Spend this spooky Halloween season in one of the most vibrant virtual communities in the metaverse!

3rd Annual Trick or Treat event in Bellisseria!

Creep or crawl over to Bellisseria this Halloween season to snag some candy and win prizes! This is an interactive event open to *everyone* where Residents living in Bellisseria can host Candy Buckets on their parcels. You don’t want to miss the paranormal partygoers and creative costumes throughout Bellisseria during this virtual Trick-or-Treat.

Plus, there are prizes to be won for all who participate! Read Patch Linden’s forum post for all the spooky details and teleport over to pick up the HUD and start trick-or-treating! The event starts on Thursday, October 12th!

2023 Halloween Shop & Hop

The 2023 Halloween Shop & Hop is almost here with 320+ participating merchants across 16 shopping regions bringing you loads of spooktacular fun! Every store will have at least a 20% discount on all items and a new and exclusive gift available for free or a gift certificate valued at L$300 or above!

We can’t wait until it formally opens to the public on Thursday, October 5th at 9am PT – but who wants to wait when you get early access?! If you are ready to shop now, join the official Second Life Birthday group inworld and you’ll be granted access right now, before the general public.

Before you jump inworld, you can get a sneak peek at many of the items that will be available in the official Second Life Shop & Hop Flickr pool. Don’t forget to share photos of your haul too!

To visit the 2023 Halloween Shop & Hop – start at any one of the Regions – but be sure to visit them all to see everything that’s available. Happy shopping!  

Keep scrolling to the end of this post for a complete list of all 320 participating Shop & Hop Merchants in alphabetical order!

Halloween Last Names

The following Halloween-themed names are only available for a limited time.
Batty
Morbid
Calavera
Shadow
Vampurr
Stoker
Reaper
Shiver

We will continue to make additional updates to the available last name pool, so if these options aren’t for you, stay tuned for future updates. You can also suggest your favorite name on our suggestion form, the new names were chosen from there!

For more information about the costs and how-tos involved in name changes, read the Changing your username FAQ. Click to change your name now!

Halloween Premium Gift!

Our Halloween gift for our Premium members is this red tractor along with some smaller gift. Pick it up at one of our Premium Gift Collection Spots on the Destination Guide, available starting October 5th. 

Halloween Premium Plus Gift!

Our first exclusive gift for our Premium Plus members will include a color-changeable tractor + trailer. Pick it up at the new Premium Plus users-only Sandbox Radiantia, available starting October 5th. 

Halloween Haunted Neighborhood

Once again, the Millbank region has undergone a spooky overhaul, with numerous Linden Homes getting a haunted horror theme. Visit the Halloween Haunted Neighborhood (opens October 5th), grab a red balloon, explore the many haunted houses, and see the scary sights! 

Halloween Haunted Tour

Our classic Halloween Haunted Tour (opens October 5th) is back again for a limited time. Are you brave enough to enter? Hop in a coffin and enjoy the wild ride through the twisted mind of madness!

More Haunted Destinations!

Explore even more haunted destinations listed on the Destination Guide where ghosts, goblins, and other scary surprises lurk around every dark corner. 

There is so much to do this Halloween season, so grab a costume and hit that teleport button now! Happy Halloween!

A complete list of all 320 participating Shop & Hop Merchants in alphabetical order is below:

Linden Labs are always working to improve Second Life, so we wanted to share with you a more detailed look at the additions and improvements we’ve been making recently. In this first edition, we’re sharing several updates from the last few months. We think there’s something for everyone, whether you are a creator, landowner, or you just use Second Life for your second life!

🎛️ User Interface

New Translations

With Version 6.6.12.57998, say Hola or Bonjour or Hallo or Ciao or Olá or Kon’nichiwa to updated UI translations for the following languages:

• 🇪🇸 Español (Spanish)
• 🇫🇷 Français (French)
• 🇩🇪 Deutsch (German)
• 🇮🇹 Italiano (Italian)
• 🇵🇹 Português (Portuguese)
• 🇯🇵 日本語 (Japanese)

Transparency Bug Fixes

We made the following transparency-related bug fixes in Version 6.6.13.580918:

The ‘Highlight Transparent’ function (accessed via Advanced->Highlighting and Visibility), was making highlighting textures opaque. We have fixed this problem.

