New World Notes

Watch: This Sexy Platform Game is Actually an Ad for a Steampunk Brand in Second Life

In the platform game of Love, you only win when the final boss gets hugged. And while this looks like a fun iPhone game, it's actually an ad for Sky Pirates steampunk decor by D-LAB. Though come to think of it, this also shows how Second Life machinima is a great tool for pre-visualizing games and movies. 

It's by Teal Aurelia, who also created the acclaimed tribute to SL artists we watched recently. (More on her process here.) There was some debate on documentary versus green screen SL machinima (Teal's technique), and this is another demonstration of how green screen creates the opportunity to showcase great Second Life content in a new, high quality context.

There's a Community of Virtual Photographers Inspired by the Famous Haystack of Walsh County, a Second Life Sim Inspired by Walsh County, ND

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

After seeing Pedro’s haystack in “Walsh County” and recognizing it as THE HAYSTACK [See stories One, Two, and Three] I thought it might be fun to collect some more pictures of the famous haystack of Walsh County. I looked for the Flickr group devoted to it, with hundreds of haystack photos, and noticed that the sim was inspired by Walsh County, ND.

I know Walsh County. I lived there for four months when my sister was paralyzed by a spider bite from a brown recluse. I left fifth grade about a month early to go to their farm and take care of her, the kids, and the housekeeping. No wonder these images speak to me. I love Pedro’s picture because it catches the field when flax is in bloom. It’s such a beautiful sight to see these pale blue blankets of flowers extending for acres in all directions. 

For more haystacks, click here:

Artist Feeds Her Childhood Diary Into an AI Chatbot -- And Has a Moving Conversation With Her Younger Self

What you're looking at above is an excerpt from a moving conversation between tech artist Michelle Huang, and Michelle Huang as a young girl.

"I trained an AI chatbot on my childhood journal entries - so that I could engage in real-time dialogue with my 'inner child'," as she recently explained on Twitter:

I kept diaries for about 10+ years of my life, writing almost everyday — about my dreams, fears, secrets... I used GPT-3 as my playground, and ended up taking samples of text from a bunch of different entries that I felt were representative of my personality and values during that time... this way, i could accurately simulate what it would be like to talk to my childhood self, based on real data sources during that time period.

Michelle tells me she learned something crucial about herself by engaging with this simulation of her younger self:

"I would say, for me personally - the kindness and understanding I felt from my 'past self' helped me untangle some knots and stuckness that I felt," as she puts it. "It illuminated to me how hard I was on myself, but how much I extended understanding to others. It felt really rewarding to receive this kindness as well, from a younger version of myself.

"From a broader learnings [perspective], what stood out to me was the ability for technology to be used for mental health and wonder."

I also see amazing potential in this for NPCs and avatars. Imagine entire digital personae you can engage with that are directly based on yourself. Or for that matter, NPCs directly based on novelists, poets, and public speakers from history and fiction.

Michelle agrees on that front:

"This is the stuff I think that has the most interesting ramifications: more broadly, more immersive human / computer interface loops, from conversation with virtual therapists to in-game interactions for virtual worlds, given there is user input, AI could be used to train highly customizable responses or generate unique storylines per use."

It could even become the seed of a new virtual world product:

Watch: VRChat Partners With Sony On New Mobile-Based Motion Capture Product

This announcement from VRChat is impressive for many reasons:

Mocopi is supported in VRChat! We teamed up with Sony to integrate their mobile motion capture solution, on both PCVR and Quest!

Watch Mocopi in action above. It's a much more user-friendly way of doing motion capture, and relatively affordable at $358:

Today's Second Life Flickr Pick: Stunning Avatar Portraits by Yoli

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

Yoli’s “Follow me down where the waters run deep. I’ll let you drown in the worst of me” is beautiful to look at, but the title suggests some malice that we can’t quite see. Still, just looking at the picture, we know there is a story there. Perhaps this is a female Narcissus, so drawn to her own reflection she drowns. However, there is a bit too much movement in the water, the reflection must be distorted or is that the “worst bof me.” The picture is inspired by Joy Oladukun’s “Breathe Again.” Click here to listen.

For more stories that combine beauty and story, click here:

Monday Memory: How the Metaverse Illustrates the Limits of Libertarianism

With a certain tech billionaire currently railing against companies including Apple withdrawing their ads from Twitter, it's a good time to remember a fairly related story from 2007-2008 -- when Linden Lab began to pivot away from its libertarian approach to governing Second Life content:

In 2006, for example, Philip Rosedale refused to intercede against Ginko, the SL bank with a high rate of return, which many Residents accused of being a Ponzi scheme.  That same year, in response to Residents protests against age play (i.e. simulated avatar-based pedophilia), Robin Linden said it would be forbidden "[i]f this activity were in public areas"-- implying that it was still permissible in private.  Casinos and other gambling institutions, of course, were rampant over the land.

The reversals started last year, continuing into this one: 

Top 3 Posts Celebrating SL's Avatar-Based Drag Community, Smart Metaverse Marketing & a New New World Video!

• New World Video: We Chat By A Roaring Fire About Midjourney Avatars, Metaverse Predictions, SL’s New VAT-Free Offer & Much More!
• Celebrating The Drag Queen Community In Second Life
• Monday Memory: Greenies Showed How To Do Metaverse Marketing Right -- With Community Creator Participation & Genuine Delight

Dutchie Black Friday Weekend Sale: 30% Off the Entire Adult Store! (Partner News)

From today until next Monday, everything in the Adult store of Dutchie (a proud New World Notes sponsoring partner), is 30% off. And who knows, you may get to meet Dutchie's elegant owner herself! [Click here to teleport] 

Thanksgiving Week Watch: We Chat by a Roaring Fire About Midjourney Avatars, Metaverse Predictions, SL’s New VAT-Free Offer & Much More!

For our Thanksgiving week New World Video, Isabelle Cheren and I chat about Second Life’s new VAT-free plan, how to avatar-ize yourself in Midjourney, and play a game of SL Flickr Cliche Bingo! (And get way too deep discussing male avatar, um, attachments.) Plus viewer questions on metaverse addiction, enjoying Second Life with little L$, and predictions for next year.

And for the Thanksgiving holidays, here's more gratitude to Cajsa, who makes New World Notes beautiful with her Flickr column. Please consider sending her a nice Thanksgiving tip.

Today's SL Flickr Pick: Autumnal Images from the Virtual World

Cajsa Lilliehook covers the best in virtual world screenshot art and digital painting

Isis Barom’s “Snow comes to Cherishville” is a pleasing introduction to the season, It has that storybook quality that suggests all stories have happy endings full of food, friends,, and family. It’s a slow, gentle snowfall that makes for fluffy snowballs. If there are no snow angels to be found, I will be sorely disappointed. [To teleport to Cherishville, click here]

For more lovely landscapes, click here: