Akela Talamasca
- http://akelaishowling.blogspot.com
A Force for Good in our time.
RL to SL: Annie's Costumes
[UPDATE: Foolishly left out the SLurl!] It's not just big corporations and chain companies that decide to hang their shingles in SL; one of the nice things about SL is it's still a fairly even playing field. Megacorps and mom-and-pops compete equally. So it is with Annie's Costumes, an online Halloween costume store created with the assistance of Ten Golden Rules and LeftBank Studios.
Originally opened in RL in 1989, they created a web presence in 1996, and were so successful with their online presence that they shifted the business to be entirely on the 'Net in 2003. "Going virtual just seemed like the next step for our costume shop," states Shari McConahay, Marketing Director for Annie's Costumes, "We worked closely with Ten Golden Rules and LeftBank Studios to design a Second Life costume and clothing line that would reflect the true spirit of Halloween. All the classic Halloween costumes are represented from vampires to witches, from pirates to princesses."
As the gallery shows, these are well-done avatars and clothing, on a par with any of the more popular designers in SL. The costumes range anywhere from 450L (the 'Kissing Booth'), to 2000L (the 'Wise Old Wizard'). The costumes are no mod/no copy/transfer, and the prims are modifiable. While you're there, don't forget to visit the Halloween Hall of Fame!
And hey, is it just me, or does the male Vampire look like Jack White?
(Thanks, Michael!)
Gallery: Annie's Costumes
Celebrate ROMA's 1 Year Anniversary!
After this post, I promise to leave off of the exclamation points. But this is cause for excitement: ROMA, previously covered here, is a fantastic sim dedicated to reproducing life as it was in the days of the Roman Empire. Architecture, events, and dress are as legitimate as possible, and the fun continues all this upcoming week with the 1 year celebration!
Planned events include: Roman food and recipe contest; Senate meeting; Chariot races; Gladiator contest; Festival of Mars; and the Final Feast. It's a jam-packed week, so be sure to drop by at least one of the days to check it all out! Full schedule of events is here.
(Thanks, Torin!)
PODball!
Cube3, who released the CubePODZ, previously reported here, have created a new game that can only be played with their versatile vehicles: PODball. Owing to the vehicles' ability to adapt to three different surface media, PODball will feature 3 layered fields upon which to compete, meaning that players will have to master their crafts, and the transformative structures inherent to the CubePODZ.
There's a Practice Field available for players eager to try this engaging, emerging sport. If you don't already own a CubePOD, you can pick one up right there on the field for a mere 600L. The possibility for team and league play is evident, and Cube3 has plans to support these systems as they appear.
Just Askin': What's Your Linden Name?
I've met a few Lindens in my time, and more and more with each passing day. I've always been curious as to how a Linden name gets chosen. At the Virtual Worlds Conference on Wednesday, I met Red Linden, who was adorable. She's got a head of vibrant, fiery hair, hence the name (I presume; I didn't ask). But the derivation of other names are less obvious. Pathfinder? Zero? Iridium?I'm not asking for a bunch of stories of how the various Lindens chose their names (though that'd be fun, if any of you have some good ones), but rather to ask: If you became a Linden, what would your Linden name be, and why?
I Am Legend ... and so are you!
It's here! The Electric Sheep have teamed up with Warner Bros. to produce the I Am Legend survival horror game, playable in SL right now! Based on the upcoming movie of the same name, the game will let players take sides in a dying, apocalyptic New York.
From the press release: "The game features player-customizable avatars loosely based on characters in the film, New York City-based environments that change and expand over time and supports both voice and text chat for in-game multiplayer communication."
One can play as either Infected or Uninfected, with survival at the heart of the game. The simulacrum of New York City will itself degrade over time, with the participants able to have a say in exactly how this will happen, via the game's blog. For full information, go to http://iamlegendsurvival.com, where you can teleport to the game site within SL.
Did Bragg Influence the TOS?
SLI reader Neural Blankes sent this interesting juxtaposition in. First there's this, posted on September 18th, regarding a change to the TOS involving dispute resolution. And then, of course, this one, announcing the end of the case between LL and Marc Bragg. Those of you who saw it coming, I salute you. Should we now be on the lookout for any further changes to the TOS as indications of something larger?
(Thanks, Neural!)
Seriously, Hollywood, WTF? The Office, Too?
Okay, remember when I was talking about how these things happen in waves? The industry's continuing to prove me right with this tidbit. Apparently, if we're to believe this Wikipedia entry, an upcoming episode of The Office will feature Dwight getting his SL on.It's plausible, I guess. But the timing is suspect, and just adds to the believability, if you adhere to my paranoid way of thinking. But where will this wave of SL-as-entertainment fodder end? The Desperate Housewives discover Isle of Lesbos? Extreme Makeover: Tête à Pied Edition? Dr. Phil talks some sense into newbs in the Welcome Areas? Ooh, that I'd like to see ...
(Thanks, Iris!)
$1,000,000,000 Invested in Virtual Worlds Since October 2006
According to Virtual Worlds Management, more than one billion dollars US have been invested in various virtual-world concerns since this time last year. Among the higher valuations are the $700,000,000 that Disney paid for Club Penguin; the $110,000,000 that Intel bought Havok with; and $30,000,000 going to the Trion World Network via a consortium of partners that includes Time/Warner.Interestingly, the list sent to me by the VWM lists Anshe Chung Studios as receiving an 'unknown' amount by Gladwyne Partners. Isn't Anshe minting money at this point? Why the investment? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?
(Thanks, Susie!)
Nippon Television Network's SL-filmed Show: Kawaii or Kowai?
