Fall Boat Show

I saw an announcement about the Fall Boat Show in the Second Life Herald last week but I almost missed it.

Much like its real world counterpart, a boat show in Second Life brings many boating industry vendors together which makes it a good place to see many different products. You can even board the boats and go below deck to checkout the cabins, galley and head. (although that ain't no marine toilet)





I'm not in the market to buy a boat yet, but I did try out the free Original Flying Tako. I found a marina with boats back in April, but it wasn't at all intuitive so I gave up after about five minutes. The Original Flying Tako was very easy to sail. You can only sail if you are seated in the back (which makes sense) and once you begin sailing the wind speed/direction is displayed. If you know a little about sailing you can easily figure out how to turn the boat to make it go faster. With my new building skills I think I'll make a sailor cap :)



They have just about every type of marine transportation imaginable - from submarines to pirate ships. I saw a two-seater Oriental sailboat by Inu Meiji for $200 and a feluca-esque "Leviathan" by for $700 (sold at Harbour Market in Elf Harbour). I had to change into my Halloween costume for a quick picture.



I also saw a sign for Starboards Yacht Club, which has lessons and a regatta on Sundays as well as Thursday night racing. Might have to check that out in the future. I also picked up a free personal flotation device.



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I'm attending a Halloween party in Second Life so I thought that it would be fun to dress up (something I never do in real life). I happened upon a Bastet outfit that I decided I just had to have, despite the fact that my savings was dwindling fast. Anyhow, when I tried it on, the skin texture was a little disappointing but overall it certainly was good enough. There was something about a cat dressing up as another cat that made me laugh. Looooser :)



I was a little worried that most people aren't too familiar with Egyptian culture, so I decided to make a sign to indicate that I am Bastet and link to a website providing additional information. This was also a way for me to practice my building skills. I'm including step by step instructions in case anyone is looking for a non techie tutorial on how to build an object (in this case, a simple sign) and have it load a website when a user clicks on it.

First, you need to make sure that you are in an area where you have permission to build. If you don't have your own land, use Search to locate a sandbox area.

If you are making a sign, like I was, you need to prepare the image (to be displayed on the sign) and then upload it using File --> Upload Image. Once uploaded, images appear in your inventory under Textures.

A sign is made up of two shapes, or prims. You create the shapes, link them together, add the script that makes it "clickable", save it to your inventory, and then align it so that your avatar holds it properly.

• To create the square part of sign shape


1. Click CTRL+4 to open the Create palette (also under Tools --> Select Tool --> Create)


2. Select the cube shape (top row, far left) and then click in world. You should see a new cube in world and your avatar should be pointing at it.
   
   


3. The Create palette will now be in Edit mode. Select the Stretch radio button and then use the red, blue, and green controls to change the shape. For example, make it taller, wider, and less deep.


4. Select the Select Texture radio button and then click the More button to display addition options. Click one side of the sign where you want the texture to display. The side that is selected will show a white circle with a cross inside it. In the lower section of the Edit palette, select the Textures tab. Click the Texture thumbnail (that was the default wood texture), locate the texture that you want to use, and then click the Select button. The texture should now be displayed on the sign.


5. Select the Position radio button and use the blue control to raise the shape up a bit and then click off of the object to get out of edit mode.




• To create the round pole part of the sign:




1. Click CTRL+4 to open the Create palette.


2. Select the Cylinder shape (top row, fifth in) and then click in world. You should see a new cylinder in world and your avatar should be pointing at it.
   


3. The Create palette will now be in Edit mode. Select the Stretch radio button and then use the red, blue, and green controls to change the shape. Make it taller, narrower and less deep.


4. Select the Position radio button and use the blue, green, and red controls to align the pole under the sign. Use the camera controls (under the View menu) to view the alignment from different angles.




• To link to two objects together


1. Right click one object and select Edit.


2. While holding the shift key, select the other object.


3. Click CTRL+L. The objects should now be linked as one.


• To add the script linking the object to a website




1. In the lower section of the Edit palette,select the Content tab.


2. Click the New Script button.


3. Double click the new script to edit it.


4. Delete the text that is there and replace it with this:
   
   
   default
   {
   touch_start(integer total_number)
   {
   llLoadURL(llDetectedKey(0),"Go to Google","http://www.google.com");
   }
   }
   
   
   Replacing "Go to Google" and the URL with whatever you want.


