Well, theres a box full of bits I haven't posted and which those of you with busy lives and no Tweets might have missed ....so.. nothing original, just recycled bobs.
My news is that I have started building at Burn 2 as an invited artist even tho I have been pretty stiff with my criticism of the event in past years, especially the land grab which I always hated and the Megaphobia which still pervades the poor souls that organise it. Anyway, they generously gave me some prims to play with and I have made a start on that.
InWorldz I have cleared the sim of my trial bits that I rezzed there as preparation for IBM and hope to start today on a new build which will be a bit different to anything I have done before, and a bit the same..... just more prims.
Re. IWz.. they had a concurrency of 300 this weekend, which is about a 600% growth in 4 or 5 months. Elenia writes about it here. Surely one of the nicest aspects of a smaller grid is that you actually get to know the Founders thro blogs, forums and personal meetings, it builds trust, a vital aspect as Tateru pointed out. ...and, with NWN diversifying into other grids..it seems.. Nightflower is right in pointing to the fact that, if your friends are with you, it doesn't matter where you rezz your hat.
Re. Mesh...thanks to Malburns for posting this ... hehehehe...
...and just as funny...reTweeted by SecondLie from Seralok...
Yep, we've all had our moments of frustration...
and....keeping you amused, Snickers posted an amusing post...
...and, on a more serious note... as a sort of footnote to my previous post on newbies... I was directed to a very good blog by Pussycat Catnap where she has really taken time out to go through everything we all need to know about SL, especially if you are new, and/or new to the Dreadful viewer too.
On the subject of "What is Second Life?" this has to be a very thorough answer to people who have never heard of it before.
My favourite art that I have seen this last while has been Scotti's show of his work, and I have no idea if it is still showing, or any record of where I saw it... just really nice images of his RL work...
I do know its called Stick in the Mud.... maybe some person with a memory will post details in the comments....
...and, as a follow on from my last post...UWA has 44 machinima entries....wow...
Oh, and check out Lem Skall's photos of Tree of Trees up at the top right here.....
I have been called uneducated and opinionated this week by a Twit, not a mile from the truth, while the Linden Destination Guide calls me a Celebrated Artist. Do I have to wear candles on my head, and can 1st April be soror Nishi Day, or is it booked already by the Public Relations department?
In a move that defies all description Linden Labs moved this week to nobble all Third Party Viewer competition...
Cockup Linden : Grrrrr Blunder Linden : Whats up mate? Cockup Linden : They’ve all loaded Phoenix and Imprudence. Blunder Linden : Guess we shouldn’t have given them the code. Cockup Linden : Doh!! BS Linden : Tell em the code is illegal and its dishonest of em to use it. Cockup Linden : Can we do that? Blunder Linden : We can do anything. BS Linden : Then we can ban all the other viewers. Cockup Linden : Then they’ll have to use Viewer 2, the ungrateful buggers. Blunder Linden : Brilliant !! Cockup Linden : BS, you should be promoted for that. BS Linden : Aww...thanks guys, I do my best.
Now, even if they were forced into it by others for legal reasons, no-one is gonna believe that it isn’t a mean-spirited move to mess up the competition.
Full details are available on Tateru Nino’s (always informative) blog here.
As far as digging a hole goes, this one is not only bad, it is totally disasterous. Calling, or implying dishonesty on the part of Third Party Viewer developers is totally uncalled for, and the backlash will be intense.
To deal this sort of a blow to your own credibility when Linden Love is at an all time low is staggering.
If you have a product that you want to be widely accepted, surely the best thing is to develop it to such a degree that the competition can’t touch it. Nobbling your competitors is only acceptable if no-one finds out about it, which in these days of blogging is very unlikely.
Professing innocence, which the Lab could yet do, will not wash as the credibility gap is currently huge and about to widen.
It has to rate as the worst move ever, even in a year of bad moves.
Now, I have to admit to not fully registering the details when I was first told about them, being occupied with other stuff... but I think I've got them all right now....
Basically there are prizes which will be awarded on the 10th of October for Overall Winners of the UWA Challenges.
There will be a guest speaker...
"UWA is honoured that the legendary Lumiere Noir, creator of the Ivory Tower Library of Primitives, has agreed to be Guest Speaker of Honour at the Grand Finale Ceremony of the UWA 3D Art & Design Challenge & MachinimUWA II: Art of the Artists, at the 200seater UWA-BOSL Amphitheatre, from 6am slt, Sunday, 10th October."
so...what has this to do with you...? well...there are three peoples awards which you can vote for... you have 6 votes.
"Grand Final People's Choice: The public can help choose the People's Choice awards in all the categories via the People's Choice Vote boards.
