New World Notes

I Ask Neal Stephenson About His Own Metaverse Definition, the Much-Delayed Snow Crash Movie/TV Adaptation, and How The Metaverse Is Already Larger Than He First Imagined

In case you missed it, FastCompany recently featured an excerpt based on my extensive interview with Neal Stephenson for the book. Highlights include his own definition of the Metaverse, reports that he looked into building it back in the 1990s right after Snow Crash was published, and that 1992 novel's long-delayed Hollywood adaptation. Marco Brambilla, director of the not horrible Stallone/Snipes 90s sci-fi movie Demolition Man, was attached to direct it as far back as 1996; the project's since changed Hollywood hands for now nearly 30 years.

So we talk about that, and I get to point out how the Metaverse concept is actually larger in real life than what he first imagined -- which elicits a classic taciturn Stephenson reply:

Today's Flickr Pick: Summer in Second Life Beneath the Blistering Virtual Sun

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

Christina Geddins-Swot has the perfect picture for this month. It’s hot, It's Too Darn Hot. It’s hard to get anything done in the heat so I thought I would take a look round to see how my fellow SL residents are beating the heat. . 

For more heat intervention, click here

Today's Flickr Pick: Jules Verne's Nemo Cosplay, Human Chess & a French Tribute to American Friends by Seb

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

Seb decided to shoot “The Untold Story of Captain Nemo” and it’s gorgeous. It’s untold because this scene is not in the book, but comes from Seb’s adventurous imagination.To make it even better, Ethan Lane, the person who posed as Captain Nemo, took his own snaps from his point-of-view:

Artist Turns Virtual World Sculpture Into Real World Bronze Statue With 3D Printing, Sells Multiple Copies for Hundreds of Dollars

Above left, "Dancer" in Second Life; right, "Dancer" in real world

Cool project from the acclaimed Canadian artist known as "Bryn Oh", who mainly uses Second Life as her creative medium: She's taken "Dancer", a virtual sculpture she created for one of her SL installations, 3D printed it, and then used that to create and sell bronze statues in the real world. After 3D printing the statue's 3D image file, she used that to create a wax mold. As she explains on her blog:

We used the lost wax process to create a mold to hold the molten bronze.  Essentially you create a cast around the model then melt it so that the wax runs out leaving a cavity to pour the bronze into.  Then 30 were created with each being 4 inches tall.

She's selling copies of the statue at ranges between $150 and $400, and so far, has sold almost 20. That's a good return on a very risky investment. As Bryn tells me:

MakieLab Makes Making Makies Even Easier on iOS (Though It's Still a Mouthful to Say!)

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

If you've been waiting to turn your avatar (or even yourself) into a posable and customizable doll, it's now easier than ever. Makies Doll Factory, released earlier this month, is the latest development from MakieLab, the makers of Makies (try saying that ten times fast.) This free iOS app (which you can grab in the App Store) lets users design their own custom 3D printed dolls with even more options than before, and comes with new pricing options for those looking to bring their Makies into reality.

If you're curious about customizing a Makie of your own from the comfort of your iPad, keep reading! (Update: Ridiculously wrong video link fixed, sorry folks! But hey, at least you know how to make Rice-a-Roni now!)

Dita Von Teese Dons Mindblowing 3D Printed Gown on Red Carpet-- Could SL Designs Be Next?

Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style

Famed pinup personality Dita Von teese recently donned the first articulated 3D printed dress to an event on Monday, and fashion and science nerds alike have been gushing over the pictures since. The dress has generated a fair amount of geek buzz for two reasons: First, 3D printing in it's current form is often used to create accessories (even by SL designers like Maxi Gossamer) but it's generally too rigid to be considered workable for clothing. Second... Well, just look at her! Granted she could probably make a paper bag look glam as hell, but these are some of the most breathtaking pictures I've ever seen.

There's a lot of engineering behind that bodice, so let's break it down:

Artist 3D Prints Her Second Life Jewelry into Real Life Steel & Silver Rings & Necklaces for Under USD$125

Maxi Gossamer poses with her jewelry in SL and in RL

This is seriously cool for many reasons: An SL artisan who goes by the name Maxi Gossamer recently 3D printed some of her virtual jewelry into real life steel and silver rings and necklaces, via Shapeways. To judge by the photos, they came out looking great, and to my own surprise, weren't too expensive to make: To print her Marrakech Heart in sterling silver, for instance, she spent 95 Euros -- about $125. (You'd probably buy a pendant like that for $200 at retail, at least.) Obviously this is a great way for SL content creators to launch a real world business from their virtual creations, but this seems even more disruptive to me: Instead of spending all that time and effort making jewelry without any assurance it'll be bought by customers, you can create jewelry as a 3D mesh file, feature it in Second Life machinima or another 3D platform, and only print and ship it when a customer is ready to buy.

"I still have a lot to learn about how to get the best from 3D prints," Maxi acknowledges on her blog, "for instance, how deep to etch in the designs to get the best and most accurate results for the real world." Still, to get such great, cost-effective results on the first try, you can see where this is going.

"My advice would be just start doing it," Maxi tells me by e-mail. "The Shapeways team are very helpfull. I've learned so much from just jumping in and trying. There is no cost to upload and have your models checked by Shapeways to see if your design will print -- wall thickness, scale etc. There is almost zero cost to just start doing it. And you can always test print in the flexible plastics which are super cheap."

There's lot of practical aspects to the process that content creators will need to keep in mind, of course, so I asked Maxi (who kindly sent me the photos and screenshots in this post) to explain in more detail how she did it: