12th Annual Mole Day Celebration 2022 In Second Life


Marianne McCann has released event details via press release for the upcoming Bay City annual Mole Day event in Second Life. This year Mole Day will start at 11am SLT until 1pm SLT on Sunday 6th February 2022 held at the Bay City Fairgrounds in the North Channel region.

This is a great opportunity to thank all Moles for their hard work over the past year improving the Second Life user experience. Loads of improvements have been made in Bay City, Bellisseria, Nautilus City and other places around the grid over the years. This can be anything from building the grid’s infrastructure, adding premium continent like Linden Homes to exciting experiences. Bay City was their first such project way back in 2008 and every year since there have been many exciting events that have took place.

This year’s event will feature DJ GoSpeed of the KONA stream followed by a live performance by Ve Joyy at 12:00 p.m. SLT. You don’t want to miss this.

Here is the full press release below.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:
Marianne McCann
Bay City Alliance
marianne.mccann at gmail.com

ANNUAL “MOLE DAY” CELEBRATION COMING IN FEBRUARY

Bay City Residents prepare for their fête honouring the Linden Department of Public Works.

BAY CITY, SL (16th January, 2022) – 
Now in its 12th year, Bay City’s annual “Mole Day” event will once be held this February as a way to salute the Moles and their many contributions to Bay City and the rest of the Second Life® Grid.

Traditionally, the Mole Day event is held on or around Groundhog Day: this year, it will be held on Sunday, the 6th of February, beginning at 11:00 a.m. SLT. This year’s event will feature DJ GoSpeed of KONA stream followed by a live performance by Ve Joyy at 12:00 p.m. SLT.

The event will be held in the Bay City Fairgrounds in North Channel. The event is open to all Second Life® members who enjoy the great works of the Mole, whether they hail from Bay City, Nautilus City, Bellisseria, or anywhere else in Second Life. Of course, Moles and Lindens are also welcome to join in the festivities.

[small editorial: When you join the party please don’t be disappointed when you do not see many with the last name Mole. The moles are there, trust me… -VF Bring molesnax!]

“Moles” are members of The Linden Department of Public Works (LDPW). The LDPW is a program focused on improvements related to the experience of living on, or visiting the Linden Mainland. The LDPW organizes teams of Resident builders, artists, and script creators (the Moles!) to create new content on Linden Lab’s behalf and to the benefit of all. These Residents have the last name “Mole.”

Moles essentially build all of the grid’s infrastructure: the public roads and railways, items in our coastal waterways and protected lands, and even larger scale projects like the Bellisseria regions, premium content and experiences, and much more. Bay City was their first such project.

Bay City is a mainland community, developed by Linden Lab® and home to the Bay City Alliance. The Bay City Alliance was founded in 2008 to promote the Bay City regions of Second Life and provide a venue for Bay City Residents and other interested parties to socialize and network. It is now the largest group for Residents of Bay City.

For more information, or special accommodations, please contact Marianne McCann.

Learn more about the Linden Department of Public Works here.

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Lab Gab Special: Philip Rosedale & Brad Oberwager – 9am PT on 31st January 2022


There will be a special pre-recorded edition of Lab Gab with Philip Rosedale (Philip Linden) Second Life founder / current Strategic Advisor and Brad Oberwager (Oberwolf Linden) Linden Lab Executive Chairman starting at 9am PT on Monday 31st January 2022.

I can’t wait to hear about what Philip and Brad have to say about the big news recently on High Fidelity investing in Second Life, Tilia inc reaching a deal with Unity (Verified Solution Partner) and answering the most popular questions from the Second Life community. There will discussions about Linden Lab and probably what’s coming next on the roadmap.

The official news came via tweet on the official Second Life Twitter page on Saturday 29th January 2022. This is going to be a big show drawing in hundreds of viewers I would imagine.

