US Holocaust Museum & Kristallnacht

Well, it's been quite a few weeks since I last put virtual quill to pixel-based parchment. There's a pile of reasons why this is the case, but I think they can all be condensed together into a single catch-all: I've got other things to do with my time. Tracking down new enterprise sims has become the SL equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack, and frankly I don't feel like doing it at the moment. Mr Kingdon, in various recent interviews, seems to be in some sort of denial about the business appeal of Second Life. I am not privy to The Numbers, but my experience has left me with the view that Second Life is signally failing to appeal to organisations other than universities and colleges. Welcome news, no doubt, to many of the residents of Second Life, who couldn't give a fig about this, as long as it doesn't interrupt the often bizarre ups and downs of their virtual lives.

Sure, there are several newcomers to Second Life that I have visited - but I've not felt "inspired" (yet) to write about them, including: Air France-KLM, virtual Birmingham and virtual Czech Republic. So why am I writing now? And what am I writing about? A week or so back, I got a message from Drew Stein of Involve, the company behind the rather fine 7Days' Magic Bakery sim, inviting me to view their latest work on behalf of the US Holocaust Museum. After a few attempts I finally met up with Drew and David Klevan, Education Manager for Technology and Distance Learning Initiatives at the Museum, for a tour. The site opens officially on Tuesday, 9th December.

As it has already been described in great detail by Virtual Worlds News I don't intend to offer you much wordage - and would point you towards the extensive set of images at the foot of this post. However, if you want my impressions - here they are:

The first thing to note is this is not actually a full sim, nor is it a virtualised version of the US Holocaust Museum itself. Rather it is an exhibit commemorating the Kristallnacht, the 70th anniversary of which has just passed - an event which many now see as defining the start of the Holocaust. The exhibit, which covers roughly a quarter of a sim, starts in a 1930s news room. The idea - the conceit if you like - is that you are a journo, freshly arrived in Germany (one assumes), a day or two after the events of Kristallnacht. Your mission is to investigate what happened, and file a report. Once you've got the basics, a click will open a wall, and you find yourself on a deserted German street, books and documents are strewn about, and anti-semitic graffiti are daubed on many of the buildings. As you move through the streets you trigger audio commentaries, the first-hand experiences of survivors of that dreadful night. You can also enter a number of buildings - the police station, a consulate, a wrecked house, a ransacked schoolroom and finally, a burnt-out synagogue. Again, the audio gives you the personal reminiscences, while ingeniously designed displays provide you with views of related documents. There are various information notecards throughout the exhibit, giving you yet more details.

From the synagogue you proceed to a second newsroom, where you can opt to file a short report - and find out more about the people to whom you've been listening while exploring the exhibit. There's also a video room, displaying a range of short films.

So what did I make of it? Does it all work? Hmmm... it's hard to say. I think, perhaps, the central conceit of the "investigative journo" may be more suited to an exhibit aimed at kids and teenagers; not surprising, since that is the origin of the piece, in fact. The narratives, the personal testaments, were very moving and interesting, and the build itself has been done with sensitivity and skill. However, I am not sure that it all works - at least, not for me. Scripted items, like the smashing of shop windows or the burning of the synagogue, are impressive as pieces of code - but cannot really capture the fear or horror of the event. Also, while they show what can be done in SL, they are not strictly necessary. Indeed, given that you, the journo, are supposed to be investigating after the event, these occasional flashbacks are also anachronistic.

The exhibit should certainly be seen, and you may find the effects work for you. I know the museum has planned a lecture/meeting in January - and I hope they provide many more. The holocaust, and the many genocides the world has witnessed since then, should not be forgotten. One of Second Life's greatest strengths is the way it allows people from around the globe to meet and share the same experience. So, for example, it should no longer be necessary to travel to New York to attend a lecture or meeting at the Holocaust Museum.

As promised earlier - here are my pictures. It's an extensive set...

Sigma Aldrich

Occasionally I like to see what new islands are appearing at the very edges of the great Second Life grid. These far-flung islands will, soon enough, be gobbled up as the region starts to fill - but for now they lie out in the deep blue ocean as vanguards of the advancing grid. Today I happened upon a small group of 4 such sims belonging to Sigma Aldrich, and thought I would take the opportunity to give them a post.

