Socially Mundane

BUY. MY. BOOK. “SBSL: Successful Business in Second Life,...

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

BUY. MY. BOOK.

“SBSL: Successful Business in Second Life, Best Practices” Third Edition, now available in iBooks and Kindle - just search for “SBSL”.

In iBooks the book is multitouch and includes a few tutorial videos. This is one of them. This video tutorial teaches you the “4x1 Technique” for texturing prims in Second Life, primarily envisioned for merchant sales boxes.

iBooks version here:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/book/sbsl-successful-business-in/id505751997?mt=11

Kindle version here:
http://www.amazon.com/SBSL-Successful-Business-Practices-ebook/dp/B007U7GTD8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335183403&sr=8-1

What does “4x1 Texture” mean?

My book describes it all, in detail among many, many other things you should know when considering running a business on the grid. Look for my book “SBSL: Successful Business in Second Life Best Practices” Third Edition in the Kindle store and Apple iBooks store soon (available now).

Note that the iBooks version is multi-touch. It will include this and other video tutorials, interactive images and slide-show presentation built-in, not only to reinforce what is being taught, but to prove some seriously non-intuitive points that need to be made.

If you want the rest, head to the Kindle Store at Amazon.com or the iBooks store on your iPad and search for SBSL. Note: if you have an iPad: you *want* the iBooks version for certain.

Whiney SL Users need to give Linden Lab a freakin' break

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 08:41:00 -0700

Notice: this is one of my “you dullard dips shits need to get a clue” rants and it comes...

Got Business in Second Life? Make it Successful.

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 09:41:00 -0700

“Successful Business in Second Life, Best Practices” (third edition, 2012) is finally...

The Most Heartwarming Story You'll Read All Day

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 09:33:30 -0700

The Most Heartwarming Story You'll Read All Day

This is part of a new multi-touch digital book about photography...

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 07:04:00 -0700

This is part of a new multi-touch digital book about photography and how the virtual world of Second Life can be used as a virtual photography simulator. (Estimated availability is late May, 2012.)

Because the book introduces Second Life online to people who may have never heard of it, this video was created to give a quick primer on what the virtual world looks like and how to get started quickly with moving around.

***

Comments about the new “Destination Island” in Second Life where new users land.

First of all - creating this video and having it show the newest of new-user experience is completely by accident. I needed to create the video and so I did. It just happens to be with good timing that the new experience is in place when I did (e;se I’d have to create another new account to re-record it!)

It works. It razzes extremely fast. Figuring out how to move should be a matter of simple deductive reasoning. There are several “doors” present, each with a clear label describing a particular “interest genre”. One only needs to choose a door and walk toward it where they are automatically transported (teleported) to a random sim of the same “themed genre” (for example: “Art”).

This is a major plus for new users. Some might question why there is an “Adult” genre (labeled in red text” when users must “age-verify” before being allowed into one of these regions.

I created two new accounts for the purpose of creating this video: the first to review what things look like and how they work, the second for recording to video. In both cases, once the Second Life Viewer software starts downloading a “bonus step” of the registration process is to get Age-Verified. Furthermore, among the three or four immediate “Welcome” emails from Second Life one of them specifically explains Age Verification and what it means along with the “why”.

This information and invitation to immediately become age verified, along with the very-fast-rezzing initial landing point and the ridiculously simple means to get started in a location themed by interest makes the new user experience about as simple and wonderful as it can be.

Caveats: each “doorway portal” chooses a destination at random. For example: I chose the “Art” doorway on both new accounts and ended up in difference sims. This could be a problem in the admittedly rare occasion friends sign-up and want to explore together. They can be separated and with no initial instruction on how to IM another user…

Once you go through a portal there is no easy way back - other than the web browser-style “back” button - which is okay as long as the new user thinks to try it.

Surely Linden Lab have vetted their chosen destinations, but they need to notify these sim owners and ask them not to nuke their sims. One destination I ended-up in was perfectly prim-flat (a prim floor covering the entire sim) with a single sculpt “mountain’ off in the distance. The sim name did not seem to be right. In this case the sim was obviously under new construction, whether it’s the same being rebuilt or a new owner creating something new, I don;t know.

In the end the new “Destination Island” is simple, easy and fast-rezzing. It’s about as simple as anyone can make for a brand new user exploring the virtual world for the first time.

The Brooks Review doesn't "get" Readability

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 10:20:00 -0800

The Brooks Review doesn't "get" Readability: Ben Brooks makes some interesting and compelling points...

Liberal hysteria shows true colors

Mon, 05 Mar 2012 10:55:00 -0800

I saw a tweet from Marx Dudek this morning - a retweet by Crap Mariner and it absolutely had me...

Pinterest and the fear-mongering click fodder for it

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:01:00 -0800

Pinterest is the buzz-word of the social media news scene of the day. Either it’s the greatest...

Volkswagon Superbowl ad 2012: The Dog Strikes Back

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 07:32:25 -0800

[Flash 10 is required to watch video.]

Volkswagon Superbowl ad 2012: The Dog Strikes Back

Second Life Business Selling Tip #04

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:44:36 -0800

Informational Notecards. Always offer an informational notecard for every product you...

iBooks Author EULA restrictions invite antitrust concerns

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:05:26 -0800

The headline above is utterly laughable and why you really should never throw much weight into the...

