New World Notes

This SL Machinima Music Video Set to "Farrah Fawcett Hair" May Make Your Own Hair Stand Up

This is a Second Life machinima music video cut to Capital Cities' "Farrah Fawcett Hair", and seeing as it's one of the most impressive SL machinimas I've seen in some time, you may want to see it now:

Much thanks to Alicia for the tip. Created by Trace Osterham, I particularly love the use of video/TV displays, so the music keeps playing out within various, well-chosen Second Life settings, and the photography with dynamic lighting, helping convey the sense of a lived-in world. (Seriously, this thing had me at the virtual curtain flapping in the virtual wind.)

This video brings up another thought: Are we in a mini-Renaissance of Second Life music video machinima?

Upcoming Indie Game Sea of Solitude is Simply Stunning

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

There are a few particularly pretty gifs and screenshots making the rounds in the Twitter gaming community following the recent launch of Sea of Solitude's teaser site. Although the game isn't publicly available to play yet, its crumbling ruins and gently lapping canals are clearly already capturing folks' imaginations.

Based on the teasers, Sea of Solitude looks like a blend of exploration, puzzle-solving and platforming. That's a pretty popular mix among indie games, but its simple yet beautiful visuals make it stand out. Its premise (as outlined on their website) does as well.

Darkest Dungeon: Indie Game Upends RPG Cliches With Gothic Comedy, Madness as a Game Mechanic

Darkest Dungeon is a seriously cool indie game available on Steam Early Access, and it's basically inspired by the question, "What would really happen if a band of adventurers explored a haunted dungeon infested with monsters?" The obvious answer being, of course, "They'd go fricking bonkers." So as you guide your adventurers deeper into a cursed manor and the surrounding grounds, they gradually but inevitably get afflicted with various forms of mental illness and PTSD. (Which you can temporarily cure with a visit to the local temple, sanitarium, or tavern.) This might seem like a pretty depressing premise for a game, but the developers (Red Hook Studio) bring a winking, wry humor, chiefly in the melodramatic voice over which is so over the top, it's hard not to laugh. Match that with beautiful art which looks like wood carvings, an elegant user interface, and interesting twists on the RPG aspects, and you have an indie game worthy of its darling status. (Multiple friends who are game developers have been raving about it on my social media channels for the last couple weeks.) Take a look at the trailer:

Will the Future of VR Be Less Virtual, More Augmented?

Commenting in this fascinating thread on virtual reality hype, reader "Rin" makes some smart points:

I have to say that I think that everything that uses a big headset like the Oculus Rift is a dead end and will never achieve any big success. It might have some specific uses .. training simulations come to mind, but I just can't see it finding it's way into the big consumer market. It is just too big of a hindrance to daily life to block everything out like this and sit on the couch with this headset on. Microsoft has the much better approach there [with the HoloLens] and even when I am uncertain of how it might turn out (or if it actually be usable at all), I think it is still the more usable idea then something like the Oculus headset. To be honest, I have not yet heard even one idea about what the one big application would be that brings VR "into our lap". Even most games would not fit well with it and not everyone who plays games would like to do it this way. So the market is even smaller ... but what is there beside it that would bring it out of specific work situations and into the homes of everyone? It actually also might be going against the current trend of everything being more and more mobile. And being in VR while walking down a street might not be the most healthy thing to do ... so instead of VR I think it should be more AR - Augmented Reality. That is where I would put my money into.

So presumably, Rin would want to put her money in a company like Magic Leap, just like Google recently did, to the tune of half a billion damn dollars. I share all of Rin's concerns around VR, though I'm very skeptical augmented reality will be a better alternative:

Relive Your First L$ Purchase Through These Fascinating Reader Comments

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

Last week I asked NWN readers when and why you made your first virtual currency purchase in Second Life, and the answers so far have been a trip down memory lane.

Of course these answers have also been an interesting look into the early virtual lives of some infamous SLers. Arwyn Quandry, for example, got her start on the Teen Grid (back when there was a Teen Grid). Because most residents of the TG did have ready access to their own credit cards or Paypal accounts, the Teen Grid economy was wildly different from the Main Grid's. She writes:

I bought my first bunch of $L about a week before I left the Teen Grid. It was a big thing, because I didn't have my own card. I had to ask my dad to borrow his paypal account so I could get $10 worth of lindens. On the TG, that was big money - a nice pair of shoes that would go for 250 to 300 on the main grid went for maybe 100 at the most on the TG. Before that, I would wear freebies or build my own stuff. There was an educational group that gave away lindens for attending their events, so I would always go there.