Transparent objects were hiding when turning on highlights in the Beacons window. This is no longer the case so playing ‘transparent-object hide and seek’ will now be much easier.

Improvements to Estates Options

In Version 6.6.14.581101, we made improvements to the Estate options:

We increased the number of Estate Managers to 20 and Ban list entries to 750. That’s a big increase, and we hope these new limits will give you all the capacity you need.

We added a new option ‘Show Ban Lines On Collision’ so you can see your neighbor’s ban lines but only when you get very close to the parcel boundary.

👩‍💻 Scripting

A handful of new scripting enhancements are available on RC regions and will be rolled out to the entire grid in the coming weeks.

Coming soon: easier experience KVP data use

Experience KVP functions (llCreateKeyValue, llDeleteKeyValue, et al.) allow scripts associated with an Experience to store and retrieve arbitrary string key/value pairs. In the past, scripts using these functions needed to run on parcels or regions that had opted into the same Experience. Soon, scripts will be able to use KVP data regardless of whether or not the land they are on has enabled the Experience they are compiled with.

Coming soon: Prim click action can be set by llSetLinkPrimitiveParams

Users who wish to control click actions using llSetPrimitiveParams family of functions can now do so using the PRIM_CLICK_ACTION parameter.

🖥️ Miscellaneous

Simulator channel name is coming back

The channel name your region belongs to has been added back to the About Second Life window. This will make it easier to understand what features your region has as we release new functionality. 

Here you can see that the simulator channel name is ‘Second Life RC BlueSteel’.

🧪 Project viewer news

GLTF PBR Materials Viewer

Expanding material support with the ability to import and edit GLTF Physically Based Rendering (PBR) Materials will be a big step in the next wave of content creation in Second Life. The GLTF PBR Materials viewer is now available as a Release Candidate, offered to a small group of Residents, but anyone may install it. Visit Version 7.0.0.581684.html

At this time PBR Materials has limited availability on our Main grid (Agni) as a Beta Project and may be previewed on specific regions:

• Rumpus Room (and Rumpus Room 2, 3, 4 and 5)
• Preflight0 through 8 (Limited access)

Inventory Item Preview

Also available in RC is a Viewer with Inventory Item Previews. You will now be able to add preview images to your inventory items to help you find your favorite items more quickly. The option menu for inventory items, including folders, now has the option “Image.”  The image window offers a number of ways for choosing an image to attach to an inventory item of your choice. Best of all, there is no L$ charge for uploading an image as an item preview.

Merchants and creators can add previews to their delivery folders and items, and you will see those previews in your inventory with no extra effort on your part.
For textures and snapshots, you do not need to add previews yourself — the Viewer will show previews automatically. You’ll see your texture packs and photo albums as you’ve never seen them before!

Single Folder View

The other new feature is what we call Single Folder View. This allows you to see the contents of a single inventory folder in its own window. 

Let’s say you want to put all of your shoes in a new folder “All Shoes” and another new folder “All Boots.”  You can create those folders, open a single-folder view on each of them, and drag items from your main inventory into those folders. No more scrolling and carefully aiming your cursor to drag into the intended folder!

Single folder view works well alongside the traditional scrolling view. You can use either of the views, or switch between them on a window-by-window basis. Single folder view is entirely optional for the traditionalists among you.

Single folder view also makes it easy to see item previews. By default, the single folder view will show you any previews attached to items inside that folder. 

😀 Emoji Viewer

This viewer is also in RC and is based on a contribution by Kitty Barnett, and adds the ability to insert emojis in text chat.

📱 Mobile Update

We are making great progress on Second Life on mobile — our latest round of work includes some major improvements to avatar movement — walking and running are so smooth now!  Stay tuned for our plans for a private beta! In the meantime, enjoy these screenshots:

🏡A Whole New Game of Homes

Coming very soon, the new Linden Home Store will make selecting your new home much easier. With this upgrade, we’re putting the power of choice and control right at your fingertips.