Where to vote: Panel judges are supplying their votes directly to Jayjay Zifanwe during September. However, the public can vote via the UWA 3D A&D Imagine & Flagship Grand Final People's Choice boards which will be open from 8th September to 30 September 2010 and are sited on the UWA Winthrop Winners' Platform
The People Choice Awards are sponsored by Bohemian Ghost (Summerland Estates) and by the Residents of Artemesia.
How To Vote: Pick up a TP HUD from the dispensor at the landing point on UWA Winthrop Winners' Platform. Wear the HUD, visit all 4 floors of the Imagine entries and TP using the HUD to the 23 Flagship builds. Return to the Winners' Platform to cast your votes on the boards there.
How to use the vote boards: 1. You can choose only TWO items on EACH of the 3 vote boards. 2. Only ONE VOTE PER ITEM on the board (you cannot give one item more than one vote). 3. Touch the item for which you would like to vote. The board will tell you alone in chat and in a confirmation menu which item it is you are voting for. 4. Click YES if it is the correct item, or NO if you wish to change your mind/have touched the wrong item. 5. You have 60 seconds to respond before the confirmation menu times out. 6. The board will confirm in chat which item you have voted for and how many votes you have cast. As you get the chance to confirm or decline a vote no discussion of "misplaced votes" will be entered into. 6. You can vote only for a maximum of 2 items per vote board."
You have to pick up a HUD to see all the stuff and that HUD is available here.
Now, in addition to this there are also a good number of machinima (16?) which have already been submitted for the prize for the machinima showing all the winning works... some are very amusing, like the Great Art Theft, ("Thieves Break into UWA Gallery")...I and II....
This one by Laslopantomik Yao, the others all available on the UWAinSL website.... here...
ENTRIES SO FAR
LASLOPANTOMIK YAO - City of Art http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXHkkZXwalY
PIA KLAAR - Art of the Artists: A Closer Look http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE-SuGbx7yE
ED VESPUCCIANO - Lessons in Democracy http://vimeo.com/14894926
LAURINA HAWKS - UWA Art of the Artists : No Tomb for the Arts http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsrZgMA8SNI&feature=player_embedded
GLASZ DE CUIR - MachinimUWA II: Art Theft done in Second Life http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxwJJvdl8es
TUTSY NAVARATHNA - An Art Form is Born & Gladiator http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xr1JGXuXs_U&feature=player_embedded http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NF3WIJfvN1w&feature=player_embedded
MISSY RESTLESS - Yearning for the Sea & Quantum Matrix http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1TgtYzfVHg&hd=1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysDal1Q8ERE&feature=player_embedded
SPYVSPY AEON - I Am Not A Robot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXY12oCNxDQ&feature=player_embedded
BRYN OH - Art of the Artists http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9cLyeJ3_cs&feature=player_embedded
MEGAN MERLIN - Wichtels Fantasy Fly http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2nnvg60xac&feature=player_embedded
FAKE JEWELL - Song of Medusa http://vimeo.com/14745121
PENUMBRA CARTER - University of Western Australia http://vimeo.com/14994248
AIDAN WITRIAL - MachinimUWA II : Art of the Artists & Shibas Dream http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGhczNdRX-o&feature=player_embedded http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGIdPy5O5Cs
APMEL GOOSSON - ROBOT - The Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB5NiND8h9s&feature=player_embedded
EIFACHFILM VARCIRCA - The Abyss http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifpSfHx9YRU
So, get along to see it all, it is a representative group of some of the best work in SL over the last year, and of interest to artists builders and anyone really...
I had a rather uncomfortable experience yesterday, I let someone down.
The issue is the new user experience and the title taken from a comment by Yordie Sands on Botgirl's post, a second posting on the issue mentioned above.
It started a couple of days ago with Nightflower (aka Nightfire...:))) posting a blog on NWN about making new users belong by joining them to a group or clan like other games do.
Botgirl made a video showing her 'new user' experience....here..
My experience happened last night at my IBM build where I was sitting playing Hostess With The Mostest as the visitors popped in, spurred mainly by Wizzy cracking the Destination Guide forms and getting me listed. So, someone said, "where is the quest?" Me: ermmm...quest? Other: yes Me: which quest is that then? Other: The Quest. By now the mythical nature of this convo got me to check out their profile, leaving my other IM's flashing. It was a fresh, very fresh noob. Me: Ah, you have just arrived? Noob: Yes, how do I get back to where I started? Me: What was it called? Noob: It was a big building with lots of windows. Pause ... as I am actually stumped for what to say, brain in overdrive (it is probably over a year since I 'mentored' a totally fresh noob. Noob: Never mind I have to go, thanks for talking to me.. [noob poofs]
Now, it is due to the Kindness of Strangers that I and many others are here.... and here I let someone down, quite simply because I was totally unprepared and didn't think on my feet fast enough.
