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 ;)

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

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!

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!

OH THE PLACES WE GO!!!!

There is just something so magical about finding TRULY beautiful and creative places in Second Life. I was lucky enough to be introduced to such a place : Garden of Dreams. It's the perfect blend of beauty and majesty without being ostentatious or gaudy in its look and feel. Lots of places to just wander and explore, so DO take time to relax and soak up the atmosphere here.

Certainly a lovely place to take your honey for a bit of cuddling as they have these wonderful tree cages with lush comfy pillows and lots of cuddle poses. Holiday time can always be a bit hectic so I hope you take some time away...and dream a little dream!

Click HERE for the SLURL and ENJOY!!!!

OH THE PLACES WE GO!!!

It's nice to have friends but it's nicer to have friends that show you places that are cool and interesting to visit. I must give due credit to Blu Jupiter for finding this ever so lovely place! There seems to be something magical about winter wonderlands and especially for those of us who rarely if ever get to experience real ones. Winter at Never Never land is certainly no exception. If you want to just go and soak up the atmosphere you can relax by a cozy fire or if you're feeling a bit more adventurous, grab a pair of ice skaltes and take a spin around the pond. There 's even a sled if you are more into sharing the icy cold with someone . My personal favorite: a snowball maker!!! I have challenged both Drift and Blu to a snowball fight...we'll see which one of them has the NERVE!!!

For the romantic in you, grab your sweety and go for a whirl around the dance floor surrounded by glistening snow-covered trees and stars that twinkle in the night and then afterwards for a cuddle beside the fire. There a quaint little cabin with mistletoe JUST inside entrance where you can surprise someone special with a stolen kiss.

Hope you all enjoy Winter at Never Never Land...even the name promises something just a bit magical!!!

Click HERE for the SLURL!

HALLOWEEN WITH NOMA FALTA on TRIBE ISLANDS!

Tribe Islands is in for a REAL treat this Halloween with the gorgeous Noma Falta singing the Blues, as no one else sings it quite like her! Come join the party at The Beach on Cougar Caye!!

When: Saturday, October 31st @ 2PM ( SLT)
Where: The Beach
Who : All of you, of course!

Best Costume Contest at 3PM with CASH PRIZE awarded for best costume for female and male !!! Music..dancing...fun...pumpkins... all for the 'ghouls' and guys!! Did I mention pumpkins? Grab your neighbor, your partner, your neighbor's partner and come on over for a Halloween Fest that ROCKS!

See you there!!
(Click HERE for Slurl)

Philip Linden's BIG ADVENTURE!

The news rolled out late last night that Philip Linden is starting a new company!! Philip stated, " It's a big idea - something that actually depends on Second Life existing to get started, and that I have been thinking about almost as long as I've been thinking about Second Life. " So while we don't have the particulars, I am excited to see what this visionary has in store for us! He has a new island called 'P Squared' , which he sees as his extended space for his work place. Along with the new island comes an open invitation for anyone to visit. (CLICK HERE ) Keep your eyes on this spot and as we get the skinny on Philip Linden's new project, we will post it here!

PHILIP ROSEDALE INTERVIEW

Phillip Rosedale gets around! Have a peek at this brief interview at a Journalism Summit in Washington to see where Second Life is headed...in the words of Philip Rosedale!! I always find it interesting to see the real people behind Second Life being interviewed not only for the questions asked but the nuances of his body language. I can't decide who looks more uncomfortable, the interviewer or the interviewee!

Too Busy To Date My Avatar?

The latest send up of the "Date My Avatar" phenomena!

Seond Life & Social Networks

Last week Twitter was given the hefty valuation of $1billion and this before it has become profitable. The social networking site boasts a huge audience and although Twitter won't release official numbers, its website has over 30 million unique monthly users, plus more on its mobile and smart phone services.

The buzz is all about Social Networks, and for good reason? Social networks apart from providing huge numbers of eyeballs on webpages also sort people into groups of common interests in hobbies, religion, politics, buying trends etc etc. This is a marketeers dream and is highly valued in dollar terms if it can be tapped.

