Blog Archives
1st Annual OpenSim Community Conference
New details have been released from AvaCon about the 1st annual OpenSim Community Conference which will be held on 7th-8th September 2013. Apparently it will include keynote speakers, presentations and topic based panels. This conference is open to opensim developers, admins, users of all opensim grids. The conference will be free to attend and registration for the event will be free on a first come served basis.
The Overte Foundation and AvaCon are pleased to announce the first annual OpenSimulator Community Conference 2013, to take place on the OpenSimulator Conference Center grid on September 7 – 8, 2013. The OpenSimulator Community Conference will be a celebration of the platform and of the large and varied community using and creating it. It will feature two days of keynote speakers, presentations and panels on different topics, and an expo area to showcase community activities and projects.
The conference will be held in OpenSim and it’s expected there will be around 150-200 attendees during the conference. The conference will be live streamed on UStream which sounds good if you can’t attend inworld. Hypergrid will be enabled and there will be a chance to move between different opensim grids during social hours.
Tickets for the conference will be free during June 2013 and the aim is to reach 200 users in total. It’s a first come first served basis process and registrations open on 17th June 2013. Wooooot!!!!
Volunteers sign up here
Speakers sign up here!
Sponsors apply here!
This sounds very exciting indeed for OpenSim users and its going to be interesting learn more at the conference about OpenSim. A historical first and most likely if it goes to plan there will be many more in the near future. 
VWBPE 2013 held on four different platforms
Today new details have been released about the upcoming VWBPE 2013 (Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education) conference which is scheduled for 24th July through to the 27th July 2013. The VWBPE 2013 team are calling for SL Mentors, Helpers and Gurus to assist during this year’s big conference. They are needed to help students, educators and residents in Second Life make VWBPE 2013 the best conference ever.
VWBPE 2013 is organized by educators and volunteers of Second Life who do a excellent job each year. Presentations provide information anything from Second Life, OpenSim, Social Media and Virtual Worlds. The new details is that VWBPE 2013 will be held on 4 worlds which should be interesting.
The 4 different platforms are:
- Second Life
- Cloud Party
- Jibe/Unity
- Jokaydia
VWBPE 2013 Schedule
- Submissions open: 6th May 2013
- Submission deadline: 15th June 2013
- VWBPE opens: 24th July 2013
- VWBPE closes: 27th July 2013
To apply visit: http://www.vwbpe.org for applications and details.
VWBPE 2013, update 1
This week there was new updated details about submissions for VWBPE 2013 which starts (24th-27th July 2013). Check out the new amazing VWBPE 2013 poster above for the 6th Annual Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference. Hopefully there will be an inworld presence, live streams and a larger audience this year.
The theme for VWBPE 2013 is Beyond the Stage. Presentations will be hosted across the metaverse like in Second Life, OpenSim, Unity/Jibe, and Cloud Party which will be a historical first for the resident run VWBPE 2013 event.
- Submissions open: 6th May 2013
- Submissions deadline: 15th June 2013
- VWBPE 2013 opens: 24th July 2013
- VWBPE 2013 last day: 27th July 2013
Futher details about VWBPE 2013 will be released in the coming months and already there seems to be alot of interest for this conference.
Will you be attending VWBPE 2013 this year ?
SL Buddy Walk 2013 Press Release
This week via the RHN Q and A Group a new press release was sent out about SL Buddy Walk presentation happening on Wednesday 13th March 2013 starting at 6pm SLT. More events are taking place also…see below!
- A new expo will be happening in Second Life at Virtual Ability Island between 17th-30th March to raise awareness of National Down Syndrome.
- On 21st March 2013 there will be a live music festival at Virtual Ability Island.
SL Buddy Walk 2013
PRESENTER: JL Zinner
WEDNESDAY March 13, 6pm SLT
The Sojourner Auditorium, Virtual Ability Island
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Virtual%20Ability/54/170/23The Buddy Walk® was established in 1995 by the National Down Syndrome Society to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness and to promote acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome. Last year there were 295 RL Buddy Walks. There’s also an SL Buddy Walk!
There is an Expo, March 17-30, to raise awareness. And on World Down Syndrome Day, March 21, a live music festival. This presentation will give additional information about this year’s event.
PRESENTER BIO:
JL Zinner has been involved in the SL Buddy Walk since it started in 2008. She is also involved in the real life Chicagoland Buddy Walk for the past 10 years and serves on the Buddy Walk advisory board. Her main inspiration comes from her son who is 11 and has Down syndrome.Presented in text and voice simultaneously.
These events are open to all to attend at Virtual Ability Island in Second Life.
