Clipmarks | "second life" Clips

A Virtual Clinic to Treat the Stresses of War

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:34:59 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Many veterans are coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan with serious problems, like post-traumatic stress disorder, but only one-third get medical help. One researcher has built a healing center for veterans in a virtual world, where she hopes they will be more comfortable seeking care.

Jacquelyn Ford Morie is a senior researcher at the Institute for Creative Technologies at the University of Southern California. She formerly did animation for Disney. She calls her current project, which she presented at the Web 2.0 Summit on Thursday, Coming Home.

The healing center is in Second Life, a virtual world. It has a big lodge, where people can spend time and talk with each other, anonymously if they prefer. They can sit around a fireplace, play games in the game room or relax on a deck next to a waterfall. They can climb a tower, where they will meet a historical warrior who tells them stories about his life.

Ways for Kids to Earn Money

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 23:37:29 GMT

clipped by: cdhartpence
clipper's remarks: Great site offering some good ideas (both tried-and-true, and unique) , outlining ways for kids (of all ages!) to make money!

Clip Source: www.extraincomeideasnow.com

I would not consider this site to be complete without a mention of ways for kids to earn money. It’s true that pre-teens and younger will find fewer opportunities, and when exploring ways for kids to earn money, I would recommend at least some level of parental supervision, but a bit of searching and creativity will uncover a few good opportunities.

Finally, and here’s something you may not have thought of…games.

Yes, games!

World of WarCraft, Second Life, and those types of games. There’s a HUGE market for premade, already powerful or established characters, so if you already have an account, it’s easy enough to create a character, level him up and give him loads of good equipment, then auction him off to the highest bidder. Check out http://www.buymmoaccounts.com/ for starters, and Google “buy mmo accounts” for additional sites catering to this demand. I’m not kidding, there’s money to be made here, and there are HUNDREDS of MMO’s on the ‘net today

Are online currencies striking gold?

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:22:41 GMT

clipped by: JICWyllie
clipper's remarks: A long time coming! The support of a community of traders is far more valuable than gold.

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

While real-world currencies are on the slide, many virtual ones are going from strength to strength. In the second quarter of the year the equivalent of $144m (£91m) was traded on the LindeX, the official currency exchange of Second Life, where residents buy and sell Linden dollars for their US counterpart – a 20% increase on the previous quarter, while the US economy shrank by 1%. Trading activity increased by 6% in the last quarter of 2008.

Second Life's European residents pay VAT on some purchases in order to comply with EU tax regulations, and virtual economies could also be subject to further taxation in future.

China has taken to virtual currencies in a big way. Last year nearly $2bn of virtual money changed hands in the country

Social networks have also launched their own currencies. Facebook credits can be used to buy virtual gifts

Startups such as Jambool and Spare Change have launched virtual currencies that are interoperable

Tags: 1-applications, 1-exchange, 2-increase, 3-reported, 4-intl

Free Application to convert Gif to Second Life

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 06:57:57 GMT

clipped by: mvonallmen

Clip Source: www.wakatech.com

Bringing an Animated GIF Into Second Life

The first step in getting an animated GIF into Second Life is to remember that you can’t upload a GIF into Second Life, let alone an animated one. Instead we must first convert the animated GIF into a different format.

To convert this GIF, we use a tool called BitStrip. BitStrip will convert an animated GIF into a BMP, splitting it into frames places end to end.

bitstripv1_10.zip

Start by clicking the Browse button and choosing the file you wish to convert, then click the vertical button to bring up a preview of the filmstrip formatted vertically. You can close the preview, then click the Save button to save to a bitmap file.

Creating and Animating the Texture

LSL [Show Plain Code]:

default

{

state_entry()

llSetTextureAnim(ANIM_ON | LOOP, ALL_SIDES, 1, 4, 0.0, 0.0, 4);

}

Landscape of the Wind - Second Life

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:19:24 GMT

clipped by: mvonallmen

Clip Source: slconceptual.wordpress.com

Landscape Of The Wind – Art From The Atmosphere

This is a variation on my Art from Clouds & Wind piece.

In this one I’m using the wind to change not just the colors of the components, but also letting the wind velocity adjust the height of the individual components of the landscape to obtain a kind of rolling hills effect that is constantly changing..

