New World Notes

Patreon Supporter Shout-Out: AvatarLife, Open Sim-Based Virtual World With 1200+ Users and Free Land for New Users

Here’s my official shout-out to AvatarLife, a new Creator-level subscriber of my Patreon, and an OpenSim-based virtual world worth checking out. It was founded by Sushant AvatarLife (in-world name), who tells me the world has over 1200 monthly active users and 300+ daily active users, making it one of the larger OpenSim worlds. It also offers free land to anyone who creates an account (info below).

Sushant says this about the inspiration behind AvatarLife: 

It stemmed from a deep desire to redefine digital identity, creativity, and social interaction in the virtual world. We saw an opportunity to build a platform where everyone, not just developers or crypto natives, could create, earn, and express themselves freely. 

Too often, metaverses are either too technical or too closed off. We wanted to change that by offering accessible tools, free land for creators, and a rewarding ecosystem for both gamers and builders. AvatarLife was born out of the belief that the future of online life should be fun, rewarding, and owned by the people who contribute to it. 

We wanted to merge the best of virtual living, parties, games, contests, avatars, and creation tools, with true ownership and fair rewards. In short, we were inspired by the idea of building a metaverse where imagination meets opportunity, and where everyone, no matter their background, can build, play, and thrive.

Video and more about the features and free land offer:

Sinespace Launches $24,000 Content Creator Contest With Themed & Free-for-All Challenges -- Content You Created in Other Virtual Worlds Eligible!

Sinespace (a proud sponsoring NWN media partner) just announced monthly and weekly creator challenges for Unity developers, established Sinespace creators, and 3D mesh artists/modelers, with a chance to a total of $29,000 in prizes, including $24,000 in cash rewards.

 

Pre-existing, mesh-based content you created for other virtual worlds, games, and platforms like Second Life are also eligible for this competition, as long as you port and submit it to Sinespace (instructions below).

 

This contest includes three themed challenges:

• Witchcraft: Witch-themed clothing, accessories, furniture item or a spawnable memento. 
• Carnival games/mini-games: Short, casual games (single-player, PVP, or PVE).
• “Out of this world”: Create a unique, interactive, outlandish sci-fi/alien-themed environment using the Sinespace SDK. 

Winners in each category get $2000, $3000, or $5000 plus a 1 year Exclusive Creator membership. One runner-up in each category will get $1000 or $2000  plus a 1 year Exclusive Creator membership.

 

Sinespace is also awarding $500 to the best item or scene submitted to its servers in the preceding week (subject/theme is creator's choice), from now until February 2020:

Watch at 9am PT: How to Create Makeup & Tattoos for Sinespace Avatars

Starting at 9am PT, watch the latest Master Class live stream tutorial from Adam Frisby, co-founder of Sinespace (a proud sponsoring partner of New World Notes). Today he'll be showing 3D artists how to create makeup and tattoos for avatars in Sinespace, among the largest markets in the Sinespace economy. (Example below.)

Clickthrough to watch and comment on YouTube, or on the Twitch stream. This is one in a series of Master Class tutorials for artists and content creators -- see the full schedule on the Sinespace blog.

Contest: Koinup Taking Submissions for Upcoming Virtual World Wallpaper App for Nokia

I'm happy to announce a new sponsored project with my friends at Koinup, the virtual world social network: 3D Wallpapers, an upcoming app for Nokia's Ovi Store. Koinup is taking user submissions for the app, so this is a unique chance to get your screenshots from Second Life and other worlds featured on potentially millions of mobile phones. (I believe this is the first app of its kind on any phone system.) To submit your work, create a free Koinup account (if you haven't already), and upload your submissions to two groups: Avatars, for pictures of avatars from all worlds, and Second Life for SL screenshots of all kind. More details here.

MILLIONS OF NOTES

Starting today, I'll be checking in weekly with New World Notes partner and co-sponsor Millions of Us to see what's going on in their part of the world.  If you happen to be in-world in the next couple hours, they just sent news of a big mixed reality event showcasing a top car line and a series of wacky short movies made to promote it, launching at 5pm SLT.  Details on attending that and a related contest after the break.

PASSING THE TORCH

From San Francisco to Florida to Portugal to Japan and back again--  Creative Commons' 4th year anniversary celebration was held last Friday throughout the physical world, but three of its key figures were in the metaverse chapter for it.  I briefly entered SL from the Bay Area party, with Jimmy Wales, Lawrence Lessig, and Joi Ito logging in from those points across the globe. 

As it turns out, the SL-based party was also a place for an important announcement:  as of now, Joi will be taking over from Professor Lessig as Creative Commons' Chairman.  The event was symbolized in-world by a literal torch passing from Larry to Joi, and an award plaque presented to Larry by Wikipedia's founder. As is traditional in Second Life, wild dancing followed. 

(As it happens, where you might expect the roles to be reversed, there was less dancing at the hipster San Francisco party held at the office of a cool Internet music site, than in Second Life.  In fact, people at the SF party seemed too transfixed by the big screen projection of people dancing in SL, to dance themselves.)