Second Life, which incidently is in profit, needs to access this phenomenon and some form of integration into the SL client and/or website is called for.

With the Lab currently working on a new client and with the introduction of the new secondlife.com it must be hoped that Linden Labs have their sights firmly fixed on Social Networking Integration (SNI). If it is the case that LL are working hard along these lines then, if successful, a very bright future is in prospect for the Lab and Second Life.

ADULT CONTENT: What is it?

There seems to be a bit of confusion about ADULT CONTENT (AC) here in Second Life. Here at Tribe we have always adopted an 'live and let live' policy : To each their own and what you do in the privacy of your own home is exclusively YOUR business as long as it is within TOS and covenant, of course. Basically, as defined by the Knowledge Base on the SL website, AC means:

"The Adult designation applies to Second Life® Regions that host conduct or display content that is sexually explicit or intensely violent, or depicts illicit drug use. Any Region must be designated Adult and therefore require account verification, if it advertises or publicly promotes the following:
Representations of intensely violent acts, whether or not photo-realistic (for example, depicting death, torture, dismemberment or other severe bodily harm)
Photo-realistic nudity; photo-realistic means that an image either is or cannot be distinguished from a photograph
Expressly sexually themed content, spaces or activities (whether or not photo-realistic); we will broadly define what is "sexually themed" to include any sexually oriented activities and conduct. "

Now the above qualifiers apply to events , groups , regions and even classifieds. What the above qualifiers do NOT apply to is what you do in the privacy of your own home!! You do NOT need to be in an AC region to have a sex bed, have sexually explicit poseballs, or even to have marijuana plants on your property. The key to ALL of this is the following phrase: if it advertises or publicly promotes . The bottom line ( no pun intended) is that the ADULT CONTENT policy has brought NO changes to what you can and can not do at TRIBE ISLANDS. So...Just have you have always done from day one...relax, have fun and ENJOY!!!

THE TRIBE THRILLER!!!!!!!

Calling all Zombies, Werewolves, Creatures of the Night and Alexxa..........WE NEED YOUR HELP.

On the 11th September @ 4pm we will be attempting to set the record for the MOST avatars doing a simultaneous "thriller" dance. So Grab your scariest outfit, practice being the "undead" for a few hours each night and when you see a full moon in the sky and hear an unearthly howl in the distance, you WILL know. It is time to join the other undead of SL and congregate on Cougar Caye for the dance of the year!!!!!

The event will be straight after Noma Falta the AWESOME fabulous Queen Bee. Noma is a verstaile musician with a love of the blues. Noma's voice is in demand. She can be heard on many blues cd's singing backup and she has Two CD's she has cut with her band, The BackBeats.

Event Times:
Noma Falta Performs Live 3pm sl time

The "TRIBE THRILLER" 4pm sl time

The event will be filmed and a machinima produced, so make sure you have your best undead smile on. There will also be prizes for various categories. We will also be giving out limited edition "Tribe Thriller" T-Shirts for all participants ( I am modelling one in the pic).

Free Zombie Outfit can be found on X Street SL CLICK HERE
Slurl for Cougar Caye CLICK HERE

Let one of the Tribe Staff know if you will be attending so that you can have a space booked....this one could get busy!!!!!!

We will keep you up to date with any more news...STAY POSTED!!!

Cool New Music Video!

Have you ever seen something and thought: " Geez...if ONLY I had thought of THAT?" I saw this video and thought THAT very thing! It made me laugh...it made me cry (well tears from laughing so hard) and it made me appreciate the creativity of humankind! What a clever commentary on this....OUR virtual world, Second Life! Take a peek and I hope you ENJOY as much as I did!!!

FACEBOOK FAUX PAS!!

This is one reason to be VERY careful who you ad as a facebook friend!! And of course WHAT you say about those you have!!!!

OLYMPIC GOLF & OTHER STORIES

Today I heard that Golf and Womens Boxing were vying to become officially recognised Olympic Sports. I won't comment on the Boxing situation because THATS a no brainer, but when it comes to GOLF I have to admit that quite honestly I thought it already was.

