WE HAVE MOVED

We have moved the blog to our website @ http://www.tribe25.net. The blogs in their entirety have been moved there.

CLICK HERE TO GO TO NEW SITE

INDIE GROUP POTLATCH USE SECOND LIFE MACHINIMA FOR OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO!!

Indie triphop band Potlatch have used a second life based machinima created by Arbit Delacroix as the video for "Plant Her".
It is a beautiful piece of work from both perspectives. No need to say huge amounts.......see for yourself.

Potlatch - "Plant Her" (Music video) from Arbit Delacroix on Vimeo.

Official music video for "Plant Her" by Potlatch from the album "Ravenshadow" on Louipimps Records.
Music written and produced by Potlatch

Second Life machinima filmed at Butterdish, China, Pixel Mode and Cloudcroft.

Potlatch Myspace

CELEBRATING ALL OUR TRIBE AND POITIER RESIDENTS!!!

With the weather heating up and summer just around the corner, what better way to spend an afternoon than to come hang out and party with with your neighbors on Tribe Islands and Poitier Islands ?! ? Grab your shorts and flip flops and head on down to Cougar Caye for a GREAT evening of live music with Noma Falta! For those of you who have heard this lady sing, you KNOW you're in for a real TREAT! For those of you who haven't had the chance to hear this lady sing, you do NOT want to miss this awesome performance!

** NOMA FALTA** BLUES YOU CAN USE

LEMA awards winner 2009

BEST FEMALE MUSICIAN IN SL



Noma Falta is one of the top acts in SL. Noma is a professional musician/singer who has toured the United States and overseas over several decades, slinging guitars and singing music from jazz to soul and rock to blues........ Influenced by many other musicians( famous and some not so famous ) ------ SOUNDS LIKE NOMA.A verstaile musician with a love of the blues. Rich vocals with soul....Bass that grooves..... this is one lady that will get your hips swaying and your body moving!


Sooooooo....where and when is this party?


WHEN : May 1st ( yeppers....that is THIS Saturday!) at 2PM -SLT


WHERE: COUGAR CAYE ( Click HERE for SLURL)


WHAT: Just some good times with some good people!

All the Tribe Team can't wait to see all of YOU on Saturday! See you THERE!!!!!

GRID AND WEBSITE PROBLEMS

Just to let everyone know the Lab are having a few issues.

In the early hours of the morning (sl time) The Second Life Grid and associated Web Sites began experiencing shutdowns and intermittent issues. This has continued for many hours and as of now 0740am 29th April 2010 there are still some problems being experienced. Some of these will manifest as being unable to log in, shop in Xstreet and or Island being down.
Info from the Lab is thin on the ground, last entry was from the 28th ( Grid Status ).

Currently there are a few islands down that we can see Aurelia, Ante, Atropia, Absinth, Achat, Astella, Abella, Adana and Ancoon on Poitier - Drift, Kanoa, Surf Caye, and Kai on Tribe. Obviously some of these will come back on and others may go down.

We will keep you informed if there is any change.

Be careful out there ;)

Mad, Mad World Machinima

Creativity in Second Life never ceases to amaze me but when it comes from one of our residents, I am always just blown away. We wanted to share this nachinima by Josie Anderton that features the smooth vocals of Sid Slade, a long time Tribe Native! Sit back, relax and ENJOY!!

TRIBE ACQUIRES POITIER ESTATES

You may have noticed that things have been fairly quiet on the blog of late for which we apologise. However, there is a reason.
The Tribe team have been putting the final preparations to what is a big step for Tribe Islands.

We are happy to announce that Tribe have taken over the ownership and running of Poitier Estates.
Previously owned and run by Zyntia & Finn Poitier, Poitier Estates consists of 62 Homestead Islands & 1 Full Sim.
Zyn and Finn have created a chain of beautifully themed homestead islands that are well run and very popular. The Estate is a great fit for Tribe and will add another dimension to our existing Islands.
This will not in anyway affect the way we operate, except of course it will allow us to offer more choice. There will be very little change to Poitier Estates going forward save for a few branding changes.
Our commitment to customer service and security will remain our focus.

We would like to take this opportunity to welcome all the Poitier Residents to the Tribe Family and assure them that it will be business as usual for them.

All of us at Tribe are very excited about this addition.