More screenshots from the event after the break.  Since I wasn't able to save the transcript (Akela Talamasca of the SL Insider has some good excerpts), I'm merging them with Larry's official announcement on the CC blog.  You'll notice he makes a plea to consider donating to Creative Commons, but remember, SL users can contribute their Linden Dollars by teleporting to CC's office in Kula, and paying the Donate sign.  (Direct teleport at that link.)

Update, 12/19:  In Comments, CC's Genevieve Junot adds important credits for the gala and torch passing ceremony-- "Common Cure, who leads BoomToysLabs and the Toyshoppe Team for Second Life to Real World production, and partner, In Kenzo, who leads the AMO Studio content development team were responsible for designing and building the CC torch.  Larry's gift from the CC Board of Directors came from the Aimee Weber studio. Aimee Weber quickly and creatively made the scroll with customized text just in time for the ceremony."

CREATIVE COMMONS PARTY IN SECOND LIFE!

Larry and Joi jigging it up at a January CC fundraiser

Celebrate four years of Creative Commons with Jimmy Wales, Joi Ito, and Larry Lessig in Second Life!

Last week it was the place where Judge Posner held court (so to speak) and this Friday night, it'll be the grounds for a swinging party, with a live DJ and featuring three grand masters of the Free Culture movement:  Wikipedia originator Jimmy Wales, Internet guru and hardcore World of Warcraft fan Joi Ito, and Stanford professor and CC founder Lawrence Lessig, all of whom will appear in avatar form. 

What: Creative Commons Turns Four!
When: Friday, December 15, 2006, 9pm-11pm
Where: The island of Kula (direct teleport here)

The party is actually a celebration of CC's 4th year in business, and along with Second Life, it's going to be held in San Francisco, Warsaw, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Lisbon, Portugal, and New York City.  If you can make any of those, see this Creative Commons listing, for details on getting an invite. 

There's rumors of some surprises in store for the Second Life version, but for now, consider this a chance to party with an international group passionate about free culture, including three of its top minds.  This holiday season, think of it as your chance to bring-- OK, I'll say it-- Joi to the world.

More info and disclosures after the break.

THE SECOND LIFE OF JUDGE RICHARD A. POSNER

If you want to gain a deeper sense of an influential thinker, bring him into an alien environment where he's beset on all sides by humanoid animals, supermodels, and intermittent fireballs, and see how he engages the unpredictable world around him-- my personal conclusion for what follows after the break:  The lightly edited transcript of December 7th's evening in Second Life with Judge Richard A. Posner's avatar. 

HERE COMES THE JUDGE

Update, 12/13: The illustrated transcript of Judge Posner's 12/7 appearance in Second Life is now online at this link.

So in about 7 hours-- barring any unforseen technical glitches or acts of the Linden god-- the man who Lawrence Lessig calls "the most influential lawyer of his time" will appear here in avatar form, at the moat-surrounded colisieum in Kula, to speak on and sign the SL edition of his latest book, Not a Suicide Pact: The Constitution in a Time of National Emergency. Interest in meeting Judge Richard A. Posner's avatar has been fervent, but I believe a few seats are still available; send an Instant Message to Creative Commons' Genevieve Junot, to check.  In any case, I'll be running a lightly edited transcript of the event in this space next Monday.

Event sponsored by Creative Commons.  Much thanks to CC's Lawrence Lessig and the University of Chicago's Sam Sellers for helping arrange the appearance, and to Joi Ito, who generously provided his island of Kula for CC events.

JUDGE RICHARD POSNER COMES TO SECOND LIFE (Updated)

Update, 12/11: The illustrated transcript of Judge Posner's 12/7 appearance in Second Life is now online at this link.

He's upheld the First Amendment protections of video games and contemplated the future of law in online worlds, and early December, in an apt progression, Judge Richard A. Posner of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit will take on avatar form, to discuss the US Constitution in the era of apocalyptic terrorism.  Ranked among the top twenty legal professionals in America, Judge Posner is also one of the world's most influential and wide-ranging thinkers.  I'll be interviewing the Judge about his latest book, Not a Suicide Pact: The Constitution in a Time of National Emergency, a provocative case for balancing our freedoms with security in the post-9/11 world.  As with previous NWN Book Club events, the Judge will answer questions from the audience, and autograph copies of his book's virtual edition.  Here's the details:

December 7th, 6-8pm Second Life Time (PST)
Center Auditorium in Kula
To reserve a seat, IM Creative Commons' Genevieve Junot (or e-mail her here)

“I am very excited to have been asked to give a talk, via an avatar, in Second Life," Judge Posner tells me, via e-mail.  "Virtual communities are an important social phenomenon with transformative potential, and I know that Second Life is in the forefront of this latest stage of the digital revolution."  And I'm very excited to welcome such an august figure in-world, joining Lawrence Lessig, Thomas Barnett, and other great public intellectuals who're among the first to transmit their crucial ideas into the metaverse.

Event sponsored by Creative Commons.  Much thanks to CC's Lawrence Lessig and the University of Chicago's Sam Sellers for helping arrange the appearance.

Update, 10:07pm: In Comments, event co-host Genevieve Junot/Jennifer Yip adds some important points on reservations:  "When you are sending me an RSVP message, please be sure to include your SL avatar name to add to my list.  If the sim fills up, event entry will revert to a reservation basis. If you have made a reservation, but cannot make it-- please try to send me a cancellation email/IM!"