Tag Archives: ZoHa Islands

Linden Lab’s Improvements to Second Life

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LL Logo
Linden Lab announced today in their latest blog post that they are on the cusp of launching improvements to Second Life, and detailed some of the new things you’ll soon be able to enjoy. These changes include improving the way your avatar interacts with surfaces inworld, giving you more tools for managing your preferences for notifications and graphics settings, as well as improvements to make life easier for mesh creators and merchants. They offer links to download Project Viewers that will let you get an early look at some of these improvements.

Hover Height
As we all have experienced, sometimes our avatar doesn’t interact quite right in a virtual environment. Sometimes your body parts stick through furniture, your feet hover over or sink into the ground. Fixing this can be computationally very expensive, so Linden Lab has been working hard to find a workable solution, and the result is the Project HoverHeight Viewer. (Anything in orange is a clickable link). Between the introduction of this viewer plus some server changes, this new viewer will improve things in two ways: the order in which adjustments are made to your vertical position has been made more stable, and even if it’s not perfect, it will at least be predictable. Linden Lab also introduces a new final adjustment that is directly under your control: a new avatar right-click selection allows you to tweak your vertical position. Linden Lab states “This final adjustment is shared with everyone around you so that they too will see you correctly, and is saved locally by your viewer so that it persists between sessions. This new feature was inspired by a proposal from the Firestorm viewer team, and they’ve been helping with testing it.”

Notifications
One of the ongoing complaints and suggestions received through the JIRA by residents to Linden Lab was the need to have better ways to control and organize the many notices they receive: inventory offers, group notices, event invites, and money transactions all result in the same kind of pop-ups and notice chiclets and are all listed together. The blog states: “An upcoming Viewer release will add a new floater that provides separate displays for different notice types, and the ability to sort them. You can prioritize and organize what’s important to you.”

Mesh Import
Important to content creators, Linden Lab is upgrading the support for mesh import. An upcoming Viewer update will allow uploading models that have more than eight unique faces, and improved association of physics representations and LODs by name.

Viewer Managed Marketplace
Merchants will be delighted to hear that you’ll be able to manage the inventory in your Second Life Marketplace store directly from the viewer. Items no longer need to be loaded into the Merchant Outbox or a Magic Box; instead you’ll designate items to be sold directly from your personal inventory.

Graphics Settings
Linden Lab is introducing an open source contribution that allows you to save named sets of graphics settings, with a drop-down menu that allows you to quickly change between them. For instance, when you attend a performance in your favorite club, you can save settings optimized for rich display of your companions and environment, and you can save a set for exploring that trades off longer draw distances and better lighting effects for simpler rendering of details – whatever you think is important.

You can click on the following link for the blog post in its entirety: Check Out The Latest Improvements to Second Life.

Hopefully all of these changes and improvements will make for a better Second Life experience. It shows that Linden Lab is still invested in the technology for Second Life. And it is encouraging to know that the folks at Firestorm are continuing to work hand in hand with Linden Lab, which should result in the same improvements to the Firestorm Viewer, as well.

I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers, ZI Social Media

Firestorm Viewer’s Auto Replace Feature

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For Tool Tip Tuesday, the folks at Firestorm have created this video on how to best use the Auto Replace feature in the preferences for the viewer. This is a great tip, and I had absolutely no idea that the viewer could do this. This tip is especially useful for club or venue owners or hosts, or anyone who has to type the same information over and over. And the cool thing is, once you customize your auto replace, you can download it to an Excel spreadsheet and share it with others, and they can import it into their viewer! There is a lot of great information on the Firestorm website. You can find it by clicking here: Firestorm Viewer

Watch and learn!

I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers, ZI Social Media

Snowball Warzone Showdown 2015!

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Snowball Warzone Showdown THe 2015 Snowball Warzone Showdown is happening this Friday, February 6th from 10:00 a.m. SLT to Noon SLT.

I just heard about this today and thought it would be worth posting, in case some of you can make it, despite the late notice. Unfortunately, I cannot attend because I am at RL work at that time. Should be a blast! Click on this link for the Facebook Page: Snowball Warzone Showdown.

“Come pelt some Lindens and fellow Residents with snowballs in a frozen field free-for-all at Winter Wonderland. That’s right – between 10 AM SLT and noon SLT on Friday, February 6th, we’re holding a meetup inworld at the Snowball Warzone. Get your free snow launching weapon, gather your posse, and prepare to say hello to some Linden friends for a full on flurry of snow-slinging fun.”

Click here for the SLURL: Winter Wonderland, home of Snowball Warzone Showdown!

