For anyone that has not heard the news about SL20B yet the lab have officially announced details on when Second Life 20th annual birthday celebrations will take place.
The SL20B celebrations opens to the public on Thursday 22nd June through until Tuesday 11th July 2023. There will be “20 fun-filled days of live music, performances, shopping, and amazing community exhibits!”.
The SL20B theme is Our Fantastic Future. “The cornerstone of this idea is what we would define as eco-futurism including sustainability, a focus on our environment, and the next generation of our world”.
* Applications are open for SL20B Music Fest which will be held from 22nd to 24th June 2023. Deadline is 9th April 2023.
Linden Lab has confirmed that SL Mobile is being developed and that the initial release is planned for late 2023 with limited functionality to start of with with more functionality being added after.
Apparently the core development of this product started in October 2022 built upon Unity. SL Mobile will be compatible with iOS and Android devices. The lab have been working on the graphics, avatar rendering, rendering edges and more.
Second Life Mobile – First Look Preview
Sounds very exciting and I would love to try out SL Mobile when it’s in beta later this year. Hopefully the lab will update the Second Life community on a regular basis on the progress.
On Tuesday 28th February Linden Lab announced another roll out of new Last Names for Second Life residents. This new batch is the biggest last name refresh to date I believe which removes some of the older last name options with new Last Names from everyone’s suggestions submitted to the lab recently.
The lab throughout 2023 will add/remove Last Names from the main names pool. The suggestions form can be found here for future Last Names.
There are some really good ones like Blossom, Whiskers, Foxtail, Sausage and more. Here is the full list of New Last Names below…
Jeon
Foxtail
Varela
Kealoha
Primdashian
Spicy
Costanza
Gupta
Softpaw
Vandervoort
Tordenskjold
Peabody
Whiskers
Quack
Pixelbottom
Blossom
Bork
Nightingale
Sausage
Fibble
Please spread the word. Thanks 🙂
Do you have any favourite Last Names listed in the main names pool ? Got new ideas for new Last Names ? Feel free to comment below.
On Friday 3rd February Linden Lab posted a statement on the situation with Bonniebots on a number of threads on the Second Life Forums. Linden Lab will be making adjustments and changes very soon to address the issues.
Linden Lab have locked and shut down a number of forum threads relating to Bonniebots.
Here is the full statement by the lab below…
We know there has been quite a bit of discussion about Scripted Agents/NPCs lately. Linden Lab is committed to continuing its excellent track record of keeping your personally identifiable information safe and secure. We understand that there is a certain amount of information a “bot” service has been collecting and displaying on their third party website that is causing unease in our community, and we’re working on the best way to address these concerns.
Linden Lab is having conversations with the parties involved, however this should not be taken as an endorsement of any sort. We have spoken several times in an attempt to get a full picture of the situation. These discussions have been mutually beneficial, and will help us as we look to update our policy on Scripted Agent/NPC operation in Second Life.
We recognize the need for improvements in specific areas, so in the near future we will be making adjustments to policies where needed. We have seen many requests from the community with a wide array of suggestions, and we appreciate all earnest and civil engagement. Internal discussions will continue beyond the Scripted Agent/NPC Policy, and any programmatic changes will be communicated as those roll out.
Thank you to everyone who engaged in this topic and added your voice. While we have had to shut down several discussions that became unproductive, we have welcomed feedback through support contacts and have been using this feedback to inform our decision-making. We are listening, and are working to make sure that Second Life is a welcoming and engaging world for all our Residents (and their automata).
What do you think about Bonniebots ? Feel free to comment below.
On 1st December Linden Lab officially announced another batch of new Last Names which are winter themed and are available for a limited time. As mentioned in the blog post these new winter themed last names may return next year for the 2023 winter season. I think these new winter themed last names suit the winter season very well and it comes on time with Christmas just weeks away now.
New Last Names:
Tinseltail
Elf
Mistletoe
Gingerbread
Noelle
Claus
Blitzen
Below is a full list of current last names that are available:
On Wednesday 16th November Linden Lab announced news about the Second Life Weekly Newsletter for the latest Second Life breaking news, events, videos and exclusive virtual experiences delivered directly to your email inbox. It takes only a few seconds or so to subscribe. Once signed up you will see the “Success! You’ve been added to the audience” message.
It’s a good way to keep informed on what’s going on from the lab. There are many Second Life bloggers that cover the news and I have listed some in my blogroll on the right hand side.
Here is the full blog announcement about the weekly email newsletters.
Are you looking for a way to stay informed about all the latest destinations and events happening on the grid? Do you want Second Life breaking news delivered directly to your inbox? Signup for our Second Life Weekly Email Newsletter!Â
For a while now we’ve been sending a weekly email to a small group of our most active Residents and the clicks show that many of you enjoy receiving these exclusive updates directly in your inbox. If you have not been receiving these weekly emails from us, now is your chance to sign up for them! You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link at the bottom of any email.
Our newsletters usually include some of our latest videos of the week along with links to different events or destinations and an image from one of our Residents that is selected as the Fresh Look of the week!
For a chance to be featured in Fresh Looks, submit your image to the Official Second Life Flickr Group! Did you know we just hit ONE MILLION IMAGES AND VIDEOS in the group? All submitted by our wonderfully creative Residents!
The 12th annual Second Life Christmas Expo for 2022 will open to the public next week on Friday 2nd December through until Sunday 11th December 2022. The SL Christmas Expo 2022 theme is The Magic of Holiday Stories.
