This is a beautiful new machinima from auteur Teal Aurelia, but with a special new twist: It’s also a promotion for a track from real life pop singer SEMINA, who’s had several hits in her home country in the EU, but had her music career undone by the recent pandemic.
“[I] was preparing for a tour when COVID hit and it all went to hell,” as she puts it to me. “The tour was cancelled and I thought I’d never do this again.”
That led her to performing in Second Life (“it filled somewhat of a emotional void… it was enough for me not to lose my mind during the lockdown”) — and led her to discovering Teal:
“I knew I wanted to make a teaser for the single where the two worlds meet. It was easy to take a step into the metaverse but to take a step out of it with my own songs and not just the covers that the show goers are used to and still keep their interest was a little bit different.”
After reaching out to Teal, she shared artwork that helped inspire the SL machinima:
“I showed her my visuals through the paint doodles and Pinterest and somehow she put it together to a beautiful teaser. The video is full of easter eggs for the upcoming five track EP as it’s leading in to the first single.”
Speaking of which, a funny thing happened when Teal put the video online: Someone working at an EU radio station saw it, reached out to Semina — and put the song into airplay rotation! (I’m omitting the specific nation for privacy reasons, but if you’re in the European Union, check your local station.)
“The video has surely caught the attention of RL media,” Semina says, stoically. “What will happen, time will tell.”
Happy December, Residents! The holidays are here, and we’ve packed the season with festive fun for everyone. From epic shopping sprees to snowball battles, there’s no shortage of ways to celebrate in Second Life this winter. Here’s a peek at what’s coming your way:
2024 Holiday Shop & Hop
The 2024 Holiday Shop & Hop is almost here with 320 participating merchants across 16 shopping regions, bringing you loads of festive fun! Every store will have at least a 20% discount on all items and a free (non-group) gift for shoppers or a gift certificate valued at L$300 or above!
The event formally opens to the public on Friday, December 6th at 9 AM PT/SLT – but who wants to wait when you can get early access?! If you can’t contain your excitement, join the official Second Life Birthday group inworld to be granted immediate access.
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. And don’t forget to share photos of your haul after your shopping excursion!
To visit the 2024 Holiday Shop & Hop – start at any one of the Regions – but be sure to visit them all to see everything that’s available. Happy shopping!
Scroll to the end of this post for a complete list of all 320 participating Shop & Hop Merchants and their direct slurls!
Winter Last Names 2024
To celebrate the winter holiday season, we have released some festive new last names!
The following winter-themed names are only available for a limited time: Candyclaws Merry Frostlake Candlewick Prancer Silverbells Mistlefluff Alegria Befana Hollyberry
These names for winter are seasonal and may come back around this time next year, for a limited time.
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!
Premium members, get ready for a special treat! Enjoy an exclusive, limited-edition Premium and Premium Plus gift designed to bring extra holiday cheer and charm to your inworld adventures. Drop by one of the Premium Gift kiosks and pick up your exclusive holiday gift!
Santa Patch & “The Molelves”
Mark your calendars for Friday, December 6, 2024! From 12 PM to 3 PM PT/SLT, join us for a special festive event with Santa Patch and the “Molelves”!
Stop by for holiday fun, photos, and plenty of cheer. Share your Christmas wishes, and don’t miss out on the exclusive Frosty Puff Boopie, available only at the Christmas Expo! We can’t wait to celebrate with you!
Grab your warm clothes and prepare for some snowy mayhem at the Winter Wonderland Snowball Fight Arena! This year’s event promises sparkling snowballs, big laughs, and a chance to face off against your favorite Lindens.
Arrive early to snag your free snow-launching gear from vendors around the arena. Assemble your squad and prepare for the ultimate showdown. See you on the battlefield! Mark your calendars!
Winter Wonderland
Explore Winter Wonderland by Linden Lab, opening at 7 AM PT/SLT on Friday, December 6, 2024. Winter Wonderland is your go-to holiday destination! You can access this magical region through Portal Park or by direct teleport. Once inside, dive into the action with competitive snowball fights in the arena, race down the slopes in an exciting sledding mini-game, and glide gracefully across a picturesque ice skating rink.