When I got my ten bucks worth of $L, I bought a few outfits from my favorite designers who I wouldn't see again (at least until they transferred), gifts for some friends, and even my own plane, because why not. It was the coolest feeling being able to shop. After that, I would buy maybe once every two or three months to get a new outfit. These days, I buy a larger amount because I'm supporting a sim, but still keep my expenses fairly low.

Meanwhile, famed Second Life home and interior designer Barnesworth Anubis' first exchange of cash for L$ was so he could snap up a nice plot of land. No surprises there. The most interesting detail in his story, however, is where that cash came from:

Top Four Posts from New World Notes Last Week!

• Virtual Reality Hype: Why Isn't It 1992 All Over Again?
• Quick Tips: SL Content Creators, Here's How to Start Livestreaming Your Work
• You Can Buy Chocolate With Bitcoin in the Capitol of Bitcoin Hype... But Hardly Anyone Does
• Want a Facebook Account With Your Avatar Name? Just Prove to Facebook You Use That Name Offline, Too

Visit in Second Life: In The Hall of the Centaurs, a Masterwork by Acclaimed SL Architect Havit Neox

Eddi Haskell is all over the premiere of The Hall of the Centaurs, which as he puts it, is by Havit Neox, "one of Second Life's most famous architects, [who] builds fanciful structures and entire cities that employ a wide range of architectural effects. His latest creation, In The Hall of the Centaurs at Second Life's famous Verdigris City, is another jewel in his crown... Make sure to walk and teleport to all levels to see hidden rooms which such as one with a rotating Unisphere that appears to have swarms of bees rising at its base."

Here's a direct teleport link to copy/paste into the SL browser of your choice:>/p>

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Verdigris/186/67/56

But first, be sure to see more Centaurs' imagery and more Neox coverage from Eddi. And oh, unless you're at work, don't worry too about the adult content warning that comes up when you click:

How to Live Stream/Record Second Life Footage in Steam

This is a super useful-looking and crazily exhaustive tutorial for streaming/recording Second Life in Steam from Ai Austin. The record function should be great for recording Let's Play-style Second Life videos (and I'd love to see more of those, as long as they're not yet more lame troll vids), and the stream feature lets you squirt your Second Life experience to another display -- like so:

Virtual Photographer Loony Columbia's Second Life Snapshots are as Angelic as Ever

Janine "Iris Ophelia" Hawkins' ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

Today seemed like a good day to check in on one of my favorite Second Life photographers, Loony Columbia. Although it's been awhile since I've blogged her, her work is easily some of the most adorable out there. Even if you're not into the cutesy avatars she favors you can almost certainly still appreciate her technical style. Loony likes to keep her work blindingly bright and pastel perfect, and even though she prefers those cute-looking avatars she's not shy about veering towards the NSFW side of things either.

"Enfant - Woman in Love" is one of her latest pics, and it stands out because it's a slight departure from her usual images. While most of her SL snapshots are seas of milky color, this one is much bolder by comparison. It stopped me in my tracks, or rather it stopped my cursor in its path.

You can check out the uncropped (and slightly NSFW) version of "Enfant" here, or spend some time perusing the pastel wonderland that is Loony Columbia's Flickr stream. If you'd like some styling advice, then you'll want to swing by her Tumblr as well.

Want to Be a Sponsoring Partner of New World Notes?

Interested in becoming a Media Partner with New World Notes, the oldest and largest blog with a primary focus on Second Life? We got 170,000 visits last month, according to Similar Web, and more key, we get our partners results: Here's the clickthrough rates to the Second Life Marketplace listing of a recent partner, after just 4 months. 

You'll be joining our excellent, ongoing partners DX Exchange and Ample Avi, and we'd like add another, non-competing partner with a brand and product we're proud to help promote. (Ideally related to Second Life, OpenSim, another MMO/virtual world, or virtual reality.)

Rates are negotiable, with discounts for smaller brands that Iris and I admire, and yes, we do take Linden Dollars. If you'd like to discuss this opportunity, contact me by IMing me at Hamlet Au, or via e-mail to wjamesau at gmail dot com.