To Visit The Land Sales Centre for the Estate - CLICK HERE
For more information contact Alexxa Despres

ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL??

Linden Lab have offered up their "Message Of The Day" (MOTD) area on the login screen to Second life advertisers. *see here*
This could pave the way for a lot of advertising appearing on login and teleport screens. Possibly to include full display adverts and banners.

Is this a good thing for SL or would it be the degradation of an important communication tool for the residents in respect of official messages? No doubt for those that wish to advertise their SL wares this may be a great development but before you start leaping up and down at this new opportunity you should be aware of something.

To advertise a 100 character advert on the login screen for 11.5 hours on one given day will set you back $4500. Yes thats right $4500!! Unless of course you want to advertise for 11.5 hours "off peak" and in that case it is $1500.
Now I don't know about you, but we (Tribe) do a fair bit of advertising in-world and out-world but $4500 for ANY advertising would be a long long way away from our spend. And I would suspect that the same applies to the vast majority of in-world businesses.

So who are LL targeting with this opportunity? There are very few businesses in SL that could possibly afford this and that is if they even wanted to. Apart from the fact that this is an unproven medium and the metrics that the lab are offering is almost zilch there is the lack of any slurl link being attached to the message and questions of sims being able to cope with the avatar load that an ad could generate.

So who? Could it be that the proposed target are RL companies.

Could we soon be seeing the likes of Coca Cola, Burger King and GM promoting their wares to us as we log in to SL.
What are your thoughts? Good Idea? Bad Idea? Check our Poll out on the right !

LOOK WHAT'S COMING TO XSTREET!!!

It seems Linden Labs is ready to roll out another new shiny for all of us to 'ohhh' and 'ahhh ' over!! Only THIS time, I truly think this will be 'ohhh-able' and 'ahhh-able.' Yes..so they aren't really words, I have a bit of poetic license, don't I ? * grins*

On March 3, there will be a new release for Xstreet, which includes a new way to shift linden dollars to Xstreet. What will this mean for you? Well, you will no longer have to be in the midst of shopping on Xstreet ONLY to realize that you don't have the correct funds and then ONLY to have to stop shoping to have to go in world...find an Xstreet terminal and add funds to your Xstreet acount via the terminal. Phew....I am TIRED just writing about it! So how will this work? According to Siz Linden:

You will be able see your available Second Life balance and transfer funds
in three easy steps.

1. Click on the Transfer option in the "My Marketplace" box.

2 .Enter the quantity of L$ to transfer from your Second Life account.

3. Click transfer to complete the transaction.

This will be a major turning point for merging the XStreet SL account with the Second Life Dollars account. So for those of us who like to shop (I know who you are!), Xstreet has now made it easier and more efficient

SECOND LIFE V2.0 VIEWER TO BE LAUNCHED TODAY

Lots of eyes will be on the SL Blog for news of the release of the V2.0 Viewer (Beta). News of its pending release is all over the metaways!!
So are you excited or are you fearing the worst for your SL experience?

Well, it would seem we do not have long to wait to find out....but in the meantime...here is a pic of the new viewer German Style.
And here is a tour video of the new viewer:


Let us know what you think of it :)

VIEWER IS NOW AVAILABLE ON THE SL WEBSITE
HERE

MACHINIMA MAGIC!!!

I found this machinima in my meanderings on the internet and was simply blown away by the cinematography. This is a Second Life adaptation of a Brazilian folk tale , produced by SpyVSpy productions. I imagine, as a kid, what it would be like to to watch a story being presented in this manner and how entharlling it would be to me. I am increasingly amazed at the movies, (for in my opinion, this truly IS a movie to me) that are being produced in Second Life. As we continue our journey in Second Life , it will be interesting to see just how far over the rainbow we get to go! I hope you enjoy this machinima as much as I did!

WINTER OLYMPICS 2010 !!!

Tonite at 6PM PST , the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics will begin at BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia and will feature, among other events and exhibits, the lighting of the Olympic cauldron. Always a huge extravaganza and always kept very hush- hush (or as much as can be done in this media gone mad world) there is much speculation about what the opening cermonies will bring in both flavor and fantasy. There have already been some leaks as to who is performing with bets on Canadians Nelly Furtado, Sarah Mclaughlin and Bryan Adams being some of the featured artists. Like the rest of the world, we shall have to wait and see what is in store!!!

