New World Notes

Today Some Second Life Users Are Performing a Live Virtual World Musical Inspired By Kevin Costner's Waterworld and I Don't Know What to Say

Explore a Randomly-Generated Maze of Mental Anguish -- Coming Soon from Bryn Oh in Second Life

Bryn Oh is an acclaimed artist who's used Second Life as her canvas for many years, even earning a grant to do that from the Canadian government and patronage from master filmmaker Peter Greenaway. "Eloise and Jane", her next Second Life-based installation -- expected to launch this Saturday -- is featured in this sneak preview above. 

"Jane and Eloise was inspired by the medium really," Bryn tells me. "I wanted to tell a story in a very SL way.  In real life, you stand in a gallery and look at things on a wall while rarely interacting with them.  In fact, if you do, a security guard will give you stink eye if not worse.  So you are a passive observer to the art.  Separate. 

"In Second Life we can be active participants to art and so I wanted to make something that stretched the idea of what art can be.  So this is a hybrid between an environment, narrative and a game.  The story itself is quite dark, but should you find the exit then you get an alternate ending which is happy."

As that suggests, the installation is a maze which, she explains, "symbolizes the mental anguish and survivor's guilt of the sister named Eloise, who must preserve herself at the expense of her sister Jane, after a storm sinks their canoe.  The maze and its monsters represent the terrible thoughts that plague a person in bed at 3am, eyes open in the dark staring at the ceiling.  The work is meant to be conceptual yet also something that can be fun to do with friends."

Dark and fun! The maze itself is also quite cool in concept, generated randomly each time through complex scripting:

Join SL's Peace on Earth Hunt for Globes, Free Ample Avi Avatars

Starting tomorrow, NWN partner Ample Avi is participating in the Peace on Earth Hunt (POE 11 for short, since it's now in its eleventh year running), billed as the longest-running grid-wide hunt in Second Life. (Ample Avi has participated in the POE Hunt every year since its beginning.)

"This is a L$0 hunt, and hunters will be looking for a small globe of the Earth," Ample's Xme Xme tells me. "There are no decoy globes, and designers are required to hide their globes within a reasonable distance of the landing point.  A hint for hunters is provided at the landing point." 

For the Hunt, Ample is also offering a Winter-themed gift in partnership  with Junior Avi, for creating family scenes like this one:"Bringing the Tree Home". The avatars depicted here are available for free via these SLurls:

• Go here for the Junior Avi. 
• Go here for Ample Avi.

Looks like much fun for hunt fans. This one runs from December 1st to December 31. More about POE 11 on the official site.

Cassie's Clips: Sneak Peek of SL's Romp Fashion Event This Weekend Ft. Sexy Clothes You Can Adjust While Wearing & Boots You Can Hold

Here's a speak peek video of this weekend's Romp event in SL, from NWN correspondent Cassie Middles. (Warning: Somewhat NSFW, just like Romp itself.) Key item is what she's showing off here -- the Mirage Abbacci, with user-adjustable clothing items. Watch to see what I mean, because "adjustable" doesn't quite convey how cool this is.

"Romp is an event that I hold near and dear to my heart," she tells me. "It was actually my first ever adult shopping experience I've ever had where kink and BDSM were seen as quite normal. Beautiful furniture, accessories, decor, and amazing things like this outfit by Mirage.N.A here. Vanilla Bae was the first store I ever found that had interactive clothing like this, but the boots were what sold me -- the fact that you can wear them or carry them over the arm, I think is amazing and perfect for roleplay. If you check out their Fickr feed, you'll see so much more interactive outfits there as well for both genders, though Mirage mostly works with Belleza bodies so make sure to read or demo before trying."

Romp starts tomorrow. Links after the break!

Meet Warren Spector in the Virtual World: Sinespace and Escapist Host an Hour With the Influential Game Designer, Nov 17 at 3pm (PST) - RSVP Now!

Click here to RSVP for a very unique Sinespace event I'm proud to co-host November 17 at 3pm (PST): An hour with renowned game designer Warren Spector (Ultima Underworld, System Shock, Deus Ex, Epic Mickey) who'll discuss his latest game, Underworld Ascendant, the future of game design, getting started in games, developing in Unity 3D, and whatever else our virtual audience of avatars cares to ask him. The event (and live video stream) is being co-hosted by The Escapist magazine, with editor-in-chief Russ Pitts interviewing Warren alongside me.