Sigma Aldrich is a global company, headquartered in the US, who specialise in research chemistry and the supply of "fine chemicals", together with the manufacturer of products for use by research chemists. Their website has some engagingly whimsical pages, such as the Scientific Origamists Gallery and their Design A Lab Coat competition - while the more seriously minded might want to wander into the Stable Isotopes Centre (just one of many product pages) to checkout what's available in the world of NMR solvents (I have no idea what they might be, I hasten to add).

The four Second Life sims are glued to form a single land mass. Two of the sims are at a reasonably advanced state of construction, while the other two are at a very early stage in the build process. In part, the rapid build may be due to the employment of various Clever Zebra prefabs, all the work of Lordfly Digeridoo. However, since a lot of additional items, such as lampposts and fountains, are also the work of Lordfly, it is possible that he is providing rather more hands-on assistance to the build. I am tempted to touch on his recent departure from CZ, but instead I will point you in the direction of Prokofy for the full story. It is an interesting tale*.

As regards the Sigma Aldrich sims, there is little to say, to be honest. The "corporate buildings" look suitably corporate, and the overall build seems to be progressing well. But it is really too early to tell what the site will eventually offer. In the meantime, a few pictures, methinks:


* Thinks: Dunno why I'm driving footfall to Prok's blog, as Prok seems to think I'm a total d*ckhead. Oh well.

Preferred Family Healthcare

If you are a frequent visitor (perhaps you prefer "resident") to the virtual world of Second Life, you are probably aware that it plays host to some large island groups - large enough to form their own mini-continents. One such group is the cluster of library, education and not-for-profit sims that I usually (and inaccurately) think of as the Info Island Cluster. I have watched this grow over the last couple of years from a small core of sims, to a large, rambling continent that, while often badly laggy, has much of interest. As it has expanded it has also spawned its own archipelago of islands, many of which may end up absorbed into the land mass as it grows. This post is about one of these islands: Preferred Family HC.

This island belongs to Preferred Family Healthcare. Established in 1979, it is a provider of mental health and substance use disorder prevention and treatment, throughout Missouri and San Antonio, Texas. The island's notecard informs me:

PFH has established a presence in Second Life to explore the value of early intervention oriented activity in substance use disorders (SUDs) and other addictions.

Substance Use Disorder (also known by many other names including alcoholism, drug addiction and substance abuse) is a primary, chronic, progressive and fatal illness. Although it catches hold rapidly in some cases, it can often take years, even decades to develop to the point where traditional interventions come into play. By the time most individuals with this problem actually seek or are directed to helpful resources, they have often developed significant additional problems that need immediate attention and often interfere with recovery.

Medical complications (e.g. liver damage, malnourishment, obesity, diabetes, or the results of accidental injuries) are often present, as are problems with work, family relationships, finances, and the legal system. The road to recovery gets longer the longer you wait to make a change.

But societal stigma often acts as a strong deterrent to seeking help. Because of the way our cultures have come to look at SUD, there is often a great deal of shame and guilt associated with this condition, even in the early stages. The very act of seeking help can open one up to the negative opinions of others.

At PFH, we hope that the relative anonymity of Second Life might open the door to many who would not wish to entertain the notion they could have a problem, to give these individuals, and their families and friends, information leading to self-assessment, to offer some simple "do it yourself" type solutions to try without formal intervention, and to direct those who need it to more intensive forms of assistance.

The notecard alse seems to suggest that PFH actually started out with smaller presence in Second Life, on one of the Commonwealth Island sims, part of the Info Island Cluster.

The principal feature of this island is the office and meeting building - a reasonably attractive modern structure, that provides a number of meeting rooms of varying sizes, and virtual office space for officers of the organisation. While this seems largely complete, I couldn't help but notice that there is a desk suspended in mid-air around the back of the building. Elsewhere, there's a small house by the seaside, and a couple of boats. It looks like these may become dance zones in due course. While I wish them success with the venture, I don't know whether people will really wish to use it in the way they suggest. But then, I recall talking to someone about university Rhetoric courses being run in Second Life, where the relative anonymity and detachment offered by the environment actually increased student involvement in the course. So maybe it will be used. For now, it looks like it is nearing completion, rather than ready for business - a view borne out by the traffic stats, which are very low at the moment.

Anyway, here's my snaps:

Favour of a Bookish Nature

I dunno... I must be soft in the head or something. I seem to have taken to doing favours this week. Now, if I believed in a concept of the Hereafter (beyond "What's s/he here after?") then this might make sense. Alternatively, if I was one for leaping on a karmic cycle then I could see the point. But as it is, I'm more of a "when you're dead, you're dead" kind of chap. Maybe, in the grand scheme of things, not believing in a Grand Scheme of Things means I have a Darwinian reason for doing favours. Who knows?

