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Here's some Monday coolness with 3D display data: Using satellite data gathered by a company called Blom running 3D modeling technology from Newscape, this iPad app called Mobile 3D City puts a Google Earth-style city in the palms of your hands:
Hat tip: Digital Urban. Wonder if similar tech could model Second Life or OpenSim landscapes on the iPad.
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When I first got early word last week that Philip Rosedale would return to Linden Lab management, I assumed it would be in some kind of part-time advisory capacity. Then I remembered something he had written a couple months ago, and I suddenly realized: No, he's probably going all the way. That helped me confirm with my sources that he was indeed returning as Linden Lab's CEO.
What was it I read? Why, Philip Rosedale's Movie Management Advice, posted on the blog of his new company, LoveMachine. This is Philip's advice for fellow company executives, based on scenes from great films; one of them is taken from a moment in Apocalypse Now:
"Never get off the boat, unless you're going all the way." That's what Martin Sheen's character tells a crew mate, when the dude foolishly endangers everyone with an ill-advised side trip.
Philip Rosedale's take from that line:
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The latest news in Linden Lab's corporate tumult:
Meanwhile, the inventiveness of Residents continues unabated:
And by speaking on behalf of a virtual artist in Second Life, a renowned film director ratifies the importance of SL as a new art medium:
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Various dramas and controversies have clouded Second Life's latest anniversary celebration (then again, that's always been the case), somewhat overshadowing the genuinely cool installations that have been created for it. Good thing Honour McMillan has a great write-up of whimsical and wonderful projects created for SL7B. I especially like the one above, "Bodied Words", which lets you turn your avatar into the shape of a letter, so if you do it with a bunch of friends, you can line up and form a word. (Or as above, "SL7B". [Direct teleport to that installation here]
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Enough about M or T or Philip for awhile, this blog needs more virtual World Cup Fever. Just in time, here comes bark Aabye for Team Japan:
Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal!
But where's my American peeps with some avatar action of their own? How about some steampunk Landon Donavan? Goalie Tim Howard with ten robot arms? The rest of the world already thinks we're only half-interested in soccer once every four years (which OK, is pretty much true.) Get up in there and represent.
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The inevitable survey question, in the wake of this announcement of Mark Kingdon's departure as Linden Lab CEO, and Philip Rosedale's post announcing his "interim" return:
Results run next week; meantime, discuss in Comments!
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Multiple sources tell me that more major executive changes at Linden Lab are coming very soon. Specifically, that Linden Lab CEO Mark Kingdon, known as M Linden in-world, is leaving the company, and Second Life founder Philip Rosedale, known as Philip Linden in-world, is returning to the company he founded to take a managerial position. These are unconfirmed reports, I hasten to say, so I'm checking with the company and other sources now. Perhaps related to this (or not), Mark Kingdon was scheduled to speak in-world at the 7th anniversary of Second Life's launch today, but abruptly cancelled due to an unstated "emergency". Philip Linden appeared in his place.
More updates as they arrive.
Update, 11:06pm: For background on this apparent development, read my analysis, "What Went Wrong With Linden Lab?", which includes a reply from Kingdon, and my analysis of Philip's speech to the Second Life community, "In Wake of Linden Lab Layoffs, Founder Acknowledges Company Overreach, Asks Second Life Users' 'Forgiveness'".
UPDATE 2, 6/24, 10:24am: As of 9:04AM SLT today, this post is officially confirmed:
Linden Lab®, creator of 3D virtual world Second Life®, announced today that company founder Philip Rosedale has been named interim CEO, and CFO Bob Komin has assumed the additional role of COO. Linden Lab also announced that Mark Kingdon is stepping down as CEO. "On behalf of the board, I thank Mark for all of his contributions during his tenure with Linden Lab which include growing our user base and revenue, increasing the stability of the platform, and nurturing and helping build a world class team," said Rosedale, who will continue to serve on Linden Lab's board of directors.
Post updated from original 6/23 publication.
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Chestnut Rau’s weekly round-up of upcoming SL events…
or three solid years Perfect World Productions, CEO Paisley Beebe (Leonie Smith in RL) has been starring in one of SL's top rated television shows, Tonight Live. In each show Paisley interviews the movers and shakers of Second Life including Lindens, virtual world evangelists, builders and scripters, artists, designers and musicians and residents from a wide variety of subcultures and communities in our world. The show is taped in front of a live studio audience and is recorded by Treet.TV where thousands of people watch each episode on the web.