One of the much anticipated performances of the Opening ceremonies is ' We are the World - 25 for Haiti' , aptly titled as it is a benefit for Haiti. Organized by Lionel Richie and Quincy Jones, this remake will bring together the likes of Janet Jackson, Justin Bieber, Jordin Sparks, Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Pink — along with some newly added artists who won't be revealed until the remake airs.

Let the games begin....

The theme of the 2010 Winter Olympics is : Inspire The World, which I find rather suiting as every year, millions of people are inspired by not only the athletes themselves but by the the coming together of so many countries for one common goal:the pursuit of human excellence. This year there will be over 80 nations participating with over 2600 athletes taking part in these Olympic games.

Quick facts about the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games:

Date and time: 6:00pm PST: February 12, 2010
Location: BC Place in Vancouver
Theme: "To Inspire the World"
Budget for Opening and Closing Ceremonies:: $40 million

Television viewers: Estimated three billion
Marks the first time that Olympic ceremonies will be held indoors
Mascots: Miga, a sea bear, Quatchi, a Sasquatch, and Sumi, an animal spirit
Number of Paralympic athletes and officials: 1,350
Countries participating in Olympic Winter Games: 80+
Countries participating in Paralympic Winter Games: 40+
2010 Olympic Winter Games events tickets available: 1.6 million
2010 Paralympic Winter Games events tickets available: 250,000
Estimated number of media representatives: 10,000
Estimated number of Games volunteers: 25,000

For me, the Olympics always remind me that while we are a world of many different countries and cultures, physical competition is something we all have in common and which brings us together, on so many levels!

ENJOY the 2010 Olympics!!

LINDENS IN NEED!!

A totally hilarious spoof appeal on behalf of our poor lords and masters....The Lindens!!

DONATE TODAY!!!! :P

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY!!

While traditionally the Super Bowl has been touted as an American past time, it seems this iconic past time has gone somewhat international!!! Across the pond,check out the live game in the small hours of the morn on BBC in the UK. (Ummmm.... That will be a start time of 11 PM for the most die hard fans in the UK !!! *YAWN* ) Starting at midnight in Belgium, fans will be grabbing a beer and watching on Prime Sport TV, which will be broadcasting the game live in Belgium for the 5th consecutive year. If you're looking for a place to watch it abroad....check it out!

Super Bowl 44 Live TV Broadcast

Mexico: Televisa, TV Azteca will be broadcast in HD starting at 17:00 (CST)
Australia: Fox Sports, Channel Ten and One HD
Austria: Puls 4
Belgium: Prime Sport
Denmark: TV2 Sport and TV3+ starting at 22:00 (CET)
Europe: ESPN America
Finland: Nelonen Sport Pro and on Viasat Sport/Viasat Sport HD starting at 00:00 (CET)
France: W9
Germany: ARD Das Erste starting 23:35 (CET)
Hungary: Sport1
Italy: RAI
Norway: NRK1 starting at 23:15 (CET) and on Viasat Sport/Viasat Sport HD
Portugal: SportTV 1 and on SportTV HD starting at 23:00 (WET)
Romania: Sport1
Russia: NTV Plus
Spain: Canal+
Sweden: TV6 and on Viasat Sport/Viasat Sport HD starting at 00:00 (CET)
United Kingdom: BBC One and on Sky Sports 1 and HD 1 at 10.55pm and 11pm (GMT)
China: CCTV-5, G-Sports, Guangdong Sports, Sina TV(Online)
Japan: NHK

Always a big time thriller, this year's halftime show goes back a few decades with an appearance by 'THE WHO' . I imagine some of the fans will be saying... who? Who IS The Who?

For those who LOVE Trivia , here are some more Super Bowl fascinating facts for you:

· 8 million pounds of guacamole is consumed on Super Bowl Sunday.
· 14,500 tons of chips are eaten along with that guacamole.
· The average number of people at a Super Bowl Party is 17.
· 5% of Americans will watch the game alone.
· Of the top 10 most watched television programs of all time, 9 of them are Super Bowls.
· Budweiser has been the exclusive Super Bowl beer advertiser for the past 13
· years.
· The Super Bowl is measured in Roman numerals because a football season runs the span over two calendar years. The year the season began in 2006 and ends in 2007.
· Since the 1980s the Super Bowls have always started around 6pm Eastern Standard Time.
· More drivers are involved in alcohol-related accidents on Super Bowl Sunday than any other day of the year (except St. Patrick's Day), according to the Insurance Information Institute.
· 35% of people who attend the game write it off as a corporate expense.Over 700,000 footballs are produced annually for official NFL use and 72 of them are used for the Super Bowl.
· The Super Bowl has been played in south Florida 8 times, today's game will be the ninth.
· Super Bowl fans spend more than $50 million on food during the 4 days prior to the super bowl.