Whatever the reason, here I am again - doing a favour (and avoiding writing the MMC and Ruta Maya posts... which is bad of me). This one relates to books. I received a request in world to tell you about the SL Book Fair, 2008 - here is the press release, so you can note it in your diaries:

SL Book Fair 2008
25th to 27th April 2008
Book Island and Publishing Island


It's here again and this time bigger and better than ever! The 2007 fair saw 1400 visitors in three days, over 40 exhibitors and nearly 20 events.

In 2008, we will be across two sims (eight times more land) with 50 exhibitors and 100 book related shops with around 50 events. SL Book Fair isn't just about books - exhibitors include writers, publishers, editors, bloggers and anything word related!

TO GET UPDATES: If you'd like to be kept up to date about the book fair, please join the Book Island Events and Discussion Group and nearer the fair, we will group notice with more details.

TO EXHIBIT: If you'd like to exhibit, please send a notecard to Selina Greene that includes your avatar name, a brief description of your proposed exhibit and an indication of whether you'd like to hold an event (priority event scheduling given to exhibitors). Or, touch one of the red boxes located at the landmarks above for more information. Booths are available for rent for L250 a week for a two week period. We will be in touch after we receive your application.

TO HOLD AN EVENT: If you'd like to hold an event at the fair, please notecard Kitumscheid Writer or Angeline Blachere who will send you a notecard to fill out.

We hope to see you there!


By the way, if you are wondering why I still haven't done the 2 sites mentioned earlier, it's just that it will need a lot of time - and I never seem to have enough. Just to cut to the chase... visit them both, they're both marvellous builds.

Cow

I think it was the lurid, glowing greens on the map that attracted me to try the Cow sim. I know I should be writing about the MMC and Maya sims - but I'm a contrary beggar, and felt the need to root out something I'd not seen before, and that is maybe not entirely ready. And for me tonight, the Cow sim meets that need. (I will do the others eventually!)

I don't think it's quite finished -there's a few things missing, including (slightly disturbingly) some cows' heads. And one of the things that is missing is content - in effect, the structure is ready, but the content, such as notecards, slideshows and weblinks is not there just yet. Which made it potentially tricky to track down. However, I had a hunch I'd seen the "Cow" and "Herd" before... and with a teensy bit of help from Google I was able to track 'em down like.... ummm.. lost cows, I suppose.

First off we have Cow PR, strapline "We're not Sheep". While the Herd is "the community networking arm of Cow PR... about helping brands talk to their audiences through 'citizen media.'" Maybe I've spent too long in virtual worlds. When I first read their strapline, I thought it was an oblique reference to Electric Sheep Company! I need to get out more (though even now, I suspect this is not altogether a coincidence). Another part of this bovine empire is Cowshed Productions, responsible for ads and things viral, like this:

From their YouTube site. As for what they've actually done - I will leave it to you to wrestle with the joys of their flash-based websites.

As for the sim, as I said it is not quite ready in terms of content. You arrive in an open sided barn (or something) in front of which is a small field containing a couple of cows, backed by a couple of towering waterfalls. The grass is a vivid green, while the rocks are eye-poppingly orange, and the water - a deeply implausible blue. In fact, it has the feel of a dream - one that follows the ingestion of too much cheese the night before. It looks like there will be a bunch of notecards to be picked up at this starting point - and a guided tour too. But none of these function at the moment.

You need to get up to the top of the waterfall for the main buildings - and there are 2 routes provided. One around the edge of the sim, that takes in the Cow Cafe, where you can milk your own cow(though the ones here had no heads! aaargh!!), before ascending to the top of the falls. The other route takes you through a huge cavern, up a winding path that eventually emerges to join the external path. At the top are several green spheres that will eventually house a cinema, a meetings area and a jobs hall (I've forgotten the last one). At the moment, aside from some seating - and some cows - these spheres are largely bare. One small point... there's a couple of places where the step height is too great, so walkers have to "hop" to progress. It will be easy to fix this.

I have to say, I think I like this place. It is quite memorable, and has a number of pleasing, faintly surreal aspects... And the cows look great, when they have heads on. That said, I don' t think it has the charm, ambience, complexity or humour of the Leo Burnett sim, a company in a not entirely dissimilar line of business. The Cow sim is the work of well-known virtual builder, Luna Bliss.