Join the Snowflake Hunt to discover hidden treasures and collect the exciting new 2024 Boopies as your prizes! The Snowflake Hunt is open for everyone to enjoy throughout December.
Snowflake Hunt: Collect Limited-Edition Boopies
The Snowflake Hunt is an exciting activity within the Winter Wonderland regions! This hunt is all about tracking down snowflakes scattered throughout the frosty landscape to win exclusive prizes.
Collect all the snowflakes to claim limited-edition 2024 Boopies! These adorable and festive collectibles are only available during this event, making them the perfect winter keepsake.
How to Join the Snowflake Hunt:
The hunt kicks off at 7 AM PT/SLT on Friday, December 6, 2024.
Locate hidden snowflakes throughout Winter Wonderland.
Collect snowflakes to unlock your exclusive Boopies!
The hunt runs throughout December, so there’s plenty of time to track down all the snowflakes. Happy hunting!
Second Life Swaginator Hunt for Winter
Are you ready for a winter adventure filled with even more prizes? The Second Life Swaginator Hunt returns with a seasonal spin, offering frosty fun and fantastic treasures!
How It Works
The hunt kicks off at 7 AM PT/SLT on Friday, December 6, 2024.
Start your journey: Pick up the free Swaginator HUD from one of the kiosks inworld.
Solve the clues: Explore winter-themed locations and uncover unique prizes.
Collect all the gifts: Complete the hunt to gather an exclusive bundle of seasonal items.
This exciting treasure hunt runs throughout the entire month of December, so bundle up and dive into the adventure. Hidden treasures await—don’t miss out!
AI bots are assigned to each new user. Read the IP address; if the new user is using it for the first time, they cannot disconnect the AI bot until it finishes. If the IP is a repeat user, allow disconnect.
The AI bot takes the new user through most processes, including how to rez, change clothes in a sandbox, tour important SL sites, and click a dance ball and dance. How to Add or Wear, how voice and text work, just a great list of things to know.
It takes 30 minutes, maybe longer if it’s fun, entertaining, and you’re getting a great intro to SL.
He contrast that with the current first-time user experience, which involves reading many in-world signs:
Reading signs on a walkway has never worked. I’ve tried for 16 years to help Day 1 people. Almost none of them know how to rez, that free clothes are on the SL Market, what a rez zone or sandbox is, how to change clothes, or what a dance ball is where you can join a group dancing.
You guys at SL have to overcome this. Lead them by the hand and see if concurrency increases.
This all sounds right. I think the key thing is differentiating the AI bot from a human-controlled avatar. I would actually recommend making the bot part of the viewer, a disembodied voice which can also enable relevant controls in the user experience to light up, when giving tutorials.
I’ve even recommend making the bot a character in a Second Life world narrative. For an idea of what I mean, check out this first-time experience from Scavengers, a recent multiplayer game with a lead designer who once worked at Linden Lab:
Call this AI bot, say, Governor Linden, a hip and humorous uncle/aunty type with a backstory, leading new player step by step through the core experience — even assigning them special exploration/scavenger quests to get them into the larger world and culture.
I actually wouldn’t be surprised if something like this is already in development. When Philip Rosedale announced his return to full-time SL development, he hinted that it’s the kind of AI application he’d like to see emerge. Anything to replace those infernal ass signs!
Thanks to NWN for this post and continued second life news.
Stay tuned for some EXCITING NEWS on our plans for the Nocturne project and the sailing community, you won’t want to miss this.
Have A Great Week From All Of Us At Zoha Islands and Fruit Islands and Nocturne Project.
On Friday 22nd November Linden Lab announced the Second Life Blogger Network 2.0 (SLBN 2.0) which is “designed to take your content and influence to the next level”. In 2.0 you will get exclusive insider access to Second Life executives and early previews of upcoming features.
Direct Access to Executives: Gain insider insights with occasional opportunities to meet directly with Second Life executives in a group setting to discuss platform news, updates, and strategic initiatives.
Early Feature Previews: Be among the first to learn about and discuss new features before they are publicly released. This means you’ll have a head start in sharing timely and relevant updates with your audience.