Yesterday is a good example of how good people are generally, both Gianna Borgnine and Indigo Mertel taking the time to teach the slow girl at the back of the room (and benefitting the other 150 people in class) for no other reason than the desire to help people understand. So it has always been, and always will be, I think.
Anyway, now that the Mentors have gone, and you and I can be called upon at any time to fill that role, I was wondering what is the first thing I would say to a Noob. Bearing in mind they may not have mastered Chat even, should I give a Notecard?
I decided that the first thing I should have done was to offer friendship and then teach them to take a landmark (Could I do that, not having used Viewer 2.0?), so that even if they got lost they could speak to someone and find their way back to somewhere they had been.
But I figured that, maybe we could get a few ideas together....
What do you/would you do?
..and how can we get the Mentors back?
Can anyone get a Linden's ear?
Are all lines of communication with the Lindens now cut in their new One-Way transparency drive?
This is Madam Mesh, she’s a part of the recent announcement of an announcement which the Lab has issued to take your minds off the fact that things are falling apart currently (see previous post).
Now, as in 2008, when flexible prims were a faint possibility, I would certainly welcome mesh imports to Second Life, but I am not quite euphoric as some of my fellow bloggers for a number of reasons.
I am not worried about competition, pirated stuff, any of those things, I am simply wary.
I am mystified by a number of things (nothing new there then), the first being why, as a presentation, Madam Mesh is rolled out (the bug-eyed monsters I welcome with open arms).
She will never take off in SL, she is a dodo, extinct before she starts.
She can’t change her underwear, take her clothes off or change shape or size before she is re-Blendered. If you buy her from a creator, that creator will have to sell you a new sculpt map, worse than that from what I understand, 5 maps, before she can change shape or size.
" Each mesh will consist of five component meshes: four for different Levels Of Detail and one for collisions (for Havok). Levels of detail will be needed for each object, as they cannot be generated on the fly (as they are with sculpted prims). This means modelers will need to create four versions of the same object. Starting with the most detailed version of the asset, each decrement will need to consist of around a 50% less polygons than the previous level. These levels of detail can technically be generated by the Second Life client’s mesh import tools, but this takes exact control out of the hands of the user.” [From the blog post by Sand castle Studios, as are all the subsequent quotes.]
Maya is a very expensive piece of software and I don’t expect these things to be cheap.
OK, and the next thing that mystifies me is ...do they really think any female in SL is gonna wear hair that looks like its been carved out of concrete?? I mean.... haven’t they heard of conditioner?
Our avatars are already mesh imports ..why present Madame Mesh as an example of the wonders of mesh? Any single one of my friends dresses better than that.
...and, Boys, don’t talk to me about ARC (avatar rendering cost), I am not dressing down for anyone. I pay my Membership ... you sort out the servers, don’t ask me to look crap so you have an easier life....
Madam Mesh is an avatar from another game, she doesn’t belong here, and will never sell, why drag her out now?
I have more than one question about textures too. Texturing a mesh, which can be as big as 25x15x30, is that supposed to be done with a 1024x1024? it will look crap. Imagine an texturing an octopus.... This will do nothing to increase the resolution of SL unless they allow 2048x2048 on meshes...
" Meshes will need specifically made textures." ... that means none of the textures currently in world, in our inventories, will be of any use at all.... and from what I currently know about texturing in Blender it’s bloody complicated.
Ok...so..moving on ...prim cost..
" Like other in-world objects, mesh objects will have an associated prim cost. The prim count of mesh objects is determined by the file size of the highest level of detail, or the physics cost, whichever is higher. As it stands, the mesh economy is governed by virtual prim count associated with each mesh object. This prim count is based on the storage (memory) size of a given object, a rough translation being the higher amount of polygons an object consists of, the greater its prim count will be. However, other aspects of a mesh object can also play a role in its associated storage size, such as smooth versus hard-edged normals. There is a hard limit of ~60k polygons per mesh object, although such an object would cost a great deal of prims."
So... if you thought one mesh = one prim, you are wrong. one mesh=X prims, X being a number the Lab will decide.
Now, I have seen written countless times that mesh imports are gonna reduce lag. The argument goes like this.... one mesh replaces many prims, therefore, less prims = less lag. This argument exactly is the one that is rejected when applied to megas.... one 30x30x1 mega prim = 9 standard prims. So...why is this argument being rolled out now??
Linden Lab get paid, by tier owners, per prim. One mega costs one prim, therefore the Tier Payer saves money (prims) the Lab loses. One mesh costs X prims, therefore the Lab gains, Tier Payer loses.
...and...if a mesh object can be up to 60k polygons...lol... tell me again how that is gonna reduce lag....