5. Click the Save button.




• Save the object to your inventory




1. Right click the object and select Take.


2. The object is now in the Object folder in your inventory. It is named Object by default, so right click and select Rename and give it a meaningful name so you can easily find it.




• Align the object with your avatar




1. Right click the sign in your inventory and select Attach to --> Right hand.


2. Right click the sign and select edit.


3. Select the Position or Rotate radio buttons and use the red, blue, and green controls to maneuver the sign so that it is in the right position. Use the camera controls to inspect it from different angles.

The whole process takes all of ten minutes. Here's the result.

Over on bloghud a saw a post from the CDC island. Though the post mentioned nothing of the actual experience, I had visions of global pandemic simulations or real time disease outbreak visualization maps.

Unfortunately, the CDC's presence in Second Life is what I'm now referring to as "brochureland" - a combination of the terms brochure and island, similar to the term brochureware used to describe websites that are used as electronic marketing rather than having specific features or functionality. The experience was very similar to a booth at a trade show - many display signs and pictures, some of which linked to various sections of their website and other websites such as the Metaverse Messenger.

One of the benefits in being a virtual cat is that I have no need for virtual clothing or accessories. Well, no need doesn't mean that I can't have them anyway.

With the recent influx of real world shoe vendors in Second Life, I thought Virtual Bailey's paws could use a break from the cold hard virtual asphalt.

I first visited the Reebok store. When I walked through the doors, I saw a display featuring "blank" custom RbK's for sale for 50 Linden dollars. You can read about the real world counterpart here. I bought a pair, put them on, and then headed over to the customization kiosk.



Kiosks are often difficult to use in real life, and this one matched my mental model of real world kiosks. The instructions on the wall were in a very small font, and the controls on the actual kiosk were too small to be clickable unless you were zoomed in so close that you could no longer see the shoes. Also, why no tie-in to the real world? Shouldn't I be able to buy a real world copy of what I created without having to go to the website and start all over? Virtual Bailey does look fresh in his new shoes though.





Next I headed over to the Adidas store.



The Adidas store sells a3 Microride trainers for 50 Linden dollars. They come in two versions. The black and orange "high jumpers" are supposed to enable your avatar to jump super high and the blue and white "astronaut shoes" are supposed to have a special float feature.

There are "test mats" in the store, but I couldn't figure out how to get them to work. You are also supposed to be able to watch some promotional videos, but when I clicked any of the screens it just tried to load a web page. I ended up buying the blue and white pair.



I'm not entirely sure that I'm using them correctly. I'm not sure if I'm "floating", per se, but Virtual Bailey is walking differently. Once you're wearing the shoes, and the "toggle", you type /adidas to enter float mode.

Last night I visited the Yahoo Time Capsule Sim. This is the in world collection box for Yahoo's self described "electronic anthropology project". They are gathering digital content - images, text, audio, video - for a period of 30 days at which time it will be turned over to the Smithsonian for archival purposes.



Destroytv was there filming. They launched a few weeks ago and broadcast images from Second Life to their website. Using their website you can view the stream of images coming out of Second Life, change the position of the avatar that is filming, and even enter a message that is spoken in world by the Destroy TV avatar. They also archive all of their images on Flickr which means that I now show up in their Flickr tag cloud.



The Yahoo Time Capsule Sim will be open until November 6th - go submit something.

In a recent article in Wired, I read about Wengen. It was described as a ski resort that even had throwable snowballs so I decided to check it out.

When you arrive you are standing at the base of the chairlift. There weren't any instructions or anything so I just decided to get on (right-click and ride) go to the top.



The ride to the top was pretty entertaining. The chair lift swung back and forth and passed through some clouds. There was even the real world "bump bump bump" as the chair went over the poles. Once at the top, Virtual Bailey automatically exited the chair and was on top of a mountain looking over an adjacent sim. This is when I realized that I had no skiis.

Not sure what to do, I saw an adjacent mountain and decided to fly over there and check it out. The only thing there was a dog sled, which I tried to ride but could only stand on because I wasn't the owner.