Exclusive Conversations: Participate in closed discussions that allow you to provide feedback and shape conversations about the future of Second Life.
How to Join SLBN 2.0
It’s free to join for existing and new Second Life bloggers.
“Fill out the Submission Form. If you’re already an SLBN participant and actively blogging, you don’t need to reapply—you’re automatically eligible for SLBN 2.0 perks. Please make sure that you include the link to your active blog – only active bloggers will be considered for inclusion in this initiative. We reserve the right to remove participants if there is an extended period of blogging inactivity”.
“Optional: Add the SLBN Badge to Your Blog. Proudly display your participation with an SLBN badge. Grab it here”.
Before applying please read this…
“Review the SLBN Terms & Conditions and Content Guidelines. We respect diversity of opinion and your blog and voice remains independent if you participate in this initiative. However, access to executive meetups is reserved for constructive conversations and feedback – and we reserve the right to remove participants if they engage in hate speech, trolling, or toxic behavior. There is also the opportunity for your blogs to be amplified across our social channels, but we will only promote content that meets specific standards to ensure suitability for all audiences”.
“Once enrolled, you’ll continue to have your blog, stream, or social posts reviewed for potential promotion through our existing channels. Participation in executive briefings and feature previews will be managed separately and by invitation. Depending on the number of total participants, we may occasionally break down meetups into smaller groups – so if you are not invited to one event then keep your eyes peeled on your inbox for future opportunities”.
Why Join SLBN 2.0?
“SLBN 2.0 is not just about promoting your content—it’s about building deeper connections within the Second Life ecosystem. You’ll be part of an exclusive group of bloggers, streamers, and influencers who are uniquely positioned to inform, inspire, and grow the Second Life community with timely, impactful updates”.
Ready to Get Started?
“If you’re a new blogger, get started by signing up here. If you’re an existing SLBN participant, keep an eye on your inbox for updates about upcoming opportunities in SLBN 2.0”.
“We’re excited to grow this initiative with our amazing community of bloggers and influencers. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to editor@lindenlab.com”.
“Thank you for being an essential part of the Second Life story. Together, we’ll continue to create, share, and shape the vibrant world of Second Life”.
“Let’s get blogging!”
Have a great week from all of us at Zoha Islands/Fruit Islands / Nocturne
Second Life Mobile Finally Free to Play By All. Linden Lab Execs Explain Their Goals & Strategies With This Long-Awaited Milestone for the Virtual World.
At long last, Second Life’s mobile app is now free for everyone to download here, and boasts new/improved features including direct and group messaging. (Watch the new trailer above.)
“Almost 2 years of work and millions of dollars of support just became available to everyone in Second Life,” as Linden Lab head Brad Oberwager announced today during a Zoom conference with SL bloggers. “The biggest milestone is, ‘When does this open up to everybody’? That just happened yesterday. It’s been a top project for this company.”
As he discussed with me last month, the mobile app has been a core focus since he bought the company in 2021. In fact, when he took over Linden Lab, “I shut down most of the external marketing and drove that into making SL better. That’s what’s starting to change.”
The mobile app was built with the intention of creating an amazing experience for current Second Life users, and an equal aim of bringing back the many tens of thousands of lapsed users who’ve given up over the years. “Being tethered to a desktop is not how we live anymore,” as he puts it.
In market research, Brad notes, when Linden Lab asked lapsed SLers, “Why are you no longer coming to Second Life?”, the primary answer they got back was, ‘It doesn’t have mobile”.
So the company’s first goal with the mobile app is luring back those former or flagging SL users. For the short term, at least, “It’s not for people who read about Second Life in a magazine”, and consider trying it out on a whim.
Newly-appointed Linden Lab CTO Philip Rosedale, also on the Zoom, expanded on that, echoing what he said in our recent interview, about moving away from his “messianic” predictions from the early 2000s.
“The world is not as yet and may never allow everyone to be an avatar in a world like SL,” said Philip. “We’re very respectful of that distinction.” So the goal with mobile is not to turn Second Life into a simpler mass market experience like Fortnite. “We’re not trying to design the mobile client to replace the desktop.”