SARAH PALEN @ TRIBE?? XTRANORMAL MOVIE MAKING!

Click On The Pic Above To Start The Clip

This web app, I found, while reading the SL Alphaville Herald "tabloid" yesterday and I got such a kick out of it I just had to share.

Xtranormal is a web based* application that allows you to make animated shows with cartoon "actors". It is very easy to make fun movies using your own script. Now please, this is not Pixar or Universal studios, so don't expect uber shiny CGI . This is great fun and very simple to use.

Basically you are given some preset scenes and "actors" (yes luvvy) to work with. To each scene you can add your own lines for the actors to speak.Then you can add sound effects, animations and expressions from set menus with a simple drag and drop. It can feel a little limiting once you get into it but I had a real hoot. The text to speech and lip synching was very cool and with the ability to change the character voices another dimension is added.

The completed projects can be uploaded to youtube and/or kept on the Xtranormal servers. There is also a download and embed feature. The interface is really simple to use and very quickly you can produce very amusing cartoon or a funny personal message to someone.

Perhaps in the future there will be the ability for users to add scenes , actors, voices etc. It will be interesting to see where this sort of technology can go.

If you want to make your own cartoon and show it on this blog, let us know and we will embed your Spielbergesque feature!!

Anyway have fun....I know I did :)

*There is a download version which allows more characters etc.

Click HERE fore Xtranormal Homepage

AVATARS UNITED YOUR NEW SOCIAL NETWORK

Having had a good look around Avatar United after reading Avatars, Unite! on the Second Life blog, I have to say I have been reasonably impressed. Yes, it lacks functionality and yes it is glitchy as hell and has had it's infamous DB collapse where tons of data just disappeared....BUT I view this as teething troubles. It may have been more sensible for LL to have prepared their newly acquired social networking tool before shouting it from the roof tops, but that's done now...let's look forward.

In isolation, this acquisition is rather too focused in market terms, but as a part of a much larger marketing strategy it is very much a worthy addition. Certainly Second Life avatars will eat this up. It gives them just what they need at a time when other social networking sites are treating avatars like lepers and trying to out, well, everyone. If you value control of your privacy and are PROUD of your avatar then Avatars United is just the ticket!
Whether or not avatars from other virtual worlds, mporg's etc really want to join in a LL controlled venture remains to be seen. For me, I think if it has its very obvious flaws quickly ironed out ,this is a great buy for LL.

Pretty much all of the Tribe Team are aboard AU and have their pages set up. We hope to see you onboard and look forward to seeing you and hopefully Uniting with you!!

http://www.avatarsunited.com/

Avatars, Unite!!!!
nb:
One thing that the site DOES lack and something that quite frankly is a huge miss is its ability to verify avatar names. Why is this important? Well it means ANYONE can sign up as ANY avatar if the name is still available. So it would be wise, if you are intending using AU to sign up your avatar name asap to avoid someone else claiming your name !!

SECOND LIFE IMMITATES REAL LIFE MOVIE!!

I came across this machinima that is in a long list of the ever increasing examples of how Second Life is Life imitating Art imitating Life imitating Art.

' Dinner for One' is an original theatre sketch written by British author Lauri Wylie . Amazingly, this was written in 1920 and maintains its comedic value. In 1963 a German television station recorded a performance of this comedy sketch which became not only well-loved and oft watched but also became somewhat of a cult piece in various parts of Europe. The first video clip is created by Wichtel-Film Productions, courtesy of Megan Merlin, a machinimist in Second Life. The likeness to the real television clip is uncanny. I suggest watching Megan's version and then the original television version.Grab some popcorn, sit back and enjoy!

TRIBE VALENTINES EVENT

Calling all lovers and romantics.
14th of February is the date for all romantics to express their love for their wives girlfriends or significant others...or a time for sending annonymous messages of adoration to sometimes unsuspecting victims!