So...only time will tell, firstly if they can solve the texturing problem, how expensive they are, and how much lag they make... and secondly if it's a good enough reason for people to use the Infuriating viewer. The other viewers will not be able to import em, as far as I understand.
... oh and thirdly, if it actually ever happens....
If, like me, you have experienced a wobble in the Force recently with the basic functions of SL not functioning properly then you would be feeling exactly like Juanita in her recent post.... confused and frustrated.
Now... I got this message for 3 days...
“.......The server is experiencing difficulties... uploading texture...xxxxxxxxx...please try again later.”.. well, something similar.
The implication in this message is “ the server has a life as hard as a wing-mirror spider and you are just overloading a poor unfortunate creature through your unceasing demands, please show some restraint.”
Anthropomorphism is a great word, however, we know that the server experiences nothing. It doesn’t know a difficulty from a fish cake. It only “experiences” either a 1 or an 0.
So, the truth is..one of two things...
“We have sacked so many people we can no longer provide basic services”
or
“Our machinery is so old and borked we can’t coax them into working properly anymore.”
Were I permitted to reply to the person who sends out this message, I would say...
“I am totally disinterested in your feeble excuses, do your job or I will take my custom elsewhere.”
The Lindens have, however, issued two pieces of “good news” to take your minds off this collapse of basic facilities, namely the news about Display Names and the news about Mesh.
So...don’t worry about the present, just think how good The Future is gonna be.
...and bear a thought for those poor noobs who have had their first experience of SL over the last 3 or 4 days.
...no...not the name of a new viewer, I just thought it had been a while since I had written some tosh. Not wanting my poor reader to suffer withdrawal symptoms, I thought to rectify the deficit with the further ramblings of a demented soul....
Well, firstly, to catch up on my own press... I have to mention some very kind words by Lalo, Chestnut and thanks to Brinda for the links and the many friends who twittered.
I need also to mention Loquacia Loon and Chimera Lemon among many others who have taken some great shots of Tree of Trees.
Moving on..... I could rant a little about LL's Destination Guide and how once again we are required to do their work for them because they are too demented to do it themselves, but, I won't even mention it.
Instead I'd like to point you at Tateru Nino who writes a very good blog, and this one in response to the ongoing nauseous Fast Easy Fun mantra of the esteemed leader of this weird sect of ours who suggests that SL should be like the iPhone... very funny and true...
..".Safety-scissors and glitter are all very well for some people and will do everything that they ever want to do (so long as it’s sparkly and gets all over the carpet). Give me some power-tools, and lock up your grandkids, because I want to do more, even if I have to read a bunch of books, experiment for weeks, cuss at the screen and feel like I’m not making any progress. Because that’s what usually happens when we’re trying to learn something completely new, yes?".... exactly, I could not have put it half as clearly.
Now this particular idea, that it has to be easy so more people will stay, is such patent crap. In 2 years FarmVille will have been forgotten, like Friends Reunited and Avatars United, fax machines and punch-card operators, what we need is an INCREASE in technology. I can get a new graphics card if its worth it, and if I don't know how to fit one, I will learn.
There is no point in SL reverting to a handwritten letter exchange penned with quill and ink just because it is easy. "Safety sissors and glitter" says it all.
The degree to which the Boys are "listening" to us "residents" (god , I cringe every time I write that word... I don't live in SL, I don't own anything in SL, I simply rent server services.... I'm a client.)...anyway... if they are "listening" they will notice how many people are now getting worried about Display Names, and they will drop the whole idea. The "community" (cringe factor 9) is not prepared to take the risk, period. Alex has written three posts on the subject, starting here.
....and the Viewer saga rambles on, everyone asking everyone which viewer to use and the elephant in the room, the unasked question is..."why, oh why, oh why did the Boys release a viewer which needs at least another 6 months development before it is even remotely usable" ... it has done more to depress the new-user experience than any griefer freenis attack could ever do.
Anyway, to move on to more pleasant subjects... Botgirl, and Nightflower (and possibly Nightfire) are working on a great new video/machinima ...teasing taster here. That is yet another blog I will be following...(47th...it's a busy thing this blogosphere)...
Miso kinda got forgotten in my annoyance over Crap Speaking (not an avi) at the Pop Art lab opening. In fact there is a wealth of stuff there and Miso's particular build is layer upon layer of meaning and symbolism relating to our 'place' in the scheme of things, digitally and genetically. She has taken time to explain her thoughts in her blog, and, its a guide, really, to her build..... here.
In InWorldz news...well.. on the positive side, BoHo HoBo Fashions, courtesy of Trill have arrived, her new shop is at West Artlandia 62/237/22. So you don't have to look like a hooker or your mother anymore... it's all good.
...anyway, I'm bored writing this now, I want to get inworld and you are probably bored reading it...so...til the next thrilling instalment of the great soap opera we call .... hmmmm
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