Linden confirms login restrictions
Linden Lab said on Tuesday it briefly restricted access to Second Life to users with paid accounts, but it has no plans to do so again in the future.
For substance abusers, help in a virtual world
“Hi, my name is Gracie, and I’m an alcoholic.”
It is the standard introduction for members of recovery group Alcoholics Anonymous. But at this meeting, one of several held each week in Second Life where recovering alcoholics find support and camaraderie, Gracie’s anonymity was never in doubt.
Elections, if not democracy, spread to LiveJournal
Online democracy is on the march.
Blogging service LiveJournal.com is currently holding elections for two seats on its advisory board. Election winners will participate in quarterly conference calls with executives from Russian media company SUP, which owns LiveJournal, and be flown to an annual meeting in Istanbul to discuss issues relating to LiveJournal’s administration.
Cinemax documentary asks: Why Second Life?
The new documentary film “Molotov Alva and His Search For His Creator: A Second Life Odyssey” seeks to tackle the issues of virtual identity head-on.
EVE Online experiments with virtual democracy
It can be difficult for the most well-meaning of virtual worlds companies to understand what their customers want. But CCP, the company behind the sci-fi world of EVE Online, thinks they’ve solved the riddle: have users elect their own representatives.
This week’s events from the AvaStar
Photographer Marco Manray, musician Noma Falta, and more.
New SL site rankings may signal end to camping
Linden Lab is working to revamp its current traffic ranking system, which has long been manipulated by landowners who pay users to camp out for hours or days at a time in an attempt to climb to the top of the “Popular Places” list.
Rosedale discloses FBI griefing probe to Congress
Linden Lab Chief Executive Philip Rosedale testified before the U.S. Congress on Tuesday that he has asked the FBI to investigate denial of service attacks in Second Life, but reassured lawmakers that the online community is able to police itself.
Ageplay sim eyes new grid
Wonderland, a Second Life region dedicated to depictions of adult-child sex, is exploring setting up a sim off the Second Life Grid called Litesim.com, according to a report by Massively.com.
This week’s events from the AvaStar
Punk DJs, vintage shopping, and more from this week’s issue of the AvaStar.
Data shows growing divide between casual and heavy SL users
Over 62,000 avatars were online in Second Life at the same time last weekend, another new record in a recent series of boosts to the concurrent population of Linden Lab’s virtual world.
But the rise in concurrency — the technical term for simultaneous online users — hasn’t left Second Life’s statisticians cheering. Statistics available from Linden Lab show total hours spent in Second Life flat, while the count of distinct active users has dropped sharply in recent months. The numbers suggest that Second Life is more appealing, and more time-consuming, than ever for its most dedicated users even as its attraction fades to a general audience.
Live from the World Economic Forum in Davos
Reuters is back next week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. We’ll be interviewing guests such as Linden Lab CEO Philip Rosedale, Linden Lab Chairman Mitch Kapor, Robert Scoble, and Tim O’Reilly, live in front of a Second Life audience at the Reuters Auditorium.
Linden targets buyers of fraudulent currency
Linden Lab issued a warning on Wednesday to Second Life residents that game currency purchased from sources other than Linden’s own LindeX exchange could be subject to confiscation and heavy fines, if the company determines the currency originated from a criminal enterprise.
Second Life performance improves, but residents don’t feel it
While Linden Lab has made incremental gains in performance, statistics released on Monday show most residents have been experiencing a steady decline in the quality of Second Life’s environment since April.
Linden: “No firm evidence” of wrongdoing at Wonderland
Linden Lab spokesmen have said there’s no evidence that Wonderland, a sim at the center of a recent investigation into depictions of adult-child sex, violated Second Life’s rules over content.
After tumultuous weeks of summer, Second Lifers gather in Chicago
“Our pioneer days may be over,” said Robin Linden this week.
This week’s events from the AvaStar
Second Life designers look to the East, a rave for charity and an SLCC mushroom hunt.
Virtual speakeasies defy Second Life gambling ban
Linden Lab’s gambling ban brought the booming casino industry to an abrupt end. But while the old casinos have shut down, a vast network of illicit speakeasies has grown up in their place, providing gamblers with a new place to play.
This week’s events from the AvaStar
DJ Rick Tale, Dr. Dobbs editor Jon Erickson, and more.
This week’s events from the AvaStar
Learn how to surf or kick back and listen to some live music.