I teleported back to the base of the chair lift and walked over to the lodge. I assumed that I'd be able to rent skiis or a snowboard, but there were just a lot of other visitors walking around and chatting (some wondering where to get skiis!). I also couldn't find the throwable snowballs. Perhaps I'll go back another time and investigate further.

A while back I read about a project by UC Davis called Virtual Hallucinations. The goal of the project is to use virtual reality to show simulations of hallucinations experienced by people with schizophrenia and use the simulation for training and education.

When you arrive at the exhibit, you are provided with some general information about schizophrenia. Next, you have to get a badge which you wear throughout the tour.



The exhibit takes you through a psychiatriac ward. Stops along the way simulate and explain different types of hallucinations. Throughout the tour you hear disturbing voices, which can be stopped at any time using a special command. Think Second Life meets "A Beautiful Mind".

SL Gadget

I'm trying out a new HUD attachment called the SL Gadget.

It has an interesting feature that alerts you when youre friends are nearby. To quote their website, it enables you to tell "if one of your friends is mapping you again." This is the SL equivelant of stalking where you use the map to see where your friend

There are a handful of other features that I haven't explored yet such as usage statistics and integration with slprofiles.com. I just want to know when I'm being mapped :)
posted by Juiceof Prunes on Velda using a blogHUD : [permalink]

Fabjectory -

I read that it is now possible to get a real world statuette of your Second Life avatar. Get OUT! A little Virtual Bailey for my desk?? Sign me up!

So I went to the Fabjectory website and then headed to their in world store. The in world store provided the same information as the website, so I sent an instant message to Hal9k Andalso and figured that he'd contact me later to set up a time to meet.

Outside, I met this little winged pig person who complimented me on my avatar outfit.



I thanked them and complimented them on their flashy wings. They gave me a copy of the wings and told me to try them on. The result is kinda creepy - like an homage to pets of the past or something.



After a few e-mail exchanges with Hal9k Andalso, we met in world and he teleported me to the studio, which was a neutral grey skybox.



He said that my whiskers would be a problem, and that they would be ignored completely. He was also having problems with my tail and asked if I could stop moving it. Unfortunately, I have no control over my tail - it's "swishy" but there is no swish on/off functionality. Same with my big blinking blue eyes. I never thought that I'd have a chat where someone was asking me to control my tail.

A minute or so later, he sent me this preview.



And a few days later, these proofs arrived via email.





Physical Virtual Bailey should arrive within a few weeks !

Last night I found my way to the brand new Nissan Island. The place was buzzing with opening night excitement.

The first thing that caught my eye was a Fifi La Feme avatar that left scripted pawprints when she walked - how cool is that !

Back to Nissan. Created to promote the Nissan Sentra where potential drivers spend their time, Nissan Island features a virtual racetrack, remote controlled cars, and video screens where you can watch Nissan advertisements.



When I arrived, there were a few dozen visitors standing around. I recognized a few avatars from the Ben Folds event. I also couldn't help but notice the GIANT vending machine churning out Nissan Sentras in a variety of colors.



When I first arrived, the vending machine ticker was at 60. I stood there for a while assuming someone would mention how the machine worked. I even walked over to another group to see if they were talking about how it worked. While I was wandering, I wild driver plowed into me. A few people in the crowd shouted "Lookout Kitty" and "Kitty Roadkill!"

DUH - there was a sign right next to it that explained what to do.



So I IM'd Toast Alicious and he gave me a PIN number for the vending machine. Here is a picture of his avatar :)



I rezed the car and hopped inside. Once of my colleagues hopped in the passenger seat and snapped a few pictures on the completely out of control ride.







Here's the first hint. You can use the arrow keys to move the vehicle or the W S A D keys on the keyboard, IF you hit escape to get out of chat mode. Otherwise you just type wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww in chat and people think that you are a moron. You use page up and page down to shift gears. My colleague chatted these helpful hints to me as if I should know them (but hey, I'm the one who figured out how to get a PIN number and how to use the vending machine).

But I admit it, I'm a sucky virtual Nissan Sentra driver. At one point I wound up upside down and then trapped between the two tracks.





It was at this point that I realized that our feet were sticking out of the bottom of the car a la Fred Flinstone.



Eventually I got turned around and off the Loop-d-loop.



Then, somehow I wound up on the other side of the island on a track. Doesn't this look like a Nissan ad? I call it Shift_furry.