NEXT: SL App Roll-Out Strategy, Its New Rainbow Colored Icon, and Overcoming Poor App Store Ratings
Philip and Brad were joined on the Zoom by Second Life’s VP of product, Grumpity Linden, and Sine Wave CEO Adam Frisby, who helped Linden Lab bring SL to mobile, and recently shared with me the long, hilariously blooper-filled road to bringing SL to mobile (read about it here).
Those wacky bugs were actually a core reason why the mobile app was first only available to Premium subscribers.
“As we encountered bloopers we realized we couldn’t open it up to everyone,” as Grumpity explains. “It kind of hurts to see people on the app store trying to get in and they give us 1 star ratings” [because they can’t access it for free].
While acknowledging they can’t please every SLer, Grumpity and her team have been focused on optimizing specific key “user journeys”, like going to a club where you can dance, hear music, and chat with nearby avatars.
“Then we go to [optimizing] the next user journey,” says Grumpity. However: “We will never shove the entire SL experience into your phone.”
As for the poor app ratings that have accrued since the Premium-only launch early this year — and have hurt the app’s discoverability to potential new/returning users — Linden Lab has a plan for that.
“One of the things you can do is reset [ratings],” Brad explains, “[though] you can only reset it on the Apple side.”
In other words, they plan to launch a substantial update and request that Apple reset user ratings to start from zero. The team is then hoping that the greatly improved app — which is now also free to use — will be fairly judged.
“As we make it better,” as Adam puts it, “[previously poor ratings] will be overcome.” He adds that there actually haven’t been that many user ratings so far — in the low hundreds — while popular apps garner thousands of them.
Linden Lab hopes the app will inspire current SLers to help bring back their friends and group members who’ve left regular Second Life activity, and start re-building the world’s active community.
One challenge for some returning SLers will be locating the Second Life icon on their phone, since it no longer has the solid dark green blue or bright blue colors of the past, but instead, now boasts radiant rainbow rays emanating from a sun gold eye. (See above.)
“You can’t believe how many discussions we had” about that icon color change, says Brad. “You know you’ve chosen a great logo when half the people hate it.” However, he adds, the old version of the logo “looked awful” in the app store.
Besides, the new version of the Second Life logo is also meant to convey that the now-free app represents a new era for the virtual world.
“We wanted to project that things are different in Second Life now,” says Brad Oberwager.
Have A Great Week From All Of Us At Zoha Islands / Fruit Islands / Nocturne
Today we’re shining a spotlight on Carrie Tatsu, the visionary behind Zooby, whose innovative virtual pets and babies have enhanced the interactive experiences of Second Life Residents for over a decade.
How long have you been in Second Life and how did you first hear about it? I joined SL in 2006. Wow, 19 years! I took a year off from my job in advertising to stay home with my real-life baby. He is 18 now. I was bored as a full-time stay-at-home mom and read an article about an innovative virtual world with user-generated content. I joined out of curiosity. I became hooked instantly and bought a prim cat. I felt a need to hold my cat when I logged in. My cat became part of who I was. I realized that the cat became part of my own virtual identity.
I then thought maybe I could make a better cat. I made my own white fluffy cat with prim flexies (old avatars will know what that is) that was a representation of my real-life cat named Spaceman. I then held my own cat while I wandered various sims. Random users would ask me where I purchased my cat and wanted to buy it. I then decided I should open up a virtual pet store and convinced my husband at the time to spend $300 USD on virtual land. Within a year I replaced my advertising salary and have not looked back.
Zooby Animesh baby clothing by Sweet Penelope through the Zooby Affiliate program
How and when did you get into content creation in Second Life? I have been consistently making content in Second Life for roughly 19 years. It is my full-time job and I support my family with income earned from selling virtual goods. I took a break from 2014-2017 to make a mobile game. I came back to SL in 2017 when Animesh was in development. I knew I had to update my products, so I spent close to 2 years developing the Zooby Animesh Baby. I also wanted to be one of the first creators to focus on Animesh. I have a team that helps me develop products, and I focus on my strengths which include project management, art, design, 3d modeling, and painting/drawing. I hire and collaborate closely with software developers, 3d modelers, and animators.
