SL Recap of November 2010

Here are the popular Second Life stories and events that happened during November 2010.

• The Imprudence Project is becoming the Kokua Project > 1st
• “Visit Mexico” sim is closing > 11th
• Inworldz Top Ten Places To Visit > 11th
• SL Web Viewer Beta > 14th
• Beautiful InWorldz Community Video > 15th
• New Single Name Accounts For Second Life > 19th
• Delinda Dyrssen has passed away > 20th
• Linden Lab Takes Down TSL Website > 21st
• LL fired Vektor Linden> 22nd
• Battlestar Galactica Content Removed From Second Life > 26th
• Terrence Linden Updates Teen Grid Residents About TSL Transition > 28th

The SL December 2010 recap post and review of 2010 in Second Life will be published late next month. Stay tuned!

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Terrence Linden Updates Teen Grid Residents About TSL Transition

Terrence Linden apparently went to have a meeting with the teens yesterday afternoon on 27th November 2010, at the resident owned region called Eutopia. Terrence Linden did a question and answer session on the most important talking points raised by Teen Grid residents. Blaze Borgin a teen grid resident who is a good friend of mine kept a log of the transcript and updates mentioned by Terrence Linden.

Latest Updates posted by Blaze Borgin:

1. Teen Second Life will shut down in the first week of January.
2. All active accounts age 16-17 will be transferred.
3. All accounts ages 15 and under will be frozen and automatically reactivated when the user becomes of age.
4. All land in TSL will be transferred.
5. Transferred accounts will keep all items, friends, etc…
6. 16-17 year old residents can have access to the marketplace but can not purchase items marked as “mature”
7. Adults can visit teen grid regions that are transferred.
8. Transfers are automatic and do not invlve anything done on our part.
9. Linden labs is not doing this simply because of cost cutting measures as most people say.
10. Teen users will not get tags, nor will adults, in the interest of safety.
11. 80% of G regions do not border Moderate/Mature regions
12. Terrence will provide more answers in a notecard (possibly)

Apparently there were around 100 teen residents that attended this special Q&A session and many posted their TSL questions on a page called Teen questions for TSL migration created by Terrence Linden. So far there have been 44 TSL residents that have submitted 62 questions along with cast 783 votes so far.

When I hear any new info I will publish it on my blog when it comes available.

 

TSL Transition Countdown, Update 2

Yesterday I had a meeting with Terrence Linden about the upcoming closing of the Teen Grid and I received alot of good feedback in the half an hour that I had. As many know Terrence posted a new blog post about Bringing Teens to Second Life’s Main Grid on Thursday 18th November 2010. Since then there’s been over 500 blog comments on the post and that number is increasing.

Here’s the latest news:

• The date has now been pushed back a few days after 31st December 2010
• Teens will only be able to go to G regions, until they become 18 years old
• Linden Lab engineers are hard at work preparing currently for the Transition
• The TSL website went offline last week officially by Linden Lab
• Everyone will see the teen grid regions and it will be visible (regions will stay where they are)
• Very mixed feedback from Teens and many have been asking questions on how things would be done during TSL office hours
• Terrence Linden has been talking to a lot of lindens on this, across all parts of the organization and has learned a lot about how LL internal systems work, code, policies, etc
• In profiles there will be no way to find out any teens age –> (safety/privacy)
• Terrence pointed out theres’s not enough communication with the landowners on the teen grid
• Linden Lab have noticed the teen grid declining

2011 The Big Change

As many of you know Terrance Linden goal is to make the experience for Teen Grid residents smooth as possible when they come over in early January 2011. Terrance added that this TSL Transition is good in the long run, in the short run it will be choppy and hard. It’s a big shift, a necessary one for the good of the grid and Terrence is excited to see what the 16-17 year old do on the main grid. Terrence thinks it won’t be as big of a change as people think, but it is definitely a change. G regions are 15% of the grid, Terrence wants to do this correctly and Terrence pointed out it is hard reading some of the blog comments because it is a change for people and change is difficult.

What are your views on the TSL Transition at this stage ?