Second Life Business Selling Tip #03

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:02:14 -0800

One of the frustrating things shoppers face is having to decipher product specifications and details...

Second Life Business Selling Tip #02

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 07:39:00 -0800

Art file optimization. A huge problem many retailers in SL have is that their products are not seen...

Second Life Business Selling Tip #01

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:42:00 -0800

Repeat after me: “traffic is evil”. I know what you’re thinking: huh? There are...

Second Life Creators and Customers Take Heed

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 09:22:00 -0800

It’s a new year. And every new year I rehash this theme I originally wrote on back in 2006....

Stunning Government Efficiency or "How traffic enforcement cameras operate by way of legal loopholes."

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 09:57:00 -0800

I have what some might call a serious lack of general confidence in government. I just don’t...

When there is too much "emotional passion" and not enough "intellectual clarity"..

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 12:23:03 -0800

When ignorance runs amok it can be a painful thing to watch. For far too many people: you need to...

Kudos to Linden Lab at their effort of new user retention. I...

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 08:00:05 -0800

Kudos to Linden Lab at their effort of new user retention.

I created my “Sir Winston” alt (SL username “Statesman”) and went through the whole new user registration process. The web-side is well-done. It was interesting with just the right mix of eye-candy. Though, according to a co-worker, there still is a miserable “epic fail” on avatar choices with regard to ethnicity (what we call “Afro-American” in the U.S.).

Uh, Rod (Humble, CEO of Linden Research) - can you get on that?

Because I already have been on the grid for more years than I can to admit, I am fortunate in already knowing how things work and had the visual look of my grid avatar in my head already. So I went to robots and decided on the short stocky guy. Even knowing that avatar was temporary, I still found myself actually choosing rather carefully. Don’t ask, I have no answer as to why.

Once I’d created my user name and password, selected my avatar and “passed through” the software download screen, the verification email arrived. I particularly like the idea of forcing an email verification requirement before an account creation can be completed.

Once verified, I was asked to provide a few more minor details. Anyway, suffice it to say I logged-in, made my way through the introductory “welcome island” (whatever they call it) and away I went. A decent job on the “welcome” island by the way, though a sparse, fast-rezzing surrounding would be better (though I’ll say the rezz time was rather quick, but I have pretty good bandwidth).

Here is the surprise for me: After closing my introductory session in-world I found the usual “Welcome to Second Life” email. I chucked it as I’ve seen it before. The surprise came the next day when another email from Second Life appeared… (the first image above) - urging me to upgrade to a premium account so I can have my own “dream house”.

I kind of rolled my eyes at it, understanding what the attempt is (both to entice me to upgrade, but also and probably more importantly: remind me I have a Second Life account - enticing me to go in and have another look).

It’s an understandable advert. I chucked it and went on with my business.

However, on the third day another email came in (the second above) which this time featured the Destination Guide among other things. I don;t expect a third email because them it would become spam.

However, this second again reminds me I have a Second Life account, and it’s telling me how to find fun things to see and meet other people. Good job, Linden Lab, well done in my mind.

The new Viewer 2 3.2 (okay, we need a new name for this darned viewer, LL, it’s getting stupidly confusing and makes me feel daft,) has a tweaked interface that on first run will display the Destination Guide bar… also very wise. It should help new users get their sea legs as the grid is ridiculously deserted as it is and no one looks to virtual world for a solitary experience.

Now all Linden Lab needs to do (they can’t because it’s their main source of funding) is sink as much of the virtual land as possible. Back in 2006 there were two continents. People were;t so spread-out, the world actually looked populated.

Unfortunately now it looks as though the Andromeda Strain has made a wide swath across the world where there are no longer any living things left and only the inert remains.

Yes, I just bought one of these.Even though I already have an...

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 05:44:00 -0800

Yes, I just bought one of these.
Even though I already have an iPod Touch and iPad and so on and so forth and whatnot.

Why?

The iOS versions are top-notch and considerably more flexible, functional and powerful. I don’t have 40,000 songs, but the iPod Classic makes a great portable hard disk drive.

But why? You can get a pocket hard disk drive with seven hundred percent more storage at half the cost.

True. But those are basically electronic bricks reliant on other hardware before anything useful can come of them. The iPod Classic can stand on its own without need of anything else allowing access to music, movies, calendaring, notes, etc.

But beyond all that, it’s the design. With iOS taking-off like wildfire it becomes only a matter of time before the iPod Classic is discontinued. Surely it still sells for Apple and it must be profitable. But I can’t help the gut feeling Apple keeps it around for no reason other than the nostalgic feeling they owe the iPod Classic.

Apple began their come-back with the candy-colored iMac. But it was the iPod, this iPod that dug them out of the hole and carried them all the way to the top of the mountain. Apple owes the iPod Classic everything. All that Apple has created has been copied by others.

Except the original designed Macintosh.
Except for the iPod Classic.

Should you see anyone holding an iPhone or iPod touch, how do you know it’s not some Android copy? Because the iPad owns the tablet market, everyone has one. But when you see someone holding and iPod Classic… thumbing over the touch-based spin-wheel…

You know.

"The most compelling reason for most people to buy a computer for the home will be to link it into a..."

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 09:13:19 -0700

“The most compelling reason for most people to buy a computer for the home will be to link it...