The SL Christmas Expo regions have arrived on the grid and now work is underway to get them ready for the big grand opening next week. The SL Christmas Expo is spread across 12 regions (Chapters – different holiday story) featuring more than 150 shops and more.
There will be live entertainment, live performances, special hunts, decoration competitions, photos with Santa and much more. The return of Linden Lights of Hope region showcasing Linden Homes from Linden Lab. There could new details announced about the next Linden Home theme during the expo.
SL Christmas Expo 2022 Regions
Please spread the word about next week’s SL Christmas Expo 2022.
On Tuesday 25th October LInden Lab officially announced some new updates to the Second Life Terms and Conditions via the Second Life official blog.
Its worth reading through the terms and conditions page if your not familiar with it and feel free share it with others.
Whats New ?
“We clarified certain functions associated with the LindeX as well as the terms applicable to orders placed on the LindeX”.
“We added a section describing the terms applicable to your use of Stored Value Accounts, including your relationship with Tilia LLC”.
The next update will take place on 31st October 2022. If you decline the changes then you have to close your Second Life account down.
Here is the full blog post with the new changes below.
From time to time, we make changes to Second Life’s Terms and Conditions in order to improve the documents, update and/or clarify policies, and keep the Terms current – all of which assist in governing your relationship with Linden Lab. Our next update will take place automatically on October 31, 2022.
Here’s what’s new in this update:
We clarified certain functions associated with the LindeX as well as the terms applicable to orders placed on the LindeX.
We added a section describing the terms applicable to your use of Stored Value Accounts, including your relationship with Tilia LLC.
By continuing to use our services after the changes take effect, you agree to be bound by those changes. No further action is needed from you to accept such changes. However, if you would prefer to decline them, then you will need to close your Second Life account prior to October 31, 2022.
On Friday 21st October 2022 there was a special live episode of Lab Gab featuring Patch Linden and Grumpity Linden. There was a lot of topics mentioned during the live session and some announcements too.
I think probably the biggest thing to take away is the Premium Plus will be able to hold a Homestead regions ($109 a month tier for a Homestead) without having the need to pay for a Full region. Premium Plus subscribers in Europe will soon see the removal of VAT from all subscription options (TBC).
There was a update on Linden Homes including the first premium plus selection of Linden Homes will be the Ranch theme – launching end of 2022 / early 2023 release (more themes are coming soon). There are new plans to get new floor plans for existing Linden Home designs before the end of 2022.
The lab are working on mobile plans and apparently there might be some teasing of this option in early 2023. Speedlight is still a third party viewer and is not part of the lab’s mobile development. The avatar expressiveness project is still in the early phases of development (more in 2023). The lab will be rolling out some big improvements to a first-time avatar customisation process soon. New starter mesh avatars may be released in the next few months or so.
There was more projects and updates mentioned. If you missed the live episode you can catch up below in two parts.
Lab Gab With Patch Linden and Grumpity Linden" data-content="https://danielvoyager.wordpress.com/2022/10/23/lab-gab-with-patch-linden-and-grumpity-linden/" title="Share on Tumblr"data-posttype="link">Share on Tumblr
On Wednesday 14th September Linden Lab announced that CasperTech is being acquired by Linden Research, Inc. This new acquisition will “ensure ensure that all of the existing CasperTech services in Second Life will continue to operate without interruption into the foreseeable future, but it also opens up brand new opportunities”.
This is interesting news and it makes me wonder how many more new acquisitions the lab will make in the years to come. From what I am hearing is that there are mixed responses already to this news and it’s raising concerns already across the grid. The lab says this acquisition will be a positive change for Second Life residents and CasperTech customers moving forward.
“CasperTech has provided various business related services within Second Life for 13 years. Over that time, CaperTech has proudly provided continuous service for tens of thousands of Second Life businesses, and it has remained steadfast in its commitment to the merchants who have depended on those services”.
“You can expect to see the same great services that you know and love continue on, with all of the same functionality you enjoy today, but with closer integration into the Second Life ecosystem – and as such, an even more reliable and convenient experience.”
There is active discussion going on in this forum thread on the Second Life Forums. Check out the Lab Gab episode (full video above) for more details about the acquisition featuring Patch Linden and Casper Warden.
Here is the full blog post…
Greetings Second Lifers!
Today is a really big day for all of us together and we are excited to share that the Second Life portion of CasperTech is being acquired by Linden Research, Inc.
CasperTech has provided various business related services within Second Life for 13 years. Over that time, CaperTech has proudly provided continuous service for tens of thousands of Second Life businesses, and it has remained steadfast in its commitment to the merchants who have depended on those services.
This acquisition will ensure that all of the existing CasperTech services in Second Life will continue to operate without interruption into the foreseeable future, but it also opens up brand new opportunities to vastly improve the experience for our users as our next step in the CasperTech and Second Life journey.
You can expect to see the same great services that you know and love continue on, with all of the same functionality you enjoy today, but with closer integration into the Second Life ecosystem – and as such, an even more reliable and convenient experience.
We wouldn’t have gone forward with this move if we weren’t absolutely confident that it will be a positive change for all Residents and CasperTech customers.
We hope that you are as excited about this change as we are, and we thank you for your continued support as we all step boldly into the future together!
We have started a forum discussion here for anyone interested in participating with questions. You can also watch Casper and I on a special pre-recorded Lab Gab today at 10:30am SLT!
What do you think of this acquisition announcement from the lab ?
Daniel Voyager 