Please spread the word to your friends and share this on your blogs etc. Thanks 🙂

Fantasy Sub Continent – Developments Update – January 2022


SSPE2772

Earlier this month I blogged about the newest 12 SSPE regions that have been added in the north east corner of the Fantasy sub continent. Today the Moles are still working on these regions adding more Fantasy Linden Homes, new roadways, new rez zones and new interesting areas to explore. These regions should be finished by the end of February 2022.

I have noticed this week that there are more red squares in multiple regions across the Fantasy sub continent meaning things could be delayed for some time until the issues have been addressed. This is the same with the Chalet sub continent in the far north east where there are loads of red squares.

Now – Fantasy sub continent map as of Friday 28th January 2022

Before – Fantasy sub continent map as of Tuesday 11th January 2022

Start of 2022 on 5th January 2022 where the new SSPE regions arrived to complete the continent

Good progress is being made overall and I think at some point in February most if not all of the Fantasy sub continent hopefully will be finished. I will blog about further developments later next month.

SSP Development Area – January 2022 Update

As of Friday 28th January 2022 there are now 17 red SSP regions compared with six red SSP regions on 15th December 2021. The red theme is highly likely the Modern Linden theme which was announced in early December 2021 at the SL Christmas Expo.

Now – 28th January 2022

Before – 15th December 2021

More updates will be posted on my blog in February 2022.

Press Release: Tilia Partners With Unity


On Wednesday 26th January 2022 Linden Lab announced that Tilia Inc has reached an agreement to power virtual economies for game and metaverse developers. This means “Unity’s quality assurance team has vetted the Tilia API for Unity and ensured that the API is optimized for the latest version of the Unity Editor, providing a seamless experience for Unity developers. The Tilia API for Unity is available in the Unity Asset Store“.

This is good news as this will bring in more revenue for Linden Lab in the long term. This is another interesting move for sure.

Here is the full Press Release below.

TILIA PARTNERS WITH UNITY TO POWER VIRTUAL ECONOMIES FOR GAME AND METAVERSE DEVELOPERS

2022-01-26 00:00:00 UTC

Tilia API for Unity Provides Developers with the First Integrated End-to-End Payment Solution Including Cash Payouts

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 26, 2022 – Tilia Inc., a licensed money transmitter and end-to-end payments platform, announced today that it is now a Unity Verified Solution Partner (VSP). This means that Unity’s quality assurance team has vetted the Tilia API for Unity and ensured that the API is optimized for the latest version of the Unity Editor, providing a seamless experience for Unity developers. The Tilia API for Unity is available in the Unity Asset Store. With Tilia, developers building in Unity now have a turnkey payments platform that supports in-game and in-world economies, allowing their users to make and receive payments, and even exchange in-game tokens for real money.

“Many of today’s top games and virtual worlds are built using the powerful Unity real-time 3D development platform and increasingly developers want to incorporate significant virtual economy elements that allow for in-game or in-world user transactions,” said Brad Oberwager, Executive Chairman of Linden Research, Inc., parent company of Tilia. “We are proud to bring an end-to-end payment solution available to the Unity Asset Store, and we look forward to seeing how Unity developers will incorporate Tilia.”

Tilia’s payment platform has three main components. TiliaDirect enables robust in-world payment processing; TiliaWallet provides capabilities for “stored value” for assets or wallet management and enables user-to-user transactions; and TiliaPay enables the redemption of tokens for “fiat” or real money, allowing players to cash out. Together, these solutions provide developers the tools necessary to build thriving in-world economies that empower their players to buy, sell, and trade virtual goods and services, and facilitate robust play-to-earn programs.

Tilia’s platform was originally developed over several years to support the original metaverse, Second Life. It provided Second Life, a first-of-its-kind virtual world, the ability to build the first true creator-based virtual economy where users can build, buy, and sell virtual goods between each other, earning tokens that can be exchanged into fiat currency and deposited into a bank account.

“At Unity, we strive to provide our developer community with the tools necessary to bring their visions to life,” said Macy Mills, Head of Emerging Products at Unity. “With Tilia now a Verified Solutions Partner, their API for Unity will provide developers with the ability to build robust virtual economies within their games and virtual worlds.”

