OPEN FORUM WEEKEND

A topic that's on your mind, an announcement you want to make, an event listing you want to mention, a project you want to promote, and more-- if it pertains to Second Life and it's not commercial Spam, post and discuss it here.  If a particular post stands out, I'll highlight it in an update.

Update, 11/12, 6:52pm SLT:  Among the Forum highlights, a virtual world artist fellowship is announced, a gentleman of Gouda, Netherlands seeks to create an SL presence for his city, an SL chapter of the Democratic Party opens, an alternate event listing system is proposed, and a polite-but-stern warning to wearers of bling is issued.

To get things rolling, I'll start things off with a few e-mails I've received recently...

Comments

[Hamlet Au]

Want to be a virtual artist with a fellowship?
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Ars Virtua Artist-in-Residence (AVAIR): Call for Proposals. Deadline November 21, 2006

Ars Virtua Gallery and New Media Center in Second Life is soliciting proposals for its artist-in-residence program. The deadline for submissions is November 21, 2006. Established and emerging artists will work within the 3d rendered environment of Second Life. Each 11- week residency will culminate in an exhibition and a community-based event. Residents will also receive a $400 stipend, training and mentorship.

Ars Virtua Artist-in-Residence (AVAIR) is an extended performance that examines what it means to reside in a place that has no physical location.

Ars Virtua presents artists with a radical alternative to “real life” galleries: 1) Since it does not physically exist artists are not limited by physics, material budgets, building codes or landlords. Their only constraints are social conventions and (malleable- extensible) software. 2) The gallery is accessible 24 hours a day to a potentially infinite number of people in every part of the world simultaneously. 3) Because of the ever evolving, flexible nature of Second Life the “audience” is a far less predictable variable than one might find in a Real Life gallery. Residents will be encouraged to explore, experiment with and challenge traditional conventions of art making and distribution, value and the art market, artist and audience, space and place.

Application Process: Artists are encouraged to log in to Second Life and create an avatar BEFORE applying. Download the application requirements here: http://arsvirtua.com/residence. Finalists will be contacted for an interview. Interviews will take place from November 28-30.

About Ars Virtua: Ars Virtua is a new media center and gallery located entirely in the synthetic world of Second Life. It is a new type of space that leverages the tension between 3D rendered game space and terrestrial reality, between simulated and simulation. Ars Virtua is a venue for new genres; it is also a platform for showcasing traditional artists creating still and moving images, for instance, who apply scripts to extend these into the synthetic game environment. Ars Virtua maintains a close relationship with the underlying animation engine that enables Second Life architecture and 3D rendered “sculpture.” Ars Virtua brings the art audience into “new media” rather than new media to the museum or gallery, and calls upon its audience to interact with the art and one another via their avatars within the space.

About Second Life: Second Life is a 3D online persistent space totally created and evolved by its users. Within this vast and rapidly expanding place, you can do, create or become just about anything you can imagine. Built-in content creation tools let you make almost anything you can imagine, in real time and in collaboration with others. An incredibly detailed digital body ('Avatar') allows a rich and customizable identity.

URLS:
http://arsvirtua.com/
http://arsvirtua.com/residence/
http://slurl.com/secondlife/dowden/42/59/52/?title=Ars%20Virtua
http://secondlife.com

“AVAIR” is a 2006 commission of New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc., (aka Ether-Ore) for its Turbulence web site. It was made possible with funding from the Jerome Foundation.

[Hamlet Au]

Just got this interesting e-mail:

"I am a webadvisor for the city of Gouda (yes, the one famous for it's cheese) in the Netherlands. I am investigating the possibilities to start a virtual presence for our city within Second Life. I am interested in views on this subject (functionalities, other examples.)"

If anyone wants to offer help this gentleman of Gouda, contact me.

[Hamlet Au]

By the way, for folks wondering when the winner of the Uncanny Valley Expo will be announced, our expert judge Clive Thompson got swamped in deadlines. He promises they'll come soon.

[That webadvisor]

Just to fill you in a bit more: I am seeking ways to enter 'real life functionalities' (such as digital forms) into Second Life. Hoping I can persuade my superiors that it is functional (and giving me a "go" to develop an SL-presence) while offering a fun way to do it to our customers. Just starting to explore SL, so ANY help is more then welcome!

[Steve Mahfouz]

The Democratic Party of the USA in SL just opened its headquarters at Ecstasy Mall (29,199,52). The office space has been provided for free. Someone else may become the party organizer :)

Steve

[Hamlet Au]

Wow, Steve-- is the group and/or its leadership officially affiliated with the Dems?

[Rein Spire]

I am a PhD student at the University of Innsbruck/Austria and my research topic deals with Virtual Worlds and Innovation management.

A short explanation of my topic: Companies now start to integrate their customers into the development process of new products, because they strive to develop and produce products that exactly fit to customers needs. Compared to traditional market research, toolkits exists that draw on ideas of innovative customers. Examples for such “Open Innovation” projects are platforms, where customers can develop their own products and bring in their creative ideas.

To me, Second Life offers enormous potential for the development of innovative real life products.

Let me now what you think about this idea. Thanks for your feedback!

