Weekly Tweets 2012-01-08

Posted on by January 8, 2012
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#SL Blender dropping COLLADA support – DON’T PANIC, Keep Calm And Carry On

Posted on by January 7, 2012
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As forum poster Chosen Few helpfully noted:

After the initial posting, cooler heads prevailed, including Gaia Clary, who’s the Blender/JASS/Primstar maven at Machinimatrix. And then Domino Marama weighed in – the creator of the scripts that so many Second Life creators have relied on (both free and paid versions).

Re: Blender dropping COLLADA Reply to Chosen Few – Chosen Few wrote: Nothing’s been decided yet, so nobody panic yet. If worse comes to worst, and the Blender devs do cease official support for COLLADA, I’m sure enterprising SL residents will just create their own COLLADA exporter for Blender, and release it to the public, just like they did for the excellent sculpty tools that so many Blender users now enjoy.

Are you looking over my shoulder? Oddly just before this issue came up, I’d just started digging into the Blender code to fix some Collada bugs. I do tend to agree that the current implemention in Blender is awkward and in the long term best replaced. So instead of fixing bugs, I’ve started on a Python implementation of a Collada exporter. And getting it working for SL is the first priority – it’ll be free to all Primstar 2 and Avastar owners – I hope to have it ready before Collada support is dropped from Blender :smileyhappy: – Dominic Marama

via Blender dropping COLLADA support – Second Life

As I very rashly bought, downloaded, and managed to install Blender 2.61 with the JASS/Primstar-2 add-on, I guess I now have a duty and responsibility to wrap my head around it and actually make sculpts with it. Trouble is, no matter how many times I take classes, watch videos, and make notes, I remain deeply confused about it. However, last night I did make some progress with the help of some of Gaia’s new help videos, and some things that had plumb eluded me started to sort out a little in the basket of cute, fluffy kittens tangled adorably in sparkly yarn that is my brain.

I also took a pretty helpful class Tuesday night at Builder’s Brewery, which I had hoped to repeat Thursday, but it was cancelled… I’ll keep an eye on the class schedules and keep reading the many class materials I’ve gathered but left unread in my inventory.

I’ll just… follow some of the other helpful suggestions out there.

Keep Calm and Carry On from Wikimedia

#SL Fundraising: Picture Taken Down After NWN Post Gives Wrong Impression

Posted on by January 7, 2012
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For the second time this week a picture used to illustrate a Second Life news blog caused a false impression and seemed to link a respected event or charity with scandal. Yes, it’s another NWN post by Hamlet Au causing the confusion. No linky-love for him, Google amongst yourselves. The first time was bad enough.

Fortunately, Au took the image down late last night or early this morning. Unfortunately his blog is widely read and the damage has already been done, not easily to be repaired by an update buried in the comments.

This time, an event picture from the widely respected Relay For Life cancer fundraising charity was used to illustrate a story about the current “fake charity receipt” scandal, which broke on SlUniverse and Twitter the other day. Au was very careful to mention fact-checking, sources, and not to mention the charity by name…which everyone already knows. So all that care, associated with the RFl picture, seemed to imply the scandal might go farther.

At a Steelhead group event last night, our award-winning fundraising coordinator for RFL was not pleased. He noted that the image topping Au’s post seemed to imply that Relay for Life was the charity in question (Au did call RFL the “gold standard” of inworld charities). However, our coordinator also mentioned the earlier post, that referenced the wrong image/event/sim, and snarked that it was probably just another NWN mare’s nest.

“I’m very, very happy that this scandal was NOT about RFL.”

It absolutely was not. RFL, as I said, is the gold standard, which is why I included a screenshot of their site, as the role model. However, because I don’t want anyone mistaking even for a second my intention, I removed the image.

Posted by: Hamlet Au | Saturday, January 07, 2012 at 01:36 AM

Unfortunately the image already gave the wrong impression last night, even if only momentarily. A prominent, award-winning RFL fundraiser mentioned it in group chat, with the caveat that you probably did not mean to associate the charity with the scandal, which was already well known.

A picture is worth a thousand words; the exchange rate in $L is subject to change.

Posted by: Lelani Carver | Saturday, January 07, 2012 at 04:19 AM

via (no linky love) New World Notes: SL Fundraising Scandal Strongly Suggests Need to Work Directly With Real World Non-Profit Organizations

Yeah, I piled on. It was irritating to see yet another fuss made over at NWN whose end result is more eyeballs on ads, and oops, my 3 or 4 non-spambot readers may add to that.