Just to give you a sense of scale, that’s me in the middle of the picture above.

In the gallery below, I was playing around with changing the attributes of the actual component parts.

I would love to show you a video of it in action, but SL was working against me and ruined every attempt that I tried to video it. Boo hoo.

AvaLine: Dial an Avatar SECOND LIFE

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:21:47 GMT

clipped by: mvonallmen

Clip Source: secondlife.com

AvaLine: Dial an Avatar

Receive calls from mobile and landline phones -- while remaining fully immersed in Second Life. For residents and their friends and business associates around the world, it's an easy and cost-effective way to keep in touch.

Calling from the physical to the virtual world is now as easy as dialing a local phone number and entering an avatar's connection code.

An avatar may have multiple AvaLine connection codes, each for a different set of contacts or contexts.

AvaLine has no hidden charges:

Residents pay only for monthly flat-rate AvaLine service, regardless of how many calls are received or minutes are used.
Callers pay only standard telephone charges to connect to the local access number they dial. AvaLine provides local access numbers in more than 40 international cities.

How much does it cost?

L$ 1500 per month if billed monthly

U. of Iowa Law Class Uses Wiki as Textbook

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 01:24:24 GMT

clipped by: RayWatkins
clipper's remarks: July 21, 2009, 11:00 AM ET

By Marc Beja

Clip Source: chronicle.com

The University of Iowa law professor Lea VanderVelde has no problem with her students using Wikipedia. In fact, she hopes others use the information her students have posted in their own research.

Law professors across the country have struggled with how they can use technology in their classes and teaching to their advantage.

Some professors have banned laptops in their classes, saying they can just be a distraction. In California, one group began teaching law courses in virtual reality using Second Life.

When Ms. VanderVelde was preparing to teach a class on employment law last semester, she was trying to think of a new way to teach the complex differences among states’ laws. She decided to divide the states up and give a few to each student to research extensively, and to post their work on a wiki site, using Wikipedia software.

Free Second Life Tutorials/Scripts

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 08:15:33 GMT

clipped by: mvonallmen

Clip Source: econtent.typepad.com

Creating Second Life Content

At some point, the obvious question arises, how easy (or difficult) is it to create content in Second Life (SL). While your ability to answer that question will vary with the wind, if one truly wishes to explore the business potential of SL, it is a question that must be answered. Thus, here are a few tutorials /screencasts from the College of Education at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (online masters degree resources):

Top 10 health issues from Internet use

Sat, 01 Aug 2009 23:06:25 GMT

clipped by: mmlee
clipper's remarks: Was this clipped before? If not, here's the list --more details about each @ source

Clip Source: www.toptenz.net

10. Eyestrain

9. Health Anxiety/Pain Catastrophization

Thanks to all of the scary medical information available on the Internet (some of it’s even true), people who never experienced health anxiety or pain catastrophization before are now freaking out.

8. Headaches

7. Back Pain

6. Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)

The key points here are immobility and dehydration: If you are so immersed in your “Second Life” that you don’t remember the last time you went outside or drank a glass of water in this life, you are at risk.

So, move those legs around or try to type standing up for a change… oh no wait, that would be bad for your back…

5. Munchausen Syndrome

a symptom of Munchhausen Syndrome.

the “internet may be encouraging people to pretend they are ill in order to get attention, according to US research.”

4. Facebook Depression

3. Internet Rage

2. Upper Limb Disorders (ULD)

1. Internet Addiction

Are you unable to limit your use of the Internet? Does it take up most of your free time?

Tags: internet, interesting, health, illness, pain, people, life, lifestyle, top 10, lists

Virtual World - Real Money - First Millionaire

Thu, 30 Jul 2009 16:42:36 GMT

clipped by: mvonallmen

Clip Source: www.businessweek.com

Second Life's First Millionaire

Anshe Chung, the virtual land baroness that I highlighted in my cover story earlier this year, My Virtual Life, has apparently become the first millionaire in Second Life. That’s millionaire in real U.S. dollars. Her real-world persona, Ailin Graef, figures her net worth based on her substantial in-world land holdings, cash in “Linden dollars,” which can be converted to real cash, as well as virtual shopping malls, store chains, and even virtual stock-market investments in Second Life businesses. As the release explains:

Anshe Chung’s achievement is all the more remarkable because the fortune was developed over a period of two and a half years from an initial investment of $9.95 for a Second Life account by Anshe’s creator, Ailin Graef. Anshe/Ailin achieved her fortune by beginning with small scale purchases of virtual real estate which she then subdivided and developed with landscaping and themed architectural builds for rental and resale.

