Reading Radar

Stuart Warf’s got a new video podcast, and while I’m generally not a video podcast kind of guy, I like ‘em if they are short and SL related. Not sure why. But anyway, this one fits both those bills.

It’s called “Building With Warf” and can be found on the SL Podcast Network.

I was talking today to both Stuart and Crap about another project for our lousy SL videos. Ya never know…

If you’ve listened to ep 23 of SL Under the Radar, you heard Chug talk about the Dyna Fleur build on the Princeton South sim. Well, she took a lot of pictures, and since I’ve promised I’d post them, it’s about time I do, huh?

When you arrive at the landing point, you get to walk through what’s clearly based on a flower, but to me looked like a sea anemone or something. Know what’s really sad? I couldn’t spell that and had to look it up. Apparently, “anenome” is not the right spelling. Mother of pearl.

Umm… how about I just show you the rest of the pictures, and you go explore for yourselves? Sound good? Yay! We all agree on something!

Go check it out, and remember, we’ll put updated notecards with links to the places she goes for the podcast in the suite on podcast island. Yay!

Or is it podcast suite? Yep, that’s it! I set up a new podcast suite on PI for myself in the little “mall” area on Pickle Parkway where the freebie area used to be. I just couldn’t stand not having one. The first thing I ever rented in SL was a podcast suite on Podcast Island, and it’s where my friends and I used to hang out sometime.

The price on these is L$100 / week for 21 prims, so if you want a small store space or a podcast suite, they’re perfect.

Click here to go there now, please.

What do you think, should I rent one?

All decorated!

Woohoo, an SL Under the Radar iPod dispenser!

Online indicator and podcast info sign. I’m going to put some links to other podcasts/blogs on the wall by the online indicator.

Poster for Chug’s exploring segment. Clicking on it gives out a notecard with the LM’s to the places she’s covered.

Outside corner of the suite.

Looking across from Rich DeSoto’s podcast suite.

In the last episode of SL Under the Radar, Chug talked about the Terra Z Scooter and said she was gonna try them out… she did not lie!! Never, for you are the cherished listeners. Here’s a vid of us trying them out on PI.

Sometimes reading other people’s blogs is a good idea. I found out about the IBM Codestation from the SL Trip Tips Blog and hopped over to check it out.

IBM is one of the few companies that really gets how to use SL, in my opinion. They don’t go in there just as shell advertisements of their brand, they actually USE the virtual world to conduct business, do educational stuff, and generally work with what makes SL tick. They grok that the real value lies in things other than putting up an empty shell with your logo on it and hoping an avatar with a billion dollars to spend in RL on your products wanders by.

The interesting people and ideas aren’t the ones focused on selling someone something, they’re the ones focused on DOING something. If only all the companies bailing out of SL could grasp that concept. But they won’t. The whole approach of business is “how can I take whatever this is and turn around and sell it to someone?” rather than, “wow, how can this technology be used in really cool ways?” I feel the same about podcasting, new media.. the whole 9 yards. Quit telling me how great you are and how you can market me, and go DO something. Create something. Show you have some technical ability or a concept of something that’s interesting, not just wondrous ideas of marketing in your head, and maybe I’ll start listening to you.

Wow.. that was a fun little mini-rant! Woohoo! I might have to repeat that on my podcast. Oooh, look, by including my hyperlink, was I doing what I hate so much? I don’t think so. I’m not really trying to sell you on my podcast anymore than I am on the SL Trip Tips Blog. They are there if you want to check them out, and if you don’t.. well… DON’T.

Ok, back to the IBM thing. Basically the build showcases some sample scripts, some objects based on those scripts, and apparently a section of the build for robots programmed by challengers to compete against each other or something. I’m a little fuzzy on that part. I had 3 hours sleep and I’ve had a rotten cold, what do you want from me?

I landed near a blurb about some Sentinel 2.0 thingy. Whatever that was. I think it was the “robot wars.”

Up in the sky, I see IBW… clearly this is mean to reflect IBM in the water below.

The only problem? Only the last two letters were showing up in windlight. Doh!

Oh well. Off to the script library.

For every script in the script library, there’s a matching object in the object library next door that showcases the script.

Some more views of the build:

So if you’ve been putting off learning scripting, get on over there… they aren’t just showing you their code, they’re implementing it and giving you that too, so you can learn, foo! Don’t worry, you can’t format your hard drive or make your sim into a a single 30,000 m tall spike yet from LSL, so have fun!

Look! Something floating around in front of Rob’s place. What is it? First three people who can guess what this is and what it does, I’ll buy them each their own copy in SL and have it sent to them. You’ll find out what this is by looking around on the west side of podcast island (the north-most of the two islands).

Email me (radar.masukami at the gmail.com thingy) or IM me, or comment here with the right answer to claim your prize. Mmmmmkay? The only rule is that anyone who already has one or knows is kindly requested to .. umm… just shush, ok? And no, I won’t buy you another one.

Itazura Radio came up with a kit designed to help people take advantage of the short time they have left to play bank in second life.

The best part is, it only costs L$10 and it can be set up in seconds. It affords SL bankers all the respect and indication of trustworthiness hey deserve. Here we are modeling the kits:

Remember! Banks are outlawed as of Jan 22 or something or other blah blah so hurry and buy this kit NOW! Maybe next he’ll make us a second life police kit?!

Technorati Tags:
3d, commerce, secondlife, virtual

People who read this blog regularly will notice I don’t blog the Podcaster Meetup a lot of times, mainly because I just forget. Or I’m not sure what to add that won’t come out in the podcasted version of the event itself. But last night featured Phil Rossi (PR Lovenkraft in-world), who I first learned of through his novel Crescent, and of course which was pointed out to me by my friend Airsafety Zuhal, connoisseur of fine stories and podcasts everywhere.

The meetup was small but highly enjoyable. Phil showed why he’s able to be multi-disciplined and still be successful as he articulated his approach to his work. I need to edit the recording and get it to Pickle, then it should be up in a couple days on the Podcast Island Podcast feed.

Phil Rossi (PR Lovenkraft in SL) tells it like it is

We had a small group of active participants

And of course when he went AFK after the meetup, his chair somehow wound up face down under the table. I really don’t know who would do such a thing, but she has blond hair and Crap Mariner calls her Hugabug or Huggy Bear or Sparkly Lady or something you’d think I could remember.

Technorati Tags:
3d, podcast, PodcastPickle, secondlife, virtual

Have you heard the latest Yakkity Yak? Yes, it’s true… The Lonely Yak Roadhouse has moved to Blakslee World and now features more Yak , more dumpster diving, and as much general insanity as ever before.

And, umm… Don’t tell anyone, but Chug and I found that not only is there a huge Yak on the roof, but there’s also a Yak Ness Monster on the premises. Shhhh… don’t make eye contact!

Here’s the Lonely Yak management chain? Well, anyway, from bottom to top in this picture: Rocky, Me, Razzap, and Jane.

Chug finds a Yak Ness Monster

Technorati Tags:
3d, music, secondlife, virtual, yak

On ep 22 of SL Under the Radar, which featured Cogsworth Linden, Chug did an exploration of Abbott’s for her segment. The night before, we went and got some pictures and looked around some more. I took a few pictures in the regular release client, then I fired up Windlight and took a bunch more. Here’s a few of the pictures, with more on flickr.

Technorati Tags:
3d, aviation, exploring, secondlife, virtual