Tilia has since partnered with several virtual worlds and metaverses, online games and NFT marketplaces to offer transactional functionality along with best-in-class fraud management and compliance services.

About Tilia

Tilia is a money services business and licensed money transmitter in the U.S. that powers virtual economies and provides secure transactions at massive scale. Tilia is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Linden Research, Inc. For more information, please visit www.tilia.io.

About Linden Research, Inc. (“Linden Lab”)

Linden Lab develops platforms that empower people to create, share, and benefit from virtual experiences and virtual economies. Founded in 1999, the company first launched Second Life, the groundbreaking virtual world enjoyed by millions around the globe, in 2003, which currently boasts nearly two billion user creations and a vibrant $650 million GDP annual economy that earned creators more than $80 million over the past 12 months. Linden Lab introduced Tilia in 2019. Linden Lab is headquartered in San Francisco. For more about Linden Lab, its products, and career opportunities, visit its website.

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Additional Resources:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tiliapay
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TiliaPay

Linden Lab Media Contact      
Samantha Van Gent
samantha@mightypr.com
(805) 637 7633

Andrew (Leviathan) Linden Returns


Andrew Linden under Leviathan Linden has returned to Second Life this week. Leviathan appeared at this week’s Simulator User Group Meeting on Tuesday 25th January (skip to 12:59 above). Leviathan was positively welcomed back and there was a good sense of excitement. Yay.

Leviathan Linden will now be working on simulator stuff, fixing bugs and implementing small features. Leviathan wanted to pick this name years ago but decided to pick this new name as it was a good pick for a new beginning.

Andrew Linden departed Linden Lab at the end of 2013 (on 19th December 2013) to join High Fidelity Inc which was actually his new venture back then. Andrew hosted Server and Scripting office hours with Simon Linden where he was more active in Second Life pre-2013.

It’s worth attending the weekly simulator user group meetings to stay updated on all of latest developments.

Welcome back 🙂

Second Life One Billion Rising 2022 Takes Place On 14th February


On Monday 14th February 2022 will mark the opening of the annual One Billion Rising event in Second Life. The event will feature a four region stage where over 200 people can come together to dance over the 24 hour period. There will be DJs and live performances through the duration and everyone is welcome to participate. There will be art installations, arenas for poetry, live music and much more.

1 in 3 women across the planet will either be raped or beaten in their lifetime. This event raises awareness of the issues. Every February in Second Life the community rises, dances and shows incredible strength. The focus for 2022 is the concept of the international One Billion Rising organisation Artistic UpRisings.

Change the narrative from the current to the future.
Subvert our current paradigms and expectations of the body and the earth with art.
Create revolutionary art that fires and awakens the senses.
Root it in radical love, radical pleasure and radical compassion.
Move love, connection, eros and joy.
Demand a new language for this life.
Rise for the sacredness of all women’s bodies.
Create for the holy ground of Mother Earth.
Reclaim freedom.

The OBR team are looking for volunteers to help out with this year’s event and here is the OBR 2022 Volunteer Application. Full training will be given and good luck.

Please spread the word.

Linden Lab sending out invitations to complete a survey and give feedback


On 24th January Linden Lab posted a blog post on wanting feedback from the Second Life community to make “Second Life a more pleasant experience for all”. The lab (under research@secondlife.com) will be emailing thousands of residents in the days ahead with an invitation to complete a survey and give feedback. The Flickr team are conducting it’s own independent research on the Second Life community.

I hope that the lab will review the feedback and will seriously consider the top popular suggestions/new features. Maybe a blog post later in the year mentioning what came out on top from the research would be nice to see.

The upcoming Lab Gab special with Philip Rosedale and Brad Oberwager will be announced in the next week or so. Expect some kind of announcement soon. Hundreds of questions have been submitted for Lab Gab and I’m sure it’s going to be a popular episode to find out what’s coming next.

The blog post reads this….

As 2022 begins, we are looking to set new goals and make Second Life Residents happier! 

