It is hard to know what is happening with user numbers in Second Life. From my empirical experience I would say they are growing because I meet so many new people now, but it is hard to find real numbers to back up that opinion. What I do think is coming clear is the nature of OpenSim and the reasons for the popularity of Second Life.
Via blog.nalates.net
Channel 7 jumps on the Second Life bandwagon: 5 years late
January 20, 2012 by 6 Comments
You’ve got to love tabloid media. Hot on the heels of Tuesday’s radio feature on Second Life, Channel 7’s Sunrise program has run a story called “Second Life Controversy: Is the online community ruining our reality?”.
No, you haven’t missed anything, this is the same ‘controversy’ that got so much media attention during 2006. There’s no new issue that’s led to this media coverage – it’s just the sad reality that someone on the Sunrise show was listening to the radio on Tuesday and decided they’d better do a story.
Now before you think I’m sounding too cynical, I do have to give credit to Sunrise for attempting some balance. Psychologist Les Posen is given some good airtime to give an overview of some of the great work going on in Second Life. Rhett Woods from Linden Lab doesn’t get much chance to say anything really aside from emphasising the creative basis of SL. Anyway, have a look for yourself:
Given this same mainstream media focus has been going on for over five years now, you have to wonder when things will move to a more nuanced perspective?
Over to you: would love to hear your thoughts.
Yahoo CEO steps down: no surprise really
January 18, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Jerry Yang is leaving Yahoo, the Internet company he helped start 17 years ago. He did not cite a reason. In a statement, Roy Bostock, Yahoo’s chairman, said Mr. Yang would immediately give up his board seat at Yahoo and step down from the boards of the Alibaba Group and Yahoo Japan.Mr. Yang did not give a reason for his departure, but it occurred as the company undergoes a strategic review under a new chief executive, Scott Thompson, on whether the company should sell off its Asian interests and focus on its media assets. Yahoo owns a 40 percent stake in Alibaba and a 35 percent stake in Yahoo Japan.
Via www.nytimes.com
Academic Research Paper on OpenSim Community
January 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Robin Teigland, Paul Di Gangi, and Zeynep Yetis recently finished an academic paper based on their research of the OpenSim Community. Below is the abstract. If you have any questions about their research, please do not hesistate to contact them.Setting the Stage: Exploring Sustainability of a Private-collective Community
Abstract
While the nature of the firm has long been established as the dominant form of organizing for value creation, emergent forms of organizing such as the private-collective community model have recently gained attention from researchers and practitioners. Little is known about how such communities, where private goods from stakeholders are shared and freely distributed among a public collective, sustain themselves. The purpose of this research is to examine how the resources, stakeholders, and overarching network structure in which these are embedded influence the sustainability of the community. Using semi-structured interviews, archival data, and social network analysis, we explore these items in detail and provide initial findings from an ongoing research study of the OpenSim community. We conclude with future directions, expected contributions, and the limitations of this line of research.
Rod Humble (and I) talk SL on Australian radio about Second Life
January 17, 2012 by 15 Comments
An interesting morning, with Linden Lab CEO Rod Humble and myself being invited to appear on the Kyle and Jackie O show.
For Australian readers, you’ve probably heard about Kyle Sandilands in particular, so I went into the interview with eyes wide open on how balanced the interview would be.
As expected it was a predictable angle, paraphrased as “Hey, look at those freaky people who give up their life to go into Second Life”. That said, Kyle Sandilands was the comparative voice of reason out of the two hosts, at least keeping an open mind.
It’s worth a listen to hear how Linden Lab’s CEO deals with a tabloid approach to Second Life. Not surprisingly the piece opens with Sissy, a self-proclaimed SL addict. Have a listen for yourself and here’s a link to 2Day FM’s podcast of 17th January. It did make the cut – as predicted, sex pose balls make for good listening in the tabloid world.
A Publisher’s Perspective on Ebooks | American Libraries Magazine
January 14, 2012 by Leave a Comment
It was a rainy afternoon just before Thanksgiving in 2007 when I stood on a New York City sidewalk clutching my first e-reading device. I had just come from Amazon’s press conference where Jeff Bezos announced the launch of Kindle, a new e-reader designed to wirelessly deliver book content directly to customers in as little as 30 seconds. The device used E Ink technology, which provided a more true-to-print reading experience and allowed for longer battery life. An e-reader could store hundreds of books and run for hours on a single charge, all without use of a computer. Paired with the vast book, newspaper, and magazine content that Amazon had amassed and the ease with which customers could access that content, many predicted that Kindle would forever change the print-media landscape.
Via americanlibrariesmagazine.org
3D GUI for iOS Devices on the way
January 13, 2012 by Leave a Comment
On January 12, 2012, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals an exciting new 3D GUI for iOS mobile devices. The new UI will work with proximity sensor arrays and will respond to hovering gestures. The Crazy Ones in Cupertino have been working on advanced 3D GUIs for some time now. We first learned of a major 3D GUI project back in 2009 that involved using head tracking technology. Then in early 2010 we learned of Apple’s first project relating to a 3D GUI for iOS devices. Later that year Apple 3D multifunctional widgets and over time revealed advanced 3D and hovering based gesturing for CAD users on an iPad. With twenty times the GPU power coming to iOS devices over the next year, Apple appears to paving the way for a new 3D GUI for mobile devices in the not-too-distant future.
Via www.patentlyapple.com
Chinese writers sue Apple for allegedly hosting pirated ebooks | Macworld
January 11, 2012 by Leave a Comment
A group of Chinese writers has filed a lawsuit against Apple, alleging that the company’s App Store sells pirated versions of the authors’ works.The lawsuit demands Apple compensate the writers for 11.9 million yuan ($1.88 million) and cease selling the products. Beijing Second Intermediate People’s Court has accepted the case, according to Bei Zhicheng, executive for the writer’s group.The lawsuit, filed on behalf of nine writers, involves 37 different literary works that have allegedly been sold as pirated copies on Apple’s App Store, which takes a 30 percent cut from app sales on the platform.The group began contacting Apple since last July, asking the company to remove the pirated products from the App Store. But Apple has refused to remove them, stating that the group did not provide enough evidence to confirm the works were unlicensed, according to Bei.
Via www.macworld.com
Trying on your clothes for Virtual Size
January 11, 2012 by 2 Comments
Online shoppers may be able to buy clothes in their pajamas, but they never know just how well those purchases will actually fit.That problem may soon be history — thanks to a breakthrough piece of augmented reality technology from Bodymetrics.The company has partnered with PrimeSense on a 3D body-mapping product to be revealed this week at CES 2012. The product uses PrimeSense 3D sensors, much like those used for Microsoft Kinect, to scan a user’s height and waist size, as well as the other shapes and curves that make a body unique. After creating an account, users will be able to virtually try on clothes from partner retailers to get a true sense of how potential purchases fit.The 3D body-mapping will be available for preview at CES, but Bodymetrics is still fine-tuning its business model — including its final price, which the company said will be approximately $150.
Via mashable.com
Court Rules That Rights Belong to Bethesda
January 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The following is a selection from the Press Release surrounding the court’s ruling that Bethesda (makers of Fallout 3 and The Elder Scrolls series) and ZeniMax Media have reclaimed sole rights to create a Fallout IP MMO. No longer will Interplay be able to create an online game based on the Fallout IP, as that right now exclusively lies in ZeniMax and Bethesda’s hands. Whether that means we’ll actually be seeing a Bethesda Fallout Online anytime real soon is another story, but come on… that’s kind of the point, right?
Via www.mmorpg.com
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