The acclaimed titles Warren has helped lead development on have been incredibly influential on the art of games, helping pioneer a new genre of immersive simulation which rewards player creativity and choice. Its heirs include the Thief, Dishonored, and BioShock franchises, among many, many others. His new game, Underworld Ascendant, is very much part of that tradition, and is a spiritual successor to Ultima Underworld: The Stygian Abyss.

Created way back in 1992, Ultima Underworld game is not only a landmark in 3D simulation games -- it helped inspire the development of virtual worlds. As I wrote in The Making of Second Life, it was a key reference for Philip Rosedale, as he started formulating the framework that would eventually become Second Life:

Philip Rosedale, Tom Boellstorff & Ela Darling Speak on Virtual Love & Sex at LA's In.flux Conference This December 1st-- Get the NWN Discount!

The In.flux Reality Mixer is an all-day AR and VR-focused event in Los Angeles that's designed especially for executives in media, games, advertising, and related industries, and it just added a cool (and likely wild) panel on virtual love, sex, and relationships: It's being hosted by Second Life/High Fidelity founder Philip Rosedale, and he'll be talking with anthropologist Tom Boellstorff, who researches how virtual worlds help disabled users, and Ela Darling, co-founder of GonzoVR, and sometimes described as "the world’s first VR camgirl, and a leading voice in the intersection of VR and the adult entertainment industry." So quite an amazing trio with many stories to tell and insights to make. This happens along with many more talks, an art gallery, and audio lab this coming December 1st in downtown LA. And since I'm an advisor and speaker, here's a special discount code:

Go here to register and use NEWWORLD as your discount code for a $20 discount to a ticket, which runs from $30 to $120 (for VIP access). Ask your company to cover the cost as a research and networking expense, and see you there!

The Upside Down of Stranger Things Recreated in Second Life for Halloween

Photo by Eve Kazan

If you're a fan* of Netflix's Stranger Things (and since you're reading New World Notes, good chance you are), you probably want to check out this breathtakingly detailed recreation**of the "Upside Down" from Syn Beresford for her group Elysion. It's on a sim called Last Rites, but you need to join Elysion to gain entry.

Veteran SLer Eve Kazan says it's worth the L$1000 group membership initiation fee: "I love the series, so I wanted to visit. It is a faithful representation... Very dark and cool."

It even comes with the series' famed cross-dimensional Christmas light communication system (above), and the ruins of the high school (below):

Starting Tomorrow: Second Life's Annual Fair Selling Virtual Hair to Benefit Kids With Real World Hair Loss

Click here to teleport to the Second Life entry point of Hair Fair, which launches tomorrow.  Now in its 12th year, this is the SL community's annual fundraising extravaganza connecting virtual fashion with real world benefit: Dozens of fashion designers donate virtual hairstyles, and all sales go to benefit Wigs for Kids, for children suffering from hair loss due to chemotherapy and other challenges. While the event starts tomorrow, you can go in-world now to join the event's subscription service and in-game group. More info on the official site run by the devoted Sasy Scarborough.

As a taste of what you the Fair offers -- and a compare and contrast with the latest trends and technology --here's some of Iris Ophelia's NWN coverage of Fairs in 2011 and 2012:

Join Me at the In.flux Reality Mixer in LA on December 1st - Register Now, Get the Early Adopter Discount

The In.flux Reality Mixer is an all-day AR and VR-focused event especially for executives in media, games, advertising, and related industries, and I'm honored to be an advisor. It's the brainchild of my good friend Tameka Kee, longtime marketing exec and VR enthusiast (I actually first met her in Second Life), and she's put together an impressive line-up that brings together diverse experts on creating virtual experiences. For instance, the keynote speaker:

VR Pioneer Jaron Lanier Appears in VR to Talk With Me About his Latest Book on VR -- Reserve Seats Now for the May 25th, 2PM Event in Sinespace

Click here to reserve a seat at a special virtual world event I'm very proud to co-host: Friday, May 25th at 2PM (PST), I'll be interviewing VR pioneer Jaron Lanier, widely credited with popularizing the term "virtual reality" itself, within the social VR world of Sinespace. Yes, this is a rescheduled event originally planned for April; Jaron very generously made himself available for this month instead. 

We're appearing in Sinespace as avatars before a live studio audience of fellow avatars in the Delphi region, talking about Lanier's latest book, Dawn of the New Everything: A Journey Through Virtual Reality. Suitably, by his request, Jaron's avatar will be a octopus, a recurring symbol and reference point throughout his work. Being Jaron, of course, this particular octopus has long dreadlocks.