Zooby Animesh baby clothing by Sweet Penelope through the Zooby Affiliate program
What tools do you use to craft your content? Are there specific resources you recommend to aspiring creators? I have a master’s degree in fine art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. I do not have a business degree. I learned the basics of C4d in 2017. I did not learn Blender until 2019-2020. I did not learn Substance Painter until 2022. I have always had the mindset that if you are dedicated to learning regardless of your age or circumstances, you can. It just takes time, patience, and dedication. I have always loved art and have been able to focus for long periods of time on a project. Substance Painter allows projection painting and that became a natural tool for me and helped me create the realistic fur for the Zooby Animesh Puppies. Blender is also a terrific resource because not only is it free, but there are endless tutorials online to learn and develop a skillset. I fell in love with 3d modeling. I also work with extremely talented people and give them freedom to develop their skills and foster their own creativity.
Tell us more about your latest project, the Zooby Animesh Puppies. What inspired the designs and features? I have a deep understanding of the SL community and intuition on what people like to do here. Role-play is huge. Creating experiences you cannot otherwise have in real life is also essential. I wanted to make puppies that had advanced interactive functionality. The idea was to create a shared experience with the puppies so users could enjoy them together with friends and family. The puppies had to look as real as possible. There had to be an emotional connection so the owner of the puppy felt it was their puppy. It is not possible to do a project of this scale alone, so I have a wonderful team that helped make my vision become a reality. It has also taken years to build this team.
Here is a list of key features that set the puppies apart:
Zooby Puppies can share accessories.
Zooby Puppies include a care system where you can collect tokens and redeem them for puppy toys.
Friends can be added to all Zooby Puppies to provide care and interact.
All Zooby Puppies can be interacted with.
Zooby Puppies can sleep in beds, poop/pee on puppy pads, relax on love pillows, chew on bones, snuggle with toys, and eat from food bowls.
Zooby Animesh Babies can interact with Zooby Animesh Puppies.
Zooby Puppies include over 100 animations.
Post launch Zooby Puppies will be able to wear clothing. Texture Hud Kits will be provided to 3rd parties to create and sell clothing and accessory textures for the puppies.
Zooby Puppies can walk/run/fly while attached to you and while in travel mode they can be taken anywhere in SL.
Zooby Puppies can be held and snuggled by their owner.
Zooby Puppies can independently fly with wings. (Flying independently with wings includes new animations, is an add-on, and has a small fee.)
Zooby Puppies can run or walk around your sim where you set the radius and location.
Zooby Puppies include a Hud that allows you to rez any puppy you own and you can never lose a puppy.
Zooby Puppies have carefully detailed, custom, realistic fur and will make your heart melt when you look at them.
In the future, you will be able to walk them on a leash, and play ball/fetch with Zooby Puppies and they will bring you a newspaper.
What are your future plans or upcoming projects that fans of Zooby can look forward to? I plan to make many more puppy breeds and then move on to other pets. I plan to stick around SL for a few more years and see how things go!
From your perspective, how has Second Life evolved over the years, and what makes it an incredible experience for new users today? I love the freedom to make anything I can think of. I was not a fan of working for an ad agency and was glad to quit. I also needed a creative outlet. SL has provided me the opportunity to make amazing products and watch them come to fruition. Having a connection to the community has been inspiring because I have seen people fall in love with ephemeral things and that is absolutely fascinating to me. I have met incredibly talented people here and we have worked together without any typical social barriers. Your gender, identity, race, religion, ethnicity, education, and upbringing do not matter. All that matters is the work. I love that for so many reasons. SL has allowed people to make beautiful things and given users the opportunity to explore and imagine a life they want to live.
Where can people see your work? Please share links to your store, websites, and social media accounts. Here is a list of the social media links:
Thank you, Carrie, for pushing the boundaries in SL and enriching our virtual experiences with every new Zooby creation.
Each of our Spotlight interviews offers a unique glimpse into the diverse experiences and vibrant personalities that shape our virtual world. Explore more stories and get inspired by visiting our full collection of Spotlight posts.
Have A Great Week From All Of Us At Zoha Islands Fruit Islands And Nocturne