[Atom Lahtoh]

I made an Upcoming.org Country called Second Life. It's my intention to foster an alternative to the spammy event listings that we already have. It's a country anyone can add their own metros (sims, in this case) to it and post events within them.

http://upcoming.org/metro/secondlife/

NOTE: I actually created a Second Life metro earlier this week using the initials SL for the country. Apparently these initials are already used by Slovakia. There's a bug on upcoming.org where initials aren't checked against existing ones - so links that go to /sl/ go to Slovakia. I contacted upcoming.org notifying them about this, bringing up the possibility that they could change Slovakia's initials, but have not heard back. :)

[Relee Baysklef]

I have a message for anyone who wears or creates Bling-effect jewelery.

Amatur Scripters created the popular bling scripts with the option to issue a vocal command, like "Bling Off" or "BO" which turns the shiny particle effect on and off.

This script creates a small amount of constant lag, and every time it is copied into a seperate prim or object, the lag is increased. This stacks and is considered one of the greatest non-intentional causes of lag in SL by several of my fellow scripters.

Now let me explain what you can do about this problem. First of all, turning off the 'bling' does nothing. As long as the object is attached to your avatar or in the world, it is causing lag.

For a start, please take off any Bling jewelery or other decorative object that recieves chat commands. Some tools and equipment need these commands, but not jewelery and other decorations that you would wear all the time.

Also I would ask you to only purchase jewelery and accessories that don't use vocal commands. It would help out everyone if you would do this.

The last thing I can ask everyone here is to spread the word of this problem in SL. Most people don't know this, even most amatur scripters are oblivious to the problem. Advanced scripters like myself tend to be reclusive, which makes it hard to get the word out. Please carry this message to the clubs and malls for me.

Now I'll take a moment and explain what I'm talking about in scripting terms, for the Amatur scripters. I'll also try to explain alternate methods to make your scripts less laggy.

Chat commands depend on the llListen() function and the listen() event to function.

A script which is listening accepts every line of chat spoken in range of it and runs it through a procedure to determine if it is meant for the script to hear or not. Even if it is not meant for the script, the script must analyze it to find out. This costs processing time, and creates lag.

Now I'll offer some solutions to this problem.

The most direct way to prevent this lag is to not use the listen function in the first place. If your script has only one function, you can use the touch_start() event to switch between on and off procedures.

If you must use chat functions, there is another piece of advice I can give.

The llListen() function returns an integer variable. This variable is called a 'handle' and if you save its value to a variable of your own, you can pass that value to the function llListenRemove() which stops the script from listening. This stops the lag, but your script can nolonger hear chat commands. I use this in many of my scripts that use the Dialog box. When someone touches my scripted objects, the llListen() event starts listening, but a timer is ready to shut it off if a user gives a command, or if they haven't said anything after touching it.

Finally I'll tell you about the llMessageLinked() function and Link_Message() event.

Some people use listen and chat functions to communicate between several scripts. If you have several scripts on the same object, however, you can use the llMessageLinked() function. This function sends a message to one or more prims in an object set. This message triggers the link_message() event in all the scripts in the prims that are messaged. Because this event only triggers when a message is sent directly to it, it doesn't cause lag like the listen events.

I hope that everyone who reads this will remember it, and pass it on to others. We can work together to make SL a much less laggy place.

[Data Shock]

Question regarding lag inducing llListen: When using a messaging channel in the high numbers, the number of messages directed to that channel will be minimal. Will this reduce lag? I am assuming that the script would only have to filter messages sent to that channel.

[Miriel Enfield]

To the best of my knowledge, using a nonzero channel will cut down on the amount of lag, but not eliminate it. In fact, even without the listen, the script will cause lag. Not a lot, mind, but some.

Fortunately for bling lovers, you don't even need a script in your object for it to bling. Particles (which is what bling is) are a property of the prim, just like its size or hollowing. While you need a script to -set- this property, once it's set, it stays set unless changed via a script. So you can take the bling script out and the object will continue to sparkle away.

[Relee Baysklef]

Using a non-zero channel will not reduce the amount of lag, because the system still needs to figure out what channel the text is being said on, and that takes processing power as surely as determining the speaker, the content of the message, or any other factors.

It might diminish the lag slightly depending on how the channel system is implemented server-side, but that's LL's secret. I've noticed many things in Second Life that indicate a less-than-optimal database system managing resources, so I don't believe it's prudent to assume LL is doing things in a particular way.

Of course only you can decide how you're going to script something. It's more my hope to help amatur scripters and clueless consumers reduce lag they don't know they're producing.

[Steve Mahfouz]

Wow, Steve-- is the group and/or its leadership officially affiliated with the Dems?

No. This was all my own idea. I just want some hard working Sl'er to take it over. I"m providing the free office space and moral support :) Who knows, maybe Chairman Dean will hear about us lol

[Lukas Mensing]

Hello,

...to inform all friends of Laukosargas Svarog that Lauks Nest, one of her first creations on SL is transfered by me to Graceful Aeon that will not only preserve it, but will also use it as a museum of digital creations. It's a wonderful thing happening and I am very happy of that. Even if I already feel something like nostalgy?
http://secondarts.wordpress.com/2008/06/14/hey-lauks-nest-meet-the-new-boss/