On the other hand, thanks to Crap Mariner’s blog roll posts, I’m now following a much more interesting blog, Zak Claxton’s. He posted photographic proof that a charity gig he played at helped to feed a passel of very cute Kenyan kids. Doesn’t look ‘shopped… 😉

All this musing on Second Life charities (which is most worthy? Which is most transparent?) has me thinking. We’re (that’s the household we, not the royaly we) waiting for the shoe to drop with a RL family member; in fact we’re going to a family confab tomorrow at which… Something will be announced??? We’re not sure, but the auguries are not good.

I’ve decided to throw a lot more effort into Steelhead’s RFL fundraising campaign/slog/marathon this season. And if Mistletoe holds any Love148 events, I’m in for those, too.

Lelani Carver is a Steampunk resident in Second Life who blogs a little about everything, and about nothing of any importance. She sells odds and ends inspired by her real and virtual lives at her store in Steelhead St Helens or on the Second Life Marketplace.

Qarl’s 3D Printed Snowglobe Of His House On BoingBoing.net #SecondLife

Posted on by January 7, 2012
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Yes, that was “our” Qarl in that BoingBoing post earlier today. Gee, he’s not busy enough deforming mesh for fashion-forward avatars, he has to create a tiny model of his house as a snowglobe holiday gift for his wife.

If you feel like sending him money to make you one, by all means… but some of you may be able to figure out his process based on his blog post.

Posts about the mesh deformer were all over my feed, so when I saw the BoingBoing.net post about “A clever fellow named Qarl,” I knew it had to be him before I clicked the link. Sure enough, links to his Second Life projects are at the bottom of the page.

Ironically, I bailed on a “Make a Prim Snowglobe” class last night inworld because I missed the first 8 minutes and couldn’t get started with the right dimensions for the base prim. I’ll try again later… future cloudy, though.

Qarl's House As A 3D Printed Snowglobe Model

this year for christmas i gave my wife a special present: a snowglobe with a tiny copy of our home inside. she loves it. i love it. everyone loves it. so here’s how you can make one for yourself:1 order a custom snowglobe kit. ebay has a bunch to choose from. try to find one that tells you its exact dimensions so you can size your model before the globe arrives in the mail.

via qLab» Blog Archive » the weather outside is frightful

#SecondLife Newser: Year End Post Is a Handy Resource

Posted on by January 6, 2012
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Not only that, but it’s timely, factual, and actually reported by a fox, and not the sort of Faux News we usually get from NWN (tip o’ the clockwork hat to Mr. Crap Mariner).

Another year is gone to the history books, and before saying goodbye, time for a look back. From Redzone to Mesh to a promising new CEO, Second Life has seen it’s share of problems, developments, to influential people, whom left impacts both big and small, temporary and lasting, some well talked about while others slipped under the radar of the majority.

Link: Second Life Newser

Lelani Carver is a Steampunk resident in Second Life who blogs a little about everything, and about nothing of any importance. She sells odds and ends inspired by her real and virtual lives at her store in Steelhead St Helens or on the Second Life Marketplace.

Imprudence Wiki Full of Spam, Does Not Bode Well #SecondLife

Posted on by January 3, 2012
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I just installed the latest version of the Imprudence viewer so that I can use the wonderful resource files at LindaKellie.com, which require Imprudence to upload/import into Second Life. I really used to like Imprudence before all the Viewer 2/3 hoo-ha, and I still miss some features, like free temporary uploads, build tool presets, the onboard AO, and yes, boob physics.

I happened to look at the wiki for some reason (fun fact! “wiki” is a Hawaiian word, meaning “quick”). I think I wanted to know how recently someone had put some time in on it, so I clicked “Recent changes.”

Oops. Might want to fix that, it’s not a good sign if you want people to trust the website to download code.