My New Version 3 SL Bear

Here is my new created version 3 SL bear for the autumn/winter 2010. I name it the the apprentice bear and it’s really friendly. *grins*

• My Version 2 SL Bear

Linden Lab Takes Down Teen Second Life Website

It appears that Linden Lab have taken down the Official Teen Second Life website as it no longer appears in Google Search Results. It now automatically redirects you to the Official Second Life website instead. It seems right to take down the TSL website as there’s less than 2 months to go until the official closing of Teen Second Life. Another interesting development by Linden Lab under the radar.

The TSL website was never really updated at all by Linden Lab since 2005. The countdown continues to tick down until the closing of the Teen Grid.

Delinda Dyrssen has passed away in RL

Just heard the very sad news that Delinda Dyrssen (SL resident) has passed away in real life. She was a great inspiration in Second Life and in real life. She was part of the Treet.TV team and became apart of music in Second Life. She was a wonderful force for SL.

SLURL – Remember Delinda Dyrssen here

Chestnut Rau, New World Notes event writer, has also created a new SL group you can join, Delinda Dyrssen Memorial: “This group is to organize a memorial concert to benefit her favorite charity and to honor her endless enthusiasm.” – NWN

A lovely person and we will never forget you. RIP Delinda Dyrssen! 😦

SL Web Browser Beta Videos

Check out these cool SL web browser beta videos I found on YouTube from SL residents that have successfully logged in and exploring the new web based experience this week. There are at least 30 SL destinations to visit when using the online web-based experience apparently. There are limited controls and things you can do in the SL Project Skylight Beta web-based experience.

 

First visit to Second Life from the web

 

Project Skylight, the Web-based viewer for Second Life

 

Secondlife Web Viewer Beta use

 

Web based Viewer (Beta) – Second Life

 

sl web vieweer

 

New Single Name Accounts For Second Life

It now seems you can sign up to Second Life with single name accounts. Before you could just signup to SL by entering your First SL Name and SL Second Name but now you are allowed one word Usernames. Check out what the SL Join page used to look like here. Linden Lab have recently launched Display Names in Viewer 2.3 allowing “greater self-expression for new users”.

• In Viewer 1.23.5 you will be known as Username Resident (example: Countdown Resident)
• In Viewer 2.3 you will be known as Username (example: Countdown)

New Look Screenshot

Register your single usernames NOW

I went ahead and created my new Username called Countdown to test it out.

Easy Fix For SL Web Viewer Beta

Thanks to SignpostMarv Martin for pointing this out to me today there is a easy fix for the SL Web Viewer experience.

1. Visit http://interest.secondlife.com/beta – Wait for site to load up then:
2. Replace the URL above with the following java link by visiting: typewith.me/EmSrDXPnFO

• This forces the success dialog to show
• Enter email and start exploring the new web-based experience (Works in Chrome & Firefox)
• Enjoy

SL Web Viewer Beta Email

Linden Lab have recently sent out a email telling everyone to help test the new web-based viewer but hundreds of SL residents or so are finding it hard to enjoy this experience like test this out. Why?..well many are viewing a banner with a Join Now button which is not the right one instead they should be seeing a Explore Now button that should appear. The preview clip which lasts 45 seconds should be a tutorial on how to use the web-based viewer in a browser and should not be showing us music videos. It should be tested by everyone first in beta then be released officially to everyone like we do with the releases of Second Life viewers. I do see alot of potential in this web-based viewer for SL and successful in the long term but I don’t think this is the best way of getting everyone to test it out. Agree?

17th November 2010

Latest reactions from SL residents about this new web-based experience beta:

• It seemed to work OK
• Pretty surprised that I didn’t lag much in it.
• So I’m not missing out on much
• I just tired it too and I’d love for this to be an alternate way to access
• Runs pretty decently all right
• SL web viewer!!! This is huge!
• I’m not eligible
• I really like the idea of simple access & cloud rendering,
• Fun stuff!

Alot of folks have been saying this is only being tested in the U.S while some are saying it works near server locations. So what requirements do you need to run this beta test? Would love to know your thoughts, pictures or videos if you have any to share! 🙂