Whatever it is for you, we would LOVE you to share some of it with us and come over to our Valentines Dance @ Couger Caye - 2pm.

Dress up in your ball gowns and tuxedos and arm in arm sashay over to our Romatic Dance and Music evening.
We have the wonderful Amforte Clarity to set the mood and then we have a DJ to carry on the romance.

So, don those glad rags, dab a little of your most alluring parfum and we will to see you here!!!

In the meantime, here are a few Valentines related facts.

During Medieval times, girls ate unusual foods on St. Valentine's Day to have a dream of their future husband.

In the middle Ages, people believed that the first unmarried person of the opposite sex you met on the morning of St. Valentine's Day would become your spouse.

Alexander Graham Bell applied for his patent on the telephone, on the Valentine's Day, 1876.

The Taj Mahal at Agra, India is perhaps the most splendid gift of love. It was built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his beautiful wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Work on the Taj began in 1634 and continued for almost 22 years. It took the labor of 20,000 workers from all over India and Central Asia.

110 million roses, the majority red, will be sold and delivered within a three-day time period.

15% of U.S. women send themselves flowers on Valentine's Day.

73% of people who buy flowers for Valentine's Day are men, while only 27 percent are women.

About 1 billion Valentine's Day cards are exchanged each year. That's the largest seasonal card-sending occasion of the year, next to Christmas.

Teachers will receive the most Valentine's Day cards, followed by children, mothers, wives, and then, sweethearts. Children ages 6 to 10 exchange more than 650 million Valentine's cards with teachers, classmates, and family members

The Italian city of Verona, where Shakespeare's lovers Romeo and Juliet lived, receives about 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet every Valentine's Day.

McDONALDS OR BURGER KING? VIRTUAL OR REAL?

Whether you believe that the offerings of both of these companies does not constitute real food or you cannot pass one without drooling, one point that cannot be escaped is that they have outlets all over the place including SL!!

But which one is best? Is it the Flame Grilled Burger King beef or the Dill Pickle of McDonalds that floats your boat?
The fries are very different and for some Burgers the buns are very different. There is the Onion rings, the salad....oh and that VERY weird and seemingly out of place Filet O Fish. The Breakfast menus are very different, and then there is the shakes!! Getting Hungry Yet??
What about the wraps, or the Aberdeen Angus beef?? Well for me, it would have to be The Whopper from Burger King with Fries from Mcdonalds, Onion Rings and drink from Burger King (I can feel the pounds piling on) and lets wrap it up with a cream egg McFlurry!! Oh' and at this moment I am feeling a little hungry so I may have to just Go Large!!!
And just to give an idea of the nutritional value of these Gods of The Fast Food Burger lets compare their Flagship Burger:

McDonald’s

Big Mac

• Calories: 560 Calories from Fat: 270 (48%)
• Protein: 25 grams
• Cholesterol: 80 mg
• Sodium: 1,010 mg
• Total Carbs: 47 grams
• Sugar: 25 grams
• Total Fat: 30 grams
• Saturated Fat: 10 grams
• Trans Fat: 1.5 grams

BURGER KING

Whopper with Cheese

• Calories: 760 Calories from Fat: 420 (55%)
• Protein: 33 grams
• Cholesterol: 15 mg
• Sodium: 1,450 mg
• Total Carbs: 52 grams
• Sugar: 11 grams
• Total Fat: 47 grams
• Saturated Fat: 16 grams
• Trans Fat: 1.5 grams

The Whopper is the bigger burger by weight but also contains as a % more fat. Both however are not the recommended staple for those seeking to shed the pounds! However I am led to believe that the Restaurants in SL are serving Big Macs and Whoppers with 0% fat!!!
So, are you a fan or would you ban? Let us know who and what is your favourite, if you have one at all!!?


To finish, here are a few interesting facts about these fast food giants.

Burger King was started in 1954 in miami Florida.

In India the "Big Mac" is changed into the "Maharaja Mac", a mutton burger in deference to religious injunctions against the consumption of beef and pork.

In a bizarre case, Muslims thought that the wrapper of a new ice cream treat sold in the UK looked like the Muslim word for God when rotated sideways . Burger King redesigned the wrapper.

McDonald's restaurants will buy 54,000,000 pounds of fresh apples this year. Two years ago, McDonald's purchased 0 pounds of apples. This is attributed to the shift to more healthy menu options.

