On 25th September Linden Lab launched the official Second Life Merchandise Store which “offers Second Life and Linden Lab branded clothing and accessories, with a very inclusive range of sizes“. The Second Life Merchandise Store is now live here and it’s worth mentioning that this on-line store is hosted by RedBubble.
It’s great news that everyone can now buy physical world Second Life and Linden Lab merchandise at long last. I love the Second Life t-shirts and the Linden bear collection here. It’s going to be good when more Second Life merchandise is added here soon.
I think this is a good move that the lab has taken and I think the prices seem pretty reasonable at the moment. If you are interested in buying anything here you have to sign up/log in to Redbubble to get started. Payments can be made via Credit or Debit card or using PayPal.
Earlier this week I posted the latest railway track progress going eastwards on the log homes continent and this blog post looks at whats going on down south to the buffer stop. It’s worth exploring if you love new areas.
It’s worth mentioning this new track going down south is not open for use yet. This is just a preview for now until the Moles fully complete the area very soon. I am very excited about the new developments going on this month.
LH signal bridge in SSPE1460
The start of the new railway track going down southwards starts in SSPE1459 with the LH Signal Bridge with some red cube placeholders nearby. The railway track then follows main road down south passing many signal points along the way. The railway track then goes into a forest where there is a new train station and finally the line ends with a buffer stop post.
As you go down south there are newly built log homes along the side of the new road with the railway track next to it which looks very nice.
Many signal points ahead in SSPE1459 leading into the trees areaMore SLRR placeholders in SSPE1458New train & road crossing barrier in SSPE1458A new buffer stop and train station in SSPE1457
I can’t wait for the south and east railway line to open to the public in the months ahead. It’s going to be super fun for sure.
This week on the Second Life Forums a new forum sub section was set up called Mobile which will be used for “discussion about mobile initiatives for Second Life“. Linden Lab are planning to launch an IOS and Android version of a brand new Second Life Mobile app sometime within the next three months.
Today Keira Linden has made several new comments which are worth reading I think if you are excited about trying out the Second Life Mobile app in the future. Firstly the lab are still focused on the social parts of the app like IM functions and groups.
It looks like the iOS version will be first in line with a beta version of it. The lab will make an announcement on how to sign up very soon. The Android app version is going to be a little delayed because of the backend work left to do.
Keira Linden writes…
Right now, we’re really focused on the social aspects like chat (both IM and group) and getting those right. So, keep checking in here and when I have more info on that portion of it I’ll announce it here first!
A little gossip I suppose…
I’ve got a little gossip, but not sure how juicy it is. Android app is in the works! We went with iOS first because we have more Residents on iOS devices, not because we don’t love our Android Resis too! Release for an Android app is going to be a little delayed after iOS because we still have some backend work to do and (in case you hadn’t heard) we are frantically working on this eency little project called UPLIFT. But, we’re still working on what we can along side iOS. Once we have a beta version of it that we can open up for you all to bang on, I’ll drop an announcement in here so you all can sign up.
I think the lab made a good move in creating this new sub section this week focusing on the Mobile side of Second Life. I will be following this very closely because I am looking forward to using the Android version mainly when that gets released. I will blog more when new updates becomes available.
As of Monday 21st September 2020 these are the latest grid region numbers for the size of the Second Life main grid. For the past three weeks the grid has been steadily growing. In general terms Second Life is relatively stable for regions at the moment with the total being just over the 25, 000 regions mark.
Total: 25, 011
Private Estates: 16, 715
Linden Owned: 8, 296
Since 29th December 2019 there has been an increase of 610 private estate regions and a loss of 339 regions on the main grid. The grid has actually gained a total of 271 regions during 2020 so far.
The Second Life Grid Survey is still the best place to view the latest Second Life grid numbers. Tyche Shepherd has not shared her personal analysis of the grid numbers since May 2020 via the VirtualVerse Forums page. The weekly statistics were most interesting and I hope Tyche will resume posting soon.
Average logged in users increases during lock down – Source
Looking back at the last 12 months since September 2019 in terms of Second Life logged in users (average) it appears that between March 2020 – May 2020 there was a higher peak during wave 1. This period was when the pandemic started to get worse and lockdowns occurred around the world.
The daily average reached around 46, 000 – 47, 000 in April 2020 – Source
The highest peak for the maximum daily concurrency for Second Life this year was recorded on 20th April 2020 with 60, 068 users logged in – Source
It seems Europe and other places around the world are starting to see wave 2 of cases/deaths starting to happen sadly. There are warnings on the news saying things will get worse for the next six months at least until vaccines arrive sometime next year.
If wave 3 and wave 4 happens next year I would imagine Second Life would see more logged in users (average). Normally in the winter there are more logged in users in Second Life and it will be interesting to view this real-time graph in 12 months time to see what happens.