I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers, ZI Social Media

Buried: MadPea’s Newest Adventure!

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Buried logoToday, February 1st at Noon, MadPea’s latest interactive and immersive grid-wide point and click adventure game began!

This highly-anticipated event had the writers and creators working feverishly to put the finishing touches on the game in order to be ready for their opening at noon. Once opened, MadPea gamers, or “Peas” as they like to be called, began flooding the sim. I have been a huge MadPea fan for several years now, and I always wait with baited breath for the newest event. Sometimes a hunt, sometimes a game, but one thing that you can always count on — it will stretch your imagination and tax your deductive skills, sometimes even frustrate you beyond belief — but you always know that with MadPea, you expect the unexpected.

Not only do participants in these events have a grand adventure, but they end up with some amazing prizes at the end.

As the minutes ticked by towards Noon slt, you could almost see the Peas at the door, hands flat on the glass, eyes fever bright in anticipation, breath fogging up the glass. Excitement sends a frisson down the sim when you see the group notice come through — “We are proud and excited to open our first game of the year – BURIED!” I immediately TP’d over and bought my game hud for $300L.

This is the welcome message:

“Welcome to BURIED the game by MadPea Productions.
You have landed on an island that a few decades ago was used frequently by campers. The islands you see ahead of you are privately owned by Lily and Joshua Morano. It’s the end of June and Lily has been missing for two weeks. The police hasn’t found any clues about her whereabouts and Joshua is getting desperate. He would do anything to have his loving wife back and has offered a $500 000 reward for the person who finds Lily. That massive reward is the reason you (and hundreds of others) are here for.”

When you wear your HUD, you get this message:
BURIED HUD v0.9:
“You are equipped only with your tablet. Additional accessories to get immersed into the story with can be purchased from the store at the landing point. Start the game by exploring the island and finding clues about Lily and what could have happened to her. We recommend that you take the boat, it’s a long way to swim and the waves are unpredictable. Good luck, Player! If you should require any help, you can always ask in MadPeas’ group chat. The map icon takes you always back to the landing point.”

As always, MadPea continues to outdo itself with each event.

I was able to explore the first couple of islands, but then had to log to real life for awhile. Now, the sims are full and I cannot get on. I am not quite sure what I’m looking for, but I know the theme of this game is about a missing woman who was writing a book on geocaching. It should be fabulous!

To start the game, purchase your hud at the store by clicking this link: Buried by MadPea

For more information, click on the link here to go to their blog: MadPea Blog

The best thing about MadPea is the community. The Peas are all ready, willing, and able to give hints to anyone who wishes a helping hand. Just join the group, and ask in group chat and someone will IM you. Everyone is friendly, kind and helpful.

Here are some pics I took today:

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Buried souvenir shop_001

Buried sign_001

Buried hud_001

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Buried hud_006

Buried hud_005

Buried hud_009

Buried hud_008

Buried hud_007

Buried hud_010

Buried hud_011

Enjoy!

I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers, ZI Social Media

Frisland in Winter

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I saw a link to this video on Facebook, and decided I needed to post about this beautiful place in SL. This place is exquisite.

Here is some information on Frisland given in the notecard you receive upon landing:

“This is an open place for all ppl [sic] that love to relax in a beautiful environment on a sim where time stands still. Frisland was designed for photographers and explorers based upon the idea of a phantom island in the North Atlantic that appeared on lots of maps during the 16th and 17th centuries. We want to share this place with you but there are a few rules to follow:

1. Frisland is a moderate sim also frequented by kids and families. So please: NO nudity and NO obvious sexual activities. We accept your RP like D/s but we want you to make your leashes invisible and wear proper clothes that are acceptable for a sim like ours.

2. NO rudeness, NO violence, NO weapons. Treat other ppl [sic] on the sim with respect and enjoy a relaxed talk with them as long as they want. Don’t molest or harass them. Some ppl [sic] just come over to enjoy the silence and peace on Frisland.

3. As a member of the Frisland Group you can rez here. This permission is only for rezzing poses or probs to take a pic, NOT for abusing the sim as a playground or sandbox! If you want to build or unpack your purchases, please use the search to find appropriate places. Also, please do not rez cars or motorbikes or any modern stuff that doesn’t fit Frisland.

if you want to join the group, it costs a small fee of 150 L$ that helps us to keep running the sim 🙂 ”

Here is the video I saw that first made me take notice of this beautiful, peaceful place. This is machinima done by a professional; way better than I could ever hope to do. It was well done, and so I thought I’d share with you. Enjoy, and visit this location if you’d like to see it in person.