29 December 2011

(diff | hist) . . N Getting a Bigger Penis Naturally – Proven Approaches to Enlarge Your Penis‎; 12:47 . . (+2,425) . . Extendersreview6 (Talk | contribs) (Created page with “Let’s not pretend: the majority of guys could like to learn how to get a bigger penile naturally. In this article, I’m going to share with you among the best ways to enlarge ones…”)
(diff | hist) . . N User talk:Tirsret1848‎; 08:33 . . (+1,912) . . Tirsret1848 (Talk | contribs) (Created page with ” Why You need Revenue Protection Insurance coverage With predictions of a 2nd worldwide financial crisis producing headlines, the quantity of individuals in search of income pro…”)
(User creation log); 08:32 . . Tirsret1848 (Talk | contribs) New user account

via Main Page – Kokua Wiki

Lelani Carver is a Steampunk resident in Second Life who blogs a little about everything, and about nothing of any importance. She sells odds and ends inspired by her real and virtual lives at her store in Steelhead St Helens or on the Second Life Marketplace.

Why I’m (Still) Not Buying Mesh Apparel: The Gospel According To @Ordinal Still Valid

Posted on by January 3, 2012
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The renowned builder and scripter Ordinal Malaprop posted about the Problem with Mesh back in September:

Here, for instance, is a tie. It is a nice tie, but clearly floats a little way above my chest, and this is fairly obvious in person. “Oh well,” was my immediate reaction, “I will just resize it a little”. Well, one can’t do that. “Oh. Well, in that case, I will move it down a little on my body.” One can’t do that either. “Oh. Well, I will take it off then.”

It seems to be extremely difficult to right-click and edit such mesh attachments in the first place, which I suppose is reasonable given that one appears not to be able to do anything with them anyway.

via Mesh, bodies and broken clothes | An Engine Fit For My Proceeding

Even though it seems that some kind of “mesh deformer” solution is now in alpha according to Nalates Urriah, I’m holding off on buying mesh clothes or accessories. Not only has this problem been left undealt with by Second Life for months after the introduction of mesh, it was left to a former Linden, Qarl Fizz (not sure if he’s contracting to do the coding or volunteering). That said, there’s no rush to buy until they work the bugs out – literally – via reports on the JIRA.

Meh. I’m not going to mess with mesh for now. Besides which, until everybody is on a “modern” viewer, mesh wearers will look like blobs to people still using older versions.

,

Lelani Carver is a Steampunk resident in Second Life who blogs a little about everything, and about nothing of any importance. She sells odds and ends inspired by her real and virtual lives at her store in Steelhead St Helens or on the Second Life Marketplace.

One Reason I’ll Update Imprudence: LindaKellie.com Free Stuff

Posted on by January 2, 2012
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I was going to delete Imprudence (and go with Firestorm as my sole alternative to the main Viewer), but decided to install whatever is the latest version instead. I’d forgotten the incredible trove of free Second Life textures, objects, and sculptmaps require Imprudence to upload and import.

20120102-170558.jpg

Drop by her website and donate via Paypal, she certainly deserves it! She gives these resources away for free, with full permissions.

FREE ORIGINAL CREATIONS

These are all my orginial creations. You can download these and use them in any opensim grid or in Second Life. All files are exported using the Imprudence Viewer and you will need to use the Imprudence Viewer to import them as well. All files are zipped. So after downloading you will need to unzip them before trying to import them.

Link: LindaKellie.com

Lelani Carver is a Steampunk resident in Second Life who blogs a little about everything, and about nothing of any importance. She sells odds and ends inspired by her real and virtual lives at her store in Steelhead St Helens or on the Second Life Marketplace.

Weekly Tweets 2012-01-01

Posted on by January 1, 2012
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  • @ElrikMerlin Listening rather surreptitiously to Radio Riel at work. This tune is used in the Episcopal hymnal, rather different words… #
  • @donttrythis Pork belly? To eat and not shoot, blow up, or leave to rot? Weird, but happy New Year! #
  • @MoodyLoner Funny, was sure they wanted to take the country back to at least 1850. #
  • @ElrikMerlin Ah well, it was hours ago now. Celtic tune, the title info said "Mr. P-something's" tune. Will try to ID later. #
  • @ElrikMerlin It was Playford! I'll try to figure out which tune it was… I do know we sang it pretty recently. 😉 #
  • And now, what is Dhughan going to do with that parcel? Time to ruminate on the Building of Things. #SecondLife #
  • @TLEclipse Busy, busy you. Hope to see you inworld again somehow (my busy busy time ended 25DEC) #
  • Back inworld after… seems like forever. Ran into old friends, want to have fun again. Is this thing on? #SecondLife #SL #