8 New “SL20B Peach” Regions Arrive On The Grid

8 New “SL20B Peach” regions (1-8) have recently showed up on the map in Second Life south of the “SLB” regions. These new SL20B regions are closed for public access and are showing up as purple for now.

It’s expected the new “SL20B Peach” Regions will merge with the “SLB” regions within the next month or so as preparations for Second Life 20th birthday celebrations start ramping up.

It’s pretty exciting seeing the birthday regions coming together. There are other nearby SLB Planning regions etc nearby so maybe we might see some new visuals soon on the map.

First preview of the new SL20B Peach Regions location

New SL20B Peach Regions Arrive

I will post more on SL20B soon on my blog. Stay tuned for that.

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Second Life Main Grid Regions – March 2023 Update

Since the start of January 2023 it appears the Second Life Main Grid total size has slightly declined again according to the Second Life Grid Survey economic metrics (as of 19th March). The cost of living (higher inflation) could be affecting these grid numbers now and the stats could get worse/better in the months ahead.

Private Estates in Second Life have dropped by over 50 regions since January 2023. This decline could be worrying if this continues for the next three months. Hopefully we will see some positive net growth soon in Private Estates.

Linden Owned regions have been steadily been increasing this year. No major theme releases so far for Linden Hones (it’s been quiet lately). More Linden Owned regions are expected to arrive through 2023 over at the Bellisseria continent.

Maybe more growth could come from SL20B scheduled for mid June where I’m sure there will be more press about Second Life. SL Mobile launch later this year may bring in tons of new residents. The lab could help with land costings with more benefits for Premium Plus members.

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Second Life Main Grid size as of 19th March 2023.

• Total Regions: 27, 617
• Private Estates: 18, 324
• Linden Owned: 9, 293

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Second Life Main Grid size as of 1st January 2023.

• Total Regions: 27, 659
• Private Estates: 18, 370
• Linden Owned: 9, 289

Next update will be published in June 2023 on my blog to see what’s changed during the first 6 months of 2023.

What are your predictions for 2023 in terms of the grid region numbers ? Feel free to comment below.

SL20B Announcement

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.

* Applications for performers are open for SL20B. Deadline is 14th April 2023

The lab will open more applications for more SL20B roles very soon. Stay tuned for that.

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.

New Last Names For The Winter Holiday Season

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:

Have suggestions ?

Submit your Last Names here

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 ?