And finally - some snaps:

Oh... and there's some cool freebies already in place, including a fine sculptie cow, a set of overalls and an animated cow feed. Of these, the cow definitely has it!

Something Wrong with the State of Texas Instruments

Tonight I thought I would take one of my periodic peeks at the sims dotted around those belonging to Millions of Us. I have been aware of a Texas Instruments sim for many months, but on all previous occasions it has been closed. I was therefore pleasantly surprised to find it open this time, and popped in for a look around.

The sim is actually advertising the company's DLP high-definition screen technology, and features a number of examples where you would see the benefits. There's also an attractive auditorium. As all of this is the work of MOU, the build quality is as you'd expect. And all of it is placed on a fairly small island in the middle of the sim. So far, so good.

Now for the not-so-good. I don't know when the plan is to open this island to the public - maybe it already is - but someone seems to have made a blunder with permissions. Right now, the island appears to be a Griefers Paradise. There seems to be no build restrictions at all, as far as I could tell, and all manner of oddities are already appearing... a helicopter, a luxury yacht, a few extraneous islands, a number of "money pyramids" and at higher altitudes there is more construction work underway. OK, to be fair, most of the "defacing" to date seems to be people treating the place like a perpetual sandbox. However, there are signs that less innocent souls are at work.

While I have had suspicions in the past about companies using "free to build" as a mechanism for driving footfall (I won't mention the events in question), I don't think that this is the case here. Besides, despite my cynicism and paranoia, I still err on the side of 'cock-up over conspiracy'. I will be mildly intrigued to see how this pans out.

Here's a few snaps (you might just make out the dodgy pyramids in the first picture):

Kazakhstan Goes Virtual

Interesting news coming from the steppes of Central Asia. While we have witnessed a few governments dipping their toes into the virtual waters of Second Life, these have tended to come from the 'developed' nations of Europe, North America and Asia. It therefore comes as an unexpected pleasure to hear that the giant Central Asian republic of Kazakhstan is opening a presence in Second Life. If your Russian is up to it, you can read all about it here. Whether this is part of a wider bid to shake off the image given by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen (in his guise of Kazakh TV journalist, Borat) I do not know.

Second Astana takes its name from the capital of Kazakhstan… umm… Astana. Curiously, “Astana” means “capital city” in Kazakh. How spooky is that, eh? (hehe) Oh, and for any New Yorkers, you might like to know that Astana has recently been named "Manhattan on the Steppe." You can find out more about that in this Chicago Tribune article.

I’ve not yet had the pleasure of a trip to Second Astana, but according to reports in the Kazakh press, they have “recreated the central area of modern Astana from Baytereka to the pyramid of the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation. " The Bayterek, or "Tree of Life”, is the emblem of the city - a large glass sphere perched at the top of a 100-meter metal shaft. The renowned architect practice, Foster + Partners, designed the 62-meter glass pyramid, the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation. You can find an extensive report on the real life Astana at Spiegel Online.

Both of these buildings, along with the impressive array of monuments, palaces and offices in between, have been built for President Nazarbayev; part of his bid to put Kazakhstan on the map, and guarantee himself a prominent place in history. To describe Nazarbayev as “controversial” would be putting things mildly, with allegations of human rights abuses,nepotism, brutality, corruption and megalomania. Indeed, many point to the explosive growth of Astana as proof of this megalomania – and will doubtless see its expansion into the virtual realm of Second Life as yet further evidence.

I have read that the development is not officially sanctioned, yet it is intended to tie in with Kazakstan’s plans for digital development and improving the international image of the country. There are plans to expand the presence , with Second Life versions of Kazakh tourist destinations: Almaty, Turkestan and Borovoe.

Oh… if you don’t fancy visiting the Second Life version of Astana, it is also available as a 3D map on Google Earth. Here's a snap I took of the 3D map:


UPDATE: Follow this link for more on the Second Life site.

Gibson Guitars

If you have any knowledge of any form of popular music of the last 100 years, whether it be Jazz, Blues, Country, Rock, Pop or any of a zillion genres and sub-genres, then you surely must know the name Gibson, makers of some of the best loved electric guitars in the world. This is relevant because, while taking a look at the Second Life grid near the site of my last post I espied a Gibson Island. I zoomed in my map view. "Hot damn, that looks like the business end of a Les Paul" thinks I, and in a "we are not worthy" moment, I found myself teleported to the surface of the sim. But first, some background...

