LA 2nd Life

One of the 'Giants' of Second Life community on who's shoulders other residents can stand is Tateru Nino. She has consistently mentored new Residents, and through postings on various sites revealed not only how to be creative in SL but also it's inner workings.

One such set of inner documentation is in the the form of the "UnderTheGrid" postings on Second Life Insider.

In a current posting Tateru covers how to build a simple bot using python. Previous posts have covered topics like the Open Source SL viewer, Prims and causes of lag.

Our very own Linux Australia member, Gizzy Electricteeth, will host a training session in Second Life at the ABC Sandbox Tower this Wednesday May 16 at 8pm AEST (3am PDT).

This is a wonderful opportunity to develop or improve your SL building skills in real time under the knowledgeable guidance of Gizzy. Even SLOZ are excited about it!

Referred to by Aunty ABC as a 'Second Life building expert' and the Second Life Insider as 'lovely and witty' Gizzy is also a Linux and FOSS zealot!

Famous in SL build circles for her work on the Rod Laver Arena and other significant builds, this is a great opportunity to learn from a master artist herself, don't miss it!

So you're now a Second Life resident and have a vague recollection of the skills taught on the Orientation Island. You've visited some clubs, seen some sights, made some friends, raided some money trees, did some camping and spent your Lindens. The urge to be creative is growing and you want to leave your mark in the Metaverse. What to do?

Well, you could travel to the Ivory Tower of Prims and follow some of their excellent tutorials, but you're lazy and would really like to see what's involved creating content in SL.

Fortunate for you a whole library of Video Tutorials exist on the SL Wiki that impart a vast collection of creative SL skills like;

• How to use the building grid


• How to create and send a notecard


• How to build a chair


• How to to make tiny prims


• How to make a flag that waves in wind


• How to link an object to a web page


• How to create a teleport link

Many other Video Tutorials are available to fill the gaps in your SL knowledge.

In a future post LA2nd Life will cover which Free Software tools are available that allow you to generate all the SL content you wish.

No more excuses, find a sandbox and get to it!

As with any community, Second Life has it's own groups, tradition, language, luminaries, villains, crackpots, visionaries and history.

Considering that Second Life was first open to the public in April 2003, a lot has happened in that time, including an in-world Resident revolt against Linden Lab, influx of corporates, a civil war, explosive expansion very many astonishing builds and milestones with the introduction of new technologies.

Along the way Linux has been part of it given that the servers run Debian, but more so recently with the introduction of the Linux viewer. Linux users in SL formed the first in-world LUG (SLLUG) in March, 2006 meeting weekly at a purpose built location in Maryport.

A build is currently under way by Linux Australia members to serve as a meeting place and a location for any LA LUGs wanting to hold in-world meetings. We'll announce when it's ready.

The SL History Wiki documents the formation of the SLLUG, and Historical SL events in general. For people starting out in SL it's a great resource to get up to speed with who did what when and sometimes even why.

This little discovery should make life easier, especially for new or lazy Ubuntu users wanting to install the latest version of Second Life with a minimum of fuss. Thanks to GetDeb get your Second Life install Deb!

It comes complete with a movie introduction to the wonders of SL.

Enjoy.