Virtual Verse One Still Currently Unavailable

Since the beginning of February 2023 Virtual Verse One formerly known as SLuniverse.com has been offline. If you try to visit the website it redirects to cgi-sys/suspendedpage.cgi.

The message says “This page is currently unavailable” then below that it says “If you are the webmaster for this site, please contacr your hosting provider’s support team for assistance”. Snapzilla (SL Pics) is not working either.

Back in early January 2023 Cristiano Midnight was recovering from a serious medical condition. The site came back online for a while and since the start of February 2023 it’s been not available again. Virtual Verse One Forums was used by alot of residents from the Second Life community featuring many topics to do with Second Life and the metaverse.

VirtualVerse.One (formerly SLUniverse) has an active Discord server here: https://discord.gg/0hljC7t3rCEdFMCA

I think many are hoping now that Cristiano is still in good health and that he will make a full recovery soon. When the time is right I’m sure Virtual Verse One will come back online again.

I hope Cristiano is okay and gets well soon.

Virtual Verse One Offline

I will post more updates soon on my blog if I hear anything newer.

SL Mobile Initial Release Late 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.

Linden Lab Rolls Out Biggest Last Name Refresh

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.

One Billion Rising 2023 Cancelled In Second Life – Returns In 2024

Saffia Widdershins recently announced that the 2023 One Billion Rising annual event in Second Life has been officially cancelled for this year due to real life commitments.

Next year in 2024 One Billion Rising event in Second Life will be returning if everything goes to plan. Saffia will be stepping back from an organisational role after ten years.

Here is the full blog post below….

It’s with great sadness that I have to tell you that One Billion Rising has been cancelled for 2023.

Although some of the team are very willing and able to stage the event this year, others of us have been overwhelmed by real life and other commitments. In view of this, it seemed best to cancel OBR 2023, and instead look ahead to a magnificent return in 2024.

I apologise to people who may have started preparations – the delay in informing people about this news is my entirely fault, and not anyone else’s.

For me personally, after ten years, the time has come to step back from an organisational role – although I do hope I will be able to attend and enjoy the event in 2024 and beyond.

Best wishes
Saffia Widdershins

Linden Lab Update On Bonniebots

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.

Update To Traditional Linden Homes

On Tuesday 22nd November Patch Linden officially announced the long awaited update to the Traditional Linden Homes. For those that live in the Bellisseria continent with Traditional Linden Homes you will notice new features and new options. From the new custom color tinting system, special number signs, revamped Chippewa Junction and more.

It’s great to see the lab rolling this update out finally. Yay! 🙂

• Latest feedback can be found here

What’s New ?

• “Each of the 4 original home styles will have an open plan version selectable from the mailbox house controller menu. Not only that, but ALL of the traditional homes will now have a custom color tinting system for interior walls similar to other themes. As an extra bonus, the house controller has an option for having the Linden Homes security system sent directly to you rather than being part of the content pack”.

• “We are adding special house number signs to the content pack. Just rez them out and place them around your doorway for your own house number!”

• “We are ALSO debuting a revamped Chippewa Junction as our Traditional themed Community Region. Located on the main hub of the Bellisseria Railroad, Chippewa Junction Town Hall features reservable spaces for conferences, meetings, garden parties and even weddings!”

• “To book a venue space for your event, or for more info, please contact Mischievious Mole. Reservation form: https://second.life/TraditionalWeddingVenueReservation“

Here Is The Summary Of The New Features

• “A brand new traditional community region featuring usable wedding, party, meeting and conference spaces”.
• “New open plan designs for each Traditional home”.
• “Original and new open plan house models upgraded with a custom tinting system, controlled via the house control panel”.
• “House controllers have now been updated to use common communications protocols with the rezzer and with houses on the parcels with which they are associated, so that all themes (except Fantasy) may safely be mixed and matched”. 
• “House Controllers now have an additional menu item for the Security Orb, so residents can have that delivered individually rather than as part of the Content Creation Pack”. 
• “Traditional House Controllers now have four new menu items for the new houses in each theme”.
• “Now all House Controllers give details of the theme, name of last house rezzed and parcel centre in their description field”.
• “House number sign addition to the content pack”.

What do you think of this new update to Traditional Linden Homes ?

Sign Up For The Second Life Weekly Email Newsletter

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! 

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 have your Destination featured, submit it to the Second Life Destination Guide.

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!

Email isn’t the only way you can stay on top of all of our latest news. You can also follow us on various social networks along with keeping an eye on our community blogs.

Will you be signing up for the weekly newsletter ?

Linden Lab Updates The Terms And Conditions

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 ?

1. “We clarified certain functions associated with the LindeX as well as the terms applicable to orders placed on the LindeX”.
2. “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.

Here is the Second Life Terms and Conditions page.

A Look Back At Second Life Private Estates During 2022 So Far

Basically since the start of 2022 Second Life gained 200+ Private Estates then lost roughly 200 Private Estatesk which is concerning to say the least. If downward rates continue as they are or get much worse then you can expect to see Private Estates drop under the 18, 000 mark before the end of 2022.

In early January 2022 there were 18, 332 Private Estates on the grid and there was positive net growth that followed for months. Back in late July 2022 there were 18, 326 Private Estates. A declining pattern has been happening since July 2022 for some reason.

During the past month it appears that Private Estates have dropped by -29 regions from 18, 164 in September 2022 down to 18, 135 as of 17th October 2022 via the Second Life Grid Survey.

It’s important to mention that back in early January 2020 private estates was around the 16, 036 mark. Back in late January 2011 there was like 24, 815 private regions on the grid. Private Estates have gone up and down a lot during the past 11 years.

Inflation globally and other factors will have a critical part during the next 2 – 6 months or so which will effect the Second Life grid statistics most likely. I hope we will see growth again soon in Private Estates in Second Life.

I remember a few years ago or so when the grid regions declined by the hundreds every month and I hope we won’t see that happen anytime soon.

I will publish another update on the region numbers in November 2022 and in December 2022 to report changes.

What are your predictions for private estates for the rest of 2022 and 2023+ in Second Life ? Please share your views in the comments section below.

Linden Lab Acquires CasperTech

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”.

• See the FAQ here for more details via Reddit

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 ?