The Gibson Guitar Corporation has a history dating back to 1902 - further, if you want to include Orville Gibson's mandolin design of 1898. That great rock icon, the Les Paul, first saw the light of day in 1952, followed by other famous and much loved models like the Flying V and the SG. Over the years the company has diversified to cover a broad range of instruments, and also owns Epiphone, who produce cut price versions of the big sellers. ( I must confess an interest here , as I am the owner of a left-handed Epiphone SG - though it rarely gets out for any exercise these days).

The Gibson Island sim describes itself as: "Gibson Guitar Corp's official world on Second Life. Its a fun place for musicians and music fans, with lots to see and do, free concerts by SL and even RL musicians who endorse Gibson's family of products." It is in part of the grid that has many new sims, and many more in the early stages of construction. This sim is no different. The main feature is a combination of terraforming and object creation that forms the shape of the Les Paul guitar body, complete with strings, controls and pickups. However, it looks like a first cut at the moment - a "build it and see what it looks like" experiment that may be developed into a more fully-fledged version in due course. One side of island has more practical public spaces - an acoustic stage, a diner/dance hall and an electric stage. However, it is immediately obvious when you arrive that the island is quite a way off being ready. There are various odd bits of things dotted about the sim, seemingly is varying stages of test.

As I've commented before, opening the doors too early is not necessarily a good idea, since you end up with non-reports like this one. I can't really make any fair comment on the sim because it is so incomplete - but that's because I am of a generous disposition. A meaner "me" might treat any open sim as public and hence fair game, and review it accordingly. It is better to get the sim to a state you are happy to consider complete before letting in the hordes.

Here's a photoset so you can see what's there at the moment:

Extropia Core Expands

Despite being a frequent absentee, I remain an avid fan of Sophrosyne's Salon at Extropia Core, and the eclectic gathering who converge there every Saturday for a talk or presentation from some luminary or another, followed by (or often interspersed with) a general chinwag. It's a fun event. The Extropia Core sim seems to change radically between each visit - but has now compounded this rate of change by adding another sim: Extropia.

Although the sim newly minted, the Extropia builders - Vidal Tripsa and Galatea Gynoid - have been beavering away to make it habitable. Parcels are available for rent here, however, before you rush into it, you might want to bear the following in mind: "We will REQUIRE two references from current citizens for all applications. The Board reserves the right to veto any application. To be added to the waiting list, IM Sophrosyne Stenvaag with the names of your references and the parcel size you would like." So that's a bit more stringent that Anshe Chung then.

I don't know what the sim will finally look like - maybe it will look like it does now. But since the group has opened it to wanderers and itinerant ramblers, I thought you might like to see it:

Gruppo Banca Carige

Banks in Second Life seem to be emerging as one of my themes of the month. As two Dutch bank prepare to depart from Second Life, here's an Italian bank on its way in.

While having a look around the growing Italian area of Second Life (which looks quite weird on the map view incidentally) I saw a name I didn't recognise. Most of the sims in this part of the grid are named after Italian cities and/or regions - but Carige was not familiar to me, so I went along for a look. It turns out to belong to Italian bank Gruppo Banca Carige. Based in Genoa, and with over 900 branches throughout Italy, the group employs over 5000, and serves 1.7million customers. I don't know when the Second Life branch was opened. In fact, I will stick my neck out here, and say that this branch is not yet complete and not really open to the public.

OK, actually this seems like a safe bet to me. Although the majority of the building work is complete, there are parts, particularly in the Leisure Area, where there is still a reasonable amount of work to do - for example, dropping the putting green onto the island surface (it currently hovers around a metre above it). There are a few such "floating" objects that need to be tethered.

However, to be fair, the bulk of the island is in good shape. It is dominated by a large, modern office building, resembling a set of billowing sails. It is still a tad spartan inside, but it is evident that work is in progress. Beyond the office building, in one corner of the island, sits an outdoor auditorium. At the moment the seating is simply floating in mid air, a feature I like! However, more sober heads may decide that this minimalist and distinctly NPIRL* approach to auditoria is going too far. I shall look forward to checking this on a subsequent return visit.