I love this idea already: The Nippon Television Network is planning on recording an upcoming show entirely in SL. Now, let's take a moment to let the awesomeness of that settle in. The Japanese are globally known, and rightly so, for having THE weirdest/most amazing television shows of all time. I don't know exactly what they're planning with this broadcast, and the referring website is fairly vague as well, but it sounds like they're inviting user-generated content to appear, which can only mean monkeys-on-LSD-level goofiness.Or not? Could it just be a staid and stolid news program? Does anyone have more information on what's being planned? Or does anyone wanna just go hog wild with this announcement?
(Thanks, Mat!)
Evian No Longer Naive
Evian, the bottled water company, is now in SL, with an intriguing slant on their product. Pursuing the slogan "The most important body of water is your own", avatars who pick up a bottle from an Evian vending machine will also receive a new skin to wear. This skin will supposedly feature better texturing and lighting, thus giving your av a 'healthier' look.Has anyone tried this yet? Being a wolfie, I can't wear skins, so I rely on you all. Furthermore, anyone out there with one of these vending machines on your land? Did Evian approach you for the privilege? Did you get anything out of it? I'm all curious!
(Via promomagazine)
Celebrity Survivor, SL
This sounds so crazy I'd have thought it was a Japanese creation, but no, this came from the minds of the Italian media production company Magnolia. In 'Celebrity Survivor: Second Life', set to begin soon, 10 RL contestants will be given laptops optimized for SL performance, and will spend 7 weeks in SL, under constant webcam supervision. During this time the contestants will play an endurance game wherein they will compete against their opponents to see who will remain alive at the end of the game's running time.Let me stress this if I haven't made it clear: 7 weeks, constant SL presence, the only break being sleep periods. There is more to the experience, including challenges, voting, etc., but that's the part that gets me. Contestants are under constant webcam supervision, which will also be broadcast over the 'Net. How many of us can claim to have spent 7 weeks in SL? Seriously, this is the sort of thing legends are made from -- not to mention broken marriages and enclosed-space neuroses.
For more information on this event, contact Phaylen Fairchild in-world, or go to this site (note: Italian language). This link provides all the rules of the contest in PDF format in English.
(Thanks, Phaylen!)
Metaversatility's Resident Survey
Hot on the heels of the previously-mentioned survey, MDC Metaversatility brings a resident survey on behalf of an undisclosed 'established technology company' gathering information on how best to approach SL. This is a good thing, and deserves your feedback and honest response, even if only for that reason.However, for the more mercenary among you wondering 'what's in it for me', the answer is: quite a lot! Participation in the survey enters you into a sweepstakes to win a prize. To the right of the main field of text that describes the survey, you'll see a substantial list of potential prizes to be won. There are many, but you only win one, so presumably more than one person will come away a winner. The prizes include books, CDs, and opportunities for advertising your business in SLExchange.com or The Metaverse Messenger, to name just a few.
If you have any questions, please contact Aaron Delwiche at aaron@metaversatility.com. The survey is brief and worth your while. Get to it!
(Thanks, Adri!)
More Crime and Punishment, TV-Style
In Hollywood, things never happen in a vacuum. If one studio has a thriller involving time travel, chances are another will have one ready shortly. To wit: Those of you horrified by the recent episode of Law and Order, in which a SL-like virtual world played a major role, might be equally frightened by this news: CSI: NY will feature its own whodunnit, but this time it really is Second Life that's involved.Unlike the Law and Order episode, this sounds like it might approach SL with a little more respect. In a nutshell, ace investigator Mac Taylor is called upon to track down the killer of 'the Paris Hilton of Second Life', who has taken over the victim's avatar and assumed her identity. More intriguing than the plot, however, is CSI creator Anthony Zuiker's ideas on pushing viewer involvement further, with the help of the Electric Sheep Company.
There will be follow-up interactivity for viewers to pursue, including visiting NBC's website to try to guess the murderer's identity -- which will remain unknown until the resolution of this episode's cliffhanger, which will be in February of 2008. One of the best things about the embedded clip from that episode is the rundown of SL given by a younger member of the CSI team, talking about the things you can do in SL. When one of his colleagues asks 'Why?', he replies in an isn't-it-obvious-voice: 'It's ... fun?'
For full details, visit the New York Times story on this episode, which airs Oct. 24th. Side note: Mr. Zuiker will be giving the keynote speech at this year's Virtual Worlds Conference in San Jose. It's not too late to register!
(Thanks, John!)
The SL Residency Grant
The Australia Council Second Life Artists Residency recently awarded their AUD $20,000 grant to Christopher Dodds (aka Mashup Islander), Adam Nash (aka Adam Ramona) and Justin Clemens (aka S1 Gausman) of Babelswarm. First of all, I didn't know there was such a Residency program, and second of all, that's a pretty fair amount of money! This speaks well of Australia's devotion to promoting the arts in general, and SL in specific.The post referenced above also includes an example of their upcoming SL- related project, which sounds really cool: RL people speak into a microphone and their speech gets converted into letterforms that drop into a transparent well in-world. This is meant to be a metaphor for the Tower of Babel story, and it's particularly apt for SL.
Keep an eye out for The Australian Centre of Virtual Art (ACVA), in which this installation will manifest.
(Thanks, Elizabeth)
What does your choice of avatar mean in a job interview?
That's the question this article asks, and it's an interesting one. From the article: ""You can have expressional relationships in Second Life that can say a lot about you. Are you wearing power red? Are you rearing dark blue? There are so many social indicators that we use in real life that are being transported into virtual universes. As such, you can tell a lot about people by their avatars' physical attributes because what they're doing - maybe unbeknownst to themselves - is creating characters with a lot of social cues and signals," says Dr. Darren Nicholson of Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J.What do you all think? The presumption here is that this would be an interview with a RL company, not an SL one, which I'd think would be a lot more relaxed. What's appropriate dress for a SL job interview?
(Via associatedcontent)