Empowerment through online gaming

Sat, 25 Jul 2009 21:30:04 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman
clipper's remarks: Comic-Con 2009

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

Melissa Eckardt, 28, has muscular dystrophy. She’s a fan of Second Life and of Comic-Con’s services.

If you look closely at some of the most popular comic book and collectible characters featured at Comic-Con International in San Diego, you notice some unexpected similarities. "X-Men's" Professor Charles Xavier uses a wheelchair. "Daredevil's" Matt Murdock is blind. "Iron Man's" Tony Stark doesn't have a healthy heart.

All around the San Diego Convention Center are scores of others whose bodies are not fully functional, and many of them are navigating Comic-Con's cavernous exhibit halls in wheelchairs.

You can be someone you are not in real life," said Virginia Baker, a 62-year-old fan of the World of Warcraft online video game

Because of severe knee problems, the San Diego resident has used a wheelchair for more than seven year

"You can feel like you can be one of them -- you have legs! -- and you can become a warrior," she said

Tags: disability, gaming, second life. empowerment, comic-con

Student Perceptions of a Course Taught in Second Life

Sat, 18 Jul 2009 16:42:04 GMT

clipped by: RayWatkins
clipper's remarks: Catheryn Cheal

Clip Source: innovateonline.info

Catheryn Cheal describes student reactions to a course she and Vagner Whitehead taught in Second Life. The course required students to research a topic about virtual worlds, write a paper, and illustrate their findings by building an environment in Second Life. Negative student responses to the course coupled with the observation that students tended dismiss work in Second Life as "play" led Cheal to consider why and how student perceptions influence learning in virtual worlds. Cheal discusses how Second Life's resemblance to a game may shape student perceptions and explores how the course could be better designed to help students see the educational value of Second Life.

Get free Linden Dollars by teleporting around Second Life

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:31:52 GMT

clipped by: gunlimited
clipper's remarks: By Using the Bletaverse Traffic Cones you can earn Lindens by teleporting around Second Life.

Clip Source: bletaverse.com

Get free Linden Dollars by teleporting around Second Life

How

Teleport to a Bletaverse Traffic Cone and touch it

Follow the instructions

Get Free Linden Dollars

Start your journey

Bletaverse Island SLURL

For Landowners:

Get a Traffic Cone for your land

Tags: second life, bletaverse, free linden dollars

Gadget Review:SoL Visitor Manager AFKMag

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 05:53:21 GMT

clipped by: paisleyraven
clipper's remarks: Another Second Life business gadget. I luv this stuff.

Clip Source: www.afkmag.com

Product Review: Seconds of Life Visitor Manager

The art of doing business in Second Life is a tricky one. There will be many times when you are not available when patrons wander by your establishment. Luckily, Second Life offers options to fill the gap. You can use bots, of course, but Linden has recently put new rules in place concerning bots. Bots as greeters or assistants in your store are still allowed. Another option for tending customers in your absence is a greeter.

Second Life entrepreneuress Loronya Decosta created the Seconds of Life Visitor Manager. As the product name indicates, it is far more than just a Greeter.

Visitor Manger is the absolute all-in-one gadget

There is nothing like this available anywhere else for the price, or with the support and the detailed instructions needed to operate this advanced business tool. Loronya Decosta has solved a great deal of many business owners’ concerns with this single versatile product.

Tags: second life, seconds oflife, visitor manager, gadget, business tool, greet, manager, giver, loronya decosta

Loans for People with Fair Credit, a Second Life Chance for you

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 11:01:11 GMT

clipped by: britanyscarlett
clipper's remarks: The bad credit history loans are especially designed for unemployed people who don’t get any financial support at the need of the hour. It is a better assistance for people living in adverse condition when they are out of any job.

Clip Source: www.nocreditcheckloansforunemployed.co.uk

Tags: payday loans for unemployed, unemployed payday loans, payday loans for the unemployed