(except I'm not a furry, but it's still funny)

I'd read a lot about Starwood's presence in Second Life, but I'd never been to their Aloft Island so I decided to check it out.

When I arrived, I saw a billboard for the Ben Folds event that was starting in a few hours. I remembered reading that Sony was launching a space in Second Life and Ben Folds would be there for a live chat and to play some new songs. I filed this in the back of my mind and continued to wander around the Aloft space.

Starwood was one of the first corporations to (overtly) jump into Second Life. They are using the island to both market the new concept and get feedback as the design evolves. You can read more about it here. According to their press release, the first physical Aloft hotel is supposed to open in 2007.

I took a quick walk through the lobby and then around the pool. Unfortunately the real world beckoned and I didn't have time to explore as much as I would have liked.



A few hours later I logged back into Second Life and was surprised to see a lot of visitors nearby on the mini map. I went over to investigate and saw a dancefloor and about 20 or so people getting their groove on.



I spotted two colleagues, and tried to teleport another but it wouldn't work. Apparently the event was invite only, but because I was there earlier in the day I had foiled the elaborate security system. Virtual Bailey - concert crasher.

Ben arrived and after a few technical glitches were solved the crowd heard live streaming audio from the Sony studios in New York.

Nissan Island - shouldn't there be virtual licenses?

I wandered into the brand new Nissan Island tonight. It's definitely worth checking out, but watch where you stand - there are some crazy drivers here. I was road kill. Details and pictures soon.
posted by Juiceof Prunes on Nissan using a blogHUD : [permalink]

As I posted yesterday, I found surfable waves and a place to rent surfboards in Second Life.



Tropical Island Surfing rents one-time use surfboards for 40 Linden dollars. You can use for as long as you want, just don't stand up once you've started using it because that will be the end of your surfing session.

The instructions weren't super clear so I spent a few minutes unsuccessfully trying to ride one of the boards that was already on the beach.



Then I figured out that I needed to rez the board in my inventory and right-click and ride it. From then on out it was super easy. I used the arrow keys to paddle out.



Unlike real life surfing, it wasn't horrible and uncomfortable, and I didn't almost drown. I missed the first few waves and then figured out that if you point at an angle, you stand up and ride automatically. Woo hoo !



Here's an aerial view of me chilling on my board.



Unfortunately, my surfing time was relatively short-lived. After riding a wave into shore I accidentally stood up forgetting that this signaled the end of the session. Oh well, still fun for sure.

Surf's Up !

I found a place to go surfing! And since my avatar is an overweight siamese cat, this made for some pretty humorous screen captures. Full report and picture to be posted to Flickr shortly.
posted by Juiceof Prunes on Quan Li using a blogHUD : [permalink]

(Excuse the back posting, should be caught up in a few days or so)

Second Life celebrated its third birthday back in June (coincidentally, the same weekend as MY birthday, we knew that they were cool!). They developed a four island celebration zone that I explored on several occasions.



Some colleagues and I visited the museum.



And rode the bumber cars (THIS was fun - especially when combined with a conference call).



There was also an aerial tram to take you from point to point. Unfortunately I wound up on it all by myself and had to be teleported to find the rest of the group.



But here's where the real fun was had - the celebration dome.



It didn't get too crazy. It was a PG region, after all.



Inside the dome there were several dancefloors at different levels with streaming music from live dj's.



Here's an aerial view of the dance floor.



The interaction was kind of awkward and weird. To dance, you right-click one of the dance balls which caused your avatar to sit down on the dance floor momentarily. I've seen better implementations of dance balls since this event.





But once everyone was dancing, it was quite a sight. And oddly fun and entertaining. Good avatar watching too. There was this one which looked like a mass of stuffed animals.



This big chicken. (not to be confused with THE big chicken in Marietta, GA)



And if you look closely in this image, there's an avatar that looks like one of those Halloween costumes where two people dress up as one horse.



The birthday bash was not all fun and games though. There was a protest over some changes to Linden Labs registration policy.



I stopped by to see what all the commotion was about and this person was explaining to me what was going on. She kept saying things like "we furries need to stick together" and calling me "P*ssy". Look lady, read my profile. I'm just a cat. Deal with it.