SXSW In InWorldz Weekend 2013
Yesterday on Friday 8th March 2013 the first ever South By Southwest Conference started. The 49 sims expo opened up to the public on the grid of InWorldz. The conference goes on from Friday 8th March to Sunday 10th March 2013 while the real SXSW is taking place in Texas. Will you be attending SXSW In InWorldz ?
Topics range from art, music, education, nature, technology, physics and much more.
- Sim A – Education
- Sim B – Arts & Literature
- Sim C – Entertainment
- Sim D – Technology
- Sim E – Physics
- Sim F – Fantasy & Roleplay
- Sim G – Transportation
- Sim H – The Harbor- Boating & Nature
Check out this full map of the 49 sims for InWorldz SXSW 2013
Event schedule for Saturday 9th March 2013
- 8:00am – 10:00am DJ Cataplexia Numbers – Belly Dancing
- 10:00am – 12:00pm DJ – Justin Meyer -
- 12:00pm – 2:00pm DJ Kally Skytower – Jazz
- 2:00pm – 3:00pm Subtlety Dalgish Live Blues
- 3:00pm – 4:00pm Snoots Dwagon – Live Performance
- 4:00pm – 6:00pm DJ Strummer Skytower – Rock
- 6:00pm – 8:00pm DJ Kally – Blues
- 8:00pm – 10:00pm DJ Clint Westwood – country
- Sun Mar 10 SXSW
- 8 a.m. – 10 a.m. — open
- 10:00am – 12:00pm DJ – Justin Meyer
- 12:00pm – 2:00pm DJ G-WINZ
- 2 p.m. -3 p.m. – open
- 3:00pm – 4:00pm Reggie Sunset
- 4:00pm – 6:00pm DJ Strummer Skytower -Rock
- 6:00pm – 8:00pm DJ Kally – Blues
- 8-10 p.m. — open
Event schedule for Sunday 10th March 2013
- 10:00am – 12:00pm DJ – Justin Meyer
- 12:00pm – 2:00pm DJ G-WINZ – Electroswing
- 2 p.m. -3 p.m. — open
- 3:00pm – 4:00pm Reggie Sunset – Live Guitar & Song
- 4:00pm – 6:00pm DJ Strummer Skytower -Rock
- 6:00pm – 8:00pm DJ Kally – Blues- Closing
For the latest SXSW 2013 InWorldz discussions visit the InWorldz Forums.
VWBPE 2013 in Second Life starts on 24th-27th July 2013
There are new details about this year’s VWBPE (Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education Conference) 2013 in Second Life. The conference will be starting on Wednesday 24th July until Saturday 27th July 2013. The theme for VWBPE 2013 is Beyond the Stage which sounds interesting and I’m much looking forward to attending the conference inworld again. This year will mark it’s 6th annual conference in Second Life. Woooot!
Check out the new VWBPE 2013 official website for more information and useful links.
For the latest news updates on VWBPE 2013 join the VWBPE group in Second Life which is free to join. There’s more than 640 members in the VWBPE group and hopefully there will be many more joining in the coming months. 
Mark this on your calendars!
Virtual Ability Community Events from 4th-10th February 2013
Virtual Ability is hosting many interesting community events between 4th-10th February 2013 this week which is worth sharing with everyone. Virtual Ability is a non-profit company that provides excellent community support for people with disabilities in virtual worlds like Second Life. Please mark these events on your SL calendar or notepads.
Event listings
Virtual Ability Community Events, week of Feb. 4-10
**Events marked are open to the public. All other events are for VAI community members and their invited guests.TUESDAY Feb 5
2:30pm SLT- Woodget’s Weekly Quiz Night- VAI Sanctuary Beach CafeWEDNESDAY Feb 6
**1pm SLT- SL Limits (Part 2)- Yellow Hibiscus CabanaTHURSDAY Feb 7
**10am SLT- Shot in the Dark (flu vaccination)- Healthinfo Island Research Pavilion
1pm SLT- The Content Tab- VAI Sanctuary Building ClassroomFRIDAY Feb 8
**11am SLT- Second Life’s Little Secret- Sojourner Auditorium
**noon SLT- What is One Billion Rising About?- Sojourner AuditoriumSATURDAY Feb 9
**8am SLT- About VWBPE 2013- Sojourner Auditorium
1pm SLT- Swim and Chat- VAI Sanctuary Beach CafeSUNDAY Feb 10
**noon SLT- Self-Advocacy: Who, How, and Why- Yellow Hibiscus Cabana
2-4pm- Pun-off Party and Dance- Dance Pavilion, VAI SanctuaryAll events brought to you by the Virtual Ability community. If you have ideas for future VAI events, please contact iSkye Silverweb.
