Sue Baskerville

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

The Lego Universe MMO looks like it would be fun.

Does a building game like this have any particular special appeal to those who like the Second Life virtual world?

Are there any techniques for rendering a changing world with user generated content used in Lego Universe that would be useful in Second Life?

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Interface Or Content?

I was thinking earlier this morning about Linden Lab's attempt to increase the retention rate for Second Life by making the interface in their Viewer 2.0 beta look more like a browser, the idea I guess being that browsers are popular or that people like browser interfaces or are familiar with them.

According to statements I've read, most people don't even know what a browser is.

People don't use browsers because they like browsers, they use browsers because browsers get them to the content on the web that they like. It's the porn and the gadget reviews and squirrel catapulting videos on YouTube that get people to use browsers.

Put porn, bootleg videos, and shopping sites in a Lotus 123 for DOS interface and people would use that.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Avatars United

Avatars United is a sort of social network for people with lots of avatars.

Avatars United was recently purchased by Linden Lab, makers of the Second Life virtual world.

in reference to: Avatars United | Home (view on Google Sidewiki)

SLUniverse

SLUniverse is the Second Life community's oldest user operated social web site. SLUniverse hosts the oldest running Second Life related forums in existence, including those operated by Second Life, since Linden Lab eliminated their old forum and replaced it with modified blog software.

Cristiano Midnight (an SL avatar name) is the operator of SLUniverse. Cristiano was known in early SL days for selling animations, and was a frequent poster in the official SL forums.

SLUniverse has been modified numerous times over the years. It used to have a java based IRC client to access the #secondlife IRC channel; this was removed presumably due to dwindling demand. I believe Cristiano ran a Ventrillo voice chat server prior to voice being incorporated into Second Life. SLUniverse is also the home of popular Second Life image storage and sharing site Snapzilla. Sign up with Snapzilla, link your Flickr account, and you can email an SL snapshot to Snapzilla and it will be forwarded to Flickr.

Once years ago I suggested to Cris that it would be good if the Snapzilla pictures offered a link that shrunk SL screenshots to the maximum desirable size for display in the official SL forums. In just a few days from the time of the request he made that available. Cristiano listens to his users and tries to accomodate them.

SLUniverse has a shopping system which at the time of this writing is in the process of being upgraded. I wonder what it will like when the upgrade is though?

in reference to: SLUniverse.com - Second Life Community (view on Google Sidewiki)

Reaction Grid

Reaction Grid is a virtual world built on OpenSim technology.

Reaction Grid offers, among other things, a computer set up with a virtual world consisting of nine sims. That's something that might be of interest to a school that wants a secure virtual world where only the teachers and students can get in.

in reference to: ReactionGrid - 3D Collaboration for Educators and Business (view on Google Sidewiki)