Burger King has given a lifetime supply of free hamburgers to at least 11 celebrities, including Jay Leno, British actor Hugh Laurie, and singer Jennifer Hudson.

Sälen in Sweden opened the first SKI-THROUGH McDonald's in the world.

Burger King uses approximately 500,000 pounds of bacon every month in its restaurants.

DEEDING TV's and CHECKING PRIMS

Click on picture to enlarge

How to Deed a TV:

1. Place the TV where you want it
2. Right click on your TV and go to EDIT
3. Set the group to TRIBE
4. Tick the ‘share with group’ box
5. Click the highlighted DEED button.
6. Your TV should now be Group Owned

Your TV is ready to play!

A few suggestions if your TV is NOT working:

* Do you have Quicktime installed? All TV’s in SL work with Quicktime.

* Check your preferences ! At the top of your Screen, go to EDIT, then PREFERENCES. Go to AUDIO & VIDEO and make sure to check that your volume is turned up on your MEDIA. Also, under Streaming Preferences, make sure you have the box ticked that says: Play streaming media when available.

*One last thing to check!! Right click on the land. Go to ABOUT LAND and then to the MEDIA TAB. You will need the following fields filled in:
Media Type: That should be Movie or Web Content
Media URL : that will be the URL of either the web content or the movie
Texture: that should be the same texture that is on your TV screen


How to check how many prims are on your land:


Click on picture to enlarge

To check the prims on your land:
( I will use the above image as my example)

1. Go to the top of your screen and click on WORLD
2. Go to ABOUT LAND
3. Go to OBJECTS and you will see:

Primitives parcel supports : 1487
Primitives on parcel: 827

That means that this person has used 827 of their allowed 1487 prims so they have 660 prims left to use. This is a quick and easy way to keep tabs on how many prims are on your land.

We hope this helps make your Second Life just a tad easier and as always, if you have any questions, please feel free to IM any of the Tribe Team members!

OH THE PLACES WE GO!!!!

Feeling the need for a bit of R & R , I decided to slap on my compass and go exploring in the vast land we call Second Life. As always, I was looking for something different, out of the ordinary and something that would well...knock my socks off! Come with me on my journey as I explore 2 sims: Japan Kanto and Japan Chubu . Click on the names of the islands for a SLURL!

Japan Kanto is designed to look and feel like a classic Japanese market . The market is filled with some amazing Japanese furniture, art, buildings and more, all very detailed and high quality. The market borders the edges of a Zen garden, which is not only beautiful to look at but has some areas within for meditation and quiet reflection. In all honesty, I loved the garden more than the actual shopping! After all, I was looking for R & R!! One of the most quaint areas I came across was a tent that housed a 'magic lantern' that showed slides of real life Japan. Take a minute to relax and enjoy the slide show. I love how this is a mix of SL's creativity and RL pictures! Leave yourself plenty of time to browse through the market and try out some of the more interesting things...they have rickshaws!!!

The Japan Chuba sim houses a re-creation of one Japan's most historic castles: Matsumoto Castle. Not only is the castle impressive in its likeness to the REAL castle but the grounds of this island make you feel as if you have been dropped right into the heart of this gorgeous region of Japan. Certainly have a wander through the castle and on the grounds but also fly over the island so you can absorb, in full , its grace and beauty. This sim is part of a group of Asian themed sims, all easy to traverse and explore with each offering something unique and special.

As always, breathe deep and ENJOY!!!

NEW TRIBE ISLANDS EVOKE PANDORA

Having spoken to quite a few people recently about the film "Avatar" it would seem that so many have been inspired by James Camerons work. No more so than the amazing content creators within SL.

So far I have seen some excellent Na'vi skins,Na'vi Skybox and some of the weapons ( bows and arrows etc) used in the film.

Having seen this incredible film, which really does set the benchmark for CGI in movies, I have to say I myself was inspired. So, when Tribe was approached by someone looking for a Pandora style sim...we did not need asking twice.

We had no intentions of copying directly from Pandora and we also felt that there was some "feel" of Hawaii in the film also, so we set out to achieve something that pulled from both of these and that would work in SL for a residential sim.
Well...here it is.....our very own piece of Eden and our latest theme. This will add to our current Tropical & Lakeland Themes. It is currently still "under construction" but should be complete for resident occupation over the next week to ten days. It is great fun to create and using a lot of Lilith and Dolly Hearts excellent plants, palms etc (Heart Botanicals) we think we have achieved what we set out to do.