Later today and in the following weeks, research@secondlife.com will be emailing thousands of Residents with an invitation to complete a survey and give feedback. Please keep an eye out for it, and feel free to share your thoughts on how to make Second Life a more pleasant experience for all. We’ve also been conducting qualitative research with a smaller group over the past few weeks. If you participated in that research, you are still eligible to take part in this survey.

Also, for Residents active on Flickr, the Flickr team is conducting its own independent research on the Second Life community. Flickr has sent some of its own users an email in the last few days asking for feedback and suggestions to make their website a more seamless and engaging experience for the Second Life community. The email also mentions 360 Snapshots and Flickr’s new efforts to help connect Second Life Residents on their platform. If you received this email, please consider participating! And if you haven’t already, make sure to follow our official Second Life account on Flickr and join our official Second Life Flickr Group

So check those spam folders and don’t hit the delete button. We hope you take this opportunity to have your voice be heard!

In other news, we are really excited to see the response from the community on Philip Rosedale’s return. We’ve received hundreds of questions from all of you and are including many of them in the forthcoming “Lab Gab.” We should be announcing the streaming date for “Lab Gab” with both Philip and Oberwolf in the next week or two. Keep an eye on the Second Life Public Calendar for the date!

Keep your eyes open for the survey coming to your inboxes soon. This is a good opportunity to have your voices heard.

Bellisserian Bureau Of Bureaucracy 2nd Anniversary Schedule


The Bellisserian Bureau of Bureaucracy are celebrating their 2nd anniversary now in Second Life from 23rd January to 31st January 2022 over at the Bellisseria Fairgrounds. There are many events planned and many builds for visitors to enjoy.

Here is the full event schedule – DJ events, guided tours, meet & greet sessions and more.

The volunteer group of Bellisserians issues driving licenses. passports to Bellisseria residents along with other services. It’s a popular service which has worked really well.

Please spread the word 🙂

SL19B Dates: 16th June To July 5th 2022


On the Second Life public calendar if you fast forward to June 2022 the dates for SL19B have already been officially confirmed. It appears that for the 2022 Second Life 19th birthday celebrations it will take place from Thursday 16th June to Tuesday 5th July 2022.

If you click on SL19B it will bring up a information box saying that more info coming soon with a link to the Second Life birthday celebration Flickr group page. The lab will announce more about SL19B nearer the time as we are five months away from the birthday celebrations.

I am looking forward to SL19B as it’s one of the biggest events of the year in Second Life and I’m sure it will be succesful once again. Next year for SL20B it will be a huge and I am looking forward to that.


SL Public Calendar Info

SL19B

When

Jun 16 – Jul 5, 2022

Description More info coming soon!
https://www.flickr.com/groups/secondlifebirthdaycelebration


Flickr Page Info

Second Life Official ADMIN

On June 23rd, 2003, the Second Life virtual world was launched to the public.
Thank you for celebrating Second Life’s birthday with us!
This year we’ll be celebrating SL19B from June 16th to July 5th.
Keep an eye on our blog for announcements and sign-up forms: second.life/featurednews


I will post more on SL19B in the months ahead when more information becomes available.

Second Life Home & Garden Expo 2022 Applications Now Open


Registration is now open for the upcoming 2022 Home & Garden Expo event in Second Life. The annual event will take place on 26th February through until 20th March 2022. The Home and Garden Expo is one of the largest and longest running events in Second Life supporting Relay For Life. There will be nine full regions showcasing many styles and genres from furniture, landscapes, houses, decor items and much more.

Blogger applications have opened officially for all those that want to cover the event. There will be blogger access on 24th February 2022 for a early sneak preview of the regions.

The Home & Garden event team are now processing applications and will be sending out notices to all those that are succesful.

Important Dates

  • Exhibitor’s access to set up displays: 20th to 25th February
  • Press Preview: 24th February 2022
  • Soft opening limited to certain groups: 25th February
  • Official Opening: 26th February to 20th March

Please spread the word about the upcoming Home & Garden Expo for 2022.