The previously mentioned Leisure Area seems to take up around a third of the island, with a (short!) golf course, tennis court, gym and pool. In a nod towards the city of Genoa, there seems to be a recreation of the city's lighthouse. But we've not finished yet - no sirree. There are several more buildings - all largely complete: a recruitment office; an overseas relations office and meeting spaces for both domestic and business clients. Oh... and finally, there's a dance area. Phew! And all of these set around an ornamental lake. It is a neat piece of juggling to fit in all of these features without it looking strained and crowded. Here's the photos from my trip (there's a lot of them, so I've reverted to PictoBrowser):

Will this see a change in the perceptions of SL by RL banks? Nah... can't see it myself. But I hope Banca Carige enjoy their virtual adventure.

Not the warmest welcome at KZgunea

On my travels I have noticed a number of Basque sims in Second Life, but so far all the ones I have tried have resolutely refused to grant me access. However, today I noticed a little quartet comprising 3 brand new sims, and one that the map suggested was quite well advanced: KZgunea. On the basis that "nothing ventured, nothing gained" I attempted a teleport and was pleasantly surprised to find that this was successful.

A rummage (and translation) of the KZgunea reveals the following: The Basque Government has initiated the so-called Plan Euskadi in the Information Society whose aim is to boost information technology in all social levels: basic education, citizenship, business, culture and government. The KZgunea Project, launched in 2001, is the creation of a network of free public courses for the training and use of new information technologies, particularly targeting those with least access to new technologies such as the elderly and unemployed, with the aim of closing the "digital divide."

(Apologies for some shaky English there - but most of that was a Google translation.)

It is therefore not unreasonable to see the project setting up in Second Life. The site does look somewhat incomplete, comprising a bar and a number of closed buildings. An attempt to sneak inside one of the closed buildings revealed a classroom, but I could get little more information before I was summarily ejected and automatically teleported home! Nevertheless, this glimpse served to confirm my expectations - with a number of virtual schoolrooms being readied for use with KZgunea Project clients. A number of (presumably) familiar basque landmarks are dotted around the island. However, aside from the famous Guernica oak tree - Gernikako Arbola - I can't claim to have recognised them. Presumably to help fund the island, there are several small information kiosks that link you to commercial websites. Most, if not all, of these are for Spanish IT companies - so I would guess they are also sponsors of the project as a whole.

Lega Volley Femminile

Shortly after hitting a Slough of Despond yesterday, fearing that I'd never find a commercial sim I could enjoy, rescue came in the unlikely form of Italian Ladies' Volleyball. The Legavolley Femminile, or Lega Pallavolo Serie A Femminile, to give its full(?) name, have an island that is still under development - but is already showing great promise.

The island comprises a number of buildings, linked by pathways. The buildings, which are quite subtly modelled on a volleyball, serve different functions. At the moment the sim is somewhat short on links or information, which I assume is yet to be integrated into the build, and so the function of some of the buildings remains a mystery. However, one serves as an auditorium, while another contains a volleyball court. What I think sets this sim apart from the average commercial sim is the cleverness of the design and the care taken in its implementation. It is hard to explain - and perhaps only makes sense to me - but there is an intriguing blend of simplicity and complexity: from a distancemany items appear simple enough, but under more scrutiny, reveal details that were not initially apparent. If you like: "the more you look, the more you see." The textures are well chosen too, to optimise the sense of 3D. Here's a few pictures to give you a flavour of the place:

There's a short machinima you might enjoy here, though it focuses on the team colours, and shows nothing of the build.

TUV Nord

I recall posting something quite a long time ago about the German city of Hamburg - or rather its Chamber of Commerce. Now, over 6 months later, I find myself back in the neighbourhood. But where once there was a single sim, now there seems to be a small, but distinct, archipelago of Hamburg sims, covering education, city promotion and a few companies and organisations that seem to be based in the city. One these is Atlantis Media, which I may write about at some future point. Another is TUV Nord, an altogether more difficult outfit to write about. I've been struggling to get to grips with exactly who and what they are.

I will tell you what I have been able to gather. According to wikipedia: "TÜVs (short for Technischer Überwachungs-Verein) are German organizations that work to validate the safety of products of all kinds to protect humans and the environment against hazards. As an independent consultant, they examine monitoring-needy plants, motor vehicles, energy installations, devices and products (e.g consumer goods).. The many subsidiaries of the TÜVs can also appear as project developers for energy and traffic concepts, problem solutions in the area of environmental protection and as certification bodies... No German-registered road vehicle may be operated on public roads without a certificate from the TÜVs."