For more information about availability and pricing contact Alexxa Despres.

TRIBE ISLAND SHOWCASE

It's that time AGAIN. Another Islands Showcase!!
Taking pictures of the gorgeous resident homes around the Tribe Islands is a total pleasure. There are so many fantastic parcels showing off our residents remarkable creativity!!! Thank You.

This time we have a very varied selection. From Pandora to Prairie Farm from Hawaii to Hobbit, it's all here and lots in between. I hope you enjoy this selection. Have a peek........it may be YOUR home!!! JUST CLICK ON THE IMAGES TO ENLARGE











If you would like to become a Tribe Native or find out more about land with Tribe please contact one of the team inworld or via a comment !!

The New 'GO' Feature!

There is a new feature in Second Life SEARCH that I think is very useful in finding...well...what you're looking for!! Most people in Second Life use SEARCH to find what they are looking for. So for instance, if you want to find grunge clothing:

• Go to the bottom of your SL screen and click 'SEARCH'.
• Then go to the ALL tab and type in the word 'grunge' into the field next to the word 'Find'.
• Click the word SEARCH (found underneath the 'Find' field)
• Click on the name of the store you are interested in.

For this example, I have used Tribe Wear. If you look closely, you will see a 'GO' link next to the listed items and when in world if you click on that 'GO' link, you will be taken right to the item you are seeking ( Please click on the picture to enlarge and you can see an example of the 'GO' link ).

How many times are you looking for one specific object and you just do NOT have the time to wander around the whole store to find that one item? THIS 'go' link saves you time and trouble by taking you directly to it. I am happy to report that out of the 5 times I tried this feature, I landed RIGHT by the item I had searched for. I do encourage you to give it a go and see if it makes your Second Life just a tad easier. After all, think of all the time you will be saving! You can shop twice as much in half the time!! Let me know how it goes...and if you find it as easy to work with as I did!

When we set about designing and setting up our Sims at Tribe we have to take a lot of things into mind. One of the things we take into consideration is the fact that peoples' prim requirements can change.
Not just because they want to have more furniture or want to upgrade to a prim hungry but stunning beach house but also for temporary use when you throw an event at your parcel, like a birthday party, wedding etc.

To this end each Island Sim (excluding Homesteads) has an allocation of prims set aside so that they can be added to your allowance either temporarily or permanently if needed. The allocation per sim usually numbers between 100 - 1400 prims, depending on the sim. Some of you are aware that this is available and have made use already.

It should be pointed out at this point, that once the prims are all allocated there will be none available until some are freed up.

For temporary allocation, for an event etc there is no charge for the prims, just give Alexxa, Blu or Magnus a yell.

For a more permanent allocation, there is a cost per prim. Again give one of the team a shout and they can let you know price and availability.

So if you need some extra prims for your plot either temporarily or more permanently just ask!!

Here is a list of Prims that are available per Sim:

Breeze Caye 154 - Cape Jaffa 852 - Cape Shore 1426 - Coco Caye 197 Coral Caye 470 - Eagle Caye 156 - Echo Beach 257 - Emerald Caye 286 South Caye 278 - West Caye 514

All other sims have no prims available currently. All prims allocated on a first come first served basis.

Contact Alexxa Despres, Blu Jupiter or Magnus Wakowski for info or if you have any questions :)

"BYE BYE AVATAR" - FACEBOOK KICK OUT AVATARS

A lot of residents have been setting up Facebook accounts using their Second Life avatar names. This was even actively encouraged by Linden Lab.

But the use of fake names, avatar or otherwise is not allowed and has always been a part of Facebooks TOS:

Registration and Account Security

Facebook users provide their real names and information, and we need your help to keep it that way. Here are some commitments you make to us relating to registering and maintaining the security of your account

It would seem that Facebook are now actively enforcing their TOS in regards to fake names particularly avatar names and closing accounts that break their TOS. Some users of FB have reported that they have logged on to find their friends list has been reduced by over 100 names because of the enforcement.

There has been an outcry to this "avatar genocide" and some have even set up Facebook groups to organise people in protest.

