Linden Lab is cutting the Second Life Community Gateways programme from August 19 (giving Community Gateway operators just 18 hours notice of the pending termination). If you haven’t been through the Second Life orientation lately, you might not even be clearly aware of what the programme is. The idea was simple enough. Since the Lab didn’t care to have a full-time employee … [Read more...] about One click can make all the difference
True names: identity, safety and Blizzard’s Real ID
Identity is a perennial sort of a topic, and Activision-Blizzard’s Real ID programme has brought it back into the limelight. Unless you’ve been hanging out under a rock (which would, you know, be fine – especially from a sun-protection perspective) you’ve probably heard about A-B’s programme which is the first phase of tagging your time in Blizzard games (like World of Warcraft … [Read more...] about True names: identity, safety and Blizzard’s Real ID
Going mainstream means letting in the weirdos
Second Life’s generally considered to be a bit of a weird place. A lot of virtual environments are. They go through two phases of weirdness. The first phase covers the first few waves of users. They’re considered weird because they’re doing something that isn’t usual: using a virtual environment at all, or using one that isn’t particularly well-known. The second phase is when … [Read more...] about Going mainstream means letting in the weirdos
Book Review: Online a lot of the time
Online a lot of the time Ritual, Fetish, Sign Author: Ken Hillis Publisher: Duke University Press When my editor sent me this book to read and review, the title and intriguing cover image prepared me for an engaging and witty romp through online usage, telepresence, identity and more littered with illustrative reminiscences. Something to be read, savoured and enjoyed. In … [Read more...] about Book Review: Online a lot of the time
Alice has a dollar. A virtual economic failure
Alice and Bob are participants in an economy. Alice has a dollar. Alice gives the dollar to Bob. In Second Life terms, that’s a user-to-user transaction. Bob gives the dollar back to Alice. That’s another user-to-user transaction. Repeat this sequence four more times. Is Alice and Bob’s economy now worth ten dollars? Or is it still worth one dollar? Well, that … [Read more...] about Alice has a dollar. A virtual economic failure