So TÜVs act as both validators and project consultants - sounds odd to me. As for the TÜV Nord Group, it employs over 8,000 people, making it "one of Germany's largest technical service providers."

Their sim appears to be still under construction, but well on the road to completion. It is split into a number of topic areas, some of which are available in German and English, others in German only. For example, there is a small meeting area styled as a garage, on the walls of which you will find information on the group's key competencies. You can select either English or German. Perhaps the most striking feature of the sim is the giant visualisation of a hydogen fuel cell. You can step through this usingthe language of your choice, and very nicely done it is too. Another zone is structured as a course through the woods, with various challenges along the way. But these are not (yet) available in English, so I have no idea what I'm being challenged to do. Finally, there's a larger meetinng area, but this appears to be under construction still. Here's a few snaps:

I have to confess, I am not 100% sure about the Hamburg link here... but I'm fairly certain the builders are associated with one or other of the Hamburg sims. Despite the rather nicely done visualisation, and the ablity to toggle languages, I came away unenthused. Perhaps I've just seen too many sims now... and need to take a break.

Microsoft Japan

It seems like ages since I posted an entry about a Japanese commercial sim in Second Life, so this seems a good point to address that. Last night was something of a mixed bag, rambling-wise. Most places were shut, and those that were open were not much to get excited about - for example: Daz, the 3D software company, has a gaggle of sims, but nothing I felt enthused enough to write about. I was about to give up when my eye spotted the unmistakable Windows logo plastered across a sim, and thought I'd give it a go.

The sim turned out to belong to Microsoft Japan. It is still under construction, though probably not a long way from completion. I am not all that clear what their aim is for the sim. It is all very straightforward - or appears to be. There's an auditorium, a partners area and a woodland calling itself the Communication Area. Windows Vista - its name, its logo and its UI - seems to be everywhere. Indeed, I helped myself to a free cappuccino that has the logo embossed in the froth! There are a few buildings still being constructed - and a large palace thing, replete with red carpets and chandeliers, whose purpose can only be guessed at. For travel around the sim you can opt for monorail or small boat. Given a few bugs with the former, I would suggest you stick with the latter. Here's some snaps:

I said I wasn't clear about the aim of the sim - perhaps an odd statement. In part I am used to high tech companies in SL having a quite sophisticated grasp on the use of virtual worlds. This sim feels much more basic - and slightly bereft of ideas. The big palace for example - why? and why so big? Just to fill a corner of the sim? A lot of the textures - particularly the use of the logo - are well executed, if a little repetitive. Perhaps this is just the company trying out different looks to see what they like best. In other parts of the sim, however, there has been some careless overlaying of prims, which leads to jiggly texturing as 2 set of textures battle it out for the same few pixels!

Even so.., despite all this... I found it more interesting than Daz, though.

Company Sim - Architects' Zone

As you may be aware, for the last couple of weeks I have been beavering away - when I can - on the new company sim. Broadly speaking, one of the aims of this sim is to provide common meeting areas for our various teams, spread as they are across geographies, lines of business and, indeed, just about any other distribution factor you care to name.

For example, I am a member of the UK Enterprise Architecture (EA) team. However, the members of this team are, at the same time, members of the company technical community, the global architecture practice and, at a more granular level, their various business units. This "membership matrix" is a real challenge when trying to sustain a cohesive sense of EA community - and this is where Second Life can help us. Sure, it is not a universal panacea - but it can provide a single virtual location for the community - which is otherwise spread out across the country, and in some cases, across the globe.

So I have been working on the EA Community area - the Architects' Zone - in the last day so. I had planned to post these to Flickr - but this is playing up at the moment, so I thought I'd post to Slambling instead. As you will see from the images below, while the sim remains private, there's nothing commercially sensitive to be gleaned. However, I would be interested in any feedback. This is just the basic Architects' Zone - I have yet to furnish it with content - but then that I may leave to others to do!




I'm not much of a one for walls, while the roof only exists because I like the look of it. It is phantom, in any case, since I can't see any good reason to stop people - quite literally - dropping in!

Hangars Liquides

It seems like ages since I actually wrote a normal post, featuring a new (or new to me) sim in Second Life. I've been somewhat preoccupied with other topics. Tonight though, following a suggestion from my chum and top sim-spotter, Lem Skall, I found time to visit a potentially interesting sim that goes by the slightly enigmatic name of Hangars Liquides.