Avatars & Humans United: Petition for Avatar Identities on Facebook

Linden Lab are talking about greater integration of social networking sites such as Facebook etc into the Second Life viewer. In Facebooks case this will only be easily achieved if individuals break the FB TOS and use their SL avatar name or they divulge their RL names and as a consequence their FB page. An interesting dilemma. Of course there is another alternative and that is not using FB in connection with SL at all. This would make any integration of FB into SL would be a waste of time.

There will be a lot of avatars being evicted from their Facebook homes over the coming weeks.

For those that have had their accounts removed the link below gives you more info from Facebook:

Facebook Help/ Account Disabled

In Tribute to Miep Gies

I have always had a fascination with people who do extraordinary deeds and yet who are insistent on their ordinariness. Miep Gies died today at the age of 100 . She was one of a group of Dutch people who hid not only Anne Frank and her family but another family of four during World War II. She never saw herself as a herione , instead in her own words she described herself in the following way:

"There is nothing special about me. I have never wanted special attention. I was only willing to do what was asked of me and what seemed necessary at the time."

In tribute to Miep Gies for her acts of courage , her extraordinary sense of humility and her to exceptional display of human kindness.

For a 'visit' to the Anne Frank house, click HERE

A NEW BUZZ - AUGMENTED REALITY

Augmented Reality should have been the buzz phrase of 2009. But such was the noise of Twitter, Facebook et al it pretty much got drowned out. However keep an eye out for it in 2010.

But what is it?

Well, Wiki tells us "Augmented reality (AR) is a term for a live direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment whose elements are merged with (or augmented by) virtual computer-generated imagery - creating a mixed reality.

So, putting it simply, it is a mix of the real and the reality. How does it work? A picture paints a thousand words, so here are a few examples of Augmented Reality at work.




As you can see, a lot of the multinationals are already using this technology in quite an advanced way. Will it make our lives very different, especially how we view the world around us. Will it even make an appearance in Second Life?
It is all a case of "watch this space". This is just the beginning. Expect to find more and more AR in a store near you SOON!

ARCTIC BRITAIN!!

When I saw this photo I was so blown away I just had to share. Now I know that more than just the UK is gripped in a pretty biting winter, but I have never seen the like of this pic in my life. Thanks to NASA for this image which shows the extent of the winter snow and freezing temperatures on Island UK. Funny enough, there is a clear patch along the south coast which is where I live!!! But we did have a little snow so I don't feel deprived. I wonder what all of you are experiencing, I bet there are quite a few baking in the sun!!

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE
(pic from BBC http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/8447023.stm)

OH THE PLACES WE GO!!!!!

For the VERY first ' Oh The Places You Go" for 2010, I went to a sim that was recommended by a friend. The sim is patterned after a town in Cuba with the distinct flavor of the Amercican Southwest woven into this island's tapestry. When I arrived, my first inclination was to wander around and find a nice place for a siesta. Fortunately for me, I happened upon a quaint little cafe that served sangria and chips (yes, really! )

Emvee Cuba is a great place to wander around and just soak up the atmosphere and admire the architecture. I was in awe of the builds not only for their authenticity but also for their rich textures and vibrant colors. Lots of different poses (disguised as small cameras) dot the landscsape so take advantage as they make for some great photo ops! There are also some shops scattered about as well as a gorgeous old church , which I have to confess, I found breathtaking! Picture postcard perfect, Cuba Emvee is a lovely place to visit so put on your bermuda shorts, grab a friend and away you go...to Cuba Emvee!

Click HERE for SLURL!

2010 PREDICTIONS

Just for a bit of fun I have put together a list of 10 SL Linked Predictions for 2010. It would be great to hear what you think and what your own predictions are !! Happy 2010!!

1. Mesh Imports will become possible from the likes of Blender, 3DS Max and MAYA.

2. Blue Mars will become a viable competitor to Second life

3. Philip Linden will launch a BETA version of "LOVE MACHINE"



4. Linden Lab will be bought out

5. Super Sim - A sim will be made available that is much larger than the current size

6. 100000 resident concurrency will be achieved

7. Teen Grid will disappear and age limit for Main Grid will lower, possibly to 13
8. HTML and Flash will be able to be placed on a prim

9. Integration of Facebook & Twitter into the Client

10. Texture Painting for Terrain will be made possible

Some I think are probably more wishes than predictions, but it will be amusing to see what occurs over the next twelve months!!