impression of the place, since there is so little to get much of an impression of. The building is fine, with displays linking to both their own and their clients' web pages - but it so far fails to excite. It is perhaps too early to talk in terms of community and interactivity - but if they expect the island to function solely as an extension of their website, then I think they are misinterpreting the value and use of virtual worlds. That said, I assume the build is home-grown and the capital outlay is small, so right now it is a case of "nothing ventured, nothing gained". I took a few pictures - but as you can see, there's not much to show right now:

Google's Engineering HQ in Zurich

While browsing the BBC News website, as I tend to do, I came across a fascinating item on Google's Engineering HQ in Zurich. I thought you might be interested, too.

Yeah... And? What's that got to do with the main themes of Ambling in Second Life?

Simple. I have been asked on many occasions by non-SLers: "What is SL like?" It struck me while watching the video that this is what Second Life is like, and what a corporate site in Second Life might offer. And here it is... slap bang in the middle of the atomic world. OK, there may be a lack of teleports, and flying is not recommended, but the look and feel is spot-on.

If the link doesn't work - or you want more - there's more images and videos here. Or there's a great selection of photos here - which you can view on this slideshow.

SBB CFF FFS 4 SL

A number of travel organisations have now come to Second Life, but this is the first I've seen that uses quite so many 3-letter abbreviations: SBB CFF FFS. (though mercifully the island name has been shorted to SBB 1). The reason for the 3 sets of initials is easily explained. This is the Swiss Federal Railways (German: SBB, Schweizerische Bundesbahnen; French: CFF, Chemins de fer fédéraux suisses; Italian: FFS, Ferrovie federali svizzere). The nature of the company is apparent when you visit the island, though it is still very much at a formative stage.

You arrive on a station platform, with a carriage waiting for you to board. Adverts link to the railway website. Next to the platform is a sandbox area where you are encouraged to try your hand at making a model railway. Vending machines next to the sandbox supply track of various shapes on demand. Finally there is a terminal for requesting train timetables by use of the SL chat facility. The build is very much in its infancy, and this is as far as it goes at this time. Here are a few images to digest:


The texture used on the railway carriage is over-stretched, resulting in blurring of the text and the the transparant areas used for the windows.