Guests for the Anniversary Celebration Show on Sunday June 27th at 6pm will include some of the original guests from June 2007. Music will be performed by Astrin Few who is a guitarist/vocalist performing in SL since April, 2004. Astrin is the Founder of Live Music Enthusiasts and Jazz Enthusiasts. Also appearing will be Troy McLuhan, Director of the Science Center Group and Wiz Nordberg, CEO Treet TV. This promises to be a wonderful show full of memories about the past and a fresh look to the future of Second Life Television. The studio will be packed so get there early in your low lag best to be sure you can get a set. In Northport. [Slurl teleport at this link]
(All event times in SLT, "Second Life Time"-- i.e., Pacific Standard)
Thursday 6/24
9:30 am - World Famous Astonomer Alex Filippenko Speaks
University of California Professor Astronomy Alex Filippenko will be giving a talk about black energy and the expansion of the universe. This informative lecture will be simu-cast from Maui at the University of Hawaii SL Amphitheater. In UH Aquaculture Program. [SLurl teleport at this link]
11:30am - Ancient Tree Fashion Show: A Japanese Experience
Enjoy a katana demonstration, a japanese kimono fashion show while listening to performance and music aby Geishas from Hoisoi Okiya. This cultural event will allow you to learn about Japanese culture. In Made in Jura. [SLurl teleport at this link]
6pm - Violinist Young Zeid Live
In preparation for his China tour, violinist, Young Zeid will present a very special program of music by the THREE B's - Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. The program includes Bach, Prelude from the E major unaccompanied Partita, the Beethoven Romance in F major for violin and orchestra, and the Brahms Concerto for violin and orchestra. Do not miss this opportunity to hear one of SL's most beloved classical musicians in a superb program. In A piacere. [SLurl teleport at this link]
Also after the break: Violinist Young Zeid Live, Monthly Showcase Concert to Benefit Wounded Warriors, Learn about anything from Photoshop to Buddhism and much much more
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Just in time for the fourth season, this is Cisko Vandeverre's supreme Second Life recreation of the supercool opening sequence to the best show on television:
To make the falling furniture in Don Draper's office, Cisko used a drop script that made the objects fall; Second Life's native physics did the rest. He captured the falling Don by shooting an avatar in a blue box and then chroma keyed those shots into a Second Life set original Mad Men footage [See Update below]. "I used a few different poses/animations, and moved/adjusted the puppet layer in edit over the background," he tells me. "The same layer was doubled and modified to create the shadow layer, with a little offset."
Love it. I only miss the part where Don Draper seems to slide off the sexy foot of a billboard model. (Compare with the original.) Also, the male fashion doesn't exactly scream JFK era. Speaking of which, are any Second Life designers working on Mad Men-inspired fashion? If it was well done, I would so blog that.
(The names in the credits, by the way, are all members of the Machinima Artist Guild Ning network, where I first saw this video. Well, except for Mad Men creator Matt Weiner, unless he has a side hobby making machinima.)
Update, 3:35PM: Cisko just told me elements of the Mad Men background was also recreated in Second Life, and composited into the final video (see above). Unfortunately, the set has since been disassembled, so your avatar can't do a Draper down the New York skyline. (Pics courtesy Mr. Vandeverre.)
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Classic New World Notes stories:
Sander's Villa: The Man Who Gave His Father A Second Life (2011)
What Rebecca Learned By Being A Second Life Man (2010)
All About My Avatar: The story behind amazing strange avatars (2007)
Fighting the Front: When fascists open an HQ in Second Life, chaos and exploding pigs ensue (2007)
Copying a Controversy: Copyright concerns come to the Metaverse via... the CopyBot! (2006)
The Penguin & the Zookeeper: Just another unlikely friendship formed in The Metaverse (2006)
Guarding Darfur: Virtual super heroes rally to protect a real world activist site (2006)
The Skin You're In: How virtual world avatar options expose real world racism (2006)
Making Love: When virtual sex gets real (2005)
Watching the Detectives: How to honeytrap a cheater in the Metaverse (2005)
Man on Man and Woman on Woman: Just another gender-bending avatar love story, with a twist (2005)
War of the Jessie Wall: Battle over virtual borders -- and real war in Iraq (2003)
Home for the Homeless: Creating a virtual mansion despite the most challenging circumstances (2003)