The Moles are now extending the log homes train track futher eastwards from SSPE1460 to SSPE1162. There are new signal points and two new victorian tunnels that have been built so far. Within the next few months the new railway will go up the east coast of the log homes continent with brand new train stations and more new areas to explore.
Exciting times ahead! 🙂
New signal points
It’s worth pointing out this new extension is not completed yet so it’s best to wait a little longer before driving trains near this new area. The new railway splits into two in SSPE1460 where if you go down south are new signal points along the way.
New extension not completed yet
Can’t wait for the whole new extension to be completed very soon. I will blog more new developments next month.
It’s a great opportunity now to try the Linden Realms in the Cloud either by yourself or with friends. Linden Lab are due to complete the Uplift later this year in moving Second Life to the cloud.
As many know already some regions on the Beta Grid have already been Uplifted in the cloud after weeks/months of on-going testing. It is likely that more regions will be Uplifted in the next few months until the whole main grid is in the cloud.
Here is the full blog announcement about testing…
As you may know, we are in the process of moving Second Life to the cloud! Our first ever cloud simulators, on the beta grid, have been uplifted, and we can use your assistance. Here’s your opportunity to be among the first Residents to test the performance of uplift.
Log in to the beta grid (click here for instructions) and start at the Aditi Portal Park to try out Linden Realms in the cloud. Bring your friends and spend some time engaging in the virtual experience produced and provided by Linden Lab. You may even run into the often unseen technical Lindens working away. Don’t forget to ask them for their Linden bear, and beware of the rock monster!
If you find any issues with Linden Realms on the beta grid, please file a BUG jira at https://jira.secondlife.com, and make sure to include the time, date, region you were in when you found the issue, and a description of what happened, as well as what you would expect to happen in a similar situation on the Main Grid today.
Keep checking the Second Life blog and the Second Life Forums for more news.
On 11th September Linden Lab announced the Second Life Endowment for the Arts (SLEA) a new community arts initiative developed in partnership with Tansee and Hannington Xeltentat. The SLEA will be starting in January 2021 and will be operating across seven regions supplied by Linden Lab, supported by a board of advisers and volunteers.
This announcement is great news for the whole arts community in Second Life. It’s going to be exciting to see SLEA launch next year. Hopefully it will be a huge success over the next five years or so.
What is SLEA ?
“SLEA is the spiritual successor to the former Linden Endowment for the Arts (LEA), a decade-long partnership with the arts community that aimed to help new artists, cultivate art in SL, and foster innovation, collaboration and education. Due to open to the public in January 2021, the new SLEA is a multi-region experience that aims to provide opportunities to further fuel interest in and spotlight the work of both established and emerging artists in Second Life”.
How can artists and creators participate ?
“Specific details of how the community can get involved in SLEA will be revealed in the near future. Keep an eye out for the application where artists and creators can apply for consideration for use of full or partial regions at SLEA. There is also a new SLEA group inworld that interested parties can join, too. To learn even more about SLEA, tune in next week to a special episode of “Designing Worlds” for an insightful interview with Tansee, Hannington and Linden Lab execs Patch and Brett Linden”.
Check out the 2021 schedule spreadsheet below.
“Note: Linden Lab and the SLEA wish to express our deep gratitude to all in the community who have supported and promoted the arts in Second Life over the years. In particular, we want to express thanks to the many volunteers who contributed to the original Linden Endowment for the Arts during its almost decade-long run from 2010-2019. We are grateful for your ongoing passion and support — and we can’t wait to see what the new year brings with SLEA in 2021″.
Check out the layout for the new seven regions launching in 2021 below
The Moles are still working on the log homes continent and there has been some new developments. In the past few weeks work has started to pick up again across the log homes continent especially on the south coast with new log homes, new waterfalls, new rez zones and much more.
I have highlighted the red area above where the new homes have been built in the past week or so. The blue areas is where the next batch of new homes will be in the weeks ahead.
Check out the new lighthouse in SSPE1149 which looks really nice. I love the waterfall area and how the moles are transforming the nearby regions. Great job! 🙂
The new lighthouse arrives
PossibleWater ExpansionComing Soon
There are new blue waterway spacer guide objects along the side of the east coast of the log homes continent. I wonder if this is for a future water expansion or perhaps something else ?.
New blue waterway spacer guide objects appear New blue objects appear on the east coast
The SSP83X region looks a little different this month with a new water area located in the north east corner. Could this be the new Stilt home layout ?
Some interesting new developments so far this month and as you can see work has certainly picked up again across the Bellisseria continent. The Moles will be adding more train tracks and new train stations in the weeks ahead.
Daniel Voyager 