The new Linden Home Store looks and works great on your mobile device’s browser. Whether you’re on your computer, tablet, or smartphone, you can now view and select from all Linden Homes.

By popular demand, you can browse all the Linden Homes even if you already own one, you are not logged in, you do not yet have a Premium subscription, or the Linden Home model you want is not currently available.

Have A Great Weekend From All Of Us At Zoha Islands / Fruit Islands

September 11, 2001, is a date etched into the collective memory of the world. The tragic events of that day left an indelible mark on humanity. As we approach the 22nd anniversary, it’s imperative that we continue to remember and honor the lives lost. In an increasingly digital world, platforms like Second Life offer a unique space for reflection and commemoration. This blog explores how even in virtual spaces, we can pay tribute to the victims and the resilience of the human spirit.

A Virtual Memorial: Second Life’s 9/11 Tribute Sites

Second Life, a virtual world where users can create and interact with immersive 3D environments, has proven to be a powerful tool for expression and remembrance. Over the years, many residents have built virtual spaces dedicated to commemorating 9/11. These spaces range from detailed recreations of the Twin Towers and Ground Zero to artistic installations that evoke the emotions and somberness of that fateful day.

One such location is the “World Trade Center Memorial” which features a faithful reconstruction of the Twin Towers and surrounding area. This space serves as a poignant reminder of the buildings that once stood tall, as well as a tribute to the lives lost.

Education and Reflection 

Beyond visual representation, Second Life also provides opportunities for education and reflection. Through virtual museums, galleries, and interactive exhibits, users can learn about the events of 9/11, the heroes who emerged, and the global impact it had on societies worldwide.

These immersive experiences allow individuals to gain a deeper understanding of the historical context and the human stories that emerged from the tragedy. By engaging with these virtual resources, we ensure that the memory of 9/11 lives on for generations to come.

Community and Support

Second Life also serves as a platform for community and support. Users can come together to share their experiences, thoughts, and emotions surrounding 9/11. In virtual meetings, discussions, and gatherings, people find solace in connecting with others who share their reverence for the lives lost and their commitment to promoting peace and unity.

Additionally, Second Life offers a platform for charitable events and fundraisers, enabling users to contribute to organizations that continue to support survivors, first responders, and families affected by 9/11.

A Space for Artistic Expression

Art has always been a powerful medium for processing and con veying complex emotions. In Second Life, artists have created moving installations and interactive experiences that invite users to reflect on the impact of 9/11.

From immersive soundscapes to evocative sculptures, these artistic endeavors serve as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of creativity to heal and inspire.

Conclusion

As we mark the 22nd anniversary of 9/11, it is essential that we continue to remember and honor the lives lost on that tragic day. Second Life provides a unique and powerful platform for us to do so, offering spaces for memorialization, education, community, and artistic expression.

By engaging with these virtual environments, we ensure that the memory of 9/11 endures, and we uphold our commitment to promoting peace, unity, and resilience in the face of adversity. In doing so, we honor the legacy of those we lost and continue to find strength in our shared humanity.

After visiting all the 9/11 sites that used to be in Second life I found only one place remains. Sadly “NEVER FORGET” was forgotten in Second life?

Please take a moment of silence and Remember this day as it changed the world and all of US within it.

Have a Great Week From All Of Us At Zoha Islands / Fruit Islands

In early July 2023 the SpeedLight team announced via Discord channel that they are experimenting with removing the online time limitation for all users. The SpeedLight team are excited to push the boundaries of the server capabilities and accommodate a larger number of Second Life residents online.

Hopefully soon the online time limitation will be officially removed. There has not been any further updates since the start of July 2023 from the SpeedLight team.

SpeedLight is a mobile viewer for Second Life for Android and for iOS devices. It’s lightweight, cross-platform viewer and it allows you to stay online, contact your friends using IMs and local chat, teleport across the world. The latest version of SpeedLight is v30 which is the mid of summer update.