For the SLurl to the sim, click here: Frisland in Winter

I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers, ZI Social Media

One Billion Rising — Revolution for Change

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I received a note card inworld about One Billion Rising — an event that started in Second Life in 2013 and continues today. February 14th is the day chosen for Second Life’s One Billion Rising events.

The One Billion Rising website (that’s a clickable link) describes it’s beginnings and the objective of the event:

“ONE BILLION RISING began as a call to action based on the staggering statistic that 1 in 3 women on the planet will be beaten or raped during her lifetime. With the world population at 7 billion, this adds up to more than ONE BILLION WOMEN AND GIRLS. On February 14, 2013, men and women in Second Life will join activists, writers, thinkers, celebrities, and people across the world to Walk, Dance, and Rise as a show of unity, individual strength, and the need for change.

The Second Life event will feature a four-region stage where 200 people can dance together, surrounded by an area of art installations and informational exhibits. A variety of performers will play over the 24-hour period, enabling people all over the world to attend this virtual event no matter their timezone. The regions will have a General maturity rating to allow all residents an opportunity to participate. Pictures are welcome on the event’s Flickr group.

The objective of the event is to raise awareness, not to raise funds; however, information about real-world organisations will be available for those wishing to donate.

One Billion Rising in Second Life is sponsored by: Alchemy Immortalis; Bits and Bobs Animations; Cheeky Pea; The Domineaux Effect; Dutchie; Galland Homes; Garden of Dreams; Gos Boutique; Gwen Carillon Designs/Serenite; Heart Garden Centre; Kaerri; MadPea; Maven Homes; Meshworx; Prime; and Spargel and Shine. In-kind sponsors are: caLLie cLine; Fruit Islands; L’aize Dayz; KittyCatS!; and Prim Perfect Publications.”

This is the information on the note card I was given:

“On February 14th 2013, one billion people in 207 countries rose and danced to demand an end to violence against women and girls.

On February 14th 2014, we escalated our efforts, calling on women and men everywhere to Rise, Release, Dance, and demand Justice!

Now, on February 14th 2015, we are calling for a revolution for change.

Change can happen if grassroots movements and marginalized communities are in the lead.

Change can happen if we demand accountability – making sure our justice calls last year are realized. We are going to continue to demand justice, and will continue to highlight the issues surrounding the social injustices inflicted on women, and to keep highlighting where these issues connect. We will continue to challenge institutions, governments, policies, laws – and make these systems, which are responsible for creating situations of poverty and violence, accountable.

Change can happen if we harness our creativity and energy. We will highlight, create and envision new, brave and radical artistic initiatives to bring in the new revolutionary world of equality, dignity and freedom for all women and girls. There is nothing more powerful than art as a tool for transformation.

Change can happen if…WE ACT NOW. AND WE ACT TOGETHER.Change can happen if…WE ACT NOW. AND WE ACT TOGETHER.

One Billion Rising in Second Life 2015
In Second Life, we will be marking the occasion (as we did last year) with a twenty-four hour one day event that will allow women and men to gather. There will be music, there will be art installations and exhibitions, there will be poetry sessions, there will be storytelling events, there will be live dramatic performances, there will be dancing – and there will be information kiosks that will share information about organizations devoted to promoting justice for women across the globe, and stories of events that will be happening around the world.

The Second Life event will feature a four-region stage where 200 people can dance together, surrounded by an area of art installations and informational exhibits. A variety of performers will play over the 24-hour period, enabling people all over the world to attend this virtual event no matter their timezone. The regions will have a General maturity rating to allow all residents an opportunity to participate. Pictures are welcome on the event’s Flickr group.

This is not an event to raise money – although you will find information about organizations that need funding. But our primary goals are to draw people together and to raise awareness.

What can you do?
You can attend the event!

You can send us information about groups known to you that we can add to the informational kiosks. How can you do this? You can write to 1billionrisinginsecondlife@gmail.com or post on our Facebook page (that’s a clickable link).

You can spread the word about One Billion Rising in Second Life amongst your friends, your communities and through social media.

You can volunteer to help us organize the event – by completing this form by clicking here: How Can I Join In?

We need greeters, security, stage managers, media liaison and information processors, who will help build the information that will go into our displays.

You can add your reasons for rising to our special Why I’m Rising page by clicking here: Why I’m Rising

If you would like to be a sponsor for the event, contact Samantha Ohrberg in-world.

If you would like to be part of our special Press Day, you can complete this form by clicking here: Information for the Press

Change can happen if…WE ACT NOW. AND WE ACT TOGETHER.”

I remain respectfully yours,
~ Suzanne Piers, ZI Social Media