When you consider that the following sports are already recognised (although not contested….yet) Bridge, Chess, Tug of War and Lifesaving how can it be that such a global Sport with a capital S is not recognised.

Admittedly if I had put some thought into it I would have come to the conclusion that I had never actually seen anyone play golf in an Olympic games and my shock would not have been so severe as to make me press the wrong button on my tv remote.

Let’s face it, if the insanely smiling nose clip brigade of synchronised swimming can make it in there then why not Golf…….or Parrot Rearing for that matter. I mean ..really…call that a sport!! Yes..yes…maybe I can’t do it…but would I want to!!!?

One of the criteria for an activity becoming an officially recognised Olympic Sport is Youth Appeal, so what exactly does that mean. Will we eventually see Graffiti Spraying or Rapping inaugurated into the Pantheon of Olympic Sports. I know that Skateboarding is up for review so nothing would be a surprise.

Personally I think the Olympics is in danger of becoming so bloated with fringe activities that soon it will take a Continent to host it. Having said that I am extremely proud that my own country will be hosting the 2012 Olympics and can't wait until that opening ceremony where I HOPE to be present!

I am off to dust of my old Rap Lyrics. You never know I could be the next Michael Johnson of Rap (or could that be Ben).

What sports do you think Should or Should not be recognised as Olympic sports.

EXPLORING SECOND LIFE!!!!

Always in search of new and different places, I was lucky enough to happen upon a realllly cool place. Well, 'happen upon' is not exactly the right phrase...'dragged there' is more like it! Whimsical and delightful and just so incredibly well -done, The Drill Factory blew me away! Go check out the glass merry-go-round and the snow globe! Make sure you fly around so you can see all the fun stuff! One of the things that amazed me most was the feeling one gets of being weightless as you fly around...almost like you are floating in space. I know that sounds odd, but you just have to go there to see what I mean! I STILL can't figure out how the creator makes you feel 'floaty', can YOU? Tell me what you think of my new discovery! Happy exploring!!!! CLICK HERE FOR THE SLURL!

xxx Alexxa

TASER TANTRUMS!!!

You may already be aware that Taser the company that manufactures those "fun for all the family" electroshock weapons that use electrical current to "disrupt voluntary control of muscles"had filed a Law Suit against Linden Labs. Citing that Linden Lab and others had damaged their companies sales and brand by allowing the sale of Taser like "weapons" inworld.

Well turns out that this media attention piece of showboating has been pulled by Taser, although they did use those wonderful words "without prejudice" (which basically warns that they can file again if they see fit) when they pulled.

To be perfectly honest....I was stunned @ this lawsuit in the first place, surely whoever made the decision had tested that Taser's "take down power" one too many times. Don't get me wrong, I understand the need for copywriting and image rights etc but geez , whats next? Plastic Surgeons suing because Prim Boobs are doing them out of a living!!!?

Social Networking Piece on CNBC : Featuring Second Life

As the wreckage of the credit crunch is being cleaned up companies and individuals look to ways to "get out there" and reduce costs.

WORD PLAY, ANYONE???

To change the tone just a bit, a bit of WORD play! I do love a good play....on words! Hope you all ENJOY! And for those who like a CHALLENGE, post your OWN or share YOUR favorite one of the these!

Here is a sampling of Washington Post's Mensa Invitational which once again asked readers to take any word from the dictionary, alter it by adding, subtracting, or changing one letter, and supply a new definition. Here are some of the winning entries:

1. Cashtration (n.): The act of buying a house, which renders the subject financially impotent for an indefinite period of time.

2. Ignoranus : A person who's both stupid and an asshole.

3. Intaxicaton : Euphoria at getting a tax refund, which lasts until you realize it was your money to start with.

4. Reintarnation : Coming back to life as a hillbilly.

5. Bozone ( n.): The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down in the near future.

6. Foreploy : Any misrepresentation about yourself for the purpose of getting laid.

7. Giraffiti : Vandalism spray-painted very, very high

LETS HEAR YOUR OWN VERBAGE IDEAS!!