The sim is under construction, although at quite an advanced stage, and there is little, if anything, to tell you who or what owns the place. However, as usual Google came up trumps. Hangars Liquides is a French electronica record label that has been around since 1998 - so is rapidly approaching its first decade. For a fuller picture, I think the somewhat mind-boggling wikipedia entry is worth quoting pretty much in full:

Initially Hangars Liquides was Speedcore-oriented but was quickly categorized as experimental music within the hardcore techno scene. HL quickly gained a very good reputation and has been played around the world in many different music scenes: industrial, noise, techno, acousmatic, hardcore, electronica, ambient and post rock.

Releasing artists such as I:gor and Neurocore from Poland, Senical (aka DJ choose) from Denmark, Bombardier from the USA, Noize Creator from Germany, Venetian Snares from Canada, Atomhead (aka Undacova) from Belgium, and French artists such as Al Zheimer, XKV8, Helius Zhamiq, Fist of Fury, Attila, EPC, La Peste and more, the label became a reference in itself: a lot of electronic music tracks from other labels have been described as having a "Hangars Liquides sound" or "Hangars Liquides style".

Since 2000, the label has released many different genres from acousmatic music to power electronics and flashcore. Flashcore identifies a style that some of those experimental artists share and a manifesto explains the aim of HL's vision of experimental music.

Phew! And I thought some of the stuff I like to listen to is a tad obscure.

Given their cutting edge, experimental approach to music it was perhaps inevitable that they would arrive in that mecca of experimental art: Second Life. With HL described using terms like "noise", "industrial" and "flashcore" (whatever that may be) you should not be expecting a sim simply swimming with pastoral delights. And you will not be disappointed. We are much more in a cyberpunk/Akira/BladeRunner world of inner city glitz and meltdown. At ground level there's grungey walkways, dingy corner shops and burning garbage; while higher up, in the tall towers, you find the bright lights of the well-to-do. I found setting the environment to midnight (or thereabouts) gave the most atmospheric images - as shown here:

It's a nice sim, even in its current state - worth an explore, and I think worth a more extended explore once it is actually finished. Oh.. and why Hangars Liquides? I have absolutely no idea.

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:

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.

Institute for International Research

Not much of a posting, this one. Last night, while perusing the Second Life map I happened upon the sim: IIR NY HQ. Now, when I see initials - especially initials like "NY" and "HQ" - I think it has to be worth a visit. The island belongs to the Institute for International Research, and is still under construction. However, enough of it exists to give the flavour of the place.

The IIR mission is "to facilitate the growth and advancement of our core client-partners by supplying the optimum business solutions, at the right time and in the right format - so that their goals can be surpassed and unique marketplace challenges overcome." Ummm... yeah... right. Could some kind soul strip away the MBAspeak and tell me what they do?

Never mind... you might be interested in this though. In mid-August IIR announced plans to organize, promote, and run events in Second Life. Their aim is to launch officially into Second Life in November at the inaugural conference on Managing Virtual Distance, and featuring a certain Mr Phil Rosedale.

The build itself is far from complete - so it is not fair to critique it. But here are some snaps to be going on with:

Mars Areas01 Rezzable

If you are a fan of Rezzable here's another sim to add to your collection: Mars Areas01 Rezzable. I am not sure if it's officially open yet, but there seems to be a fair amount of traffic already. This sim, like a number of others in the Rezzable family, seems to be best described as an art installation. You arrive in a vast space, filled with translucent balls that gradually change colour as you watch. Bursts of plasma (or something) zip between the balls (ooh, sounds painful). A teleport lifts you to a big tubular affair that seems to serve no purpose other than to be a big tubular affair. And there's some stuff you can discover, like the "space seats" illustrated below.

Aside from that, there's not a lot else I can tell you. It's cleverly done - but left me feeling a bit "so-what-ish." God, what a jaded palate I must have. Anyway, despite this rather lacklustre report of mine, I would urge you to pop along and form your own opinion. For those who can't make it, won't make it or simply want a quick look-see, here are some pictures:





Finally, thank-you to my top informer - you know who you are - for tipping me off to this build.

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UPDATE: Lem informs me (see comments) that this is something of a "hack" build, done in a short space of time, and could be zapped at any time. So if you want to check it out, you better get your teleporting skates on.

UPDATE 2 on 21-10-07: There is a more on this at Not Possible IRL.