I think these events will be hosted in both text and voice. It’s a interesting lineup I think and I’m sure many good discussions will take place this week at Virtual Ability island. If you are interested in any of the above events then feel free to attend to find out more.
(Dis)Ability in Second Life: Ongoing research
Attend this event coming up called (Dis)Ability in Second Life: Ongoing research on Wednesday 30th January starting at 11am SLT over at The Sojourner Auditorium on Virtual Ability Island. There is a repeat of this event on Saturday 2nd February 2013 starting at 8am SLT. Find out about research findings about people with disabilities and SL identity. This event is open to all and Ambrosia108 Azalee will be hosting the event.
The Sojourner Auditorium
Event Press Release
(Dis)Ability in Second Life: Ongoing research.
PRESENTER: Ambrosia108 Azalee
WEDNESDAY January 30, 11am SLT
or
SATURDAY February 2, 8am SLT
The Sojourner Auditoriumhttp://slurl.com/secondlife/Virtual%20Ability/53/172/23
Find out about an ongoing qualitative study on (dis)ability and Second Life… and why it’s important.
PRESENTER BIO:
Ambrosia108 Azalee is an MA student in Educational Technology at Concordia University, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Her primary academic interests relate to (dis)Ability, human experiences in virtual environments, virtual identities and communities, and implications of technology and its design.Presentation in text and voice simultaneously.
Mark this event on your calendars!
VWBPE will be happening in July 2013
It’s been announced in the NPC meeting this week that VWBPE will be hosted this year in July 2013. This year will mark it’s 6th annual conference in Second Life and it’s set to be bigger than in previous years. More details will be announced very soon relating to VWBPE 2013.
Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education is a global grass-roots community event focusing on education in immersive 3D environments. This open “indie”conference is organized by educators to provide an opportunity to showcase the learning that takes place in this community of practice. All educators are encouraged to present, attend and take part in this discussion of collaborative deeper learning and co-presence in virtual worlds and games.
Last year the theme was Be Epic and there were five regions to visit to listen to many keynote presentations from the Second Life community. Hundreds of avatars attended VWBPE 2012 and hopefully there will be more during the VWBPE 2013 this summer.
Healthinfo Island Flu Vaccines Event
There will be a live presentation event happening at 9am SLT on Thursday 17th January 2013 about Flu Vaccines at Healthinfo Island Research Pavilion in Second Life. Kaznats Oh will be hosting the event with interesting information and lot’s of research about Flu season which effects alot of people across the world every year.
Snapshot of the Healthinfo Island Research Pavilion
Press Release
A Shot in the Dark: Just how effective are Flu Vaccines?
PRESENTER: Kaznats Oh
THURSDAY January 17, 9am SLT
Healthinfo Island Research Pavilionhttp://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Healthinfo%20Island/130/196/30
Have you gotten your flu shot? How effective are flu vaccinations anyway? Research will be presented in plain language, so you can make an informed decision.
PRESENTER BIO: Kaznats Oh (Richard Stanzak in RL) is a critical care nurse. He also worked as a molecular biologist for fourteen years, seven of them for Eli Lilly pharmaceuticals in both research and development.
As a traveling ICU nurse he has been employed at 26 different assignments. He has worked in major trauma units, transplant units, cardiac units and hospitals from 1150 beds to 8 beds. He has experienced first-hand the problems of healthcare and can certainly attest this is a national problem.
Stanzak is the author and/or co-author of several papers and also has several patents. He is the lead author of a benchmark paper on the cloning of genes responsible for the production of erythromycin. He was engaged in research at Eli Lilly when Prozac was first discovered and Genentech first licensed the insulin gene to Lilly. As a critical care nurse, he is responsible for providing teaching to patients or families about drugs, diseases and procedures.
Will you be attending the presentation tomorrow morning ?
SLCC 2013 under a new name includes OpenSim and other platforms
SL News Alert
Today Fleep Tuque posted a update today on her SL Google+ profile page relating to some new hints about future SL conventions. I’m happy to hear that OpenSim and other platforms will be included which should be very interesting indeed. In previous years at SLCC OpenSim and other platforms didn’t really get a mention and now they will in 2013+. This year SLCC 2012 was axed due to changes in the terms of the contract offered by Linden Lab this year.
New mention about future conventions
AvaCon is planning to expand the convention to include Opensim and other platforms in the coming years under a new name and we have volunteer staff positions open if you’re interested, see AvaCon, Inc. for more info.
This is good news that AvaCon is planning for future conventions and not axing them altogether. However it’s going to be apparently be under a new name instead of SLCC I think. Volunteer staff positions are OPEN which applications be found on the official AvaCon website.
Details about when, where, who and a new name have is yet to be announced.
