New World Notes

My Metaverse Predictions for 2024. What Are Yours? UPDATE: Added Matthew Ball's Own Forecasts Based on Mine!

Some predictions for 2024 before we hit the New Year:

A new, well-funded metaverse platform launches. Likeliest candidates include Everywhere from Grand Theft Auto veterans and Playable Worlds from Raph Koster and crew. I say "well-funded" because we also sure to see some bootstrapped or crowdfunded projects hit the market as well. (I may know of some!)

A leading metaverse platform start-up is acquired or goes on an IPO track. Here some probable candidates are Fortnite developer Epic (still a private company) and Rec Room, which worked with Apple to integrate with the coming VisionPro.

Speaking of which...

Cajsa's Favorite Second Life Images of 2023 -- Plus Several More Selections to See Before 2024!

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

To celebrate my favorite Second Life images of 2023, check out this gallery I put together above. 

This got me thinking of all the pictures I wanted to feature this year but didn’t -- until now. These are some of the best that didn’t make it to my columns. 

So for some more images that deserve a look this year, click here:

My Top 10 Favorite Posts of 2023, Including: Amazing Metaverse Creations, a Debate on AI & Human Culture, and a Chat With Philip Rosedale

Alongside The Book and guest my essays for The Atlantic ("There Will Never Be Another Second Life"), Fast Company ("Neal Stephenson isn’t giving up on the metaverse—or crypto") and VentureBeat ("What went wrong with ‘the Metaverse’? An insider’s postmortem"), here's my favorite 2023 posts for New World Notes:

• APRIL: ChatGPT Comes To Second Life! Inside A Giant, Humanoid Bunny.

• MAY: The Insider & Ed Zitron's "Obituary" To The Metaverse Is Actually A Zombie Horde Of Embarrassing Half-Truths

• JULY: Philip Rosedale & Me Chat About The Rise Of AI, VisionPro, And Making A Metaverse That Matters (Watch above) 

Seven more below the cut!

 

My Top 10 Most Read & Featured Posts in 2023, including ChatGPT in the Metaverse, Second Life on Mobile, and Borges in VRChat

• Richard Bartle, Top Virtual World Expert, Tries Explaining Core Problems With NFT & Blockchain At A Crypto Conference. It Does Not Go Well.
• BREAKING: First Test Viewer Of Crystal Frost, Unity-Based Second Life Viewer
• AI Expert Explains How ChatGPT Really Works -- And Why It's Designed To Produce "The Most Mediocre Web Content You Can Imagine"
• BREAKING: Official Second Life IOS/Android Mobile App On Unity Revealed "With Joy & Trepidation"
• ChatGPT Comes To Second Life! Inside A Giant, Humanoid Bunny. (Featured in The Atlantic here)
• Dear Zuck: The Metaverse Doesn’t Need Your Ultra-Realistic IRL Avatars
• Second Life's Human Avatars Have Become Amazingly Ultra-Realistic Over The Years -- Even If That Hasn't Grown The User Base At All.
• The Nightmarishly Infinite Library Of Babel Has Haunted People For Decades. Now Borges' Impossible Vision Exists In VRChat. (Featured on Boing Boing here)
• Watch: Second Life Featured In Secret Meeting In Apple TV's Morning Show!
• Linden Lab Says "Spicy Adult-Friendly Bedroom Secrets" Coming To Second Life In 2024. It's A Sign Of Changing Times!

Cajsa's Five Favorite Posts of 2023, Featuring Historical & Cinematic Cosplay, Sad Robots, and the Buskers of Second Life

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

My favorite columns of 2023 start with this early one featuring that magnificent photo by Zakk Bifrandt. He kindly explained here how he shot this picture. His account has since been deleted, so this is what remains of his fabulous work. 

For more of my favorite columns click here:

 

Top 4 Posts Including: First Look at Second Life on Mobile, the Problem with PBR in Firestorm, and Grading My Metaverse Predictions for 2023

• EXCLUSIVE: Hands-On Look At Second Life's Mobile App In Private Alpha!
• Linden Lab Says "Spicy Adult-Friendly Bedroom Secrets" Coming To Second Life In 2024. It's A Sign Of Changing Times!
• Grading My Metaverse Predictions For 2023: AI, Apple, VRChat, Meta & SL
• Second Life Users Waiting On Firestorm To Implement PBR. Trouble Is, PBR Broke Some Firestorm Features. (But A Fix Is Coming.)

Join Bad Unicorn's New Discord Server for Fun & Second Life Specials -- Visit the Store for New Holiday Decor!

Bad Unicorn, proud purveyors of creative chaos with Second Life friends (and an awesome sponsoring partner to NWN), has a new Discord server: Join the fun plus SL weekend specials, giveaways, and a L$20K raffle.

Speaking of specials, Bad Unicorn just released several sweet holiday-themed decor items in the mainstore (click here to teleport), with a discounted price of L$60-99:

SL Fashion Friday: Cozy Victorian Fashion for Cold Winters from Nekotto

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

Who doesn’t love a good hat? Nekotto’s LookBook No. 1402 features a delightful beret with hair to fit. You can wear just the hair alone, but why would you? And that dress. It was at the Warehouse Sale, but the event closed on the 18th, so check out the store. 

• Hair: CHAIN – French Vibes @The Arcade
• + #CHAIN – Patricia Hair for Beret
• + #CHAIN – Beret Hat
• Dress: {Rosier} / Ame Dress / (FAT)

For more, click here:

EXCLUSIVE: Hands-On Look at Second Life's Mobile App in Private Alpha!

Now that the first wave of Premium+ subscribers are getting to try out the private Alpha version of the upcoming Second Life iOS/Android app (and didn't have to sign an NDA to do so), I'm excited to share one of the first-ever published hands-on looks, courtesy longtime SLer TavishBrock Resident, who helps manage the Rosehaven Estates. 

First off, here's what the iOS app looks like on TavishBrock's iPad (right). Some more screenshots below, taken directly from the iOS device. And before reading and looking further, bear in mind that this is the app while still in a private Alpha, so expect many fixes and additions in the final product expected next year.

Now to Tavish's full assessment of the current iOS build:

This is very early in the development process and anything that I write, especially any observations about where it's lacking should be read with that in mind. It's so unfinished that I literally have no complaints, only observations.

I'm running it on these devices:

• 2018 11" iPad Pro with keyboard
• iPhone 15 Pro
• M3 Max 14" MacBook Pro

First impressions:

Support New World Notes With These Recommended Amazon Offers!

If you enjoy reading New World Notes and have some Amazon holiday season shopping to do, I'd be grateful if you consider these recommended affiliate offers we can personally recommend:

The Logitech for Creators Blue Yeti Nano USB Microphone is what I use for podcast and broadcast interviews, and it packs impressive pro-level audio quality into a mic that costs just $80.  (Here's a sample.)

The ASUS ROG Zephyrus is a good laptop to consider for Second Life power users/content creators, recommended by none other than acclaimed metaverse artist Whiskey Monday.

The 2020 Dell G5 15 Gaming Laptop is my own device, and I highly recommend it. While it runs Second Life pretty well -- I'd give it a solid B for graphics quality and performance -- it's great for AAA games. Especially at the current price of $748!

And of course, there's Making a Metaverse That Matters, now on sale for $25.30. Plus if you send me your mailing address, I'll happily send you an autograph plate with a custom message and my sig!